Overture 6
(AN: Since we don't know much about Niffty's past when she was alive, I made my own version of her past.)
Back at the hotel. Niffty tries to stab a bug.
"Stab! Stab! Stab!" Niffty chanted as she tries to stab the bug with her very big sewing needle but misses and starts stabbing the bug multiple times but it continues to scurry off before Vaggie stops her, turning the maid and housekeeper towards her.
"Alright Niffty, Niffty. Niffty! Your line is "We have the cleanest rooms", okay?" Vaggie told her and Niffty eagerly smiled.
"Got it. I'm ready." She smiled excitedly.
"Action!" Vaggie turns on the camera as it points at Niffty.
Upon saying action and instead of saying the line that she was supposed to say, Niffty freezes and stares blankly at the camera without breathing or blinking. Vaggie panels away, looking puzzled at what happened to Niffty as Allison looks to the little sinner in concern and a bit disturbed at her state as Angel also peers in to check what's going on. Niffty making a blank stare with an ominous shrinking pupil and causing Angel slowly backs away, already creeped out from what's going on with Niffty.
"Uh, Niffty, you okay?" Allison asked worriedly but didn't get a response from the small maid.
"Uh, cut." Vaggie hesitantly stops.
That snapped Niffty back to her normal cheerful self as she looked at the two girls excitedly.
"How was that?" She asked them with an excited giggle.
"Well, Niffty, you actually have to say the line, so let's roll again." Allison told her and Niffty nodded.
"Okay!" She said enthusiastically.
Allison signals for Vaggie to record.
"Action!" Vaggie tried again but the same thing happened again and leaving Vaggie irritated. Angel moved closer to her face with a smug smile.
"You're doing great, Vagina." Angel whispered to her smugly.
"Cut! Alright, uhh maybe we can try to fix it in post." Vaggie said as she stood up as she started to head for the door.
"Do you even know what that means?" Angel asked her and Vaggie hissed at him like a crocodile
"I'll figure it out!" She said angrily.
Allison watched Vaggie leaves before she looked to where Niffty was seen last standing at to find that she was gone. Questions why Niffty just froze in front of the camera has her pondering on what happened to Niffty before she was alive. Despite the fact that she was a Fallen, her role as a seraphim of kindness and compassion always shines through so maybe she should ask Husk.
She went to the bar where Husk was cleaning a glass. He raised an eyebrow at her approach.
"Anything I can give you, Allison?" Husk asked her.
"Thanks, Husk, but maybe later. There's something I wanna know." She said as she sat on the stool as Husk cleans the counter.
"Well, what is it?" He asked her.
"It's about... Niffty." She said hesitantly and Husk paused on what he's doing as he looked at her.
"When Vaggie was trying to record her, she just... froze when Vaggie said "action" to do we can film for the new commercial. We had to cut the video and tried again but the same thing happened. Do... Do you know why she's like that?" Allison asked him, concerned, shining in her eyes.
Husk eyed her curiously and in confusion. He couldn't help but wonder why she was asking about Niffty but seeing the concern in her eyes, he could tell that she was just worried for a friend.
"I'm not one to share tales about others and I don't know how or why Niffty becomes a statue but from what I can vaguely tell is that she might have a bad experience with cameras and shit." Husk said as he continued to wipe the counter before looking at Allison who looked at him, clearly she wanted to know more.
"Just trust me, Allison. You don't need to know what Niff's deal is." Husk told her as he went to clean up the bar a bit more.
Allison wants to ask more but she doesn't want to pry.
"Thanks, Husk." She said as she stood up and was about to leave but yelped when she bumped into someone.
She stumbled back before an arm caught her by her waist. She looked up and saw that it was Alastor that caught her.
"Be very careful, ma chére, or you might fall for me again." He said playfully and it made her blush shyly.
Alastor helped back to her feet as she smiled at him.
"Thanks for... catching me, Alastor." Allison said as Alastor chuckled softly.
"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with dear Husker. If you're curious about little Niffty, why not ask her herself." Alastor told her.
"I-I don't know, Alastor, Husk told me not to pry into Niffty's life before she died but..." Allison said but Alastor raised a hand.
"As much as what Husk says is true, Niffty is perfectly harmless when it comes to her friends." He reassured her. Allison contemplated before nodding.
"Now then! I'm searching for dear Vaggie but I couldn't seem to find her. Do you know where she could be?" Alastor asked.
"Last place I saw her heading was to where the TV is to review the footage for the commercial." She told him.
"Thank you for telling me, ma chére." Alastor said before snapping his fingers and a rose appeared on her hair and she looked at it in surprise before she smiled at him thankfully.
He returned the sentiments before going off to find Vaggie as Allison went to find Niffty. It didn't take Allison long to find Niffty who was in the kitchen, killing a cockroach.
"Niffty?" She called and Niffty turn to her.
"Hi, Allie! Need something?" Niffty asked as she went to her.
"No actually. Is it okay if I ask you something?" Allison as she say on her knees to be at eye level with the little sinner. Niffty tilts her head at her but smiled brightly.
