Chapter 24!
Near The End
15th of May 2022 -Hanover, Germany
The tour bus was parked out back at the ZAG-Arena in Germany, there was only three days left until the first part of the Imperatour had been completed. Copia and his bandmates had been performing nonstop, their rituals were still wowing the crowds that came to worship them from around the globe.
The shower in bathroom could be heard, the residence of the tour bus were now awake. Albany had managed to sneak into the bathroom before anyone else had the chance to use it, she had the advantage since her bunk was nearest to the facilities. The ghouls and ghoulettes were still having breakfast with Copia, her ghostly Father had joined them not long ago. She thought it be the perfect chance to get a peaceful moment from the rest of the group, it could get choatic first thing in the morning.
Albany had already showered, she was wearing a bathrobe without any slippers. Her clean outfit was hanging up on the back of the door, she wanted to clean her teeth and do her makeup before she got changed. The plans for today were straightforward, she would be accompanying Copia on his sound check at the venue. They had two contracts to sign and an invoice to post, there was a couple of emails that needed to be sent to Sister Imperator. Spitting toothpaste into the basin she continued to brush her teeth, but she almost jumped out of her skin when she saw a familar reflection in the mirror. It was Copia, he had somehow managed to sneak into the bathroom unnoticed. His fingers soon waved at his lover, his voice broke the silence between them.
" Hi, hello!" He said.
" Copia!" She said with a deep sigh. " You scared me..."
" Sorry, I didn't mean to do that." He said.
" You shouldn't be in here!" She said while she turned around to face him. " Business relationship on the tour bus, remember? You're going to get into trouble if anyone saw you coming in here."
" The ghouls and ghoulettes are with Papa, it's cool." He said.
" I think you should leave." She said.
" But your toes look cold, you're not wearing any slippers..." He said.
" You won't be saying that if Papa catches you, he'll possess you and throw you off the tour bus while it's still moving." She said, her gaze met with his own. " And I don't want that to happen, it would break my heart if I ever lost you."
" Pops cant do that, he would get a scolding from Sister." He said.
" I know that, but he's mentioned more than once about doing it when he's in one of his a spiteful moods." She said.
" The old guy is all talk, he wouldn't have the energy to do that unless it was a bug." He said before he approached his lover. " It's fine, it's cool. Nobody knows that I'm here. I just wanted a morning cuddle, it was cold in my bunk last night."
" Then maybe you should have wore an extra pair of socks in bed." She said.
" Please, baby..." He said.
" Will you please leave so I can get dressed?" She asked while she motioned her toothbrush towards the door. " We don't want to be late for the sound checks, it's important that tonight's performance runs smoothy."
" A few seconds won't hurt." He said.
" Your seconds turn into minutes." She said.
" Just one little cuddle..." He begged.
" You're encourgable." She sighed.
" But you like that, right?" He asked.
" I do, very much." She replied.
" Come on, Albany." He said, his speaking tone was playful. " Just one little kiss..."
" Oh, so it's a kiss now?" She asked.
" Just the one." He replied.
A smile crept across Albany's features when her lover tugged at her bathrobe, he pulled her closer towards him. She hesitantly wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him close, he had gotten his own way yet again. The scent of Froot Loops filled her nostrils, she knew what Copia had been eating for breakfast this morning. His embrace was welcoming and warm, she wouldn't admit that she was enjoying their little cuddle. Albany missed spending her nights with him, she couldn't wait until they arrived in Budapest. The hotel had already been booked, they would be able to relax for a few day before they returned to the Ministry in Los Angeles. Copia's lips nibbling at her neck caused her to giggle, but a booming voice from the other side of the door disturbed their loving moment.
" Albany, how long do you plan on being in there?!"
They immediately separated when they heard Papa Nihil's voice, he was standing outside of the door. Copia brought his finger tip to his lips and hushed his lover, but Albany couldn't ignore her Father since he already knew she was inside the bathroom. She gave Copia a thoughtful look while she pulled his finger away from his lips, she kissed his hand once before she held it against her chest. Her gaze wandered towards the door, she could see the outline of his ghostly figure through the frosty glass window fitted on the door.
" I'm almost dressed, Papa!" She said.
" I need to use the bathroom, I'm desperate!"
" But ghosts don't need to use the bathroom." She said, her words were filled with confusion. " That's impossible..."
" I like sitting on the toilet, it's brings back fond memories."
" Fond memories of what exactly?" She asked.
" Just hurry up, little one!"
" Give me ten more minutes!" She said while her gaze returned to her lover. " I'm just in the middle of cleaning my teeth, but I'll call you when I'm finished."
" Fine, fine!"
