Jersey was now sitting at the bar. Though it was far from an ideal time to be drinking, he could not help but ask for a small glass of whiskey. There was always the possibility that he would not be given a job at the hotel, after all.
Besides, he rarely had a chance to indulge in a bit of liquid courage.
Husk was busy enjoying an entire bottle with a detached stoicism one could expect from a person who had lost the dulling sensation of hard drinking decades ago. The sinful gryphon never strayed from his favorite pastime: drinking every other being that ever existed under the table. It was difficult to discern whether Husk had a preference with alcohol, given that he had already passed the time between a bottle of rum, beer, whiskey, and vodka in the time Jersey had his interview.
All the same, in spite of the cat demon's gruff personality, Husk's company wasn't entirely unpleasant.
"This is the most I've had to drink in decades." Jersey commented, having quickly sipped the shot of whiskey without blinking. "At least, this is the most I've had within a twenty-four hour period."
Husk cringed at the information. "What the hell were you doing to pass the time?"
"Work." Jersey took the glass and pushed it towards Husk, having only ordered one drink. It was mildly impressive that the gryphon tending the alcoholic front desk so easily remembered the request given the amount of fermented liquid that had passed down his throat.
Husk sighed heavily. "I mean when you're not hooking up wires or fixing pipes or whatever the hell you did when you were alive."
"Fishing. Listening to a bit of jazz or country." Jersey began to list off. "Sometimes I would go on... little adventures." A funny smile grew on his face. "I was a bit of a prankster back in my day."
Husk gave a disbelieving stare. "Sure. You were a real riot."
"I'm just saying." Jersey continued with a fondness in his tone. "You'd be surprised how hilarious it can be to scare the daylights out of others."
"So what, you scared the piss outta people?" Husk had engaged in odd conversations before, but he hadn't expected this window into Jersey's past. "Must have been pretty fucked up, getting off on people screamin' and runnin' away. Did you kill people and hang their corpses or some shit like that?"
"What?" Jersey lost his smile. Genuine confusion and revulsion furrowed his brow. "No! Of course not. I was just very skilled at inspiring terror. Didn't necessarily have to hurt people. Jesus." His mood was dampened by the suggestion that he'd go out of his way to spill innocent blood.
Husk raised a brow in response. He didn't pursue the matter any further. Anything to keep the lobby from being as quiet as a gravestone was always appreciated.
"I'd be drinkin' all the fuckin' time if all I did for a living was install light bulbs and fix up sinks and crap." He took a long gulp of what was likely the sixth bottle of the day.
"Gotta have a clear head when you're working with electricity." Jersey pointed out. He was glad for the change in subject.
Husk appeared to concede the point with a grumble. "Still, it seems like a pretty borin' way to have lived."
Jersey gave a strange little smile again. "I've had a surprisingly exciting life. I think a more mundane ending would have been my preference." He leaned back ever so slightly. "When all you know is excitement, it gets dull after a while, like how you lose the ability to enjoy alcohol if you've spent all of your time drinking for the buzz of it."
Husk stopped guzzling the contents of the dark bottle in his paw, his shoulders drooping as the comment hit home. "Yeah..."
"Jersey?" Charlie called out as she and Vaggie made their way to the foyer.
The man in question easily stepped off the stool before the bar and stood with suppressed anticipation of Charlie's decision.
"We've come to a decision regarding your potential employment." Charlie stood before Jersey with a serious look on her face.
"And what is that decision, Charlotte?" Jersey asked.
Charlie's scrutinizing gaze slowly curled into an almost painfully big smile. She held out a pale hand with black, manicured nails towards him. "You're hired!"
"Thank you very much." Jersey gave a genuine, grateful smile as he shook Charlie's hand with mild firmness. "I am looking forward to helping this hotel run smoothly."
Charlie withdrew the hand and squealed with excitement. "We have a second tenant and another employee! This is incredible!"
Vaggie smiled fondly at her excitement.
"Hey, uh... not to be that guy over the celebration and shit, but does Alastor know that you're hiring a new guy for the hotel?" Husk inquired as he scratched his chin.
Charlie's mood suddenly turned. "Oh... that's right. We'll need to at least have him consider Jersey's employment."
"Do we have to?" Vaggie looked stressed at the mention of the name 'Alastor.' "He's not the owner of the hotel, hun. You are."
