An Angel in Demon's Clothing
The hotel is nowhere near ready to be opened.
This is something you realize the moment you set foot inside the building, following after Charlie. It's dark, and the place is a mess. Furniture and portraits are strewn about everywhere, and the place is littered with dust and cobwebs. Even so, it appears Charlie had been planning on opening fairly soon, if the haphazard 'welcome' banner and party decorations hanging above the front desk are any indication.
The décor and overall atmosphere of the Happy Hotel is a bit Hellish for an establishment with the goal of getting souls to heaven. Eyes, bones, and skulls are carved into just about every piece of furniture and picture frame you see, and you feel unsettled by them. Particularly the eyes.
While Angel rummages through a hazardously tilted freezer that you aren't certain is plugged in, you stop to look at a portrait hanging on one of the walls.
It depicts a small gathering of seven demons. You almost immediately recognize Charlie, smiling happily in a dress with a red skirt. There are two taller blonde demons in the picture, one on either side of her, and you note that they must be her parents. With some surprise you realize that that means that the goofy clownish demon in a white suit to the far left of the portrait is Lucifer.
//He looks so silly!// you think, in disbelief. You tilt your head. This rosy-cheeked demon in a top-hat is the ruler of Hell? Charlie looks just like him! //Appearances really are deceiving...//
Charlie's mother, on the other hand, looks regal and mysterious. With grey-violet skin and sliver eyes under heavy lashes, she stands taller than all of the other demons in the picture. Her blonde hair is long and flowing, and she wears a tight-fitting red dress.
Your eyes stop over the right half of the portrait. There's a group of four grey-skinned demons with creepy, glowing green eyes (and teeth?!) and weird tentacle-hair. All four wear wide, sinister grins.
You're just wracking your brain for who these demons could possibly be when your arm is grabbed from behind and you're spun around to face a deadly serious-looking Vaggie.
The moth demon pulls you away from the portrait and drags you into a hall off of the lobby. Charlie pops in a second later.
"You," Vaggie points an accusatory finger in your face, "explain."
You raise your hands in a pacifying gesture. "Right, okay;"
"So basically," you begin, turning your head to face Charlie, "um, God noticed what you're trying to do here... and they approve?" you give the two demonesses a double thumbs-up and an awkward smile.
"What?" Vaggie narrows her eye skeptically.
"Huh?" Charlie chimes hopefully, stars in her eyes, "really?"
You nod, "Yeah, and they figured you could use some help, so they sent me." You look from one girl to the other, "To help."
Vaggie still looks unconvinced. "Charlie," she says, turning to address the princess, "we can't just let them stay just because they say they're here to help; the only angels that have ever been in Hell are fallen angels and exorcists. They're dangerous."
"I know that," Charlie replies, "but look at them, Vaggie! They're clearly still in God's good graces if they still have their halo, and this year's extermination is over. Why would they leave only one exorcist in Hell, disguised as a demon, if they were planning to extend it? That wouldn't make sense!"
Vaggie sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose, "I... I know, but—still! What are the actual chances of an angel—a pure angel—being sent down here, to Hell, to help us?"
"Quite high, actually," you cut in. Vaggie turns her head to look at you, and you smile gently, "God invented redemption. Of course they'd want to help redeem sinners, that's kind of their thing."
Vaggie frowns. "Why... why do you want to help so badly?" she asks, still a bit defensive.
A weight forms in your chest. "Honestly?" you answer, shifting your weight and resting a loosely curled hand over your chest, "Because it's something I was never able to do when I was alive." You send the two demonesses a sad smile. "I knew the world was broken, and that the people were, too, and I wanted to do something about it, but..." you turn your face to the side and frown, "I was held back by so many of my own fears and weaknesses, that I never did much of anything for the people that I knew needed help." You sigh and look down at the floorboards, "I was good with animals, yes, but when it came to dealing with people directly, I was just useless."
When you look back up, Vaggie's shoulders are slumped, and her frown has softened. Charlie is also frowning.
You cross your arms. "When I died, I went to heaven. But the peace I had... I felt like I didn't deserve it. Like I didn't do enough."
"And now you have the chance to make a difference," Charlie finishes for you.
"Yeah," you smile, "I can finally do something to help the people who are really hurting. One of the worst things that could possibly happen 's already happened, and I'm okay."
"See, Vaggie?" Charlie places a gentle hand on her girlfriend's shoulder, "Everything's gonna be okay!"
