"Sorry about all that." Vaggie sighed heavily. Charlie reached out, touching her shoulder gently. "I didn't think Adam would flip his fucking shit. I know he was acting weird when he first got here, but..."
"Yeah, I haven't seen too much of the Corruption side effects outside of when he first arrived and that one time with the Shoggoths." Charlie knew Vaggie was distrusting when it came to the First Man. She was too. Even without knowing he was sick; it wasn't like he was some great person. But when he had left the hotel, he looked rough.
"I'll be honest, I half thought he was faking." Vaggie took a seat on their shared bed. Charlie sat beside her. The Princess had warded their bedroom, but she wasn't sure if she did it correctly, as by the time she had finished, Adam was having some sort of episode.
"I did too, at first. But... I figure dad would have seen through it." It was such a weird situation. Charlie really thought that the battle at the Hotel would have been the last she saw of Adam. She also considered it to be the last she saw of Pentious (and she was damn glad it wasn't) but it seemed as if there was more at play than she originally knew.
"It just all sounds so... convenient for Heaven, you know?" Vaggie ran a hand through her hair. "The moment we start fighting back and suddenly they're like: You know those Exterminations we used to do every year? Turns out that was a miscommunication. Whoopsie. Our bad guys. There is actually some other force we never fucking mentioned and they're the real bag guys. Trust us."
"No, I get it. It's kind of hard to believe. But you saw Michael's face when he found out about the Exterminations. I believe that he didn't know."
"Or he's a really good liar."
"No, my dad met one of them- the Old Ones- remember? And he's shown me things... old texts and other bits and pieces from back when he was in Heaven." The Princess put her hands on Vaggie's shoulders, pressing a kiss to the bridge of her nose. "I know it sounds crazy but I believe it."
"Then... I do to." Vaggie smiled, though the hesitation was evident in her voice. She craned her neck up to steal a kiss from Charlie's lips. Charlie was a little worried, but she didn't show it. Vaggie had always been a little... guarded. However, it was starting to feel as if she were creeping into the realm of paranoia. It was a symptom Charlie had mostly seen with Vox. But Michael had mentioned that the symptoms of Corruption could vary. "But it's still weird that Michael is just... hanging around your dad."
"I like to think they are starting to get along." Charlie definitely noticed that her father wasn't instantly shutting Michael down and that was a real improvement. Vaggie took Charlie's hand in her own, kissing the back of it.
"Thanks to you."
"I helped, but I am definitely not equipped to deal with all of that family trauma."
"I don't think there is any therapist out there, alive or dead, who is." Vaggie snorted, releasing Charlie's hand, before flopping backward onto the bed. "Oof." She rolled over onto her side as she realized she had fallen right on top of Charlie's puppet she had made back when they tried to sneak into Port Gatory. (Charlie wondered how Paul was doing.) Charlie picked the puppet back up.
"Sorry about that."
"Why is it out here?"
"Vox and I were talking about using it for Muppet Murders."
"So, he's really going through with it, huh?"
"Apparently. Though, he hasn't been back to the studio in a bit. I think he's talking about recording it `on-site` here at the Hotel. He needs more puppets though."
"Are you making him more puppets?"
"I was thinking of making it into a group project, with Velvette!"
"You are wasting your time with her." Vaggie rolled onto her back again. "I know you want information from the Vees, but you need to keep in mind that they suck."
"I know they're no one's favorite Overlords, but they came to me for help." Charlie put the puppet down against the wall. "And I like to think even they can change." She flopped onto the bed, joining Vaggie in looking up at the ceiling. "Plus, they have information that we need."
"This would be something much easier if we could just force them to tell us shit."
"Yeah, but that isn't how I like to do things." Charlie believed in her father's dream of free will, but she also believed that humans were truly capable of doing good. At least, most of them. She loved the souls around her, in spite of what their lives must have been like. In Hell they had nothing but time, and time could help them change.
"You are too sweet for this place." Vaggie rolled onto her side again, caressing Charlie's cheek, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips.
"I'm just trying to make our home a better place." She snuggled into Vaggie's embrace. She always felt so safe so at peace with the former Exorcist. When they were like this, together, holding one another, Charlie felt like all the problems around her could melt away into nothing. She could stay like this forever.
"GODDAMNIT, VOX!" or not. A scream from downstairs seemed to indicate that the Princess had other, more pressing problems to which she needed to be attending.
"I am so glad they live here." Vaggie grumbled through gritted teeth as Charlie slowly disentangled herself from the relaxing embrace.
"I know." The Princess gave her a soft kiss before finally getting to her hooves and opening the door. She headed down the stairs to where most of the guest rooms were located.
"Charlie! There you are!" Mimzy must have been drawn out of her room by the commotion as well. "Did you hear the fighting?" The Princess nodded.
"I wouldn't worry about it."
"Oh, I'm not. I just can't help but feel a little guilty." Mimzy put her hand to her cheek as she hurried after Charlie struggling to keep the pace with her long strides. "I know they're fighting over me."
"Fighting over... you?" Charlie hoped the incredulousness wasn't too obvious in her voice. Mimzy gave a solemn nod, crossing her arms over her chest.
"The Vees are kind of obsessed with me. I really wowed Vox with my journalistic integrity and Velvette considers me a fashion icon. I don't mean to be causing any trouble, but you know how territorial Overlords can get. They even went through my things. Creepy, but understandable."
"They... went through your things?"
"Oh, yes. They just started doing that though. I haven't had a chance to discuss it with them, but it's on my list of things to do. I am just too popular as of late."
"And..." Charlie tried to choose her words very carefully as Mimzy was not what one would call a reliable source. "Did you see them going through your things?"
"Not exactly. But you know how it is. Pretty gals like us? We have to always be on the lookout for wannabes and fans. I'm not even mad."