"Sure! I'll be glad to answer any questions you might have." Niffty said cheerfully.
Allison bites the inside of her cheek. She doesn't want to bring up bad memories but she wants to know what made her freeze when Vaggie was recording.
"You can refuse to answer, Niffty. It's your choice. But... how... exactly did you end up in Hell?" Allison said and immediately regretted asking when Niffty froze.
Niffty was frozen and staring blankly into space as memories flashed through her mind of when she was alive. Allison watched her nervously and in concern as Niffty was muttering quietly.
"It's still dirty."
"Need to clean..."
"Stab you..."
"Must continue to clean..."
"She hates it... It needs to be spotless..."
"It hurts... Mama, it hurts... I'm trying... Please, help me..."
Niffty's eye starts to well up in tears as the little sinner hiccuped. Allison felt her heart ache as she pulled the little sinner into her arms where she broke down and started to wail loudly.
"Shh. It's okay, Niffty. I'm here. She's not gonna hurt you..." Allison whispered softly.
Niffty sniffed as her tears kept falling but when Allison pulled her into her arms, she couldn't help but find a sense of warmth and protection from the blue doe. She couldn't place it but being in her arms gave her the sense of comfort she always wanted before she died. It... It feels like she was in the arms of a mother who cares and loves their kid and it feels so nice too.
"I... I was killed by my mama..." Niffty whispered softly.
Niffty felt the arms around her tightened a little but she found only comfort in them as she closed her eye from the feeling.
"O-Oh, Niffty... I'm so sorry to hear that. You don't need to continue if it hurts you..." Allison said as she pulled them away from the hug a little to wipe the tears from her friend's eye.
"It's okay, Allie. Alastor knows but I feel like I could tell you." Niffty said as she look up to her.
"Are you... Are you sure, Niffty?" Allison looked at her in concern.
Niffty nodded with a small smile and Allison moved them to the table as the blue doe sat down with Niffty on the table where the little maid and housekeeper started to tell her past.
"Like I said. I was killed by my mama... When I was five, she started to tell me to keep the house spotless and clean after and before she goes to work... I... I tried my best to keep things tidy but... Whenever she sees a speck of dust or a stain I missed, she hurts me by hitting me..." Niffty said as she kicked her feet back and forth at the edge of the table and Allison gripped her coat as she listened.
She couldn't help but feel anger towards Niffty's mother for harming a child. She couldn't understand why or how human mothers do this to their child when they try to make them happy or want their love but looking at Niffty, her heart aches for her friend as Niffty continued.
"I lost my sanity slowly over the years and the only thing I can think of is how messy things are and that I need to clean them immediately... The only time I find solace or comfort is the basement where I only have an old moldy bed to sleep on and a thin blanket... By the time I was around 22, I snapped at my mother when she said that the pan I cleaned was still greasy... I... I didn't mean to stab her but I did! I just felt so angry that I just... I just stabbed her... I felt sort of satisfied when I did but... the next thing I knew, I was being shot three times by my mother's boyfriend with her filming my death... The next thing I saw before I woke up was that I arrived in Hell..." Niffty finished as she looked at her feet.
"Oh, Niffty, I'm so sorry you went through all of that..." Allison whispered but Niffty shook her head and she smiled happily at her despite her past.
"It's okay, Allie! Alastor found me eventually, took me in and told me to be myself without fear and that I can stab anyone that tries anything with the knife that Alastor gave me." Niffty said as she smiled at her. Allison had mixed feelings of Alastor giving Niffty a knife but she couldn't help but smile at how Niffty told her how Alastor found her and took her in.
"Thank you for sharing this with me, Niffty." Allison said but was caught by surprise when Niffty hugged her.
"No, thank you for making me feel better... Mama..." Niffty said and Allison froze in surprise. What did she call her...?
Niffty pulled away from the hug and took out her large sewing needle again and chased after the bug that scurried from the corner of her eyes with a very sadistic smile and maniacal giggle. Allison covered her mouth as she giggled at how Niffty chased the bug. She felt relief that her role as seraphim of kindness and compassion is still in her and it helped her bring Niffty some comfort and solace that she needed.
In another part of the hotel, Vaggie can be seen sitting in front of a broken TV, watching the poorly edited shots of the commercial with both of her hands on the sides of her head. She groans loudly in frustration. Why can't her plan work?! She's trying so hard and she wants to surprise Charlie when she gets back from her meeting. She covered her face with a groan just as Alastor came in with an amused smile.
"Seems like you're having a bit of trouble there, hmm?" He pointed out with an amused smile and Vaggie felt like rolling her eyes at him. What does he want now?
"Ugh, este pendejo (this asshole)..." Vaggie swears under her breath before turning to the resident overlord.
"Why are you even here?" She asked him as he sat down on the couch next to her chair.
"For the entertainment." He simply said as his shadow slipped out from his form and reappeared behind the couch and it seemed to be laughing with a wide jack-o'-lantern smile.
