Chapter 14: Be ready

*

You followed Boris to his room on the first floor. Nikolai was already storing his things in the bedroom wardrobe when you arrived.

*

"I thought Y/N would've hurt you a little more, brother. " he laughed quietly

"I love your solidarity, Nik." Boris replied.

"I know," replied his brother with an innocent smile. You laughed slightly as you listened to their little provocations.

"Where did you put the suitcase? "Boris asked.

The little Beagle rummaged around in the closet for a while and pulled out a dark blue suitcase.

"Here it is, Brother."

"Perfect. Didn't the maid say anything?"

"She only said it was an oddly heavy suitcase for a man, but she didn't look at it."

Boris closed the bedroom door and put the suitcase on the bed. He opened it gently and your eyes glittered at the arsenal before you. You turned to Boris with an amused smile.

"I see that you still don't do things by halves. »

"Come on, I wasn't going to come empty-handed my little boss. " he said with a small laugh as he took the weapons out of the suitcase. Boris pulled out a gun that looked a lot like the one you used when you were still alive and two types of bullets. He also took out some high heels that looked like they came from big brands, two knives, and different grenades.

"Here's what I can offer you, my little boss." He took a first knife which was actually a spell of Swiss Army knife. "I know it's saved your life more than once so I thought you might like to have one. I didn't get it off an angel, though, so you won't be able to kill demons with it, you'll only be able to repel them. "

You nodded your head and you let him continue.

"However, the blade is still very sharp and of excellent quality, it is also longer than the palm of your hand, so you will have a better reach. It alaso works as a can opener, bottle opener, nail file, scissors and screwdriver. »

"That's not bad. "You said as you watched the knife with interest.

" As for the second knife, it was a combat knife I found on the corpse of an exterminator during an extermination. The blade is foldable and as you can see. I was able to test it once and it is very handy and effective. »

You looked at Boris with a mocking eye.

"Did you get into a hand-to-hand fight? As I recall, you were more into long-distance fighting. »

"Well, since my death I've been thinking that I need to change a few things in my fighting style," laughs Boris.

*

Suddenly his face froze when he noticed that you were about to slice the palm of your hand with the combat knife to test the blade. Almost instantly he ripped it out of your hands and shouted a stern "no". You stared at him in amazement.

"What, Boris? I had an angel's knife before and it didn't kill me to test the blade on myself."

"The exterminators use types of weapons Y/N. They can use spears, knives that I will call "classic" because they are still very effective, but also this type of weapon. To give you an idea when the blade penetrates the skin of a demon it gnaws it like acid and the skin rots slightly around the wound.

It's extremely painful and takes a very long time to heal. From what I've been told, these kinds of knives are reserved for certain types of exterminators and it's very rare to find them."

*

You pursed your lips in surprise. Well, you were lucky you didn't have to deal with that kind of weapon when you got to hell.

"Well... it's a very knife weapon."you said ironically

"You can say it. Okay, let's move on to these shoes. Inside the heels you'll find little knives that can help you if you ever find yourself unarmed and without the ability to use your powers, unfortunately they're not knives that come from exterminators, they can repel demons in your path but not kill them."

"At least I'll have a backup weapon."

Your friend nodded his head and continued. "Here you have different types of grenades I don't think I need to explain them to you, you already know them, don't you? »

You nodded your head silently.

"Finally, let's move on to the last part, the gun and the bullets. I took the gun that most closely matched with the one you had in order to make you more comfortable with it, and I brought you two types of bullets. »

You didn't say anything, but you looked at him with curiosity...

"So you get some classic bullets that will only repel or stun a demon, and then I'll give you ten extremely powerful bullets. I found them on the body of an exterminator. Look, they are just like the R.I.P. bullets but they're specially designed to exterminate demons like us. »

You took a bullet and you looked at it closely. The shape of the bullet immediately appealed to you. You were familiar with this type of bullet. Very familiar...

"Let me guess, the bullet penetrates your body and multiple small projectiles are threw into your pulpit, leaving you with very little chance of survive. »

"You've understood everything, little boss. Unfortunately they're still very rare and expensive on the market, so use them as a last resort. »

"Don't worry, I don't plan on playing Russian roulette with it."

*

Boris got a little embarrassed when you mentioned Russian roulette. He remembered that time you asked to play for him when your boss wanted to punish him for a foul he'd made on a mission. He was so scared that day...

*

"That's perfect, Boris. " You added, "these weapons will be a good defense until I learn how to use my powers completely."

"So, um, do you want to take the suitcase so it's easier to carry everything to your home? »

"I will if you don't mind. »

"Don't worry, my little boss. I'll get it all ready for you. »

As Boris began to put all the weapons in the suitcase, Nikolai tugged slightly on your arm to get your attention.

"Y/N? Can I come with you? Please? " he asked you, making puppy eyes at you.

