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Chapter Text

Splayed out on the floor and unconscious was how Vaggie had found herself after she woke up in the broken elevator. Her ears were ringing awfully loud from the screeching that was present before, until it came to a harsh stop and the force of the impact sent her to the floor. It hurt to move certain parts of her body, especially her legs, given she was standing upright when it happened. Her vision was black at first, dark around the edges as she adjusted to the dim yellow light. She didn't remember it being that hue, but she assumed they were emergency backup lights. The noise never left her mind yet, so she closed her eye and waited for it to pass.

Eventually, it did pass. She opened her eye again, which was better adjusted to the light now. Her hearing slowly came back, the small hum of the lights filling her eardrums. It was a little slow as first, but as she positioned her arms to get ready for raising herself up, it was more coherent and pure. Then slowly, her sense of touch came back, and she registered the warm carpet that also felt very jagged for some strange reason. With a wince, Vaggie propped herself up and slowly straightened herself. Immediately she felt something wet across her left breast and was shocked to find half of her favorite casual dress covered in a black substance. Sniffing it lightly, she wrinkled her nose in disgust and perplexity. It was a hit of all kinds of smells; fish, fruit, and some kind of spice, but the most prominent smell was like iron. Not blood, but something else. Recognizing what is was, she decided to try and hold her breath for a little bit. She didn't want any volatile solvents to clog her nose. She knew someone who knew all about that.

Vaggie looked around. The jagged feeling of the carpet came from the debris above. She looked up and saw cracks and holes in the ceiling, as if it was aged and destined to fall apart like it did. She realized that she herself was slightly dusty with the same debris, so she took a second and brushed herself off. There was an unhealthy amount of yellow. She also didn't remember the elevator having this much saturation in the color.

Then she finally looked down. Right in front of her lay the body of the woman of her dreams facing away from her. Her blond hair in a mess from what had transpired, her iconic pink blazer stained and soaked in ink. A black puddle had formed around her, and she lay still. It looked like she had been killed, but her blood wasn't that black. It would've contrasted slightly in the puddle if that were the case. Vaggie ruled that out and let out a sigh of relief she was unaware her lungs were storing. It didn't rule out her concern of course, because it didn't look like she was breathing.

Why isn't she breathing?

Vaggie was immediately at her side as she flipped her over to face her upwards. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was drawn in an expressionless line, blissfully sleeping and God forbid not permanently. Her first attempt was to physically try to wake her. "Charlie! Charlie, wake up!" She moved Charlie away from the black puddle and tore off the blazer, revealing her clean white dress shirt with unevenly positioned black suspenders. "Charlie, come on."

Vaggie check for a pulse, first feeling Charlie's breast and then putting her ear close to it. A very faint, but still functioning beat was heard. The same was done for Charlie's mouth. It almost felt like it wasn't there, but the warmth proved otherwise. Vaggie let out a sharp breath of relief and her next instinct was to perform CPR. Thank the Lord for high school health class.

30 chest compressions and 2 breaths.

Putting her dominant hand over her nondominant hand, she pushed down on Charlie's chest 30 times. She remembered that her teacher had used the rhythm to Stayin' Alive by The Bee Gees as the tempo the compression was supposed to be at. Vaggie recited numbers to keep track at that tempo. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12..." Seconds later she reached 30 and immediately went to tilting Charlie's chin upwards to open her airways. Vaggie inhaled and her mouth met Charlie's, as Vaggie let her breath fill Charlie's throat. She broke away and let in another breath, going down once again to do the same action. But alas, Charlie still lay unconscious. The moth demon was getting very nervous. Charlie couldn't have been gone like that, she was way too strong. Kind of pathetic, really; she's performing CPR on the devil's own daughter. Vaggie was thankful to be the only one in the elevator.

So Vaggie tried it again, and at 14 chest compressions, Charlie began coughing. Vaggie wiped sweat off of her forehead and put down a few more pushes, but when Charlie, opened her eyes, she shot up and immediately backed herself against the wall. "AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" The ear piercing scream resonated within the broken elevator. The stress of the situation had gotten to her again, her eyes feral and her horns out. Vaggie was quickly upright and in front of Charlie. "Charlie, it's okay! It's okay!" Constant reassurance usually helped someone like the princess.

Charlie's chest heaved up and down unevenly, and Vaggie noticed. "Hun, I need you to breathe! Come on, breathe, okay?" Vaggie held Charlie by the shoulders calmingly and started to breathe slowly, Charlie still energized and combat-ready from what had happened before. At some point, Charlie's breathing did slow down a little bit, and eventually, her horns began shrinking and her demeanor was more tranquil. "Inhale..." Vaggie said, and they did that for six seconds. "...and exhale." Ten seconds. Charlie met Vaggie's pace, and she realized in that moment that she was okay. Her last exhale was shaky, and it ended with a sob and a hug. Vaggie held on to her tight as Charlie let the remaining amount of stress in her body out through tears. The ones of relief you let out when you're happy to still be alive.

They stayed there for a good period. Collecting their thoughts on what transpired before the fall back into the depths of Hell where they came from. The strong elevator was not in such a horrible condition just moments before. It scared the girls that as the elevator went down, they watched their surroundings kind of...rot. Rust covered the walls and floors, the ceiling began to crack, and the golden accents began turning green as if it were faux and artificial. They were here now, and the smell of ink permeated and filled their nostrils.

"We need to get out of here," Vaggie concluded. Charlie nodded as she wiped her nose. She looked forlornly at her pink blazer that now laying in another puddle of ink. She had it for a long time, and it was one of her favorite articles of clothing she ever worn, for it reflected her cheery disposition. At least she had the sense to realize there was no time to whine about it now.

Vaggie managed to push the ajar fence gate entrance open. Looking ahead, they saw a the industrial walkway from last time, except it looked very dilapidated. The lights were also tinted with age, and what stood out was the sea of ink under it. Only one way to go.

Vaggie and Charlie began walking on the platform. Good thing that the stairs only went upward from where they were, because Charlie didn't feel like staining her clothes more than they already were. Charlie had rolled up her slacks to her knees, which were stained on ankle parts. The cuffs of her shirt were stained as well, and she took the time to tie her hair into a ponytail, bringing her scrunchie to her scalp.

Vaggie had worn a hoodie from before, which was tied around her waist at the moment. She had a lot of hair, so although it was put in a ponytail, there weren't many changes in length. Unfortunately, she couldn't do anything about her favorite stockings so she kept them on.

On the fortunate side her spear was still intact and ready to stab any fuckers that got too close! Least I have that going for me, she thought. She looked to Charlie, who was clutching her stomach. "Vaggie, I don't feel so well..."

"Do it over the walkway. Quick!"

The smell of ink was so very pungent that Charlie hurled over the edge of the walkway.

"*bleurgh*...:" She let out any food that she still had in her stomach. Wasn't a good idea to eat earlier before, but at least she got none on herself and only in the ink that covered the entire area under them. It looked disgusting floating in the ink and the contrast made it all the more horrible to look at. Charlie stopped looking at it and was ready to keep moving forward. What she doesn't know currently is that she's gonna get used to it eventually.

They made it to the stairs and walked all the way up towards the entrance. unlike the walkway, the floors were solid and had no holes in them. It gave the opportunity for some more puddles of ink to form, which came from dripping pipes above or on the side. Slowly, the girls made their way through the stairs, their feet sounding against the surface with a soft 'ting' one hears when walking on metal. On one of the flights, a puddle was on the stairs and when they crossed it, a black creature jumped out at them from the puddle. Charlie let out an "EEK!" from the surprise, and Vaggie was shook from the jumpscare. The creature made no sound. It's eyes were empty and it's mouth hung low in an imitation of Ghostface. It's long arms swiped at Vaggie, who dodged and immediately stabbed it several times with her spear. "DIE!" She screamed, getting carried away from being on edge.

After that mishap, they progressed upwards. Several pipes has also busted, making a waterfall on the stairs as Charlie and Vaggie skipped over it. It was so beyond them how the place of operations for an elevator to Heaven and Hell was managed so badly. No, no, abandoned is more of the right word.

They finally reached the top. And in the next corridor, it was still absent of any guarding angels.

"Where did they all go?" Charlie thought out loud. "They should be here...I don't like where this is going, Vaggie."

"Only one way to find out," Vaggie said. They both headed for the exit and Charlie and Vaggie opened the door.

The buildings were yellowed just like the lights downstairs. Not entirely, but enough that is was noticeable. The streets were covered in puddles of black ink as the small permeated in the air, and there were several bubbles near the sewer openings where it was, showing the the systems were clogged. The streetlights were also tinted yellow, and they were designed to look more like it came from aged Europe. The weather was just as hot too. It was when Charlie saw the citizens of Hell that she gasped.

They were all nearly covered head to toe in ink. Several spots were clean and open, but the rest of their bodies were completely black. Some of their features were strange too. The princess caught sight of a ghost sinner that left a trail of ink wherever they went because their arms were seemingly extended from the substance. An imp nearby had their horns drooping and sagging as if they were made of paper. As for their clothes, most of them looked the same as last time; depended if the sinner wanted to stay in the era they died or if they moved on. Charlie caught wind of things like hoodies and t-shirts, but most other inhabitants also opted for period-appropriate clothes too.

The cars were straight out of the early to mid twentieth century. The old soft top cars with the old fashion thinned wheels and even a horse were used on the streets. The only thing that looked normal was a sinner on their phone as they waited at a stop light, which was hanging loosely from ink as well. What was strange too was that they were following traffic laws. Charlie was almost certain that the whole place had turned around due to...whatever happened when sounds of yelling and a gunshot sounded when a thief had run by. Charlie was scared, and Vaggie was quick to get in her way, but as the thief ran by, they were sort of relieved to find out that Hell hadn't changed morally. Even though Charlie wanted to change that.

A piece of paper flew into Vaggie's face from a gust of wind. She took it off and looked at it, only to sigh in remembrance and, let's be honest here, slight annoyance. It was an ad of Angel Dust, sex extraordinaire, as it showed his on the pole and smiling for the viewer. The paper was ripped where his private section was at, and the rest was sort of faded, as it had been erased, but Vaggie was able to make out the date of when the event was supposed to be held.

