Chapter 8: Old Scars

A few days had passed since Charlie's ill fated meeting and the hotel was abuzz with activity. The construction crew had finally finished the upper floors, allowing Nifty Charlie and Vagatha all to focus on furnishing the new guest rooms. True to his word Alastor had claimed one of the nicer more expensive suites as soon as it was announced they were finished. For the passed day or so he had busied himself with furnishing it to his liking. Husk hadn't strayed from his usual routine of going back and forth from the front desk to his room while drinking his hours away. Angel Dust had seemingly vanished, even his girlfriend catching only few and fleeting glances of the tall white man spider. But, more concerning, was that all attempts to contact him were met with radio silence. But with the preparations for the grand opening in full swing, none of the hotel's skeleton crew could be spared to search for him. Finally, Tafford had been pouring all of his efforts into the complex task of refitting a large motor.

The grand opening had been scheduled in a week's time so almost everyone was working long hours to make sure the event went off without a hitch. Cleaning, furnishing, fixing, and studying were all going on around the clock to ensure that the massive building was prepared for as many guests as it could accommodate. Even Alastor pitched in a little by doing small bits of paperwork and book keeping. Presently Alastor was finishing up some forms at one of the desks on the ground floor staff areas.

"And just… about… done!"

Sighed Alastor at the end of yet another stack. Before he could straighten the pile to put it in the 'out' box the door opened to reveal a slightly winded Charlie in work fatigues.

"Whoa, that's another floor down."

Breathed Charlie as she crossed the room and grabbed a drink from a mini fridge. Focused as she was she didn't notice the radio demon at first, but turned after taking her first sip.

'Mhph!'

Jumped Charlie, making an adorable noise that sounded like a cross between a yelp and a squeak.

"Heh, Heh, Heh. And Good Morning to you princess. I take it you didn't expect anyone to be in here?"

"Al! I just popped in to grab a drink, what are you doing in here?"

"Just finishing up a little paperwork my dear. In this time of hustle and bustle even I must pitch in a bit."

"Oh, well thanks Al! Nifty Vaggie and I have been so busy getting the guest rooms on the upper floors ready I haven't had time to catch up on all the forms we need to file, so this is a big help!"

"Your appreciation is noted, but I hope you don't expect anything more form me today. I've put off my daily constitutional long enough and I have a lunch date with Rosie that won't wait."

"OK then, thanks for finishing that stack at least."

"You are welcome dear girl. Now, I believe I will be off."

Concluded the radio demon as he rose and walked out of the room, his smile just a little wider than usual. Before the door could close all the way Vagatha and Nifty walked past Alastor and into the room.

"Hey."

"Hey."

Greeted Vagatha and her friend. There was a pause in the conversation as Vagatha and Niffty grabbed their own drinks and sat on or leaned against the furniture.

"Finally, another floor down."

Sighed Vagatha tiredly

"I know! Don't you just love cleaning out room after room and getting them all ready in case someone actually shows up?"

Piped Nifty exuberantly.

"Cleaning out entire hallways of rooms isn't exactly my idea of a good time."

"Oh come on, don't you love getting everything spick and span and getting into every last nook and cranny to flush out the last speck of dust?"

"*Sigh* Nifty your alright but I doubt anyone in hell, or anywhere else for that matter, shares your sense of fun."

"Oh."

Replied the nimble sprite, somewhat crestfallen at her companions response.

"SO, that's another floor down and only two to go before we get to the premium suites."

"And then the real work begins."

Interjected Charlie to shift attention away from that uncomfortable exchange, shot down by another gripe from the grey moth.

"I don't think it'll be that bad. Especially when we have Nifty here to help out."

"Aww, thanks boss."

"Can we talk about something else? This is supposed to be a break after all."

Sighed Vagatha in annoyance and moderate fatigue.

"Alright, well I hear they're opening a new nightclub a few blocks down."

Offered the princess

"Well, it could be something to do. As long as it's not one of those god awful places that's pitch black and plays trance music with those strobing UV lights."

