A/N: Glad to be back with another chapter. Let's hope I can keep some frequency on updating, although I would prefer to wait for a couple episodes before advancing the story too much. :)
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"Okay, this looks actually really cool. Especially that Charlie asked them to take off the eerie stuff."
"I guess? Seems very bland now. Perhaps we could add some posters and give a bit more color?"
"Sure! What do you have in mind? Some music bands? Favorite sports team?"
"Errr, well, sorta? I was thinking more of... well, is kinda silly. Forget it."
"Loona, this is our room, you can do whatever you want. I don't mind."
"Huh, are you sure? You're kind of a big prude, so I know you won't really be okay with it."
"Hey! I'm not that innocent!"
"Ha! How come?"
"We... did stuff, after all."
Loona snorted. She could only shake her head at the childish description of their past physical interactions. Sure, Collin wasn't really that much of a prude, but she still wasn't going to hang posters with nudity and other very questionable stuff with him around. Not that it was necessary anyway, she did have music bands she liked, idols too. She just wondered what he had in mind to place around.
"Say, what kind of stuff you're into? We never really talked about your tastes about music and other shit." She asked while punching a pillow over the king sized bed. Once she was satisfied with the density of the material she moved away to examinate the bathroom.
"Well, mostly Human stuff. Heaven is... bland as you can imagine. Sure, there are some great classics, but still. It... might sound weird coming from someone that was in Heaven, but... I like the more energetic type of music."
"Like?"
"Errr, power metal."
"What?! No way! Really?!" She asked, sounding very impressed and somewhat gleeful. "Now we're talking! Heavy metal girl here!" She said proudly. "We definitely gotta share our song libraries."
"Huh, I will have to make mine, I never really had a storage for songs back in Heaven. They... wouldn't approve of my tastes. They saw it as a disruption of harmony."
"Man, fuck Heaven bitches. You like whatever you want! Get that list and show me later." She demanded with a chuckle.
"Will do." Collin replied, unable to contain the smile on his muzzle. It was so liberating (and safe) to be in a place he didn't really have to worry about anything other than Loona. Sure, it was an Hotel, in bloody Hell, under the care of extremely questionable owners, but at least they were allowed their privacy until their service was required. What made his soul feel much lighter was seeing how much on a happy mood Loona has been in the last couple of hours. Perhaps she finally came to accept that moving out would be the best thing to her, even if Blitzo probably would cry blood about it. Seeing her smiling and being so playful gave him an strong sense of accomplishment, but he still was wary. Things could always turn around in the blink of an eye, he wasn't going to let that happen.
Not again.
"Oh, they really didn't spare on the bathtub! Shit! This is huge! They even have a huge drier box! Fuck yes!" Loona shouted excited from the bathroom.
"Drier box?" Collin inquired, unsure of what that could even mean.
"Like showers with their own enclosed space, but this one is made to dry you out, powerful vent system that expels heat from the wall. I can get all wet and dry in less than an hour! If I knew they had this I would've moved in right away!"
"That's quite handy. Say, would that work for me back in sheep form?"
"Maybe? But then the wind on your wings would've splattered you through the glass door, so... I think you're fine."
"Yeah, I guess so."
Collin returned his attention to the small kitchen area, which was a blessing in disguise. He doesn't really have any faith that Charlie will find a kitchen staff in time, which made that extra benefit of the VIP room even more welcoming. He had initial concerns to be residing in one of the highest quality rooms of the Hotel, but Charlie assured him that the room was not even near the most extravagant. He could only imagine the wonders that were hidden in such exclusive rooms.
Also it seems Charlie ordered Nifty to replace most of the décor and items in the room for the sake of making the place less Hellish looking. The wolf was fairly impressed that Nifty knew exactly what had to be removed or replaced in order to create such peaceful environment, something that made him wonder if the hyperactive maid was Human sometime in the past. Still, the changes made the room look fairly empty, which encouraged both him and Loona to give it some of their own touch.
He made his way to the fridge and looked inside. Sadly there was not much aside water and few cold snacks. He sighed before closing the door and turning around, he fixated his attention over the small wooden balcony, his eyes closed as his hands started to glow. Few seconds went by before resounding ringing permeated the room and a flash of light exploded before dissipating almost instantaneously. He opened his eyes slowly, feeling very accomplished once he saw the results of his experiment.
"What the fuck was that sound?" Loona came in quickly, she was about to address him directly before her attention was deviated towards the kitchen's balcony. "Wha... where did all this shit come from?"
"Oh, that? Heh, just another hand conjuring. The fridge was empty so I decided to make some... shopping." He added with a devious smirk. Loona glanced at him, looking somewhat surprised by the smug on his face.
"You just stole this shit?"
