Fazbin Hotel Night 4
Future Tense(aka I'm stuck.)
(This chapter takes place in the future. A flash forward.
To August 12th)
The moment the rabbit arrived, Charlie could tell something was very wrong with them. They weren't an ordinary damned soul. But she just couldn't tell what at a glance.
It was an ordinary day at the Happy Hotel, well, as ordinary as a day in Hell could be. Charlie had been busy getting some paperwork ready when she heard the knock at the door, and from what her two assistants Razzle and Dazzle said, it was a new patron! The princess of Hell immediately raced to greet them, opening the door with a wide smile towards the new patron.
" ya doing? My name's….Dave. Dave Miller! pleased to meet ya!" Spoke the lapine sinner the pause when saying his name more than a little suspect. But aliases were common in Hell. Though calling the new sinner a rabbit would be a little inaccurate. They had rabbit-like features but they more resembled a costume than actual flesh; the joint areas, alongside the light patches on the abdomen and inner ear had obvious stitching connecting them. The mouth area was far too big to be on an actual rabbit and the teeth looked artificial. Even his voice had a digitized distortion like he was talking through a microphone. As he spoke to Charlie, the strange sinner did a little spin dance and bowed. Holding out his hand for her to shake.
"Uh, hi Mr. Miller. What brings you to the Happy Hotel?" His hand felt, solid yet not at the same time; Charlie could feel the cloth that acted as his skin yet nothing could be felt underneath it. Like his body was made of air under that strange suit.
"Well I just dropped down here, not even three hours ago by looking at the clock but I could tell at first glance someone important lives here from the way that guy in red was waltzing on in. Plus with a name like the Happy Hotel, I'm sure it's the bee's knees!" The strange rabbit demon smiled and said, giving Charlie pause. Most sinners cried in despair, cursed God, or raged at everything during their first day or so in Hell, but Dave looked happy as a clam and twice as chipper. It's odd they went straight for the Hotel, though with them being so new they probably don't realize how much it's actually looked down upon.
Digesting Dave's statement about the person Willam mentioned, she asked "Guy in red, you mean Alastor? He's my, business partner. I'll have to introduce you to him But come in, come in!" Charlie smiled and said, pulling Dave inside. She wanted to introduce him to the others, hopefully soon. The sooner he was settled in, the sooner rehabilitation could begin!
In the main sitting area Angel Dust, Husk, and Nifty were currently engaging in a rousing game of poker. The cat demon was currently attempting to teach the smaller sinner the rules, though it was clear she wasn't fully understanding all the terms.
"This specific combination is called a Dead Man's hand." Spoke with Husker, showing off his cards for Nifty. "Wouldn't every hand be a dead man's hand cuz we're in hell pussycat~?" Teased Angel, the pink spider demon poking Husker in the nose with one of his extra hands teasingly. Making Husker swat him and snarl "It's called that cuz supposedly it was the hand a famous gunslinger had when he was killed during a game." Before slamming down a pair of black aces, black eights, and a black queen on the table.
"Yeah yeah don't get ya whiskers In a twist, I'm just yanking ya chain. Though I'd be more than happy to yank more than that if you know what I mean." Angel Dust teased, looking towards Charlie holding the new patron's hand and giving a sly smirk.
"Uh Charlie, when I said we should get some bunnies to help promote the Hotel, I meant playboy bunnies, not guys in a rabbit suit. 'sides, aren't ya with Vaggie or something? Ya don't strike me as the type to have a little extra on the side." Angel said, pointing out the hand holding with a raised eyebrow. Making Charlie blush and gently but quickly pull her hand away.
"T-this is Dave, he's new to the Hotel, and Hell. So treat him right! Or I'll, I'll, I'll bust out Barney again!" Charlie threatened, making Angel and Husker hiss and recoil from her outstretched pointer finger like vampires from a crucifix. Her words came out a little fast due to a bit of lingering embarrassment from Angel's comment.
"You wouldn't dare!" The spider demon glared and said. "What's wrong with Barney?" Dave just scratched his head and said, making the two other Sinners shudder and look at him. Confusion is plain to see on the newly minted demon's face.
"Nothing really, unless ya strapped down and forced to watch it Clockwork Orange style!" Groaned Angel Dust. "8 Straight hours of singing purple dinosaurs…." Shuddered Husker.