"It might just have been Niffty." Charlie knew the maid that Alastor had put in charge of the Hotel was less about cleaning and more about chaos. Plus, she had a key to all of the rooms. At least, Charlie had been under the impression that was how Niffty got around.
"Nah, wasn't Niffty. The only DamnWay product she even likes are the kitchen knives. She won't touch any of the skin care or hair care line. It was the Vees. I just wish they hadn't knocked over my products. That shit is expensive. But that's just the price we pay for quality products. Do you know how difficult it is to procure ethically sourced baby's blood?"
"Ethically sourced what now?"
"Ah! Here we are! Velvette's room! She was just live streaming from here." Mimzy seemed uninterested in Charlie's question as she knocked on the door. It took a moment, but Velvette finally answered, throwing the door open in a single motion, standing in the doorway, hand on her hip.
"What?"
"Your stream isn't back up yet." Mimzy piped up before Charlie could even get a word in. "Also, not sure if you were aware, but I seem to have been blocked from commenting-"
"Is everything okay, Velvette?" Charlie very gently pulled Mimzy back as the Sinner seemed to be making an attempt to push past Velvette into the bedroom. Even with the extra height of the fashionista's hair, Charlie was able to see into the room. Vox was sitting in the guest chair, his flat face in his hands.
"Everything is fine except for the goddamn internet connection. Thanks for stopping by. Maybe use some of your royal wealth to upgrade this shithole. Thanks, and buh-bye." Velvette must have noticed Charlie's gaze because she started trying to close the door again. Charlie caught the door with her hand.
"Vox?"
"Yes, Princess?" Instantly Vox's head lifted. He was all smiles, but Charlie could see the stain of blood on the side and corners of his screen shaped head. Charlie frowned. Vox had been getting better according to Raphael. But, then again, so had Adam until just an hour ago.
"Are you feeling okay?"
"I am quite well, thank you for the concern! We just had a technical difficulty, nothing to worry about. This is most likely the result of interference from that abhorrent little radio tower you have set up here." Vox seemed like himself, at least, he seemed like the charming, sleazy personality he portrayed on TV. Velvette cleared her throat.
"Do you need anything else?"
"I think you need a co-host!" Mimzy tried to wiggle her way through the door. Velvette held out her hand to stop her, pushing her back outside the confines of the room.
"No." And with that, she shut the door directly in their faces. Mimzy clicked her tongue, shaking her head as she stared up at the closed door.
"Probably afraid I'll upstage her. I get it." Mimzy didn't seem all that perturbed by being kicked out. "Well, I best call Mary-Lu so I can order more supplies. I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to have you cover the price. My products were damaged while just sitting in my room. Pretty sure that makes you liable. Thanks princess, you're a doll." Mimzy took Charlie's hand and pulled her downward so she could give the Princess a pat on the cheek. "Tell your dad hi for me." And with that she released Charlie and hurried down the stairs. Charlie watched her take her leave before heading down to the room where Adam and Vaggie had been talking before.
It was one of the many unused bedrooms that she had been saving for when the Hotel finally took off. (One day this place would be bursting with Sinners clamoring for Redemption, rather than just Overlords and wandering souls who were trying to use the Princess for their own gain.) The room itself looked normal, just like any of the others, though, it was a little cleaner- most likely thanks to the Adam clone that had tagged along. Funny how it was more helpful than the real Adam. (But not shocking. Adam was a hindrance.)
She could hear running water coming from the bathroom. Curious, she poked her head in to see Niffty on her knees on the floor, hands gripping the side of the tub, peering over the edge. She wasn't looking so much in the tub, from what Charlie could see, but rather, at the wall across from it. "Niffty?"
"Hiya, Princess!" Niffty turned to face her when Charlie spoke. She flopped down, back against the tub, feet outstretched before her. "Did the bad boys have to leave?"
"They did."
"Awww. Sad. I wanted to try to stab the angels again! This time I could use one of the DamnWay easy-cut knives! The blood washes right off."
"Good to know." Charlie felt bad that Niffty had been subjected to one of Mimzy's long winded product pitches but... at least she had found something she liked? "What are you doing in here?"
"I was checking the water!"
"Why?"
"To make sure it's not dirty, of course! It's good to let the pipes drip sometimes. Especially because a lot of these rooms stay empty."
"... right."
"The pipes have been rattling a lot recently. I need to make sure our friend hasn't been messing with them."
"You mean Adam?" Charlie highly doubted that Niffty could tell the difference between Adam and the replica. "I don't think he did any plumbing work."
"He ran away so fast!" Niffty let out a giggle as she picked herself up off of the floor and brushed off her dress. "I didn't even stab him hard."
"We are done stabbing."
"We are never truly done stabbing."
"But if you see Adam, don't stab him, okay?" Charlie wasn't sure how well reason worked on Niffty, but she had to try. It was probably best just to keep her and Adam separated. Her dad had been very clear about the fact that Adam didn't remember dying and having him face his killer seemed like a recipe for a breakdown.
"Hmmm, okay." It seemed as if Niffty really had to think about it before nodding her head. Charlie felt a little better, but it still might be best not to bring Adam and Niffty together.
"Also, did you go into Velvette or Mimzy's room?"
"Maybe." Niffty blinked up at her.
"Did you knock over a lamp? Or some products?"
"I don't think so... but if I did, it was because they were in the way of cleaning. People like to leave things all over their floors and it's my job to clean them up!"
"Yes, I understand that, but you know that if things are actively on the floor in their respective rooms you don't need to clean them."
"It's fine. I'm Housekeeping."
"No. Please don't go through people's things."
"Uh huh, uh huh." Niffty nodded, but her attention was clearly somewhere else. "Oooo! A challenger!" Her eye immediately traveled from Charlie to the corner of the room. She started running and the Princess could see a roach scurrying away from her. "Time to die~!" And with that, Niffty ran off. Charlie could chase after her, but she had left the water running and the Princess figured it was best to let her go on her roach-hunt unopposed.
