Author note: Welcome back, loyal readers. Great to have you back to share in this story. Special thanks for those who favorited, follow, read, or left a review, they give me the encouragement to keep going. Enjoy!
Chapter 7: Hotel Promotion
Word had spread fast, resulting in a tense breakfast the following morning. Taylor put on a look of impassiveness but their mind jumped between feeling guilty for disappointing Charlie and bubbling resentment for losing their temper to Alastor. Their arm ached, but Husk was right that it wasn't seriously broken. 'Thank goodness for demon regeneration, I guess.' They thought irritably. The table was silent, but for the occasional scraping of utensils and swallows or sips. Taylor looked around the table: Charlie's eyes were darting apprehensively between Taylor and Alastor; the red demon staring smugly at Taylor while sipping coffee from an "Oh Deer!" mug; Vaggie was trying to calm Charlie down by putting a hand on her shoulder; Angel was spooning cereal into his mouth while typing on his phone. Husk seemed a little hungover and poured the contents of a flask into his coffee mug. Only Nifty seemed to be oblivious to the oppressive atmosphere, stabbing at their food and giggling maniacally as they took in each forkful.
Finally, Charlie stood up and addressed the room.
"So, last night we had a bit of an incident and we need to address it." she started, voice a bit strained.
"Oh, pish posh, dear! It was no more than a small disagreement in ideals that got a little bit animated!" Alastor piped up, waving their hand dismissively.
"Even so, I think we need to get closure so Taylor can work on their redemption plan and make sure it doesn't happen again. Taylor, Alastor, stand up and apologize to one another." Charlie ordered, folding their arms as she waited.
"He's the one insulting what you're trying to do here and I'm the one being punished?" Taylor said accusingly.
"Now. Both of you." Charlie reiterated.
Alastor shrugged but stood, still grinning as Taylor rose with a huff. They walked over and stood before each other and waited, Alastor sporting a self-satisfied smile while Taylor looked irritated.
"Well, come on. Out with it! Taylor, you first." Vaggie insisted, prodding them along.
With a sigh and a roll of eyes, Taylor squared their shoulders and said with a monotone voice, "Alastor, I'm sorry for losing my temper and for any disrespect you felt during our conversation. It was unbecoming of someone looking to redeem themselves. Do you forgive me?"
Alastor's smug smirk turned absolutely gleeful as their smile widened at the display. Without skipping a beat, Alastor pulled Taylor to their side and laughed heartily.
"Ha ha ha! Water under the bridge, chum, think nothing of it! A little healthy debate is how fast friends are forged!" Pushing Taylor away swiftly, they manifested their cane and started walking out of the room. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have business elsewhere that needs my attention!" Alastor strode out of the room as Taylor began to grumble.
"Didn't hear an apology in all that, jerk."
"Well, that's about as best as we will get out of him, I'm afraid" Charlie said weakly.
With Alastor's departure, the others started to get up to leave. Nifty gathered the dishes to wash, leaving Taylor, Charlie, and Vaggie in the room. Once they were alone, Taylor started to rub the back of their neck before glancing up at Charlie.
"Charlie, I really am sorry for losing it with Alastor. I really blew it and will accept whatever punishment you're gonna dole out. So long as I get another chance." They said apologetically.
Charlie's smile returned as her eyes softened.
"As long as you promise to do better, all is forgiven." Charlie then started dragging Taylor out of the dining room by their shoulders while talking quickly. "Now come on! We have to get your Hell lesson started! Then you can come with Vaggie and I to go out and promote the hotel and then-"
"Babe, slow down, one step at a time!" Vaggie interrupted, but in an amused tone.
"Right! Sorry! Since you're new, I thought it would be good to have a Hell lesson so you can know how Pentagram City and Hell work and what to watch out for. Let's go to the parlor and get started!" Charlie exclaimed as she ran ahead.
Vaggie shook her head and chuckled warmly before glancing back at Taylor, smiling.
"Her enthusiasm is one of the things I love about her. For what it's worth, thanks for sticking up for the hotel and Charlie by extension, she doesn't have a lot of support down here so every bit helps." Smirking, she continued. "And good job on showing that shitlord that you're not going to be pushed around, that takes guts." They playfully jabbed at Taylor's uninjured arm.
Taylor beamed at the compliment and laughed wryly.
"Yeah, well, let's see if I live to see the end of the week. I'm sure to be on his kill list now."
"Not while you're a resident of the hotel. He's been warned not to mess with you from now on." Vaggie reassured.
