Chapter 6: Shaping up
It had been a little over two weeks since Tafford had begun his work at the happy hotel, and already he was making his presence felt. Slowly but surely the Happy Hotel was becoming a nicer place to be. With freshly papered halls and rooms, improved air conditioning, better water pressure, and not a blown light to be found anywhere. Tafford walked down the sixth floor hallway and began to descend the stairwell. With his latest efforts the sixth floor was looking great and it wouldn't be long before the construction crew finished with the upper floors.
As he reached the lobby he passed by Husk at the bar, drinking his day away as always, before continuing passed the staff rooms on his way to Charlie's office. Despite the soundproofing present in every guest room he could still hear a muffled argument coming from Vagatha's quarters, a testament to how heated the argument was. Even with the handyman keeping to himself he could tell these arguments between the captain and her paramour were becoming more frequent. But it was none of his business, so he ignored it and continued on his way. Presently he reached his destination and knocked on Charlie's door.
"Come in"
Came the reply. Tafford entered the, slightly disheveled, but generally organized office and found his boss behind her desk drawing what looked like some new posters.
"Hi Mr. Tafford, what's up?"
Asked Charlie with her usual high energy.
"I finished work on the sixth floor, so things are in good shape until the workmen finish with the upper levels. I came to deliver a report on what all needed done."
Said the steel plated man as he dropped some papers onto the desk and stood opposite his boss.
"That's great! If this keeps up then in just a few weeks we'll be ready for the grand opening!"
"Excellent, and I have to say, things are coming together faster than I would've expected."
"Thanks in part to you Mr. Tafford. You've made the hotel so nice so fast! I never knew how many lights were out in this place until they started working again."
"Well, they say you never really know what you have until you've lived without it."
"I guess that's true. So did you have anything else for me, or did you just want to talk?"
"Nope, just came in to drop off that folder. Now if there aren't any current orders for me this second, I think it's finally time to tackle those elevator repairs."
"Awesome! That will save lots of time over hiking up all those stairs."
"Your telling me. Well, the sooner I start the sooner it'll be finished. Have a good day commander."
"Thanks Mr. Tafford. Good luck."
With their brief conversation concluded Tafford saw himself out leaving Charlie alone in her office. The princess briefly skimmed over what the maintenance man had dropped off before filing it away in one of the many cabinets that lined the walls of her office, before turning back to the posters on her desk. She gave them a final once over and, being satisfied they were complete, broke a contented smile pleased with her progress. She took them to her old, but functional, printer and set them down to make copies. Charlie had a few minutes while they were being printed out so she began to go over everything that would be needed for the grand opening.
The lobby, therapy rooms, and the first few guest floors were ready to go, and the upper floors and premium suites would be done within a few days, the kitchen was stocked and ready to serve as many guests as the hotel could handle, the elevator didn't work yet but Mr. Tafford would have it up and running before too long, and that was about it.
As Charlie's attention turned to setting a date for the event an errant thought crossed her mind. While the building was nearly ready and everyone had seemed to settle into their roles nicely, she hardly knew a thing about most of her employees. While she had known Vaggie and Angel for some time before she had the idea for the hotel, the same couldn't be said of her four other employees. She mainly knew of the radio demon, she actually had very little firsthand knowledge of the scarlet deer before he appeared on her door just a few weeks ago. Niffty was very sweet and energetic, Husk was … Husk, and her newest employee had literally shown up out of the red two weeks ago and had thrown himself into his work, not devoting much time to anything else besides taking care of himself and dropping off the occasional progress report. She hadn't really had the time to talk to them on a personal level because of all the preparations going on over the past few weeks. After thinking on this for a few moments she decided that needed to change.
Charlie looked down at the copier to see that her posters had finished, but decided these could wait. A minute later she was walking the stack of paper to a storage closet near the end of the hall when Vagatha's door flung open, luckily just after she passed it.
"UGH! I'm so tired of this shit!"
Shouted the irate demoness as she stormed out of her shared room at the conclusion of yet another argument. Charlie quickly spun around, surprised at the sudden outburst.
"Vaggie what's wrong? Did you and Angel have another fight?"
"Yes we did, and no I don't want to talk about it!"
"Are you sure? If I know what's wrong mayb-"
"Yes Charlie! I am not ready to deal with this right now. If he really won't accept how big of a problem he has, then I'm sick of trying to get through to him!"
