AshFan: Alright uh… so, Tai decided to put in an idea I… had not expected him to do, but… apparently he has an idea for the next chapter.
TaiKetch'em: Yeah, and I got some help from ya know, Lord Ashwood for this. Mandatory thanks, BTW.
AF: So, we're gonna get started on this chapter and hopefully get it out quickly.
TK: With that out of the way… enjoy.
(...)
Ash groaned. How long was he out for this time? The last thing he remembered was… seeing his blood fly and… and then falling to the ground of… was it Hell? It had to be. He saw the pentagram when he fell and heard someone talking about him being human.
Once he started coming to, he shook his head before sitting up. The pain in his chest was suddenly gone and when checking it, his chest appeared fine. Even his clothes appeared undamaged. He got confused and started to wonder if the wound he had gotten was real, but it felt real.
Then he looked around. He found himself in a black void with nothing around. At first, he got worried, thinking again that maybe the Vees had caught him again, however, he wasn't restrained and was able to stand on his feet without worry. That gave him some relief, but now he wondered where he was and what he was gonna do.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of a gunshot and a familiar scream. When he turned back, he found Vaggie stumbling back before falling while clenching her leg.
"Vaggie!" He called and ran over to her, getting down to check.
When he did he saw gold leak from her, his eyes slowly widened in realization. Golden blood… blood just like…
He blinked as he saw an exorcist's head fly past him and saw it roll on the ground. The one from the meeting with the overlords.
"Wha…" He started to say before turning back and seeing the woman was gone. "Vaggie?"
As he looked around, he saw the sphere from the courtroom that showed Vaggie, this version of her with short hair and both eyes… but that wasn't it. She also had wings emerging from her back and a halo above her head that looked exactly like Lute and Tenant's.
That's when it all hit him. The golden blood… the fact that no other demons had blood like that… Vaggie acting weird… it wasn't a coincidence. She was an angel. Adam revealed it in court. How… how did he not see it and why didn't she tell him? He could've helped her. He wouldn't have…
"I found her injured. It just seemed like they left her to die."
Charlie's words echoed in his mind. Those vile freaks… they put her in the condition she was in. They were willing to even hurt and throw away their own kind just to make a point and to boost their ego. Anger started to build up as he still kept finding reasons to be angry at them.
"Those-"
"You're not angels!"
He suddenly snapped out of his anger when he heard that.
"You fuckers don't deserve to be called that!"
He turned around and saw the setup of him wrenching open the portal, in front of all the angels including the three exorcists. He slowly walked up to the view, a pause he didn't remember. As he looked at himself, he couldn't help but see the rage he didn't remember showing. It… frightened him the longer he looked.
Taking a look around, the other angels looked shocked and frightened. As he looked up, he saw the same thing from Sera. At first, he was hardly affected, but then as he looked at Emily and Phin, he saw how horrified they were. His anger started to lower, knowing that they didn't have any part in this and didn't even know of the Extermination until that day.
What… what did they think of him after seeing him act like that? Then he thought back to Charlie. What would she have thought if she saw him freaking out that badly? What if she was still there and saw…?
"You're nothing, but vile-
"No…"
"-disgusting-"
"No…"
"-self-centered, hypocritical-"
"No, STOP!"
He shouted while holding his head, and suddenly the memory of him was stopped. He looked around and was left in the pitch black again, left to his thoughts.
He didn't want to believe that he gave into anger that easily and that much. He was supposed to be there to help Charlie make her case and help her convince them that her plan would work, and he was sure that his outburst was ensuring that even the two younger Seraphims might not believe them.
Guilt started to envelop as whispers of doubts echoed around him in his own voice. He grabbed his head, the pain starting to flood in as he grunted from it.
"They're all despicable."
"No, no it's Adam and those two."
"All of them are."
"No, there are good angels. Emily, Phin… Vaggie…" He kept saying to himself. "They're not all bad!"
"Do you believe that?"
He stopped. That last sentence wasn't said in his own voice. He slowly turned around and looked behind him. There stood a woman he didn't recognize. She stood tall with a black fedora covering her face, her hair black with a red gradient at the end of her tips floating up like fire, a red opened trench coat with a checkered tube top underneath, black gloves, and black pants.
Curious, he wondered where he had seen her before and squinted while trying to figure out if he had seen her before. However, nothing came to mind or even rang a bell. He just couldn't put a finger on ever seeing this woman before.
"H-hello?" He called out, but the woman didn't acknowledge that he said anything to her which made him a little annoyed. He wanted to ask who she was, but what she said earlier was what was on his mind at the moment. "I… I do believe that. It's just… it's just Adam. Him and those other two… they're… they don't represent everyone."
"Are you sure of that?" She asks in a distorted voice.
Ash was confused, knowing what she was hinting at, but not understanding why she was talking to him like that. He then noticed something above him. A large eye with a black slit pupil and red sclera staring down at him. One of his brows rose in puzzlement before he noticed another one slowly opening a distance away.
Then as he looked around, every ten seconds or so he counted, another eye would open and just stare at him. He was growing uneasy at the presence and energy they were giving off. As he looked back at the woman, he noticed she lifted her head slightly, revealing her straight lips, making it hard for him to know what she was thinking.
"Yes… yes, I…" He suddenly felt himself hesitating to say something as more eyes appeared.
"So… you believe that any of the others will listen?"
He was gonna say how he did believe that someone would, but… his jaw suddenly felt stiff as he just stared at her.
"Do you believe that you're helping them? That they'll succeed with you by their side?"
Ash started to slowly gasp for air as he grasped his chest. Something wasn't right. The more eyes started to appear, the more he tried to piece things together. These thoughts weren't his, these doubts weren't his. This woman… she had to be the one doing this. He kept telling himself that she was trying to force these thoughts into his head but suddenly felt it harder to do so.
The air started to become hard to breathe as he kept gasping and even stumbled a bit before looking back at the woman. Then he saw the corners of her lips suddenly curl into a smile. Then her lips parted as she let out a light chuckle, a light chuckle that slowly turned into a cheery laughter… a cheery laughter that slowly turned psychotic.
It frightened Ash and he tried to step back, but his legs didn't move. He looked down and saw a black inky substance around his ankles. He freaked out and tried to pull his legs away, however, he just felt himself sinking into the ground instead.
He wanted to scream, but his throat felt tight. The woman's laugh just continued as the ground continued to consume more and more of his body, making him freak out and shake before tendrils rose and started to coil around his torso, the feeling of dread and fear overtaking him.
The woman then stopped before lifting her head, allowing one of her eyes to be seen as tears started to run down his face. She stared right into his tearful gaze before raising one of her hands and her fingers wiggled as she waved to him.
He didn't know what to do and feared the worst. Then he saw something in the distance above her. A creature with horns near its head that resemble crescent moons, a yellow stripe stretching from its face to the tail, and three pink "wings", two of which are attached to its chest.
He still couldn't find his voice, but as the ground continued to consume him, he reached the creature begging for it to help him. However as the ground began to envelop his face, dragging him further and further down. One eye was covered… then the other… then it seemed that hope was lost.
… That was before he felt someone grab his hand. Almost instantly he started to feel himself being pulled up, more arms joining in and pulling him further out of the darkness. Once his head was free, he gasped for air before looking up, being blinded by a bright light that replaced the darkness and eyes before he felt himself be pulled into an embrace by many arms.
"Wha…" He started to say.
"Please, don't give up, Ash." He heard before pulling away, seeing… Charlie? "Please, stay with us."
"Come on, you made a promise to us, remember?" Vaggie says as she looks at him as well.
"I… Where did-"
"Come on, that's all you got to say to us?" Husk chuckled. "Get outta here, man. You ain't let shit like this drag ya down before."
"Yeah, come on. You're gonna act like you haven't gotten fucked up once or twice before?" Angel chimes in. "Seriously, take from me and quit acting like a little bitch!"
"I'M IMPORTANT!" Niffty shouts suddenly.
"Plus, you didn't even get to say goodbye to us. At least let us have one last moment with you." Pentious says.
"And I have yet to talk to you again. Remember?" Alastor says.
"Yeah, come on, bud." Lucifer says while ruffling his hair. "I only saw you once and this is what I come back to?"
"Pika!" A familiar yellow mouse runs forward.
"Pikachu." Ash says before catching and embracing the mouse.
"You've done so much to help us and have been through so much just for our sake." Charlie says while holding his cheek. "And we're so proud of you."