"I know, Vaggie." Charlie addressed her friend. "But he's already gone out of his way to bring two employees to the hotel. A little bit of communication about new hires wouldn't hurt."
"Wait." Jersey interjected, his brows scrunched together in curiosity and the slightest bit of trepidation. "Who's Alastor?"
The two women turned towards Jersey with their respective looks of trepidation. Charlie rubbed her arm again, a sign that she was now uncomfortable about the query about her new, unofficial business partner. Vaggie looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She turned her head towards Charlie, who looked too unsure to put forward an answer.
Vaggie began to answer Jersey slowly. "He's..."
Suddenly, a series of heavy knocks came from the front door, stopping Vaggie's explanation. The sequence of thuds was a slow, purposeful rendition of "Shave and a Haircut." It drew the attention of everyone within the lobby.
Jersey felt a chill run down his spine as a terribly familiar presence made itself known. In short order, he turned his body towards the front of the lobby, his hands clenched into fists and his eyes momentarily glinting with a fiery shine. For a careless moment, power flickered from his center and radiated into his limbs, prepared to either leap to the side or launch Jersey at the person behind the front door.
The owner of the evil power from yesterday had returned.
"Oh mierda..." Vaggie swore. Neither she or Charlie witnessed Jersey's changing irises.
Charlie gulped heavily. Without a word, she hastily walked towards the front entrance. She opened one of the elaborate, stained glass doors to reveal the demon who so graciously knocked upon it. His outfit was strikingly similar to his previous dress coat assembly, only his dress shirt was much brighter in hue.
"Ah Charlie!" Alastor greated heartily. His smile was as big as ever, and the buzz of a radio continued to envelop his speech. "How wonderful to see you this morning."
"Uh, hey Al." Charlie greeted nervously as she allowed the Radio Demon inside. "Listen, it's a bit funny that you're here now."
Jersey, realizing this was the person being talked about just moments before, withdrew his magic reserves and made a front of calm indifference to the approaching sinner. Jersey's eyes morphed seemlessly back to a juniper coloration, though his heart to more time to slow down its palpitations.
"Oh?" Alastor easily strolled into the hotel. A cane with an old-fashioned radio microphone above its collar was in his right hand. "How so?"
"Well..." Charlie walked to keep up with the Radio Demon as he paid attention to her on the way to the front desk. "We have a new employee and tenant."
"Well that's simply tremendous!" He exclaimed. "And who is this new member of the hotel staff?" His piercing red eyes fell upon Jersey, who felt another shudder down his back.
"Al, meet-" Charlie began her introduction, only for Jersey to interrupt her.
"Jersey." His reply was curt and tense. Every fiber of his being was prepared for a fight or flight response. The raw pool of demonic power in Alastor's being reminded him too much of one of the Devil lords who tried more than once to hunt him down and destroy him.
"Greetings! The name is Alastor, Mr. Jersey. Many call me the Radio Demon! It's such a pleasure to meet one so willing to assist in the Princess' endeavors." The overlord stretched out a hand, the tips of his gloved fingers appearing as if they had been carefully dipped in blood.
Jersey's eyes flew down and scrutinized the extended limb, as if looking for a dagger in Alastor's palm. Hesitantly, and with a pointed stare at Alastor's vermillion gaze, Jersey grabbed the Overlord's extended hand and shook it with more firmness than was necessary in polite society.
"Just Jersey will do." He replied curtly.
If Alastor was perturbed by Jersey's forceful grip, he didn't show it. If anything, his toothy grin grew, as if somewhat relishing the challenge.
"My my." Alastor remarked as he withdrew his hand. "Quite the firm handshake. I believe you will be a valued member here at the Hazbin Hotel."
"Wait, Hazbin?" Vaggie asked.
"Why of course! I slightly altered the name of the hotel so as to attract more potential clients like this one! Given that this gentleman arrived shortly after I departed, I believe my decision was a wise one."
"You changed the name?!" Vaggie's reaction was vitriolic. "Capullo..."
"Take it easy, Vaggie. The name isn't as important as the mission. All that matters is that we have a place for sinners to be redeemed. No need to be so upset." Charlie consoled her.
Vaggie scowled, her fingers desperate to grasp something to impale Alastor with. "He should have at least told us about the name change."
Charlie sighed through her nose. Then she turned up to Alastor. "We'll talk about that later."
