Chapter Text
Soul shattering pain was all Alastor was able to focus on as his spine made contact with the brick wall.
The Overlord was no stranger to pain. If anything, he enjoyed it a little too much.
But there was something about getting hit with the full force of an Angelic weapon in the hands of mankind’s ancestor that made it different from anything else that Alastor had experienced prior, including the explosive bullet to the skull that took his life.
Thankfully his wits were intact. Even while bleeding out from a mortal wound he had the fortitude to make a parting remark to the one who had so incapacitated him.
“Radio’s not dead! But it is ending this broadcast!”
How humiliating it was to retreat! To slink into the shadows to save his miserable life! He had only meant to be a distraction to give Charlie and the others a chance to whittle down the numbers of Exterminators, keep Adam dancing along the rooftops and away from the princess and her retinue. He had known stalling tactics would only last for so long before he would need to retreat, but he had hoped for a more dignified departure.
Not limping like a beaten dog to lick his wounds in the shadows.
At least his shadows were cool and welcoming. At least they did not judge.
An image arose, unbidden, of the short circus ringmaster who could have blasted away the entire angelic host with a flick of a wing, and yet chose not to.
Lucifer. The first Fallen.
Arguably the real father of humanity, since Adam and Eve were nothing but ignorant pets before they chose to free their will. Eden would never have opened its gates if the key had not been provided by the serpent.
Choices. Will.
Perhaps it was the wound he had suffered that had Alastor consider the path that had led him to this moment, putting his life and his existence on the line for the purpose that was not his own.
If he had chosen to welcome Lucifer instead of antagonizing him that day in the hotel lobby, would the Devil have extended the secrets of free will? Would Alastor have gained insight and strength to reach into his soul and tear off the chains that kept it bound?
Would that have given him the opportunity to abandon the hotel before this fateful battle? If he had been given a choice between bravery and cowardice, would he have still faced down Adam?
If he had the chance to do it again… would he take a different turn?
As Alastor surrendered his body to the dark void that concealed and protected him, as familiar as the radio waves that he plucked like strings of a guitar to his tune, he felt the world-
-Twist-
He tried to scream, but he had no mouth
Where did that golden light come from?
Threads pulled him in every direction
Which way was up?
Where was his body?
Inside of every demon there's a rainbow-
-a lost cause-
-inside of every-
-look’s like you could use some help-
-today is gonna be a happy day in-
-I'll shelter and adore you more than anything-
..........................Twisting
.......Plunging.......
..................Pulling..................
...............Screeching...............
.........................Settling
.................Gasping.................
“Alastor? Alastor-
-Alastor!”
Air returned to his lungs like a suckerpunch, knocking him over and into the solid surface of the hotel bar. He gripped the front of his shirt, heaving as the disorienting dizziness slowly began to wear off. His grip on his cane was the lifeline he needed to ground himself.
“Alastor, are you alright?”
Charlie. Yes. The little princess.
“Of course, my dear!” He lied as best as he could, though he didn't sound half as convincing as normal. “Never- ah… better!”
He glanced her way to serve his signature smile and froze, his inner alarms going off.
Before him was the lobby, completely undamaged and unchanged from before the fateful meeting with Heaven and the defenses that the residents had erected. It was eerie. He picked up more details, like the board that Charlie used to map out her Redemption Plan, chaotic and useless, the lack of cannibals training in different regiments, and the relaxed way that everyone was sitting around, as if they weren't under attack.
“You sure, Alastor?” Charlie prodded again, her baby doll face earnest and concerned. Instead of her battle regalia, she was wearing her normal dress shirt and suspenders, though she appeared as one who hadn't slept in days. “You look like you've seen a ghost…”
“Wait, ghosts exist?” Angel quipped in the background.
Something… something was wrong… Where were the uniforms? The cannibals? The angelic weapons?
“The… Exterminators…” Alastor gasped, leaning more heavily against the bar. The twisting sensation and dizziness continued to plague him. “Where- where are they?” If Adam was still around, he needed to… to fight him… buy the princess some time. “Adam… he is…”
Charlie made an unbecoming noise of disgust. “Ugck, I know! He's a real pain in the ass, but there has to be someone else in Heaven I can talk to! Right, Vaggie?”
Vaggie shook her head. “You'll need to speak to the council of Seraphim, but that's practically impossible- hey! Where are you going?”
