Author's Note:

I know I usually update on Saturdays, but here's a chapter a day late because took the weekend to go to a hotel with my husband (my mom's took the boys... I actually got some damn sleep!) and I promised not to bring my laptop.


Chapter 14

Playing Games

The next day proved to be rather interesting. The green bird demoness returned to join up with the hotel. Eliza was honestly surprised at first, thinking for sure that the woman wouldn't want to be anywhere near her. Apparently, her violent display held two different effects on the bird. One a desirable one for the hotel, the other far less desirable for the therapist.

Vaggie had been going over seminar ideas with Charlie and Eliza in the lobby when the young woman walked in. She blew Eliza a kiss, and the pale demoness raised a confused eyebrow in response. Alastor, who was sitting in on Vaggie's meeting uninvited, became interested in the newcomer very quickly.

Charlie leapt up after a moment and shook her hand. "I'm Charlie, this is Vaggie. Welcome to the Happy-"

"Hazbin Hotel," Alastor interjected. "What can we do for you?" Eliza watched as he kept his distance from the newcomer, which was curious. He had kissed her knuckles upon their first meeting. She wondered briefly if there were criteria a woman had to meet to earn such a greeting.

"I'm lookin' to stay," she said. "At least for a while. Name's Lakavi. Look, I'll give the redemption thing a shot, but I need to lay low for a while."

Vaggie had retrieved a clipboard and pen, but paused on her way back. "Why? Look, not to pry, but we need to know if the hotel's in danger or something."

"While I'm here?" Alastor asked, sounding offended. "Hardly!"

"Actually, she's more of the deterrent I'm lookin' for," Lakavi specified, pointing at Eliza. They all stared at the therapist for a moment, but Charlie was the first to turn back to the prospective guest.

She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why Eliza? Doesn't Alastor have the reputation to scare people off?"

"Yea, he's great an' all," she agreed, though it sounded like she couldn't care less about the Radio Demon's shit, "but after she crunched his skull, he won't go near her."

"You've killed someone?!" Vaggie shouted incredulously, whirling around. "When the fuck did that happen?"

"When I went on my first stroll," she confirmed matter-of-factly. "He attacked me. For what little it's worth, his death was an accident."

"Wait, if he's still around, then you didn't use a spear," Charlie figured out. "What'd you use? You don't look, um… I mean, you're kinda…" She awkwardly tried to avoid openly calling her 'weak', so she decided to settle on "What did you crush his head with? You're not that big."

"I have wings," she informed her boss. "Though I'm not sure how exactly they work, they tend to pop up whenever I need them. Like when a large demon is charging me. That's also why you've never seen them."

"Sure used 'em last night," the bird countered, her tone turning sultry. It then dawned on Eliza that she made a mistake.

"You enjoy abusive attention," she stated, bluntly. "How unfortunate."

"Wait, what happened last night?" Vaggie demanded.

"Did you perhaps threaten our dear therapist?" Alastor inquired, looking at the bird demoness with interest.

"She talked to me," Lakavi shot back. "Insulted me, too."

"Is that true?" Alastor asked, sending Eliza a sidelong glance. He didn't sound the slightest bit upset about this development.

"I got caught up in the moment," she confessed. "I wasn't particularly happy to see her. I do apologize."

Lakavi sat down and crossed her legs, making movements that gave Alastor uncomfortably similar feelings to Angel's very existence. "Anyway, she promised to be professional as long as I stay. You will stay that way, riiiiight?" She was directly trying to tempt the pale demoness, though her attempts were far less alluring and smooth than Angel's when he was prowling.

"So long as you understand that any attacks or inappropriate advances will be met with force," she informed the woman. "I'm merely not allowed to kill you."

She winked at Eliza, who refused to honor her with a reaction. "Awesome, doll."

"Eliza," she corrected. Her demon voice held a heavy echo, and was far deeper than her usual. She had used it before, but only really listened to it this time. "Nicknames are not permitted, as it violates professional boundaries."

"Eliza," Lakavi purred, causing a tendril to snap briefly out of Eliza's back. She was going to strangle this woman.

"If you don't respect our staff, we will be forced to evict you," Vaggie warned. "If you're seriously just here to lay low, you still have to follow the rules."

"Yea, whatever," she droned, her tone utterly disrespectful. Vaggie's eye twitched. "You said it was free too, right?"

"Yes," Vaggie growled.

