Chapter Text
Alastor followed the cat sinner into the hotel, watching as he gave an unimpressed look around the foyer.
“You'd expect the princess to have something nicer than this shithole,” Husker muttered to himself.
“I’m afraid our venue is very much a work in progress!” Alastor defended with a grin, getting the sinner's attention. “Some of us aren't afraid or a little hard work to make improvements."
Husker scoffed, turning around and crossing his arms. “You think I don't know the meaning of hard work?”
“Well, that's yet to be seen, isn't it?” Something about this sinner put Alastor on edge, he was blunt, rude, and seemed to have an almost permanent poker face. He had joined the fight without any concern for who he hurt, Angel Dust and Sir Pentious had been hit, and him and Charlie only weren't because he had a shield already in place.
There was an air of authority to Husker that made it seem like he thought he was the most important person in any room he stepped foot in.
“Prehapes you would like to pitch in with the renovations in between Charlie's activities?” Alastor suggested, already expecting the other to scoff at the suggestion. He'd probably think helping out with menial tasks was beneath him. Perhaps Alastor was being being too judgmental, but Husker reminded him of too many people of power he encountered in life.
“What activities? I already told ya. I ain't here for any of that so-called redemption shit,” Husker huffed, not seeming to be happy to be here at all. “I’m just laying low from some… trouble, down at the casino. All I need is a room and a drink. I'll probably be gone within the week.”
“Gambling trouble?” Alastor assumed, amused at the fact that a sinner who was running away from sin, apparently didn't think he needed redemption.
“Shark trouble. Been a pain for awhile now, but a little too much blood in my waters right now for my tastes. You think they'd learn about taking on an overlord in his own territory,” Husk rolled his eyes, speaking as if it was an annoyance more than a real concern. “I eliminated a lot of them ready, and people are working on the rest, but I ain't dealing with more attempted assassinations while everyone's trigger fingers are itchy. They get wind I'm off site, they disperse for now and leave my staff alone. Give it a few days, I'll clean up the bodies and see how many workers are still kicking around.”
Alastor just stared at the implications of the sinner's words. There was a turf war happening between the gambler and loan sharks, on his own territory, and he was running away until the heat cooled off? He was letting others deal with his mess. Husk didn't even seem to care about his workers that might not make it. Did he just mean ‘die’ and come back? He spoke like he expected them to be permanently put out of commission.
“Well, be that as it may. Here guests are expected to participate in the activities and tasks set with the intention of improving oneself,” Alastor informed him. “Even if you aren't looking for redemption in the biblical sense, you can take part in an attempt to improve that sourpuss attitude of yours.”
“Oh cut the bullshit.” Husker scoffed, his blood red wings fluffing up slightly in indignation, “I don't believe for a second that ya got Niff working to improve herself,”
“Niffty, like myself, has graciously volunteered her services, she's our housemaid. Staff members are exempt from activities.
“Urgh. Fine….” Husk glanced around the room until his narrow black and gold eyes found the bar. “Ya got a bartender?”
“Not as such. I've been the one tending it personally so far,” Alastor blinked, not immediately catching on to what Husk was implying.
“Great. So I work the bar while I'm here, then I don't have to join this whole ‘kumbaya’ routine.” Husk was less asking, and more trying to take control of the situation. His eyes were narrowed as if challenging Alastor to question his brash declaration.
Alastor considered the offer carefully. On one hand, it would be nice to have a dedicated bartender and someone to man the desk in case more people joined, but on the other hand, this sinner could really use the lessons they were trying to teach here. If not ‘redemption’, then this sinner could at least use some self improvement lessons.
“So that's what you are proposing? You will not be required to take part in our little ‘activities and lessons’, unless you so choose too, and in exchange, you will work behind the bar as a barman and clerk?”
“Only for as long as I'm living under this roof.” Husk clarified, as if he was not taking any changes. He spoke as if he was trying to tie up loopholes in a legal agreement.