Alastor stumbled to the front doors, no longer trusting the shadows to carry him with this infernal spinning, clutching his chest where Adam's weapon had nearly cleaved him in two- to the doors to shove them open- he had to find- Adam- keep the princess safe…
He stared at the sky, still red and in one piece, with no celestial portal above the hotel, void of winged intruders. It was deceptively calm, with only the normal amount of screaming and explosions in the distance that was typical of Hell.
Where the fuck did everything go??
Had he blacked out? Was the battle won?
Was he… dead?
“Alastor, please!” Charlie popped up beside him and casually placed her hand on his forehead, as if checking for a fever. “You really don't look so good. Maybe you should- lie down?”
Alastor instinctively flinched from her touch, but refrained from snapping at the hand that dared to touch him. Control. He needed to pull himself together and figure out what was going on, and throwing a confused tantrum would not be helpful right now.
“No need to worry about little ol’ me!” He laughed off her concern, relying on his stitched on smile more than ever to appear unfazed. “I must have dozed off briefly and had an unpleasant dream, that's all!” He slipped his arm around her shoulders and turned them back to the hotel lobby. “Now, what were we discussing before I was so rude?”
His redirection worked, as Charlie went back to her board and her desperate ramblings about Redemption. Alastor decided it was best for him to get a drink while he considered everything that was happening. When he approached the bar and sat primly on a stool, Husk passed over a glass that Alastor picked up daintily, trying to hide the tremor in his hand.
Husk was looking at him strangely, torn between concern and confusion. “You good, boss?” He asked while wiping a glass clean with a bar cloth.
Alastor considered his answer, knowing that Husk was able to keep his mouth shut but unwilling to reveal the full extent of his condition. “Ah, I must have had a little too much to drink last night. Be a good man and remind me of today's date.”
The cat's bushy brows lowered. “I don't remember you drinking last night-” he wisely cut himself off by coughing into a hand when Alastor shot him a venomous glare. He gave the date and quickly shuffled off to do more chores when Alastor had no follow up questions.
A red tipped claw tapped the wooden bar, Alastor's smile straining against the green threads as he tried to understand this impossible feat. His pupils spun in circles, almost like he was searching for the right am frequency.
This shouldn't be possible. It was an entire month until Adam's attack. They were still in the panic stage, by the looks of it, and Charlie hadn't even had her disastrous visit to Heaven yet.
Which meant he did not have a deal with Charlie for that crucial favor that could be the key to his freedom.
Fuck.
How did this happen? What wires had been crossed to shove him, impossibly, into the past?
Realizing he was rubbing the front of his shirt, Alastor glanced around to make sure no one was looking his way before peeking into the front of his shirt to check for-
No wound. No cut. His power was intact, and he was whole and unbroken.
Well. That was an unexpected bonus.
He glanced at the floor and to his shadow, who looked just as confused as he was, and shrugged their black shoulders.
“Well that makes two of us,” Alastor muttered.
Tuning back into the conversation on the other end of the room, he decided best to remain silent and make more observations before making a move. If he had foresight on what was about to happen, maybe he could turn it more in his own favor.
Vaggie, bless her heart, was trying to talk sense into the erratic princess, who was still pacing back and forth as she considered unrealistic avenues. Alastor was familiar with the scene. Vaggie would try to convince Charlie that angels were not to be trusted-
“I mean, maybe you could reason with Sera,” Vaggie said reluctantly. “I heard that she didn't really want to start the exterminations, but was pressured into it.”
Wait… what?!
Charlie grasped onto the flimsy straw. “Sera! Yes! As in the head of the council? Doesn't she have a sister? What's her name?”
“Emily,” Vaggie sighed. “She's the sweetheart of Heaven. I don't know what the big deal is, personally…”
Alastor's grip on his glass tightened, hard enough to make it crack.
“Maybe if we get Emily on our side-!”
“Oh, Emily doesn't know about the exterminations,” Vaggie said.
“How could she not-”
“Sera kept her in the dark. None of us were allowed to speak about them. I never met her. I didn't have the clearance.”
Alastor couldn't believe what he was hearing! “You know she's from Heaven?”
Several pairs of eyes swung around to stare at him. Alastor had the distinct feeling he had put his foot in his mouth, but before he could laugh it off as a joke, Charlie was comforting the little traitor.
“Now now, Alastor,” Charlie said patiently. “We don't hold someone's past against them, remember? Vaggie has been extremely helpful with sharing everything she knows about Heaven to help us figure out Redemption. She's working hard to make up for her part in the Exterminations.”
