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Cherri stood before the large building emblazoned with a sign that said "Happy Hotel". At first sight, none of it was really impressive. The large imposing dark brown building was an amalgamation of arched windows and turrets creating a peculiar-looking structure that felt like someone took parts of several buildings and randomly put them together. A derelict ocean liner appeared to be embedded into the walls around the fourth or fifth floor resting on its stern while its bow pointed towards the red sky overhead. It just felt like it was trying too hard. Kinda like that theme park owned by King Luci Morningstar, Luu-Luu World. There were even Apple-themed stained glass windows that brought the Luu-Luu cooperation to mind.
"Angie is staying in this dump," Cherri Bomb asked herself. "He said it was a crappy hotel on the other side of town, and this...does qualify as crappy. Time to make sure these "brawds" that are allowing him to live here aren't going to screw my best guy over. He's going through enough shit as it is."
Opening the front door she cautiously entered the darkened foyer. If the outside was trying too hard not to appear depressing, the inside clearly wasn't trying at all. There were boxes and crates everywhere, and a barely functioning fridge was leaned back against one wall. The only pieces of furniture were old and/or broken. A mishmash of vintage posters lined the walls, as well as pictures of members of the Morningstar family.
"Welcome to the Happy Hotel," A winged cat groused from behind the front desk that seemed to double as a bar. He wasn't really paying her any mind or attention. He appeared to be more content to be left alone with the bottle of cheap booze held in his clawed hand. The only reason he was speaking to her at all was to let her know he was aware she had walked in. "Don't ask me why this dump is called that, I'm just here under protest."
"Yeah seriously," Cherri smirked in appreciation that she wasn't the only one who thought the place was ridiculous. "If this dump is the "Happy Hotel", what does the "Hateful Hotel" look like?" The Demon Cat glanced in her direction; the quirk of his eyebrow was probably the closest thing he'd give her to appreciation. A blond-haired woman peered out from a back-office curious as to who the unfamiliar voice belonged to. Closely followed by a gray-skinned girl with long white hair.
"Hello," The blond girl said as she left the office. "You must be Angel's friend...Cherri right?"
"I see Angie's been talking about me," Cherri smirked.
"Not really," The second girl responded, looking less than thrilled about the newcomer. "We were pitching an interview about this place on live TV when you and Angel were involved in that turf war."
"Oh that," Cherri said with mock sheepishness. "Yeah, I have a way of bringing out his wild side. The two of us are practically partners in crime, on top of being besties''
"And that is exactly why you shouldn't be here," The white-haired girl contentiously said. "We are trying to run a business where we are trying to discourage sin. And we can't do that if our only resident is going to be encouraged into entertaining his more nihilistic behaviors."
"You want to say that again, bitch," Cherri toothily grinned as she reached into the bodice of her top and pulled out an unlit cherry bomb. "Or do you want to pull the stick out of your crotch first?"
"Wait," The blond girl protested as she stepped between the other two girls; waving her arms to defuse the situation before things got too ugly. "Wait stop...look I think we all got on the wrong foot here. I'm Charlie Morningstar, though I just go by Charlie. This is my girlfriend, Vaggie."
Cherri's single eye blinked in awe before she glanced back at the portrait of King Luci with his wife and daughter. ~The princess…? Is Angie…?~
"It's a pleasure to meet someone who Angel views as a friend," Charlie said, holding her hand out with a sincere smile on her face. Cherri gave a pleased smile herself; she returned the unlit explosive back into her top before she returned the handshake.
"I'm glad to meet you too," The punky cyclops responded. A snuffling noise drew her attention towards the bar. "Nuggzie!" Cherri knelt down as the small pig trotted up to her so she could scoop him up into her arms for a hug. "Aww, I've missed seeing you, sweetie."
"Great!" The Demon Cat grumbled, "If you're planning on moving in, you can take over the pig duty while that fluffy spider's at the studio."
"The studio…" A small flash of anger crossed Cherri's face. Charlie hadn't noticed it because she was too busy cooing over Fat Nuggets. However, the look didn't escape the notice of Vaggie's remaining owl-yellow eye. The gray-skinned girl blinked in concern. The only studio was the porn studio, and as an adult film actor Angel would work there. Was there something going on, something they didn't know about... yet?
