"What is your name?"

The question caught the young girl by surprise. No one had shown genuine interest in who she was or any part of her history for many years. Even when the police asked about her abandonment and injuries, it had been out of duty, not interest. No one in any foster home or in the town had cared or worried about it. Yet this tall, red-clad, and dark-energy figure had asked with genuine interest and curiosity. His red eyes stared down at her with the same question, and more waiting for the chance to come up after her answer.

Suspicion wriggled to the surface. If no one before cared about her then this man had to have ulterior motives behind the nice façade and curious questions. Her brown eyes narrowed as her thoughts raced to find his reasons. Her weakened and battered body should tell him that she would be of no physical use. She was too young to provide any labor except for small tasks. Perhaps he was one of those child predators of which she had heard teachers and parents warning the other children. He had mentioned two other people – Charlie and Vagatha – so maybe they were the threat, and he was the catcher. He mentioned getting in trouble for disobeying an order, thus indicating a more powerful threat yet to be revealed.

The man hummed, which caused the child to snap out of her thoughts, "What is the matter, little deary? Don't trust me enough to speak?" He chuckled to himself as his attention turned to the path ahead. "You seem quite clever for someone in your predicament. After all, it is wise to not trust those whom you've never met, even if that person is offering you help…such as myself." The shadow shifted around his shoulders, releasing a soft sound that sounded somewhere between a growl and a chuckle. Alastor grinned devilishly at the shadow, "Why of course, my good friend! A hunt is certainly in the future. But first we must have our answers from the child."

Her left hand pressed into his chest, trying to push herself away from the man's chest and out of his arms. Alastor's red eyes immediately switched back to her as his muscles tightened. The shadow floated before him and rested its hands on her left side. Though neither touch threatened nor caused harm, the warning was clear to the girl: behave. Suspicion stoked the fire of fear within her body. The child had now remembered a particular phrase this Alastor had said. Somehow, she had ended up in the afterlife, in Hell itself. No heartbeat pounded in the red-clad chest. The dark aura now made sense tied to a demon of unknown powers along with his shadow that seemingly acted of its own volition. The child's willingness to answer questions and behave in his grasp shrunk to almost nothing. She was not going to be some puppet for this demon to play with!

She growled softly, "Let me go. I want to go home."

Alastor's grin turned soft for a small moment, "In time, my dear. You are in no condition to wander off by yourself. Wherever your home is, I'll help you get there."

Brown eyes rose to his red gaze, "Why do you care?"

One eyebrow rose as her trembling tone gave an inkling to her underlying thoughts, "This may be Hell but some of us still have standards. I have never harmed a child in my life, living or deceased, and I will not start now." He sighed, "And I know a thing or two about the pain you must be feeling."

The soft tone, a hint of a long-suppressed pain, gave the child pause. She was good at picking up on these little emotions, as they often allowed her some ability to get something she wanted in return for playing her cards right. However, she wouldn't dare play against a literal demon. She swallowed then asked, "How?"

Her caretaker laughed, obviously pushing away the memories with a burst of happier emotions. His arms lifted her up and yanked her closer to his chest again. His head moved in rapid, small motions as he spoke, "My darling, it is considered rude to pry into other's lives without a proper invitation. You should be more careful, especially since you are poking into a demon's life." His smile grew, dark look coming between his eyes, "But I know you are feeling abandoned while thoughts of your own worthlessness and another's betrayal fight to be dominant. You are scared that others will continue your torment while also hoping they try so you can throw the first punch." His right arm moved up until his strong fingers could pinch her left cheek, "Isn't that right, little deary."

The child yanked her face away before biting into his hand. However, he didn't yank his hand away or show any form of pain. Instead, his eyebrow rose once more as a small, proud smirk replaced his smile. Her action had only confirmed his rendition of her emotions. Her bite allowed the child to confirm that his body was incredibly strong and durable, meaning that she could not harm him in any sense and explaining his humor at her attempt. Upon being released from her bite, Alastor pinched her cheek once more with a large smile on his face.

He spoke once more, "Smile, my dear. One is never fully dressed without one!" The child studied his gaze for a moment before letting a small smile curl her lips. Alastor smile grew at that, "And what a beautiful smile you have, little deary." His hand held up a finger without loosening his grip on her legs, "Now that we know each other a little more, why don't tell me that name of yours."

Her head lowered until her chin rested on her chest, fear and acceptance of the situation fighting within her. Finally, softly, she replied, "I think my parents called me Aleu. But it's been so long since anyone used my name…I don't…I don't think I remember what it actually is."

Alastor frowned in thought, though his ever-present smile remained the foundation of his expression. He muttered, "Your name sounds Native Indians, or whatever they are calling themselves these days, to me. Though it's hard to tell. Could be from the more northern countries in Europe too. I'll have to ask around to be certain of your origin." The shadow made a soft static sound as it leaned over Alastor's left shoulder. The demon's head tilted at the sound before he spoke to her, "So tell me, Miss Aleu, who treated you in such an abhorrent manner?"