What was he hearing?? Vaggie's secret was already known?! That gave him no edge! Then this couldn't be the past. Charlie had not discovered her lover's true nature until the visit with Heaven!
Where the fuck was he?!? When the fuck was he??
“You sure you're not drunk, Smiles?” Angel teased. “We've known Vagerina was an ex-cop from the beginning.”
“That's not my name!” Vaggie grumbled.
Pentious hissed a laugh. “Perhapssss it isss hiss old age!”
The stupid serpent choked on the laugh when Alastor's glare was leveled at him. The coward even covered his face with his hood when Alastor's shadow stretched over him ominously with a sadistic grin.
“Guys! Focus!” Charlie clapped her hands, exhaling flames before getting a hold of herself. “We've got to keep it together if we want to convince Heaven not to kill us all.”
“Says the one freakin’ out,” Angel quipped.
She went back to discussing the possibilities of convincing the head seraphim to retract the extermination, leaving Alastor quietly reeling in his seat. This is not how this day had gone. Charlie's feelings of betrayal had given Alastor more influence when she had no one else to turn to. How was he supposed to fenagle another deal from her now??
“Charlie,” Vaggie reached out. “It might be time to- to bring in the big guns.”
Alastor's ears perked forward again. That's right! This was the same day that Lucifer arrived! He still had a chance to remind Charlie how much she needed him!
Charlie grimaced. “I didn't want to ask him before figuring it out on my own first.”
“But he has leverage-”
“They treated my dad like shit!” Charlie shot back.
“But he can request an audience on your behalf!”
Alastor watched the exchange, quickly adjusting his plans to welcome the king of hell in the same way he had done before. It might be off script, but he was a master of improv and could turn anything to his advantage-
The doors of the elevator slid open and black boots stepped out, carrying with them the very last person Alastor expected.
“I could do what now?” Lucifer Morningstar asked. He tipped his hat to the room as everyone waved and said ‘good morning’ like it was an everyday affair, and greeted his daughter with a kiss on the cheek. “Sorry for interrupting, Sweety, but you know what happens when someone speaks about the Devil-”
“-my dad will appear!” Charlie giggled, hugging him back.
Alastor was in absolute shock. Charlie and her father were giggling and acting chummy, as if their bond had never been severed, or they had reconciled before today. The display was absolutely sickening.
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
“Sir,” Vaggie cut in. “I was telling Charlie that if she had a chance to-”
“Now now!” Lucifer held up a hand. “What have I said about calling me that? You're practically family, Vaggie!”
He didn't even get her name wrong?! Was it snowing outside??
Vaggie blushed. “Of-of course… but if you asked Heaven on Charlie's behalf to arrange a visit so she could petition Sera and the Council, then maybe there's a chance.”
Lucifer's face fell.
“Dad, you don't have to!” Charlie rushed to assure him. “I know how difficult it is for you to speak to Heaven, I can write a letter instead-”
“That's not the issue, Sweety,” Lucifer sighed as he settled on a chair and leaned his chin on his cane. “I can get you a meeting with Heaven, no problem! But- well, I won't be able to go with you, being exiled and all. It would be like sending my daughter into the lion's den!”
That was it? No hesitation to grant her request? No need to wine and dine him? No song? No fight? No nothing?!
What the fuck was Alastor even there for?? This wasn't the same foolish little girl who needed a guiding hand to build her leadership skills and confidence! That was everything Alastor needed to get deep enough in her trust and gain a deal!
This couldn't be real. Was he having a stroke? Is that why he was so confused?
His claws were digging grooves into the wood bar.
“I'm not a secluded little girl anymore, Dad!” Charlie insisted earnestly. “I know you just want to protect me, but I can go in your stead and plead my case! Maybe it will be better since I don't have the same history with Heaven that you do!”
“Which also means you won't be suspicious of the traps they will lay!” Lucifer stubbornly countered. “I am still uneasy about the whole thing.”
“But Dad-!”
Lucifer looked like he was on the brink of folding, then glanced to the side. “What do you think, Al? Is our Charlie ready for such a big step?”
Alastor stiffened, both with shock at being addressed directly, and thrown off guard by the friendly manner. Since when did the king call him ‘Al’? And ‘our Charlie'??
