"Angie, I love you, but can you PLEASE stop leaning on me and whining like some snotty toddler who didn't get his candy?"
Angel didn't budge from his position, leaning all four of his arms on top of Aria's head. "Hmmm, noooo~"
"Oh for fuck's sake." Aria scoffed a little, using all her strength to carry the drunk arachnid. Huffing, she merely plopped him onto one of the sofas at the lobby of the Hotel and dusted her hands.
Angel started to whine again, flapping around his arms like a wild goose. "Ariaaaa!! Carry me to my rooommm pleaaaseee~~ I have foouuurr *hic* new leeegsss that I don't know hoow to uusseeee~~"
"NooOooooO." Aria said, mimicking Angel's slurring tone. She cared for him a lot, that's for sure. But when he gets absolutely wasted like this, he's a complete pain in the rear. "You're lucky that it's me who's mothering you and not the Princess."
"Uggghhh, fineeee. You're *hic* no fuuunn..." Angel raised up a hand in defeat before passing out, instantly snoring away like a truck engine.
Shaking her head and tucking Angel with a thin blanket she summoned, Aria crossed her arms and walked away to let him doze off.
The first two days of staying in the hotel were comfortable enough for the lioness demon, save for Vaggie's strong skepticism. Charlie had been asking her about redemption quite a lot, even though Aria had stated and made clear multiple times that she wasn't seeking it and neither was she interested in the mere concept of rehabilitation. She chalked it up to the Princess being a little too excited about her passion project to stop talking.
The only ones she seemed to get along with at least fairly well were obviously Angel, then Niffty and surprisingly Husker but what made everyone's eyes pop is that she got along with the Radio Demon.
The small one-eyed demon was adorable according to Aria, and was always scurrying around and making sure every corner of the Hotel looked spotless and sanitary. Angel was a blast as always, sassy and loquacious yet sweet and playful at the same time.
Husk gruffiness made him a fun target to tease and prank. The fact that both of them were cats was quite amusing to Aria, and she loved to point it out after a prank, which would most often be replyed to by a huffed "whatever" from the older feline.
And Alastor?
He was by far, yet again, the most interesting demon she had met. Never once has she heard him swear or curse, which was a rare sight in this cesspool they called home. He always had this massive grin that never seemed to waver, no matter what mood he was in. His crimson red eyes were very expressive, which was enough to show what emotions he felt in a certain moment.
But what exactly did let them get along so well? Well, the answer was made clear after Angel Dust got a good tell-off by Charlie for getting wasted that badly. Aria had walked off to one of the balconies to get some fresh air and serenity for herself a few moments after the arachnid demon passed out on the couch.
Looking down at the bustling streets of the city, she spotted many demons smoking, drinking, and minding their own business. Occasionally there would be some loud shouts of "get out of the way!" or "move, bitch!", which wasn't a peculiar sight by now.
With a sigh, she leaned further onto the railing of the balcony before looking up into the crimson red sky of Hell, which threatened to turn dark fuchsia since it was nighttime. A sense of nostalgia washed through the young lioness' body out of nowhere, yet she welcomed it.
"We'll meet again..." She started to hum. That song was one of her favorites, and whenever she was alone or felt like it, Aria would sing it to herself. "Don't know where, don't know when..."
Her voice grew bolder as the moments of silence passed. Using her powers, she created a pinkish flame on the tip of her finger that mimicked the sun. Little bits of sparks that were shaped like musical notes bounced off the flame as she continued to sing. "But I know we'll meet again, some sunny day..." The flame seemed to make her voice echo and enhance its power. Listening to it feels like you're in a trance of some sorts.
Another moment of quietness passed. Her sensitive ears then flickered to hear a masculine, static-like voice continue the lyrics. Turning around as the flame on her fingertip disappeared, she saw Alastor standing at the door of the balcony, a wide smile on his face as he sang.
"Keep smiling through, just like you always do," He continued, slowly approaching the young demoness. Summoning his microphone stand, it then proceeded to play the melody for him to sing to. "'Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away~"
His voice was smooth like honey, soothing Aria's nerves and putting a smile on her face as well. "You recognize that song?" She asked in a curious voice.