"That way you can spend all your time focusing on recovering," Charlie said, trying to help the tension dissipate a little. "After all, we're here to invest in your future-"

"Yea, I get it princess," she interrupted. "Kumbaya an' shit."

Eliza practically appeared in front of Lakavi, her voice echoing slightly as she said "Please, take a more respectful tone with my boss, Lakavi." Her skin had darkened slightly, her eyes were inverted, her hair turned black and dark tendrils flexed behind her. The bird demoness moistened slightly at the threat display. The more she saw of it, the more she wanted it.

"Yes ma'am," she said.

Eliza happily reverted back to normal. "Very good. Be a good girl and finish that form. I'm going for a walk."

Lakavi was drooling slightly as she watched the therapist walk out the door. When she was gone, Vaggie huffed slightly, still having more ideas she wanted to go over with her there. She instead talked it over one-on-one with Charlie, and Alastor went back to half-listening. He considered following young Eliza out the door, but such a pursuit felt inappropriate for the moment. He had more than a few questions, but they could wait. Still, he couldn't help but glare slightly at the newcomer, who had a lustful look on her face as she stared at the place where the pale demoness had disappeared.

When Lakavi turned in the clipboard, Charlie looked it over carefully, stopping when she reached the question "What's your reason for being in Hell?" Her answer didn't even take up the two lines.

"Sexual deviance, violence." She knew the answers were left vague on purpose, but with what she just heard, she couldn't help but consider the implications. Alastor read from over her shoulder, and his smile widened. How amusing.


Eliza took the money that Vox had gifted her in the envelope and decided to get some equipment, including a proper hellphone. Vox had left a number inside with the cash, but she didn't want to call it just yet. She still wasn't sure if he was trying to use her. The more she thought about it, the more sense it made that he wanted a way to get to Alastor, since they were rivals. He acted a little too interested in her for just having met. What else could an overlord like him want with her?

She was still irritated from her encounter with Lakavi, so she opted to prolong her outing a little while longer. She decided to visit her crow at the restaurant, and so made her way to Plaisirs Crus. When the crow greeted her, he landed on her shoulder and nipped at her ear.

She batted his beak away, playfully. "Yes, yes, you're hungry, I get it. Hold off on the biting, you spoiled baby!" When asking for the appetizers, she decided to order some stuffed entrails this time. He seemed to be particularly hungry today, and it had the largest serving size of all the appetizers.

As they sat outside, a rowdy group of individuals were making their way to the restaurant. She, however, was busy thinking to herself. Seeing the crow successfully cheered her up, but now she needed to think about how to move forward with Lakavi. The woman was clearly beginning to fantasize, hopefully not obsess, and she needed to put a stop to it before it got worse. The first thought she had was to treat the demoness like a child. Most women don't like being talked down to that way, but sometimes it only serves to fan the flames. She would have to act quickly.

Now she knew how Alastor felt about Mimzy. If he let that woman tie him down and ride him til morning, she'd do everything he commanded without question. Though, admittedly, she'd probably do that now, just with a lot more sass. She lacked subtlety in any form, as far as Eliza could tell.

Then she thought of something, and turned her attention directly to the crow. "You know, I've been putting off naming you, but I really should give it some thought." She pondered for a few minutes, but quickly grew irritated. "Oh for heaven's sake, why is picking a name so hard? I don't want to name you something ridiculous, but normal names just don't do it for me. I'm terrible at this… What is even a good name for a-"

"Hey, any o' you babes down to fuck?" The question was asked inside the restaurant, but the customer was so loud that everyone outside could hear him very well. The four owners stood in front of them, looking ready for a fight.

"With you? Forget it!" Gula, the short, plump demoness, flipped her blonde hair dismissively. "Now if you aren't here for food, get out."

"Guys like us don't just eat food, babe," he said, sticking his tongue out with a wink. His friends chuckled, moving in closer to the owners. Claws and fangs were coming out, and customers were trying to sneak out.

A loud 'caw!' sounded, and suddenly the crow blasted in, slashing across the leader's horse-like snout. He screeched in pain, falling onto his ass and almost taking a couple of his buddies with him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Eliza apologized with mock sincerity. "Did my friend hurt you?"

"The fuck…" One of the demons, a tall and lanky individual with dark grey skin and hook-shaped horns, decided to charge at her. She dodged to the side and bashed his head with the door she had just walked through.