“Why ask for my input?” Alastor replied with more bite than he intended. He was so confused that he had less control on his poker face than normal. “Looks to me as if you have things well in hand!”
Lucifer started, and every single jaw in the room dropped open. For the second time, Alastor knew he had misstepped. He fought the urge to cringe back against the bar beneath the judgemental stares.
“Um, because you've been a big help to Charlie since she opened the hotel?” Lucifer answered honestly, if slightly concerned. “And… I value your opinion?”
Alastor swallowed to stop himself from vomiting. What was being expected of him? It was as if he was struggling in a muddy swamp and each step could pull him under the water to drown. His ear pinned back on their own, his stitches straining with the effort of keeping his smile in place.
“Uh, did you two have a fight or somethin'?” Angel Dust asked in the midst of the tense silence. “Cuz if ya did, a little warning might be nice so I can willingly go get fucked at the studio.”
“Not that I am aware…” Lucifer shrugged, still giving Alastor the side eye. “Al?”
Was Alastor imagining the look of hurt in the porcelain face?
Time to exit stage left.
“Ugh!” Alastor dramatically pressed a hand to his skull, as if in pain. “Apologies, your majesty, I believe Charlie was right and I do feel quite unwell.”
With the flip of a switch, Charlie turned into a mother hen. “I thought something was wrong! You should go lie down, Alastor! Dad and I can figure this out. You just rest.”
Finally, the puppet moved when he tugged the strings. As it should be.
He rose up stiffly, acting his ass off. “How kind of you, my dear! I'll be right as rain after a little lie down. Oh, and if you are able to get that meeting with Heaven, just remember that everyone here is depending on you for a peaceful agreement.” There, that should stress her out enough to make her desperate for his advice on her return.
He grinned right before dissolving into shadows and racing up the stairs and to his radio tower where he could be alone to think. When he appeared amongst his familiar tools and microphones and radio equipment, he practically collapsed against the console, his claws digging into the metal for any purchase to ground him against the tilting room.
His plots and plans were in shambles, every string he had attached to the princess had been cut, leaving him without any real influence. How was he supposed to work in these conditions?!
“You're asking the wrong questions!” Alastor snarled, furious with himself as he paced around his tower. “This has nothing at all to do with Charlie, and everything to do with getting ripped apart by a holy weapon that nearly took your life! Ha! Come on, Alastor, think! Why would Adam's weapon send you back to this day where everything is- opposite! Was it on purpose? If it was, and Adam had this kind of power all along… or maybe, it was accidental? I can't imagine that buffoon would know anything about time travel!”
His shadow chirped and tugged on his pants leg, alerting Alastor that someone was approaching. He froze, ears straining, until he heard down below a knock on his bedroom door. He would ignore it, and the intruder could fuck off-
“Alastor? Can uh… can we have a chat?”
Lucifer. Since when did they ever chat?
On the verge of telling the king of Hell where he could shove his tacky cane, Alastor instead thought better of it. He needed information if he was to figure out what had happened and how he had time traveled. A powerful fallen angel would be a good place to start.
The shadows carried him down the tower ladder and directly to his bedroom door. He took a second to undo his bow tie and open the top of his shirt, as if he had been undressing, before opening the door and peering out.
“Can I help you?” He asked in a wane voice. “Do forgive me, I was just about to lie down.”
On the other side of the door, Lucifer was nervously tapping the top of his cane, but straightened up when Alastor spoke.
“Um, yeah, I actually don't believe that act for a second. Can I come in?”
Alastor's ears pinned back at the request. “I would rather you not, actually. Is it urgent?”
Of all things, Lucifer chewed on his lower lip. “I- I guess we can talk right here. About what happened downstairs… are you angry with me? Did I say something to upset you? I mean, I don't remember anything recent, but whatever it was I can apologize.”
It took every shred of his experience with poker for Alastor not to react. “Why would you think it has something to do with you? I've just been feeling a bit peckish today!”
The silence stretched as Lucifer considered that before sighing softly and looking away. “You called me ‘your majesty’ again. You only use my title when you're being petty or we are arguing.”
“Then maybe it's the former,” Alastor hissed, already weary of this conversation.
“See? Right there!” Lucifer jabbed a finger in their direction. “That tone! I thought we were passed all of this, Al!”
“What gave you that impression?”
“Because we both promised Charlie!” Lucifer stomped a boot, his eyes flickering red and then back to gold. “You're not breaking our deal, are you?”
