Chapter 18 Do I have your permission?

*

You got to the hotel quickly. According to your watch, it was 7:30 in the morning. You even wondered if everyone was awake at that time.

You timidly knocked on the door and entered.

Mmmmh yep, according to the dead silence in the hotel, maybe you were a little too early.

Well it didn't matter, after all you weren't there to chat and make friends, you had to do your job and help this hotel and it was never too early for that. You walked down the hall to the lounge, of course there was no one there, only Husk.

The poor guy was completely slumped over the counter, hugging a bottle of liquor that seemed completely empty.

A sad look appeared on your face as you looked at the winged cat. Seeing him like that gave you a little pinch in your heart, even though you didn't really know him.

With a sigh you discreetly went to the kitchen and decided to prepare breakfast for everyone. You prepared the plates, bowls, the butter and the bread, which you quickly toasted.

The smell of the room quickly began to change as you prepared breakfast. If you hadn't had that awful night and if you hadn't eaten, you would certainly have thrown yourself on the food. You were really satisfied with what you had done.

You were about to leave the room but you immediately felt the familiar smell of deer meat just behind you and a small white noise immediately put your ears on alert.

*

"Hello my dear! You're up early! "he said in a shrill voice.

You were about to tell him kindly to lower his voice, but someone did it for you.

"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST AL! WILL YOU EVER SHUT THE FUCKUP FOR ONCE IN YOUR DAMN LIFE?!" Husk shouted in an aggressive voice.

Well, at least it had the merit of being clear and-

"Ah Husk! Hello to you my friend! I'm so glad you're awake already! I knew you would enjoy this job, but I didn't think you would enjoy it so much that you'd get up so early!" laughed the deer, rolling his eyes as he looked at the door to the livinng room.

You and Alastor could only heard grunts and cursing in response.

"Yes he looks very happy" you dared to provoke with irony by pretending to finish the breakfast table.

"I couldn't agree with you more, my dear. " Alastor laughed, you raised an eyebrow in confusion, had he understood that it was irony? "After all, he can only be satisfied with the fantastic job I found for him," he said proudly.

You shrugged your shoulders, but before you could add anything else the deer hurried to the coffee pot.

"Oh you even made coffee! It's perfect Y/N! " exclaimed the deer as he grabbed a cup and put the liquid inside.

You preferred to remain silent. It was a bit normal to have coffee in the morning, wasn't it?

"Oh, but where are my manners? Would you like some?"

You looked at him in amazement, then? your attention turned back to the coffee. You really wanted to say no, howerver, you felt you needed to have another coffee. You were much too tired, and you had to stay awake.

"Yes please. " you replied without any spirit.

The deer's smile widened and he quickly served you a cup while putting sugar at your disposal.

You thanked him and gently took your cup. It was hot, but not enough to burn you. Strangely enough, the heat it gave off was almost comforting. It would have almost relaxed you if you hadn't seen the look in Alastor's eyes. Did he look... "angry"?

It was almost a certainty because of the noisy static that violently attacked your ears.

His eyes had not turned into radio's dials, but they were wrinkled in a mistrustful gaze, staring at your injured hand.

...

Really ... Why did you break that mirror?

*

"It's nothing serious. " You said quickly without giving him time to ask questions.

"Who did this to you? " he asked in a strangely serious tone that gave you a few shivers down your spine.

"That's my business, not yours Alastor. " You tried to answer sternly in the hope that he would leave you alone.

"Nonsense my dear, you are members of the hotel staff and I think between "colleagues" we should warn each other of the various... "little problems" we might have."

*

You're content to laugh as you listen to him. You took a sip of your coffee, taking your time to enjoy it.

*

"If you ever had a problem, would you tell me?" You asked with an amused smile knowing already his answer.

*

As you expected the deer's face had a very small reaction, for a moment his eyebrows almost frowning but he had enough control not to, instead, he put a confident expression on his face.

"Darling... Why should I tell you my problems? I never have any!"

Obviously, he was way too "perfect" to have any problems... tss... Narcissistic idiot.

You rolled your eyes with boredom as you finished your cup.

"But of course, Mr. Radio Demon is far too talented and beloved by all to have problems, far too perfect and important" you said in an acidic tone full of irony.