You smiled tenderly at him and answered.

"No my angel, not today I have a lot of things to prepare and you have to settle down with your brother."

"But I don't want to see the demonic Bambi! I don't like him, he dresses like a clown, he's weird, and he reeks of whiskey. »

You and Boris slowly turned your head towards the child and looked at each other.

"What? You're not going to tell me I'm wrong, are you?"

As Boris's face turned white as a sheet at the thought of Alastor hearing his brother's opinion, you tried to still serious, however, it was so difficult to contain your laugh.

"I know, my angel, I know it's not funny, but believe me, it's better this way. »

"But why?"

"Well, who's going to keep an eye on what's going on at the hotel while I'm gone? »

The boy's eyes lit up as soon as your words were spoken.

"Ooooooh so you're actually giving me an assignment?"

"You've got it all figured out, my little genius. All I ask is that you don't provoke Alastor, and do whatever Charlie, Vaggie and Boris tell you to do. You get it? You came here to redeem yourself, so play along."

The boy nodded his head with a big smile.

"OK Y/N" he said excitedly "You'll see you won't be disappointed! You'll be proud of my ability of surveillance and rehabilitation !"

"But I'm already proud of you, my little angel! " You said to him with a kiss on the forehead.

Boris looked at you with a touch of jealousy in his eyes. Nikolai noticed this and stuck his tongue out at his brother to make fun of him.

"Don't be angry bro, you know I'm nicer than you~"

You laughed in front of his brother's disillusioned face.

"If only you could be modest at the same time," Boris replied ironically, closing the suitcase. "Here Y/N, you've got everything in there."

*

You took the suitcase, thanked the two brothers, and left the room with a "see ya tomorrow".

You walked down the stairs again and left the hotel with a faint smile on your face. You weren't very comfortable leaving the two brothers alone in the hotel but you knew that Alastor wouldn't try anything against them because of the contract and also because they were now hotel guests. You took one last look at the hotel and then started walking to your apartment.

...

If you had looked at the hotel more carefully you would have certainly noticed the deer that was discreetly watching you through a window.

Its smile was tense and its eyes shone aggressively. He had not planned for your friends to come to the hotel. The thought of you bringing your pack to the hotel was repugnant to him. It wasn't entertaining at all. He felt limited in his actions, and there was nothing amusing about it.

A horrible radio sound came from his throat as he watched you leave. He would have preferred that you stay in the hotel instead of sticking around with those two... annoying mutts.

Well... what's done is done. Never mind... it was just a little unforeseen.

Just a little unforeseen...

He sighed and turned his heels, he had other fish to fry, he had to get ready for that dinner.

*

You, on the other hand, had arrived home. Seriously, seeing the door of your apartment again was a great joy. Finally back home...

You hurriedly took out your keys and hastily unlocked the lock. You opened the door with a trembling hand and stared at the entrance to your apartment.

"I'm finally home," you sighed with a smile.

But it didn't stay long. Your smile disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

For some reason you had hope of being welcomed. It was stupid, that's true, and you were laughing at yourself, but you wanted so much...you wanted so much that your boyfriend would be there and hug you like he used to do every time you came back. You missed him so much... just like your dad did. You locked the door behind you and you went into the kitchen. You watched it silently for a few minutes and then you went to your room to put your things away.

Afterwards you decided to do a little cleaning because the dust had unfortunately managed to accumulate while you were away. When you had finished you were quite proud of your work, the floor was almost blindingly bright and there was not a single speck of dust left in your house.

*

You looked at the time and noticed that cleaning took a little longer than expected. A cold sweat ran down your back when you noticed that you had very little time left to get ready. You ran to your wardrobe and started to look for an outfit that wasn't too sexy or too casual.

It wasn't easy. You knew that most of your dresses were inappropriate for dinner with the radio demon. The red dress? The low neckline was too plunging. The black dress? No, it was too provocative. You needed something simple and a little bit sophisticated at the same time. Ugh Such a nightmare...

You suddenly stopped looking for a dress. Wait... were you really having trouble dressing for a business dinner with a fucking co-worker you hated?

*

"What the fuck is wrong with me? It's just a fucking dinner to save your friends' asses, that's all." You mentally slapped yourself. It was embarrassing. But at the same time it was a little new for you.

As you told Alastor, dinners often ended the same way for you, it was rare that nothing happened at the end, which is why your boss did his best to avoid them.

You sighed and took a moment to think. Little by little you remembered a dress that you had. You went through your wardrobe again and recognized your favorite color on the dress you were looking for. The shape was simple, but highlighted your assets without being provocative. You put it on just to see yourself and it was perfect for a dinner like this. A satisfied smile appeared on your lips, and you went to the bathroom to get ready.