"What?! NO!" He immediately countered. Loona's even stare made him deflate rather quick. "Err, well. I don't know. I just thought about what I needed to get and brought it here. I'm... not sure if it came from somewhere specific." He excused himself, feeling his cheeks reddening considerably.
"Aww, who cares anyway? What did you get?" The Hellhound said as she approached for a better look. "What even is this? Is this Human food?!"
"Well, there's lots of industrial stuff, sure, but I got organics too. Fruits, vegetables-
"Urgh."
"... also various kinds of tasty meat." He added with a sly smile. Loona's expression of disgust melted right away.
"Like what?" She asked suspiciously. Yet, her tail suddenly wagging nonstop gave away her excitement.
"Oh, I'm not sure if you will be familiar with the names, but I assure you that I know how to cook and temper each one the way they have to be done." He said confidently. Loona tilted her head slightly.
"Collin, how the fuck you know so much crap? You weren't even... alive? I mean, you said you didn't need to eat and shit, literally." She added with a smile. Collin huffed.
"Yeah, I didn't. I learned this because..." He felt his mood crash a bit as he reached for the truthful answer. "... because of Lucy. She... she was a fan of barbecues. I learned for the sake of giving her options, her family couldn't really afford meat like this. So... yeah."
"Sorry I asked." Loona quickly said with a touch of worry.
"No, no! It's okay! I... learned lots of things back at my time as a Guardian." Collin's grin despite the assurance didn't fool the Hellhound. "I had lots of fun learning things. I still do from time to time. Actually, it's easy for me to do it since I'm a rather exceptional Mimic."
"Huh... isn't that just weird folk that make funny poses without saying a word?" She wondered aloud. Colin shook his head.
"No. In Heaven, Mimics are a very rare type of Angel. They posses the innate talent of being able to reproduce any sort of technique after having only witnessed it once. Also, whatever they witness it's something they will ever forget how to do again, there's no limit to what a Mimic can learn."
"Really? But isn't that the kind of thing that... well, makes you sorta perfect?" Loona joked with a playful raise of eyebrow. Collin shook his head again.
"It is... useful, like very much so for many things. Yet... it depends on what you make of it. There are things I learned to do that... I was simply not meant to. Like... how to skin people, rape, murder, torture. I... saw things I never wanted to. I learned how to be manipulative due being manipulated at times. But... what makes me who I am... is being able to choose whether I will do such thing or not. Being the most knowledgeable being won't ever make me the righteous one, or the most apt to take lead. I know a lot, but I've done very few. I can only hope this time it will be different."
"Wait. So you really learned how to cook by watching Gordon Ramsey?" Loona asked, she was incredulous. Collin snorted, it seemed the Hellhound was too focused on food to worry about anything else. Maybe he should do the same and stop being so negative.
"Of course! He's awesome! I wish I was good as he is, there's a lot he does that I don't know of."
"Say, did he sin?"
"Huh? Why is that relevant?" Loona shrugged.
"I don't know, would be nice to have a cook like him around." Yet, the reddening of her huge ears was painfully visible. Collin could only shake his head on mocking disappointment.
"You're from the Gluttony ring alright."
"Say what?!"
"N-Nothing! J-Just checking for gluten on the food." Collin quickly replied with a nervous chuckle.
Loona regarded him with an even stare for few seconds before deviating her attention back to the snacks in front of her. She wasn't sure if she could even try eating Human stuff, but then is not like she has a weak stomach. She was far more concerned if Collin knew if any of that food was good for him. She remembers of how he reacted poorly to meat last time, although it could be either that his kind doesn't do well with meat, or the meat he ate was kind of spoiled. Not many people in Hell give a shit about sanitation. Perhaps him puking his guts out last time was just his body rejecting potential hazardous food.
"There is a lot of stuff here, how much did you conjure?" She asked while picking items apart to help him out to sort the proper places to store everything.
"About enough for a week. Yet, it depends of how much each of us consume. I imagine you eat a lot?" He pondered calmly. Loona raised an eyebrow, unsure if he was hinting at something or not.
"Which means?" She asked flatly.
"I imagine that Hellhounds have an accelerated metabolism, most of them seemed fairly skinny, despite the developed musculature. Your kind probably burns through a lot of energy really quick, which means that eating constantly is what keeps you healthy." He said as a matter of fact. Loona couldn't help the bafflement on her face.
"How you even get to that type of answer? I mean... you're really close. It's not that we waste energy, I certainly don't. We just... we are always hungry. I don't know... it's a Hellhound thing. At times I don't feel like eating anything, but as soon I see something tasty, I just become really hungry. If that makes any sense?"
"Perhaps is a way to keep your predatory instincts active?" He pondered, looking very interest on the subject. "The notion of Hellhounds it's that they are bloodthirsty and all that usual stuff. The need to feed only triggering upon spotting weaker beings. Say, did you ever feel like wanting to eat me?"
