"What the hell...."

The red and black clad spirit laughed. "Quite the introduction, my dear, but I'd be careful of that mouth of yours..." He gestured to the doorway where Atticus, as it was assumed to be, ducked away again. "Anyways, you asked for help?"

".... Who are you...? And I usually watch what I say.... Just never seen a person(?) like yourself before...." She noted the impossibly wide smile on his face that never seemed to drop even for a second. 'Doesn't that hurt your face?' She must've said it out loud because the man laughed along with a laughing soundtrack that seemed to go off without any apparent cause.

"No it does not. Ever. Even demons don't speak of their domain around the little ones, Janette dear." He replied, summoning his cane to lean on.

Janette froze... 'A DEMON?!?! HOW THE FUCKING HELL IS A DEMON HERE?!'

"Umm... y-you're a d-demon...? A-and more importantly... h-how do you know my name..?" She stuttered out.

His smile ALMOST faltered. 'She doesn't remember me..?' "Indeedy I am, Janette dear! I know your name because we have met before!" He replied, "cheerfully".

Janette made an unsure face... "W-we have...? Uggggghhhhh!!!!" She forgot about the injury on her hand.

"Pardon me, I have to get this fixed up..." she walked quickly to the kitchen and started to rinse the cut. It looked worse than she originally thought.

"Allow me." The demon took her hand, looking it over. "Hm, quite deep. I could use my magic, but something tells me you'd rather I not." He looked to her for confirmation.

"You promise not to pull anything...? And afterwards you tell me why you're here and how." She negotiated. The pain was getting to her pretty badly.

"... I promise, my dear. No deals this time around." He cupped her and in his and his red magic sealed the wound. "I am here because you had summoned me from my radio." He explained as he was healing her.

"Y-your radio...? Y-you mean Aunt Elenore's antique radio?!" She asked surprised.

"Yes indeedy. That was my radio once upon a time ago! Back when I was alive in the 1920's and 30's." He hummed.

"W-well... how did Elenore find it? And did she know you?"

"Of course! I don't just let anyone handle my radio. I gave it to her myself, she was well aware of who I was and what I did.." Anyone who handled his radio without his permission was often found torn apart and partially eaten, the consequences for doing so.

She was kinda afraid to ask if he took her soul. But she asked anyways. "Did... did you make a deal with her... and take her soul?.... Did my grandmother know you?" She asked quietly.

"Maria knew of me and no, there are very few humans that I make deals with who's souls I don't take. Elenore was one of them. The woman even made it to the golden gates." He scoffed in lighthearted amusement. "Hell is so much more fun if you ask me."

"Well, at least she can be at peace... she deserved it... grandma too..." she said sadly. She looked him straight in the eyes with a certain confidence that was not common with the humans that he usually dealt with. "But you still haven't told me HOW you got here." She said firmly as she held her cross with her other hand. A silent threat if he ever did see any.

He tilted his head. "I didn't say that you summoned me through the radio? Or perhaps you're looking for more insight into how. Very well. Your blood was spilt on my radio, causing me to come investigate. When I saw you, I was overjoyed that you were back and heard you were in need of assistance. So here I am!" He opened his arms in a show of presentation.

She gave a skeptical but amused look into his antics. "That still doesn't answer how we, or at least you, know each other... maybe if you can remind me of a certain memory...?" She suggested.

"Ah. It seems I'd mistaken the question, I apologize. Well! To cut a long story short, we used to play when you visited when you were younger!" He chuckled fondly. "Such good times we had dear Janette, I sometimes miss them... BUT! Now you're back! And you are our caretaker! It's a double win!" If it was possible, his smile became wider.

Then it clicked. That impossibly wide smile that always seemed to cheer her up when she was sad or upset with her family.

".... Smiley Buckeroo?" She muttered his childhood name that she gave to her imaginary friend as a child.

He absolutely beamed with joy. "BINGO! You DO remember me!"

".... Barely... I was six at the time. I don't quite remember everything. But if it's one thing I know. It's that smile. The one that seemed to taunt my family every time they messed with me..." She said as she smiled at a memory of Lukas stealing her favorite doll and kept it away from her. Until her "imaginary friend" took it from his hands and scared the boy out of his wits end. To which her brother ran off screaming and her friend gave her back her doll while patting her on the head with a peck on top of her mess of brown locks. Back then she was made fun of a lot because of how much she looked like a babydoll. She still wasn't taken seriously by her peers even today since she still had some of those cute petite features when she was a child.

"That is fine, my dear. If you cannot remember, I'll just reintroduce myself. My name is Alastor. Most of the children call me Al, most of the other spirits call me Master. One calls me The Radio Demon.." He chuckled. "You can call me whatever you want though." He held his hand out to shake.

Janette looked apprehensive at shaking his hand since from what her grandma told her about demons and their deals. But since he was an old friend... She handed him her delicate but strong hand to him for him to shake. But he surprised her yet again as he brought her knuckles for a kiss.

"You look lovely, by the way, my dear. You should smile, you're never fully dressed without one, you know."

She blushed as she chuckled. "Now THAT I remember you telling me often. And as for help.... Can you check the foundation in the basement? I have been trying to fill in the cracks in the mantle for over an hour and I'm still not even close to filling them. Meanwhile... I have to look up Electricians in the area and alligator wranglers that take giant alligators into an enclosure or reserve or something..." she responded as her hand was fully healed with that tingly sensation of where he placed that kiss.

"I can cash in a favor." He replied, snapping his fingers. "A shame to see Sal go though. Sarah will have to find a new friend..." He hummed, contemplating something.

Janette seemed to think it over. 'Maybe I can adopt a few pets for the kids to entertain themselves with...'

