TamSongFanGirl, as always, I'm grateful for your kind reviews. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't continue the story.

Guillo1988, I don't blame you for losing hope for the story. If I had to wait that long for a fanfic chapter, I would move on with my life. As for Lute, we'll see what happens to her in future chapters. Spoilers alert: her journey will be tough.

Notes: I'd like to thank TamSongFangirl for beta-reading my fic and pointing out any spelling mistake I made. Regardless, I am deeply sorry for all my Australian (and not Australian, but still familiar with this accent) readers. I struggled to get Cherri's Australian accent right and just gave up. Anyway, enjoy! :)

Viol woke up to the sound of guns and bombs breaking the silence, loud enough to ruin her sleep but also silent enough to indicate that turf wars were at a long distance and thus, she was in no danger.

She recalled the morning hours in Heaven, with the bird chirping, the sun smiling and its golden warm rays entering her room and contrasted it to the sickly red of Hell. Her mother would burst into her room, calling her for breakfast in the kitchen and then they would play "Exorcists and Sinners". How she missed her home.

A sudden, yet gentle rattle from the doorknob stopped the train of thoughts and memories racing in her mind. She turned her face to see the demon with the blonde hair and the red tuxedo who had made her bed the previous night standing at the door, holding a plate with pancakes on one hand.

"Wakey-wakey! How did we sleep last night? No evil nightmares, I hope!" She greeted cheerfully.

Viol, still feeling numb from sleeping in a foreign mattress, didn't answer. That didn't prevent the Demon from entering the room and sitting at the side of the bed. Viol had a better look of the breakfast• three pancakes piling each other with a smile and hair on top made of sirop, a nose made of butter and two drops of of whipped cream and cherries forming a set of eyes.

"There! I made it for you. I thought you would want something to eat" the Hellborn offered.

Viol was hungry. Very much indeed! Now that she recalled, she hadn't eat anything since yesterday morning. Her tummy rumbled from anticipation. She wanted nothing more than dig her face to the pancakes, but that was an offering made by a demon and the food might have been poisoned. Her mother had told her countless times already about how vicious and sly these beings were and how no-one should never trust them, as the only thing in their minds was how to tempt mortals and holy beings to the path of self-destruction. So, she restrained herself and stared at the pancakes, making no move to touch it.

"Oh, I get it. You don't like pancakes" she accepted defeat. "What would you like then? We have plenty of foods in the kitchen. It isn't near as tasty as that of Heaven, but I suppose we will find something for you, right?"

Viol didn't answer.

"Alright then. I will leave this here" the devilish being put the pancakes near the bed. "In case you change your mind. Don't forget to call me" she chuckled awkwardly and gave her two thumb-ups.

Viol watched her going for the door. "I don't even know your name" she called.

The woman stiffened in her position. And she wasn't the only one. Neither her, nor Viol could understand where she found the strength and courage to finally speak up.

Charlie stared at the angel for an eternally long amount of time, until she came in touch with reality. She let a nervous laugh. "My bad. I should have introduced myself earlier. Name's Charlie"

She approached the angel child and extended her arm for a handshake.

Viol, instead, tilted her head, which didn't go unnoticed.

Charlie?

"Is there something wrong?" Charlie asked worried and brought her extended arm back to her side.

Viol wanted to say that there were lots of things that were wrong within this place, but couldn't bring herself to do so. Her cousin, Emily, had taught her to always be kind and generous. Her mother, on the other hand, had taught her not to be afraid to put her foot down on matters that brought her great discomfort.

"Ehm, yes. Isn't Charlie a boy's name?" She settled for the least discomfortable subject. Or rather, the one that required small to no explanation.

Charlie blinked a few times before giving a wholehearted smile - a smile that had no right adorning the face of a hellborn. "My real name is Charlotte, but I prefer to go with 'Charlie', which is easier and is reserved for the people closer to me. But you can call me 'Charlotte', if you want. What's yours?"

"Viol"

She decided to go with 'Charlie', which was indeed easier to remember and pronounce.