“I think that seems fair enough.” Alastor nodded, looking down at the sinner's outstretched hand. A handshake seemed a little formal, but he reached out and shook his hand to seal the deal.
Immediately, he felt something lock their hands together. An explosion of light surrounded them, brilliant gold, green and red radiated from his own hand, glowing like neon lights. Huskers form shifted, their yellow grin stretching wide and sharp, golden eyes glowing brightly inside dark voids. Magical symbols surrounded them, both Voodoo and something else, something more flashy. Archaic magic and something far more modern, swirling together and engulfing the two of them. The world fell away outside of the bubble of power. Their deal solidified and bound them to its constraints.
There was that, now semi-familiar, feeling of his antlers branching out above him, he felt weightless, like his body wasn't his own. Every part of him was thrumming with power and energy and light, it flowed through and from him, the only constant point being the hand grasped in Husker's own.
Alastor felt something unlock inside of him. He pulled his hand away the moment he was able to.
All at once everything stopped. Husker returned to normal. The magic blinked out of existence. The two were left just staring at each other in the empty foyer.
Alastor was the first to break the silence, clearing his throat and putting his grin firmly back in place as he moved his arm behind his back, trying to appear casual. “Well then. It seems that's all settled then. Pleasure doing business with you my good man!” He said, as if his head wasn't reeling, trying to work out what exactly they had just done.
Husker was staring at him with wide expressive eyes, as if he'd just seen something that had shaken him deeply, something he couldn't explain. It was possibly the first expression Alastor saw from him that felt genuine. He looked down at his clawed hand slowly. “Who the fuck are you.” The words were muttered far too quietly, as if he hadn't meant to speak out loud.
Husk was still staring dumbfounded at his own hand when the doors burst open behind them.
“Do you two just make a fucking deal?!” Veggie's voice screeched.
Alastor felt his ears perk straight up, but he didn't turn to look at her. He wasn't sure what to say, but had to act as if what happened was completely normal for him. It seemed natural for Husker to make the offer after all, so it must be a common thing in Hell. He wasn't sure what the overlord had witnessed from him though. Had Husker seen that he was an angel? Could he tell that his magic wasn't hellish but heavenly? He chanced a glance back at the cat sinner, who seemed to have snapped himself out of his own thoughts.
“Calm down bitch. Ain't like anyone’s selling their soul over here.” Husk scoffed, his voice falling back into his previous sarcastic and grumpy cadence. The poker face of a mask slipping back into place. “This is just a friendly agreement between overlords. It's just business, right Al?”
Alastor raised an eyebrow at being called an overlord. Why would the other man make that assumption about him? He didn't think he did anything to give off that impression of being powerful or having such a status. But then again, Angel Dust had assumed the same thing after seeing him using his abilities, hadn't he?
“Precisely!” Alastor agreed with a bright voice and cheery expression as he turned to face Vaggie, deciding to not dispute those claims for now. “This fine fellow has just agreed to become the hotel's new barman, in exchange for board and lodge without redemption. It's hardly a deal at all really.”
Did Husk say something about selling souls? That was a thing sinners did? Alastor tried to hide the way his mind was reeling from that information. He knew Angel Dust had some kind of contract with his employer, but he didn't realise that meant the spider might have actually lost his soul. Could you even be redeemed if your soul was bound to someone else? Selling your soul to the devil was a cliché from religion, but apparently, down here at least, it was very much real?!
“You can't just make deals like that without consulting us first!” Vaggie snapped.
“I'm sure the princess isn't going to mind a new member of staff joining us.” Alastor tutted, turning around to face Vaggie. “Eapecially when it seems like that snake fellow is going to become a resident aswell.”
“That's not the… This is Charlie's dream, not some pet project for you to come in and try to take over!” Vaggie sounded frustrated, but there was something else to her voice too, something antagonistic. “I don't know what you're up to. But no more deals without consulting Charlie first.”
“Heh. Sounds like this place got more problems than I thought.” Husker commented with amusement, now leaning against one of the barstools. “No wonder Legs’ is hanging around here.”
