Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Falling…

That was the thing Ellie is currently experiencing. She felt as if she’s currently falling through the sky at such a fast speed. She currently has her eyes closed, not knowing where she is, what is happening, or why this is happening.

“What is… happening?” She tried to remember what had happened moments prior. “Ah yeah… I was dying… bleeding out on the floor…”

She couldn’t help but feel sad at that thought. But now she’s… dead? She doesn’t even know at this point.

As if answering her thoughts, the feeling of falling stopped in an instant. “Huh?” She said, as she begins to get accustomed to the feeling of solid ground beneath her body. She slowly begins to open her eyes.

“Where am I?” Ellie could only ask, as she slowly scanned her surroundings. She seems to have ended up laying on a field of dead grass. The first thing she noticed is the lack of the blue sky she’s familiar with. It has instead been replaced by a red sky, with a red pentagram symbol in the sky. There’s also two celestial objects, that being some kind of moon with the same pentagram symbol, and a white planet which seems to have clouds surrounding it. Around her, she could notice that she’s in some kind of park, judging by the benches and the… less than alive plants. She could see buildings surrounding the park, strange billboards for drugs and sex and other things that she was pretty damn sure didn’t exist back where she’d been alive. In the distance, she could see some kind of sign.

“Welcome to Hell… Oh… I’m… I’m in Hell.” Ellie can’t believe her eyes. She’s in Hell. With a capital H. She’s dead, and she got sent to Hell. “I guess… I’m not good enough for Heaven…” She softly sighed.

“Well, I can’t just stay here and give up. Let’s… Let’s make the best of what I got, and see where it goes.” Ellie tried staying positive. She begins to make her way through the city. She learnt that the name of this place is apparently ‘Pentagram City’. “Honestly, I’m not surprised, considering the sky and the moon literally has a pentagram symbol on it.”

She found a TV shop that doesn’t have a broken window, and finally got a good look on herself. She doesn’t look human anymore. Her skin changed color to a light grey from her fair-skinned tone. Her hands now fade into ash black, and she now have claws. Her hair is now a silver color instead of the dark brown she had when she was alive, and it seems to be longer, almost reaching to her knees. She feels taller than when she was alive. Her eyes still retains the dark blue color, but it’s now more pronounced. Her right eye still has that white sclera a human has, but her left eye’s sclera is now black. Thankfully, she still wore the same blue hoodie and black pants that she wore when she died, clean of any blood. On her head, she noticed a pair of ear-like hair tufts that resembles fox ears, and a small bushy tail that’s reminiscent of a fox. She quickly covered her tail with her clothes, feeling a bit embarrassed about it. “Honestly, not half bad, considering the other demons? Yeah, I suppose, that I ran into.”

Ellie continues her exploration of this place. There’s so many weird things, like dead bodies everywhere, a vending machine for drugs, explosions around her, and just usual anarchy and chaos. She could see many advertisements for shops that sell drugs, or an ad about a show featuring a famous pornstar named ‘Angel Dust’. “Huh, why do someone named themselves after a drug?”

She continued further, and she noticed that there’s also demons who are eating another demon that’s dead on the sidewalk. She quickly scurried away in the other direction, clearly feeling sick. As she passed by another TV shop, there’s a group of demons surrounding it. They seemed to be in a trance, as a demon with a TV-head is advertising something. She quickly walked away, not wanting to know what the hell happened to them. A poster flew in her face, and she quickly gets it off. “Ow! A poster?” She read the poster, it seems to be a warning of some kind. “’Beware of the Radio Demon’… huh… I guess this demon is very powerful, considering they made a warning poster about him.” She could feel someone or something watching her, but shrugged it off. “Probably nothing… Let’s try to find a place to stay…”

Ellie stumbled into an alleyway, not knowing the dangers lurking here. A group of demons with shark-like features approached her. She had a feeling that they are going to cause some kind of trouble to her, and she was right. These demons tried to make some kind of deal for money with her, which she declined, knowing that there’s probably going to be some kind of string attached. The group gets mad, and one of them tries to punch her, only to be stopped by… something.

A tentacle made from shadows stopped the demon from punching Ellie, and it flung the demon to the other end of the alley, leaving them in a blood splatter. From the shadows, a demon materialized, speaking in a voice that sounds like it was coming straight from an old radio. “I wouldn’t try hurting her, my friend.”

August 22nd, 2012; 21.00 PM

A few hours prior to all that happened

As Alastor strolled through the deserted streets of Pentagram City, his distinctive whistle echoed through the night air. The residents of Hell knew better than to linger in his presence, especially after the recent news of another Overlord going missing and that their territory is now Alastor's. Whispers of his latest conquest spread like wildfire, each broadcasted scream serving as a chilling reminder of his power. Where there is radio, Alastor is near.

He reached a park, and enjoyed the silence and atmosphere, as most demons don’t exactly go to parks, especially at night. He noticed that a new sinner has just manifested, not far from where he was standing. The sinner seems to be a woman, with fox-like traits. Alastor watched as the woman stood up, trying to make some sense of this place. He knew the feeling of arriving in Hell. Must be confusing for this young woman. Before she could see him, he quickly melted into the shadows.

Alastor feels intrigued by the new arrival. He usually doesn’t care about them, but he could sense she was different. In what way, he doesn’t know, but he’ll find out, in due time. He quietly followed her as she began exploring the city. She seems to be both in awe and confusion, as was natural for new sinners. She passed by many things, such as some of the fine people of Cannibal Town indulging in their dinner, one of Vox’s (Alastor feels repulsive talking about him) ‘noisy picture-box’ shop, and an advertisement about that sickening pornstar, Angel Dust.

A poster about him flew to the new sinner’s face, and Alastor couldn’t help but quietly chuckle, feeling a little amusement due to the fact the Radio Demon is currently following her. He could sense that she was feeling wary, but didn’t pay it much mind. Something about this sinner is… different to him. She wasn’t attracted to any of the usual pleasures of drugs, alcohol and sex, nor had she hurt anyone here. Interesting, indeed.

She then enters an alley that Alastor knew contains some of those loan sharks that Mimzy usually borrowed money from. One of them quickly tried to make a deal with her, but she refused. Now, this is new. Not many sinners will turn down a chance for money… Maybe she’s smarter than he thought.

As was usual, they get angry, and tried to attack her. Alastor's eyes narrowed as he watched the scene unfold before him, and he couldn’t help but feel a sense of anger in him (Why was he feeling this way?). And so, with a predatory smile, Alastor stepped into the fray, his crimson gaze ablaze with fury and a tiny bit of bloodlust. He stopped the one who tried to punch her with his shadowy tendrils, and flung him across the alley, leaving him in a blood splatter. Alastor's lips curled into a sinister smile as he addressed the other criminals. “I wouldn’t try hurting her, my friend.”

“The Radio Demon!?” Another criminal screamed in fright, taking a step back. Alastor smirked as he could practically smell the fear of him. With a snap of his fingers, he conjured a swirling vortex of shadowy tendrils that engulfed the attacker, binding him in a cocoon of darkness, dragging him into the abyss, kicking and screaming.

“Stop you son of a bitch!” The last one shouted, taking out his gun and shooting. He let his neck crack and fell to the side (he loved doing this as it makes people scared of him more) and let out a cruel laugh, sigils forming in the air as he formed a barrier of shadows, blocking the bullets and protecting him and the new sinner.

“You’ll have to try harder than that, friend.” Alastor mockingly said, as he summoned more tendrils. "Pathetic," Alastor sneered, his voice dripping with disdain as he tightened his grip, eliciting a pained muffled scream from the criminal, crushing him as blood squirted between the confines of his shadows. As the shadows disappeared, it only left a mass of organs and flesh.

As Alastor finished all of that, he turned towards the sinner, his smile softening to a less intense one. He then speaks. “Are you alright, my dear?”

“Are you alright, my dear?” That strange radio voice addressed Ellie, and she quickly snapped from her terrified trance. She then stared at the demon that had saved her. His appearance reminds her of a deer, with the small black antlers above his head and his… ears? (Maybe it’s also hair tufts, just like hers). He’s about a foot taller than her. His skin is a beige color. His hands are covered with black gloves with red at the fingertips. His hair is a pinkish-red, angled bob-cut with black tips at the end and also at the end of his hair tufts. His eyes have a dark red sclera, bright red irises, and thin black pupils. He wears a red pinstripe coat with a bright red dress shirt underneath, a black bowtie with a red center, and long black dress pants. He also wore a red monocle over his right eye. He also carried this thin cane with a microphone attached. His smile, which is a sharp yellow, never drops even as he killed those demons with ease.

Ellie quickly responded. “O-oh, thank you for helping me out of that bind there.”

“Of course! What kind of gentleman am I to watch someone like yourself being attacked like that?” Alastor said with confidence. “My name’s Alastor, and what is your name, my dear?”

“You can call me Ellie. Thank you for saving me, Alastor.”

“It’s no trouble at all, Miss Ellie! Now, I noticed you are a new sinner, am I right?”

“Yeah, how did you know?” Ellie asked, both curious and a little afraid. His aura is both dangerous and safe, and she doesn’t know which to believe.

“Just call it intuition, my dear. New sinners usually have that confused look in their eyes, and yours fit the bill immediately, haha!” A laugh track played from his microphone.

“Okay… either way, thank you so much for helping me. Is there any way I can repay you?” Ellie asked, genuine sincerity in her voice.

Alastor was taken aback for a moment, people don’t usually thank him, but that’s probably because she didn’t know that he’s the Radio Demon she saw at the warning poster. “Hmmm… I know just the thing! You did say that you’re looking for a place to stay?”

“Huh? Yeah… how did you know?” Ellie was a bit shocked how Alastor knew about her problems, but she pushed it back in her mind.

“Oh, nothing you need to worry about. I have an offer for you.” Alastor is not going to ask for her soul… not yet, at least. He still wants to study her, about why she felt different from other sinners. “You can stay with me for a while, until you can find a place of your own.”

Ellie is skeptical, so she asked. “Really? No strings attached.”

“Of course not, my dear. So, are you accepting my offer?”

Ellie thought for a moment, weighing the pros and cons. After a minute, she replied. “Well… no harm in that I suppose, so I’ll take your offer, Alastor.”

