"So how long do you think it'll be until Alastor just kills his dad." Nifty asked, helping Husk wash out the glasses at the bar.
"I give it a week." Husk said, stacking a glass away with the others.
"Wow Husk, you really think this'll last that long?" Nifty joked, making the feline crack a smile.
"Just because I think he really is trying to give the guy a chance to make things up with his mom." Husk meant what he said, having some history with the deer to back up his statement. Alastor wasn't one to say things that he didn't mean, and he probably really did want to give William a chance to get back in his mother's good graces, but Husk knew Alastor must have been hiding a lot more anger and frustration that he wasn't showing to the rest of them.
Alastor absolutely adored his mother, they'd known that since before Elizabeth had ended up at the hotel with them. Knowing that there was someone in this hotel that had not only abandoned his mother, but had left her to raise their child on her own, it must have made Alastor's blood boil. There was no doubt in the bartender's mind that something would happen that made the Overlord snap at Will. It was only a manner of when that would be, and what would happen to cause Alastor to loose it.
"Yeah, he seems like he really wants to make things right with Eliza too." Nifty was referring to William, who was currently talking with Charlie on the other side of the room. The princess has made a deal with William that he could stay at the hotel if he took over book keeping for them. That would help make it so that Alastor and Charlie didn't have so much work between the two of them As partners running the hotel together, the both of them ended up with a lot of paperwork that they had to split between themselves.
"William ain't a bad guy, he's just spineless." Husk said with a shrug. He didn't even sound like he was trying to be insulting, he was just speaking the plain truth. It didn't take them very long to see that Will was a coward, which explained why he'd been manipulated to abandon his family so easily.
"You think she'll ever forgive him?" Nifty asked, sipping the Shirley Temple Husk has handed her.
"I think she wants to." Husk admitted, "But I can't say for sure if she ever will."
"I think she will." Nifty said with a smile, "It'll take awhile, but I really think the two of them can find whatever spark made them fall in love in the first place."
"Considering that you write fanfiction about everyone in this hotel, I think you just want to write more about these two."
Nifty chuckled, "You know me so well, Husky~"
———
Eliza was back on the balcony, leaning to look out at the city below, a cigarette in her hand. She let out a long sigh, trying not to have an emotional breakdown as she thought about everything that had happened in the last few days. Part of her was glad to see William, but a larger part was still so upset with what he did, and honestly couldn't believe that he was in Hell. William wasn't an inherently bad person, but then again, she hadn't seen Will in years, who knows what he could've gotten up to while they were apart.
She knew Will really was sorry for what he did, but it wasn't that easy to forgive being abandoned to raise a child on your own. When she had been alive, it had been hard enough for a woman to get a good paying job, let alone a pregnant black woman. After calling in a few favors, she'd managed to get a few low wage jobs cooking, cleaning, and working to make clothes. Elizabeth had absolutely refused to rely on another man, and there had been other men who wanted her, but all had been refused. She'd been hurt by a man once, and she'd be damned if she would let a man hurt her again, especially once she'd had Alastor. Her son had been the only reason she'd found the strength to recover from William's abandonment after he'd made her so many wonderful, yet empty promises. There had been no way she would allow that child to have anything less than the absolute best that she could provide.
Eliza let out a puff of smoke...thinking of everything she'd done to give her boy the best life she could provide for him. She'd had a certain set of skills she'd learned from her mother, but she'd never originally wanted to use them. Elizabeth had wanted to be different from her mother, to be better, but she'd ended up having to rely on those skills just to make sure she and her boy would be okay.
She could still remember what she had done...
———
"Ma'am, I don't think you realize how serious this is. This is the third time this week that Alastor's gotten into a fight."
"Did my boy start the fight?"
"Who started the fight didn't matter, the point is that he just can't seem to get along with the other children! They're all afraid of him."
"Answer my question, if ya would Principal..." Elizabeth looked down at the nameplate on the desk, "Owens. Did my boy start the fight? And please be honest. Your predecessor rather enjoyed pinnin' all sorts of things on my boy, but a lovely lady such as yourself seems much more understadin' then a tubby, old, white man."
