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"You look splendid, Apple Pie. I'm sure your date will be impressed. What was the girl's name again?" Asked Lilith, as she finished styling her daughter's hair in an elegant French braid that fell across her shoulder.
"Vagatha. Vaggie for short. A moth demon." Charlie answered, leaving out that Vaggie was, in fact, a common sinner. "And she is so pretty and sweet, and smart, which is such a rare combination to find." Charlie beamed.
"She sounds like a nice girl. Still, I want you two to be safe; you should bring Jupiter with you, just in case."
"Mom, don't you think that would be kinda awkward, bringing my hellhound with me on my date? Besides, Jupiter isn't really the best at his job. Remember that time I got mugged? I fought off that mugger by myself, while Jupiter was 'busy' taking a cigarette break."
"All right, sweetie. I just want you to be safe."
"We will, Mom! And thanks for helping me get ready!"
Giddy with excitement, Charlie practically bounced down the stairs and out the door to the limo waiting outside, chauffeured by Razzle and Dazzle; a pair of little goat demons.
After Charlie told them where to go, Razzle and Dazzle sped down the streets of Pentagram City and came to a stop at an apartment complex in a working class neighborhood. Within moments, Vaggie, with her trusty angelic spear slung across her back, was out of her apartment and walking towards Charlie and the limo, many of her neighbors casting jealous glances at her.
"Oh, Vaggie, you look gorgeous!" Said Charlie, complimenting Vaggie's little black dress and matching stilettos.
"So do you!" Replied Vaggie. Charlie looked quite sharp in a pink pencil skirt, white ruffle silk blouse, and red t-strap heels.
She held the limo door open for Vaggie "After you, my lady, your chariot awaits!"
"Wow!" Exclaimed Vaggie, as she got into the limo. "Now I feel like a princess!"
Charlie settled down in the seat next to her.
"So," inquired Vaggie, " where are we going?"
"I made reservations at Dante's" Answered Charlie.
"Seriously!? That's the best restaurant in the district! How did you get reservations so fast?"
"I have my connections" Charlie said
***
"Oh, wow! This place is ritzy!" Said Vaggie as they arrived at Dante's; an opulent building of white marble with pink and purple striations and statuary in front, including a lava fountain. "I've never been anywhere this nice in my life! Or afterlife, for that matter!" The inside of Dante's was just as grand as the outside, with heavy curtains, plush chairs crystal chandeliers, and paintings in gilded frames.
"Well, you're in for a treat, then!" Turning then to the maitre d, Charlie announced herself "Charlotte Morningstar, reservations for two."
"Of course mademoiselle Morningstar. Right this way." They were lead to a table in a quiet part of the restaurant; Vaggie suspected that Charlie may have had to pay extra for a better table.
A waiter showed up promptly, handing out the menus "Can I get you any appetizers to start with?"
"I think I'll start with the stuffed mushrooms..." said Charlie
"And some deviled eggs..." interjected Vaggie.
"Oh, and some marinated olives!"
"Wonderful, mademoiselles! I'll be right out with those." The waiter returned shortly with the appetizers, and took their orders. Charlie ordered grilled duck with wild rice pilaf, while Vaggie ordered a seared tuna steak with green tomato salsa and an arugula salad.
"And to drink?" Asked the waiter.
"I'll have a glass of pinot noir" said Charlie.
"And I'll have an iced green tea"
Charlie raised an eyebrow, wondering why Vaggie didn't order any wine.
"I rarely drink." Vaggie explained.
"So, Vaggie," said Charlie, around a bite of mushroom "I've been meaning to ask, do you bring your spear with you everywhere you go?" Asked Charlie. Vaggie's spear currently leaned against the table next to it's owner.
"From my experience with some demons, I never know when I'll need to use it. Even in a fancy place like this. There could be an assassin waiting to strike. You can never be too careful." Vaggie answered and selected a deviled egg.
"You think an assassin would target us? Here?"
"You are the daughter of Lucifer. That's pretty high profile. You never know, with some people."
As Charlie and Vaggie finished up their appetizers, the waiter brought out their dinners.
"Oh, now that's beautiful! And it smells delicious!" Vaggie took a bite of her tuna steak. "Mmm. So good!"
"Here, Vaggie, try some of mine!" Charlie held out a bite of her grilled duck for Vaggie to try. The two of them enjoyed their food, occasionally sampling from each others' plates.
"I didn't know you could get food this good in Hell!" Said Vaggie.
"It's from the surface, actually. A lot of wealthy demons send imps up to the human world to bring back luxury items."
"Really? So demons can visit earth?" Vaggie looked hopeful.
"Only hellborns, I'm afraid. Sinners are stuck here, unfortunately. Eternal damnation, and all that. I wish there was a way that they didn't have to be down here, suffering..."
