Seviathan groggily responded to a knocking on his door. He opened it to find the tip of an angelic spear uncomfortably close.
Vaggie stepped back, looking briefly apologetic. She had been knocking on the door with her spear, and didn't intend for it to be aimed at the skull of Charlie's ex. Yet.
Vaggie quickly adopted a stern expression while keeping her spear pointed upward. "Seviathan? We need to talk."
"About?" Seviathan asked, putting on a fast swath of charm that worked too damn well with his disheveled just-out-of-bed appearance.
Vaggie had zero interest, but it annoyed her how easily she could imagine Charlie once did. "About Charlie. She's happy now, and doesn't need you coming back and fucking with her."
Seviathan chuckled. "You're the one doing the fucking, I'm guessing. You and the angel. Well, other angel, if all the Velvette merchandise is to be believed."
Vaggie growled. Wrong thing to bring up unless he was trying to piss her off. "La madre que te parió."
Seviathan's charm fell for a moment. "Do we have to do this so early? Are angels naturally morning people?"
"Charlie's a morning person." Vaggie could not help but smile.
"Don't I know it." Seviathan agreed. "Congratulations. You're already more compatible than we were. Going back to bed now." He turned around and started back towards his bed.
"No," Vaggie insisted, following him in. "We need to talk. You need to tell me your intentions here."
Seviathan turned, once again wearing that charming smile and oozing dark charisma. Vaggie shuddered at how easily he changed gears, switching masks in a way second only to Angel Dust. She began to wonder if they'd even seen a hint of the real him yet.
"So, you're the overprotective girlfriend," Seviathan said. "Protecting Charlotte because you cannot bear her coming to harm. Facing off alone against an unknown threat because it's better than letting it near your sweet, precious beloved. The warrior facing the dragon to save the princess."
He leaned close, only to get a spear pointed at his chest. "Admirable. But Charlie doesn't really need that. She's strong on her own."
Seviathan backed away. "And as much as I like being a dragon, I'm not here to be a threat to anyone." He picked up his top hat, donning it. "I'll be a perfect gentleman."
Vaggie stared at him and slowly lowered her spear. "You're right." She smiled. "I'm protective of Charlie because I love her. Not because she needs me to. She's stronger than you can imagine."
Seviathan looked her over. Then lifted his hand. "I solemnly swear I have no intention to try to win Charlie back. Or come between you. Or any such cliche. Charlie and I are over. Have been for a long time. I'm not here to start drama."
Vaggie knew she was echoing Charlie when she asked, "So why are you here?"
"Curiosity," he answered. "Charlie always had such dreams. Back when I knew her, they were flights of fancy. She knew what she wanted, but had no plan how to achieve it. This..." He held his hands up and out, indicating the Hazbin Hotel. "This is what those dreams became. I wanted to see it for myself."
Vaggie weighed that. It sounded reasonable. The success of the hotel was just broadcast throughout Hell. She had just been expecting something worse. She had been expecting him to be more atrocious. She could not help but ask, "Do you... believe in Charlie's dreams?"
Seviathan chuckled. "Not even slightly. But I've always believed in Charlie."
Day One - Hazbin Hotel bar, morning:
The coffee had already been brewed when guests started making their way to the bar and parlor. Yesterday had been eventful, and no one had gone to bed until nearly midnight.
Cherri Bomb saddled up at the bar next to Angel Dust. She looked over at her friend as she gave Husk her wake-up order. "What's got ya in a mood, Angie?"
Angel Dust looked up from his brooding. "I know I joked about it, but... it's sinking in that I don't have a job anymore. Even leash-free, there's no guarantee I'm gettin' to Heaven anytime soon. And I don't want to just freeload on Charlie forever."
Cherri Bomb rolled her eye. "It's been two fuckin' days, mate! You just got free of the worst fuckin' job ever. Val was killin' ya slowly. You deserve a fuckin' month off before you worry about that shit. Hell, you deserve a few years. So at least take a week . I guarantee you, Charlie don't mind."
Charlie called over from the parlor, "She's right. I don't mind."
Emily turned around on the couch. "What do you want to do?"
Angel Dust answered, "Sex."
"Oh." The tone wasn't judgmental. It was clear to Angel Dust that Emily wanted to give advice but just didn't have any advice for that line of work.
"Hey, it's what I'm good at," Angel Dust told the angel. "And I enjoy it. But Val's got tentacles in every part of the sex industry in Pentagram City, so that's out. And even if it wasn't, he's poisoned me with a fuckload of... let's call it, bad associations."
Crymini's ears perked. "Who's got tentacles?"
Angel Dust chuckled. "Not literal ones."
"I do," Seviathan said with a wicked look.
Angel Dust stared back at him with interest.
Cherri Bomb blinked. "Wait, really?"
Crymini's ears went up. Then back as she smirked. "Changed my mind. You don't suck. Completely."
Husk rolled his eyes at all of them.
"Don't give me that look," Crymini told him. "What girl doesn't like some good tentacles?"
Seviathan answered, "Charlie."
Caught between a blush and a growl, Charlie glared at him. "Could you not?"
Seviathan held up his hands. "Sorry, babe. It just came out."
Vaggie leaned close and whispered to Charlie, "Demonic aspect?*
Charlie whispered back flatly, "Demonic aspect."
Shutting the front door behind him, Alastor walked into the hotel. "If a few tentacles were all it took to gain the favor of our dear Princess, everything would have been so much easier."
Charlie stared at him, speechless.
Vaggie scowled and Emily frowned.
Husk looked surprised.
The moment he saw Alastor, Leonard was on his feet. "What the fuck!?"
Alastor smiled, his voice flush with static distortion. "Lenny, long time no see."
Leonard spun on Charlie. "What kinda trap is this!?"
Charlie stammered, "W-what?"
Vaggie immediately regretted having not yet mentioned what Emily said. "No trap!" She stood up and moved towards him. "Leonard, this isn't what it looks like."
"Alastor," Charlie asks, "What's he talking about?"
"I have nothing to do with this man, I assure you, Charlie." Alastor turns his grin on Husk. "Isn't that right, Husker?"
"Husker? Fuck!" Leonard spun back around on Husk. "I knew you were familiar! That's it. I'm outta here!"
Stunned, Charlie reached out towards the new guest she was losing, "W-wait!"
Leonard plowed hastily towards the door, knocking Vaggie over. Emily caught her.
"Leonard..." Husk stopped himself before saying anything that might constitute a command.
Leonard slammed the front door behind him as he left the hotel.
Alastor winced playfully. "Oh dear. Looks like the fish wiggled off the hook. Better luck next time, Charlie."
Charlie shot him a scowl. The scowl melted as she saw Alastor grip the back of a chair for support, accompanied by a pop of static.
"Now if you all don't mind, I have things to attend to," Alastor claimed before he shadowed away.
Charlie looked between where Alastor was, Husk and the door. "Um, Husk?"
"I'll go after him."
Charlie nodded at Husk, then double-checked. "Which him?"
Husk looked at her, confused.
Charlie asked cautiously, "Did Alastor seem... himself?"
Husk frowned. "No." His eyes shifted. "Something definitely felt off. ...Look, I'm the wrong person to check on him. But this Leonard thing is on me, and I might be able to get him to come back."
Charlie looked relieved. "Can you catch up to him?"
Husk spread his wings. "Yes."
