Tw: Injury, blood, Alastor being a freak, alcohol, sexual references, 

"Alastor! I'm fine!" Nyla insisted for what must've been the tenth time. "Really!"

"Nonsense," Alastor said. He reached for her leg once again only for her to slap his hand away. "Darling, we need to wrap it before you bleed out."

"It already stopped bleeding! I already took care of it!" Nyla ran around the table to be on the other side. "I'm perfectly fine!"

"Then let me inspect it!" Alastor narrowed his eyes.

"It's fine, though!" Nyla sprinted away from him.

"You're limping!" Alastor furiously said. "That is the opposite of 'fine'!"

Nyla glared at him. "It's just sore!"

"Prove it!" Alastor eventually caught up to her with his long legs and wrapped his arms around her. She yelled profanities as he picked her up and placed her on a chair.

"Hey!" Nyla tried to stand up, only to have him gently push her back down.

"Stay still," Alastor scolded and inspected her thigh. He let out a hum of approval when he didn't see any fresh blood. "Splendid. I'll only have to give it just a bit of work."

"What?" Nyla demanded, only to be gagged.

"Hush, darling. It'll be over soon."

Minutes later, Nyla's entire leg was covered in bandages and gauze. She couldn't move it and was leaning on a pair of crutches.

She spat out the gag and glowered at him. "The fuck was that for?"

"Watch your language, darling," Alastor warned. He stepped back and looked pleased with himself. "I do say, I did an excellent job."

"It's totally pointless," Nyla argued. "It wasn't even bleeding. And it's not like a broke my leg! It's overkill!"

"No harm in being overly cautious," Alastor said to placate her. "Now why don't you go up to bed? A bit of rest will help you."

"It's just past noon!" Nyla protested.

Alastor rolled his eyes. "Very well. But you're not using that leg."

"Try and stop me," Nyla angrily said and grabbed a knife to slice through the cast.

Alastor's fingers wrapped around her wrist and he shook his head disapprovingly. "Uh-uh. You don't want to continue bleeding, do you?"

"It's fine! I'm healed!" Nyla snapped. "You're being weird!"

"Don't exert yourself. We wouldn't want you to stress out, would we?" Alastor cooed.

"The fuck is wrong with you?" Nyla hissed out, fighting against his grip. "I didn't even ask for your help!"

"Fine," Alastor coldly said, releasing her. "See how well you manage without me."

The cast disappeared and blood began to sport from the reopened wound. Nyla clutched the table and leaned heavily against it.

"Still don't need my help?" Alastor had his back to her as he read a magazine that had been left lying out.

"You fucking bastard," Nyla furiously said. The bleeding wasn't slowing or stopping. He was obviously doing something to it. "Why was I stupid enough to think we could be friends?"

Alastor ignored her. "Top hats are on sale. How do you think I'd look with a hat?"

"Fine! Alastor! Help me!" Nyla gave in as the blood loss got to her. Her head was so hot and so cold and the ground looked so comfortable and why was everything going black and-

"Oh, darling." Alastor, with a tap of his cane to the floor, had her wound bandaged in a moment. It didn't help with her wooziness, though.

"I don't feel good." Nyla tried to crawl away, but he stepped in front of her path.

"I'll take care of everything." Alastor crouched in front of her. "Because that's what happens when you come to me."

Then she passed out.

"Oh, my dear." A heavy sigh. "Whatever will I do with you?"

Nyla's eyes fluttered open and she squinted. "Wha-"

"Don't try to get up yet." Alastor set a glass of water on the nightstand. "Passing out again so soon wouldn't be great for your health I imagine."

Everything came rushing back to her and she scrambled away until her back hit the headboard.

"You sick son of a bitch!" Nyla grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. It bounced off his chest.

"Don't speak of my mother," Alastor warned, eyes turning into radio dials for a split second. He smiled brightly. "And what did I tell you about such vulgar language?"

"Get out of my room!" Nyla yelled. "Get out!"

"I owe you my deepest apologies." Alastor's eyes slid halfway shut. "I overreacted to your injury. I'm just not used to... caring about the well-being of others."

Nyla huffed. "You're not forgiven. You nearly killed me."

"And for that I am deeply sorry." Alastor used his pointer finger and thumb to pick up the pillow. He placed it at her feet and dusted his hands off on his pants. "I shouldn't have crossed those lines and I certainly should not have inflicted such pain upon you by responding your wound."