"October...seventh....2021? That was when we left..."

Another gust of wind let the paper dissolve, as it flew away from the moth's hands and was lost to time. Music was heard in a nearby store, from a radio that crackled with life. The voice sounded familiar, but Vaggie couldn't pinpoint it to anyone. The name of the artist was stuck in her throat, but it was clear it was love song,

Folks, I'm goin' down to St. James Infirmary

See my baby there;

She's stretched out on a long, white table

She's so sweet, so cold, so fair

Let her go, let her go, oh bless her

Wherever she may be

She will search this wide world over

But she'll never find another sweet man like me

As the girls walked through the streets and look at the neo-40's surroundings, one things clouded Charlie's mind...

How long have we been gone?

Chapter Text

"Vaggie, you don't think...?"

Charlie looked around. Things couldn't have gotten this bad in a whole month. Clogged sewers, weird monsters crawling around, sinners and demons with what seems to be some kind of infection. No, it couldn't be. "I think time has left us behind, hun. I'm sorry..." Vaggie said as she put her arm around Charlie in concern of how she would react. As she stood in the street, Charlie's mind began flowing with thoughts of what could be. Where were her parents? Why did the modern setting regress? Were certain Overlords still alive? And then it hit her as she remembered the crumbled Angel Dust flyer.

"Vaggie, the Happy Hotel!" Vaggie looked at her. "Huh?" A car honked at them to get out of the way, and Charlie and Vaggie moved from the street.

"Are you sure you wanna check there first?"

"I just want to see what happened to it....I really don't like the idea of it being destroyed."

Vaggie thought to herself. As she and Charlie walked the streets, she noticed the other citizens giving the pair strange looks. She had to find out why. And her opportunity came when an entrance to a bar was present.

"Follow me, hun. We're finding answers first."

Before Charlie could protest, Vaggie grabbed her arm and lead her into the bar, called the 'Fountain Pen' ironically.

Inside, the environment was much like outside. Yellowish walls, dim lighting, except instead of an elevator base, it was a bar. Sinners sat around, drinking alcohol and talking to each other or playing games like cards. The bar was poorly maintained in terms of ink, and there were several of those ink monsters from earlier in the elevator moping along, reaching out to the sinners to supposedly attack them. They were usually shut down, so constant punches, gunshots and slices of blades sounded in sporadic moments. There was one person who was socked in the face, but no one paid mind. The lights were also held up from strands of sticky ink. They looked like they could fall off any second, but no one paid mind to that either.

Vaggie plopped onto a seat at the front of the bar, Charlie in tow and sitting right next to her. The princess then took the time to really look at the other sinners up close. She noticed some of the deformities of the others. There was one one a stool farther from her who had their face blinded by ink and their lower half absolutely gone. They seemed to have some kind of pattern on their face, but it was a little melty as if they were also made of ink as well.

Vaggie also made the same observations. One sinner had a long black neck like a giraffe. The way their body was revealed that the neck was not like this normally. She also noticed the blind sinner hopping off of the stool and moving away, in such a way that revealed this was their condition for a long time. Getting around only with their arms, their blindness not a problem as they left the bar. As unsettling as it was, it also didn't help the many stares that were being given to her and Charlie.

Charlie turned away from the scene and yelped at what she saw next. A fat bartending dinner with his face melted completely, a black drooping ring surrounding his plain skull. He moved his face in a motion as to look at her.

"You gonna keep staring or ask for a drink, sweetie?" He said in a humorous yet crass manner of voice. His jaw moved only up and down, but his voice came as if his lips were still intact. Charlie cringed only slightly, not wanting to offend the bartender anymore. "Um...anything without alcohol in it?"

"We have flavored ink, if that's what you're here for. Keeps the joints intact, heh!" The bartender joked as he cleaned a glass and set it down on the table. "So, flavored ink it is? We have ginger, strawberry, all kinds of-"

"You know what, me and my friend will just have water." Charlie interrupted, realizing what would happen if she drank ink. In no way did she want to end up like all these other unfortunate sinners, no matter how much she wanted to help them. Protecting herself was a first priority now, and Vaggie nodded with a light smirk noting her smart decision.

Of course, it didn't last long when the bartender, and several other demons, began laughing at her. The bartender had a true humiliating cackle and the other demons made it hurt even more. Knowing this familiar feeling from the 666 interview, Charlie shrank in her seat a bit. However, she didn't know why they were laughing. All she asked for was a drink of water...

"What gives, cabrón?" Vaggie reprimanded the bartender. "All she asked for was a drink of water!"

His laughing died down a bit. "Oh, Chris would love to hear about this," he mumbled to himself. "First of all, no one drinks water anymore, sunshine. We all drink ink because we need the goddamn fluids to keep ourselves together and survive, aight? Look at Ridley over there, his tail falls off in two days if he ain't got his ink in his system!"

He pointed to an imp, whose tail fell off at the exact moment it was said. "Shit, you said it, Brando!"

"And check Cupcake over here, they're neck is HUGE! How do they keep it up? The SAME stuff that couldn't help me save face, if you know what I mean, ha ha ha!" The bartender (apparently named Brando) laughed along with the rest of the bar occupants. Charlie couldn't help but stifle a little giggle, but the nerves weren't removed.

As the laughter died down, the bartender gave Charlie and Vaggie two glasses of water. "Enjoy while it lasts. It'll be the last sip you'll ever take."

Charlie stopped mid sip when she noticed what he had said. "Excuse me?" The bartender only chuckled as he slowly and threateningly grabbed a sawed-off double barreled shotgun from under the counter. "If this request for water has told me one thing...you ain't one of us, are you?"

Charlie slowly slipped off of the stool and backed away from the counter. Vaggie did the same. "Survivors haven't been kind to us ever since this fucking ink crap started. So what did we do?"

Charlie felt her back hit something, and she slowly looked up in fright. A hunky shark sinner with red tattoos, one of his eyes missing replaced with a pit devoid of light. "We turned them into one of us!" He forcefully took Charlie's hand and twirled her in a waltz style. "And ain't you the broad that announced that 'Sappy Hotel' bullcrap?" This, followed by more laughter, made Vaggie's eye twitch. She got up and summoned her spear. "Leave her alone, you freak!"

The shark turned to her. "And you're that dyke that's dating her! Wow, what a double whammy! Two datin' broads in the same area, and the shoddiest ones to boot!" Once again, laughter filled the bar. Vaggie was about to impale him when she swerved her head to the sound of the shotgun being cocked halfway.

"Welp...gotta reload this girl again," the bartender said. "You know what, I'll be graceful. Real rookie mistake, walking in here...but I'll give you girls ten seconds. Enough to get you outta this place, if the boys don't get you first. How about that?"

Charlie was pushed downward onto a table and a hand gripped her arm. "Stop it! Hey!"

"Always wondered what it's like to have a piece of the king's daughter's ass!" The shark said as he pulled out a knife and bloodlust filled his eyes. Vaggie was ready to charge at the stupid sinner, but was held back by two others, one a lava lamp sinner who's head was full of ink and the other the tall-necked sinner from before. "And you'll get to sit and watch, bitch! Haha!"

It wasn't going well for them. That was of course, Charlie remembered that she was the princess of Hell. When she saw the knife raise up, she snapped to her senses. Horns growing from her head, hair bursting into flames, teeth going sharp and her eyes going completely feral, Charlie had abandoned her cheery disposition. She kicked the demon in the family jewels.

"GNH-AAAAAAAAAH!" He screamed in pain, as Charlie then sliced his head off with her claws. Normally, she didn't condone this, but it was okay because of how he crossed the fucking line. Vaggie also punched the lava lamp demon's face, cracking it and freeing herself from his grasp, grabbing her spear and cutting the leg of the long-necked sinner who yelped and immediately directed their attention to the wound. The bar became a natural scene of chaotic disorder, as everyone went to fight Charlie and Vaggie.

Vaggie planted the blade of the spear in the ground. Using it as a pole, she swung around and kicked several sinners at a time, sending them into tables and other sinners. Another small ink monster had latched onto her leg, which she then lifted the spear, slitting it's throat and having it melt back into the floor. "Back to where you belong, little shit..."

Charlie on the other hand was conjuring hellfire, burning several sinners and making them run outside of the bar. She took an axe from another demon and sliced their stomach, making ink spray onto the ground as the sinner began to melt. Distracted by how unsettling it was, a capybara demon hit her in the head with a glass bottle, making her stumble a bit, she was tackled and then toppled onto by the other bar fighters, but light began to eminate from the openings of the bodies and all of a sudden-

*BOOM*

Charlie used her magic to make an explosion, causing the demons to burst away from her, Vaggie very quickly ducking from the arm of a boar sinner. Charlie gave a stare towards the bartender, who has just finished reloading, but realized it really wasn't worth it to fight the almighty princess.

"Get the hell outta my bar!" He said, fearfully pointing the sawed-off gun at her. She pointed her new axe at him. "Commanding a princess, now? How about I give YOU ten seconds to run? Before my girlfriend takes you down to double Hell, is that right, babe?"

Vaggie's bow was pointed in anger, her snarl feral and her spear at the ready to skewer the faceless sinner. He tucked the shotgun behind his back and ran to the back of the bar, locking the door and staying there until the two walked out. Charlie calmed down and returned to her normal form, Vaggie noticing a gash on her head.

"Ay, Dio, Charlie!"

"Yeah," Charlie said, flinching as she touched the small wound. "Now would be a good time to check out the hotel."

//////

Walking through the streets of Pentagram City now was a little bit more easier thanks to the bar fight. Not only did Charlie pull off a sweet 'item get' and acquire an axe, they were covered in ink and looked like the rest of the denizens. Much easier to blend in, which saved Vaggie from giving a lot of violent glares. Charlie twisted the axe in her hand when a taxi came up towards them. Charlie waved it down as it stopped, and she and Vaggie got in the backseat.