"I just wanted them to sit down and watch an episode or two. Alastor was the one who suggested the straps and the eye clamps." Corrected Charlie, Patting Dave on the head to help calm the confused rabbit a small bit. Though the Lapine sinner still had a look of complete befuddlement.
"Moving on to something more relevant. When you said long ears over here is new to Hell, how new we talking? Few weeks, a couple of days?" Asked Angel Dust, getting up and curling an arm around Dave's shoulder. Pulling the bunny demon close to check him out and get a feel for him and his cloth skin. Seemingly wondering how he ended up looking the way he did.
"I've been here for, as of right now….two hours!" The Lapine sinner said after gazing at the clock on the wall, giving a happy smile to Angel Dust. Making the spider demon get taken aback, even Husker back at the table had wide eyes at the statement. An amused grin grew on Angel Dust's fluffy face as he looked at Dave.
"He really is fresh as a fucking daisy! Good thing he came here so soon. Valentino and some other Overlord would snap him up like a carrot stick!" Angel Dust laughed, patting Dave on the back. Leaving the poor rabbit all sorts of confused as he sat on one of the couches. Bouncing slightly on the cushion and sinking into the softness.
The mental image of Angel Dust's pimp using Dave as one of his new employees made Charlie grimace. The rabbit demon seemed so nice so far, and working for the moth demon was a fate worse than second death!
"Let's try to focus on the positives for now. Like how since our new friend is so new, we don't have to worry about anyone going after him unless he's somehow managed to make enemies so quickly." Charlie beamed, just happy to finally have another client. One that everyone and their mother didn't recognize on sight.
"So little rabbit, tell me about ya'self. But first, a few things about me just to get ya filled in. Ya can call me Angel Dust, been here since the 1940s. So if you have any questions about Down Here you come to me alright? If ya hear noises like moaning or sosomethingit's probably me. "
The confused face was back now. But Charlie thankfully was there to help out.
"Let's get to some questions for you Dave. Like your birth date in the living world, a list of major crimes, stuff like that. It helps with record keeping. Don't think of this as an interview, we'll have that later. But more just a quick little bit to establish your presence here. "
Charlie has produced a pen and notepad from thin air with a flick of her wrist. It was a miniscule flex of the power she wielded as Princess of Hell. All she needed was some minor information until she could get more from the newly minted sinner in her office.
"Alright, let's start with your birthday. When were you born Mr. Miller?"
"Hmm,1950!"
"1950?! Ha! Maybe we should call ya Peepaw Miller old man!" "Peepaw? You're older than I am!" "Not when I croaked ya silly rabbit." The two bickered a minor bit, making Charlie tap on her notepad to get back on track.
"So Dave, what kind of, sins did you commit in life?" Charlie asked, knowing such a thing was an uncomfortable subject for many Sinners. Many claimed they were innocent and good even after committing utter atrocities for various reasons.
"Let me handle this Char-Char. Lemme guess Rabbit, ya did a fuck ton of drugs!" "Never really touched the stuff." "Ya were a sexual degenerate like yours truly." "Not really my thing." Angel thought for a moment then snapped his finger and exclaimed "Ya voted Republican!" "Not really one for politics either."
Angel let out an annoyed huff and poked the rabbit in the chest. Clearly annoyed at the rabbit's lack of vice. "Then what did ya fuckin' do? "Oh you know, minor stuff. Not going to church, being a jerk to people at times, I'm not sure why I'm down here really! Heaven must be super strict!" Dave chimed in, making Husk give his two cents. Slamming down his paw on the table and making chips and cards pop up.
"Well, I don't trust 'em. Something about the rabbit doesn't feel right to me. It reminds me of Al and I don't like it. I say we toss him back." The cat demon glares, making both Rabbit demon and Charlie gasp in shock.
"But where else do I go? I'm so new I don't even know anyone else! If I didn't come here I'd be homeless! Meaning I'd be out and alone on the streets, easy pickings for some pervert or psycho to snatch me up. All alone and defenseless, with no one to care about me. Rejected by the people I thought would care about a lost little rabbit. Scared and cold and dirty in an ally somewhere…."
Dave was making a sad face as he spoke; eyes wide and almost tear-filled, ears dropping around his head, gently gripped by his hands. The cherry on top was the bunny demon wiggling his nose as well. One could almost hear the tugging of heartstrings, all it needed was a sappy violin and the rabbit demons' attempt to milk sympathy would be complete.