"We believe in you, Ash. So please, don't give up and go find us out there." Vaggie says while cupping the other.
He didn't know what to think. He was overwhelmed with emotions in that moment, unable to move from his spot, and unable to say anything of what he was experiencing.
Then walking up and standing above anyone else, the man in the white suit and top hat stood. It had been so long since he remembered last seeing him that he was surprised to see him. The man then leaned down and extended his hand.
"Come now, child… it's not your time."
He hesitated when seeing it… then reached out before taking the hand as the light enveloped him completely.
(...)
"... think he's a zombie?" He heard a voice echo through his head.
"Zombies aren't real, Clara."
"Well, you don't know. Demons turned out to be real."
"There's a difference between the afterlife and bodies coming back from the dead." He continued hearing as his eyes fluttered for a second.
"Last time I checked, humans couldn't beat one of the most powerful Overlord down here. Or survive a fricken' hole in their chest."
"Yeah, well, we haven't seen a living human in years."
"Clearly. I wasn't expecting to see one this good-looking too."
He groaned as his eyes struggled to open.
"Yo, he's waking up."
"Oh god, okay. Just… be careful, he's probably delirious." His eyes trailed up, and through his blurry vision, he could see yellow and white.
"I still can't believe he's still alive."
"Yeah, it is unbelievable-Oh" The voice was interrupted when he reached out and cupped the cheek of the blonde. "U-um…" He rubbed it a little bit.
"Oh, lucky you, sis."
"C-Charlie…" He muttered.
He blinked several times, his vision started to clear up. Only then did he realize that the face he was holding wasn't hers, instead, being another blonde with pal skin, no rosy cheeks, and wearing glasses.
"M-my name isn't Charlie." She says with a small blush on her face.
"Wha…"
He was still a small bit out of it, but his mind started to clear up as he looked back. The blonde still blushed and looked embarrassed as he brought his hand back.
"Morning, handsome." Another woman moved into his sight.
This woman had white poofy hair and was giving him a half-lidded stare. He looked between the two and shook his head as he tried to process things.
"Uh, hi…?" He says, uncertain of what to say. "Where… am I?"
"Just at our house. No big deal." The second woman says.
"Wha…" He then looked around finding himself in a small room and laying on a couch. "O-oh." He then looked down and noticed his shirt was missing, exposing his body which had bandaging wrapped around his chest which had a red stain in the middle.
"Apologies but… you had a severe injury and we had to remove your top to properly treat it." The first girl tells him.
"Not that we mind the view though. Especially this close. Raw. ~" The second girl in a flirting tone.
"Clara, that is rather inappropriate."
"Come, on Odette. You know he's hot."
"I'm not…" The blonde says before looking back at the boy. "Denying it, but it's still not an appropriate time to act like this." She says before noticing him starting to remove the bandages. "Hold on, you can't take those off."
"Yeah, you have to wait until… Oh wow."
After he pulled the wrapping off, he looked down where his presumed injury was. Yet like in his dream, his chest looked completely untouched. He put his hand to his chest, still in disbelief considering what he remembered happening to him.
"Uh… may I…" Odette asked before he removed his hand, and she moved hers to his chest. "It's… gone."
"Yeah." Clara then puts her hand there next. "No scars or anything." She says before humming a bit as she rubs a bit. "Not bad. ~"
"Uh, thanks." Ash says before sitting up, then stretching a bit, feeling stiff.
"Ooh, not bad back here either. ~" Clara says jokingly as the blonde looks away while covering her eyes.
"Jeez, how long was I out for?"
"The entire night." A familiar voice caught his attention. "The fact that you're even alive to see it is… unspeakable if anything."
He then turned to the voice and his eyes widened when he found out who it was. The one and only Carmilla Carmine standing in front of the doorway in all her glory, staring down in his direction.
"You're… you're…" Ash started to say.
"Yes, I believe we've met before." Carmilla tells him.
"Y… you know… who I am?"
"It wasn't hard to piece together who you were. Months may have gone by since the last time we spoke face to face, but my mind remains sharp." She says while walking over, her heels clanging with each step as she stood between the girls. "That being said, I suppose not being famous wearing your disguise has its benefits. Not that I believe those idiots running the news would have found out either way."
"Okay, uh… how did I get here?" The boy asked, still a bit dazed.
"You landed not far from our doorstep. You're lucky it was us who found you. Anyone else might've… well, I can't say what might've become of you."
"Oh… t-thank you, for helping me."
"We did make sure to clean your wound to make sure you didn't get infected. I was expecting you to die in our house if I'm being honest."
"It's honestly scary to think about being alive in that condition." Clara says.
"I… yeah. It wasn't pleasant." Ash says before taking another look at the girls. "Huh, ya know I figured you girls looked familiar."
"Yeah, we didn't get to talk before."
"Okay, again thanks." Ash says before he turns. "Now I gotta go." He says as he tries to stand, only to suddenly stumble.
"Woah! Easy!" Clara says before she and the blonde catch him.
"You haven't fully recovered yet. You must stay down until then." Odette tells him as they place him back on the couch.
"I'm fine." The boy insisted.
"Just cause your chest is healed doesn't mean the fatigue and pain are excused from you. I suggest you stay a little longer before you're ready to even walk." Carmilla tells him.
"I need to go. My friends are probably worried sick about me."
"Until you FULLY recover, you are to stay here and not move. Do I make myself clear?" She said more sternly.
"I… Yes, ma'am."
"Good." She then pulled her arm from behind her back and held out a white shirt. "In the meantime, it'd be best you cover up."
He looked at his torso, then nodded before taking the shirt and starting to put it on. "Thank you."
"We would've cleaned your other clothes, but… I think they should go in the trash." Clara says before picking up his old shirt and his Kalos jacket.
He looked at the shirt which was singed with a hole in the middle. His jacket had a hole in the back and the zipper part was scorched in the middle. He stared for a minute before taking his jacket from them and putting it on anyway.
"Maybe just one." He then looked around. "What about my hat?"
"We never found you with a hat when you crashed." Odette tells him.
"... Figures." He says to himself. "Can you at least… I don't know, go to the hotel? The Hazbin Hotel. At least tell them I'm okay."
"We will talk when you recover. Until then, we will leave you be. Girls." The woman tells the other two.
"Aight. See ya later, hot stuff." Clara says as they get up and head for the door.
As they did, Ash could only sigh, not having the energy to say anything else and even feeling exhausted. Odette took a look back before touching the cheek he first touched. For a moment she felt the affection for this Charlie he was talking about before she continued outside.
Carmilla looked at him, seeing him lying down and seeming about to fall asleep again or so she hoped. After that, she stepped out while closing the door behind her. She stopped where she was and sighed to herself while recalling the events yesterday.
(Flashback)
"Please… help… me…" Ash groaned as they saw him writhe in agony in front of them.
"Shit, what do we do?" Clara asks in shock.
Carmilla looked in horror at what they saw before shaking her head. "Go inside and get the medical supplies."
"Mother, I don't think we can save him." Odette tried to say.
"Listen to your mother." She says sternly.
They didn't argue back and nodded before running back to their house. Carmilla took it upon herself to pull out a cloth she conveniently had and went over to the boy. She lifted him to wrap it around his body as tight as she could before turning him over.
"Do not move-" She says while picking him up. "Or you'll only be in worse condition." She says before the boy looked up at him.
"M-mom?..." He says in a horse tone which makes her do a double take, her eyes wide. "M-mom… p-please… it-it hurts, mom, please…" He says while tears started running from his eyes.
She froze while hearing such, looking down in shock at the boy, still processing what he said.
(End of flashback)
She sighed before putting a hand over her chest. It was only a few words said in a delirious state, yet he unintentionally managed to hit a spot very deep that she didn't think he could've. After a small bit, she rubbed her face before straightening up and walking away. She couldn't let herself get carried away.
TK: … alright AF isn't here which means I can speak my mind without interruptions… *Long Inhale*… FUCK CHARLASTOR!… that's all I needed to say.
AF: Alright, I'm back. How's it going?
TK: Good so far.
AF: Ok let's get back to it then.
(Meanwhile somewhere between time and space)
They saw everyone…
Arceus stood glaring at the orb while blurring out the shouting going on behind him. Giratina was the one freaking out, screaming every curse word he knew while trying to break free from Dialga and Palkia's hold as they tried to talk him down. The Divine Pokemon's face was unreadable at the moment, but inside, he… felt… angry.