"I came here because I love seeing wasteful souls struggle to accomplish something meaningful and fail spectacularly, like you are doing now." Alastor explained as his shadow disappeared before he stood up and stood in front of her.
"Good job!" He said in amusement while making a gesture to show it.
Vaggie was getting ticked off instantly by Alastor and his carefree insults. She clearly doesn't need him voicing his opinions but he's really starting to tick her off so much that she stands up from the chair and turns the camera towards him.
"And here is Alastor, the egocentric piece of shit that-" She started in annoyance but when she does so, the feed on the camera starts to glitch.
When she moved the camera up to Alastor's face, it started to glitch violently as Alastor just stood casually while the video feed of himself caused the camera to glitched from green to red. The camera sparked with static and it freaked Vaggie out so much that she dropped the camera on the floor in shock with a yelp as she climbed on the chair like a scared cat with her long hair fluffed out as she stared at Alastor, clearly spooked.
"I wouldn't try that, my dear." Alastor told her as he looked at his nails casually.
"This face was made for radio." He explained as his pupils shifted into radio dials as the area became static before it fixed back to normal.
After calming down, Vaggie has had it with him and his insults as she walks up to him with a glare.
"That's it. I don't care who or what you are. If you're staying here, you're going to make this work, because it won't be so "entertaining" to watch over an empty hotel, will it, shitass?" Vaggie exclaimed while imitating his voice rather poorly at the word entertaining as Alastor leaned back a little.
"What does Allison even see in you anyway? You're such an asshole for her to be friends with yet she is." She said as she walked back to the chair.
That last bit made his ears perk up a little. He knows what Allison sees in him yet she's not afraid to show that she likes him. He smiled at Vaggie's retreating back. He can definitely smell it in the air. The slight desperation to make a deal. Even a small one.
"Fair enough. I'll tell you what. Let's make a deal." Alastor suggested as he walked up to her. Hearing that made Vaggie scoff as she turned to him.
"Pfft, you think I'm that stupid making a deal with a demon like you?" She questioned him as she sat back down on the couch which made him roll his eyes at her. Why does every time he suggests making a deal whether it's small or not do others assume it's for their soul?
"Not for your soul, just a simple deal." He told her.
"I do this for you, and you never ask me to engage with this frivolous television technology ever again." He explained, grimacing at the last part. He really hates modern technology and he rather does not dwell on the past.
Vaggie raised an eyebrow at that and seemed to be having second thoughts of letting Alastor do the work for her. But what if he's lying and that he just wanted her soul instead?
"Or… Charlie can come back to absolutely nothing. Your choice." Alastor said as the name of her girlfriend's name made her heart stung as he looked back at her with a smirk.
Hook. Line. Sinker.
Vaggie glances away for a brief moment before making her decision. She really wants Charlie's dream to be accomplished and a commercial would help with getting sinners to get checked in and Alastor seems sincere in suggesting his help to make the commercial. Sighing, she stood up with no choice.
"Fine." She picks up the camera and hands it to Alastor. The camera instantly emitted a green light with green smoke and sparks, signifying the deal has been made even if it's just small. Vaggie looked at Alastor warily who grinned at the feeling of making even just a small deal.
"Now then!" He clapped his hands which made the camera disappear. Better start than never.
With a snap of his fingers, Alastor transforms the hotel into a film set with the hotel staff being summoned. Ink demons conjured up as additional background characters. Vaggie looked around in surprise and disbelief as the current clothes of the team changed into something around the 50's.
"Alright, everyone, let's make a fucking commercial." Vaggie announced with a determined smile.
As everyone was reading their lines from the script that was provided, Allison approached Alastor who was watching with a smile. Alastor felt his ear twitch at her approach and he looked at her with a soft expression.
"How did you do this, Alastor?" She asked curiously. She was wearing the same dress she had before when they first met and it made her look really beautiful in it as it made her look like an angel.
"Oh it's nothing much, mon cheri. Dear Vaggie and I strike a small deal." He said and the curious look on Allison's face made him want to pat her head.
"The deal is simple. I can help with the commercial if they won't bother me with this frivolous television advertisement ever again." He said and felt a hand wrap around his which made him look at her to see her smiling gratefully at him.
"Alastor, thank you. This is gonna be a big help for the hotel. Charlie will be so happy when she sees this." Allison said gratefully and Alastor couldn't help but feel his heart doing a 360 at her.
He smiled and brought her hand to his lips before placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles.
"Aww!" Niffty cooed and gushes as she was bouncing so fast that she was practically a blur.
Angel couldn't help but smile at the adorable display. Who knew that Allison could bring out such a sweet side to Alastor?
Husk just rolled his eyes at them but that didn't stop a smile from appearing. Despite what happened on that disaster night two years ago, he can see that their love is strong.
Vaggie still couldn't believe that Alastor can be so sweet towards someone like Allison. She heard of his reputation as being a very evil overlord yet Allison is bringing out a side of him that they haven't known.
Alastor could practically feel their eyes on them as he smiled widely, turning to them and was still holding Allison's hand.
"Well then! Let's get this show on the road!"
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top