"Why of course, dear!" Alastor grinned, now standing beside her, leaning his arms on the railing. The melody from his mic stand slowly dissipated. "I'm rather fond of it, even. It's a little bit after my time but it is such a...thoughtful melody."
Aria nodded. "That's true. There's nothing better than a good song, yeah?"
"That I can agree on, sweetheart! I must say, I truly do admire your taste in music. The folks I've met so far these days only seem to enjoy those e-lectronic, DJ, whatchamacallit song genres. I personally find them rather atrocious." Alastor said with a hint of a radio scratch emanating from his mic.
The lioness demon chuckled in amusement, her tail flicking slightly. "Mhm. A lot of people love them. And I can see why, but I also enjoy the works of artists from the past, like Frank Sinatra or Ella Fitzgerald."
Alastor's ruby red eyes widened in delight as his head snapped fully towards Aria, his grin widening almost literally from ear to ear. "You've heard of Ella Fitzgerald? The Queen of Jazz?"
"Of course! She's a legend, who wouldn't love her? I especially love her song, 'Night and Day'. It's one of my favorites."
"Ah, that's a wonderful choice. My personal favorite is 'Mack the Knife'. My goodness, I haven't met a single young lass of this age who's heard of Fitzgerald! You're truly one special girl, my dear." Alastor smiled, patting her on the head like an elder would to a child. In response, Aria's smile softened.
Making his microphone stand disappear in a puff of smoke, Alastor leaned slightly closer to Aria. "So, my dear, why are you up so late?"
"Angel got drunk again, so I had to make sure he didn't get into trouble." Aria replied, sighing and clicking her tongue. Her tail waggled slightly in sisterly annoyance. "I swear that man is a pain in the rear sometimes. But it's so hilarious I can't stay mad at him for long."
Alastor's head tilted a little in curiosity. "It seems to me that you care about him quite a lot. Is he a friend of yours, dear?"
Nodding, Aria looked back at Alastor's smiling face. "My best friend, actually. Since the first day I manifested into Hell. He saved me from a turf war and has been with me ever since."
The stag nodded his head, his ears flopping to the front and back slightly. "I see now. But it makes me question about something. If you have been with him for so long, why is it that you don't seem as...lewd, as Angel? My dear, you look like a fairly modest young girl, and I wonder how his mannerisms do not affect you."
Pushing up her glasses, Aria chuckled slightly at Alastor's question. "Well, to answer that, I don't exactly know. I just don't have the urge to do what Angie does, you know? Just because I'm his friend doesn't mean I copy everything that he does. And besides, despite all the dirty, lewd stuff he does in a show or on a screen, he's a nice guy. He wouldn't have saved me from a turf war if he wasn't."
"Fair point, darling. Fair point." Alastor said, a screech of white noise emanating from him as he nodded in understanding. "You are very intelligent for a young woman, my dear. It's so scarce to find someone of your caliber these days."
Aria took a deep breath of air and sighed, looking up at the crimson sky above them. "Thank you, Alastor."
"It almost makes me want to adopt you as my own." Alastor joked before hooting with laughter, patting Aria's head once again. "Oh, I'm just teasing, darling. You're just so polite with true class and style, it's hard not to find you endearing."
Aria giggled with him, her tail now standing up with friendliness and her ears wiggling a little. "Wow, thanks! It's quite a surprise to hear those words from you, if I have to be honest."
"Don't mention it, darling. I'm just speaking the truth." Alastor replied, his smile now softened even more.
He himself wondered why this young demon belle caused him to speak such kind words. It was out of character for him to do so. Aria almost reminded him of a younger version of himself. Classy, modest, polite and affable, but there was also an aura of mystery around her. And by the fact that she was down here in Hell, he knew that there was more to this young girl. Which could possibly mean a new source of entertainment in addition to this Hotel Charlie was working on.
Standing up straight, Alastor's smile widened back into its original width. "Well, I would love to stay and gab, but the night is young. A pleasant night to you, darling~!" He grinned, patting Aria's soft, dark brown hair once more before striding into the hotel again.
"A pleasant night to you as well, Alastor!" Aria called out before the stag disappeared out of sight completely. Sighing once again, she retreated to her own room for the night.