Chapter Text
Alastor detested the bright, flickering screens that everybody in hell seemed to be so attached to. He couldn’t help his old fashioned views, after all, he had simply been born in a much classier time. And as much as his human life had left to be desired, at least he hadn’t been forced to endure the modern zombies addicted to their brightly colored rectangles. However, the crowd around the storefront seemed as though they were going to have a conniption and he was cautious as to what they were staring at.
Bored to death, he allowed his eyes to flicker to the screen right as Princess Charlotte began to sing. If there was one thing the demon could still enjoy, it was a good performance, even if it was on the damned picture box.
And enjoy it he did. It was spectacular and ridiculous and absolutely enthralling. He was not about to miss out on a moment of the entertainment that was sure to follow, especially as the blonde went absolutely feral and dove at the news reporter. His fit of laughter sent all of the other demons scattering about as he threw his head back, electromagnetic waves rolling off of him uncotrollably.
Finally there was something to break up the absolute monotony of an eternity of amassing power.
The man was absolutely alight with glee as he whistled an ominous tune, opting to walk to the hotel so that he wouldn’t beat the girl there.
--
“-I made you look… uhh, sad . And pathetic . Like an orphan with no arms… or legs…” Angel said with a shrug, slumping in his seat before perking up, “-With progeria!”
He slumped back down again, “Now I’m depressed…”
Charlie was counting down the minutes to the hotel, knees pulled up to her chest and eyes downcast. She felt the half hearted words of hope leave her lips as they continued on, but they were hollow. All she could feel was an overwhelming sense of failure rolling over her, heavy in her chest.
The car pulled up and the girl was lost in her own thoughts as she walked into the hotel, looking around at the ice melting in the chest and the banner, already half torn down. She didn’t know who she was kidding some days, fighting so hard for a cause that no one believed in. Vaggie plopped onto the couch, not saying a word, and Charlie didn’t even hear what Angel said to her before she slipped out of the room to try and call her mother…
Again…
“Um, I know I keep calling, and you must be busy… Really busy- But um, the interview didn’t go well and... I don’t know if I’m going to make a difference.”
She slumped up against the wall as a few tears escaped her eyes, sliding down to her chin and dripping onto her singed shirt, “I don’t know what I’m doing. I could really use some advice, Mom. I think Dad was right about me…” She wiped them away quickly, pushing the lump in the back of her throat down.
“A-anyway, I’ll stop talking before this gets long. Love you! Bye.”
The girl took a deep breath and stood up, wiping away the remnants of her tears and rolling her shoulders back. Without missing a beat, she plastered a determined smile onto her face before turning around and marching back through the front door, unaware of her audience.
Alastor stepped out of the shadows that he had been shrouded in, and he would have felt it impolite to have eavesdropped on the conversation had the girl not have had it on a very open front porch. He was a man of manners after all, which is why he knocked on the door brusquely and took a step back as opposed to just strolling in after her.
“Hell-” The door slammed in his face once before re-opening, “-o.” It slammed shut a second time.
Apparently he was the only one who had been taught manners. Yet he stood there patiently, not even sending his shadow inside to eavesdrop as he heard frantic voices through the door. They were loud enough to hear just fine anyways.
This time when the door opened, he met the eyes of the seemingly young demoness, “May I speak now?”
She sized him up in a quick, almost undetectable motion before their eyes met. A steady hold, almost steely, “You may.” she said.
Interesting
Alastor had been right to come here. He often was right in general, but he could feel it in his bones as the two stared each other down for a split second before the spell was broken and he reached out a hand, grasping hers suddenly, “Alastor! Pleasure to be meeting you, sweetheart!” He pulled her in a bit, causing her to stumble and her eyes to narrow, “Quite a pleasure!”
Charlie barely caught herself from falling into him as he jerked her forward in the sudden motion. Fortunately she was just quick enough on her feet to avoid the collision, but she couldn’t help but feel as though he was trying to jar her.
He released his grip and strode past her into the dismal looking lobby of a very run down hotel, eyes darting about quickly to take it all in as the girl stumbled to catch up to him, slightly annoyed at the brazen display.
“Excuse my sudden visit, but I saw your fiasco on a picture show, and I just couldn't resist! What a performance! Why, I haven't been that entertained since the stock market crash of 1929! Hahahahaha, sooo many orphans...” He paused as he felt a hard edge pressed against his lapel.