“Splendid! This is going to be very entertaining indeed!” Alastor happily spoke, happy that he got his way. For now, at least, she’ll make good entertainment.

“Thank you again, Alastor. If this is my way of repaying you, then I’ll be the best houseguest I can be.” Ellie spoke, also happy since she gets a place to stay, even though it’s temporary.

“Now come, follow me. We’ll walk to my residence. And also, welcome to Hell, Ellie. I hope you enjoy this afterlife, haha!” Alastor spoke, a hint of both genuine and sarcasm in his voice. Ellie doesn’t even know how that could happen.

Chapter Text

Ellie followed Alastor as he leads her to his place of residence. Other demons that saw them immediately ran away, someone even lit themselves on fire. “Oh wow, um… people fear you, huh?” Ellie tried to make some small talk.

“Of course they will be, my dear! I’m not the Radio Demon without reason, you know?” Alastor answered.

“Radio Demon… wait, you’re the guy that warning poster was talking about?”

“Indeed I am! Alastor, the Radio Demon, at your service!” Alastor answered, waiting for a reaction out of her. He was expecting her to run away, or just be scared, but he did not expect her to be as calm as this. Alastor smiled creepily at her, trying to fish out a reaction. Ellie didn’t even flinch and even returned the smile, a genuine warm smile at that! This young woman really is such an enigma.

“You’re very nice, you know. I’m still really grateful for what you did back at that alley.” Ellie smiled at him, genuinely. She didn’t feel much fear from Alastor. In fact, she felt the opposite. She somehow feels safe around him, something that doesn’t make sense to her. From the reactions of other demons, and from what happened at the alley earlier, the natural response would be fear. But she didn’t feel any.

“I wouldn’t describe myself as ‘nice’ my dear. I can be very sadistic, like what had happened back at the alley.” As Alastor said this, he couldn’t help but make his smile less intimidating and more soft around her. “You should be wary around me, but instead here you are, accepting my offer like I’m someone you’re comfortable with.”

“I don’t know, Alastor, I just… feel that way around you. Maybe it’s because you saved me, or some other reason, but yeah.” Ellie doesn’t know what to say anymore, and neither did Alastor. He was saving his more important questions for her when they are both alone.

The walk to Alastor’s residence took a while, but when they arrived, Ellie couldn’t help but stare. It was a radio station that seemed to double as Alastor’s residence. It was located somewhere close to Cannibal Town, and not a lot of demons go to this area. “You live here?”

“Indeed I do. What do you think?” Alastor asked her, still smiling.

“It looks very nice, Alastor. It seems like a comfortable home for you.”

“Just wait until you see how the inside looks like! I have a feeling you would love it.” As Alastor said this, he opened the door and pushed her inside, closing the door behind him.

Ellie looked around at her surroundings. Alastor’s house is styled like something straight from the early 1900’s. She was facing the living room. The living room has two chairs that looked very comfy, facing a fireplace. Atop the fireplace is deer antlers, mounted on the wall, that served as decoration. A radio (the vintage ones from that era as well) sits atop the fireplace, playing some kind of soft jazz that filled the whole house. The living room has a stairway on the left side, and Alastor motioned for her to follow him. As they reached the second floor, there's a hallway filled with a couple of doors. Alastor led her to one of the doors, and opened it.

“Here is where you’ll be staying, my dear.” Ellie looked at her new room. The vibes of this place is the same with the rest of the house, an early 1900’s feel to it. A comfy looking bed could be seen, and next to it is a nightstand that she could use. She approached a wardrobe. Opening it reveals it to be empty. She closed the wardrobe, and looked out the window. The view shows the nearby Cannibal Town. Not a lot of people are out and about, a very stark contrast to the bustling and crowded center of Pentagram City. The only people that are there is located mostly on the town center, near a place called ‘Franklin and Rosie’s Emporium’. Ellie couldn’t help but feel curious about what might be inside that place.

“So what do you think?” Alastor asked her.

“This is just… amazing. Thank you so much, Alastor.” She is genuinely speechless. Alastor has saved her, given her a place to stay, and has been quite the gentleman.

“Well, I couldn’t just leave a young woman such as yourself like you alone now, do I? What kind of gentleman would I be? My mother would be disappointed if I ever treat a lady such as yourself wrong.” His voice is laced with charm, and a hint of genuineness can be heard. Alastor is quite intrigued with her. He can sense her soul is different than the other sinners. The fact that she seems to be quite a kind and optimistic person is also quite strange, considering she just died. Usually, new sinners would be having a breakdown about why they’re in Hell. The 5 stages of grief would play out. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. She seems to have skipped the rest and jumped straight to number 5. But for now, he would leave her to rest. After all, she had quite the first day.

“You should rest, my dear. It’s already late, and your first day is quite interesting. Now, I won’t keep you, but do you have any other questions before I leave?”

Ellie seems to realize something, and asked. “Do you have any clothes that I can wear? I know I’m asking for too much, but I can’t just wear the same clothes… right?” She nervously asked, not knowing if she is pushing her boundaries here.

Alastor noticed her nervousness, and he continued to smile at her. “We can find clothes for you tomorrow. For now, you’ll have to make do with your clothes.”

“Okay then… Wait did you just say-“ Ellie was cut off by Alastor.

“Now, have a good rest. We have a long day tomorrow. Good night!” As Alastor said those words, he melted into the shadows, leaving Ellie alone in the room.

“Um… Good night as well.” Ellie was a bit shocked. She just shrugged it off, and prepared herself for bed. She laid down, thinking about everything that happened today.

Ellie is currently debating whether to trust Alastor or not. On one hand, Alastor quite literally saved her, and gave her a place to stay. On the other, Alastor is the Radio Demon. And if his reputation is not lying, he’s a dangerous overlord, someone not to be messed with, and someone not to be trusted. But, he’s been very nice towards her... So, until the day came when Alastor stops acting this way, she will always be kind to him. That always has been the way she rolls. Too kind, sometimes naïve… that led to her death. Ellie just sighed thinking about the memory. She pushed the thought back to her mind, and drifted to sleep.

Alastor reappeared back in the living room, taking a seat in one of the chairs. He snapped his fingers, and the fireplace lit up with a green fire. He summoned a bottle of whiskey, and poured a small cup for him. He just wants to think for a moment.

Alastor can’t help but keep thinking of the young woman he had just saved. He feels… different towards her. She’s not like the average sinner, who will usually indulge in their sins, not having a care in the world. He can’t help but be reminded of his own mother, who always kept a positive outlook, even though times were bleak and hopeless for the both of them.

Alastor was never really close to many people, both in life and in the afterlife. In his life, the only people he considers close are his mother and Mimzy, while in the afterlife, Rosie was the one who filled that spot. Husker and Niffty… Alastor considers them friends as well. Even though Alastor owns both of their souls, he always considers them… somewhat close, especially Niffty. So for him to feel this way, especially to a new sinner… was surprising to him. It hasn’t even been a day of being with her, and he immensely enjoyed her company. It’s like a breath of fresh air compared to the other sinners. And he doesn’t know what to do with these feelings. A side of him wants to make a deal with her, but another side wants her to keep her soul. He felt conflicted… He’ll just think later.

Alastor sighed to himself, as he grabbed a book from his bookshelf. He wants to distract his mind from her, but he doesn’t feel like taking a walk again. He sat back down, and began reading, occasionally taking sips from his whiskey. Jazz continued to play from his radio, as he softly hummed to the tune. Tomorrow will be quite a day for the both of them.

Chapter Text

August 23rd, 2012; 6 AM; Alastor’s residence

Ellie woke up with a soft yawn. This is one of the best sleep she ever had in… years. She thought she was alone in the room, until something zips on the floor.

“Huh? Who’s there?” Ellie asked, hoping for a response.

The zooming stops, and the thing- another demon, is now fully visible. It’s a small, cyclops-looking demon with pointed limbs, yellow pointed teeth, white skin and one large eye. Their red-pink hair is kept into a slightly messy bob cut with swirls on each side, and a single light yellow streak located at the top. They wore a black neckerchief around their neck, and a 1950s red-pink maid dress under a white apron, and wears black long gloves and matching colored tights. The demon smiled at her, and waved their hand.

“Oh, you woke up! I’m Niffty, it’s so nice to meet a new friend!” The demon, Niffty, says enthusiastically. “I thought it’s rude to wake you up, so I cleaned your room for you!”

Ellie looked around the room, noticing that it’s cleaner than yesterday. She gave a thankful nod, as she gets up from bed and stood up. “Thank you, Niffty was it? I really appreciate it! My name’s Ellie, and it’s nice to meet a new friend as well.” They shook hands, with Niffty shaking energetically.

“So, what brings you to my room, Niffty?” Ellie asked, and as Niffty was about to answer, Alastor appeared from the shadows.

“That would be me. I asked little Niffty here to help clean this place. It looks nicer, don’t you think?” Alastor then turned to Niffty. “Thank you for helping me with my request, dear. You always clean with precision, and that’s what I like about you.” Alastor patted Niffty’s head.

“Oh, thanks for the compliment, sir! Now I’ll have to make the bed, and then I’ll clean the kitchen and bathroom!” Niffty quickly zooms around, and the bed was made in less than 10 seconds. After finishing, Niffty made her way out of the room, heading towards the kitchen, leaving them both in the room.

“She’s very energetic, I’ll give her that. Who is she, Alastor?” Ellie asks. Looking at Niffty zooming around already made her head dizzy.

“That would be Niffty. She’s one of the souls that I own, and one of my friends.” Alastor said, as he softly chuckled seeing Niffty’s antics. “Now, you should get ready for our outing today.”

“Oh yeah, you did say that we’re going to get some clothes, right?” Ellie asked, wanting to make sure.

“Precisely! And, I also want to show you around, so as to make you more… accustomed to your current situation.” Alastor said, as he summoned a hairbrush on his hand. “Here, you’ll probably need this. Can’t have you walking around with messy hair, right?” Alastor teased her, as he gave Ellie the hairbrush.

“Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, Alastor. I won’t be long!” As Ellie said this, Alastor exits the room, and waits on the living room, sitting on one of the chair.