Day One - Doomsday District, morning:
Leonard had stopped in an alleyway. He heard the soft clang as Husk landed on the rusted fragment of a fire escape above him.
"Lenny. Hold up," Husk called down to him. "That's a request, not a command."
Leonard glared up at him. "That's rich. You lost that power when you fuckin' gave my soul to that psychopath." The shark man huffs, "Hell, it was so long ago I'd forgotten your face."
Husk frowns. "For the record, I didn't give your Contract to Alastor. I lost it in a bet."
Leonard spread his arms. "THAT'S FUCKING WORSE!"
Husk looked aside. "I know." He looks back. "But guess what." Husk summoned Leonard's Contract.
Leonard stared. "Wait. You have it back again? I'm not his anymore?"
Husk nods. "Yeah. I won't lie: for the moment, it's temporary. He expects it back somewhere down the road. I'm workin' to see that doesn't happen."
"Fuck! How about you release me, then?"
Husk shook his head. "Can't do that, Lenny. Would if I could. But this game's a little more complicated than that."
Leonard growled. "My fuckin' soul shouldn't be a chit you play games with!"
Husk drew back a little. "I get that. And you've got every right to hate me for it. But that hotel? It's not a trap. It's a way out. Or at least a way to make your life here a whole lot better."
Leonard stared at him in disbelief*
"Yes, the Radio Demon's there," Husk continued. "But he has no control over you anymore. And since Alastor's hoping to get your Contract back, he's not a threat to you. So long as you don't go out of your way to piss him off, you'd be one of the safest people in that place."
Husk promised, "As for me, I may hold your leash, but I'm not gonna yank it. You don't have to worry about me making you do anything."
"I took a Deal with Overlord Husker because I trusted you!" Leonard reminded him. "And Satan, was I a chump. Now you want me to trust you again?"
Husk spread his arms. "You want to be pissed at me, fine! I deserve it. But I fulfilled my end of that Deal. You made good. And all the time I had your Contract, I only demanded your service once . Trust me or don't, your choice."
"But if you really want what the Hazbin Hotel is offering," Husk told him, "Then it would be a shame to lose your chance because I fucked up decades ago."
Husk climbed up onto a railing he could launch from and spread his wings.
"I'm not going to tell you what to do, Lenny. Like I said, you'll get no orders from me. This one, you've got to decide for yourself."
Husk leapt, catching the air with his wings, and flew back towards the Hazbin Hotel.
Day One - Alastor's room, morning:
The lights of the hallway dimmed, the shadows seeped, and the world beyond the door to Alastor's room began to dissolve in static.
Charlie raised her hand to knock. She dared to do so, despite no longer being able to see the door itself.
Reality reasserted itself with a snap.
From inside, Charlie heard Alastor's voice. "Come in."
Charlie hesitated, swallowing. Then opened the door and stepped in.
Alastor stood up straight, having been bent over a dresser, staring at himself in a mirror.
Charlie stared in fascination and horror at the bayou that the room extended impossibly into.
Alastor straightened his lapels. "Charlie. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Charlie weighed the value of privacy vs leaving an open egress, then shut the door.
"Alastor, is something wrong?"
Alastor turned to her, smiling as enigmatically as always. "Come looking for signs of weakness, did you?"
Charlie gave an exasperated growl. "No! I'm checking to see if you are alright."
Alastor's eyes narrowed with a slight radio whine.
Charlie paused, considering how he could take that. "Which, I suppose, if you view it in the most cynical manner possible, would be that. Yes. But I'm asking out of concern for you, not some power game."
Alastor's smile softened, his tone becoming the sort of genial Charlie would want to accept at face value. "Well, I appreciate your concern, but I am quite fine."
Charlie did not believe that for a second. "Can I help?"
"I said...!" Alastor began to roar, his eyes lighting up, horns growing.
The Radio Demon stopped abruptly, his demeanor returning to normal so quickly that Charlie had to remind herself that she hadn't imagined what had just happened. "Perhaps you are right, Charlie. But, for now, this is something I want to handle on my own. All I ask... as a friend ... is your discretion."
Charlie's expression shifted completely to concern. "O-okay. But, if you do need help... just ask."
Alastor's smile shifted to something closer to a grimace. "No 'voodoo strings attached'?"
"Nor tricks," Charlie promised.
That seemed to be the end of it. Charlie turned back to the door.
"That's my game," said Alastor from behind her.
Charlie froze. "What?"
Alastor toyed with her hair. "Do something nice. Get your prey to trust you a little. Let their guard down."
Charlie turned, appalled. "That's not what I was..."
Alastor stared, his grin entirely fake. "Wasn't it?" He paused, seeming to drink in her expression. "Maybe it wasn't. For a moment, I was proud of you."
Charlie gave a pained gasp. "... Well, fuck you!" She immediately drew back, regretting that. "I'm sorry. You... you're lashing out. I get that."
Alastor's eyes narrowed. "Yes. I'm not... quite myself. You should go. I'd hate to say something hurtful."
"Y-yes. Maybe I should." Charlie turned to go a second time.
"Since I have your discretion," Alastor said, surprising her. "I was able to keep Valentino distracted like I said I would. And I won, but not without taking a hit. Poisoned bullet from that gun of his, Moneyshot."
Charlie gasped.
"Now don't you worry. Bullet's out. And that lout's favorite brand of poison is far less effective on me than someone more... emotional," Alastor promised. "I just have to ride it out. Couple days, I'll be right as rain."
Charlie found that entirely ominous. "What's right about rain?"
Alastor chuckled. "You hellborn have the most peculiar gaps of reference."
Day One - Hazbin Hotel, morning:
Angel Dust got up and headed back towards his room.
Seviathan was sitting in the parlor, watching Vaggie and Emily.
Crymini waited until Husk had left, then slid over the bar and started looking through the bottles.
"So, what poison ya lookin' for, Cryms?" Cherri Bomb asked.
"Something strong enough to take the edge off the lack of PCP," Crymini answered. "But... not too strong."
"Not so strong it fucks up your perception, being in a new place?"
Crymini looked at her for a moment, almost hiding her surprise.
Cherri Bomb gave her an understanding smirk. "I've lived in the Doomsday District too."
Crymini's eyes narrowed. "Good for you." She went back to searching Husk's liquor supply.
Vaggie caught Seviathan staring. "What?"
Seviathan observed, "Two angels in Pride and they're both with Charlie."
"Yeah, well..." Vaggie stopped, unsure what exactly to think of that statement. Or Seviathan, for that matter.
Emily put a little more space between herself and Seviathan, not wanting to engage with him on any level. She turned to look instead at Crymini, raising a hand. "Um..."
"Drinks are free, E," Cherri Bomb reminded her. "Ain't stealin'."
"...Okay." Emily paused. "How'd you know?"
"You're an angel."
Crymini wore a sour expression. "Fuck. Thanks for sucking the fun out of it."
Seviathan continued to muse aloud. "An Exorcist and a seraphim, no less."
Vaggie shot him a look. "EX -Exorcist."
Seviathan held up a hand. "Right. Sorry. The news reports were vague on that. I expect deliberately so. I...oh! Hello."
"You're creepy! I like you!" Niffty announced, suddenly standing on his lap.
Vaggie groaned internally. "Niffty..."
Cherri Bomb laughed. " Pfft. Perfect. Fastest rebound in Pride."