"But of course, Charlie." His smile did not waver in the slightest. The Radio Demon's attention turned back to a clearly disconcerted Jersey. "Out of curiosity, what particular position did our esteemed Princess hire you for?"
"As resident plumber and electrician. All of the labor needed for lights and pipe work will be covered by me. I'll also do any carpentry work on the side that might be necessary."
Alastor had an impressed gleam in his eyes. "Why that's marvelous! Normally, Niffty would be relegated to perform such roles as cleaner extraordinaire. I'm sure she will very much appreciate having her responsibilities lessened thanks to you, my friend!"
Jersey would have replied that he was most certainly no friend of the powerful sinner before him, but he held his tongue back.
"So, why have you arrived this morning, Al?" Charlie asked.
"Why Princess, I'm surprised that you forgot our agreement so soon! After all, I am to help with the hotel for as long as I desire! Isn't that right?"
His staff glowed at the head. The center of the microphone, which was fashioned into a cat-like eye, appeared to smile as it answer its master's light hearted question. "Yessiree!" It answered in a vaudeville-like manner.
Alastor continued. "This hotel is to be a place of entertainment after all, and I intend to make a worthy investment in this budding establishment." His smile became especially pleased, like a shark ready to chomp down on a fresh spillage of chum.
"Of course!" Charlie gave a forced smile. "I'm sorry Al. Between interviewing Jersey and ironing out a few procedural issues with the hotel, I've been a little stretched out."
"Not to worry, my dear!"
The man's charisma was somewhat impressive, if a bit unnerving to Jersey. Not once in his life had he met someone in person with such a titanic personality.
"Why don't we sit down somewhere? We can have a proper conversation about the future of this home of hopeful redeemers." Alastor requested.
"Well, I do have an office space I hope to make my own once we get this place in tip top shape." Charlie suggested. "It's where I interviewed Jersey just a little while ago."
"Lead the way, Miss." Alastor bowed with practiced eloquence.
"Alright then." Charlie grabbed Vaggie's arm to lead her and Alastor back down the hallway from before. Vaggie continued her glare at Alastor, who remained behind to give one last stare at Jersey.
"You know, I initially thought you to be a... snake in the garden." He quipped, his eyes appearing to glow ever so slightly. "I wonder just what you're capable of, my fine fellow."
Alastor followed after Charlie, a dark chuckle resonating from his throat.
Husk, staring after Alastor's retreating form, had a perplexed look on his feline face. "What the fuck was that about?"
Jersey, his jaw tight, stared after the Radio Demon with a sharp look in his eyes. "Nothing, I think." He responded slowly.
'I'll need to keep an on on that man.' Jersey thought darkly. 'His power. The manner in which he talks and acts... It kind of reminds me of-'
Jersey cut himself off before he thought too deeply about it. Even if Alastor was a threat, there was no need to assume the worst right away. It was time, at least temporarily, to ignore the presence of the Radio Demon and earn his place at the hotel. In the end, the most difficult part of this unusual journey was, from Jersey's point of view, over.
Of course, one major idea began to form in the back of Jersey's mind. Alastor looked to be the ruthless sort, even in spite of his charming demeanor. His power certainly indicated that from the first time Jersey saw him yesterday evening. In that moment, he started coming up with a plan to kill Alastor if needs be. Privately, Jersey prayed that it wouldn't come to that.
Charlie was preoccupied with discussing with the Radio Demon over various business concerns. Thus, Jersey took it upon himself to take a long examination of the hotel to see just what was needed. His initial sweep of the building was not encouraging.
Most of the light bulbs in the hotel were seriously out of date. There were plenty of more efficient light bulbs that could be purchased at a modest cost. That was the simplest problem he could find. A few lights were unable to work properly; these were mostly light fixtures in vacant rooms.
The biggest problem came around when he looked at the two elevators inside the hotel. Both were blockaded off with warning tape. It was clear that the old machines had not been dealt with for decades. After fumbling around to find the generator meant to power the hulking objects, he discovered more bad news. A brief check over of the various parts and switches revealed the cause of the elevators' inability to perform, and it wasn't an easy fix. The main problem wasn't a piston malfunction or a broken gate switch: too many parts were simply too badly worn down.
Charlie was going to have to call someone professional to handle the bulk of work on the elevators.
