Vaggie sighed as she made her way into hers and Charlie's bedroom where Charlie was still talking with Lucifer and Alastor. Niffty and Keekee were listening in from out in the hall; Niffty held her finger to her lips as Vaggie approached, letting out a soft chuckle as she whispered, "Things are getting spicy."
"Absolutely not!" Alastor's voice hissed; Vaggie ran in to see Alastor snarling at Lucifer as Charlie tried to get between the two men and push them apart. "What is going on in here?" Vaggie asked. "Oh, just… Alastor being Alastor," Charlie chuckled nervously. "It's a pointless endeavor, my dear," Alastor snapped. Lucifer grabbed Charlie and pulled her away, standing next to Vaggie as Alastor continued, "Husker has tried to cut back on his drinking several times in the past… and every time, he's fallen off the wagon after less than two months of trying to 'wean' himself off the booze."
"Well, maybe Husk kept falling off because he didn't have enough real support?" Vaggie said sternly, "Look, I'm not going to pretend like Husk's addiction isn't a problem," Vaggie continued, "But acting like it's a problem that he either has to solve by himself or be stuck with it for eternity isn't exactly fair."
"Vaggie's right," Charlie agreed, "Angel's an addict, and we all jump through hoops to support him in his efforts to kick it, especially Husk. Even after Angel had that massive backslide last week, Husk didn't think or say anything bad about him, or shamed him, or anything like that. Why is it so hard for us to offer Husk that same courtesy? Husk is our friend, and an employee of the hotel. He already participates in redemption exercises with us, so… why not have him do it for himself as well as Angel?" "You mean, like… to redeem himself?" Vaggie asked. "Well… yeah," Charlie nodded, "Or, at least to try. Sure, maybe he'll never be able to do enough to get into Heaven. But, if he's living a more comfortable and less sinful afterlife, what could it possibly hurt to try?"
Alastor burst into laughter, shaking his head and chuffed, "Oh, Charlie, ever the optimist. As I've said, Husker has tried and failed many times to cut back on the booze. As sweet as it sounds, it is a fool's errand." "So, consider me a fool, then," Charlie said crossing her arms, "Besides, if you and dad really don't like Husk being that drunk, than why not let me try to help him? Even if he never quits drinking, maybe I can at least help him stop drinking so much so that it's not as big of an issue."
Alastor raised a brow curiously, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he turned to Lucifer who was also clearly contemplating Charlie's words. Charlie turned to Lucifer and said, "Dad, please. At least let us try to help him. He's done so much for us since he got here, with Angel, with the hotel," "With me," Vaggie interjected, "He's been training me for less than a day and I'm already able to get off the ground without having to leap off a fucking building. Granted, his methods are a bit… odd… but they work. I've made more progress regaining flight in these last few hours than I did just learning to fly back in Heaven."
"Please, guys," Charlie begged, flashing her best pleading face to Alastor and her father, "You've just gotta let us try." Alastor and Lucifer exchanged glances; Lucifer gestured to Charlie and her big, begging eyes. Alastor gave a soft warning growl, which made the king flinch and chuckle nervously.
"Well, uh," Lucifer stammered, "Given that Husk is your, um… employee… Alastor… it's really your call." Alastor's grin widened and his eyes narrowed as Lucifer continued, "Come on, Al; are you really going to say 'no' to that face?" Alastor saw just how eager Charlie looked; her eyes almost teary as she silently pleaded for him to say yes. After about a minute of just hoping Charlie would give up, Alastor finally let out a heavy sigh of defeat and said, "Oh… very well." Charlie grabbed Vaggie's hands and began jumping up and down, squealing excitedly before Alastor pipped up again and said, "But… only if you can get Husker to agree to go along with it."
"Shouldn't be too hard," Charlie said confidently, "Ooh, um," "What is it, Vaggie?" Charlie asked. Vaggie stood and just stared at Charlie for a moment, mouth agape as she tried to figure out what to say so as not to blow Husk's secret; after a few seconds of wracking her brain, she gave a defeated sigh and said, "It's nothing. But… you know it's not going to be easy to convince Husk to give up his booze."
"You should listen to your partner, Princess," Alastor said derisively, "Save yourself the heartache that would be better waisted, ooh, I mean spent on someone far more deserving." "Alastor, shut the fuck up," Vaggie snapped, taking the grinning overlord by surprise, "I wasn't saying that Charlie should just give up. I'm just saying that, given how long Husk's addiction's been going on, it might take some serious effort to convince him to try putting it down again."
"I know, Vaggie. And I know that it won't be easy," Charlie acknowledged, "But, Husk's been such a good friend to all of us, ever since he came to work here. Besides, the whole point of the hotel is to give sinners a second chance to prove that they can do better, that they can be better. Maybe… the reason Husk always failed to cut back, no matter how many times or how hard he tried, was because he never truly got a fair first chance. So, why not let this be his second, if not first chance at real change?"
Alastor just groaned, rolling his eyes and shook his head. "Suit yourself, ladies," Alastor huffed, "But don't expect me to help." Vaggie glared at Alastor as he adjusted his collar and said with a snide chuckle, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a broadcast to oversee. Good afternoon, ladies… your majesty." Lucifer and Vaggie continued staring daggers at the radio demon as he trotted out of the room, humming a carefree tune and greeting Niffty and Keekee as he turned the corner.
"What a dick," Vaggie huffed, "Charlie, are you certain about this? I want to help Husk, too, but," Vaggie paused, mulling over her next words for a moment and said, "This might be a bit more than we're prepared to handle right now." "What do you mean?" Charlie asked. Vaggie led Charlie over to the bed, sat down with her on the edge and sighed, saying, "Husk has an addiction, sweetie. And, if trying to help Angel kick the coke is anything to go by… trying to help Husk get sober isn't going to be any easier. Shit, for all we know, it might be an even harder battle." Charlie and Lucifer exchanged looks before Vaggie continued, "If you're sure about this, Charlie, I'll stand with you and do whatever I can to help. But, I need to know if you're absolutely certain you want to do this… as in, do you think that now is the best time to approach Husk about this?"
Charlie's face took on a serious, determined expression and she nodded, giving an eager grunt and said, "Yes, I'm positive. I know we can get through to Husk. It might take a little… aggressive kindness," Charlie gave a wink and chuckled, "But, I'm confident Husk will be willing to give it a try if we just offer him that real first chance at sobriety." Vaggie took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and nodded. "Alright," Vaggie said with a smile, "Then let's do it."