"Viol? Well, that's such a beautiful name! Your parents must have great taste! So, ehm, you can have breakfast with us, but only if you want to, no pressure" Charlie added awkwardly, hoping she hadn't prevented the child from doing what she actually wanted to.

Truth to be told, Viol wasn't sure. She didn't feel ready to face all these horrifying demons, but she didn't want to be left alone with her thoughts. She needed company, regardless the unholy nature and the uncanny appearance of the residents of this... building.

"Ok" she agreed and grabbed Charlie by the hand, just like she did with her mom whenever they went for a walk.

Charlie let a cheerful squeak escape from her lips and led her to the kitchen, all while insisting that she would come to love the Hotel and its residents, who despite first glance, "they were all good people deep down".

Viol let her talk, not bothering to protest, in fear of unleashing the wrath of this demon.

The kitchen wasn't as half-bad as one would expect from a hellhole. Granted, it was extremely messy, as the entire staff of the Hotel (except for Alastor, who was probably enjoying a good raw deer in the shadows of his bedroom) had decided to get their breakfast at the exact same time, but there was still room for everyone.

The spider Sinner who had rescued her was eating donuts, the gray Sinner was sipping her coffee while reading the newspaper (a habit that, again, reminded Viol of her mom), the cat Sinner was facepalm on the table and was taking long sips from a glass bottle, the small roach-like cyclope was cleaning densely with a maniac smile on her face, whereas the other tall cyclope dancing to the music from her ear pods.

Charlie introduced Viol to everyone with open hands. "Hey, everyone! So today, we made some progress and it turns out, this little fellow is named Viol! Isn't that sweet? I hope you're nice to her!"

Some of them mumbled a weak "Good morning, Viol", though the kid's aloof and cold demeanor prevented then from initiating any conversation they had in mind (though to be fair, what would a bunch of adults discuss with a child? Angel Dust lifted his brows in a playful manner, which earned him a dismissing "don't you dare say THAT to a literal kid" look from Husk).

Charlie tried to lift Viol to the nearby chair, but the angel shoved her and declared "I can do it on my own" and she flew to a bar stool with red velvet covering, that refitted best a hedonist club or bar, rather than a Rehabilitation Hotel.

She shot a look at the Sinner sitting next to her, the one with the gray long hair, professional manger attire, red bow and x for left eye, who looked at her nonchalant.

All of sudden, she extended her arm. "I'm Vaggie" she said.

Viol didn't respond.

"I heard your mom is an Exorcist, right?"

Viol again didn't respond.

Vaggie started to worry. "I-I happen to be familiar with... certain Exorcists. Don't ask how. But, if you tell me who your mother is, maybe I can come in contact with her and have you return back home"

"Vaggie, I don't think Viol is in the mood right now. When she feels ready, she's gonna talk" Charlie said and squeezed the demon's hand. Viol noticed it, but decided not to say anything. They might just be pretty closed friends...

"I'm Cherri Bomb!" The cyclope Sinner with the revealing outfit bursted, shoving a hand past Vaggie. "And since these drunkhard buzzers haven't introduced themselves, I'll do the fucking job for them. This one is Husk" she pointed to the Cat Sinner, who simply raised his eyebrows as acknowledgement "the short one is Niffty" the short cyclope giggled "you, of course, know Angel Dust" Angel Dust waved across the table "and our dear friend upstairs, who hasn't appeared yet, is Alastor"

"Stay away from him" Vaggie added.

Viol made an effort to shake Cherri's hand with slow cautious motions.

"My, oh my-" Cherri Bomb clicked her tongue. "For a child, you're too fuckin' uptight. Here" she held up a bottle with a peculiar odor. "One sip and you'll immediately loosen up" She had a notable thick accent that Viol couldn't quite pinpoint its origins.

"Cherri!" Charlie exclaimed and grabbed the bottle from her hand. "She's a child! She can't drink. And no swears in front of her. From now, every time someone swears or says a bad word, they'll have to fill the 'Bottle of Shame'" She gestured to a huge empty glass bottle with a 'Bottle of Shame' note (using a sparkly glitter pen to write these words nonetheless and adding an angry face) attached to it with stickers. Dust and spider webs gave an indication of its rather insignificant value.

