So Far, So Good

Charlie was not only excited about the prospect of getting a sponsor for the Hotel, but she was also really hoping that Vaggie would be around. She hadn't seen her in so many weeks. She'd wanted to call ahead to set up a proper appointment to meet Rosie, and to ask about Vaggie, but Alastor quickly informed her that Rosie didn't own a phone and that it would just be best to drop by in person.

It kind of made sense with how old fashioned Rosie seemed. Charlie briefly considered calling Vaggie, but then she'd quickly put her phone away. Even though Vaggie had left Charlie her number, it still felt like it would be odd to call her.

The storefront in front of Charlie was subtle, yet very elegant. In between two pillars was a tall set of ruby red doors, both flanked by ornate sconces that were lit even though it was the middle of the day. She pressed the red button for the doorbell. As she waited, the sign above her head caught her eye. It was a bright pink marquee sign that read 'Rosie Emporium', with Franklin's named crossed out next to it. Truthfully, Charlie didn't know much about Rosie, and even littler about Franklin. Rosie had always been a bit on the reclusive side.

Charlie nervously wondered how this would go. And she also wondered why no one had answered the door yet. Out of polite habit, she went to reach for the doorbell again, only to remind herself that this was a store and that she could probably just enter when she wanted to.

She didn't know what she expected upon entering. She would've thought that the elegant outside would reflect the inside. However, instead, everything appeared to be very cluttered, with merchandise being clumped together, making the walkways and aisles extremely narrow.

Emporiums by definition had a wide array of things to sell, but more often than not they at least had some sort of theme. At first glance, Charlie thought the emporium only focused on floral design and clothing. But the more she walked, the more she noticed books, cleaning supplies, knickknacks, and other things, all of which didn't seem to really go together. For quite a few minutes, Charlie couldn't discern a rhyme or reason to any of it. Everything just seemed so crammed together. But not claustrophobic, for some reason. And that made Charlie stop to take another more thorough glance around.

That's when she finally noticed it. The way the flowers were arranged by color and type, same with the clothing aisle. And all of the other odds and ends had their own particular corners in which they resided. There also wasn't a speck of dust on anything. Overall, one could see the symmetry if they took the time to look.

After a few minutes of admiring everything, Charlie decided to go back to the flowers. Not only because they smelled nice and looked beautiful, but also because she'd heard some shuffling coming from over there. Weaving through the delicate floral jungle, following the sounds of rustling, Charlie almost bumped right into something wooden. Her eyes trailed upward. It was a tall extension ladder that nearly reached all the way to the high ceiling, which was how high up the flowers reached as well. Standing at the very top of it was none other than Rosie.

Rosie was someone who kept to herself, but she somehow always managed to make a statement. She wore a red and grey dress and an extremely wide plumed sun hat atop her head. Her skin was very pale. And her eyes were the most striking. She had none. Just two black voids that were practically sockets.

"Did you make an appointment," Rosie suddenly asked without even looking at Charlie, startling her. "I don't recall making any today."

"Uh," Charlie stammered. "No. I was going to-"

"Did you have something on order or for request?"

"No," she repeated.

"Do you intend to purchase something?" Still, she'd yet to really acknowledge Charlie's presence, concentrating all of her attention on a particularly stubborn carnation arrangement.

"Unfortunately, also no. Well, not exactly-"

"Then I'm afraid you'll have to take your business elsewhere. I've a store to run and I've no interest in pandering to those that loiter. There, now," she then suddenly murmured towards the flower as she finished her task.

She descended the ladder. Upon reaching the floor, she clicked her fingers and the ladder shrank. She picked it up, and it now fit perfectly in the palm of her hand. Walking right passed Charlie, she said, "Still here, I see?"

"Y-Yeah," Charlie said, following her through the store, but at a respectful distance. "I was wondering if I could take a moment of your time."

Rosie chuckled under her breath as she placed the miniscule ladder next an assortment of other knickknacks. "A moment of my time? Darling, I have nothing but that. You might as well take an entire century!"

Charlie tilted her head as Rosie continued to laugh, not quite sure what exactly she meant by that.

Rosie suddenly stopped and turned around to fully acknowledge Charlie. She gave a deep, resigned sigh. "Oh, but very well. I suppose I shall humor you. Let's have a seat behind the counter, shall we?"

She led Charlie towards the back of the store and behind the checkout counter, where it seemed to double as a break room area. They both sat down at a small glass coffee table.

"Now what exactly can I do for you," Rosie asked. "It's been quite some time since I've gotten visitors."

"Well, my name's Charlie," she said, extending her hand with a smile.

Rosie blinked at this polite gesture. How unusual. All the same, she shook her hand firmly not a second later.

"And I run a hotel not too far from here. Maybe you've heard of it? Some people call it the Happy Hotel or the Hazbin-"

"Well why didn't you say so!"