She went into the bathroom, turning off the faucet. The pipes rumbled and gurgled as the water came to a stop. Charlie squinted. Was that normal? They had rebuilt the hotel once already, and it was possible that maybe having an actual architect look over everything might have been a good idea. However, she figured that her dad had magic, and there was no reason to believe that he wouldn't be better than an architect. He had made the mansion after all, and that was still standing- at least it had been before a Shoggoth took a chunk out of the wall- but that wasn't her father's fault, at least... not directly.
Ring
Ring
Ring
Speaking of her father, the princess saw his name pop up on the caller ID as she took her phone out of her pocket. "Hey dad."
"Hey bitch!" Her father really had one way to answer the phone, and he wasn't changing it anytime soon. "How the hell are ya?"
"Hi Charlie!" She could hear Michael's voice in the background. While he sounded very similar to her dad, Michael had a lighter way of speaking, he sounded generally less boisterous and more... upbeat. Charlie couldn't help but smile.
"Hi Uncle Michael!"
"Sorry we haven't been back yet," for once, her father didn't correct her about the whole 'uncle' thing. Charlie wouldn't bring it up to him. She liked to pretend that her father and uncle were starting to actually get along.
"Is Adam doing okay?"
"He's going to be fine, unfortunately." Her dad sighed. "He's just a little worn out. Nothing some rest won't fix."
"That's good to hear." Charlie chuckled to herself, thinking back on Uncle Cain's words about how her dad and Adam had been acting during the Lu Lu World trip. Clearly, they were just as antagonistic as ever toward one another. "I was a little worried when you didn't come back right away. I know you don't like Adam, I don't either, but I still don't want the Corruption getting any worse." The sooner they cured Adam, the sooner he could go home.
"He'll be fine. He's lying on the couch downstairs trying to teach Neo how to insult me in his native language." Her dad sounded exhausted. "I SPEAK EVERY LANGUAGE YOU DICK!" She could hear him shouting, most likely at Adam.
"Neo?"
"Adam named his clone!" Michael piped up helpfully. "Neo, it's short for Neapolitan, like the ice-cream. Though... I'm not sure if we are treating Neapolitan like a full name, and Neo is just a nickname. I mean, if we're talking about the most widely accepting spelling, there isn't actually a Neo in Neapolitan, but I don't know how good Adam is at spelling and it just feels rude to correct him when he's so proud of himself-"
"Michael, I am asking you this as a genuine question," Charlie's father interrupted the rant, "but when you were made, did they remember to install a fucking off switch? Because you can go on for hours and no one cares."
"Oops, sorry."
"Dad, be nice." Charlie was still holding out hope that they were getting along better than before. "I think it's great that you named the clone!" Her dad heaved a heavy sigh as if he had just seen an entire pile of paperwork before him.
"Yeah, well, new development: It can talk. So now Michael isn't going to let me kill it because it might be sentient."
"It can what now?" Charlie blinked.
"It can talk!" Michael, at least, sounded excited by the revelation. "It's not easy to understand unless you automatically translate languages like we do, so I'm not sure how well Adam can understand it, but he understands Quackers-"
"No, no he doesn't." Her dad cut Michael off once again. "He just bullshits a translation, and everyone here blindly accepts his word as gospel."
"Why can the clone talk? Can the others talk?" Charlie felt like they were losing track of the point. If Adam could make talking duplicates that made his power far better than really any other power that she had seen from a Sinner before.
"This is the first one that talks." Her father was quick to assure him. "It's also the first one to move around independently without direct command." Charlie wasn't sure how comfortable she was with the idea that Adam could make talking replicas at will. He was just a Sinner after all. Even her mother's Sinner power hadn't been that dramatic.
"Can Adam do that?"
"I'm not so sure this was Adam's doing." Michael spoke up again. Charlie heard her father audibly groan.
"Not this again, Mike."
"I'm just saying that something gaining sentience isn't really a power associated with Hell. I don't think it can be a Sinner power. It's angelic."
"Angelic?" Charlie repeated the word back. "So, you did it?" Michael was the only angel she knew about that was hanging around her dad's house.
"No. At least, I don't think I did. I wasn't really around the clone all that much. But there's always a chance. My powers have been acting up because of the Corruption. So, at this point, who really knows?"
"You're awfully relaxed about this shit, you know that, right?" Her dad sounded more annoyed than anything else.
"I don't see why I wouldn't be. This isn't really a bad development." Now, more than ever, it was easier to hear the difference in Michael's voice from her father's. He sounded cheerful, but in a way that was genuine rather than forced, like her dad often sounded during public meetings. "In fact, I think it's pretty neat."
"God, you are so fucking obnoxious. I have no idea how we're related." Charlie's father's reply was rather disgusted. There was a small little gasp from her uncle.
"You acknowledged we're related!"
"No! I mean, you're like a weird, annoying, half-baked copy!" Lucifer's words were out there, no taking them back. Charlie couldn't help but smile.
"I think it's great that you guys are getting along."
"Thank you!" Michael's cheery reply came at the exact same time her father responded:
"We're not."
"Well, the bedroom is at least warded for right now. Or I guess I tried." Charlie wasn't super familiar with this type of magic, but she was happy to have a chance to learn. Plus, it would help her protect her patrons. She loved the residents of her hotel, even if they could be a lot sometimes. Now that she knew Pentious was Redeemed, she felt reinvigorated.
"I think you did just super, Charlie!" Michael replied brightly. It was rare in Hell to hear anyone use words like super or neat unironically.
"Thanks, Uncle Michael."