Niffty turned to Vaggie expectantly.
Vaggie gave her reason to object a second thought. Then smiled at Niffty. "Cherri's right. Go for it."
Day One - Undisclosed Location, Sloth, morning:
Lucifer held a wing outstretched over Sera while she slept. A slight touch, just so she didn't feel abandoned when consciousness returned.
While asleep, she looked so much like she did a week ago. The feathers of her wings were black now, fading to charcoal gray at the tips. Her halo was gone, replaced by a jagged black crown. But otherwise, she looked just like the Sera he has always known.
It was only when she opened her eyes that her fallen nature was starkly visible.
Sera stirred from her slumber to find Lucifer sitting next to the bed she was laying in. The room was suffused with a pink glow from the window.
Sera looked about slowly, saying nothing for a long time. Then, finally, she whispered, "I'm still here."
Lucifer nodded. "I'm sorry."
Sera opened all of her eyes. "There are monsters outside."
Lucifer frowned slightly. "There are people who would like to see you. But they can wait."
"I don't want to see anyone," Sera said.
"How about Emily?"
Sera frowned. "Least of all Emily."
Lucifer cringed a little. "I'll let her know you aren't ready yet."
Sera's voice grew hard. "You think I'll ever be ready?! To let my little sister see what I've become? To see me here?!"
Sera turned away. "I don't want anyone. I don't want Emily. I don't want you. I just want to close my eyes and forget."
Her eyes scanned over the room's sparse furnishings. "Where are they?"
Lucifer did not find it hard to guess what the fallen seraphim was asking about. "I take it you mean Belphegor's sleeping pills? Those were to help you get some rest. Not to check out of... reality."
"Why not?" Sera asked seriously, "Everything I've ever done, everything I've ever been, was to protect Heaven. And now... I can't even see it!"
"They cast me down. I'm trapped here. Forever." Sera reached towards the window from her bed, summoning light to close the curtains... but drew back in shock at how un holy her own light felt. "They've made me everything I..."
Sera fell silent. She lowered her hand.
Lucifer listened quietly, spreading his wings to wrap around her.
"I can't be here," Sera whispered.
Compassionately but firmly, Lucifer told her, "But you are here."
Day One - Hazbin Hotel, late morning:
Vaggie met Charlie as she was coming down the stairs. She looked shaken by her visit to Alastor.
"You doing okay, hon?" Vaggie asked. But Charlie could tell what she really wanted to ask was: He didn't do anything, did he?
"Yes. I just..." Charlie's voice trailed off. She changed the topic to the morning's other pressing matter. "Has Husk come back? Is Leonard with him?"
Vaggie told her, "Got back a few minutes ago. And no. I asked him about it, and Husk gave one of his really informative shrugs." She sighed. "I should have told you last night. I'm sorry."
"Told me what?" Charlie asked.
"Husk owns Leonard's soul. It's one of the Deals he reclaimed from Alastor two days ago."
Charlie frowned, hand going to her forehead. "That... makes sense. I was wondering why Husk felt responsible."
She suddenly suspected the loss of Contracts may have affected Alastor too, but she really couldn't tell Vaggie that. Because discretion.
Instead, she smiled to Vaggie. "Don't worry about not telling me. My head was pretty preoccupied with Seviathan last night."
Vaggie looked instantly relieved. "So now what? We wait to see if Leonard shows?"
Charlie considered that. "Give him an hour or two. After that? We still have a new guest. We should do getting-to-know-each-other games with Crymini after lunch." With a heavy sigh, she realized, "Which means putting off traveling to Sloth to check on Razzle until this evening. I need to make sure Emily will be okay with that."
"I can do that, hon," Vaggie volunteered. "You've got a lot on your mind. Why don't you take some time for yourself?"
Charlie felt her own relief. "Thanks, Vaggie."
Charlie and Vaggie descended the stairs towards the parlor and bar.
"So, what's with Alastor?" Vaggie asked.
Charlie's eyes shifted as she looked for the right words to maintain her promise of discretion. "He's... under the weather. Probably won't see much of him for the next couple days."
Vaggie smiled. "See? Day's looking brighter already."
Charlie found herself smiling just a little and feeling bad about it. "Vaaaaagggieee! Look, I know he's..."
"Terrible?"
Charlie rolled her head. "I wouldn't say terrible."
Cherri Bomb interjected, "Ya know he treats your girlfriends like shit every time your back is turned?"
Charlie stopped. "What?"
Emily looked over, and fluttered towards Charlie and Vaggie.
"She's exaggerating," Vaggie assured her.
Emily was clearly giving that some thought. "The morning Sera fell, he said some very mean things. But he wasn't entirely wrong."
Cherri Bomb frowned. "Okay, I haven't seen him mistreat Emily, exactly. But Vaggie on the other hand?"
"Okay, yes," Vaggie said under Cherri Bomb's glower and Charlie's stare. She tried to play it off. "Let's just say I'm looking forward to a few days where I won't be eating carpet." The woman immediately winced and made a quick correction. "Except by choice."
Charlie asked, "What do you mean?"
Vaggie sighed. "I may have tasted Fred."
Emily blinked. "Who?"
Vaggie plowed on. "But it hasn't happened since then."
"He did it yesterday," Cherri Bomb reminded her before focusing on Charlie with a scowl. "He shoves her. Sometimes hard enough to make her fall. I've seen him slap her ass too."
Charlie growled, horns growing.
Vaggie was quick to insist, "That was just once." She rethought. "Twice, but the first time was part of a musical number. And it's not sexual. He just does it to piss me off."
Charlie looked appalled and upset. "And you never told me?"
Emily's halo was growing brighter. "And you just take that?"
Vaggie spun to face her girlfriends. "Stop. Both of you." She held out her arms. "I didn't tell you because I'm the protector here. And I can handle it. He's just being a bully."
Charlie shook her head. "Vaggie! You don't have to..."
Vaggie cut her off. "I. Can. Handle. It."
Emily abruptly hugged Vaggie.
Vaggie melted a little. "Okay... okay..."
Charlie hugged Vaggie even harder.
"Ooof." Vaggie smiled. "And there we go. This is why I can handle it."
Cherri Bomb retorted, "Still, girl, ya should stand up for yourself!"
From the center of the hug, Vaggie pointed out, "He's the Radio Demon. I'm an angel with an angelic spear. Any confrontation would be posing. Or permanent."
"Fiiiiine." Charlie stepped back, holding Vaggie by the shoulders. "Vaggie, you don't have to always be the protector." She gave her partner a reluctant sigh. "But I understand. I'll let you fight your own battle..." Her eyes glowed fiercely. "But if he does anything like that in front of me, then it's my battle."
Emily chimed in, "And I'm letting him know that if I am looking, then Charlie is looking. And I have a whole lot of eyes."
Day One - Hazbin Hotel hallway, late morning:
Alastor stepped out of his room and turned towards his radio tower. But he didn't move towards it. Instead, he stood in the hallway, feeling oddly indecisive.
Three new guests in the hotel. The potential for a lot of new entertainment. If he spent the rest of the morning in his tower, he was likely to miss something fun.
Worse, part of him simply didn't want to do the broadcast he had planned. He felt off . Perhaps the poison was taking more of a toll than he had thought. Or maybe the feeling was a side effect of having banked roughly a hundred Contracts with Husk. Or was it something external?
