"Do you think my dad is acting strangely?" Charlie was enjoying her Halloween party, she really was, but something just seemed... off about her dad. The party itself was in full swing, the Sinners were dancing and drinking, the lobby was all decorated (Charlie had worked very hard on the décor), and there were even spooky snacks and drinks that she had made herself- well the drinks were Husk's contribution. She had pulled Vaggie to the kitchen under the false pretense of securing more snacks, but in reality, something was bothering her.
"I..." Vaggie looked thoughtful, "I mean maybe?" She put a hand on Charlie's shoulder. "Sorry hun, I don't know enough about your dad to really say. I mean, I have only met him a handful of times. You're the expert here."
"I know." Charlie started putting her little jack-o-lantern cookies she had baked onto one of the Hotel's serving plates. "I just wanted a second opinion." She was glad her father had decided to attend. It was always good to see him. And now he was back on his hooves! He even had both hooves, which was a fuck ton of progress given the last time she had seen him. If Raphael had done all this, Charlie would need to make him a muffin basket. Just a little something to thank him for all of his hard work. She knew for a fact that her dad wouldn't bother.
"I thought Vox was acting weirder than your dad. But again, I don't really know how he acts normally either, and I am totally cool with that, by the way." Vaggie was instantly at her side, helping with the cookies. Charlie couldn't help but laugh.
"I know that no one is happy that he's here, especially not Angel. Although, they did get along that one time while we were in Port Gatory!"
"They tried to kill Mimzy."
"But they tried to kill her together! That's progress! I think." Being raised in Hell, Charlie was surrounded by the worst of the worst. It had broken her father's spirit long ago. Her mother had been the one to thrive. And Charlie? Charlie learned to find the silver lining. When everything was shit, sometimes that little bit of sparkle was all she had. People thought of her as foolish, naive- she knew that, she wasn't an idiot- but in truth she was just optimistic. And optimism was a lost art in Hell. "But you're right... Vox was acting a little... lethargic. I know he's been sick... it wouldn't hurt to have Raphael look him over." Vox had been present (even helpful) during the Shoggoth attack. After Raphael found Corruption in Vaggie, Charlie couldn't help but worry the other patrons were exposed. The last thing she wanted was to lose her friends. "... if you think he will, that is." Vaggie was an angel, she knew more about the Archangels than anyone else- save for maybe her father, but Charlie had the lingering suspicion that he had a bit of a bias opinion.
"I don't know. I never met the Arcs before I was with you. All I have to go on is just what other angels have told me. And even that seemed to be a lot of second or sixth hand information. I wasn't made until after they left. None of us were."
"That makes sense, given that it was apparently some kind of super big secret that the Archangels didn't know about."
"... sure."
"Oh, come on..." Charlie knew how unbelievable it sounded. But she had to have faith- as ironic as that was for the Devil's daughter. If Michael was telling the truth, that meant that Heaven wasn't as horrible as she had thought. Thar meant that Pentious was still out there. Her Hotel was not just some pipe dream, but something that actually worked.
"I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm just saying it's more likely that he's lying. That's all." Vaggie pressed a kiss to Charlie's rosy cheek. "But let's not talk about that right now, this is your party! And look how much fun everyone is having."
"You're... right." Charlie smiled. Thinking about those questions would only weigh her down when she was supposed to be celebrating. She could ask her dad about it in private. Vaggie held the door open and Charlie could see her friends celebrating, drinking, dancing, the woes of their lives shed for just one, perfect night. At least... most were. Vox was just staring into his drink as if he were trying to see the future in a crystal ball.
"This is such a fun party, apple pie!" Her father practically appeared at her side the moment she re-emerged from the kitchen. Charlie let out a small sound of surprise, tossing the tray of cookies up in the air. Vaggie tensed, pulling her backward as her father grabbed the tray, catching each of the cookies before they hit the ground. "Oops! Sorry to startle you! I was just admiring all the hard work you put into this whole set up! It's honestly, just so much fun! Thank you again for inviting me!"
"Oh, yeah. I am really glad you came." Charlie smiled. Feats of unnatural agility were a dime a dozen when it came to her dad. However, the enthusiasm was what was... odd. Not that her dad wasn't happy to see her, especially as of late, but typically it was only Charlie that he was happy to see. While he wasn't sociable with the other hotel guests, he definitely seemed a little more... involved?
"You know, your majesty, it is quite an honor to have you here." Mimzy came over, taking a cookie off of the plate still in Lucifer's hands. "Are these for me? You shouldn't have, you absolute charmer, you~" she put her free hand to her cheek, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously.
"I think they are for everyone." Charlie's dad blinked at the obvious attempt to get his attention, but otherwise didn't respond. That was a pretty normal reaction for him. Maybe she had overreacted... He walked away from Mimzy to put the plate down on the table.
"Oh shit, are these more of them pumpkin cookies! I fuckin' love these." Angel Dust hurried to the tray, one drink still on hand. "Gimme one of them!"
"Of course, Angel." Charlie's dad offered the plate forward and Angel grabbed a handful. Charlie squinted; her dad wasn't usually the best with names of people he considered to be below him. But at the same time... he had been making an effort with Charlie's friends. Maybe the Shoggoth had simply scared him straight. Honestly, it was kind of a nice change. Charlie had always wanted her dad to take more of an interest in her hobbies.
"Charlie, you have really outdone yourself!" Alastor came sweeping over as Charlie was deep in thought. He had a drink in his hand, but he she hadn't really seen him drinking from it. "You even dragged Vox away from his insignificant little shindig! Good for you!"
"I hope I am not making him miss too much." Charlie sighed, folding her arms over her chest as she leaned back against the wall, watching the others celebrate. (Or in Vox's case, sit and stare as if something was weighing heavily on his soul.) She was happy he was here, but at the same time she felt a little guilty using her position of power and the deal she made to force him to attend. Redemption was supposed to be a choice after all.
"Oh please! Those parties are nothing but wild debauchery. It's not conducive to his Redemption to surround himself with temptation."
"They're flashy, but they ain't bad." Angel must have overheard Alastor, because he wandered over, chewing on one of the pumpkin cookies. He would be the expert when it came to attending the VoxTek parties.
"I'm a little surprised you weren't there instead of here." Charlie admitted. Angel snorted, shrugging his shoulders.
"I wasn't invited."
"Is that so?"
"Not invited?" Charlie was a little taken aback by the revelation. She had to fight tooth and nail to try and drag Angel from Val's clutches before. That just seemed a little... too easy. Angel took a sip of his drink, adjusting his mouse ears.
"I mean, I got the company invitation. But usually, Val is all up my ass about this fucking party. He gives me my invitation personally and we pick my costume. Then he has me do some dumb fuckin' interviews talkin' about how great the party was and shit like that. But I haven't really heard from him in like... weeks, aside from some weird text saying he had a question for me. I left him on read."
"Don't answer!" The lights in the hotel flickered as Vox's static-charged voice broke through the conversation. Charlie and Angel Dust turned to see Vox was suddenly on his feet. Alastor's head turned slightly, just enough to acknowledge him, but he didn't seem surprised by the outburst. "I mean," Vox cleared his throat, "he probably wants to ask you about the party disaster at the mansion. And the official story says you weren't there."
"Wait. Why wasn't I there!?" Angel looked a little annoyed by the revelation. "I fought off some fucked up looking monsters, and now you're telling me I don't even get credit!?"
"Typical VoxTek, always erasing the underdog." Alastor clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Had to make yourself the hero, hm?"
"That's not it." Vox looked to Charlie as if asking for some kind of backup. "Officially, there was no fight. It was a party that got out of hand. If we place all of you at the event, you'll get hounded by independent news." He said the words like they tasted bad in his mouth. "I can only give you assholes so much protection."
"You mean like what happened with Katie?" Charlie raised an eyebrow. Vox opened his mouth for a moment, before closing it again.