The deer's smile had contracted slightly at your reaction, however before he could question you again you had already gone to the sink to clean your cup. You sighed and then said in a slightly calmer voice.

"Look, it's painful for me to talk about it, so I prefer to keep it for me, believe me, I feel much better when I solve my problems myself, I think it's not really difficult for you to understand me on this point. If you don't have problems it means that you solve them by yourself before they become too important.It's the same thing in my case. "

*

Without adding any more, you left the kitchen and went to a cupboard to get all the necessary material to do the housework and make Nifty's job easier.

However, as soon as you reached the living room you saw Husk drinking a bottle of cheap booze and grumbling a little. Well, he didn't look like a morning person... who could blame him after all?

*

"Good morning, Husk. " you said politely.

"'Sup Wolf. »

"Sorry about the noise, we didn't mean to wake you. »

"'Don't worry about it, that son of a bitch would've woken me up anyway. " 'The cat yawned and took a moment before talking again. " 'Tell me, what are you playing with him?"

You raised an eyebrow in confusion and tilted your head to the side to make him understand that you didn't know what he was referring to, and then you approached for fear that the deer would hear you.

"What do you mean?"

"I really don't understand your relationship Wolf, one day you're ready to tear each other apart, the next day you talk peacefully, and some days you just nitpick with each other! Do you have a fucking death wish or something? "

Your lips stretched into a mocking smile when your ears heard the words of this alcoholic cat.

"No, my first death is enough for me, Husk. I know that Alastor cannot kill me, he might get fired or jeopardize the hotel's plans if I disappear, and thus, ruin his precious little unhealthy entertainment. »

The cat nodded his head silently, trying, despite the alcohol fogging his brain, to study your words carefully.

"The kid," he began. "The little beagle, he was very worried about you yesterday." A cold sweat ran down your back when you realized he was talking about Nikolai. "I heard him talking to his brother yesterday while Al wasn't here. He seemed really concerned about what might happen to you. It took his brother a while to calm him down."

...

You weren't really surprised, you hadn't told Nikolai about your deal with Alastor, it made sense that he would be concerned. You brought a hand to your forehead and sighed, Nikolai must have found it strange that Alastor left the hotel and he probably asked to Boris what was going on. Knowing the protective nature of the little boy, it didn't surprise you that he lost his temper.

"It's because of me," you whispered unconsciously.

"What did you say? Didn't I hear you »

"No, nothing. I'm glad Boris calmed him down. Thanks for warning me, Husk."

"You're welcome, Wolf. "

*

Without saying anything more you got up and started to clean the hotel, being as quiet as possible. You didn't really have much to do because Nifty had cleaned every nook and cranny perfectly the day before, you were very impressed with the quality of work provided by such a small devil.

After a while you decided to take a break for a few minutes. With the night you had spent you were not very willing to clean up. You gently glued your back to a corner of the entrance and caught your breath looking at the spotless cleanliness of the entrance, Nifty had less to do and it made you smile with satisfaction, it wasn't fair that she did all the cleaning by herself and you were more than happy to help her.

You slowly closed your eyes as you looked back at your old life. You had worked in the hotel business for a while. It hadn't been easy the first few days, but the housekeeper had always taken the time to help you. She was just as energetic as Nifty ... perhaps a slower person in the household but her good behavior and energy matched her.

...

You wondered what had become of her ... of all the "bosses" you had had through your "odd jobs". She was one of the few people your boss hadn't ordered to be murdered.

*

"Y/N? Y/N? Y/N! " You heard a little voice calling out to you.

You jumped up and opened your eyes to see Charlie and Vaggie with a worried look in their eyes.

"Oh Charlie, vaggie did you sleep well ?" You asked, rubbing your eyes together, "Sorry, I was taking a little break and I was in my thoughts," you said with a forced chuckle.

Charlie and Vaggie looked at you worriedly and then questioned you again.

*

"You were asleep on your feet Y/N," Vaggie protested.

"No, no, not at all." You laughed, I was thinking about one person in particular. Don't worry about me. I'm good.

Go and have breakfast in the kitchen. I've prepared everything.

