#morael

Despite his hatred for interacting with lesser villains, Black Hat loved throwing his little auction-parties. Villains from all around would throw their money at him, in hopes of getting their grubby hands on his doctor’s newest inventions. The ones that don’t win the inventions usually leave noticeable “donations”, in hopes of getting on the demon’s good side.

The demon doesn’t have a good side, but no one needs to know that.

He hears some gossip from a couple villain-wannabes by the buffet table. Mora’s on her way. That made him mildly curious. Who the hell is Mora? Some new villain that everyone thinks is aiming to be the next /Him/?

He couldn’t help but scoff at the idea. The woman was probably just particularly pretty, if the humans got so excited about her being on the way. Oh well. As long as she spent her money and didn’t just lounge around, he’d be fine with some pathetic little thing coming in.

He was fine with how his party was going, until he felt a… strange sensation crawl along his spine. His brow furrowed, confusion and annoyance crossing his features. Did someone bring in a blessed item? Something covered in holy water?

One of the lesser villains- a nerdy little thing dressed in the worst spandex suit- immediately started swooning, saying to his friends that “she’s here”. A small buzz picked up as Black Hat looked over.

His eye widened, and a sneer settled on his face.

She was ethereal- an unnatural glow to her that seemed to take up the room. It made his eyes burn and his head hurt just looking at her. The humans in the vicinity immediately became infatuated at her arrival, much to his disgust. He struggled to keep his form intact, feeling the urge to shift into something less human.

He grabbed the sad, nerdy little villain by the back of his suit, yanking him closer and demanding that he be told who the /hell/ that woman was.

“Th-that’s Morael,” the worm stuttered. “She’s the new villain that’s popped up, kidnapping and b-brainwashing our rivals-” A villain? /That/ creature? Interesting.

Without letting him finish, Black Hat dropped the bug back onto his feet. As much as he didn’t want to, he HAD to meet her now.

She looked up as he approached, meeting his eye. He expected a reserved stare, but was met with cold eyes and an even colder smile. Se pushed through the small group of admirers- and possible clients- to meet him halfway. His skin itched and burned in her presence, making him smirk slightly.

“So, you’re the infamous Black Hat,” she murmured, her smooth voice grating on his eardrums. She held a hand out, smile widening into a knowing grin. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Morael.”

He shook her hand, gripping tighter than he would with any human. He felt his skin melt at the contact, and he suppressed a small hiss that threatened to escape him. He pulled back from the greeting, putting his hands behind his back as it healed.

“I can’t say I’ve heard much about you, yet. Many seem to think you’re a notable upcoming villain,” Black Hat said, eyeing her up. She was smaller than him by a good foot- although, him being nearly 7 feet tall dwarfed almost anyone. Her green eyes seemed to glow with the same aura that her skin held. It made him sick.

“They’re right,” she said simply, folding her hands in front of her and holding them at her waist. “I’ve helped take control of the annoying hero populace- a lot of them are now minions for their previous nemesis. And some of them are simply my own little helpers, now.” She was sure of herself, that much was certain. As much as he hated to admit it, he liked her confidence. It still annoyed him, but he could respect it.

He motioned towards the buffet table, away from her little entourage. As disappointed as they were, she followed the demon’s lead. She indulged in some of the food Flug and 505 prepared for tonight, much to his surprise. Ironically, she went for the devil’s food cake. From her small smile, she was aware of the silent joke.

“And what do you have to gain from such a business, if I may ask,” he grunted, pushing away the nerdy little parasite that he was getting information out of before. The man huffed slightly, going back to stuffing his face with crab cakes. Black Hat held back a sneer as he turned his attention back to the woman in front of him.

“What do you mean? A business in getting rid of their enemies is all a villain could ask for. If you’re worried about your profits, don’t worry- many prefer to just kill their enemies rather than enslave them. Besides,” she grinned- an evil look to match one of his own. “Humans are just so cute when they’re brought to me. The money is good, too. What else could a girl ask for?” Black Hat scoffed.

