Special thank you VampireSiren for your reviews. It really means a lot to read what people actually think of this story. And thank you to everyone who's read so far. I've enjoyed fleshing out the story, and I really look forward to further updates. Anyways, I hope everyone likes this update.

Melody Dear

Chapter Five

When Alastor came back with the food, he wasn't surprised to see she was out of bed. He was to see that she didn't mess with the IV, and was grateful that she just went into the bathroom. However, there was clearly something wrong. She hadn't answered when he knocked, and it was only seeing her in front of the bathroom mirror that he understood why. Those royal colored, haggard eyes were as wide as dinner plates. Her face was contorted in nothing short of pure terror, and her breathing was getting shorter and quicker with each passing second.

He knew the look all too well, and it wasn't shock. No, the amnesiac had come to grips with Hell far too quickly to be taken aback by her appearance to even that extent. This was the face that his victims made just before he took their lives, both human and demon. Whatever she was experiencing, he didn't know. Had it had been related to her death? Did she suffer before she passed away? Or, did she have an unfortunate encounter before reaching the hotel? The questions were intriguing, but also left him feeling a hint of concern for the first time that day.

"Are you all right, my dear?" He said, keeping his voice upbeat whilst his eyes narrowed. He really didn't want her passing out again. Not only would that set her back, but it would also waste the food he made her. Not to mention take away his source of entertainment for the day.

Thankfully, she didn't require any further prodding to come out of her trance. Her terror remained, but he could see her absorb her surroundings, that he had returned, and that whatever set her off was now gone. Though still panting, she did start taking deeper breaths, much to the hotelier's relief. It wasn't long after that her hand slid down from the mirror, her gaze moving to the floor while she turned her head in his direction.

"Sorry, Mr. Alastor. I...I think I was hallucinating," she admitted to him, combing her free hand up her hair and over one of her lower ears. "There was a...creature in my...mirror," she added, her voice trailing off.

His eyes widened at this. A creature? Did a demon sneak into the hotel? No, he would have sensed them, and even if he couldn't, there were no signs of something else causing her to hallucinate. Every demon who could manage it left something behind, and Alastor had always kept his eyes out for any anomalies, no matter how small. It was just the girl, her breathing, and her face. Her eyes were still wide, although not as much before, and her ash-colored face was starting to look more white.

He stepped into the bathroom, willing his expression to relax a little before he brought a finger under her chin. He raised her head so she would look at him, being gentle while doing so. There was still a look of fear on her face, but somewhat calmer when she locked gazes with Alastor. He made a mental note of it.

"My dear, I do appreciate your manners, but I do recall saying you shouldn't apologize for something you can't control," he said to her, playfully.

There was some relief swirling in those purple eyes, something that piqued Alastor's intrigue as he moved his hand. He placed the back of his fingers on her forehead, feeling a heat that wasn't there when he left. It irked him, but he willed himself not to show it. "As for your hallucination, you came here sick, my dear. And it feels as though your fever spiked a little. Nothing to fret over," he said before moving his hand behind his back.

She blinked at him, still panting. "Sinners can get sick?" She asked, her voice barely there.

He let out a hum, starting to feel boredom creep into the conversation. "Yes, we can, just not as easily as before," he said, bringing his cane out and lightly tapping her head with it. "Now, come along. Our breakfast is getting cold."

Alastor guided her back into the room and put her in bed, her back against her pillows and her blankets tucked around her legs. He proceeded by placing the serving tray in front of her before sitting down himself. A part of him expected her to just dig in once she was served. After all, she had been unconscious for almost three full days and had only just arrived in Hell. She had to be starving, but she specifically waited for him to grab his plate before taking a bite.

It was amusing, seeing her restrain herself. She took the time to actually enjoy his cooking, forcing herself to chew each bite before taking another, and didn't touch her juice until she was done with her food. Despite this, she finished within minutes, something Alastor couldn't help but chuckle at. The girl was something else, to be sure.

"I take it you enjoyed the casserole, my dear?" He asked, giving her a knowing smirk.

She looked away, her grin nervous and her cheeks looking a tinge pink. He briefly wondered if she even noticed, but didn't dwell on it. "It was delicious, Mr. Alastor," she said after placing her cup down.

He laughed again. "Thank you. And please, dear, just Alastor. Last time I was called "Mister," I was still human," he said, thoroughly amused.

Her smile grew when he said this, now looking more comfortable. He briefly wondered how he should continue doing so, but decided to mull it over later. "All...all right, then," she said, looking back at him.