Vaggie worries her lip with claw-like fingers. "Diablos," she finally says, massaging her temples in frustration. She mutters some more under her breath before looking back to you. "Fine," she grumbled, "whatever, but if—"
She's interrupted by a loud, rhythmic knocking at the front door.
—SHAVE-AND-A-HAIR—CUT. TWO—BITS.—
The three of you peek back out into the lobby towards the large double-doors. Hesitantly, Charlie steps out and makes her way over to the source of the knocking. You make to follow, but are pulled back by Vaggie, who sits you down on one of the demonic sofas. She starts speaking to you, but you're too distracted by your curiosity and the sense of an overwhelming presence that has started to seep into the room to quite catch what she's saying to you.
It's an odd sensation, like a faint white noise hanging in the air. It reminds you a bit of when you had sensory overloads and panic attacks when you were alive, only it isn't suffocating like those episodes, merely present. You take a deep breath, and faintly taste iron on the air. The sensation curls around you like a red haze before suddenly becoming muted.
Vaggie has stopped speaking, and is looking at you expectantly.
"I'm sorry, but could you repeat that?" you ask, embarrassed.
She tenses, and she curls her fingers like talons, "You—!"
"Umm, Vaggie?" Charlie calls, standing with her back against the doors, arms spread out comically.
The moth demon sighs, "What?" she asks, turning her head in her direction and putting her hands on her hips. You lean forward and crane your neck to look, too.
"The, uh, Radio Demon... is at the door!" Charlie says, pulling the corners of her mouth into a forced smile with her fingers.
Vaggie tenses further, back shooting ramrod straight, "WHAT?!"
"'Radio Demon'?" you mumble, head tilting and brows creasing in thought. //Another interviewer, perhaps? Isn't it a bit soon, though?//
"Who?" you hear Angel ask from somewhere behind you.
"What do I do?!" there's desperation in Charlie's voice. The poor princess has already dealt with enough stress today.
You stand up and make for the door yourself. //Pretty rude to be adding to someone's embarrassment for publicity... I know they're demons and this is Hell, but this is ridiculous!//
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Vaggie shouts after you, "Don't let him in!"
Charlie scrambles after you while you try to make out the figure outside the door through the stained-glass window. All you can see is a very tall, fuzzy silhouette standing on the front steps. You crack the door open and peek out.
You're met with the sight of a very tall, very thin, very red demon wearing a wide, almost painful-looking smile full of razor-sharp teeth. His eyes are red, his clothes are red, his hair is red with black tips, and even the monocle he wears over his right eye has a red-tinted lens. He carries a staff with a microphone at its top, and atop his head are two furry red and black-tufted ears between which are situated two dinky, but very sharp black antlers.
His yellow grin widens upon seeing you, and with a radio static-laced voice he gives a very cheery "Hello!"
"Hi," you return the greeting with a small smile of your own, before Charlie reaches over you and slams the door shut.
She waves you back a few steps and takes a deep breath, combing a hand through her hair. She then puts on a serious expression and opens the door herself.
The deer demon still stands there, smiling patiently with an index finger raised in the air.
"May I speak now?" he asks.
"You may," Charlie answers, lifting her nose.
Immediately, the red demon lunges forward, grabbing the princess's hand and pulling her closer as he shakes it. "Alastor!" He introduces, though between the static in his voice and the speed with which he speaks, you're barely able to understand what he's said. "Pleasure to be meeting you, sweetheart! Quite a pleasure!"
He pushes past Charlie and yourself, letting himself inside. "And you as well!" he says, shaking your hand, "Who might you be, darlin' little fellow?"
Startled, you introduce yourself rather awkwardly. He laughs in response before returning his attention to Charlie.
"Excuse my sudden visit, but I saw your fiasco on the picture show," he splays out his hands palm-outward near his face for emphasis, "and I just couldn't resist!" He begins to wave his arms excitedly above his head, "What a performance!" he praises, and you hear a recording of a cheering background audience play behind his voice.
You blink. This man is moving and speaking almost too quickly for you to process properly. You shake your head in an attempt to clear it. //This guy sure is cheerful,// you think. He's pretty amusing, //but also...//
Alastor places a clawed hand on his face. "Why, I haven't been that entertained since the stock market crash of 1929! Ah ha ha!"