Though the discovery of the generator's condition was poor, Jersey took some comfort in that he was not going to deal with that mechanical quagmire. He had a brief stint in repairing elevators in the 70s, but found the work to be too niche and tedious for his taste. He never had any use for an elevator personally, so his knowledge of fixing such contraptions was rudimentary at best.
Next, Jersey sought out the generator for the hotel. He eventually found a compartment in an outside backlot of the building. Unfortunately, it was locked. If this was an emergency, he could have easily kicked the heavy door down. However, that was not the case, and such a showing of strength might unnerve his employer and her companions, to say the least. He would have to ask Charlie for the keys to the generator so he could evaluate it in person.
With little else to do, Jersey decided to gather a list of the tools and the number of lightbulbs and fixtures that the hotel would need for the present and future. Back inside the main lobby, he was yet again searching for something important: a piece of paper and a writing utensil.
When he asked Husk for assistance, he proved to not be of much help.
"I ain't got a pen or paper here." He then went back to the routine of drinking enough liquor to give alcohol poisoning to an entire football team.
Jersey slumped forward onto the bar in frustration. "I need to make a list of things for my work as an electrician. If I can't do that much, I won't be certain that everything the hotel needs will be accounted for."
"Will this help?!" Standing on one of the bar stools as if she just teleported from nowhere, Niffty, wearing a dark pink maid outfit and black apron, presented a small notebook no bigger than one of Jersey's hands. A pencil was conveniently in the spiraling binder keeping the pages together.
"Yes..." Jersey responded, a bit stunned by the speed of the little maid's agility. "Thank you."
"No problem!" Niffty replied cheerfully as the notebook was taken from her. "So, whatcha writing about?"
"I'm taking an inventory."
"For what?"
"Electrical appliances and tools. I'm gonna present this to Charlie when she's done meeting with Alastor."
"Ooh." Niffty continued staring at Jersey, who tried to not let her piercingly bright eye distract him from his list. "What kinda tools do ya need?"
"As far as I know, nothing too complicated." Jersey set to work writing down his words. "Pliers, a small, portable flashlight, electric tape, cable ties, screwdrivers of various sizes... a lot of things like that."
"Wow..." Niffty was in awe of Jersey's thoroughness. Soon she began to swoon again as she looked closer at the man who was finishing his list. He did look aristocratically handsome, though his hair could probably do with a trim.
"I like men with a mind for organization. You see, I'm always looking for things to be tidied up and put in their place, so to meet someone so keen on getting things done is so nice." Then Niffty got lost on a tangent, her speech getting ever so slightly faster. "This one time, I was doing my job at an apartment complex on the outskirts of the East Side of the Pentagram, and..."
The little cyclops' rambling began to exhaust Jersey almost immediately. He turned his head with a raised brow to Husk, who unhelpfully shrugged with nonchalance at Niffty's lengthening anecdote.
"-so I was completely put off by how filthy his domestic life and language was. I'll tell you, that was the last time I tolerated company with that slug. But anyway, it's so nice to meet a handsome gentleman with your level of professionalism, Mr. Jersey. I-"
"Niffty?"
"Uh huh?" Niffty looked up at Jersey with an expectant look on her cheery face.
"I'm not into having romantic relationships with little girls." He remarked bluntly.
It was important to nip the infatuation Niffty had for him in the bud. Dating between coworkers only made things more complicated, especially when the coworker in question was so young looking that she barely stood above Jersey's knees.
Husk choked on a swig of his drink. He was not expecting that kind of response from his new coworker.
For a few moments, the cogs appeared to be turning within Niffty's mind. A frown formed on her face. Then she let her offense be known.
"I was 22 when I died, you jerk!" The little maid was quite upset.
Jersey blinked twice in quick succession. Never before had his senses betrayed him like this.
"But... you're so tiny..."
Niffty's jaw dropped open, a hurt look passing over her countenance. Husk failed miserably in his attempts to not laugh at her expense.
"I wasn't nearly this short when I was alive!" She insisted with a miserable look. "It's not my fault I came to Hell in this form."
Needless to say, Jersey was desperate for the chance to exit this awkward situation.
"Oh. Sorry. I thought you were a child."
"Ah!" Niffty exclaimed. A blush rose from her cheeks as she quickly tried to dismiss her offended manner. "Apology accepted! I suppose it's good that you're not into kids."
