Chapter 10: The Lessons

Back to Thursday

After agreeing on the terms with Miss Charlie and Angel Dust and trusting Queenie to manage the garden for the rest of the afternoon, Indigo found herself at the hotel's library at 3:20pm.

The library was probably one of the few things Indigo had to criticize about judging by its kept-up state, but it didn't change how creepy it was. Seven-stories tall with the overall design of a circus carousel. A red tent-shaped ceiling with serpentine black beams forming snake shadows with the twisted lightbulb chandeliers. Each level had seven black pole pillars with creepy, hellish abominations as the ponies to ride on. The walls were all filled with books but each level, due to their different colored lighting, made it seem like the books were all organized based on the covers' primary color. On the main floor, the floor tiles were fashioned to make a coiling snake mosaic and the tables and chairs were all placed around the snake, as if it were its eggs. The carousel's main beam, or whatever they call it, was full of mouths spitting books into arms that placed them into shelves.

Indigo gulped. The library was really well-organized, unlike the rest of the hotel, but it was creepy. Not as creepy as whales, but still… She began to open her mouth, but she got interrupted by some singing.

Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby

Radio static music.

Suddenly, the pillars around the library started moving. Instead of creepy carousel music, classical piano music could be heard. Before she could do anything, Indigo felt the ground around her move, pulling her towards a chair and having her sit before a table. A red spotlight appeared. When Indigo looked up, she saw Alastor himself, sitting on top of some skeletal stag-wendigo hybrid. The weird carousel ride kept coming down as Alastor sat on it, singing out loud and proud while a confused Indigo kept watching.

Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true!

He stopped singing just as the ride landed on the main ground. An applause track echoed all over the library and Alastor's moving shadow applauded along. Still confused, Indigo didn't dare to be rude and weakly applauded. Did Alastor think he was in some kind of musical, or did Miss Charlie contaminate him?

"Thank you, my younger audience! You are too kind! I hope you enjoyed my rendition of 'Over The Rainbow' by Judy Garland!" Alastor took a bow. "A splendid way to make an entrance before meeting your influential educator and entertaining model, Alastor the Radio Demon!" Alastor waved his staff and a blackboard materialized out of nowhere.

Indigo huffed. Miss Charlie hadn't contaminated him. He was being his usual showboat.

"And ten minutes early! Punctuality is a good trait in any learner, my dear!" Alastor leaned on the table and clapped his hands, getting rid of the spotlight. "Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel's library, properly cleaned up by yours truly! You might be wondering how on Earth is this library color-coded, but you'd be surprised! It's all properly organized in their own sections in their own levels, but each level is different as they are donations from the rings of Hell!"

"Uh… OK?" Indigo stared at the levels. She supposed it made sense. Seven levels in this creepy library. Each level color-coded based on the ring they got their donations from. She shook her head. "So… how exactly are we going to do all this?"

"Quite simple, my dear. I already came with a schedule!" Alastor snapped his fingers and some chalk writing appeared on the black board.

Monday: Demon Physiology

Tuesday: Demon History and Geography

Wednesday: Etiquette

Thursday: Demon Society

Friday: Performing Arts

Every day: 1-hour Power Practice

Weekends: Extra Practice!

"I suppose you are wondering why I added things like Etiquette and Performing Arts!" Alastor tilted his head at her.

"Not really, Mister Alastor." Indigo shook her head. "Considering your status and attitude, I guess you don't want me to be a 'brainwashed idiot'. Your words, not mine." Then again, for someone stuck with a 1930s aesthetic, Alastor treated the modern demon like an underpaid circus buffoon.

"Very well elaborated, my dear!" The blackboard erased itself and Alastor's living shadow, as if to act as a teacher's aide, used the chalk to write DEMON SOCIETY. LESSON 1: THE HIERARCHY! Alastor clasped his hands together. "So! The first thing any young sinner like yourself should know is that Hell has a strict hierarchy based on power and fear. There are eight ranks overall. Can you name some?"

"Uh…" Indigo scratched her chin. "Well, there's obviously Overlords."

