She smiled at her brother in front of her, "Oh! You wanna join me in welcoming the stranger at the door, Francis?"
The boy smiled, "Yeah! That sounds fun!" He opened the door as both him and his sister both harmonized in a singing voice, "Hello there, new-" But both stopped to a screeching halt upon looking at the demon at the door.
Francis felt Charlie put her hands on his both his shoulders as his eyebrow furrowed, "Uh... What are you doing here?"
Brutus stands there, glaring at the smaller boy, "...I'm sorr... Sor..." His hands in fists as his nose area was a dark color, a bruise had formed from their encounter last week. He groaned until another figure from behind the wall pinched his ear tightly, "Ah, Ma!"
A taller demon with a frown on her face stepped out from behind the wall, "Don't you 'Ma' me! You apologize to that boy properly! I can't believe you would punch the son of Lucifer like that!" She was the same color as him with her hair as black as night. She wore a dark sea green dress. She let his ear go and crossed her arms, "Why is is that I have to stop my work to come here and make sure you say you're sorry! Your father and I did not raise you to be like this! Now apologize!"
Brutus rubbed his ear as he looked down at Francis, "I apologize for punching you in the eye... And insulting your mom... And talking bad about your sister."
Charlie's hands tightened on her little brother's shoulders. Angel Dust's head poked into view from the other end of the hall while Husk's ear twitched, trying to hear more.
Francis put a hand on one of his sister's as he looked at the taller demon boy, "...Apology accepted. But talk like that again, and you'll get more than a bloody nose." He flashed him a rogue smile.
Brutus nodded nervously as the older woman sighed and walked away, "And I'm telling your father when we get home."
The boy groaned as he followed his mother to their limo, "But Ma!"
The princess released her brother's shoulder, "At least he apologized for punching you, even if his mom had to make sure he did..." She noticed that her brother was silent, "Hey... Are you holding up okay, Francis?"
Francis's smile briefly faded as Brutus left. But it came back before he looked up at Charlie, "Yeah! I'm okay, Charlie. Thanks for backing me up last week too, it really helped."
His sister pulled him into a hug, even spinning them both around, "Aww! You're welcome! Anything for you, Francis."
The prince squeaked but hugged his sister back, "Hehe, Charlie! Come on! Put me down, haha!" Despite this, he still had a smile on his face. After his sister put him down, he closed the hotel door. He missed Angel ducking behind the wall as he turned around. Francis giggled, "So, what's on the agenda for today, Charlie?"
The princess smiled as she walked into the lobby, "Well, today I have a meeting with a new potential resident! He's an Overlord named June Bug." She sat next to her girlfriend on the couch.
Francis's eyes grew wide, "Woah, no way! You actually got a meeting with an Overlord this time? That's so cool! Can I come with you to meet him?"
Vaggie spoke up from the couch, "Uh... Letting both the princess and the prince meet some powerful guy who isn't fully convinced to join us doesn't sound like a good idea." She got up from the couch to grab her spear that was leaning on the wall next to her.
The goat boy's shoulders slumped, "Really? Aw man..." He gave his sister puppy-dog eyes, hoping that would convince her to let him join, "Are you sure I can't come with you guys?"
The princess got up and covered her eyes dramatically, "Aww, nooo! Not the cutie eyes! I'm sorry Francis but those won't work on me this time! I don't think it would be a good idea to bring you with me either." Charlie gently pushed Francis towards her girlfriend, "But it would actually mean a lot to me if you two could have the whole day to yourselves."
Vaggie leaned her spear back against the wall and folded her arms, "Wait, Charlie, you're going to be talking to potential new resident today! And he's an Overlord! What if he's dangerous?"
Francis squinted his eyes, mimicking Vaggie's movements, "Uh, yeah, Charlie. At his house? That doesn't really sound safe."
The blonde demon shook her head, waving her hand, "It's just June Bug! He's one of the nicest Overlords I have ever seen, from afar."
The gray woman frowned and looked at Angel, "Angel Dust, you better go with her!"
The spider demon got up and stretched, "Eh, might as well get a refill on my supply."
Francis blinked, tilting his head, "Supply of what?"