He continued to eat, fully aware that she was watching him. Alastor didn't even have to look, having gotten used to the feeling of being watched. Not even Vox with his silly, flying picture recorders could escape that, no matter how sly the clout chasing overlord was. Unlike that arrogant filth, the amnesiac was a much more pleasant presence, and he enjoyed her small reactions to what he did. From her near-inaudible gasp when he reheated his to the snicker she let out when he started drinking it. There was silence after this, but then she spoke.

"Um, Alastor? May I ask you something?" She asked as he took another sip.

He opened his eyes to look at her, refraining from chuckling at how her lower ears were twitching as he put his mug back on her bedside table. He leaned back in the chair before responding. "When asked so politely? How could a man say no?" He replied, waving his free hand before using it to grab his cane. "What would you like to know, dear?"

It took some restraint to not let his sinister nature out just yet. She would get used to it, he knew, but he wanted her to lower her guard before putting any walls up. He may have said he was against offering a deal to someone who didn't know any better, but that didn't mean he wouldn't take advantage of her ignorance in other manners. He had always been one to learn about those who were close to him in any facet, and this time would be no different.

A large smile beamed from the woman, her four ears perking up straight and twitching slightly. The reaction was almost adorable to him. All she needed was a tail to wag or wings to flap.

"Well, Alastor," she started, shifting her gaze, trying to form words for the umpteenth time this morning. "You said that we're demon sinners. I noticed that our appearance is still somewhat human, and that you seem to possess some form of powers of some kind. I was wondering if...well," she paused, scratching her upper left ear. "Is there any real reason for it? I mean-"

Alastor watched her fumble for a few moments, resisting the urge to laugh for at least two whole minutes before letting it out. "You are something else, my dear," he said before standing up. He walked up next to the bed, standing in a spot where she didn't have to turn her head to look at him. "Let me see if I understand what you're trying to ask me," he said. "You wish to know if there's anything that determines what form we take when we manifest in Hell, as well as if there are factors to any demon possessing powers of any kind. Is that correct?" He asked her.

The woman blushed, shifting her gaze away from him for a few seconds before making eye contact and nodding at him. Alastor chuckled at her. Truly, not a dull moment with the girl.

"Let's start with appearance, then," he said, tapping his cane on the floor and sitting down on the bed. "The simple answer is yes. It's a tad convoluted, but there are three factors which determine how we look: Life, Death, and Sin," he told her.

"Life, Death and Sin," she said, a frown forming on her face, her eyes narrowing and her gaze turning away from him. "Death as in how we died, and Sin as in what we did to get down here?" She asked him before making eye contact with him again.

Alastor leaned forward and patted her head again. "Very good," he said before sitting up straight.

The woman blinked at him. "Okay, but how does Life play into this? Wouldn't that be covered by Sin, anyways?" She asked him.

The Radio Demon let out a light chuckle. "One would think, dear, but no. Demon sinners live out their afterlives in a part of Hell called the Pride Ring. So, the parts of our lives that filled us with pride; what we held so dearly to our hearts, what we felt defined us and gave us a sense of dignity; is what makes up the aspect of Life which our forms take," he explained, waving his hands as he did so.

She gave him a warm smile, a light but brief chuckle escaping her lips. "So, these three things gave me my four ears and monochrome palette skin? I must have been real interesting in life," she said more playfully.

Alastor's laugh was accompanied with a laughing track this time, causing her to jump slightly. "Ah, jokes. But don't sell yourself short, my dear. Your features can come from any number of things, and I can assure you that in Hell, you're particularly unique," he informed her.

Her eyes widened, her cheeks turning pink again. "R...really?" She said.

Alastor nodded. "Yes. I've been down here for almost a century, and I've never come across a demon with multiple skin tones or more than two ears. Multiple eyes, arms and tentacles, even those with wings, but not anything you have," he said, feigning oblivion to her reaction to his statement.

The look in her eyes changed. It wasn't shock, but a face of terror. The same face he saw in the bathroom. It was there for only a second, but she shook her head, forcing a smile back on her face. "Interesting," she managed to say, barely able to bring up a tone of intrigue alongside her panic.

He made a note of it before saying: "Indeed. Sometimes you can just look at someone and pick out what they were like, how they died, and what brought them down here."

Her upper ears twitched. "Oh really? Does that mean you'd be able to discern my life, death and sins?" She asked in jest, clearly not expecting him to answer.