There was the whole matter of Victor. The chain Alastor once had on him dissolved the moment the favor was completed. He had not been able to dismiss him. Not that it should matter. Victor was now free to pursue whatever obsession his mind locked onto. No, that wasn't the source of this unease.
Until he could put a name to it, he had best keep more to himself. The last thing he wanted was to give a suboptimal performance.
Can't have the fans thinking I've lost my touch.
Bringing out his microphone, he turned with the intention of going to the parlor instead. Only to find Emily approaching him. Looking a bit peeved. Oh my.
Emily stopped before him. "You physically bully... people here sometimes. You should stop that now."
Alastor simply smiled as he always did. "My my, first Charlie and now our little angel."
Emily's face sported a briefly confused expression.
Alastor elaborated with a sweep of his microphone, "If I didn't know better, I'd think I wasn't wanted here."
"You... don't sound right." Emily opened all her eyes. "You don't look right either."
Alastor's smile twitched. "Nothing to worry your pretty haloed head about. Now... you were delivering a threat, I believe?"
Emily closed all but her primary eyes. "More of a warning, really. I don't want to threaten you. I just want you to know that I've promised Charlie that I'll tell her if I see you do something mean. And I think others will too now. So..." She trailed off.
Alastor pressed "So?" He smiled broadly. "Not that I'd do such a thing intentionally, of course. So sorry if I've offended. Just want to make sure the threat is clear."
Emily told him, "Charlie is wonderful. She likes you. She'd never do anything to hurt you. But she wouldn't let you stay here if you were hurting the people in her hotel. You know that. We all know that."
Alastor laughed lightly, "As threats go..."
"What everybody doesn't know is that you have to be here."
Alastor went rigid, the air filling with menacing crackles and a high-pitched whine.
Emily continued, "And if you get kicked out... well, I don't know what will happen, exactly. But I'm betting your secret won't just be between the four of us anymore."
Alastor knew the four she meant: himself, herself, Husk and whoever he had made a Deal with. And the little angel was not wrong. He could not afford to be banned from Charlie's hotel.
Emily smiled brightly. "So, I'm not threatening. I'm helping you protect yourself. From yourself."
Day One - Streets of Pentagram City, noon:
Leonard grumbled to himself as he walked up the sidewalk, approaching the gate of Hazbin Hotel.
"I can't believe I'm doing this."
The shark turned around. "Nope. I'm not doing this. What kind of chump walks into the open teeth of the monsters?"
After a few steps, he stopped and turned back around. "Okay, I'm not doing this. I'm just... walkin' by. And if the gate happens to be open, well..."
Leonard reached the gate to the Hazbin Hotel and gave it a push.
The gate did not swing.
"The fuck?" Leonard pushed again, getting a rattle, but the gate was resolutely locked.
"Well, fuck this." The huge shark gave the gate a hard kick. "I guess the Princess of Hell's hotel is members only now?"
Leonard looked up at the Hazbin Hotel and Heaven above. "Who needs ya?"
At the height of noon, Leonard was looking directly at Heaven. He was the only one in Pentagram City who was doing so. As such, he was the only one who saw the streak of light, barely visible, that arced downward.
Next to him, there was a clank as the gate to Hazbin Hotel opened.
Day One - Cherri Bomb's room, noon:
The door to Cherri Bomb's room unlocked with a satisfying click. The door opened.
Crymini slipped in, closing the door behind her and relocking it. She started poking around. "Whoa."
She looked over the wall posters. Most of them were for bands, some of which she had heard of. "Okay, taste in music doesn't suck."
The ones that had images of the band members were demonic, save for one where they were markedly human. Posters of bands in the Living World? That could not have been easy to come by.
Crymini picked up one of the grenades that lined the top of the dresser, looking at it before pocketing it. She started looking through Cherri Bomb's makeup. "Asphalt, gunpowder..." She held up a bottle of nail polish. "Acid rain? Gotta try that."
The puppy demon's ears perked as the door lock clicked. She dove for cover under the bed, shoving through the clutter, and watched the door swing open.
The one-eyed creature who entered was not Cherri Bomb.
Crymini found herself staring Charlie's cat in the eye.
Keekee stared back curiously.
"Fuck," Crymini huffed. "Thought you were her."
Keekee slipped under the bed, blinking.
"No, you didn't scare me, stupid cat," Crymini insisted. "I'm checking for vibrators. The good ones are always under the bed." She felt around, paw closing on something appropriately shaped. "See?"
Crymini huffed and decided to end this indignity. She shuffled. And couldn't budge. "Fuck."
She tried again with a shuffle-shimmy, but to no avail.
"I'm stuck."
Keekee curiously reached out, booping Crymini.
Crymini glowered.
Day One - Just outside Cannibal Town, early afternoon:
Fury. Betrayal. Pain.
Her screams of rage and despair brought them, drawing the cannibal children like a plague of locusts. Hungry. Seeking to devour. But they were insects. Their teeth could not bite her. As if they were an offering from the Divine.
She took out her wrath on them in a storm of violence. Her foot smashed through that one's chest. This one's head was in her hand, her fingers sinking into the abyss that should be its eyes. She felt its skull shatter, its head collapsing between her furor and the alley wall.
Flashes of silver. Slashes of agony. Where did the little vermin gain razors and knives of angelic steel? The Divine laughed at her as It gave the locusts bite after all.
"Enough."
The voice cut into the madness. The biting stopped. The insects pulled back. Save for the one still in her hand. The air was filled with the buzzing of gnats.
"Go home."
She began to laugh. What an absurd suggestion. She was not this voice's to command.
The sound of scampering little feet. Fleeing. The buzzing was maddening.
"And who might you be?" The voice was calm and sleek as broken glass. "I would ask what but the blood makes it obvious."
She turned to face the voice, but her head exploded. Maces pounding against her skull shattered her vision.
"The headaches can be nasty."
She stumbled, losing her grip on the corpse. Wiping at her eyes, trying to solidify the blur before her. Dizziness hit, her insides twisting. She vomited, her last meal from Heaven spilling onto the back alley stones.
"And that would be the nausea."
The inferno without was nothing compared to the one within. She bellowed, infuriated at her body's rebellion. It took too much. Far too much. The weakness that hit her drove her to her knees. Her hand hit the stones and she retched again.
"The fever isn't pleasant either."
Through ringing ears, she heard running footsteps again. Not the children. These were heavy.
"You. Good sir. Some help here?"
Day One - Cherri Bomb's room, early afternoon:
Crymini struggled. How could it be so hard to get out from beneath a bed it was so easy to get under? She was small and thin. This shouldn't be hard.
Her ears perked at the sound of the lock. She went still, biting back the urge to yip.
The one-eyed creature that entered was not Cherri Bomb.
Keekee jumped off the bed and raced out the door as Niffty entered and began to clean.
For Niffty, Cherri Bomb's room was a quick clean: check for bugs, check for spiderwebs, dust any surface not cluttered with stuff (which was none of them, so no dusting), throw out empty bottles and garbage. Swap used towels for fresh ones. Clean the toilet. Put a new roll on the toilet paper spindle and give the last sheet a pretty fold. Make the bed. Clean the sheets if it was Thursday or Monday.
It was not Thursday or Monday.