"You truly are an angel in disguise. Of all the people, I wouldn't have expected the spawn of Lucifer to be such a kind and caring soul!"
"And it's so refreshing dating someone who's not a gold digger or boring self-centered snob!" Charlie's eye caught a familiar face - or set of faces - a few tables down. "Oh, crap. Speaking of self-centered snobs, the Von Eldriches are here."
"Who?" Asked Vaggie, looking around.
"Seviathan Von Eldrich is my ex fiance. His sister Helsa is a total bitch. They're here with their parents."
"That group of uppity rich demons over there?" Vaggie turned to look in the direction Charlie indicated.
"Yeah. Let's get out of here before they see us. I didn't really want to get dessert here, anyway."
Before the waiter ever showed up with the check, Charlie left a stack of bills on the table, to pay for their dinner, along with a generous tip.
The two of them slipped out the back way before they could be spotted by the Von Eldrich family.
"We could get some frozen yogurt for dessert." Suggested Vaggie. "There's a spot down the street. I'll pay this time."
"Oh, I love frozen yogurt! I'm gonna get mango and bubble gum flavors with cookie crumbles and gummy bears and mochi and rainbow sprinkles! Oh, and pineapple! And then after, I was thinking we could go do karaoke!"
"Sounds fun! But I do have to warn you, I'm a terrible singer!"
That's fine! It'll just make it more fun! Karaoke isn't always about being perfect."
They got their frozen yogurt - Charlie getting exactly what she said she would get, and Vaggie getting blueberry and vanilla flavors with chocolate syrup, fresh berries, cheesecake bits, and sprinkles - and then made their way to a karaoke lounge, enjoying their desserts along the way.
***
"I'm walking on sunshiiine! Woah! I'm walking on sunshine! Woah! I'm walking on sunshiiiine! Woa-oo-oh! Don't it feel good!" A female lizard demon with a shock of red hair sang out of key, yet her enthusiasm and spirit made for an entertaining performance.
"You see, Vaggie? It doesn't matter if you're a good singer, as long as you have fun!" Charlie took a sip of the appletini she had ordered. "You should totally sing!"
"Hahaha! No, I can't! I sound awful!" Vaggie giggled.
"I'm sure you'll do just fine! Here, you can have some of my 'liquid courage'." Charlie offered her appletini to Vaggie. "Oh, I forgot. You don't drink, do you?"
"Only on occasion. In this case, I think I will indulge a bit. But just a little. Or else you'll get to see me act like a total dork! I'm such a lightweight." Vaggie took a drink from Charlie's glass. "So, are you going to sing?"
"Of course I am! That's why we're here! I love to sing."
"I bet you sing like an angel!" Said Vaggie.
"Haha! We'll see about that!"
Charlie shared the rest of her drink with Vaggie, who was now beginning to feel a little bit of a buzz.
"Ok. You know what, I think I will get up in front of all these people. But you gotta go first!"
Charlie was up before Vaggie could even blink, a song picked and ready to go.
"Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?"
Charlie belted out "Firework" by Katy Perry, only a few lines into the song and already killing it.
"Do you ever feel already buried deep?
Six feet under screams but no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you
'Cause there's a spark in you?
You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July
'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, oh, oh, oh
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, oh, oh, oh
You're gonna leave 'em falling down"
By now, she had captured the attention of everyone there, never missing a beat, her singing impeccable. *Oh, she's amazing! She DOES sound like an angel!* Thought Vaggie, as she listened with rapt attention to Charlie's performance.
"You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow
Maybe you're reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will blow
And when it's time, you'll know
You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July
'Cause baby you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, oh, oh, oh
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, oh, oh, oh
You're gonna leave 'em falling down
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through
'Cause baby you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, oh, oh, oh
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, oh oh, oh
You're gonna leave 'em falling down
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon"
The gathered demons burst into applause as Charlie ended the song.
"Oh, my God! You're incredible! Who knew you had such talent! No way I can compete with you!" Vaggie cheered.
"Hahaha! It's not a competition! Just sing what's in your heart, and you'll do just fine!"
"Allright, I can do this." Vaggie got up on the stage and selected her song. "Well, Charlie is certainly a hard act to follow, but I'm gonna sing just for her. So, here's 'Crimson and Clover.' This is for you, Charlie."
"Hahaha! Dyke! That song's boring" Someone jeered.
"Pinche pendejo" Vaggie glared sharply at the demon.
"Shut up!" Charlie hissed at the heckler. "Go ahead Vaggie."
"Ah, now I don't hardly know her
But I think I could love her
Crimson and clover" Vaggie began.
"Boring!" The heckler called out.
"Be quiet!" Said Charlie.