Charlie had an inkling that their arguments had something to do with Angel going out more often, but never knew exactly what their fights were about. To be honest she had noticed Angel around the hotel less and less in recent weeks. But she was so preoccupied coming up with last minute advertisements, directions to the contractors, and preparing for therapy sessions that she hadn't been paying as much attention to the things happening with her friends as she should have. It was no secret where Angel went when he left the hotel for "work" and he had been gone almost nonstop these past few weeks, with no signs of slowing anytime soon.
"Oh, I did notice Angel hasn't been around as much as before, but I didn't realize it was getting to be a problem."
"Well it is, it's a big problem! And one I am not dealing with right now, I need a drink!"
With that Vagatha angrily strode to the kitchen for something to cool her temper, leaving Charlie alone in the hall with a stack of paper in her hands and a concerned look on her face. She hurried to put away the posters in the closet at the end of the hall, then hastened to try and console her friend. A minute or two later the princess found her in the dining room sitting at a table sipping a bottle of some fruit drink and walked over to take a seat across from her companion.
"Charlie if your going to try to get me to talk more about this, you can just leave now."
"No I'm not here for that, if you really don't want to talk then it's not right of me to force you. I just wanted to see if there's any way I can help."
"No Charlie there's no way you can help with this, and again, this is an issue I am not dealing with right now."
"Okay, if you really don't want to deal with this, then I won't force you."
"Thank you."
The two sat for awhile in a, not quite uncomfortable, silence. Vagatha occasionally nursed her drink as she stewed in a cocktail of emotion comprised predominantly of frustration, and Charlie sat across from her in a silent show of support, trying to let her know that she wasn't alone. Eventually this silence was broken with Vagatha being the first to speak.
"So, what was that stack of papers I saw you carrying?"
"Oh, those were some last minute posters I just got through copying. But I figured those can wait, there's something more important I wanted to do today. I was actually planning on getting started after I dropped them off in one of the storage rooms but then, you know."
"Okay I'll bite, what were you going to do?"
"Well it hit me that I don't really know anything about most of our employees, so I thought of using one of the therapy rooms for a little meet and greet, just something to get to know everyone better you know?"
"Hm, that's not a bad idea. Satan knows how long we're going to be working with them, so knowing a few things about our workers wouldn't be a bad thing."
"I know right? I was just thinking of a little thing in one of the rooms where everyone gets together, says a little about themselves, and then there's cake or ice cream or both!"
"I don't know about sweets, but if there's liquor involved that would attract Husk and Angel. Or at least get them through the door."
"Yeah, it wouldn't take long to set up. You know, I think I'm gonna go get started."
Said Charlie as she stood from her seat
"Wait up, I'll help too."
Said Vagatha wanting to help her friend, and if doing so would focus her frustrations into something productive all the better. So the two rose up and walked to one of the therapy spaces to get started.
Meanwhile
After making sure the coast was clear Angel Dust finally emerged from the room he shared with his angry girlfriend and made his way to the bar for a much needed drink.
*sigh* "Goddamn it Vags, can't a guy enjoy a few hours off without getting layed into like a boxing bag."
The tall spider rhetorically asked under his breath as he made his way to the hotel lobby. As he walked he did his best to mentally pull himself together, he was in enough hot water with Vaggie as it was, last thing he needed right now was to give anyone else a reason to think something was wrong. As he came up to the bar he couldn't help but break out in a mischievous smile. Antagonizing Husk was always fun, at least he had that.
"Well, look who it is. Haven't seen you around in a while. Guess it was nice while it lasted."
Jibed the hotel's winged bartender
"Aw husky, you didn't miss little old me?~"
"Like I miss having an ulcer, now do you want a drink or what? There are better ways to waste my time, and none of them involve listening to you."
"Now there's that charm I've been missing out there in that big wide hell, and that charm always goes oh-so well with a sex on the beach."
Husk grumbled to himself as he went to mixing the spider's drink, why did he have to be like this?
"So what's my favorite husky been up to during all of the long, long hours I've been away? How ever have you managed to go on without seeing my gorgeous face for days at a time?~"
"What else would I be doing jerk-ass? Drinking my life away and thanking my lucky stars every day I don't have too put up with your bullshit!"
"Aw husky, keep talking like that and I'm gonna get the feeling you don't like me."
Whined Angel with a fake pout, not willing to let the bartender off the hook yet.