"Very good!" Alastor applauded while his shadow wrote '#5: Overlords'. "Overlords such as myself are powerful demons that managed to climb the highest on the ladder of Hell's most influential. There are some Hellborns, but nearly all Overlords are sinners! Lowly nobodies that died with the potential to accumulate power, deals, and wealth to bring impacts! As you may have seen, each Overlord specializes in an aspect of human culture that brings them popularity in Hell." He then showed her three of his fingers. "There are three ways you can become an Overlord. You can create demonic deals with the lowlifes, which increase your powers, manage a successful business, and boost your popularity and wealth based on how you are feared and respected. The other option is that you marry an Overlord, gain equal shares of the empire, and create a secured legacy. The other option is that you murder an Overlord and acquire all the things they possess automatically." He chuckled. "My sprees have already gained me popularity, power, and wealth, but it never occurred to me back in the late 1930s that I'd get the title because I murdered 7 of them."

"You murdered 7 Overlords when you first got here?" Indigo exclaimed. "How many Overlords are there overall?"

"Thirteen by generation, but we'll discuss more on Overlords later. What other ranks can you think of?"

"Sinners and Hellborns?"

"Good again!" '#6: Sinners'and '#7: Hellborns' were written again. "Sinners form the most populated group in Hell, surpassing all Hellborns. Since Sinners are just reincarnated souls, they can regenerate any physical wound, endure greater exposure to drugs and alcohol, and be immortal without ever aging. Of course, punishments come from sinning. We cannot reproduce like the Hellborns, we are banned from leaving the Pride Ring, and since nearly 100 sinners fall to Hell daily, the annual exterminations are required to solve the overpopulation crisis. Angelic weapons are the only tools to kill a demon permanently… besides cannibalism or the royalty disintegrating the insubordinate! Ha!"

Indigo tried not to think about the fact that while Alastor was laughing his head of about demons dying, the holy sickle she had received last night was safely hidden in her room. She still couldn't believe that Angel Dust had mistaken it for a random family heirloom. The weapon only glowed its true light in her hold. She switched the subject. "So, a bit easy to guess that Lucifer and his family are at the top of the hierarchy… Obviously Miss Charlie is ranked second after him…"

Alastor's shadow wrote '#1: Lucifer' and '#2: Lilith and Charlie'. "Very good, my dear!" Alastor applauded. "And naturally, as our monarch, Lucifer rules on all the upper crusts. He is the Overlord of Circuses, thus the owner of the theme park Lulu World. He leads without question the Ars Goetia, the aristocrats who surpass the Overlords with their armies and knowledge. He is the first of all the Seven Deadly Sins, being the first sin to have ever walked the Earth, which puts him in the lead in the clash of the sins!"

"The sins don't get along?"

"They certainly don't sing campfire songs, my dear! Lucifer rules the entirety of Hell, but the other sins rule their own rings as they see fit the same way France's overseas regions operate differently than the French Republic. Satan, Beezelbub, Mammon, Asmodeus, Belphegor, and Leviathan rule their respective rings of Wrath, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Sloth, and Envy as they see fit. Eventually we'll discuss more of their geography and… Dear?"

Indigo understood she was sturdier than a rock. The moment Alastor brought up Leviathan, her nightmares of whales and the theologist's words at the school lecture haunted her. Her mind had zoned out and she was experiencing a panic attack, the room distorting as if a giant snake made of squished-up sperm whales was filling the library, trapping her in its giant coils and suffocating her as if she were an ant under a boot. She wasn't aware of the butterflies flying above her head like a storm cloud until she felt Alastor's hand running through her hair. She stopped zoning out, the butterflies dispersed in the library, and she pushed his hand away.

"I'd advise you to raise your hand if a subject matter troubles you." Alastor gestured his shadow to dispose of the black board and pulled a chair so he could sit across from her. "What troubles your fragile mind, Indigo?"

"I don't want to talk about it…" She shook her head.

"Dear, I cannot help you if I do not know…"

"I don't think you'd know anyway, Mister Alastor." Indigo got up and paced around. "You're some kind of fearless demon who confronts things head on! Everyone fears you and you fear nothing and no one! I can't really imagine how you'd understand my irrational fear, or even know what it's like to just… have this fear, you don't know why you have it, but it just follows you throughout your life! And in the afterlife…" She crumbled on the floor and cried. "It's still there… The irrational fear is still there, the nightmares get worse, and it still follows you because the fear is real in Hell…"

Indigo just kept crying. Alastor walked up to her and swished his hand around. A mug of hot chocolate and marshmallows appeared in Indigo's hands. She sniffed and stared at the mug, not really caring that Alastor sat down on the floor. She didn't even notice that for five seconds, Alastor's smile faded.

