NO POV
At the Hazbin Hotel's Dining Hall…
"Oh no, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad…!" Charlie frantically whispered to herself as she paced around, clearly worried as Vaggie had told her what happened with Lute. "I knew she'd be having a hard time adjusting, but I didn't think it'd be this bad…!"
"Babe, relax. Take a few deep breaths," Vaggie urged Charlie, who proceeded to stop her pacing when Vaggie touched her shoulders and kept her in place. "Come on, breathe. You can't worry like this, especially not in front of the guests."
Noticing the several guests who were looking at the scene curiously, Charlie did as Vaggie said and took a few deep breaths, managing to calm herself down as a result.
"Good…" Vaggie mumbled, smiling as Charlie took one last breath to relax before sighing in dismay.
"I took things too fast," Charlie said, her eyes glancing away shamefully. "I forced her out of her room too soon, and now I—!"
"Couldn't have done anything regardless," Vaggie interrupted to get her girlfriend back down to earth. "Look, even if you didn't make Lute go here, she probably still would react the way she did, regardless."
"But still—!" Charlie was about to say, but Vaggie cut her off once more.
"I know you want to see the best in people, but like I said, Lute isn't most people," Vaggie said. "She's in a place that's totally unfamiliar to her, and given what happened, a lot of what she's known is probably shattering right in front of her. It's probably going to take weeks or even months for her to adjust to—"
"Adjust to what, you traitor?" an all-too-familiar voice said behind them in a cocky manner. Turning around, Charlie squeaked with joyful surprise, and Vaggie frowned as Lute walked into the dining room. The ex-Exorcist practically strutted into the scene, a shit-eating grin plastered on her face as she approached the princess before pausing to spread both arms wide as if offering herself for a hug.
Being the overly sentimental sweetie she was, Charlie grinned in delight and raised her own arms wide as well.
"You came back!" Charlie shouted before enveloping Lute in a tight bear hug. Lute felt the air squeeze out of her for a brief moment, just as she had. Gently, Lute gestured for Charlie to let her go, to which the Princess of Hell did so with a giddy giggle.
"And you have both arms again…" Vaggie added, frowning as she stared at Lute's regrown arm with narrowed eyes. "How did you…?"
"It regrowed, simple as that," Lute remarked, her cocky smile ever present as she flexed and stretched her regenerated limb, clearly showing it off. "It's similar to how you demons regenerate."
Vaggie blinked with her own eye, a perplexed expression on her face. "Wait, wait, if your arm grew back, why can't my eye?"
"Well, your wings grew back, didn't they?" Lute responded. "My best guess is that angelic steel negates angels' ability to regenerate just as much as it negates Sinners'."
"Your best guess?" Vaggie scoffed. "Is that the best you can come up with?"
"I didn't think you lot could kill us with our own weapons 'till now, so what else am I supposed to think?" Lute retorted. Both ex-Exorcists then glared at each other intensely, prompting Charlie to step in between them.
"Oooookay, I think that should be enough for now! I'm just glad you're back, Lute!" Charlie said, beaming a smile to Lute. "Are you okay?"
Lute took a short second to pause before shrugging. "I'm alright. I'm just here to finish my required meal. I haven't gotten my dessert yet, after all."
"If you want, we can just give your dessert to your room if you're still nervous about—"
"Angels don't get nervous," Lute said, matter of factually. "I want my dessert, and I want it here."
Vaggie narrowed her eye suspiciously at this declaration while Charlie took a short moment to ponder it.
"Well…if that's what you want," Charlie said with a nod before motioning Lute to sit down. "I'll go get you that dessert. We're having ice cream sundae for today."
"Sounds…creamy," Lute said, forcing a cheesy smile while Charlie giggled at the admittedly bad pun. Charlie then left, with Vaggie still being present to eye at Lute suspiciously. The two proceeded to glare at each other once more before Vaggie made a rapid pointing motion at herself, then Lute, as if to say 'I'm watching you'.
With that, Vaggie left, leaving Lute alone for the time being. The ex-Exorcist let out a sigh of relief as she was finally by herself once again.
Thought she'd never leave, Lute thought to herself. Soon enough, Charlie came back with a cup of ice cream sundae for her before leaving to give the other guests their treats.
Lute stared at the cup. It was a swirly vanilla ice cream that had been coated with chocolate syrup and nuts. Grabbing a nearby spoon, Lute scooped a small piece of ice cream and took a bite of it.
Lute couldn't help but make an "mmm" sound, as a cool, sweet, tingling sensation melted in her mouth. Ice cream from Hell was surprisingly good. It reminded her of all the times she went out and ate sweets with…
Lute frowned, memories of Adam playing in her mind as the ice cream she ate now felt more bitter than sweet.
I'll get through this, Lute thought as she took another bite of her ice cream. I'll get through this, and I'll get BACK to Heaven…
Whatever it takes…
. . .
LUTE'S POV
The next morning, at Lute's hotel room…
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP—!
Lute's fist suddenly crashed on the alarm clock next to her, shattering it into pieces. Sitting up, Lute outstretched her arms and chest as she let out a loud yawn. With a dazed groan, Lute stood up and headed over to the curtains.