*

You took a hot shower and washed your hair thoroughly. Once this was done, you dried yourself off and put on a bra to match your dress and embroidered stockings before getting completly dressed. You brushed your hair carefully and did a hairstyle to your own taste without being too exaggerated. You then went on to make-up. You preferred a fresh and luminous make-up, you didn't want to look like a walking paint can as in the past.

You then moved on to accessories, took out a small box and looked for something to slightly embellish your hands and wrists. The last thing you wanted was a necklace.

It reminded you of a domestic dog, which you were not, you prefered to take a brooch with your favorite gemstone.

Once you made your choice, you put on black pumps. A classic, but it was a all-purpose. You also took a coat and a small bag to add a personal touch to your outfit and voilà, you were ready. All that remained was to take your precautions. You took the knives Boris had given you and your gun.

"That should do the trick," you said with a smile.

You already felt a little safer with that... Suddenly your ears pricked up when you heard someone knock on your door.

*

"Is he really already there? "you thought anxiously.

*

You took a deep breath and headed for your front door. You opened it and of course the deer was standing in front of you with its usual morbid smile.

You almost wanted to slam the door in his face especially after you saw his eyes analyzing you like a piece of flesh, but instead a heavy silence settled between you.

You looked at each other for several seconds, which allowed you to study the outfit Alastor was wearing.

His costume was similar to the one he usually wore but it was much more sophisticated, his hair was very well combed, his shoes were perfectly polish... well in short he was flawless.

Wow... he definitely didn't do things by halves...

You swallowed and said the first thing that came to mind.

*

"You're punctual."

"Of course, darling! What kind of a gentleman would I be if I wasn't on time? »

*

You refrained from laughing. Him? A gentleman? Certainly one of the most macabre gentlemen you've ever seen in your life.

However in your little mockery you didn't notice that Alastor took the opportunity to look at you in more detail.

*

"You look beautiful tonight."

You almost laughed again. You rolled your eyes with a little contempt and you put a mocking smile on your face.

*

"Is it to your gentlemanly mask that I owe this compliment? "You asked ironically

"No, my dear, honestly, you look very beautiful tonight."

*

This time your smile had fallen off and your expression became confused for a few seconds before being replaced by your natural icy expression.

*

"Glad you like my outfit," you replied bitterly as you locked your door. "So shall we go ?"

"Of course, my dear. " he said, offering his arm.

*

Your stomach twisted in disgust to Alastor's delight. You wanted to vomit.

Instead you bit your cheek and decided, in spite of yourself, to play the game. With a resigned sigh, you took his arm and looked away with bored eyes. Alastor looked at you with sadism and then snapped his fingers.

Suddenly your environment began to change and a horrible static noise tortured your eardrums. You could hardly hold back a little groan of pain. Your knees bent in front of this horrible feeling of being transported from one place to another. Of course the deer "helped" you not to fall with a superior air that already gave you the irresistible desire to slap him.

*

"Don't touch me. " You were screaming in your mind. You didn't like feeling his claws on you. No, you didn't. It disgusted you. It was like a swarm of bugs crawl under your skin where he was touching you.

*

"It's all right, I'm not used to it." You grunted as you recovered from the shock of the teleportation. You broke free of his grip and looked around. This new neighborhood looked very chic on the outside when you looked at the look of the houses.

It had nothing to do with the dilapidated buildings and avenues full of rats and trash that you had seen in some parts of Pentagram city. There was a bit of vegetation, a few almost dead trees decorated the street you were standing in, which was very well lit by a few streetlights. It was almost a beautiful landscape...

*

"Please follow me, my dear. " asked Alastor as he led you to a restaurant. You followed him without the slightest enthusiasm and entered the building.

Strangely, as you entered your body relaxed slightly. The interior of the restaurant was very beautiful. You wondered for a moment if you hadn't changed worlds in the meantime. There was a fantastic work on the decoration and the atmosphere of the restaurant, especially with the plants, candles and the different wooden furniture. It looked so quiet, yet you were in hell, it was really disturbing. The smell of the food was intoxicating and almost made you forget the smell of the deer that was accompanying you. There was a beautiful music in a jazz style that made you feel a little more comfortable. On the other hand, you noticed that demons were dancing on what seemed to be a dance floor in a corner of the restaurant.

"Oh, Lucifer, please no." Your mind screamed at the thought of dancing with that deer. That was enough to make you tense again. You would be mortified at the thought of having to dance with him.

Suddenly you heard Alastor order a table for two. Your blood froze and your mind began to prepare.

*

Everything was ready now. The macabre game of painful questions could begin.

*

The deer turned to you, his eyes shining in an unknown emotion that terrified you. You were forced to keep your usual neutral face, but you felt that you had no control over the situation. It was like walking forward blindfolded and that was enough to terrify you, and you knew that even though your face did not show it, this sadist could feel it and he revel in it.

*

"Let the fun begin, my dear."

*

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