Vaggie was cursing Charlie’s naivete in her head as she steeled herself, holding the spear to the devils chest, ready to strike, “Stop right there, cabrón hijo de perra! I know your game and I'm not gonna let you hurt anyone here,” she pressed forward, much to Charlie’s chagrin, ”you pompous cheesy talk show shitlord!”
Charlie was about to interject when Alastor used a single clawed finger to push the weapon down, feeling a small jolt at the contact with the angelic steel. Another interesting development. But his smile never faltered, “Dear, if I wanted to hurt anyone here…” His neck snapped unnaturally to one side and the air turned to static around them, demonic ruins buzzing in the air as his horns grew and his eyes blazed into radio dials, “I would've done so already…”
Everything snapped back to normal as quickly as it had dissipated into the chaos. Charlie’s eyes narrowed again at the power play, just a fraction. But Alastor caught it and his grin widened.
Observant girl.
He found himself wondering if the blundering princess might be sharper than the people thought she was. And that thought excited him.
After all, the princess of hell must be an absolute wealth of untapped power if she truly was all sunshine and rainbows. And if not, then she was just an incredibly powerful being in general who was incredibly good at hiding it, “No! I'm here because I want to help!”
Charlie was taken aback at the words, “Say what now?” slipped out before she could stop it. But it was too late to take it back, so she committed, approaching the man. She was guarded, sure, but to the Demon’s delight, he could detect no fear in her crimson hues.
Alastor launched into the small back and forth with Charlie, a sinister grin never leaving his face. He told the truth, maybe not the whole truth, but enough of it. And when she went to confer with the smaller women, he averted his eyes to give the illusion of privacy to the girls. He did however notice her voice raise purposefully when she quoted her father, “You don’t take shit from other demons.”
He was meant to hear that part as she approached him, “Okay, so, Al. You're sketchy as fuck and you clearly see what I'm trying to do here as a joke…” She turned away for a moment and felt the buzz in the air. A giveaway that her words were agitating him.
The girl was wearing a smirk as she turned that he caught a peek of before she offered him a sweet, genuine smile, “But, I don't. I think everyone deserves a chance to prove they can be better. So, I'm taking your offer to help. On the condition that there be no tricks or voodoo strings attached.”
“So it’s a deal then?” The room began to glow a sinister green and the shadows around them began to elongate. He watched something akin to agitation flash in the girl’s eyes as her lip twitched, almost as though about to laugh or snarl.
Then to his amazement and entertainment, the girl suddenly looked bashful and unsure. Almost like a switch, she suddenly even looked almost frightened. A farce for her friends and him, a mask. Something he was very familiar with, “Nope! No shaking! No deals! I... hmm... As princess of Hell and heir to the throne, I, uh, hereby order that you help with this hotel. For as long as you desire.” She offered him a smile, hands firmly clasped behind her back.
The performance was stellar, “Fair enough.” He said, his grin genuine as he began to peruse the premise. He inquired about staff, and managed to cash in a few favors, conjuring up a small cyclops from the fireplace.
The girl was a blur of color as she darted about the room, “Hi, I'm Nifty! It's nice to meet you! It's been a while since I've made new friends! Why're you all women? Are there any men here?” She lifted Charlie up off the ground with terrifying ease to look under her before placing her back on the ground, “I'm sorry, that's rude. Oooh, man! This place is filthy! It really needs a lady's touch! Which is weird because you're all ladies, no offense. Oh, my gosh! This is awful! Nope! Nope! Nope! Nope!” The girl stabbed a cockroach and immediately became a whirlwind, disappearing down a hall in a cleaning frenzy.
Next was a bar, to be manned by a grumpy winged cat demon named Husker, and while Charlie didn’t mind the bar, Vaggie was immediately up at arms. Angel was quick to tackle the girl, convincing her that the bar should remain with some thinly veiled threats. He immediately began cozying up to the bartender who seemed to want nothing to do with the spider.
Alastor took this opportunity to drag the blonde away from the other girl and begin to chat about the hotel, but was quickly interrupted as a hole was blown in the side of the hotel by a flying machine manned by some dimwitted snake. Charlie was about to act when he snapped his fingers, causing a rift to open and shadow tentacles to pull the ship into oblivion while Charlie watched with mild interest. He dared a glance her way, and her face morphed quickly into shock and horror to match her friend’s.