With a whimper, the girl replied softly, "Many people." She glanced up when Alastor said nothing for several minutes. The Radio Demon and his shadow were staring at her, each with one eyebrow raised. She sensed they were waiting for her to continue her answer. Aleu shrugged weakly, despite the pain her injured shoulder brought. "It started with my uncle and aunt, who are in prison now. No foster cared about me, leaving me to fend for myself. My current home is in a town that wants me for a good image, nothing more. No one cares for me other than myself." Her brown eyes closed as she finished, "It was some of the town's kids who did this to me. They didn't like that I snapped back at them, so they beat me."

The demon hummed, an angry-sounding static rising around him, "Most abhorrent, indeed. It is a shame that someone is not teaching children proper manners these days." The static noise ended abruptly as Alastor came to a sudden stop. His red eyes narrowed for a moment. Without a word, he turned to his right and entered an alleyway. He gingerly placed her down on some stacked crates. His staff reappeared in his right hand as he touched her nose with his left forefinger, "Someone is calling me, darling. Stay right there and behave yourself for a few minutes while I handle this matter."

The Radio Demon walked several feet further down the alley until he was certain that the child couldn't eavesdrop. He positioned himself sideways, allowing him to monitor her and the other end of the alley while holding his conversation. His shadow wrapped around Aleu as the staff glowed. Alastor began speaking in a happy cheerful tone. Aleu fidgeted as several leg bruises began to hurt due to resting on the crate. Her breathing was slightly labored as she struggled against the pain of a broken rib. However, she had been through far worse in her short life so she wasn't about to complain. She felt the shadow wrap around her chest, under her arms, then over her shoulders. This position allowed it to sit her up straighter and take some of her weight, alleviating the pain in her legs and chest. Her brown eyes watched Alastor as he continued to talk into his upright staff. He spotted some dirt on his suit and quickly removed it with a couple swipes of his left hand. The conversation continued for roughly fifteen minutes before Alastor's eyes glanced towards her position and he said something to the staff. He quickly yanked the staff away from himself when a loud shriek came from the other person.

"ARE YOU F***ING SERIOUS, ALASTOR?" a female's enraged voice was heard a moment later.

Another feminine voice came through, "Come down, Vaggie, before you stress yourself out too much. Where are you taking the child, Al?"

Alastor started walking back towards Aleu as he replied casually, "Why to your hotel, my dear Charlie! Your father will be mad at me for not bringing her straight to him, as she is trespassing on his domain, but I couldn't bear the thought of leaving her alone in such a condition." His left hand reached out and pinched the child's right cheek. Aleu immediately balked, despite being unable to break away. The demon smiled at her, "You'll like her, Vaggie dear – headstrong and feisty just like you."

"Very funny," the first voice growled sarcastically.

Charlie's calmer, quieter voice came through the staff, "How long until you arrive at the hotel?"

Aleu watched a thoughtful look come over Alastor's grin-marked face. He replied, "I should think in about an hour from our current location. My teleportation can only take me so far in any given direction. The child seems well-behaved for someone in her condition and with her history, so I shouldn't have a problem from her."

Charlie spoke up, "Does she have a name?"

Those red eyes looked down at her, "Well, my little deary, care to answer?"

The staff came close to her face, causing her skin to tingle like static. Aleu stared at the staff before glancing up at Alastor. She still wasn't fully certain she could trust him, despite instinct still insisting that he would not harm her. This Charlie and Vaggie could very easily be the true enemy she needs to avoid.

Finally, she sucked in a breath and spoke quietly, "Aleu. My name is Aleu, ma'am."

Charlie's friendly and happy voice came back, "It is pleasure to hear your voice, Aleu. My name is Charlie. You've already met my husband, Alastor. Vagatha, or Vaggie for short, is my wife. We can explain everything when you get here." She paused for a moment then spoke, "I'm sorry you've ended up in this place, as you seem like a good kid. We'll keep you safe."

"Yeah, you'll be safe with us," Vaggie's spoke up as Alastor rested his left hand on Aleu's head.

Tears welled up in Aleu's brown eyes as the weight of recent events finally caught up to her. She sniffled, "You promise?"

"I promise," all three demons replied instantly.

Alastor pulled her closer to him and said with a happy tone, "Come now, little deary. Let's get you to the Hazbin Hotel!"

Charlie snapped, "Happy Hotel, Al!"

All her response did when cause the Radio Demon to start laughing. He allowed his staff to vanish in the air before scooping Aleu up in his arms. With that, he started humming a happy tune as he made his way deeper into the red-skied, demon-filled world of Hell. Aleu grabbed onto his suit and pressed close. If he and the others would protect her, then she silently swore to stay close and out of trouble. It was the least she could do until her debt could be repaid.