Hazbin Hotel: Board Room
"YOU WHAT!?" Alastor had expected resistance to his announcement, though everyone yelling at once was a bit much, even for him. The cacophony of voices ranged from anger to vile insults as well as fear. The core group of residents around the table, including Cherri bomb, had been summoned to hear a proposal by Alastor. They hadn't expected the bat shit insanity that had come out of his mouth. The only one silent was Emily, intent on listening but keeping an airing on the side of caution. Even angels knew the legend of Caine.
Once the protests and creative Spanish insults from Vaggie died down, Alastor stopped studying his nails with a bored expression on his face. Surprisingly it was Husker that broke through to them "Look, I'm no fan of this guy. The stories are bad enough but meeting him up close…. I won't sleep right for a week." He looked over to Angel who arched his brow but nodded as if telling Husker to go on "But, and I can't believe I'm saying this, Asshole here had a good idea on the way back to the hotel. Just…. just hear him out ok" He rarely stuck up for Alastor, if ever so the fact that he was now had people paying a little more attention "Thank you Husker my degenerate gambler" he pinched his cheek as he continued on, Husker batting his hand away with a snarl. "It's quite simple really. Caine is the most feared overlord in all of hell. He's dangerous, unpredictable and if history serves, almost took over all of hell" He looked over to Lucifer who just appeared despondent. He knew there would be a very lengthy conversation after this.
"The idea simply is this. Wouldn't it benefit us all if he was no longer in Hell? If he passed on to Heaven, then there'd be no need to be afraid anymore" And Alastor would once again be one of the most feared overlords, no longer playing second fiddle to an ancient relic. "Look I know I'm not as big on this redemption bullshit as everyone else is…" Cherri chimed in "But can Caine really be redeemed? Even humans know who he is. He literally invented murder! He's the reason most of these shitheads are down here in the first place!" There were nods from around the table, Vaggie next to speak up "He makes you look like a nice guy by comparison Alastor!" This got Alastor's smile to widen as voodoo symbols appeared around him "It's probably some kind of nasty trick. What would a murderer like him want with redemption?!" Further nods of agreement could be seen.
"Oh oh oh! Me me me me!" Everyone turned to where Niffty was jumping up and down in her chair, waving back and forth as she raised it to ask a question. Alastor closed his mouth in a rare genuine smile of affection "Yes Niffty?" she hopped up onto the table "He sounds like a bad boy" she giggled in that gleeful way of hers but then stopped and tapped her chin "But uh…whose Caine?" Everyone looked at her as if she'd just asked how to breathe. Emily decided to be the one to answer "Niffty, Caine was the man who committed the first murder in recorded History" She moved her hands and in a flash of light a book appeared in them, the title reading "The story of Caine and Abel"
"Long ago, two brothers settled land beside one another, deciding to farm it together. The first brother, Caine, was a farmer of wheat and grain, the second, Abel, a shepherd. They decided to make offerings to bring down blessings upon their land. Caine offered up his first harvest. Abel sacrificed the first-born lamb of his herd. Blessings were bestowed upon Abel, Caine's offering going ignored. In a fit of jealous rage, Caine slew his brother and brought down wrath upon himself. He was marked and cursed to wander the wilds forever, an outcast." She closed the book, lifting her eyes to see everyone listening, though when she got to Lucifer, she lingered. She could see in his expression that the story hit a little close to home. He knew exactly what it was to be exiled and cast out.
"So he's the baddest of bad boys!" Niffty was practically vibrating and drooling all at once, her pupil a black dot. Charlie ignored her for the time being and looked to her father, seeing the sadness on his face, in place of the rage that was there before "Dad…. I know you two have history, but you know better than anyone what he went through. If he truly wants redemption…" But Angel interrupted her "Does he though? He's got power down here, real power. And it's not like he cheated on his wife or stole millions of dollars. We're talking about one of the big 10 here and not just one either. He's killed more people than the exorcists. Once he's here what's to stop him from killing every last one of us in our beds?" Alastor could see he was losing control of the room, and Lucifer was not being of any help. He kicked Husker's leg under the table, needing him to get control of this and fast.
He gave Alastor a mean look but did call back their attention "Listen I'm not a huge fan of this either for all the obvious reasons. Plus, wherever he goes those nasty pigeons follow. But Boss has a point. If we're all so afraid of him, why not do what we can to get him out of here? Tell em Boss" Alastor nodded in acknowledgement. It was time to try a different tactic "As I was saying. Yes, Caine is the most feared and dangerous overlord in all of hell. Even the Vs are afraid of him. But imagine the publicity! Overlord redeemed! Caine no longer dangerous! The headlines write themselves! Think of the popularity it could bring to our establishment!"