"Ah when she comes walking over
Now I've been waitin' to show her
Crimson and clover
Over and over"
"Sing something else!" That heckler again. Charlie turned to him, her horns sprouting from her head, eyes burning red, fangs bared, hair wild, and flames jumping out around her,
"I thought I told ̸y̵o̴u ̵ẗ̸̺́͊̚ȍ̸̻̥̚ͅ s̸̛͙͖̬̄̂̀̎̄̈̾̇͌͊̈́͂ḧ̶͕̮̙̜̜͎́͐̅̉̃̌̒u̷͔͂̈̀̋͗͠t̵̢̜͍̖͙̲̋͂̆̅̉̍͑̂͘͝Ǘ̶̢̢̩̰̟̥̘͔͖̞͖͉̖̏P̴̛͎̟͙͙͊͛̈́̎̅͌͂̒̈́̉̉̆͗!̸͖̞̮͙͙̭͎̝̱͉͍̱̝͚̗̻̪̤͙̭̓̅̏̒͌̀͑̒͂̀̎́͘" She snarled in her most threatening demonic voice.
"Ok, geez, no need to bite my head off" the heckler sulked. Vaggie stared in amazement at the way her date handled that guy. And her full demon form? Holy hell, she was something! "You're doing great, Vaggie! Keep going!" She smiled.
"Oh. Oh, yeah" Vaggie continued the song.
"Yeah, my, my such a sweet thing
I wanna do everything
What a beautiful feeling
Crimson and clover over and over
Crimson and clover
Over and over
Crimson and clover
Over and over
Crimson and clover
Over and over
Crimson and clover
Over and over..."
"Woo-hoo! Yeah! Let's hear it for Vaggie!" Charlie cheered, the crowd applauding along with her.
"You were great!"
"You really think so?"
"Hell yeah! You're not a bad singer at all! Never sell yourself short. And ignore the haters!"
"Gee, thanks!"
After staying for a few more performances - some good, some bad, but most of them entertaining - and Charlie convincing Vaggie to join her in a duet at one point, they decided to call it a night and headed out.
"You were right, that was fun!" Said Vaggie as they left the karaoke lounge.
Nearing the limo, they saw another couple ahead of them; a kitsune demon in a heavy fur coat and a weasel demon with a thin mustache. The kitsune briefly glanced at the two girls, looking them up and down, then turned to her partner, and with a flirtatious giggle, dashed off ahead of him, colliding with Charlie and Vaggie.
"Oh, oops! Excuse me!" She said, getting up and running off again. Before Charlie had time to register what had happened, the weasel demon was helping her up, diverting her attention away from his partner - "so sorry miss, are you ok?" - but Vaggie was already on the kitsune, who was flat on her back on the ground, with Vaggie's heel digging into the soft spot directly under her sternum, spear resting on her throat, the blessed metal cold against the skin.
"Cough it up, ladrona!"
"Fine! Here. Now get off me."
The pickpocket threw Charlie's wallet, and Vaggie's as well, on the sidewalk. Seeing the position his partner was in, the weasel dropped Charlie and scampered off into an alleyway. Vaggie picked up the wallets and let the kitsune up, who turned tail and followed her partner into the alley.
"Wow. That was some quick thinking! And quick reflexes, too!"
"I grew up on the streets of San Salvador, back when I was alive. I know a pickpocket when I see one." Vaggie said, handing Charlie her wallet.
They got into the limo, and Razzle and Dazzle drove them back to Vaggie's apartment building.
"Hey, do you think those thieves needed the money?"
"The woman was wearing an expensive fur coat. They probably make their living off of preying on unsuspecting victims."
"Huh. Yeah, you're probably right. Well, anyway, you handled that a lot better than Jupiter would have. I was wondering, if it's OK with my mom and dad, if you'd like a job as my bodyguard! I'll ask them tonight, and if they say yes, you can start tomorrow! Oooh! We can go to the mall, or see a movie or, or maybe even go to LuLuWorld!"
"Charlie, are you asking me to go on another date?"
"Maaaybe..."
"Hahaha! OK." The limo pulled up to Vaggie's apartment building "I'll see you soon!" Vaggie opened the door and got out of the limo.
"Wait, I'll walk you to your door."
"Thanks, Charlie! You know, I had a great time!" Vaggie said, as they walked to her door.
"Me too! Can't wait to see you again! I'll give you a call tomorrow, see if we can make some plans."
When they got to Vaggie's door, the two of them embraced, and Charlie, looking into Vaggie's single eye, found an irresistible urge to lean in...
and...
Her lips pressed firmly against Vaggie's, in a chaste yet passionate kiss. Both girls' cheeks flushed red.
"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I just - wanted to kiss you goodnight." Charlie apologized.
"Oh, it's totally fine! I really like you!" Vaggie replied. Charlie flushed a deeper red.
"We-ell, I'll see you tomorrow, then?"
"Absolutely!"
"Goodnight, then, Vaggie." Charlie said as she pulled Vaggie in for another hug.
"Goodnight, Charlie."