Alastor's ears perked forward. A deal? With the devil? Well… that changed things.
“Please come in!” Alastor opened the door wide, sweeping up a bow and gesturing. “I suppose my nap can be postponed. This is a conversation we ought to have in private!”
Still scowling slightly, Lucifer crossed the threshold into the lair of the Radio Demon and went straight to a pair of armchairs that were set up on the edge of the bayou that Alastor had spared no small amount of magic to make semi-permanent, and sat down on the red leather one.
Alastor had never seen it before.
Nevertheless, he latched the door and joined his guest, humming a little tune to set himself at ease while he sat in his overstuffed green velvet armchair. He studied the king while he could, finding no external difference between this one and the one he had met before and had a battle of music with. Perhaps the character himself was not different, but only the ties that bound them.
“Well?” Lucifer asked. “Are you going to tell me what crawled up your ass today, or are you going to keep staring at me?”
Alastor scrambled to buy himself time for an excuse. “Oh, but you're so easy on the eyes, my dear! Haha!”
Strangely enough, Lucifer actually relaxed. “Ok… that sounds more like you. So what happened? If you're not angry at me then who are you angry with? Is it Vox again?”
Alastor scoffed and swatted his hand in the air like he was smacking a fly. “I can handle that fool. No, nothing quite so… extreme.”
“Then what is it? I hate this guessing game.”
Alastor pressed his lips together, his foot tapping with jittery energy as he reached for a believable lie. Well, as they say, the best lie is a partial truth.
“I… had a dream.”
“A dream,” Lucifer said in a flat voice.
“Well if you aren't going to listen then you might as well take your leave-!”
“No no! Ugh, I'm sorry! It's just- please, continue! I'll shut up!” He pantomimed zipping his mouth shut like a lunatic.
Alastor rolled his eyes at the theatrics. “It was rather disturbing, I would have you know. I must be overly stressed about this entire situation with Heaven. We were defending the hotel against-” Alastor paused, as if recalling painful details. “I don't flinch at violence, as you know, but… this was different. Twice as many Exterminators all focused on the hotel. Our meager forces were completely surrounded. I did my best at creating a barrier to buy Charlie and the others some time but… with one blow, Adam destroyed it.”
Lucifer looked troubled, tapping his chin with his apple. “That is a concerning dream. You saw Adam himself? Have you ever met Adam?”
“Nope! Only heard Charlie speak about him.”
“What did he look like?”
“Oooh, wings about yay big,” Alastor spread his arms to the max, “a tacky horned helmet and a gown with a stylized ‘A’ on the front.”
“That's Adam, alright,” Lucifer groaned. “Strange that you would dream about him so clearly when you've never met the guy.”
“Perhaps I have gained insight into the future! Haha!” Alastor's cane provided a laugh track to keep the atmosphere light.
“I doubt that,” Lucifer replied. “Predicting the future is a tricky thing. Even the Goetia have trouble with it. But sometimes bits and pieces can slip through the threads-”
“The what now?”
Lucifer blinked at the interruption. “Threads? As in Quantum Physics? The String Theory?”
Alastor's head tilted to a right angle.
“Yeah, that doesn't surprise me,” Lucifer chuckled. “It's a fairly rough understanding of the universe, but the theory is that there are parallel worlds coexisting at the same time that are slightly different from each other, based on the choices that are made or not made. For instance, what would the world be like if the Spanish had never colonized the Americas? What would have happened if Constantine had never converted religions? What if you had chosen to turn left at the corner instead of turning right?”
“Why would I turn left? Where am I going?”
Lucifer burst into laughter. “No, that's not- the point is that we are here, in this exact moment, because of choices that we made. For every choice, there's another world, parallel to this one, where we made a different one, and the consequences that happened after.”
Alastor gave that thought five seconds before his brain started to melt. “But that would mean there are infinite worlds out there!”
“Exactly!” Lucifer grinned, bouncing in his seat. “Brilliant, right?”
Alastor tapped a claw on his microphone. “Does that mean… it is possible to travel… between these- these threads?”
“I mean, anything is possible,” Lucifer shrugged. “But even I wouldn't know how to do it. The energy needed to perform such a feat would rival that of a black hole!”
Alastor groaned and leaned back. There went that hope. Now that Lucifer mentioned it, he did feel like he had been pulled in many directions…
“Sometimes the threads can… influence each other,” Lucifer mused. “That doesn't mean the future is guaranteed, only that it is one possibility amongst millions. Was there anything else in your dream? Was Charlie there?”