"Well?" Alastor's grin widened as he pressed. Vox cleared his throat, straightening his posture, trying to look as professional as one could while wearing a shark outfit, before looking Charlie directly in the eyes and responding.
"Katie was acting under orders from Val. It was a simple miscommunication in VoxTek and has already been rectified. Also, on a completely unrelated note, we may want to commission you for puppets at a later date."
"Puppets?" Charlie didn't follow.
"Don't worry about that part. We'll workshop it later." Vox waved his fin dismissively. "The important part is that you keep your mouths fucking shut." His eyes flashed instantly over to Angel. "Especially you." The Spidery Sinner put a hand to his hips, letting out a skeptical sounding little scoff, shifting his weight to one leg.
"Why the fuck am I bein' called out?"
"Do you seriously need to ask?" Vox's eyes narrowed.
"I think it's a great idea, personally." Charlie's father was suddenly standing behind Vox with a tray of glasses. Charlie, Angel, and Vox all jumped as Alastor simply tilted his head as the Devil swept seamlessly into the conversation. "Not because we don't want to acknowledge our fun time together, but it's safer if your names aren't connected to an incident like that. Things can get a little... messy when Shoggoths are involved and I would hate for that to cause you guys any additional difficulties. It's nothing personal."
"... right." Charlie was a little taken aback by her father's sudden appearance again. Though, it made sense, he was trying to cover up a disaster, after all. Charlie understood why news of the Shoggoths spreading across Hell could be detrimental. "I think it's for the best too, Angel. I don't really want to even think about that dinner party again, nevertheless answer obnoxious interview questions about it. I mean, do you want to talk to Katie Killjoy?" Charlie looked directly over at Angel who recoiled, making a face of disgust.
"God no. Tom Trench is weirdly obsessed with me. It's fuckin' creepy."
"No, he's not obsessed with you. It's a bit." Vox took a gulp of his drink. "It helps with the ratings because it pisses Katie off."
"And I piss Katie off because I'm hotter than her." Angel seemed surprisingly accepting of Vox's explanation. Vox shrugged.
"Sure. Oh, and blondie-"
"Me?" Charlie squinted. She was fairly certain Vox knew her name. Sure, he preferred to call her by her title but he knew it.
"Not you, Princess," or maybe Vox didn't know her name? No, he had definitely used it before. Vox pointed his fin toward Mimzy. "You."
"Me? Oh Vox, I'll dance with you after the King and I have our turn." Mimzy fluttered her lashes toward Charlie's dad, who blinked in response.
"What?"
"Fuck no." Vox shifted his hand in his fin so he was gesturing for Mimzy to stop. "You need to shut your fucking mouth. Your stupid magazine almost undid all my hard work!" Charlie felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach.
"Mimzy..." the Princess sighed. She forgot that Mimzy had a fucking magazine. It wasn't popular, from what Charlie knew, but Vox looked legitimately pissed off. "You can't publish about things that happened at my dad's mansion."
"Oh but anything about the King sells beautifully! It's your face, gorgeous." Mimzy winked at Charlie's father. "The people love it."
"Of course, why wouldn't they?" Her dad seemed to be oblivious to the obvious flirtation- or- more likely- he was simply ignoring her. "But you really shouldn't publish anything about that dinner party. We don't want the public to associate you with those awful creatures, do we?"
"What do you mean?" Mimzy's face fell.
"It means that when people think of Martha-" Vox seemed to understand what Charlie's father was trying to do.
"Mimzy." Charlie corrected; Vox rolled his eyes.
"When people think of the name Mimzy they are going to think of those wretched, awful monsters that attacked the mansion. You saw how ugly they were, didn't you? Do you want that to be the face of Demon Disco or whatever the fuck it's called"
"Demonic Deets." Mimzy corrected. "And I only saw the monsters for a second. I was spared because our King didn't want me to suffer, he's so thoughtful that way."
"I would rather no one have been in the fight, if I'm being honest." Charlie's father sounded genuine. "And it would be ideal if that information stayed between..." he glanced at Mimzy who was hanging on to every word, "a trusted few?"
"I will write a redaction at once!" Mimzy snapped her fingers. "I'll say my source was unreliable! I never named who it was!"
"Wasn't your source just... you?" Vox squinted at her looking more annoyed than anything else. "Write your redaction if you want, I already covered for this whole fucking disaster."
"That's great to hear!" Lucifer nodded, "though... I do want to apologize for talking business. This is a celebration after all!"
"It's fine." Charlie didn't realize Mimzy had published anything so she was glad this was rectified rather easily. She needed to keep a better eye on her patrons.
"I am having fun. And fun should be our top priority tonight!" Her dad lifted the tray up in the air above his head with magic so he could use both of his hands to make tiny fireworks in the forms of ghosts and jack-o-lanterns. He caught the tray again.
"And hopefully, you don't fuck this party up quite as badly as the last one." Alastor's eyes went from Vox to Lucifer, then back again. "Either of you."
"Listen here you sack of fuck-" Vox was ready to throw his drink in Alastor's face from the look of it. But before Charlie could intervene, her dad took Vox's cup and put it gently down on the tray in his hands, cutting him off.
"Relax, I'm sure we're all just here to have a nice time. This is Charlie's party after all, and she put so much hard work into it! We should be enjoying ourselves!"
"... well, yes, of course! And one of us here was actually around to help her with all the hard work rather than just showing up to reap the benefits."
"Oh, Charlie, did you need my help?" Her father turned completely away from Alastor looking directly at her. "I'm so sorry."
"Oh, no! I had it handled." Charlie had expected her dad to go off, antagonizing Alastor and starting some kind of contest. The fact that he hadn't engaged was... weird, but nice. (She didn't want to deal with a fight at her party.)
"Well, if you ever need anything, you know you can always ask me." Her dad gave her a warm, reassuring smile. "And can I just say, I love your Winner costume!"
"You got it right!" Excitement replaced the uncertainty in Charlie's mind as her father was the first person, aside from Vaggie, to guess her costume correctly. (She was beginning to think she had done a bad job making it.)
"Of course! I mean, no eyes in the halo! What else could it be? I mean, I suppose you could argue that you're an angel with some of their eyes closed, but a Winner seems like a much more reasonable guess." Her dad laughed a bit.
"How the fuck are we supposed to know what Winners look like?" Vox rolled his eyes, but lightened up as Charlie's father offered him a fresh drink from the tray.
"I suppose you have a point." Lucifer didn't seem at all fazed by the comment, but briefly looked surprised before glancing back at Charlie. "I'm so sorry apple crisp, but I seem to be getting a phone call. Would you mind if I take this?"
"Who's calling you?" Charlie didn't really think her dad had anyone he would answer the phone for that wasn't... well... her. (Or... Charlie almost dared not even wish it: ... her mom? She hadn't heard from her mother in ages.) "Is everything okay?"
"I'm sure it's fine." Her dad pulled a phone from his pocket. "I just have a new hire at the mansion, a handyman. He's doing decent work but I think he still needs some... shall we say guidance that I don't really trust Adam, Lysander, or Syn to provide."
"No... that's fair." Charlie loved Syn, but she could definitely see how Syn could prove unhelpful in emergency situations. She didn't have too much of an opinion on Lysander. He seemed... fine. She hadn't spoken with him too many times aside from when she was visiting her dad. And Adam? There was no way she trusted Adam with a handyman. Knowing him, he'd probably have the poor new worker locking her dad out.
"Sorry again." He smiled, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
"Where the fuck did he go?" Vox looked incredibly uncomfortable as the Devil seemed to just... blink out of existence.
"He can teleport," Charlie was happy to see him using his powers. That wasn't a new ability, but her dad had been bed bound since the attack almost a week ago, so seeing him use anything was reassuring. (Though, she really was going to have to do something for Raphael to thank him for everything. Especially with him helping Vaggie. Despite her wings coming back, the holy water still seemed to affect her the way it did Charlie, though perhaps that was just a side effect of the Corruption itself. It was hard to say. The Princess still had so much to learn.)
