A Little Hazbin Ch. 10
Charlie and Vaggie are pacing within the front entrance of the Hotel.
"Vaggie, school ended an hour ago," Charlie says.
"I know, hun," Vaggie sighs. "Maybe just a little longer. I'm sure she's fine. Celest has been walking to and from school for a while now. I'm sure she's fine," the reassurance was more for the former Exorcist's sake than her girlfriend's.
The Hotel Owner heads for the door. "I'm going to get her!" once she reaches the door, Alastor pops out of the shadows.
"What seems to be the matter, Princess?"
"Not now, Alastor! Celest isn't home yet, and I need to get her."
"An overbearing parent not trusting their own spawn because they don't trust them," the Radio Demon speaks up. "Like that would never cause a wedge in their relationship."
"Can you blame us for being worried?" Vaggie walks up to him and her girlfriend. "Yeah, maybe she got distracted by a hellcat or even lost track of time with her friends. For all we know Ms. Mayberry kept her after school for extra lessons. But the fact remains that we don't know."
"She right, Alastor," Charlie nods before looking at the Radio Demon. "What do you propose we do? Wait for who knows how long before she finally comes home?"
At that, Alastor bows. "Allow me! I shall pop in for a quick visit without ever being noticed," without waiting for an answer, the Sinner melts into the shadows.
The mothers look at one another in worry. Then, after a few minutes the front door bursts open.
Standing there is none other than the Radio Demon himself and despite his smile, he's obviously seething with anger.
Both women took a step back from him.
Charlie calls out to him. "Alastor? What's wrong? Where's Celest?"
"The school has been completely demolished!"
"What!?" shouts both mothers. Soon, the rest of the Hotel's residents show up.
Vaggie approaches him, "Who would attack the school!?"
The Sinner's eye twitches. "That would be me!" that statement causes the entire building to go silent until the Fallen Angel asks.
"Why?"
"Because that educator failed to inform us that Celest had been absent since this morning!" he screams as he grew several feet and his antlers sprout.
The entire Hotel shouts. "What!?"
"Alastor," Charlie walks up to the Host. "Tell me that this is just one of your twisted sick jokes and that my baby girl is not lost out there somewhere?"
The Radio Demon started to calm himself down. "I'm afraid that I cannot do that, Princess!"
The Hotel Owner's eyes start glowing as her horns and tail reveal themselves as she screams. "Where's my little girl!?" she gets up into Alastor's face.
"Good question, my dear," was all that the Radio Demon said before melting back into the shadows.
Vaggie is then heard calling, "Charlie!"
The Princess turns to snap at her girlfriend. "What!?"
"Calm down!"
"Calm down!? Calm down!?" Charlie approaches her girlfriend. "How can you expect me to be calm!? Why are you not freaking out!?" a hand then reaches out for one of her now clawed hands and is patted in a soothing demeanor by another.
"I am freaking out," the Fallen Angel tells her. "But freaking out is not going to find our daughter."
Charlie listens to her girlfriend, she takes a few calm breaths, and reverts to normal. "So, what do we do now?"
Vaggie's brows furrow. "We start by combing the city." a small comb is then held in front of her.
"This is the largest I have," Niffty tells her. "It might take a while."
"Um," the grey woman accepts the comb. As much as she wanted to scold their maid, Vaggie understands that Niffty would believe this is helpful. "Thanks, Niffty."
.oOo.
Charlie and Vaggie roamed around the area of Celest's path to school. But they found no trace of her and anyone willing to talk to the couple claimed they saw nothing.
Husk and Angel Dusk had hit a few clubs wondering if any of rumored traffickers could have anything to do with it. The duo ended up in some barfights as at one of the clubs, someone tried to spike the Spider's drink, but the Cat switched glasses and they ended up hitting on their boss instead.
Cherri Bomb wandered into her old turf with the Egg Bois, hoping that the previous crowd she had hung around with would have some ideas. Turns out, they didn't appreciate their former turf boss ditching them for some rundown hotel. She had ended up in a turf war after quitting cold turkey after Extermination Day. The Explosive expert had to admit that despite being fragile and stupid, the Eggs were able to hold their own. Pentious was lucky to have them. That last thought saddened Cherri a little.
As for Niffty. She was last spotted at a park running a comb through the dirt.
.oOo.
Vaggie enters the Hotel Lobby and finds Charlie crying on the couch.
The Princess looks up in teary eye and asks, "Any luck?"
The grey woman could only shake her head while taking a seat next to her girlfriend. "I know that you don't like bothering your dad but perhaps it's time to—"
"I can't," the blonde sniffles under her breath.
"What?"
"I can't!" Charlie snaps. "He's in a meeting with Heaven because…" she leans back. "I asked Dad if he could request that Heaven recognize Celest. I just wanted everything for her. He would have been the first one I'd call if I didn't want to check off a box of some stupid list. I'm a terrible mother."
"Hun," Vaggie places a hand on Charlie's should. "We'll find her. Everything will be fine. I promise."
"How?" was the last thing Charlie was willing to say.
After a moment, the Fallen Angel's eyes are filled with resolve as she leaves the lobby and heads up stairs.
Once her girlfriend was gone, the princess picks up her phone to dial a certain number and as usual, she is immediately sent to voicemail. "Hey, Mom. I know that you're probably busy, but I have a huge problem and I honestly don't know what to do," she chokes on a sob. "Why do I even bother? You're just going to ignore me like you've done for the past eight years. I doubt you even care that you have a granddaughter!" the phone is then slammed on the table as she hanged up.