The driver turned around, revealing themselves to be some kind of bird demon. They had a grey coat on with a hat and their right eye normal and their left eye black with a red pupil. It was a little scrambled, but it looked like it used to be heart shaped. "Alright, you two, where do you dolls want to go?"

"The Happy Hotel." Charlie said, sounding impatient and demanding. The gash was really starting to sting on her head.

As the driver started the car, he pressed on the gas and merged back onto the road. He began talking. "Y'know, sounds like you've been living under a rock, but I won't judge. There's sinners who do that these days...anyway, the building you're referring to hasn't been called that in years. What was it, seventy five years ago since the princess left?"

Charlie made sure not to alter the ink on her face in fear of revealing her blush stickers and causing a dead giveaway as the driver looked at her. "So, yeah. It's probably not even her building anymore. It's called the 'Hopeless Haven' now anyway."

Vaggie spoke up, spear gripped tight in her hand after she ralized who they were riding in the car with. She remembered how much Angel would complain about Travis all the time. "You mind telling us who owns the building now?"

Travis rolled his eyes. "So you broads really DO live under a rock, eh? It's the Radio Demon! Alastor!"

Charlie's heart stopped. "A-Alastor?"

"Yeah! Lucifer knows what he's up to in there, but since you're somewhat headed there, I'll let the place do the talking. And speak of the devil, we're here."

Travis stopped in front of the building. "Well, this is our stop. The ride is five ink and 34 droplets. Disinflation is a bitch, but I'll take what I can get." Charlie reached into her wallet but then realized all that she had was bills and coins, as well as credit cards. "Do...you take credit?"

Travis was unamused. "Do I look like I have a little electronic setup here? They only have that in the newer cars, and those are rare these days!"

Charlie was unsure how to pay until Vaggie spoke up. "I got it." Taking out five large squeezable packets of ink from a wallet and a few smaller bottles marked with numbers, she handed them to Travis. "Thank you. Now get out, I got other places to go.

As Travis drove off, Charlie stood there with Vaggie. "Vaggie, where did you get that, er, 'money' from?" Vaggie shrugged. "I stole it from a guy at the bar." Charlie gasped, which was expected as Vaggie also rolled her eye. "Vaggie! You're not supposed to do that!" The moth grabbed her shoulders, giving her the stare that she does whenever she needs to justify an action or say something important. Like the one time she told Charlie not to sing in the interview. "What else are we supposed to do? Clearly we aren't in the same time period like when we last left, and everything is wonky! I have no idea why they never told us about it in Heaven until recently! And you saw your wallet! They're obsolete now! Keep it for safekeeping, and I'm sorry to say but the money is useless."

Charlie looked down. She knew Vaggie was right. Everything changed in such a short span of time that even the money was paid through ink as well. And she could've sworn she saw Travis open on of the packets and drink the ink as well. She looked up at what once was the Happy Hotel.

It looked moderately the same. Only difference was that it was also splashed in ink and there were a few more damages to the building, as well as the color palette matching most buildings. Charlie took a shaky breath.

"Let's go in." Vaggie grabbed her hand, giving her a look that said are you sure about this? She nodded, and Vaggie rubbed her thumb over Charlie's hand comfortingly, finally walking towards the entrance to what she once called home. What was once a safe haven for all who entered.

But she couldn't help but feel such a threatening aura.

//////

He sat in his nice lounge chair, pointed high up into the air, crowned with antlers. As he took a sip on his puree'd demon meat, he let out an 'ah' from his stomach, crackling with the radio filter he was iconic for having. His office was nice and lit with a comforting hellfire in the fireplace, and a semblance of peace was among the room.

A shadow crept up towards Alastor, taking the form of his likeness. He slowly walked up behind him.

"What is it now, dear?" He said, his mouth not moving. The shadow whispered something in his ear. The sound of slight interference came out of the Radio Demon.

"Them? They're here? After all this time?" He said, somewhat gleefully. He stood up. The shadow let out a silent cackle. "No, I don't think I will tell the others yet...not even my beau. Normally I wouldn't keep secrets from him, but I would like to find out what he does with this new information."

Finally, the shadow let out one last croak. Alastor's smile widened. "No, I'll let them explore first. Get comfortable. And only then....will they see what we have become and what will become of them too. Hahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaa!"

Chapter Text

The door opened with a loud and deafening squeal that threatened to break the door off of its hinges. Charlie remembered when Niffty, the maid of the hotel, would oil them everyday. God knows where she is now. As she and Vaggie stepped inside, she gazed around the main lobby. At least what once was the main lobby.

The red apple themed wallpaper was gone, the walls faded into the ugly yellow that surrounded the other places in Pentagram City. The floor had bits of ink lined in the cracks and a small puddle of it was seen in the corner, and the furniture was slightly intact with some black stains on it. The reception and bar fusion desk had a lone bottle of alcohol sitting on it, and the cooler that held the popsicles that Angel snacked on a lot was damaged, for it seemed like it hasn't been used in years. Spider webs were found in several places, big enough to house large demon tarantulas. The fireplace was empty, the signs that said 'BLACKJACK', 'WELCOME ALL SINNERS!' and 'BAR' were all faded. One of the pillars gave out, too. Such a contrast from what it was a month ago, or what seemed like a month ago. Such a contrast from Charlie's vision. But nevertheless, it didn't stop Charlie from uttering these words:

"I'm home..."

It even felt like a lie. Vaggie would've said something to confirm it, but she decided against it, not wanting to add more to what Charlie was already feeling. They went deeper into the lobby, as Charlie put her fingers on the faded gold that lined the banisters of the stairs to the rooms above. Looking at her fingers, she saw grey dust stain her white doll-like skin. Vaggie looked at the bottle of alcohol on the bar, noticing that it was completely black inside. Picking it up and sloshing it around, she noted that the liquid inside was also black and slightly thick as well. "Ugh, it's just ink. Everything is ink."

Charlie sighed as she sat on the stairs. Vaggie sat next to her. "I don't know, hun. I don't think we should stay here." Charlie looked up. "No. This is my hotel, and I'm going to get to the bottom of this." Vaggie looked at her. "We aren't even on the top of what's going on!" Charlie got up and brushed herself off of several bugs that crawled on her. "So that's why were gonna find out." Vaggie got up with her, looking towards the stairs. "Are you sure, hun?" The princess nodded in response. As they went upstairs, Charlie's shadow smiled and detached from her, following the pair.

They searched the second floor, finding nothing but vacant rooms and no signs of anybody, which Vaggie was thankful for. After how they were treated back at that other bar, she wanted to avoid anyone and everyone, even if she knew them from before. Charlie thought the same. Everyone probably thought that Charlie wanted Heaven all to herself and her girlfriend, so it wasn't rocket science to determine if she should avoid most people or not. But it made her think about her parents. One step at a time, Charlie, she said to herself.

Vaggie opened another door. "Charlie, check it out." Walking over, Charlie let out a small gasp. "My...my office?" Yup. Untouched and undisturbed. Exactly as she left it.

Charlie walked over to her desk, filing cabinets lining the walls. They weren't even filled yet since it was planned to have a lot of documents for the souls to come and check in. The desk was piled with papers, and she picked up the very first one, yellowed with age like the U.S. Constitution. It was the document of Angel's signing to agree to the terms and conditions of the hotel, as much as he didn't even follow the guidelines. It was still proof. Same went for Husk and Niffty. Niffty's signature was hastily scrawled on the paper and all that Husk left was a lowercase 'h'. And at the bottom was an empty signature. A sign of the hope that she thought was most likely now extinguished:

This was supposed to be Alastor's signature.

Vaggie broke the silence. "Wasted so much time in that chair, huh?" Charlie nodded with a solemn, "Yeah...yeah, I did."

Putting the papers down, they turned around to go exit the room, not noticing more shadows following them.

//////

Alastor walked the halls towards his next recruit, Husk and Niffty in tow. They had all fallen to the ink infection, and it paid a heavy toll on them. At least, until now. Husk sipped on his bottle of spiked ink while Niffty trotted along the yellowing hallways, smiling and energetic as usual.

Alastor kept his threatening aura. He loved being such an enigma and having others not know when he was going to snap or doing anything, really. It was off putting when he walked around with a smile and seemingly a cheery yet deadly disposition. Exactly what he was doing right now, as his mouth stayed still, leaking ink while his stomached radio had Nat King Cole on it's airwaves:

Three little words

Oh, what I'd give for that wonderful phrase

To hear those three little words

That's all I'd live for the rest of my days

And what I feel in my heart

They tell sincerely

No other words can tell it half so clearly

Three little words

Eight little letters

Which simply mean I love you

Husk looked down inside of his now empty bottle, trying to find stray drops of ink. He spoke to Alastor as he inspected it. "Remind me why we're here again?" Alastor pointed his finger up, reminding him why he was dragged along in the first place. His voice crackled through the old speaker. "Well, Husker, old pal, we're here to recruit an ally for our...how should I put this, our 'cause', if you will." Husk grunted in indifference. "If any cause is made by you, I don't want to be part of any of it." Alastor turned his head to him, still walking. It really creeped the cat out how only his eyes moved. "Oh, trust me, Husker, you've already contributed to such a wondrous mission. Now, the reason why I'm dragging you all along is because I have a surprise to show both of you."

"I love surprises!/I hate surprises...", Husk and Niffty said at the same time. "It'll show itself up at some point. It will be a grand one..." Alastor's eyes went dark. "A mighty and marvelous bewilderment." They reverted back in the blink of an eye quite literally. "Now, we must focus on our new ally, however."

"Oh, oh, oh!" Niffty called out, raising her hand like a school girl. "We're here to get Mrs. Angel, right?!" Alastor nodded. "Yes, indeedy! How ever did you know, my darling Niffty?" Niffty gestured to their surroundings. "I've cleaned this floor enough times to tell from the smell alone!" She said, smiling as if she was fond of it. "That and the music." Alastor nodded once again, closing his eyes in agreement. "Yes, of course! He will be a wonderful asset to our team."