Alastor assumed ‘legs' was Angel-Dust, for obvious reasons, unless it was a particularly ironic nickname for the serpent. Which did raise another question. Husker seemed familiar with the other two sinners, to the point of not being surprised that they were brawling in front of the hotel.
“And you!” Vaggie spun around to point at Husker. “Are we just supposed to just believe that an overlord happened to come to the hotel and is happy to work here with no ulterior motive?”
“Never claimed I didn't have a motive.” Husk pointed out with a smirk. “When the heat gets too hot, I leave the kitchen. Ain't any chance of the fire following me this far out and risking royal backlash.”
Vaggie took a deep breath, pinching at her nose in frustration. “So you're just using Charlie as a shield to hide from your problems?”
“The Princess is a laughing stock right now, but ain't nobody gonna fuck with her directly, and risk her daddy coming for revenge.
“Sir Pentious would disagree with you.” Alastor pointed out. The attack today undermined that statement quite spectacularly.
“He's a special breed of stupid. Guy's been trying to be an overlord for years, maybe centuries at this point. No one with any power to lose would attack here, unless they had a death wish “ Husker scoffed.
“You seem well acquainted with him?” Alastor asked, glancing out towards the front entrance, where presumably Charlie was still speaking with the serpent, and possibly mediating a truce between him and Angel-dust.
“Pentious has been starting shit he can't finish for longer than I've been in this hellhole, guy doesn't know when to quit.” Husk rolled his eyes, but didn't seem to have much of a personal opinion about the sinner. “Sometimes his stupid turf wars spill into others territory.”
“And Angel-Dust?” Vaggie asked, arms crossed and looking unimpressed.
“He's a pretty face that performs at my casino! Ya interrogate everyone who walks through your doors like this?” Husk huffed.
Vaggie looked like she was about to bite back with a scathing comment, before she was interrupted by Charlie entering the hotel with a very wary looking Sir Pentious beside her.
“Everyone! Sir Pentious here has something he'd like to say to you all.”
“I.. I'm ssssorry?” He was looking at Charlie as if checking he was saying the right thing. He didn't sound convincing at all, but it was a first step, which was better than nothing.
Alastor gave one last glance at Husker, before his grin widened and he strode over to Charlie and the new sinner. “Thank you for that heartfelt apology! And let me be the second person to welcome you into this charming little hotel of ours. My name is Alastor, it's a pleasure to be meeting you, quite a pleasure, I’m sure.”
Pentious just blinked at him in surprise before awkwardly holding out his hand. “Uh. Hello? My name is Sir Pentious, and… I will be, uh, moving into the hotel?”
“Splendid! We'll get you sorted right away!” Alastor beamed, ignoring the outstretched hand. He wasn't going to risk whatever had happened between him and Husk to happen again, in front of everyone this time. Sir Pentious was one more chance at trying to prove redemption was possible, instead of pinning the whole experiment on just Angel-Dust, who may or may even own his own soul. Speaking of which: “Charlie, my dear, where is our spider friend?”
“He said he had to rush off to work.” Charlie sighed, glancing back at the door while holding her arm in front of her. She looked worried, and Alastor didn't blame her.
“But, he was badly injured?” Alastor frowned, surprised he was even able to go to work. Did sinners' healing really work that fast?
“Yeah… I patched him up a bit, but… He insisted that he needed to get to work before his boss threw a fit. Maybe he'll be sent home once they see how bad he is?” Charlie asked, sounding like she was trying to convince herself more than anyone else. “I mean, it can't look good on camera the way he was…”
“Pfft, Valentino doesn't care about his workers. I've seen some of his movies, being conscious seems to be optional in some of them.” Husker laughed, not seeming to be disgusted or happy about that fact, just completely indifferent. “Angel makes money, long as he's on camera people don't care what he looks like.”
“But that's horrible!” Charlie exclaimed loudly.