"I'm very thankful that wasn't one of my sins in life." Jersey breathed out. "Look, let's just start off as coworkers and as new friends, okay? I'm not looking for a relationship right now." He put out a hand in a gesture of good will.
Niffty eagerly shook the hand for a time. "It's a deal!" She then began to wonder aloud. "You know, I can't remember the last time a man wanted to be friends with me. Most of them just think that I'm a little piece of meat for the taking. Why one time, I-"
Jersey sighed heavily. "I'm going to check out the stairways again. See if there is a major need for new steps and floor boards. Creaky as all get out, ya know?"
Husk nodded wordlessly with a knowing grin on his face.
The newly hired helper at the Hazbin Hotel promptly left the front desk and made his way towards the closest stairwell. Jersey hoped he would not be distracted by his smallest coworker while he continued his assessment of Princess Charlie's hotel of redemption.
Niffty did not realize that Jersey had departed the lobby until her story had come close to its end.
"-and Mr. Alastor was so happy for the snack I gave him afterwards! He-" The little maid blinked a few times, looking around for the new electrician she had taken a fancy to. "Where'd he go?"
Husk just stifled a chuckle.
Niffty slumped at her furry cohort's reaction with unamused frown. "Don't start."
For a few memorable minutes, the front desk was a little more lively than the hard drinking concierge had expected.
Forty minutes later...
It turned out that the creaking on the stairway leading up to the floor Jersey was staying on was not limited to that area of the hotel. Using a second page, Jersey wrote down every location where the creaking of the floors was especially egregious. He also discovered some exposed wood that needed to be replaced. The job for that was going to be a bit messy, but doable. After all, there wasn't a glut of rotten wood beyond a few spots on the two topmost floors.
Ultimately, keeping the hotel silent by eliminating the noisy floorboard issue was going to be a nice quality of life improvement for those who liked quietness or needed lots of sleep. Even if Jersey had to put in his own salary to get the lumber necessary, he would happily see every floorboard replaced and shimmed to his liking. All he needed was the tools necessary for the job.
The only place where the creaking was reduced was in the lobby. The subfloor in the entrance was at least closely knit to the carpeted flooring. This was where Jersey found himself yet again. He was getting anxious about confiding in Charlie his list of tools and the carpentry work that was needed.
As Jersey was writing down a claw hammer for his future carpentry endeavors, he was graced by Charlie and Vaggie approaching him as he stood in the lobby. Unfortunately, Alastor had accompanied them.
"Hi Jersey! What are you writing down?"
"Hello Charlotte," Jersey walked forth to meet with Charlie, whilst doing his best not to lock eyes with the Radio Demon, who was on her left side. "I have a list of tools and appliances that will be needed for me to start my occupation as an electrician. I'll need screwdrivers, a tape measure, an electric drill, and other things on this list here."
Jersey handed the little notebook to Charlie, who quickly glanced over the requested items. Vaggie looked over the list as well, to see if anything unusual or insidious might have been included.
"Looks standard to me. You know, as someone who hasn't done this kind of manual work." Charlie consented, albeit with a a forthcoming confession about her ignorance of electrical intimacies.
"I'd recommend getting a specialist with elevators to few with them. It will take a professional overhaul to replace most of the parts needed. That's one thing that's out of my depth." Jersey added.
"That's sounds like a plan. My parents have all kinds of skilled workers that they can contact for work. I'll just ask my Mom's secretary if there is a phone number for elevator repairmen." Charlie pulled out her Hellphone and opened up her contacts to make the call as soon as she was available.
"If you flip the page, I also have a list of locations where the subfloor and the flooring have been separated. I also counted four instances of rotting wood at the top floors. I'll need supplies to take care of both of those problems. The electrician equipment should be the primary concern. Don't feel rushed to get the flooring supplies."
"What does the subfloor separation mean?" Vaggie asked, her eyes lingering on the words 'claw hammer.'
"That's what creates the creaking sound when you walk on certain parts of the flooring. Of course, if you don't care for creaky floors, I'll still need lumber and other supplies for the upper floor ceilings where some of the woodwork has gotten too old for purpose."
"Oh my." Charlie muttered worriedly. "That could be a health hazard. Don't want mold to grow up there."
"Agreed." Jersey concurred.
