This story was made for my biggest fan at their request. All story credits belong to them.
CHAPTER 1
It has been 3 months since the establishment known as the Hazbin Hotel started, founded by the Charlie Morningstar, the sole descendant of the first of the fallen angels himself. It was founded on the mission to help any lost soul in Hell to find redemption and make their way to Heaven, offering a small glimmer of hope for the damned in the realm of eternal punishment.
Despite its noble goal and pretenses of its founding, its business is almost completely dead, just as it began, save for 2 frequent clients that come and go.
And one of them is believed to be simply a customer for Angel Dust's tricks.
But the lack of business in the hotel is one problem that lies on the management of the hotel, and, being a child of a prince of Hell, a far less important matter. Instead, the problem that lies with her now rests not only on her shoulders, but also those of another closely related to the matter:
Vaggie, her significant other and co-founder of the hotel.
Struggles have been present in their relationship for a long period of time, and had finally reached their breaking point when the deepened relationship they once shared had come to an end. Instead, the two simply exist in the hotel as friends and co-workers, trying to see the dream of redemption for all demons achieved.
Each have taken the breakup in their own way, but Vaggie is far less accepting of the situation enough to move on. Stress is still heavy on her mind, preventing her from focusing on day-to-day tasks, such as her current objective of filing paperwork in for the hotel's records.
A simple job of organizing files is barely anything to become stressed over, but the job unfortunately makes Vaggie do just that; her own love life becoming disorganized and out of array makes the work all the more frustrating, leaving the monotony of the job to let her mind wander and continue to move back to the original sin still plaguing her thoughts.
Needing something else to take her mind off the subject, she chose to take a break from the paperwork, leaving the office to go to the kitchen for a snack.
Before she could select her choice of food, however, yet another reminder of her own romantic troubles had presented itself in the kitchen. Faintly in the other room could the giggling of Charlie be heard, drawing her attention away from any temporary replenishment of nutrition.
Even with their relationship over and done, the sound of Charlie's giggle still brings her a smile, her feelings towards her still making themselves known by knowing she is happy and content. Stepping closer to the faint giggling to hear it better, Vaggie made her way to a cracked door, allowing herself to peer in to catch a sight of her giggling as well.
She is given the sight of a delighted Charlie as she wished to see, but she is also given the sight of another demon with her, sneering with annoyance upon seeing...
"Alastor. Oh, great. What's the Radio Demon trying to pull on Charlie now?" Vaggie thought aloud.
Her distrust of the slim and slender demon is not unwarranted; notorious is he for his numerous crimes and terror, bringing suffering to others on a scale legendary even in Hell. Nonetheless, Charlie has still put her indiscriminate trust in him as she would any demon that came to her hotel, giving each and every soul a chance for redemption.
Keeping a watchful eye on the demon since his arrival to keep Charlie well-protected against his machinations and schemes, Vaggie continued the tradition by continuing to peek more on the two, trying to see where their conversation was leading and what troubles may come to Charlie as a result.
So far, there appeared to be no apparent danger. What took place appeared to be a cooking lesson, with the dish being prepared a homemade jambalaya.
"God, what is with that guy and that jambalaya shit? He doesn't even look Cajun. Probably would complain the bayou's too dirty and demand it be cleaned up or something. Snob." Vaggie mumbled.
Keeping Charlie to his side next to the cooking pot, Alastor left no detail of the process untold, carefully explaining all the necessary steps with absolute attentiveness, and making her try tastes of the food during each stage of its preparation. A less patient or forgiving person would not stand for such a tedious lesson, but Charlie is more patient than most of the populace of Hell, taking in the lesson with joy.
But the cooking lesson is just an activity shared by the two. What interests Vaggie is their conversation, spying further to hear them talk.
"Wow. Jambalaya's easier to make than I thought!" Charlie cheered.
"Of course it is, my dear. You just need to remember the 3 creams: Cream of celery, cream of mushroom, and cream of onion. Without those, the jambalaya just gets too dry and chokes you up. That's no good for a radio voice like yours truly." Alastor said.
"Oh, but I never realized how much work cooking takes before. Adding all those ingredients, mixing them all together in the right order, having to wait so long or making sure you don't wait too long, I didn't realize all this work went into just one dish!"
"But of course, and how rewarding a process it is. Haven't you cooked any meals for yourself before?"
"No, growing up rich, you just have butlers do all your cooking for you. Vaggie cooked for me once and a while too, but I never learned how to do it from her."
"No, you never asked me anything about cooking. Leave it to Alastor to take the opportunity. Wait... Is that what this about? Another little ploy to gain Charlies trust? Why, I oughtta..." Vaggie mumbled.
"Ah, I see. Not that I care, but, speaking of which, how's your love life between you and Vaggie going?" Alastor asked.
Misreading Alastor's question as far more intimate than he had intended, Charlie let out a slight blush at the inquiry.
"Oh, uh... I'm not used to such personal questions, but... Uh... I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but... We never had sex." Charlie said.
