Clover was not even halfway up the staircase when a voice nearly made her jump out of her skin.
"Hey!"
"Holy shi-"
The empty cup of tea tumbled to the floor, Clover scrambling to catch it and somehow sending it bouncing down to the bottom floor in the process; It landed at Vaggie's feet, her eyes wide and apologetic while she waited for Clover to catch her breath.
"Sorry," Vaggie said once she was sure Clover wasn't going to keel over. "We- And by that I mean Charlie and I- got you something."
Clover tried to play off her sigh as another heavy breath as she attempted to calm her racing heart; As much as she appreciated the warm welcome she'd been given, she'd had just about enough of being fretted over for one day.
"You really don't have to do that, you've both done more than enough."
"You think I don't know that? Look, This place is all about rehabilitating demons, giving them a second chance- And Charlie thinks that might be a little easier if you had something to pass the time, keep you from falling back into old habits, or whatever."
"Isn't that what the bar is for?" Clover's joke fell as flat at Vaggie's feet as her forgotten cardboard cup, but it earned a soft chuckle from the lounging form of Husk that she'd thought had been asleep across the room; At least someone appreciated her sense of humor. "I'm kidding- I mean, you guys have a library, so that's kind of been keeping me busy."
"You found the library?"
"...I may have gone exploring."
Vaggie snorted at her sheepish admission, shaking her head and pulling a gift bag from behind her back with a small smile. Unease stirred in Clover's stomach all over again, adding to the odd sense of nausea the events of the last few hours had settled over her; It wasn't that she was being ungrateful, Clover was incredibly thankful for the kindness they'd shown her. She just hated being such a bother, especially when it wasn't necessary. On the other hand, it was far easier to just accept whatever it was they wanted to give her and move on than to attempt to argue against it- Especially with Vaggie.
"Hell isn't made for those of us who don't do the things that make it- Well, Hell- And sitting at the bar with those losers will get old eventually," Vaggie stepped forward, setting the bag at Clover's feet before leaning down to pick up the forgotten cup. "Think of it as one of the many perks of staying here."
"Listen, Vaggie, I appreciate it- Really, I do. But I just don't think I deserve all the fuss when I walked in here asking for help. Besides, I doubt that what I did to get down here is something Heaven will change their minds on."
"It's gotta be worth a shot, right?" Vaggie seemed honestly hopeful, and for some reason that made Clover feel worse. "Look- This is a lot less than the deal Charlie cut with Angel, you're not wearing us thin by any means. Honestly, I think Charlie's glad that someone is getting some use out of all the old stuff in this place."
It was an incredible talent to know when to surrender- One that Clover seemed to be learning the longer she stayed at the Hazbin Hotel. She leaned down to take the handles of the bag, wincing at the weight of it and slapping on a smile she hoped seemed polite.
"Fine- But at least let me like, cook you dinner or something in return."
"Deal, no handshake or contract required."
As much as the comment piqued Clover's interest, she resigned herself to her room with a gracious "thank you" and a heavier weight on her shoulders than before; Her mind was a confusing cluster of emotions and she was itching to wash it all away with a warm shower. The click of the lock on her bedroom door caused that burden to tumble, landing at the foot of her bed alongside the bag- Clover made a mental note to thank Niffty for her phenomenal room service as she peeled off her street clothes and tossed them into the emptied hamper, her face pressing into her barely-worn sweater before it was tossed to the end of her bed with a shrug; It would be good for another day. Clover showered quickly, wincing slightly as the hot water stung at the small scratches that decorated her arm before the heat dulled everything down to the pleasant throb of her pulse.
When she was done, she wrapped herself in a fluffy towel and returned to her room to search for the most comforting pajamas she could find- The clean, silken set sitting folded on her pillow felt like too much, so Clover sought out something more cozy to help ease her overstimulated nerves. The sight of her crumbled red sweater lying on the floor beside her bed caught her attention, the discomfort from the day clawing its way back up her spine as she realized it must have slipped off the bed due to her carelessness; With an irritated sigh, Clover bent to pick it up,
Then it started squeaking.
Clover was stunned for a moment, her hand hovering just inches from the now squirming form of her sweater. Stepping up onto her bed and tucking her feet away from whatever had made its way into her room, she gingerly pinched the sweater's sleeve- She pulled it away on a count of three, leaning back just in case whatever Hell-beast that lay beneath decided to strike.
Small, round eyes looked up at her as it squealed softly, the tiny pig snuffling around in the rest of her clothes before kicking its hooves up on the bedpost and squeaking curiously at her.
"...Huh."
Its ears twitched up at her confusion, and Clover took a moment to examine the tiny thing- It wasn't like any pig she'd ever seen before, its appearance decidedly hellish despite its adorable shape. Tiny horns dotted its body, splotches of deeper pink splattered across its body, and its corkscrew tail ended with a devil's point. Was this creature off the street, or a pet? That thought was still running through her mind as she leaned over the edge of the bed and slowly extended her hand towards it, fingers curled into her palms so it could smell her. The pig retreated slightly at the motion, but stretched its neck to sniff the back of her hand; It squeaked softly as it caught her scent, almost as if it recognized her, and began to butt its head into her hand, nuzzling its snout into her fingers to goad her into scratching the top of its head. Clover's heart melted, and she quickly lowered her feet to the floor so she could stroke the length of its back.