"Fear is key to the strength of a demon. Only a fool of lacking quality fears nothing! If a single demon feared nothing in this hotel, than tell me, my dear, why are they even around? You are always fully dressed with a smile, but smiles don't wash away personal fears."

When Indigo looked at him and wiped off her caterpillar egg tears, his smile was back on. "Are you… insinuating that behind your creepy smile, you have fears!"

"Ha! No!" His laugh made Indigo rolled her eyes. He pulled her up on her feet. "I know what will cheer you up! It's a tad bit early, but why not learn a spell or two?"

That perked Indigo's interest. She quickly drank her hot chocolate and put it down on the desk. She watched in awe as Alastor twirled his finger to make the mug float five inches above the desk before bringing it down.

"The nature of your powers are still a mystery, but let's see what you can do with a few basics." He pointed at the mug. "Ask your butterflies to lift this mug."

Indigo confidently cracked her knuckles. She whistled and caught her butterflies' attention. "Please lift this mug!" She pointed at the harmless mug.

Would it be too obvious to say that it didn't go as anticipated?

ALL the butterflies flew at the mug. Alastor pulled Indigo away from the butterfly-spinning-top that flew right at the mug, destroying the desk and a good portion of the library floor, and sending sharp shards piercing through the hotel's walls. Shocked screams echoed as pipes broke and the sprinklers turned on.

"DAMN IT, ALASTOR! I TOLD YOU TO WAIT UNTIL I GAVE NUGS HIS BATH BEFORE TRAINING ANY MAGIC ON THE KID!" Angel Dust screamed from his room.

On Friday

Capone had been rather generous in fixing the hotel's plumbing. Because Kookie Bura had brought over a guy she knew from her human life who mined Sydney sandstone, Shreveport had been eager to use the sandstones as minerals for the garden. With the spare, Kookie Burra and her friend fixed the hotel's walls. Mad Mats added some floral decorations to hide the 'sensitive areas', and Queenie used the destroyed spa room as an excuse to start designing a gift shop (which oddly enough, Miss Charlie wasn't against).

The Performing Arts class wasn't as dreadful as anticipated. For the class, Alastor chose the alternative ballroom. Indigo finally understood its name when the room's tiles, columns, and glass shifted like a kaleidoscope to take the appearance of the user's preferred setting. In Alastor's case, it was a neon-colored 1920s dance floor. His shadow dragged smaller demonic shadows around to play electro swing music on the stage.

"Feet never stop moving my dear!" He pulled Indigo in the dance. "Front and back, and the cycle repeats! Knees close! Elbows moving the rhythm!"

"Is it necessary?" Indigo shouted over the music. "Why do I have to learn dancing?"

"You're in Hell!" Alastor spun her, nearly making her dizzy and stumble. "Besides the fantastical entertainment at parties, it adds flexibility to the muscles! Quite handy when you wish to avoid people touching you!"

"But I don't dance!"

"Afraid of getting cold feet, my dear?"

Rule of thumb: NEVER tell an experienced teen ice skater that she has cold feet. You might as well tell an Olympic swimmer that he's a wet chicken or that Amelia Earhart flew over the ocean when pigs had wings. Indigo knew that Alastor was goading her. He was probably the only other demon besides Angel Dust who had seen the trophies in Indigo's room. All the records of her success as an ice skater until her accident. An accident that had her swear off skating before a public.

It was petty on so many levels. Accepting Alastor's bait. But the ice skater in her REFUSED to let the flaming Radio Demon claim her as cold-footed! Soon enough, the wood boarded floor coated itself in frost. Indigo started moving to the shadow's fast rhythm. Her legs and arms swung as they did on the ice years ago. Unknown to her, some butterflies nearby started flying after her. Her toes soon barely touched the floor, as if her boots had invisible blades on the soles. She wasn't on any ice, but she was metaphorically back on the rink. The butterflies formed trails after her movements, flying in curves matching the music's tempo. Her ending pose synchronized with the shadows' music ceasing. Legs crossed, arms up, spine upright, and head looking not at the crowd but the ceiling.