"I swear to fucking satan if you keep this shit up for one more second, I'm gonna take one of these bottles and break it off in your ASS!"
Barked Husk as he angrily slammed Angel's drink down in front of him.
"Phtt, HA-HA-HA-HA! Whats the matter ya overgrown fuzzball, can't handle someone yankin yer chain?"
Laughed Angel Dust, finally ending his bit.
"Screw off asshole! You want to jerk somebody around why don't you go bother that girlfriend of yours!"
Angel's mood turned instantly at that, becoming sour and annoyed.
"Hey, why don't you mind your own damn business ya lousy drunk!"
"The fuck are you so salty about, you're the one who came up and started pestering the fuck outta me!"
"Cause I already took enough shit from her this mornin asswipe!"
"Is that what this is about? So you had another fight, big damn deal! It ain't my problem you can't make it work with a girl for longer than an hour!"
"Hey fuck you, you overgrown hairy-"
"Sorry to interrupt, but does anyone know where I can find Commander Mange or Captain Vagatha?"
Spoke a vaguely familiar voice from Angel Dust's right side.
"Oh hardback, it's you."
"Mhm"
Replied Angel, with Husk just giving a grunt in acknowledgment.
"Mr. Dust, Mr. Husk. Again do either of you know where I could find the commander or the captain? I have news about the elevator."
"Oh finally the elevator's gonna work again! So how long before it's up and running?"
"Well let's not get ahead of ourselves, there is news, but it's not all good."
"Shouldn't the princess be in her office?"
Asked Husk
"I went there before coming here, I knocked but got no response. She's never failed to at least respond before so I took it to mean she's not there."
"So what's up? Whats' wrong with the elevators?"
Questioned Angel Dust
"Well here's the thing, the cars, cables, pulleys, counter weights, and electrical systems are all in pretty good shape. The motor that drives all of it on the other hand, that's a different story. I don't know how much they used that thing in the past but they managed to completely burn the thing out!"
"Oh come on how bad could it be?"
"Try warped components, fried circuits, blackened metal, and snapped bolts."
"Oh, that bad."
"Yeah, so I need to know where I can find-"
"There you are!"
Well speak of the devil, as Charlie appeared behind the gathering coming in from one of the ground floor hallways.
"Hey Charlie."
"Princess."
"Commander!"
Spoke Angel, then Husk, and finally Tafford as the latter snapped to attention on sighting his superior.
"Hi there everyone, Mr. Tafford at ease."
Said Charlie greeting the trio and dispensing Tafford's formalities.
"Commander, I've been looking for you, I have some news about the elevators."
"That's great Mr. Tafford but I thought we could all focus on something else first."
"This oughtta be good."
Grumbled Husk, taking a large swig from his bottle
"So, what ya got for us now princess?"
Asked Angel with skepticism in his voice.
"Well I thought since we'll all be spending some time working together I thought we could all have a meet and greet! It's just a thing where everyone sits in a circle and says a little about themselves. Come on it'll be fun. Everything is all set up in one of the therapy rooms."
"No"
Flatly refused the grumpy bartender
"Yeah, not my idea of a good time, Ditto."
Replied Angel Dust
"With respect, I really think the elevators would be a better use of our time."
Spoke Tafford
"Oh come on, it won't be so bad."
"Uh-uh."
"Nope."
"I'd rather not."
"But it's fun to learn about other people!"
"No way."
"Nothing doing."
"Afraid not."
"There will be liquor."
Relented Charlie in a tone as deadpan as her expression, finally accepting that would be the only way to get those two to go along.
"I'm on my way."
"Well that's all you had to say!"
Conceded Husk and the spider
"Is it required commander?"
The princess hesitated at this. She didn't really want to force any of them to participate, but the allure of alcohol was the only real way to convince two of the three men to join in. And if a simple order was all that was needed to get the last one involved, then she'd take it. If only this once.
"Well … Yes! As your superior I order you to participate in this activity."
*sigh* "Very well."
Yielded Tafford as he began to follow the others to the meeting room. Upon arrival Husk and Angel helped themselves to the open bar that had been set up before taking a seat. A few minutes later Niffty zipped into the room and also seated herself in the circle of chairs, followed shortly thereafter by Vagatha and Alastor. Charlie took her friend aside for a moment before she began.
