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If you told Velvette, fashion overlord, that Vox would be able to convince Carmilla Carmine to build him a super weapon without brainwashing her, she'd scoff in your face. And if you told her that he forced her to apologise to the Bitch Queen, she would have bitten your head off.
Unfortunately, no one told Velvette, so she was lacking anyone's heads to bite off. Therefore, she was stuck with all this rage inside her that she had no way to release. Even if she did find someone to torment, Vox had been having hissy fits right and left these days, and she just couldn't risk it.
She had found a way to get at least a little of something out though.
“Oy! What's this new shit you're workin’ on now?” she called across from The Carmine Fortress. Vox had been given a key to check up on the construction with. All it took was getting Valentino to do a little convincing - and some sweet-talking - before Velvette could sneak into the TV Demon's room and snag it.
The area of the fortress where the machine was being built was huge, and the rest of the building only made it look more like impending doom. Though, Velvette had to admit that it could be beautiful. The building would definitely be easier to admire if the interior was even somewhat decorated. Sure, the lamps and chandelier were gorgeous, but no one could do everything with just lights.
If only Carmilla would ever let Velvette spruce up the place, but she suspected that wasn’t in the cards at all.
Carmilla heaved a pained sigh from the second floor and turned in the direction of the smaller girl, “Why bother to explain? You never understand what I'm saying anyway.” She dropped some sort of weird-as-fuck tool that Velvette certainly didn't know how to work, to the floor.
Such was the life of a lesbian.
She shrugged, eyeing her closely, “It's fun to annoy you. Fuckin’ hilarious actually.”
She sighed again and propped herself on the fence of the balcony. Her feet swung in the air, balancing her perfectly, “Why are you here, Velvette? It's the third time this week. Even Vox hasn't visited as much, and he’s the one keeping me here.”
She grinned wide, holding up the key to her fortress, “That's cuz I'm stealin’ his key.”
Carmilla's brow furrowed in puzzlement like she was trying to decipher something. Velvette felt panic shoot up her spine. She absolutely couldn't have her knowing the real reason she was here.
“So,” she began slowly. “You're just showing up every day because you care so much about the building of this machine? More than Vox does?”
She swallowed, face flushing red as she looked to the floor, “Well, yeah. We are a team, you know. Kinda the whole fuckin’ point.”
She eyed her closely, but changed the conversation, “I'm preparing other parts so I start programming the inner workings of the control panel.”
Velvette grinned smugly, “See, that wasn't so hard, now was it?”
The older woman huffed, “Remind me to never tell you anything about my work again.”
“I don’t think I'll be doin’ that,” she smiled wider, watching as Carmilla hopped down to the first floor. The older woman slink forward, presenting her own smile down on Velvette.
“I answered one of your questions,” she purred, reaching out to thumb one of her heart-shaped space buns. “Time to answer one of mine.”
“Oh, it is, is it?” she asked, cocking a playful brow. She reached up to touch the grey woman’s wrist. Her index and middle fingers gently traced along the light blue of her veins.
Carmilla hummed, pulling her hand back, “So, Velvette, *muñeca,* why are you really here?”
She scowled in an instant, rolling her eyes, “I already told you, old hag. I’m here for work management.”
“And is that why you had to steal the key rather than just *ask* Vox?” she asked, grinning. Her arms crossed over her chest, leaning back.
Checkmate in three.
Fucking hell.
Velvette’s eyes widened in surprise. She threw her arms up in frustration, “I don't know! Cuz he's a control freak? Cuz I'm just fuckin’ tired of him? Cuz I know he can't do anythin’ right? Is that an acceptable explanation?”
Carmilla shrugged smugly.
“You know,” she took a step closer, poking her in the chest with each words. “You should be thankin’ me! You won't have to deal with Vox an' his fuckin’ maracas an' his awful fuckin’ Spanish mockin’ you at every turn now! If it weren't for me, he'd be botherin’ you every moment he could!”
Carmilla's scarlet gaze grew furious in only a moment, her lips tightening into one thin line. She grabbed Velvette's hand and thrusted it back at her, “Thanking you? Because you're not racist? Believe it or not, but that's nothing worthy of a ‘thank you.’”
Without another word, Velvette huffed, turned on her heel and stormed out the door, holding up a middle finger as she exited. The door to the fortress slammed behind her.
Two days later, Velvette returned to the fortress. In the time she had been away, she had gotten less work done than she normally could in just a few hours. Her heart panged anytime she thought of Carmilla, fists balling in frustration. When they had their first tiff, if really was nothing, but now she’d really fucked up. It only took shredding one of her models to pieces and firing a couple more before her head evened out enough to finally talk to her. She had felt guilty after their last interaction, and felt it was fit to at least apologise.
Slotting Vox’s key into its place, she unlocked the door and entered, carefully closing the door so it wouldn’t slam. She donned a red and black striped blouse with an eight-inch long sequined skirt in a snowy white hue. Her hair was in a pair of low pigtails, a short curtain of bangs draped over her forehead.
She made her way to the machine, circling it in hopes of finding Carmilla. After a few dozen steps, she heard a voice behind her laced with a thick accent.
“Velvette.”
She whipped around, breathing out a sigh of relief when she confirmed it was Carmilla.
“Back again?” she asked with an arched eyebrow. She didn’t look pleased at all.
“Yeah. Erm,” the tri-colour haired girl cleared her throat. “I’m here to apologise.” She grit her teeth together, thinking back to the apology Vox forced out of her. She took a deep breath.
This was all Velvette. This was something she actually meant.
Carmilla snorted in amusement after a beat of silence, urging her to continue.
She fidgeted with a strand of her hair anxiously, “What I said was inappropriate. An’ it was stupid. An’ I’m… well, you know… sorry abou’ it.”
She smiled, taking the end of her other pigtail and twirling it around her index finger. She tugged on it to pull her closer, causing a slight hiss from the smaller girl.
“You’re forgiven, *mi vida.* I suppose I owe you an apology as well. It wasn’t exactly my finest moment either,” she said, petting down her hair as she teased. “I didn’t mean to make you all so worked up about this.”
Velvette looked down at her feet, face flushing as she spat out, “It’s cuz I like your company, okay?”
“What?”
“I like your company!” she said huffing impatiently and crossing her arms as her voice dropped to a mumble. “That’s why I keep comin’ back. It gets borin’ at that stupid tower sometimes; it’s not ever borin’ here.”
“Oh,” Carmilla responded simply. She sat on a nearby crate, draping one leg over the other as a gesture for her to continue. Her hands clasped together.
“You’re an old twat but you can be fun sometimes!” Velvette finally said, tapping her foot against the floor. Her hands wrung together. “So, yeah. That’s it. Jus’ thought I should tell since you asked.”
There was a short silence.
“Well, you’re free to keep coming here. Just try not to bother my workers. Deal?” she patted her head, flashing a canine in a grin.
Velvette’s knees buckled. She took a deep breath before speaking next, giving a small smile, “Thanks, but I don’t make deals with strange demons.”
Carmilla laughed before tenderly kissing her forehead, “Noted. See you tomorrow?”
She looked down at her feet, face flushing scarlet, “Yeah. I’ll be here.”