"I think it sounds fun! I like trying new hangouts. You never know which one will be your favorite."

"Yeah! After the grand opening we could take a night to relax and kick back. With how much effort we've all been putting in we defiantly deserve it."

Rejoined Vagatha, Nifty, and finally Charlie. The conversation took a brief gap as the trio sipped their drinks and scratched around for something more to say. Nifty was the one to pick up the conversation, re-igniting the chat with,

"So miss Vagatha, how have you and your girlfriend been? I haven't seen her at all these past few days."

Unbeknownst to the small woman this was the exact wrong question to ask. In the fraction of a second it took for the moth demon to process that question the atmosphere on her side of the room turned glacially cold.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh, can I ask why? I know you've been having some kind of problems lately, I just don't know what."

"I don't want to talk about it Nifty, drop it."

"I just wanted to help. Maybe I could-"

"Nifty,enough!"

Interjected Charlie with a raised voice and firm tone.

"I'm sorry I yelled, but Vaggie said she doesn't want to talk about it. It's not right to pry, please respect her wishes."

"Sorry Ms. Vaggie."

Drooped the nimble sprite.

"Just don't bring it up again."

Replied Vagatha, not really accepting the apology. The room grew quiet with the awkwardness between the small housekeeper and her boss, coupled with the lingering discomfort surrounding the question at it's heart, creating a very uncomfortable atmosphere. After a few more moments of strained silence it was Vagatha who broached the next leg of the conversation.

"So, the grand opening is almost upon us. After just talking about it for so long, the fact that it's almost here is unreal."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I've only ever dreamed about this moment for so long, and now that it's almost here is just so, exciting! Soon enough demons will come in from all over, they'll improve themselves, and be better, and one day they'll move on to heaven! And it all starts in only a week! Can you believe it!"

"I believe it. I'm happy you're finally living your dream hon."

Though Vagatha had serious doubts about any demon ever stepping through the pearly gates, she was glad she got to help her best friend fulfill her fondest desire. If anyone in the inferno got to be happy, she would rather it be Charlie over almost anyone else.

"But still…"

Started the princess, her excitement slowing down.

"But what?"

Asked Vagatha voicing the question for herself and her subordinate.

"I feel like if we had just one more pair of hands this place would get off the ground faster. I know, I know, I shouldn't get greedy. But I feel like once we open our doors we could be running ourselves ragged overseeing all the therapy programs. Believe me, I'm grateful for everyone we have now, but Vaggie and me are the only ones who've been studying and preparing ourselves to run the actual programs. If we just had one more person to help run the sessions I think that would be a better start."

Vagatha frowned at those words, and Nifty just kept silent. The former considering her words, and the latter unable to offer any useful advice or comfort that wouldn't be rooted in pure wishful thinking. The grey grouchy demoness thought on the point the princess had just made, not having thought that far ahead. While herself and Charlie had been studying psychology to prepare to run the therapy programs no one else involved with the hotel was even remotely qualified, or willing for that matter, to help out with the actual treatment portion of the project.

That left only her and Charlie to pick up all the slack, and while she didn't anticipate the hotel would be very popular in the foreseeable future, the potential of taking on more guests than they could handle was a possibility that cast a shadow over her thoughts. However, she could see no way around this.

Given the 'novelty' of what they were trying to do and how very few demons would even give the idea a fair hearing, it stood to reason that would also extend to filling positions even if they could afford a full staff.

That brought her to another point. Even with the stipend Charlie received from her mother, and Alastor's, admittedly instrumental, support they had nowhere near the cash flow to support a full staff. And so soon after the renovations and repairs just about all they could do was keep the lights on and support the staff they had. Unless they could drum up some more investors or somehow conjure money out of thin air, they were on their own.

"I know Charlie, I get it. There's not many people willing to help us, and if the hotel takes off early, we could be overwhelmed. But, things being the way they are, I think we both know we can't take on anyone else right now. There's not many demons who would work for what's essentially a rehab clinic, and I guarantee you none of those would work for free. I'm sorry hon."