"What the fuck? Why would you ask that?!" She stared at him, perplexed at how casual he sounded when talking about being eaten. Collin gave her an unimpressed look. Loona's ears faltered slightly as she was forced to admit. "Yeah... like, when we met. I didn't have a reason to think you mattered. You looked very tasty... as a sheep." She added quickly, her face reddening tremendously. Collin snorted. "You think that's funny?"
"Well, sort of?" He replied with a nervous smile. "It is now, since you don't really think of me that way, do you?" He inquired with mocked concern. Loona rolled her eyes.
"Nah, I have a different kind of eating I want to do with you."
"Oh, look! Doritos!" Collin quickly shouted as he threw a small bag her way, desperate to hide away the flush on his face. Loona's eyes widened as she quickly snatched the bag from hitting her on the muzzle. She chuckled, sitting near a tall wooden chair, watching as the wolf frantically organized the mess.
She deviated her attention back to her phone, scrolling through messages for anything interesting. Vortex and his girlfriend texted her a few times, so did the Hellhounds that she made friends with at the party. Loona's smile dimmed once she saw two messages she was dreading to receive. One from Blitzo, other from Hellboi69. She couldn't help the pang of regretted by getting involved with that specific Hellhound. She wasn't expecting Collin to be a thing in her life ever, but things changed and she knows she has to come clean about it with the male hound.
Yet, her dread intensified as she opened her mail box to check what Blitzo sent. She sighed once his words made into the display.
' Loona, where the fuck are you?! Is late and dinner will be ready soon! Hurry up!:( '
She typed back a reply explaining she was with Collin and would be out for the entire night. It didn't take long for the Imp to reply.
' What?! The entire night?! :( Can't you two save your fucking for the weekend?! '
Loona held the device a bit tighter, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she tried to keep her fingers from shaking as she typed.
'We need to talk. Not just about the two of us, but also about work. Don't fucking bother texting me or calling me back. I will see you tomorrow, not a second before. Night.'
She expected him to not take that answer and be quiet about it so she blocked him from making any sort of attempt with the press of a button. Her device turned off completely. Something she probably haven't done ever since she came into possession of the very same.
So imagine her surprise when she got a call from Millie's number instead.
"What?" Loona asked aloud as she opened the call. First thing she heard was a shout from Blitzo.
"Loona! What's the meaning of this?! What are you up to?!"
"Holy fucking shit! Why are you calling from Millie's number?!" The Hellhound shouted back, infuriated by the audacity of the Imp. Collin stopped what he was doing as soon he heard Blitzo shouting over the phone, he glanced at her with worry. Loona waved him off, a sign for him not to worry, which was pointless.
"Because I just happened to be around her, and asked kindly for her to lend me the phone so I could figure out what's wrong with my daughter." He replied with a falsetto that made Collin snicker. Loona groaned.
"You were peeking on them fucking again, weren't you?"
Judging by how the line went dead for few seconds it was clear that Loona may have nailed that statement way more than Collin hoped she hadn't. The idea of Blitzo actually invading the privacy of others like that was beyond undignifying. Back when it was mentioned the first time around he thought of it as some sick joke of them, but it seems it was factual after all.
"Well, I sure did not want to see you and cotton fucking." He replied curtly. Collin could only shake his head at the Imp's boldness. Would that guy never understand how much of a dickhead he sounded? "Which is why I'm here, asking on someone else's phone for you, instead of trying to find you personally. Unless you want me to drop by?" He asked with a touch of excitement that made Loona very upset.
"How about you drop dead? That would work." She replied with no small amount of venom. Collin made a face that the Hellhound did not miss. She regarded him with a frown before sighing in defeat. "Look... Blitzo. We are okay, I told you we would drop by tomorrow and talk stuff. It's... important stuff. I just don't wanna talk about this over the phone with you."
"Oh... okay, if you're that concerned about my opinion, I guess I can let you two knot in pea-
"I WILL FUCKING CASTRA-
Collin sighed in exasperation while raising his hand quickly, a spell shut the device before Loona could finish her shouting. She briefly stared at the dark screen with disbelief before fixating a very angry glare towards the wolf.
"What the fuck dude?! I wanted him to hear some fucking truths! Did you hear that crap!? This is why I WILL NEVER want to live near him again! Complete asshole!"
"I know Loona. I just... don't stress about it anymore, okay? I promised I would help you get loose of that hold he has on you. After that happens... even if he's the way he is, try not to despise him so much. The moment you move out it will hurt him pretty bad, of that I'm very certain."
Loona huffed. She didn't really want to let go of that so easily, but Collin wasn't wrong about what would happen with the Imp once she steps out of his domain.
