One week and no update? This shall not stand!
Melody Dear
Chapter Six
It took four days for the new resident of the Hazbin Hotel to recuperate. The combination of the warm milk and medicine caused the girl to sleep better than she anticipated. Although, part of that may have been the ear plugs. One of her get-well-soon gifts from the owner and manager of the hotel, Charlie and Vaggie. The other was a haircut, trimming off her unhealthy hair and leaving it at shoulder-length. The two ladies seemed nice, and like an even cuter couple. Although, she felt a little unsure about how to interact with them now, all because Alastor told her that Charlie was the Princess of Hell.
The woman's eyes narrowed. Alastor. He perplexed her. He acted like such a gentleman, but with each interaction, she felt like there was so much more to uncover. A feeling that only intensified with each time she came to. She always woke up with a jolt, usually from the vibrations outside, but then was calmed by the sound of the enigmatic demon's chuckle. She wasn't sure why. Maybe it was his voice? It was much more soothing to her than everything else she heard so far. Charlie's voice was warm, but always so full of energy. Vaggie, though much calmer, always seemed colder. And the demons outside yelling always gave the girl a migraine. But not Alastor.
Stretching her arms over her head, she was met with a resounding pop in her back. Her bed was comfortable, but she was happy she was well enough to be able to leave it. Alastor's idea of bed rest was getting up for the bathroom and literally nothing else. It was nice to be given breakfast in bed, but she was so sore from not moving. Still she listened. Not like she had the energy to get up most of the time, and even when she did, she wasn't about to make the facility manager upset.
A knock came at her door then. "Come in!" She called, not moving from where she sat in bed.
The door opened, revealing the crimson deer and a white and pink demon with four arms. Their gender was difficult to place, looking too slender to be male, but with their chest fur coming out of their suit top, she couldn't picture them as female either. The new demon was taller than Alastor, with white hair, long legs, and two different different colored eyes just above a row of three smaller ones on each side of their face. Their pupils were pink, but one eye's sclera was yellow while the other's was black. Alongside their pink and white striped blazer, they wore a black bow tie, a reddish-gray skirt, black boots that went up most of their legs, and two sets of long sleeved gloves. The ones on their upper set of arms the same shade of pink as their eyes, while the ones on their lower set were white.
Alastor let the newcomer in, waving an arm out as he did so. "After you, my effeminate fellow," he said as they walked in.
"Thanks, Smiles," the demon said before stepping inside.
Her eyes narrowed, determining the new demon male before noticing what he was holding. His lower arms were holding onto a large, rectangular, hot pink box with dark pink ribbon. In their upper left hand was a small white gift bag with hot pink tissue paper in it, and in his upper right was a black box with a dark pink bow on it.
The new demon turned towards her, a warm smile on his face, and a gold, fanged-tooth sticking out. "Good to see you're up, Toots!" He said with a wink before walking over to her.
She sat straight, her hands resting on her lap and a blank look on her face as the new guy sat down on her bed next to her legs. "Oh, um...thank you," she said, her voice slightly uneven. Then she turned to look at Alastor, mustering a smile on her face. "Good morning, Alastor," she said to the Radio Demon.
He gave her a small bow. "Good morning, my dear!" He said in his usual upbeat tone. She wasn't sure if it was genuine or not, but it did made her relax a little.
Alastor gestured the hand holding his cane towards the taller demon. "Please allow me to introduce Angel Dust. He's one of our other guests here at the hotel," he said before moving to stand next to her.
She blinked, eyes widening slightly before extending her hand and giving him a sheepish grin. "Oh, hello," she quickly said.
Angel put the bag down and shook her hand. "Hey yourself. Nice to officially meet ya," he said as he shook her hand.
A small screech escaped her. "Excuse me?" She asked, one eyebrow raised and her eyes still wide.
Alastor placed a hand on her shoulder. Her face and body relaxed slightly when she looked up at him. "Angel here is the one who found you and carried you into the hotel," he said.
All four of her ears flared out at that, a light chirp escaping her instead. "O-oh," she sputtered out, her pinks suddenly dusted pink. "U-um, thank you, Angel," she managed.
Angel pulled his hand back and started laughing. "Ah man, Fancy Pants wasn't kidding. You're a sweetheart," he said, placing his free hand in his lap and giving her a warm smile.
She looked away from both men, her cheeks getting darker. "Is that a bad thing in Hell?" She asked, not meeting their gazes.
"Eh, in some parts, yeah," Angel said with a shrug. "Fortunately, this ain't one of 'em," he added.
She looked back at him, now smirking. "Only some? Man, I must have gotten the short end of the stick, because everywhere I walked out there had violence going on," she told him.
"Hm! Sounds like you got lucky to me," Alastor said with a shrug.
A cold shiver ran up her spine at that. She wasn't sure if Alastor was being serious or not. And if he was, she wasn't sure if she wanted to know what he thought unlucky was.
After a prolonged silence, Angel cleared his throat. "Anyways," he said before passing her the larger of the two boxes, "These are for you. Alastor said that you needed new clothes." Angel brought the other box and bag around as he said all this, leaving the girl stunned.
"You didn't have to do that," she said, holding the box in her lap.
Angel rolled his eyes. "Well, someone had to. That rag you were wearing when I found you barely passed itself off as a dress. And where I'm all for someone who wants to show off their goods," he said, using his hand to push out his chest fur, "We didn't think you'd be one of them."
The girl's entire face turned red, and Alastor's grin grew, a light chuckle escaping him. "Why don't you get dressed, dear? Angel and I will wait outside," Alastor said, removing his hand from her shoulder.
