Chapter 7: Losing my Religion
"I'm not so sure about this, Charlie," Lucifer said. His hands fidgeted with his cane as he looked about the hallway and then back at her. "Bringing another Winner into the hotel…and just some random guy at that, is really risky." It was the next morning and Charlie may have spent half an hour on the phone convincing her Dad to come over so she could ask him to ward a room for their newest guest.
"I know, but it's just for a short time!" Charlie insisted with a smile, "He's only here to help get us a nice safe network running, and it's not just to help the therapists get access to things that they need! Won't it be great to be able to set up a camera system and know that Vox can't access it? We'll get to add more security to the place in the end! That should make Sera happy, right? A short term risk for a long term reward."
He sighed and looked down at the ground, "I suppose you're right. Okay. I'll start working on the room for him. Shouldn't take me very long."
Charlie leaned down and gave her Dad a big hug. He only gave her a light pat on the back in return so she let him go and smiled at him. "Great! We'll be two doors down in Sophia's room when you're finished. Thanks, Dad. I really appreciate you helping out. It means a lot to me." She placed a hard over her heart and he returned her smile with a sad one of his own.
"Anything for sweetie," Lucifer replied before turning to his right and entering the door there.
Charlie dropped her smile as she stared at the closed door. She really wished she knew how to cheer her Dad up. Calling him up and saying she needed him definitely hadn't been the way. This funk he was in seemed to be more serious than him having some sort of disagreement with Sera. Knowing she couldn't do anything about it right now, she mentally set it aside and walked a short ways down the hall to Sophia's room.
After knocking on the door, Charlie summoned the breakfast tray she had prepared earlier and fixed a smile back on her face just in time for the door to slowly open. The head of a young man around her height peaked out at her. He looked her up and down before raising an eyebrow and smirking, "Miss Morningstar, I presume?"
"That's me!" She confirmed, "Though you can just call me Charlie. No need to be so formal." She gave a little shoulder shrug so as not to disturb the tray.
The man stepped back and swung the door wide open, gesturing with his arm to enter. "Charlie it is then. Please come on in. I'm Vince by the way. I don't know if Sophia told you after she was escorted down for breakfast."
Charlie smiled her 'thanks' and walked straight towards the round table at the back so she could set the tray down. She was thankful for Sophia and Ren's foresight to grant her permission to their rooms when they'd gotten set up here in case of emergencies. It could've made this morning quite awkward as Charlie really did not want the new Winner wandering the hotel until Alastor had made him a charm.
All the rooms in the hotel had a similar layout to standard Earth hotels now thanks to everyone's input during the rebuilding. Bathrooms were near the front, with the area past it containing an open concept bedroom and living space. A tall combination bookcase and cubby was provided in lue of a TV to store any personal entertainment devices at the far end near the window. Alastor had declared he was happy to provide radios for all the rooms as well, but knowing what she did about his resumed broadcasts, Charlie had suggested a main one in the lobby instead so she could regulate its use. Everyone could get their own from him or the store if they wanted a personal one.
"It's nice to meet you Vince! I brought you up some breakfast while we wait for my dad to finish warding your room," Charlie informed him, gesturing to the tray. "Why don't you sit and I can answer any questions while you eat." She grabbed her own tea off the tray and sat down in the chair near the window.
Vince nodded and sat at the table with her. "Thanks, I appreciate the assist since Vaggie said I can't wander on my own looking like this." He gestured to the halo and heavenly glow he gave off. "Miss Sophie filled me in on the basics of your redemption hotel here yesterday, so what can you tell me about Hell's internet and cell network instead? Is it similar to Earth? Cause that could be a problem if it's wildly different. Miss Sophie said you all used cell phones though, yeah?" he asked, removing the warming lid off the plate, and then started on his breakfast.
"I mean, I don't have much to compare it against," Charlie shrugged, "I was born here after all, but it definitely lacks privacy and that's kinda something we need right now." Vince hummed in agreement to show he was listening as he ate. She tried to explain what she knew about cell phones and the internet, mainly describing the tech she had personally used and cell towers but realized pretty quickly that she was terribly out of her depth.
"Sorry I'm not much help. There's a lot about the daily workings of Hell that I don't know much about," she winced then remembered her errand from yesterday, "Oh! But I did get this for you!"
She summoned the brand new VoxTek phone she had picked up yesterday after lunch. Charlie figured it would be the biggest challenge to overcome as it likely had the most security issues of any of the models out there. Especially now that she knew more about Vox's business than when she'd first opened the hotel. It was also the most popular company by far. She just had to hope Vince was as good as Sophia thought he was and would be able to stop it before anything bad could happen.