She didn't touch the sink or the bathtub because Cherri Bomb stored chemicals in them. She didn't clean the floors because she's not supposed to move Cherri Bomb's things around. Some of them were volatile.
Niffty peeked under the bed. "You're not a bug." Too big for a mouse even.
Crymini rolled her eyes. "I'm stuck. I..." Asking for help was not exactly in her nature. "...guess I live here now."
"Okay," Niffty said. Then finished her cleaning and left.
Crymini growled.
Day One - Hazbin Hotel, early afternoon:
Charlie's huge grin had shrunk bit-by-bit as the minutes passed by. Her pile of introduction games sat unused on the little table, threatening to collect dust.
No Leonard. No Crymini.
Last night, she had two new guests and everything was wonderful. (Well, mostly wonderful, but she chose to look on the bright side.) And she'd managed to lose both of them.
Charlie finally dared ask, "Do you think she left?"
Emily replied, "Without saying anything?"
"I'm still here," Seviathan offered.
Vaggie shot him a glare. "Not helping."
Niffty perked up. "Oh, the puppy girl? She's here. She's living under Cherry Bomb's bed now."
Niffty found herself on the receiving end of stares and raised eyebrows.
Cherri Bomb's eye narrowed. "Say what?"
"She says she's stuck."
Cherri Bomb shook her head, chuckling. "Why that little miscreant!" She smiled to Charlie. "I'll take care of this."
Cherri Bomb headed toward her room, passing Angel Dust on the way. Angel was carrying a package.
"Hey, Vaggie?" Angel Dust called out. "You girls still going to Sloth later, right?"
Vaggie answered, "Yes. Why?"
"I was joking last time, but this time I'm really asking," Angel Dust told her. "It would mean a lot to me."
"What would?"
Angel Dust held up the package in his hands. "Could you get Emily to portal you over to the Lust Ring..." He talked faster at Vaggie's scowl. "...just long enough to drop this into a local post?"
He handed her the package.
Vaggie's remaining eye widened at the address. "You're trying to write to Asmodeus?"
"Yeah. Look, it's a long shot. I don't think he does any business in the Pride Ring. But it's still my best shot of getting work in what I'm good at without any connection to Valentino." Angel Dust rubbed the back of his neck. "At least, he might be able to give me some advice. If he takes my mail at all."
Vaggie's scowl softened. "And the package? Little big for a resume."
"I included some of my best videos. In case he hasn't heard of me."
Vaggie sighed. "I really don't want to expose Charlie or Emily to the Lust Ring. But... I'll see what I can do."
Angel Dust smiled gratefully. "Thanks."
"You deserve the chance," Vaggie told him.
There was a pounding on the front door.
Charlie dashed to open it. Vaggie spun and ran right behind her, spear ready.
Emily swooped up above them, practically glowing with a greeting smile.
Charlie opened the door to find Leonard, panting, naked from the waist up, his shirt wrapped under one arm. "Welcome to... Leonard! Welcome back!"
Leonard frowned. "You sure about that?"
Charlie was taken aback. "Of course. We're open to anyone looking for redemption."
"Or just self improvement," Husk called out from the bar.
Charlie took his hand, pulling him inside despite his size. "I'm so, so, so happy you came back!"
Emily swooped down. "Welcome back, Leonard!" After a sympathetic pause, she asked, "What happened to your shirt?"
Leonard's eyes shifted. "Got dirty. Had to use it to climb the fence." He pulled from Charlie's grasp and walked back towards the parlor. "Your front gate is locked. You got a laundry?"
"I got it!" Niffty called out. She grabbed Leonard's shirt and zipped away with it before he could react.
Leonard called out after her, "HEY!"
"Don't worry," Emily assured him. "She'll make it good as new." The angel waved dismissively. "Happens to me all the time."
Charlie had stopped, eyes wide. She looked back out the front door. "What? The front gate should not be locked."
"Well, that's three times now," Leonard told her. "Not exactly welcoming."
Angel Dust cocked his head. " Pffft. Wow. That's a new one. Can't blame her though, considering what those loan sharks did to the last hotel."
Husk's eyes widened as he caught Angel Dust's meaning. "Seriously?" He laughed.
Charlie looked at Angel Dust with confusion. "What? Who?"
Angel Dust stared at her as if she was stupid. "Who else can open every door and lock every lock? The key."
Charlie's jaw dropped. " Keekee is locking the gate?"
Angel Dust looked at Leonard. "It's probably not just you. I imagine she goes on guard any time a shark gets close."
Charlie ran her hands over her face. "I'm going to have to talk with her."
Angel Dust snickered at Charlie. "Good luck with that."
Leonard looked between Charlie and Angel Dust. "Who's Keekee?"
"Charlie, you can talk with cats?" Emily asked.
"I'm sure she can talk at them," Husk smirked. "Just like everyone else."
The winged feline bartender paused. Then firmly said, "And before anyone asks, no."
"... Wasn't going to ask that," Charlie said.
Emily admitted, "I was, but I won't."
Day One - Cherri Bomb's room, early afternoon:
Crymini heard the lock click, and again the door swung open. The cyclopian creature who entered this time was Cherri Bomb. And she was on her phone.
"No, Rex, I'm free for the rest of the day. Both Lenny and 'Mini were no-shows, so the day's activities are canceled."
Crymini rolled her eyes at the nickname, then oofed as Cherri Bomb tossed herself onto her bed.
"Just come in the fire escape," Cherri Bomb said into her phone. "I'm already in bed, and I'm not plannin' on leaving for at least ten hours. So bring the twins and the booze, and let's get this orgy started! WOO!"
"OKAY, FINE, YOU CAUGHT ME!"
Cherri Bomb hung up and put away her phone.
Crymini growled, practically able to hear the smirk and feel the smugness radiating from above her
"Let me guess, Crym," Cherri Bomb said. "Getting a feel for the new company before you risk letting your guard down?"
Crymini huffed. "Something like that."
"Take anything?"
"No."
"Good," Cherri Bomb said. "Toss it out."
Crymini growled. "I said..."
"I heard. Toss it out."
Crymini tossed the bottle of Acid Rain nail polish out from under the bed.
Above her, Cherri Bomb complimented, "Oooh, good choice. I'll let you give it a try later."
Crymini blinked. "What, really?"
"Sure," Cherri Bomb told her. "If you stick around for a few days. And you give back what else you took."
Crymini stuck her arm out from under the bed, holding the pocketed grenade.
"And you didn't even make me ask for the pin separately." Cherri Bomb took the grenade. "Anything else."
Crymini struggled ineffectively. "No. That was it. Really."
Cherri Bomb hopped out of her bed... and stood there, waiting.
Crymini tensed. "Now what?"
"Want to join us downstairs?" Cherri Bomb asked.
Crymini was quiet for a moment before giving, "Yes."
Cherri Bomb reached down and lifted the bed enough for Crymini to crawl out.
Crymini slipped out and got to her feet, crossing her arms and glaring poutingly.
Cherri Bomb put down the bed. "If you're expecting a lecture, ya ain't gettin' one. I've lived in Doomsday too. I get it. Next time, though, ask permission. I'll give ya a tour whenever you want. Most here will."
She opened the door for Crymini.
Crymini sighed and stepped out to spot Keekee sitting at the opposite door, watching.
"I think she likes you," Cherri Bomb noted.
Crymini's eyes narrowed. "I think she jinxed the bed."