"I'm back!" Charlie and Vox jumped as her dad reappeared almost as quickly as he had left. "I'm sorry for my absence, but I'm afraid I do have to head back. It seems things got a tad bit chaotic in my absence."
"That seems reasonable." Charlie couldn't imagine Adam did great when left on his own. There were some improvements in his behavior, but she had to be realistic.
"Ah, abandoning your daughter already." Alastor tapped the bottom of his microphone on the floor. "Surely, the audience is stunned by this twist! What's that? They saw it coming? Predictable behavior from the Devil once again~"
"Charlie," her dad didn't even bother looking in Alastor's direction, "I am so sorry, do you need me to stay longer? This can wait."
"Oh, no! I promise you it's fine. I am just glad you decided to come at all." Charlie smiled. She really was happy to have her dad taking an interest in her Hotel, even if it was just for events. Still, it was nice to feel supported.
"You know if you need me, I will gladly stay." He smiled, taking her hands in his, holding them gently, his expression surprisingly earnest.
"I know! But it's fine. I think we were winding down anyway." Charlie hadn't seen such... enthusiasm from her dad in... years? It was hard to say. He released her hands, his cane materializing in his grip and he tipped his hat toward the group, opening the door and standing in the doorway.
"Then I will take my leave! See you tomorrow, Vox." And with that, he was gone in an instant. Vaggie put her hand on Charlie's shoulder, pulling her aside.
"Yeah, your dad was acting weird."
"What does he want with Vox?" Charlie kept her voice low. Alastor was staring at the door before it swung closed all on its own. He looked rather irritated, though it was difficult to tell through his smile. Vox looked... uneasy. He kept glancing back at the door before throwing his head back and drinking the entire glass in his hand in one gulp.
"Who knows?" Vaggie had her eye narrowed, her arms crossed. "I know Angel will be hoping your dad kills him, but I doubt it."
"I should probably talk to him." Charlie bit her lower lip, deep in thought. Vaggie glanced back over, looking a tad confused.
"To Vox? Or to your dad?"
"Both?" Charlie could tell Vox was uneasy and the several drinks he was grabbing weren't easing her mind. She took a deep breath, walking her way over to where Vox was on his third drink from the ones Charlie's father had been holding. "Hey Vox!" She tried to keep her tone cheerful. Vox didn't really react to her approach, but rather started on his next drink.
"What can I do for you, Princess?"
"Are you having a nice time?" Charlie figured she might as well start small. This was Vox's first party with the Hotel that didn't result in being mowed down by giant abominations. Charlie's eyes flickered again to the door as if expecting something to burst through with that wretched, unholy shriek that the Shoggoths would make... well... it shouldn't result in another incident.
"It's a little small." Vox gave a shrug. "And your pet tried to bite my head-" Charlie put her hands together, interrupting him.
"Niffty isn't a pet. She's a member of our staff."
"Right, well, she attempted to bite me."
"His blood smells delicious." Niffty was somehow between Charlie and Vox, her single eye wide as she stared up at both of them.
"I'm going to my room." Vox finished his next and final drink, putting it down on the table. Charlie reached out, grabbing the dorsal fin of his shark outfit as he turned to leave.
"Wait!"
"What?" Vox did stop, but he didn't look happy about it. Niffty started to try to climb up on him and he pushed her away with one hand. Charlie took a deep breath.
"What does my dad want with you?"
"How the fuck should I know?"
"Well, it's just, at the party he pulled you aside, and now he's talking about having you come in to see him tomorrow-"
"I don't know." Vox cut her off. "But if it's all the same to you, Princess, I have had a long fucking night. I have a migraine, and I want to go the fuck to sleep." Vox started coughing, covering his mouth with one of his fins. Charlie took an instinctive step away from him.
"R... right."
"Goodnight." And with that, Vox headed up the stairs. Charlie could tell he looked drained. While she was certain that he was trying to find any excuse to leave the conversation, she could tell he genuinely felt like shit. She could always talk to him in the morning.
"Good fucking riddance." Angel snorted, seeing Vox leave.
"He pre-gamed a little too hard. Rookie mistake." Cherri didn't seem all that concerned. Mimzy shook her head, clicking her tongue.
"He was probably jealous of my chemistry with the King. We really had something tonight. I could tell. You might be getting a new mama, Charlie."
"Wow." Charlie tried not to let her true feelings show on her face. "That sure is something." She didn't know what else she could say without coming across as harsh. "Why don't we get back to the festivities! Nothing says: Redemption like celebrating with our friends!"
"And a shit ton of booze." Husk took the tray Charlie's father had been using and put more glasses onto it before reaching into his hat (which he was still wearing, despite his costume) and pulling out a bottle and starting to fill the glasses up. Angel grabbed one as soon as it was full.
"Fuck yeah let's do this shit!"
The rest of the party went off without a hitch- or without a giant monster breaking through the walls. Which was great given the previous track record. It was the wee hours of the morning when Charlie finally made her way back into her bedroom, wiping off her makeup and changing into her pajamas to collapse beside Vaggie on the bed.
"Did you have fun?" Vaggie rolled over, pressing a kiss to Charlie's forehead. The princess shifted so she could put her head on Vaggie's chest.
"Yesssss, but I'm fucking exhausted."
"You did great though, that party was a massive success. I think everyone had a good time, even if your dad was acting... super weird."
"I like to think so..." Charlie wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and pass out. But the world had other plans as her phone let out a ring. She rolled off of Vaggie, grabbing it off the charger. And seeing her father's name on the caller ID. Speak of the Devil... literally. She answered, holding the phone between her cheek and shoulder. "Hey dad, long time no see." She was teasing, but her dad sounded legitimately confused.
"Hey bitch, I thought we literally just saw each other. Right? I was at your house for the party that you were having, because I am a good dad."
"Yeah, I was just making a joke." If Charlie thought her father's behavior was weird before it was even worse now.
"Right. I knew that. Sorry, I'm just drunk."
"But... you didn't drink that much?" Charlie hadn't been observing her dad that closely, but from what she recalled she had only seen him actually drink one glass of a mixed drink Charlie had offered to him. And it took a lot to get her dad drunk.
"Yeah, but I had to drink more when I got home to deal with Adam. You know how awful he is." Her dad didn't really sound... drunk so much as he just sounded... uncertain? Was that the word? Charlie couldn't help but feel like she was being probed for information.
"Yeah, I get it." Charlie laughed but it was more of a nervous chuckle than anything genuine. Adam was pretty hard to deal with, she imagined, especially for her dad. She wasn't sure she had it in herself to take him in long-term. "How is your new recruit?"
"New re..." her dad trailed off for a moment. "Oh! Virgil? He's fine, I guess. Kind of a kiss-ass if I'm being frank, but what can you do?" He was quiet for a moment before finally speaking again. "So... uh... how are you?"
"Fine?" Now it was Charlie's turn to be confused. The way her dad asked, it made it sound like something should definitely be wrong.
"Cool. Cool." The relief in his voice was clearly audible. "And everyone at the party? Everyone is good?"
"Um... yeah?" Charlie mouthed `my dad is being weird again` to Vaggie as she shifted the phone into her hand. "Is this about you leaving early? Because it really wasn't a big deal. I'm just happy you decided to come at all."
"Well, of course! You're my daughter and I love you!" That sounded more like the dad she knew. Charlie relaxed a little more.
"So why do you want to talk to Vox?"
"I have to go, Adam just fucking broke something." The reply was almost instantaneous. "Love you Honeycrisp!" And before she could protest, he had hung up the phone. Charlie sighed, flopping backward so her head landed gently in Vaggie's lap, gazing up at her girlfriend.
"He hung up on me."