"Oops, my apologies," she said, looking down at him for a moment before turning to the owners. "I think I may have damaged your door."

"Fucking bitch!" The group had been successfully distracted, and the restaurant owners lunged at them, claws and teeth ripping apart skin and bone. They had not been prepared for such a vicious assault, and were taking heavy damage.

A couple of rodent-like demons were trying to crawl away from the fight, but Eliza blocked their path. "You know, normally I would let you get away, but I'm afraid you caught me at a very irritable time." Her inverted eyes and leering smile made them nervous. Before they could try to fight their way through, her wings shot forth and grabbed them by their necks, not even giving them time to process the appearance of the shadowy appendages. "Sorry for the inconvenience, but I need you to wait your turn. The managers will be with you shortly."

When the fight was over, they had to call in the local butcher to help process all the new meat. The owners were busy sorting through everything, and as a thank-you for her help, offered Eliza a percentage. She politely declined, telling them to consider it another donation.

Gula walked her to the door, wanting to say goodbye. "With your help, we'll have quite the variety! Are you sure you won't try some this time? There's a certain satisfaction that comes with eating your own kill, you know. I'll save you the best parts!"

"Oh, no thank you!" Then she turned to the crow, who remained perched on her shoulder. "Though I'm sure he'd appreciate a tasty piece!"

"Absolutely!" she agreed excitedly. "He's such a big help!"

"Well," Eliza said, ready to say goodbye once again to her feathered friend, "I suppose my walk is over." Then, she remembered something, and suppressed a sudden urge to laugh loudly.

To the restaurant owner, it looked like Eliza convulsed, and she became very concerned. "Are you OK?!"

Eliza looked at the carnage in the restaurant and smiled. "I went for a walk." She couldn't suppress it anymore and laughed, though it came out as more of a wheeze despite herself. "Oh, sweet mercy…" She turned to the crow, trying to calm down enough to speak. "I should call you Alucard!"

Talon, who was helping clean the blood off the floor, looked up as he recognized the reference. Without any context, he smiled at the therapist and said, "Bitches love cannons!"

Everyone else in the restaurant looked at him like he was crazy, but Eliza merely doubled over. She couldn't take it, and spent the next few minutes laughing until she couldn't breathe anymore.


Charlie was sweating nervously. She had just told a lie; something she normally wouldn't do. It felt so wrong somehow, even if it was par for the course. She felt like she wanted to shrink into her chair, hoping no one was looking at her.

"Seriously, girl, never play professionally," Husk reprimanded. "Fuck, you can't even bluff?"

"Come now, princess!" Alastor encouraged. "I must insist you fight your conscience on this one. You're royalty; Hell help you if you ever decide to take on the cutthroat game of politics!"

"But how is this helpful?" she asked, putting her cards down again for yet another discussion. "It's a game that encourages lying and cheating!"

"Cheating isn't 'encouraged,'" Husk argued. "You can lose everything if you're caught."

Charlie looked mildly irritated. "That's my point! You have to lie to win, or else you have to catch someone else lying, which means you have to know how to lie to catch them!"

Husk face-palmed, dragging his claws down his furry face. "Look, if you're just gonna whine, then fold. I'd like to move on with kicking Big Red's ass."

"You are free to flounder about, my friend, but this game is mine," Alastor taunted.

Sighing in resignation, Charlie decided to do exactly that. They had talked her into the game, saying it would help her understand something about her patients. She was now convinced that they tricked her into playing. She played an honest game until that moment, winning some and losing most, but she let them talk her into trying a bluff, and it backfired beautifully.

As she stood up, Eliza walked in through the front door. She turned around and smiled.

"Great, you're back!" she greeted. "Do you think you cou-what is that?" She saw something flutter a bit on the therapist's shoulder. When Eliza turned to face her, she realized it was a large, black bird.

"It's a crow," she answered matter-of-factly.

Alastor looked up in surprise. "Ah, Rosie told me you made a friend. I see it finally followed you home! Does the filthy thing have a name?"

She leveled an unimpressed look with the Radio Demon before answering, "His name is Alucard."

"Ah," he said, thinking a moment. "Wait, isn't that Dracula backwards? Why?"

"You wouldn't get the reference," she answered simply. The bird cawed at him, seeming to stare him down for a moment. Alastor wondered briefly if it was challenging him, before Eliza interrupted by tapping its beak. "Staring is rude," she reprimanded. It cooed at her, ducking its head down slightly, and she scratched under its beak and along its cheek.