After a while Charlie reaches into her pocket to remove a card she never thought she'd use but was too polite to turn it down. She was told that they sometimes do odd jobs.
Wonder if this qualifies?
.oOo.
Loona was sitting at her desk checking her Sinstagram when the office phone goes off. "Ugh!" she answers, "Immediate Murder Professionals. What do you want?…," the Hellhound rolls her eyes at the question that usually tells her this isn't really a customer. "Yeah! That's what IMP stands for." her ears then perked up. "Charlie? As in Morningstar?... Yeah, I remember you. I'm honestly surprised you kept the card given what you're trying to do at that Hotel of yours. How's Celest?" unknown to her, the receptionist's tail wags a bit as she remembers the little girl but it as well as her ears droop at what she is told. "What!?" she quickly hangs up and slams her dad's office wide up. "Blitz!"
The imp sitting there covers himself. "What!? Can't you see that I'm busy, Loony?"
"Look! I don't care what twisted messed up thing you were doing here despite the fact that literally everyone in the building can hear you because of these cheap walls. We got a job."
"Ugh!" the imp slouches. "I don't want to take a job today. In fact, as the boss I'm taking a personal day." He leans back.
Loona blinks at him with a deadpanned stare before saying. "It's for Charlie Morningstar."
That catches the boss' interest. "As in… the Princess?" he grabs his phone. "Hey, Moxx! Grab Millie. We have one hell of a job.
.oOo.
Alastor was examining something when his door is thrown open. "Ah, Vaggie. It's impolite to enter one's room without permission, my dear. What if I was indecent," he then picks up something. "But since you're here, I have good—" he gets cut off by what the grey woman says.
"I'm here to make a deal," Vaggie glares at him. Hatting the idea but doesn't see any other choice.
The Radio Demon seemed to have a genuine smirk as he placed whatever was in his hand back down. "You are now? What can I assist you with and what can you offer in return?"
The Fallen Angel looks down, "You do whatever you have to do to find my daughter and I'll happily give you my soul."
"Such a flattering offer!" the Sinner happily approaches her. "But I have a counteroffer," he leans into whisper.
Vaggie's eye widen in surprise. "Out of all the things in Hell, that's what you want? Why?"
"I think all that really matters is…" Alastor holds out his hand. "…if it's the price you're willing to pay," the hand starts sparking with green energy.
The former Exorcist wearily glances at the offered hand and briefly considers if the trade is worth it. She eventually shakes any other thoughts out of her mind before accepting the deal before any possibility of changing her mind and a pulse shook the entire building.
"Vaggie!" Charlie is heard shouting as she comes running into the room. "Y-you, you made a deal with Alastor?"
Vaggie looks down. "I didn't see any other option."
"But there was another option," Alastor announces. "If only you had let me speak first."
The two women stared at him. "What?"
The Radio Demon picks something up and passes it to the Fallen Angel. "I found this not far from the school. I was doing my own detective work when I came aros this."
Vaggie starts examining what appears to be a small dart. "Why didn't you say anything before!"
"I was about to, my dear. But then you made such an irresistible offer."
The former Exorcist's eye twitches. The only reason she doesn't snap at Alastor is because this would technically be her own fault.
Just then, the door bursts open as three imps and a hellhound enter the room.
"Hell, yeah!" the tallest imp shouts. He then zooms over to Charlie and bows. "How may we be of service, Princess."
Both the Sinner Demon and Fallen Angel stared wide eyed at them before turning to Charlie.
"You called a hit squad?" Vaggie asked in disbelief.
The Blonde woman shrugged with a sheepish smile. "Loona said that sometimes they do odd jobs."
"That's right!" Blitz stands back up. "No job is too odd for this odd fellow… wait? That didn't come out right."
Loona smirks. "Sounds about right to me."
"So," the boss turns back to the present Hotel Residents. "Who do we need to f(bleep) up?"
Still unsure, Vaggie looks back at the dart and suddenly a magnifying glass is shoved into her face by Alastor. The Fallen Angel briefly glances at the Sinner before hesitantly accepting the offer. Now being able to inspect the item more closely with the glass, she was able to make out a small label with a very specific name.
Vaggie's brows furrow in anger as she now has an answer for Blitz's question. "Carmine."
The members of IMP stared wide eyed at the revelation that they're target is an Overlord. One of the shorter imps with black and white hair takes out a piece of paper, scribbles something and hands it over to Blitz.
"What's this, Moxxie?"
"My resignations, Sir."
.oOo.
Lilith is sitting on a luxurious bed next to her packed suitcases. The woman is currently going over her voicemail for the first time in years. At first, she was annoyed with the ones from her husband but soon finds it reassuring that he still misses her even after this separation. But the ones from her daughter were of the calls that she regrets the most not being able to answer. It was the last voicemail that really caught the Queen of Hell off guard.
The woman stares at her phone in disbelief. "Granddaughter?"
"Hey!" the door to her room bursts open as the new leader of the Extermination Army storms in with sword at hip. The most notable thing is that one of her arms is golden and metallic. "Time to go! And just so you know, if you try anything funny," she begins to unsheathe her sword. "You're f—" the Angel didn't get the chance to finish as a fist quickly meets her face, a hand grabs her sword, and is then smacked in the forehead by the hilt of her own weapon, causing her to drop to the floor.
"Deals off, Lute!" Lilith says as she continues out of the room stepping over the Angel.