Charlie frowned rather dubiously, she had noticed your dark circles were more pronounced than usual and that bandage on your hand. Unfortunately, she knew that no matter what she said or did, you were going to skirt her question or dodge it. She took a little look at Vaggie and sighed.

"Alright Y/N, but please don't push yourself too hard, if you need a day off because you've had a really bad night, you can call me, we'll work it out, I don't want you to work yourself to death."

You felt your stomach get knotted up when she mentioned "bad night." You quickly regained your composure, you didn't want to show any more fatigue.

"Ha ha ha, I will, Charlie, but don't worry about me, I've seen worse and it takes more than that to really wear me out. "

Suddenly you heard a little angry scream that froze you on the spot. Everyone looked down the stairs and you saw Nifty run at you with the ferocity of a rabid bull. She jumped on top of you and clung to your clothes.

*

" Y O U " she growled a few inches from your face so that you could only see the aggressive orange color of her eye.

"Hello Nifty" you said with slight discomfort. "Did you- "

"How dare you clean up by yourself without telling me! You should have woken me up! I could have helped you." she cut you angrily.

"I just wanted you to have less work Nifty, it's really exhausting doing all this cleaning by myself so I wanted to move you forward a bit so you could get some rest sooner. "You smiled benevolently.

The Cyclops demon squinted her eye as if she were studying your soul.

"Come on Nifty, let go of her. " Growl Vaggiously.

The insect demon let you go gently but still seemed a little angry with you.

"Next time let me know Y/N, it's super nice of you to want to make my job easier, but really you didn't have to."

"It really made me happy, Nifty, don't worry about it."

You cracked the bones in your neck and got ready to work again.

*

"Well I hope you will enjoy the breakfast that I made for you, oh one last thing Charlie, I'll have to talk to you later, it's very, very important, Is that ok with you? "

The blonde blinked in amazement but nodded her head.

"All right, Y/N, I'll see you in my office in 20 minutes"

"Perfect. See you later. "You said cheerfully as you returned to your work.

"See you later, and thank you for breakfast. »

"No problem, Charlie."

You then resumed your work quietly with a real smile but it sat on your lips only for a few seconds before disappear into thin air.

*

You were about to starting to clean the windows when you suddenly heard Nikolai's voice.

*

"Y/N!! " The boy shouted, almost startled you.

The boy ran down the stairs at the same speed as Nifty and jumped into your arms.

"I'm so happy to see you" he said with eyes sparkling with joy. His little dog tail wagged energetically behind him showing his enthusiasm. Unfortunately it didn't take him long to notice your bandage.

"What's happening to your hand? "he asked anxiously, taking it gently in his hands.

"It's nothing, my little angel. »

"It's the demonic Bambi, right? "

You frown with a slight discomfort. You had to answer very quickly to prevent the little Beagle's hot blood from making him do anything stupid.

"No, no, no, my angel. Alastor has nothing to do with this... it's... it's my fault I accidentally hurt myself this morning when I woke up, I squeezed my cup a little too tight and it exploded in my hands. You know I'm always a little on edge when I wake up my little genius " You lied with an embarrassed little laugh.

The eyes of the little Beagle stared at you with suspicion and concern. He knew that you were not the type to hurt yourself easily, even less in a such silly way.

He felt a slight frustration in his stomach. You had been trying to hide things from him three times. Why didn't you trust him? Why were you so stubborn? Why wasn't he allowed to hear your problems? Even when you were still alive you kept a lot of things from him. He couldn't understand it, and he couldn't stand it

"Y/N... why don't you want me to know the truth? "He asked you calmly in a trembling voice and with watery eyes.

That face immediately made you feel guilty. Oh God, if there was one thing you hated, it was seeing a child cry. You stooped down to his level and took his face.

"My angel...I promise you Alastor had nothing to do with my hand injury and I'm the only one at fault here. As to the question of why and how... " You averted your eyes for a moment before looking at him again. "Let's just say it's for a stupid reason and I'm ashamed to talk about it. "You calmly explained to him by stroking his hair in a motherly way...

"Why are you ashamed to talk about it?"

...

"Because it hurts me sweetie"

The boy was silent for a moment and then asked in a small, faint, almost inaudible voice while looking you straight in the eye

*

"It's about BF/N, isn't it?"