Alastor stared at her for a moment, something pestering the back of his mind about this display of affection. He couldn't quite put a finger on what was off about it, aside from the obvious fact that it's a form of affection at all, which she didn't openly display for anyone.

Eliza turned to Charlie. "It's OK if he stays here with me, correct?"

Charlie nodded, offering a finger to the bird. It stiffened, not really interested in making friends but wary of snapping for fear of a reprimand.

"He's not really social," Eliza explained, apologetically.

Charlie shrugged. "So long as he doesn't hurt anyone, he's fine."

Hearing this, Alastor piped up, "I heard he attacks any troublemakers. Will that be problematic?"

"Um…" Charlie wasn't sure. "I mean, if someone's trying to hurt somebody, then I guess not. Just… try to settle things fairly, OK?"

"I'll do my best," Eliza promised. "So will you, am I clear?" Alucard gave an affirmative 'caw', staring at the hotel owner expectantly.

"Cool beans," she said, sighing with relief. "Well, I'll be in my office if anyone needs me. Gotta look over some letters we got! May be more people to sign up for redemption. Wish me luck!" And with that, she jogged to the back and disappeared.

"Hey," Husk called out, "wanna join us? Almost done with this round."

Eliza looked conflicted for a moment before confessing "I've actually never played card games. I'm afraid I'll need to trouble you for an explanation."

"We can shift to basic poker," Alastor offered. "I promise not to raise the bet to your soul for your introductory rounds, if you're worried."

"I appreciate the sacrifice," she giggled. "Very well. I will be back down in a few minutes."

"Fine, gives us time to finish this," Husk said, turning to Alastor. He felt confident with this hand, and was ready to rub the Radio Demon's face in the dirt, even if it had to be done metaphorically.

Eliza ran up to her room and put most of the leftover money away, budgeting a couple hundred hellbucks for her first ever poker game. She wasn't sure how much they were betting, but considering she was working for free and only had money from Vox's donation, she hoped they would go easy on her for the time being. She felt more excited than she usually did; it was oddly freeing to have the time to learn something new.

'You know we're going to have to bluff at some point, right?' Id reminded her. She froze in her doorway, the realization dawning on her. 'It's been a long time since we've actually lied about something. We used to be so good at it, but now we're out of practice. I wonder what our tell is. Didn't use to have one, but we've got to have one now, right?' Part of her self-change had been rewiring her brain. She used to lie without even thinking. Would it be so easy to do that again, or would she choke? Did she really want to find out?

She could always play an honest game. It wouldn't be impossible to win that way, but it would be difficult. She just couldn't let herself get competitive. It's just for fun, after all.

Just for fun.

Alucard lightly pecked at her temple to get her attention. This snapped her out of her thoughts, and she scratched his beak. "I'll be fine. Let's go back down before they get bored and leave."

When she came back to the table, the two friends looked almost murderous. Apparently Alastor had won the match that Husk was so sure he had in the bag, and accusations of cheating were being flung. He had grabbed Alastor by the collar, and the Radio Demon had a firm grip on the cat's paws, attempting to pry him off.

His eyes were radio dials as he hissed threats at the veteran. "Release me, and put some more respect in that tone, Husk."

Husk merely held his grip on the taller man. "I ain't fuckin' scared of your shit; you know that!"

"Do I need to separate you two?" she teased, walking up to the table.

Husk was growling obscenities, but after a moment's hesitation he let go of the Radio Demon, taking his seat and shuffling the cards. Alastor calmed down almost instantly, spending a moment to dust himself off.

"Merely a jealous scuffle," he said, dismissively. "Some of us here are very sore losers."

"Only when the loss is bullshit!" Husk growled.

"You were cheating when I first summoned you here," he countered, leaning in with a condescending smirk. "Don't think I didn't see that hand you claimed would 'win the whole pot.'"

"That was then, this is now," Husk argued. "Fuck it, whatever. New game, and I swear to God if you-"

"Now, now, I won't cheat with a lady present," he promised. He meant it, too, though he would let them stew in their suspicion. "Now, my dear, a few basics. You know what a proper deck of cards holds, correct?"

Eliza took a moment to recall. "2-10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace. 4 suits, and usually a Joker, correct?"