Charlie was nothing if not analytical. Of course no one really thought that of her, but in all honesty that was the best weapon in her arsenal. She was emotional, and she did want to see the best in everyone, so she would always give people as many chances as she could. But she had lived in hell for a long time, and she knew how to look out for herself.
No one believed that though. Due to her kind nature and her morals, she was considered naive and gullible. And as much as it bothered her, she had learned to use it to her advantage. Growing up in a realm like hell taught one to brandish any advantage as a weapon.
But she saw that look in Alastor’s eyes. He might be onto her.
“...Well, I'm starved! Who wants some Jambalaya? My mother once showed me a wonderful recipe for Jambalaya. In fact, it nearly killed her! Hahaha! You could say the kick was right out of Hell! Ohoho, I'm on a roll! Yes, sir! This is the start of some real changes down here! The game is set! Now…” Alastor turned around and marched back into the building, snapping his fingers to conjure up shadow workers to begin fixing the wall.
The others, while bewildered, managed to wander over to the bar where husk was swigging straight from a bottle. But Charlie followed Alastor into the kitchen. She knew it was potentially dangerous, but she couldn’t help herself or her mounting curiosity at the man’s appearance.
Vaggie watched, confused as her girlfriend followed Alastor into the kitchen instead of joining the rest of them at the bar top. She stood to follow her into the kitchen, but the blonde turned and shook her head as her girlfriend went to stand up and follow.
“Oooohhh, looks like your girl wants a little alone time with the strawberry pimp.” Angel teased, resulting in her instantly pushing him off the bar stool. His face was sour as he stood up and dusted himself off.
“Shut up. Doesn’t she realize how dangerous he is? Why isn’t she listening to me!” The girl let out a frustrated sound as she downed the drink that Husker had set down for Angel. She slammed the glass on the counter, hands shaking.
“You’re sure quick to chug for someone who said they didn’t want a bar in the lobby.” The spider said, sitting on another stool, “She’s the damn princess of hell, give her a little credit, toots.”
“She is too trusting. He could hurt her.”
“Jesus you’re like a broken record. She’s too nice, and sometimes I don’t get what's going through that weird little head, but she's been here a lot longer than any of us.”
Vaggie knew that he was right, but she couldn’t help the need to protect the woman who saved her. She wanted to be supportive, but it was incredibly hard to do so when Charlie seemed to always make such stupid decisions. It was as though the blonde girl enjoyed putting herself in dangerous positions.
---
Charlie walked into the kitchen to find Alastor rifling through the cabinets and fridge while making disapproving noises. His staff leaned up against the counter playing soft jazz music, and his jacket had disappeared, by way of magic Charlie was sure. He stood up, shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows and she saw a small flurry of ruins before a shadow minion appeared with a bag of groceries.
“Your kitchen is lacking, my dear.” He said, turning to Charlie and setting the bags on the counter, “Not to worry, I’ll have it stocked up fully by tomorrow.”
The girl was studying him intently, face more open than it was in front of the others. Upon his words though, she genuinely flushed, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment, “Yeah… that’s my fault. The hotel is pretty new and we’ve been working on renovations, so there's been a lot of take out and packaged ramen…”
“HA! Disgusting.” Alaster said, earning a glare from the girl, “Not to worry, we’ll have real food around here from now on.”
“Charming.” She deadpanned, rolling her eyes. But she couldn't help the small giggle that bubbled up as his grin turned teasing, “Alright, fair enough.”
Using his own phrase from earlier caused him to laugh, “You’ve got some moxie, my charming demon belle.” He said, taking ingredients from the bag and examining them as he went to make sure they were all correct. He was so focused in fact, that he didn’t notice she had come closer until she was sitting on the counter right next to him.
The man froze as the soft scent of apples and something floral engulfed him. He turned to look at her with mild curiosity as thoughts spun around in his head. She was completely at ease as she began to pick up the spices he had set to the side, reading the labels with interest. He forced himself to resume what he was doing despite her proximity and his own confusion.
No one dared come so close to-
“The big scary radio demon enjoys cooking?” She asked with a lazy smile, leaning back on her hands “Who would have guessed?”