"Gh!" The Distortion Pokemon reeled back. "This is ridiculous! We can't just stand here and do nothing anymore! They went too far!"
"I agree, but you heard the boss. We can't just rush into-" Palkia tried to say.
"*&(*& THAT! I don't care anymore! I swear I will go over to that false Heaven and I will rearrange that cat's organs along with his boss before blasting that stupid Seraphim for allowing it to happen!"
"Okay, sir, I understand that our duty is to observe not to serve, but this…" Dialga says to the Divine Pokemon. "At this point, we can't just sit by and let what those false holy ones did slide. We should at least intervene."
Arceus remained silent for a moment, taking a deep breath and letting out a sharp sigh.
"I want to do something. Believe me, I want to do something so badly, but I can't. Not now." He tells them.
"Sir, I don't think you understand-"
"NO! I do. I am furious. Furious that Heaven is being run by someone with such biases, furious at what they did to this boy, and I WANT to go over and rein Divine Judgement on all of those beings who did this!" He says with enough anger to frighten the trio before he takes a deep breath. "However, I acted on rage once before, and I almost slaughtered millions of innocent over the actions of a single being."
"Sir, this is different from when you were angry." Palkia says.
"The point I'm trying to make is if we act out in rage it will not be beneficial, and which we have seen countless times doesn't help. Thankfully what that winged rat did was enough to kill him." Arceus tells them before turning to Dialga. "Have you been able to help him recover?"
"I've sped up his recovery, but doing so might have some side effects. Not deadly, but since he used a lot of aura. The best we can do is let him rest for the time." The time controlling Pokemon explains.
"Good. Let's let this play out just a little longer."
Giratina looked at Arceus and slowly approached him before gazing at him sternly.
"One more chance. If they pull shit like this again, I will go there, grab Adam myself and make him suffer the most agonizing pain until he begs for death!" The distortion Pokemon says, his voice booming and echoing with anger.
"... Very well." Arceus only nodded.
With that, the Pokemon nodded and flew off back to his own realm, leaving the other godly Pokemon. Then another Pokemon floated into view.
"I don't remember the last time I've seen him this angry." The Pokemon says.
"OH GODS ABOVE! Where did you come from?" Palkia says after being startled.
"I was called by Arceus for a situation involving Ash. I noticed him falling into a dream state and I found that darkness was attempting to corrupt his mind from within. Thankfully I was in time to mend the dream into something more… upbeat for him."
"And I thank you for showing up when you did. Cause a certain 'someone' was about to get to him."
"There shouldn't be any reason to worry about. At least for now. I feel this won't be her last attempt, but she should be at bay for the time."
"She will not corrupt him. She's never succeeded before, she's not going to now." Arceus then checked the sphere. "Things should be… sailing somewhere from here. Let's not act until… we must."
(Meanwhile at the hotel)
Everyone was in the lobby at this time. Everyone except Ash and Charlie. The former for reasons that involved Heaven and the latter… was not content on showing up.
Vaggie was against one of the walls of the room, Pikachu at her side looking down, Riolu in her arms trying to comfort her as she was distraught. The others were just sitting across from her, not having anything to do at the moment. At least before one spoke.
"So, like… where are your wings?" Niffty asked.
"Niffty, I don't have-" Vaggie started to say.
"Did ya ever think maybe she's sensitive about her lack of wings?" Angel first asks with sympathy… "Just like her lack of tits?" Then ruins it.
"Are you fucking kidding me!?"
"Actually, she does have-" Niffty then says while pulling her shirt, revealing her cleavage.
"Stop talking about my boobs!" Vaggie says while shoving Niffty off the TV, getting upset as Riolu barks and Pikachu calls out in agreement.
"I'm sorry! I'm just trying to break the ice! Lighten the mood." Angel tries to say.
"Yeah, Angel, you couldn't have possibly picked a more shitty time to say something like that. This ain't exactly the time to be making your porn jokes." Husk scolds him.
"Okay, I'm sorry." Angel says sincerely.
"My god…" Vaggie says out of frustration.
"I swear, I don't even know how to feel right now. It's been one problem after another." Husk starts to rant. "Charlie makes things worse every time she talks to Heaven, Ash is always disappearing to god knows where, and all in all, we have made just about zero progress on any of this redemption shit which is the whole point of this damn hotel."
"Look, none of this is either of their fault." Vaggie cuts in. "Angels are just…"
"Liars?" Angel pipes in.
"... difficult. But they're trying their best."
"No shit, Sherlock. But their best is only getting us in even more shit." Husk continued. "Hell, we don't even know where the kid is or even if he's fucking alive at this point."
"He's alive!" Vaggie suddenly shouted with a voice before clearing her throat. "I know he is. He'll come back… we'll find him, I'm sure."
"Yeah, well, on another note, does anyone else get the feeling that ever since that kid showed up with his Poke-things a lot of stuff has been revolving more around him lately?" Angel continued.
"Wha… what are you talking about?" She asked, not understanding.
"I mean…" He hesitated for a second. "Look, ever since he dropped in, it feels like Charlie has put this hotel to the back seat. She's been straight up bending over backwards for him to the point where she gets pissed easily if the slightest thing happens to him. Even you, who 'doesn't trust men' suddenly started swooning over him as well."
"I-I what!? N-no!" She tries to deny it.
"Girl, before we knew it wasn't Heaven who sent him, you were giving him the stink eye. Then one day, you turn to trust him immediately and are suddenly getting flustered as fuck around him."
She opened her mouth to protest again but sputtered in her words. She wanted to deny it, but she wasn't able to think of anything.
"Listen, I respect Charlie but she's been all Ash this, Ash that literally getting so caught up in wanting him to feel welcomed that we haven't been making progress with this redemption thing."
"Should… should we stop him?" Pentious whispered to Husk.
"No, no. Let him cook." Husk says.
Vaggie tried to say something back but kept fumbling her words trying to come up with an excuse. Eventually, she gave up and sighed, dejected. Alastor was sitting back, getting a kick of the drama unfolding and hoping for more.
Angel stared for a moment before sighing deeply while rubbing his forehead. "Vags, I know she wants the best for us, but… I'm just saying, I think she cares more about spending time with the kid than redemption. Hell, even you do for that matter."
Vaggie remained silent, Riolu sensing the tension in the room. Of course, she didn't have any kind of defense for what had happened, because it was true. She just let herself slide down the wall to the floor while sighing before hiding her face behind Riolu's head. Alastor seemed to take this chance to phase into the shadows out of view.
"Did… did I go too far?" Angel asks the others.
"Ehhhhhh…" Husk says. "I little more than needed, but other than that… nah."
"I just… I…" Vaggie struggled to come up with something to say. "I hate that you're right. He's the only guy I ever grew to trust let alone to this degree. As for Charlie… she doesn't trust me anymore and he clearly has nothing to hide from her so…"
"What? You think she's gonna ditch ya for him?" Angel says, trying to lighten the mood again. However, after he saw her turn away from him with sadness, he got the hint. "V-Vags I didn't mean for it to come out like that."
"To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if it did happen."
"Alright, I know she's definitely not gonna do that." Husk cut in.
"Maybe it would be a good idea to talk to her. I mean, surely a little bit of uh… s-sharing feelings can resolve things." Pentious suggests.
"Not now. She just…" Vaggie took a deep breath. "We should just let her have some time to herself."
(Meanwhile up in her room)
"Please, Azzy, I don't know what to do." Charlie cried into the phone as she held her blanket around her.
"Charlie… look I'll keep an eye out for him and see if he landed somewhere else around my ring, but I can't guarantee I'll find him." Asmodeus tells her.
"Please…" She says quietly.
"I… I'm sorry baby. I'll do all I can."
After that, they ended the call. She started to pant heavily before slowly looking at her phone and at the most recent calls. The top was Asmodeus who she recently called and just below was the name 'Bee' who she had called before and there were many more under that.
The only person she had left to call was… her dad. She started frantically swiping to find his contact, so hard that the phone eventually flung out of her hand and she fumbled trying to catch it, only for it to fly across from her onto the ground and completely out of her range. After that tears ran down her face before fell onto the bed and started crying hysterically into her pillow. It was then that the Radio Demon decided to make his appearance.
"Oh, Charlie, you look an absolute mess." Alastor says.