... There is something seriously off about this man. You frown as he laughs at his own joke, a laugh track playing in the background. You don't find anything particularly funny about orphans. You open your mouth and debate on saying something or simply following him, but you're quickly startled out of your thoughts.
The demon in question had hardly taken another step when he was met with a harpoon to the throat, held threateningly by Vaggie.
"Stop right there!" She shouts as she jabs at him with the weapon. You jump back and stare, wide-eyed, at the confrontation. Vaggie radiates hostility.
"Cabrón hijo de perra!" she snarls through clenched teeth, eye narrowed dangerously. She steadies her weapon. "I know your game!" she says, straightening her stance, "And I won't let you hurt anyone here, you pompous, cheesy talkshow shitlord!" She punctuates the statement with another jab of her harpoon beneath his chin. You nervously raise a hand to your own throat as you watch, hoping things won't escalate any further.
Alastor, to his credit, seems completely unruffled, and, when he responds, even sounds amused.
"My dear," he begins gently, pushing the spearhead away from his face with an index finger, "if I wanted to hurt anyone here—" The sensation of white noise comes back, the air around the red demon thickens, and his shadow stretches out and moves across the floor as though he were standing beneath a rapidly setting sun. "—I would have done so already." He tilts his head downward at a painful-looking angle as he finishes. For a split second, his nubby antlers appear to grow out into a full, sharp-tipped rack.
You blink once, and it's gone. Vaggie and Charlie, who had moved to Vaggie's side without your noticing, stare, aghast, up at his face, which you can't see. You take a few tentative steps forward, wondering if you ought to intervene.
"No!" Alastor shouts jovially as he straightens, mouth stretched into a wide, friendly grin. "I'm here because I want to help!" he announces.
"Really? Me, too!" you say, rolling forward onto your toes beside him.
He spares you a glance out of the corner of his eye without moving his head, and his smile shifts almost imperceptibly. He says nothing to you, though, and his attention never quite leaves the two frozen demonesses before him.
Vaggie, alarmed by your proximity to the frightening demon, pulls you away from his side and, deciding that you know too little about your current surroundings for your own good, pushes you a step back once you're beside her. Mildly offended, you inch forward a bit, but still respect the distance placed between you and Alastor.
Charlie is pulled out of a stupor. "Er... you what now?" she asks.
You open your mouth to gently repeat what he's said, but are interrupted before you've made a sound by the red demon himself.
"Help!" he lets out a boisterous laugh and raises his staff. "Hello? Is this thing on?" he asks, tapping the mic situated at its top playfully, "Testing, testing!"
You would have been put off by the rude display if not for the fact that you're immediately distracted by the microphone responding with its own voice: "Well I heard you loud and clear!"
"It talks?!" you exclaim, pushing past Vaggie and leaning out to look at the microphone more closely, looking into the object's red eye in awe. Alastor chuckles and pats you on the head.
Alastor grins down at you, "My! Aren't you a curious one! You haven't been in Hell long, have you?"
You're about to reply when Vaggie grabs your shoulder again, "Don't answer that question," she tells you. You look between her and the Radio Demon before stepping back, deciding to do as she says.
As you settle back down, Charlie speaks up, "Um, you want to help?" she says to Alastor, "with what?"
At this, the deer demon melts into a shadow on the floor before popping back up behind the three of you. "This ridiculous thing you're trying to do! This hotel. I want to help you run it."
You blink at his method of travel and ponder it for a moment. Is this a unique trait of his, or can other demons do it, too?
Charlie tilts her head in confusion, "Okay... but why?" she asks.
Alastor's smile turns mischievous, "Why does anyone do anything?" he asks, leaning in closer to her, "Sheer, absolute boredom!"
You raise an eyebrow while Vaggie continues to glare at him. //Boredom?// Well, you suppose it's better than nothing.
Alastor drags his hands down his face as though in frustration, "Ah... I've lacked inspiration for decades. My work became mundane, lacking focus, aimless!" he shoves Vaggie aside, knocking her into you.
While you help her steady herself, Alastor continues; "I've come to crave a new form of entertainment!"
Charlie looks a bit embarrassed as she responds, "Does, uh, getting into a fistfight with a reporter count as entertainment?"
Alastor laughs, and you feel the aura of his sins shift as he answers. "It's the purest kind, my dear: Reality!" he gestures passionately, "True passion!" His voice grows darker as he speaks, "After all, the world is a stage, and the stage is a world of entertainment." You can feel the darkness wafting off of him; a disturbing aura that threatens to choke everyone else in the room. You can see that you're looking at a very damaged soul.