Day One - Hazbin Hotel laundry room, early afternoon:
Niffty scampered into the laundry room, kicking the door shut. A hamper, a maid cart, and the laundry folding table provided the parkour platforms to reach the giant washer and pull it open.
Niffty unbundled Leonard's shirt to check for damage or stains.
"Ooooh," she said, taking in all the spots smeared or soaked in gold.
Day One - Hazbin Hotel parlor, afternoon:
The High Seraphim of Heaven stood up before the guests and staff of the Hazbin Hotel. She was smiling brightly and positively radiated joy
"My name's Emily!" Two claps. "I like new friends." Two claps. "And I came down from Heaven to help us make amends."
Leonard, who was changed into a new shirt, stared in disbelief. "You've gotta be kiddin' me."
Angel Dust leaned towards him. "Nope, this is for real." His tone communicated: I know your pain. And I'm amused by it.
Leonard turned to the spider demon. "The Princess of Hell has the highest ranking angel in Heaven down here playing rhyming games." The shark pulled out a cigarette. "That's fuckin' impressive. And weird."
Husk's brow furrowed.
Leonard felt around for a lighter. "Damn. Lost it."
Emily cheered with bubbly brightness, "Crymini, your turn!"
Seviathan walked up to Leonard and offered a column of burning balefire from his fingertips. "That's my Charlie."
At Vaggie's growl, he amended, "Well, not mine . Not anymore."
Crymini thought for a moment. Then stood up. "My name's Crymini." Clap, clap. "I like to steal." Clap, clap. "And as long as I give it back, it ain't no fucking deal."
The puppy demon tossed Leonard his lighter and looked at Charlie. "Do I get a gold star now?"
Charlie blink-blinked. "Well, that's a start." She gave Crymini a big grin, which faltered after a few seconds. "ummm... We'll work on that."
Husk shrugged. "First step is admitting you have a problem."
Crymini corrected, "I don't have a problem."
Reclaiming his lighter, Leonard said, "Sounds more like you got a skillset."
Emily and Charlie exchanged concerned looks.
Cherri Bomb caught that. "Did ya cunts still think this was gonna be easy? Ever?"
Day One - St. An's, Sloth, evening:
Charlie sat at the side of Razzle's bed, holding one of his hands gently in her own.
Vaggie stood nearby, her attention shifting between Charlie and Emily. Emily stood at the window, looking at the bands of distortion in the pink sky.
Vaggie approached Emily. "I'm going to ask if you're okay. Don't say you're fine. Okay?"
"You can see where Sera fell," Emily said instead. She turned to Vaggie. "The other night, I felt panic when I tried to see where she had fallen, and there was nothing but darkness..."
Vaggie stepped closer to Emily.
"Feels silly now."
"It wasn't," Vaggie told her. She looked over towards Charlie. "There were times I would wake up and panic because Charlie wasn't there. I didn't know where she was, and I was terrified that I'd lost her. Or dreamed her."
Vaggie looked back at Emily. "Usually, she was in the bathroom. Or the next room, scribbling down some inspiration for the dream that became her Hazbin Hotel."
They were interrupted by a soft rap at the door. Charlie barely had time to look up before the door opened and Lucifer entered, looking worn but smiling.
"Dad!" Charlie whispered thankfully.
"Charlie!" Lucifer gave his daughter the most gentle smile. "The, uh, doctor tells me Razzle hasn't woken up yet. And that's good news." He moved to look at Razzle. "I mean, his nature is partially draconic. And dragons are known for long, restorative slumbers."
Charlie squeezed Razzle's hand.
"Lucifer?" Emily ventured. "Mr. Morningstar, if I may ask..."
"No need to start getting formal now. You and Vaggie are the next best thing to family now." After a pause, he added, "Well, Vaggie has been for a while. But I didn't know."
Lucifer turned to his daughter. Apologetically, he promised, "Charlie, I'm going to do so much better."
"Wasn't just you, dad," Charlie admitted. "I hadn't exactly been blowing up your phone."
Vaggie looked about and left the room.
Emily waited patiently, no matter what her nervous wing flapping might have suggested.
Lucifer took a deep breath and turned to Emily. "I'm sorry, Emily. Sera is not ready to have any other visitors."
Emily's wings drooped. "Oh."
"Honestly, it's taken a lot to get her to accept just me being there." Before Emily could ask, he added, "She's asleep again right now. Will be for a while. Which is why I'm here."
"Who's watching her?" Charlie asked.
"She's at Belphegor's estate," Lucifer told Charlie. "They haven't met, but Belphegor is making sure Sera isn't disturbed."
Emily looked to Charlie. "Who is Belphegor?"
"One of the Seven Sins," Charlie answered her. "She rules Sloth. This is her hospital, despite the name."
Emily nodded, noting that Charlie didn't offer a judgment one way or the other. But based on this hospital, and Lucifer's apparent trust, Emily decided to give the Sin the all the benefits of all the doubts.
Vaggie returned, offering Lucifer a cup of coffee.
"oh... uh, thank you." Lucifer took the cup.
Vaggie nodded. "You looked like you could use the caffeine."
Lucifer took a sip and ventured, "How did your... thing go?"
Emily brightened. "Charlie was amazing! We defeated the Vees and the rebel angels with a song!"
Vaggie waited a moment before adding, "And then Sir Pentious turned Heaven into a death ray and destroyed the Embassy."
Lucifer spit his coffee. "Wh-what?!"
Day One - St. An's, Sloth, late evening:
The three of them filled Lucifer in on the events of the previous day. He was amused, proud and alarmed. The latter mostly at the flood of angelic weapons into Pentagram City and the mindset some demons might foster towards the idea of Heaven having a doom laser.
"Charlie, I warned you this would get worse before it got better, but I didn't expect this. You three need to be careful out there." Lucifer focused on Charlie, practically begging. "I know you'll put yourself on the line for your dream, but don't do it to buy groceries."
"We'll be careful, dad. I promise." Charlie tried to cheer him up. "And hey, every cloud has a silver lining, right? We just have to look on the bright side."
Lucifer considered that. "Well, if anything, the Vees have probably solved the population problem."
Charlie frowned. "Wrong bright side, dad!" She took a breath, put on her smile again, and offered, "How about: you're getting to spend time with your old girlfriend?"
Lucifer's eyes widened and a bead of sweat formed on his forehead.
"Seviathan told me."
Lucifer ah'ed. "Right, because Frederick knows, so of course his son would know."
Emily had already stuck her fingers in her ears and was singing to herself, "La la la la la!"
Vaggie stared. "Sera and Lucifer?"
Emily gave Vaggie a stern look. "LA! LA!"
Lucifer pretended to check his watch. "I'm going to go now. I need to be back before she wakes up."
He left. Charlie watched him go.
"Sorry about that, Emily," Charlie offered. "I won't say it to dad, but I'm, like, right there with you."
Emily bashfully offered back, "La la la?"
Charlie cringed, nodding. "La la la."
"I'd lend you my brain bleach," Vaggie said, "But I used it all last night trying to scrub Lutino from my head." Under her breath, she cursed, "Goddammit, Niffty."
Charlie squeezed Razzle's hand one last time, then stood, giving his head a kiss. Accepting that no miraculous change was going to wake him tonight.
"I guess we should go."