She could only muster a nod. With it, Alastor and Angel took their leave.
While waiting for the new girl to recuperate, Angel made it a point to seek out Alastor and ask him a question or two about the amnesiac. Nothing outside of casual small talk, and never pushing his luck for details when the Radio Demon didn't supply any. Did she mention a favorite color? How'd he describe her as a person so far? Has she hallucinated again since she woke up? All of which, Alastor did answer.
Her favorite color was purple, with brown as a close second. Alastor described her as a sweetheart with impeccable manners and a childlike sense of wonder. And yes, she had hallucinated again. Many times over her first few days up.
Angel's eyes narrowed as he followed the Radio Demon out of the girl's room. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more that Alastor wasn't saying. He wasn't sure what else there could be to tell, but he knew the strawberry pimp hadn't said everything. Angel didn't pry though. He got his answers, technically, and he knew better than to press his luck. Him and his pig were still on thin ice with the overlord, and annoying him was not on the agenda.
"She's quite a character," Angel said after they closed the door behind them, forcing a smile back on his face.
"Isn't she, though?" Alastor asked, standing next to Angel as the porn star leaned against the opposite wall. The Radio Demon let out a content sigh. "Makes you wonder what got her down here. Such pure sweetness doesn't usually show up in Hell," he said.
Angel hummed in agreement, nodded and turned his gaze to the door. He did his best not to show Alastor that he was concerned. Both he and Husk felt uneasy about the Radio Demon being in charge of her care, and that feeling intensified after she woke up. There was a silent agreement in place, never said, but exchanged through looks. They'd do what they could to look out for the girl and make sure she didn't become one of Alastor's victims. Something that would go into full effect once her Hell Lessons started.
"Something wrong, my effeminate fellow?" Alastor asked, clearly playing dumb.
The porn star just shrugged. "Not wrong, per se. Just a little nervous about the exercise Charlie's setting up," he said. This was technically not a lie. He was concerned. Charlie came up with an activity that she hoped would jog the girl's memory, or at the very least, help her remember something about herself.
"Oh? And why's that?" Alastor asked, giving Angel a inquisitive look.
Angel looked back at the overlord through the corner of his eye. "Somehow, I don't see the new girl identifying with building weapons and singing. Sure as hell won't pick a name from any of it," he said.
This was also not a lie, and made Alastor grin widen. "Well, it should be entertaining, at least," he said before laughing.
Angel wanted give a snide remark, but just then, the door opened. He saw Alastor turn to look at the new resident, watching as he went from a toothy grin to some kind of closed mouth grin. He looked pleased with Angel's choice in clothing. As he should, since this was difficult to put together. Many of the stores in Hell catered to demonesses of a sluttier nature, and those that didn't were for demons who preferred older styles. So, finding a modest outfit that didn't make the new girl look like a hobo or a grandma was a genuine challenge.
She came out wearing brown pants, slim enough to outline her figure, but not too slim to restrict movement. Her shirt was the same royal purple in the sclera of her eyes, also form fitting but easy to move in. There was the smallest of curves in its neckline, showing off just a bit more of her collarbone, but otherwise covering her completely. These pieces were paired with a lavender blazer, black gloves with lavender claws, and heeled ankle boots whose soles and heels were royal purple, while the shafts, tongues and zippers were all black.
Angel smirked at his work. The outfit was fashionable, modest while still being attractive. "You're lookin' good, Toots! Ya like it?" He asked her.
The amnesiac beamed at Angel, nodding at him. "I love it! Woah!" She said, tipping over. She had to grab the door frame to keep herself up. "I may need some help to get used to the heels, though," she said from her position, blushing.
"I'd be honored to," Angel said, walking forward.
The Radio Demon stood by in silence, watching Angel teach the girl how to walk in her new boots. She nearly fell a couple of times, but after ten minutes, she did get the hang of it. Angel knew that Alastor was internally laughing at the girl whenever she struggled, but at least he was courteous enough to not do it in front of her. If he had, Angel would have had a bone to pick with him.
"Good job, Doll Face," Angel said, giving her four thumbs up.
"Indeed," Alastor said, stepping away from the wall. "Why, if you keep learning that quickly, you'll thrive down here," he told her, a subtle hint of sarcasm escaping him.
Angel's eyes narrowed, but the girl smiled sheepishly at him, rubbing one of her hands on her arm. "Oh, I don't know about that," she said, looking away, her cheeks pink again.
Alastor moved through the shadows and hooked his arm with the one she was rubbing. "Now, dear, I told you not to sell yourself short. After all, you have an eternity to do great things!" He told her, emphasizing it in his usual showman ways.
The spider cringed at the way she just accepted his praise. He knew what Alastor was doing. Buttering her up so that when she failed, or worse, fell into his hands, the hurt would be all the more painful. It was all a game to him. A stage, more accurately. And in his world of entertainment, he was the director of the entire damn show.
Angel narrowed his eyes at the overlord, deciding to talk to Charlie later. Hell Lessons would start soon, and she needed to know just how dangerous Alastor really was. He made a mental note to include players like the Vees when he brought it up with the princess.
Then Angel forced a smirk to appear on his face, wrapping two of his arms around the amnesiac and overlord's shoulders. He could feel Alastor stiffen up and could have sworn his eye started twitching. He knew the Radio Demon hated being touched, but he played dumb to it by saying: "Well, come on! Let's not keep everyone waiting! Charlie made breakfast."
He got an eager nod from the new girl and an affirmative from Alastor, who then proceeded to remove Angel's arm from his person. With it, they headed to the elevator.
There we go. I feel better now. Can't wait for you to see the shenanigans-I mean..."exercises."