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One thing Velvette learned from her short amount of time in hell, is that talking about your past life is like weirdly taboo. Either that, or it just starts to get a bit fuzzy after a while. Not for her though, she always had a very good memory, something she considered to be more of a curse than a blessing. There’s so much shit she’d rather forget, and on earth she really tried to numb everything a bit with all kinds of substances, but she always remembered. Strangely now that she’s in hell, she’s grown to cherish her memories, but she never shares them. Not just because of the aforementioned taboo, but because it is nice that her memories just feel like they only belong to her now. She knows damn well that there are more people from her past who ended up in hell, but she’s never met any of them. No one in her past life was quite as clever as her, quite as convincing, quite as resistant. All the people who doubted her, all the people who considered themselves to be better than her, all the people who hurt and mocked her.. they’re nobodies in hell. There’s nothing quite as enjoyable as outperforming everyone she’s ever known on earth.
Another thing Velvette knows is that she has an attitude. A major, no nonsense attitude. She doesn’t put up with any bullshit, not from anyone, not even from some of the most powerful people in hell. From her time on earth she learned one thing: empathy is fucking useless. It’s a tool to make women submit to their bosses, their husbands, to the fucking system. It’s sounds edgy af, she’s well aware of that, but it’s the truth. Any time she feels guilty about anything, she rationalizes it. Whatever made her feel guilty, she probably had to do it, it probably benefitted her in some way. Who cares if some suckers have to suffer for her to rise to the top? Most people are cruel and opportunistic, there’s really no point in feeling bad about it at all.
The biggest thing about Velvette is that she likes to work alone. No one really understands her mind, her ingenious ideas and no one ever truly appreciates her insane work ethic. When she’s in the flow, she works like a goddamn maniac. She’s picky, only wanting the most perfect outcome. She feels nothing but dissatisfaction when working with other people, seeing them cut corners and choose worse concepts. People probably think she has a massive ego, but she does doubt herself sometimes. She just can’t allow herself to ever show that, because when people sense insecurity, they’ll trample all over you.
So why then, when she’s learned all these lessons, does she still allow herself to connect with these two people, like a fucking idiot?
Vox feels like a kindred spirit. He plays a character in the public eye, a perfect image, a showman. Just like her, his work ethic is absolutely crazy, and there are times where she can tell he hasn’t slept for days. Or well, maybe sleeping isn’t the right word, it’s more like he turns off, like an actual fucking tv. There is something so comical about the strange curses hell has given them. Vel still doesn’t really know why the hell she was given the body of a doll.. ugh whatever, no point in dwelling on it. Anyways, back to Vox’s comical form, apparently he sometimes electrocutes himself, and while sleeping his dreams display on his screen (she’d love to see what his dreams would reveal about him). His form is actually incredibly useful at times, but it must’ve been awkward to get used to. Apparently his form changed throughout the years, becoming more modern as technology developed. She loves that he gets with the times, she almost never really feels his age, and he never talks down to her as if she’s a child to him. He actually respects her, something that gets her a bit flustered sometimes, because she’s really not used to it. On earth she never truly felt respected, since people always underestimated her and never acknowledged her efforts.
The first time Vox invited her to talk business, she was nervous, for the first time in a very, very long time. She felt flattered that her work did not go unnoticed. She garnered quite a bit of influence with her unique fashion designs, her impressive knowledge on how to make #trending social media posts, and her bad bitch image. She was never unprepared for anything, so she made sure she knew everything there was to know about Vox before going into the meeting with him. But he really surprised her, because when she talked with him one on one, he wasn’t all business. Of course, he was professional, but he was also genuine, and she could peer into his private life a bit. He talked about his partnership with Valentino. She could totes understand why he was a valuable asset since he was in control of the porn studios (a crazy moneymaker with all these horny mofos around), but he talked about Valentino with a certain amount of warmth. He didn’t just consider him a useful ally, but he actually enjoyed his company.. she could even tell he kinda cared about him. It may seem crazy that she could notice all this just from his tone, but Velvette is hella observant, a useful skill if you wanna make it far. During the meeting they even share some laughs, and they end up chatting for a bit longer than the time that was reserved for her.