"And what that clown do for us, huh? Suck the ink out of our-"

"HUSKER, my good friend." Alastor said, blaring his name as if to verbally chastise him for talking down on Angel. Husk didn't flinch at all; he was way too used to it at this point. What he hadn't noticed is that they all stopped moving. "Perhaps you should look around before you begin to doubt my choice in partners," Alastor said, pointing a black hand towards where he was talking about. Husk looked up, expecting the bare minimum.

"Whatever, it's no like I'm wro-...oh, shit."

A dozen crawling Searchers surrounded the door that lead to the new ally's room. Heavy pink smoke flowed under it, almost engulfing and wrapping around the inky monsters. They were all muttering the same word over and over again, their hands crawling all over the door and leaving dark stains. Angel, Angel, Angel, they called out, a repeated mantra of seduction that had them enticed, caught hook and sinker. And it made Alastor boil with envy as he heard his beau's extraordinary voice.

O mio babbino caro

Mi piace è bello, bello

"What the fuck did you put in my drink?" Husk said, not believing what he was seeing and suspiciously eyeing his ink bottle. Alastor chuckled, his eyes wild. "Oh, believe me, not even a hundred bottles of your spirits could make you see THIS." He viciously summoned his staff. The slit of the eye was squiggly, as if make of liquid just like the rest of them. He looked to Husk, who actually got chills this time from his icy stare. "Any other complaints?" All he could do was shrug. "Well shit, I ain't gonna say no to free ink," he said, getting ready to barge into the room. Niffty giggled, brandishing a knife and thinking that they were going to take down the Searchers.

"Wonderful! Now let's get ourselves an angel," Alastor said. He walked up towards the door, Angel's humming cut off by the Radio Demon's knock on the door. "Ohh, Angel!" He said in a falsetto. Angel immediately stopped singing, prompting Alastor to continue. "I'm respecting your privacy by knocking, but asserting my authority as your partner..." He readied his foot. "...by COMING IN ANYWAYS!"

He kicked down the door, busting it off of it's hinges and dispersing the pink smoke in the room. The sickly sweet smell Niffty had mentioned filled his nostrils, strong but welcome, as it was a nice contrast to the constant smell of ink in the establishment. The room was barren, save for vents that poured the smoke out of it's openings and a large circular bed, the owner's figure hidden by a pink veil. What could be seen on him was his silhouette, a nice black dress fitted on him and a little crack could see him petting Fat Nuggets, who snuggled under his seemingly silk touch.

"Did'ja have to use so much pink?" Husk asked, making a face at the smoke. "It smells way too sweet in here..."

"If you don't like it then you're welcome to wait outside!" Alastor summoned a barrier in the doorway, cutting off Niffty and Husk and obliging to the cat's statement. He ignored the 'what the fuck' that came from the other side. There was another reason why he shut them off too, one that he wouldn't say out loud ever.

Soft oinks were heard from the bed, as Angel tensed and his his face under a pillow. Alastor sighed and called out to him. "Angel? Are you in there, dear?" He was greeted with a nice and soft: "Go away, Al..." Alastor clicked his tongue, or at least, he made the sound since he refused to open his mouth. Angel didn't need the mess of stray ink in his domain. Alastor moved the veil to look at Angel. He spoke more quieter. "Well, that just won't do, my love. You see, I'm building a team, and-"

"Find someone else, Al..." Angel growled through the pillow, not wanting any of what Alastor was trying to get him involved in. Alastor kept pushing. "Come now darling...you can't possibly mean that." He was stepping in Angel's zone right now, who was shaking under a blanket. "Especially after the most likely traumatic events that have...occurred from years past. I know how much you despise it, Angel."

Angel couldn't take it anymore. He slowly took off the blanket, his voice splitting into two and rising in anger. "I said...leave me AL-"

Startled by how close Alastor was, the spider got quieter. "...lone..." Alastor closed his eyes and let out a small laugh. He gazed at Angel, observing the reason he was hiding. Half of his face was melting off, the left side of his mouth open to reveal his sharp teeth filled with venom. His eye that used to be dark purple with a pink iris was now just completely black, and the extra eyes under them were leaking and drooping like paint. The other half of his face minus the drooping dots was fine, but what also bothered his was the large film reel in his head. Syringes filled with pink ink were stuck inside of his back, so he always layed on his side or his stomach.

By his standards: he was no longer beautiful. By Alastor's: Such thoughts will not stand with him. "There we are, my beautiful Angel." He bent down to match his position and his eyes met the others. "Now kindly explain why you've been avoiding me, Angel?" Angel looked at him, not knowing what to say without sounding like someone who had no respect for themselves. "I- It, uh-..." he stuttered, failing to find anything to say. Alastor dramatically put a hand to his ear, getting closer to him. "What's that, my dear? Do speak up, please?"

After a solid two minutes, Angel softened up. "I-It's, uh...my...my face." He felt a hand lightly grab his chin, his gaze directed to the Radio Demon, who's voice was even softer now. "Your face? Is that so?" Angel looked away. "Alastor, ya' don't unda'stand. As much as ya' want ta'...I can't let anyone see my face."

"I never said you had to show anyone, isn't it why I bought you that special hat?" He replied, pointing towards the hat that lay a few feet from Angel. "And as for your face, what's wrong with it?" Angel looked down, ashamed as to what would come out of his mouth. "Ya' wouldn't like what I''m gonna say, Al."

"Oh, Angel Dust, mon douce. What is on your mind about your face?"

"I'm HIDEOUS, Alastor! Don't ya' FUCKIN' SEE IT?!" Angel yelled, his voice raising and splitting again into several octaves and scaring Fat Nuggets, who ran away and cowered in the smoke, Angel had noticed and reached out to his pig, but he drew his hand back apologetically. "'Dis face ain't beautiful anymore, Alastor. Vile, nasty, monstrous, anythin' 'dat's a synonym to it. And I gotta hold it up wit' 'dis stupid ink shit."

Alastor clicked his tongue again. "No. Honestly, I don't see it." Angel looked surprised. "May I?" Alastor said, wondering if he can sit on the bed. Angel sat up, sitting next to him. "You are the most wonderful sinner I could ever have myself stuck with in this cesspool of many other things vile, nasty, monstrous as you say. Years ago, I wouldn't have said that but look at where we are now because I just didn't see it at first. I hope you don't take it the wrong way, darling."

"No," Angel said, shaking his head. "Go 'head an' continue."

"Let me put it this way. What do you describe as beautiful, my darling?" Angel looked around realizing that the deer wanted an answer. "Oh, uh, alright...roses...sunsets...starry skies...you...the color pink...performin' at 'da tower wit' 'da veil on...Fat Nuggets..." He trailed off. "That's all I can think of really." Alastor sat upright, raising his chin. "You know what you're missing?" He turned completely to him now, cross legged on the bed. "You listed roses, sunsets, starry skies, me, the color pink, my radio tower and Fat Nuggets. That list is missing two words." He raised his hand and with both words, put one finger up. "Angel. Dust." He took Angel hands into his. "The next time you think of beautiful things, darling, never ever forget to count yourself in."

Angel smiled warmly. "Okay. I promise. But...I'm not ready ta'...y'know."

"Oh, I never said you have to show your face." Alastor comforted him. "If anything, I'll be the only person to admire it. I like the sound of that, believe it or not." Angel laughed. "Well, let's do it 'den. Speakin' of plans, ya' didn't come all 'da way 'ere just 'ta kick my door down an' be a throbbin' dreamboat. What's goin' on? And replace 'da door when ya're done."

Alastor smiled. "Oho, I will, don't worry. As I was saying...I have a cause I'm running...and you would make an excellent part of it."

//////

Charlie and Vaggie had searched the third and fourth floor, and they found some things. On the third floor, the rooms had been repurposed into torture rooms. Vaggie chalked it up to most likely Alastor saying that the second floor being empty was the first warning. And it wasn't torture kink gear, either. Literal torture methods with things like blades, ink to drown or infect someone in, loose wires, stoves to burn, among many more. Even a blood eagle was found in one of the rooms which disturbed Charlie, a contrast to where she was literally born. Which was Hell. Lucifer reveled in torture. It didn't mean they didn't find any good things though. Vaggie found a lost necklace given to her by an old friend (who no doubt was either dead or infected, but dead has a higher chance) and a photo of herself and Charlie on a date. Charlie found an old bowtie and plushies of herself and the hotel staff and members that she had created. Poorly made, but made with love.

On the fourth floor, they found more of those ink monsters. Charlie let out another 'EEK!' as one lunged at her, which was then stabbed by Vaggie's spear. Charlie used her axe this time to kill them, so they wasted no time in running away and cowering. Otherwise, it was the same: more torture rooms. There were also words painted in ink on the wall:

LET IT SPREAD

THEY HAVEN'T COME BACK FOR US

REVENGE WILL BE OURS

Looking specfically at the second phrase, Charlie wondered. "Wait a second...are they talking about us?" Vaggie looked at it too, scowling at the message. "They just wanna scare us into running. Let's move on." The walked up towards the fifth floor, but found that it was locked by a door. "Dammit, there's no way in," Vaggie said. "I could use my spear, but that's counterproductive. It's still angel steel, but I don't think it's necessary." She was going to suggest going elsewhere when Charlie called out to her, "Over here, Vaggie!" Vaggie came over as she opened a fuse box. "There's two fuses missing. And these wires lead to that door." Vaggie traced the wires and found that Charlie was right. "Okay. gotta find those fuses, then. You search up here, I'll search downstairs." Charlie nodded as they split up, uneasy that they were doing so.

Charlie found hers easily. The only problem was it was inside of one of the ovens of the torture rooms. "Why does this have to be so complicated? Who puts a fuse box in a fucking oven?" She thought out loud.  She reached into the oven, but a soft pitter patter of feet made her perk her head up and hit her head. "Yow!...Vaggie is that you?" No response. She reached into the oven again. Grabbing the fuse, she celebrated her easy discovery until a darker chuckle was heard. "Huh?"