The smile that used to be presented in performances was back on her face… until Alastor started applauding her.

"Magnificent performance, Indigo! So compelling! Nothing like the repugnant shows harlots out there perform! Such flexibility and passion! And if you had witnessed your swarm following you! Nearly acting as wings responding to the rhythm! Very captivating!" Alastor kept applauding. He summoned away the shadows.

"Thank you…" Indigo hid her embarrassment.

"You truly have a talent in entertainment! I really should introduce you to my friend Mimzy! She's an inspiring promoter of freelancing artists! Why, she hosts a series of shows celebrating the new year, perhaps we could…"

"NO!"

Indigo didn't feel the physical pain: teeth enlarging, walls shaking, butterflies forming wings behind her back, and her voice sounding like she had swallowed the Steamboat Geyser before an eruption. What she felt was emotional pain… probably what she wasn't aware that she felt it when she witnessed Octavia being harassed. But it triggered the past humiliation that caused the emotional pain.

Alastor just stood there, arms crossed behind him and a firm look in his eyes above his plastered smile. "Indigo Caligo, a young lady does not shout her disapproval of any matter whatsoever in shameful manners," he said. "A polite declination followed by an apology. I'm tutoring a young lady, not a spoiled brat who gets everything done through screams."

Indigo puffed before reverting to her usual self. "I'm sorry…"

"Eye contact and spine upright, my dear."

"I thought Etiquette wasn't until Wednesday!"

"You respect those you address with eye contact. Or glare at them directly to insult them!"

Indigo just glared at him as she did what he said. "I apologize for my actions, Mister Alastor. I appreciate everything you're trying to do for me, but I must decline your offer. I'm not comfortable performing before a big audience…"

"There we go! Politeness never hurt anyone. And thank you for expressing your concerns!" He snapped his fingers and an empty glass bottle appeared on the floor. "Controlling the swarm might be too much for today. Why don't you try concentrating on one butterfly to lift it?"

Indigo tried it. She focused her attention on a flying red admiral and pointed at it. "Can you pick up the bottle, please?"

Again, it didn't go as planned. Ordering one red admiral to lift the bottle caused ALL the red admirals in the hotel to charge at the glass bottle. Glass shards and red dust exploded everywhere. Judging by the sounds, a lot of windows exploded all over the hotel.

"DAMN IT, ALASTOR! I TOLD YOU TO WAIT UNTIL NIFTY AND I FINISHED MENDING THE CURTAINS!" Angel Dust screamed from somewhere else.

This time, Indigo couldn't resist chuckling despite how much red dust she and Alastor had all over their faces.

Currently, on Saturday

Angel Dust had barred everyone the access to the kitchen after lunch.

It was Saturday. The main members of the Hazbin Hotel always made the habit of taking turns cooking. Alastor was obviously the one in charge of cooking, but everyone had shots. Saturdays were usually the days the spider demon aimed for cooking.

But since he finally had a Saturday void of porn work and he was impressed by the ongoing progress of Indigo's garden project (though he couldn't say the same for her lessons), Charlie was ecstatic at the idea of Angel Dust preparing a formal, 9-course Italian dinner. She'd lent him all the cash he needed for the shopping and was bummed when he declined the help.

It was tricky, but he had the six arms to multitask. It was a good plan: a platter of charcuterie for the antipasto, gnocchi for the primo, buridda for the secondo, Panzanella for the contorno, plain salad for the insalata, Gorgonzola slices and grapes for the formaggi e frutta, panna cotta for the dolce, cappuccino for the cafè, and grappa for the digestivo. Angel Dust used his three sets of arms to prepare three dishes at a time. Dinner would be ready just before 5pm. An early dinner and Charlie might suggest a movie night.

Things went well until an explosion occurred. The floors above his head creaked… and somebody crash-landed onto his panna cotta batter. Fat Nuggets, who'd been eating the veggie scraps on the floor, ran to hide behind the trash can. Angel Dust gasped, hoping that Indigo wasn't the one who fell through the roof… until the dust cleared and he found Alastor sitting dizzily on the floor, the bowl of panna cotta batter soaking his red head.