"I'm not even surprised." Vaggie mused as she reached down, fingers gently raking through Charlie's golden hair.
"Fuck this, dad said he was going to be more open with me, and I'm holding him to it. I am NOT gonna be pushed aside any longer. Tomorrow, I'm just going to go with Vox when he sees my dad and demand to know what's going on."
"You think he'll listen?"
"I dunno... I hope so." Charlie reached up, putting her hand behind Vaggie's neck and gently guiding her to lean down into a kiss. "I want to have some faith in him."
"You know I support you. And if you're already going, I hope you'll figure out why the fuck he was acting so weird at the party."
"I like to think he was trying to be more involved. Maybe he was on his best behavior for me? Things have been pretty... crazy lately, maybe he's changing?" Charlie wanted to be optimistic, because any of the other reasons she could come up with were a lot less pleasant.
"He did a good job then."
"Too good." Charlie finally sat up, readjusting before falling onto the bed so her head landed on her pillow. "I'll talk to him about it tomorrow." Vaggie flopped backward onto the pillow beside Charlie, turning so they were facing each other.
"Sounds good."
"Goodnight, I love you." Charlie curled up against Vaggie, wrapping her arms around her protectively. Vaggie's arms embraced her in return.
"Love you too."
Charlie awoke in a cold sweat, her heart was pounding, her mouth was dry. Vaggie was still sleeping peacefully beside her. The blood red sun was streaming in through the window, between the heavy black curtains. It was a peaceful morning, most likely because all of Hell was either hung over, or putting themselves back together after a wild night. But despite the serenity, Charlie's body still felt on edge. Though, now that she was awake the feeling was subsiding. She got carefully out of bed, trying her best not to wake Vaggie as she started getting ready for the day.
The decision to accompany Vox to her childhood home was still fresh in her mind. Even after sleeping, the events of the night before still felt... strange. Charlie felt, once again, like she was missing a very important piece of a puzzle.
She took a glass from the bathroom, handling it carefully as she poured it full of the holy water Raphael had given she and Vaggie to treat Vaggie's mild Corruption. Every morning Charlie would have it ready for her, followed by something much more pleasant to drink. Vaggie did seem to be having an easier time stomaching each dose- or at least- she told Charlie that was the case. The Princess wanted to believe her, but she knew Vaggie wouldn't want her to worry (and worry she did). Charlie put a little sticky note on the glass with a drawing of a heart and a message reading: Drink up so you'll get better! Then she finished getting ready before heading down the stairs to get Vaggie some fresh juice to wash down that awful holy water. It was early, too early for the others to be awake-
Charlie blinked seeing she was not the only one up. She looked the Sinner up and down, as she really hadn't expected to see anyone else here.
"Vox?"
"Good morning, Princess!" His voice was cheerful but he still looked like shit. (And Vox was notorious for being able to fake a smile in any situation. It was a bit like Alastor, though Charlie didn't think Alastor had much of a choice in his facial expressions.) "What brings you here at this ungodly hour?" He laughed; it all felt a little fake in Charlie's opinion, like the scripted dialog on a sitcom. She glanced at the clock on the wall, then back at Vox.
"What brings me to my own kitchen at nine AM?"
"You know what I mean."
"Juice?" Charlie narrowed her eyes slightly. "Why are you up so early? Don't you have a meeting with my dad today?"
"Do I?"
"He was pretty clear about that yesterday."
"Yesterday was such a blur, who's to say what exactly went down?" Vox let out another fake laugh which made Charlie even less convinced.
"Are you trying to leave?"
"No."
"..." Charlie's eyes slowly moved to Vox's hand which was on the doorknob then back up to make eye contact with him again.
"I mean," Vox started to backtrack. "I was going to step out briefly but I would be back before any reasonable time to have a meeting."
"Uh huh."
"I know how it looks but it was necessary I... I have a doctor's appointment."
"A doctor's appointment?" Charlie repeated. "At nine o'clock in the morning the day after Halloween?" There were doctors in Hell. That part wasn't hard to believe. Most of the good Doctors were Hellborn and stayed in Sloth, and didn't treat Sinners since Sinners couldn't really die unless slain with Angelic Steel and no medical treatment would really fix that. The doctors that did treat Sinners were Sinners- usually they were doctors in life- and would definitely not have appointment slots open this early in the morning after a night like Halloween. "Who's the doctor?"
"You haven't heard of him. He's a Sinner Doctor, very exclusive."
"Try me."
"... Princess, please, you're a Hellborn-"
"What's the doctor's name?"
"... Pete."
"Pete the Sinner Doctor."
"Yes. Like I said, he's highly exclusive. Only treats Overlords. I know he's not really on your radar, so to speak."
"Vox, you're a better liar than this."
"It's early what the fuck do you want from me?"
"I want to know what my dad wants to see you for." Charlie probably wasn't going to get an answer directly from Vox, and that was fine.
"I am handling all his recent PR nightmares, probably something about that." Vox made a show of shrugging his shoulders.
"Then why are you trying to run?"
"I'm not. I have a doctor's appointment."
"With Pete?"
"With Pete, yes. It's actually Doctor Peterson to most, but he and I have a very good personal relationship."
"Pete Peterson the Sinner Doctor?"
"Yes."
Knock
Knock
Knock
A knock at the door made both Charlie and Vox jumped. Vox pulled his hand off the doorknob as if it were suddenly on fire and scooted far back, away from the door, standing so he was positioned behind Charlie. "Who the fuck is that!?"
"Maybe it's Pete." Charlie mused.
"It's not fucking Pete, do you know how much as house call costs? I am not paying that shit to have him come to this rinky-dink motel."
"It's a hotel actually." Charlie stepped away from Vox and put her hand on the doorknob, swinging it open to see her father standing in the doorway, back in his normal white and red coat and pinstripe vest, his hat replaced with his normal one. "Dad!" The princess was a bit taken aback to see him up and out so early. "What a surprise!"
"Good morning, Apple Strudel!" He sounded full of energy as he looked up at Charlie. "I hope I'm not too early! Did I wake you?"
"No, I was up. Why are you up?"
"Doing some interviews, needed to talk with some people and the later you wait, the harder it gets to work around schedules!" The amount of enthusiasm in his voice was a little unsettling. Her dad was not typically a morning person unless he had to be. (According to her mom, he used to be one, but over time he learned the joys of sleeping in.)
"Are you here for Vox?"
"I am! I hope that's okay! Is he awake yet?" Her dad looked to her for conformation. Charlie looked behind her, into the hotel lobby. She could see Vox mouthing the word `no` and vigorously shaking his head. She turned back to face her father.
"He's up."
"Goddamnit!" Vox swore under his breath behind her, she wasn't sure if she was meant to be able to hear it, but Charlie had better hearing than most in Hell.
"Oh, wonderful!" Her father clapped his hands together in a decisive movement. "Then, if it's not too much trouble, I would like to personally accompany you to my mansion so we can speak!" Vox came forward, clearly hesitant as he peeked his head out of the door, standing beside Charlie.
"As fun as that sounds, I have a doctor's appointment."
"We'll have that rescheduled. Or even better, we'll let my doctor look you over! Won't that be nice? Problem solved!" If Lucifer believed Vox, Charlie couldn't say. He might have been simply playing along to try and prevent Vox from wiggling his way out of whatever meeting he was trying so desperately to avoid.
"That seems unnecessary-" Vox was clearly uncomfortable with how things were playing out, but Charlie had no desire to bail him out.
"If you need a note, I can write you one." Lucifer gestured for Vox to step out of the Hotel. "So why not come on to the mansion?"
"I would love to, but this is a very important doctor's appointment. I paid a lot of money to secure this spot and I don't want to-"
"Vox," Lucifer never stopped smiling, but he straightened his posture, "I'm afraid I am going to have to insist." Despite the cheerful expression, the tone was firm.