"Hey buddy," Clover cooed. "What are you doing here?"
The pig ran circles around her feet in response, rolling across her carpet as it tripped over its hooves and getting in her way as she made herself decent. It didn't resist at all as she scooped it into her arms, long sleep pants dragging the floor as she unlocked her door and leaned out into the long hallway. Many of the other hotel rooms stood open, likely evidence of Niffty's extended cleaning spree, but unhelpful for her current situation. The pig wiggled as she moved, twisting in her arms to place its hooves against her chest, so her fingers found a soft spot under its chin to soothe it.
Yelling from one of the only closed doors in the wing caught her attention, and the sound only got louder as Clover rapped her knuckles against the neon pink paint.
"Angel? Are you o-"
"Not now!"
Clover blinked, not used to hearing Angel Dust sounding so distraught.
"What's wrong?"
"Go away!"
"Not happening."
A muffled string of curses came from inside, followed by the sound of a lock being messily undone before the door swung open.
"I fuckin' told you to leave me al-Nuggies!"
The pig was quickly manhandled out of her arms, Angel Dust holding it above him and twisting it this way and that before he smushed their noses together with an adorable little squeak. The look he gave her as he clutched the pig to his chest was almost accusatory, and she swore she heard a sharp hissing sound behind his words.
"Why'd ya have 'im?"
"He was in my room."
"What?" Angel's scowl twisted in on itself as confusion began to write over his upset. "How'd he get there?"
The sound of shuffling turned Clover's head down the hall, and the gears began to turn as she spied Niffty dragging a basket of laundry towards the staircase.
"Did Niffty clean your room too?"
"Yeah- Why?"
"She leaves the doors open- I think your pet might have gotten locked out of your room, and then locked into mine when I came home."
"Oh-" Angel Dust sank, looking down at the tiny pig that was beginning to butt its head under his chin before giving Clover a sheepish smile. "Sorry I, uh- Yeah. And t'anks for bringing him back. I dunno' what I would'a done if I'd lost him."
"That's okay Angel, I understand. He seems really important to you."
"You could say somethin' like that."
"Does he have a name?"
"Fat Nuggets, but he also likes when ya' all 'em Nuggies."
"He's adorable."
It was everything to see Angel Dust's expression brighten, and Clover caught his contagious smile; It carried her all through her detour into the kitchen, deciding to make herself a quick snack before returning to her room for the rest of the evening. The bag still sitting beside her bed kept her from crawling into it immediately, so she supposed she should open it before it truly turned into some beast she'd forever have to avoid. It was- much to her dismay- heavier than expected, the bag a bright gold and sealed with a red bow, which she guessed was a Vaggie trademark. It popped open as soon as she tugged on the ribbon to undo it, its paper strained from holding the contents; Inside were a few folded t-shirts for bands that fit in with the musical aesthetics she had talked to Vaggie about during their shopping escapade, a hard black casing of some sort with a zipper closing, and at the bottom of the bag- A laptop, an older model that reminded her of one she'd gotten as a teenager for school projects, and it's charger. It was a bit dusty, and if the rainbow sticker on the corner was anything to go by, must have belonged to Charlie at some point; The fact that it was not something they'd newly bought and instead had handed down for better use made her feel marginally better about the whole thing.
Curiosity sparked, and Clover set aside the rest of the bag so she could test it. She blew off the small amount of dust that had settled in the keys the best she could and grabbed her now laundry-bound sweater to clean the screen. The computer booted up quickly after being plugged in, its home screen uncluttered save for the bright pink background decorated with a heart-warming message written in an annoyingly comic font.
"To remind you of the past, and help you through the future."
It was a sweet gesture, and within a few clicks, Clover was online, connecting to the "Hazbin Hotel Wifi" - Without a password, which was maybe something she should bring up in the future- and beginning to scroll through whatever appeared on the obnoxious red and blue homepage. When the sleazy gossip articles and advertisements no longer interested her, and after she'd double-checked that some of the more basic services she'd expected had a hellish counterpart, Clover's attention returned to the black case that had come with her gift. She nearly fell off her bed in retrieving it, refusing to leave her crisscross position in front of her newest toy and leaning over at an awkward angle to snatch the bag from the floor- Upon opening, she found pages of plastic sleeves housing stacks of DVD's, and Clover's heart soared as she quickly thumbed through them all to take stock of what was there. It was a nice collection of staples of decades past, with everything from romantic comedies to slashers for her to sift through. She found one that called to her, a classic musical that seemed odd to have ended up in hell, but she wasn't going to complain.
Soon, she was curled up in the darkness listening to the familiar call of Columbia pictures as she burrowed deeper into fresh sheets. Her eyes grew heavy, the film keeping her attention from the terrors of the day that would surely plague her anxious mind, and promising a new, better tomorrow.
After all, it was only a day away.