This sudden exuberant outburst made Charlie jump sharply in her chair. Rosie was now beaming at her with a wide grin that revealed a set of horrifically sharp, pearl-white teeth. Even sharper than Alastor's, which Charlie didn't even know was possible.

"Uh-"

"You're that Charlie, aren't you," Rosie said. "Alastor's love. You should've said so!" Her smile faltered ever so slightly. "I hope you didn't find me…disrespectful."

"No, not all. This is your store, after all," Charlie assured, silently wondering why Rosie had suddenly gotten nervous.

"Well, excellent," she exclaimed, cheerful once more. But before we get started…" She waved her hand over the table, making a tray of very fragrant tea appear in front of them. "Much better." Rosie gently took one of the cups. "Do help yourself, darling."

"By the way, how's Vaggie doing," Charlie asked, taking one as well, but not drinking quite yet. "She's still living here, right?"

"Oh, she's positively wonderful! I'm glad Alastor sent her to me. I admire her spirit! She leaves none to the imagination of how much she despised having to live here."

Charlie winced. "She…hates it that much."

"Used to. I don't think she'll ever completely warm up to this place, and she's never happy when I make her work in any capacity, but she seems rather neutral of things now." She shrugged. "I'll take it."

Charlie nodded. "Yeah. That kind of sounds like her. It takes her a long time to trust things."

"That was obvious from the start." Rosie poured more tea into her cup. "You can visit her once we're done. You've just so happened to catch her on a rare day off. Now, what is it I can help you with?"

"Did Alastor tell you anything about the Hotel?"

"Nothing recent," she answered. "The last we spoke was earlier in the year. He sounded dreadfully bored at the time. However, by the end of the conversation he had returned to his usual exuberant self. Of course, I now realized it was because the subject matter at that moment was you." She briefly waggled her thin eyebrows at Charlie. "Anyway, how are you all faring as of late?"

"We're all doing well, actually! Things have really started picking up. Everything's looking great." Charlie paused. "We…were hoping you could help us out, though."

Interest piqued, Rosie placed her cup on the table and folded her hands neatly on her lap. "My help, you say? How so?"

Charlie sighed a little. "Well, speaking honestly, the Hotel has no more money. And since you and Alastor are – er, have known each other for a while, he suggested that you might consider sponsoring the Hotel?"

Rosie shook her head and laughed. "He still won't admit we're friends, will he? Well, I can't say I'm offended, given that I'll never admit to it either. Ah, but I digress. So, a sponsor is what you need. From me." Rosie hummed and tapped her chin. After a few hesitant moments, she said, "I'll…consider it. However, I fail to see how I benefit from you taking my money."

Charlie nodded. "I was thinking about that on my way over, because it wouldn't be fair for you to not get something in return. I should've asked Alastor what his thoughts were, because, well, I've never personally met you before, so therefore I don't know what you'd want."

Rosie was about to say that she herself didn't quite know either, and for Charlie to come back at a later date once she had an answer, until she glanced around.

After quite a few moments of contemplation, Rosie picked up her tea again. "Advertise the Emporium."

"Really," Charlie asked. "That's all?"

"I don't suppose you ever met Franklin, my old business partner? He was killed during the last Cleanse." She set the cup down, grinning casually all the while. "And thank god for that! He was quite the nuisance. Absolutely no spine, too. When I pushed him out the door that day I was hoping for at least a little entertainment, but he rolled over for those angels, ever the bore. Ah, c'est la vie.

"And yet…For some reason, that soft disposition of his made for more frequent customers." She paused, and Charlie felt a little self-conscious as Rosie's dark eyes scrutinized her. "You and him have a lot in common. Soft and welcoming. Such rarities amongst damnation.

"My beloved Emporium hasn't gotten much business since his dull demise. We used to only sell flowers and formal attire, but I started expanding my stock to other things. Unfortunately, not even that has helped. The number of customers doesn't just dwindle by the day anymore. They now dwindle by the week. I still have enough financial security to last me for quite a few years, but it can't last forever. All I ask is that you advertise the Emporium."

Charlie nodded once. "That sounds fair. More than fair. How would you want me doing it?" She tucked some hair behind her ear. "I…don't have a really good track record when it comes to advertising."

"I should say not." Rosie snickered a little. "You can advertise as you see fit. A poster, a news interview. The riffraff these days use the internet, so that's one avenue. Hmm…But that still wouldn't be enough for me, now that I'm thinking about it."

She became contemplative again. As she thought some things over, her gaze drifted away from Charlie, and she glanced around her Emporium to spark an idea. "Actually, I'm more than certain my flowers could lighten up that dingy hotel of yours. We could start with that! And you haven't touched your tea yet."