There was a brief moment of hesitation on Lute's part as she gripped the curtains tightly. Taking a deep breath, she opened the curtains, causing the blood-red light of Hell's skies to shine down on her menacingly.
Lute frowned. Disappointing. I actually had a good sleep last night.
She really did. Part of her was hoping that this whole ordeal had been a horrible nightmare and that she'd wake up in Adam's bed back in Heaven.
But, of course, that was the dream. Her reality was currently more depressing than it should be.
With a dismayed sigh, Lute quickly closed the curtains and headed to the bathroom. After a quick shower, Lute went to the closet to see what clothes the Hell Princess had given her. Most of it was fittingly cutesy and cringe-inducing, such as pastel-colored clothes, skirts, and socks. There were even a few pairs of blasphemous panties and lingerie that no doubt belonged to that porn demon Angel Dust.
With a disgusted sneer, she picked the only pair of clothes that seemed manageable for her to wear in her eyes: a pink shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants. After putting on the outfit, Lute took a step out of the room and began to wander the halls of the Hotel.
She didn't really have a reason to leave her room and walk around per se. Charlie didn't say anything for her to do right now. But if she was going to be staying in the Hotel for a while, she might as well get to know the layout of the place.
Finally, after taking a good look inside the hotel, Lute had to admit it wasn't as bad-looking as she had thought. Many of her interactions with Charlie had given her the impression that the hotel would be some tacky, overly saccharine, kindergarten crap. Something akin to a toddler on a drug trip.
However, upon gazing at the halls of the Hotel, she couldn't help but feel…a little impressed. The decor and the aesthetics of the hotel's halls were red like all of Hell, but they were lighter in tone, and there were parts of the architecture that Lute recognized as being akin to the Catholic designs that Heaven would use. Given that this whole place was centered on…redeeming Sinners and getting them to Heaven, Lute supposed that the way Charlie designed the hotel fit that overall goal.
The velvet carpet flooring below her was also pretty nice, to Lute's surprise. As a professional warrior and combatant, Lute was never one for having comfort despite being from Heaven. But even then, she couldn't help but note how cushy and soft stepping through the Hotel hall's floor was. It was something that perplexed Lute, especially when she glanced at the halls once more and noticed how eerily clean and tidy the place was.
The Princess is really giving it all with making this place presentable, Lute thought to herself, baffled at how this one place was actively trying to go against everything she knew about Hell.
"Hey, isn't she that Exorcist lady…?" a voice whispered behind Lute, which was audible enough for her to hear.
"Yeah, it's her. Her name was Lute, I think…" another voice whispered.
"You don't think she's gonna kill us, do you…?" another voice asked, a twinge of fear in her voice.
"With the Princess' girlfriend and the Radio Demon skulking the place? I doubt it…"
Turning her head around, Lute noticed several Sinners all around her. A few were peeking through their room doors, fear evident in their eyes. Some were outside and in the halls with her, huddled in small groups as they seemed to be talking amongst themselves.
Lute noticed all the fearful and suspicious stares they were giving her. Normally, she would have reveled in those fear-filled looks. Take in the terror as she wanted them to know that Hell was forever before slicing them apart with her holy sword. But she herself was in Hell now, and her weapons and Exorcist armor were nowhere in sight.
Whether she liked it or not, Lute needed to play along with this farce of a hotel, meaning she had to be…friendly with Sinners.
The thought made her shudder in disgust. It was blasphemous, but she had no choice…
"What are you staring at?" an insect-looking Sinner asked in a gruff manner, trying to sound intimidating to hide his fear.
Lute didn't reply to that question aside from just staring blankly at the bug and the other Sinners staring at her. An awkward silence then filled the air as both sides continuously stared at each other, with only one cough just disrupting it for a brief second.
What should I do? Lute wondered, raising a brow as she thought of the possibilities. Should she engage in small talk? What was she going to say to a bunch of filthy Sinners?
"Um…" she tried to say, but the words were caught within her tongue.
"…Yeah…?" one of the Sinners said, cautiously stepping forward to Lute.
The awkward silence persisted for a good while as both sides were still unsure of what to do or how to react. Lute herself was still at a loss, feeling the sweat drop from her brow as this was the first time she actually had to interact with Sinners.
Things would've been much easier if I could go back to doing Extermination duty…! Lute grumbled to herself mentally before a thought came to her head. Perhaps I should…smile? Adam always said showing a nice smile can disarm people…
With that, Lute's smile curled to a small, almost innocent smirk as she tried to calm her expression to something more pleasant. That smirk alone managed to surprise the small group of Sinners, catching them off guard…
Before causing them all to tremble in fear as that smirk turned into a ferocious predatory grin, the sides of Lute's lips went cheek-to-cheek to reveal rows of shining teeth that seemed ready to gnaw and gnash at the sinners in front of her.
With a scream from one of them, the group of Sinners in front of Lute suddenly ran off and fled in terror, leaving the ex-Exorcist alone and utterly baffled by what happened in front of her.