Charlie passed the item to him and he took it along with a final swig of his coffee before setting the mug down on the now empty plate. Pulling the phone out of the box, he turned it around in his hands a few times, looking at all the sides as if he was searching for something. "Kinda looks like an older iphone and an android had an unholy abomination together," Vince commented with a smirk before pausing and shaking his head with a chuckle. "Anyway, I'm guessing we don't want to connect to the cell network right away but I don't see a slot for the Sim card. Let me grab my tools and I'll try cracking this bad boy open. Some older models required removing the casing so I came prepared," he said before he stood and walked towards his backpack.
He only made it as far as bringing the pack over to the table before the door opened and they both turned to look at it. Lucifer ducked his head inside and gave them both a strained smile, "Heeeyyyy. How's it going?"
"Hey Dad!" Charlie smiled and waved him in, "Come on in and meet Vince. Vince, this is my dad, Lucifer."
She watched her dad try for a more casually polite smile as he walked into the room to join them. Vince gave him a friendly look over as he pulled a plastic container out that rattled as he tossed it on the table. "Nice to meet ya," Vince stated as he stuck his hand out to shake once Lucifer was in range, "Miss Sophie has had a lot of nice things to say about you."
"Oh she did?" Lucifer asked, shaking Vince's hand quickly as his grin became wide and nervous, "How…how sweet of her." They released their hands and Lucifer rested his atop his cane. "Well the room is ready if you'd like to head over?" Her dad looked between the two of them anxiously as if he was ready to bolt. Charlie's heart fell to see how eager he was to be done here after it took her so long to get him to come over.
"Sure," Vince shrugged. He put the tool case and phone into his pack before zipping it closed and slinging it over a shoulder. "Honestly it'll be better for me to get set up there so I don't have to move after I get started. Less chance of losing parts." Vince said, looking at Charlie and then her Dad.
"Great!" Lucifer exclaimed. Tossing his cane up to catch it in his left hand while his right pulled a key out of his pocket. "Take this and let's go get you all keyed in."
"So how was the quick trip up to Heaven? I'll admit I got concerned when you weren't back by dinner." Ren asked as Sophia entered their office for their weekly meeting, rolling over to turn down the music on the radio behind his desk.
They had a white board, compliments of Charlie, that they'd begun making notes and charts on as they compiled their data on their best guess at how a soul was judged along with their theories on how to help work through their patients' sins to get them redeemed. Ren had graciously offered to keep the board in their office (slotted behind a pair of bookcases when not in use) and they currently had it across from Ren's desk flipped to the side proclaiming 'Vices vs Virtues' tonight.
It was their leading theory that whatever overwhelming sins or 'vices' that Sinners had participated in while living is what sent them to Hell, and that they perhaps needed to embody and embrace the opposing 'virtues' in order to qualify for redemption. Their only evidence was in comparing Winner patients' lives and actions to their currently available Sinner ones. The tally marks in either column were clearly stacked in one way or the other, so it felt like a good starting point at least. There was a small corner of the board dedicated to these 'soul contracts' several of their patients either had or knew of. No one was opening up about what they entailed yet, but they sounded quite a bit more binding than a standard Earth contract.
"Oh it was fine," Sophia reassured him, setting her pile of folders and notebooks down on the desk. "Emily just has a lot on her plate and wasn't free to ferry us back until much later than she initially thought she would be." She pulled one of the chairs to the side of the desk and sat down in it. "Really the only thing of note was I did notice it…well it felt different to be back in Heaven. Just…lighter and…happier somehow. I felt like I was just floating through the place on cloud nine until I got to talking with Vince about the project."
Ren furrowed their brow and looked up at her proper, "I never noticed a difference going back when we would make weekly trips. Are you saying you did? That there's a noticeable difference now in the…atmosphere between the two realms?"
It was Sophia's turn to furrow her brow in thought as she considered their question. "Well I never noticed it then either, but I just figured it was due to staying in Hell for two weeks now instead of about twelve hours. Sort of like when you'd be stuck inside for days due to bad weather and then get to be in the sun again. I just felt…happy and like I didn't have a care in the world." She smiled and shook her head, "Which is silly to think I would forget about all that we're doing here for a moment. I care deeply about the success of this project, so yes, I can only assume it was due to the atmosphere."
Ren let out a thoughtful hum at her reply and leaned back in their chair. Sophia watched them patiently as they clearly had something they wanted to say, but she didn't want to rush them. Though she was very curious as to what they could be concerned about.
"Humor me on this, but…do you feel that you have changed at all by staying here in Hell?" Ren finally asked. Sending her a piercing glance.
Sophia sat up straighter as she seriously considered his question and took stock of her mental state. She didn't believe she felt any worse now in Hell than before their extended stay. Nothing that she'd discussed with her patients had triggered her like seeing Alastor's demon form had, and she's been making a point to not ask to see anyone else's form in fear of having a similar reaction. She didn't feel pessimistic or inclined to self degrading thoughts either. Really Sophia had only noticed that anything felt different when she was in Heaven and that's what made her think it was in response to being away that had done it.