"Needless to say," her dad interrupted the uncle-niece bonding rather quickly, "this whole clone talking fiasco is taking up a large part of our afternoon. So, we might not be back till tomorrow, if that's okay with you."
"It should be fine." Charlie would have liked to ward the entire Hotel but that would been incredibly time consuming, and she didn't want Adam left to his own devices back at the mansion. She didn't like the guy, but there was no denying that he was genuinely sick. (And it wasn't like Lysander or Syn could handle him on their own.) "We are going to the countdown clock tomorrow, so we'll need to work around that."
"Of course, of course." Her dad assured her quickly on the other line. "We can just come by after you've destroyed the clock or whatever it is you're planning to do."
"I don't entirely know what the plan is." Charlie wouldn't admit it but destroying the reminder of those horrible days when swarms of angels would descend upon her people, making them afraid, killing them, wasn't entirely out of the question. Now? Now it was all over. Maybe she would make a point of it.
"As long as you're enjoying yourself!" Michael didn't seem concerned with the destruction of, what Charlie assumed to be, Heaven's property.
"Just let us know when works best for you." Her dad had been spending way more time with her as of late. It really was nice. Charlie always loved her father; she looked up to him. But growing up he had always been busy. Even times they spent together, she would often be ushered away so she didn't distract her father from his duties. Despite all the time they lived together, there had been times where Charlie felt as if her dad was more of a stranger than a father. She hadn't even known about his siblings until they were literally descending from the Heavens to slaughter a creature from another world. It was nice, spending time together, learning magic, learning about him. She hadn't felt this close to her dad since she was a child, sitting on his lap and listening to stories of his beautiful dreams.
"I will! I don't think we'll be out too late." If they were going to destroy the clock, Charlie didn't think it would take all that long. Cherri clearly had experience in destruction, so she was confident they'd be home before dinner. Maybe they could go out to eat? That might be a nice way to get everyone together.
"I love you, Jonagold."
"Love you too, dad."
"I hope you and your friends have a wonderful time destroying the clock! love you, Charlie!" Michael piped up.
"You don't even know her!" Lucifer was instantly snapping at his brother, still on the line with Charlie. "You just met-"
"Bye dad." Charlie chuckled to herself, hanging up the phone and putting it in her pocket. She could let the brothers sort themselves out. She wasn't qualified to give the therapy they needed. (Maybe Uncle Raphael could get something scheduled for them. Charlie assumed there was therapy in Heaven.)
The Princess picked the crochet hook up off of the end table where she had put it once it was wrestled away from Niffty's hands. It wasn't like her to take it- well, it wasn't like her to take from Alastor. Niffty stole all the time, whether intentional or not. At least Alastor would be happy to have it back. Now she just needed to find where all the other missing items had gone. Who would have thought that things would go missing in Hell of all places.
She left the bedroom and ventured into the lobby where Husk was stocking the bar. "I don't suppose you had anything go missing, have you?" Charlie called out to him as she placed the hook on the coffee table so Alastor could see it when he returned.
"Only my sense of self-worth and will to live." Husk remarked dryly, turning to face the princess, elbow resting on the bar. "Why? Is Niffty on one of her kicks again?" Charlie took a seat on one of the stools in front of him.
"Looks like it."
"That explains who got into all of my bar snacks." Husk reached under the table and pulled out a bowl of nuts, or rather, a bowl of shells. It didn't even look like they had been properly cracked, so much as someone was just biting into them.
"Sorry about that."
"I don't give a fuck. You think I eat this shit?"
"I mean, still, you were going to use those, right?"
"I can get more. The hotel covers any costs associated with the bar."
"Right." Charlie probably needed to find out, at some point, who was keep track of all of these expenditures. (Though it wasn't as if she had a budget, or anything like that. So, she supposed it didn't matter.) "How have you been feeling? You know, since the Shoggoth?" The Princess felt as if she asked this a lot but the idea of her friends being exposed to something like Corruption was terrifying.
"Still fine. The Nightmares haven't been nearly as frequent. Though... recently I've heard there was a bit of an uptick in 'em." Husk was a good source of information as many of the patrons were happy to trauma dump on him while drunk.
"More Nightmares?"
"Only the last two or so nights. I can't speak for everyone mind you, but I know that I was sleeping like shit."
"Hopefully it's nothing, but I can talk to my father's doctor again." Charlie hated to bother the Archangels, she knew they had to be incredibly busy, but she felt, in part, responsible for what happened to her friends. If she hadn't dragged everyone to the mansion, maybe they wouldn't have gotten sick from the Shoggoth.
"The guy in the plague mask?"
"Yeah! He's dad's private physician."
"You sure he's not trying to poison your dad with that awful medication?" Husk snorted. Charlie smiled, laughing dismissively.
"I understand that it's bad, but that's how you know it's working!" She couldn't exactly explain that they were drinking holy water, because that would require her explaining how she got it in the first place. Her friends weren't exactly trusting of Heaven at the moment (and after everything they were put through, she couldn't blame them). Even Vaggie, who came from Heaven, was distrusting of everything her family said.
"Uh huh." Husk didn't sound convinced.
"Oh, try not to let anyone get too wasted before we go to the countdown clock tomorrow." Charlie knew Husk didn't really have control over how much the others wanted to celebrate, but she hoped with them going early in the morning that would mean that no one would have time to get too intoxicated. On the off chance that they did blow up the tower, it would be safer if no one was shitfaced. If anyone died in an accident, it would sort of defeat the purpose of celebrating the end of the Exterminations. (Of course, the Sinners would come back to life, so long as there were no angelic weapons. But still...)
"I will see what I can do." The bartender replied flatly, before giving a big yawn. Charlie could tell he hadn't slept well.