"Damn Sinners…" Lute muttered, grumbling in quiet frustration, her wings ruffling before she got back to wandering the halls of the hotel.
. . .
HUSK'S POV
Husk let out a yawn and shook his arms and wings, giving himself a quick stretch as he walked toward the bar.
Glancing at his surroundings, he whistled in amusement, still surprised by how large the new and improved Hazbin Hotel was. He had already wandered around the place and helped build it, but he felt like he'd get lost wandering the place for hours on end.
Fortunately, there was only one place in the hotel where he needed to be, and he knew exactly where it was.
Husk's Bar, Husk thought, looking at the fancy neon sign that hung above the front of the bar. It wasn't something he asked for specifically, but it felt nice seeing that in front of his bar.
His bar. That thought alone made Husk chuckle. It had been a long time since Husk had managed to call anything his own.
Before the Hotel, Husk had everything as the Pride Ring's Gambling Overlord. He had the wealth, the power, and the souls indebted to him. He even had his own place like the Hotel, albeit not as large, and worked more to promote vices than condemn them.
But that all changed when that damn Radio Demon had come to his life.
Now, Husk wasn't an egotistical or narcissistic man. He knew full well that the downfall he went through as an Overlord was his own fault. He specialized in gambling, so he knew he'd run the risk of falling a couple of hands short. But he was fairly sure whatever power he had left at the time got unfairly stolen by Alastor's hands.
It's not like the Radio Demon would actually play fair anyway.
For that, Husk had pretty much accepted his afterlife was over now that Alastor owned his soul. He was eternally stuck as the Radio Demon's property, forced to dance to his tune and do his bidding. Even his new position in the Hotel was given to him because Alastor wanted some sick sense of amusement from the current situation.
But he had to admit. Getting his own place to guzzle down and serve drinks, actually using his old Overlord skills to help people with their problems like he did with Angel…it gave the old gambler a warm feeling he didn't expect to feel in Hell.
And the aforementioned drinks didn't feel too bad either. If anything, the Hotel being rebuilt had given Husk the chance to get stuff he couldn't get even during his Overlord days.
Asmodean Plump Wines, fermented from the freshest plumps and berries of the Lust Ring.
Spicy Wrath Ring Booze that would make the toughest of Sinners and demons scream from its overwhelming spiciness.
The sweetening, fruity honey juice courtesy of the Gluttony Ring's Beelzebub. That was the stuff Husk wanted to drink up the most. It actually took a considerable amount of effort on his part not to guzzle all of these drinks down himself.
Oh, how much he wanted to drink all of these…but with how the Hotel was booming right now and the fact he was actually in a good mood for once. He couldn't bring himself to ruin that now—!
"Hey, demon filth!" a familiar voice shouted from the front of the bar. Husk's smirk slowly morphed into his usual frown as he sighed. Turning around, he saw no one other than the ex-Exorcist, Lute, herself.
She sat by the front of the bar, a smug smirk on her face as she sat with her arm crossed on the table. The woman seemed incredibly proud that both her arms were back…
"The hell do you want?" Husk asked in his usual gruff manner.
"A drink, isn't that obvious?" Lute said rather rudely. As much as she hated demon filth, she had heard stories from Adam about how intoxicatingly good their drinks were. Their flavors and tastes were almost said to be on par with Heaven's Winery, so she figured she might as well try them while she was stuck here.
"Ain't it a little too early for a drink?" Husk asked with a raised brow. Normally, he wouldn't care if it was any of his usual customers, but Lute was anything but usual.
"It's Hell, why does it matter?" Lute retorted, slightly slamming the desk to emphasize her point.
All it did was make Husk roll his eyes at this. With a grumbled sigh, he reached down and grabbed a glass and a bottle of orange-looking liquid. He poured some of it onto the glass and quickly slid it in Lute's direction.
Picking it up, Lute studied the glass for a brief moment as if to check on it. With a smirk, she happily took a big sip from the glass, ready to get intoxicated with one of Hell's drinks…
Only to suddenly spit it all out as she instead felt a sweet, sugary sensation.
"A-apple juice…?!" Lute shouted hoarsely with a cough. "You gave me apple juice…!?"
"Yeah, it's too early for alcohol…" Husk said with a shrug. "Besides, it's not like you need drinks here anyway. Not exactly fancy for you Heavenly types."
Lute gritted her teeth before pounding her fists against the bar table. "Now you listen here—!"
"Lute, good morning!" Charlie's voice was heard from behind the Lute, causing the ex-Exorcist to suddenly stand her body straight and turn around to face Charlie directly.
"Ma'am!" Lute shouted, saluting at Charlie for her sudden appearance, though it was mostly out of habit given how militarized the Exorcists were. In all her years, she never imagined herself saluting the Princess of Hell of all people, but these were trying times.
"You…don't need to do that," Charlie said gently, gesturing for Lute to put her saluting arm down. "I uh…hope you had a good rest, Lute."
"It was…adequate," Lute responded in a dry and matter-of-fact tone.
"Oh, that's good! That's good…" Charlie said, still smiling as she paused for a brief second. "Bar troubles, eh?"