"Wow Vaggie, I can't believe you got Al to go along with this, how'd you do it?"
"Well Niffty helped. A lot. I was just lucky they were in the same place when I went to find them."
And after this momentary exchange Vagatha took a seat and Charlie began.
"Welcome everyone, I'm so glad you're all here. It occurred to me this morning that while we've all been working together for a few weeks, we don't really know a whole lot about each other, and I hope this meeting will change that. So I thought we could all go around and say something about ourselves to get to know each other better. I'll start us off, as you all know I'm Charlie the princess of hell and the owner of this hotel. I'd like to say that I enjoy things like music and frappacinos, oh and the Harry Potter series, I love the Harry Potter books. Okay who wants to go next?"
"I'll go next if no one has any objections."
"Oh Al! Go right ahead."
"Yes well introductions are quite unnecessary, for obvious reasons, but there are a few things I will share about myself. As of this moment in time I have been in our fiery home for over one hundred years, but I will always consider the finest time in my existence to be 1929! Oh what a time to be alive, the anguish, the sorrow, the spectacle of sheer desperation on display in the wake of the depression! Oh, there will never be another time like it, not if I live for eternity! And, I believe that will conclude my turn princess."
"Oh-Kay Al, thanks for sharing. Alright who's next?"
"Oh, Oh, me next, me next!"
Came the hyperactive voice of Niffty.
"Hi there, I'm Niffty, and I'm here because I work for Alastor, but before that I worked for this rich guy who loved cars. Sometimes he used to take me for rides around the city, it was fun. I also really love fashion and cooking and animals! And, OK that's it."
"Very good Niffty! Who wants to go next? Husk, how about you?"
"Pass."
"It's alright, no one's going to think less of you for sharing something about yourself."
"Don't care. Not gonna bother talking about myself when there's nothin to tell."
"Oh come on husk, this is a safe place."
"Not the problem, there ain't nothin to say. I like to drink and gamble and that's it."
"Are you really sure you don't want to share anything?"
"Yes. Now get off my back and let me finish my damn drink!"
The princess's smile faded a little at the drunken cat's stubborn refusal to open up.
'Oh crap, this isn't how I saw this going. Let's just hope this is one small hiccup and move on.'
Thought Charlie as she turned to her newest employee.
"Alright then, Mr. Tafford what about you?"
The armored man straightened himself a little before replying,
"Well, my name is Sergeant Emris Tafford, and I also came to adopt the name Hardcase some time after coming to hell. All relevant information about me is contained in my service record, available upon request to either Commander Mange or Captain Vagatha. Next."
"What? No! There's got to be something you want to share. You said your a sergeant, how about telling us a little about your time in the military?"
Asked Charlie, with obvious dissatisfaction in her voice and a slight whine at the beginning of her sentence.
"I don't see how that's necessary, I gave you my full service record over a week ago. If my military service peaks anyone's interest they can read the complete report I gave you."
"Okay, if you don't want to share your time in the military with us, then tell us some of the things you like? What do you do for fun when your off duty?"
"I've only been here around two weeks, and most of that time has been occupied by my maintenance and guard duties. What I do in the little time I have left to myself is irrelevant, but I will say it's mostly self care."
"Bullshit. Admittedly you have done some good work, but I've been down here almost twenty years, and there's no one who works that hard."
Chided the gray skinned demoness, ever the skeptic.
"Believe it or not captain, but that is how I've been spending my time."
"Okay then, what did you do for fun before you came to work at the hotel? Back when you lived in, I'm sorry, where was it again?"
Charlie cut back in
"A town named dumpfort near the northwestern fringe, but really commander my personal life just isn't worth getting into. Our time would be much better spent discussing the elevator repairs."
"Mr. Tafford I told you the elevators can wait, right now we're all getting to know each other a little better so we're not just working with strangers."
"Commander with respect, what I did in my personal life just isn't relevant to my duties here."
"Isn't there anything you want to say about yourself, even just a little bit?"
Gasped the princess, becoming exasperated.
"I already have. I said I'm from the town of dumpfort near the northwestern fringe."
"Is that really all you want to share about yourself?"
"Yes ma'am. It is."
Stated the armored man firmly, putting his foot down.
"Alright, we can move on. Angel you have a very, unique, personality. I think we all know know there's a lot of, heh heh, 'material' going around with you in it, but let's hear you say something about yourself. You know, in your own words."