"And you need a 'claw hammer' to do this?" Vaggie asked, unconvinced.
"Yeah. It's a hammer with curved protrusions on the back end you use to remove nails. It's kinda iconic like that. Without it, I won't be able to nail the wooden floor boards to the subfloor." Jersey quirked a little smile. "Do you suggest that I used my bare hands to do the job?"
Vaggie looked to the side, abashed. "Sorry. Just curious."
"No problem. Don't be afraid to ask how things work with regards to stuff like this. You might learn something interesting." Jersey remarked.
Vaggie relaxed a little bit at the explanation. It was refreshing to not have the usual sass or vulgarity of Angel whenever she asked a person about something serious.
"Right." Charlie said. "I'll get this stuff ordered directly. My family also has their own private supplier of essentials to keep our properties in shape. Thanks for the initiative, Jersey."
"Think nothing of it." Jersey replied. "I'm ready to get to work as soon as possible."
"Quite the go getter, aren't you?" Alastor observed with his trademark smile. "I'm somewhat disappointed I didn't take you into my service!"
Jersey tensed ever so slightly. He wanted to instinctively rebuke the Radio Demon's desire to have him under his employ. The words sounded too much like something an aristocrat from his early days would say. He stayed silent, not wanting to give away his true feelings.
"I try my best." His voice was neutral, but not to such a degree that it would indicate his distrust of the Radio Demon.
"Well, how's about we have ourselves a nice lunch to celebrate our plans for the future?" Alastor suggested with gusto.
"Sure thing, Al." Charlie agreed easily.
"Okay." Vaggie said, hiding her discomfort of sharing a dinner table with the Radio Demon a second time.
"I suppose I could go for a meal." Jersey was also getting hungry.
"Perhaps you could get your horned companions to whip something up." Alastor suggested to Charlie.
"Uh, sure." Charlie cleared her throat. "Razzle? Dazzle?" She snapped her fingers.
In a burst of peach colored smoke, the two goat demons who accompanied her performance from yesterday appeared. They were dressed like butlers, just as they did the day before.
"Yes, mistress?" They asked with high voices. Their faces grew bright smiles and fondness bloomed in their serpentine eyes as they awaited the orders of their dear master.
"Would you mind making us some deli meat sandwiches?" Charlie requested kindly.
"Right away!" They walked quickly towards the kitchen to make the necessary preparations.
Charlie pulled out a cellphone. "I'll call and see if I can get into contact with the contractor my parents hire for their properties. They're the best bet for getting something done about the elevators. As for the tools, I'll order those online and get them in the mail."
"Thank you, Princess." Jersey said.
"You know, just Charlie or Charlotte is fine. I don't care about people saying the title and all of that."
Jersey made a small grin. Truly, Charlie was nothing like his old master. "Of course, Charlotte."
"By the way," Charlie looked about the lobby for a bit before turning her head towards Vaggie, "where is Angel? He'd probably like the free food."
Vaggie simply groaned. "He left early to go to his shitty job at Valentino's studio."
Charlie sighed heavily. "He doesn't have to go back there. We have everything covered for him."
"Knowing him, he probably enjoys the, ugh, position too much." The Salvadoran's tone suggested that Angel's job was not very respectable.
"What's his job? I don't think I asked." Jersey inquired.
"He's a porn star. Angel stars in horrible movies and videos doing things I can't describe in good company." Vaggie pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to force down her disgust. "He's another sinner who works for Valentino, an Overlord who rules the sex industry."
"Huh." Jersey remarked. "This Valentino guy doesn't sound very nice."
"That's grossly simplifying it." Vaggie agreed.
"And what's an Overlord, out of curiosity?"
"Why, I happen to be one of them my curious companion!" Alastor interjected. "Think of an Overlord as a person of great influence and power that rules over parts of Pentagram City. Usually they occupy a role or industry of significance."
Jersey nodded wordlessly, looking Alastor up and down. "I assume you are the Overlord of the radio industry."
"Correct! You truly are a fast learner!"
Jersey was rather certain that Alastor was being somewhat glib with that compliment.
"Isn't Angel Dust supposed to be redeeming himself? Or is he relapsing?" Jersey asked, his query pointed to Charlie.
The Princess' heart sank at Jersey's words. "It seemed like he was doing well just a few days ago..."