Likewise, just as Charlie had misread Alastor's question, the response he received was not one he sought out, giving him an uncomfortable startle.
"What? No, I don't want to know anything about your filthy sexual habits. I meant your relationship together. You know, isn't that what they call a 'love life'?" Alastor asked.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I guess I misunderstood. But I guess that's not exactly what they call it anymore. Or maybe they do, I don't know. I haven't been up to date on the latest slang that kids use. Too much work to do here, you know." Charlie said.
"Or lack thereof, considering how we've had no one except the two others, and only Angel Dust."
"I remember, you were a big help in getting started, and I'm really thankful for your help. I'm just glad you still agreed after Angel Dust offered to suck your-"
Adverse to hearing of the uncomfortable moment once again, Alastor placed his hand over Charlie's mouth, stifling her sentence before it could leave her mouth.
"Up-up-up, let's not relive that moment, please." Alastor said.
"Oh, right. Sorry." Charlie said.
"Of course you are. But back to my original inquiry, what about you and Vaggie? It seems like, once upon a time, you two were like two peas in a pod. If one of those peas were sweet and the other sour, but still."
"Well... It... It just didn't work out. Problems came up here and there, we couldn't seem to resolve them, and everything just seemed too stressful. But we're still good friends. When we broke up, we did it on good terms and we said we'll stay friends and work together on the hotel. Everything's far less stressful now."
Still spying on the conversation, Vaggie's mention being mentioned and their recently-ended relationship brought up in talk and mentioned heavily as something that brought her former partner stress, the curiosity that she felt over their conversation had soon turned to a disappointing feeling of sadness, reminding her once again what curiosity had done to the cat.
Feeling guilty as if she were to blame for all the troubles in their relationship, Vaggie does not bear to listen to the conversation any further, having heard more than enough of her fill. With a sinking feeling as though she has made everything worse, including for Charlie, she walked away in shame, attempting to take her sorrows elsewhere.
But as Vaggie walked away, she missed an important part of the conversation which would have absolved her from any blame, and given her a sign that she still had a place in the heart of Charlie. Resuming the task of cooking a bowl of jambalaya, she and Alastor stayed quiet, silently contemplating on the thoughts shared with one another, until Charlie shared more regarding the subject.
"But we still had a good time together. Vaggie's a great listener when you need one, and she's a little too realistic for her own good, but she's still very supportive. That's why we're still friends. But Vaggie just seems so sad over the whole breakup, and I don't know how to help her. I just don't know what to do." Charlie said.
Inspiration struck Alastor as the beckoning of Charlie's needs, speaking out a suggestion on the issue presented before him.
"Say, I know? How about we all have a picnic together?" Alastor asked
The very suggestion made Charlie shoot up in delight, taking her out of the slump of sadness that she temporarily caught herself in.
"Oh, that's a great idea! Oh, wait, no... No, no, no, we can't. I have to do something with my dad tomorrow." Charlie said.
And just like any fleeting moment of joy, it is shot down by realization yet again, bringing the mood down again.
"Oh, I see. That does put the plan in a bit of a pickle." Alastor said.
But with someone as hopeful and cheery as Charlie, she lives up to her last name of 'Morningstar', bringing forth a light of inspiration and guidance once again.
"No, wait, I know! How about just you and Vaggie go on the picnic?" Charlie asked.
"Just me and the moth? I doubt she'll be fond of that." Alastor said.
"Oh, please, oh, please, oh, please? It'll be fun! It'll be just you two together to get some quality time! I want you two to get along; we've been here 3 months and I feel like she still hasn't gotten used to you. This would be perfect!"
For a scheming mastermind like Alastor, the proposition is one that he cannot find any good reason to entertain; there is no angle for him to exploit or means to take advantage of the scenario to make it work in his favor. Nonetheless, there is still the prospect of giving Charlie a chance to be happy, by proxy of making one of her closest friends happy.
With nothing to lose but a day in eternal damnation, the scheming slender gave into what good nature he had left, electing to agree to the ask.
"Mmm... Perhaps." Alastor said.
"Great! It's a date!" Charlie cheered.
"Yes- Wait, what? I did not agree to that! It's not a date, its a picnic! Those were the exact terms of the contract!"
"Same thing, silly. I didn't mean that kind of date. I just meant a date between friends."
"Oh... Yes, of course. Forgive me, my dear. I'm a man who likes to see an agreement fulfilled as I originally agreed to it. It's the only trustworthy currency in Hell."
"Oh, I know that much, you should've seen my dad try to give me finance classes as a little girl. So, what do we do with the jambalaya now?"
To answer Charlie's next question, Alastor obtained a ladle and two bowls, scooping up servings of the food into each bowl and passing one to her.
"Now, my dear, we enjoy the hard work we put into this fine meal: Jambalaya! Bon appetit, mon petite!" Alastor said.