Ellie brushes her hair, making it as smooth as possible. Her hair still retains its wavy characteristic from when she was alive, so Ellie is still pretty familiar with brushing it, just that it’s now longer and is a silver color, instead of the dark brown she’s familiar with. She also brushes her hair tufts, making it more pointy like a fox’s ears. She adjusts her blue hoodie and black pants, making a point to cover her small fox tail with her clothes. She used to wear glasses when she was alive, so her not having to wear one in Hell feels… weird. Like something’s missing. She’ll probably buy one in this outing with Alastor.

After fixing herself up, she quickly exits the room, seeing Alastor sitting on the chair, one of his legs lazily hanging from his other leg. Seeing Ellie, Alastor quickly stood up and walked to her. “My, my, you look even better than yesterday!”

Ellie smiled at the compliment, and replied. “Thanks, Alastor. You look good as well, though you always look good, haha…” She softly chuckled.

Alastor genuinely smiled at that. She could tell it’s genuine since it looks softer, instead of his usual Cheshire smile. Alastor quickly returned to his usual demeanor, and called out to Niffty. “Niffty, I will be out with our new friend for a while. You can go back after you clean this place. Don’t wait for me, alright?”

Niffty quickly appeared, a medium sized needle in her hands. “Okay sir!” And she disappeared again, to who knows where.

“Now, shall we start our outing, my dear?” Alastor gave her a wide grin as he spoke.

“Yeah, let’s go.” As she said that, Alastor takes her hand, and dragged her out of his place. By the looks on his face, she could tell that he was excited. They walked through the sidewalk, exiting Alastor’s territory, and entering the neighboring Cannibal Town. Ellie could never get used to the cannibalism here, but she held herself to not be sick. They passed by many of the residents, who weirdly looks friendly. Both of them passed by three women who were currently eating off some poor demon. All of them gave a wave to Alastor.

“Good morning, Alastor!” All three of them greeted at almost the exact same time. They look happy to see him.

Alastor returned the wave, and greeted them back. “Ah, Dahlia, Julie, Anna! Good morning to you three! I see you’ve found a lovely breakfast.” Alastor said, his voice filled with charm.

“Indeed. Who’s the lovely lady beside you, Alastor?” One of them asks.

Ellie, who has been silent for a while, speaks. “Oh, hello, my name’s Ellie. I’m…” She trailed off, not knowing her relationship with Alastor. She doesn’t know if Alastor considers her as only an acquaintance or a friend, but she considers Alastor something of a friend. Alastor quickly took over, noticing Ellie’s nervousness.

“Miss Ellie here is a friend of mine! She’s a new one, and I’m just showing her around. Now if you don’t mind us, we will also be heading somewhere to get breakfast. Ta-ta!” Alastor gave the three of them another wave, while Ellie gave a nervous smile, as they continued walking.

“You… you really consider me a friend of yours?” Ellie asked him, as they walked. Alastor looked at her with an amused grin.

“Of course I do! I enjoy your company, and that’s why I’m even taking this outing with you, my dear!” Alastor replied with a cheery tone.

Ellie couldn’t help but smile at that. It’s nice to know that the person who saved her doesn’t hate her presence, and instead enjoys it.

They continue their morning walk through the town, with Alastor taking her left arm in his right arm, as the gentleman he is. Ellie took note that Alastor and the residents of Cannibal Town are friendly with each other, and they don’t run in fear of Alastor.

Eventually, they arrived at what looks to be a café. Alastor leads Ellie to an empty table, as they both sat opposite of each other. A waiter, which Alastor flashed a smile at, gave them the menu, and left them both to order. Ellie looked to Alastor, giving him a confused look.

“Why are we here? I thought we’re only out to buy some clothes for me…”

“Now, now, we both haven’t had breakfast, right? So I thought this is a nice opportunity for us to have breakfast! I also notice you don’t look comfortable with cannibalism, but this place also serves things that don’t have that! So, you don’t need to worry.” He said, still with that sharp grin.

“O-oh, thanks… for noticing, Alastor.” She looked at the menu, and what Alastor said is right. This place does serve both cannibal and non-cannibal foods as well, so it’s fine for the both of them.

And so, Ellie placed an order of buttered toast, scrambled eggs, and a cup of tea, while Alastor ordered a piece of raw... meat… yeah… and a cup of black coffee, no sugar or cream. Alastor calls the waiter, giving them a smile, and gave the order. As the waiter walked away, Alastor looked back at Ellie.

“So, how have you been enjoying this morning, my dear?” Alastor asks, keeping a gentle tone in his voice.

“Aside from the uh… you know… it’s been very great. Really, I do like this outing with you, and I really appreciate you giving yourself some time to hang out with me. I’m not interrupting any of your schedules, right?”

“Don’t worry, you did not interrupt any of my plans. The only plans I have for today is just being a gentleman to this little lady in front of me, and visiting an old friend.” Alastor flashed her a charming smile.

Ellie smiled… until she realized something. “Wait a minute… who’s paying for this?”

“I will! What kind of man am I to let the lady be the one to pay?”

“Wow… um, this just makes me feel… bad… sorry for using your money…”

“No harm done! And you don’t need to pay me back!”

“No, I insist! When I find a way to make money, I will pay you back. Just wait, and you can’t say no!” Ellie says, a tone of finality in her voice.

“Alright, alright…” Alastor said, a playful grin on his face.

A few minutes later, their breakfast came. They both ate in silence, enjoying the atmosphere and the background music of the café. Even though Alastor is eating raw meat, he still kept his manners, like using a knife and fork to slice the meat, instead of just tearing it with his claws like those cannibals they saw earlier. Ellie really enjoys the toast here. It was burned perfectly, and the butter spread is also very nice. The tea is also pretty good. It’s rich, and has a very nice flavor profile.

Finishing their meals, Alastor calls in the waiter, and paid for their bills. Ellie really feels like she should pay Alastor one day. After paying, Ellie looked at Alastor, a question on her mind.

“So… where to next, Alastor?”

“Well, we’re going to buy some clothes for you! Just like I promised yesterday. And I know just who can help. Now, follow me!” Alastor takes her hand again, and exits the café, heading to the center of Cannibal Town.

The center of Cannibal Town is bustling, with many people out and about, doing their business. Ellie takes in her surroundings.

“This place is… surprisingly nice. If I can just ignore the casual cannibalism in here, this place is really nice.” Both awe and surprise can be heard in her voice. Who could’ve thought a place in Hell can be this nice? Very stark difference from the Two Vees’ area.

“Isn’t it, though? And it’s all thanks to a very special someone. Follow me!” Alastor eagerly led her inside the emporium that Ellie saw yesterday from her room. Inside of this place, lots of people are just browsing the items, the employees helping the best they can.

A woman can be heard, speaking to one of the customers about something, Ellie didn’t really paid attention. She’s very tall, a little taller than Alastor, with pale gray skin. Her eyes are pitch-black with no irises or pupils, and her hair is colored in white. One thing Ellie noticed is that almost everyone in Cannibal Town have that same pitch-black eyes, maybe to indicate they’re cannibals, she guessed. The woman’s clothing reminds Ellie of one of those Victorian styled dresses, and she wears a big sun hat with skulls and flower-like decorations. The woman then finishes the conversation with the customer, and looks at both her and Alastor, a pleasant smile on her lips.

“Good morning, Alastor! How are you on this fine day? Here for your weekly visit?” The woman asks, still with that smile. She then notices Ellie beside him. “Oh, and who’s this you brought with you? A new associate of yours?”

“Ah yes, Ellie, this is Rosie, the most darling, delightful and dangerous Overlord this side of the Pentagram. And Rosie, this is Ellie, a new sinner that caught my eye.” Alastor says, a friendly tone in his voice.

“Um… Hello, how do you do?” Ellie nervously said. This Rosie seems like a nice person, but you don’t know what can be hiding underneath.

“Well, isn’t this a nice surprise. Alastor doesn’t usually bring someone, so it’s nice to see someone has caught his eye. Come in, come in.” Rosie gestured to a more private area, a table already set up with two chairs and a tea set. Rosie sat on one of the chairs. Ellie looked to Alastor, but he gestured for her to just sit. Ellie nodded, and as she sits in the chair, Alastor conjures a chair for himself.

“Now, can I offer you both something to eat? I’m sure I have something around here…” Rosie offered the both of them, but Alastor responded quickly.

“No need to burden yourself, Rosie. Both of us already had breakfast earlier. If you do want to serve us some tea, that would be very much appreciated.” Ellie silently thanked Alastor, she does not want to deal with eating anything cannibal related today.

“If you say so.” Rosie began to prepare the three of them tea. A few minutes later, she returned with the teapot filled in with tea. She poured all three of them some tea, and after doing so, sat down and began drinking. “So, what brings the both of you here? There must be a reason, other than to visit me, of course.”

“Yes, we do. Miss Ellie here wants to search for some clothes that she can use, and I know that you have a keen eye for this kind of things.” Alastor says, as he also begins to drink.

“Yeah, I’m currently looking for more clothes. Alastor says that you can help me, so…” Ellie replied, the nervousness in her tone subsiding a little, being more familiar with Rosie.

“A friend of Alastor is a friend of mine, and I will gladly help you anyway I can. Alastor, you’re free to join us or stay here if you want. I know just what to pick you for you, darling.”

“Thanks a lot, ma’am. I really appreciate it.” Ellie said with a smile on her face.

“You can just call me Rosie, no need to call me ma’am! Now come along.” Rosie sat up from her seat, motioning for Ellie to follow her. Ellie looked to Alastor, who just gave her a look that says ‘You should follow her’. Ellie nods, and follows Rosie towards the clothing section.

When they reached the clothes section, they were greeted by a female looking demon. She had pale skin and pitch-black eyes, short brown hair, and a sharp smile. She looks to be around her early 20s, just like Ellie. “Hello Miss Rosie, and I’m assuming a customer?”

Rosie chuckled, and she replied. “You’re correct, Michelle. This is Ellie, she’s going to be looking at our display here.”

The demon, Michelle, gave Ellie a smile. “Hello there, I’m Michelle. Nice to meet you! It’s honestly refreshing, seeing a customer that’s not from Cannibal Town. If you don’t know, I work here for Miss Rosie, hehe.” Michelle giggled a little.

Ellie gave Michelle a smile as well. “It’s nice to meet you too as well.” Ellie then looked to Rosie. “So… What do you think I should buy, Rosie?”