She told Ren as much and they frowned as they tapped their chin in thought. "Have you noticed something?" Sophia asked. Surely that could be the only reason they'd brought it up.
"I'm not sure," Ren sighed, running a hand through the plumage on their head. "I have honestly been wondering if it was just something that had slipped my mind or I had never felt a need to think upon or mention but now-" They broke off as an idea lit behind their eyes and Ren turned their gaze to her. "Soph, did I ever tell you I have a younger brother?"
Sophia blinked rapidly as she tried to remember, "No…no I don't believe that you ever have. I don't think I knew you had any siblings until now actually."
"Don't you think it's weird that in the ten years we've been colleagues I have never mentioned him?" Ren probed, a searching look on their face as they stared back at her.
"Not if you had a poor relationship," Sophia answered as she took in their body language, "But you're not really giving off that kind of feeling right now. What are you actually trying to say?"
Ren sighed and placed their head in their hands as they leaned on the desk. "You're going to think this sounds crazy. I think it sounds crazy and it's just in my head, but it's been on my mind for a few days and with what you just said about your trip to Heaven…"
Sophia leaned over to place a hand on their shoulder, "I have complete faith and trust in you. You know I would never use a word like crazy to describe anyone, much less you. I get the feeling you're implying that you had forgotten about your brother since your death? It sounds odd, but not crazy. Could be trauma associated with him around your death that you've simply been blocking and talking with these patients has brought it to the surface again."
Ren tilted their head to the side to send her a disbelieving look out of one eye, "You're seriously suggesting trauma made me forget a sibling I've always known and loved for as long as I can remember."
"Well okay, when you put it that way it does sound like a bit of a stretch," Sophia smiled and she pulled back her hand as she leaned back in her own chair. She tapped her finger to her lips as she thought about the problem. It was a strange one to be sure, but outside of a trauma block or selective amnesia she really couldn't think of why they'd lost all memory of their brother. Surely just being in Hell wouldn't cause anything and in Heaven-
The moment the idea hit her, Sophia turned to look at Ren with wide eyes. They had their fingers laced together and their head now rested upon them, watching her. When she made eye contact, they nodded once. "You think that something in Heaven…" Sophia couldn't bring herself to finish that sentence out loud. It was too, well…
Ren nodded again, "I told you it would sound crazy."
Sophia stood up and started pacing. Filled with nervous anxious energy at the idea that something in Heaven was altering people's minds to such a level. That it had latched on to her when she went back! It felt incredibly intrusive and violating. "We have to tell Emily," she said. "This is a huge concern and as a Seraphim she should know-"
"You really think she doesn't?" Ren asked and it stopped Sophia dead in her tracks. "The Seraphims essentially rule over Heaven and Sera hid an entire army of angels coming down to slaughter Sinners -immortal human souls- for years and years." Sophia turned back to look at him, her heart in her throat.
"Emily's not like that though," she started and then licked suddenly dry lips, "She's sweet and kind and caring and she-" Sophia broke off as she felt a sickening feeling in her stomach and sat back down. "She runs the Calming Homes."
"Where we treat and sometimes keep the most troubled souls in Heaven, and screen the recently arrived ones in case they need help adjusting to being dead," Ren breathed out and lowered their head to their hands again. "Souls that always seem so happy and carefree when they leave."
The pair sat in charged silence. Just taking in all the implications of what they were speculating on. Something, or possibly several someones, that Emily definitely knew about and approved of in Heaven were altering people's memories and possibly mood. Though Sophia was beginning to wonder if the mood part was indeed simply a side effect of the atmosphere there and nothing necessarily nefarious even though it certainly felt that way tonight. They had stumbled onto something huge that they very very likely were never supposed to know.
How had they missed something like this right under their noses at the place they worked at. Had they even chosen to work there? If someone was able to remove or alter memories, how much of a choice had they had in choosing to continue with their former occupations after death? Sophia's head began to spin at all the possible implications that yesterday's trip and Ren's confession had brought to light.
The sound of a chair moving took Sophia out of her trance as she saw Ren roll their chair over to the cabinet behind them. They opened the lower doors and pulled out a pair of shot glasses and what looked like a small sake bottle before rolling back over and setting it on the desk. Ren poured some of the mystery drink in each glass and nudged one her way. She picked it up and Ren clinked their glass against hers with a muttered 'kanpai'' before downing the shot. Sophia followed their lead and knocked her shot back as well. Only coughing slightly at the strong flavor. She was used to sake being on the more mellow end.
"That doesn't taste like one of your normal selections," she said, clearing her throat and setting her glass down.