"Shut up and go away, Alastor!" Charlie yelled without removing her face from the pillow.
"Now, now, is that any way to after picking a fight with all of Heaven and dooming everyone you love?"
"Asshole! I have enough on my mind already!" She yelled at him after rising from the pillow before turning away from him. "I don't wanna hear your sadistic idea of a joke."
"Who's joking?" She screamed as he was suddenly beside her before crashing on the floor. "You have a captive audience downstairs waiting to hear what kind of inspiring performance you have planned next."
"I can't right now!" Charlie yelled at him before leaning against the bed. "I… after failing them, I just can't face them. I made this hotel to help people, but all it seemed to was make everyone's lives worse. I might as well be called worse than the cruelest Overlord at this point." She says as he starts to lean in before she stands up. "They're evil, but even they don't try to give people false hope."
"Well, I never expected to see such a miserable display of self-loathing from you-" Alastor started to say before his head was suddenly hit with a book that crashed on the other side of the bed.
"JUST FUCK OFF, OKAY!" Charlie shouted, her eyes turning red again. "I can't deal with you goddamn shit right now! All you do is smile and watch us fail because it's fun for you! I just… why do you like seeing us suffer!? Seeing me suffer?"
Then she shivered and jumped back as he was standing next to her. "Just because you see a smile, don't think you know what goes on underneath. A smile is a valuable tool, my dear. It inspires your friends, keeps your enemies guessing, and ensures that no matter what comes your way, you're the one in control."
"I'm not in control of anything! What do you not understand!?" She yelled again before looking out the window. "The girl I loved for years lied to me, the boy I loved is out missing somewhere, Heaven won't listen, I can't convince them the hotel works even if they did, Adam has an invincible army ready to specifically attack my hotel and there's nothing-" She punched the glass. "-I can do-" She punched it again. "-about any of it!" One more punch and a big spiderweb was created in it.
Her harsh tone was starting to freak Alastor out, which was surprising for him to say the least. However, that didn't deter him from what he heard and he grinned maliciously.
"I know something you don't know." He says in a sing-song tone.
"W-wait, what?" She asks.
"Those big scary angels are not quite as indestructible as you may think." He says before walking behind her to one of the plants.
"W-what are you talking about."
"I'm saying, you and your little friends might have a better chance than you think."
"Can you stop being so cryptic!" She says out of annoyance.
"Do you really want to know?"
"YES! Please! I'll do anything!"
Then Alastor turned to her, his grin wide as ever. "Then let's make a deal." He says before holding his hand out.
"Wha…" Charlie took a step back. You… want my soul?" She asked, uneasy.
"Your soul?" He says as the room suddenly starts to warp before going right back to normal. "Heavens no. All I need from you is an itty bitty favor. A small favor between friends."
"I'm not hurting anyone for you."
"I never said such. One favor of my choosing, you harm no one, and I'll gladly give up the information you seek. So is it a deal?" He asks while holding his hand out again.
Charlie stared for a moment contemplating her options before taking a deep breath as her horns emerged. "Deal."
(Downstairs)
"So, what do we do now?" Angel asks.
"I don't know. Maybe Ash will find us and… hopefully-" Vaggie started to say before they were interrupted by a rumble.
Everyone jumped to their feet and looked around before looking up, seeing green cracks form in the ceiling. The one-eyed woman was the first to catch onto what it was and rushed up the stairs as quickly as she could. Drawing her spear, she slammed the doors to her bedroom open and saw the one thing she hoped not to see. Charlie holding Alastor's hand as the room was filled with the green light.
"Right on cue." Alastor says.
"What did you do!? Get off of her!" She yelled as she ran forward.
"Vaggie, stop!" Charlie says as she cuts her off.
"Wha…" Vaggie started to say before dropping her spear. "No… tell me you didn't-"
She was interrupted by aggressive barking and before they knew it, Riolu jumped over them and was ready to attack the Radio Demon before the blonde grabbed him.
"Riolu, stop!" She says as the jackal keeps barking, trying to pry himself from her hold. "Please stop! Stop!" She yelled again which made him finally stop before she sighed. "I made a deal with Alastor."
"Calm down, she still owns her soul." Alastor tells them while heading for the door as Riolu starts up again.
"Riolu, stop already!" Charlie yelled again as the jackal finally stopped and looked up at her with hurt in his eyes before she handed him to Vaggie. "He gave me info that can save the hotel, but we need help. The angels can be defeated and Carmilla knows how."
"Carmine? How could-?"
"She killed an exorcist last extermination. She knows how they can be harmed."
"Wha… s-she… I didn't think that was possible."
"Would you have told me if you did know?" Charlie says as she walks by and picks up her suit jacket and starts putting it on.
"C-Charlie, I-"
"I need you to go to her. We need her to tell us how to kill them then maybe… maybe we can have a chance."
"Even if we know how to kill someone I don't think we're gonna be able to do anything."
"That's just it. We need numbers. And unfortunately, the only one who could help us with that is…"
"And I know just who can help." Alastor butts in. "I just need Charlie to be… herself. Charming and cheerful as ever."
"What's that thing you said about smiles?" Charlie says.
"Good girl."
"Charlie, can we please talk about this?" Vaggie says while grabbing her arm.
"We can talk later." Charlie says while prying out of her hold and following the Radio Demon to the door before stopping. "Right now, we have a job to do." She then felt something grab her leg and looked down seeing Riolu look up at her with a hurt face. "I know, baby." She says while kneeling to his level and rubbing his head. "But Mama has to do this." She says before standing up and then looking at Vaggie. "Well, you with us?"
Vaggie didn't have the energy to argue back, only sighing dejectedly. "I'll… I'll look for Ash while I'm out."
"... Thank you."
(Sometime downstairs)
"Hey, Vaggie uh…" Angel says as the woman walks down the stairs with the Pokemon in tow. "Charlie and Al just left like they were running away from their problems. Should we be worried?"
"No, we have a plan… one that involves fighting the angels." She tells them as Husk shoots out his drink.
"You fucking high or something!? We don't stand a chance!" The cat yelled.
"No, we do. They can be killed."
"Yeah!" One of the eggs suddenly says, grabbing her attention. "That knifewoman Carmello Carfight killed one!" He then says which shocks everyone.
"Wait, what!?" Angel says, shocked.
"You knew!?" Vaggie asks.
"Oh, yeah. I told Boss about it." The egg continues.
"What!?" Vaggie then glared at Pentious.
"What!? They say crazy shit all the time. How was I supposed to know this was true?" He says in defense.
"The FitnessGram Pacer Test is a multistage aerobic-" One of the eggs started.
"Ya see what I mean!?"
"Never mind. The thing is, we're gonna go to battle with these things." Vaggie says before she starts towards the door. "Look, this hotel is soon to become the most dangerous place in Hell, and we… I… can't guarantee your safety anymore." She looks back at the others before continuing. "I know this place can work, but… I'm not gonna force you to stay."
"Pikachu." Pikachu says as he walks up to her with Riolu in tow.
She looked at them for a moment before kneeling. "I think you should go with them. If I don't find Ash, you won't be able to go back home. The only way to be safe that I can say is possible is if you go with them." She says before she opens the door. "I'm gonna go try and figure things out, and if you're gone by the time I get back… well… I'll understand."
With that, she set out on her mission, leaving the others and the two Pokemon behind.
(With Charlie)
"Three years! Three years I've been sharing my life with her, and I tell her everything! My hopes, my dreams, my embarrassing habits, what fucking deodorant I like-" The princess was ranting while walking with Alastor who was practically not listening to her. "And she keeps something like this from me! Why would she lie for so long? Does she think I wouldn't accept her? What about me, ME, says un-understanding…? Misunderstanding-d… Disunderstand-I don't fucking know at this point."
"Mmmhmm." The Radio Demon responds.
"Are you even listening?"
"My ears are open and clear."
"I'm just saying. And it was not even just me, it was Ash too! I think he'd understand more than me. At least he never kept a secret from me."
Hearing that, Alastor stopped in front of her which made her stop as well, a malicious thought going through his head. "Is that so?"
"Yes! I know I haven't known him as long, but I know he wouldn't keep something important from me."
"Hmmm…" He says before taking his monocle and breathing on it before wiping it on his shoulder. "I wouldn't say that."
"Wha-Oh my god… Again, just tell me what you're talking about!"