Rosie thought for a moment. “Hmmm… Looking at the way you’re dressing now… I’m assuming you’re more into… modern clothes?”

“You could say that. I mean, I’m not picky, since Alastor is going to be paying… It’s going to be interesting though, to wear clothes from over 100 years ago.” Ellie replied, looking at her blue hoodie and black pants, feeling conscious that she's wearing something that doesn't fit the era here.

“Hmmm… Ah! I know just what would fit. Blue and white seems to be your main color palette…” Rosie said, as she searched for something that would fit Ellie. A few minutes of rummaging through, Rosie pulls out a white dress shirt that is connected to a light blue long skirt with white stripes. Ellie looked at the choice of clothes with a glint in her eyes. She thinks it looks very good.

“Rosie… I think this is perfect! It’s not overly lavish, and looks very casual!” Ellie commented.

“I know, I know, I always try to pick what’s best for my customers. Now that we know what you prefer…” Rosie looks to Michelle. “Michelle, why don’t you accompany Ellie here? You have a good eye for fashion, and I trust you’ll pick what’s best for Ellie here.”

Michelle quickly responded. “On it, Miss Rosie!” She then looked to Ellie. “Oh you will love some of my choices, here, here!”

“Haha, slow down, Michelle!” Ellie laughed. She thinks that Michelle is a good person here, she’s quite nice, a bit extroverted, but still nice.

“Now, now girls, I’ll be excusing myself. I have someone to talk to. See you later.” Both Michelle and Ellie waved at Rosie, and Rosie returned it.

“Now, where were we… Oh yeah! Here Ellie, I think this’ll look great on you!”

Meanwhile, Alastor has been observing Ellie and Rosie for quite some time now. Sipping on his tea, and listening to the music from his cane, he observed them. Alastor couldn’t help but feel attached… which is very out of character for him to do. Attached to a new sinner… he could’ve felt his past self laughing at him for being this emotional. No, no, his past self would’ve just saved her, offer her a deal, and then be done with it, but no… She had to be nice to him, and make him attached to her.

As Alastor saw Rosie pull out the clothes, he felt that it very much suited Ellie. In his opinion, even though red is his favorite color, it’s already been too overused down here in Hell. Like, almost everything is red! And honestly, blue very much fits her indeed. She then notices Rosie looking at him, to which he gave a small wave. After that, it looked like Rosie excused herself from Ellie and that other demon, and walked towards him. Alastor then greets her.

“Ah, Rosie, how is it going with Miss Ellie? I assume it’s been going very nicely?”

“It actually does! Ellie is such a sweetheart, Alastor. Where did you find her?” Rosie asked, noting the tone of voice Alastor uses whenever he talks about Ellie. It’s softer, and much more caring.

“Well, I found her in a bad situation with those loan sharks. You know the one. Miss Ellie was being forced to agree to their deals, and one of them almost attacked her, before I intervened that is… Honestly, those demons…”

Rosie found herself smiling when Alastor talks about his and Ellie’s first meeting. “Now, Alastor, I know you. You’re not usually like this, and I can sense something is weighing on your mind. You can tell me what’s bothering you, old friend.” Rosie uses her caring tone.

Alastor looks at Rosie. He doesn’t want to admit it, but she’s right. He softly sighed, and begins to speak. “I guess I’m caught, haha… It’s just that… A part of me wants to own her soul, but the other… just wants to be… weirdly enough, close to her. I do not know why I’m feeling this, Rosie…” He said, anguish in his voice, even though his smile is still up.

“Now, I hate anyone, especially my friend, to be down in the dumps.” Rosie puts her hand on his shoulder. Slowly, since Alastor is not a fan of physical touch. “So, here’s an advice. Follow what your heart feels like the most. Ellie is a sweet young woman, Alastor. This is probably the first time that you’re feeling this way, correct?”

Alastor softly nodded. Rosie is the only person in Hell that Alastor can fully be himself, so it doesn’t matter if he appeared weak here.

“So what if it matters? There’s still many souls up for grabs. Souls that are much worse than Ellie. Ellie also seems to trust you, so don’t you betray that trust, you got it?”

“Yes, Rosie, I will.” Alastor sighed, then composed himself again. “I think I know what to do with her. Thank you, Rosie.”

“No need to thank me. This is what friends do, after all.” Rosie then gave Alastor a smile.

“...And I guess we’re done here!” Michelle excitedly says. Both Michelle and Ellie has already picked a few outfits for Ellie, which Ellie thinks are very nice.

As they talked while picking clothes, Ellie learned a lot more about Michelle. She learns that she’s a Hellborn, which is apparently demons who were, well, born in Hell. Half of the people of Cannibal Town are Hellborns, and Rosie herself is a Hellborn. Michelle is also more open to newer times, and sometimes spends time in Pentagram City. They both befriended each other pretty fast, with Michelle even inviting her to have a “girl’s night out”. Michelle is also pretty shocked to learn that Ellie is friends with Alastor, since his reputation… isn’t exactly friendly.

“So, Michelle, let’s meet again soon. Whenever you’re free, you can find me at Alastor’s territory.” Ellie says, as they begin to say their goodbyes.

“Yeah… I have to admit, I’m kind of scared of entering his area, but I’ll swallow that fear. So… See you around?” Michelle gave a wave.

Ellie returned the wave as well. “Yeah, see you around, hehe.” They both split ways, with Michelle going to the staff room and Ellie going back to Alastor and Rosie, carrying the clothes and some footwear that she bought, with Alastor's money, that is.

As Ellie approached them both, Alastor immediately greets Ellie. “How has it been with Rosie, my dear? Going well, I suppose?”

“Yeah, it does.” Ellie then looked to Rosie. “Thanks a lot, Rosie. I really appreciate it.”

Rosie replied. “Come now, you don’t need to thank me. Thank Alastor, instead!”

Alastor laughed, as he began to stand up. “Well, I think today has been quite the outing, am I right? Now, I suppose we should head on back.”

“Yeah… Oh wait! I forgot… I was going to ask this earlier, but I got distracted…” Ellie looked at Alastor. “I was going to ask about… can I get some glasses as well?” She doesn't want to push the boundary, but still couldn't help herself.

Both Rosie and Alastor stayed quiet for a moment, then Alastor laughed and Rosie chuckled. “I thought it was something more serious! Now that I can handle.” Alastor spoke.

He then snapped his hands, and a pair of black round glasses appeared in his hand. “Is this the one you’re looking for?”

Ellie looked at the glasses. “It’s perfect! Oh thank you, thank you! I just… I know this is very mundane, but it just feels different without my glasses. When I was alive, I wear glasses, so I feel much more comfortable with it… I mean, it seems that I don’t need them here in Hell, but I still feel like something’s missing…”

Ellie puts her new glasses on, and it lazily hangs on the bridge of her nose. She noticed Alastor suddenly became silent. Rosie gave what Ellie thought to be a knowing look. Ellie shyly asked. "I look like a nerd... right?"

Alastor quickly spoke up. "Of course not! If I have to say, you look absolutely stunning..." His tone carried a hint of embarrassment. Rosie just chuckled at this. He quickly regained his composure, and laughed it off. Alastor then looked to Rosie. “Now, I suppose we’ll be on our way, goodbye Rosie.”

“Haha… Goodbye as well, Alastor, and Ellie.” Rosie gave both of them a smile, and they both responded with a wave.

Alastor takes Ellie’s arm in his again, as they walked back to his territory. Ellie could feel Alastor is much more gentler, and his smile much more relaxed. When they arrive back at his residence, Ellie excused herself, and puts her new clothes at the empty wardrobe. As she looked out the window to see Cannibal Town, she can’t help but feel happy. She made three new friends today, and she thinks that she and Alastor is getting friendlier, so that’s a plus. She then changed to the nightclothes she bought earlier, puts her new glasses on the nightstand, and laid down in bed. She feels content and happy, as she drifts off to sleep.

After Ellie excused herself to head to her room, Alastor found himself sitting in his living room like the night before, only this time, instead of feeling confusion, he feels… oddly content and happy. He hasn’t felt this happy in a long, long time. He begins to consider Ellie a friend, someone who he can trust. Even though he hasn’t known her for long, Ellie truly feels like someone he already knew before. He then continues reading, sipping a bottle of whiskey, while listening to jazz.

Chapter Text

August 24^th 2012; 8 AM; Alastor’s residence

Ellie can feel the warmth of the Hell sun start to creep up her body, indicating that morning have arrived. She checked the clock on the wall, indicating that it’s now 8 AM. She widened her eyes, as she snapped herself out of the sleepiness.

“Oh man, I slept in!” She exclaimed, as she gets up from bed. She noticed her room has been cleaned, meaning Niffty is already here. She gets out of her room and heads downstairs, expecting to see either Alastor or Niffty in the living room. Instead, she was greeted by an empty living room, with no one in sight.

“Huh… Odd… Hello, anyone here?” Ellie called out, expecting a response of some kind.

Ellie can hear Niffty zipping to her location, and now she stood in front of her, a smile on her face. “OhgoodmorningMissEllie! Alastorsaidthathe-“ Niffty speaks too quickly for Ellie to understand anything, so Ellie cuts her off.

“Niffty! Calm down, you’re speaking way too fast! Can you speak slower?”

“Oh, sorry, Ellie. I just finished cleaning the basement, lots of bugs to kill hehehe…” Niffty giggled maniacally.

“Okay… So, let’s start again. Good morning, Niffty.”

“Good morning, Miss Ellie!” Niffty speaks slower now, her adrenaline already lowering. “Alastor said that he needs to leave, to do important things. He’ll be back soon.” Niffty finally said what she wanted to say earlier, before Ellie cuts her off.

“Ah, okay then, that explains why he isn’t here.” Ellie nods, glad that Alastor is at least informing about his disappearance. Ellie looked around the living room, seeing that it has been cleaned as well. She assumes the rest of the residence has been cleaned, but she still wanted to ask Niffty this.

“Hey Niffty, is there any other rooms that hasn’t been cleaned? I want to help.” Ellie says, since she thinks it’s a good idea, rather than just doing nothing.

Niffty thought for a moment, then answered. “Well, all of the rooms have been cleaned, including the basement! There’s nothing else to clean.”