Said Vagatha putting a comforting hand on Charlie's shoulder.

"I know."

Sighed Charlie

"But given the reputation this place has, I don't think we'll need to worry about being stretched thin for a good while. Now come on, we can't stop now, the grand opening is only another week away, and we need all the rooms in top shape for when all those wayward souls come in for treatment!"

Vagatha's positive spin really did help the princess, and as she rose from her seat the other two could see the fire return to her eyes.

"Your right! This may not have been the most stellar start to our project, but I won't let that stop us! Come on guys, we've got two more floors to do!"

And with that rousing speech the trio tossed their empties into the nearby trash bin and filed back into the hallway to continue their work.

Elsewhere, in another district.

Angel Dust took another drag on his cigarette. He straightened his suit coat a little more as he surveyed the corner for any prospective johns. The ensemble he wore today was cleaner and more well kept than many of his others, and for good reason. When you worked the wealthier districts you had to look the part or risk being violently expelled, or worse. After a few hours of attracting this higher class of clientele he had amassed several hundred dollars from a number of lucrative jobs. The slender spider was silently grateful that his fame was just as prevalent with the higher classes as with his more typical bums.

However, with Valentino's increasing demands of the past few weeks, he would still need several more johns to make his night. In a naked attempt to get him come back to the studio, his sleazy boss had expected him to bring in higher and higher sums in recent weeks. As a result he was forced to work longer and longer hours, to the point where his presence at the hotel was almost non-existent. He had been satisfying the greedy pimp so far, if just barely. But regardless of how much he brought in, Angel Dust was getting the sense that Valentino's patience was wearing thin.

In his first few decades Angel Dust had been given a great deal of independence as to how he brought profit to his employer. Valentino didn't seem to care how he spent his time as long as he kept on bringing in the cash, and was available when the purple overlord wanted him. But in recent years Valentino had begun to clamp down on his star employee.

It had begun shortly after he and Vaggie had started getting serious. He had no idea how Val had found out about them, and even less idea of how he convinced him to let him keep the relationship, but it was naive to think he wouldn't find out at some point. After that the overlord had started keeping tabs on him with regular updates, but it wasn't until he had moved into Charlie's hotel that he had really begun to tighten his grip. Higher quotas, more frequent check ins, greatly increased studio time, and the strong suspicion that Val was having his gangs keep an eye on him were all ways that the overlord of prostitution was shortening the leash.

A chime on his phone let him know he had received a message. After checking who it was his dour mood soured even more.

"*Sigh* Speak of the devil"

He muttered under his breath.

'Angel, where are you baby?'

'Out in the rich side of town getting your money.'

'Send a pic.'

Obediently, Angel Dust stretched out his arm and took a selfie of himself with a nearby street sign and some of the buildings in the background.

…

'Good boy~. Now you stay out as long as you need to, but don't get any bright ideas about stopping to smell the roses, get it?'

'Yes daddy'

The spider replied as he slid the phone back into his pocket. He leaned back against the building and resumed scanning for clients. He hated these near constant check ins, but going with it was the fastest way to get through them. With that annoyance out of the way his train of thought got back on track.

In recent weeks his life had begun to shift yet again. He had moved into the princess's hotel after being kicked out of his old place for refusing to give the deadbeat super any freebies, and had actually started to chip in here and there. And then there was the added benefit of finally getting to sleep in the same bed as his girlfriend, so there was that. While officially he was a guest of the hotel and had provided his input into the programs that were being organized, his frequent absence coupled with his performance in his friend's turf war had publicly cemented the idea that he was his old sinful self in all but name.

That had been a fun day, but it had also driven a wedge between him and one of the only people he cared about in his miserable existence. It had also hurt Charlie and he didn't like that either, since he considered her a real friend. And his friend list was short enough as it was. That was part of the reason he stayed out of the studio so long, a way to try and make it up to them. But now, with him barley present at the hotel at all, he was wondering if this was any better than his usual routine of pornos and lap dances. At least if he had stuck to the routine he wouldn't have Val breathing down his- Oh shit! Another limo was pulling up to the curb as it's back window rolled down. Angel Dust quickly got his game face on and strutted over to the door.

