playing cards right

2. deals

Husk thought for a moment. "Alastor, can I talk to you?" Alastor looked confused but agreed. They stepped outside the room and into the dimly lit hall. Husk layed back against the wall while alastor smiled with curiosity.

"How long has angel dust been working for Valentino?"

Alastor looked confused but answered. "I want to say seventy years, but I could be wrong. Why do you ask, my boy?"

Husk inhaled sharply. "I think your smart enough to understand what I'm getting at."

Alastor tilted his head. "I'm sorry, I think you need to elaborate."

"Angel has been working with Valentino for seventy years. Which means, judging by the industry, the jobs layout, and  Valentino and angels popularity, if one of them were to leave, it would be the end of both of them."

"Are you implying we wipe out Valentino?" Alastor asked excitedly. "Not exactly." Husk said with a slight smile. "If we were to wipe out Valentino and word got out we were the ones who did it, it would be the end of the hotel all together."

"Since when did you start becoming that fond of the hotel? And how could anyone find out it's us with the magic I bestow?" Alastor asked trying as hard as he could to push huskers foolish ideas aside.

Husk looked down with a sickening grin and back into alastors bright yellow eyes.
"Vox."

Alastor stepped back looking like a sore loser. Husk continued.

"That man is the answer to it all. He keeps cameras everywhere. If you eliminated Valentino he would be the first to know, and him being in charge of the broadcasting system would mean word would spread like wildfire. The manges would be dragged down along with your precious Charlie."

Alastor was intrigued and embarrassed. He winced at the mention of Charlie knowing that her life was at stake if angel went through with Valentino's wishes. "So what do you suppose we do... Husky?" He said with a vicious grin.

Husk looked up at him sternly with more focus than ever. "Angel is not only Valentino's right hand, but he's also his most prised posession. If angel went through with the plan and brought back charlie, he would be free and his replacement would become Valentino's new star. This cycle will end up continuing forever with more faces and more deals."

Husk was looking down deep in thought. His leg was twitching and his fingers were fidgeting. As he talked alastor became more and more interested. He had never heard him talk this much and he pestered his mind for the reason behind all of this.

"To save angel we would have to sacrifice charlie, and to save charlie angel would be stuck with Valentino forever. We want neither of those to happen. But think. Stopping something as genius as this is not easy. Valentino is an overlord, and the only way to win this ongoing battle is to fight fire with fire."

Alastor almost stopped smiling. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Are you saying..

Husk smiled widly. "We need to turn his side against him."