"The furball can't even give me the right drink," Lute said before turning to glare at Husk.
"Hey, it ain't my fault someone doesn't get it's too early," Husk said with a shrug. Charlie knew that wasn't the real reason why Husk refused to give Lute a drink and was thankful to him for it. A tipsy or drunk Lute would be the last thing they all needed.
"We'll get you a drink at a later time, don't worry," Charlie said in assurance, which was only met with disappointment from the ex-Exorcist.
"What brings you here, princess?" Lute asked.
"Oh, right! I almost forgot!" Charlie said. "I wanted to invite you to today's activities!"
"Activities?" Lute asked with a raised brow.
"Yeah, we always do activities and trust bonding exercises to help with the redemption program and to get people to know each other better," Charlie said. "We're hoping that you'd join us for one of them, at least."
Lute paused, her mind pondering over the Princess of Hell's offer.
"Do I even have a choice in the matter?" Lute asked.
"Of course you do!" Charlie said insistently, albeit with a nervous chuckle. "You have your right to say no! It's just…I highly recommend you do participate in them, though."
Lute gave Charlie a mildly irritated look, but it made her ponder the offer more. She was stuck in this Hotel 'till she found a way out of Heaven, so it was not like she had better things to do right now. Also, it could potentially help her learn things about the demons here. Information that she can potentially use against them in the (hopefully) next Extermination!
Lute smirked wickedly at the thought. "Alright, Princess, I'll partake in these…activities with you."
Charlie's eyes beamed as she smiled in delight. "Wonderful! I promise that you won't regret it!"
"Oh, I'm sure I won't…"
. . .
LUTE AND CHARLIE'S POV
I regret this! I regret ALL of this! was what Lute immediately thought of the moment she actually saw what the activities were.
She knew that it was going to be something egregiously sappy and saccharine, but she didn't expect—!
"Why salutations, my sweet little sailor boy~!" Alastor said loudly, his radio voice booming as he suddenly burst from the shadows and appeared right in front of Lute. The Radio Demon was now sporting a dirty trench coat that covered his signature red suit and resting above his hat was an equally dirty black fedora.
He stared down at Lute, and his ever-present grin grew larger upon seeing what the ex-Exorcist was now wearing. Rather than any of the casual clothing she had come to wear during her stay in Hell, she was now sporting a white sailor shirt, a pair of black shorts, and a black sailor cap with a yellow cap.
The entire outfit reeked of childishness and silliness that Lute could barely stomach, resulting in an annoyed and embarrassed expression on her face.
Surely, this wasn't the way the Princess would do to redeem Sinners, was it? If so, she and Adam really didn't have anything to worry about…and they did that extra Extermination for—!
"Hello, little sailor boy? Helllloooooo~?" Alastor suddenly said, cutting Lute from her thoughts as she stared back at him. "Ah, good to see that your head has landed back to Earth, my dear fellow~!"
Lute grumbled in mild annoyance before noticing Charlie gesturing from behind the Radio Demon. This caused her to let out an even bigger sigh before flashing a fake smile.
"Hello there to you, sir…!" Lute said with every ounce of fake enthusiasm she could muster. "What brings you here to our fine…place?"
"Oh, nothing out of the ordinary, my dear boy~!" Alastor said. "I'm just your run-of-the-mill drug dealer who hasn't had a lot of hugs during his childhood."
Alastor then briefly paused to share an irritated glance towards Charlie as if temporarily agreeing with Lute at how CRINGY this whole affair was. The aforementioned Hell Princess just smiled nervously before gesturing to them to continue. Husk, who took time out of his bar to watch the whole affair, stifled a laugh before chugging down a bottle of booze he had on hand.
After a short second of shared irritated silence, Alastor then turned back to Lute, his ever present smile turning into a sly smirk as he reached into his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a small zip bag of white sugar.
"I was just wondering if you're interested in some drugs that I've been selling around, dear boy~" Alastor said, presenting the obvious bag of sugar to Lute. "It might give you a very good feeling. Something that you'd absolutely DIE for~"
Alastor then let out a mischievous chuckle before staring expectantly at Lute. Lute gritted her teeth, narrowing her eyes to glare at the Radio Demon. She didn't want to say her next lines, but seeing Charlie silently urging her to, she could only let out a sigh before saying…
"Golly, mister, that sure sounds…swell! But that's not for me because…I am a very good boy," Lute let out, practically feeling part of her soul dying upon saying that.
"Are you sure~? It wouldn't hurt for you to be bad just a bit, hmm~" Alastor pressed, starting to enjoy the 'cartoony drug dealer' role as Lute cringed even harder from this activity.
"It's…tempting, but no," Lute muttered bitterly before noticing Charlie raising her hand to make a 'no' gesture and urging her to do the same. With a sigh, Lute did so.
"No," Lute said, only slightly louder per the Hell Princess' request. "I'm a good boy…" she paused to cringe. "And I will not fall for those kinds of bad…stuff."
Lute paused for a moment to cringe, not wanting to continue, only to look at Charlie's insistent and assuring expression once more.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to school so I can grow up a good…man," Lute paused, gritting her teeth as she tried to force the next few words out of her mouth. "So I can get a good wife…that I'll have sex with…after marriage."