You shake the sensation off. Charlie looks hopeful as she takes a few tentative steps toward the red demon, "So... does that mean you think it's possible to rehabilitate a demon?" she asks.
Though the question isn't directed at you, you can't help but smile and nod; you certainly believe it is. You're certain of it.
Still, Alastor's answer is disappointing. "No, no! Of course not! That's wacky nonsense!" he says, shaking his hand at her.
You share a glance with Charlie, shrugging your shoulders as he continues:
"Redemption! Oh, the non-existent humanity!" he shakes his head in an exaggerated fashion. As negative as his words are, and as much as you disagree with him, you can't help but feel a building excitement the more he speaks. Wheels turn in your head as Vaggie leads you to sit on one of the couches with herself and Angel Dust while Alastor asserts that the sinners here can not be saved. You cup your chin thoughtfully as you listen to his conversation with Charlie.
"So why do you wanna help me if you don't believe in my cause?"
"Consider it an investment in ongoing entertainment for myself!" Alastor answers, twirling her around. "I want to watch the scum of the world struggle to climb up the hill of betterment only to repeatedly trip and tumble down to the fiery pit of failure!"
As they continue talking, you're distracted from their conversation when Angel speaks up; "So, what's the deal with smiles over there?" he asks Vaggie.
"Yeah," you add, "and why did you and Charlie call him ‘the Radio Demon’?" you pause, "Y'know, besides the, uh, voice thing?" you say, gesturing to your throat with your hand.
"Wait," Vaggie says, she points to you, "You, I understand, you just got here, but how have you never heard of him before?" she asks Angel, "You've been here longer than me!"
"The Radio Demon," Vaggie tries, "One of the most powerful beings Hell has ever seen?"
"Eh, I'm not big on politics," is Angel's response.
"So who is he?" you ask, shifting in your seat in curiosity.
Vaggie sighs, then tells you: several decades ago, Alastor manifested in Hell, and very quickly took to overthrowing a great number of centuries-dominant overlords. He absolutely slaughtered them, all while broadcasting the deeds live on the radio all over Hell, which is why he's called the "Radio Demon".
"Many have speculated what unimaginable force enabled him to rival our world's most ancient and destructive evils," Vaggie finishes, "But one thing's for sure: He's an unpredictable source of danger, a wicked spirit of mystery, and a violent monster of chaos, the likes of which we can't risk getting involved with unless we want to end up erased!"
"Ya done?" asks Angel, while you glance thoughtfully at the demon in question. He laughs, "He looks like a strawberry pimp!"
"Nah, I believe it," you say, leaning into the back of the couch. Angel sends you a questioning glance. "I mean, I don't really know, but it looks to me like he's probably an elk," you explain, "and a mature male with a rack like his? Super dangerous. Those antlers aren't just for show, plenty of folks get killed by 'em. Killed me."
Both of the demons give you an odd look, and you realize you just explained your understanding of the situation in terms of the abilities of actual animals.
"Are you okay?" asks Vaggie, concerned, "I can tell Charlie, and we can try to get him to leave."
"Um, that's not..." you begin, but she's already stood up and gone to tug on Charlie's arm to pull her away from her conversation with Alastor, "... necessary..."
You get up and follow her.
"... He's a deal maker! Pure evil!" you hear Vaggie say as you join the conversation.
"I don't know about that," you cut in, frowning.
Vaggie shoots you a look, "He's most likely looking for a way to destroy everything we're working for," she argues.
//Well, let him try!// you think. //It won't work! Not when God is on our side!//
"You have me to prevent that," you tell her, then grin, finally voicing the idea that has been building in your mind, "Just think!" you whisper excitedly, leaning closer into your huddle, "If we redeemed him, with a soul as corrupted and damaged as his, no one would be able to deny that rehabilitation works!"
"What?" Vaggie gasps, "redeem him? That's not possible!" You raise an eyebrow at her.
"I... we don't know that," says Charlie. Vaggie gives her an incredulous look. "Look, I know he's bad, and I know he probably doesn't want to change, but the whole point of this is to give people a chance! To have faith that things will be better!"
You nod, "No mortal soul is beyond redemption," you say.