"I figured you'd like to know how I learned who killed the bird."
"How?"
"I simply learned it last meeting. You know, the one with the Overlords."
"When was that?"
"About… five months ago."
"Five months ago. But isn't that the time you took Ash…" Charlie's eyes started to go wide as she realized. "Wait…"
"Finally setting in?"
"No, no he wouldn't."
"Are you sure?"
She was about to say something but then struggled to form a sentence. She could feel a sudden pain come over her and… she ran to the nearest trashcan before throwing up in it. Alastor waited patiently, humming to himself as she got the junk out of her system before going back to him.
"Why… why wouldn't he tell me that? T-that would've… we could've done something sooner. What…" Charlie started to think. "What else has he been hiding?"
"A mystery that we might not solve." Alastor chuckled as he turned around. "Although, that was something meant to stay behind closed doors." Next thing he knew, he felt something poke his back.
"Did you tell him not to tell me?" Charlie growled as he turned his head to find her in her full demon form, holding a pitchfork to his back, however, his smugness didn't falter, which seemed to make her angrier. "So help me if you made him keep this from me I will-"
"Calm yourself, dear. I assure you I wasn't the one to tell him that. It was the one with angel blood on her hands as I've stated."
She stared at him, he stared back. His smugness remained but she couldn't find a lie in his eyes, only sighing before pulling the pitchfork back. Only then did she realize her actions and suddenly drop the weapon while she turned back to normal before looking at the Radio Demon.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-" She started saying over and over again.
"It's okay… Charlie… Charlie, it's-Charlie!" Alastor says while grabbing her shoulders before taking a deep breath, then letting it out. "It's okay. Now come on. As you said, we're limited on time."
"Y-yeah. Right." She nodded before following him again. "Still… I… I can't believe he knew she did this all this time."
"Well, she never told us she was the one who did it. However, when all the pieces of the puzzle are on the table, it's easy to piece together."
"So… does he know?"
"The death of an exorcist, yes. The context, hmmm… I can't say. Perhaps it'd be best to ask him later."
Hearing that, Charlie put a hand to her head as thoughts swirled inside her brain. So far, everything was a mess and she didn't know what to even think. However, she came to a stop before looking at a sign. 'Welcome to Cannibal Town' it said. She started to say something but saw that Alastor was still walking and groaned before running to catch up with him.
(Heaven)
"I don't see him." Tenant says as he was flying above the city with binoculars.
"Keep looking. That brat's gotta be somewhere." Lute says while also looking around.
Adam flew between them, holding a telescope and chewing a cooked rib loudly. "Yeah, that little… *gulp* little shithead is probably plotting to expose everything."
"Yeah, not only do I think he would've tried something like that by now, but I'm pretty sure he might not even look like how he did as a human." Tenant says.
"He's gotta have some kind of resemblance. Every winner has even the slightest resemblance to their mortal bodies when they were alive once they die. If we don't find him, that'll spell trouble for us." Lute explains.
"Well, what if he went to Hell? What if he didn't come to Heaven?"
"According to Peter, that fucker was SOMEHOW on the list. I don't fucking know how, but he is, which means he's up here." Adam says.
"I mean, just… a thought occurs. What if what he did in court caused him to fall to Hell when he died?" Tenant suggested.
The other two exorcists then looked at him before looking at each other. "Go on?" Lute asks.
"Okay, well ya know… the way he was acting in court, he was badgering the High Seraphim, correct?" He suggested as they each raised one of their brows. "And when he was coming through the portal, he was shouting and degrading us, which would count as disrespect to us angels, correct? And he clearly had the intent to cause harm, so…" He trailed off as he held a hand in their direction.
"That action alone probably sent him to Hell. HA! Oh yeah! Adam wins, baby! Suck it!" He says as he thrusts his hips for a second before looking down with middle fingers.
"So, we're good then?" Tenant says with a smile.
"NO, we're not fucking good!" Adam shouts in sudden anger which makes the cat scared. "You still fucked us over in court and thanks to you, I had to pull some strings to keep the day we depart for the Extermination under wraps."
"R-right, I'm sorry, sir. B-but if I hadn't done anything, he surely would've made it through and back to Heaven and done who knows what."
"Sir, if I may." Lute snapped the man out of his anger. "If he does reincarnate in Hell, then I think he should be a priority target. We cannot allow him to cause another situation like this to happen again."
"Obviously. You heard Danger Tits, fuckwad. You see any sinner that even slightly resembles the kid, you go for the kill immediately, no questions asked. Got it?" Adam says.
"Yes, sir. Understood, sir." Tenant says while saluting.
They then all left the scene, however, not noticing they had an audience. Specifically a one watcher. Phin popped out of one of the clouds before gasping for air, then looking in the direction where the angels flew off before thinking about what he heard.
"Badgering Sera? There's no way he's in Hell just for that." He says to himself before he got out of the cloud and brushed the fluff off. "There's gotta be another reason why he's not up here."
(Back with our main protagonist)
Ash stared up at the ceiling having awoken from his nap long ago. He couldn't return to the land of slumber, especially knowing what situation he was in. Did the others think he was dead? He wouldn't blame them, at least if they knew about the injury he sustained. He couldn't shake the feeling that something had to have been going wrong while he was gone.
Deciding to take the chance, he sat up again, hunching a bit as he felt a small sting at first, but he decided to brush it off. As he hung his legs on the edge, the door opened, catching his attention. Odette was walking in, stopping with surprise when seeing him.
"I… wasn't expecting you to be awake by now." She says.
"I mean, not exactly planning to lay here all day."
"Yes, I figured such." She says before approaching him and then giving him a tray of food.
"Sweet. Thank you." He says before starting to eat immediately.
"Me and my sister know you missed breakfast so we figured you'd like this." The blonde continues, watching him eat for a bit before holding out a walking stick. "Here. I know it isn't much, but it's better than nothing."
He takes it and places the empty tray next to him. "Where Carmilla? I'm ready to talk."
"She's on her way right now to speak to you."
"Okay… again thank you."
She looked like she wanted to ask a question, but held her tongue and took the tray before heading for the door. She stopped and looked up, nodding before continuing. Once gone, the sounds of clanging entered the room and the boy didn't have to look up to know who it was.
"How are you feeling?" Carmilla asked calmly.
"I feel… better than before." Ash tells her.
"Good. I still recommend that you stay where you are until you are fully recovered."
"Figures. Do you have anything to ask?"
"I do. Let's start with one thing first." Carmilla says before stepping forward and then kneeling and lifting his chin to see his eyes. "You saw what happened during the meeting. Did you tell anyone what you saw?"
"You mean the dead crow? Yeah, I remember. I never told anyone."
"Good. Now…" She then moved her hand to his chest. "How did you get hurt like this?"
"I…" He hesitated for a moment before making up his mind. "I got it when I went to Heaven. One of Adam's goons did it to me."
Hearing that, she nodded and removed her hand from his chest. "I believe I've heard enough."
"Thank you for letting me stay here and help me, but I gotta get going." He tells her while grabbing the walking stick.
"You are not going anyway."
"I'm not staying here when my friends are in trouble. I need to make sure they're alright." He argued back.
"You need to stop being stubborn. You are not ready."
"I don't care!" He shouts as he stands up while his eyes flash blue.
In that second, he suddenly grunted as his eyes shifted to normal before hunching over, clutching his chest, the walking stick being the only thing keeping him standing. He shakily looked back up, seeing the woman hadn't even been fazed, and only sighed.
"Chico testarudo. Are you trying to get yourself killed? If you wish to start a fight in the condition you're in now, you're only begging for your demise." She tells him.
"..." Ash panted and looked away. "I just want to make sure they're okay or for them to know I'm here. At least… I at least want to talk to them."
"I understand your frustration." Carmilla says while putting a hand on his shoulder. "But you can hardly stand and clearly are still in pain. So please, for your sake, don't push yourself." She then gently pushed him to sit down.
She was right about him being frustrated, it's all he's ever been since the incident. The girls were watching from the door and seemed intrigued by what they were watching. When looking back at her, the boy was reminded of what happened during the meeting, noting how quick she was to anger back then despite her calm demeanor now.
"Can I… ask something?" He spoke up which caught her attention. "That day when Velvette showed us the head of the exorcist, do you… do you know how and who killed it?"
When he asked that, she stared for a moment before closing her eyes before taking a deep breath. She then stood up while muttering something he couldn't understand and putting a hand on her forehead.
