Charlie sunk to the floor, phone in hand and a frown sullying her face. She was crouched on the ground with her knees bent close to her chest and her head falling forward. In an attempt to stop her tears from falling, she breathed in and out in measured breaths. However, she faltered in her breathing exercise when she realized that she was not alone. For a moment, she considered springing up to her feet and pretending that she was okay, but she just felt so tired.

Drained.

She gathered what strength she had left and raised her head. For a second, her vision was completely obscured by red. She wiped the back of her hand against her eyes, attempting to get rid of the wetness that threatened to leak out while she pasted on a charming smile for her business partner.

"H-hey there, Alastor!" She slowly stood as she grappled with the wall behind her for support. Although her head was tilted up as if to look at Alastor directly, she avoided his gaze. Instead, she chose to look at the way his ears twitched slightly. "What are you…" She cleared her throat, slightly ashamed that her voice sounded scratchy and layered with emotions that she would rather not feel right now. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, hello there, dearest!" He flung his arms wide and spun his cane with a flourish. His smile, forever present and unnerving, had become small. Subdued. Perhaps a little gentle as he looked down at her. He leaned over her, the motion causing her to step a bit backward and to look him directly in the eyes. "Where's that smile of yours gone?"

Despite herself, Charlie felt a corner of her mouth twitch upwards.

"What do you mean?" She stretched her lips wide and pointed at the resulting expression with wild aplomb. "It's right here, Al!" A strained chuckle left her lips before she stopped short and dropped her hands fall down to her sides. God, she felt so stupid right now. Just as suddenly as her smile had appeared, it fell, leaving her face bare and unmarked.

"Hmm…" Alastor tapped one of his clawed fingers against the cupid's bow of his lips before he shook his head wildly to and fro. "No, I don't think that's a real smile, my dear! Why, it looks counterfeit!"

"Counterfeit?"

Suddenly, Charlie found herself falling back against the wall as he abruptly jumped straight into her personal space. What was even more disconcerting was the contrast between the way his bright red eyes were narrowed into thin slits while his smile had grown to cover the entire bottom half of his face. While Charlie wasn't one to get easily scared by Alastor nowadays, she did find that her heart was beating at a rate that probably wasn't healthy if she didn't calm down soon.

"Why, yes! Counterfeit! Fake!" The Radio Demon waggled his finger in front of the Princess of Hell in a patronizing manner. "Why, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were lying to me, Charlie."

Charlie rubbed the back of her head as she sucked in a breath. "Yeah...maybe I wasn't all that upfront with you."

Alastor's red eyes flashed, the light within them seemingly growing brighter with an unknown emotion. He twirled his cane thrice and allowed the instrument to fade from existence.

"Well then… perhaps an intervention is in order!"

Before Charlie could question his choice of words, she found that her arm dragged in front of her as Alastor began running in a random direction. They were running so fast, Charlie could barely make out her surroundings. Were they heading towards the lobby? Were they making a detour towards the kitchen? Her hotel was blurring into artificial reds and warm browns as they walked up the stairs, turned round corners, and skidded to a stop at the very top.

At that point, Charlie was out of breath, but a small smile was present on her face. When she finally registered that she was at top of her beloved hotel, she cast a side glance at Alastor who had, at that point, magicked his cane to come back to his hand. He was quietly murmuring to it, as if it could understand him. Knowing the magic the Radio Demon had, it probably could.

"Umm, I don't suppose we came here to enjoy the view." Charlie's eyes blinked wide when the head of Alastor's cane blinked at her. "Oh, hi!"

"Hello, indeed!" The microphone greeted. Like his owner, the microphone had that snappy, radio host style of speaking. "You're much prettier up close if I do say so myself."

Alastor's finger thumped the head of the cane with one of his knuckles, a disapproving glint in his eyes. "Now, now, she's a lady. You're only here to aid me in a mission in need of completion!" Alastor spun once, handed the handle of his trusted cane into Charlie's hand, and stepped back. "Come now, darling! Regale us with a song!"

A beat.

"Erm… I was kind of expecting something else?" When Charlie saw that Alastor's smile had tightened and that he seemed to hunch a little into himself, she waved her arms wildly as if to placate him. "Not that I don't appreciate the sentiment, but what, exactly, is the sentiment here?"

"Why, to make that smile of yours appear!" Alastor seemed to relax somewhat at Charlie's attempt to make him feel better, but now it was his turn. "And since you love singing—a source of great joy for yourself and for many others—I've decided to host a broadcast! With the star of the show being the Princess of Hell!" He faced Pentagram City and held his arm out in a sweeping gesture. "Wouldn't it be grand to not only release your frustrations in song, but to also advertise the hotel?"

"A-are you… Is this another attempt at—" Charlie interrupted herself with a sudden bout of laughter. "Are you seriously trying to cheer me up by advertising the hotel? Through song?"

A beat.

"If I'm not mistaken, I do believe that it's not merely just an attempt, but rather, that it's working."

Charlie shook her head before gesturing to the microphone that only blinked owlishly at her.

"Do I just go or—"

"Right-o!" Alastor leaned over the head of the microphone, tapped it, and said, in his most performative voice, "Greetings, fellow sinners and lost souls of Hell! Today, I, Alastor, have a wonderful treat for today! Less blood and gore, but just as entertaining! Meet Princess Charlie! Heir to all of Hell, owner of the Hazbin—"

"Happy."

"—Hotel, and part time singer!"

Once Alastor had finished his customary greeting, he tapped Charlie on the shoulder to signal the fact that it was her turn to take to the stage.

"Well, here goes…."

A sweet, cheerful voice began to echo from all of the radios throughout all of Hell. Whether they were working or broken, all of them emitted an eerie red glow—a sign of the Radio Demon's influence.

As Charlie sang, Alastor watched her from her side.

Her painted lips, soft and limp from crying only moments before, had turned into a lovely smile.