Ellie sighed, hoping that she can help with something... Until she had an idea. “Niffty, want to join me breakfast?”

Niffty immediately looked excited. “Oh I’d love to! Let me help as well, I can cook well! Not as good as Alastor, but I can help!”

Ellie loved Niffty’s enthusiasm. Sometimes a bit too much, but she can tolerate it. “Alrighty, let’s cook!”

Niffty zoomed to the kitchen, while Ellie followed her. She hasn’t been in Alastor’s kitchen before, so this’ll be something new. Alastor’s kitchen, like the rest of his residence, is styled like it’s from the early 1900s. It’s a medium sized kitchen, fit for a few people. Many cooking items dot the cabinets and drawers, and the stovetop is clean, probably because Niffty cleaned it. There’s also what looks to be a fridge, but it’s those early ones Ellie has only ever seen in books and the internet. She opened the fridge, revealing that it’s filled with many ingredients, but mostly meat. Meat that she doesn’t want to know where from.

She picked up ingredients that she thinks is suitable for breakfast. She already has something in mind to make, so she’s hoping Alastor wouldn’t mind she used some of his things. She grabbed flour, eggs, milk, salt, sugar, and butter. She tried finding baking powder, even asking Niffty, but she said that there’s no baking powder when she cleaned earlier.

She was thinking for a while, until she saw baking powder, just sitting on one of the tables. She swore it wasn’t there before, but she isn’t complaining. She grabbed it.

“So Niffty, would you mind having pancakes, because that’s what we’re making today.” Ellie asked, wanting to know if Niffty would eat it.

“Oooh, pancakes! Let’s make them!” Niffty grabbed a bowl, and grabs a wooden spoon. “I’ll be mixing, and you are going to put the ingredients.”

Ellie nods her head. She sifts the amount of flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt that is needed for enough pancakes for the both of them. Ellie then melts the butter, and after that’s done, she makes a well in the center, and puts the milk, melted butter, and egg. “Alright Niffty, now mix!”

Niffty begins mixing at high speeds, laughing as she did. “Hahaha! This is fun!”

Ellie couldn’t help but laugh along, as she watched Niffty mix. “Don’t overmix it!”

“Don’t worry Miss Ellie, I’ve made pancakes many times. I know what I’m doing!” After a few seconds, Niffty finishes mixing. The batter looks well mixed, and Niffty prepares the spatula and pan to cook them.

“Thank you- Now I’ll be the one to flip it.” Ellie puts the pan on the stovetop, lighting it up. She oiled the pan and heats it up. After the pan is hot enough, Niffty poured the batter in. As they waited, they began to make some talk.

“So Niffty, how’s working for Alastor like?” Ellie asked, curious.

“Oh, Alastor is a great boss! He lets me do whatever I want, as long as I do what he wants me to do! He even watched my roach puppet shows, haha!”

Ellie seems intrigued by the mention of Niffty’s show, but the batter already show signs of needing to be flipped. She flipped it, then continued talking. “Roach puppet shows? What are they like, Niffty?”

“Oh, it’s something I like to make in my spare time! I would love to show you!” Niffty giggled excitedly.

“Sure, I do want to see it. Maybe tomorrow or on Sunday?”

“Sunday would be nice! I need to track down some bad boys after cleaning tomorrow, hehehe…”

“Bad boys?” Ellie confusedly asked.

“YES! I love bad boys! I love collecting their things, following them around, and many more!” Niffty giggled. Ellie just looked at Niffty unnervingly. ‘Huh, so she’s one of those stalker types…’ She thought in her mind.

Ellie continued to cook the rest of the pancakes. Niffty prepared the plates, and sets up the table for both of them to eat. After all the batter has been cooked, Ellie transferred the finished pancakes equally to two plates, and sets it down on the table. Niffty sits on one of the chairs, and Ellie sits close to her.

“Okay Niffty, let’s eat.” They began to eat. Ellie couldn’t help but savor the taste. It’s very fluffy, it’s not overmixed or undermixed, the taste is just right. “How’s the pancakes, Niffty?”

“This is one of the best I’ve eaten in a while, Miss Ellie!” Niffty said, as she eats quickly but cleanly. “Maybe we should cook more in the future!”

“I agree, Niffty. And who knows, maybe Alastor can join us.” Ellie smiled at Niffty. As she said that, she couldn’t help but feel something’s watching her, but it doesn’t feel eerie or unsettling. But the feeling disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

They continued to eat, Niffty sometimes making weird remarks, but Ellie just chuckled or smiled at it. Ellie’s opinion about Niffty is that she’s nice, but a little weird. She’s like an overexcited little kid who is having a sugar rush, that is to say, she’s hyperactive. Ellie couldn’t help but wonder how old she is, so she couldn’t help but ask.

“Hey Niffty, this may sound a bit rude of me, but how old are you? If you tell me, I’ll tell you my age as well.” Ellie said. She at least wants to make it fair.

Niffty thought for a moment, and then she speaks. “If I’m not wrong… I’m 22! It's been a long time since I counted, but I think I'm 22.”

Ellie couldn’t help but feel a little shocked. She thought Niffty is younger, but 22… They’re not that far apart.

“Oh, 22… I actually thought you’re younger, Niffty. Now, you’re probably wondering how old I am?” She asked, a playful tone in her voice.

“You did promise, Miss Ellie!” Niffty looked at Ellie, eager to hear her answer.

“Well, alright. I’m only 25. Quite young, huh?” Ellie chuckled a little.

“I thought you’re way older than that, Miss Ellie! We’re not that far apart, huh?”

“Exactly! So, you can stop calling me Miss, okay? Just call me Ellie, since our age gap isn’t that big.” Ellie smiled.

“Alright, Mi- I mean Ellie!” Niffty giggled. “Sorry, force of habit.”

“It’s okay, Niffty.” Ellie smiled at Niffty.

They continue to eat, savoring their breakfast. After they are done, Ellie grabbed two glasses, and fills it with water. She forgot to do this earlier, so better late than never. She then brought the glasses to the table, setting it down in front of Niffty. She then drank the water from her glass, enjoying the refreshing taste. Ellie sets down her glass, and she glanced at Niffty, seeing that she also finished her drink. She smiled, and begins to speak.

“So, is breakfast with me good, Niffty?”

“It’s very nice, Ellie! Sometimes, Alastor also invites me for breakfast, and it’s very fun!” Niffty giggled happily.

“I’m glad, then. Nice to know I’m not a boring person.” Ellie says with a smile on her face.

Niffty then picks up the plates, and washes them. In a matter of minutes, the kitchen is back to its clean state. No stains, all of the appliances are back to their place, and everything is very orderly.

Ellie checks the clock, and it was about 10 AM. She glanced at Niffty, who looks like she’s about to leave.

“Oh, leaving already?” Ellie asked, as Niffty stands in front of her.

“Yeah, there’s someone I want to see, hehehe…” Niffty eerily said, which caught Ellie off-guard.

“Right… Well, I’ll see you soon, Niffty. Have a good day!” Ellie gave a small wave.

“You too! Bye!” Niffty waves quickly, and exits Alastor’s residence.

Ellie then smiled at herself. This morning has gone really well. Though it does beg the question: Where is Alastor?

She can’t help but feel that she’s missing him. Even though it’s only been two days of knowing him. Ellie couldn’t help but chuckle at her situation. Making friends this fast… She’s a shy person, so she never expects to meet someone like Alastor, let alone befriending him. And befriending Alastor also brought many other people in her life (afterlife?). Like Niffty, Rosie, and Michelle.

Ellie makes her way to the living room, and she sat in front of the fireplace. Wwith nothing better to do, she begins to look around.

She noticed a bookcase, and walks towards it. Ellie loves reading, so she wonders, what does Alastor usually read? She picked a random book, and sits back at the chair.

“Okay, let’s see what we have here…” Ellie looks at the cover of the book. “’The Great Gatsby’… interesting…”

Ellie had heard about this book before, when she was alive, but she never had enough time and money to buy or read this book. She begins to get into a comfortable position, and opens the book. As she did so, the radio in the room turns on by itself, and plays a music that is suitable for reading. “Huh, weird. But I’m not complaining, haha.” She begins to read, focusing on the book.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Pentagram City

This morning has gone well, in Alastor’s opinion. He had just finished making some deals and collecting debts from some of the sinners that owed him. He had visited Rosie earlier, asking her for some information, and chatting with her, since yesterday she was busy playing the helpful friend figure to both him and Miss Ellie. And using those information, he had gathered some great deals, if he had to say so himself.

And so, sending Niffty to check in on Miss Ellie and informing her of his temporary disappearance, he sets off to do his work. Sometimes he sends a shadow to look over them both, making sure that they’re safe. The shadows act as his eyes and ears, though he won’t use it to spy on them, that’s just plain rude!

After finishing a couple of his deals, at about 8.30 in the morning, he checks them both. Apparently, Ellie was making breakfast for both herself and Niffty. Alastor doesn’t mind them both using some of his ingredients, he can just get them again. He noticed Ellie searching for something, and looking at the ingredients she had prepared, he had guessed they were making pancakes. Only that they missed baking powder. Alastor chuckled in amusement, knowing they can’t hear him. He quickly summoned a small can of baking powder, and puts it on one of the tables, watching in amusement as Ellie looked confused. He watched them cook only for a while, since he still had business to conduct. He had to admit, Ellie can cook alright. Perhaps he’ll cook for her, it seems fun. And maybe she'll cook for him as well. His shadow returned back to him not long after, he’ll check again later.

The second time he sends his shadow, he had mostly finished his work. Just a couple more, and he’s done. When he sees the area, Niffty had already left, and Ellie is currently reading one of the books he had collected over the years. She had picked ‘The Great Gatsby’. Ah, a classic, that book. Seeing that there isn’t anything interesting, he turned on the radio there, and sets it to play some relaxing music he usually use to read, and then leaves the area.

Time passes by quickly when you’re reading a good book, and that’s the same case with Ellie now. The book she’s currently reading is very interesting, and she couldn’t stop herself from immersing herself in the story. She’s halfway through the book when someone knocks on the door. She checks the clock, and now it's about 1 PM. Huh, almost 3 hours of reading. She gets up from the chair, and makes her way through the front door.