A smile crept across her features when her lover wiped some toothpaste away from her cheek with his thumb, his lips soon met with her own. They shared a single kiss before Albany turned away from him, she began to get changed into her chosen outfit. Copia helped his lover to zip up the back of her dress, he even passed her some bobby pins while she was styling her hair. Hanging her bathrobe on a peg Albany checked herself out in the mirror and applied her red lipstick, she smiled at her lover when she noticed him watching her from near the shower's doorway. His thumb was resting against his bottom lip, he was patiently waiting to leave.
" You should stay here for a moment." She said before she took make-up bag from the basin. " I'll see if the coast is clear. Papa could still be lurking outside the bathroom for all we know, he's very nosy at times."
" Okay, cool." He said.
" Come and join me for some coffee when you're free." She said, she approached her lover. " I'll be waiting in the kitchen. I'll make sure there's a fresh pot of coffee and another bowl of Froot Loops for your second breakfast. You need to keep your strength up, it's going to be a busy day."
" Okey-dokey, baby." He said.
Albany lightly cupped Copia's cheek and kissed his lips, she told him she would knock on the door twice if the coast was clear. She exited the bathroom and looked both ways down the aisle, but her attention was soon caught by her Father. Papa Nihil approached his only living child, his features were stern. She moved out of the way and allowed him to pass by, but there was a problem. Copia was still in the bathroom, he wouldn't be able to escape without being noticed by the ghostly Papa. Thinking on her feet she dropped her lipstick on the floor, it rolled straight through her deceased Father's ghostly foot. His gaze immediately fell upon Albany, she gave him a sheepish smile before she spoke with him.
" Oops! Sorry, Papa..." She said.
" It's okay, little one." He said, his features softened. " It didn't hurt, it was just an accident."
" Indeed, it's the new hand cream I brought from France." She said, her gaze shifted to the bathroom door for a brief second. " It's too greasy unlike my ragular hand cream I normally use, but it will have to do until we return to Los Angeles."
" Don't worry, but if you would please excuse me..." He said.
" You're not going in there right now are you?!" She asked.
" You've finished in the bathroom now, yes?" He asked.
" Well, yes. But..." She said.
Papa Nihil didn't even let Albany finish her sentence, he evaporated through the bathroom door. Her eyes grew wide while she waited for an outburst, but the tour bus remained silent. Copia must have found himself somewhere to hide, the only place nobody would be noticed was behind the shower curtain. She picked her lipstick from the floor and headed back to her bunk, she dared not think of the horrors Copia may be witnessing from his hiding place. Albany could hear the unholy sounds her Father was creating, his ghostly movements of gas were becoming an issues in his phantasm form. The laughter from the kitchen disturbed her thoughts, the ghouls and ghoulettes were still having breakfast.
Albany put her make-up bag away and joined her ghoulish companions, she was surprised to see that the ghoulettes had been tidying the kitchen. Taking a seat at the table she was immediately approached by Sunshine, she thanked her when the cheery ghoulette placed a cup of coffee in front of her. Cirrus and Cumulus were busy putting the tableware away, the ghouls were whispering to each other in their ghoulish tongue. Curling her hands around the hot beverage Albany heard the seat next to her creak and move, her gaze was met by the smallest ghoul of his kin. Sodo features were hidden by the mask he wore, his eyes remained unseen. He curiously sniffed in Albany's direction, his ghoulish behaviour was odd. The smallest ghoul's tail swished, he seemed interested in her scent this morning. He probably could smell Copia's scent on her clothes. Dismissing the attention she was receiving from the ghoul she took a sip of her coffee, but approaching footsteps caught her attention. Copia entered the kitchen and slumped himself down on the a leather couch, he looked distressed. Albany glanced at Sodo before she spoke, she was concerned for her lover.
" Are you okay?" She asked.
" Can I have a Juicy Juice please?" He asked.
" Of course." She replied.
Albany was about to get up from her seat, but Sunshine beat her to it. The cheery ghoulette bounced from a stool and got her superior a juice box, she even pierced it with the provided straw. Albany watched his hand shaking when he slurped his juice threw the straw, his strange behaviour had even caught the attention of his bandmates. Copia looked extremely pale and clammy, he didn't seem himself after he had gotten trapped in the bathroom with Papa Nihil.
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18th of May 2022 - Budapest, Hungary
Albany was standing back stage, she been hanging around the venue for the last few hours while Copia prepared himself for his ritual. The sound checks had been perfect, the light fixtures and other ritual equipment had been tested more than once. The ghouls and ghoulettes were raring to perform, the deceased Papa Nihil's casket had been placed in the wing of the venue for his saxophone solo. The crowd of fans were already cheering for the supporting acts, it wasn't long until Papa Emeritus IV was wowing his fans yet again.