"How can I turn someone away?" Charlie asks, "I can't! It goes against everything I'm trying to do, everything I believe in." She puts her hands on Vaggie's shoulders while you smile in approval, "Just... trust me, Vaggie. I can take care of myself!"
You nod, "And even if something were to go wrong, I'm confident that God has given us the resources necessary to pull through!" you say.
Vaggie sighs in resignation, "Fine, just, Charlie, whatever you do, do not make a deal with him," she warns, watching as Alastor stands casually a distance away.
Charlie smiles, "Don't worry, I picked up one thing from my dad;" she turns and approaches Alastor, imitating her father as she goes, "'You don't take shit from other demons!'"
You watch as she lists some conditions to the powerful demon, who twirls his staff into his left hand as he offers her his right:
"So it's a deal, then?" he says. The room becomes bathed in a ghostly green light and something like a strong wind emanates from Alastor. You remain mostly unaffected by this, but you notice that everyone else aside from Alastor has to steel themselves to remain on their feet.
"Nope!" Charlie says, waving his hand away, "No deals!" She taps her finger on her lip and hums in thought, "Um, here: As princess of Hell and heir to the throne, I, uh, hereby order that you help with this hotel...!" she pauses, "for as long as you desire."
Alastor gives his own hum, "Fair enough!" he says, dismissing his staff.
Charlie smiles nervously, clearly relieved. "Cool beans."
You pop over to Alastor's side with a welcoming smile, and he returns it with a widening of his own unwavering one, before he turns to speak to Charlie again.
"So, where is your hotel staff?" he asks her.
When Charlie sheepishly gestures to Vaggie, he adjusts his monocle in amusement.
"Ohoho, You're going to need more than that!" he tells her. He walks over to you, "So, you're helping with this establishment, are you?" he asks you.
You nod, "Yep! I have a bit of knowledge of how the rehabilitation process works, and I thought this was a really good cause, so I volunteered to help right away!"
Alastor hums in thought. "Really? Now, isn't that something!" he says. You can't help but feel he isn't taking you seriously…
Still, you keep your smile on your face as you speak to him. "I'm here to help conceptualize and coordinate activities and therapy sessions that will help encourage positive behavioral changes!"
The deer demon blinks, then nods. "I see. It will be a pleasure working with you, I'm sure."
He moves on to talk to Angel, who's sitting in a chair in front of the check-in desk. "And what can you do, my effeminate fellow?" he asks him.
"I can suck ya' dick," Angel answers with a grin.
You blanch at his response. You're ace, and pretty sex-repulsed, and based on his reaction, it seems to you as though Alastor is, too. He manages to look absolutely appalled while still grinning from ear-to-ear, and a screech of microphone feedback emanates from him.
Impressively, he recovers quite quickly.
"HAH!" he laughs, before leaning in close to the promiscuous spider demon's face, "No." With that, he turns away.
Angel watches him leave with an amused expression. "Your loss," he calls after the deer demon.
You grimace, still reeling from secondhand shock and horror. "Why?" you whisper to yourself. Angel Dust hears you and snickers. You rub your arm in discomfort and quickly turn your face away from him.
"Well, this just won't do!" Alastor proclaims, summoning his staff again. He approaches the hotel's dusty, run-down fireplace. "Just two staff members isn't nearly enough to get this hotel off the ground! I suppose I can cash in a few favors to liven things up!" With a snap of his fingers, the fireplace becomes like new again, and is simultaneously lit with a roaring fire. A small, charred-black figure falls down from the chimney into the flames, hanging out of the mouth of the fireplace.
You gasp and take a step forward, but Alastor waves you away. He leans down and picks the small figure up, holding them up for you and the others to see. The figure opens a single, large, flame-colored eye and blinks up at the group.
After a moment, the ash falls away from the figure with a poof, revealing a very small and cute cyclops demoness in a poodle skirt.
"This little darling is Niffty!" Alastor introduces, before letting her drop to the floor.
The little demoness quickly bounces to her feet. "Hi! I'm Niffty!" she greets, waving to the four of you.
You lean down and wave back, "Hello, Niffty!"
She grins, "It's nice to meet you!" she says. She gets a crazed look in her eye, "It's been a while since I've made new friends!" You hardly have time to be concerned about her expression before she speaks again; "Why are you all women?" she asks, confused.
You tilt your head, "We're not—"
"Are there any men here?!" Niffty zooms past you and lifts Charlie into the air, causing you to jump and immediately putting Vaggie on guard.