Giggling at Alastor's gratuitous French, Charlie began eating the jambalaya, enjoying the delicious mixture of chicken and sausage mixed in a spicy rice. Feeling the flavors all come together in her mouth, the burst of flavor led to an outcome of a delicious encore of taste, concluding when the bite was swallowed.
"Oh, boy, Al, you make the best jambalaya." Charlie said.
"Yes, I know, my dear. I know." Alastor said.
As the plans for a date among friends was made without a habeus corpus of one of the two friends in question for the date, the absent friend in question made a solitary walk down the halls of the Hazbin Hotel, solemnly harboring negative emotions in herself after the partial eavesdrop of her former partner and their mutual benefactor for the hotel.
Much is on her mind regarding the affair, but it is all for naught, and such feelings would not be present if she had simply stayed and heard the rest of the conversation to know that she is still of great concern to Charlie. Alas, her quickness to judge has cost the chance of being spared any emotional pain, and now must shoulder it herself.
Perhaps the knowledge of being put on a date with a person she had no confidence or trust in would have made her disgusted and even angry, but at least she would not be in such sorrow as she is in now. Again, the chance for avoiding the pain has passed, and she must deal with her decision.
Making her way near Angel Dust's room, she is given the mercy of a distraction from her own thoughts, seeing the soul of a Hispanic gangster leave his room. At least, perhaps this man was a gangster in his past life, or some manner of amateur skater, or neither, maybe something else ranking low on the societal food chain.
None of his past life on Earth really matters, for what catches her attention is the fact he left Angel Dust's room, knowing that the occupant is a prostitute.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Vaggie asked.
"What? Me? Nothing, man." The 'gangster' said.
"You were just leaving Angel Dust's room. Don't you have your own room?"
"Well, yeah, I just... was paying him a visit."
"Really? Business or pleasure?"
"Huh?"
"Well, your shirt's on backwards, I guess that it was pleasure this time."
Noticing that his shirt was indeed on backwards as pointed out, as well as his belt was not secured, the 'gangster' became defensive over the accusation proposed to him.
"What? Yo, what the fuck are you tryin' to say? You think I'm fuckin' this guy? Get real! I ain't fuckin' gay, bitch! Get that through your fuckin' head if you want it on straight!" The 'gangster' said.
The door to the room opened once again, out coming its occupant, Angel Dust, with a strange-looking device in his hand to give to his former guest.
"Hey, sweet cheeks. You forgot your vibrating cock ring." Angel Dust said.
"W-What? Nah, man, that ain't mine." The 'gangster' said.
"Sure it isn't. Like you weren't wearing this thing while you were tied up to the chair and shooting 5 ropes across the room while I put a cucumber in my asshole for you to watch."
"What?! Yo, man, what the fuck?! I ain't fuckin' gay!"
"Yeah, right. Same time next week, honey?"
Unable to defend his pride any further, the 'gangster' let out angry sneers to both Angel Dust and Vaggie, quickly snatching up his sexual toy.
"...Yeah." The 'gangster' mumbled.
Swiftly departing to defend whatever dignity he had left, the former guest of Angel Dust left his host to speak with his new visitor.
"Aren't you supposed to be redeeming yourself or something?" Vaggie asked.
"That's what I'm doing. I'm doing a little community service." Angel Dust said.
"Uh... 'community service'?"
"I'm helping him get in touch with his true, repressed self. Man was a flaming faggot deep down during his life, but never got the chance to show it. Now, the boy shines like a star, just like he was meant to. 10 bucks and you can watch him in action."
Unamused by his jovial approach to the situation, Vaggie glared at Angel Dust with her hands on hips, judging him with a silent look.
"Hey, calm your tits. I gotta make a living somehow. This ain't Heaven where you can get anything for free." Angel Dust said.
"Months you've been here already, and you haven't changed a bit. You're supposed to redeem yourself, not whoring yourself to the other guests." Vaggie said.
"Redeeming, hooking; it's all the same shit to me. Why do you care, anyway? Somebody shit in your taco salad?"
"1, that's racist. 2, that's none of your business. 3, that's disgusting."
"Well, if you think that's disgusting, you should meet my clients who actually want me to shit in their salad. I'm really not into scat, but they pay the big bucks for something I pretty much do for free everyday, so, what the hell, might as well make a buck of the suckers, right?"
Further disgusted and annoyed with Angel Dust's nonchalant attitude and crassness, Vaggie left him after letting out a loud groan, marching down the hallways to find a place for herself again. Shrugging off the conversation without a second thought, Angel Dust went back in his room, closing the door behind him.
As she left Angel Dust, Vaggie was met with another distraction, running into two other guests: A married couple who died young. Sent into better company than the vulgar and obnoxious Angel Dust, Vaggie swallowed her annoyance to make herself more polite, not wishing to offend the kinder guests.
"Oh, you must be the new guests. The newlyweds, right?" Vaggie asked.
"Yep, that's us. Drunk driver got us right on our wedding day, who would've thunk it?" The wife asked.
"Right. I'm sorry, I just... kind of forgot you were here. We don't get to see you all that often."