Said Charlie with some nervousness, but hopeful this would get things back on track
"Yeah, hey there, I'm Angel Dust best porn star in perdition. And I gotta bounce outta here cause I'm gonna be late for work."
Replied Angel, rising from his seat as he looked up from his phone.
"Wait, right now? Do you have to go this second, I wanted everyone to get a proper turn."
"Afraid so Charles, if I don't get out those doors now there won't be enough hours to make my day."
"Angel! Really?! Do you know how late you got back last night! Dios, tienes idea de lo cansado que estoy de esta mierda!"
"Vags, you know I can't understand shit when you start talkin in spanish, either way it doesn't change the fact that I need to go."
"Bien, si te niegas a ver cuan grande es el problema que tienes, entonces estoy cansado de tratar de ayudarte!"
Roared Vagatha before getting up and storming out of the room, almost tearing the door off it's hinges in her rage.
"*sigh* Great."
Sarcastically breathed Angel Dust before also taking his leave and heading to the hotel's doors.
...
"Well, that feels like the end of a meeting, so I'll just see myself out."
Said Husk in an almost monotone of boredom. He then filled his arms with all the high proof booze he could carry and exited the room. Alastor followed hot on his heels, his grin just a little wider and chuckling almost imperceptibly. Charlie, Niffty and Tafford were now the only ones in the room, the former having wilted at another of her ideas backfiring right in her face, the middle to try and offer some comfort, and the latter with business to discuss.
"Well, shit."
Groaned Charlie as she plopped down in the closest chair, a familiar feeling of disappointment flowing through her. Niffty zipped over and stood on the adjacent seat, putting a hand on the princess's shoulder.
"Oh Charlie, I'm sorry. If it makes you feel better, none of that wasn't your fault."
"No Niffty, it was. If I didn't try to force everyone to open up when they didn't want to none of this would have happened."
Heavy footsteps could be heard coming closer drawing Charlie's attention out of her puddle of self pity and defeat.
"Commander, she's right."
"Mr. Tafford, I'm sorry but she's not, like I said I-"
"She is commander. Even though myself and Mr. Husk didn't feel like sharing details of our personal lives, having an event to get to know know your employees better wasn't a bad idea."
"Then why did it turn out like this?"
Asked Charlie, her face slumping into her hands.
"You may sharpen your sights to a pinpoint, but you can never control the wind."
At that the two demons looked up in confusion
"What does that mean?"
"You can start something with the best of intent, but you can never entirely control what happens."
"Yeah, it's like that old saying, the road to hell is paved with good intentions."
Added Niffty
"Gee, thanks."
Sighed Charlie
"Look, the point is, even if it didn't turn out the way you would've liked, we all still learned a little bit about each other."
"Yeah right, what about Husk?"
Drearily asked the well dressed demoness
"We learned he likes gambling."
"That's no secret, he arrived at the hotel with an entire poker table for crying out loud!"
"I never saw that. I've seen him slumped behind his counter drinking, or grabbing a bite in the kitchen but that's it."
"That's right, Mr. Tafford didn't join the hotel until a week after we did."
Rejoined the armored man, followed by the nimble sprite.
"Well, what about Angel?"
...
"Okay you may have a point there, that's no reason to be so down."
"Four out of seven is still over fifty percent."
Consoled Niffty and Tafford in succession.
Charlie's mood shifted a little hearing her companions words, and while she definitely wasn't happy, she didn't feel quite as low as before. But as her mood began to lift, one point still held her down.
"Vaggie didn't even get a turn."
There was a pause in the conversation after this, with the speedy homemaker and the burly worker both searching for something to ease their boss's mind. Finally it was Tafford who broke the uncomfortable silence.
"Well commander, while the captain didn't officially get to say her piece during the meeting, I think we all did learn a little something about her."
"What?"
Asked Charlie, a hint of curiosity now creeping into her mind.
"I think I know."
Fielded Niffty
"Well, while she didn't put it in words, we all saw her reaction when Angel had to take off for work again. Granted I don't really know her all that well, but I have noticed Angel around the hotel less and less in the past week or so. And for Ms. Vaggie to fly off the handle like that when Angel had to leave must mean she cares for her a whole lot."
"Precisely"
Charlie thought about this. While she still didn't like how the meeting had turned out there was truth to what her companions had said. In a strange way the meeting had been a success, and with this thought the princess's sour mood lifted just a little more, and the ghost of a smile crossed her lips.