"Y-yes, of course, your majesty." Vox looked very much like he wanted to protest, but there was nothing he could say that would change Lucifer's mind. Lucifer's posture relaxed and he twirled his cane in his fingers before resting his hands on it.
"Perfect! Now let's just-"
"Can I come along?" Charlie cut him off. "To the house, I mean." Her dad looked thoroughly confused by the ask.
"I mean... it's your house, apple tart... I really can't stop you." He could absolutely stop her, and had done some previously, so this response only strengthened Charlie's resolve to go to the mansion and figure out what the fuck had gotten into her dad.
"Awesome! Just let me do something really quickly. Don't leave, okay?" Charlie still needed to get Vaggie her juice. She wasn't about to subject the woman she loved to drinking that god awful, acidic holy water without some kind of palate cleanser. After all she was the Devil's Daughter, not a monster. Of course, turning her back on her dad was risky.
"I won't." Her dad nodded.
"Seriously, don't." She took a single step backward without breaking eye contact. Her dad was a fucking flight risk and she knew it.
"I will stay right here." Her dad gave her a thumbs up.
"Okay." Charlie kept eye contact as she backed through the lobby. And through the kitchen door. As she entered the kitchen, she could no longer see her dad and Vox. She immediately backed up, poking her head out to look at the entrance. They were still there. Her dad even waved. She squinted at him and went back to the kitchen, pouring some fresh apple juice into a cup before rushing back into the lobby. They were still there. She kept eye contact as she started to inch her way, backward, up the stairs and down the hall toward her shared room with Vaggie. Eye contact had to break again as she unlocked her door and slid inside. Vaggie was just waking up, rubbing her eyes as she saw Charlie enter.
"Morning beautiful. You're up freakishly early. Did you sleep okay?"
"Morning," Charlie was rushing, but she couldn't help but giggle at the greeting. She leaned over Vaggie giving her a gentle kiss on the lips. "I slept better knowing you were next to me." Charlie hadn't slept amazingly since Adam had arrived in Hell and things had started behaving... weirdly. (It was even harder to sleep after the Shoggoth.) "Dad is here to get Vox and I'm going with them. This is for you, for after your holy water." She held the glass up.
"You're going too? And your dad is cool with that?" Vaggie raised her eyebrow, clearly skeptical as she took the glass from Charlie.
"He said he was going to keep me in the loop with all this Corruption bullshit... maybe... maybe he's actually following through?"
"That seems unlikely."
"It does, doesn't it..." Charlie sighed. "He's probably already run off with Vox back to his house while I was bringing this to you."
"Probably," Vaggie snorted, "and I appreciate you for going out of your way, but I could also just get my own juice."
"And I can chase my dad to my house and demand answers there." Charlie countered playfully. "I'll be home soon, hopefully, keep an eye on the Hotel till I get back please. Please don't let them kill Mimzy while I'm gone."
"I can't promise that, baby, I'm sorry. But let me know if you need me to come kick your dad's ass. Verbally. After seeing him fight against Adam and against those Shoggoths, I don't think I could actually handle him on the field of battle. But I could guilt trip him."
"Thank you." Charlie cupped Vaggie's cheek in her hand, kissing her forehead. "That means a lot." She headed back toward the door, leaving Vaggie with her refreshments. "Well, time to chase down my dad and Vox to get some fucking answers."
"Have fun, let me know what you find out."
"Will do~ Love you."
"Love you too." Vaggie smiled and Charlie's cheeks tinted a brighter shade of pink as she blew a kiss and closed the door behind her, heading back down the stairs. She had a feeling her dad and Vox were long gone by this point. So, Charlie was more than a little bit shocked as she started down the stairs and saw her father patiently waiting with a rather nervous looking Vox at his side.
"Y..." Charie picked up her pace, practically running the rest of way to the open doors. "You're still here."
"Of course, you told me to wait." Her dad replied as-a-matter-of-factly. Charlie cleared her throat, trying to answer in a way that wouldn't sound incredibly rude.
"Yeah... but I didn't think you would."
"Well... I did." Her dad lifted his cane, pointing down the pathway. "So, shall we head out? I would love to get this interview done so Vox can get back to work. I know how important your job is to you, and we appreciate everything you've done to help with the... incident."
"Yeah, let's go." Charlie started walking in the direction toward her childhood home. Vox looked like he might try to make a break for it, but his teleport function didn't seem to work when he was in close proximity to the Hotel. (At least, Charlie assumed it wasn't working, because whenever she saw Vox leave, he always walked past the end of the walkway and into the streets before eventually turning into electricity and vanishing in a flash.) Her dad must have sensed what Vox was planning because he reached out with his free hand and grabbed Vox by the arm, pulling him along behind him. Charlie knew her dad well enough to know that Vox wouldn't be going anywhere any time soon. "So, dad, how are you... uh... feeling?"
"Great! Better now that I've gotten to see you, my little apple fritter!" He did seem cheerful, which was why Charlie was concerned.
"That's great!" She didn't want to press too much, since Vox was literally at arm's length behind them, and she doubted that her dad would be super communicative in front of a Sinner, but still, she had valid concerns.
"Pete is gonna be pissed." Vox grumbled under his breath as he was dragged along behind the Morningstars. Lucifer glanced behind him with a smile.
"We'll write you a note."
"Great." Vox rolled his eyes, but waited until Lucifer's back was turned to do so. As they walked, Charlie could see the destruction from Halloween, buildings down, garbage and bodies in the streets. Hell had been slow in its self-repair recently; she wondered if it had anything to do with the Corruption. She could always ask her dad, and when that failed... well... she had Michael's phone number. She didn't like the idea of going behind her father's back, but at the same time this whole thing seemed incredibly urgent. She didn't like being left out, especially when it seemed like her entire home was at risk due to some outside force.
They made it to the mansion without incident, her father opened the door, the hall was decorated with cute pumpkins, candles, and bats. It definitely wasn't her father's usual taste, it wasn't as in your face as what his past decorations had been. Charlie liked the décor; she thought it looked sweet. Lysander was face down on the couch in just a white T-shirt and sweat pants, his tail draped onto the floor. "I'm back, Lysander!" Her dad gave a wave, though there was no way the intern could see it with his face buried in the cushions.
"Hey Boss." The reply was clearly muffled.
"How are you holding up?" Her dad ushered Charlie and Vox inside before closing the door behind them. Lysander let out a loud groan.
"It's so fuckin' early."
"I know, but thank you."
"Where's the new guy?" Charlie looked around, but all she saw was Lysander on the couch. There was no sign of Adam, Syn, or Quackers anywhere. (Though, she supposed Quackers would be in the kitchen. Adam might be there too, given the time.)
"Haven't seen him this morning." Lysander replied from the couch.
"He's fixing something in my office." Her father replied casually. "He may need a little more supervision than the others, but at least he works fast! Lysander, I'm going upstairs really quickly, please make sure Vox doesn't go anywhere until I get back." All the pleases and thank yous were nice to see, but even when her mom had been around, Charlie didn't recall the staff getting this much recognition. Maybe it was just easier with fewer people?
"Kay." A sniper rifle made of ice materialized in Lysander's hand. A small blue dot appeared in the center of Vox's screen.
"What the fuck!?" Vox held both his hands up, his eyes looking at the little blue light. "I wasn't going anywhere!"
"Sorry mate. Hell doesn't work on the honor's system." Lysander still wasn't looking at Vox so Charlie wasn't too sure how he knew where to aim until she saw something blinking on Lysander's tail and realized he had another eye there.
"Thank you, Lysander! Sorry, Vox, I'll send for you in just a second." And with that her dad started to head up the stairs.
"Your majesty?" There was another Hellion on her way down the stairs as Charlie's father took his first steps up. Charlie immediately perked up seeing Rosie, looking to be well rested and happy given the early morning. "Goodness me, I didn't even see ya pass me! I left your office not two seconds ago!" She looked at one of the closed doors behind her, shaking her head in amusement
"I move very quickly, it's often undetectable for most species." Her father nodded politely, but the almost friendly tone he had with Lysander was gone. He was more distant, professional, but still polite.