"Well, we happen to be on our honeymoon. We've been trying to spend a lot of time together as possible, you know?" The husband asked.
The husband nuzzled up to his wife upon asking the question, eliciting a giggle out from her in the process from his intimate suggestions.
"I mean, that's very sweet, but you guys might've picked the wrong establishment. This is place is for redeeming people, not honeymoons."
"That's why we picked it! We've always wanted to stay together, and we want to go to Heaven together, so we picked this place so we could make it. You guys do a great job here, you really do." The wife said.
"Hmm. I see. Oh, well, congratulations on your honeymoon, I guess." Vaggie said.
Leaving the couple behind with a departing greeting, Vaggie moved on yet again to face yet another distraction, this time meeting with the one she was set up on a date with on her behalf. The knowledge is not known by her yet, but this recent encounter with Alastor will make it her knowledge soon enough.
Never taking a liking to the scheming slender smooth-talker, Vaggie regarded him with a dismissive approach, taking no true interest in whatever he had to say.
"Oh, it's you. What do you want, Bambi?" Vaggie asked.
Keeping up with his sense of showmanship, Alastor materialized a series of party decorations about the immediate surroundings, making a proud announcement for her.
"Congratulations, my dear! For being our 15th caller today, you won a very special prize." Alastor said.
"What?" Vaggie groaned.
"Oh, don't be bashful, you should be happy for what you've scored for yourself. You won the chance to go on a picnic with yours truly!"
Once again, her impatience in leaving the eavesdrop early has cost her, this time costing her the proof of authenticity of his offer, and giving her disbelief now.
"A picnic? With you? No way, you're kidding, right?" Vaggie asked.
"Nope. This is a one-of-a-kind, genuine offer, just for you, my dear Vaggie." Alastor said.
"Why? What, am I the only pussy you can get around here?"
"The only pussycat I know is Husk, and he's a fine gentleman who can make a mean sarsaparilla, but I wanted to take you on this little excursion."
"Okay, what's the game this time? Is this some kind of joke or another one of your revenge plots? Well, it it's anything to pull a fast one on Charlie, you can forget it. I'm a broken-hearted bitch, not a cold-hearted bitch."
Finding her disbelief in his offer amusing, or perhaps attempting to disregard it with his charms, Alastor laid a condescending pat on her head.
"Oh, my dear Vaggie, aren't you a charming, witty woman? So many silly stories you can come up with all on the fly."
Rolling her eyes at his attitude, Vaggie swatted off his hand and shook her head.
"No. No way, Bambi. I'm not some plaything or tool for any part of your plots. I don't know what your game is, but leave me out of it. Forget it." Vaggie said.
"But this isn't a plot at all, scout's honor. Just a good, old-fashioned day off on the park with a friend. Why not spend it with your dear old friend Alastor? If I become too much of a burden on you, you can leave anytime you want, but I don't think you'll be wanting to do that in a million years."
"The answer is still no."
"But why not? I thought we were friends, weren't we?"
"If your idea of a friend is being an expendable asset, then maybe you thought I was your friend, but I never thought the same, and no sane person ever would."
Despite all the insults and retaliation given towards him for his offer, Alastor showed no signs of anger, choosing to simply smile at Vaggie instead.
"Why the hell are you smiling?" Vaggie asked.
"You're so charming, my dear. I just can't get enough of that. Does it really become a question why I've chosen to woo such a lovely young woman and steal her away for just a day in the park?" Alastor asked.
"I'm not going to you with a stupid park just so you can get laid. I saw what you were trying to do with Charlie, but it's not gonna work on me. I'm not sleeping with you."
"Well, I wasn't planning on sleeping, I was planning on a nice lunch. Who would go to the park just to sleep?"
"Quit playing innocent. You just want to drag me to the park so you can have sex with me, right?"
Vaggie's question at last made Alastor react differently from his cheerful self, instead reacting with an uncertain look on his face, turned to a slant with his head turned to the side. His offers for a trip to the park apparently misconstrued as an offer for sex, the misinterpretation was lost on him, at least until finally confronted with a direct accusation of his offer.
Finding the accusation laughable on its face value, Alastor laughed off Vaggie's question, resuming his cheery and smiling facade once again.
"Oh-ho-ho-ho, you silly little moth. I assure you this isn't about trying to make whoopee. It's just a nice day in the park for some food, like I said. What do you say? Just a day in the park with a friend?" Alastor asked.
"Ugh. You are unbelievable." Vaggie said.
Losing all patience for Alastor's antics, Vaggie moved past Alastor and began walking away, carrying on to give herself time and space alone.
Alastor, having exhausted all his attempts to convince Vaggie onto the picnic date, lowered the facade of friendliness and suaveness he put up for her, exchanging his smile for a frown. His tolerance for her insults and mockery had come to an end, but, with her presence at an end as well, he could now allow himself a chance to vent his frustrations.
Alone in the hallway, Alastor was left only with his shadow to talk to, venting himself towards the absence of light left by his figure.