"Thanks!" She smiled, turning to head up the stairs once again. In truth, she had also struggled the night before, but she was able to wave it off as nerves. Maybe everyone was a little on edge with the Extermination date on the horizon. Everyone had been through so much last time. The hotel had been completely destroyed. If it hadn't been for Rosie, her cannibals, and Charlie's own father getting involved, they may not have been able to come back from that fight. She couldn't blame tensions for being a little high.
The rest of the day had gone without too much incident. Angel and Cherri were in a good mood, Alastor seemed pleased to get his hook back, the Vees had stayed upstairs, but that was to be expected. Hopefully they would agree to join Charlie on tomorrow's big trip! It wasn't mandatory or anything, but it being the one-year anniversary of the Exterminations, she figured the Vees would want to do something for clout.
It was weird having just two of them at the hotel. She wondered if there was something going on between Vox and Velvette and Valentino. It was hard to say, as Vox had come on his own initially, and this could all be part of some weird scheme to get access to Charlie's father (the way they had done with Pentious). She wasn't exactly sad to NOT have Val in the group. The guy made her skin crawl- and it was worse than usual the last time she saw him at Vox's Halloween party. Hopefully she wouldn't have to invite him to her Halloween party in the future. Val could stay at the parties in Vox-Tower.
Though, now that Charlie was thinking about it, she hadn't seen Velvette or Vox go back to the main tower since they arrived. It was possible they went back after the Princess had left for the day, it wasn't as if Charlie didn't have her own things to do, but if that was the case, why would Velvette choose to stream in the hotel of all places. (They were right about the Wi-Fi, it wasn't great. Charlie hated to point fingers, but Alastor seemed to take pleasure in messing with anything more modern than a radio). She could always talk with them about it later, though, there was no guarantee they would answer.
By the time Charlie was ready to go to bed, most of the other patrons were in their rooms or out to enjoy a night on the town (not that there was much going on, it seemed). The Princess went down the stairs to grab a glass of water. She saw Niffty sitting on the bar, legs dangling over the side, a bowl of fresh nuts in her lap. "Does Husk know you have those?" Charlie figured she might as well ask, though the answer was obvious. Nifty blinked at her, looking a bit like a deer caught in the headlights before looking at the nuts.
"Sure."
"You know we have an entire pantry full of food. You can help yourself to whatever you like. You don't need to just ear bar nuts."
"I know. But they're not for me." Niffty made direct eye contact as she said this, reaching into the bowl and taking a hand full of nuts in her hand, shoving them into her mouth, shells and all. Charlie nodded slowly.
"O...kay." They could order more nuts.
"They are the perfect amount of stale."
"That's nice." The Princess walked past Niffty into the kitchen. All she wanted was a glass of water, it was too late to debate with Niffty. She went to the cabinet, grabbing a glass before turning on the sink. The pipes moaned and gurgled again, and it took a moment for the water to start flowing. Charlie frowned. It was dark in the kitchen, but even in the dim light streaming in from the bright neon signs outside the water looked a little dirty.
Oh well.
She could drink juice.
The princess put the glass in the sink, grabbing a fresh one and going to the fridge. She took out a carton of apple juice and poured herself a glass. By the time she made it back out, Niffty was gone, but she could see a handful of nuts left in the corner of the room. For a maid, she really didn't make things cleaner. Charlie amused herself with the thought of bringing the Adam clone in to clean every so often (Neo, was his name, she would have to remember that.) It would only be when no one was around, but it beat finding crumbs with her hooves in the dead of night.
She headed up the stairs back toward her room. It was quiet, which really begged the question of where the fuck Niffty had gone? Charlie had learned not to ask. The little Sinner was always up to one thing or another. Still the silence was a little... unsettling.
Scrtch
Scrtch
Scrtch
Charlie felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end as she swore that she could hear the sound of moving... scratching from the other side of the wall. She looked arounder her uncertainly, was she near any of the occupied rooms?
Yeah...
Vox's.
Hesitantly, the princess lifted her hand, knocking softly on the closed door. "Vox?" She could have imagined it, but knowing Vox was Corrupted, she felt uncomfortable with taking any chances. "Are you awake?"
"I am now." The door was cracked open, and Charlie could see the faint glow of Vox's screen in the darkness. His eyes were narrowed.
"Were you asleep?"
"Yeah, I was."
"Did you... hear anything?"
"Aside from you knocking?" Vox sounded both exhausted and annoyed. Charlie was starting to feel a little silly for waking him up. Had she really heard anything? It could just have been the building settling, now that she thought about it.
"W... well, yeah."
"No. Because I was asleep."
"... right, sorry."
"Can I help you with anything else?"
"Oh, no. Sorry! I hope you sleep well!" Charlie smiled as the door was closed in her face. She sighed, so much for that.
"We can kill him if you want. Say the word."
"AH!" The princess nearly jumped as she turned to see Niffty standing behind her, staring directly up like something out of a horror movie. "Oh, no, that's quite unnecessary." She put a hand over her chest where her heart was pounding.
"Okay! Let me know if you change your mind!" Niffty smiled, before skipping down the hallway humming softly to herself. Charlie took a moment to catch her breath. She let the quiet settle over her once more. This time, everything seemed normal. The Princess felt a little more relaxed. She smiled at her own silly behavior before heading the rest of the way up the stairs to her room. She quietly opened the door, seeing Vaggie already curled up on the bed. The lights were off, and Charlie had no desire to wake her.
As she went to place her cup down on the dresser, she noticed something hunched over in the corner of the room. Charlie's breath hitched, and for a moment, she didn't move, and neither did the figure. The Princess took a second to let her eyes adjust. "HA!" She let out a laugh before she could stop herself. The 'figure' was just the Muppet. Vaggie must have moved it off of the bed so she could go to sleep.
"Babe...?" speaking of Vaggie, the former Exorcist stirred under the silken sheets, roused by Charlie's laughing outburst.