Angel Dust growled, his hold on the whisk tightening. "Alastooooooor…"

Alastor lifted the bowl upward to properly see Angel Dust glaring at him. The pink heart marking on his fluffy chest that could be seen just above the collar of his loose pink sweater, was glowing red the way his cheeks burned red. "Something troubling you, my dear?"

"Alastor… what did you do to Indigo… AND MY PANNA COTTA?"

"A flame spell gone wrong. As for your dessert, I don't see it as much of a lost." Alastor got up and put the bowl on the counter. He was met by an angry Angel Dust tackling him out of the kitchen and fighting him.

"YOU IDIOT!" Angel Dust pulled Alastor by the ears. "I CAN'T EVEN LEAVE YOU ALONE WITH THE KID FOR FIVE SECONDS! AND YOU LET HER BOUNCE AROUND! ON FIRE!"

"WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW, YOU SHAMELESS WHORE?" Alastor clawed Angel Dust on the face.

"MORE ON KIDS, YOU BASTARD BITCH OF A RUDOLPH!" Angel Dust threw him onto the bar. Alastor jumped on his feet and pounced on the spider.

"I'LL DESTROY YOU! YOU AMATEUR MOTHER INSECT!"

Charlie, Vaggie, Husk, and Nifty came running down. They gasped when they saw the Overlord and Hell's #1 porn star brawling.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN THIS HOTEL?"

They all froze. Angel Dust slowed down his attempt to strangle Alastor while the latter stopped trying to bite the former. They all saw Octavia Goetia, the heir of Prince Stolas of the Ars Goetia, and Kyle Ketamine, the random homeless sinner, standing in the hall. Angel Dust then realized the position he was in… on top of Alastor.

"Octavia?" Charlie rushed to the newcomers. "What an unexpected…"

"WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING IN YOUR HOTEL, CHARLIE?" Octavia exclaimed.

"And why the fuck is the porn star straddling the Radio Demon?" Kyle Ketamine clutched his hair. "Why does the Radio Demon look like he took a bath in pudding?"

"IT'S PANNA COTTA!" Both Angel Dust and Alastor shouted as they finally got each other of from one another.

"Why the Hell is an Ars Goetia in the hotel?" Vaggie pulled out her spear.

"Why am I here? WHERE'S INDIGO?" Octavia raised her hands in the air. Just then, something pierced through the ceiling. Octavia's eyes widened when an ash-covered Indigo landed in her arms. "Indigo?"

"Oh, hey Octavia…" Indigo groaned before realizing who was holding her. "Octavia! Hi! When did you get here?"

"Literally seconds ago…" Octavia put her down on the couch and took off her shawl, shocking everyone except Indigo when she used her expensive accessory to wipe away the ash off the butterfly demoness' face. "What the fuck happened?"

"I botched another lesson for controlling my powers. Mister Alastor was trying to teach me a fire spell… but I accidentally blew up the hotel's chimney system…" Indigo admitted.

Octavia and Kyle Ketamine blankly stared at her.

"Lessons?" Octavia blinked.

"The Radio Demon?" Kyle asked.

What happened next was completely unexpected. The Ars Goetia princess and the homeless sinner started laughing their heads off. Indigo was surprised at their reactions. Frustrated static came from Alastor.

"Power lessons from an Overlord like Alastor!" Octavia laughed hard enough to lose some feathers.

"Please stop! I can't… I just can't!" Kyle rolled on the floor and pounded his fists against the carpet.

"I don't get the joke." Vaggie crossed her arms. "And I still don't get why you're here!"

"They're my friends," Indigo said.

"WHY are you friends with an Ars Goetia?" The moth demoness exclaimed in fury.

"I don't know, Tight Eyepatch." Husk sarcastically flicked Vaggie on the forehead. "Why are you fucking around with the Devil's kid? Why is Al covered in Italian pudding? Why does Angel hide his feet? Why is the sky red? Why the fuck do platypus exists? We all got damn questions that no one gives a fuck about answering!"

Meanwhile, Kyle was laughing and rolling on the floor so much, thyme plants were beginning to take room. "Oh, my fucking God, it's hilarious! They actually thought the Radio Demon could teach Indigo how to train her bugs! Obviously, it was bound to fail!"