*

Your caresses suddenly stopped and you made the mistake of lowering your eyes, thus confessing the sad truth to the boy.

Nikolai gave you a painful smile and gently hugged you to bring you some comfort.

"You know... I miss him too..." he whispered.

Your mouth twisted into a more than forced smile as you looked up and pinched your tongue so you wouldn't cry. You couldn't allowed yourself to weep over now, not here, not when the deer was around.

"But you know, I'm sure he wouldn't like to see you like this." he said hesitantly enough.

Nikolai knew it was painful and sensitive subjects for you, but on the other hand, he didn't know how to help and comfort you, those were the only words that came to his mind. It was you who comforted him when things were going badly or when he had a bad dream, not the other way around.

He was lost and didn't know what to do to make you smile for real...

His chest hurt when he thought about it, he felt stupid, weak and useless for not being able to help you.

Suddenly your voice made him stop thinking.

"You think? " You questioned him in an empty voice, devoid of emotion.

The Beagle escaped from your embrace and looked at you with seriousness and determination. He sighed and said in a voice full of energy.

"I'm sure of it Y/N! I'm sure He is waiting for you in heaven. I mean, you were getting married! BF/N knew very well what you were doing, he was ready to do everything he could to get you out of the country and build a family. Which proves that he really loved, so why would he blame you? He knew very well that in spite of everything you did, you were a kind, good, generous and truly honest person."

You slowly blinked and then gave a little smile to the child who was trying to cheer you up.

The innocence of a child... aah... if only it could be that simple...

With horror you had noticed that your hands were shaking a little and your breathing had become jerky.

*

No, no, no, no. You had no right to do that. Not in front of him.

*

You formed a reassuring smile on your face and kissed the boy on the forehead.

"You're right, my angel. Thank you. "

The beagle stared at you with great happiness, certainly delighted with your reaction. What a pity that what you showed him was wrong.

Luckily for you his stomach cried out of hunger and it allowed you to advise him to go eat, he nodded his head and turned his heels and whistled with happiness while he went to the kitchen.

Your gaze followed him for a few moments but soon he was out of your sight and your smile

quickly wiped from your face.

*

Without realizing it, your ears collapsed on your head and your fists clenched in frustration. You wish it was that simple... but you knew it wasn't. You sighed and you slowly rose up in a deadly silence.

"Little Boss? " asked a voice

You turned your head to your left and saw Boris coming down the stairs with a preoccupied look on his face.

"Oh hi Boris" you said with a fake smile even though you knew Boris had seen that something was wrong. He had certainly overheard part of your conversation with his brother. "It's a good thing you're here, will you join me and Charlie? I have to warn her about something important and I'll need your help if Charlie accepts my proposal." You informed him.

The man blinked his eyes and tilted his head if the side, he was quite confused that you would ask him such a thing, it was very rare that you would ask him for help. However, he was more than delighted. He nodded his head with a smile and without asking you any more questions he went into the kitchen.

*

It would have taken no more than 10 minutes before Charlie, Vaggie and Boris joined you. The four of you went up to the princess' office and settled in. Charlie studied you with interest and asked you with a smile.

"Explain to us all Y/N, what's going on? »

You took a deep breath while interlacing your fingers.

*

"Well, last night Alastor and I went out together to talk about the hotel business about some projects that came to mind such as decorations etc. " It was half a lie but you didn't want to drag Charlie and Vaggie into your problems nd after all it was over... Right ?

Boris, who was the only one who knew the truth, preferred not to say anything and let you continue your story. "After a while, we saw Vox the TV demon."

Vaggie's eye widened in shock and Charlie stiffened at the mention of the name of the television demon. Boris, on the other hand, frowned with concern.

"We talked about the hotel, because Vox wanted to know if Alastor was working into it as rumours had it. He then asked me about my opinion of the hotel."

"And what did you say? "Charlie asked.

You looked at this Boris for a moment and he immediately understood what you had done.

"You didn't do this... " he said with a panicked face.

