"Miss Charlotte?" Ari asked with a cocked brow.
Charlie sighed and Vaggie froze. That voice…..Angel, seizing chance, shoved Vaggie off of him. The knock sounded again, and Charlie groaned. Ari went to ask what was wrong, when the voice inquired again,
"Miss Charlotte, do you intend to leave me on the doorstep?"
"Do you have to insist on calling me that!?" Charlie snapped through the door.
"It is unbecoming for a lady such as yourself to yell through a door." The male voice responded promptly.
"Canis, you're worse than my dad!" She groused.
Ari was confused. Canis? Was he like Angel in the respect of being a hotel resident? She watched as Charlie opened the door and her eyes took in the one called Canis. Tall and of muscular build, war hardened and scarred in face, his clothes were that of cloth and chainmail. Leather boots donned his feet and heavily clunked as they walked through the hotel's door. Charlie asked with an aggravated sigh,
"What does dad want this time, Canis?" looking at him with a narrowed gaze, she added huffily, "And call me Charlie, damn it!"
"Miss Charlotte, it would be inappropriate to call their master by improper name." Canis responded gruffly. He added, "Your father sensed something…. different…" he paused at the sight of Ari and added as he walked towards her, "You're a new face around here, aren't you?"
He bowed with the eloquence of a knight, which dated him. Ari figured he was older, and judging by the aura of violence, he was possibly one of those 'dangerous demons' her earlier pursuer had mentioned. Canis asked with a crisp voice,
"And what is your name, my lady?"
"Ari….I think it's a pleasure to meet you?" Ari answered hesitantly.
"Ah, I see from your mannerisms you fell recently." He responded while up-righting himself.
Angel was bemused. He remembered Canis…very well. Getting huffy and indignant, a hand rested on his hip. He glared at Canis with a bitter stare. He snarked in demand,
"Why the fuck weren't ya that nice ta me when we first met, huh!?"
"Every time you speak is like nails on a chalkboard, you insulant, little spider." Canis snarled.
Charlie stood between the two, glaring at the both like a very angry mother. If Canis didn't know any better, her mother was standing before him. He chuckled, and stepped back to show he was slightly backing off, and said with a softer tone,
"As you wish, young miss."
Charlie rolled her eyes at the formality. Ari was just standing there, totally confused. He wasn't a hotel resident, nor by his dress was he the butler. Who the fuck is this guy!? She thought in confusion. Sensing her conundrum and her hesitancy to ask, Charlie sighed. She gestured and said with another sigh,
"Ari, this is my father's retainer….And just to get this out in the air now being as I have no choice, my father is Lucifer Magne, the Lord of Hell itself."
The air felt like glass; frail and threatening to shatter from the slight tension. Ari couldn't believe what she was just told. Lucifer himself not only had a daughter, she was apparently residing in the same area with her! This could either be safety, or knowing how chaotic things were here, it could be uncertain doom. Canis, to break the tension, spoke out with,
"My lady, I am more than just a mere retainer! I am a devout, loyal servant to the Magne family, including yourself. I would gauge the eyes of anyone who dares to even so sneer at those who carry the Magne name. By the way, I must have words with that reporter K—"
"You will not!" Charlie hastily interjected.
"As you wish…" Canis said humbly, but Ari could almost detect a hint of disappoint.
Another knock, yet softer in sound resounded on the door. More like a rapping tap on the wood. Charlie beamed and Angel huffed again. He watched as Charlie bounded to the door, and he snarled slightly,
"Charlie, ya coulda told mah stupid ass we was having company! I coulda spruced up a bit!"
"You finally admitted you're a dumbass, Angel!? Holy fuck, cue the Four Horsemen!" Vaggie sniped.
Canis just looked at the spider demon with a very low threatening growl. The door opened the third time, and with a happy cry, Charlie hugged a middle height demon dressed in white and red, with a stovetop hat decorated with a red apple and violet serpent. Canis immediately kneeled to the newcomer. Ari looked a little surprised. This was Lucifer? If I ever see my Bible school teacher again, I'm telling her "BULLSHIT!" Ari thought with a snark. Lucifer's gaze went to everyone in the room, and as they finally settled on Ari, his eyes suddenly widened, and a sharp gasp escaped his throat.
"Canis, you didn't tell me it was here!" Lucifer almost squealed.
Ari blinked and the next thing she knew, he was right in front of her…and extremely close. He was bouncing up and down, rubbing his hands together as if he just won the jackpot. His excited gaze looked away at Ari to look at Canis, who responded humbly at his previous remark,
"Sire, I merely just arrived. I haven't had the ability to assess the situation properly."