It worked like a charm either way, Charlie looking like he wanted to wrap the bunny in a blanket and cuddle him like a doll. Even Angel Dust was having a hard time keeping a straight face. Especially when he flashes his big eyes at Angel "Hey Fuzzball, how can you say no to that fuzzy wittle face?"
Husk's answer was expected but still worth a glare from Charlie. "Easy, he's trouble. Something feels off about him. But if y'all insist on keeping him around, you owe me five bucks when he shows his true colors!" The cat grumbled and growled, grabbing a bottle of strong whiskey and downing half of it in a second.
Charlie: "Don't mind Husk, he's grumpy. Don't worry about him anyway, the bar is a privilege earned by cashing in these!" Charlie gleefully said, casually conjuring a sheet of rainbow, sun, and other such stickers.
"Good Soul Points! Every time you do something nice you get one. Cash them in and you can earn rewards like a drink, a special gift, etc." The Princess of Hell was smiling and bouncing with glee as the rabbit looked at the sheet, noticing a chalkboard in the lobby with Angel Dust's name above a column with a couple of stickers already on it.
"I do remember something bad happening at my job a long while ago. Back in the 1980s, I wasn't really around when It happened but the place shut down not long after." Dave said, putting his hand on his chin. "It was so long ago, I don't remember much but I do remember the name of the place. Freddy Fazbear's."
Angel Dust just raised an eyebrow at the name, but Charlie got her notepad back quickly and began writing down the name. " 'Freddy Fazbear's'? That some sorta stripper place or something?" "Angel!"
"Nah, it was a pizza joint. A place for families, mostly kids. I do know a guy who used to work at Freddy's with me. Jeremy Fitzgerald. If you can find him he might be able to give more information about what happened after I left!" The smile Dave gave was wide and nostalgic. Like he remembered Jeremy fondly.
"I doubt he remembers me though. So perhaps you'll have better luck with him! While you do that, Angel will show me my room!" Dave patted both Sinner and Princess on the shoulders. Making them like spider demons scowl in annoyance
"Do I look like a fucking bellhop to you?!" Before Charlie could answer, Nifty finally spoke up, bouncing up and down excitedly "I volunteer to help!"
The diminutive cyclops seemed to surprise Dave, taking his hand and rushing him to the elevator. "See if you can find Jeremy!" Was the last thing he could say before being pulled away. "If ya need me carrot sticks I'm in the lobby!" Added Angel Dust, yelling at the last second to be heard.
"I can try my best! I'll get Vaggie from her office and we can go together!" Another guest settling in, and things are finally looking up for the Hotel!
Ringing the buzzer on the front of the apartment building, a static-choked voice rang from the intercom. "Who's there?". "Mr. Fitzgerald, it's me Charlie. From the news a few months back. I'm here to talk to you and your time at Freddy Fazbear's!"
The line went quiet for a good minute before the voice returned "What do you wanna know? I look in the mirror every day and I'm reminded of what being there cost me." The voice grew a little more static-choked, anger clear in his voice. "What could you possibly want to know?"
"I wanna piece together what happened to the franchise through the ages. I'm here with another soul involved in the franchise, but he didn't work there for long. So I wanna get your side. If you cooperate, I'll make it worth your while." Charlie hated bribery, but this was important! Being Princess of Hell allowed access to quite a lot of resources, meaning whatever he wanted she could most likely provide.
"...Fine. But I only worked there for less than a week before the incident so I don't know much" Jeremy sighed and said, opening the door for Charlie and Vaggie. His apartment was on the second floor, So it didn't take long to find the former night guards' abode.
Once the duo was at Jeremy's apartment, it only took one knock for him to open the door, revealing a mechanical fox-looking sinner.
White plastic fur covered most of his body except for his hands and feet. The palms, soles, stomach, and inner ears, along with the plastic claws were instead dark red. His artificial eyes had red irises And small blue LEDs in the irises. The area around his right eye and forehead above it had a diagonal patch of red fur in the shape of a bite mark.
The sinner was wearing only a simple blue T-shirt and jeans as if deliberately attempting to downplay his strange appearance. The only real thing that matched his color was what looked like a pink knitted cap with his ears sticking out of holes in the top. A white fox head was next to a golden bear head with a heart in between them.
