Enchanted by the Lonely Duck:
A pair of open toed, apple cut out in the center of a 3- inch wedge heel, candy apple red, green, or black coloring as footwear. Red hooded capelet held a Rudy brooch upon the ribbons that were tied. Carrying a covered basket on one of her arms filled with countless items went unnamed. Said to have a natural beauty and song - like voice among spreading rumors. Making few wonder about her as others wanted to actually meet her face to face. It only features a goofy smiling Lucifer remembered about her. He blamed the new brand of whiskey made with tree sap being poured and served the night of the celebration. Taste of sweeten sap from a tree and roasted pecans went beside something else each glass he had. All in the company of a face belonging to a woman he couldn't recall. Up went a spider shaped brooch with a bent pin he lifted from the nearest surface.
Just the memory of spending the whole night with her at the bar warmed a cold place within him. A spark he hadn't felt since he separated from his wife and barely saw his daughter. Now barely a flickering flame when the image of glossy lips turned upward. Almost reflective pupils of her eyes kindly looked at only him as she listened. Had him actually reaching out to push that loose strand of hair out of her face. Faded when he was left in his room in the apple tower of his daughter's hotel. Had him grasping the brooch she left behind when out the 180 view of Pride Ring he looked. Making a vow to find a woman set his heart on fire.
"CHARLIE!" He yelled for her with hope she could help, "I need some assistance?"
He was careful in holding the only physical thing of a woman that already heavily chipped throughout. He noticed as he moved from his tower throughout the hotel how worn the brooch was. Clasp alone was on the verge of fully breaking and gold was flaking off. Had him stopping mid way to the first floor from the second floor when a series of images surfaced. Ones of the party dieing down, this woman accepting his offer to be shown around. He was a little tipsy upon standing up with her following him right beside him.
"Dad?" His daughter's voice snapped him back to reality, "Something wrong?"
"This," He held up the brooch, "I recall a guest wearing this during the opening night celebration for the hotel. Do you know who it was?"
"A delivery person in the form of a woman,," She recalled, "She was dropping off some products made from tree sap and stayed for a while. You took a liking to her 'cause of her unique themed accessories."
No no name could be remembered when a moment of pause was taken to try and recall between the two. Had Lucifer grasp the brooch back between his fingers as his nostrils flared. An image of him walking up to her as she sat on a barstool further from the entrance. Pair of long legs crossed at her thigh under a hitched up skirt. An apple theme drink freshly mixed by Husk in a gloved hand for anyone to see. Someone being him when he noticed said brooch currently within his fingers.
"You were quite smitten with her," Charlie recalled her father the whole night, "Never left her alone."
"Then," He recalled a blur of her face, "Why can't I remember her face?"
"She had her hood drawn the whole time and you were quite drunk on whiskey," Vaggie pointed out in passing, "We still didn't get a name from her, just this business card."
Out she pulled a standard business card made of card stock made from some kind of fleshy wood. Logo was a rotten tooth hanging from a tree branch looking like a human limb. Words Bloodmarch were simply arranged under Sweet Tooth in an old English front.
"This was the only thing she left behind," Vaggie hands the card over to Lucifer, "Sorry we got nothing else."
"Why don't we help?" Charlie got an idea, "We can turn this into a team building exercise and recruit for the hotel?"
"Let's see where this leads." Lucifer took the business card.
They end up rounding up the residents of the hotel for a day of weird wild goose chase around Pride Ring. Questions about the delivery girl working for a company called Sweet Teeth. Angel Dust visited usual sex shops and clubs for information. Learning she dropped a line of sweet tasting lubes that had him wanting to try. Husk went to underground gambling dens and back door poker rooms. Where a tree sap blend whiskey by the bottle was being served from hand blown glasses. Alastor visited a few 'old friends' about a girl that speaks with golden pipes. Finding out just how popular she is among the much older residents of hell. Lucifer met with the available 7 deadly sins: demons, Overloads, and Princes of hell. Finding out her voice and interpersonal relationships make her popular.
8*8
A few places in Hell that Lucifer didn't want Charlie to visit despite the promise he made to help. One of them was a forest of tortured human shaped trees infested with harpies. Walking int at your own risk means trying to not break or damage. a single branch. Since you'll endlessly hear tales of woe for restless souls full of grief. Sight that greeted Charlie in a sad way when her father and she arrived.
"Can they?" Charlie asked, reaching toward the bark of one tree.
"No," Voice that wasn't her father stopped her, "They are forever entombed in the trees without the chance to reach the steps of your hotel. Please leave since hellborn harpies and I like working without company."
"We are here looking for a woman," Lucifer stepped up, "She tends to dress like a character from a fairytale called Little Red Riding hood. In shoes with apples on the heels and sounds like a songbird. Left a spider brooch at the Hazbin hotel where she kept me company."