"Who does she think she is? Going to a park to make whoopee? Does she think I'm some kind of cat? And to think, the one good thing I try to do for a friend, it backfires on me." Alastor said.
The shadow made a response not by speech, but by materializing another shadow in the shape of Vaggie, and performing on it a series of murderous acts and cartoonishly portrayed violence. Its actions ranged from stabbings with a knife, chokeholds, decapitation by guillotine, execution by firing squad, and being ripped limb from limb by horse, just to name the tamer examples.
Alastor did not share his shadow's desire for violence, dismissing the gestures with a wave.
"No, no, no, the little moth's too cute to kill. Maybe I'm just overreacting a bit. Perhaps I'll pay a visit to dear old Rosie to lift my spirits up." Alastor said.
Making use of his powers from Hell, Alastor teleported himself to the Cannibal Colony, making his way to pay a visit to the aforementioned demon named Rosie. Stepping to his usual cafe, he found the demon named Rosie seated at a table, choosing to approach her and seat himself at her table.
Though not a kind demon by nature or welcoming of most guests, Alastor was an exception she made with a show of a kind smile.
"Alastor, dear! Always such a pleasure to see you, you slim and slender, handsome devil." Rosie said.
"The feeling is mutual, old queen." Alastor said.
Rosie made a signal to her waiter, summoning him to the table. Carrying with him a hot pitcher of tea, he poured a cup for Alastor to sip.
"So, what do I owe the pleasure?" Rosie asked.
"Well, my dear Rosie, I'm trying to ask a girl out on a date, but I've been having some trouble in trying to set a day with her. Don't suppose you've got any suggestions?"
"Asking a girl on a date? My, it's been almost 90 since you found anyone of interest to you. Please, do go on."
"Oh, Rosie, it hasn't been 90 years, I've never been interested in anyone, you know that."
"Then why the sudden change?"
"It's partially as a favor to a friend, but this one in particular has caught my interest for some time."
"Well, don't be shy, now, who could have possibly hoped to caught my dear friend's interest, much less succeed?"
"She's a moth demon. Works at that little hotel stunt I've been telling you about."
"Oh, a moth demon? That's a rare beauty in Hell. Tell me more, please."
And so the conversation between the two diabolically demonic friends continues at their cafe, but allow us to focus our attention on the subject of their conversation, returning our focus back to the Hazbin Hotel. Nighttime, or what passes for nighttime in a realm of eternal suffering.
As the night comes, dinnertime comes too for the occupants of the hotel, with Charlie serving supper for everyone, save for the absences of Alastor and Vaggie. Her work is burdensome in having to handle the load by herself, but, having little of it to accomplish with fewer mouths at the table, it is significantly easier to finish.
When all is said and done and every meal finished, Charlie prepared a plate for the absent Vaggie, making her way to her room to keep her fed and happy in another attempt to lessen the pain of their estranged relationship and breakup. Keeping the plate of food preserved with a lid and plate warmer, she stepped to the room, preparing a knock at the door.
Before laying a knock, she heard a series of frustrated angry, incoherent outbursts of words spoken in Spanish, hearing the anger of Vaggie made clear behind the door. Making the first approach to try to lessen her apparent angry mood, Charlie knocked on the door
"Go away!" Vaggie shouted.
Not heeding her former partner's command, Charlie knocked once again.
"I said, go away! Just leave me the fuck alone already!" Vaggie shouted.
"Vaggie, it's Charlie. Will you let me in, please?" Charlie asked.
After hearing Charlie's voice, Vaggie approached her door and opened it, changing and lowering her voice now knowing it was Charlie that was her visitor.
"Oh, it's you. I'm sorry." Vaggie said.
"It's okay. Can I come in? I brought you dinner." Charlie said.
Further opening the door for her guest, Vaggie allowed Charlie to enter, allowing her to set the plate on a table. Hungry after many hours without a meal, and spending many calories acting out her anger, Vaggie immediately took to the food, digging in without a second thought for manners or etiquette, giving out thanks with a full mouth.
"Thanks." Vaggie mumbled.
The sight of Vaggie enjoying her meal brought a smile on Charlie's face, showing her concern once again, and further displaying it with a question of her mental state.
"I haven't seen you all day. Is everything okay?" Charlie asked.
"I'm okay, just busy with paperwork and everything. You know how it goes."
"C'mon, Vaggs, be honest with me. I heard you yelling outside the door and you were telling me to go away before you realized it was me. What's wrong?"
Unable to escape the inevitable topic, Vaggie let out a sigh before addressing it.
"I've just been really stressed out recently, because of... Well, you know what. I guess I'm just still getting over it. But I'm also bothered about Alastor now, too. I saw you guys talking over his stupid jambalaya, and then he asked me out on a date in the park. I don't know what he's up to, but I don't like it. I think he's trying to play us now that we broke up."
Trying to keep reality from Vaggie and the truth behind her encounter with Alastor, Charlie held her tongue from responding.