Reflexes are very important. As the daughter of Lucifer, Charlie has some amazing reflexes when the moment comes. So that's how she avoided getting locked in an oven and burnt to death as flames bursted out of it, crawling away and screaming. As the flames died down, she noticed something shrinking into an ink puddle, but it was too small for her to notice. "That was too close," Charlie said, getting up slowly. Then she realized that with what just transpired that someone knew that they were here in the building. She had to warn Vaggie...but first, she plugged in the fuse into the fuse box.

As for Vaggie, she was in a bit of a pickle.

Opening the door to a room she realized she forgot on the third floor was almost her final day as a normal sinner. "Woooah!" She yelled as she steadied herself from falling into the pool of ink below. Planks of wood were attached, almost as a balance beam that was rickety and shaped in a crude zig zag. Cages with bones and ink dripping from them, as well as candles, hung from the ceiling. The planks led to a shelf with cans, some useless tools, and whoopty-fucking-doo. A fuse.

"Why does everything need to be so difficult?"

Vaggie spent a few minutes readying herself for the planks. This was a one-try situation only, and if she fell, who knew if she'd drown or if she'd have to come back to Charlie as one of the infected. It hurt to think about, so she put it behind her and stepped on the first plank.

She tensed up after it creaked a little too much and too loudly. After it stopped and it felt steady, the moth took a deep breath and ventured into the room. Almost lost her balance here or there, but she was able to look around and observe the room without falling. All that could be heard was the creaking of the wood she walked on, the cages and her own breathing, plus the flow of the murky ink below that awaited her if she slipped. And she didn't expect to actually cross it but, she did.

Letting out a breath as she made it to the other side, she grabbed the fuse and turned back to exit the room, and then it hit her. How stupid could she be to not remember she had to do this again? "Oh, tienes que estar cagándome..." She muttered as she readied her foot on the plank again.

She was doing okay with the crossing back, two planks ahead when all of a sudden...

CRACK

She turned around to find that the first plank had cracked. And then the second one. And then the next one. "Oh, shit, I gotta MOOOOOVE!" She yelled in fear as she basically glided across the planks, which broke and fell into the ink gradually. She couldn't help but notice a figure with a large build in the corner of the room slink away into an opening she hadn't noticed before while she was running. She prayed to God that she could make it.

Getting out of the room, Vaggie quickly slammed the door shut and breathed heavily, clutching the fuse in her hand. She evened out her breath, and then she began to laugh. "Hahahahaaaa, fuck you!" She said out loud, turning to the door and pointing middle fingers at it. "Thought you had me, huh? Well, no one can stop the absolute superior Salvadorian power of Vaggie the Gre-"

"Vaggie, what are you doing?"

Vaggie yelped, startled to see Charlie staring at her stupefied of her behavior. "Why are you yelling about being Salvadorian?" Vaggie cleared her throat, her face red from embarrassment. "Um, well, no need for you to know that. It was hard to get this fuse thing, anyway." She raised the fuse and showed it to Charlie. "Oh, you got it! Okay, let's put it in the box!" They went back to the fourth floor, and Vaggie put the second and last fuse into the fuse box.

Charlie walked over to the shut door and pulled the lever next to it. Loud sounds of machinery moving started to fill the room, shaking the two a little bit. Slowly, the metal door opened upward with a deafening screech as gears pulled it up. When it opened all the way, the girls walked inside and their eyes widened. "Woooooah..."

The place was a large ball room. Charlie planned to have many parties in here back when the place was still up and running, but now it was work down and old. An un polished floor, yellowed lights just like everywhere else, drooping curtains and a discarded banner hanging from one of the walls, its words out of view. The stairs to the top, which led to the next floor, were old and damaged, and the banisters were rusty and also damaged as well. The chandelier above was still hanging, it's crystalline aura the only well preserved part of the room. Only thing new was the metal door that led into here, which Charlie never intended to place there. Must've been put there after they left.

"Wow...at least the chandelier still looks lovely." Charlie said.

"I thought so too, darling!"

"HUH?!" Both Charlie and Vaggie said at the same time, looking behind to see a familiar face smiling at them. "Alastor?!" Charlie said, bewildered at his sudden appearance. He teleported and put his arms around both girls, saying in a sing song voice, "Welcome back, welcome back, welcome home, you are back!" He laughed and teleported to the top of the stairs, smiling all the way. Charlie noticed his mouth didn't move when he sang, and as he perched up top, she got a good look at him.

The bottom of his suit was covered in ink, as well as his arms and legs. His suit was mildly untouched, except for his middle section, torn to reveal a radio...in his stomach? It was attached to two pipes which went into the back of his head, gears sticking out of it. His unmoving mouth leaked ink, and he tilted his head as he noticed two other figures moving behind the girls.

The first one was walking almost seemingly on thin air, a trail of thick ink following behind them. He then stopped and dissolved the trail, standing next to Alastor, revealing it to be Husk. His wings and eyebrows were droopy, dipped in ink and no longer functional. Looks like he also opted to wear clothes, his signature bowtie paired with suspenders and pants similar to Charlie's. His top hat was also there too.

A trail of ink also spread on the floor, following Charlie and circling around both her and Vaggie. A playful giggle sounded in the room, and it later went upstairs, forming into a humanoid and short figure, revealing Niffty. Not much of her changed; her hair was only tinged in ink but her clothes and limbs were completely black. Her smile and her wide eye was still recognizable.

"So this was the surprise, Alastor?!" Niffty said excitedly. Alastor nodded. "Precisely!" He said, his mouth not moving. Vaggie noticed how his voice came from the radio in his stomach. Husk sipped on some more ink. "It seems like the wait was worth it after all. We get something actually unexpected for once." He looked at the girls and smirked. "Finally decided to come back, eh?"

"That's not-" Charlie started, but Vaggie put an arm out to stop her. Alastor laughed.

"Glad you could make it girls! So wonderful to see you again after all these years!" Niffty giggled and waved, and Husk sipped on some more ink. Alastor's voice darkened.

"So tell me now...how fun was the fall?"

Chapter Text

It felt like she couldn't move from where she was standing. Charlie was frozen in place, absolutely shell-shocked from the condition of her former business partner (given the circumstance, it was safe to assume 'former') as well as his two assisting companions. Covered in ink, looking like they were going to fall apart by the next second. What weirded Charlie out the most was that when Alastor had put his hand on her's and Vaggie's shoulder when he greeted them, it was cold to the touch...but also warm. Like he was both dead and alive at the same time. Her mind went to the thought of zombies, but the thought left when the Radio Demon cleared his throat.

"Now, you must be very well discomposed from your trip back down to this pit, so why not have some tea? It always calms the nerves after a ride, doesn't it, Niffty?"

"You said it, boss!" The deer spawned a table in the middle of the ballroom as Charlie and Vaggie were forced into chairs by a magical force that pushed them in. Alastor sat with them as his shadow formed into its iconic sentient form. It looked just like it had last time, except an imprint of a black radio and the gears in the back of his head resembled Alastor's new form. It poured the girls some tea. "And don't worry, my dear Vagatha..."

He has no right to call me that now, the moth thought bitterly.

"I guarantee you there is no foul intention in what is being poured. I'm just offering some chamomile! Your favorite, darling! From all those years ago!" Vaggie growled. "It hasn't been that long, Alastor. We've been gone only for a month..." The deer waved his hand. "Now now, no need to act all delusional!" Charlie cautiously sipped on the tea that he had served, Husk and Niffty at his sides indulging in it themselves. He was right; it wasn't poisoned at all, just normal and surprisingly not ink-contaminated tea. What did disturb her was the tea leaking from the bottom of Alastor's stomach radio and from his mouth for whatever didn't go in right.

"How about our dear Charlotte explains to us what was so interesting about Heaven that you had to leave us all for so long?" Charlie gulped.

"It...it wasn't like that, Al...I swear..."

"Well, I would think so, but given how clairvoyant those conspicuous angels are and that 'God' you seemed to be working with, the opposite just seems to present itself, even without words!" Vaggie was getting a little bit frustrated at the fact that Alastor wasn't even trying to hear the princess out. The claims weren't baseless, but they sure as hell were annoying with the fact that he wouldn't give her a chance and he kept cutting her off. So she made it known. "Maybe she could explain if you would politely shut up and let. Her. Talk."

Alastor slowly covered Niffty's ears, who was curious as to why he was doing so. "Language at the table, my dear!" Vaggie rolled her eyes and sipped her tea. Charlie lightly cleared her throat. "Well...how have you be-"

"OH, WONDERFUL, DARLING!" The Radio Demon said, his radio getting an overwhelming amount of feedback from the excitement of talking about what he's been up to. Everyone covered their ears now, Husk's sensitive ears not being able to take it. "Jesus, Al, what the hell was that?!" He was ignored on the spot and Alastor kept talking. "I haven't been bored in years! Ever since the ink came down, it's been tremendously chaotic! Both sinners and demons dying left to right, access to all rings have been opened to everyone, and let me tell you, Wrath and Lust have the most wonderful sunsets!"

They opened up the rings?! But... Charlie thought. How could a place with no access to sinners be without limits? Lucifer set them for a reason.

"And let me not leave out my poor body count! Over the MILLIONS, my demon belle! The amount of blood I've shed can't compare at this point to my human life, hahahaha! If I were any less bright, I'd say this my my own personal Heaven!"

"Only down side is we've had to put up with this ink shit for over sixty years," Husk said. Vaggie choked on her tea. She just remembered Travis mentioning that no one had seen Charlie for seventy five years, and that fact just hit her. "*cough* *cough* Mierda...*hack* sorry..." Charlie went straight to her side to help and Husk just shrugged, sipping on more tea that he thought was flavorless.

"As Husker here has explicitly stated, yes, it has sadly been so for a long time. How it happened...I don't know." Obviously he was lying, but why would he tell them? It was an entertaining thought seeing them figure out most of the events out on their own. "And poor Niffty and Husker here are also victims of the ink poisoning! We do out best in dealing our rations! Rations, rations, rations!"