"It's forgiven, but for now, help me inspect the…how do your generation of young people put it? Newbie?" Lucifer said eclectically.
"Y-Yeah, that's how it's put!" Ari said before something felt off.
She heard the familiar clang of metal, and the next thing she knew, Ari was rendered immobile. She frantically followed the chain's origin to see them extruding from Canis's forearm. Her eyes widened, and Lucifer just shook his head tutting. He said with an amused purr,
"My dear Canis, you are way too literal! But nonetheless, it is appreciated!"
"My apologies, sire." Canis humbly apologized.
Lucifer chuckled and resumed ogling in curiosity. Ari looked to Charlie and Vaggie with a glance that radiated Save me! in it. After a few minutes, Lucifer gasped and let out a happy, "AHA!" before turning to Canis, and saying gleefully while pointing at a red cross on Ari's chest ,
"I found the mark!~ But this one," He pointed at the stab wound from earlier and added, "Is not supposed to be here! My dear, what did you get into?"
He sounded like a father, alright. Except, Ari wasn't expecting to wear his almost doting mannerisms. Realizing she had to answer, and rather quickly she stuttered out,
"Ahhhh….I arrived during the extermination. I got afoul of a—What did you call it Charlie? Oh, yeah!—an angelic blade…"
Lucifer's yellow eyes went wide with shock and even his fanged grin faltered a bit. He looked to Vaggie and Charlie, as if trying to confirm that what she said was true. Vaggie nodded, and Lucifer returned his gaze to Ari with a startled laugh. Canis said with shock while retracting the chains,
"Surviving an exorcist was thought to be impossible, except for exceptionally older and stronger demons….How did you survive?"
"Again, I don't know! I blew my head off in a fit of rage, only to land….Oh, shit." She ended in horror.
"I thought I smelled suicide…" Canis murmured.
Charlie and Lucifer alerted on the revelation on her ability to recall her death. Lesser demons usually didn't remember their fall, let alone their death. Vaggie and Angel were surprised. Vaggie's heart somewhat softened a bit at the revelation. Whatever Ari's reasons were would come in time, but she could empathize with it. However, she had to wonder something. Looking at Ari, she asked somewhat hesitantly,
"Why was a plague doctor chasing you?"
"A plague doctor? Tell me my dear," Fixing Ari with a serious stare, he asked firmly, "Did this doctor have a German accent?"
"Y-Yea he did….He was picking up body parts, and proceeded to chase me like I stole from him…" Ari responded.
Canis alerted on the description and a brow raised in curious confusion. A corpse collector? Besides imps, they are the lowest of the whelps of the Nine Circles! Why would he want Ari? He thought to himself. Lucifer waved a dismissive hand, and said in a jovial tone,
"Not to worry my dear! As long as you stay in the Hotel, you'll be safe!"
Canis nodded his head in understanding his sire's words. Apparently, there was something was afoot that Canis was unaware of. Charlie decoded it as well, and a look of Oh, shit….crossed her face. Vaggie recognized that look from the failed interview. Charlie protested,
"Dad! Not here! Canis is SO not needed here right now!"
"My hellion, you have full control over him! Use him as you see fit! He likes it!" Lucifer said dismissively of Charlie's worries.
Canis's formality dropped ever so slightly with an eyeroll, and Ari was the one to catch it. Charlie looked at her father, and sighed angrily. She snarled like an indignant child,
"Fine. But he better not cause problems with-!" Canis politely interjected with, "Unless ordered to do so, no residents will not be harmed by my hand."
He concluded with a slight bow to Charlie. Lucifer clapped his hands, exclaimed, "Excellent!" and began to walk out with a gesture to Canis to follow. As soon as the two began to leave for the outside, Angel mockingly sang out,
"The antics are gonna get worse! The antics are gonna worse!"
"For those lesser minded, what just arranged here, is that I will be protecting Miss Charlotte and her interests! Those who take action against them, take action against the Magne family and I will not stand for it…I'll return shortly." Canis said with a rabid smirk.
The door closed and Lucifer looked at Canis with a deathly serious stare.
"Make sure the Grimm does NOT leave this Hotel…that is my final order for now."
They drew to the limo, and Lucifer was processing everything he had just witnessed. He was glad Charlie and her associates were well. Canis opened the limo door, and said humbly,
"As you wish, sire. And may you and the mistress habve a fair evening."
Lucifer nodded, and Canis shut the door. No sooner had it done so; the limo took off at breakneck speed into the reddened skyline of Hell's night sky.