"Hey there big boy, you lookin to party~?"

Some time later, back at the hotel.

Charlie and her two companions were hanging out in front of the staff rooms, Vagatha was leaning against the wall and the others were standing around, taking a break after finishing another floor.

"And another floor down, only one left until the suites."

"This has been so, so, so, fun! I can't wait to get to see what kind of mess the construction guys left the top floors in! But at the same time I'm actually kinda sad too, I mean, after we get done cleaning up all the rooms they may never be that dirty again! Which means we'll never get to clean like we are now. It'll still be fun making sure all these floors and rooms stay clean, but they may never need that really deep satisfying cleaning that a building needs after it's been abandoned a few years, you know?"

"Oh, don't worry Nifty, there will always be another mess to clean up. And you know, cleaning isn't the only part of running a hotel. There's the laundry and cooking, and probably some other tasks we'll need our housekeeper for."

Started Vagatha, followed by the waterfall voice of Nifty, and capped off by Charlie ever trying to inject positivity.

"I'll be happy when we're finally done. Progress or not I don't relish having to climb all those-"

*Ding*

The silver haired demoness was interrupted by the piercing sound of a bell at the end of the hall, followed by the much softer sound of automatic doors. The three women all walked to the end of the hall to see if their ears had deceived them, to be greeted by the sight of their armored handyman stepping out of the lift.

"OK, Elevator's fixed."

Stated Tafford casually before he noticed the other three.

"Oh my gosh! You did it!"

The princess was the first to react, practically squealing her delight as she tackled her employee in a hug.

"Muy Bueno, I was getting tired of hiking up a mountain of stairs every day!"

"Wow Mr. Tafford good job!"

Her two companions gave their compliments as they watched the interaction unfold. Upon being embraced Tafford stiffened up keeping his arms to his sides as he was very unaccustomed to physical displays of appreciation beyond a handshake or a pat on the shoulder. He wouldn't have to suffer through this awkward situation for long however, as it ended as quickly as it began. After being released he stepped back and took a second to gather himself. His straightened his posture but didn't bother to salute. As the days went by and Tafford settled into his role at the hotel, he slowly but surely dropped more and more of his military formalities, including the salute.

"Commander, Captain, Ms. Nifty. As you can see, the elevator is fully repaired. I've refitted the motor, double checked the other components, and taken the first test run."

"Not a moment too soon either. I'm so sick of scaling all those flights of stairs with armloads of sheets!"

Breathed Vagatha in relief.

"Yeah, we'll be able to get back to cleaning lots faster thanks to this! This is great!"

Energetically exclaimed the small form of Nifty.

"Good. Now, I'll need about twenty minutes to gather my tools and sweep up, but after that it should be time for my next orders."

"Already?! You can't be serious. You just finished with the elevator, and anyone would need a break after that! Maybe even take the rest of the day off."

Berated Nifty, unable to believe he didn't want a break after completing such a difficult time consuming job.

"That would be a waste of time, the grand opening is only a week away and this place needs to be ready."

Nifty was about to object again before Vagatha stepped in to cut her off.

"I see what your saying Nifty, but he's right. There's only so much time left until we open our doors and we need to be ready. Once we see what kind of reception this place gets when we're open, then we can start giving out personal time."

"Couldn't have put it better myself."

"As much as I wish it were otherwise, Vaggie and Mr. Tafford are correct Nifty. We all need to keep at it if we want everything to go off without a hitch. That said, I do think we could all use a change of pace."

Somberly stated Charlie backing up her friend. But as she finished her statement a new energy filled her voice.

"We all have been cooped up indoors too long, so I thought we could go out and do some gardening! You only get one chance at a first impression you know, and that means the grounds are just as important as the building. Come on, it'll be fun."

"OK, this will give me a chance to wear my big floppy gardening hat."

"Some fresh air would be nice."

"I'll sweep up and be out as soon as I can."