"Yeah! And Mrs. Angel's always making sure he has enough ink!" Niffty nodded. Husk groaned. "Yeah, 'cause he's always hogging it..." The statement got him a look from Alastor, who then looked back at Charlie. She gulped again, then took a deep breath. "It...it took longer, Al. The angel I ran into said that there was something urgent we had to tend to and we took long because it was more complicated an-"

"Oh, dear me, always so much more 'complicated', hahahahaa! You're a comedian, everything is complicated, love!" He stood up from the table and "You can't possibly understand how complicated our lives are. But I'll let you keep it up to interpretation. Otherwise, I see you've clearly haven't succumbed to the wonderful abyss that you used to call home! Why do I say 'used to', huh?" Alastor looked to Vaggie. "I can smell the wretched blessings on you." Vaggie slowly backed her chair away and stood up.

"I think we're done here, Al. You clearly don't want us here in our own hotel!"

"Hahahahahahahaaaaahahaaa! I would know, Vagatha, it hasn't been yours for years!"

"Al, please, we won't bother you anymore..." Charlie said, also getting up and putting her hands up in surrender. "If you don't want us, fine. We'll find a way to solve it! I promise!" As the others got up from the table and wiped their mouths with the napkins available, the table disappeared and Alastor teleported to the top of the stairs again. "Who said anything had to be solved, darling?"

"WHERE'S MY FUCKIN' HAT?! IF I DON'T FIND 'DAT SHIT RIGHT NOW, I'M BLOWIN' 'DIS JOINT TA' P̷̣̈́̿Ì̸̥̞͑Ě̴͚͐C̷̛͔E̴̤̯͋S̴̻͉͆!̸̱͚͘" A voice yelled from above, slightly muffled but still loud enough to pass through several floors. "A-Angel..."

"Well, it looks like I have to calm him down again before he really does go through with that statement. Toodeloo, Charlotte and Vagatha! I hope you have safe travels!" Turning to walk away, he turned back for a second. "And Charlie, it's rude to stare at my mouth for that long?"

"Oh..." Charlie said. She didn't even notice how long she was staring at it. How was he talking through his radio and his mouth wasn't moving? "You could've asked why my vocal cavity hasn't moved for the entire time I've talked! Well, I can tell you what! T̵̟̦͈͔̐̉̈́h̷̬̲̟̎̃͝I̸̜͕̩͂̀s̷̼͗̀ ̶̛̯͋͝ͅH̶̖̙̳͗̾͋ȃ̸̹͇̖̰͗P̶̢͔̋p̴͖̘̜̜̋̈́̕͝Ȅ̶͈̦n̶̜̙͐̇̄S̷̞̭̗̈́͛̆.̸̪̮̔" Opening his mouth, his eyes went jet black and Husk and Niffty scattered so that they wouldn't be caught up in the carnage that was to come. It was a black waterfall almost; the puddle got bigger and bigger as it dropped to the bottom of the stairs, Vaggie readying her spear and Charlie brandishing her ax to get ready for what would come next.

And they predicted right as the ink began to bubble and a charcoal colored hand reached out of it. More hands eventually came out as well and they formed into bodies that moaned and gargled with forbidden life. Charlie tightened the grip on her axe and the last of the ink dripped down and the Radio Demon chuckled. "I guess the Searchers have found what they're looking for!" He left with his lackeys, not a word spared. About 15 of these 'Searchers' were coming from the puddle and it made the ballroom feel smaller, the fluid covering the walls and a thick coating blocking the metal entrance from whence they came.

"We can handle them, right?" Charlie said, half confident and half nervous. Vaggie snarled. "Absolutely."

It took a second for the ink beings to notice them, but once they did, they reached their disgusting dripping hands out towards them and dragged themselves forward like zombie snails. Their raspy breaths, agonized moans and growls filled the room. Vaggie's hands also tightened on her spear as she lunged at the first searcher. "RAAAAGH!"

Her spear went right through it, reducing it back to it's inky puddle form. Charlie swung at another with the axe, and it took about 3 blows to get it down. She kicked another in the face when it tried to grab her.

"I bet that stupid radio freak is watching up right now!" Vaggie said, piercing another ink monster in the chest. "Not too far off, but do you think he has time to do that?" Charlie responded as she hacked at another Searcher. "It's obvious he's onto something-GAOOW!" A Searcher grabbed her by the hair and tugged, attempting to attack her. Her hair lit up with demonic fire and burned the Searcher as it shrunk, Charlie's attack power raising tenfold. She swung faster at the Searchers, Vaggie laughing a little at how this revealed Charlie's tender-headedness. She wasn't mad; they were down to five Searchers now.

After Charlie calmed down, she refocused and swung more, Vaggie chipping in with her spear. Sticking her spear in the ground, she kicked a Searcher in the face like she had done to one of the guys in the bar, turning it back into a murky puddle. Charlie utilized some of her hellfire to burn the others, some of them being caught and the others ducking.

Down to two more Searchers, the girls stood their ground and the ink blobs gave them a stare down. Vaghie intensified her glare and the Searchers retreated, fusing into the ink wall that blocked them from the exit. Vaggie sighed. "Pussies...I wanted to end that fight on a bang."

"As much as I want to get back at them for ruining my hair, it would be more useful to keep going, Vaggie." Charlie said. "We need to find out more if Alastor won't tell us."

"I want to fucking leave," Vaggie said, turning around only to find the ink wall. She grabbed a loose plank of wood she unearthed after sticking her spear into the floor and stuck it into the wall. It did nothing but suck in the wood slowly. She could've sworn she saw the wood melt as well...as if it's genetic makeup just changed on the fly.

"It's only up, then..." Vaggie said. Charlie nodded and they made their way up the stairs. "Do you think that the others just aren't made out of normal demon meat anymore?"

"I wouldn't think so, I have both blood and ink on me from the bar fight. But we still need to see what's causing it. Maybe we could stop it...who knows." As they walked off, Vaggie hadn't realized she was right. Someone was watching them, but it wasn't the Radio Demon.

In some unnoticed damage near the ceiling, the spider had caught them in his raging search for his hat.

//////

Alastor had been minding his own business in his office, reading articles about the latest ink wells opening up. They had been popping up everywhere in Pride and a few in other circles nearby. All of them useful to Alastor's plan, which was in full swing now that Angel had accepted into it. It was almost too flawless, but with the reappearance of Charlie and Vaggie, it did raise a few concerns. He was already onto the fact that Charlie was going to reverse the spreading of the ink, since she 'vowed' to 'fix' Alastor and his friends. She said that all those years ago starting up the hotel and look where she ended up. In Heaven with no care as to what happened to her friends back downstairs. It wasn't even his concern, either. It was entertaining to predict when she'd come back down, and soon whether she'd come down at all. Now that it was solved, Alastor began to prepare. He needed more people to help his cause, and he already knew some willing candidates.

But right now, he needed some rest. A little bored from the silence, he decided to turn on the radio in his stomach. He flipped the stations magically, cocking his head to focus on it as it crackled and fizzed.

"klhfbal.dgnljflhfglnrfgszdglkjf Oh-woah-oh-oh-oh-overwhelming, everything about you is so ohjlhkgfasbgdkjbladgjasfjbgafxghkbgashgjfxgk I'm on a mission, mission, I'm on a mission, mission, Oh please don't try my teamlahjkfsdjfsbdljghsdbgfskjghsbgnlfhgl DVNO, four capital letters, printed in gold 'cause details make the girls swsihfdblsadfgbsgkhlgk.."

"Nothing good on the radio these days," Alastor muttered to himself.

"kkdsasgkln;asdg I sit by myseeeelf, talking to the mookldjfsnafgknafjgk Voy a contarles a ustedes, lo qué a mi me ha sucedido, qué es la emocion mas profunda, qué en mi vida yo he sentido..."

"That'll do! Such a cheery tune," he said to himself as he opened his newspaper back up. The peace wouldn't last long, however, as very angry footsteps were heard above the light music. "Who knew heels could make so much noise?" Alastor said as the door burst open and Angel walked in, hat over his face and the visible part absolutely fuming. Alastor stood to greet him. "Hello, my dear beau! I see you've found your hat!" When Angel had slapped him, some ink splattered out of Alastor's mouth and the radio went crazy in static, which usually meant that Alastor was going to kill whoever had touched him. Here it only meant that he was startled since he really had no heart to touch Angel in such a way. He was his heart, anyway.

"I know ya' knew about 'dis before I found out, so don't 'cha give me a goddamn 'dear beau' right now!"

Alastor rubbed his cheek. "Well, I thought you would like to find out yourself!"

"I FUCKING HATE SURPRISES AND YOU KNOW THAT!" Angel yelled at the top of his lungs, causing the room to tremble and a vase to fall off of the table and crack. "And couple this wit' 'da fact that I have a performance in two days, I'm not in the right space or mood to learn 'dat those two whores are bitchin' around in 'da Hotel!"

"Now, why would you call them what you used to be, hmm? So ashamed of your past, you're scared to acknowledge it?"

"Shut 'da fuck up, Al! You don't know jack shit about my past."

"I've been with you for forty years, and you haven't spilled much."