Nyla crossed her arms and pursed her lips. "I still haven't forgiven you, but... Maybe I can in the future. We need to make some boundaries, though, if we're going to be friends."

"Perfectly agreeable." Alastor sat on the edge of the bed, crossing his legs.

"Okay, first of all there will be no more of just gagging me and giving me medical treatment." Nyla gestured to her thigh. "And I expect you to actually talk to me when you're feeling something instead of just knocking me out or some shit."

"Very well." Alastor held out his hand. "Is that all?"

"For now, I think." Nyla shook his hand. "Now get out of my room so I can change."

Alastor's smile strained. "About that..."

"What?" Nyla's brow pinched. "What is it?"

"This isn't your room." Alastor stood up off the bed and dusted his pants off. "I didn't want you waking up to the little creature in your room eating your face."

Nyla threw her arm over her face. "So whose room is this?"

Alastor placed a finger on his chin. "A good question, my dear."

"You don't even know whose room this is? I'm just in a stranger's bed? Oh my god what if it's Angel's bed." Nyla started gagging and rolled out of the bed. "Someone shine a blacklight in this room."

"Shall we?" Alastor held out his arm.

Nyla sighed and looped her arm through his. "Let's go to my room so I can take a long bath."

"Afterwards shall we find the address we were given?" Alastor suggested. "If you feel up to it, that is."

"Sure. But can you not make me start bleeding out again? Because I'd like to go a couple of days without you trying to kill me."

Alastor laughed. "Darling, we're friends. I won't try to kill you unless absolutely necessary."

"Wow, this place is huge," Nyla commented as they stood on the casino's front steps. "Where do we even start?"

"By leaving." Alastor gave a drunk man stumbling out of the casino a disgusted look.

"Oh, come on! I want to find whoever's imitating me!" Nyla pressed her hands together and batted her eyelashes. "Please! Pretty please!"

Alastor sighed. "You're lucky my mother taught me to never disappoint a woman. Fine. Let us go and gamble our lives away."

"Thank you!" Nyla clapped her hands excitedly and bounded into the building. Alastor trailed behind, muttering under his breath about gambling.

"Look at all the bright colours!" Nyla squealed and pointed at the flashing lights.

"Would you like to make a deal?" Alastor leered down at a woman who was nearly unconscious.

"Alastor!" Nyla scolded. "No! Bad! Don't make me get the spray bottle!"

"Do you actually... have a spray bottle?" Alastor questioned, returning to her side.

Nyla arched an eyebrow. "Do I?"

Alastor grumbled, but didn't say anything further to the woman.

"Champagne?" A tray was offered to them by an employee.

"Oh, yes, thank you." Nyla grabbed two; one for her and one for Alastor.

"Very well." Alastor reluctantly took it. "But only to deal with this torture."

"Hello." A man with blown out pupils and very little clothing smiled seductively at them. He had a little ball of fluff for hair sitting atop his head. "My name is Glitter."

"Glitter?" Alastor repeated. "Why would your parents pick such a ridiculous name?"

"That's not his real name," Nyla muttered to him. "He uses a fake name for his line of work."

Alastor's eyebrows went up. "Oh. My apologies."

"None taken, handsome." Glitter leaned forward. "Anything I can do for you?"

"No, thank you." Alastor skirted around him, dragging Nyla along.

Glitter hurried to catch up. "Hey! Wait a minute!"

"What's up?" Nyla asked, turning around.

Glitter discreetly handed her a slip of paper. "I was told to give this to you."

Nyla cocked her head as she read it aloud to Alastor. "The identity thief is in a back room. Glitter will bring you."

"I will?" Glitter frowned before sighing. "Alright. Let's go."

So they followed him into the back section of the casino, the part with hazy, smoke-filled air and dim lights. Alastor was appalled at the sight of a pole dancer and nearly had a heart attack.

"See the imposter anywhere?" Alastor asked as Nyla surveyed the room.

"I'm trying to see someone who looks similar to me. If anyone who I had made a deal with as the Soul Reaper saw someone masquerading as me, they'd get suspicious. So they're someone who- There."

Alastor looked to where she was pointing, to see someone with her exact shade of hair colour. She looked scarily similar, in fact. He couldn't see any differences.