"Yes! Way to go, Lute!" Charlie said with a cheer before reaching out to hug the ex-Exorcist. Lute immediately tried to protest, but was too slow as Charlie had already caught her in a tight, child-like embrace.
Lute began to motion her arms, wanting to push Charlie away for hugging her…but to her surprise, she couldn't bring herself to do so. The warmth and odd sense of comfort that Charlie's hug was giving her were causing her to feel light and distressed, her muscles feeling less tense, and her usual stoic expression softening to a look of silent contemplation.
This hug was…this warmth and gentle touch…it was something she never felt before…or a long time? Lute could've sworn she felt something like this before, but…to feel it here in Hell of places?
It…doesn't feel too bad, Lute thought to herself before opting to loosely wrap one arm around Charlie just to pat her on the back.
"I'm really glad you joined us for the activity!" Charlie said. Lute responded with a shrug.
"It was…alright," Lute said, trying hard not to cringe about how the activity actually went for her. "It…was certainly an experience…"
"Certainly shows her acting skills, Charlie~" Alastor suddenly said as he took off the dirty coat and fedora. "Maybe a few more of these little sideshows can help her when she's in the actual activity~"
Lute blinked before turning to the Radio Demon. "The…actual activity?"
Charlie's eyes widened before she turned to glare at Alastor in a scolding manner. "Alastor!"
"Oops, must've slipped! You know I can't help but run my mouth sometimes~!"
"What does he mean by…that?" Lute asked, feeling tense once more as she waited for Charlie to answer.
Charlie's eyes darted around, her fingers twiddling as she tried to find the words. "Well, it's just since we rebuilt the Hotel, we've started to make some…changes regarding how things work."
Charlie paused for a few seconds to give Lute time to say anything, but seeing the ex-Exorcist silent prompted her to continue. "After talking with my dad, Vaggie, and a few therapists that wound up in Hell…we decided to split activities into two parts. Icebreakers that help ease people into the redemption program and…the real…activity…"
Charlie then smiled sheepishly as Lute processed the information given to her. There was an awkward silence between them as Lute's expression slowly went from confused to flustered to absolutely enraged.
"So…are you telling me…I was just your guinea pig today!?" Lute shouted with an ounce of venom in her voice.
"What, no!" Charlie shouted back. "You're not a guinea pig! Far from it, honestly!"
"Then why did you have to put me through this…!?" Lute shouted, gesturing at the ridiculous sailor boy outfit she was wearing as she stuttered to find the appropriate words for it. "This fucking joke!?"
"This IS part of the activity, I swear, Lute!" Charlie insisted. "This was just the first step you need to take before going to the actual activity!"
"How do I need THIS!?" Lute shouted, once again gesturing at the sailor outfit.
"Because you need to learn to get along and work with demons and sinners better, okay!?" Charlie shouted back, catching Lute off guard.
"What…?" Lute mumbled out, raising a brow from Charlie's statement.
Charlie sighed. "Look, I appreciate that you're trying, Lute. I really am, but it's clear you still have problems with the other people here. And they clearly have a problem with you since you were an Exorcist."
"I still am—!" Lute began to say.
"And that's exactly the problem," Charlie said, a stern expression on her face. "Lute, as much as it pains me to say this to you, but you're not in Heaven anymore. You're here in Hell with the rest of us, and if you want to make any sort of progress here, you have to learn how to…get along with everyone here."
Lute went silent for a few seconds, contemplating the Princess' words. She had to admit; those were…somewhat valid reasons given her own issues with the demon filth that resided in the Hotel with her now. So learning how to…get along was understandable. Frustratingly understandable.
But that still didn't answer one thing…
"Then why did you need to put me in this stupid outfit?" Lute asked, still frustrated over the silly sailor costume she was wearing.
"Well…" Charlie tried to say, only for Alastor to step forward.
"That would be my idea, darling~!" he said. "I'm well aware of your struggles in fraternizing with demon kind, so I figured giving you that suit would give you a nice dose of humility~! It's something that fallen angels such as yourself need after all…"
Lute turned to glare at the Radio Demon in response, scoffing at his claim. "Fallen? I'm not fallen!"
"The fact that no one from Heaven's come to pick you up says differently…" he said in a sinister, static-y tone, causing Lute to feel a sting in her chest as his words hit her like a brick to glass. After that, Lute went coldly silent, Alastor's words, causing Charlie to grow concerned for the ex-Exorcist.
"Um, Lute…are you okay…?" Charlie asked slowly, managing to catch Lute's attention.
"Oh, um…I'm…fine," Lute said, clearly lying as she looked visibly uncomfortable. "I just…need some time to myself."
Charlie opened her mouth to protest, but stopped herself upon seeing how hurt Lute looked. Remembering the time Angel had walked off to get some time with himself and how he got better from it, Charlie nodded and allowed Lute to wander off on her own.
Once she was gone, Charlie sighed in dismay at how, in her eyes, the activity didn't go as well as she hoped.