"Thanks guys, I think I needed to hear that."
"No problem Charlie."
"Just doing my job."
The princess now turned her attention to Tafford to discuss the next item of the day.
"OK Mr. Tafford, you said you had some news about the elevator, let's hear it."
"Well, to make a long story short, while most of the elevator components are intact and in fairly good shape, the motor that runs the whole thing is another story. I don't know how much the previous owners of this place used that thing, but it's completely burnt out. At this point your options would be, entirely new internals for the old casing, or a new motor."
Well Charlie knew it wasn't as bad as it could be, that was something at least. Still, the news wasn't as good as she'd hoped.
"Crap, how much is that going to cost to fix? Well Mr. Tafford, repairs are your department, what do you recommend we do?"
"Well both options have their ups and downs, a new motor would be faster and less likely to fail then rebuilding it ourselves. That being said, Refitting the old motor with new parts could be significantly cheaper than going new, and it would be a less complicated install as the parts could be brought up piecemeal."
After a moments thought she returned
"Could you rebuild the old motor? We need to save money however we can, and fewer complications is seldom a bad thing."
"Yes ma'am I can refit the existing motor, in fact while I was up there I took the liberty of making a parts list just in case. Thank the great one my predecessors left an old schematic up there. Now it's just a matter of finding a hardware store with a good selection."
"I know where one is!"
Squeaked Niffty
"That's great Niffty! If you two weren't doing anything you could actually head there now? Like you said Mr. Tafford, the sooner those repairs start the sooner they'll be finished."
"Yes Boss."
"Right away ma'am."
Said the two before departing to gear up, leaving Charlie alone to clean up the remains of her ill fated meeting.
A few hours later
The nut and shaft may have been a terrible name for a hardware store, but damn if they didn't have an exemplary selection. Tafford walked alongside Niffty carrying the lion's share of the myriad of parts they had purchased inside. Naturally this wasn't all the parts needed to repair the elevators, but it was enough for Tafford to get started.
"I don't think I've ever seen a hardware store with such an extensive selection."
"Yep. Even better is we got all this without breaking the bank."
Went the back and forth between the two colleagues. Many things in hell were rampantly overpriced but fortunately, for some reason, basic parts and hardware weren't one of them.
"I just wish it were closer to the hotel."
Originally Tafford had wanted to drive to the store but Niffty had convinced him otherwise after describing the city traffic at this time of day. And from the amount of cars speeding past them now, she was absolutely right to do so. The two walked for some time making small talk or just enjoying the amicable silence. As they rounded a corner they saw a group of demons a little ways away, grouped together at the entrance to an alley and talking. Unfortunately one of them, the apparent leader, noticed the duo and drew the attention of the rest of the group which began to advance on the duo.
"Well well well, what have we here?"
Said the leader walking out in front. He was a tall bird like demon that had a sharp slightly curved beak, light gray feathers with scarlet stripe highlights, and lime green eyes that had black pupils & irises. All in all he looked almost like a parrot. He wore simple jeans, a dark brown jacket, and what appeared to be a dirty white wife beater underneath. He had two lackeys following behind him on either side, one was a lizard demon with purple scales that wore ripped cargo pants and a shirt that appeared to be made more of quick fixes and patches than actual fabric. The other was a demon that looked very much like a robot, dressed in skinny jeans, some kind of bright blue shirt, and a black pleather jacket. Recognizing the situation they were in, Tafford attempted to deescalate.
"Easy there pal, were just passing through, don't want any trouble."
"Well that's too bad, cause ya found it."
Said the bird demon, his two lackeys braking out in wicked grins.
"You must not be from around here, or you'd know this sidewalk has a toll. You two drop those bags, empty everything in your pockets, and you walk away without a scratch. Otherwise-"
At this the robotic looking demon raised his hand, a shower of sparks and cracking electricity arcing between his fingers, and the lizard produced sharp spines from his forearms and claws from his hands.
"-You get the idea."
Well, he tried. It was clear that there was no way these muggers would let them through in peace, so Tafford straightened his stance and said in a firm voice,
"There is no way that is going to happen."
"*sigh* Why do they always gotta fight back? OK boys, looks like we gotta do it the hard way."
Spoke the leader as the trio of degenerates bore down on the pair.
"Ms. Niffty, let me handle this."