Spoke the princess and rejoined by Nifty, Vagatha, and Tafford in turn.

"Don't rush Mr. Tafford. Take all the time you need."

Said Charlie as she and the others went to their rooms to change into some gardening clothes. True to his estimation, it took about twenty minutes for Tafford to collect his tools and finish cleaning up the motor room. But eventually he made his way out to the front of the hotel, sans armor plates. He had smartly decided to leave his armor in his room. But if any of the women were curious to see what his face was like, they were met with disappointment in the form of his baklava which he always wore beneath his headgear.

The others were busy pulling weeds and planting flowers in their place, a task which was quickly joined by the resident handyman. This continued unabated for another half hour punctuated by small talk, mostly from the three women.

"So, where did you get all these flowers anyway?"

Asked Tafford in a rare moment where he initiated the conversation.

"There's a great garden center a few blocks from here. You'd be surprised how many buildings in pentagram have rooftop gardens."

"Given that's just about the only way to get fresh vegetables or fruit without paying an arm and a leg, I believe it."

"Oh, there's an idea! Maybe once everything is up and running we could plant a vegetable garden out back. That would help offset food costs and might help with therapy for some people."

"I could get behind that."

"That's a great idea! Use nature to help others with trauma, and maybe put a dent in the food bill while we're at it."

Progressed the conversation with Charlie, Vagatha, Nifty, Tafford, and Charlie again speaking in sequence. The quartet were almost done with the flower beds on the hotel's left side and were trying to finish up the last section quickly to get the other side before nightfall. Tafford pulled back from the latest bunch he had planted to stand on his knees. He reached over to grab the next one before his attention was drawn to something from the roof of the building opposite the hotel. A small point of light was flickering in and out of focus. He couldn't make out what it was, but it was a small pinpoint of light weaving in and out of his vision, it looked like some kind of-

flash.

Time stood still, his mind became blank as his body froze in place. Instinctively his heart began to pump as adrenaline filled his system. Without realizing it he had begun breathing more heavily and it took another half minute for his companions to take notice.

"Mr. Tafford, you O.K.?"

He heard this distantly, so distantly he wasn't sure who had said it. But as he turned his head to look back at his colleagues the world came back with a roar emanated from his own lips.

"GET DOWN!"

He cried, tackling his two taller companions to the dirt.

"Tafford, WHAT THE FUCK!"

Shouted Vagatha, not looking kindly on being taken to the ground.

"SNIPER, KEEP YOUR HEADS DOWN!"

He cried, already moving to action. Before any more words could be spoken he had already picked up his two bosses, one over each shoulder, and was making a mad dash around the hotel to one of the side doors, yelling

"Nifty get inside!"

over his shoulder as he ran. In moments he was at the side door, and after another few seconds of fumbling with the handle he was in the building, with Nifty speeding in before the door fully closed. He half placed, half dumped his two bosses into a nearby couch and left them to sort themselves out. Before anyone could say anything or register complaints Tafford was already running for the staff rooms. He unlocked the door as quickly as possible and stormed into his space, grabbing a few things before rushing out again.

The others were quick to give chase, but by the time they got near the rooms he was already running past them, shotgun in hand. They followed to another side door opposite the one they entered from and arrived just in time to see him tear off across the street, doing some kind of serpentine run all the while.

It had only taken seconds for Tafford's experienced eye to isolate what building the flash had come from, and he would be damned a second time if he let a sharpshooter threaten himself or those he worked for. He needed to get to the other building quickly, but there was practically no cover between himself and the building's entrance.

After some seconds consideration it was clear that a long, exposed charge was the only way to reach the building in time. So without delay he drove across the lawn as fast as his legs could carry him, with some improvised serpentine tactics punctuated by a side leap or two to throw off the scope. God he hoped that sniper didn't have talent.

He could only spare a momentary glance to see if the road was clear, and thank the great one it was. His charge continued unhindered until he reached the front door of the opposing building. The building he reached was an apartment complex with red brick walls and a heavy glass and steel door. The door was a model with automatic locks, the kind you need to be buzzed in to enter. Tafford however didn't have time for a buzz in.