Charlie looked at her, momentarily whiplashed by the change of subject. "Oh, uh," she stammered, glancing down at her tea, which had mysteriously remained piping hot throughout the whole conversation. She half-smiled nervously at Rosie. "S-Sorry about that. Force of habit."

"How do you mean?"

"Well," she started carefully. "Let's just say I've learned over the years not to take food or drink from demons I don't personally know. And I know that sounds rude, and I hope you're not-"

Rosie held up a stern finger to stop her. "Well, well. You surprise me. I daresay you have more sense than my cowardly coworker did." She grinned. "You're not as naïve as everyone in Hell claims you to be."

"Believe me," Charlie sighed. "There are definitely times-"

Once again, a stern finger. "I won't hear a word of it. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and all that." With a final click of her fingers, the tea set disappeared, including the cup in Charlie's hand.

"Thank you," Charlie said. "For all of this. Give me a week or two to scrounge up some money for some of your flower arrangements-"

"Goodness me, darling," Rosie exclaimed. "You have no idea how sponsorships work, do you? The flowers will arrive at your hotel by the end of next week. I'll deliver them myself, and personally help you arrange them throughout. During my visit, I'll also instruct you on how to budget. I'm not interested in any of my hard-earned money going frivolously to waste." She grimaced slightly at Charlie. "Weren't you a previous royal? Did you not have everything handed to you on a silver platter?"

"Um, not when I could help it," she answered. "I always enjoyed working for the things I wanted."

"Ah. How…quaint," was Rosie's response. They both stood up, with Rosie dusting her dress off. "I suppose we have a deal, then."

"Yup," Charlie smiled, extending her hand again. "I'm so excited for this. Thank you again. Really."

Rosie's grin shook as she stared. "I don't shake hands. That sort of deal-making is something I no longer initiate, not since Alastor arrived in Hell."

"Oh! No, I wasn't-"

"Either way, you can be assured we have a deal. The stairs to Vagatha's apartment are over there." Rosie walked away, disappearing amongst the shelves.

Charlie exhaled, ecstatic about another glimpse of progress and more than happy about how it all went. After a few seconds, she went around the counter towards the staircase. When she got up to the second floor, she heard Rosie holler, "Expect a check to arrive in the Hotel's mailbox any day now."

Charlie just stood there for quite a few minutes, bouncing apprehensively on the balls of her feet and gnawing on her bottom lip.

It had to have been at least two months since she last saw Vaggie, and she didn't know what she would find on the other side of the door. Charlie knew that she didn't like to be interrupted when she needed time for herself, so she was already anticipating some annoyance from her. But what about other emotions, such as resentment, a clipped tone, or even just a blatant cold shoulder? Would Vaggie even want a visit from her at all?

Well, Charlie was about to find out. Tensely, she raised her fist and softly knocked on the door.

"Jesus," Charlie heard from inside the room. Despite the annoyance in that tone, Charlie couldn't help but smile at hearing her voice. "Why the hell can't she give me just one day off?"

The door abruptly swung open, and Charlie's smile widened. Vaggie wore a look of complete and utter aggravation. And hey, Charlie was fine with that. She was more than happy just to be seeing her again.

Then, Vaggie's eyes went wide. "Oh, my god!"

Vaggie rushed towards Charlie, and she flung her arms around her. Charlie laughed, not even remotely expecting this kind of welcome as she held her just as tightly. When Vaggie stepped back, she was wearing a smile that Charlie hadn't seen from her in such a long time.

"I didn't think you would ever visit me here," she said. "Call maybe, but not a visit. Here, why don't you come in?" She grimaced slightly as she opened her apartment door for Charlie. "It's always so stuffy in this store."

"I kind of like it, actually," she said.

"Yeah, I'm not surprised, given your tastes."

Charlie looked around. It was a tiny studio, with a kitchen, living room, and bedroom all combined.

"Yeah," Vaggie grumbled as she went over to sit on a comfy chair. "It's not much, I know." As Charlie sat on a nearby ottoman, Vaggie added, "I'll admit it…I do miss my hotel room sometimes. That thing was huge, and I actually had my own bathroom. I have to constantly share the one down the hallway with her."

Charlie gave her a small smile. "You…Well, of course you know you're always welcome to come back…whenever."

Vaggie smirked. "Nice try. From the sounds of it, everything seems like it's going good, but…" She exhaled. "I'm fine here, Charlie."

"Right, yeah," she nodded quickly. "I get it."

"And I've missed you, too," Vaggie added with another smile.

They talked for a good long while, almost an hour. Catching up and letting the other know how things were going.

Charlie spoke in depth of the Hotel, from the new residents to the renovations. It was surprising, though. In between sentences, Charlie would ask Vaggie a question about how her life was going. Vaggie would answer, but then immediately follow up with a question about the Hotel. At first Charlie thought she was avoiding something. However, she'd known Vaggie for years and she could tell by the way she talked and listened that that probably wasn't the case. She genuinely seemed interested in the Hotel right now, smiling and commenting as they talked.

