Chapter 8:

Truce? truce

"I'm just saying Charlie, the coincidence is too great" Angel Dust spoke as they were currently in the lounge area of the hotel, the flame in the fireplace crackling in a cozy way as Alastor sat nearby, his torso currently being bandaged by his friend Rosie.

"Angel's right" Lucifer added "Think of it, sweety. First, that Ink woman starts upping her antics, then that little ratman pops up, then THIS HAPPENS" he says, gesturing to the still injured radio demon "And then, one of my demonic artifacts goes missing THE DAY that gross little trickster shows up at the hotel"

The princess didn't often drink, but the sheer stress of it all had caused her to stand there, glancing at the fireplace with a glass of bourbon in her hand, dark bags under her eyes "Every….damn….time…." she said in a tired, stressed tone.

"First Adam and the exorcists" to which the now sinner cleared his throat "Uhm, I'm literally right the fuck here"

"Sorry Adam….t meant before you came to the hotel….hate to say it, but you were a major jerk before" Charlie piped up, to which the first man gave her a snap of his fingers and a fingergun "Touché"

Charlie would continue "…..THEN Lute goes full megalomaniac…..then we deal with a rampaging deep-sea demon and now THIS" as she downed the entirety of her bourbon before throwing her hands up in frustration.

Vaggie had remained quiet the entire time, until now "her claws were lined with angelic steel…..the only place she could have purchased that is…..Carmilla…." as she whipped out her phone and send a quick text…

V: Carmilla? You awake? It's urgent.

C: Vaggie, you have any idea what time it is? This better be important.

V: Ink has attacked Alastor and it almost cost him his life….

C: WHAT?!

C: I'LL BE THERE IN 20 MINUTES!

As promised, it wouldn't be long or the angelic arms dealer came strolling up the walkway of the hazbin hotel.

"Oh Alastor…." She spoke as she beheld the radio demon's injuries "How? How was she able to injure you within an inch of your life?"

As everyone looked at her with concern, Vaggie was the one to break the news "Ink had….lined her claws with….angelic steel…."

This caused the weapons dealer's arms to go wide "BUT….but I don't remember selling her…..no…." her face fell "That anonymous purchase…."

As she became weak in the knees and slowly lowered herself onto one of the large, plush armchairs "….what have I enabled…."

Vaggie kneeled in front of the tall overlord "Carmilla….what did she purchase? We need to know…."

Sighing, Carmilla spoke "….a set of retainers fit to very specific measurements…and a large quantity of angelic steel dust…..who knows what else she has infused it with…."

"But won't that be like poison?" angel Dust asked "I mean, that amount of angelic steel in a demon body can't be good for ya"

Carmilla raised her gaze to meet that of the ex-pornstar "Normally, yes, but there are ways to safely inject it…..especially if injected in dead material like fingernails" as she glanced at the radio demon "Considering how deep those gashes are….Alastor is lucky to still be alive…."

To which the man in question answered "I am acutely aware, Carmine, my dear" tho he'd receive a stern pout from Rosie "Save your strength Al, your body took quite a hit from that attack"

Seeing his boss like this was strange for Husk, who just stood on the sideline, trying to process the events of that evening, his boyfriend beside him, worry plastered on his face as Angel Dust let his gaze wander between Husk and Alastor "Why is it taking so long for Al to heal anyway? Shouldn't he at least be a "little" better by now?"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple "Lucifer answered "Yes, his healing has kicked in again since we got that energy out, but his body still took a considerable blow from the angelic steel….it's…..going to take longer than usual before he'll be back to his regular self again"

Grumbling under his breath, Alastor shifted uncomfortably at this statement, looking away in disappointment "I was afraid you'd say that….."

Seeing the radio demon struggle with his damaged pride, Lucifer narrowed his eyes in thought, before turning to his daughter "Charlie, sweety?"

"Hu? Yes dad?"

"Could me and Alastor have a moment alone? There's something I want to discuss"

Knowing the king of hell and the radio demon didn't particularly get along too well, everyone in the room exchanged a few uncomfortable glances, before their eyes settled on the princess, leaving the final decision up to her "Are you…sure, dad?"

He held up his hand "I promise, no shenanigans, I just want to talk to him" to which Alastor raised his brow in surprise.

Sighing, Charlie reluctantly agreed "Alright…if you're sure"

Waiting for everyone to clear out of the room, the king of hell took a deep sigh before turning around in the direction of the still wounded demon "Good….NOW we can talk"

Alastor would raise a single eyebrow, a suspicious look in his eyes "And why the need for privacy "Your highness"?" the sarcasm lacing his voice more than apparent.

The short, fallen angel would chuckle "Well I figured you'd want to keep some of your dignity" which surprised the radio demon even more as Lucifer approached him "Be honest with me, Alastor…and don't try lying, because I can tell….i'm older then this fucking realm…" as he grabbed a nearby chair and sat it down before the couch, back facing the demon as he sat down, leaned on the backrest with his arms "When you came here first….you only had selfish goals in mind…." Causing Alastor's eye to twitch in annoyance, before the short ruler completely caught him off guard "….but it hasn't been about that for a long time now…hasn't it?" as he gave him a smile.

Folding his deer like ears back, the radio demon hissed "I have no idea what you're talking about" as he averted his gaze in an offended manner "Such a preposterous idea"

Seeing this, Lucifer sighed "No need to keep face, Alastor, we're alone" As he gave him a cocky smile "you've grown to care about her….haven't you? …..as friend…"

His eyes wide, Alastor sported a "deer in the headlights" expression, his ears still pinned back, his eyes wide and his smile not as wide as he'd usually have it….shit….he had seen straight through him….considering his options, the radio demon knew there was no use in lying to a being that was almost as old as creation itself.

Sighing in defeat, Alastor grumbled "…Charlie has…..a way of sneaking into people's hearts…..even if some didn't even think they had one before….no matter how much they'd like to deny it…."

"Hehe….i knew it…." Closing his eyes, Lucifer gave a smirk "Well rest assured, you'd not be the first, and by FAR not the last.." as he got up from his chair "…whatever your intentions were before doesn't matter, you did decide to stick around and help my daughter….." he spoke as he began to pace back and forth "look…..we don't have to like each other….but I can at least respect your effort…." as, to surprise the overlord in red even more, the fallen angel stopped right in front of him and extended his hand "….truce?"

Looking at the hand in disbelieve first, Alastor's face would eventually pull into his all too familiar, cocky smile again as he accepted the handshake "…..truce…."

As the 2 of them shook hands, once they had let go, Alastor would clear his throat "Now, my good fellow….i would….appreciate if you…" as he paused for a moment to glance around, checking to see if they indeed truly were alone "…didn't go blabber this to anyone else"

This caused a chuckle from the king of hell "Hehe, got a reputation to maintain, hu?" to which Alastor gave an affirming nod "Can't have the word go around that the radio demon is going soft, now can we? What would the papers say?" to which Lucifer rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Alright then, Al….as you wish….this stays between us…"