The cat Sinner raised his peculiar long eyebrow. "Are you fucking telling us that you brought a 'Bottle of Shame' alongside our Rehabilitation programs just because of a kid?" He asked annoyed.

"It's been there, you just never paid attention to it" Vaggie said deadpan.

"Vaggie is right" Charlie assured and opened her palm. Cherri Bomb and Husk fished a coin from their pockets with grumpy murmurs and handed them to Charlie, who gleefully put them in the 'Bottle of Shame'.

Viol watched the bizarre scene unfolding in front of her, confusion written all over her face. Strict rules for drink? No swear words? 'Bottle of Shame? And...

"Rehabilitation... program?" She asked.

Charlie shot her an amused look, before answering her question. "Oh, right! Silly me!" She facepalmed herself. "I should have explained from the beginning. This is the 'Hazbin Hotel', a place that aims to redeem any lost soul and give them a chance to ascend to Heaven, if they truly want it" she finished with open jazz hands, not unlike a basic theatre nerd.

Viol had a hard time comprehending it. Her mom had always told her that all souls in Hell are exceptionally bad, with not an inch of goodness within them. If they had landed there, it was because they deserved it and there was no chance for them to ever change. However... the Sinner who saved her from Valentino the day before wasn't bad, although his behavior was quite strange in a way Viol couldn't describe. And the rest of them, none of them had tried to attack her or kill her, which was a good thing, though they didn't try to approach her either... And Charlie... Charlie was undoubtedly the nicest soul she had ever met, rivaling Emily in terms of niceness and yet, she was from Hell.

So, maybe... perhaps not all souls from Hell were... bad? Or extremely bad? The lines were blurry.

"How many souls have you managed to redeem thus far?" She asked.

Charlie's face fell, though she tried to keep an upbeat tone. "We-we are not that sure. None, as we are aware. We had losses, for sure..." she gestured towards a framed photo, depicting a Snake Sinner with an old-fashioned battle outfit commanding an army of... eggs?

Viol tilted her head. She had never seen this person before, yet all the while, he looked... familiar. "Who is he?" She asked again.

In an instant, everyone looked away. Except from Charlie, who sniffed a couple of times. "That's- that was Sir Pentious. He was one of our first guest. Such a kind soul. Too bad we lost him on..." she was about to give the full details, before realized whom she was talking to. "Well, he died trying to protect us" she settled with a crooked smile.

Sir Pentious? Sir Pentious?

The name was familiar, somehow... And then, it hit her! How didn't she recognize him the first time? He was the same person, but with black, yellow and red undertones, instead of the blue, white and golden ones in Heaven.

"I know him!" She exclaimed, surprising everyone around her. "That's Sir Repentious. I show him in Heaven. My cousin said that he was once a Sinner, but he managed to redeem himself!"

Several loud gasps were heard across the room. Even the normally stoic ones, like Husk and Vaggie, looked taken aback by the news.

"Hey, kid. You're not lying?" Husk said.

Viol shook her head.

"Oh, Satan..." Charlie murmured. "That's wonderful news!" She heaped, raising her arms in the air. "Everyone! We should go and celebrate!"

"There's a good turf war a few blocks away where we can be of help!" Cherri proposed, with Angel Dust eager to follow her lead.

"No! Nope! No turf wars, not as long as little miss over there stays with us!" She stopped the two misfits, while also giving a side glance to Viol. "Cherri, if you're so eager to use your bombs, you can go to the balcony"

Cherri shrugged and pulled a bomb from her pocket. "Guess I can do that!"

Everyone run upstairs, taking alcohols and whatever easy savory dish they were consuming prior to Charlie and Viol's arrival.

Viol was about to follow them, when Cherri grabbed her by the shoulder. "Hey, kiddo! Have you spoken with Sir Pentious? How is he?"

Viol blinked in confusion. Yes, she might have talked with him, but he never brought up Hell, as if he wished to forget his former home. Viol didn't blame him. Who, in their right mind, would prefer Hell over Heaven? Regardless, she didn't want to disappoint her, especially since she asked so eagerly. Was there something between these two?