As much as the Spider irritated her, there were times when she had noticed that something felt off about him. And there were some things about him that didn't seem to make sense. Not just over the past weeks since he moved in, but as far back as when they first met him. When Charlie had pointed him out to her and said they should talk to him. He had been out prostituting himself on the street on the lower side of Pentagram City. If he was such a famous actor, why wasn't he living in an apartment in a more upscale part of town?
"...I'm also three months behind on my rent, and so free housin' sounds like a fucking good deal to me. Plus it would be nice not to have to suck the greasy landlord's dick every month."
She at first thought that statement was him just being crude at the time, and maybe it was meant to be. But was that meant to imply something as well? After he had moved into the hotel, Angel would often make an egotistical show out of everything he did. Strutting around like the two demonesses should be grateful that he agreed to participate in their project. Though occasionally she had seen him hunched over the railing at the top of the stairs. Just quietly smoking those blasted red smoked cigarettes and staring off into space as though focused on some inner thought. In those moments he would often look...lost? Troubled? Tired? All of the above? She couldn't tell. In some of these moments, he would take notice she had spotted him. To which he would become irritated and stalk off towards his room like she had caught him doing something that was meant to be private.
When he had to give a club performance just after the recent Cleanse, he had offered tickets to everyone for free. He had flippantly told them that performance tickets usually went for $350 each, but he was able to score a few on the house. The only person who had been interested in attending was Charlie. The blond may not agree or have any interest in the forms of entertainment that Angel was involved in, but she still wanted to be supportive of him as a performer. Vaggie, however, had talked her out of it insisting that they didn't need to watch Angel gyrating himself before a crowd at a strip club. He did that enough as it is without it being a performance. Thinking back on it, why would he give any of them tickets, despite knowing they wouldn't really be interested in attending. Was he trying to tell them something, something he didn't know how to tell them...or was it something he couldn't tell them?
"Yeah," Charlie answered the punky girl's unasked question. "He said he wouldn't be back until late. One of the things I had him agree to when he involved himself in this hotel was that he couldn't offer himself on the street anymore. I mean I know he does…" Charlie paused, feeling flustered at the very thought of what Angel was doing as his job. "...things as part of his job at the studio. And I have been suggesting he request a break from filming. I get this feeling that being there might be part of what is holding him back."
~If you only knew, girlfriend,~ Cherri's mouth quirked at how close to the truth Charlie was. ~If you only knew.~
The front door opened and none other than Angel Dust himself entered the hotel. He didn't appear to be moving with his usual flamboyant swagger, instead, he looked like he was carrying a great weight on his scrawny shoulders.
"Angel," Charlie said. It was concerning to see him home earlier than expected. "I thought you said you would be back late tonight?"
"I wasn't needed for the club performance," Angel dryly stated as he gave a sharp tug at the lapel of his jacket as though that action was enough to return him to his usual flippant persona. Though the sight that greeted him was obviously one he hadn't expected. "Cherri?"
"Hey, Angie," Cherri responded. "You told me you were staying here, so I thought I'd drop by and check things out for myself, I gotta look out for my 'favorite guy'." Angel briefly looked away, the shadow of what looked like annoyance or irritation crossing his features.
"Yeah," Angel commented. "I wish you had told me you was goin' to be payin' a visit. I'd have introduced you to the girls."
"As if I need any introduction," Cherri waved it away. "Besides, I'm the one who involved you in that turf war the other week. I thought It'd be better for me to stop by so they don't end up thinking I'm a bad influence on you or some shit like that." Cherri's single eye narrowed slightly. She may not have been in Hell the same length of time that Angel Dust had, but she had known him long enough to know how he acted when something had happened. And something bad had definitely happened.
"I didn't think you're a bad influence," Charlie said reassuringly as she placed a friendly hand on the Bomber-Girl's shoulder. "If anything, I'm glad to know he has someone like you in here in Hell."
Cherri smirked in appreciation, in her book Charlie was the sort of person Angel needed to have behind him. As much as she did want to stay and chat further with the two girls, she needed to excuse Angel and herself from any further conversation. "Hey Angie, I think Nuggzie needs some time with his Papa."
"Oh, right," Charlie agreed. "Well since you're back Angel, I'll be sure to let Razzle and Dazzle know that we have an extra person for dinner. Are you able to join us, Cherri? I'd really like to know how you and Angel met."
"Thanks for the invite," Cherri said, walking up to Angel and putting a hand on his shoulder as a means of ushering him towards the stairs. "But I will pass...I have something I need to talk about with Angie then I'm headed back to my place. Still, it was fun meeting you. I'd like to hang out with you gal's real soon."