Before anything else could be said few knocks at the entrance door reached their sensitive ears.
"Oh, seems we have a visit?" Collin wondered aloud, surprised someone would bother to check on them at the top floor of the Hotel. "I will get the door. Can you pack this stuff for me?" He requested gently enough. Loona nodded silently, her mood ruined with the call from Blitzo, she merely resigned to figure out where to even store the food correctly. Collin gave her one last worried glance before unlocking the door. As if he would ever dare to leave it unlocked, even in Heaven he had such habits.
"Hi Collin! How's the room? Everything you two needed?" The happy and tall figure of Charlie greeted him with her usual optimistic self. The wolf chuckled, he couldn't deny that she's contagious with her uplifting mood.
"So far, so good. Better than we hoped actually. Thanks a lot." He replied with his own cheerfulness, which made the Morningstar girl beam even brighter. 'Seriously, what are you doing in Hell?' He couldn't help but think. 'This is the daughter of Lucifer, how can she even be so much... happy?'
"Amazing! I'm glad to hear it! Say, how about you two join the crew for dinner? We usually do it every day until we get too busy."
She offered with a hopeful smile. Collin bit his lip. He wasn't against the idea, but he felt Loona wasn't in the most social of moods at that moment.
"I would love to, but Loona has been through some rough moments lately. I want her to get some peace of mind until she's more keen to deal with more people." He apologized. Charlie seemed surprised but nodded nonetheless.
"Is it about that issue of hers? I can help, whatever she needs." Charlie offered again. Collin would never cease to be amazed by the girl's unexpected kind soul. He pondered the offer for few seconds.
"Actually, I would take that offer. Do you... want to come in?" He asked, feeling weird about offering entrance to the owner of the Hotel. Not like he expected Charlie to burst in by pulling rank on his face, but it still felt odd to think someone in Hell has such manners. The Demon girl expressed something akin to astonishment regarding his offer.
"Oh!I mean, if that's okay? I don't want to bother you and Loona even more, even if it would be nice to talk with her again." She replied with a timid shrug.
"Imagine, come on in. Take a seat wherever you want." Collin insisted with an inviting gesture of his arm. Charlie nodded timidly before entering the room, her eyes taking in all the changes made inside.
"Wow, Nifty did really well!" She said, impressed by the results. Collin blinked in confusion after closing the door.
"Wait, you didn't check on her work?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow. The Demon girl's eyes widened.
"Huh... was I supposed to?" She asked with some nervousness. The wolf regarded her with some incredulity.
"Yes, cause since you're missing some important staff personnel, it's up to you to make sure that everything is executed accordingly to your demands, even if Vaggie is around. You and Alastor are in charge, so I imagine you would need to make sure things go just like you two want them to go. Also, if I heard correctly, Nifty has been working for only a few weeks here? Which means she should be under probation."
"Well, she hasn't really done anything out of... well, what we need." Charlie replied as she held her shoulder in apreheension. "Sure, I guess I should keep an eye on things just in case. At least until I can find someone I can trust to keep things going, besides Vaggie." Collin regarded her silently for a moment before making his way back to the kitchen.
"Say, hungry? Me and Loona were just about to do something for ourselves. Got some stuff from the Human realm, if you feel like trying something different?" He offered rather formally. Charlie made a face at that news. "What?"
"Well, it's just that I'm not sure if you should be trafficking Human stuff in here." She said hesitantly. Collin nodded with some worry.
"Is it against any rules or something?" He pondered with expressive concern.
"Huh, not really? Just... make sure to not spread to anyone else that you do. Especially if we end up with more clients. We don't want to allienate anyone right off the bat." She suggested with some seriousness.
"Fair deal, say... what ha-
"Collin! Get your ass in here! I'm starving!"
Charlie giggled while the wolf rolled his eyes in aggravation.
"Well, be our guest. Also, regarding Loona's issue..." He stopped briefly, contemplating his words with care. "What do you know about contracts?"
Charlie's amusement died out almost immediately. She return her attention back at him with worry.
"She... didn't do any kind of deals. Did she?" Collin shrugged.
"I would say it wasn't her the one to do it, more like she was bound out of her will."
Charlie sighed heavily, finally understanding the amount of trouble the Hellhound was stuck in. She pondered the possible solutions with extreme anxiety. Any that involved Hellhounds would eventually had something to do with Bel, which makes any attempt at messing with it extremely dangerous. She would have to get a better understanding of what type of contract was made, otherwise she would be short of any options.
"First thing to do is figure out where and how it was made. Otherwise... not much I can do." Collin winced, already seeing where this problem was going to end.
"I... dearly hope Loona won't kill me for suggesting we visit the place she spent most of her life. That... would suck."