"Yes, he's fine" she said and she felt the grip on her shoulder loosening a bit.

"Did he talk about me?" Cherri asked blushing.

Viol raised her eyebrows. She would never expect a woman like Cherri Bomb to worry about such things, considering she was so chill a few moments ago.

"We didn't talk- I just saw him. He seems fine" she opted to lie.

Thankfully, the demon didn't seem to notice.

"Ok then, let's go!" Cherri ejaculated and rushed for the stairs.

Pretty soon, Hell's morning sky was filled with loud feisty noises and jolly colors from Cherri's fireworks. Cherri hadn't just prepared the regular ones, that just exploded once they reach a point, but also the ones with various entertaining shapes, like snakes, eggs, hearts, stars (Charlie's favorites), kittens, dicks (that Viol recognized almost immediately, despite an angry look from Vaggie towards Cherri and Charlie's protests that these were actually 'mushrooms'), ice creams, you name it.

Regardless, one of them was way too uptight to fully relax. "Charlie, don't get carried away!" Vaggie reminded her girlfriend.

Charlie didn't listen. She was too busy giggling and jumping around to sit still. "Oh, I can't believe it that Sir Pentious did it! I mean, I knew he was kind and generous, but the day he died... I thought we lost him forever! And now, it turns out that he's alive and he's thriving! If Sir Pentious did it, then that means that everyone can do it!" She turned her head towards the Heavenly portal and flipped them the birds. "Fuck you, Sera!" She yelled. "I told you my plan would work!"

"Can it?" Vaggie interrupted her triumph. "What, then? What do you plan to do after a Sinner is redeemed? Kill them with holy weapons and hope for the best?"

Charlie stopped mid-sestence. "Shit. I haven't thought about that!"

"Well, I'm glad that you did! The important thing is we finally moved a step closer to our target. It was about time. It's not good to stay on the same level for so long" a voice sounded like it came from the deepest volumes of the radio world was heard.

Alastor appeared on the doorframe, with his usual smug smile. Vaggie scoffed. How she wished she could punch him and wipe that stupid grin out of his face, hadn't her girlfriend been around. Charlie opposed unnecessary violence and opted for a debate.

"Oh, Alastor! So glad to see you! You can't guess what just happened!" Charlie greeted him enthusiastically.

"I know! I know! I have my ways" Alastor cut her, giving a side glance to his shadow, who nodded to the acknowledgement. She eyed Viol, thoughts and potential running through his head. "So, little miss angel told you, huh? I wonder what else she could reveal about Heaven, hmmm..."

Despite being the main subject of plans, Viol wasn't paying attention to Alastor. Cherri Bomb and her were standing at the elegantly designed rails of the balcony and Cherri wanted to showcase her something... spectacular.

"Hey, kiddo! Wanna try?" She addressed Viol, once she noticed she had taken an interest in her fireworks. "Take this and throw it as high as you can. Just do it quickly. You don't want it to explode in your hands. The results are messy" he giggled and handed her a lit bomb with a crude skull drawn to it.

Viol did as she was told. She didn't have enough strength to throw it as high as the adults, but she ended up enjoying the sparkly heart-shaped explosion.

Cherri Bomb patted her hair teasingly. "Not so bad, kiddo! I knew you and I would get along! Here, take another!" She handed her another bomb, which Viol managed to throw slightly higher this time around.

"Hell yeah! That's the fuckin' spirit! Let's keep on!" Cherri clapped, earning a giggle from the angel kid.

She watched the others having fun with this activity. Husk and Angel Dust embracing each other while they were throwing bombs at the same time, Alastor, Vaggie and Charlie having their little chat, Niffty giggling and going "Ow, lights" with stars in her eye whenever a firework exploded. She smiled at herself. Things weren't that bad, after all. She managed to find people in Hell (of all places) that cared about her and wanted to help.

She just couldn't wait to tell mom.

I won't lie, I had a great time writing this chapter. Next chapter, we return to Lute and her quest to find her daughter. Stay tuned. Have a lovely week and I'll see you soon! Bye!