"And pray tell me what a homeless sinner would…" Alastor shut up when Octavia Goetia quickly stood before him. The sinners and Charlie were stunned by how the feared Overlord of Radio suddenly stopped talking and silenced his own static when the owl demoness approached him. Even Alastor's shadow coiled to hide behind its master when the shadows in the lobby started forming the symbol of Stolas everywhere. It didn't matter if Octavia was some emotional goth teen and if she got along with Indigo and if some people didn't respect her space. If threatened, she COULD give a reminder to the lower class of her standing. Unlike Charlie, she COULD attack to remind Alastor that as an Ars Goetia, she surpassed Alastor in strength, power, and status.

"If what you've been doing with Indigo matches what YOU'VE been practicing on yourself, it was bound to fuck up," Octavia pointed out coldly before listing things with her fingers. "A, you didn't even check her physical strength, so for all you know, you might have given dynamite powder to a twig. Teaching her power techniques BEFORE going over the physical strengths her demon physiology has could have hurt her!" Her eyes briefly glowed in anger at Alastor before moving on to her next point. "B, her butterflies obviously don't work the way your shadows and basic voodoo spirits do. They're independent. But Indigo's butterflies obviously act based on collective behavior influenced by her emotions, which means that before they can act independently, they need to learn how to function according to their hive mind. And C…"

Alastor groaned in pain when Octavia suddenly gripped his hair. "WHY THE FUCK DID YOU TRY TEACHING HER A FLAME SPELL?"

"It was my fault, not his!" Indigo got up.

"Not his fault? You could have gotten hurt!" Octavia roughly threw Alastor down. Angel Dust helped him get up. "Did he even know if you could even control fire? You could have burned yourself or this whole hotel! And you!" Octavia pointed at Charlie. "What the Fuck were you thinking, Charlotte? She's new in Hell and you're letting an Overlord teach her tricks like she's in a fight arena! Why are you letting this happen?"

"Well, it was an idea to tutor her while she works on the garden and her redemption. Alastor pointed out that Heaven might not allow redeemed sinners if they haven't finished their education…"

"FINISHED their education?" Octavia scowled. "Charlotte, Joan of Arc never went to college and she's a fucking saint in Heaven!"

"True, but…"

"And jail time certainly didn't stop Nelson Mandela from going to Heaven! In case you forgot, Charlotte, besides leading armies and knowing too much stuff, the Ars Goetia are the only demons with access to the death censuses of both Heaven and Hell!"

"OK, I think she gets your point!" Indigo calmly pulled Octavia back. "You made points, Octavia. We'll work on them. Please, just calm down. OK?"

Octavia took a deep breath, held it in, and released. "Yes, I can… Sorry about that, I'm just angry…"

"Not as angry as Angel Dust will be in a few seconds."

Indigo was right. Angel Dust was tapping his foot in frustration and all his arms were crossed. He didn't need a cloud of red admirals to emphasize his anger.

"You… all have… FIVE DAMN MINUTES… to get out of my sight so I can finish cooking dinner!" He pulled Alastor by the collar. "YOU are helping me finish my panna cotta!" He then pulled Indigo by the collar. "YOU are setting up the table!" Then, to everyone's surprise, he grabbed Octavia and Kyle Ketamine. Clearly, he had Vaggie's sense of not flinching before those above him… unless they were the Three Vs. "Bird Princess will join you while Dumpster Boy takes a shower before we ALL have dinner!"

"Hold on, we're not staying!" Kyle tried pulling away. "I'm not staying! You rich bitches want nothing from me!"

"And don't touch me!" Octavia got angry.

Angel Dust's mismatched eyes glowed red. The 'freckles' under them turned into smaller eyes. His fanged mouth enlarged, revealing a tunnel of sharp teeth going down his throat and dripping pink venom. Angel Dust got taller, the fingers holding the four demons sharpening, his fur shifting into hedgehog quills, and the floor cracking to form a spiderweb underneath his feet. Alastor just smiled at the sight while the three teenagers paled at the sight of Angel Dust's true demon form.

"So… where do you keep the tureens?" Octavia gulped.

"Yeah, no. Dinner sounds good." Kyle pulled on his collar.

Indigo just groaned.

"Well! Isn't that entertaining?"

Alastor's chuckling comment caused Angel Dust to throw him into the kitchen.