She looked through the peephole, and saw a familiar face. It was Michelle, looking nervous as she knocked. She’s wearing a more casual version of a 1910s dress, with it being shorter, at knee-length, and her hair is styled in a bob.

“Um, is anyone home? I uh…” Michelle looked to the door, nervousness in her face.

Ellie looked amused, wanting to chuckle. Michelle did say that the area around Alastor’s residence is a bit unsettling. So, she wants to scare her a little. Just a harmless little scare between friends.

Ellie quickly opened the door, a smile on her face. Michelle immediately flinched, as she was leaning quite close to the door.

“Oh Lucifer! I am so sorry, Radio Demon, sir, I- “ She looked down, and noticed Ellie was standing in front of her, instead of Alastor. “Ellie, you scared me!”

Ellie just chuckled at Michelle’s response. “Got you good, didn’t I? Hehe, glad that worked.”

“Oh now you’re just being a jerk, you!” Michelle laughed as she gave a fake pout. “Anyways, it’s good to see you, Ellie! How have you been?”

“I’ve been good, pretty good, actually. So, I’m assuming you’re done with work to come here?” Ellie gave a smile.

“Nah, I only work for Rosie on Mondays to Fridays. I got the weekend all to myself. Sorry I didn’t come sooner, one of my ‘friends’ made me busy.” Michelle made air quotes with her fingers as she said friends.

“What happened, Michelle?” She noticed that Michelle had bandaged her left arm.

“Oh nothing serious, just a little disagreement. No need to worry about it, Ells.” She gave a reassuring smile.

“’Ells’? That’s your nickname for me?” A look of amusement passed her face, as she stifled a laugh.

“What, don’t like it?” Michelle playfully asked her.

“No, was just caught off guard, haha. Maybe I should call you something as well… Hmm… How about ‘Chells’?”

“Chells'… Oh, I like that, haha. So, Ells and Chells. Not bad, not bad at all.” Michelle laughed, and Ellie laughed along with her.

“So Michelle, why’d you come here, exactly?” Ellie asked, waiting for her answer.

“Well, just wanting to say hi, and also asking if you’re free, that’s all.”

“Free? Well, I don’t have anything planned for today, and Alastor is busy, so it’s only me here. What, want to bring me somewhere?”

“Ding-ding-ding, you got it right! Yeah, I want to bring you somewhere we can hang or something. But seriously, the Radio Demon isn’t here?”

“Yeah, I’m not spitting BS. Alastor’s gone, probably for the whole day.”

“Phew… I was a bit nervous meeting him, you know since… yeah. Anyways, come on, I’ll bring you to the best place! I’ll wait outside!” Michelle replied, a mischievous smile on her face.

“Fine, fine. 5 minutes.” Ellie quickly walked to her room, dressing herself more appropriately. She wears a black dress shirt, with black skirt that fades to dark blue at the tips, and finishing it up with a black and blue bowtie. She lets her hair down. She grabbed a piece of paper, and scribbled on it. She puts it on the radio in the living room. She finished, and quickly approached Michelle.

“You look good! I know you’ll look fantastic with those, Ells!” Michelle complimented her.

“Thanks, Chells, you really are suitable working at Rosie’s place. You know your fashion.”

“Eh, whatever pays the bills honestly. And Miss Rosie is very fair, treating all of us with care. That’s why I like working with her.” The both of them begins to walk somewhere, with Michelle leading the way.

As they passed by the Emporium, Ellie suddenly spoke. “Hey, Michelle. I kinda have a question.”

“Oh, what is it? Just ask, I’ll answer.” Michelle replied, still leading the way.

“So… Does Rosie’s emporium have any job openings?” Ellie quickly asked.

Michelle turned and looked at her, silent for a moment, before a smile crept to her face. “Wait, you’re looking for a job? Well, I think Miss Rosie’s offering, yeah. What, you want to apply?”

“Yeah… I mean, I think it’ll be a nice place to work. Rosie’s nice, and I have you there, haha.” She said, with a sheepish grin on her face.

“True, true. It’s better working at a place where you know someone. The pay’s pretty good as well... You should work there, in fact, let’s go visit Miss Rosie!”

Michelle suddenly pulled her to the emporium. ‘ Sigh, what’s up with me and being pushed by people…’ She thought in her mind.

They entered the place. On the weekends, this place isn’t that crowded, and Rosie was currently sitting in her table, sipping tea. She saw the two young women, and smiled.

“Ah, Ellie and Michelle! What are you both doing here on this fine weekend? No plans?” Rosie asked them both, a warm tone in her voice.

Michelle quickly replied. “Hello, Miss Rosie. Both of us were just walking around Cannibal Town, until Ellie here had a question for me. I thought it’ll be best for you to answer, Miss Rosie.” Michelle then gestured Ellie to speak, whispering. “C’mon, it’ll be fine, Ells!”

Ellie took a deep breath, and speaks. “Um, Rosie, I asked Michelle about… employment. And she says this place had an open spot… I was wondering, could I… apply?”

Rosie was taken aback for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure and smiled. “Ah, that job opening. Yes, I am currently looking for new employees. Ellie, my dear, I think you’ll be a fine addition to our staff, but are you completely sure?”

“I… I’m sure, Rosie. Michelle said that the pay is good, and the work environment is pretty good as well.” Her nervousness started to creep in, but she tried to speak in a sure tone.

“Well, consider yourself a part of our little family, then! I already saw what you can do. If you hone your speaking skills, you'll adapt in no time, so you are instantly accepted.” Rosie smiled, as she patted Ellie’s shoulder. “You will start next Monday, so enjoy your weekend!”

Ellie couldn’t believe it. She already had a job, and it’s only been a couple of days. Maybe she got some unbelievable luck or something. She quickly bowed her head. “Thank you so much, Rosie! I won’t waste this opportunity!”

“Oh, I’m sure we all would enjoy our newest addition, right, Michelle?” Rosie glanced at Michelle.

“Of course! It’ll be more fun here with you, Ells! Matt will probably like you as well!” Michelle gave an ear-splitting grin.

“Matt? Who is that?”

“Oh, just my other colleague here. It’s only us both and Miss Rosie.” Michelle waved her hand as she speaks.

“Wow, really? I thought there’d be more…”

“Nah, it’s just us… Anyways, we’ll excuse ourselves, Miss Rosie!” Michelle gave a wave to Rosie, with Ellie also waving.

“Alright now, you girls have fun now!” Rosie waved back, as she watched them both walk away and leave the emporium to who knows where. She’ll have to ‘spill the tea’ to Alastor about this later. Or Ellie will tell him first, who knows?

Chapter Text

August 24th 2012; 15.00 PM; Outside of Franklin and Rosie’s Emporium

After exiting the emporium, Michelle and Ellie both walked through the streets of Cannibal Town. In the afternoon, there’s many people out and about in the streets, doing all sorts of things. Kids were playing, a few ladies were gossiping and laughing, and Ellie could see a small tavern where a few people were drinking and playing poker.

“Ah, Cannibal Town. I’ve lived here almost my whole life, and it never gets old.” Michelle said, reminisce evident in her tone. She turned to Ellie and speaks. “I may be one of the few cannibals who doesn’t mind the more modern things of the Pentagram, but home is always home. I can never move away from here.”

Ellie smiles along. “Well, I think this town is very nice. I think the Pentagram is… a bit too chaotic for me, haha.”

Michelle laughed, and nods her head. “Agreed. Especially those areas where overlord wannabes usually hang out.” She then continues after taking a quick pause. “So Ells, I wanted to ask, do you drink alcohol or not?”

Ellie was taken aback at first, but she quickly replied. “Well, I can handle a bit of alcohol, but I don’t really like it. I only drink cocktails and ciders or anything fruit-based honestly.”

“Oh, one of those people who doesn’t like alcohol… I can work with that.” Michelle grinned at Ellie.

“Does this have something to do about where we’re going?” Ellie asked, curious.

“Yeah. If we want to hang out, I think a place that served good drinks is the place to go. We can get to know each other more, without it being weird!” Michelle smiled widely at Ellie, as she continues to ask. “I know a place, but it’s outside of Cannibal Town. Don’t worry, the area is neutral. Not owned by any of the overlords, and I’ve been there a few times. Trust me, their food and drinks are one of the best in my opinion.”

Ellie considered for a moment. “Hmmm… Well, as long as they have some good old martinis, then I’ll join you! Besides, you’re right. We can talk over a drink and some food, learn more about the other, and after that, if we hang out again, we can go to a better place.” She shrugged her shoulders, waiting for Michelle’s confirmation.

“Then it’s settled! Come, follow me! It’s a bit of a walk, but hey, you said you wanted to see the city more.” Michelle beamed happily, and excitedly walked beside Ellie.

‘Well, it’s better than being dragged at least.’ Ellie mused to herself.

As Michelle explained while their walking, Pentagram City is a large place, divided into many sections based on the Pentagram star, with the middle part of the Pentagram housing the Clock Tower and Heaven Embassy. Cannibal Town (and Alastor’s small territory) is located on the south-east part. Each major district is bordered by a neutral area or an area owned by a small overlord. The people call them ‘border zones’. To the west, Cannibal Town borders a ‘border zone’, which will lead to Carmine’s factory area. And to the north-east, it borders a ‘border zone’ which leads to a ruined district. It isn’t claimed by any overlord, and is a very much contented zone for wannabe overlords. Most people just called it the ‘Doomsday District’. “And my last piece of advice. Never go to the Doomsday District. You’re still a new sinner, and that place is crazy! Maybe if you have the protection of someone stronger, you’ll be fine, but please… I don’t really want to see my new friend hurt.” Michelle’s worried tone is very clear. Ellie, hearing the concern, nods seriously.

“Alright, Michelle, I get it.” She tries to put on a reassuring smile, or the best one she could muster. Michelle seemed relieved at least, and continues to walk beside Ellie casually. They’re headed to the west, towards the border zone near Carmine’s area. The scenery changes very quickly, the old early 1900’s feel of Cannibal Town being replaced by the many factories that dot this place. It’s not quite Carmine yet, but it’s nearing that.