Vaggie was honestly doing fine, as well. Oh, Rosie worked her like a dog most days and refused to give her much leeway. In the beginning, she assumed that Rosie simply enjoyed pushing her around, and there were many days where she'd contemplated leaving right then and there. And maybe Rosie did enjoy doing that, but Vaggie was surprised to find how non-threatening Rosie actually was.

She was dangerous, no doubt, as Vaggie had seen what her powers can do, but she didn't flex or use it against anyone. She was simply happy to run her store, and if Vaggie lived under her roof, then she had to be a part of it as well. She supposed there were worse, more perilous places she could live. With time, she eventually came to terms with coexisting with the strict overlord.

Eventually, Charlie and Vaggie moved on to more casual subjects.

"So," Charlie said. "Did you ever get to go on that girl's night out with Angel and Cherri?"

Vaggie pursed her lips. "No, I was…busy that day," she said slowly. "I'd already made plans with…someone I met recently."

Charlie's eyes widened, a smile stretching her face. "As in…"

Vaggie shrugged, and she studied Charlie's reaction carefully. "Maybe. I don't know. We're just friends, but…maybe that could change. I…I really like her."

"That's awesome," Charlie exclaimed. "I'm happy for you!" Vaggie's shoulders sagged in relief, which didn't go unnoticed. "You thought I wouldn't be?"

Vaggie snorted. "After how our breakup went," she mumbled. "I think you'd have the right to act different. I know you're not normally the jealous type, but…You know what I mean."

Charlie fidgeted a little, trying to find the right words. "Am I upset that you may never wanna come back to the Hotel? Yeah, I am. I always will be. But Vaggie, I'll never be upset about you wanting to make a life for yourself outside of that. And even wanting to find love. I can't even begin to describe how happy I am for you."

Vaggie looked away, as if she hadn't heard a word that Charlie just said. "And I was upset about you for all of that." There was an excruciating silence that seemed to go on forever, but really only lasted a second. "And sometimes I think I'm still upset about it. Which is why I can't go back to the Hotel. Not if I want to continue moving on." Vaggie glanced around at her tiny, pathetic excuse for an apartment with a fond smile. "And honestly…So far, so good."

Charlie managed a watery, but still bright smile. "Yeah. So far, so good."

When Charlie entered her bedroom that night, she found Alastor already waiting on the bed. As soon as he heard the door open and close, he looked up at her and got up. In a few quick strides, he was across the room, wrapping his arms around her waist, and pressing a sound kiss to her lips.

Charlie chuckled against his mouth, responding with equal passion. When he pulled back, she asked, "Not that I mind, but what was that for?"

"You have such a radiant smile on your face right now," he said. "Have I ever mentioned how I'm addicted to that smile? Anyway, I take it everything went well." He paused, his eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly. "And that Rosie was courteous?"

"Yup," Charlie responded as Alastor took both of her hands. She let him lead her to the bed to finally have a break from the long day. "She seems more than happy to sponsor the Hotel, so long as we advertise the Emporium for her."

"Ah, I should've known that would be her angle," he commented as they sat on the mattress and leaned against the headboard. "Well, I should say that's fairly reasonable."

Charlie nodded. "We're gonna put up her flowers around the Hotel to start with. I'm also gonna see if the internet would be effective enough for her business. And she'll drop off the flowers and give me some financial advice, as well."

"Splendid," he said. "I take it you got to visit Vaggie while you were there?"

"Yeah. She's doing great! Well…Not great, but a lot better than when she - But yeah, all good."

He only nodded vaguely, not wanting to pry. He had another subject he wanted to bring up. "And what of Franklin? I take it he wasn't there."

Charlie shook her head. "No, he was killed during last year's Cleanse."

He laughed once at that. "Oh, and I take it Rosie was the catalyst in all that! I always had a hunch. No wonder she wouldn't tell me."

Charlie raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"It wouldn't be wise of Rosie for me to have any reason see her as a threat, and she knows that all too well. As you know, I don't take kindly to that sort of thing. Not that I ever will see her as a threat, mind, but I take it as a compliment!"

Eventually, they lapsed into a tired silence, so Charlie went to the en suite, took a shower, and returned to the bed. As soon as she was under the covers, Alastor curled his arms around her. Charlie sagged against him, feeling more emotionally drained than she realized, despite it being a good day all things considered.

"Speaking of which," Alastor murmured, making Charlie furrow her brows. Speaking of which what, she thought. "I suppose you'll want to keep a very close eye on things over the next twenty-four hours."

"What do you mean?"

"Why, the next Cleanse, of course. It's tomorrow."