Ren poured them each another glass. "It came from one of my patients. They wanted to make sure I had something to get through the rough time they felt being down here might bring. Never thought I'd be trying it so soon but after this revelation…it seemed appropriate to break it open. Seems alcohol in Hell has an extra kick." They smirked at her then, "Who'd have guessed it."
Sophia let out a weak laugh, "Who indeed." and then she knocked back her second shot. She set the glass down and put her hand over it so Ren would know not to pour her another. They nodded and took the glass back to set it by the bottle, sipping on their second round rather than downing it.
"Okay, let's try to not spiral out of control here," Sophia rolled her shoulders in an effort to relax, "Why would Heaven do something like this? What benefit does it give to make people forget their family? You said you loved your brother. Why would they take that away?"
Ren nodded, "That's the reason I hadn't mentioned anything yet. It made no sense. I had a good relationship with him, or I felt like I did at least. Though I did…I did suspect that he might have gotten involved with something serious." They frowned, "I've never been able to recall exactly how I died, but one of the last memories I have now is concern for my brother getting in over their head on…something." They took another sip of their drink and rubbed their forehead as if remembering it pained them.
"Don't push yourself," Sophia said and placed a hand on their shoulder, "If it's anything like other memory blocks, you need to let it come naturally." Ren nodded to show they agreed and Sophia gave their shoulder a squeeze before letting go. "So it's still possible we're jumping the shark here if it is trauma related."
"That would be quite the extreme reaction," Ren sent her a side glance.
Sophia nodded, "It would, but maybe that combined with the atmosphere in Heaven, if that's the real cause rather than something nefarious, glossed over it to make you feel happy…" She trailed off with a shrug, "It's not impossible."
"I suppose you're right," Ren grumbled, finishing off their drink. "Something about it all just seems off. This doesn't feel like a trauma block. I was shocked to have forgotten him but that was it, no other emotional release came from it. Just shock and a bit of guilt and sadness later. Plus, if they aren't messing with memories in Heaven, why would the atmosphere there make you feel happy and content? If it is truly paradise then it should feel that way naturally. Why boost it artificially?"
Sophia didn't have any answers for them and simply shrugged in response. It took a few minutes more before they could start discussing what to do with this new information going forward. How or if they could even confirm Ren's theory was a mystery that -Sophia admitted to herself with a pang of guilt- she didn't want to solve as the answer could have long reaching effects on their goals for the hotel and it's guests. They eventually spent the rest of their allocated meeting time processing and talking about it and how they would move forward. Could they even tell anyone about this to get more opinions on the subject?
Their part of this Redemption Project had suddenly gotten quite a bit more complicated.
Charlie leaned forward to look at the screen of Vince's laptop as she tried to make sense of the text that was scrolling past at a rather alarming rate. After getting the Sim card thingy removed, he'd started running the phone through a series of increasingly more intense tests. They seemingly got more technical as they went on and it had left her feeling completely out of her depth. Who knew phones could be so complicated?
She'd had to leave him alone after giving him lunch to take care of hotel business, and felt awful about essentially locking him in all afternoon, but he'd insisted that he would be just fine. Merely requested that she have someone bring him coffee every few hours and that he'd update her whenever she came back or at dinner. Whatever came first. Charlie had asked Vaggie to help her with the task and based on the small collection of mugs on the dresser, someone had definitely been bringing his requested beverage up.
Vince let out a deep sigh as whatever was running finished and he twisted in the chair to look at her. "So, do you want the good news first or the bad news?"
"Bad news," Charlie said with a smile, "That way we can end on a positive note."
He inclined his head at her, "Alright, well this phone, besides running on the most cobbled together OS I've seen since college, has to be the most invasive and unprotected piece of tech I have ever seen. It's like a hacker designed their wet dream and made it reality. Every little thing you do on this phone is logged and instantly transmitted back to the carrier.
"Now, that's not terribly unusual. Companies do shit like that all the time on Earth. They collect your data and sell it to other companies so they can build profiles on you, but this is trying to run that kind of programming on old tech so it's kind of just scrapping it all and likely giving the receiving end a headache to shift through manually. That's not even getting into the subpar hardware components that are trying to keep up with the processing. I'd be shocked if this thing didn't need replacing every six months or so." Vince added, twirling a pen absently in his right hand as he spoke.
Charlie bit her lip as she considered all the private info on her phone and thought for the first time that Alastor might have the right idea by staying away from them. "That definitely doesn't sound great."
"If I had a few months I could probably write a program or a better OS and basically jailbreak this bad boy into a more standard phone," he tapped his pen against the reassembled device next to his laptop. "But that's a future project if you're interested. The good news is that with a reliable internet provider, and some intense firewalls, I should be able to get a closed network up and running here in a few weeks."