"I'll say! Ha! You could give a lady a heart attack!" Rosie had a hand over her chest, fanning herself with her other hand. "Well, I hope I was able to be of some help for ya today, your majesty~ If there's anything else ya need, ya know where to find me."
"Of course, thank you for everything." Charlie's father smiled before continuing up the stairs. Charlie followed behind him as Rosie waved to Vox and headed out of the mansion. (Her father must have been gathering all of the Overlords to interview. Charlie was now more curious than ever as to what the fuck was going on.) "Oh, Charlie, you can stay downstairs, Carmel Apple."
"I want to talk." Charlie didn't want to be brushed aside so easily. Her dad frowned, and for the first time, was starting to look uncomfortable.
"I acknowledge that, and I am confirming that I have heard you needs. But let me just do a few things upstairs first, before we get super chatty. How does that sound?" Her dad was acting down right weird at this point. He had never once, in her entire two hundred and twenty-two years of life, heard him confirm he heard her needs.
"Fine. And I'll come with you." Charlie took another step toward her dad. Her father took a step back in response.
"I'm so sorry apple butter, but I will be with you in one second." And with that, her father vanished into thin air. Charlie's face instantly fell into a frown. She went right for her father's old office. That's where Rosie had said she was right before her dad had disappeared. (It wasn't like her dad couldn't be in two places at once, he had his clones. So as long as Charlie cornered the one of them before they poofed away she could theoretically get answers. The clones all shared one mind, at least, that's how her dad had explained it to her before. So, any of them could provide her answers, the question was just... would they?) Charlie was at the office door so quickly she had barely felt herself move. Her hand was on the doorknob and she threw the door open so hard that it slammed into the wall when it swung. (She had been expecting it to be locked.) Inside the room, her dad was sitting behind his desk looking startled, then angry, as he glanced at a Fallen Angel standing to his side. The Fallen in question was a moderate height, with long, dark blue hair so deep in color it was almost black. His face was like a porcelain mask, small cracks were visible extending from his empty, eyeless sockets and from his pallid lips. Even his red horns were cracked, with one being broken entirely.
"Dad..." Charlie cleared her throat. "I want to talk."
"Charlie's here." Her dad slowly turned to look at the Fallen beside him. The Fallen's expression was remarkably difficult to read. The Fallen nodded.
"Ah, yes sir, you invited her."
"Of course, yes, I invited her." Her father hadn't stopped making angry eye contact with the Fallen beside him.
"Dad," Charlie took a deep breath, "what the fuck is going on?"
"I would like to know that too." Charlie's dad still didn't look at her. The Fallen shifted under his gaze, tilting his head down slightly.
"Why are you asking him!?" The Princess was frustrated, confused, and ready for answers that didn't seem to be coming.
"Char-char, can you give us a moment?" Her dad finally looked in her direction, but the princess stood firm.
"No."
"You should probably just tell her-" Her dad's companion started to talk but her father held up a clawed finger to silence him.
"Should I? Is that what I should do Virgil?"
"I am simply suggesting-" So that was Virgil, the new handyman hire at her father's side. Charlie felt as if that clarified nothing in the grand scheme of things.
"Suggesting? Is that what they're calling it? Because it looks from my end like you decided to force my fucking hand."
"Accidentally! That wasn't supposed to-"
"You had one job!"
"I didn't want to be rude!"
"Didn't want to-" Her dad started to argue but Charlie had enough of listening to her father and Virgil the fucking Handyman bickering. Since when did her dad start arguing with staff rather than just ordering them around?
"Can you both shut the fuck up and explain to me what's going on!? Dad," Charlie took a deep breath, "you have been acting weird. And it's starting to freak me out."
"I bet I have..." Her dad grumbled under his breath, putting a hand to his forehead in exasperation, still glaring at Virgil. "Charlie, close the door." Charlie stood her ground.
"I'm not leaving-"
"No, no, you can stay." Her dad assured her. "But would you please close the doors." Charlie hesitated, watching her dad carefully as she closed the doors to the office. "This is not how I wanted this conversation to go, but some fucking asshole can't obey direct orders even though that's literally his entire goddamn existence!"
"I said I was sorry..." the Fallen beside her dad sounded sheepish as her father was glaring daggers at him. "But if you think about it, this is probably for the best-"
"Shut the fuck up, you're in trouble." Her dad silenced the handyman once again. Charlie was completely at a loss.
"Who the fuck is that?" Charlie gestured at Virgil, thoroughly baffled by the exchange taking place before her. "Your handyman? What the fuck does he have to do with any of this." Her dad gestured to the chair in front of his desk.
"Have a seat, my little Jonagold."
"O... kay?" Charlie kept her eyes on her dad as she slowly took a seat in the offered chair. Her dad took a deep breath.
"Like I said, this was not how I wanted this to go. But I don't want you freaking the fuck out because I made the mistake to trust this asshole with a simple fucking task. As you know, there is Corruption in Hell and that is something that must be dealt with. And since Heaven dropped the fucking ball on their end with the Exterminations, I am making them clean this shit up because I'm sick and tired of doing all the goddamn dirty work in the universe."
"I... don't follow." Charlie shook her head.
"Drop your disguise." Lucifer snapped his fingers. Virgil looked hesitant for a moment, turning to look at Charlie, bowing his head.
"Please, be not afraid." And in the blink of an eye, Charlie was looking at her father's twin, halos and all, standing beside her dad. Virgil the handyman... was Michael? "I didn't mean to alarm you with my behavior. I was simply assisting your father with some tasks."
"He was pretending to be me so he could get Vox." Her dad wheeled the chair out from behind the desk and Charlie could see he was still missing part of his hoof. But the rest of his leg was back, which was exponentially better than the last time she saw him, so that was a surprise. (Though it not really being her dad interacting with her last night made a lot of sense. He was far too attentive.) "But he fucked up."
"I was excited to get invited to your party, and I didn't want to say no because then you would think your dad didn't want to attend and that just isn't true! Your dad would love to attend any even you hosted." Hearing Michael talk now Charlie could definitely figure out who was at her party the night before. It was so obvious. If she had known Michael was in Hell, she probably could have pieced it together when he ignored Alastor the first time. She wasn't even mad. It wasn't like her dad had known about this invite in advance and sent Michael in his stead because he didn't want to attend. (Though he had sent clones to some of her recitals when she was growing up because he had been too busy to go as a whole entity, so he just split himself up.) Charlie was just... confused. Her dad had been pretty solidly anti-Michael during their last interaction before Michael had showed up with the news about Pentious. And now...?
"I thought Michael was untrustworthy and dangerous?" Charlie's eyes flickered over to Michael. "No offense."
"None taken." Michael waved it off.
"Oh, he is. He's still the fucking worst and I don't want you associating with him." Her dad paused for a moment before adding, "That party thing was a fluke."
"But it's totally fine for you to have him in your house?" Charlie raised an eyebrow. Lucifer cleared his throat, returning to his desk.
"Well, yes. You see, what's going on with the Corruption is something of an extenuating circumstance so I, being the wonderful, merciful, kind, mighty, beautiful and thoughtful King that I am, have chosen to look past all the fucking awful bullshit Heaven has put me through to try and solve this current crisis. Because somethings are more important than Michael's disgusting, twisted, sense of justice. I'm willing to be the bigger person, or I guess, angel in this case."
"That's very big of you, thank you." Michael nodded. Her dad held his hand up toward Michael once again, making a grand gesture of rolling his eyes.
"Shut the fuck up you condescending asshole."
"So, he is just... living here? In Hell?" Charlie really didn't think Michael sounded condescending when he was talking to her dad so much as he sounded like he just wanted to say the right thing, but her dad knew him better than she did. "With you?"