"M-mom… maybe he should know." Clara speaks up.
"Know what? What happened?" Ash asked. When she looked down at him, he seemed to catch on. "It was you. You're the one who-"
"That's enough. I am not discussing this any further." She finishes before she goes to the door.
Against her wishes and due to his stubbornness, Ash got up from the couch. He used the walking stick to keep himself up as he followed her out in the hall. She was a good distance away and stopped before sighing in her own frustration.
"Please, just… tell me. I want to know. Please!" He begged.
Silence followed, the boy waiting for an answer. She turned to face him.
"We were cornered during the Extermination. I did what I had to do." She tells him.
"Okay… okay, I understand. I just… wanna know something else. How did you do it? It clearly hasn't been done before."
"... If you're so insistent, the answer lies in their own weaponry."
"Angelic… like their swords and-Their own weapons can kill them? How… no, I'm not even gonna bother questioning the logic at this point. How is it that no one learned about this until recently?"
"Angelic steal isn't easy to come by. When my daughters and I were cornered in that last Extermination. I tried to buy time for my girls to flee, and well... You don't become an angelic arms dealer without arming yourself first." Carmilla then says while shifting one of her legs a bit to put her heel in view.
He stared at the footwear, noting how it had this bright glow to it. As he stared though, he started to get a familiar sense that he had gotten when he was up in Heaven. Afterward, his hand became shaky and he suddenly stumbled as the girls went to catch him again, but their mother beat them to it, catching him in her hand.
"I told you not to push yourself." She says before sitting him against the wall. "However, now that I've told you all this information, I believe I have one more question for you." She says as he looks up at her. "I want to know where you are from."
"I… I-I'm-"
"Don't say you're from Earth, 'cause I know it's not true."
That sentence made the boy go silent for a moment. Of course, she would be one of those who wasn't gonna let him off that easy. At first, he wondered if it would be a good idea, but the more she stared at him, the more he was hesitant to tell a lie. With a reluctant sigh, he reached into his pocket and took out the one thing that could help prove his case.
"If you have to know, this is how I'm able to get to Hell." He says while holding up his Arc Phone.
"... That?"
"Yes."
Looking with interest, she picked up the device and looked it over.
"D-did you get that from Heaven?" Clara asks.
"Some people thought I did, but… I'm sure that it's not from there, especially now." Ash explained.
"It is a rather odd shape." Carmilla says while looking it over. "Doesn't appear to be functioning though."
"What? Oh, not again!" Ash says before taking the phone from her, however, the screen lit up just about immediately. "Uh… looks fine to me."
Hearing that, the woman decided to take it back, only for it to immediately switch off in her hold. Puzzled, she looked back at the boy, then she took his hand and placed it on the device while she still held it. Nothing. She let go and in that moment, it lit up instantly. That amazed both the boy and the other girls in the room.
"It appears it only responds to you." She says.
"Huh… that would've been good to know earlier."
"Back to the point. Please, tell me the truth." She says in a more gentle tone.
They stared at each other for a bit, the boy taking a moment to gather his thoughts.
"Well… it's not short, I'll you that."
(Outside)
Vaggie stopped as she found the place she was looking for, taking a moment to catch her breath before shaking her head. Some people were staring at her, but she paid no mind and continued after catching her breath.
(Back inside)
"-and ever since I've been going back and forth, trying to help as much as I could." Ash finishes.
Now it was Carmilla's turn to gather her thoughts. Of all the things she was expecting to hear, what she was told was not something she had expected.
"Another world… another Earth with… other humans?" She asked.
"Yeah, I just told you." He says before she nods.
"Unbelievable. And you were sent here to help Lucifer's daughter?"
"That's the message I got."
"... This… I have no words to describe how I feel about this."
"I mean… I do have a small question." Clara asks. "Are there like… zombies in your world-?"
"Why are you so hung up on the zombie thing?" Odette asks.
"I'm just saying."
"We just learned about alternate dimensions existing and that's the first thing on your mind?"
"Alright, fine, I'll ask something else. If you're from this other Earth or something that also has an afterlife… why were you sent here instead of there?"
"Don't exactly have all the answers, but still. This is why I'm so fixed on helping her and after all I've seen, I can't give up on her." Ash says once more.
"... Thank you for being truthful." Carmilla says before standing again.
"Listen, all this other dimension stuff aside, Charlie is more than just a princess to me. She's… special. Her and another girl in the same way."
"I believe you're talking about the fallen exorcist."
"Yeah, she…" He started to say before looking up in shock. "Wait… wait you… you know? You know she's-How? How could you possibly know that?"
"She has a big X over her eye and wields an angelic spear."
"The… that… was it that obvious? I thought it was just an X."
"Maybe not to you, but anyone who has been through enough Exterminations could tell."
"T-then why didn't you do anything?"
"I've had doubts, however, after a small bit of observation, she has yet to do anything rash or to threaten us. So, I don't have any reason to attack her. Though, I'd expect her to have told you of such."
Ash was silent, gathering his thoughts. When he started to think back then, just about any time he was brought up on angels he'd always appeared disdained, especially after each fact he learned and especially considering what happened in Heaven just the other day.
"I… I can see why she didn't tell me, honestly."
Carmilla then nodded in understanding. "Listen, if these girls truly mean as much as you say, then if you want to help them, you won't as you are currently. Now, for the last time… stay put until you've fully healed. And I mean it, I will not say it again."
"... Yes, ma'am." He says while lowering his head.
"Mother." Odette spoke up as she held a tablet up. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but-"
She was interrupted by a loud pounding.
"Carmine! Bring your arrogant ass out here!" The familiar voice that came from the tablet caught the boy's attention before they heard more pounding at the door.
"There's uh, someone at the door." The blonde then flipped the screen and revealed it to be the one-eyed woman.
"Hello! I know you can hear me!"
"Vaggie." Ash muttered.
"Querido dios." Carmilla says as she turns to leave.
"Don't hurt her. Please."
"That is not my intention."
"Hello! I know what you did! You can let me and we'll talk about it or I can scream it out here for everyone to hear!"
"Let her in." Carmilla says with a wave of her arm. "I'll bring her to you once I deal with this."
"Thank you." He says to which she nods again before she starts walking away.
The clanging of her heels faded and the moment she was out of sight, he let out a sharp breath before leaning back against the wall.
"So…" He heard as he opened his eyes and looked at Clara. "Do you want us to like take you back to the room, or…?"
(Meanwhile with Charlie)
AF: Just for the record, we're gonna be skipping over most of Charlie's interactions with Rosie to save time.
TK: Honestly, probably a good idea.
"Alright!" Rosie says as she goes into a green room while allowing a distraught Charlie in afterward. "What has you so out of sorts, darlin'? Ya clearly got more on your mind than angels." She asks as kindly as ever.
"... I…" Charlie started before sighing. "What do you do when someone you love lies to you about who they are?"
"Romance? My specialty. C'mon dearie, details, details!"
"My girlfriend is an exorcist angel, and she never told me."
"Oh shit, that uh… is quite a secret. How does that make you feel?"
"Just angry… we usually share everything. Because she always supported me and my ideas, now I… I don't even know whether to believe that or if she's still telling me lies." She says while pacing a bit before stopping in front of the couch and gasping. "No, no, that's horrible do… do I actually think that? Y-yes… no… kinda…" She then sits on the couch and covers her face.
"I mean, you said you love this girl, right?"
"Yes, or I… yes."
"Aw…" Rosie then walked over and sat next to her. "Ever once doubt that she loves you too?" She then asks as the blonde shakes her head. "Well, then what's the problem?"
"The problem is she took part in the very thing we've been working so hard to end. Not to mention the boy I trusted as much as she has also not told me anything."
"I see… and who is this boy you're talking about?"
"He's… someone special. We decided to let him join our relationship, I… thought I could trust him as well, but turns out even he was hiding something vital. Alastor said he swore to secrecy, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have to tell me, right?"
The woman perked up midway into her small rant. "Huh… I think I might know who you're talking about." She says, grabbing the blonde's attention. "Let's just say a certain someone was brought to me a few months back on relationship tips himself."
"Wha…" Charlie caught on quickly. "Oh… oh… well, it doesn't matter. I don't know where he is right now, but… he… if he got into something because of me, I… feel like he might already be having second thoughts."