Charlie frowned at the pink demon as Angel Dust gulped, "Uhhh, candy. The good sugar. Totally!"
The boss of the hotel began to push the taller demon with her, "Yes! Sugar! We will be right back and we will be safe and sound while visiting June Bug! You two have fun without us! Don't let Francis have any caffeine! I love you both, bye!" She slammed the door before rushing into the limo with Angel Dust close behind her. Leaving her girlfriend and little brother alone in the lobby of the hotel, well, sort of alone. Until they both heard a cough.
Francis looked to his side, "Uh, Maggie, who's that guy?" He points to a serpent-like demon wearing an old military uniform, who waves back at him happily.
Vaggie sighed, "That's Sir Pentious, he was in the bathroom when you swung by last week."
The snake demon smiles at the pair, "Hello, Vagatha! Hello, little prince!"
The gray woman shook her head, leading the boy to the front door, "...Yeah, no, I am not leaving you with him. Also that is not my name."
The boy squinted his eyes, "Oh yeah, by the way, why does everyone call you 'Vaggie'? Is it to, like, make fun of you or something?" He whispered to her, "Do you need me to rough some of them up for you?" He held up his fists, throwing a mock punch into the air.
Vaggie shook her head, "No, no. Uh, just don't worry about it." She then coughed awkwardly, "So uh... I guess we are stuck together for a while... What do kids do for fun nowadays?"
The prince raised his arms in excitement, "They have liquid caffeine and joy rides!"
Vaggie narrowed her eye at the boy, opening the door, "...We can do the joy ride part. Not the liquid caffeine."
Francis jumped up and down as he followed her outside, "Alright! Close enough!"
Meanwhile Charlie and Angel made it to June Bug's house within an hour. It was large, black and green and it almost looked like a palace. Green shrubbery surrounded the building, varying from small and pointy to long and lanky plants. Charlie rang the doorbell to the home with Angel behind her.
A small almost gremlin-like imp opens the door, rubbing his hands, "H-hello, do you need something?"
The princess gave him a small wave, "Hi there, I'm Charlie Morningstar. I have an appointment with Mr. June Bug."
The red imp stuck his tongue out of his mouth before he nodded, "O-oh! Yes, yes, Boss mentioned something like that! I think!" He tilted his head at the spider demon as Angel waved at him, "O-oh! Hello!"
A man's voice can be heard from another room, "Is it another customer?"
The imp turned his head, twitching, "I-it's the princess, sir! A-and she brought a tall, handsome, spider friend!"
There was a sound of shuffling before the voice spoke up again, "Oh, let her and her friend in! Sorry, give me a second to put my mask on!"
The imp nodded before bowing and leading the duo inside. There they were guided to a dark green couch with snacks littered across the coffee table, each with bites taken out of them. There was another imp passed out in the corner as well as a hellhound on a bean bag. Then a figure wearing a gas mask walked into the room, he was rather tall, wore a dark green suit and a black beanie. His suit and beanie had mint colored stripes. His hair that stuck out of the beanie was a dark basil color with a mint lightning bolt pattern running through it.
Despite his professional look, a rather chill voice came from the gas mask, "I'm sorry, princess and spider dude! I totally spaced out about the fact that we were meeting today, my fault. My dudes should really clean up after themselves. The smell isn't too bad, is it? Do you guys want snacks?" He turned to the imp, "Dude, get the princess some food!" The little figure scurried off to their kitchen.
Charlie waved her hand, trying to ignore the smell, "Oh! It's okay, Mr. June Bug. We just came here to talk." She then whispered, "See? He even said 'sorry!' He totally has potential!"
Angel Dust shrugged, "Ehhh... I feel like that's a bit of a stretch, Charlie."
The Overlord sat down on the couch across from them, spraying an air freshener bottle in the air, "Okay so, uh, what were we supposed to talk about on the phone? I may or may not have been a little zoned out on the phone when we talked." As he sat, his striped skunk tail poked out from his suit and onto the couch. He put the spray bottle onto the couch. When the imp returned, June Bug placed the plate of scones on the table, "I promise there is nothing in these. I baked them myself!"