A man dressed like an age old Druid with his own hood drawn to cover his face as a rustic lamp held. In the talon of a harpie that sat on a tree above his head just staring at the two people. Cast off the only light that made out the outline of this man. Didn't stop those reflective eyes with silver lining to stare back at Lucifer and his daughter. Not a drop of feeling could be found in them as Charlie backed away.
"My sister," His voice softens, "Only ember this dreary place has."
"We would like to meet her?" Lucifer asked, putting his daughter behind him, "She kinda made a strong impression on me and I would actually like to meet her."
"Send your daughter home before stepping forward." Man answered him.
This is where Charlie despite her father trying to keep her behind him since she got scared. Tapped him on the shoulder to sum up some courage and step back up. Not allowing the stare of this stranger or harpie above him with the lamp, scary her.
"Charlie." Her father tried to stop her.
"I would rather be by my father's side as he meets your sister." She stood her ground.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." The man lifted his hand.
He signaled the Harpie with the lamp to light the way for the two since not everyone came. Visiting a place where sinners become trees upon coming to hell wasn't pleasant. Left even Alastor with a bad taste in his mouth and not wanting to go. Vaggie only went half way by staying with their vehicle they hired to drive here.
"Have you tried anything to get these sinners to …" Charlie looked to her dad as she addressed the man, " …to try?"
No answer came as her father pointed her in the direction of a worn trail revealed by harpie's lamp. On this path they two stepped on rather carefully while noticing. Speakers were hidden away within the top of the trees where branches stuck out. From them a soothing voice that had Lucifer halting in his steps to listen. His mind reeling back through his hazy memory of his time with the hooded women.
"That voice." He recalled.
Before his family portrait the hooded woman stood within the privacy of his room. That voice, like the one they heard, spoke about the joy caught in the framed picture. How smiles within spoke about one of many happier times in Charlie's and Lucifer's life.
"We're almost there," Charlie hugged him, "I am glad we came this far."
"Me too." He accepted her embrace.
They stayed like that for a moment until they picked up walking until they found a clearing. It wasn't the building tubes led into, but an uncovered woman on a strange swing. She just sat beside a wireless microphone and sang with a tarantula and an owl resting on her shoulders. Her smile worn on her face in-between intakes of air. The twinkling joy in her eyes as she looked upon her hairy spider and owl. Way she wore her pinned up chestnut tresses. Off the shoulder dress with her legs crossed under a hitched up skirt.
"Go get her dad," Charlie encouraged him, "You can do this."
"You sure you'll … " He didn't want to leave her alone.
Quietness of the forest and the single harpie was quite scary to leave his daughter alone. Got his assurance she would be left alone for a few hours. She tapped his back to get him walking to the girl watching them. He took it as a sign to walk toward her and her animals. Off came his top hat when he coughed loud enough to gain attention. He earned a pair of reflective eyes with silver lining looking up at him. Wide intensy he could see in those eyes were mixture of wonder and delight.
"Forgive me," He fumbled with the rim of his hat, "You don't know how long it's been for me since I talked to someone of the opposite gender. Such as yourself and the beauty you displayed during your visit to my daughter's hotel."
"You flatter a girl with that compliment," She leaned her head to the side of the swing, "That evening with you was an entertaining one."
When she smiled while looking up at him, he found himself at a loss for words for a second. Any form of thought becomes completely meaningless when his mind went blank. His palms started to sweat and hold on his top hat tight with a racing heart beat.
"I came for two reasons," He revealed her spider brooch, "Bring this back to you and ask for another night like before with you?"
"Thank you." Her eyes lit up and smile widened.
Had him about to pass out at the sight when she looked at her brooch within the center of his hand. She placed her spider on her owl that flew away when she got to her feet. Smoothing out her skirt of her dress to reveal she was only a foot and a half taller then Lucifer. Which Charlie thought was cute when she stepped toward him. Her hands grasping the one expended to her and held her brooch in the briefest of touches. Feeling of her fingers brushing against his own when they circled around the brooch. Become a moment for their hands to come together in hand hold.
"Hello there friend." Charlie's voice had them splitting apart.
What the two found was Charlie gushing over the sight of a rather large Muscovy Duck sitting in an equally giant nest. Waterfowl had long neck, tall legs, webbed feet with large claws, and a duck-like head. An Angelic iron band with an engraving was around one of its hidden legs.
"That's Ajax," The women introduced them to the duck, "He's a prehistoric duck, we use as security and my brother's pet."
"May I?" Lucifer asked rather excitedly.
Rest of their visit was stroking the giant feathers of Ajax before Lucifer got an invite back.