"Alastor, you didn't have to—!" Charlie was about to say, only to stop herself, when she turned around and realized Alastor had disappeared. The only one left with Charlie was Husk, who simply shrugged when she silently asked where the Radio Demon was.
With that, Charlie let out a frustrated groan, hoping that all of this would turn out right in the end.
. . .
LUTE'S and ? POV
An hour later, Lute sat on a stool by Husk's bar, her mind still ruminating at what Charlie and the Radio Demon had said to her.
Charlie's words…were infuriating, but to some small degree, Lute understood what she meant. She just finds it hard to accept the fact she had to fraternize with demon filth, is all.
After all, she was—still IS an Exorcist Angel. A slayer of demon filth.
The idea of having to be friendly with any of them, hellborn and Sinner, was blasphemous. To Lute and her fellow Exorcists, they were taught that all demons deserved death. For Sinners, it was for making the wrong choices that led them to eternal damnation in the first place.
By all means, they deserve to be exterminated like the pests they were. And Morningstar's damn brat expected her to get along with them? Ridiculous!
"Get along with them, she says…bah!" Lute muttered to herself, slamming her fist against the table. "I can get along with them fine…I just don't want to!"
"What are you talking about?" a random demon who was just walking by asked.
"NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS!" Lute roared out, causing the demon to shriek in fear and flee for his life. Once he was gone, Lute's anger slowly faded when she noticed several other demons gawking at her with varying expressions of shock and intimidation.
Lute paused for a good while, unsure of what to do or say, before raising her hand to wave it.
"Um…hi?" was all she said, and in response, all those demons suddenly fled from her in terror. Now left alone once more, Lute just turned back to the table and grumbled bitter gibberish. What the hell did she do deserve all this? She, Adam, and the rest of her sisters had been the most loyal and powerful warriors in all of Heaven!
So why was she abandoned and left here in Hell? Did they not hear about what happened? There's no way news like this wouldn't have gotten to Heaven by now. Surely, Heaven already knew what had happened.
So why did no one pick her up?
She didn't even see or hear any of her sisters or Adam's remains get cleaned up by angels sent to retrieve them. From what she heard from Charlie and the traitor during their chats, the Cannibal Demons were the ones who took their bodies!
Didn't their years, no, decades of service warrant at least a proper burial?! It doesn't make any sense!
It was almost as if that Radio Demon's had carried some point to them…but Lute refused to see them as true! They weren't! They shouldn't!
"Penny for your thoughts, dear~?"
And with a frustrated groan, Lute turned and glared at the aforementioned demon, who was sitting at the stool next to her, a wine glass filled with what was clearly blood in his hand.
"What's it matter to you…?!" Lute asked with a snarl, clenching her hands into fists and gritting her teeth at the sight of the Radio Demon.
The Radio Demon chuckled, taking a sip from his blood wine before turning to face Lute, a playful yet menacing aura emanating from him as he did so.
"While the Princess is the one who owns and runs the Hotel, as an Overlord, I'm the one managing what goes on around these halls," he explained. "As such, any business that happens to bring issue to the Princess and her silly little dream is MY business."
Lute chuckled at that. "What? So you're playing guardian angel to the demon filth here? Don't make me laugh!"
"Oh, you're one to talk," Alastor remarked, suddenly snapping his neck in a tilt as he stared at Lute with menacing, glowing dial-like eyes. "You and that merry band of murderers of yours hardly look or even act like angels."
Lute growled at that. "What we do is for the greater good! To keep demon filth like you in line!"
"If that's the case, then why does your mask—the very look that all you exorcists wear—resemble demons, hmm~?" Alastor asked, leaning uncomfortably close toward the ex-Exorcist with a wider grin. "Haven't you noticed that the lot of you look like demonic jesters, horns and all? Haven't you ever wondered why that's the case?"
Lute opened her mouth to refute Alastor's accusations, only to pause as she took in his words.
"I…I'm wondering the same thing…" Lute mumbled, her shoulders slumping in defeat as she had no choice but to agree with him. She hated to admit it, but now that he mentioned it, she wondered why the Exorcists' uniform looked demonic in the first place.
"Could it be that angels and demons aren't so different after all~?" Alastor asked rhetorically, his smile growing slightly wider, his fanged teeth now showing. "Or maybe somewhere deep down that, even Heaven knows that you lot are no better than the demons you exterminate~"
Upon hearing that, Lute slammed her fists against the bar table, almost shattering, before snatching Alastor's wine glass and shattering it to form a makeshift shiv.
With a snarl, she suddenly grabbed the Radio Demon by the neck and forced him closer to her, pressing the shiv closer to his chest. Several guests gasped in shock at the sight in front of them, some stopping what they were doing just to see the commotion.
"Take. That. Back!" the ex-Exorcist demanded with a hiss, poking the sharp end of the glass shiv closer to Alastor's chest, enough to pierce his skin and give a small blood stain to his suit.
A tense silence hung in the air, with the guests watching trembling in fear and anticipation as Lute and Alastor glared at each other, with the former anticipating something to happen.
"…I suppose you're right. I'll take it back," Alastor said with a sigh. "After all, it'd be an insult to the demons residing here."