"Neitha' have you! So fuck off! And next time, warn me so I can give Charlie and Vaggie a piece of my FUCKIN' MIND SO THAT I CAN TEACH TH̶̲͋̐͠Ề̴̼̞̻̹̝̚̕M̶̯̠̞̂̿͜͝ ̶̥͕̺̗͒͐W̶̼͙̺͎̻̃̾̚H̸̛̤̩͕͓̃́̂͜A̶͖̻̅̆̕͝T̸͚̝̖̥̝̿̎̅̔͝ ̵͙́͑̑͠͠H̴͙̞̯̹̀͗A̷̰̓P̵͈͎͕̹̎͊̃P̸̤̙̝̠̯̓Ę̵͊N̶͙̣̋S̷̜̾̃̇͝ ̶̭͗̿͌̍W̵̯͈̲̫̎͠͝H̸̼̦̳̎̉̃͐Ę̶̝̝͚̘̋̋͐̊̀Ņ̶̹̬͔̟̈́͊̓ ̵̤̭̾̓͘Ÿ̶̦͔̞̀̒͛̇Ọ̸͇͎͕͂U̸̦̙͑ ̵̮̼͔͋͌͘F̶̮͖̰̓̄Ö̸̫̰́̐Ṛ̷̳͖̈͘G̸͖̖̈́̃͠Ë̴͖̗́̓͆̐́Ţ̷̛̬̈̃͐ͅ ̴͓̆̍͐W̵̢̘̻̗͝H̸̱̦̫͉͛̽͗A̶̠̹̎̍̋͝Ṭ̴̠̺͎͋̊͆ ̵̲͕̬̱̂̽̐͠ͅY̴̫͔̙͘Ǫ̷͙͕͎͂̑̉̇͠ͅU̶̖̍̊'̴̯͚͙̮̔̽̉ͅV̵̘̌̀̒͠E̸̛̠͛̈́̅͝ ̶̥̋̆̉͠Ļ̵̢̫̍̈́͘ͅḘ̵̦̗͈̻̈̏̈́F̸̭͉͇̥̯̍͛̊T̸͈͕͓̖̬̉ ̵͚̻̙̺͈̊̀̽B̴͇̰͎̎̚E̵̲͐̈́̇͛̓H̸̨̡̦̖̻́I̵͙̜̊̓̎͝N̸̘̙̳̻͐͑̄D̴͉̣͚̽͂̅̍̚!̶͇͙͈̂̔̉ͅ"

Alastor had to lean back a little bit from the power of Angel's voice as it shook the room again, the newspaper Alastor had been reading falling off of the couch. He winced as his ears became sensitive and the gears in the back of his head turned to process the sound, his sensory going out of hand for a few seconds. As the radio static quieted down, Angel calmed down. "Sorry, I'm jus' really frustrated right now!" He said, acknowledging that he almost caused an overload.

"It's okay, Angel. And you're right, I'm sorry too. I should have told you first, but you know me. I like surprises more than you do."

"Even the unwelcome ones?" Angel said, cocking an eyebrow. Alastor nodded. "If it's a surprise, it's great in my eyes!" Angel laughed. "So cringy, Al...ya' know what? I think 'dis is a good time ta' really stick it to 'em!" Alastor cocked his head. "You think so?"

"Yeah! Spendin' all 'dose selfish years without us?! I think it's time we reintroduce those assholes to Hell. And I'm gonna put them through the ringer...they won't see it comin'! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAĤ̵͍̼̗̅̈́͜Å̸̦̙͙̩H̴̡̬͍̱̒͘͘͝A̶̲͍͂͑͊͗Ḥ̶̛̽Ȁ̶͎̼͛͝͝H̶̝̮͖̦͛A̶̛̬͙̜H̶̪̖̦̰̅̌̂A̶̮̩̬̗̚H̸̨͚͚̫̑͗̓Ǎ̷̳̼͈̓H̸̦̄̿͘͠Å̵̼̱̝H̴̨͗̉A̸̲̬̲̓̏͘H̵̫͉̯̝̐͝A̵̧̙͍̿͜H̴͇̣͈͗A̶̭̽͐!"

"MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!" Alastor joined in. The laughs lasted for about a minute when they both calmed down. "Ah, that's pure catharsis right 'dere. Okay, I'm gonna go ta' my special room and practice. You go ahead and handle ya' wonderful evil plan schtick, baby, okay?"

"Of course!" Alastor said, as Angel parted with a kiss on the cheek.

//////

They're back......both of them......I need to tell him.....

Chapter Text

*hisssssssssssssssssss**ghzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz**srwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww*

"Jajsjhdsglsgdbslgdhglasgkjlagbslaghqpwuiwzadlh-"

"🎵MA: Is your day full o' fog, is your mood goin' sour?🎶"

"🎵ME: Don't you worry, 'cause we always got the story of the hour!🎶"

"🎵MA: Keep that chin of yours up, don't let ya' smile go limp!🎶"

"🎵ME: We'll always be your number one two favorite imps!🎶"

"🎵BOTH: It's the IMP-TERLUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE!🎶"

MA:  Hello, all y'all demons an' denizens, inked an' clean! Welcome to the Imp-Terlude, where we give ya' the hottest scoop an' chatter ya' ears off! If ya' don't like it, then don't tune in! Ah'm only a humble Wrath imp goin' by the name Madrid!

ME: And I'm his sister in crime, Meggy!

BOTH: And we're the famed M&M Imp-Twins!

*two second swing piano notes!*

*five second electro swing!*

ME: It's been an interesting turn of events these days, hasn't it, Madrid?

MA: Ya' put the right words in mah mouth, Meggy! Hell's Black Era is gonna be real shaken up with what's in store for you! Ya' mind giving us a recap, sis?

ME: You bet! It all started with Princess Charlotte 'Charlie' Morningstar and her S.O. Vaggie, falling down the elevator shaft from Heaven back to Hell, where they were met with a real rude wet awakening! A little scare required Vaggie to do some CPR work on Charlie, and she woke up with a SCREEEEAM! After getting their bearings fighting off a few Searchers here and there, blah blah blah, they come out to a new Hell and a reimagined Pride Ring, covered in inky sepia and stuck in time! Talk about a blast to the past, huh?

MA: Ah, I love ya' for that, Meg! Always on point with your retellin'! Anyway, they walk down the street to the tune o' some good ol' Calloway...AN' A POSTER BLOWS IN VAGGIE'S FACE! BAM!

ME: WHOOOSH!

MA:  POW! Turns out, she peels it off an' it's an old ad for a show with none other than Angel Dust, the spider that has every man on their knees eating their hearts out and every man's wife as mad as a Hell buffalo wrestling mah momma on a Tuesday evenin'! HEE-YEE!

ME: The pamphlet was dated back to October 17, 2021, which is almost four scores ago when our parents were still in the hitmen business! The mothgirl knew sometihng was up, so they began to search for answers! Oooooh! They decided to go to the nearby bar, the Fountain Pen!

MA: Wasn't that bar destroyed not too long ago?

ME: That's for later! Back to the recap! The girls walk into the ratchet pub, and for the first time up close, they see the drastic conditions of the melting, dark and goopy sinners who occupy the premises! Their's drinking and punching and shooting everywhere, and they sit at the stool up front and get the bartender! But Charlie made a grave mistake! One that no clean demon should ever make!

MA: GASP!

ME: That's right! Charlie asked for a single glass of water! A dead giveaway to any uninfected persons! And as a result...

MA: The fight was on! They had pinned down our lovely dear princess and were ready to do unspeakable things I can't even mention as Vaggie was forced to watch! Except that they planned to kill 'er after, that's a lil' obvious...but then she RAAAAAAGED!

ME: That's right! Charlie and Vaggie began to fight off the horde of sexually stimulated prudes-

MA: Meggy, Ah'm pretty sure there's kids listenin'-

ME: Well, if they heard, they heard, brother! Anywho, Charlie and Vaggie unleashed their fiery wrath on everyone in the bar, and no one but the bartender who served them was spared! No one was a match for Vaggie's heavenly spear, while Charlie thrashed any demon who got too close with her own bare hands and magic! She even kicked an aquatic sinner square in the family jewels!

MA: Ah always knew sinners were infertile, but he'll hafta' get THAT checked! After leavin' that bar in shambles, they hailed a taxi (driven by none other than Travis, of course), and headed straight to the place they knew best: the Hopeless Haven of course!

ME: They didn't know it's called that now at the time, it was still very much the Hazbin Hotel to them.

MA: Right on, Meggy! They had learned that the place was run by who else than...

BOTH: ALASTOR THE RADIO DEMON!

ME: I heard his body count spans centuries now!

MA: Ah heard that his killin' methods are the most torturous, almost on par with the Devil and the Exterminators themselves! Ah wonder what the Exterminators were like, I remember daddy sayin' that we only had one when we were just youngin's. But Alastor is a legend of all killers out there!

ME: Better than any Dahmer or Bundy to ever exist! I really, REALLY want his autograph! It'd be even better if he signed it in the blood of those he eviscerated! Oh, the metallic smells can't leave me for days...

MA: Sorry, as y'all folks at home can probably tell, we're Alastor fans. Anyway! The girls get to the hotel and find it in horribly dilapidated condition! Everything was rusty, dusty, an' busted beyond what you can imagine! And did I mention ink on the walls?

ME: But what they didn't realize was that Alastor, stunning and handsome, had his shadow scouting the place and they were found out! Like...um...my uncle having an affair with that Stolas guy!

MA: Rest his soul...but as Charlie and Vaggie explored the place, Alastor had a mission of his own after finding out they had finally come back thanks to his helpful shadows! Rounding up Niffty and Husk, they went to go talk to his darling Angel Dust!

ME: Are they even dating? Like, at all?

MA: Ah hope so! Ah can totally see it happenin'! Oh, one day ah'll find me a man too, a big strong man who ah can build a house with! You know, the usual ranch fantasies.

ME:  I dream the same, Madrid...*sigh*...After reaching him, Alastor notices Angel doesn't feel like himself and he's in a whole funk! He's not pretty, he's ugly, he can't go outside, which all of it is SO NOT TRUE! Alastor gets him out of it and brings his smile back in classic Radio Daddy fashion! And we see Angel Dust joining his cause! What said cause is, we don't know yet!

MA: But he never told 'im about Charlie and Vaggie coming back. Once Charlie and Vaggie reach the ballroom, Alastor, Husk and Niffty reunite with our two heroines and they catch up over tea! Charlie is s=astonished by their conditions, covered in inky black and Alastor's voice coming from a stomached radio! Most of the party Alastor patronizing them for his own fun, and talking about his murderous tendencies as well as his clear hatred for whatever was on Vaggie! "Wretched blessings?"

ME: Who knows? After they finish their little reunion and Angel is heard screaming for his hat, Alastor drops off some Searchers and the legendary lesbos fight them like the girl bosses the are!