Husk nodded, doing a very flashy shuffle. "Joker's a wild card, but we'll leave it out for now. No five-of-a-kind shit for the next few rounds. Pairs are basic, and their strength depends on their value. 2's can win only if no one has anything better. Ace trumps all for value. Two pairs is better, then three of a kind. Straight is next, 5 cards in sequence but different suits. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 is a straight if they don't match. Next is a Flush, where all cards are the same suit, but not in sequence. Full house is 3 of a kind and a pair in one hand. Four of a kind is obvious, and a Straight Flush is in sequence and matching suits. Best hand in the house is Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10 that match. Make sense?"

She blinked at the rapid-fire explanation. Apparently there would be no hand-holding, so she gave a meek smile. "I'll do my best to remember."

"And also remember, my dear," Alastor interjected, "A bad hand can win with a good bluff!"

"I'll see what I can do," she acknowledged.

"Alright, let's go," Husk initiated, dealing their first hand. He raised a few chips, holding different colored ones between his claws. "White is $1, Red is $5, Blue is $10-"

"Oh, I forgot!" Alastor interrupted. "Do you actually have money to bet? You don't get paid, and you haven't been here long."

"I've taken a couple hundred from that donation I received," she informed him. "I don't think the patron will mind."

Husk set aside a couple of the chip colors. "Fine, we'll start with a $20 bet limit using $5 chips only, and we all start with 40 chips. Don't need to rob you of all your cash before we get a few games in." He smiled, happy to finally get things moving. "Alright, let's get started."

The first hand she was dealt was crap. She decided to fold for her first game, wielding an apologetic face. She listened as they bantered against each other, though the $20 limit was grating on Husk's nerves. Still, she folded two more times before deciding to change tactics. When playing against each other, both of them were guarded, and their voices controlled. She began to really listen to their voices, looking down briefly at the rose covering her heart. It wasn't shifting into anything, at least not yet, so she hoped it wouldn't give her away. Alastor had told her about it changing somehow during Charlie's song, so she wasn't sure it wouldn't do the same thing now.

"I'll start with $5," Husk said, placing down a chip. Alastor matched it, and to their surprise, so did Eliza. In truth, her hand was crap, with only a single pair of 8's even after changing out a couple cards, but that wasn't the point. She wanted to see how they reacted to being uncertain. "Looks like someone's finally starting to play." Husk smirked. His voice sounded rather cocky. No nerves. He wasn't worried about this round, but that could be because of the low bet.

"About time, too," Alastor added. "I was beginning to think she'd be too nervous to make a move!" Also cocky, no change in pitch or inflections.

"I wanted to get a feel for it," she said.

"Fine, then I raise you," Husk taunted, dropping another $5 and raising it to $10. Alastor matched it. Eliza looked at her hand again, showing uncertainty. She didn't shift her gaze away; she wanted to hear what they said. Their faces were too well guarded.

"My dear, don't feel too nervous," Alastor encouraged, throwing out an arm as a welcoming gesture. "Sometimes, beginners win on nothing but pure luck!"

She shifted her face to a look of shy gratitude. He needed to believe she felt better hearing it.

"Then… I'll match," she said, dropping another chip. Husk and Alastor grinned at each other. Now she looked at them, keeping her face polite and blank. They were easy to read at that moment. 'We got her!'

Not wanting to scare her too early, Husk decided not to raise it further. Everyone dropped their cards, and Husk was the clear winner with two pairs. Alastor's hand had a single pair of 10's, making Eliza's the worst hand. Both had good reason to feel alright, but they were good with bluffs. She would have to pay closer attention.

The next round she actually won, having three 6's, gaining 4 more of their chips. It made up for the 2 she lost, at least. When she won, Husk's voice deepened slightly. Alastor had been right; he really was a sore loser. Alastor, oddly enough, seemed almost happy to lose to her. Perhaps he was trying to encourage her somehow. He was here to watch people fail; perhaps he hoped to start her down a gambling addiction.

Husk, on the other hand, noticed Alastor seemed a bit distracted by their newest player. He was watching her more closely than he did others, as if trying to get a read on her. Then again, she did have more closely guarded expressions, so perhaps he just had difficulty telling when she was bluffing.

After losing 3 games consecutively, she started to feel somewhat agitated. She took a calming breath between games. No need to let herself get competitive. Still, the loss of 8 chips wasn't ideal.