"That's great news!" Charlie exclaimed with a grin.
Vince nodded, "It won't stop your data from being collected on the device and sent when off the wifi network, that would take jailbreaking like I mentioned, but once the hotel network is up I should hopefully be able to install or make a firewall strong enough to keep outside connections from coming in. Ideally some kind of signal jammer would be best but-"
A series of rhythmic knocks sounded at the door, interrupting them, and Charlie recognized that pattern as one Alastor liked to use. Pleased that he'd gotten her message from Vaggie to meet them here, she looked at Vince and was surprised to see him smiling as well. He stood and started walking towards the door and Charlie followed behind him. She figured he must be planning to grant Alastor access, but was surprised to see him knock on the door in two sharp knocks before opening it.
Alastor was indeed on the other side and had a wide amused grin on his face that did dim slightly as he took in Vince's appearance. "Ah, you must be our latest Heavenly guest," Alastor stated, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, I'm sure. I am surprised at one so modern knowing the answering knock."
Charlie tilted her head in confusion. She had just thought it was one of Alastor's quirks, but Vince kept smiling and rapped his knuckles on the door in the same rhythmic pattern Alastor often used. "Shave and a haircut? It's an old bit, but a classic. I was a big fan of 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' as a kid so it became a thing between me and my sister for a while. I definitely don't know the original joke though, so I don't know how much credit I should get for knowing it."
He waved his hand dismissively, "Just gave me a bit of nostalgia to hear it, so thanks for that. My name's Vince by the way. I gather you must be the infamous Alastor I keep hearing about?" He went to stick his hand out for Alastor to shake but stopped half way and snapped his fingers. "Wait, I have to grant you access first. Sorry, I forgot you wouldn't be able to reach in."
"Indeed," Alastor said as he squinted his eyes at Vince in either annoyance or delight. Charlie hoped it was the latter as she had been worried how Alastor would behave around someone so supportive of modern tech.
Vince was given permission to touch the man's shoulder to grant him access through the ward, and it shimmered in the doorway before turning invisible again. Charlie stood to the side so the two men could walk past her into the room before sitting on part of the bed. Alastor looked around the room with casual interest but quickly locked onto the VoxTek phone.
"So," Alastor spoke up as he set his microphone down before him to lean on, "Charlie has informed me that you are here to install some sort of system that will keep Vox and his ilk out, and require one of my charmed items so that you may perform your tasks. I find that to be quite the bold claim unless you have some ability you've yet to display."
Vince raised an eyebrow as he spoke, "I was just told you guys needed a secure network that'll keep anyone out, not one person in particular." He gestured at the phone on the table with a thumb, "Though this is registered to a place called VoxTek. Do they own a lot of the media down here? Classic evil company schtick? Makes sense why you'd outsource for tech help if so."
"My dear fellow, you're unlikely to find any company down here that isn't evil," Alastor grinned.
Charlie winced, "Come on, Al, not all of them are that bad! It's my fault for not mentioning Vox though. I didn't think I needed to mention him specifically since we'd like to keep everyone out."
"It does help if there is one specific IP address I need to block from making a connection," Vince commented. Charlie and Alastor both gave him blank looks and he elaborated. "I can tell the network to prevent connections to specific locations if I know what they are."
"I don't know if that will be enough," Charlie said. "Vox is a TV Demon, but when he had that fight with Alastor over the air waves months ago the power grid got knocked out for a few hours. Al could keep broadcasting of course, but I would think any demon that could knock out the power grid could get around whatever you're trying to set up." Charlie bit her lip in thought. This wasn't looking great for the network.
Vince looked critically at Alastor, "Wait you could keep broadcasting without power? So the radio thing isn't just a like, aesthetic choice? Do you have some kind of radio powers? Is that a thing down here?"
Alastor's eyes widened in delight, "My but they did throw you straight into the wolves' den with this didn't they. Not all Sinners develop powers as grand as my own, but yes I am often referred to as the Radio Demon for my prowess over the air waves and my delightful radio show. It has killer reviews." Alastor's radio audience laugh track played while he grinned down at Vince.
"Okay, that's a really cool touch but like, can you elaborate on the air waves part?" Vince looked at him intensely, "Can you actually emit radio waves? Like in any frequency range?" Charlie felt her confusion echoed by Alastor's own head tilt as she wasn't sure where he was going with this.
"Now why would I share the exact nature of my abilities with you?" Alastor asked with a raised eyebrow. "I fail to see how that knowledge would impact your task here at the hotel."
"Umm, it possibly has everything to do with it depending on what you can do," Vince stated, spreading his arms wide to gesture out at the room. "Pretty much all modern tech runs on radio frequencies. Wifi, cell phones, bluetooth, just…everything! If it's wireless tech it uses radio frequency in varying ranges. At the very least we could set up signal jammers that target anything that's not on your bandwidth within the hotel, but if that's something you can control? Then I can tune the system to run on your custom frequency and make it that much harder for anyone to break in. Kind of like a custom signal barrier."