"Ah, darn, I didn't know he would do such a thing. I really can't believe that tricky ol' Al, that guy." Charlie lied.
Charlie gave off a smile and darted her eyes to the side, acting in a lie far worse than the experienced showman of Alastor. Sensing the lie in her attitude, Vaggie questioned her actions, believing some other part of the picture to be outside of her current grasp.
"Uh... What's with the phony smile? You're hiding something, aren't you?" Vaggie asked.
"What?! Me?! Hiding something?! Oh you're funny, Vaggs, you're really funny, you know that, right?!" Charlie panicked.
"That's exactly what Alastor was saying, and I wasn't buying it, either."
Trapped in a corner in confrontation of her lie, Charlie surrendered to the pressure and came clean with the truth.
"Okay, please, please, please don't be mad, but... I set you up on a date with Alastor. Or at least I tried to." Charlie said.
Unable to believe the truth as it was presented, Vaggie's anger returned once again, directing it solely on Charlie for her actions.
"WHAT?! You set me up with him?! With HIM?!" Vaggie shouted.
"It was just a picnic! That's all we were trying to set up! I felt bad about how you were acting all sad! He wants to help, really! I know you don't trust him, but he's been a big help to the hotel, and he's so nice!" Charlie pleaded.
"Me and him? I'd rather kill myself then go on a date with him, and I contemplated suicide a lot of times when I was still alive!"
"He's not that bad! Give him a chance, please! He just wants to be your friend!"
"No. I'm not naive enough to fall for some guy who doesn't really want to help the hotel, unlike some people I know around here."
Becoming a victim of personal attack from her former partner, Charlie lowered her head with a sad face, holding her arms against herself in an attempt at a self-hug. Seeing the aftermath of her cruel remark, Vaggie regretted her decision, choosing to reparate her wrong by hugging Charlie.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. It's just that I'm mad that you set up a date with the radio demon without me knowing anything about it. I know you're just trying to help in your own way, but this is my own feelings we're talking about. I didn't ask for any part of this." Vaggie said.
"No, I'm sorry. I just want you guys to be friends. He's been here for three months now. He's not doing anything to hurt us. If he wanted to do something, don't you think he would've done it a long time ago?" Charlie asked.
The reasoning brought forth and the emotional state of Charlie began to influence Vaggie's own reasoning, bringing her around to reconsider the matter of a date with Alastor. Previously having no interest in the idea in any way, shape, or form, watching Charlie appear sad and defeated had given her a change of heart, bringing interest in the idea once again to her.
Allowing herself a personal surrender with Charlie's wish, Vaggie decided to entertain her idea.
"Alright. You win. I'll go on the stupid picnic." Vaggie said.
Succeeding in making a match out of the two, Charlie instantly shed her sad mood, shooting up in an excited shout.
"Yay! I've got to text Alastor, he'll want to get ready to look nice for you. Oh, I'll help you pick out your outfit for the date! You'll look so pretty!" Charlie shouted.
Grabbing Vaggie by the hand, Charlie led her to the wardrobe, preparing for a hastily-made preparation of formal wear.
"Hey, wait, it's not a date!" Vaggie called.
The news is good and exciting for Alastor to know that his date has been accepted, but it has not been made to him as of yet. For now, he is still in conversation with his friend Rosie, sharing details of the subject of his date over hot tea. For a good time, Alastor has shared what experiences he has had with Vaggie, recalling on what he likes about her.
"She's a bit short tempered and feisty, that I like. She's also caring to her friends; I have great respect for loyalty. I do want to get to know her better."
"Then why don't you ask her? She sounds like a very lovely little demon."
Naive in his specific blind spots of the mind, Alastor stopped in the middle of a sip of his tea, looking back to Rosie in confusion.
"Ask her what?" Alastor asked.
"On a date, you silly man! What else would you ask a girl who you like?" Rosie asked.
"Well, see, that's the problem. I invited her to a picnic in the park, but she said no."
"Did you really try to win her over? Sometimes it takes a bit of a sales pitch."
"I tried everything I could, nothing worked. It would take a miracle to get a 'yes' at this point, and we know miracles are a rare thing in Hell."
Indeed miracles are rare in Hell, but not non-existent. Hearing a phone ring in his pocket, he pulled out a full-size rotary phone, placing the behemoth on the table.
"Pardon me, phone call." Alastor said.
Moving the rotary with his finger, he answered the call, receiving from his answer an automated voice.
"This landline has received a text message from a cell phone. Here is a reading of the text message." The phone said.
"Ah, I hate it when Charlie texts me. The phone never reads it correctly." Alastor said.
"I hate repetitive technology users, too. Just like that annoying little Vox." Rosie said.
Alistor growled at the sound of Vox's name, angered upon hearing the name of his rival. Putting aside the thought of his enemy, the phone spoke out the text as promised,
"Hey, Al, it's Charlie. Guess what? Vaggie said yes to the date! Get your best suit out. Have fun tomorrow!" The text read.
Now wearing a large smile on his face, Alastor placed the phone back on its hook, looking back to Rosie to share his good news.
