Calli glances at Angel Dust, who's lying across the entirety of the couch he's on, and says "Ohh-kay, Angel…glad to know you're so enthusiastic about your work…" It's been about two weeks since she moved into the Hotel, and while she's quickly caught on to pretty much everyone and what their thing is…she could've gone forever without seeing this.
Charlie nods, peeking through her hands before turning her head away altogether and saying "That's…wow, that's really honest…"
Vaggie nods, putting a hand over Charlie's face to try and block the tv - even if it can't block the sounds the box is making, and says "That's enough of that…Angel, what the fuck?!"
Angel shrugs, saying "What? You said it was show-and-tell day. I'm showin' you my best film, and I'm tellin' you it scored me a win over that bitch, Tiffany Tit-fucker."
Calli mutters "Could've gone all eternity without seeing that…" An eye-mask promptly appears over her and Charlie's eyes, mercifully blocking any and all light - and therefore sight of the movie.
Husk flatly says "You know, not a very convincing interrogation scene." Calli snorts derisively, even as Angel gasps in mock offense, and moves to blindly turn the tv off thanks to the blindfold that appeared over her eyes - much as she doesn't really want to upset Angel…Husk is right.
Of course, she's had 'girl-time' with Bellatrix when the insane bitch wanted her to say where and how she'd gotten Gryffindor's sword, so she may be a little bit biased. Hermione did have to invent a spell while they were staying at Shell Cottage and a new potion after the war was over to respectively cover up and heal the resulting extensive nerve damage, though, so she considers it hard-earned.
Angel asks "Alright, dick-head, what makes you think you have any right to insult my work to my fuckin' face?"
Husk deadpans "You really gonna sit there and try to act like these scripts aren't hot garbage?" Anything produced by Valentino is hot garbage, plain and simple. No matter who the actors are in the actual movies.
Angel gasps dramatically, and says "Fuck. You. This is classy art!"
Everyone else has a slightly different opinion on that when they see Angel's leg get slapped and then bit on the movie, but keep it to themselves.
Calliope sighs in relief when her fingers finally find the right knob and the tv gets turned off, though not before she has the misfortune of hearing Angel's moan from the movie again, and says "Whatever you want to call it, Angel Dust."
Husk says "That's bullshit - you get drunk and bitch about him all the time. Everyone likes to bitch to the bartender - I know everything about you and all these motherfuckers at this point - bar Calliope, anyway. She's got so much shit. I'm sure I wouldn't know it all by the time Extermination Day comes around - and that's if she finally got drunk and bitched to me right now, that is. Now, him?" He points to Sir Pentious, saying "He's an insecure buffoon who's lonely ass watches everyone else sleep."
Everyone else's heads whip around to stare at him, and Pentious nervously laughs before smiling at Charlie and Vaggie.
"Princess is a bleeding heart who wants to solve everybody else's problems, 'cept her own."
Charlie incoherently denies it, looking at a far wall as the red dots on her cheeks light up from a blush.
Husk points a thumb at Vaggie, saying "She judges everything and everyone around her because she secretly hates herself."
Vaggie scowls for a moment, then groans to herself.
"And, her?" Husk eyes Niffty warily, and says "You don't even wanna know what her deal is."
Angel starts cackling, saying "You weren't kidding!" Angel turns Husk towards him, purring "The kitten has claws…"
Husk quickly gets out of Angel's grip, saying "And you! Don't get me started, I see right through you, all this bullshit, and how fake you are."
Angel gasps, hunching over theatrically while saying "Me? Fake? Wow, I had no idea! Guess that's why I'm an actor, dumbass! And-" Angel's cut off by a familiar buzzing sound, and says "Uh, hold that thought…"
Everyone trades glances with each other as Angel talks on the phone, his body language getting increasingly nervous as the call goes on. The sassy confidence vanishes like evaporating water, and Angel seems to quite literally withdraw on himself as he responds to whatever's being said.
Finally, the call ends and Angel says "Well, Val needs me, so I gotta go!"
Calli asks "Any particular reason you're this cagey about going back to your job?" She's got a good idea of why, and dearly wants anything other than confirmation...but she used to see that exact look in the mirror every single year at Hogwarts after exams, when it was time to pack up and head back 'home.'
And, gods, she doesn't want to know Angel's boss does anything like what Vernon would do to her in his attempts to force the magic out of her. To make her 'normal' as it were.