The two moved into the parlor space and sat down on the couch as Charlie was finishing laying out some papers on the table. What followed was a very extensive lesson in Pentagram City and Hell's operations. Taylor was told about the difference between Sinners and Hellborn, the other rings of Hell and the Deadly sin who governed that region. Charlie explained that within the Pride ring, Pentagram City was the only area Sinners could travel around and the overpopulation problem. Vaggie described the way most demons amassed power was through making deals and collecting souls under contracts and that for the most part, the signee got the raw end of the deal while the dealmaker could do what they wanted with those under their thrall. Taylor pretended not to know about soul contracts, too worried about Charlie and Vaggie's reaction. Then, Taylor was shown the hierarchy structure Hell, with Sinners at the bottom, Hellborn, Sinner Overlords, Ars Goetia, the Deadly Sins, and the Royal Family. Charlie pointed out a few notable figures such as Alastor being an Overlord, she being the Princess of Hell, and her parents Lucifer and Lilith. Hearing Charlie speak so fondly of her parents made Taylor smile and they wished they had that sort of relationship with theirs. Finally, Taylor was told about Heaven and the yearly Exterminations. Taylor was shocked that the next one was three days away, but was relieved that the hotel residents would be safe if they stayed put inside the hotel. Charlie finished with her plan to redeem Sinner souls so they could live in Heaven and not fear the threat of being killed permanently by Exterminators.
Taylor's mind swam with all the information as they tried to commit it all to memory. Charlie then clapped her hands as Vaggie started cleaning up. Charlie then handed Taylor a stack of fliers promoting the hotel.
"Now that you're all caught up, you're going to help me and Vaggie hand out fliers so we get more residents to come to the hotel! Let's go!"
Taylor stopped her before she tried dragging them out. "Sure, let me get my jacket upstairs and I'll be back in a jiffy." Charlie nodded as they called for Razzle and Dazzle to get the limo ready. Taylor ran up and grabbed a black hoodie jacket and pulled it on before returning to the lobby and leaving with the two demonesses.
Charlie, Vaggie, and Taylor were in the center of Pentagram city, trying in vain to hand out fliers to unwilling demons. Charlie was keeping optimistic, but Taylor and Vaggie were a lot less enthused by the constant rejections. After another brush off from an annoyed demon, Charlie walked back to the other two and exclaimed,
"Okay, new plan! Let's split up to cover more ground, there has to be someone interested, especially with the Extermination so close."
"You think it's ok to let Taylor be by themselves?" Vaggie asked skeptically.
"I'll be fine, I'll back off and find you if things get too hairy." Taylor reassured.
"Fine. Meet back here in an hour. If things get dicey, yell and we'll find you." Vaggie said.
Splitting up, Taylor went down several blocks to an area that had several business fronts. Taylor was handing out fliers, only to pick them back up when demons would just toss them after a glance, when they heard shouting and crashes. Looking around, they saw in the building space between a strip bar and smoke shop an Imp was being tossed around into the trash cans by a surly looking warthog demon who was shouting obscenities. Taylor put on their hood and carefully crossed the street, hiding around the corner to listen in.
"You stupid slut, how dare you deny a paying customer! You think you're too good for this place? If a customer pays, you do whatever the fuck they want, damn it!" Roared the warthog.
The Imp whimpered back, shakily picking themselves off the ground. "But boss, he was getting too handsy, I just pushed him off and said no. Please, I don't want to do that stuff with him, not that! Please, boss, don't make me!" They cried out.
Taylor started to seethe, hating what they were listening to. They peeked around the corner. Taylor was taken aback when they could see the soul chain and collar. Even when it wasn't summoned, it glowed a slightly transparent gray, with the chains laying slack between the two demons.
Confirming the coast was clear, Taylor quickly dove behind the dumpster. Now obscured from view of the street and the two demons, Taylor started to panic. 'Should I do something? This isn't fair to her! But if they see me, they might bring trouble to the Hotel!' they thought. After racking their brain for a moment, an idea took root, if they could get it to work. Clenching their fists, they started to think about the blue flames that changed Vinny's appearance. 'Come on, I need it this time! Work!' They pleaded while focusing. In what seemed like forever, they felt a tickling and toasty sensation on their hands and saw with excitement that their hands were covered in blue flames. Closing their eyes, they crossed their arms and held onto their shoulders and they felt the flames spread all over in a wave of pleasant warmth. When the heat dissipated, they opened their eyes and looked into a nearby puddle of what they hoped was water. Instead of the fiery mane Taylor had grown accustomed to, a ferocious looking tiger with a brown mullet stared back. The only feature that Taylor recognized were their fiery eyes, which stayed the same.
Excited that it worked, Taylor looked back at the scene where the warthog demon was slapping the Imp around while threatening them harshly. The chain and collar were still visible, so Taylor decided to act. They got up from their hiding spot, noting that the ground seemed farther away than they were used to and their clothes a little tighter, and stalked over to the two demons.
"That's quite enough, the lady said no" said a deep baritone voice Taylor was not expecting to hear from their mouth.
The two demons looked over at the approaching tiger demon wearing a hood, and the boar demon smiled greedily.
"Do you get off on beating stupid bitches then? If you like what you see, and pay upfront of course, this one can be yours for the night! Punch her, kick her, fuck her five different ways, no worries! What do you say?" the boar demanded while showing off the Imp.