However, the next win was big, as everyone maxed out. This time, there was a bit of a reaction when she dropped a full house. They were small numbers, but it was still the best hand. Husk growled a couple obscenities as he paid up, and Alastor studied her for a moment. Her countenance hadn't changed at all. She should have looked smug, or at the very least relieved, but she showed nothing. As intriguing as it was, her lack of expression was starting to get to him a little. He preferred being able to read his opponents.

Now things were getting interesting. She now had 42 chips total. She was still in the positive, and both men wanted to knock her down a peg.

The next game, after exchanging a couple cards, she blinked in surprise, but regained her composure. Both men knew what that meant. They raised her to 2 chips, but decided quickly to fold. She dropped her hand and revealed another full house. Now she had 46 chips. It wasn't a massive amount by any means, but she was certainly gaining from her beginner's luck.

However, she had a similar reaction to the next hand, and the men shared a look. Was she really this lucky? This time, to test her, they went up to 3 chips. Then, she looked at her chips for a moment, and did her first ever raise. They both folded.

"You're getting too obvious, my dear," Alastor critiqued, putting down his hand. He had two pairs, 10's and Jacks. Husk grunted in agreement, throwing down 3 aces. Eliza merely laid her cards face-down, and took the pot.

"I think I'll call it for now, then," she said with a smile. "I don't want to be too easy to read!" She counted her 52 chips, and both men paid up $30 each. "Thank you for teaching me, gentlemen! I hope we get to play again."

When she walked away, Alastor picked up her cards. Now it was his turn to blink in surprise.

Husk looked at the man and cocked an eyebrow. "What? Don't tell me it's another full house or some shit." Alastor flipped the hand around for his friend to see, and the cat swore under his breath. "The bitch didn't even have a pair!"

Alastor took one more look at the hand before giving it to the veteran to shuffle into the deck. "It appears that the therapist is better at bluffing than we anticipated."

"But why bluff now?" Husk asked. "I mean, she couldn't have known that we had good hands, right? It's not like that damned bird was helping her; he never left her shoulder! Hell, she didn't even look at us most of the time!"

Alastor thought for a moment, then remembered her words from the night before. 'I was reading the audio. It's not perfect, but I use it often during my work.' If that statement was true, then she didn't need to look at them. She just needed them to talk.

"An impressive skill," he praised quietly. "She's very attentive, wouldn't you say?"

Husk cocked an eyebrow at the overlord. "The fuck are you on about?"

"Oh, nothing important," Alastor replied, waving a hand dismissively. "I think I'm finished for the night. Be a good man and clean up this mess, would you?"

As he walked away, Husk grumbled as he cleared the table. "Just leaving because the pretty lady left." Then he remembered who he was talking about, and shook his head. No, that's not like him at all. Alastor doesn't care if someone's pretty. He sure seemed to give the therapist more attention than most, though. Or maybe he was reading too much into it. Hard to say.


The bluff had worked.

Eliza stood in the shower, trying to enjoy the heat, but she couldn't focus. She bluffed her way to victory against the Husk, a demon who wins tournaments in casinos, and the Radio Demon, who made a name for himself as a deal-maker. It had been rather exhilarating to study them as they worked off each other and reacted to her decisions, but to successfully cheat them out of a win made her feel very, very...

Disappointed.

She grimaced, shutting off the heat and dealing with the shocking cold. Despite the last few years, she could still lie so well. Sure, it was only a game, but it was proof that she could still slip so comfortably into something she despised, and it troubled her greatly.

She still had so much work to do.


Author's note:

For all who are wondering, the "I went for a walk", "Alucard" and "Bitches love cannons" are references from Hellsing Ultimate Abridged. I highly recommend watching it, it's seriously worth your time and attention. I'm also considering having a character from the abridged version appear in the spin-off series regarding Eliza dealing with clients. Won't tell you which one; don't want to spoil the surprise!

Oh, and not sure why, but I feel like doing a shoutout to a fanfiction called "Rabbit Blood" by Hazbian. It's one of the best portrayals of psychopath Alastor I could ever ask for, and the story as a whole is amazing. Seriously, go read it. Right now. All of if. I won't mind if you stop reading my story to click over to it. It's better than anything I can write. I can't write dark shit to save my life, and considering I'm writing a Path of Exile story featuring the Hazbin Hotel characters as exiles, believe me when I say I'm trying.