"Of course." Jersey stated, sarcasm leaking into his speech. "I must say, engaging in a literal street war on live television is an excellent sign of the progress he's made."
Alastor laughed at Jersey's comment. "It seems that redemption is not as easy as it looks. What a conundrum!" An audience laugh track accompanied his amused proclamation.
Vaggie growled at Jersey's blunt observation. It was made worse with Alastor's mockery.
"He's right." Charlie conceded, halting Vaggie's fury. "When Angel gets home, I need to confront him on this. He has to take the chance of redemption seriously."
"Don't forget to include me in this little intervention." Vaggie conjured up a spear in her hand, gripping it tightly in frustration.
"But," Charlie added, "no one is redeemed overnight. It's going to be a steady process to get sinners like Angel into heaven."
Vaggie merely grumbled as the spear in her hands was dispelled. Alastor's grin curled almost painfully in amusement.
"Well..." Jersey started. "While there's still some time before lunch, I need to take a look at the step up transformer and see its condition."
"Say what?" Charlie asked.
"It's the closed off generator like object in the backlot. It's connected to a power line and provides electricity to the hotel."
"Oh!" Charlie remarked in realization. "You need a key for that." She reached a hand into a pants pocket and pulled out a series of keys, of which one was her skeleton key for all of the rooms in the hotel.
"Uh, is this really necessary?" Vaggie asked.
"If you are so concerned that I might tamper with the transformer, you can always join me. You could learn something about how a transformer is supposed to work."
Vaggie sighed quietly. She clearly did not expect Jersey to act so reasonable. "Alright. If Charlie wants to..."
"Sounds good to me."
"It'll just be a short, preliminary look. Mostly an exterior examination to make sure there's no corrosion or other such things."
"That's fine." Charlie said. "The sandwiches won't be hard to make, especially with Razzle and Dazzle handling the food." She turned towards Alastor, who casually made his way to a clean sofa. "You wanna join us, Alastor?"
"No thank you my dear." He summoned a book with a twirl of his hand to read. The theme appeared to be a French novel of sorts. "I'll just be patiently awaiting our meals here in the lobby."
"Okay then, let's get going." The three soon left for the back exit towards the step up transformer.
All the while, Alastor had an interested look on his face on the retreating back of Jersey.
"You're an interesting one." He spoke to himself. "I wonder how you will spice up this place." The Radio Demon focused on his little novella with a brief chuckle.
The assessment took no more than five minutes. It was during Jersey's brief comb over of the transformer that he gave brief explanations as to how a transformer worked, specifically how it was designed to prevent power surges.
Charlie, as always, was fascinated at the ease with which Jersey detailed the step up transformer's various qualities. Vaggie, though silent throughout the short venture in the backlot, acknowledged to herself that Jersey seemed to know what he was talking about. Her noiseless fact checking on her phone corroborated Jersey's explanations: he was no liar with regards to electrical work.
The trio were interrupted by the sudden appearance of Razzle, the goat demon who sported a lighter coat of red fur than his brother. He announced with pride that the sandwiches had been prepared.
Consequently, Charlie, Vaggie, and Jersey were steadily heading towards the kitchen to partake in the food.
"How do you know so much about electricity?" Charlie asked Jersey.
He regarded her with a reserved smile. Jersey liked the Princess of Hell's genuine curiosity with regards to one of his skills. "I took an apprenticeship with a man working for the Edison Illuminating Company. Long story short, he was so impressed by my energy and hard work he got me a job helping the company distribute electricity and light in New Jersey."
"Wow! So you were around when electricity was beginning to be used?"
"Yep. I used those skills to bring light to my little home in the woods. Having skills as an electrician also helped when my neck of the woods was struck by hurricanes in 1896 and 1938."
"Woah..."
Vaggie hung onto every word Jersey spoke. It was just like the interview, with him speaking of events and inventions that were at least decades apart. Once more, she couldn't help but feel that Jersey was omitting much more of his story than was expected.
The large kitchen had been partially converted into a makeshift dining space. There was no cloth to drape over the stainless steel preparation tables that had been converted into a temporary surface to eat off of. Nevertheless, a random assortment of fold out chairs had been brought out for seating. Paper plates sat neatly at even intervals for anyone to use.
The assorted sandwiches crafted by Razzle and Dazzle were presented on whole grain bread. Fashioned with lettuce and tomatoes, the meat for the sandwiches was a choice between turkey, roast beef, ham, and chicken. A pile of the carefully crafted food sat on a silver platter.