Said Tafford as he deftly moved both bags to one hand and tossed them against the nearby building. He then moved to intercept the point man putting himself between Niffty and the attackers.
Tafford had to give the leader some credit, as he was still getting into his old fighting stance the bird dashed up to him, produced a billy club from inside his jacket and-
Clang!
Delivered a good hit to the sideof Tafford's helmeted head. And with that opening blow, it was on. Tafford was momentarily dazed as the force of the blow caused both his ears, and helmet to ring, and in this moment the bird tried to get in another swing, aiming for his head. Fortunately the armored man knew enough to not stay in the same spot, so the hit only connected with his shoulder, and created a brief opening to strike back.
Bam!- Jab!- Whiff!
Tafford responded with a mean right hook to the gut, then a jab at the face with his left, but the bird man was fast enough to doge the third punch.
"Ah- you fuck!"
Whiff!- Clang!- Whiff!
The next three strikes from the club were powerful but reckless, the first met only with air, the second being blocked by an armored gauntlet, and the final being evaded and creating another opening. The bird was thrown off balance by the force of his last swing, such that his back was now to his opponent, a mistake that would now be savagely exploited.
Bam-Bam-Pow-Jab-Bam-Pow- Crack!
Tafford grabbed his opponent and unleashed a vicious chain of blows that culminated in a devastating uppercut that sent the bird staggering into the street-
Honk! Honk!- Brrrrrrrrmmmmm!
-to be immediately creamed by a bus.
"Bastard!"
ZZZZZAP!
AUGH!
The robot demon looked on at the fight with his boss, confidant he could take this stupid tin can without his help. But after seeing his leader be smacked into a bus he was quick to get some payback on the hard shelled jackass in the form of his electricity. The attack was worsened, as Tafford's metal armor made for an excellent conductor, he was both stunned, and thrown into a great deal of pain for a good minute as the high voltage coursed through him. The robot demon was not one to let an opportunity go to waste, and exploited this opening by slipping on a pair of modified brass knuckles and delivering a few strikes of his own.
Pow!-Jab!-Bam!
The bot struck out again and again with his augmented instruments of violence. Once the first blow connected it was made apparent what the knuckles were. They were modified to channel this demon's electricity, so every time a punch connected it also released a lower voltage current that slightly extended the stun Tafford was under. But unfortunately for the bot this duration did not last forever, and when it ended the armored man was spoiling for some revenge of his own.
*Grab*- Crack!
YYYEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Cried the bot, doing a perfect imitation of a large green eyeball with legs, as Tafford grabbed his wrist when he went to deliver another punch and snapped it with only an iota of effort.
"You miserable dick!"
Shouted the bot as he reeled up and delivered one final punch with all his remaining strength
Ghrn!
Groaned the armored man as the punch connected. It was a good hit, but not good enough, and now it was Tafford's turn.
*Nab* Crack!
AUG-HAH!
Shouted the Robot demon in agony as his good arm was grabbed at the elbow and broken, being bent the complete opposite way. The demon was now at Tafford's mercy, having collapsed on the ground. Being in too much pain to try and offer further resistance or even attempt to run away. Seeing as how this one wouldn't be going anywhere he scanned for the final demon of the trio. Suddenly a flash of recognition and a shiver of concern struck him at once. He had been so preoccupied with these two that the last one had been free to focus on- shit! Spinning around he searched for any trace of the last demon or his own companion, but what he found came as more of a shock than had been delivered by the robot. He found the lizard demon with arms and legs sewn together in a gruesome approximation of a hog tie, with the petite housekeeper standing nearby completely unharmed.
"Gyaah, Waaaagh! What the hell!"
Cried the lizard in fear. Tafford briefly stared at the scene, dumbstruck as to how the midget sized woman could take down the scaly bastard without so much as a scratch, and it was only then that he noticed the oversize sewing needle in her hands, it's size being equal to a rapier or a short sword. Well that, combined with her remarkable speed, explained a lot. He continued to stare for a second or two longer before snapping back to reality.
"Ms. Niffty, are you all right?"
"Oh yeah, this isn't the first time a big ugly brute thought he could push me around."
"I didn't know you were one of those demons that could summon a weapon whenever they wanted."
"Well, a lady's got to defend herself somehow."
"Right. Well-"
"H-Hey, I'm still down here you stupid fucks! You know when I get outta this I'm gonna make you bo-"
"Shut Up!"