Principal Owens seemed a bit shocked at how well spoken Elizabeth was, as well as how she was so open to insulting the previous principal, "I...no. Alastor hasn't started any of the fights he's gotten into. A lot of the children, as well as his teacher try to say he did, but I asked everyone in his class, as well as Alastor himself. Some say it was the other boys who started it."
Eliza gave a wide, yet strained grin, "And what are ya plannin' on doin' to keep my boy from such violence?"
"Mrs-"
"It's Miss. I've never been married."
Principal Owen's jaw seemed to drop a bit, but she caught herself, "I see- Well, the other parents are insisting Alastor be expelled from the school."
"Are you tellin' me that you want to expel him?"
"N-No Ma'am! I really don't think it's his fault. A boy of his color gets picked on by both our black and white students, and I don't think it's fair to him to expel him for that." The principal looked down at her hands, folded on her desk, something about this woman was incredibly intimidating to her, "That is to say, if something doesn't change soon, I can't stop the school board from expelling him. He has a history of getting into trouble."
"I see." Elizabeth stood up, putting her hands on the desk and leaning closer, making the principal's breath catch. Even if she was intimidating...Elizabeth was an incredibly beautiful woman, eyes shining with sharp wit and intelligence, eyes her son would one day have.
"M-Miss- this seems a bit-"
"Hush now suga." At the sound of Elizabeth's voice, Principal Owen's mouth shut, "Now, why don't you just tell me who these parents are that want to throw my boy out of school, and I'll take care of this little issue, and save you the trouble." Eliza's voice was incredibly enticing, washing over her, compelling her to do what Elizabeth wanted.
"I- Ma'am, I'm not allowed-"
"Perhaps you aren't allowed to, but don't you want to?" Eliza's hand cupped the principal's chin and made her look her in the eye, "What's ya first name, sweetness?"
Her voice spoke before she even fully registered the question, so lost in Eliza's gaze, "M-Marianne."
"Such a beautiful name. Marianne, are you a mother?"
"No ma'am."
"Such a shame, I think you'd be a good mother. Are you married?"
"Engaged."
"Do you love him?"
"What?" Marianne felt her mouth run dry.
"Do you love the man you're engaged to?"
"..." Marianne looked away from Elizabeth's seductive gaze, "My parent's arranged it. He's the heir to the that canning factory right outside of town." Why was she telling Eliza this? It was as if she wasn't in control of the words tumbling out of her mouth, like Elizabeth was somehow drawing them out of her.
"But do you love him?"
Marianne looked back up at Eliza, "No...he's a cruel man, and he wants me to quit my job once we're married."
"And you don't want to?"
"I love my job, but he's going to be my husband."
"Let me share a little secret with you, Marianne." Eliza sat on the desk, positioning herself so that her legs came down on either side of the woman, skirt hiked up to her thighs, "Men want to control us women because they're afraid of what we can do when we realize we don't need them in our lives."
"You really believe that?"
"Honey, I know it's the truth." Elizabeth suddenly pulled Marianne closer, up and out of her chair, hand coming to rest on the other woman's hip, "Now~ why don't I show you just how good it is to not rely on a man, and you tell me what it is that I want to know?"
Marianne could feel her breath catch as she felt her hands on Eliza's waist, "...okay."
———
Eliza walked out of the office to find Alastor waiting for her, kicking his feet from the chair he sat in, "Hi Mama..." He spoke in the tone he always used when he thought he was in trouble.
"Hello Cher~" Elizabeth grinned and looked back inside the office, "Good luck cancelin' your engagement, Marianne."
"Y-Yes of course- thank you." Marianne was currently buttoning her shirt back up as Elizabeth closed her office door.
"Am I in trouble, Mama?"
"No baby, ya ain't in trouble. After all, ya didn't start this."
"So what now?"
"Now we go home, Cher. I'll get ya fed and drop ya off at Mr. Kurt's." Kurt was a friend of Elizabeth's who watched Alastor whenever she had to work late.
"Why am I goin' to Mr. Kurt's?"
"Cause Mama has some business to attend to."