*BOOM* *BOOM*

One shot, and then two rang out on the empty street, destroying the lock mechanism and allowing the frenzied man to throw open the doors and rapidly move in. Not trusting the elevator his advance continued up the stairs for one, two, three, four, five flights until he reached the roof access. Out of breath, he took a few moments to collect himself and make sure he was ready. At last he raised his shotgun and,

*CRACK!*

"FREEZE!"

He shouted as he kicked in the door and swept his aim across the roof. His sight met only one other form, and it wasn't that of a crouching sniper. A sunbather leapt up from the lounger she had previously been occupying, her mirror board clattering to the rooftop.

"Where is the sniper!"

"What?"

"You herd me goddamn it! Where is that fucking sniper?!"

"I don't know what your talking about! What the fuck is your problem you psycho!?"

"Bullshit! I saw the scope flash coming from this rooftop! Stop fucking around and tell me where he is!"

"Mr. Tafford STOP! She's telling the truth!"

A strong voice suddenly sounded from behind, interrupting the argument between Tafford and the roof's lone occupant. He turned and saw the slender figure of Charlie, panting in the open doorway, a firm, serous look on her features.

"Ma'am, you need to get back to the hotel! I still haven't found the sniper!"

"There is no sniper! The only ones on this roof are you, me, and that lady over there!"

She reproached gesturing to the terrified form of the female demon opposite them.

"I saw the flash coming from this roof, I need to neutralize the threat so-"

"There is no threat! Mr. Tafford take another look, REALLY, look. There's no sniper, no scopes, there isn't even any kind of gun from what I can see!"

At that command Tafford scanned the roof a second time. There was a trash can overflowing with glass bottles, an overturned crate and some chairs, the aforementioned lounge chair, and the still shaking form of the sunbathing demon who Tafford had kept at gunpoint over the course of the entire exchange.

"But I saw a flash, there was…"

He trailed off as he saw the, now broken, sun mirror lying next to the lounge chair.

"I, uh, I...I"

The man stuttered. Tafford didn't notice Charlie walking up behind him until a firm hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Mr. Tafford, I need you to go back to the hotel right now. That is a direct order. We will discuss this later."

Reproached the princess in an even firmer voice.

"Uh, Yea, Aye, ma'am."

He stuttered as the threads of his mind began to fray, hindering his thinking. Without another word he quietly walked back down the stairs leaving Charlie to calm the terror stricken woman, and deal with the aftermath of her employees frenzy.

Later that afternoon

Tafford sat on a stool, his helmet next to him on the bar, his weapon unloaded and leaned up beside him. The man's shoulders were slumped, eyes downcast, his overall appearance despondent. After returning to the hotel he had parked himself at the bar to await the return of his boss, and received a more than thorough chewing out by Vagatha. Charlie had returned around thirty minutes later but chose not to confront him at that moment. She was now in her office with Vagatha, discussing what they should do with him in light of this incident.

Husk or Nifty might have asked questions or tried to make small talk, if the former were not passed out again and the latter not charged with cleaning up the gardening supplies. Tafford knew it wouldn't be long now, his bosses had been in the office for some time. As usual his intuition was correct. A few seconds later he herd two pairs of footsteps coming into the lobby, and in moments his bosses were standing before him.

"Alright, Mr. Tafford we've come to a decision."

Began Charlie, her voice firm but calm. The handyman squirmed slightly in his stool, his dread rising as he prepared to learn his fate. But before she could speak again, the front door swung open and two figures stepped in. The first being the blur that was recognized as Nifty, and the second being the red suited form of her employer.

"My my what happened here?"

Inquired Alastor, his short chat with Nifty outside and the tense atmosphere of the room more than peaking his interest.

"Not a good time Al, there was an incident while you were out."

Stated Vagatha.

"Oh my, whatever kind of incident could it be? Might it have something to do with our dear knob polisher going off his nut?"

"Ugh, yes Al! If you already know about this then why bother asking?"

