Chapter 2: The Morningstar's
After running through all the info she could provide, Camilla and Zestial were finally satisfied and were in agreement to allow Alastor to take Emily to the hotel. Her honest opinion on the Overlords she'd met was that Camilla reminded her of Sera, eager to protect her own people at all costs, but doting on her close family. It honestly made Emily quietly regret just up and leaving, but she still intended to return and clear things up with Sera.
As for Zestial, he was definitely very strange and mysterious, yet he never came off as dishonest and was very welcoming to an angel. If anything the dark Overlord was the almost a comforting presence that Emily could appreciate, save for the creepy reverb that never left his voice. Speaking of creepy voices, Alastor was equal parts what Emily needed to get where she wanted, and someone she didn't really want to be around.
It wasn't like Emily to judge without taking any opportunity to get to know someone, but everything about Alastor made the girl feel uneasy. The smile, the voice, and the glint of mischief in his eyes gave off the vibe that he was always plotting something that could easily be something horribly sinister. Yet Zestial insisted that Alastor was wholly loyal to Charlie's dream project, so Emily marched along with the Radio Demon, watching various demons run in outright fear and panic at the sight of his imposing figure even from a great distance away.
It was an hour and a half before Emily saw a massive building looming over the horizon. It was several stories tall, ordained with bright neon lights of pink and purple, with bright reflective windows and a huge eye over under shining lights that spelled Hazbin Hotel. In front of the entrance there stood a great gold statue of a draconic looking creature, with a more lights making the image of a pink apple above the front doors.
To say Emily was starstruck would have been a severe understatement. Inside of the seraphs chest was a delighted squeal that burst out of mouth as her hands flew to mouth and light erupted around Emily's form and lit up the surrounding area. If Alastor hadn't been there to gently remind Emily to hurry on and witness the decor inside, it would've been tempting to fly around and see the whole outside of the hotel.
Within the interior was very lavish, filled with more red, pink, and bright purples for the furniture, carpet, and what looked a wide fireplace where pink flames kept the who room very warm. On the left side was what looked like a parlor with rows of bottles filled with some liquid that Emily wasn't familiar with. Behind the counter was a new face belonging to some kind of winged catlike demon in red and black colors, and a white face and yellow eyes and teeth.
As soon as Alastor walked in, the cat man immediately straitened up and glared daggers at Emily's escort, and then shifting over and not only did his expression soften but one of his very pronounced eyebrows quirked upwards.
"She a newbie?" he simply said.
"Actually, this young dear has some very interesting information for the hotel staff. Be a doll send the word for all available residents to convene in the main lounge won't you Husk?
Husk grumbled somethings under his breath that sounded more than a little obscene, but still reached over to a nearby phone so he could rapidly make a series of calls to whom Emily assumed was the hotel staff. Only a minute later and Charlie Morningstar herself came bolting down a staircase on the opposite side of the room with a wide grin on her pearly face.
"Hello and welcome to the Hazbin Ho- EMILY. What are you even, how did you, are you okay? You didn't fall did you?" This was part of a series of indiscernible questions that Charlie bombarded Emily with.
"Whoa, whoa, easy Charlie, don't worry. I haven't fallen, I just got some really important info for the hotel and what your doing down here." Once Charlie heard this she gradually calmed down as a couple more hotel residents hurried downstairs.
"Charlie will you please stop and THE FUCK. What are YOU doing her?" This came from Charlie's girlfriend, who Emily recognized from the hearing, where Vaggie was exposed an ex-exorcist angel. Emily had been secretly worried that such a reveal might hurt her relationship with Charlie, (she honestly thought that what the two had was very sweet, they were very lucky to have each other), but seeing Charlie put herself between the two and how Vaggie's face quickly softened was a good sign.
"It's okay Vaggie, Emily came all this way to give information. We should at least hear her out before jumping to conclusions."
"I, fine, but this had better be really damn good."
"Thank you, but first let's wait for Niffty first."
"DIE ANGEL AAHAHAHAAHHAHAHA."
Out of nowhere a terrifying red, one-eyed diminutive demon manifested on Emily's shoulders, lifting a silver angelic dagger in her hands. For a single instant the 1,989 year old seraph seriously thought she would be killed in Hell of all places, but it was Alastor that came to her rescue.
"Now, now Niffty, that isn't how we treat our guests. This little angel is in the non-stabbing variety. Understood?" That was all it took to placate Niffty and get her jump of a very mortified angel's shoulders and on the floor. Emily was still in shock, so Charlie called for another demon standing a good distance form Niffty who resembled a slender spider with light pink and white hair in a similarly colored suit.
His name was Angel Dust, and he used a machine over on Husk's parlor to prepare a warm drink that smelled very sweet. Seraphim didn't usually require sustenance or rest, but the sheer shock to the seraph's system required her to sit down and process the recent bout of trauma. It did help that Charlie was sitting next to Emily, rubbing a relaxing spot in between her tense wings, constantly reciting one apology after another.
