Sammy hadn't expected her to actually show herself, at least not this soon.
"Sam?" The angel's gaze shot over to the other man, and his voice dropped to a whisper. "What does she mean by last time?"
"I'll tell you later." Sammy didn't even bother to lower his voice, and instead stared at the malformed angel. The last time... He'd tried to block it out of this mind, but the painful interaction had stuck with him. Later.
"Awww, what's the matter Sammy? You don't feel glad to see me? What about your 'new' friend?" She placed her hand on the glass, and Henry gasped as he saw her face, a melting mess of lost beauty. Her left eye socket was empty, and slashes covered that side of her face.
The Angel smiled, the melted side of here face stretching gruesomely. "Hello. You're a new one aren't you Henry? Oh, don't look so surprised, I hear every- thing that's said in my domain."
"Al, can you drop the act? I already told him who are." Sammy grinned, this would be funny.
"Seriously?! You can't let me have a little bit of fun? He's the first new thing that I've seen around here in ages. You have always tried to upstage me Lawrence, and I can never introduce myself-"
As Alice droned on, Sammy tapped Henry's shoulder. "Let's go on through the door, or else we'll be stuck here for a other century."
"-you never bring me any gifts, or news, or new weapons-"
Henry grinned, he wasn't expecting the Angel to be this, well, human. Based on Sammy's description she'd sounded like a monster, but now it was clear she had been defending herself from further hurt.
He walked through the other door, eager to meet the angel in person. Sammy let him.
As soon as he walked through the door, Alice berated him with questions.
"Can you believe him? I wanted to do this big over the top introduction, because I am an actress and he won't let me. Besides that, how long have you been here? Sammy never tells me anything."
Sammy scoffed at this, Henry just felt a little overwhelmed.
"He also never leaves that dark pigsty he calls the Music Department."
"It isn't that bad...Alice. Honestly." Henry replied, holding his hands up in surrender. The cuts had started to bleed again, and some of the stitches had come undone under the bandages.
Alice heard the hesitation before her name, but decided to let it slide. He was new here after all.
"What happened to your arms?" She carefully grabbed Henry's hands, not noticing the way he flinches in her grip.
"An accident?"
"Don't 'an accident' me Stein, this Angel knows a lie when she hears one. It's obvious something else happened. The bandages are covered in...not ink?" It's a bright red substance, a harsh contrast to the tones around it. "It's blood, right? You don't bleed ink?"
"You...do? Bleed ink I mean. And last I checked I don't."
Sammy was silently watching, curious as to which direction Alice would take the conversation.
"Yes. All things in the Studio bleed ink. Have you died yet?" She was genuinely curious, this was also a new thing.
"Uh. Y-yeah. Recently actually. It," he took a shuddering breath, "it wasn't fun."
"Hm. That's strange." She turned his arm over in her hands, looking as though she was searching for something. "You're right though. No ink anywhere." She let go.
Sammy decided it was time to step in.
"This is sweet and all Al, but can you look at the cuts when we get back to your place? I don't like being out like this."
"I thought you said we're safe here?" Henry said, looking mildly concerned.
"Oh we are. Nothing dares come into my domain." Alice responded, voice tinged with pride, and a touch of sadness.
"I still don't like it Al."
"Fine, let's get going." Alice started to open the star decorated door when she suddenly stopped, and turned around to face Sammy. "Wait a minute. Did you say cuts?" How would that happen? But she thought she already knew.
But it wasn't Sammy who responded.
"It was the...Demon. At least five of them were." Henry lifted his left arm slightly. "I got the other one from landing on a broken board."
"The Demon? Let me see." Alice started towards Henry, but Sammy stopped her.
"You can look when we're sure it's safe. Please Alice." He had a pleading look on his face.
"Fine." She growled out, furious the Demon would even dare hurt the people she cared about. Not her. Who Susie cared about. "But you both better tell me the truth." She walked through the now open door.
.
.
.
.
.
So about an hour later, they were both sitting on an ink stained couch, while Alice sat across from them in a stitched up arm chair. Sammy had told her everything, with Henry's assistance at parts he wasn't present for.
Alice had listened in rapt silence. Then she held her hand out. "Let me see the cuts." Sammy opened his mouth to tell her that they'd been taken care of, but she spoke before he could.
"I know you probably took care of them Sam, but they're obviously bleeding again. Plus, I have more medical knowledge. You may have the supplies in the infirmary, but it's useless if you don't know how to use it." As she lectured Sammy, Henry unwrapped the bandages, wincing when he saw the cuts. They looked worse.
"I didn't want a lecture."
"Too bad."
Henry smiled a bit at the interaction. They did seem like good friends, despite whatever event had happened the last time Sammy had been here.
"Anyway, back to the- ouch." Sammy's gaze landed on the cuts. They looked much worse. Some of the stitches had torn, he guessed from the strain on them.
"Yeah. Ow." Henry held his left arm out to Alice, and she gently took it. The cuts on this arm still looked fresh, which shouldn't be the case, since by now they should of at least scabbed over slightly.
"So, these five in a row were done by the Demon?" She gently ran her hand over them, and stopped when she heard a noise of pain.
"Y-yeah. They were." There were colourful spots starting to cloud his vision, from the pain he guessed.
Sammy watched. He knew Alice wouldn't do anything to purposely hurt them now.
"Do you want me to wrap them back up?" When Henry nodded yes, she let go of this arm and got up. "I'm gonna go look for bandage wrap. Do you want to come with me Sammy?" She called, walking over to a door marked 'Storage'.
Sammy turned to look at Henry. "Do you mind? You'll be safe here, I'm just worried about her going alone."
"I don't mind. If I'm asleep when you come back, don't wake me up please. I'll be fine here while you're gone though, don't worry. It's only the next room...."
"Okay, Hen. Will do." He got up and walked towards Alice. "Alright angel lets get this over with. The sooner we get the bandages, the less I have to put up with you alone.''
"You know you love me Lawrence. Is he staying..." She trailed off, looking over Sammy's shoulder. "Nevermind. He's asleep."
Sammy turned around, and what the Angel had said was true. "Already? We were just talking."
"Do you think we should wake him up when we get back?" She looked around, as if searching for something.
"No. I think we should just let him be. What are you doing?" Alice was now walking around.
"Looking for a..." She picked something up off of a nearby stool. "Blanket." She continued, walking over to the couch Henry was laying on, and draped the blanket over him. Sammy smiled at the gesture. There's the Susie I know.
"Okay. Now lets go." She walked over to the door and opened it. "After you."
Sammy walked through, and was about to ask for a light, when Alice flipped the switch. He gasped.
The high ceilinged room was absolutely filled with failed experiments In one corner, atop a pile of scribbled on and crossed out papers, was a pile of dried up and ink covered hearts. Medical supplies was also abundant. One set of shelves had been entirely dedicated to the particularly sharp instruments.
Alice looked unnerved, she felt exposed in here. This room had been where she'd felt pure hatred and sadness, a mix that does not leave good actions in its wake.
There were still some body parts laying around, she hadn't had the courage to clean them up yet. She felt so guilty.
"Alice? Are you okay?" She looked, frightened. Like someone who's just been startled by something.
She absentmindedly reached up and touched the malformed part of her face.
"No, Sammy. I haven't been okay since Joey put me in this Hell. Susie was such an idiot." The last word came out as a bitter excuse for a laugh. The next words as a whisper. "I was just an idiot."
"Hey, Alice. You weren't the only one who was tricked by Joey. We all were."
"I know. I'm sorry." This is why she'd wanted someone to come with her. This place hurt too much for her to face it alone. "Let's just find the bandages."
So, in silence, they searched.