Charlie's face lit up with excitement, "Oh my gosh, that would be incredible! Don't you think that's a great idea, Al?"
Alastor hummed and gave Vince a flat look. "The benefit for the hotel does not outweigh the personal risk it brings to me. I have no interest in interacting with this frivolous technology nor having it be a constant drain that I have to support."
"With time I should be able to make it self sufficient but I mean, your call. I would think knowing how to shut down that Vox guy you have beef with would be worth learning," Vince replied with a shrug, "But like you said, it's not really needed to do what I need here. I have a solid plan without your help. I just got excited at the idea of what someone with the power to control radio frequencies could do to a network. That's weird afterlife death magic I can vibe with."
He fiddled with the bar piercing on his right ear before pulling it out and holding it out in his palm to Alastor. "Miss Sophie said you needed jewelry for the charm. Will this work? I don't do jewelry that can get me electrocuted or caught on gear like bracelets."
"What a quaint notion to hold to when one is already dead," Alastor remarked idly as he looked at the earring bar. "A bit uncouth for my tastes, but I believe this will suffice, yes. Now for the blood." Charlie winced when Alastor sliced a cut into Vince's palm with one of his claws, making Vince hiss. That looked much deeper than what he'd needed with the therapists. Alastor rolled the earring in the blood there till it was fully coated before waving a green glowing hand over it. The bar reappeared clean of blood and a solid black color once more, but Vince's palm was still bleeding steadily.
"Hey Charlie, mind grabbing my first aid kit from my backpack?" Vince asked as he put his earring in, his Heavenly appearance quickly swapping for a muted Sinner one.
Charlie hopped up with an 'of course' and quickly found a little first aid box that she set on the table. Vince had his mouth on the cut to keep the blood from getting everywhere, but Charlie shot an exasperated look at Alastor as the man was sucking the blood clean off of his claw. He grinned unrepentantly back at her and Charlie pursed her lips to keep from frowning. Looking back to see Vince struggling to open the box one handed, Charlie sat down and shooed his hand away. "Oh no, please let me help!"
Vince dutifully held his hand out while Charlie tended to his cut. He flickered his gaze back towards Alastor before looking away and pulling out his cell phone from his pocket. He flicked his thumb on it a few times before he looked up at Alastor again. "Would you at least let me try something? I promise I won't push or bother you again, but you've piqued my curiosity."
Alastor's smile grew sharp and his eyes narrowed, "Curiosity killed the cat you know."
"And satisfaction brought it back," Vince smirked.
"All finished!" Charlie declared as she let go of Vince's hand. It was now nicely wrapped in a gauze and he admired her work before thanking her and looking back to Alastor. The silence stretched on like some tangible awkward thing for Charlie as Vince held Alastor's gaze for what felt like an uncomfortable amount of time.
Just before she could break the tension, Alastor finally replied. "You know…this is starting to sound an awful lot like you're looking to make a deal." His eyes were lidded and his grin stretched wide.
Vince shrugged, "I mean kinda if that's how-"
Fear gripped at Charlie's heart and she stood, waving her hands between them, "No! No, deals! Alastor, you know that's not what he meant!" She gave him her sternest frown. Was the idea of interacting with technology just upsetting him up this much? He'd been nothing but pleasant with the therapists for weeks now! Why was he acting like this towards Vince?
"Do I?" Alastor asked with a tilt to his head. Vince looked between them with a raised eyebrow and Charlie sighed. She would have to explain the dangers of deal making to him after Alastor left. This was way too important to leave at a simple 'don't do it' if Alastor was going to start picking on this poor soul.
"Okay fine, no deals or whatever," Vince set his phone down. "I'm just shocked that a self proclaimed demon wouldn't want to try and expand their skill set. Being able to launch an EMP at your TV nemesis would immediately shut him down if he's got electricity powers. Probably a handy skill to have if he's such a thorn in your side that you need Heaven's help to make a network to keep him out."
Alastor stared at Vince with a more calculated look before flickering his gaze to Charlie and vanishing his microphone. He snapped a chair into existence. "You have two minutes to pitch your idea to me," he stated as he sat down. "If I am to lend my valuable time and ability to your endeavor then the outcome needs to be proven as one worth my wild."
"Two minutes?" Vince frowned, "I don't even have the supplies to demonstrate what I'm thinking right now. How can I pitch this on the spot in two minutes?"
Alastor grinned, "My the modern world is truly bleak if the elevator pitch has fallen out of fashion. Well I suggest you get creative then. One minute and forty five seconds remain."