"It's my fault, I told Niffty to stab almost all angels during last Extermination Day. I didn't think that you would just show up and try and clarify…"
"No it's okay, I get that angels really aren't popular down here. Just give me a few more minutes."
"Here's your drink toots. Got some marshmallows for ya too." Angel Dusk handed her drink, then flicked his coiffed hair in a very effeminate fashion. He was easily the prettiest demon Emily had ever laid eyes on, which didn't help her very confused feelings about just how hot so many of Hell's denizens were.
"Thank you, you're Angel Dust right? I remember you from the hearing." This got his attention and Emily explained how she saw him stand up and protect his friends.
"I actually was able to find your sister Molly. She was very happy to see that you were with people that care about you." Angel's eyes widened, and his breathe hitched as he slowly sat down in a chair Husk pulled up for his friend.
"I, shit, I didn't think she'd even bother to remember me. Is she okay?" Angel asked in a shaky voice.
"Oh she lives wonderfully. She even agreed to house a new arrival that you all should be familiar with." Everyone looked to one another in confusion.
"I'm sorry Emily, we don't understand what you mean." Charlie pointed out.
"After Adam killed him, Sir Pentious was redeemed and allowed passage into Heaven. Sera right now is convening with the other angels on whether or not the exterminations are necessary."
For several long minutes everyone was dead silent, and then four demons and an angel started talking all simultaneously and very loudly.
"Wait that crazy bastard is ALIVE?" Angel cried.
"Sera is actually trying to cancel exterminations?" Vaggie inquired.
"So do they know I was the one who killed Adam?" Niffty asked.
"YES YES YES YES YES YES!" Charlie was over the moon, jumping around in circles in overwhelming joy completely drowning out the other voices so Emily couldn't hear Husk's question. Vaggie was the first to recover, unfurling her wings and catching Charlie in midair.
"Hun, HUN, come on Charlie now's not the time for this." It took ten minutes before Vaggie's girlfriend finally calmed down and took a breathe.
"Sorry, I'm just so happy right now. I really thought Heaven might not ever give us a real chance, but I really thought we lost Pentious because I wasn't good enough." Charlie's voice was becoming more and more shaky with every word she spoke. Now she was the one needing something to drink, filled with a lot more sugar than Emily's drink. Emily simply wasn't going to let that last bit slide.
"Charlie believe me. You're more than good enough. This cause, the hotel, it's all worth fighting for. It was very noble of Pentious to put his life on the line, and that's what got him into Heaven. Turns out you were right about sinners all along." These words soothed Charlie's nerves and even Vaggie gave Emily a small smile as the whole atmosphere became a lot less stessed.
"Thank you Emily. The fact you would risk falling just to bring this info to us says so much. I'm pretty sure you just made Charlie's century." Vaggie's words were making Emily feel very funny inside, and there was a great deal of warmth spreading up her face and to the tips of her ears.
"I just wanted to do what I believe is right. I'm sure I haven't been gone long enough to be a fallen angel, so around noon I'll hopefully be back to Heaven before anyone's noticed." This made Husk pause for a sec, then glance in Emily's direction.
"You positive about that kiddo, I was under the impression that your people saw everything."
"Oh, not even. The Angelic Council doesn't really know what gets souls into Heaven or Hell, which is why Sera is so occupied with hashing this whole issue out with the other angels. She's probably still debating the issue right now. Lute did not take well to Pentious' arrival really well, so that's going to fun to deal with when I get back."
Vaggie's face darkened at the mention of Lute's name, but Charlie stood suddenly and pulled a device that looked very similar to a Heavenphone.
"Fair enough, now if you will all excuse me, I need to send all of this to my dad. He's going to want to be informed as quickly as possible if the exterminations are stopped for good. After that, we'll celebrate Sir Pentious' redemption, and you're of course more than invited Emily." The offer was too good to turn down, especially with Charlie's beautiful smiling face directed at Emily.
"Well, alright, I can stay at least till noon, otherwise Sera will wonder why I won't be at lunch. That's when the new verdict should be passed."
'I also have a little more info to give Charlie, but she just bounced back from the last shock. I'll bring up him before I leave.'
For the next two hours the hotel staff brought out drinks, snacks, and Emily started going over little bits of Heaven to try and provide extra motivation for Angel to want to knuckle down on his road to redemption.
"So they've really got ice cream parlors and petting zoos on every street corner? Yeah that's the kind of place Molly would thrive in. Buttercup was to pure for frickin' Earth."
"About that, after the hearing Molly and I still didn't understand how you could protect the ones you care for so much but still be stuck down here. That was Adam's ace in the hole to try and keep Sera from recognizing that sinners could be redeemed." As Emily explained this Angel's face dropped and a cold look came into his eyes.
"I might have a good idea why that's the case. It's kinda personal though, I don't really like talking about it."