"I, um..." you share a look with Angel, who shrugs.
Almost as quickly as she picked her up, Niffty sets Charlie back down, "I'm sorry, that was rude..." she says sheepishly, before her attention is pulled elsewhere; "Oooh, man, this place is a mess!" She immediately sets to cleaning the hotel lobby, flitting about with incredible speed. "It really needs a lady's touch!" she pauses, turning to address the four of you, "which is weird because you're all ladies... I think? ...no offense." She turns back to her work, pulling out a feather duster, "Oh my gosh, this is awful!"
"Wow... she's really good," you breathe, watching as Niffty is already putting a huge dent in the work that would be necessary in order to prepare the hotel for business. Alastor chuckles and nods.
As Niffty continues her unprompted cleaning, another demon materializes in the lobby, this one a winged cat demon with card suit markings. It seems he's been pulled out of a game of blackjack.
Intrigued, you wander over to meet him, "Woah... Hi, there!"
"Huh? Who the hell are you? What..." the cat demon looks disoriented, until his eyes land on Alastor just behind you. He snarls, before pointing, "You!"
"Ah! Husker, my good friend!" Alastor greets, brushing past you and approaching him with an air of familiarity, "Glad you could make it!"
"Don't you 'Husker' me, you son of a bitch!" the cat demon hisses, "I was about to win the whole damn pot!"
You blink and glance between the two demons, trying to parse their relationship. This "Husker" seems to be rather hostile towards the Radio Demon, while Alastor treats the winged feline like an old friend.
Husk runs a clawed hand down his face in frustration, "What the hell do ya want with me this time?" he asked.
Alastor wraps an arm around Husk's shoulders, pulling him close, "My friend, I am doing some charity work, so I took it upon myself to volunteer your services!" he pauses, pressing his face to the grumpy-looking feline demon's, "I hope that's okay!"
"Are you shittin' me?" Husk growls in irritated dismay.
Alastor hums in mock thought, "No, I don't think so!" he says.
Infuriated, Husk shoves him away, "You thought it'd be some kinda big fuckin' riot to pull me out of nowhere!?" he yowls. You jump a bit at the cat demon's outburst, and flinch as he swears. "You think I'm some kind of fuckin' clown?!"
You turn your head to look at Alastor, who looks like he's struggling not to laugh, biting his lip. "... Maybe," he says, looking rather smug.
You sidle over to the fuming cat demon, inching closer until you're standing next to him. "Welll... um... sorry about, um, your game?" you pause as he turns his glare to you, "Uh... we're working on a project to redeem sinners and transfer their souls to Heaven... uh, Mr..."
He stares at you unblinkingly. "It's Husk," he says, before turning his attention back to Alastor, "I ain't doin' no fuckin' charity job," he growls.
For the second time, Alastor melts into a shadow on the floor, re-materializing behind Husk and pulling him into a one-armed hug, "Well, I figured you would be the perfect face to man the front desk of this fine establishment!" he says, gesturing to the front desk, which you now see he has transformed into a bar with card suit decor. He grabs Husk's face, pulling the corners of his mouth into a smile, "With your charming smile, and welcoming energy, this job was made for you!"
Your brows furrow. This seems like a very blatant attempt at sabotage, considering Husk's grouchy, irritable demeanor. It isn't anything you can't work with, though, and Niffty seems genuinely helpful enough, so you choose not to address it unless someone else brings it up.
Alastor walks over to the desk and stands in front of it. "Don't worry my friend," he said, "I can make this more welcoming! ... if you wish." As he speaks, he waves a bottle of alcohol into existence on the counter. You tilt your head at the display, curious of what else the red demon can conjure up.
Husk stares at the bottle, before glaring at Alastor, "What?" he marches up to the other demon, scowling, "You think you can buy me with a wink and some cheap booze?" He snatches the bottle off the counter and looks at it, before looking back up, "... Well, you can!" he growls begrudgingly, downing the bottle and moving to sit behind the counter.
You watch him, not sure whether to feel amused, relieved, or anxious.
"Hey, hey!" Vaggie objects. "No, no, no, no! No! No bar, no alcohol!" she shouts, "This is supposed to be a place that discourages sin!" She sends you a look that demands why you would stand by while this is happening while she waves her arms in a gesture of refusal.