Vaggie steepled her fingers. "Uh, before we go back home, I need to run a quick errand."
Charlie and Emily nodded.
"In the Lust Ring."
Day One - Corner of Dyke and Cumming, Lust, late evening:
A golden portal opened. Vaggie stepped through into the rain.
Vaggie called back over her shoulder, "I promise it will only take a few minutes at most. I need to mail a package for Angel Dust."
Vaggie started looking around, trying to simultaneously take in and ignore everything.
The major streets and sidewalks were clean, if badly weathered. For a moment, Vaggie wondered if the Pride Ring was simply the filthiest. But as clean as it may have looked, Vaggie was certain one flash of blacklight would reveal a nightmare.
She shuddered, reluctant to touch anything, including the air. She wanted to get this done quickly. The street corner offered vending machines for newspapers, suggestively-named stamina drinks and condoms... but no mail drop.
"It's very blue here," Emily noted.
Vaggie's eye shot wide. How did I forget she does this?!
Vaggie spun. "Emily! I wanted you to stay with Charlie." Why is this a thing you do?
"You said you've never been to Lust before," Emily answered. "I didn't want you to get trapped if you got lost."
The younger seraphim looked up. "Is the sky in every Ring a different color? Oh! Is this rain?"
"Emily, please..." Vaggie begged, "Go back before..."
"Wow," Charlie commented. "That is a lot of neon."
Vaggie facepalmed hard enough for it to sting.
"Oooh, the rain doesn't burn here," Charlie gasped. "This is... kinda nice."
"Isn't it?" Emily flapped her wings, making puffs of mist. "Maybe Heaven should have rain sometimes? I think the angels might like it."
Vaggie pulled her hand down her face with a groan, knowing that any moment now...
"OH! Oh... um... is that?" Charlie turned to look someplace else. "Oh my! Uhh..." Her partner covered her eyes, blushing.
"What?" Emily immediately tried to find what caught Charlie's attention. "Whoa. That is very explicit. As are..." She cutely eeped.
"Arrugh. Here." Vaggie grabbed and turned her girlfriends so they faced each other. "Why don't you two just look at each other and nothing else while I find a mail drop."
Still blushing, Charlie mildly protested, "Doesn't that defeat the purpose of coming with you?"
"I'm not going to leave you trapped in Lust," Emily insisted.
Charlie and Emily stared at each other, blushes deepening.
"I didn't mean to say it that way!" Charlie swore.
Emily echoed her with, "I didn't mean for that to sound hot!"
"Me lleva la chingada. It's either this, or I take off my bow and use it to blindfold you."
Emily opened an excess of eyes. "Do you have enough ribbon?"
Charlie held out a hand. "Maybe she's right, Emily. A lot of this place... I'm not really comfortable here."
Emily closes her extra eyes, having already gotten many, many eyefulls of things now burned into her angelic memory.
"Besides," Charlie stage-whispered conspiratorially, "We could use the time to plot melting Vaggie."
Now it was Vaggie's turn to blush.
Emily didn't bother with the fake whispering. She bounced in place, clearly excited. "Oooh, good idea."
Charlie leaned closer, whispering loud enough for Vaggie to hear. "Sooooo, if it's just Vaggie, no mirror thing, right? But does a seraphim have other tricks to make it... extra intense?"
Emily giggled. "There's some things I could try."
They're messing with me, Vaggie thought firmly to herself. They're just messing with me. "I'm... going to go... mail this thing for Angel..."
And it's working.
Vaggie ran off, trying not to catch any more of her partners' conversation.
Day One - 6969 Cumming Street, Lust, late evening:
Vaggie was beginning to suspect Lust didn't have a postal service.
Vaggie tried to wave down a passing demon. "Do you know where I could find..." She sighed as the demon passed her by.
"Hey, this is my stretch of sidewalk!" a nearby incubus barked. "Find your customers somewhere else."
"What?" Vaggie turned to face him, then shook her head. "No, that's not what I'm doing. I just need some help."
"Sorry. I don't do women."
Vaggie gritted her teeth. "Not that kind of help. I have a package for Asmodeus."
The incubus blinked. "Oh, you're one of those."
Vaggie's eye narrowed in momentary confusion. "One of... No. NO! I mean I have mail for him."
The incubus raised an eyebrow.
"Don't! Do not make that sexual." Vaggie growled, holding up the package Angel Dust had given her. "I just want to know where I can mail - M. A. I. L. - a parcel."
The incubus' demeanor immediately changed. "Oh. Two more blocks. There's a post drop on the corner of Seaman and Cumming. Hey, have we met?"
Vaggie let out a breath. "Thank you. Very much. And no. I've never been to the Lust Ring before. You're thinking of someone else."
"Ooh! You're Vagyna! Sorry, I didn't recognize you with your clothes on," the incubus said.
Vaggie froze, growling "Hijo de puta! How the fuck did that get three rings down?"
The incubus was surprised by her reaction. "I have some regulars from Imp City up top. One of them was wearing you on their shirt today."
"Arrrrugh!" Vaggie stormed off towards Seaman Street.
Day One - Corner of Dyke and Cumming, Lust, late evening:
Emily shivered. "I'm beginning to wish I had that umbrella. Maybe we should go inside?"
Charlie hesitated. "I really don't want to leave where Vaggie knows to find us..."
"And we'd be robbing Angel Dust of getting to tease us about Lust making us wet."
"Right!" Charlie said, immediately changing her mind. "We definitely need to go inside."
Emily giggled.
Charlie hesitated. "Could you... um... look around and... find someplace that..."
Emily nodded. "Someplace with a big window, so we can watch for Vaggie."
Emily opened all of her eyes and looked everywhere at once, her blush deepening quickly. "Oh... wow... this place..." She made a little squeaking sound.
Emily quickly closed her eyes again. A glance was all she needed anyway. She analyzed what she had seen. "Okay, got a good place! Follow me... and try to look just at me until we get there."
A minute later, Charlie found herself out of the rain. She was still resolutely staring at Emily's wings... until Emily turned around.
A sugar glider demon scurried up to them. "Welcome to Pole Position! So, which one of you likes dancing?"
Charlie instinctively answered, "Oh! I do!" She turned and looked around. "I'm better at singing though..." Her eyes widened and face flushed as she took in the merchandise.
Next to her, Emily was bouncing, proud of her choice. "A clothing store seemed safe. Oooh, look at this!"
Charlie faltered. "I-I'm going to... keep an eye out for Vaggie."
The sugar glider smiled. "Oh, now that is a delightful pet name."
Charlie blinked. "Vaggie... isn't a pet?"
"You sound unsure," the shop demon suggested, "Have you tried getting her a collar?"
Emily flew up, holding something sleek and shimmering. "Do you have one of these that could work with my wings?"
The sugar glider demon boasted, "We do custom tailoring. I'm sure we..." Their voice trailed off as they really looked at Emily's wings. "...could..." They took in the halo. "Are you an angel?"
Day One - Corner of Dyke and Cumming, Lust, late evening:
"Vaggie!"
Vaggie breathed a big sigh of relief, as Charlie ran down the street towards her, calling out her name.
"Sorry for worrying you," Charlie apologized as they reunited. "We got out of the rain."
Emily flew up, holding up a couple bags. "And did shopping!" She landed. "I need to get some Hellbucks. Charlie shouldn't have to pay for everything."