"Well, it looks like my little moth accepted the date after all." Alastor said.
Rosie took the good news with delight, clapping her hands together with a smile.
"How splendid! You've got a big day ahead of yourself now. What are you going to wear?" Rosie asked.
"Oh, just the usual. It's just a casual date between friends, nothing more, no need to complicate it."
"Oh, no, no, no, that's not an acceptable answer. It's not just a picnic, it's a picnic with a girl you like. This requires a little more effort than just a simple get-up. But what will do for this date, what indeed?"
Putting herself deep in thought, Rosie played through a series of images in her head, making potential dress-ups for Alastor and making him look formal for his date. Feeling inspiration come to her in mere moments, she snapped her fingers in revelation, opening her eyes and mouth in excitement.
"I've got it! I'll do a full makeover on you. We'll make you all prim and proper, get you a full new suit, maybe a manicure and facial, and- Oh, what about your hair?" Rosie asked.
"What about my hair?" Alastor asked.
"I don't know, there's something about it that it needs. Alastor, dear, when's the last time you took a bath?"
A resident of Hell for the good part of a century in Earth's time, the very concept of a bath had become foreign to him, leaving Alastor standing in stupor at her question.
"A bath? What's...? Oh, you mean a bath! Right, uh... I can't remember." Alastor said.
"Never had a bath in all the time you've been here?! Ugh, you dirty, dirty boy, this is not right. Don't you worry, your dear auntie Rosie will fix you up in two shakes of a lamb's tail." Rosie said.
Rosie snapped her fingers, summoning forth a pair of maids at her service.
"Ladies, give him the full treatment. Don't stop until you reach the Tootsie Roll center." Rosie said.
"W-What? Wait, Rosie, what are you doing?" Alastor asked.
The two maids grabbed Alastor by the arms, dragging him off into a nearby room of the cafe to begin their work. Unaware of what the two maids had in store for the slender demon, Alastor, a high-ranking official of Hell, known best for his reign of fear and terror where such concepts reign supreme and signify honor and status...
...feels, for the first time in his life, a deep and dark fear like he has never felt before.
"Wait! No! NO! NO!" Alastor screamed.
Concurrently to the imminent and unwanted (though dearly needed) bathing and pampering, Vaggie is trapped in an unwanted chore of her own, put into said chore against her by another. In her case, it is the will of Charlie that puts her in the situation, making her choose an outfit for her date.
To get the affair over with as quickly as possible, Vaggie opted for a simple pair of shorts and t-shirt with leggings, sticking to her casual wear.
"There. I picked an outfit. Happy now?" Vaggie asked.
"C'mon, Vaggs, we can do better than that. Get those off and we'll put you into something else." Charlie said.
"Of course you're eager to get my clothes off after we break up. A little late now, don't you think?"
"Oh, hush, you. Come here and try this on."
Charlie subsequently dressed her in a black and purple dress; the purple taking up a flower pattern on her chest and torso, the rest being black.
"Hmm, not bad. It's definitely comfy, and I like the colors. I can settle for this." Vaggie said.
"No, no, no, there's not enough colors here. It's all black." Charlie said.
"Racist."
"I didn't mean it like that, silly. Here, let's try another one."
Vaggie was then changed into a similar dress, but shorter and and purple swapped out for blue, with a simple pair of shirt-like sleeves.
"Eh, this is okay, too. Feels a lot less fancy then the last one." Vaggie said.
"No, no, that's still not enough color." Charlie said.
"Aw, come on. It's a bright blue. That's not good enough for you?"
"It's really more of a... medium blue. Oh! That's it! We need brighter colors."
"I had to open my mouth."
The next dress in line was a large, ballerina-esque dress with pink as its primary color, and dressings of black placed over it.
"Ugh. I can't stand the pink, but at least the netting's saving it." Vaggie said.
"Almost... I feel like we can do more. Maybe something lighter again, something that says 'Hey, everybody! I'm a sweet person, and I'm fun to talk to'!" Charlie said.
"You of all people should know that I'm the last person to say anything like that."
"Oh, wait! I got it!"
The final and apparent winning dress was a retro-style white and magenta dress, resembling that of something a doll from the era would wear. It followed a square, plaid-like pattern, with magenta being the dominant color of the dress, and the sleeves and breastplate plain white, with the latter having a bow.
"It's perfect! You look beautiful! Vaggs, what do you think?" Charlie asked.
Vaggie's response was predetermined by a deepened scowl on her face, looking back at the image in the mirror with disgust and loathing.
"If we weren't already in Hell, I'd be personally sending you there myself." Vaggie said.
"Oh, don't be like that, Vaggs, you look great! You're gonna have such a good time on your date together!" Charlie said.
"IT IS NOT A DATE!"
And just as Vaggie was forced through preparations for her side of the date, Alastor was put through the same. But while her trials consisted only of trying on different dresses, most of which were not to her liking, Alastor was forced through the entire ordeal of an excessive spa treatment, cleansing and pampering every part of him.