“That's how things are, princess. Legs knows how things work. He signed a contract and now he gotta fulfill his part of it.” Husk shrugged. “Far as overlords go, Val ain't the nicest, but he ain't the worse either. Least his abuse is out in the open. You'd lose ya mind if you saw how some treat those on their leash.”
“And I suppose you're one of the nice ones to your souls?” Alastor narrowed his eyes at Husker suspiciously. He didn't know much about overlords, but Husk hadn't given him reason to think he was different to the way Angel Dust had spoken about his boss. Hopefully that wasn't the case, but that was yet to be seen.
“Truth be told, souls don't mean much to me. I'm a gambling man. You don't get attached to tokens that can change hands any moment. Only soul I care for is my own.” Husk's eyes flicked to the side at that last statement, as if something about his own words hit a nerve.
“Are you… Also, staying at the Hotel?” Pentious asked, sounding a little unsure of himself.
“Actually Husker here has graciously agreed to be our new bartender for the time being!” Alastor corrected, giving a little nod and reassuring smile to Charlie when she gave him a quizzical look. “Luckily we recently renovated a few extra hotel rooms, so all that's left to do is get you both settled in. Vaggie, my dear, would you be so kind as to get these fine gentlemen their keys and show them to their room? I wish to have a word with Charlie in private for a moment.”
“Oh! Is that okay Vaggie?” Charlie asked, glancing between her girlfriend and Alastor.
Vaggie looked like she was going to object, but deflated when Charlie smiled at her. “Yeah, sure thing. Just… don't be long, okay?”
“Oh, I shan't take too much of her time.” Alastor assured with a chuckle. “Just wanted to discuss plans for today given recent events.”
As Vaggie led the two new sinners to the front desk, Alastor guided Charlie out of the room, where they could speak in peace without being overheard.
After checking that Niffty wasn't hiding around the kitchen, she had a bad habit of just appearing out of tiny crevices, Alastor sighed and leaned back against the counter.
“What you did with the shadows was amazing by the way.” Charlie praised, as a way of starting the conversation.
“My mothers magic does make it appear rather more theatrical.” He chuckled, not really wanting to dwell on the new abilities he seemed to have developed down here. His eyes flicked to the side, where his shadow lay quiet and unassuming next to him. It was currently as unremarkable as an actual shadow, rather than a shadowy entity that seemed somehow attached to him.
“I didn't know winners had abilities like that. No wonder Angel thought you were an overlord.” Charlie said, clearly impressed and a little excited at seeing what he could do.
“I have been wondering about that. Husker assumed the same.” Alastor mused, wanting some answers about that himself. He wasn't trying to be intimidating, but apparently his Demon act was a little too convincing? Maybe he needed to tone it back a bit? “What exactly defines who is classed as an overlord?”
“Well, most sinners don't really have abilities, or they aren't strong unless they become overlords.” Charlie explained. “Usually it's how many souls they own. Owning souls and territory grants you power, so the more contracts someone has, the stronger they become.”
Alastor frowned at that. People assumed he owned people? He didn't like the idea, but he understood, this was Hell afterall. The phrasing of them being ‘contracts’ could mean it was more like servants than outright slavery, which was slightly better. Though he guessed the line between employee and slave was most likely pretty thin in literal Hell.
“I assume that Angel Dust's boss owns his soul?”
“It's… sort of rude to ask. But, yeah… I'm pretty sure he sold his soul.” She sighed, wrapping her arms around herself. “From what I know, everyone who works for the Vee’s is owned by them. It's why they have so much influence. They're the only overlords that openly share souls between themselves.”
“Do you own any souls?” Alastor asked, a little nervous about hearing her reply.
“What? No! I wouldn't. I mean, I could, but I wouldn’t… I'm not a sinner, so it wouldn't even benefit me. It would just be mean.” Charlie said defensively.
She seemed genuinely upset at the idea of herself partaking in an apparently common practice in Hell, which was reassuring to Alastor. Charlie had no need of it personally, but she also didn't seem against the concept of sinners doing it either. That was just a fact of how things worked down here apparently.