Taylor stopped a few feet from the two demons and picked up the translucent chain from the floor. Feeling it in their hands, they started to grip it and pull lightly to reduce the slackness. Neither demon seemed to notice what Taylor was doing.
Glancing at the Imp, they were softly crying as the boar demon held onto her arms roughly.
"Let her go so I can look at her properly." Taylor said, tone level.
The boar demon nodded and took a step back as he released her. The Imp shook and stared at the sky, trying to stifle their tears and sobs.
"Don't worry, she won't cause you any problems, she is under contract and will do anything you want to her." The boar said eagerly, hands clasped.
"Fine. Then let her decide what she wants." Taylor responded. They started to grip the chains tighter as their anger started to rise. They felt their hands grow hot and the chains start to rattle.
The boar became irritated. "What she wants? Who cares! Look, if you're not interested, fuck off and let me get back to business!" the boar said aggressively.
Turning to the Imp, Taylor asked gently, "Miss, what do you want?"
The Imp flinched at the voice being directed to her, but looked down to stare at Taylor incredulously. Softy, they said, "I wanna go back home to the Wrath Ring and be with my family. This was a mistake; I don't want this."
Taylor grinned as they got their arms ready.
"Perfect, I can help with that." They forcefully pulled back on the chains, causing the collar and chains to manifest for all three demons to see. The Imp and boar were hauled forward, and when they steadied themselves, they shared a look of shock. The chains rattled loudly as Taylor concentrated, and the boar tried to yank his arm back to dismiss the soul chain, but it wouldn't work. The boar shouted in outrage and made to step forward.
"You bastard, I'll tear your fucking head off!" they snarled.
Before their foot hit the ground, the chain splintered with a thunderous clank that startled all three demons. All were still as statues as the chain and collar vaporized and the smoke began collecting in Taylor's palm. Taylor gasped as it slammed into their chest and knocked the wind out of them. Then they felt a familiar surge of energy run throughout their body as they tilted their head back euphorically. They felt the bones in their injured arm snap back into place and the punctures wounds close up. Taylor began chuckling as they felt revitalized and full of vigor.
Taylor snapped back to reality in time to dodge the boar demon trying to tackle them, causing the boar to crash to the floor. Taylor looked back quickly and called to the Imp.
"Quick, get out of here and back to your family, you're free!" They shouted to the Imp.
The Imp hesitated for a moment and nodded mutely before dashing away.
"You little bitch, get back here!" The boar yelled and lifted their hand in a pulling motion. When nothing happened, they got up, roaring and barreled towards Taylor. They jumped back and tried to think of how to get out of the situation. 'Can't run back to Charlie or Vaggie. It'll lead them back to the hotel.' They thought frenziedly. The boar demon got close and when Taylor shoved him aside, the demon hissed in pain where he was touched. Taylor got another idea. They ran towards the boar demon and slammed both hands in their eyes, knocking both to the floor, with the demon screeching as their eyes were blinded. Taylor pulled back and stood, leaving the other demon holding their face, writhing in pain. Taylor ran back out to the sidewalk and a kept running for a couple blocks.
They jumped into another alleyway and hid behind another dumpster to calm their breathing. They took the brief moment of quiet to wish the blue flames back. When nothing happened, Taylor started to panic. 'Shit! Come on, come one! Blue fire, please! I don't have time for this!' they thought anxiously. Taylor clenched their fists in desperation. Closing their eyes and taking a deep breath, they quieted their mind. 'Calm down. Blue fire. Flames that tickle and warm to the touch.' A few minutes of Taylor repeating the phrases led to the ticklish sensation coming back. Taylor smiled. Without looking, they hugged themselves again and felt the familiar warmth cover them again. When it passed, Taylor peeked an eye open and saw familiar yellow claws once more. Sighing in relief, Taylor quickly tore off their jacket and tossed it in the dumpster. Walking out of the alley, they made their way back to the reunion spot, looking forward to putting some distance from the area.
Only after Taylor made it back to the reunion spot did they take stock of what had happened. Despite running several blocks, they didn't feel winded, in fact, they felt energetic enough to run back to the hotel. Their arm felt good as new and their had no signs of the injuries Alastor had caused. But they were most shocked that they could see a soul chain that hadn't been summoned. 'This is getting crazy. I got lucky this time, but it was worth it if that Imp made it home.' They contemplated. Overall, Taylor was satisfied with how things turned out.
Soon enough Charlie and Vaggie showed up, looking annoyed and dejected. Charlie looked up at Taylor, hopeful excitement in her eyes.
"How did it go? Did you manage to get some potential residents? Where's your jacket?" She inquired.
"Not good. I got shoved into a puddle of what I think was urine, and tossed the jacket. Didn't need Nifty cleaning something that gross. Lost the fliers in the puddle too, sorry." Taylor lied, looking away.
"That's alright, we didn't have any luck ether. Let's get back to the Hotel." Vaggie comforted, putting a hand on Taylor's shoulder.
Taylor nodded as they made their way back to the limo.