"Sorry." Charlie put her juice down on the nightstand, sliding into the bed beside her girlfriend, wrapping her arms around her.
"Everything okay?"
"Fine, I just didn't realize you had moved puppet-dad."
"Well, yeah," Vaggie yawned, putting her head on Charlie's chest, curling up against her. "I'm not going to sleep in a bed with a life-sized replica of your dad."
"That's fair." Charlie snorted, wrapping her arms around Vaggie, holding her close. "I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep."
"Mmkay." It didn't take much convincing before Vaggie was breathing peacefully in Charlie's arms. The Princess took longer to fall asleep. Once in a while, she swore she could hear that scratching sound again.
Even when she did sleep, it was very light, uneasy. She supposed the time of year was even getting to her. So, it was a little surprising, that when she did wake up, it was later than she anticipated. Charlie sprang awake, jumping to her hooves. "I have to get ready!"
"You're fine, hun. I don't think we have a set time for this." Vaggie took her by the shoulders, gently pulling her back into a sitting position.
"I know, but I want to get out early, you know, before the streets get crowded." That was one of the many, many issues with Hell's increasingly dense population. (Really to make a dent in the Sinners, Charlie would need to make her hotel a franchise so they could redeem on a much larger scale). When streets got busy, it made people more irritable and prone to violence, and the Princess was hoping today would be a day without death or maiming. It might have been asking a lot, but she just wanted one day to go well.
"I don't think that'll be a huge issue." Vaggie gestured for Charlie to join her by the window. The two girls gazed out at Hell below them. The streets were... almost empty. It was worse than the day before. Charlie could see the looming clock having reached zero on its countdown timer. About this time in years prior, the sky would turn black, the sun blocked out by the wings of the angels coming down from on high to slaughter those below.
Not this year.
This year, the sun was shining bright.
"I guess people are still scared." Charlie couldn't blame them. It wasn't exactly widely known that the Exterminations had ended and even those that knew seemed almost afraid to believe it. But Michael was here, in Hell. There was no way they could do anything.
"Yeah, I'm not used to seeing it like this." Vaggie and Charlie both started getting ready. If Charlie had thought about it earlier, she might have asked if Michael could procure some sort of video or audio from Pentious for everyone to hear. It might make the others feel more at ease to hear his voice for themselves. Charlie knew it had made her feel better. She could still text him, see what he could do on such short notice.
"I was thinking about grabbing a big group breakfast on the way there, but I wonder if anything will even be open."
"I can pack us some basic breakfast food just in case." Vaggie offered. Charlie would admit, there was a small part of her that was tempted to see if Adam was feeling up to cooking for them. But on a day like today. It was probably best not to see Adam. She wouldn't be shocked if he was the last person anyone wanted to cross paths with today. (And she probably also needed to give him time to recover. He had looked like utter shit the day before).
"Thanks hun, you're the best."
"I love you."
"I love you too." Charlie put a hand beneath Vaggie's chin, tilting her head up to kiss her gently before heading out of the room and down the stairs. Once again, the entire hotel seemed to be in chaos. Most everyone was awake, running back and forth looking for various things.
"Has anyone seen my earrings?" Cherri had a pillow in her hand.
"Where's my fucking lighter?" Angel sounded annoyed.
"Who touched my shoes!?" Velvette was visibly frustrated.
"Goddamnit Niffty." Charlie sighed pinching the bridge of her nose. "Sorry guys, we'll find everything." She held up her hands, trying to calm everyone down. "Oh! Alastor!" She looked to the radio demon who was sitting on one of the many chairs in the lobby actively working on another crochet project. "I see you found your hook."
"Indeed, my dear, but I still haven't come across that yarn. And now I appear to be missing one of my spare ties."
"Where is my 'Fuck Alastor' mug?" Vox walked in from the kitchen with a different mug filled to the brim with coffee.
"Again, maybe that's not the mug to use while your here." Charlie would admit, she wasn't sad to see that go.
"Did your pet go through my products again!?" Mimzy held up a small bottle of something with Mary-Lu's face on it.
"Niffty's not a pet." Charlie launched into the explanation without really thinking. Mimzy shook her head, pointing at Angel.
"You mean Fat Nuggets?" Angel looked shocked by the accusation. "He wouldn't go into yer room. And if he did he's not gonna rifle through your cheap body wash or whatever." Angel's pig happened to be scurrying by at the moment and he picked it up in his arms. "You're a swine of taste, aint'chya Nugget?" The pig oinked.
"Angel's right, Fat Nuggets doesn't really wander the property." Charlie shook her head. The pets mostly kept to themselves. (Aside from the egg bois, but they didn't live at the Hotel anymore. They were in Purgatory with Pentious.)
"This is the second batch I've lost!" Mimzy puffed her cheeks out. "I hope these are getting reimbursed too!"
"I thought this Hotel was supposed to have some degree of security." Velvette made a face. "Now I have to completely change my outfit because I don't have the right shoes." Charlie had a feeling Velvette had plenty of acceptable shoes, but she also figured that there was going to be no convincing her of that fact.
"Please just hurry."
The morning was already turning into quite the disaster. The Princess was forced to wonder if going to the countdown clock was even worth the effort. But eventually, she did manage to usher everyone outside for the trip.
"Now," Cherri put an arm around Charlie's shoulders. "Have we decided if we're blowin' it up or not? Because I have a few suggestions if we are." Charlie smiled, gently patting Cherri's hand as a way of acknowledging the request.
"Maybe. We'll see."
"I do love a good destruction of Property." Alastor seemed amused by the suggestion. "Especially Heaven's property."
"I suppose we could record this, if we do blow it up. It would be great PR for the royal family: Princess Declared End to Exterminations." Vox made a grand gesture with his arms. "You guys really need a win after the Muppet thing."
"Well Charlie can't pick up all her father's slack."