The princess was about to take one when Angel Dust put a hand on her shoulder, "I wouldn't trust that just yet."
Charlie nodded, "Oh yeah, right right. Focus, Charlie." She smiled at the Overlord, "So! Mr. June Bug, I wanted to inquire you about joining us at... The Hazbin Hotel!"
Meanwhile Vaggie and Francis were in a red car, taking a rather long joyride across the pentagram of the city. The goat boy stuck his head out the passenger side window, "Woah! I don't go to this part of the city often, this is so cool!"
The gray woman grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling him back into the seat, "Will you sit down? I really don't want to explain to Charlie that you hit your head because it was out the window." As she pulled him in, a pole whizzed past the car.
Francis's eyes widened and put his seatbelt on, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry, sheesh." He relaxed his chin in his hand as he crossed his legs, "Soooo, where are we going?"
Vaggie shrugged as she rolled his window up with the button on the center console, "Well, I don't know. Where do you WANT to go?"
The prince raised his hand, "Oh, oh! There's actually a game I really want but I haven't been able to ask Dad for it! If you take me there, I can buy it on my own."
The gray woman smiled at him, "Sure, kid, I can drive you there. So uh... What kind of game is it?"
Francis's eyes sparkled as he looked at his sister's girlfriend, "Maggie, you just opened the floodgates that is me dumping all the lore I can onto you about this game!"
She strained to keep her smile, "Oh no."
The boy tried to stand in his seat though the seatbelt prevented him, "Okay SO! It's about this guy who goes on a hunt beating up people to rescue his sister from a bunch of aliens! But he's a good guy so it's all good! Until the second game, where it also turns into a bit of a farming simulator-"
It was then Vaggie realized how much kids tend to talk about their favorite things. Her eye twitched as she tried to focus on the road while Francis continued to talk her ear off.
June Bug removes the bottom of his gas mask to start nibbling on one of his scones, "So... You want me to stop being an Overlord to become like... An angel?"
Charlie nodded confidently, "In a way, yes!"
The skunk man put his mask fully back on, "Hmm... Well... It sounds enticing but I don't know... I mean, my dad did leave me in charge here. And how will I know that the next Overlord won't try and make more people uh... Like this?" He gestures to the zoned out imp beside him as well as the hellhound sleeping on the bean bag.
The princess nodded, pondering, "Oh! Well, uh, that is what we're going to be discussing today. I didn't know your dad made you the Overlord here."
Angel raised an eyebrow, "Wait, wait, wait. So you're in charge of this stuff but you don't actually want people to use it?"
June Bug shook his head, "Oh nah, man! Sure, the green stuff is fine but I really, really don't like anyone using anything more than that." He nodded at Charlie, "Yes, my dad was the previous Overlord of this area but he... Died in one of the last exterminations we had. He wrote down beforehand that he wanted me to take over and it's been like this ever since." He waved his hand, gesturing towards the other imps and hellhound sleeping on the floor near them, "I've been trying to wean them off of this stuff. It's been... A slow process."
The spider demon frowned, "Ah... I see." He looked at Charlie, not knowing how to ask his question without it being too awkward.
The princess had a wide smile on her face, "But that's why you would be such a good fit at the hotel! It's so noble of you to want to try and get your people away from that stuff. You're a great candidate for redemption!"
June Bug scratched the back of his neck, "Uh, that's very kind of you to say, Princess. And I do appreciate it..." He felt a tug on his business suit and moved his head down.
The imp whispered in his boss's ear and June Bug nodded, mumbling, "Yeah yeah, I know, she wouldn't be happy if I just up and left."
Both Charlie and Angel raised an eyebrow and looked at each other before looking at the Overlord, "...She?"
The green haired boss nodded as he straightened, "Uh, yes, she..."
Soon enough, Vaggie stopped the car in a parking lot of sorts next to quite a few buildings. One of which advertising the new game Francis has been wanting. As soon as the woman stopped the car, the prince unbuckled his seatbelt.
Francis ran out of the car, "Haha, I'm going to bet you there, Maggie! You better keep up!"