You catch Angel as he tries to launch himself at her, "Now, hey," you say, nervously, while Angel shouts at her to shut up, "the consumption of alcohol in and of itself isn't a sin, really... just overindulgence in it." //Though the presence of a bar would pose a temptation to any patrons prone to alcoholism...// You think for a moment, "We can set up a system to reward good behavior and prevent any patrons from getting drunk!" You let Angel go, "This project won't work if all we do is discourage sin. We need to encourage good behavior with positive reinforcement!"
Angel nods in agreement, "We are keeping this," he huffs, pointing to the bar. You sigh as he leans against the bar and begins flirting with Husk, who is not receptive.
Charlie bounds up to the front desk, radiating with bright energy and extending her hand to Husk, "Oh my gosh! Welcome to the Happy Hotel! You are going to love it here!"
Husk is not amused, "I lost the ability to love years ago," he says, reaching for his bottle of booze and continuing to down it.
"Well, maybe we can help with that," you say, popping up next to Charlie. Husk sighs.
"So, whaddaya think?" Alastor asks, pulling Charlie aside.
"This is amazing!" Charlie gushes.
Vaggie crosses her arms, looking around, "It's... okay."
You tilt your head as you join the group, "It's a good start!" you state, smiling.
Alastor chuckles, "This is going to be very entertaining," he says, before tossing a fireball up into the air and shoving you into Vaggie, knocking the both of you over as he begins to sing a reprisal of Charlie's song from her interview. As he sings, he transforms the entirety of your surroundings as well as everyone's wardrobes. Things get strange as he invites living shadows into the building that dance and sing and play instruments. There's something about them that has you thinking, but they avoid you when you try to get a closer look at them. You frown, slightly disappointed while Alastor cheerfully insults the entirety of Hell in song. This is going to be a lot of work. But it'll be worth it.
Alastor's singing is interrupted by an explosion, and you quickly grab Niffty, who was dancing in the path of a flying door, out of the way before the door crashes into the back wall. You and the demons poke your heads out of the gaping hole in the wall where the door used to be and look up to see an airship hovering overhead.
The cockpit opens, and a black and yellow cobra demon pokes his head out, flaring his hood. "Hah! Well, well, well. Look who it is harboring the striped freak!" he shouts, before leaning out, "we meet yet again, Alastor!" You look between the snake demon and Alastor in curiosity. //Rivals?//
No. Alastor tilts his head, "Do I know you?" he asks.
The snake demon deflates, before hissing in anger, "Oh, yesss, you do!" He retreats back into the cockpit of his airship, pulling some levers, "And this time I have the element of... sssurprise!"
A cannon descends from the belly of the airship, roaring to life and preparing to fire, you tense, and for the first time since arriving realize that you may actually have to fight some of the demons you meet during your time in Hell.
You're just wondering how you'll go about doing that when Alastor snaps his fingers. Instantly, a portal of some sort opens beneath the airship, huge black tentacles springing out of it and attacking the airship. Alastor grins menacingly as he directs the tentacles, and several living shadows circle the airship as it's destroyed.
As Alastor is finishing the airship off, strange symbols you're unfamiliar with float around him. One drifts a bit too close to you for comfort, and you swat it away into the ground, though no one notices.
At the end of it all, you and the demons are left looking at the wreckage left behind by a single demon, while Alastor stands proudly over it all. There's an almost suffocating tension in the air.
Finally, Alastor turns around to face the group, "Well I'm starved! Who wants some jambalaya?" he shouts, breaking the tension.
You tilt your head, "I don't think I've ever had that before."
Alastor's head whips around to face you, "Well, aren't you in for a treat! My mother once showed me a wonderful recipe for Jambalaya. In fact, it nearly killed her!" He turns and begins to make his way back to the hotel, Niffty following close behind and gazing up at him in admiration.
As he continues talking, you join Charlie and Vaggie.
"So, I have a few ideas," you begin, and Charlie nods, "we don't have to use all of them, of course, but I thought I'd share them. The first one may sound a bit cold, but I promise it's only to help us get on our feet... I think we should start off by advertising mostly to new arrivals, demons who just fell. They're more likely to want to leave, and, if we're honest, will likely be less confident that they'll be able to survive the yearly extermination. Of course, we'll welcome older souls, too if they come, but... ..."
"There is no such thing as a lost cause!" you sing. Alastor whips his head around to face you. The two of you stand there for a moment, each grinning widely at the other. The rest of the group watches you, concerned.
"Curious..." Alastor murmurs.