"Alastor." Charlie narrowed her eyes. Her father was doing his best. However, maybe destroying the tower would look good for the people of Hell. They needed a boost. Corruption fed on Negativity, after all. And if Vox thought it had potential, she might listen. The Vees knew how to sway the public better than most. "Where's Velvette?" Charlie looked around realizing they were still one patron short. Vox shrugged.
"Still getting ready."
"With any luck she won't come." Angel gave Charlie a thumbs up. "One Vee is more than enough for most of us."
"That's the fucking truth." Cherri returned to Angel's side. Charlie had a feeling that most of her friends wouldn't complain if Velvette didn't make it, but at the same time, the Princess was still trying to win her over.
"I'll go get her. Vaggie, can you please pick a spot for breakfast and text it to me? We'll meet you there."
"It may be a picnic outside, still not sure that anything's open." Vaggie nodded, squeezing Charlie's hand. "But I'll find something."
"I think Cannibal Town should be open!"
"No." Charlie tried to stay polite in her tone. She loved Rosie and the Cannibals as people. She just didn't like... their cuisine. "It's just a bit of an acquired taste is all." Alastor didn't seem offended by the protest, laughing to himself.
"True, true, true. And I suppose most of the strays that you've collected off the streets don't really have a sophisticated palate! Especially Fox!"
"Hey! That's not my fucking name and you know that!" Vox turned to face Alastor; his teeth bared on his screen.
"Then how do you know I was talking about you?" Alastor's smirked, hands behind his back, rocking on his heels. "Seems a little conceited if you ask me." Charlie cleared her throat to get their attention.
"I'm going to get Velvette. Please try not to kill each other. I want zero deaths today." She gave her biggest, most winning smile.
"The things I do for you Princess." Alastor gave a flourished bow. Charlie smiled, hopefully those two could keep it civil until she returned. (Though she doubted it)
"Thank you." And with that the Princess ventured back inside the Hotel as the others started on the trip to the countdown clock. Honestly, straight up destroying it did sound like a very appealing idea. Vox was right, it could be symbolic for the people of Hell. They needed something to believe in, to help shed the heavy blanket of fear that Heaven had cast over them.
Charlie headed up the stairs toward Velvette's room. The Hotel was quiet, which wasn't surprising as everyone had already headed out for the day. Hopefully, Velvette wouldn't take too much longer getting herself ready. Charlie went straight to Velvette's door (she was pretty sure the fashionista had finally consolidated her things into one room), knocking gently.
"Velvette?"
No response.
"Velvette, are you in here?"
Silence.
"Velvette...?" Charlie felt a little uneasy. As the owner of the Hotel, she had a key to every room. She hated using it, as it felt a bit like a breach of privacy, but at the same time she was a little worried about their newest patron. "I'm coming in~!"
Still nothing.
"I warned you." Charlie took the key out, opening the door. She saw Velvette's things all laid out on the bed; it looked as if she had been sorting through her outfits, but there was no sign of the Overlord herself. Charlie entered the room, looking around. The lights were off, the bathroom door was ajar. Hesitantly, the princess walked toward the bathroom. "Velvette?" She carefully pushed the door open the rest of the way. There was makeup on the counter, but otherwise the room looked undisturbed. "Hello?"
Scrtch
Scrtch
Scrtch
There was the sound again. This time it seemed to be coming from above Charlie. The Princess took her leave of Velvette's room, walking back into the hallway. She headed up the flight of stairs and saw Velvette, the Overlord of Fashion was standing directly outside the Princess's room, hand on the doorknob. "Velvette!?"
"Oh fuck!" Velvette's hand jerked away from the door and covered her chest as it seemed as if Charlie had startled her. "There you are!"
"Why are you trying to go in my room?"
"I thought you were in there."
"I'm out here." Charlie narrowed her eyes. "Everyone's already on their way to the countdown clock." Well, they were going to breakfast first, but there was no use in arguing semantics. "Why are you trying to get in my room?"
"I just told you. I heard you in there."
"No, you didn't."
"I did!" Velvette doubled down on her story. "Vox told me that you guys were heading out. So, I was going to just go and catch up when I heard something up here. I thought, maybe, you had stayed behind to come get me because you want to be best friends or some shit like that. I don't fucking know."
"I was outside." Charlie was still doubtful. It wouldn't be a stretch for the Vees to try and break in. "You can't get in anyway. The door is warded. Charlie lifted her hand to reveal the special sigil that she, her father, and her uncle had painstakingly constructed. The light blazed for a moment, then flickered into nothing.
"Is it... supposed to do that?"
"Huh." Charlie wasn't exactly sure, but she assumed not. Damn, she must have done it wrong. "Look," she opened the door, "no one's in here." It was true. Her room looked just as she had left it, undisturbed. Velvette took a step inside.
"I swear I heard something."
"Maybe you heard KeeKee?" Charlie's cat had a habit of getting into rooms and causing a little bit of noise when she did. The Princess walked inside, peeking under her bed to see if KeeKee was hiding underneath. Razzle was outside, the last Charlie saw, so she doubted Velvette heard him. (If she was even telling the truth.)
"There's a lot of animals in this place." Velvette made a face, crossing her arms over her chest. "You know that, right?"
"People like to bring their pets."
"Maybe I did just hear the cat... but it sounded like... talking..."
"I... don't see KeeKee in here..." Charlie had her cheek against the floor, lifting the duvet to try and see underneath.
Scrtch
Scrtch
CRACK
Charlie jumped up. The sound was close, it almost sounded like it was coming from directly beneath her. The carpeting started to look as if it were bulging. The Princess took a step back. There was definite movement. She reached for her phone.
"You heard that right?" Velvette was on high alert. Charlie inched her way toward Velvette, hissing through her teeth.
"Shh!"