The gray woman locked the car, turning to the kid's direction, "Hey, get back here, Francis!"
The goat boy laughed, "Haha! You won't be able to catch me! Maybe I'll even cut in line with my-" His laughter stopped as he knocked into a sinner in line. He was a big dude, almost built like a circle. His skin was red with two giant white horns on his head. He was wearing a gray wife beater and dark red jeans. He has no shoes, showing his strange taloned feet. He tilted his head at the prince, "What were you saying, little guy? Gonna cut the line, princey?"
Francis was on the ground with his hands up, "Woah, uh... Nothing, sir." The bigger sinner walked closer to Francis, who crawled backwards. The boy chuckled nervously, "Woah, woah! I swear, I didn't mean anything by it! I'm sorry!"
The sinner glared down at him, "Oh now you don't, you little-"
Vaggie walked in between Francis and the big sinner, "Woah, woah! Hey, what's going on here?"
The big man pointed at the goat boy, "Well, girlie, the prince here said he was gonna cut line. Didn't ya, princey?"
As Vaggie looked at him, Francis rubbed the back of his neck, "Okay yes I did say that. But then I said I was sorry, I swear!"
The one-eyed woman turned back to the sinner, raising an eyebrow at him, "Oh come on, you're gonna complain about a kid saying he's going to cut the line? What are you, six?"
He crossed his arms, "Of course I am! The little guy is a joke, pushing everyone else around!"
Vaggie still stood protectively in front of the prince, "Hey, listen, the kid said he was sorry. Just quit it alright?"
The sinner walked closer to her, trying to intimidate her, "No way, he thinks he can just walk around anywhere he wants because he's the 'prince' or whatever. He thinks he's better than everyone here just because his dad is Lucifer. When he's just a motherless little lump of flesh. The little guy should be put in his-"
Within a few seconds, Vaggie punched the man in the face and grabbed his shoulders. She spun around before slamming him onto the ground, "And now you're going to apologize to my little friend here before I send you back to your mom in a bodybag."
He offered a rushed reply, "I'm sorry!" Vaggie twisted his wrist and he continued, "No, really, I am sorry! Please! J-just let me go!"
The gray woman let him go and stood up, dusting her hands off on her skirt. She offered a hand to the young prince, "You alright, Francis?"
Francis's eyes sparkled as he took her hand, "Yeah! Woah! Maggie, that was awesome! Thank you!" He stood up with a jump.
She smiled rather shyly, rubbing the back of her neck, "You thought that was cool?"
He jumped up and down, "Hell yeah I did!"
Her eye suddenly jutted open, "...Okay maybe don't tell your sister I punched some guy in the face and you cursed. Now let's go get your game." She turned and the rest of the sinners in line separated, not wanting to experience what the big guy went through.
He cheered as he hopped over the big sinner, "Yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah!" He held Vaggie's hand as he dragged her into the store to show her the game.
June Bug scratched his cheek, "My, uh, friend, Velvette wouldn't really appreciate me leaving all this behind."
Both the princess and the spider demon's eyes widened in surprise with Charlie speaking, "Uh, I'm sorry by 'Velvette' you mean..."
The Overlord nodded, "Velvette of the Vees of course."
Angel narrowed his eyes, "And why would Velvette care?"
June Bug sighed, "Well, Velvette is an old friend of mine. And by old, I mean we knew each other when we were alive. She died before I did and when I passed, she found me. And she'd let me crash at her place if I couldn't stand my dad. She helps me take charge more around here and I even bake her stuff. So yes, she would NOT be happy if I gave up my position." His tail wagged as he thought to himself.
Angel folded his arms. Charlie rested her head in her chin, "...Well, is there any way we can convince you otherwise?"
The green Overlord scratched his chin, "Well... Hmmm, how about this? If you can somehow convince Velvette to go to the hotel then I'll go there too."
The princess smiled nervously, "Oh... Yeah..."
The spider demon stood up, "Welp, come on, Charlie. Clearly we can't get him to come alone. Let's go."
She frowned as her friend quickly walked out the door, "Hm? Angel..." She waved goodbye to June Bug, "I actually would not mind talking to you again!"
