A Cold Wind In Hell
Chapter Two: Checking In
Inside the empty lobby of the hotel, Charlie Morningstar sat on one of the couches in the lobby, reading what appeared to be a romance novel. The daughter of Lucifer was tall, slender, standing at around 6 feet tall. She had long, blonde hair, with lighter blonde highlights, which is tied into a twice-banded low ponytail, and her blonde bangs flip to her left with a curl. Her lips were black and she has rosy red cheeks, her pupils were red, her sclera was light yellow, and she had thick black eyelashes, both top and bottom. Her accessories included a small black bowtie and black suspenders, with an untucked white, long-sleeved dress-shirt. Her red tuxedo jacket with dark-red lapels was laid on the couch next to her, and she wore a pair of red fitted pants. She also wore black and white saddle shoes.
She hummed blissfully to herself, turning a page in her book, completely engaged in it.
"Hey, Charlie!"
She looked up to see a slim demon with muted lavender-colored skin come down the stairs. Her hair was white, with light pink stripes at the ends, and she wore a big pink bow on the back of her head. Her right eye had an ivory white iris, and her sclera was light pink. Her left eye appeared to be missing and replaced by a pink X on a slate-gray eyepatch. She was a white mini-dress with slate-gray X's on her bust, similar colored scalloped trim to the bottom hem, and a matching belt. She also wore slate-gray evening gloves and a choker of the same color. Her right stocking was pale slate-gray and her left stocking was pale slate-gray alternate with light pink stripes down the length. One of the straps of her dress was off-the-shoulder, revealing a slate-gray bra underneath.
Charlie smiled as her girlfriend approached, "Hey Vaggie!"
"You seem oddly happy." Vaggie pointed out. "What's the occasion?"
"I just have a good feeling today." Charlie declared. "Today is gonna be different for us!"
"You say that every time, hon." Vaggie said with a roll of her eye.
"And I'm usually right!" Charlie stated, hopping up from her seat. "Look, I just have a feeling that someone is gonna approach our hotel and knock on our door and ask for help in reaching Heaven! I'm sure-"
Just as she said that, there was a rhythmic knock on the hotel door, peaking the curiosity of the two. Walking up to the door, Charlie opened it to reveal a tall, muscular jaguar demon with his raven-colored hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, wearing ronin attire, and had a katana strapped to his side.
"Hello there!" Samuel Rodrigues greeted with a smile. "Are you the owner of this fine establishment?"
Charlie quickly nodded, "Yes, actually, I am! Can I help you?"
"I found one of your fliers." Sam said, holding up the piece of parchment. "I was hoping to participate in your hotel of redemption. Would you accept this lowly sinner into your care?"
Charlie's smile widened, and her face brightened with joy; a second customer! "Oh, of course! We'd be more than happy to, Mr …"
"Samuel Rodrigues." Sam stated with that same smile. "But my friends usually just call me Sam, so Sam will do."
"Of course!" Charlie said. "Please, do come in!"
Sam followed her inside, and into he the lobby where Vaggie waited, her spear propped next to her.
"Vaggie, look! A second customer!" Charlie declared happily, doing a little pirouette and framed Sam to her girlfriend, grinning like a goon.
"I can see that, Charlie." Vaggie said, her eye narrowed at the jaguar. "He got a name?"
"Sam-"
"Samuel Rodrigues!" Charlie said, Sam closing his mouth. "Look at him! Like those old feudal Japanese samurai, in the stories my mom used to tell me!"
"Actually, I'm Brazilian mixed with Japanese." Sam corrected with a slight chuckle. "I was trained in the art of the blade in Brazil."
Vaggie gave the samurai a suspicious glare; most notably towards the high-tech sword he had strapped to his waist, before she took hold of Charlie's wrist, "Can you give us just a second?"
Sam only nodded as the moth demoness pulled Charlie away, "Vaggie, what gives?"
"Do you have any idea who that is?" Vaggie hissed.
"Someone willing to give our hotel a chance, from the looks of it." Charlie said flatly.
"As if!" Vaggie said, pointing over to the samurai, who was looking at the portraits. "That's Minueno, Jetstream Sam, the Clyde to Cherri Bomb's Bonnie! Not to mention that bitch's sugar daddy!"
