CH 10: The Fine Print

The walk after the meeting was tense, with the energy being so thick Esme could practically sink her fangs into it. She hums to herself as her heels click on the pavement to the annoyed mumbling of her friend to her right.

"Can you believe those fuckheads?!" Velvette growled, "Psh, meager fuckin' proof." She repeats, obviously still annoyed by Zestial's comment.

"I told you they weren't goi-"

"Who's side are you on?!" She shouts.

Esme's eyes quickly turn a bright shade of green as she hisses in response, "Watch your tone, missy." She threatens.

Over the years, Esme and her had become as close as one can imagine. Living with men wasn't easy, and the two dynamic women bonded together and became similar to sisters.

And although you may not always like your sister, Esme still cared for Velvette. She just couldn't understand why Velvette and the rest of their group always refused to listen to her guidance.

Velvette rolls her eyes and continues walking, but Esme continues speaking, "You guys make us look bad the more and more you push against the others....I've been here for decades, I can't let my reputation be ruined!"

"Then, leave." She snaps.

Esme chuckles, "Oh, you know you need me~" She walks proudly in front of Velvette with her nose up high. "Please, the only siren in all of Hell, who in their right senses would let such an asset go to waste?"

~ Time Skippy To The Next Day ~

Vox and Valentino had invited Esme to go out for lunch to discuss what was said at the overlord meeting the day prior. Esme didn't see the point of meeting with them, since Velvette had already given them the run down, but considering she was absent at the last meeting, she accepted.

And hey, free food.

It' mid afternoon when Esme arrives at Valentino's studio. She can smell the musky scent of sex from the opposite side of the door, along with Valentino's excessive smoke. She scrunches her nose at the scent, "Disgusting..." She mumbles.

As soon as she enters, she hears a loud crash of glass coming from one of the nearby rooms. She turns her head to the sound to see Valentino dragging Angel out of his dressing room, this time with a black eye and several bruises. He roughly tosses him to the bed, sneering, "Alright, get your asses back on set, and we are taking it from the top!"

"What makes you think you can treat him like that!"

"Charlie, stop!" Angel steps in between the two, holding his hands up at her. "Cha-"

"What...is...going...on...here?" A voice echoes from the front door with a challenging, poisonous growl.

Esme stands behind them completely immersed in her demon form. Her skin is an icy blue, her eyes burning with rage with a green smoke from them, serpents hissing, claws and fangs fully erect. She practically looked like Medusa, her hair levitating wildly behind her.

"E-Es..." Angel quickly rushes towards her, "I-It's not what it looks like..."

She doesn't say anything, but raises her pointer finger to hush him, keeping her eyes glued on Valentino.

"Nothing, mi reina~" Valentino smiles wickedly, "Someone just forgot about our terms and conditions.." He growls.

"Terms....and....conditions?" Esme hisses. She turns to Angel, "How long has this been going on?"

Angel doesn't answer, he just looks down. There's a ring of green smoke around him and Esme forcibly drags him to her, "How....long?" She growls.

Valentino rolls his eyes, "Ay dios, always so dramatic~" he takes a long draw from his cigarette, blowing smoke in her direction. "Don't involve yourself in matters that don't concern you, hermosita~"

Esme waves the smoke away from her face and smiles maniacally, the skin around her mouth stinging slightly, "Alright bug boy..." She raises her hands as she begins to levitate surrounded by several symbols and green magic. "Let's play."

The studio quickly turns into a battle zone, with Charlie quickly rushing Angel out of there and safely outside. He fights against her, pushing and pondering on the door, "Esme, no! Please!"

It's a series of bullets and furniture flying as the two of them get into a blood bath. Valentino manipulates his smoke to hold Esme down in chains, clearly believing he's won.

Esme smirks up at him, takes a deep breath, and lets out a deafening death scream. It made everyone fall to their knees holding their heads. It even carried to the outside, bringing Charlie and Angel to the ground.

"Fuck!" Angel shouts, feeling his ears bleeding.

Esme smirks and breaks free of the chains, lunging at the weakened Valentino and snapping at his neck. She claws at him, ripping away at his scarf and some of his skin. She crawls behind him and sinks her fangs into his left wing, beginning to tear it apart.

Valentino screams under Esme grasp, but suddenly there's a shock of electricity that shoots through Esme and sends her to the floor with a pained scream.

Vox appears behind them both, "What is going on?" He growls.

Esme groans and stands back up, "Your fuck friend is an abusive asshole, that's what!" She shouts, lunging for him again but being electrocuted once more. She drops to her knees, "He deserves it." she spits.

"You think way too highly of yourself, doll.." Vox glares at her, narrowing his eyes at the pieces of flesh still on her fangs.

Esme groans once more as she stands up, "I don't need this." She strains as her body is still sore, "I don't need you, I never did."

His eyes widen, his hand lowering slightly as he is taken back by her words. "You don't mean that..." He mumbles. There was a time where it was just them. Before it all, when it was just an idea off the ground. She was all he knew as a confidant. 

"You-" She grunts, "You have gone against everything by supporting something as vile as that!" She flings her arm to the side, pointing at Valentino, "After you've known my history, my care for that boy - you allowed this to happen! You are not the man I trusted." 

"Then, leave." Vox commands, his tone struggling to stay cold.

"I will, under one condition..."

Vox raises an eyebrow and Valentino looks over with a pained glare.

"Hand him to me..." She begins, "Trade me his soul for my departure."

Vox laughs at this, "A deal? You want to make a deal?" Without Esme, Vox would lose a power that no one in years has been able to emulate. Without something to hold her to him, she would have no loyalty to him. Her power could help him to gain insight to the one person he wanted to take down the most.

"Did I stutter?" Esme growls, stepping forward, "You and I both know I could fuck you up..."

Vox scoffs, "You can't get out that easily...." he begins, "And besides, what you're offering sounds like a lose lose situation..." The two begin to circle one another.

"Then what?" Esme questions.

"Your power is quite useful, and it's undeniable how strong you really are..."

"Aww, what's the matter, Voxy? Finally admitting your mind powers are inferior to mine?" She taunts, leaning forward and wiggling her eyebrows at her companion.

Vox ignores her lure and continues to speak in a calm fashion, "But...."

Esme raises an eyebrow.

"A soul for a soul....now that's interesting, wouldn't you agree?"

Esme's eyes narrow, "What do you mean?"

"I'll have Valentino release Angel, and allow you to depart, on the condition that you...." He drags her to his screen, "...belong to me." He growls with a staticky undertone.

"Why on earth would y-"

"You and I started this together, it's only fitting you remain tied somehow...right?"

"Yeah, tie her the fuck down!" Valentino shouts, to which Vox waves a dismissive hand.

"Don't worry, Essie, it's me after all. You'll just have to do some favors, that'd be it."

Esme's eyes widen, but she catches a glimpse of her ring in the mirrored wall, shining brightly with some runes floating out of it, and in that moment she's reminded of her siren voice.

Her own consciousness, alerting her to the fact that whatever power was held in that ring, belonged to a force that would ensure her safety

She smirks and looks back at him, "....Deal."

~ Time Skippy ~

There's a small knock on the front door of the Hazbin Hotel.

Charlie goes to investigate, opening the door to reveal Esme standing on the other side rather confidently.

"Got room for one more patron, Princess?"

🖤Words: 1432🖤

~ Artemis 🦌💗