Alastor hummed and replied anyways. "Perhaps. I'd be guessing, of course," he said, watching her reaction through the corner of his eye. Her entire being sat rigid, and there was this sense of dread and wonder in her eyes, a curious combination he found quite alluring. He wondered which expression she would have if she remembered, but relished at the idea of seeing it.

Then he turned towards her, his grin wide. "I'll tell you what. If you can guess what makes up my three factors, then I'll tell you what I think yours are. Sound fair?" He said.

The offer stunned her, and she hesitated before accepting. There would always be a natural hesitance to the unknown, a fear of what may be found, or if any of it were true. But to his pleasant surprise, she gave him a sincere smile before nodding. "I'd like that," she said.

"Very well, my dear," Alastor said, crossing one leg over the other. "As for powers, only some demons manifest with any, and those powers are determined by the weight of their sins, and their greatest pride in life. However, demons can learn various spells and parlor tricks by other means, and can increase their powers in many ways," he said.

Her two right ears stayed up while the left ones lowered, a frown forming on her face, and one of her eyebrows raising while the other lowered. "So, you did, but I may not have?" She stated more than asked.

Alastor nodded. "I did. However, most demons with powers don't normally learn what their powers are until they've been here for anywhere between a few weeks to a few months. As it stands, you've probably haven't been in this realm for a week, and we won't know for certain until three months pass," he informed her. There was a strange sense of delight when he saw her lowered ears raise, a brief look of wonder and concern on her face. "However, all demons have the power of regeneration. We're much more durable than when we were alive, but we can still get hurt and feel pain," he explained, once again feigning oblivion.

A look of daunted concern spread across her face in an instant, followed by another batch of bat screeches as more explosions went off in the distance. Fear returned to her face then, and her breathing began to speed up. It was amusing to Alastor, but as her eyes began to lose focus, he remembered the temperature she had when he found her in the bathroom.

With a sigh, the Radio Demon stood up and walked next to the new guest, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. She was startled at first, another small screech escaping her before she looked up at Alastor. "I would love to keep chatting with you, dear. But it would seem you need your medicine and some more rest," he said.

"U...um," she sputtered, looking out the corner of her eye towards her window.

Alastor rested his hand on her head. "Rest assured, my dear," he began, getting her to look back at him. "The Hazbin Hotel is protected. If anyone tries to attack, they will be dealt with swiftly. You have my word," he said, removing his hand and placing it on his chest.

The girl was still confused, but she did let out a sigh and let her shoulders relax. "I think you're right. But how do you sleep through all that?" She asked, raising her hand and making a gesture towards her window.

"Oh, you get used to it after a while," he said, shrugging. "But, if you like, I could make you some warm milk to help you fall asleep," he said.

He was graced with a warm smile and a nod. With it, he excused himself to grab her milk, taking the tray and vanishing into the shadows. The act almost made her spring from the bed in shock.

"Ah shit," Angel said, his eyes wide. "You gotta be kidding me."

Everyone had just finished eating. When they did, Charlie told them about the girl Angel found outside the other day. At first, everyone was happy to hear that she was awake, and even felt well enough to eat something. But that was before Charlie gave them the bad news. It would be one thing if the girl was just a new arrival, another if she was just an amnesiac. But the fact that she was both filled everyone with worry and concern. Not even Niffty was smiling, and that said a lot.

The room was just down the hall from the hotel lobby, the apple-themed-stained-glass having many cracks in them, and the red wallpaper coming off more here than it did in the lobby. Half the carpet was ripped out to get rid of the musty smell came from it, revealing healthy wooden floors. The table they sat at was like the coffee table in the parlor, stained gold with eye decals along the edges. The chairs were similar, giving off a a design choice that combined the circus with Dracula.

Charlie shook her head at him. "I wish I were. But Alastor went through the entire conversation he had with her, and there's no doubt," she said, frowning.

Husk shook his head. "I don't get it," he said. "How does a new soul get sick that quickly? If he's that sure, then she couldn't have been here long before coming to the hotel. And my money is on less than a day," he added, tapping one of his fingers on the table.

There was some shared grumbling across the table, and Charlie seemed just as lost at first. "Well," Charlie started, scratching the back of her head before looking back at Husk. "There are some souls that manifest that are more...raw...than average. Usually because of how they died. If she had an extremely traumatic or gruesome death, it would make her more susceptible to getting sick than others," she explained.

"Mm-hm," Husk said, rolling his eyes. "That fast?" He asked her.