Tapping a mechanical foot, the sinner looked expectant. "Before I spill the beans about my, mind you very short time at Freddy's, I wanna know. Why are you so interested in the Fazbear tragedies all of a sudden? Thought you were focused on redeeming sinners at all that jazz. Though that music video was pretty fun to watch." Jeremy's plastic mouth flapping up and down as he spoke, his voice box's static almost reminding Charlie of Alastor.
"Another night guard just arrived at the Hotel. We want to know more so we can help them. Understand what everyone there went through so we know how to help." Vaggie poked Jeremy in the chest, the moth demon, getting a confused eyebrow raise from Jeremy In response.
"Plenty of night guards down here so I probably don't know which one you mean. The only one I know is my boyfriend and he's at work. Then again I've been trying to distance myself from the bear and band after I got here. But if you really wanna know my story I'll tell you. Not like I have a real choice. Maybe if I help ya and find redemption I'll look human again instead of being a fucking fox like the one that caused my death." Jeremy said, leading the other two into his small apartment.
It wasn't much, definitely needed Nifty to spruce up the place, but it wasn't run down by any means. The beige carpet was free of litter and clutter, in the back lay a small kitchen area with a wooden island acting as a table. The gray walls definitely needed a splash of color to give off a less depressing feel. A black door in the far east side most likely led to a bedroom, though with the door closed it was hard to tell.
"Wasn't expecting guests, so I don't have any fancy drinks. Would RS Cola's suffice?" Jeremy said, reaching into a fridge that was probably older than he was, even counting his time in hell as both sinner and demon princess sat on the creaky red couch in the center of the room. Jeremy's head turned completely one hundred eighty degrees after a few seconds, making Vaggie jump a small bit.
"That sounds lovely!" Charlie smiled and said, making the fox sinner just shrug as he grabbed two cans, his body turning around to face forward with his lower body following suit. Laying the cans on the coffee table, Jeremy went back to grab another can for himself.
Opening his can of Royal Sinner cola, Jeremy crossed his mechanical legs and began"Like I said before, I don't know much. When I landed the job, the place had been open to the public for like, two weeks? Higher ups wanted to make a "new and improved" Freddy Fazbears or something. Somewhere free of the tragedy of the old location."
"What kind of ' tragedy?' " asked Vaggie. Making Jeremy sigh and explain: "Supposedly five children had gone missing at the original Freddy Fazbears; their bodies were never found despite the place supposedly being searched top to bottom. The place had closed due to a combination of scandal, and health code violations when the animatronics began emitting foul odors. Whatever happened, it probably wasn't good."
"The person who did was never caught, I assume? They've probably been down here for a while if it was that long ago. Maybe we should track them down instead of a night guard." Vaggie pointed out, before realizing "...Since they were never caught we have no name. But going through everyone who worked at the restaurant during its tenure will take years. Most probably won't know anything as well Charlie."
"I mean during my tenure I know someone messed with the facial recognition the new animatronics had. They were supposed to be connected to a criminal database, to know if there was any kind of predator or other kind of people that hurt the kiddos. Made them wary and mistrustful of adults.
Mind you I had a criminal record but that was from when I was younger and hung out with a group of delinquents."
Jeremy said before taking a looong sip of his cola to break the awkward silence and strange look Charlie was giving him.
"You had a criminal record? But you seem so nice! Sarcastic but nice!" She said, holding her hands together. Which just makes Jeremy smirk and wave a hand dismissively. "Did some craaaazy things when I was young. I and this group of other boys would drive around, whacking mailboxes, shoplifting, and spray painting cars and shit. But that was long ago, I did a stint In juvie, and turned my life around. Guess it wasn't enough to avoid going downstairs." He said, looking at his demonic form and sighing once again.
"Sorry, I got sidetracked. However, I still wonder why the bots attacked me instead of calling the police or something. Shit, my boss saw my record on my background check and decided they were minor enough that I wasn't a liability. He said something like 'Son, you seem like a good man. Youth is the time for making mistakes, and while you made more than your fair share, that time is long past.' Or something like that. Been awhile so it's pretty fuzzy."
"Wait, a bot attacked you? How?! The most I could see them do is give you a bad bruise unless they fell on you. Why would anyone design animatronics capable of seriously hurting people?!" Vaggie stated, shaking her can for emphasis.
"You don't know Fazbear Entertainment do ya? For most of the newer bots, the most they could do is give ya a bruise or broken limb if you're really unlucky. The older ones were pretty damaged so cuts and scrapes and electrocution from exposed wires were more likely. The one that got me was the worst of all though; Exposed endoskeleton, sharp teeth, etc,"
"They let something like that around children?" Vaggie exclaimed, about to crush the poor can in her grip. "Why?!"