"Hey, hey now, come on. I'm sure it's not as bad as you think. Is there a reason why these… emotions are coming out?"
"I just-I had a relationship before with a guy I thought loved me and he left me, I… I don't want to go through that again. Do I… do I even trust either of them anymore?"
"Come now dear, I think you might be putting a little too much thought into this whole thing." Rosie says while patting her back. "Firstly, your exorcist girlfriend… isn't that silly hotel of yours all about redemption?"
"Y… yes."
"Perhaps this girl is trying to redeem herself too."
"She knows better than anyone I believe in second chances. Both of them do. Why not tell me?"
"It can be difficult to admit things you're not proud of… especially if those things hurt the ones you love. And if this boy you're talking about has also kept something from you, he probably didn't want you freaking out over it."
"... I mean… he does kinda…"
"Act heroic? Believes that there are things that he should handle without worrying other people?" Rosie asks.
"Yeah, that… does sound like him."
"Sounds like you got yourself a keeper then. They fucked up, sure. They're not perfect, but then again, who down here is?" The woman continued while putting a hand on the blonde's shoulder, making her smile. "If there's anything I learned, it's that words are cheap, but actions, they speak the truth. So, what have our actions said?"
"That they care about me and believe in me. Right now, one of them is off learning how to protect everything we've worked for… the other is missing and I still haven't found him… and I can't even pitch my hotel right."
"Well, how do you normally explain your hotel?"
"By singing… but that never works."
"It will here. Trust me. And maybe… just maybe when you go back to your little girlfriend, your boyfriend will be there waiting for ya." Rosie says before helping the blonde up. "Now come on, let's give this another shot."
".. Okay."
(Back at the Carmine residence)
Ash was in the hall, using the cane he was given. Again against Carmilla's wishes, he was up and moving. Once he started to hear some pain-filled grunts echo through the halls, he couldn't bring himself to stay in one place. This time, he wasn't going hard, though safe to say, he was moving a lot slower than he had hoped for.
Eventually, he reached the end of the hall and leaned against the wall for support. He didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't seeing the woman who saved him, beating up one of his girlfriends. He was shocked and wanted to do something, but held his chest and remained where he was.
"Come on! What is this?" Vaggie says in annoyance before getting up.
"You wanna know how to defeat angels? I'm teaching you just that." Carmilla says while circling her.
"By beating the shit out of me? I'm not used to fighting with long hair." Vaggie says before charging at her.
"By showing you the flaws in your own fighting style." Carmilla says while avoiding a few more attempted attacks, letting her hair down before kicking her back. "Yours and all of your sisters."
"Wait… you know I'm a-"
"I've already explained this before. You have a giant X over your eye and wield an angelic spear. Not hard to figure out." The woman explained to her. "Before you found out about me, did you know angels could be harmed?"
"No, that's the reason I came here-" Vaggie says before dodging an attempted kick, only to get her spear pinned down and then get kicked.
"It also shows in how you fight." Carmilla says while throwing her spear back to her. "You leave yourself open with every swing. You fight like someone unafraid of harm, which is what you must take advantage of. Angels wield no shields, little armor, and fight with reckless abandon." She says while stepping behind her. "Strike them here-" One strike to the head. "Here-" Another to the back. "And here." And to the back of the head.
"With what!? You still haven't told me how you killed one!" Vaggie says while getting up.
"Stupid girl, are you really so dense you don't get that the answer is in your hand right now?"
Vaggie looked at her one hand that was holding her spear. "Angelic weaponry? That's it? Why hasn't anyone else figured this out?"
"Exactly what I said." Ash mutters.
"Angelic steel isn't common, and those who have it aren't exactly running off to test it against exorcist." Carmilla explains before sighing. "I've already gone through this song and dance earlier. With what happened that last Extermination… my family wouldn't be alive if I wasn't armed."
(Insert song here: Out for Love)
TK: Okay, so are we doing some changes to this song? Cause I mean, we're already skipping the 'Ready for this' song.
AF: Yeah, Ash is not gonna take place in any more songs for this story.
TK: Really?
AF: Yeah, I know people want us to lean more into the musical aspect, but honestly, I think we can do with less changing music.
TK: I mean, one guy was complaining in the Dad Beat Dad chapter about the fact that he thinks the songs were pointless especially since Ash didn't have a part in them.
AF: Can you come up with a reason to include him in the rest of the songs?
TK: … No.
AF: Good. Then you have five seconds to look as disapproving as possible.
TK: *Crosses arms and frowns in annoyance*
AF: Okay. Now enjoy the ending of the song.
As soon as Carmilla is done singing, Vaggie leaps from the railing and extends her arms and legs, a new set of wings emerging from her back with gray feathers. Ash was shocked to see it and even blushed at the sight before smiling.
"Well look at that. You might just have what it takes to survive this." Carmilla says proudly.
"We're gonna need more weapons." Vaggie says.
"Very well, I can have that sorted. Now I hope you will take my advice…" The woman starts to say before she looks to one of the entrances to her hall and looks surprised before frowning. "Unlike someone who is too stubborn to listen."
One of Vaggie's eyebrows rose before she looked in the same direction, only for her jaw to go slack as she dropped her spear. She stared out of shock upon seeing him. Ash pushed himself off the wall and stood up without struggling.
He smiled at her and then held his hand up and waved at her. Her eye started to water before she smiled and ran to him, however, she stopped and her smile fell before she stepped back, looking hesitant.
"A-Ash-"
She suddenly felt herself being embraced while leaning back, the walking stick he had falling to the floor. She froze as he hugged her.
"You don't know how happy I am to see you again." He says quietly.
Hearing his voice, feeling his embrace, she was left in shock for a moment. Then tears started to run down her cheek as her one eye squinted before hugging him back and burying her face in his shoulder, sobbing.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry." She continued to say repeatedly.
"There there. It's okay." He says while rubbing her head.
"I should've told you, I should've told Charlie, I shouldn't have kept this from you, I shouldn't have-"
"Vaggie." He says while slightly pulling away and looking at her. "It's okay. I don't blame you for hiding something like this."
She breathed quietly as she stared at him before getting her thoughts together. "W-what happened? Where did you go? Why… what is that?" She asks after seeing the walking stick on the floor.
"I… might have gotten into an incident in Heaven."
"If by an incident you mean getting a hole blasted through his chest, then yes." Carmilla speaks directly.
"Wait, what!?" Vaggie shouts looking freaked out.
"Y-yeah, she summed it up." Ash says nervously.
She then looked down, seeing his shirt okay, only the singed part of his jacket before lifting his shirt and seeing no wound. "B-but how are…?"
"Surprised? You wouldn't be the first." He says.
"A word of advice, when you bring him back to that hotel, tell him to stop being so stubborn and lie down so he can heal properly." Carmilla says while walking past them.
"Ash!" Vaggie yelled while looking annoyed.
"I know, I know, I… don't have an excuse for what happened." Ash tells her. "But I can walk now."
She stared before sighing and resting her head against his chest. "What am I gonna do with you?" She says before he hugs her back again for a second before she looks back up. "But that aside, uh… w-what do you… think?" She says while folding her new wings.
He took a second to gather his thoughts. "I haven't exactly given the best impression about angels for the longest time but… I don't think of them all as bad people." He chuckled. "I still gotta see that there are some that are good. Including you." He then cupped her cheek as she smiled. "And also these… these are beautiful. Just like you."
She laughed before pulling him into a kiss that he didn't hesitate to return. It was a kiss that they both hadn't had in a long time and one they were happy to share in that moment. They went deep and as passionate as they could. Carmilla saw the sideline and smiled before finally leaving to prepare things.
After a bit, they finally pulled away, gasping for air. He rested his forehead against hers before popping the question on his mind.
"So… how did Charlie take it?" Ash asked.
"No well. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't want to talk to me again." Vaggie says.
"That won't happen. I know she'll understand. You just need to talk to her."
She nodded. "Right. Uh… also… I have something to tell you."
(Later)
The two were heading back to the hotel with some demons, including Carmilla's daughters rolling in carts with boxes of weapons. As they were arriving, they stopped short as they saw Charlie arriving with a horde of cannibals. Ash was already told of the recent events so he wasn't surprised. He put a hand on Vaggie's shoulder and tilted his head in the blonde's direction. She nodded before going ahead.
"See you've been busy." Vaggie says.
"You too." Charlie says back.