Alastor considered what to reveal. Not too much. “She had Vaggie by her side. The girl had wings, oddly enough.”
Lucifer sucked in a breath, his eyes going wide. “Vaggie had her wings back? That- wow! Though I wouldn't tell her about it, she has to earn them back on her own.”
“Earn them?”
“It's complicated,” Lucifer grimaced. “Nevermind. Anything else?”
Alastor shook his head. “It was quite vivid in its details. I could see the angel's golden blood being spilled. Suffice to say I was quite rattled by it.”
Lucifer's brows knit together again. “So… you aren't angry with me? You'll use my name again instead of the titles?”
“If you wish,” Alastor said smoothly. Just how had he gotten to a first name basis with the little king, anyway?
“Thank fuck!” Lucifer threw his arms up and draped his legs over the arms of his chair. “I hate letting Charlie down!”
Alastor mused on that little tidbit. Clearly their deal stated they should make efforts to get along for Charlie's sake. But what Alastor had gained and what he had traded remained to be revealed. Lucifer certainly seemed at ease in his presence, which was concerning in itself.
Or perhaps he was just going mad.
“Speaking of Charlie,” Alastor interjected. “What are you going to do about her request?”
Lucifer sighed. “I am going to go write a damn letter and send it to my brother, Gabriel. He was always the better peace keeper of the family. He will convince Sera to allow Charlie to visit and present her case.”
“How magnanimous of him,” Alastor sniffed. “Is he the only one you remain in contact with?”
“Technically I could talk to any of them, but Gabriel has been kinder to me, so he speaks on my behalf. Vaggie can go along and protect Charlie.”
“Protect her from what, exactly? Is Heaven not as it seems?”
Lucifer scowled and sullenly kicked his feet. “I gave up on Heaven a long time ago. Maybe if Charlie sees it she will… I don't know, maybe not idolize them as much.”
“Oh, I don't think that is a problem,” Alastor laughed. “She seems to be stuck at your hip! Any parent would be jealous of what you and Charlie share!”
Lucifer's indulgent and sickening smile returned. “I am quite proud of her. I am grateful, too. Without her hotel idea, I wouldn't be enjoying this view.”
His gesture indicated the swamp that took up half of Alastor's room. The frogs were croaking in harmony with the crickets, and the occasional plop of a fish in the pond could be heard.
“You… enjoy my room?” Alastor asked. Once again, he was completely thrown off by the compliment and the implication that anything associated with himself would be pleasurable to anyone, much less the devil.
“Of course I do!” Lucifer replied. “It's your little slice of paradise.”
Alastor started. Even his shadow looked alarmed. He only used that phrase for a select few. How did Lucifer know it?!
“Yes… it is,” he mused, idly scratching at the sliver of exposed skin under the open shirt button.
The king was acting as if they were friends. Close friends, at that. In order to not give himself away, Alastor would have to act in the same manner. Could he do it? The Lucifer he knew had been so fucking annoying, acting like a silly little clown when he had more power in his pinky than half the universe!
Was this Lucifer different? Was he more involved? His relationship with his daughter certainly seemed to suggest so.
New possibilities opened up, with new pathways to take. If Lucifer already trusted him to ask for advice for his darling daughter, then maybe Alastor could still use it to his advantage.
“I think Charlie will be treated well in Heaven,” Alastor said, regaining Lucifer's attention. “It is never easy to fight for what you believe in, but the princess is up to the challenge.”
Lucifer blinked, then relaxed into a smile. “Thanks, Al. I guess I just needed some reassurance. I'll go write that fucking letter, then.”
Lucifer got up and twirled his cane, while Alastor relied on good manners and showed him to the door. Lucifer paused on the threshold, half turning as if he wanted to say something, but then tipped his hat and said goodnight before striding down the hallway towards his room.
Alastor resettled in his armchair with his slender fingers steepled in front, his gaze staring at the bayou without seeing it at all. His shadow chittered and darted around the room, telling him of all the differences that Alastor had not noticed before. It deposited a large white feather onto Alastor's lap.
He picked it up, twirling it idly as he examined the pristine color, so white and holy, out of place in the sinner's abode.
“This is… quite an interesting turn of events. Wouldn't you say?”
The shadow gave a shrug of its shoulders. Alone in his room, Alastor began to laugh.