"Because while Nifty was kind enough to illuminate me as to an event occurring during my walk, and it having something to do with our newest hire going out of his gourd, I know nothing of the specifics. And seeing as I am joint owner of this little venture, when adversity rears it's ugly head, I should be party to a full recounting of events."

"We were just getting to that Al."

Said Charlie as she turned back to Tafford.

"Now, Mr. Tafford, as you probably guessed from the talk that Vaggie gave you she is in favor of firing you this minute. However, before I make my final judgment I want to hear why you did what you did. So, here's what's going to happen. You are going to explain why you broke into that apartment complex and held a woman at gunpoint. You will explain what prompted your actions and then I will make my final decision on your discipline. Understand?"

Alastor's eyes widened and his grin grew upon hearing these new details.

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. Whenever your ready you can begin."

"*Sigh* To answer your question your going to have to know a bit of my history. As I stated when I started work here, I was a solider fighting the jackboots in the war."

"What war was this exactly?"

Asked Husk, revealing he had come to sometime in the past few minutes.

"The second American civil war of course."

Tafford stated as if this were a well known fact. That response sent a wave of shock throughout the room.

"Shit, America had another civil war?"

Asked Vagatha

"Yes. Kicked off in 2022 and raged for four long years. To answer your next question, there wasn't really one single event that led to the outbreak of the conflict. There were years of division and rising tensions that led to the struggle. But the straw that finally broke the camel's back came in the May of 22' with various 'green' energy companies stealing the homes of poor people across the nation.

These green suits had been pulling this crap for years beforehand, but this time was different. One group of people out west didn't take kindly to having their entire lives uprooted by the whims of some fat cat sitting pretty in a cushioned board room. They finally had enough, so those home owners organized themselves, took up arms, and began removing all the little corporate peons the energy brass sent in to measure the drapes.

Apparently some took more force to remove than others, and their big wig owners took notice. The green suits were drunk off past takeovers where they faced basically zero resistance. Now that they were facing actual, effective, push-back they went ballistic. Quite literally. They hired mercenary outfits from across the country to crush the resistance, but the homeowners refused to yield.

The resulting battles drew the attention of the entire country and finally caused the government to intervene, on the side of the green suits! Federal troops were sent in to crush the homeowners, but something happened that no one expected. People got mad, real mad. The people had finally had enough of having no say over their own lives, and before I knew it, support was coming in from all over! Supplies, ammo, and a massive amount of manpower was just flowing in to the homeowners.

The nation hadn't seen a standoff like it in generations, and everyone was worried about the spark that would ignite the powder keg. It ultimately came in July of that year with a skirmish between federal troops and a squad of the homeowner supporters, and the war rapidly kicked off from there."

"Whoa!"

"god!"

"My word!"

"Shit!"

Exclaimed Nifty, Vagatha, Alastor, and most surprisingly Charlie as Tafford's brief monologue concluded.

"So who fired the first shots?"

Asked Nifty

"Nobody knows. There was an absurd amount of propaganda going around in those days, but which party was really at fault has been lost to history."

There was a few minutes pause after that, as they all needed a moment to absorb what they had just learned. Finally Charlie broke the silence.

"Well, while that does provide context, it doesn't really explain your actions today."

"I was just getting to that ma'am. The root of what happened today goes back to what turned out to be my final mission. It was the closing days of the war, most of the cities were under patriot control and the lion's share of the fighting was just mopping up isolated pockets of resistance. My unit had been sent in to clear some jackboot holdouts from an old factory in central PA. We had cleared out a few buildings and were rallying in the courtyard to assemble the assault on the main plant. As we were running to the rally point, I saw a flash at the top of the plant building, and that was it. Sniper pegged me right above the left eye, and I still have the scar to prove it."

He said as he lifted the baklava over his left eye, revealing a sizable divot in his head. Grimaces and shivers ran through most, and even the radio demon's grin was seen to slacken.

"If it had hit just an inch higher I would've taken it in the helmet. But call it bad luck, fate, a divine prank, or whatever else, my chips got cashed that day. But the worst part about it, hands down, was feeling my brain turn to mush and not being able to do a damn thing about it.