Lute blinked in surprise, the statement catching her off guard. Suddenly, Alastor grabbed her by the shirt and easily tossed her onto the ground.
"Charlie, Angel Dust, the other demons here at least amount to something in this silly little hotel and its ridiculous beliefs in redemption~" Alastor began, his voice reverberating as he took a step forward and grabbed Lute again, lifting her up before she could stand up herself. "Our dear little princess managed to make her ideas work despite everyone else's meddling. Angel Dust and the other guests here are actually trying to make it work-"
Lute attempted to stab him with the glass shiv, but the Radio Demon quickly sprouted a tentacle from his back to swat it away.
"YOU, on the other hand~?" Alastor paused to motion Lute closer to his face. "You're just a clown now, subjected to the whims of everyone down here~"
"Shut up…shut up…!" Lute shouted, raising her arms in an attempt to punch herself free, but the Radio Demon simply had his tendril grab Lute by the neck. Lute could only let out a choked gasp as she felt the air leave her breath. Alastor's tendril squeezed hard, turning her face blue.
"You lost to Vaggie, you lost to Charlie…" Alastor said, squeezing Lute's neck harder before unceremoniously dropping her to the ground. "And if I wasn't busy fighting your little boyfriend, you would've lost to me too~!"
Lute didn't respond as she was gasping for hair, her hands pressed against her neck as if to protect it while she breathed heavily. Alastor's smile morphed into a wide grin at the sight of the ex-Exorcist's suffering.
"Face it, my dear~" Alastor said with a sinister chuckle. "You don't belong in Heaven. You don't even belong in Hell, considering how well you've gotten along with the people here so far…face it, my dear. You're FALLEN. In every. Sense. Of the word…all you're good for now is comic relief."
If Lute's mind hadn't spiraled down before, it had certainly crashed and shattered into a million pieces as Alastor's words dug into her. With her heart beating fast and terror coasting through her body, Lute tried to stand up, only to trip and fall several times due to panic.
Soon enough, Lute managed to pick herself up and rush to the nearest door she saw. Without thinking, she rushed toward her, her arms flailing about in an attempt to reach it…only for the door to swing and smack her in the face, causing her to fall onto the floor once more.
"What's goin' on here?" Angel Dust said, stepping out of the door he just opened and becoming surprised upon seeing Lute lying on the ground. "Shit…! You okay?"
Angel Dust then reached his hand down to help Lute up, but the fallen angel didn't reciprocate as she pushed the hand before standing up and running through the open door, a clear look of terror on her face.
Once she was gone, Angel Dust just stood dumbfounded alongside several other guests who noticed the scene. He then turned to look at Alastor, who sat by Husk's bar with a new glass of blood wine in hand.
"Say, what was that about?" Angel Dust asked, concerned. Alastor simply smirked.
"Nothing, you needn't concern yourself," the Radio Demon said before taking a sip and savoring his wine.
. . .
LUTE'S POV
Lute ran through the stairs, her breath panting as she climbed through the staircase that gave passage through the other halls of the hotel.
By the time she climbed to the third floor, she was exhausted and was practically forcing herself to keep running. She flapped her wings and jumped in a desperate attempt to fly, but the panic induced by Alastor was too palpable for her to even do so.
As such, she kept running upwards in the staircase. Running and running upward from floor to floor until the time she reached the seventh floor, where she collapsed onto the floor a trembling, sweat drenched mess.
The ex-Exorcist lay there for a couple of minutes, taking a moment to catch her breath before making an attempt to stand up. With how shakey her legs were from all her running and the exhaustion she felt at the moment, Lute only managed to stand by holding onto the stair handle and using it to lift herself up.
"Get a hold of yourself, Lute…" Lute mumbled to herself, breathing at a slow, heavy pace to make herself calm. "That demon was just spouting bullshit…he was!"
Was he…?
"No…nononoNO!" Lute shouted, enraged at the thought of doubt that popped into her head. "I refuse to let that monster get to me…! He's wrong…he's WRONG! He's…"
Lute suddenly coughed and wheezed, her lungs and body still exhausted from her run.
"Need…to…rest…" Lute murmured to herself. "Just get back to my room…lie down…rest…and just…figure things out…!"
Lute then slowly walked out of the stairwell and into the seventh floor's halls. With a sigh, she began to walk to her door, only to pause and grumble as she realized her room was four floors below her.
With an irritated sigh, Lute began to trudge to the nearest elevator. She was far too tired to climb down the stairs…
With how tired she was, Lute was silently grateful that the elevator was close by. She was about to press the button, only for an audible dinging sound to be heard above her.
Before Lute could even react, the doors of the elevator suddenly opened, revealing…
"HELLO!"
Lute shrieked and fell butt-first onto the floor as she was face-to-face with the ever-smiling demon midget known as Niffty. The fifties dressed-wearing demon started at Lute with her one large bloodshot eye, causing the ex-Exorcist to shiver and tremble as she was now at the mercy of the one demon that killed Adam.