Vaggie's mouth dropped open and she slammed her hands on the table, pushing herself out of her chair to glare at Alastor "Are you fucking kidding me! You want to let him waltz through the front door all for a few pictures and headlines! You would really put us all at risk, not to mention our new guests, just for some cheap fucking publicity!?" Charlie perked up a bit at this "You know…Vaggie…" But Vaggie shut that down immediately with a mean glare and Charlie melted back into her seat. An awkward silence fell over the table as everyone looked around at each other, wondering what else could possibly be said at that point. It was Emily that broke the silence "We can't start picking and choosing who is worthy of redemption. If he is asking for our help, our responsibility is to aid him on a difficult path. We're here to help the lost, not condemn them to their fate because we don't agree with them.
Sensing that he and Lucifer needed to talk, Alastor returned to the head of the table "We have three days to respond. Why not adjourn and reconvene with…" Lucifer interrupted, the first time he'd spoken the whole meeting "Why don't we take a vote. If it turns out that we can't in good conscious allow him to be here then…" He sensed Alastor was holding back crucial information. Who set a time limit without consequences "Then, we'll just figure it out later" He was the first to leave the room "As always a productive meeting everyone!" Alastor wasted no time in vanishing from the room. He reappeared in a sitting room that he and Lucifer shared, on either side of the room sliding doors that lead to their respective private quarters.
He would never grow accustomed to Lucifer's love of all things ducks, apples and the circus. The room was littered with the little rubber birds, was decorated like a circus tent and of course had apples everywhere. Brightness and color, besides red, was not his thing. But a hint of affection reached his eye when he lifted the circus elephant teapot and poured himself a cup. He never used anything but when he and Lucifer spent the evenings here, talking and laughing. Say what you will about the king of Hell, he was an adequate companion in a place meant for damnation.
"Were you going to inform me that you'd accepted a meeting with Caine?" Ah, there it was. That tone poised for an argument. Sooner or later, they were going to get around to it, may as well be now "It was a time sensitive meeting, my little apple dumpling" he hoped an affectation would calm him down, though as Lucifer came around the chair he was in to face him, the look in his eyes said calm was the furthest thing from his mind "You know how he is about tardiness. Even a second late and I would have ended up in one of those cages" Lucifer fixed him with a look "The great radio demon afraid of someone…finally meet your match I see? And here I thought I was the only one you were afraid of" As he plucked an apple from the bowl on the table, Alastor's eyes went to dials and his teeth became just a little sharper "Careful my little ugly duckling" he snapped a bit "The radio demon fears no one….not even you almighty Lucifer"
The king's nail dug into the soft fruit and with simple finger movements he began to peel it "Yet on many occasions you've said I make you quake with fear ... .or is it something else?" he smirked as he took the curled up peel and dropped it into his mouth. Alastor's horns began to grow "Such talk will only serve to anger me further Luci" he put a lot of bite into the particular pet name that Lucifer hated more than anything. He decided to change the subject before Alastor grew any larger "And what exactly is it you were trying so hard not to tell me during the meeting?" he stared to cut slices out of the apple, picking out the seeds and popping them into his mouth, waiting expectantly for an answer "I know that deadline didn't come without consequences"
Alastor knew he had to tell him, he just wasn't looking forward to the outcome "If we don't allow him into the hotel…he's threatened to destroy the place and everyone inside it" he closed his eyes and sipped his tea, waiting for the inevitable tantrum to follow. Lucifer was not one to disappoint as he donned his full demon form and spit fire as he raged around the room, throwing things and kicking his ducks out of the way. He would give it a good 10 minutes before interrupting, knowing the king needed to let off a little steam every now and again.
When it got to be 15 minutes, he opened his eyes "Luci…you'll break something important if you don't stop" that pet name always cut through him like a knife, and he did calm down as he flopped back into his chair "I hate it when you call me that" Alastor just smirked "Yes I know. Now if you're done, we need to decide what to do"
Alastor hadn't been there that night. From the balcony of his palace, Lucifer had seen the army at the gates. He knew firsthand what Caine was capable of and how powerful he could be. If he said he'd destroy the place, that's exactly what he'd do. "My daughter is a dreamer. She wants what's best for everyone, and he's included in that. But I have to keep her safe above all else." He trusted Alastor's word, even if the demon was a trickster and a schemer. He'd proven that he could be trusted where Lucifer was concerned "You met with him, is he telling the truth? Does he really want this?" Alastor had been asking himself that since he left the manor. He'd yet to come up with an answer. "Only time will tell. Caine hasn't left the manor for well over a thousand years from what I've been told. That's a long time to be alone with your thoughts. Perhaps he does want to change?" He set his teacup down, needing some air and stepping out onto the balcony. "The way I see it, we let him in and risk danger, we keep him out and risk death. The real question you should be asking is, can your delusional daughter do this again? Or was Pentious an accident?" Lucifer scowled but he knew Alastor was right. "She sees the best in everybody, where she gets that from I have no idea" While he couldn't see him, Alastor reached into his pocket and pulled out his pocket watch again, flipping it over and running his thumb over the duckling engraved on the back "Probably a phase"