Remote Access (Alastor x Vox)

Chapter 7

"—Then I said, 'It's a shame you wear that hat all the time, 'cause I hear you're famous for your head'," Angel Dust recounted, retelling various lines from his failed comedy routine, boisterously performing it as he'd done on the small stage two weeks prior.

"Hehe. That one's actually pretty good," Husker admitted with a smirk, raising his glass to his lips, chuckling in mild amusement.

"Right?" Angel responded with a mixture of pride and resentment. He took a long, deliberate drink, as if toasting to his own misunderstood genius. 

"It's really too bad this irresistible body of mine got in the way of my performance..." he continued, his voice dripping with conceit, sweeping his arms up his torso in a sensual showcase of his self-proclaimed allure. All the while, his gaze was locked on Husk with a playful grin.

Husker's fleeting smirk dissolved into a sneer, his ears folding back against his head as he leaned away from Angel defensively. He merely shook his head before turning away with his drink, much to Angel Dust's chagrin.

As they spoke, Vaggie and Charlie descended the staircase, engrossed in their own conversation. Although somewhat one sided, Vaggie nodded with a warm smile as Charlie's words flowed like a river about all the ideas and aspirations she had for the hotel going forward.

As engaged as Vaggie was in what her partner had to say, even she was struggling to keep up amidst Charlie's enthusiastic ramblings. Just as she opened her mouth to respond, Vaggie's attention was stolen when she noticed Alastor in the corner of her eye, quietly sitting in the armchair near the TV, his presence almost blending into the background.

Alastor's elusiveness over the past few weeks hadn't gone unnoticed by Vaggie, and she could only wonder what he'd been up to in his free time.

With an irritated sigh, Vaggie excused herself from Charlie with a subtle gesture and made her way towards Alastor. The sight of him simply sitting, seemingly lost in thought, irritated her to no end, and she stood in front of him, hands on her hips, determined to get to the bottom of his recent behavior.

"Alright Alastor, it's been two weeks.. you said you had a plan that would get people in the door, and not a single soul has—.."

Her sharp words hung in the air, momentarily forgotten as she focused on his lack of response. It was unlike him not to immediately respond with a witty comeback or a dismissive wave of his hand. Instead, he remained eerily motionless, his expression empty beneath his ever-present grin.

"..Are you.. Ignoring me..?" Vaggie asked in annoyance, waving her hand in front of his face, but he didn't react, didn't blink, his eyes staring blankly at the black, empty screen of the television sitting just a few feet away.

"..Ohhkay.. Creepy," Vaggie noted, taking a step back, as if completely unnerved by the overlord's unresponsiveness.

"Uhh... Anyone know how long he's been like that?" Charlie asked, offering an unsure smile, leaning down to observe Alastor from where he sat.

"I dunno... a few hours maybe," Angel guessed with a shrug, looking over at Husk for confirmation, who nodded nonchalantly as if that were a fair assessment.

"I just figured he was watching tv..." he remarked honestly, holding his glass out as Husk poured him another drink.

"Well, for one, it's not even on... and two--"Vaggie began, only to be cut off by panicked cries coming from Niffty.

"He's broken!!" Niffty screeched, clamoring on top of Alastor before flopping helplessly onto his head with a dramatic sob. After a moment, Alastor finally blinked and let out a light chuckle, his expression turning mild-mannered.