Started the lizard demon before Tafford gave him a good kick to the ribs to make him do just that. But this did bring up an immediate concern they faced.
"What do we do with them now?"
"Is there a dumpster in that alley?"
Asked Niffty, with a grin that could rival Alastor's growing on her face. It took only a glance to see that yes, there was. Another minute or two was all it took to sweep up the trash. When that was done they retrieved their purchases, luckily untouched, and walked the rest of the way to the hotel without further incident. Upon entering the lobby they were greeted by the sight of Husk slumped over at the bar, Charlie relaxing on one of the couches, and the rest of the lobby deserted.
"Hi guys, welcome back! Did you have any trouble at the hardware store?"
Niffty and Tafford shared a look before turning back to their boss
"Nothing we couldn't handle."
Replied Niffty
"No trouble at all."
Stated the stocky maintenance man
"That's good. So did you get all the parts you needed?"
"Well, refitting a motor is a complex process, but I have all I need to get started. In fact, I should get on that right now."
"I'll come too! You can't carry all of these by yourself, and maybe I could learn a little about fixing things."
Exclaimed Niffty excitedly.
"I don't see why not."
With that, the two began the long trek to the top of the shaft to start the repairs. Charlie watched them go from her place on the couch before leaning back and closing her eyes for just a minute when they were no longer in view. There really wasn't much to do with the rest of the day.
After the meeting had broken up, to put it mildly, she had cleaned up the bottles and chairs herself before trying to find Vaggie to see if she could be of some help. Charlie had searched but found no trace of the platinum blonde demoness, which Charlie had learned over time was a signal that she did not want to be found. Vaggie would turn up eventually, the princess didn't doubt that. Once her fruitless search had concluded she caught up on a little paperwork in her office and laminated the posters she had made, then decided to relax in the lobby for a while which brought her to the present.
Well, with nothing better to do she decided to head back to her office to see if there were any papers she had missed, then turn in for the night and study more of her psychology books. Entering the space she checked her desk and went through her drawers. Pens and pencils, envelopes, extra paper, some drawings she had made to inspire herself, and that was it. Almost. As she looked through the final drawer she noticed two envelopes, one a large manila used for mailing packets and folders, and the other looked to be a regular letter. These were the two that Mr. Tafford had given her two weeks before, time flies when you have a million things going on, Charlie guessed. Well she had the time now, she might as well. She opened the letter and began to read.
Hey there princess,
Yeah I know it's you, it's no secret that Tafford's going to pentagram to help you run that hotel of yours. Been yakin about it for the past two weeks.But back to the point,off the bat I want you to know while I don't think it stands a chance, he apparently does. You should know thatwhen you first meet him he's going to be wound a little too tight, that's just how he is. But give him time, let him get to know you, and he'll come around. Treat him right and he'll go the extra mile for you, that I know from experience.There was one eveningI had him fixing up some things at the bar and after he finished the repairs he had a little time left. Butinstead of knocking off early he took a crack at fixing some old arcade cabinets I had in the corner, and wouldn't ya know it, he actually got the damn things working again! He didn't have to do that, but he did,andit actually brought in a little more business to boot. That wasn't the last time he chose to spend his evenings helping people out, from fixing up the old neon, to keeping the coolers at the CRAM IT in repairs, that guy really can do it all. If he really likes you, he'll do it all and then some. I know it might not mean much coming form an old glass wipe like me, but he's a good guy, someone you want to have on your side.Well, that's pretty much it, andif you feel like doing me a favor, don't tell him I said any of this. I like to keep a little of my reputation in tact. Thanks
Mr. Highball C. Glass,
Owner- Knock & Stagger
Dumpfort
Northwest Fringe
A small smile found it's way to Charlie's face as she finished the last line. She had to admit, as far as first impressions went, Mr. Tafford had come off as pretty stiff. The princess had also thought his personality was, well, a little wooden. But it helped to know these issues should get better as time went on. She didn't see completely eye to eye with her newest employee about everything, the little "incident" on his first night here was testament to that. But his old boss had taken the time to write him a letter of recommendation, and that wasn't lost on her. This helped to reinforce her belief that there was some good in everyone. So with that small bright smile on her face she re-folded the letter into it's envelope and took both with her as she walked back to her room. Now she had something else to study whenever she had the time.