He looked at her, neck snapping to the side at an unnatural angle, “Being a Demon doesn’t excuse a lack in basic ability sets.” The ruins buzzed about them, air full of electric currents. The fact that she seemed so at ease unnerved him for some reason.
She could tell that he was trying to scare her, but she just tilted her head to the same side, albeit at a much more natural angle and smiled, “That’s fair I suppose. I was never taught, so I’m glad to have you here.”
His head snapped back and he let out a laugh, “You are a delight darling. Tell me, are you not scared of me? Because you should be.” he said with a sinister grin, the shadows around them pulsing and writhing as his grin widened unnaturally. Charlie just shrugged, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
“If you were going to kill me today, you would have tried it already.”
“Tried?”
She just smiled in response, hopping off the counter pointing a finger up and conjuring a puff of confetti, “Welcome to the team Alastor, let me know what floor you prefer to make your room on. We can discuss more about our jobs and goals tomorrow.”
She turned, flouncing out of the kitchen and humming to herself and Alastor watched the confetti land in the still writhing shadows. Wherever the colored paper landed, a hole dissolved in his shadow, making them squirm in discomfort and panic.
This would be interesting.
--
Surprisingly, having dinner together was actually rather nice. The jambalaya was delicious and everyone, while a little bit on edge, seemed to get along just fine. Alastor conjured up a room on the same floor as the other staff members, but at the far end of it. He also conjured up his radio tower right next to Charlie’s office.
For convenience.
After bidding everyone a good night, Charlie was sitting in her room at the vanity, pulling out each hair tie from her hair slowly. The day had not gone to plan. And here, in the quiet of her bedroom, she could finally let her face reflect the turmoil in her head. Her eyelids fluttered as the unshed tears from earlier finally began to slide down her face and she picked up her brush.
The interview was a disaster, and taking on Alaster was a gamble. She and Vaggie had fought in hushed tones for an hour after dinner in her office. The smaller girl had been drinking, which was uncharacteristic for her, and she had gone in on Charlie for everything that day. The song at the interview. Giving Angel a second chance. And especially allowing Alastor to come on as her partner.
“I’m supposed to be your partner, and your songs make us look stupid.” The girl had snapped in her anger before stalking off to her bedroom.
At the end of the day it seemed like everyone around her thought that she was some sort of idiot for having hope. For trying to do the best that she could for her people. Her mother had united the demons with her songs in the beginning… So why shouldn’t she try to do the same…
“At the end of the rainbow there's happiness
And to find it, how often I tried
But my life is a race
Just a wild goose chase
And my dreams have all been denied”
Her voice was soft and haunting as she ran a brush through her long golden locks. Her tears slid silently down her chin onto her black silk slip.
“Why have I always been a failure
What can the reason be
I wonder if the world is to blame
I wonder if it could be me”
Alastor’s ears twitched as he heard the soft, sad lyrics drifting down the hallway. Such a sweet, bright face to cover such sorrow and pain. Absolutely delicious. He was oh so curious about the Princess, even more so than before. She was an absolute enigma and he couldn’t wait to unravel her. This was going to be the most fun he had in years.
“I'm always chasing rainbows
Watching clouds drifting by
My schemes are just like all my dreams
Ending in the sky”
She set down the brush, pushing her hair back from her forehead and standing up, spinning about in a one sided waltz on bare feet. She didn't even notice the flicker of the shadows in the corner of her room as she let herself sink into her emotions, eyes closed as she moved with natural grace.
“Some fellows look and find the sunshine
I always look and find the rain
Some fellows make a winning sometime
I never even make a gain,
believe me”
Alaster reappeared in his chair, gripping the arms of it with wide, half crazed eyes to match his smile. Usually he was more of a gentleman, but he hadn’t been able to stop himself from peeking at the Princess in such a sad state. After all, he had only seen what she allowed him to earlier. What he hadn’t expected was the haunting, beautiful visage of the girl waltzing to her own song, tears staining her face. Graceful. Ethereal. And what he really hadn’t expected was for him to have the almost irresistible urge to step into her arms so she wasn’t dancing alone.
“I'm always chasing rainbows
Waiting to find a little bluebird
In vain”
The girl settled into her bed, snapping her fingers and dimming the lights as Razzle and Dazzle settled at the foot of her bed.
Alaster sat, staring at nothing, with ruins buzzing as his shadow laughed at him without mercy.