The green Overlord waved back at her, watching her as she left through the doors of his house. June Bug took off the gas mask once they left, revealing his sharp, light green eyes and white lines on his dark cheeks. He sighed as he rubbed his forehead in frustration. He smiled at the imp beside him, offering him a scone as he thought about his decision.
The pair were back in the car, driving to the hotel. The boy laughed, "Haha! We made a good haul! Thanks for taking me to the store, Maggie!" He looked at his older friend, "You know you can play some of these games too, Maggie! I share my games with CJ all the time and I don't mind sharing with you." He scratched his chest, remembering a certain object he keeps in his shirt pocket.
Vaggie laughed, "Eh, I don't know, kid. I don't play a lot of games, looks a little complicated. Guess you'll have to show me how to play sometime!" Upon hearing now response, she looked over the boy's shoulder, "...Hey, what's that?"
Francis's eyes widened as her voice stirred him out of his thoughts, "Oh uh... It's a picture of our mom, Charlie let me keep the copy." He scrambled to put the picture away in his shirt, "Sorry, I've been thinking about her a lot today."
The one-eyed woman shrugged her shoulders, "Hey, that's okay. I know Charlie thinks about her a lot too... You had to be... Like a baby when she left, right?"
The prince looked out the window sadly, "Yeah... Y-yeah. I was the equivalent of three when... Mom left." He felt the mauve fur on his skin start to stick up as he started to breath heavily. He looked at his hand, his vision was starting to blur. He whispered, just a little, "S-stop the car." He was clutching the front of his sailor shirt.
"What?"
"Stop the car!"
The sudden pained yell made Vaggie slam on the break and swerve to get off the road properly. She noticed his fist holding his shirt tightly, "Woah, Francis, are you okay?"
He shook his head, eyes wide as he tried to focus on the glove compartment. It was like he couldn't breath and was fighting for air. He couldn't even talk after the yell. After what seemed like forever, Francis exited the car, walking to sit on the trunk.
Vaggie's fingernails tightened against the steering wheel, "...Damn it." She then got out of the car, sitting next to the smaller goat boy. She didn't say anything, not wanting to make anything worse.
There was just the sound of Francis breathing, counting within his thoughts.
Finally, Francis was able to speak outloud, "It's not fair."
The gray woman put her hands on her lap, "...Go on, you can continue."
"I just... Why did she leave? It really sucks not knowing her like how Charlie knew her. Seeing everyone else hang out with their moms, even that jerk Brutus. It makes me feel... I don't know, jealous? Lost? Is that even the correct word? Like... How can I miss someone I barely knew?" He noticed the tears bubbling up from his eyes and he aggressively wiped at his face, trying to hide them from his friend, "...You know, sometimes when I think about my mom... Sometimes I can only think of Charlie. Like when I try to think of her face, only Charlie's pops up, is that weird?"
"Noooo... Well, okay, maybe a little." Vaggie pulled him into a one armed hug, resting his head on her shoulder, "I... Shit, sorry, Charlie's way better at comforting than I am. I, uh, also don't remember my parents so it's even harder to me to help... But don't, uh, keep it all in. It's okay to cry, kid..."
The prince giggles through his tears as his head remains on her shoulder, "Hehehe... You're right... You're not really good at this." Suddenly, his voice didn't sound like his own, "Charlie is way better, hehehe..." His eyes widened as he realized his voice sounded exactly like his sister's.
Vaggie's eye widened as she heard his voice sound just like her girlfriend's, "Woah, uh, is this a 'child of the devil' power? Because now you sound just like your sister. Which is kinda weird."
Francis hits his chest, morphing his voice back into his own, "Oh wow, wow, that IS weird." He coughs and looks down at his hands, "Huh... I guess I did discover a new power!" The prince wiped his face on his shirt before smiling at his friend, "...Thanks, Maggie!"
Vaggie patted him on the shoulder, "Uh, you're welcome, kid." She then gave him an awkward smile, "You feeling better? Is there anything I can do to make up for THAT conversation?" She did take mental note to tell Charlie about this incident later but for now.