"Temporarily. Once this all gets solved, he goes back up with those bitches above and we can return to hating each other from an insurmountable distance. You know, the way things should be." Her father put both of his hands on his desk.
"I don't hate you." Michael tried to interjected but Lucifer shot him an angry look, making a noise to cut him off.
"Ah- no. I am revoking your speaking privileges. Last time you talked, you freaked my daughter out with your terrible acting, so you stand right there, in the corner, and let me handle this. Do you think you can do that?"
"It's hard to act like you when I haven't seen you in thousands of years." Michael muttered more to himself than anyone else as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. Charlie saw all the eyes in his halos roll.
"Well..." Charlie took a moment to take in all the information. She really didn't expect this news. In fact, her dad teaming up with her uncle was about the last thing she thought would happen. Then again, she didn't expect her dad to want to help Adam either. "I think this is a good thing. Corruption is dangerous and our people are at risk, the more help we get the better chance we have of fixing all this!" Charlie knew how her dad thought about Heaven, and she had seen it too, how they could turn a cold eye to tragedy and walk away. But she wanted to believe that when push came to shove, Heaven and Hell wanted the same thing- at least in this case. They had a common enemy. "Thank you, Uncle Michael, for coming here to help us."
"Not your uncle," Charlie's father was quick to argue semantics, "we're not brothers. He is a botched clone. Big difference."
"It's literally the least I can do," Michael immediately shook his head, ignoring Charlie's father's harsh comments about his origins. "And I, honestly, wouldn't be here if your dad hadn't invited me. This was his idea."
"I'm proud of you, dad." Charlie saw her father opening his mouth, probably to argue with Michael again, so she had to interject quickly. That comment shut her dad up almost instantly. It was kind of amazing how quickly he closed his mouth and leaned back in his chair, staring at her. "I know you didn't want to do this, but I think it's for the best." It was possible that the Archangel Michael was lying, that's what everyone at the Hotel seemed to think was the case, and if that was true- her father was in danger. But... Charlie wanted to believe that Michael was being honest. If he wasn't, why go through the motions of pretending to be upset? Couldn't he just... kill them? He could have done nothing and let the Shoggoths destroy them. But instead, he was here. And Charlie wanted- no needed- to believe it was because he was trying to help them.
"I..." her father seemed to still be recovering from the compliment. "Yes, well, I still want you to keep your distance from Michael. He's not here to be our friend. He's here to fix this shit then get the fuck out and never come back."
"Unless he is pretending to be you?" Charlie tilted her head to the side. Her father must have known that Michael was at her Hotel last night.
"If you're talking about the party, he went off script." Lucifer looked completely unamused and Michael had to defend himself.
"It would have been rude to refuse an invitation!"
"So why did you need Vox?" If Charlie didn't interrupt this argument, they would be at it for another hour. She had seen it play out before, and it just kept going in circles.
"He's Corrupted." Michael explained helpfully.
"Hey, asshole, come here." Lucifer beckoned the Archangel toward him. Michael, clearly confused, shifted off the wall and returned to the Devil's side. "Closer." Lucifer cricked a finger toward him. Michael scooted directly next to him. "Little more." Michael leaned down and Lucifer reached up, putting his hand over Michael's mouth, covering it completely. "There." The Devil looked back toward his daughter, "now we can talk."
"Vox is Corrupted?" Charlie tried not to laugh as her dad kept her uncle's mouth covered, refusing to move his hand. Michael, surprisingly, only made a muffled noise of protest but didn't really move away. "Do you think it's from the Shoggoths? Her dad sighed heavily.
"No. He was already Corrupted. I tried to fix him at the dinner, but then I got rudely interrupted by some bloated, brain-dead, abominations. Also, there were Shoggoths."
"Mmph." Michael's eyes all narrowed.
"Shhhhh." Lucifer shook Michael's face a bit with the hand clasped over his mouth. "I need to ask Vox how he got Corrupted so I can trace the spread."
"Well, let's talk to him!" Charlie got to her feet, pushing the chair back. Her father quickly shook his head seeing her stand.
"I will talk to him, crabapple."
"Fuck that. He's my patron and you promised me I was going to be more involved. So, we'll talk to him together."
"Mpmhm mmph mmhm mphn." Michael added helpfully. Charlie wasn't really sure what he was saying but she felt like he was defending her.
"Do you have an off button?" The Devil looked at the Archangel exasperated. "Look, Honeycrisp, you know I love you, but you aren't really informed of the situation."
"I'm smart, I'll figure it out." Charlie clapped her hands together decisively. "I even helped bring him here today. So, you're welcome."
"Mphm mnpmh mhmp."
"Seriously, jackass?" Her father was looking back at his brother. Charlie was still standing. She knew her dad didn't want her involved. He made promises of teaching and involving her in the crisis at hand, but her life was filled with too many broken promises to count. (Not just from her father, but integrity wasn't exactly commonplace in Hell.) Charlie also knew her father was still injured. And she wasn't above taking advantage of the situation. She walked over to the door, her dad looked visibly relieved, clearly assuming she was leaving. "I know you're mad, but we can talk about this-"
"Vox, we're ready for you." Charlie didn't let him finish. These were her Sinners, and if there was a danger in Hell, she needed to be informed.
"Charlie, no." Her dad narrowed his eyes.
"Charlie, yes." She countered. "The best way to learn is by being directly involved. She walked over to his side, on the opposite side of Michael who had shifted into his Virgil form the moment she opened the door. "And Michael thinks it's a good idea. Right?"
"Mph!" Her not-uncle nodded, giving her a thumbs up. Her dad narrowed his eyes, looking up at his daughter, before dropping his hand from Michael's mouth.
"I'm kind of impressed. Pissed, but impressed."
"Thank you, I learn from the best" Charlie smiled at him, hands behind her back as she stood at his side. There were footsteps on the staircase, almost drowned out by the sound of a funeral dirge being played. The music got louder as Vox approached the door, Lysander behind him, gun to his back, Syn was sitting in top of his head helpfully playing her music.
"Syn, Lysander, you're dismissed. Vox, have a seat." Lucifer's tone was strictly professional, his hands folded on the desk.
"CHARLIE!" Syn came flying over, bumping excitedly into Charlie's cheek. She still had her googly eyes, though now she also had a tiny medal. "I WON THE COSTUME CONTEST THANKS TO YOU!" Charlie had helped Syn cut out a little maid hat and apron when she was visiting her dad earlier in the week. It was good to know Syn had used it.
"Congrats!" Charlie giggled. Lucifer cleared his throat.
"Syn."
"Sorry Master!" And with that, Syn flew off, Lysander closed the door behind him as he left. Vox was still standing, his eyes flickered to the door.
"Have a seat, Vox." Lucifer reiterated his statement and Vox hesitantly walked over to the chair in front of the desk, slowly sitting down. "Now, I just need to ask you about few questions."
"Who the fuck is that?" Vox pointed directly at Michael who stood, shoulders squared, hands behind his back like a soldier at attention at Lucifer's side. He had (thankfully) shifted back into Virgil, but it's not like Vox knew who that was.
"My secretary, ignore him. You're here to talk to me." Lucifer took his index and middle fingers and pointed to his own eyes. "Now, have you, or have you not had contact with Adam, the leader of the Exorcists?" Vox shifted in his seat.
"I don't know who that is."
"Don't bullshit me, Victor, we discussed this at the party." Her dad had used a name Charlie assumed to be Vox's when he was alive. The Princess knew it was possible to see the Sinners' names, to know their transgressions just from looking at them. But she had yet to unlock that particular power. It seemed useful though, as Vox pulled at his collar, clearly flustered by the use of his human name.
"He was the chef, right?"
"Black and white, has a broken halo over his head, he's really not hard to miss." Her father's reply was completely flat.