"I understand, but maybe tell Charlie about it. She is the princess, so if anyone could help, it would be her." For some reason a small flicker of fear flashed over Angel's face, and he wasn't in a very sociable mood after that. When Angel left refill his and Emily's drinks, she slid over to talk to Vaggie.
"Charlie still on the phone?" she asked.
"Yeah, apparently Lucifer was just as blindsided by this revelation as the rest of us. Even Alastor seems to be taking time to process this." Emily nodded but couldn't see the tall red themed demon no matter where she looked.
"Does he just vanish randomly like this often?"
"Sometimes, no one here can get a good read on him, but he's been wholesale dedicated to the hotel, so he gets some benefit of the doubt. For a while during the battle, Charlie and I thought Alastor was taken down by Adam, so it was actually a small relief to see that he was okay afterward." Vaggie took a long swig from her red cup and placed two fingers on her left temple. Noticing this Emily tried to change the subject.
"So how have things been with you and Charlie since, you know?" Emily deliberately left the implication in the air. Vaggie blinked in surprise, then blew the bangs in front of face waving dismissively.
"Don't worry about that. Adam figured he managed to ruin things for me, but in a way I'm the first in the hotel trying to redeem herself. I honestly should've told my girlfriend so much sooner, but leave it to Charlie to give someone another chance."
"Yeah, you're really lucky to have her. You two make a perfect couple." Emily said sincerely. Vaggie only shook her head with a light chuckle.
"Not sure if there's such a thing as a perfect couple. The way Charlie saw things, it was overcoming the idea that the other was perfect that brought us closer together. We're both flawed, but we can be strong for one another when we need to be." Out the corner of her eye, Vaggie watched the fellow angel's face sink into deep reflection.
"I guess that applies to family as well. I always used to admire Sera and everything she did, but finding out about the exterminations shattered my whole image of her. While I want to believe that she truly doesn't want to allow such genocide to happen, there's a small part of me that questions everything that she says and endorses." Emily was pulled form her rambling when Vaggie place a hand on her left shoulder.
"I get it. Before my fall, I was pretty close with my fellow exorcists, even Lute. They were my sisters-in-arms and Adam our trusted commander. But the second I thought for myself, Lute showed just what exactly her own sister meant to her. It wasn't that we'd grown up and trained together, but how we thought the same. Once I was different then everyone else, she decided to mutilate and abandon me."
A shadow had fallen on Vaggie's, and in that moment Emily only could do the first thing that came to mind. She reached over, pulled Vaggie in, wrapping both arms tightly around the younger angel's form. Vaggie went completely stiff, but eventually let loose a heavy breathe that felt really good.
"I, thanks, it's sweet of you to care. Even for someone so 'worthless' as Adam put it."
"Adam got what he deserved, almost all the Winners avoided him, and the other angels besides the exorcists couldn't stomach his awful attitude. Heaven is better off without someone like him sharing his ideals." Emily's firm denouncement of the man that tried to cause hers and herself so much unnecessary pain was incredibly touching for Vaggie. For so long she cursed heavenly angels and refused to trust them, but this girl alone had put so much on the line, just to fight for what she believed in.
"Is that right. I guess I was wrong to judge you. You're a pretty cool girl Emily. Friends?" Vaggie asked and received an even tighter hug from a strong and exited seraphim.
'Crap, she hugs almost as hard as Lucifer.'
"Of course we're friends Vaggie. Any angel that would stand with doing the right thing is the right kind of angel in my opinion." Emily backed off, giving her a new friend a chance to breathe just as a low buzzing came from the pocket on said friend's skirt.
"Thanks Em, but I need to take this. Probably Charlie who's finished with her dad. Those two can talk for hours if they want to." explained Vaggie while walking over the back of the room. Emily headed back to Angel who was also on his phone and waved Emily over.
"Hey Emmy, did Pentious say anything about a certain crush he had back in Hell."
"I think so. When it sank in that he'd made it to Heaven, he actually became a little sad that there wasn't any way to contact you, Charlie, and someone named Cherri I think." Angel nodded at this with a knowing smile.
"Yeah, Penti had been digging on Cherri for a good while till that gold dickhead blasted his ass to Paradise. Figured I'd pass the info over to my girl buddy before she updates her dating profile."
"That's very kind of you. Cherri definitely had the vibe of a very tough party girl from what I saw at the hearing."
"Oh you don't even know sweet thing, next time you swing downtown we'll head to her place and then tear the city apart. Just make sure whatever your wearing is flame retardment." It wasn't clear to Emily if Angel was kidding or not, but Vaggie cut her off before she could inquire further.
"Emily, Charlie needs us to come to her office. Lucifer just arrived and he wants to ask some question about the Elders." Her tone suggested that this wasn't a simple request.
"Actually the last bit about the Elders was something else I need to talk with Charlie about. Might as well get it over with." Part of Emily was not jazzed with the idea of meeting the big boss of Hell himself, but she'd already spoken with sinners and Overlords this far, she figured that it wouldn't make things any worse to talk to another seraphim at this point.
"Alright, lead the way."