"Now those are just rumors, Vaggie." Charlie waved it off. "Besides, so what if he has a reputation? He came here to be redeemed and that's good enough for me!"
"Charlie-"
"Bup!" Charlie broke away, walking back to the visitor. "Sorry about that, Sam! Here, let's introduce you to the hotel staff!" She then gestured to Vaggie. "This is Vaggie, our hotel administrator!"
"Hey," Vaggie said flatly.
"Nice to meet you." Sam replied with a bow.
'Gotta give him credit, he has manners.' Vaggie admitted in thought.
"And I am Charlie Morningstar!" Charlie declared, spinning and beaming at him, a hand shooting out in front of her. "Primary rehabilitation officer… and janitor."
Samuel studied the both of them for a moment, his feline eyes scanning them carefully, Charlie seeming put off by the look of concentration on his face, "Uh…Sam?"
Suddenly, the samurai dropped to one knee and took her hand, kissing the top of her knuckles, "My apologies, I was not aware I was in the presence of royalty."
Charlie blinked before chuckling, "My, such a gentleman! No need for formalities; I'm no more princess than you!"
"Though I must say, I am impressed." Sam said. "Only two people running a hotel to redeem sinners? My highest respect, Charlie."
"Well, there are other staff members, but those introductions can wait." Charlie said. "For now, let's get you settled in!"
Charlie went up the staircase, the samurai following after, while Vaggie only watched with a narrowed eye. She could not help but feel suspicious of this man.
'Just what the hell is the Cool Brazilian Wind doing here?' She thought to herself.
Sam followed Charlie down the hall, admiring the elegant decorations and the constituency in its coloring. Especially since red just so happened to be his favorite color.
"And over here we have the second floor rec-room, complete with a foos-ball table and billiard table," Charlie declared, gesturing to the rec-room. "As well as a poker table and darts board." She turned to Sam. "Have you ever played?"
"I've sunken a few holes, yes." Sam nodded. "It's especially fun to see the looks on my opponents face when they lose."
"Yeah, I agree." Charlie chuckled. "You'll have to teach me a few tricks."
"Eh, who is the mentor here, Charlie?" Sam asked with a sly grin. "I'm beginning to wonder."
Chuckling at that remark, the duo went further down the hall before coming to a halt at one of the many doors.
"And this will be your room!"
Charlie pushed the door open, allowing Sam to step inside first to look around; the room had a large bed, a wardrobe and a desk, and a door that leads to the bathroom that each room has.
'Gotta give her credit, love the gothic style.' Sam thought to himself, rubbing his thumb and index finger against his chin. 'She certainly aims to please.'
"And the toiletries are under the sink!" Charlie declared. "Do you require anything else?"
Looking around the room one more time, Sam turned to her with a smile.
"Only for the rest of the day to rest." He said. "It's been a…harrowing life I lead. Would it be alright if we continue this tomorrow?"
"Of course!" Charlie smiled. "And remember; feel free to ask if you require anything further!"
Charlie then left, leaving Sam to his own devices.
Sighing, Sam dropped his duffle bag on the bed and started unzipping it and unpack. The first thing he pulled out was an envelope, with pink lipstick for the seal. Curious, Sam opened it, the contents revealing to be photographs of…Cherri Bomb posing in rather sexual poses. Naked.
'Oh, how I miss you, my bombastic rose.' Sam thought to himself, sighing blissfully. 'I hope to see you again.'
Putting the photos back inside the envelope, and hiding it inside the drawer of the desk, Sam stood at the window and gazed at the chaos outside.
"Are you watching me, father?" He asked, looking up at the red sky. "Would you be disappointed still? Or proud that I'm finally trying?"
Removing his sword from his side and placing it on the desk, he then removed his robes, stripping down to his underwear and laid down on the bed.
"Either way, I hope to see you soon."
He felt his eyelids grow heavy, as he then drifted off to sleep.
And there's the second chapter! We see Sam meeting Charlie and Vaggie, and soon he'll meet the rest next chapter! I've been thinking about this story a lot and I got several other ideas for other characters from the Metal Gear games, what forms they would take, as well as the roles they'll play later on down the line. But as usual, if you have suggestions, feel free to let me know, either in PM or in the reviews!
Anyways, thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next chapter! Reviews are greatly appreciated!