Charlie waved that off. "It's okay. I don't mind. It's just money."
Emily turned away, her attention caught.
Vaggie looked down at the bags. "Do I dare ask what Pole Position is?" She leaned to look past Charlie and down the street.
"A store with costumes and outfits for dancing," Charlie told her.
Vaggie spotted the sign. "Uh huh. Well, package mailed. Time to go home."
From beside them, Vaggie heard a little squeak of anger.
"How is that controversial?" Emily asked, offended.
Charlie and Vaggie turned to look at her. Emily was reading the Lust Ring News through a vending machine window.
"Emily?" Charlie asked.
Emily raised her wings. "How is saying 'Love isn't stupid' controversial?"
"What?" Charlie stepped beside Emily and looked at the newspaper, recognizing Asmodeus on the front page, along with what might be one of those jester robots.
Vaggie offered, "I guess, maybe, because it's the Sin of Lust saying it?"
Emily's wings drooped "That's..." She looked around. "Oh."
Emily stepped away and really looked around. "This place isn't about enhancing the joys of love, is it? It's about finding a replacement for not having it."
She turned to Charlie and Vaggie. "Can we go home? This is the most depressing place in Hell."
Day One - Crymini's room, night:
Dressing for bed consisted of her collar, a pair of freshly pilfered panties, and a switchblade for under her pillow.
The Hazbin Hotel had its perks. At first look, at least, it might actually be safe. Definitely a safer place to spend the night than anywhere in the Doomsday District. Nicer too. The bed was an actual bed. With actual sheets. And a mattress that wasn't so stained you couldn't guess it's original color. But the hot shower? That was worth killing for.
Her belongings, such as they were, barely covered half the dresser top. The drawers were empty. As was the closet. The little maid gremlin had been persuaded to wait until she tossed her clothing out the door before taking them to the laundry. If they weren't back by morning, tomorrow would be awkward. Well, for somebody, she presumed. Not for her. Probably not for that Cherri Bomb girl either. The rest of them?
Crymini frowned. The juvenile party games were hardly convincing as some magical path to Heaven. If this was a scam, it was a dumb one. The owner acted like a kindergarten teacher. The barkeeper really got on her nerves. Everyone else, she could more or less tolerate. Cherri Bomb might actually be cool.
Crymini picked up the one object from her dresser top that she actually cared about. A little black band with the word SIN in gold. She tapped it, and the letters began to glow with an almost angelic light. She put it back on the dresser. Then moved to shut off the lights.
The band served her as a nightlight. Without need of batteries or electricity. It's not a childish thing , she told herself. It's smart not to wake up in unfamiliar places in the dark
Crymini felt the bed cautiously before crawling into it and laying on her back. No springs poked into her. The sheets were silky. The mattress soft. "Definitely worth staying for."
She'd figure out food tomorrow. She always did.
Crymini had almost drifted off to sleep when she heard the lock click. Her muscles tightened. She reached slowly under her pillow. Her hand closed around her switchblade as the door creaked open. She held off on popping the blade. She didn't want to make that sound.
The door creaked shut again and relocked.
Nobody had entered. Unless they were shorter than the footboard of her bed. Crymini relaxed only slightly, her nerves still jangled, as she realized it was probably the maid returning her clothing.
She listened. Heard nothing. Then carefully moved towards the foot of the bed to see if there was a pile of clothes at the base of the relocked door.
The cyclopian cat stared up at her.
"Heh." Crymini stared at Keekee. "You're like me, aren't you? Nobody's going to keep you out of where you want to be either, huh."
Day One - Charlie's, Vaggie's and Emily's bedroom, night:
Vaggie was already in her nightgown, having been given first turn in the shower. Now Emily was enjoying hers.
Charlie entered their bedroom, taking off her coat and kicking off her shoes. She flopped backwards onto the bed, raising her arms in victory. "Wooo! Two new guests!"
Vaggie smiled. "I know you were worried for a little while there. Glad they're both staying."
Charlie sat up, undoing her suspenders and taking off her shirt. "Yes, but I shouldn't have been. Leonard and Crymini seem like wonderful people."
Vaggie offered a gentle reality check. "I'm pretty sure Leonard is a mob enforcer, and Crymini is a kleptomaniac who is on a pretty serious drug."
Charlie kept smiling. "I'm talking about the good people inside them." She shimmied out of her pants. "Remember what Angel Dust was like when he first got here?"
"Yes. And you're right, love." Vaggie set out a new ribbon for the next day. "Speaking of guests, Seviathan?"
"He's taking off first thing in the morning," Charlie informed her. "Asked me to keep a room open for him though."
"Why?"
Charlie's smile thinned. "Pretty sure he intends to visit again. Soon." She pondered. "He said something earlier about his father being in Sloth with dad."
Vaggie immediately made the connection. "And Emily's sister." Vaggie's brow furrowed. "You think he's trying to get a read on Emily?"
Charlie answered, "I think he didn't just show up to see how I am doing."
The bathroom door opened and Emily emerged, drying herself with a towel.
Charlie got up to take her turn, removing her undergarments. She paused to put a hand on Vaggie's shoulder, pointing at the laid out ribbon. "I don't think you're going to need that."
Charlie disappeared into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.
Vaggie stared after her, confused. "What, does she expect me to spend all of tomorrow in bed?"
Emily nodded, smiling. "Yes. Recovering."
Vaggie slowly sank onto the bed, sporting a full-body blush. "You two aren't serious, are you?"
Day One - Just outside Cannibal Town, night:
The screaming ebbed. The alley fell once more into silence.
Down below, the incandescent light burned steadily, its warm light adding an extra glow to the spilt gold.
"You're going to wish you killed me."
Hoarse from screaming, twisted and wrung out by pain and sickness, the angel still managed to put some real grit into her voice.
The plague doctor lifted to the light the latest piece cut out of the angel. "All in good time."
Victor jarred the sample and labeled it:
Inguinal Ligament. Sample #12 from left thigh.
"We have a few answers, but there are still so many questions."
"What the fuck are you trying to do?" Lute spat, along with a good volume of blood. "Build your own angel?"
Victor's hands clenched for a moment. Then relaxed. "I get that a lot."
He turned to her. "I am just a scientist. A doctor, seeking enlightenment. Nothing more. And right now, I'm studying fallen angels. You, specifically."
Lute scowled, eyes moving from the scalpel to the plague mask. She hated that she was crying, but the pounding in her head was relentless. It blurred her vision and made every wound hurt so much worse.
Victor looked at her. "Did you know angels could get sick? I'll admit, it is taking surprising effort to keep your body from fighting it off."
He started looking over her body for a new place to cut. "Unfortunately, with your body pouring its reserves into that, your regeneration is crippled. Which means we'll be at this for a while."
"When this phase of my studies is done, I promise we'll start asking the really interesting questions." Victor contemplated her. "For example, if a fallen angel is killed, will you, as the natives say, 'pull yourself back together'? And, if so, will you regain that missing arm?"
"I can tell you that," Lute growled, coughing golden blood. "The only weapon you can hurt me with will end me for good."
"Ah, but I won't kill you with angelic steel." Victor's smile was evident even hidden by the mask.
Lute screamed again as her guts twisted harder, her head feeling like it was exploding over and over again. Her vision and hearing were lost in dissonance.
Victor lowered his angelic scalpel and cut anew.