Michelle led Ellie to a dead end alleyway between two medium sized buildings, and motions to a flight of stairs. “This is the spot. It’s a small bar, and not many people usually visit this place, since it’s hidden. Come on!” Michelle takes the lead, and climbs up the stairs, Ellie closely following behind. Before the door, a small board was put on the right side of the door, which just says ‘Seclude Platinum’. She’s guessing that’s the name.

They opened the door, and Ellie steps in first. The bar isn’t a big place. A staircase leads down to the main area of the bar. The bar feels very industrial-like, what with the main colors being black, white, and brown. The staircase is made from metal and is colored black, as is the case with the upper floor where they came from. As they descend to the lower floor, brick walls made up the walls. Under the upper floor is the bar. A small stage is set near where the stairs end, which people from both the lower and upper area can see. Currently, an imp is playing the piano for entertainment. The back bar is decorated with many bottles and glasses. A few demons were sitting on the stools, facing the bartender, a snake sinner demon, mixing and making their drinks. Michelle sat on one of the stools, gesturing for Ellie to sit next to her. Ellie nods, and sits next to her.

The bartender then comes along, and asks them both what they would like to drink. “Good afternoon, misses. What can I get you both today?” He says. His voice is calm and gentle.

Michelle takes the lead, and speaks first. “Afternoon to you too. For me, can I get a cup of martini,” Michelle then glanced at Ellie, motioning for her to speak.

“Um, as for me, can I get a… apple cider?” Ellie’s voice is smaller, probably due to facing a new person. And because the bartender scared her a bit with his appearance.

The bartender nods, and turns to Michelle again. “Would you like some snacks as well, or is that all?”

Michelle looked at the menu again, and it looks like she founds what she’s looking for. “Ah, yeah, we’d like the fries as well. Just one though!” Michelle chuckles.

“Alright, you can pay over there.” He points to another demon, this time a plant sinner, manning the register. Michelle heads there to pay, because Ellie still doesn’t have any money, and Michelle insists that she’ll pay. Leaving Ellie alone to watch as the bartender prepares their drink, and also telling another demon about their food order.

Michelle returns shortly after. “So, what do you think about this place? Neat, huh?”

Ellie smiles and chuckles. “Yeah, it’s very chill, I don’t know how you manage to find this place… I thought all the bars are either rowdy or horny or both…”

Hearing Ellie’s statement, Michelle stifled a laugh, and nods. “Yeah, I figured your first experience of a bar in Hell should be a good one, haha! Besides, you don’t need to worry about those types of people here. What I’ve seen of this place, usually the bartender will sneak in a bit of his poison, and after the offending customer feels weird, they’ll just throw them out.” Michelle finished her statement with a smirk.

“That explains why this place is calm and tranquil. Combined with the fact that it’s hidden, I think I’ll visit this place more often, Michelle.” Ellie gives a soft smile at Michelle, which she reciprocated.

“Not a fan of loud music and loud people?” Michelle can see her own drink arriving, as the bartender puts it in front of her.

“Yeah, always has been. Maybe sometimes, but I’m not those girls who likes clubbing. I enjoy a good read, maybe watching the TV to pass the time. Or play some games, haha.” Ellie chuckles to herself. She’s always been the more introvert type.

“But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a fun for a while, y’know?” She playfully played with her glass, twirling her fingers around the rim.

“Yeah, and I appreciate you taking me to this place. Thanks a lot, Michelle.” Ellie gave her a warm smile, which Michelle quickly returns.

“No need to thank me. I can tell that you’re very much different from the others. Heck, I don’t know what you did up there to make you land down here! You’re too nice and polite, Ellie. I mean it.” Michelle can see Ellie’s drink and their fries are approaching, and so motions for Ellie to take a look.

“Aww, Michelle… thanks…” Ellie slightly blushed at the compliment, and she takes her own glass. “Want to do a clink, Michelle?”

Michelle takes a moment to think, and she picks up her glass. “Sure thing! But what are we clinking for?”

“Hmmm… How about… for our new friendship, Chells? I think that would fit.” Ellie says, a smile on her face.

“Of course! You should do the honors!” Michelle exclaims happily.

“Alright, alright.” Ellie thinks for the right words, and then spoke. “To our newfound friendship, and may it lasts as long as we would like it. Cheers!”

“Cheers!” They both clink their glasses, and sipped their drinks. Ellie can feel the taste bursting in her mouth, the sourness of the apple and the sweetness perfectly mixed together.

“This is perfect…” Ellie says in a relaxed tone.

“I know, a good drink, besides a good friend, in a good place… what more can a lady ask for?” She said, contentment in her tone

“Agreed…” They both continued on talking and getting to know more of each other.

The same day; 18.00 PM; Alastor’s Residence

Alastor entered his home, expecting to see his newfound roommate to greet him. He hasn’t checked on her in a while, since he knew that she’ll be safe in here, unless she’s out. Which is exactly what he thinks she’s doing, because as he checks around the house, there’s no sign of any activity. Although, his shadows didn’t alert him to anything, and he gave explicit instructions to them that if anything happens to her, they’ll immediately tell him. But he couldn’t help the nagging feeling of worry creeping down his body… He shoved those feelings away, and sat in his chair, lighting up the fireplace.

Something then caught his eyes, as he stood up and went to his radio. A note was placed near it, and he opened it to read its contents.

‘To Alastor,

You’re probably reading this because you’re home from your ‘business’ or whatever. If you’re looking for me, I’m hanging out with Michelle. You know, one of Rosie’s employees (if you forgot, haha). I’ll probably be home sometimes in the evening.

Your roommate (and friend!)

Ellie.’

Alastor can feel himself relax after reading that letter. He trusts Ellie would be fine, since one of Rosie’s employees is with her. And he trusts Rosie, and that extends to people that Rosie trusts. He chuckles looking at the writing, and there’s even some small doodles on the bottom!

“…is this stick figure supposed to be me?” He mused, amusement creeping in his tone. He then glances at the clock. “6 PM… I can still have fun today…”

He picks up the radio, then began concentrating towards it. The radio started glowing green, as his eyes turned to radio dials. “I heard a certain Television has been spouting nonsense about me! I think I’ll have to teach that man some manners!” He then disappears, glitches left in his place.

The same day; At around the same time; Seclude Platinum

For the past 2 hours, Michelle and Ellie has been talking, getting to know each other, gossiping, and even sharing jokes! At the first hour, both of them started getting tipsy from ordering too much alcohol, which is 3 glasses for Ellie, and 6 glasses for Michelle. Ellie suggested they’ll just drink water to sober up, and the next hour is spent talking to their hearts’ content, eating fries and drinking water.

Apparently, from what she can infer from Michelle’s stories, she’s the type to be very kind and sweet with people she likes, and ruthless and cold to people she deems to be bad. She used to live outside of Cannibal Town, says she wants to see what the Pentagram has to offer. That was around 6 years ago, when she was 20 years old. That’s how she knew many people, and how the other districts operate.

Another thing is that she used to borrow money from loan sharks, but she paid them all off in the end. It doesn’t guarantee her safety, as there’s still some of them who tries to get her to borrow money. She also sometimes encounter the members of the Spider Mafia family. Michelle warns Ellie to avoid them, since Ellie doesn’t have many experience handling them.

Ellie also tells a bit about her own life before arriving in Hell. She’s not comfortable enough to share everything, but Michelle reassures her, telling her she’s okay with her not telling everything. From what Michelle can see from Ellie’s stories, she’s a shy, but kind person. She’s also very genuine, and Michelle can tell, because she’s used to dealing with slimy scumbags who cheat their way out of a deal. Michelle always wanted to see what the living world looks like, but since she’s a Hellborn, she can’t exactly go up there. That takes either an Asmodean Crystal, or very powerful magic.

Ellie is apparently very passionate on books, especially historical books. Michelle is right about her being the scholarly type. She’s a big fan of anime, which is still fairly new in Hell. She’ll have to wait for a few more years if she wants to watch anything from the living world, since it takes time to get them here in Hell.

They were still talking, when something on the TV caught Ellie’s eyes. At first, everything was normal, until suddenly the TV’s display turned to black. Nothing was heard, until an old swing music from the 20s emits from the TV. The kind of music you would hear from Alastor. The broadcasts fight to keep itself turned on, but the blank static and music persists. Eventually it makes way to the sound of two people bickering, one of them definitely Alastor.

“Ah, ah, ah Vox. You wouldn’t mind me hijacking for a short while, hmm?” Alastor seems to taunt this ‘Vox’ person.

“Oh you little shit! Get back here!” Noises of files getting deleted, antivirus activating, ‘Vox’ screaming curses at Alastor and sounds of static fills the whole bar. The bartender sighed, and turned off the TV in its entirety, plugging it off from the outlet.

Ellie was stunned for a while, and slowly turned to Michelle. “What the heck just happened, Michelle?” She slowly begins.

Michelle just sighed, like this happens regularly. “It’s just those two fighting, Ellie. No need to worry. It’ll probably finish in the next hour or so.”

“Who’s the other guy? I don’t recognize the voice.” Ellie confusedly asked, her voice a bit silent from usual.

Michelle stared at Ellie. “You seriously don’t know? Wow, you’re very, very new.” Michelle began her explanation. “So the other guy? That’s Vox, the Media Overlord and owner of that tech company VoxTech. He and Valentino rules over most of Hell’s media, except for the radio, since well, that’s Alastor’s domain. From what I can see, Vox and Alastor don’t like each other. A lot.”

Ellie nods her head, still staring at the inactive TV. “Okay, I think I get it. So, it’s like a rivalry type of thing?”

“Exactly. You know how it is with TV and radio.” Michelle sighed. She looks at the time, and looks at Ellie again. “It’s already 7 PM, Ellie. Do you want to continue on, or are you finished with the drinks?”

“I think I’m already drunk enough for now, Michelle… Can we get back to Cannibal Town?” She knows the night is still young, but she wrote in her note that she’ll be back in the evening, not in the middle of the night.

“Of course, Ellie. Don’t worry, I’m not one to force my friends to drink all night. Let’s go home, okay?” She smiles, and Ellie returns it.

Michelle tipped the bartender, and they both climbed up the stairs to exit the bar. The streets seemed to be filled with more people, as the night grew later and later. But since this is the border zone between Carmine’s area and Cannibal Town, there still isn’t a lot of people.