"It was supposed to be a replacement for Foxy, but the kiddies kept taking, them, apart. So they decided to make it a "pull apart and put back together" attraction for some fucking reason. The manager called it Toy Foxy, but everyone else just called it the Mangle from how damaged the damn thing was. The freaking thing took one look at me when I went to check on Kids Cove and lunged like a wild animal. Everything went dark after that, then it went cold after a few minutes, then I arrived here. Moved to land in the water thinking I would be safe like in the movies. Nope Splattered like a bug on a windshield, the only reason the guy I splattered over didn't end me a second time was because he sensed I was a freshly fallen sinner. Fished me out and tossed me into the streets of Pentagram City after tossing me far too big clothes, and that's all she wrote."
Finishing his can, Jeremy's left arm detached itself from his joint cleanly, pulling off and finger walking to the fridge. Where it grabbed another can, rolled it over, and walked back in the space of a minute. "What? My limbs connect with magnets. I may dislike my demonic form but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the perks."
The fox Sinner laid back and swirled his drink a small bit and continued talking. "If you want I can go with ya and see if I recognize anyone or anyone recognizes me. Maybe bring my boyfriend later too. He had a shorter tenure than me but he was there after me. Supposedly they went back to the old bots after I was chomped on."
Charlie gently cupped one of Jeremy's plastic hands and smiled. "Jeremy, if you want, the Happy Hotel is always accepting guests! I'm sure someone like you will get into heaven in no time!"
Jeremy just smiled back. "I'll talk about it with Zeke, my boyfriend. His name is on the lease, if only because my building was blasted apart in a turf war. But if he says yes, we'll both be there."
Meanwhile back at the Happy Hotel. "Dave" was settling into his room. The one-eyed, thing they called Nifty acted as his tour guide, as if the rabbit was too stupid to explore his new domain on his own.
Thankfully he managed to convince that doll lady Charlie to go on a wild goose chase looking for Jeremy Fitzgerald, the e mullet-wearing day guard "Dave" remembered from when he worked at the "new and improved" Freddy Fazbear's. "New and Improved" his cotton-tailed ass! The place barely lasted 3 months! Good thing "Dave" had gotten at least some good research from the bots, transferring parts into the animatronic they called Toy Bonnie.
At Least Charlie was off his back for a few hours, plenty of time to better establish a fake history and get used to his new "demon" form.
But for now, he still had the cyclopean toy at his feet tugging him around the room.
"The bed is pure Gluttony Silk, the pillows stuffed with the finest fluff for a cute little bunny like you!" Nifty said, looking almost too excited about "Dave's" lapine visage. The cyclops looked like she'd been given a life-sized stuffed animal to play with!
"{Gluttony? Hell's got multiple layers it seems.}" "Dave," thought to himself, feeling up the silk sheets and admiring the craftsmanship. Perfectly smooth and light under his cloth fingers.
"In the bathroom, the bathtub is special Wrath Heat stone marble. It won't cool down so your bath will always be hot and perfect!"
"Sounds wonderful Nifty!" It definitely was up "Dave's " Alley, back when he was a living man his wife used to complain about him having the shower so hot his skin looked red and raw after a shower!
"I know Ms. Charlie didn't get it to, but how did you die Mr. Miller? You don't have any wounds on you so it's hard to tell."
Shit, she was onto him.
"Dave" decided to do the best thing he could think of; tell a not quite lie to get her off his back.
It savored the warmth of the space heater in its room. Grateful to the poor fool it had taken over for having such a wonderful piece of technology for it to use.
No, it wasn't an it
It was a He. He had been a he so long ago, back when he was flesh and blood instead of code and binary. When he was a man instead of, whatever he was now. But he had escaped death once again though.
He always came back after all!
His takeover of the tester's body had left him in need of food and rest. Thankfully the tester had food in his home that was still warm enough to be tolerable. He was too hungry to care that it was, pizza. If he wasn't so desperate for any kind of food, after decades of starvation and what felt like months of isolation and sensory deprivation he would have been sick to death of the stuff.
But food was food and he choked it down easily enough. Drinking cola from a plastic bottle near the box. Nearly choking from how fast he chugged it just to drink something. Finishing up his first meal, he took the time to explore his new surroundings. Curious about the strange technology that allowed him to access the tester's brain and the strange red rectangle on the tester's table.