“Since when do YOUR kind think of humans in any other way than something to be protected- like the infants they are.” She chuckled- a small, evil sound that sent chills down everyone’s spines. Eavesdroppers were sweating, much to the demon’s annoyance.

“Oh, my dear demon…” Those eyes that were shining changed, a darker expression crossing her face as she took a sip out of a wine glass.

“I’m not in Heaven for a reason.” Her tone said enough. He stared at her for a moment, before a sharp grin nearly split his cheeks. He barked out a laugh, making eavesdroppers flinch and move away.

“Well, aren’t you an interesting one,” he growled, moving to cross his arms. She laughed out a small “glad you think so”, turning back to her food.

He wanted to continue the conversation, but Flug just had to waltz in and remind him that it was time for the silent auction. Black Hat snarled, making the doctor flinch and run away. He stomped off angrily, ignoring the giggling coming from the angel behind him.

The items and notepads were put on display, and everyone was encouraged to go around and bet as much as possible.

Black Hat stood on a stage, watching the villain wannabes scurry around. He caught sight of Morael, strutting towards where the good doctor himself was standing. He jumped when her hand landed on his arm.

“Mind explaining your inventions to me, my dear?” “U-u-uh… There are c-cards that tell you what each item does-” “Oh, I know, but I want to hear exactly how they work from the genius that made them.” Black Hat could hear the doctor’s heart rate rise. It sickened him, watching as Flug led her around and stuttered out explanations of each device. Humans were such easy creatures to manipulate, especially if you’re a pretty woman. Bat your eyelashes and they do your bidding.

The demon let out a small huff-like chuckle. So that’s how she did things, hm? Everyone has their own ways. He just prefers intimidating his underlings.

She seemed drawn to a little recording device. The item in question helped with mind control- all the user had to do was record a special track and the device would sedate and indoctrinate whoever wore the headset. Considering what she does for a living, Black Hat isn’t too surprised she bid on that one.

She sent Flug off, and he scurried away to calm himself. The woman stayed near the mind control device, immediately upping her price whenever someone tried to outbid her. Not that many even dared to get close to her obvious claim.

Unsurprisingly, she was the last person to bid on that particular device, by the end of the auction.

Flug and Black Hat went over the bid sheets, while 505 went around to clean any leftover mess. Unbeknownst to the demon, Morael started cooing over the bear and keeping him from finishing his work.

Flug nearly choked when they got to Morael’s bid sheet. His boss looked over, eyes widening. Her bid was nearly five times what the base price was. Oh, Black Hat definitely found this angel interesting.

When it was time to call her to the table to grab her prize, Flug’s throat seemed to tighten up when he tried to call her name. Black Hat rolled his eyes, forgetting how easily humans become infatuated with non-human creatures. He saved himself the time and called her up, himself.

She sauntered up to the table, taking her boxed-up mind control device. She took it with a thank you, before sliding a card onto the table. He took it, seeing it was her contact information.

“Perhaps, if you ever need my services, you could contact me. I’m sure we could do great business together,” she purred, a subtle… tone to her voice that caused his ears to ring. From the way Flug shook his head, and reached under his bag to scratch and rub at his ear, it had more of an effect on him.

Black Hat couldn’t help but smirk, before pulling out his own business card. He passed it to her, watching as the tainted card burned her skin. Not that her own card didn’t sting in his grasp. She put the card into her bag, a pleasant smile on her face.

“Until next time, Black Hat.”

He watched her go, eyes lingering on the bare back her dress leaves free. Large scars littered along her shoulder blades. A tell-tale sign of an angel- fallen or not.

He stared until she was out of sight, a sinister grin on his face. Normally, he wouldn’t bother working with someone, but this woman was an interesting thing.

That… and he has to make sure she trying to take his spot as top villain, of course.

“Flug,” he growled, handing the business card to the nervous doctor. He nearly dropped it, making Black Hat roll his eyes.

“Set up an appointment with Miss Mind Control. I want see if we can do a… collaboration.” The way the demon snarled the sentence out unsettled the doctor, but like hell he’d say anything.