"What? What? What did you say, Y/N? " Vaggie cried out

"I didn't say anything, instead I saw fit to ask him for an interview so I could speak freely on the subject. »

"WHAT?! " screamed the butterfly girl. Startled Charlie at her aggressive tone of voice. "What the hell were you thinking?! Do you even know who Vox is Y/N ?! He's one of the most powerful demons in hell an- "

"I know that, and I have a pretty good idea who he is and what he might do to me. However I think I have to take this opportunity to help you erase this fiasco that happened on television, nevertheless, I wanted to get your opinion, Vox hasn't made up his mind about my proposal yet, he'll contact me again as soon as he has an answer, which gives me time to change my mind.

My question is this: Do you want me to do this interview or do you want me to Renounce my proposal?"

*

The two girls looked pretty uncomfortable with your revelations. Charlie was shaking a little, she was scared, the information had fallen into her ears too suddenly, she was terrified, terrified of what might happen, and of what might happen to you. Vox was not known for his benevolence or his mercy.

He was a sadistic manipulator. Nevertheless, you seemed sure about yourself. You had that determination in your eyes that made her trust you.

Vaggie put her hand on his shoulder in a gesture of support that she welcomed without hesitation.

*

"How are you going to do that Y/N? "Vaggie asked.

You smiled at the request of the white-haired girl. You took a posture that made you look more confident.

"My boyfriend worked in the media, he taught me all the little shenanigans that went on behind the scenes of a TV set or behind the writing of an article.

I know how people like Vox love to use a word to twist it and make it say what they want. I know how they also like to drive the speaker crazy to discredit him or her and humiliate him or her to make fun of his or her speech.

Nevertheless, there are some little tricks."

*

You stood up and continued your explanations as if you were making a real speech, waving your hands while keeping them close to your body.

"An interview, or a speech, is more than just a thesis and arguments. Non-verbal language also has an important role to play." While you were speaking, you moved around the room keeping yourself upright. "For example, Charlie, during your interview your shoulders were tucked in, which showed that you were unsure of yourself and uncomfortable, it's when you were singing you had that confidence.

However I know it's not easy to express yourself in front of so many people, especially on such a project."

*

Seeing that everyone was hanging on every word you were saying made you smiled. Looks like you didn't change about you oratorical skills.

*

"Finally, it's important to be careful about who is in front you during an interview, especially here.

For example, let's take the case of Katie Killjoy, you and I both know that she's not doing any favours to us.

She is there to ridicule us, to break us and humiliate us so that we don't even dare to talk to anyone or go outside anymore.

So we have to give her a reason to keep quiet."

A bad smile will form on your face.

"I'm sure she's not as perfect, influential, and untouchable as she claims. This cantankerous woman certainly has some interesting little secrets the public dreams of hearing. I'm sure of it! "You've turned your gaze to Boris. "And to find them, I trust Boris completely. I know he'll be able to find me demons who'll be happy to spy on Vox, Killjoy or any other journalist, am I right, my little snoop? "You asked in a cheeky tone.

The wolf dog couldn't help but blush at the mention of his nickname. He cleared his throat and answered you with a slight embarrassment.

"Of course, my little boss, it will be done."

Charlie looked up at Boris in amazement.

"You want to help us too Boris? "she asked with sparkling eyes.

"Why shouldn't I? You've helped Y/N and besides, you're trying to rehabilitate me and my brother, so it's the least I can do to thank you. "

Charlie's eyes were full of stars, she didn't seem to believe what your friend was saying.

"Boris is very good with computers and reconnaissance. "You informed. "There's no one better than him, you can trust him to help me through the various traps Vox could set for me."

Vaggie frowned rather dubiously and placed a hand under her chin, showing that she was studying your plans carefully.

"And you're sure you're going to be able to pull this off?"

"I'd be lying if I said I was sure it'd work, Vaggie, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try. Imean, even I hate to that that, It can be worse " You responded with determination. "We have to erase the bad start from this hotel, and for that we have no choice but to do it through the media. " You paused and added, "If my plan works, it will set the stage for Alastor to broadcast its advertising for the hotel if he wants to."

*

Charlie looked at Vaggie with a small smile, subtly asking her to trust you. The butterfly girl seemed to hesitate, but nodded her head.

*

"Okay Y/N you can do this interview," Charlie said with hopeful eyes.

"Thank you Charlie, I will do my best not to disappoint you, I promise. Now we've got to make this hotel a better place in order to make sure that squarehead will shut up."

*

*

*