Michelle leads the way, going through the streets and alleyways the same way to how they reach this place in the first place. Nearing Cannibal Town, they went through a small street, almost an alleyway at this point.

“Okay, it won’t be long ‘till we reach Cannibal Town, so you have nothing to wor-“ Michelle was cut off by a deep chuckle from behind the both of them. “Or not.” Michelle’s voice reduced to a whisper only she and Ellie can hear. “Looks like we’ve got company.”

They both turned around, as they were greeted by a bunch of demons, mostly shark or fish-themed demons. “Okay, what the hell do you guys want? I’ve got no debts to settle with you all! Do you honestly forgot how many of your men I sent packing earlier today?” Michelle threatened, stepping in front of Ellie and unsheathing a knife she hid in her dress and pulling out a revolver from her purse.

The smallest one replied. “Oh come on, baby. Why packing so much? Just think of this as payback for our friends earlier! And honestly, you both look enticing.” He said, almost hungrily. “Especially the white fox there!”

Michelle immediately shot the demon that was speaking. “Oh don’t you dare being lustful towards my friend!” The fight begins, as Michelle quickly shoots anyone who tried getting close. “Ellie, find a hiding spot!” Michelle shouts to her, knowing that Ellie didn’t bring any weapon. Ellie nods her head, and hid behind a pile of crates, watching Michelle going in for the kill on one of the bigger ones.

“Oh no… I want to help… but I don’t have anything…” Ellie watched anxiously, silently rooting for her friend to at least survive. She suddenly feels a nudge on her shoulder, and tried looking for the person who did that. She looked around for a moment, until her eyes landed on the wall next to the crates she’s hiding behind. It’s her shadow… but it’s not. The shadow’s silhouette then transformed into one similar to a familiar demon to Ellie. Alastor.

Ellie immediately widened her eyes, as she speaks, her voice barely above a whisper. “A-Alastor?” The shadow shook its head. Ellie asked it again. “So… who? And can you speak?”

The shadow mimics a zipping motion on its mouth. Ellie understands, that the shadow can’t speak. So she asks again. “Are you here to help?”

It eagerly nods. “H-how?” Ellie confusedly asks again. If this isn’t Alastor, but just a shadow of him… Does it have his powers? That’s the thought that was going through her mind. The shadow then disappears, forming a sharp knife made from shadows on Ellie’s right hand.

“Okay… Thanks a lot.” Ellie hopes the shadow can hear her, and she begins scouting the battlefield for Michelle.

Michelle was currently locked in battle with two hammerhead shark demons. They both had pistols, but Michelle is faster, dodging the bullets aimed at her. As a Hellborn, she can die from normal means, so she had to act fast. She shoots the left one, leaving the right one in shock, then stabs them in the chest. Suddenly, a big great white shark demon slammed her to the wall, leaving her trapped. There’s still 5 demons left, already counting the big guy. Michelle squirmed under the tight grip, and was prepared for the worst. The demon raised their fist, and Michelle closed her eyes… only for nothing to happen.

The demon drops to the ground, stabbed from the back, and Michelle glanced at her savior. “Ellie!” She exclaimed in glee. Ellie then pulls the shadow knife off of the big demon, and grabs Michelle, dragging her to the crates she hid earlier.

“First off, thank you so much! And second, how!? I thought you had no weapons?” Michelle said, ducking on and off cover to shoot the remaining demons.

“Oh, someone helped us!” Ellie says, and the shadow knife transforms back to Alastor’s shadow.

“Holy moly, is that Alastor?” Michelle looked at the shadow looming behind Ellie, and shivered a little.

“Kind of? It’s like a fragment of Alastor. It’s him, but at the same time, not him. A shadow entity.” Ellie explained. She had to ask Alastor more about this, but that’s her theory for now.

“Okay, I get it. But now, let’s finish these remaining demons! I have a feeling my dinner would be seafood tonight!” Michelle smiles. “So, ready to finish them off?”

“I’ll try!” The shadow also gave a thumbs up, as they both get out of cover. Ellie heads to the nearest demon, the shadow turning back into a knife. She stabbed them at their heart, with the shadow finishing it off.

Michelle fared well fighting three of them. With Ellie as back up, Michelle shoots her revolver, hitting one of the demon on the head. The other two immediately backed away, which is no use, as Michelle dashed towards them both and slashed their legs clean off. Unable to run away, they squirmed, and Michelle shot them both in the head.

The last one, already realizing the battle is lost, snapped a picture of Ellie using his V-Phone, and quickly ran away. Ellie and Michelle saw no use in chasing after him. Both of them panted, covered in blood, the adrenaline rushing off. Michelle opened her purse, and pulled out a flappable bag. She began filling the bag with the remains of the demons, meat and organs. Since they’re sinners, these demons will regenerate later, probably a few more days from now.

“Hah… wow, that’s some action...” Ellie finally spoke. A sense of tiredness laced her voice.

“Hey, just an average day of fighting those jerks…” Michelle chuckles. She then glanced at Ellie. “You okay, Ells?”

“I’m fine… But how about you? A-are you hurt?” Ellie returned the question. Michelle did fight more than herself, so she must’ve sustained lots of injuries.

“Eh, nothing a little bandage can’t fix, Ells. Now, let’s get home. You need me to escort you?” Michelle teased her, as they begin walking off, heading back to Cannibal Town.

“If you don’t want to, it’s fine! But I do enjoy talking with someone, Michelle.” Ellie replied with a warm tone.

“Aww, okay then, let’s head to the Radio Demon’s place.” She smiles, and glances to the shadow. “Thank you for helping, sir. Please give my thanks to Mr. Alastor.”

The shadow gave a nod, and then returned back to being Ellie’s shadow. They exited the street, entering Cannibal Town yet again. It’s already 8 PM, so most activities in Cannibal Town are centered at the taverns and speakeasies. Most of the street has gone quiet. Entering Alastor’s small territory, Michelle stopped. Ellie then looked back at her, and tilts her head. “Are you okay? If you don’t want to go further, it’s fine!” Ellie reassures Michelle.

“I… Yeah, I think we’ll part ways here.” Michelle said, relief and sadness at her tone. Relief because she doesn’t have to enter the area, and sadness because they will be parting ways for now.

“Michelle, don’t be sad! We’ll meet at Monday, remember?” Ellie gave a warm tone, wanting to help Michelle feel better.

“You’re right… So… See you on Monday, new coworker?”

“See you on Monday, yeah.” They both waved at each other, and Michelle pulled Ellie into a small hug. Ellie yelped at first, then returned it. They parted from the hug quickly, and they walked off to their respective destinations.

Ellie fully enters Alastor’s territory, which is small piece of land which is technically still Cannibal Town. Just that it’s the most remote part of town, surrounded by a small bayou. She gets closer to Alastor’s residence, and steps on the front door.

Knocking on the door and entering the house/radio tower, Ellie saw Alastor sitting in the fireplace. The shadow returned back to its master, and Alastor was alerted to Ellie arriving back. “Ah, you’re back my dear! And, oh my, covered in blood! What happened to you?” Alastor asked, simultaneously looking both amused and worried.

“I uh… Me and Michelle got into a fight with a few demons. Don’t worry! They’re all taken care off.” Alastor then looked to his shadow, which confirms the story through communicating with Alastor. Through what, Ellie doesn’t know, but it seems only Alastor can understand it.

“And I also wanted to thank you and your shadow over there. Without it, I think I would’ve been toast…” She says with gratitude.

“No need to thank me, my dear. If I was personally there, that battle would’ve been more bloody, haha!” A laugh track played from his microphone cane.

“Yeah… and what have you been doing all day, Alastor?” She asked. Not wanting to pry further, she added. “If you don’t want to tell, it’s fine!”

“Well, I’ve been busy doing business, as I’ve told you through Niffty. Though…” Alastor glanced at Ellie again, looking at her bloodied self. “I think you should clean up before we share more, wouldn’t you agree? And maybe a night’s rest? Don’t worry, I have no plans for tomorrow.”

“Well… I am feeling awfully tired so… Yeah, I think I’ll retire for the night.” Ellie then smiles. “So, I’ll be cleaning myself, and then rest. Goodnight, Alastor.” Ellie says.

“Goodnight to you too, my dear. Sleep well.” Alastor’s tone is soft, unusual from what she’s seen of him. The shadow waved at her, as she heads up the stairs. Alastor sighs, and continues to read more of his book. Internally, he can’t wait to get to know his new roommate more, and he’ll maybe share a little about himself. After all, it’s a fair trade. Information for more information.

The same day; Unknown time; V Tower

Vox is seething at the fact that Alastor manages to bypass his new firewall. He was still fixing it up, connected to all the cables on his surveillance room. Suddenly, a message pinged at him. It was from Valentino. He sent him a picture and a message that read ‘Found something interesting, babe.’ He looked at the picture, and his eyes widen. It was very low quality, as it looked like the demon who took it were running away. But it was visible. Two demons are standing. He could care less about the cannibal, but the white fox sinner… intrigued him. There, behind them… was Alastor’s shadow. There’s no mistaking it.

Vox immediately asked Val about who took the picture. Val replied, saying that it was one of his loan sharks. Ah, loan sharks. Vox always had an obsession with sharks, heck even his room is filled with it. Reading the message, and with Val giving the name of the demon, Vox called him down to his room.

A few moments later, a terribly bloodied and hurt shark demon stumbled in from the elevator. Vox put on his charismatic smile. “Ah, hello there! I heard that you took this picture?” Vox displayed it on his screen.

“Y-yes, Mr. Vox, sir. I-I was running from them because my whole teams was wiped out…” The demon shivered.

“Do you know anything more about these people? Especially the white fox?” Vox asked, a bit of his impatient tone seeping through.

“U-um… The cannibal is a frequent target for Boss, but I’ve never seen the fox before!” He gulped, hoping that his answer is right.

“Okay… Hmm…” Vox began to think, ignoring the shark demon. After a while, he glanced back at him. “What are you still doing here? Leave!” Vox yelled, and the shark demon scampered off quickly, the door opening and closing.

Vox sat back at his chair, and folds his hand on the table. “Oh little fox… What’s your connection to that smiling freak… I cannot wait to see!” Vox began cackling, and his left eye gains several circles in its sclera and the pupil becomes light blue electricity-like.