There was little talking as the two of them made their way to Angel's hotel room. Once the door was closed, the two of them began to voice the emotions they didn't want the other people in the hotel to overhear.
"Seriously Angie," Cherri stated as she walked into the small room and glanced over everything. It was slightly bigger and less sparse than his old SRO apartment, but there was still a cramped feel to the place. The king bed took up at least half the room, and Angel's vanity table also took up a good chunk of what was left. The curtains over the only window were drawn closed leaving the weak lighting from the overhead lamp fixtures and the string lights that Angel had hung over his vanity as the only source of illumination. Still, unlike the SRO, there was still more of a sense of comfort. "When did you plan on telling me that one of the girls you were staying with was actually the fucking Princess of Hell?"
"Like that means chickenshit to anybody," Angel groused as he leaned against the wall. A clear sign he wasn't in the best of moods at the moment.
"Maybe not, but she is still heir to Hell's throne right," Cherri pointed out. "She may not be King Luci, but she does have some influence on things."
"Look babydoll," Angel said tiredly. Cherri was one of the only people he felt he could shed his self-centered facade around. "I appreciate ya wantin' to look out for me and all. But I wish ya tell me when you gonna do something like drop by unannounced."
"You'd do the same for me," Cherri defended as she put Fat Nuggets down on the bed before sitting down, leaning back so she was supported by her hands and hooking one leg over her knee. The small pig settled down making a nest among the blankets. "You've got enough shit going on with that bastard you work for. You'd think I'd just sit by and let someone else screw over my guy pal."
"Yeah, I guess," Angel responded as he took out his cigarettes from the inner pocket of his jacket. Pulling one out he lit it with a disposable lighter. His snout crinkled at the heady scent of the tobacco as it burned. This was the same brand that Valentino used and the only one that his employer permitted him to use. Maybe it was because of the particular color of the smoke, Val's brand was the only one to produce this reddish color. Though he had no idea how Val could tell when he tried to use other brands. He had used a cheaper brand of cigs while he had been at home away from Val's prying gaze. Only for the moth to jump on him the next day about using a different brand because he smelled different. "I'd like Vags a lot better if she'd lighten up and…"
"Pull the stick out of her vagina," Cherri finished the sentence, with a huge grin on her face. Angel also smirked in response.
"Yeah…" Angel sighed. "What concerns me about her though is she doesn't seem to like or trust men in general. Lesbian or not, that ain't something gals do for no good reason."
"That's what I've always loved about you Angie," Cherri said "You pick up on things about people. That Charlie girl, she obviously wants to be someone who you think of as a friend."
"I know she does," Angel stated, letting out a breath through his nose. "I want to trust her but…"
"You don't know her well enough," Cherri finished the statement. "I get that and I understand that completely. Still, you don't know how relieved I am to know you are starting to get more people into your corner. Is she really that cheery?"
"I wouldn't say all the time," Angel shrugged."At least not 100% of the time, It's more like 89-95% tops. Kinda a bit ironic that we're in Hell, the place the sinful and the damned suffer for all eternity and she is the only one who is able to see visions of rainbows and fluffy clouds everywhere. Her enthusiasm can be intense, but even I'll admit to takin' a shine to her. Maybe it's kinda appropriate considering her father used to be…" Angel paused as a thought came to his mind before he glanced towards the door. "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning," He softly recited to himself as though pieces of a puzzle he was trying to solve were falling into place.
"What's up," Cherri asked in concern.
"Nothing important," Angel said after a moment. "Anyways, this hotel is a building that Charlie's father owned at some point and she's using it as a rehab center to redeem demons. Something Charlie hopes to be an alternative to the Cleanse."
"At least someone is trying to come up with something," Cherri dryly said as she mentally debated if Charlie was completely oblivious or delusional. "The Cleansings suck, everyone in Hell agrees on that. But I know you well enough to know you wouldn't join up with something as far-fetched as this unless you knew there was a good chance of it happening. And even then it would take more than free housing as an incentive...unless...you're using this place to escape Val, aren't you?"
"That was the plan," Angel said. "I don't think that's the case anymore."
"What happened," Cherri cocked her head in concern. She had a feeling she wouldn't like the answer.
"During the interview, Sweet Cheeks was having the other week," Angel stated. "At one point she mentioned I was part of the hotel. I don't hold it against her..okay, maybe I do a little. But it's not like she knows anything about what is happening on my side of things, and I haven't told her either."