The red carpeting in Charlie's floor started to stain black around the bulging area. Charlie quickly dialed the number for her father as the carpet was torn away by what looked to be a swollen, bulbous hand, dripping with viscous black. A twisted, contorted arm sprung free with the sound of cracking bones as something pulled itself out between Charlie and Velvette. It was small, with wide, black eyes, sallow, grey skin. Strings of hair were hanging from the sagging flesh of its head. The jaw was agape, hanging almost as if broken and disconnected, the mouth surrounded with, jagged, uneven teeth.
"h̵̘̫͓̤̘̉͊͋ò̸̬̤͂́.̷̩͚̥͕̹̠͎͖̈͒̉̿̉͐̕.̷̘̤̙̗̋̏̒͐.̷̳̖̝̔͆͆̓m̸̟̖̖͍͔̲͐̆͜͠e̵̠͎͠?." The voice was garbled, distorted, something between a scream, a growl, and a wail that shook the room. Charlie stumbled backward; her head hurt from the sound of it. She fell on something soft.
"Cover your ears!" The Princess remembered that much. The sounds Corrupted creatures made had a way of burrowing into your skull and crawling beneath your skin. The creature moved as if it were being pulled by unseen strings, it's body limper and doll-like than Charlie was expecting. (Though the Princess could still hear the crackling and snapping of bones with every movement. The blankets on the bed moved to try and trap the creature, Charlie assumed that was Velvette's attempt to help her, but to no avail. It was fast. Charlie barely saw it move. But suddenly the blankets were ripped, stained with that same, viscous black, and the gaping maw and massive, reflective, empty black eyes were staring her down as Charlie, still on the floor, struggled to back up, away from it. Panic seized her.
"h̵̘̫͓̤̘̉͊͋ò̸̬̤͂́.̷̩͚̥͕̹̠͎͖̈͒̉̿̉͐̕.̷̘̤̙̗̋̏̒͐.̷̳̖̝̔͆͆̓m̸̟̖̖͍͔̲͐̆͜͠e̵̠͎͠?"
"GO AWAY!" Charlie opened her hand to summon her trident, her vision swimming from the sound of the creature's voice (the smell was somehow even worse.)
"h̵̘̫͓̤̘̉͊͋ò̸̬̤͂́.̷̩͚̥͕̹̠͎͖̈͒̉̿̉͐̕.̷̘̤̙̗̋̏̒͐.̷̳̖̝̔͆͆̓m̸̟̖̖͍͔̲͐̆͜͠e̵̠͎͠?"
"UNHAND MY DAUGHTER YOU FOUL BEAST!" A pair of black gloved hands reached out from behind Charlie's head, pushing the creature back. Charlie could feel movement behind her as her father tackled the thing onto the ground.
"Princess!" Velvette tossed Charlie a pair of headphones and she quickly covered her ears, her vision finally starting to straighten out.
"DAD! Be careful!" Charlie hurried to Velvette's side, her trident finally appearing in her hand. Her dad was wrestling with the creature on the floor. Charlie couldn't get a clear shot. She hurried to the bathroom, grabbing some of the holy water Vaggie still had and running back to the room. "Sorry!" Charlie knew it wouldn't feel good for her father, but she assumed the abomination would feel it much worse. The creature pulled back with a horrible shriek. Charlie was glad Velvette had given her the headphones, or she would have been on the floor again. The Princess poured the remainder of the water over her trident before taking a stab at the monster.
"Careful baby girl! It's fast!"
"Are you okay, dad?" Charlie didn't have time to check. She was keeping an eye on the monster as it scurried across the floor. The Princess kept jabbing at it as it moved rapidly toward the wall. Charlie stabbed the trident down as those bulbous hands touched the wall and the creature almost seemed to melt into it. However, Charlie had managed to pin a part of its tail. The monstrosity screamed again, struggling to pull free. The tail Charlie pinned began to rip, the flesh pulling apart into ribbons as the monster continued to sink into the wall once more. "FUCK!" Charlie twirled her trident, quickly trying to draw her sigil on the wall in question. Maybe if she could ward it, the monster might not be able to push through.
"You've got this!" Her dad cheered her on, which wasn't particularly helpful. His ass should have been drawing the ward. Some of the clothes from Charlie and Vaggie's closet wrapped around the creature's legs, trying to pull it back. It wasn't long before the viscous, black fluid that dripped off of the creature's skin like sweat began to eat through the fabric. But it was enough time for Charlie to finish the ward.
"h̵̘̫͓̤̘̉͊͋ò̸̬̤͂́.̷̩͚̥͕̹̠͎͖̈͒̉̿̉͐̕.̷̘̤̙̗̋̏̒͐.̷̳̖̝̔͆͆̓m̸̟̖̖͍͔̲͐̆͜͠e̵̠͎͠?" The creature clawed at the ward, screaming each time the seal burned bright in response. "h̵̘̫͓̤̘̉͊͋ò̸̬̤͂́.̷̩͚̥͕̹̠͎͖̈͒̉̿̉͐̕.̷̘̤̙̗̋̏̒͐.̷̳̖̝̔͆͆̓m̸̟̖̖͍͔̲͐̆͜͠e̵̠͎͠?"
"I am not doing this again." Velvette grabbed Charlie's arm. "We have to get the fuck out of here!" She tried to pull her toward the door.
"No, no, dad can handle it!" Charlie wasn't about to let this thing escape. She braced herself, trident poised for the attack.
"I don't know how to tell you this, but," Velvette tried again to pull Charlie toward the door, "that's not your fucking dad."
"What?"
"Good work daughter! Let us get rid of this abomination!" Charlie's father joined them, patting Charlie on the back. Charlie carefully, slowly, shifted her gaze toward her "dad". She noticed his head was a little too round, his coat a little too fuzzy.
"I... is that my fucking Muppet!?"