There was a tense silence in the air as Niffty continued to stare menacingly at Lute, her eye wide and her pupil as sharp as a well-kept Exorcist blade. Lute mentally screamed at herself to do something, especially when she noticed the large needle-like knife Niffty held.
However, she couldn't bring herself to do so as flashes of Adam's death played in her head. Niffty then cackled, raising her knife high for a stabbing motion. Lute closed her eyes shut, waiting for the same painful death that Adam suffered from-
"Bug!" Niffty suddenly shouted, confusing Lute greatly. Opening her eyes, Lute turned to see Niffty having already forgotten her in favor of chasing after a cockroach that was speedily skittering away from her.
The sight of the one-eyed menace that killed Adam going away to chase some puny insect…out of all the outrageous things she's seen in Hell, THAT was the thing that flabbergasted her the most.
"What the hell…?" was all Lute could mutter before hearing an amused chuckle coming from the elevator. Turning back to it, Lute realized that she had been so focused on Niffty that Vaggie had been behind her, watching the entire scene unfold.
"Can't even stand up to a housemaid now, huh?" Vaggie said snarkily, crossing her arms and giving Lute a mocking smirk. "Talk about 'how the mighty have fallen'."
Upon hearing that, Lute's face twisted into a furious scowl as a sudden burst of energy shot her back up to her feet.
"I know you don't follow my orders anymore, but humor me and follow one last order…!" Lute said, going close to Vaggie to jab her finger at her. "Enjoy this."
Vaggie raised a brow in confusion. "What?"
"You hear me! Enjoy this!" Lute hissed, her wings sprouting wide from her fury. 'Take as much pleasure in my degradation and humiliation as possible! Because at least then, you'll get bored of it faster!"
"What do you mean by-?" Vaggie tried to ask, but was cut off when Lute grabbed her and shoved her out of the elevator. Before she could even say anything, Lute punched the elevator's close button and practically had the elevator's doors slam shut in front of Vaggie.
Vaggie looked perplexed for a moment before being surprised by a strange feeling that she did not expect to have towards Lute, of all people: guilt.
. . .
Lute's Room…
Now, in the safety of her own hotel room, Lute locked the doors and covered the windows, not daring to have anyone or anything get in. She even checked the shadows in the corners in case that damned Radio Demon attempted to sneak into her room like the previous times she did.
Once she saw that she was truly alone, Lute quietly sat on her bed, covered herself in her bed sheets…
And whimpered in pain as tears began to swell in her eyes. Soon enough, those tears began to flow down her face, and before she realized it, Lute was already crying profusely from everything that had happened.
From the humiliation she felt in Charlie's silly redemption activity.
From the pain she felt when Alastor started to shatter her worldview.
From the betrayal she felt knowing that Heaven still hadn't come down to rescue her.
And most of all, the guilt she felt over leading Adam and her fellow Exorcists to their deaths.
She was Adam's lieutenant, after all. She should've led training herself. She should've thought of a backup plan in case those demons had a trick up their sleeve. She should've known angels were weak to their own fucking weapons!
She had been injured several times during her sparring sessions with Adam! If anyone could've noticed that glaring weakness, it SHOULD have been HER!
But she didn't. She had been too prideful and too caught up in her own bloodlust to notice that. And now she was here, alone, stuck with enemies surrounding her, and her sisters and Adam…
"Right here and waiting, bitch!" a familiar gruff voice shouted from behind Lute, causing her to take off her blanket and look behind her. She gasped in shock as in front of her stood Adam, the First Man, in all his rambunctiously holy glory.
"S-Sir…!?" Lute let out as she slowly got out of the bed. "I-Is that you…!?"
"Of course it's me, bitch!" Adam said, his voice carrying that tone of confidence and strength that Lute absolutely loved. "It's not like there's another Dickmaster running around this shithole anyways!"
Upon hearing that, Lute's eyes lit up from the sudden surge of relief and joy she felt upon seeing that her old friend and boss was alive and well. She practically jumped for joy, almost flying and crashing into the ceiling, but managed to curb her excitement just enough to approach Adam.
"S-Sir, thank goodness you're here!" she exclaimed, her words half-gibberish from the tears she was still crying out. "It's been so awful from the past few days, I just…just…"
Lute took a moment to let out a few more tears and whimpers before composing herself in front of him.
"We have to get out of here," she said to him firmly, like the Lieutenant Exorcist she was. "We need to find a way out of this shithole and contact Heaven. If we find a way to get back, maybe we can-!"
"Lute?" another voice suddenly said from the door of her room. Turning around, Lute saw that it was Charlie, who looked more confused and concerned at the sight in front of her. "Who…who are you talking to?"
"Who am I talking to?!" Lute repeated, feeling insulted by the question. "Are you blind?! It's clearly-!"
Lute gestured to where Adam was standing, only to realize that he was suddenly gone. Seeing this, her eyes widened in horror. It slowly dawned on her as to why Charlie had asked her who she was talking to.
"Lute…?" Charlie said, more concerned than ever as she took a few wary steps closer to Lute. "Are…are you okay…"
"I…" Lute paused, biting her lip as her body trembled in fear once more. "I…I think I'm going mad…"
TO BE CONTINUED