Angel blinks, then says "Val gets a little tense sometimes is all, sounded like things weren't going well over there in the background." Please don't realize I'm lying through my teeth…
From the look on Calli's face, she most certainly does realize he's lying straight through his teeth.
Charlie blocks his way, saying they still have to finish the activity - and there's not much time for the hotel to prove itself - but Angel says "Charlie, it's my job. I know you want to fix everything, but unless you can fix my boss, there's nothing you can do." And, it goes without saying that there's no fixing Valentino.
Some Sinners really belong down in Hell, no strings attached whatsoever, and Valentino Vee is most definitely one of them.
Angel starts swearing every which way he knows inside his head when he sees Charlie poke her head into the studio - when he said 'unless you can fix my boss,' he'd thought it was very much implied that she couldn't!
The swearing gets even more intense when Calli pokes her head in behind Charlie - if Val tries anything, he's so dead! And, with him being bound to the Overlord via the contract they have…who the fuck knows what'll happen to him if Val dies? If it weren't for that damn contract, or even if that contract were a work contract like Val fucking said it was, then he'd be thrilled to just step back and watch Valentino get torn to shreds by an overprotective magical woman who loves her niece like nothing else in Hell.
Hells, he's not even sure just what all she can do! She's got her magic, yeah, but she's also 'half-demon, half-angel' aside from that, and she's yet to elaborate on that. And he's willing to bet each half comes with some powers of their own.
All those thoughts run through Angel's head in the amount of time it takes for him to get his robe on and get over to the two ladies, and he quietly asks "What in the ever-loving fuck are you doing here?!"
Charlie opens her mouth, a dramatic expression on her face he recognizes all too well - dammit, Charlie,but now's not the time to try and pull a him! - but Calli's hand on her shoulder seems to cut her off. "Charlie got it in her head that she can convince Valentino to give you more time off for the hotel. I'm here to keep Charlie from getting hurt in some way."
Angel nods his head, saying "Great, fantastic-"
"Angel! What is the fucking hold-up!"
Angel gulps, and calls over "Coming!"
"Not off camera, you're not!"
Angel quickly turns back to the two ladies, and says "Please, please, just wait! Wait until I'm done working, and we'll talk about this, I promise, but first you gotta go!"
Angel's expression morphs into pure dread in an instant when Valentino's voice drifts over, finally having noticed just who Angel's talking to. "Ah, Princess…" Valentino walks over, even as Angel's still silently glancing pointedly at the door, and…licks Charlie's arm. "Mm, what a lovely specimen…"
Valentino doesn't get much further, as his grip on Charlie's wrist is suddenly magically forced open and Charlie gets yanked about two feet away from the moth demon. And the poisonous-looking red saliva vanishes, her sleeve unrolling itself as Calli steps forward. "Quite the interesting way of greeting someone. You'll have to forgive me if I don't go in for a handshake myself."
Angel quickly steps between Valentino and Calli, knowing a recipe for absolute disaster when he sees one - the only way this could get worse is if Cherri Bomb was in here! - and hastily says "Charlie, Calli, this is my boss, Val. Val, this is Charlie and Calli! They've just got a question for me, but it can wait until after you don't need me anymore today…"
Valentino raises an eyebrow at Angel, noting the way he's actually got his third set of arms out and is unsuccessfully trying to spin Charlie around and push her to the door with them while still keeping his back to the Princess.
Charlie gets around Angel's hands - the bottom four of them, the top two still rapidly gesturing towards the abandoned scene - but Calli thankfully says "Charlie wishes to speak with you after the shoot. Wouldn't want to delay things anymore than we already have."
Angel sighs in relief when Charlie nods, seeming to get a hint from Calli's look…right up until he spies Calli's eyes tracking the red smoke coming from Valentino's Cigarette. Oh, fuuuuck… He just has to hope Val doesn't do anything too obvious with his controllable smoke, because in a choice between which of the two is scarier…Calliope Liliana Peverell wins hands-down.
That woman may not look particularly dangerous normally, but he's seen her on the phone with 'Fate' and he's seen the brief transformation where she went luminous and deadly as shit before turning back and he swore to himself to never get on her bad side no matter what.
Also, Alastor - the Radio Demon, one of the most feared Overlords in all of Pride Ring, the one that took down several ancient Overlords in the space of maybe a month if the stories are to be believed - is interested and actively flirting with her in his own unique way. Which just makes her that much more terrifying to anger!!