"So your boss knows you're here," Cherri said. Her fists angrily balling into the bedding, her ire wasn't directed at Charlie. She may not know Charlie beyond that she was the Princess of Hell. But she didn't look like the sort of person who would betray Angel by revealing he was part of the hotel if she had any sort of ideas as to what was really occurring. That didn't mean it didn't make her mad though. If Val was choosing to look the other way at this time, that only meant that he didn't see this place or the people involved as any sort of threat to him. But if he had any reason to think his control over Angel was slipping, there was no telling the lengths he would go to in order to maintain it.
"The people you met downstairs aren't even everyone who is stayin' at this hotel. You saw, Husk, he's the guy running the bar. He's sweet in a grouchy way, there is another female demon called Niffty who works as the housekeeper around here, both of them were brought in by Alastor."
"Who's Alastor" Cherri asked. The way he said that name sounded like somebody she should be aware of, but it didn't ring any bells.
"This really creepy prick," Angel responded, "He's also known as the Radio Demon. Usually, he hangs out in his room and doesn't come downstairs unless it suits him. He saw the interview about the hotel, though he did say he's only wanting to help out so he can be entertained in watching this place and the wayward souls who decide to join it fail. I'd be less weirded out by him if he didn't smile like Valentino."
"Speaking of Val," Cherri inquired as her natural Australian accent unconsciously slipped through into her voice. "He did something to you today, didn't he? You're always jumpy after he does something. Unlike the girls downstairs I know what he does to you, so don't be pulling the webbing over my eye, mate."
"He er," Angel sighed as he leaned his head back against the surface of the wall and closed his eyes. "He made me suck his dick today."
"WHAT!?" Cherri nearly screamed as she immediately sat up to attention, her single eye wide with concern. "Oh, Angie...Angie, Angie this is bad."
"He was just making sure that I wasn't using the people I'm associating with here as a means to get away from him," Angel let out a snort of frustration. "I don't know what Charlie can honestly do to convince Val to release me from his service. I mean, yeah she can do the 'blah blah, as Princess of Hell and Heir to the throne I order blah' thing. But Valentino's an Overlord and he is buddies with two others, both of whom are dangerous on their own. Vox in particular has enough connections to tank this hotel if it suits him. While Velvet could use her social media connections to ruin any chance of Charlie being taken seriously as a future leader of Hell. And it ain't like I'm high enough on the status pyramid for her dear old dad to give any flying fucks about what happens to me or any of the souls who live down here. As for Smiles... he does things only when they benefit or entertain him. Still, the boss does have reason to be scared as Al ain't a slouch, you should have seen what he did to that old Snakelords airship. That was some serious power...enough to make demons like my Pops and Fratello want to piss themselves out of fright. And Charlie, she ain't as naive as she comes across. Though given this whole redemption project...that might be hard to believe."
"But still," Cherri said in concern. "I know this is Hell and this is the sort of shit that happens to people every day and no one blinks an eye. But that doesn't mean it should happen. Have you tried telling your new friends about Valentino at least?"
"Sort of," Angel sighed. "I arranged to give 'em some tickets to my last club performance. I figured that maybe if they could be in a place where Val would be, they'd get the impression that something was up. But none of 'em came and I...didn't expect them to show anyway so...there ya go."
"And you don't let me go after him myself," Cherri stated, tears coming to her single eye. "I don't care if he's an Overlord, what I care about is the fact he is hurting you...that he's hurting my best friend for his own amusement and sick pleasure. How long before he rapes you? How long before he kills you?"
~He was raping me before you met me, Sugar Tits~ Angel mentally thought
"He already does shit to me because of those signs you blow up," Angel pointed out. "So involving yourself ain't exactly doin' me any favors, honeybunch."
Cherri's single-eye widened in shock...she hadn't realized that even doing something as minimal as blowing up billboards around the city could have repercussions. After all, in Pentagram City there was usually something being vandalized or destroyed by someone for whatever given reason. So why would Angel Dust be subjected to whatever because she decided to blow up a billboard or two? It was because Angel knew her or was familiar enough with her for them to suspect why she was doing it. Even if Angel would never openly tell Val or anyone else that she was blowing signs because of him. It wouldn't have been a stretch for them to come to the conclusion that Angel was the motivation behind it. Moving away from where he was leaning against the wall Angel stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray on his vanity table before he sat down beside her wrapping all four arms around her.