He took his time taking in all the features of the rectangle that called itself a "phone". Seeing all its little "apps"
He played with this new device for over an hour, dredging up information from his host's brain slowly. Diving down the rabbit hole of the Internet, one that had grown exponentially in decades following his death.
Yes, this would do so nicely for his return.
But his fun was cut short by the interjection of a "text message" from a girl named Briana. Asking him to come over and get ready for a movie they apparently had planned to watch together.
Having no choice but to go, it walked out towards the door. Braving the dark streets of an unfamiliar city, slipping through an alleyway behind the ttester'sduplex.
It vaguely remembered about traffic lights, and only at the last minute remembered the ones in its town were faulty. Leading to headlights glaring at it as it narrowly dodged an oncoming car.
"Phew, that was close!"
He was so distracted by a car that nearly hit him that he didn't even see the bus until it was too late. His body crumpled and died within minutes.
Everything was dark, then tight. Oh so tight.
So he stretched. Pushing and shoving. Making whatever was containing him streeeeech until he could see light again. Allowing him to be free and stand up, and look himself over. To see that he had a body, one that looked so familiar. Bringing back memories of who he was.
He was William Afton. His new body resembled a suit he hadn't worn in so many, many years. Back before Fredbears used bots. Back when it was just him and Henry in those cloth suits, dancing and singing for the children! Oh what glorious days those were!
Oh, how weak he was back then before he had conquered the secrets of life and death! Well, when he could still use the secrets he knew. But no matter, he would come back from this. He always did. He'd escaped from a hellish existence inside that game, he could escape wherever he was now.
It was just a matter of time.
"I was walking to a friend's and got hit by a bus."
That made the Cyclops gasp, then say something that shocked even the rabbit.
"Me too! I was so tired after working on a 12-hour shift for my boss that I didn't even notice the bus crossing the road until it was too late!"
It was an unexpected fact but nothing too out of the ordinary.
"Since you're dead now Mr. Miller, so you want to come up with your new name?" An innocent question, one that made "Dave" raise an eyebrow in confusion.
"New name?" "Yeah! Lots of demons pick new names to separate themselves from their lives! You think Ms. Angel Dust was born with that name?" Mistaking what was clearly a man for a woman made "Dave" question what the fuck was wrong with Niftys eye. But the idea of a new name was something that appealed to the rabbit demon.
"I've always had a gift for computers, and my last job was with a gaming company. I've got the perfect hellname for my new afterlife! Call me,Malhare hehehehahahaha!" Technically it wasn't a lie if you counted the body he'd stolen as his own.
"Dave", no Malhare enjoyed his new identity. One that was his own, one that fit his history. His new existence was as fresh a start as he could get, so best to make the most of it!
It would take a while for Malhare to get used to his new name. But he felt it fit better than William Afton. William was weak, falling prey to petty envy and his own stupidity. Getting killed by the Springbonnie suit and falling prey to Henry's final project. William Afton died in that fire, and Malhare was born from his remains. Even if he had to be reborn in the digital world, he always came back, didn't he?
But for now, Mal had these demons wrapped around his little finger! They had bought his "sad little bunny" act like cheap pizza slices! He almost laughed at how easy leveraging his new form for sympathy was! How easy it was to play them like fiddles with just a bit of cuteness.
"The last thing that needs doing is to wash your clothes Mr. Malhare. Just so they smell nice and clean!" Nifty smiled and said, patting the vest on Malhare's chest, which he could feel as if it was part of his skin.
"Uh Nifty, I think that parts attached to me. Meaning -" "YOUR TECHNICALLY NAKED! YOU NEED CLOTHES ASAP!" The Cyclops looked a little disturbed at the thought of the rabbit being without clothes this entire time. Rushing off to grab something for the new guest.
All the while, Mal trotted into the bathroom and did something he'd missed so dearly after so long with no ability to do so; he prepared a nice hot bath.
Stepping a toe into the almost scalding hot water, and slowly sinking in after a minute of getting used to the water, Malhare sighed in utter contentment and sank until only his head was above the surface. Never in his life had he been more relaxed than he was now. Never had he been more free.
Yes, Malhare was free. Free from his suit, free from his victim's ghosts haunting him, free of his fucking kids.
He was free to be and do whatever he wanted, and he planned on making the most of his freedom.