It was yet another moment in which Jersey was astounded that a realm as chaotic and degenerate as this particular Hell had such mundane foodstuffs in stock. All the same, he was glad to see (and smell) that his time in Hell had a large supply of normal, edible food.
Charlie seemed partial to turkey whilst Vaggie grabbed a random chicken sandwich. Alastor armed himself with a fork and knife to eat his own turkey sandwich without the risk of getting crumbs on his dress coat. Jersey instantly gravitated towards the roast beef. Razzle and Dazzle, having no preference, took a random sandwich each.
Alastor and the two servants of Charlie were the only ones to sit in the kitchen, with everyone else content with standing up with their food. It started out as a quiet affair until Husk stumbled into the room with half a beer bottle in his hand.
"Hey, is there enough to go around?" He had heard of the promise of sandwiches for lunch, and he was starving after a small breakfast earlier in the day.
"By all means, partake my friend!" Alastor assured his hard drinking underling.
"I'm not your fuckin' friend..." Husk grumbled as he grabbed himself a roast beef sandwich. Sitting on a chair closest to the door with all of the grace of a hungover bear, he began to chomp greedily on his food.
"What a shame." Alastor replied in an uncaring tone.
"Ooh! Is there enough for me?!" Niffty requested as she rushed into the kitchen.
"There's plenty to go around." Charlie assured the little maid.
"Hooray!" Niffty soon gasped in horror as she noticed that most of the people present were standing up and allowing crumbs to fall apart onto the floor. "Oh my goodness, this won't do! Now I have to sweep this room all over again!"
"Sorry!" Charlie shouted with genuine remorse. She hated inconveniencing others. "We can clean up after ourselves if you want. Just... relax and have yourself a sandwich."
Niffty's demeanor looked conflicted about the Princess' insistence that cleaning could come second to a small lunch. Eventually she gave up in a huff. "Fine. But I won't like it." She cutely stamped one of her little feet before rushing onto the center table and grabbing a ham sandwich. She then politely sat at the table next to Alastor and began to eat.
"Mmm." Husk growled contently. "This shit is good."
"Razzle and Dazzle do know their way around food." Charlie remarked. The comment caused the two goat demons, who were halfway through their sandwiches, to beam at her compliment.
Niffty, having been lost in the delight of her simple meal, couldn't help but verbally express her enjoyment. "Mmm!" She swallowed a bite of her sandwich gleefully.
Jersey had leaned back against a corner, carefully observing the scene before him. It was a very odd company that he was now keeping, that much was certain. He wasn't the most accustomed person with regards to interacting with people. Yet, he couldn't help but give a slight grin. For the first time in two days, he felt a sense of normalcy. Even if he couldn't get home, at least he could make something of himself here.
The doors burst open, having been shoved away from each other by four pairs of hands clothed in crimson gloves.
"Please tell me there's grub in here!" Angel Dust gasped as if he had run a marathon to get back to the hotel.
Vaggie, who had been quietly eating, made a look as if she was chewing on a wasp. Charlie wasn't nearly so perturbed.
"We just had these sandwiches prepared. Chicken, roast beef, turkey, and ham. Help yourself." Charlie offered with a crumb covered smile.
Angel gave an eager grin, only to notice that the sandwiches were not to his liking.
"Aww come on! No foot longs?" The spider demon begrudgingly swiped a roast beef sandwich from the platter. "And here I thought I'd get a chance to practice my deep throating skills."
Most everyone present groaned at the porn star's revolting comment.
'This is going to take some getting used to.' Jersey thought as he tried not to let Angel's salubrious joke manifest into an unpleasant image in his head.
It was a hell of a start to his new life. Now it was up to him to thrive in it.
As a little heads up, I may be slowing down the rate at which I post chapters to this story. Rest assured the times between uploads will only increase by one additional week, and given that I have been uploading once every two weeks, this shouldn't be too great of a difference. Rest assured that I may also put up one shots to help parse the time between Hazbin Devil chapters.
This is to ensure that I am making quality chapters without feeling rushed. Quality over quantity is my motto. Other than that, accept this chapter as my own little Christmas present to everyone following and favoriting this story.
Merry Christmas, and here's to a happier new year!