Charlie put a hand to her chin. "Well, not that I know of. But then again, there have only been a handful of souls in her situation over the last couple of centuries. So, anything's possible," she told him.

Pentious raised a hand then. "I hate to sss-say this, Charlie, but should we be concerned about her?" He asked. "I mean, who's to say that she'll act kind going forward? Or if she'll be this way if any of her memories come back?" He explained.

"What? No!" Charlie said, her eyes narrowing now. "Pentious, I know you're concerned, but we shouldn't just assume the worst. Especially not when she's in such a vulnerable state," she said sternly, crossing her arms.

"Besides, we kept the door open for you when we found out the Vees hired you to spy on us," Vaggie pointed out, glaring and pointing a finger at him. "She came here looking for our help, and that's exactly what she's gonna get!"

The snake shrunk in his seat as she said this. Meanwhile, Angel stood up, putting all four of his hands on the table as he leaned over it. "So, how are we supposed to do that?" He asked, slightly agitated but suddenly more worried. "There's no telling if redemption is even possible, and even if it is, she can't survive in Hell like this. And being stuck in this hotel ain't no way to live your afterlife," he pointed out.

At this, Charlie smiled. "Actually, we already have a plan in motion," she said, surprising everyone. "As soon as she recovers, our daily exercises will be taking a shift into Hell Lessons. We will be teaching her everything she needs to know to survive down here. This will last a few weeks, during which, she won't be allowed to leave the hotel grounds for her safety," she said.

The explanation raised some spirits at the table. Husk chimed in then. "And what about the boss?" He asked her, raising an eyebrow at her. "You know how he can be," he pointed out.

Charlie placed her hands on her hips, her smile not faltering. "Already taken care of. Alastor has given me his word that he won't take advantage of her ignorance and try to get her soul. He even suggested that the first few lessons we give her were on its importance as well as the intricacies and dangers of deals and contracts with other demons," she said.

This surprised everyone, but then there responses changed. Niffty and Pentious seemed content with the situation, Vaggie looked like she wanted to say something but didn't want to burst Charlie's bubble, while Husk and Angel exchanged knowing looks. In fact, the cat and spider were about to speak up, but as if the subject had summoned him, Alastor manifested from the shadows right before them. Any words they wanted to say fell before they could even come out.

"Good morning, Chums!" He greeted before walking over towards Charlie. "I assume everyone has been informed about our guest's situation?" He asked her.

Charlie nodded. "We just finished discussing the lesson plans, actually," she told him.

Alastor brought the microphone of his cane to his free hand. "That's wonderful, dear. But before everyone goes about their day, I have one more update to give on our new guest. In all the excitement and drama, I forgot to tell you how she's recovering," he said.

Everyone else stared at him and Charlie nodded eagerly. "Please, go ahead!" She said before sitting back down. Angel followed suit, sharing an uncomfortable gaze with Husk.

When Alastor knew he had everyone's attention, he spoke. "I'll be sure to keep this brief," he started. "Yesterday, we decided to start waning her off her medicine because her fever had gone down significantly. Sadly, I just had to up her dose," he told them.

"What? Why?" Charlie asked, her eyes wide.

Alastor looked down at her. "Her fever spiked, my dear. Not so much to be dangerous, but enough so that she had begun hallucinating," he said as if it were a normal Tuesday.

It wasn't. "In addition, I gave her some warm milk so she can sleep better. Poor thing is still exhausted, but those ears of hers will make it difficult to rest through all the mayhem outside." Alastor added.

Vaggie and Charlie exchanged concerned looks. "I didn't even think of that," Vaggie said, starting to feel bad. "We should look into ways to help with that," she said.

"I would also recommend a new outfit for the lady," Alastor said, tapping his cane on the ground. "She can't live in that nightgown of hers. And that garment she came in is so frail, any demon could tear it apart with a light tug," he pointed out.

"Dibs!" Angel called out, raising a hand. It had been ages since he'd gone shopping, and being able to do something to help the new girl put a pep in his step.

Alastor narrowed his eyes at him. "Very well, my effeminate fellow. Just try to get her something a bit more modest. She doesn't need any unwanted attention so soon after arriving," he said, less of a suggestion and more of a command.

Angel just shrugged. "Easy. Just give me her size and I'll grab her something nice," he said.

"Ha ha! As you say, my good man!" And with that, Alastor left them.

Longest chapter yet, but I'm happy with it. I hope y'all enjoyed this installment, and don't be afraid to tell me what you think. Until next time!