The stage darken and the light fixtures began to rotate, the white sheet concealing the band from the crowd of fans soon fell. Screams and cheers erupted when Copia took center stage, his voice harmonised with the instruments his bandmates were playing. The show was in motion, the night of their final ritual of the second faze of the tour had began. Albany watched Copia wooing the fans with his charisma and silly little jokes, his showmanship was on point has always. The ritual continued, her Father was wheeled out in his casket. Zapped back to life by Kevin his appearance was soon known, he tried to straggle the loyal Clergy employee before he was handed his saxophone. The ghouls joined his side to jam with the former Papa, they side stepped and danced with their dark excellency. His saxophone solo was going down a storm, he still had the groove even if he was dead. She smiled at the ghouls playful antics, their mischievous ways were highly entertaining. They drove their Papa Emeritus mad with pranks and scares, they were becoming quite playful throughout the tour. The song of their final curtain call was heard, it was time to wrap things up and say goodbye to their adorning fans.
Albany took this chance to exit the wing of the stage and return back to the dressing room, she had to update Sister by email about tonight's ritual. Entering the dressing room she took her laptop from her bag and found a place to sit amongst the choas the ghouls had caused before the ritual. There were empty water bottles and food wrappers scattered around the room, she even found a banana peel hanging from a lamp. Opening the emails Albany typed a summary to her superior about Copia's performance, she didn't spare any details about the Papa Nihil trying to strangle Kevin again. She sent the email, but an unannounced ping startled her. There was another email in her inbox, it was from Mr Saltarain.
" Let's see what he wants then." She sighed.
Clicking on the email Albany read through it's contents, there were some files attached to it. They were contracts for the third part of the tour in August throughout the United States. She was unsure if Copia knew about the next tour dates, but she wouldn't be able to check them properly until she had access to the printer on the tour bus. The door opening to the dressing room caught Albany's attention, her lover entered the room. A sound of achievement escaped Copia's lips when he noticed his lover sitting at the dressing table, he approached her and kissed the top of her head before he began to get undressed. She watched him for a moment, but her attention was drawn back to her laptop's screen. Albany typed out another email, she made an order for Copia's favourite meal to be delivered to his hotel room. She then closed her laptop and put it away, but it wasn't long until she heard her lover's voice.
" Where did you go?" He asked, his speaking tone was laced with curiosity. " I was looking for you backstage. Sunshine said she saw you leave, but Swiss said you may have needed to use the bathroom."
" I actually left to email Sister and make you some coffee, but I got sidetracked with some last minute contracts from Mr Saltarain." She said, her gaze met with his own. " I thought I'd go through them now, they're the dates for your United States tour in August. By going through them now that means we'll get some extra time together in the morning. I'll have to print the contracts off when I've got access to the tour buses printer."
" Ah, good thinking!" He said.
" I did stay until the final part of your ritual, the ghouls and ghoulettes excelled themselves tonight. Even Papa was outstanding, but he needs to stop strangling Kevin." She said before she rested her chin against her hand. " And you were wonderful too. The way you are gaining confidence in your performing is impressive, it's like watching another side of you onstage."
" You didn't see me trip, right?" He asked.
" You tripped?" She asked.
" Yes." He replied.
" I must have missed it, but your performance was flawless." She said with a smile. " Sister Imperator and the Clergy will be pleased, the second part of the Imperatour was successful."
" I'm happy to hear that." He said.
" Now you can relax, it's time for a well earned rest until Hellfest in June." She said, she got up from her seat and approached him. " I've already booked you some room service at the hotel, it will be delivered when you arrive there. I'm also going to make you some coffee with evaporated milk on the tour bus before we leave for the hotel."
" Thank you, baby." He said.
" Do you need any help removing your face paint?" She asked.
" It's okay, but I could do with some fresh towels." He replied, his gaze met with her own. " I'm going to take a shower, it's easier doing it right now than back at the hotel. I smell like rigatoni..."
" You smell like rigatoni?" She asked.
" The good kind." He said.
" Well, I guess it's better than the smell of sweat." She said in an amused tone. " There should be some clean towels hanging up in the bathroom, there should also be some of shower gel in the shower."
" Okay, cool." He said.
" I'll put your onstage attire away, it's time to clean up the mess the ghouls have made." She said, her gaze wandered around the room. " They really need to learn how to clean up after themselves, it's a good job they'll be sleeping on the tour bus tonight with Papa."
" The old guy, right?" He asked.
" Yes, the old guy. My Father, Nihil." She said while she turned her full attention towards him. " That's unless you want to spend the night with them on the tour bus. I'm fine with that if that's the case. Having a big bed to myself in a luxurious hotel room sounds really tempting right now."
" You're still not very funny..." He said.
" Oh, I know." She said.
Albany smiled at her lover before she took his blue jacket from over his arm, he didn't like it when she teased him. Lightly kissing his lip she told him to take his shower, she wanted to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything before the Clergy crew came to collect the trunks and equipment from the venue.