“But, these contracts are soul binding?” Alastor asked carefully, a little concerned if his own soul was now compromised because of his deal.
Charlie was quiet for a moment, fidgeting awkwardly. “You made a deal with Husk, didn't you?”
“Heaven doesn't really have soul contracts and binding deals. When I shook his hand, I had assumed it was a gentleman's agreement, not a contract.” Alastor sighed. “Had I known, I wouldn't have shook the hand I was offered.”
“What were the terms?” Charlie said seriously, clearly as concerned as Alastor was starting to become. “Wording matters with deals.”
“It wasn't anything major. Only that while he was working behind the bar, he didn't have to take part in our redemption experiment unless he wished to.” That couldn't be twisted into anything bad as far as he could tell, could it? Wording matters. What had Husk added to the end of the terms again? “Though, I suppose it makes sense why he was so insistent that the deal only applied while he was staying under our roof.”
“Oh! That's actually a really loose contract.” Charlie laughed, her relief was palpable. “You won't be able to force him, but any of us can break it easily by having him check out of the hotel. Vaggie was afraid it might have been an actual soul contract happening.”
“I’m glad to hear that it wasn't.” Alastor laughed, sharing her relief that he hadn't accidentally sold his soul, or bought someone else's. He's not sure which would be worse for him as a Winner secretly in Hell.
Husker was a gambler and an overlord. This actually made a lot of sense with how he talked about those under his employ. He probably traded souls like poker chips. Why would he make any connections with those he owned, when he could lose or trade them away at any time? That's why he wasn't concerned with the potential loss. Souls must seem like nothing more than currency to overlords like him. There must be a market for them if they came with power.
“But we do have one more sinner trying for redemption at least, which is an unexpected victory for today. Redemption is no longer resting squarely on Angel Dust's shoulders.” Alastor smiled, choosing to focus on the positives.
“Yeah! And I really do think Pentious is sorry for attacking the hotel. He seemed really grateful for us forgiving him and letting him join us here. He just, seems more eager to give it a go then Angel Dust.” Charlie grinned back, clearly getting excited at having a new person to befriend and help.
Charlie reminded Alastor of an excitable puppy, hyperactive, and liable to forget the bad things as long as she's getting positive reactions and attention towards her goal.
“Do not be so quick to trust, darling.” He warned lightly. “Hopefully he is as sorry as he seems, but talk, as they say, is cheap. He'll need to prove it with his actions as well as his words. He very well could just be grateful to be alive, if he realised that Vaggie was going to attack with angelic steel.”
“I'm sure he's going to prove himself.” Charlie deflated a little at the gentle reality check, but she continued to look determined. “But you're right. We just need to keep an eye on him and Husker until we know them better… Speaking of which. Why was an overlord hanging around to see the fight?”
“Apparently he got into a spot of bother with some loan sharks, and wants to use this place to lay low.” Alastor was still a little wary of the cat Sinner, but that story did at least line up with what little he now knew about him and how Hall operated. “Considering Husker was willing to work while here, I assume he expects us to offer him protection?”
“Well. Even if he's not taking part, maybe just being in the room while we work with Angel and Pentious will help him regardless?” Charlie decided, nodding at her own words as if they were fact and not wishful speculation. “We really should get back to them. I haven't heard any screaming, but I don't think it's a good idea to leave Vaggie to deal with them alone.”
“Are you afraid for Vaggie, or for our new guests?” Alastor half joked, not knowing who would be more of a danger to who.
“Yeah, I suppose Vaggie can look after herself. But I still think we should get back out there.” Charlie laughed, seeming a lot more relaxed after their chat than before.
“Lead the way, princess. We can welcome our new guests today and let them settle in, then work on adapting our plans to incorporate another person for tomorrow.”
“Right. That sounds like a plan!” Charlie agreed, face determined but pleased with that course of action. No doubt she was already running through a list of things to add and change about their current schedule for Angel Dust, to incorporate Sir Pentious.
Things at the hotel were no doubt going to get a lot more interesting going forward.