"Well regardless. Sal will most likely end up in the zoo since he sounds like he's somewhat domesticated. I'm tempted to keep him just to scare off my mother and her suitors that she tries to keep setting me up with." She joked.

But Alastor was less than amused. There was even a record scratch played to show his surprise.

"Suitors?" If Sal didn't scare them off, Alastor would... He'd likely kill them, actually.

"Yeah.... My mother has been doing this since I "became of age". My family is.... "Traditional"." She said with distaste.

"How disturbing. We should definitely keep Sal. He was hatched near that pond, you know. Sarah has been caring for him since, he's as tame as an alligator can get." Alastor stated quickly.

"Well okay... But certain precautions have to be put into place. Like a very STRONG fence and I'm probably going to have to get a special license... I was thinking I'd get the other children some pets as well to keep them happy. And if we're keeping Sal, then a fence is definitely needed." She explained.

His blood red eyes glittered. "HOW WONDERFUL! Oh yes, the children would quite like that! Benjamin and Atticus are dog people. Sarah will likely stick to Sal like glue. Lial and Selen are more cat people themselves, though I could also see Selene owning a Ferret after the whole Raccoon fiasco!" He laughed with his "audience" in the background.

Janette cringed. "I assume you saw what happened with my lunch...?"

"I did. May have taught the little beast a thing or two while I was at it. Too bad I didn't have time to eat it before it was taken away.."

She made the face of general displeasure. "Yeah. Can't tell which of his fate would've been better. But regardless, there's another question I need to ask. Who's Arabella?"

"Arabella? She's a friend. A demon like myself who comes to help keep the peace on occasion. Many of the spirits here get restless and aggressive when another enters their "territory" of the house. It happens often since this house is on a layline."

"Woah, woah, woah!!! Back up... this house is on a layline?! As in like the "Greyhound bus" for rando spirits to come and go?! And THIS is one of their pitstops?!"

"Indeed. You see the problem now?" Alastor sighed. "Someone has to keep the peace around here. That was our part of the deal with Elenore. In return she would keep our summoning items safe and keep us from being exorcised or something along those lines."

"Then how come I haven't met her yet? As second in command around here, shouldn't she come out to see if I was doing the job right or something?" She asked inquisitively.

"Well...." He tilted his head in the direction of her summoning item. "She's a little stuck at the moment."

Janette looked to see where her item was. It was a cute little cat figurine that looked both old and new that was sitting on a small shelf on the kitchen wall. "So... not that I enjoy summoning more demons than I want to... but how do I get her out?" She said as she carefully picked it up.

"Same way you got me out, my dear." Alastor replied.

"Uggggghhhhh! Do I have cut myself again or something?" She cringed.

"No, no! I wouldn't even dream of such a thing! Perhaps just a pinprick to the finger... yes that ought to do it.." He nodded as he thought about it. He didn't much like the idea of Janette being wounded.

He took one of her hands and with the tip of his clawed finger, poked her finger. Her blood smelled divine to him. But he held back as much as he could and placed the drop of blood on the figurine. The object started to rattle till Janette had to put it on the floor before she accidentally broke it.

Out of nowhere big puffs of glittery smoke that smelled strongly of perfume, makeup, and catnip (?) started to fill the room till a pink horned creature was dusting herself off. She wore cute but risque black striped clothing and heart shaped black stockings that had white ruffles and her skin was a deep shade of pink and seemed to have a tail and a pair of pink bat-like wings. Her facial features oddly cat-like. Her pink hair curled into twin buns where they looked like hearts and long curly bangs to frame her face.

'So THAT'S where that smell was coming from! I just assumed it was Rosaline. Oh well lesson learned.'

"Whew! THAT was absolutely God awful! Didn't think that annoying priest found my item so easily...." The demoness said as she briefly coughed.

"Yes, hello to you too, Arabella. Wouldn't you like to THANK our dear Janette for helping you out." Alastor prompted, gently placing a hand on the small of her back.

"Aww thanks Al! Such a gentleman~ and as for the human.... Thanks sweetie~...." She sniffed the cleared out air around Janette. "Are you by any chance a virgin~?" She purred. To which Janette went bright red. "Would you like me to fix that~? As a thanks for getting me out~?" She purred suggestively.

Alastor growled lowly, his eyes going to dials and demonic symbols surrounding him.

The demoness backed off, holding up her hands in mock surrender. "Aye aye captain! Her booty's all yours, arrrghhh~!" She teased in a pirate voice. To which Janette flushed at and was horribly confused.

Alastor quickly fixed his appearance. "I don't know what you're talking about Arabella. Oh! Nifty's done with the basement, would you like to see, my dear?"

She was still a little confused but nodded in confirmation as she walked towards the basement. Arabella caught up to her and properly introduced herself while walking backwards in front of Janette.

"The name's Arabella Nekoma. But my fans call me Pop Rox and close friends Poppy or Bella. And I'm guessing you're the new caretaker of the place?" She questioned as they reached the basement door.

"Yeah, my name's Janette Daweson. I was left in charge of the place when my Aunt Elenore passed. How'd you get stuck in the cat figurine?"

"Uggggghhhhh!!! Someone, I don't really know who, *cough* the oldest *cough*, called in a priest to "cleanse" the house. I guess he presumed that he would inherit most of her stuff. Idiot. I tried to get rid of them before they reached the other spirits. But the damn priest found my item and sealed me in. Not one of my finer moments... Hey Al. Are the others okay?" Arabella asked as she turned her attention to him as they opened the door and walked down the basement stairs. To which Janette was glad it was bug, spider, and snake free!

"I took care of it. They are unharmed. I can't say the same for that puny priest though..." He chuckled darkly.