That feeling of every sensation warping and twisting in on itself so unnaturally! You try and reach out, try and grab hold of anything but you don't have limbs anymore! You cry out for help, that your still there, your still inside, your still inside, I'm still inside,

I'M STILL INSIDE!-"

As Tafford spoke his voice gradually became less and less stable. He put his face in his hands, an action that gradually morphed into grabbing his head as he began to suffer a breakdown where he sat. But before Charlie or any of the others could intervene, it was none other than Alastor who interrupted Tafford's neurosis, dragging him back to reality with a firm grip on his shoulder.

"Enough, my good man. It's alright now, there are no snipers here."

Spoke the radio demon in a softer, almost kind tone of voice. This stunned everyone in the room, including the man on the other end of the grip. On seeing that he had succeeded in stabilizing the mental state of the handyman Alastor pulled back and reprized his former position. For a few seconds no one spoke again, stunned that Alastor not only went out of his way to actually help someone, but violated his no touch rule to do it.

"W-Why?"

"Because, my assiduous fellow I know a thing or two about head wounds."

He said as his eyes flashed and the X on his forehead glowed red briefly.

"You, you know!"

Tafford said as realization filled him. Until now he had never told anyone how he had died but to find someone to relate to his death, especially at a time like this, was endlessly comforting.

Charlie had watched the entire scene unfold and felt a rainbow of emotions pass through her. Anger in the aftermath of the incident, which was restrained as she had delivered her decision to the man. Sadness mixed with fascination upon hearing of the suffering and strife occurring on earth. Pity as her employee related the events of his death, shock at the radio demon showing even the barest glimpse of empathy, and finally a heart warming sensation when what had just happened sunk in.

And that led back to the present moment. Vagatha was the first to refocus herself after Alastor's unexpected display of sympathy and was the first to speak.

"Alright Tafford, now that – that – with Alastor is over we still need to determine your punishment. While I am still pissed that you tarnished the hotel's image and almost killed someone, I recognize it wasn't all your fault. What you did was wrong but after hearing all of the reasoning behind your little incident, I'm not sure I still want to fire you. Charlie, the decision is yours."

And that brought the princess back to reality too. She didn't say anything immediately, taking a thinking posture as she focused on the situation at hand. It was true that her handyman's breakdown had put another scratch on the hotel's reputation, and cost a few hundred dollars to repair the two doors he destroyed, as Vaggie had said it wasn't entirely his fault. The hotel's whole purpose was rehabilitation, and what would it say if they fired an employee because of actions brought on by trauma?

Other than this incident he was doing OK, and a large part of why the hotel was looking as nice as it did was because of his efforts. And when Charlie stepped back and examined the situation, it wasn't as bad as it appeared. Yes, she had to replace some doors, but money wasn't all that big of a hurtle for her. True, this did put a dent in the hotel's reputation, but that reputation couldn't get much lower than it already was. Not many demons gave the hotel any thought at all, except maybe for a cheap laugh. If they even knew it existed.

"Alright, I've made my decision."

Stated Charlie after a few minutes more.

"Mr. Tafford while you have damaged the hotel's reputation, along with a few doors, I understand that your actions were sparked by the trauma you experienced in your past life. Because of that, I won't fire you, this time. However there is going to be discipline as a result of this. Part one, I had to replace two doors over at that apartment complex, your wages will be garnished until the cost is fully repaid."

"Part two. I'm sorry but for the time being your shotguns, and that chainsaw, are going to be placed in my office until they're needed. It's too dangerous to have you keep them when any little thing could set you off. Maybe after some time we can trust you with them again, but not now. Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am. I will say that while the first part is more than fair, I don't like the second part. I don't agree with the second part. But for the sake of my position, I accept it."

He spoke grimly.

The next ten minutes were spent stowing the arms in Charlie's office. Once that was finished, everyone agreed it would be best to start fresh in the morning. And at that, all retired to rest up for the next day.