Vince wasted no more time and immediately launched into a lot of technical jargon that went right over Charlie's head. Alastor seemed to be following along, or at least appearing to, as he listened dutifully. The best that she could gather was something about Alastor's possible power range meant that he could make defensive items with Vince's assistance for the hotel that Alastor could also use as offense devices if needed. It certainly sounded like the kind of thing that would appeal to Alastor…if it hadn't required the use of modern technology.
A clanging of alarm bells broadcasting from Alastor indicated Vince's time was up, and the man stopped mid drawing and dropped his pen down with a scowl. "Really this barely scratches the surface, but that's the starting idea," Vince said before looking back at Alastor. "I get that tech doesn't seem to be your thing. You won't have to interact with any of it directly. I'll do all of that. Honestly having you around when I'm doing setup so I can adjust the WiFi frequency to something that won't bother you, supposing it can bother you, would probably be a good idea regardless."
Something about it must've lit Alastor's interest as he stared at Vince in thought rather than dismiss him outright. "What is the benefit for you in this…arrangement," his eyes flickered to Charlie's briefly at his word choice and she smiled encouragingly back at him. "You failed to mention that in your pitch."
"Benefit?" Vince asked with a shocked look, "The knowledge that I've helped build something so unique that it can keep out an actual demon is seriously rewarding enough. I used to do stuff like this on Earth for fun and to test my skills. They have competitions and what not for it. Honestly, this is the most normal I've felt since I've died." He chuckled and shook his head, "I don't wanna know what that says about me but yeah, it's just a fun logic puzzle. Satisfaction of a job well done is all I'd get out of it and I'm not looking for anything else."
Alastor tilted his head as if Vince had said something he wasn't expecting, but it made perfect sense to Charlie. Why wouldn't you just want to help someone just because you could? He then stood, vanishing his chair and summoning his microphone again. "I shall consider your proposal and let you know in a few days time, but I have an evening show to prepare for."
"Oh, what's your station?" Vince asked, "If there's a radio in here I'll tune in and check it out. I've been wondering what your broadcasts are like since I found out last night."
Charlie nervously chuckled, "Maybe that isn't such a great id-"
"Come now Charlie, don't be a bluenose," Alastor grinned as he snapped his fingers and one of his radios appeared on the dresser in place of all the coffee cups. "Surely you do not wish to deprive our guests of quality entertainment." He looked back at Vince, "Bottom of the dial, station 66.6. Do tune on in. I think you'll find it to be quite a scream."
Carefully balancing atop a chair, Lucifer slowly set the final rubber duck at the peak of his now six foot tall pyramid. He let out a breath as it settled and he carefully leaned away from it to admire his creation. A swell of accomplishment filled him and he smiled at his impressive stack of ducks for a few seconds.
Then the mediocrity of it all came crashing down around him. What was he celebrating this for? This pile of nothing. He grit his teeth as he tossed one of his giant ducks into the pyramid and watched it scatter to pieces. With a deep sigh, he collapsed down into the chair he was on and held his head in his hands.
Ever since his last meeting with Sera and their 'attempts' to redesign the embassy, he had felt numb and unmotivated. Sera had disagreed with all of his design suggestions of course -not that hers were any better- and they had left at odds with each other…again. Meanwhile Charlie seemed to be thriving on her own at the hotel without him. Oh she had called today for help with warding that room, but he didn't feel like he was a part of it. It was Charlie's dream after all, not his.
He didn't want to interfere when her dream was flourishing; while everything he tried always seemed doomed to failure.
Which brought him back to thinking about the embassy. His next meeting with Sera was approaching and he still had no new ideas. Everything in him was screaming to just tear the building down, but oh no. Sera wanted to keep the damned thing! She knew what that building symbolized, even if she wouldn't admit it, but she just kept digging in her heels that it was worth keeping! Lucifer wanted the damned thing pulverized and erased as if it had never existed in the first place.
Much like…well…a lot of his past.
He sighed and twirled his wedding band. Lilith was the one he'd always turned to when he needed help centering himself, but she'd just…vanished. He knew she was alive…somewhere, but she'd never stayed away for so long after an argument and he'd just felt unmoored without someone to talk to. Someone he could trust and that could see his-
Lucifer bit his lip and crossed his arms over his chest as an idea came to him. It wasn't a great option but he was just the right combination of desperate and curious that it had him seriously considering it. She had said her door was always open if he wanted to talk, and by golly did he need someone to talk with.
Not that her little human mind could understand all his problems of course. No, that was ridiculous. Laughable even! But she could be a neutral party he could vent to. He wouldn't be burdening Charlie or showing weakness by confiding in one of the Sins. Yes, this could work. What a great idea!