"I run into a lot of people in my line of work, it can be hard to say." Vox clearly didn't want to answer, which implicated him more than a direct answer would. Charlie knew how the Sinners worked. They could intimidate and interrogate Vox to their heart's desire, and they would get answers. But those answers would simply be Vox spinning the tale he thought the wanted.
"I don't think you realize your current situation," Lucifer tented his fingers. There it was, the thinly veiled threats. Charlie may not know the inner workings of Corruption but she knew humans, perhaps even better than her father.
"You know, we could help you, Vox." Charlie spoke up with a smile. "You owe the white angel a life debt, don't you?" Vox had mentioned it the day after the incident. Charlie was fairly certain angels didn't operate under the concept of life-debts, and she had even tried to explain that to Vox. If he didn't believe her, that was his problem. Michael went to open his mouth but Charlie and her father both shot him a look and he shut his mouth again. "If you help us, we'll set you up with Gabriel so you can talk to him, find a way to repay that debt before Heaven comes to collect."
"...shit." Vox seemed receptive to this particular offer. Owing someone was a terrible position to be in when one was in Hell. While Heaven might not have the same rules, Vox had no way of knowing that and Charlie was willing to capitalize on his lack of information.
"How does that sound?" She kept the smile on her face as she watched Vox mull over his choices. He took a deep breath.
"Yeah, I saw your guy. It was a few months ago, my cameras showed him falling out of the sky. Nothing new. We see Sinners falling all the time. But when you," Vox looked at Lucifer, "took interest, so did we. I didn't recognize him as the leader of the Exorcists at first. But then you guys took him inside, and that was that, or so I thought. After you left, your highness, the Hotel mascot opened one of the windows in that black-and-white asshole's bedroom."
"Mascot?" Charlie's father raised an eyebrow at the description. The Princess let out a soft sigh, looking toward her dad.
"He means Niffty." That was totally something Niffty would do. "I thought we had the room locked up tightly, but she must have found a way in." It wasn't like Niffty hadn't ended up in locked cupboards or closets before.
"I guess she left, I'm not really sure. But after a while, our cameras saw the man in question waking up all on his own, completely unprompted, and escaping out of the window. Being a concerned citizen I stepped in to try and put him back." Vox continued.
"How noble of you." Lucifer's expression stayed stoic. "And did you manage to get him back inside?" Vox nodded.
"Of course, I mean, I'm an Overlord for a reason, you know."
"And at no point did you feel the need to alert anyone inside that he had tried to escape?" Her father pressed further.
"None of my business. The Princess has her posse, I assumed as long as I got the window closed the rest would sort itself out." Vox was looking at a Charlie as he spoke, it was hard to say why but he was definitely looking at her.
"But it was enough of your business to get Adam back inside." Lucifer was poking so many holes in Vox's story it was basically Swiss cheese. But Vox was undeterred.
"I mean... your friend did a good job getting himself out and back in. He climbed the walls; it was pretty fucking unsettling if I'm being honest."
"Not my friend, by the way," Charlie's father correct that almost instantly, "and how would you describe his behavior when you saw him?"
"Like a rabid animal, growling, screaming... but he was almost worse when he was quiet." Vox's description matched the way Adam had acted once he had woken up at the Hotel. Charlie didn't really believe the bullshit about trying to help get Adam back inside, but like with everything else in Hell there seemed to be nuggets of truth buried in Vox's words.
"And did he bite you?" Lucifer's tone was serious as he shifted to lean forward in his chair, he met Vox's gaze. Vox looked again at Charlie.
"No, he's not really my type, way too short. But he did cough up blood on me. Got in my mouth too, super fucking disgusting. "
"That would do it." Michael spoke up.
"That would do what?" Vox narrowed his eyes. "Don't tell me I have a fucking STD or some shit because let me tell you-"
"It's not an STD, but you are sick with something. Luckily, there's a way to treat it so long as you cooperate. You can see my doctor." Lucifer assured him. "Was it just you?" Vox thought about his answer for a moment.
"Yes."
"I need you to be truthful, Vox." Her father's eyes narrowed.
"I am the only one who has been sick." Vox seemed to answer a question Lucifer hadn't asked. "You can ask Velvette."
"Victor-"
"That being said " Vox cut the Devil off, "Val has been acting... weird."
"Weird... how?" Lucifer asked calmly.
"Weird like everyone else who's been obsessing over Love After Death? What the fuck do you want me to say?"
"Oh, I have been hearing all about that from the Overlords. Something weird went down." Charlie piped up remembering how she had been held hostage at a girl's day with Mary-Lu and the other Overlords.
"Can I go?" Vox's fingers drummed on his leg, he clearly looked uneasy. "I have told you everything I know."
"Everything?" Lucifer raised an eyebrow.
"I mean, if you have more questions, you could try asking that red-coated, smiling jackass that you love so fucking much." Vox, again, looked at Charlie. It figured he would try to blame Alastor; she was honestly surprised it had taken him this long. "Otherwise I got nothing. He crawled out of your window and went batshit for no fucking reason- ... huh."
"Huh?" Lucifer repeated.
"Sorry I just..." Vox shook his head, his eyes looked wide, his screen where his face was, flickered. "I remembered something."
"Be careful, Victor." Lucifer had his hand on the desk in front of him. His other arm was in front of Charlie, holding her back.
"I... heard... a noise?" The static appeared on Vox's screen again. "I... caN't RemEmbeR... wHat it wAs..." his voice was distorted; Charlie could barely see his mouth through the static.
"That's enough, Victor." Her father's voice boomed and Michael instantly vanished, reappearing behind Vox, holding him by the shoulders.
"You're okay, Victor, relax." Michael's voice was gentle, and mix between his Virgil voice and his real voice. "I'll send for the doctor, why don't you take it easy?" A glass of holy water appeared in Michael's hand. "Drink, please." Vox's body didn't really respond so Michael held the water up to the screen where his mouth would flicker in and out of view. He must have gotten the water in, because Vox suddenly started coughing. Michael grabbed a nearby trashcan holding it up as Vox started vomiting, violently. Charlie had seen this with Vaggie when she drank the holy water, but it wasn't nearly to this extent.
"What... the fuck..." Vox tried to speak between brutal heaving sounds, "did you... give me?" The screen that composed his face had stopped flickering.
"Medicine." Lucifer replied flatly. "But you are seeing my doctor before you leave. Do you think you can stand and walk?"
"Yeah? I was... f-fucking fine... until you... gave m... me that god... damn poison!" Vox was breathing hard, the vomiting starting to slow.
"Up we go." Michael was using his Virgil voice again. "Let's take it easy. Okay? The doctor is right downstairs." He helped Vox to his feet, guiding him out of the room.
"Is he going to be okay?" Charlie didn't like Vox, but she didn't want anything bad to happen to him. He was still a hotel patron after all. At least... temporarily.
"Probably." Her dad looked over at her. "I love how you threw Gabriel under the bus, by the way, fucking great. You can attend all my interviews if you're going to pull shit like that."
"Are there more?" Charlie blinked.
"Just Carmilla, but she's still recovering." Her father looked up as Michael reappeared at the door in the blink of an eye.
"Raph's got him." Michael closed the door behind him. "He says it's actually impressive how well he is doing all things considered."
"What do you think of what he told us, is he lying?" Lucifer's eyes flickered to Charlie. "Angels can sense intention it helps them determine if people are lying or not. It also makes them incredibly un-fun to play poker with."
"Like I said, it's really hard to read Corrupted souls." Michael frowned. "There was some truth in his words, to be sure, but he was definitely lying. I just can't sift through the lies like I could with a normal, unaffected human. But at least we have a start."
"Do you think Raphael could come to the Hotel and look everyone over?" Charlie had to ask, since apparently, he was in Hell.
"Oh, of course." Michael nodded.
"And while he's doing that, maybe we can start planning our next steps." Charlie clapped her hands, looking between her dad and his not-brother. "Together!"