The boy smiled devilishly, "I think I know something you can buy me."
Charlie sighed at the two got out of the car, "Oh man, what am I going to tell Vaggie when she gets back?"
Angel shrugged with all of his arms, "Well you tried, Charlie. Overlords can be hard to convince after all. Besides, I'm sure she'll understand that you couldn't convince him. She's not THAT much of a jerk."
Just then a red car pulled up near the duo and parked in front of the hotel. Francis smiled as the window rolled down, "Charlie! Look, look, Maggie let me get a Creature!" His hands were slightly shaking as he held up the blue can for his sister to see.
Charlie put her hands on her hips, "Vaggie!"
Vaggie chuckled nervously, "Okay, I know it sounds bad. But uh..."
The prince jumped back into their conversation, "Aw, don't get all mad at Vaggie, sis! You always did say I had a silver tongue."
The princess rubbed her eyebrow line, now focusing on the boy, "Francis! Ooooh boy, go on, just try not to make a mess." She opened the door for him before he tackled Angel to the ground in a hug. He quickly sprinted away into the hotel.
Vaggie raised an eyebrow before Charlie continued, "Just... Just give him a second, he'll pass out. Eventually."
The next thing Francis knew, he was being carried to the couch in the lobby of the hotel. He could faintly hear Angel from behind the chair, "He's finally done? He was running around the whole place for like, 2 whole hours!" The spider demon sat back in the chair after making sure the kid seemed more tired than energized.
Francis rubbed his eyes as he noticed Vaggie was carrying him, "What... What happened?"
The white haired woman chuckled, "You drank the whole can in seemingly one go and then you sprinted throughout the whole hotel for hours. You even dug your hooves in the yard, your footprints are everywhere."
"Oh... Haha, whoopsies." He looks up at Vaggie before pulling her in for a hug, "Um... Thanks for today, Maggie. And um... I actually think you're the best person for my sister right now. Thank you so much for looking out for her all this time."
Vaggie's eyes started to tear up before laying him down on the red couch, "...I, um, thanks, kid..." She sat next to him after setting him down, ignoring Angel's snickering.
Charlie walked into the room, "Oh, you found him!"
Francis smiled upon seeing his sister, "Charlie! Oh my gosh, Charlie, something really cool happened while I was with Maggie! I discovered a new power!"
His sister tilted her head, "Really? You did? Well what is it?"
The boy coughed, "Hold on, just give me a second..." Suddenly, his voice sounded like Charlie's, "Tada! There we go! My voice sounds like your's!"
The princess's eyes sparkled, "Oh! That's adorable, Francis!"
He coughed again, now sounding like Vaggie, "And that's not all, I can sound like Maggie." Suddenly he had a distinct accent, "Angel!" His voice turned as deep as a certain cat demon's, "Husk too!"
The pink spider demon squinted his eyes, "I did not expect to hear my voice to come out of your mouth today... Nor did I give you permission to use it."
The prince rubbed the back of his neck, his voice returning to normal, "Hehehe... Sorry about that. Oh! By the way, do you have a new resident? Is June Bug here?"
Charlie sighed as rubbed the back of her neck, "Yeah well, that's not as good as your news... It kinda didn't work out, so no new resident today."
"Well that's okay, it's a process! Maybe he'll change his mind eventually!" Francis looked down before pulling his sister into a hug, "...Thanks, Charlie, you're the best big sister I could ever have... I love you."
Charlie squeaked, "Awww, Francis!" She hugged her little brother back tightly.
A chorus of mocking 'Aww's came from the rest of the lobby, even some snickering from the crowd. Which caused Francis to widen his eyes and glare. He waved his arms after letting his sister go, "Aw shush it you bunch of- Gah! Just shush!" Charlie giggled at her little brother as he pouted.
She gestured him outside, "Come on, let's get you back to dad's house."
The two climbed in the back of the limousine together, both quickly putting on their seatbelts. Within the first few seconds of the ride, Francis fell asleep with his head relaxing against the cushion. His sister tucked a piece of his hair back in place and smiled at him. Charlie then looked out the window, her head relaxing against the glass she saw the old familiar house show up on the horizon...