"That has to be her." Nyla faced Glitter. "Thank you. We've got it from here."

Glitter nodded before scurrying away. Alastor grinned wider at the thought of what they were about to do to-

"I'm going to just talk with her first." Nyla shattered all of his hopes and dreams. "It might just be a simple misunderstanding. Stay here."

"Have fun," Alastor grumpily told her. He considered sitting before shaking his head. He didn't want to touch any of the sticky surfaces in that room.

He was just watching as Nyla approached her 'twin' when the woman spotted her. She bolted, and Nyla began to sprint after her.

"Alastor!" Nyla shouted as the woman ran back out into the casino. "Come on!"

Alastor strutted after them both, not even bothering to run. Eventually, Nyla cornered the woman, bringing out her knives.

"Who are you?" Nyla demanded. "Why are you pretending to be me?"

"Or are you pretending to be me?" countered the woman.

"Please, darling," Alastor addressed Nyla, "let me break her. I'll leave her intact enough to talk with you!"

The woman must have seen the excitement in his eyes, because her lip trembled before she said, "It was a job. I was paid good money for it. I guess we looked similar enough, because a bit of makeup finished the job."

"It's remarkable, really," Alastor remarked as he inspected it.

"I'll let you go as long as you promise to stop pretending to be the Soul Reaper. I worked hard for that reputation and I'll kill you if I have to." Nyla drew the knife back from the woman's neck.

"Yes! Good! That's good to me!" The woman frantically nodded, trying to skirt away from Alastor, who was invading her personal space.

"Go." Nyla stepped back.

Alastor stared down his nose at Nyla. "You have no assurance that she'll keep her promise."

"True, but we know that someone hired her to do it. We need to find whoever that is." Nyla sheathed her knife. "Let's get out of here."

"All in all, it was a pleasant evening," Alastor reflected. "I really wish you would've let me torture her. Even just a little bit."

"No, Alastor." Nyla shivered. "What if we need her later on? You can't just kill people that upset you."

Alastor rolled his eyes. "Very well."

"We should've gone gambling," Nyla joked, nudging him with her elbow.

Alastor hummed and slipped his overcoat off, draping it over her shoulders. "Poker, perhaps? You would have a terrible poker face."

"What?" Nyla bristled, pulling the coat tighter around her. "I have an amazing poker face!"

Alastor's smile turned teasing. "Would you like to put that to the test?"

"Yes. I'm going to make you eat your words." Nyla studied his face for a moment. "And you'd be terrible at poker too. You're always smiling."

"Which is exactly why I'm good at poker. No one knows when I'm lying," Alastor smugly said.

"True." Nyla yawned. "I have a desk of cards that I'll bring to your room? We'll play there on the little table you have there?"

"What will we play with? Do you have any poker chips?" Alastor questioned.

"I don't. And I don't have large wads of cash, either." Nyla tapped her chin. "Strip poker?"

"Absolutely not."

"That's what I thought." Nyla grinned. "I'm sure Husk's got some chips we can borrow."

Alastor opened the hotel's door for her. "I'll ask Husker while you retrieve the cards?"

Nyla nodded and went upstairs to get them, while Alastor approached Husk at the bar.

"What the fuck do you want?" Husk grumbled.

"Poker chips." Alastor examined his nails. "Please and thank you."

Husk pulled them out from under the bar, sliding them across to Alastor. "What're they for?"

"Nyla and I are going to play some poker," Alastor briefly explained before he carried the chips away.

Nyla was in his room when he went up,having brought a deck of cards with her. They set it up on his table and sat across from each other.

And Nyla was very surprised to discover that Alastor was very good at poker.

He won every round.

"Fine. You win." Nyla through her hand down and stood up. She yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. "I'm going to bed."

She was almost out the door before she realized she still had his jacket on.

"Sorry, and thanks," Nyla said as she returned it to him.

"My pleasure. And I'd be happy to beat you in poker anytime." Alastor bid goodnight to her.

"I'll beat you next time," Nyla promised before entering her own room at the other side of the hallway.

Alastor chuckled to himself as he closed his door. She could certainly try to beat him, but he wasn't going to make it easy.

He was too busy practising his poker face (and yes, it's different than his usual smile) to notice Nyla's door slamming shut as she left the hotel.