MA: Charlie's bi, Meggy.

ME: Right! Well, after they throw down, Angel spies on them and storms off to scream at Alastor for not telling him of their arrival! They get into a bit of a fight, but once that's over, they make up and decide to give the girls HELL! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

MA: Excellent evil laugh, sis! Ya' been practicin'?

ME:  I watch a lot of movies, you know I want to be an actress!

MA:  And I will go to every premiere you make when that happens! Promise on a brother's oath!

ME: Aww, shucks...

MA: Well, that's all for our Imp-Terlude Recap today!

ME:  But don't leave so soon! We still have our excellent music selection, with Overlord Rosie's new tantalizing cover of "I Don't Want to Set the World On Fire!"

MA: As well as other news, such as the surprising amount of ink wells popping up all over Pride and other rings! We'll be right back after these me-ajlsfhdabligksbadfhgbakdbjJHKLGYBISAGUFB>AIDGFBUKFBOJLADSIHUH:AIUGYLEUFAF-

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

HE WILL SET US FREE

"At this point, I don't get what Joey's plan is for this company. The animations sure aren't being finished on time anymore. And I certainly don't see why we need this... machine. It's noisy, it's messy. And who needs that much ink anyway?

Also, get this: Joey had each one of us "donate" something from our work stations. We put them on these little pedestals in the break room. "To help appease the gods", Joey says. "Keep things going".

I think he's lost his mind, but, hey, he writes the checks.

But I tell you what, if one more of these pipes burst, I'm outta here!"

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

The fight back in the ballroom left Charlie and Vaggie quite exhausted, but they had to stay vigilant for anymore ink monster attacks so that they don't end up like them or their unfortunate friends. Charlie, having been able to clear her mind a little more after the battle, had second thoughts about calling Alastor, Husk and Niffty friends. She knew they were all good before she had left for Heaven, but their attitudes during the tea party showed that they could care less. Even Husk had made a jab at Charlie, asking if she finally decided to show face. It also left her mentally tired, but the princess pushed on. There were more important things to do and figure out. It was so frustrating traversing all of these rooms, and the fact that they were also hungry wasn't helping. The dripping from whatever pipes that were above them that made ink cake the corners of the walls did much less of a job...

*drip*....*drip*....*drip*....

It did nothing to soothe Charlie or Vaggie's nerves. Especially the latter, who's face went more sour with each drip.

They had run into so many Searchers going through this floor that Charlie and Vaggie reacted less and less to them jumping out of their puddles. When another one had gurgled out of its hiding spot, Vaggie just stabbed it on her right without breaking her forward facing gaze. Charlie just lazily swung her axe into it's neck when one attacked her as well. The floor above the second one had a lot of pipes running through the sides and the ceilings, and eventually it was a whole pool of ink that they had run into that flooded the floor. "Santo Cristo," Vaggie said. "I'm not doing this again. These flooded areas of ink are killing me. I don't even remember this room, it looks like it was carved out. What are those two shelves doing there?"

"Hmm, you're right..." Charlie muttered. There were, in fact, two shelves, both of their lower halves drowned in ink. One of them was next to a large, thick bulging pipe that led from that room into another direction away from it. There was also a door and some window showing another room, which was also caked by ink. The princess was going to say something when her stomach rumbled. "Ooooh...I really wish I wasn't hungry right now..." She sighed. Vaggie was starving too, and her eye caught something on the shelves. "Hey. Look!"

It was a small batch of dark cans, seemingly labeled "Bacon Soup". They stood on the shelf that was right above the flood, which made Vaggie groan quietly. There also seemed to be what looked like gauze and rubbing alcohol, which reminded Charlie of the gash in her head from the bar fight, leading her to wince and remember that she was supposed to feel pain up there. She had accelerated healing, bit it still hurt like hell. Yet another arduous task to handle...but Charlie tapped her shoulder. "That's great too, but over here next to it." To the RIGHT of the shelf, one of the pipes was actually leading under the flooded area, and the part around where it connected with the ink was bubbling. "So if it's coming through there..."

"Then maybe we could shut it off and stop the flow!" Charlie suggested. Vaggie scratched her chin. "I got you, but where could a lever or switch possibly be..." Charlie looked at the pipes.  "Maybe we could stop it if we follow the pipe? If we don't let it flow, it'll close off and maybe drain the place." Vaggie nodded. "Alright then. Follow the pipes it is."

Turning to leave the room, the girls followed the pipes lining the walls and the ceiling. Vaggie didn't want to have to walk more than she had too. The place was hot like a desert, and the only liquid available was one that she had to stay away from and that her legs were already covered in. Nevertheless, she pushed forward, for Charlie and for figuring everything out. She traced the direction of the two thick, aged black pipes that were connected to the flooded room. She had never taken her eyes off of it in fear of losing track. Charlie was just following her girlfriend, the tension eating away at her.

They reached a path where the pipes diverged, and they walked closer to examine said paths when all of a sudden: *THUMP!* Charlie let out an 'EEK!' and hugged Vaggie, shaking due to the tension from earlier. However, when they looked down, Charlie slowly let go of Vaggie and blushed in embarrassment. "Well...that was unexpected. Hehe?"

It was a plank. Just a normal wooden plank that fell from the ceiling. Vaggie just shook her head. "You take right and I go left." Charlie grabbed Vaggie's hands. "Wait, are you saying we should split up?" She looked around. "You know what happened earlier." Vaggie let go of her and brandished her spear. "Are you saying I can't defend myself?" The statement made Charlie feel sorry, rubbing her arm. Vaggie put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey. I'll be fine. You stay safe too, okay? We'll meet back here."

"I don't have a good feeling about this, Vaggie..." Charlie looked made anxious, the red orbs in her eyes slightly vibrating. So...Vaggie kissed her. It was five seconds, but enough to make Charlie melt into a red blushing mess. Vaggie patted her shoulder after breaking it. "Love you. Let's do this, okay?" Charlie nodded eagerly. "Okay!" Charlie and Vaggie walked away from each other, both of them side-eyeing the other in concern. Even if it was just to clear some small area to drain a room, splitting apart wasn't an ideal thought to come up in their heads. Vaggie sighed as the walked further, finally turning right in her direction.

//////

The hotel felt so much emptier now, Charlie thought to herself. Even if there weren't many clients in the hotel at first, the company of Vaggie, Angel, Alastor and the others helped fill that void. Of course it got better as things picked up speed and more sinners flocked towards the hotel. She remembered the second sinner that entered the place, and that was Baxter. A lonely chemist demon who just wanted to make some awesome experiments. He was reserved, but in his element, he was a mad scientist with the insane cackles of laughter and glowing, whirring devices capable of doing many things and performing many functions; it was the bare minimum of a scientist, really. He was awfully reserved and kept to himself most of the time, she remembered. He barely opened up to anyone but Charlie, and turned out he was really just lonely and he found her the most approachable.

He was a sweet dude through and through. She wondered why he popped into her head all of a sudden, anyway. Charlie liked the guy; she didn't know him all that well to have him up front as a top priority, even if she wanted all of her residents to feel like that. As the hotel filled up it was hard to keep track and in a way she felt a little horrible about that... and she now felt even worse that the world she once knew was left to ruin, and her friends fallen behind as well.

She sighed as she looked around. There was a little section of the room that had some lockers and a punch card stand. This was the employee room...when the Hazbin Hotel got filled up she needed more help and hired employees to stay and help around. She sighed as she looked at one of the punch cards...it was her own. She never had to do it, being the owner of the establishment, but she wanted to express and feel like she was just as hard as a worker as the others.

So she grabbed her card and punched it. The ding sound was made and there was a hole right where the latest date was. She laid it down and looked through the lockers. The first one had a roll of tape, a key and a wrench. She took all three in case she needed them.

When she reached the second locker, she pulled it open and-

"NEVER!" It shut itself again. Charlie screamed and fell backward. She stood up a little bit after she stared at the locker. Who...who in the world was in there? That's the first thing she asked too. "Who...who's in there?"

"I'm not letting you take me! Never! I have a life to live! Things to discover! GEARS TO COLLECT!" The person inside said. Wait a damn minute...that voice! "Baxter, is that you?!" The person inside stuttered. "WHAAAAAT?! How did you know my- I mean, ahem...that's not my name! I have no idea who you're mouthing about!" Charlie rolled her eyes and grabbed the locker, tipping it over. "What are you doing?!" The person inside said as the princess let the locker fall. It hit the floor with a long 'CLANG!' and the door forced itself open, and the person inside rolled out.

His arms were covered in black and his lab coat had splotches of ink. His hair was partially black and those little glowing dots in his hair were misplaced, some not even looking like dots. He looked up at her in fright, and his goggles were a little crooked and cracked. His esca glowed fantly. Yup, this was definitely-

"Baxter?" Charlie asked. The fish sinner stammered. "How...how do you know my name?" He said as he shot up fast and stood up, brushing himself off. Charlie smiled. "Don't you remember me? I'm the owner, or was, the owner of the Hazbin Hotel? It's me, Charlie!" She smiled and put her hands on her hips. "I was in charge of your therapy sessions?" The fish scratched his chin and looked up in thought. "Hmm....nope, doesn't ring a bell." He shrugged. Then he pointed a strange looking gun at Charlie, at which she raised her hands. "But if you're with that deadly couple from upstairs, I won't hesitate to-"

"NONONONONO, WE'RE NOT WITH THEM!" Charlie said, cowering. Baxter cocked his head. "'We're'? There's more of you? Well, I wouldn't be surprised, some people have cloning abilities..." Charlie shook her head. "N-no, I came down here with my girlfriend...from Heaven..." Baxter's eyes widened. "OOOOOH! You were the people who left us and ditched to Heaven years ago!" He said, sounding slightly condescending. Charlie nodded. "That's....that's right! Hehe...yeah." She said, sticking her hand out to shake it. "But um...I'm Charlotte." Baxter looked at her hand, then cocked an eyebrow at her.

He happily shook it. "Baxter! A pleasure to meet you! Again, apparently!"