Grinning for the first time in over a week, Lucifer grabbed his coat and hat before creating a portal to the hotel staff floor. He stepped out of it and waved it closed as he walked down the hall, whistling softly to himself. Passing several empty rooms, he finally stopped at his desired door and knocked.
Dread slowly started to creep into him as the seconds drew out and no one answered. Was this such a great idea after all? Maybe he'd come at a bad time, or perhaps the offer hadn't been genuine. More doubts started to run through his mind, and he'd just convinced himself that he should turn and leave when the door opened.
Sophia popped her head out from behind the cracked door and her eyebrows shot up her forehead. "Lucifer? Is everything alright?"
"Could be better!" Lucifer tried to smile as he fiddled with his clothes, "Things could uh, definitely be better. How are you?! You look uhh…" He trailed off as he took in her clothing now that she had opened the door more, dressed in a robe rather than her normal blouse and pants. "Comfy. Sorry. This is a bad time isn't it. I should go." Clearly he'd gotten the time wrong. The poor woman looked ready for bed. This was a bad idea after all.
"No, no," she insisted with a dismissive wave, "I mean, it's not when I thought- but that's not- never mind. Was there something you wanted to talk about? Do you want to come in?" She smiled and turned slightly to gesture over her shoulder.
"Are you sure? I really don't want to be a bother," Lucifer asked. His gut twisting up in knots as he waited for her answer.
Her smile softened and she stepped to the side to accommodate him, "I can think of no one I would like to share my evening tea with more. Please. I insist. Would you care for a cup? Don't tell Charlie, but I smuggled my favorite kettle up here just so I wouldn't have to bother anyone after dinner." She winked and placed a finger to her lips.
Lucifer felt the knot in his gut relax and he entered her room with a pep in his step, "Oh I can make you a little kitchen addition to your room if you'd prefer. It's really no problem at all!"
Sophia chuckled as she closed the door behind him and walked over to her dresser where the promised electric kettle sat. "Oh I don't need all that. Just the kettle is fine for my tea and occasional hot cocoa, but that's so kind of you to offer."
Lucifer sat down at the table and watched as she went through the motions of preparing him a cup of tea with a practiced ease that helped reassure the last of his fears that he was interrupting her. After only a minute or so of calm quiet, she set down a steaming mug of tea and some honey on the table before sitting in the other chair. "I hope you don't mind, but I only keep honey for chamomile."
He sniffed the air above the beverage and noted the light floral-like scent of tea. "What's a chamomile?" he asked. "It smells nice."
"It's just an herbal tea," Sophia shrugged and took a sip from her own mug, "The main ingredient, chamomile, is often used as a natural sleep aid as it's supposed to help you relax. I've been drinking it for decades so I can't say if it really helps, or if the habit just helps me unwind at the end of the day." She smiled over at him with a conspiratorial smile.
"It'll take a few minutes longer to steep and you can drink yours," she nodded to his mug, "Do you want to tell me what brought you here while we wait?"
Lucifer looked down at the mug and gripped it in his hands. The warmth seeped through to his fingers and he took a deep breath at the steam wafting up from it. He held his breath before letting it out in a slow release as he began to talk.
Notes:
Translations/slang:
kanpai - A Japanese word used when toasting drinks. Similar to 'cheers' in English when used nowadays.
bluenose - 1920s slang for a killjoy/buzzkill
One of my story inspiration points is exploring the idea that people in Heaven lose their memory of their loved ones that have gone to Hell. It comes from the bible as a sort of general reference that they would not be able to live truly happy/peaceful lives if they knew they had loved ones suffering for all eternity. I thought it would be interesting to explore just how that would be implemented and what it would mean if it was discovered/put to the test. Not to mention what it would mean for the main cast in Hell. I took many (likely not meant to be as deep as I went) lines and lyrics from episode six when coming up with my world building for this story to see where those implications could lead. Hopefully some of you are just as interested as my brain was to find out those answers, lol.
Unlike the character I'm writing, I only know enough about how technology works to be fairly tech literate, but not all the deep nitty gritty tech spec/coding that someone like him would. I will try to keep his techno speak to a minimum and as accurate as I can, but we are dealing with a magical afterlife so expect some hand waving and generalized summaries to fill in the gaps. Everything really does run on radio waves for modern wireless tech. It's just the frequency range that's different for each medium. Exploring just what Alastor's control over radio waves as a power could mean for the future of Vox/VoxTek is something I very much hope the show explores, but I'm not expecting it to, so I'm doing it instead, lol.
Sorry for the delayed time in putting this up today as well. My flight got in very late last night and I picked up a cold while I was away on vacation, so I passed out when I got home. 😅 It really does help with the anxiety posting my writing brings to see people following along. I was expecting maybe like...2 people to tag along as I'm not writing a romance/relationship story 😅😆 Less here than on Ao3 but then I've known this site is on it's way out for ages.