"Look, Charlie-"
"Ah, hold that thought." Charlie says before reaching into her pocket and pulling out… whatever the fuck that thing is in the episode. "I got a souvenir while I was gone."
Seeing that, Vaggie teared up before running over and hugging her. "Oh, Charlie."
"I'm sorry for yelling at you. I still love you." The blonde tells her before grabbing the tip of one of her wings. "The wings are new. They look nice."
"Yeah, I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. I just… I was so afraid of what you might think, I thought…"
"I know. And it's okay, I forgive you."
Vaggie smiled before looking back and brushing her hair. "Well, I brought you something too."
"Really? What is it?"
"Not a souvenir, but something better." She then pointed behind her.
Charlie then looked back and her eyes went wide from who she saw. Ash walked up to them and waved to her.
"Hey." Ash says.
She started to shake in place as tears were coming out immediately. "Aaaaaaash!"
Before he could do anything, she tackled him, crashing into the ground. He kept himself from completely landing on his back as the princess hugged him.
"Oh thank god you're alright, I was so worried about you! I thought I'd never see you again, I-I-" She fumbled before she started attacking his face with a flurry of kisses.
"Okay… yeah, I can see you're-" He started to say before she hugged him again, leading to an audible crunch that made his eyes snap open wide. "SWEET MOTHER OF ARCEUS!"
"Oh shit!" She let him go. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I-I-"
"I know… I know." Ash says before she gets off him and helps him up. "It's just-*CRACK!* SUGAR HONEY ICE TEA!"
"I'm sorry. I…" Charlie continued before wiping her face, then hugging him more gently, resting her chin on his shoulder. "I thought I lost you."
As he listened to her sobs and smiled as he hugged her back. He was happy and he was sure she was happy to see him.
"I should say something." He says as he pulls away to meet her gaze. "I didn't tell you, but… when I was with Al-" He started to say before she put a finger to his lips.
"I know. And you don't have to apologize. I… don't blame you at all." She says as he smiles.
"Oh, what do we have here?" They heard before looking in the direction and seeing Rosie going up to them.
"R-Rosie, I didn't know you were still here." Charlie says.
"I was just sticking around to make sure things were okay here. Looks like they're a little more than okay if I do say so myself." She then says teasingly.
"Aha, y-yeah." The blonde says while blushing a bit.
"Heh, uh… good to see you again, Rosie." Ash says while waving.
"Oh, I thought I recognized you. It's been such a long time, and let me say, you look even more handsome like this." Rosie then says teasingly while pinching his cheek.
"Okay, thank you."
"So these are the girls you were talking about, eh?" She then leaned in with a grin. "You really hit the jackpot with these ladies. ~"
"Okay, again thank you." He says wanting to end the conversation quicker.
"Aw, I'm just teasin' ya, honey. Don't take it so seriously." She says while pinching his cheek again. "Now, while I'd love to stay and catch up, I unfortunately have to get going. But don't forget to drop by every once in a while. Seriously, it has been a while since we saw each other."
"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind."
"Alright. Good luck!" The woman says before she starts to leave.
"Still as kind as ever."
"I know. Still… where… where did you go? What happened to you?" Charlie then asks.
"Uh… hehe, thing is-"
(After a short explanation)
"YOU WHAT!?" Charlie's scream was loud enough to make any bird in a mile flock away.
"Okay, that sounded way better in my head." Ash says nervously while looking away.
"I love you, but you are too FUCKING reckless!" Charlie yelled in the least angry way she could. "Ya, know-That's it! You are not going anywhere-"
"Uh-"
"You are gonna stay in bed for the rest of the day-"
"C-Charlie-"
"Ya know what-"
"Okay-WOAH! WOAH!" Ash yelped as he was ironically picked up in a bridal carry.
"You're not walking!"
"Charlie, it's not that big a deal."
"Don't tell me almost dying is not a big deal!"
"Okay, okay!" Vaggie says while trying to contain her laughter. "Let's go inside. I think we've had enough for the day."
She sighed before following her through the gate.
"Can you at least put me-"
"Nope." Charlie cuts Ash off.
"This is just embarrassing."
"Just go with it, hon." Vaggie tells him.
"Oh, man."
To their surprise the moment they entered the hotel, they found that rather than it being empty, the crew were working, boarding up things, getting weapons ready, the works.
"Yeah, fortify that." Angel says before going over and looking down, seeing the trio. "Well, look who decided to show up." He says before pulling the cat and snake to him. "We thought we'd be fightin' by ourselves."
"You're…" Vaggie starts to say as Charlie starts to tear up. "You're here?"
"What? Do you think we're a bunch of pusssssies?" Pentious says.
"I just got used to you guys. I ain't about to go out and find new drinking buddies." Husk says.
"I've named all the stains on the carpet." Niffty says before going up to one. "That one's Fred."
"Pikachu!" Pikachu called followed by the barking of Riolu as they jumped into the boy's arms, both of them hugging the boy tightly.
"Hey, guys." He says before Keekee also jumped onto him.
"Oh finally." Angel yelled. "Not gonna pull another disappearing act again, are ya?"
"Ya know, you gotta stop doing that shit." Husk tells him.
"Yeah, I know, I messed up. I'm not gonna do it again."
"I hope so. Ya know the little ones were very distraught while you were gone." Pentious tells him.
"I think I got that."
"Anyways, we have a lot of work to do." Charlie says before looking at the boy. "Starting with you lying down."
"Seriously? Charlie, I've been lying down all day. I wanna help." Ash tells her.
"No excuses! You're going to bed, no buts."
"Agreed. Come on, you." Vaggie tells him before they start leaving.
"Oh, man."
To be continued… Just kidding.
AF: Before we get into the bonus, I just wanna say that while the next chapter will be on the final episode, it won't be the final chapter.
TK: Yeah, we're gonna make a few chapters afterward and it's gonna be sick.
AF: Yeah, I don't know if I should trust you alone with a chapter after what you wrote last time.
TK: Oh come on! We needed a bit of a stunning twist to the story, you know that.
AF: Not like… anyway. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. See you next time.
(Bonus Scene)
Rosie was humming happily as she went up to the sign and turned it to say 'Closed' before she heard the doorbell chime and looked at the entrance.
"Oh, Charlie. I wasn't expecting you to be back." She says in surprise.
"Yeah, I… I just… I have something else I wanted to talk about that is more embarrassing than really secretive… that I didn't want to talk to the others about." She says shyly.
"Oh, well, come here dearie." She says while leading them to the table and sitting down. "Now, what is it on your mind this time?"
"Uh, it's kinda embarrassing. I don't know how to explain it, really."
"Alright, take your time and tell Aunt Rosie what it is."
"... Ffff… well…"
(A small explanation later)
"... Oh." Rosie says with an awestruck expression. "Umm…"
"Yeah, I just… I wanted to look up what it was about, but I don't know if I should trust the internet for this thing. I don't know what's going on with me. Am I like… going through another puberty thing or something?"
"Well, I… wouldn't call it a puberty thing, it's more of…" Rosie says before humming. "Well, I can't really confirm nor deny experiencing the same thing you're going through, but I do have some customers that ask questions like these." She says before standing up. "Not to worry though, I think I have just the thing for you."
"Please?" She begged.
"Sure thing, sweetheart. Don't worry." The woman says while patting her on the head.
They then went to the back and Rosie pulled out a big cardboard box before setting it on the table.
"I've stocked up on these back when I was with my first husband… unfortunately never got to use them." She then says with disdain before going back to cheerful. "But I'm sure they'll do ya good." She then says while opening the box and revealing its contents.
Charlie walked over and looked inside before her eyes nearly bulged out of her head at what she saw. She went slackjawed as she kept staring at whatever was inside, not knowing how to react and slowly processing what she was seeing.
"So uh… how many would you like?" Rosie asks.
"... I…" The blonde stared longer before slowly looking at the woman. "Can I… take the whole box?"
(Later that night)
Charlie was in her bathroom, sitting on the toilet while looking at the box next to her. She opened the box and took out one of the things. That thing is a thin half-pink and half-white stick. She took a deep breath and pulled down her pants before moving the stick down.
"Okay… here goes nothing."
She closed her eyes as she did her business. After she was done she lifted it and looked at it with her thumb covering the tiny screen. She hesitated to look, anticipating what she might see. She took another deep breath before letting it, preparing herself.
She then removed her thumb… and saw two lines.
To be continued…