“Doggone it, it seems I’ve lost track of time, I really gotta hurry now if I wanna be on time for next appointment,” he says while quickly packing up some things. “I apologize for the sudden exit, it was a very pleasant conversation, and I hope to be able to continue this with you some other time.” He plants a kiss on her hand in a very gentlemanly fashion, and Velvette feels herself blush, something she hopes he doesn’t pick up on. From the times she’s seen him on tv and the research she’s done on him she knew he’d be a charmer, but being in his presence is different than observing it from a distance. While leaving his building, she catches herself grinning like a fool.
The next time she meets with Vox, Valentino is also there. She can’t lie, Valentino’s stature is intimidating. She knew ahead of time that he was tall as a motherfucker, but actually feeling him tower over her is a bit scary. Another thing she notices is that Valentino is extremely touchy, constantly draping himself all over Vox. Val doesn’t talk much during the meeting, only occasionally weighing in, although most of his comments seem to add absolutely nothing to the conversation. She’s aware it’s a cruel thought, but she notices that Valentino is a little dumber than Vox, he even seems somewhat easy to manipulate. Is that what Vox enjoys about Valentino? That he can easily mold Val into whatever he needs him to be? Because, as she established before, it can’t be that Vox only values Valentino for the amount of power he possesses, because Vox genuinely enjoys Val’s company. Just when she wants to write him off, Valentino says something interesting.
“Darlings, isn’t it funny how all our names begin with the V?” “Quite the observation”, Vox says absentmindedly. “We should call ourselves the Vees!” Valentino sounds so excited, Velvette can’t help but find it a bit endearing. “That’s actually.. not a bad idea. It’s easily understandable, it’ll stick and it’s fun.. a good brand name,” she says. Valentino seems satisfied with her answer, patting himself on the back for coming up with that name. Vox however seems a bit doubtful. “Doesn’t the name come off as a bit.. immature?” Velvette understands his concern, but tries to convince him. “You mustn’t take yourself too seriously, Vox. We’re all in the entertainment industry, a fun name would complement that.” He raises an eyebrow at her comment, and she realizes she fucked up. She overstepped, she questioned him, she got too comfortable. This is the part where she’ll get told that she doesn’t know shit..
“That’s a good point Velvette, I appreciate your input. I think if we want to stick with this brand name, we should make it a major part of our identity, for example the building where Valentino and I work.. we can expand that. I could make three sections, each with a V on it, and then I could also…” Vox keeps rambling on and on about it, and Velvette’s fucking over the moon. Sure, it wasn’t her idea, but she fully convinced him. Valentino starts laughing at Vox’s rambling, and he moves closer to her. He whispers softly in her ear. “He gets like this sometimes, isn’t it cute, how he’s all fired up with ideas?” His tone is lewd, although from how she heard him speak so far, he seems to say every sentence in a bit of a seductive manner. It doesn’t help that Valentino gets a bit touchy, his long arms draped over her, although he did that to Vox too, so it might not mean anything. Valentino is surprisingly comfy for a man who’s so thin he’s basically all bones. It must be the soft coat draped around him (which she later realizes are his wings). She leans into him a bit. This would make for a cute selfie, she thinks.
It’s been a bit since that meeting, and things moved fast.. a bit too fast for her liking. When Vox sets his mind to something, it has to happen immediately, which is something she usually admires, but right now it was all a bit much. She could tell she was growing attached to the two old men, and that was something she wasn’t used to. Her body was telling her to back off, that it was unsafe to start caring again, that business and pleasure don’t mix. But then she looks at Vox and Valentino. It’s funny how she missed it at first, but their relationship is not purely platonic. While it definitely makes things more complicated sometimes, they manage it well. They argue, they kiss, they scream, they fuck. Velvette can’t deny it: she enjoys the drama. The fact that this partnership isn’t all business, it’s not perfect or completely efficient.. it’s messy. She finds it difficult to admit, but that’s exactly why it works for her, why she loves this partnership. Goddammit, she’s getting sentimental.. cringe.
Velvette’s busy managing the Vees’ social media account when she comes across a picture in her camera roll that feels.. well, special. In the picture she’s on the couch. curled up in Valentino’s lap, while Vox is sleeping next to them. The picture looks so peaceful, and there’s so much trust between them. Then she looks at Val’s hands, and she lets out a giggle, seeing how they’re rested on her chest. She should probably be upset, but she got used to his touchiness. She feels her stomach acting up, a familiar feeling, like getting butterflies in your stomach. She laughs to herself.. yeah right, as if. Still, she can’t help herself from staring at the picture a bit longer. This one is not being posted, she decides, this picture is just for her.
She’s finally a part of something, something real.