A pair of maids, under the employment of his old friend Rosie, dragged him into a washroom and stripped all clothing off of him, leaving him stark naked before them. Raised in an era where becoming nude before others was far more taboo than in it remains in modern times, he covered his modesty with a blush on his face, quietly letting out a small whimper at the indecent exposure.
Filling a bath full of warm water, the maids grabbed Alastor and unceremoniously tossed him inside, soaking him in the calming pool set out for him. The experience is a relaxing one, but only for a split-second of enjoyment for what would come next. Taking out a scrubber and washcloth, respectively, the maids began scrubbing away at every square inch of his body.
For Alastor, the experience is as pleasant as his commentary during it.
"Ooh... Ah... Careful... That hurts... Ow... Up, please, no, I can do that part- OH! Gently, please! I'm very sensitive there!" Alastor shouted.
"There? I didn't think a man felt anything there." One maid said.
"Well, I'm an exceptional man, don't you know?"
"Is that so? Well, exceptional men get exceptional treatment, don't you know? Bend over for a moment, will you? I've got to wash your bum."
"Oh, uh, please, now, that's not necessary, you girls have done more than enough-"
The other maid moved Alastor over to present his backside to the first maid, to which she prepared for her work with a large scrubber.
"No, no, please, ladies, this really isn't necessary. I have a bidet at home, I'm no savage, after all. I take very good care of my hindquarters, this is all a bit much for-" Alastor tried to plead.
Feeling a large scrubber make its way against his rectum, even beginning to scrub the inside, Alastor shot up in a mixture of discomfort and surprise simultaneously.
"Mo-o-o-o-o-n rive-e-e-e-e-e-r..." Alastor sung.
Concluded with her work on his buttocks, the maids flipped Alastor back over, taking to work on his hair with shampoo.
"Whew, thank you, girls. You ever serve time?" Alastor asked.
While Alastor is given his thorough, and dare we say excessive, spa treatment at the hands of Rosie's maids, their aforementioned master took her time to continue relaxing and leisurely sitting at her table, sipping at her tea as she waited for Alastor to be finished cleaning.
The instant her cup was empty, the waiter returned to fill it, keeping up with her high demands for quality. As he filled her cup, however, they both were subject to the screams of Alastor from the other room, catching ear of his cries of pain and agony under the act of hygienic intervention.
The waiter had a disturbed look on his face, but Rosie simply smiled, sipping her tea once again.
"Ah, I just love it when my men get tortured. It reminds me of my 3 ex-husbands: Edward, Eric, and Edwin. I made them suffer so bad, the guy holding the Book of Life didn't even bother judging any of their sins. He sent them straight up to Heaven." Rosie said.
"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, is that it?" The waiter asked.
"You know it. And there wasn't a woman alive who was worse than me... and there sure as hell ain't one worse than me in this life, either."
Soon, Alastor is given mercy against the tormentuous ordeal of his bathing, and he is taken out from the washroom to a dressing room, with Rosie personally supervising the next preparation of his date. Materializing a large wardrobe full of the raw materials for a gentleman's suit, she and the maids began grabbing various pieces out, placing them all over Alastor in a bid to create him a perfect suit.
The process was something akin to a series of ideas being mishmashed together by conflicting creative visions, all trying to impose their own idea on the blank canvas of Alastor with each other working over top of the other. All creators came to clashes with one another over the final product, with the canvas of Alastor being left to stand and watch them fight among themselves to create a perfect end result.
Soon, the final product is met with a white shirt with a black vest and black gloves, alongside a black-and-white tie and white coat; the brightest and darkest colors clashing together in a flashing look of debonair more than fit for a prince of Hell. His hair, groomed along with the rest of his body, was tied back in a ponytail, adding to his gentlemanly look.
Satisfied with his new look, Alastor took a bow to Rosie and her maids, congratulating them on a job well done.
"It seems I've doubted you, my dear Rosie. You're a woman of great taste, indeed." Alastor said.
"Oh, dear Alastor, all the men tell me that. Of course, it's only because of my choice in men that I earn that compliment, but, nonetheless, you prove me right once again." Rosie said.
"Yes, when you're right, you're right. Tomorrow's gonna be just dandy."
Alastor's enthusiasm for the date was true and sincere, and his expression made no attempt to hide it. But concurrently to his own display of excitement, Vaggie showed her own true emotional stance towards the date, hers being far less joyful than her counterpart for tomorrow's date.
Sour and nearly miserable from the entire beginning, she went about her own nightly rituals with little enthusiasm, from brushing her teeth to changing to her nightgown, up to eventually crawling into her bed. Wrapping herself in a blanket and gripping a pillow tightly, she tried to give herself some degree of comfort from the inevitable.
Taking a glance at her at outfit for tomorrow, she turned away from her scowl towards it, looking back at the ceiling in frustration.
"Ugh. The things I do to make Charlie happy. I wish tomorrow will end already." Vaggie said.