"Angie…" She sobbed into his jacket. "I didn't think...I'm sorry."
"It's alright, baby-girl," He said as he held her. "I know you want to get me out of Val's hands, I appreciate it. But this was going on even before Val came into the picture. This ain't something I can just run from or erase. Much like my family ties to the Mafia, I can estrange myself, drop all contact, but I can never wash away the fact I'll always be connected to sin in some way or another."
"But there has to be something to get you out of there," Cherri protested. "You need to have other people besides me know what is happening. What he's doing to you just isn't right, even in Hell... it just isn't right. I know you want to believe that you have some sort of control over this, but it's only going to become worse. I can't bear the thought of losing you to him. I don't want you to go through all this shit, I love you, Angie." Tearfully looking up Cherri lovingly cupped his cheek leaning up as she lightly pressed her mouth against his.
Cherri was aware Angel Dust was gay and would never truly be interested in her as more than just a friend or a sister at best. But she had been someone he could cling to when he was distressed. Occasionally she would offer her own body to him as a lover just for the sake of comfort when she felt that was what he had needed. Just like he would open himself to her in the same manner when he felt she needed someone. It wasn't lust or pleasure, it was just a simple act of love between two close friends.
"What does he have you scheduled for tomorrow?" Cherri asked.
"I have the next couple of days off," Angel said.
"Well, that's good isn't it," Cherri brightened. "We can use this time to explain what is going on to Charlie. Maybe she could do something or figure out what we could do about what is happening." Angel shook his head in response.
"The days off aren't a vacation," Angel sighed. "Valentino is testing if I'm going to use the opportunity to run." Cherri's hopeful smile lowered in disappointment as she leaned her head back against Angel's chest.
"So if you drop contact with him," She said. "It only proves he was right that you are trying to escape him and he will punish you for it. And if you don't, you are only going to let him win."
"Catch-22," Angel sighed in agreement.
"You can't keep this subterfuge forever, Angie," Cherri stated as she got up. "Sooner or later, the Princess or her friend are going to notice something is going on, and you don't want Valentino to be behind it when they do. What if...maybe if I moved into this place it might help you get comfortable enough with the two of them to explain what's happening? At the very least someone else who can try to diffuse any situations that are a concern."
"Ya wouldn't like it, Sugar," Angel Dust smirked. "Remember...no fights, no pranks...no fun."
"Yeah," Cherri smirked back. "But between you and me, we might make it fun. Besides, if Charlie and Vaggie are ever into the idea of a threesome, I could be game."
"Hey, it might be good to have someone I know I can actually talk to around here, besides Nuggz. " Angel agreed with a laugh.
"Thanks for coming by and visiting us," Charlie said as Cherri started her journey back to her apartment.
"Hey, no problem," Cherri responded, offering a toothy grin at the other blond. "It was nice meeting you and your friend And I'm glad you're trying to be someone Angie trust here in Hell."
"It's not easy," Charlie said, giving an exhaustive sigh. "I'm sure you can relate. I know he's a good person, but I get this feeling that there is just so much pain and anger built over it that he just acts out and doesn't know how to respond in any other way."
"Yeah, he can be a bit much," Cherri responded with an understanding sigh. "When it comes to him, the only advice I can give you is to be patient. He won't tell you himself...but he has been jerked around by a lot of people, both when he was alive and now. Still, if there is one thing to be said about him, he is a listener and he does pick up on things. So include him in conversations, ask him about anything that might be on your mind, it doesn't matter what. Just genuinely be open to talking to him, because that will help him become less guarded."
"Thank you," Charlie enthusiastically stated. She felt like she received a key to unlocking the puzzle that was Angel Dust. "Thank you so much. Please come visit us again, I believe having you around would also be beneficial to helping him in our project."
"Yeah about that," Cherri said. "I was wondering if I can participate in this hotel project as well." Charlie gave a delighted squeal and immediately hugged the other girl.
"Yes," Charlie beamed. "Yes, you are welcome to join in. I'll have Vaggie draw up the paperwork tonight and fill you in on the rules in a couple of days. I am so glad you want to be a part of this and I know you will love it here. Plus having you here as one of our patrons will definitely be helpful in Angel's progress and maybe bring in others as well."
"Okay, see you in a couple of days," Cherri said as she walked out the door and into the night.