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When Angel Dust earned his reformation and Ascended, it was a shock. Everyone, except Charlie, deep down if not outright, had a sense that they were in fact doomed to remain in Hell until their existence was ended on the end of an angelic weapon.
It had taken Alastor a while to even admit that maybe a demon could better themselves even just for themselves once they fell, let alone enough to get those in Heaven to open up gates they had previously barred them from.
This dramatic, definitive, and public proof of concept had immediately gained a reaction, and soon the Hotel had guests flocking to it for a chance at that second chance at the pearly gates.
There were also a number of those within Hell’s higher social strata, those more powerful, such as Overlords, who were less than pleased. Employees and those under contract whom they had abused without consequence now sought the refuge of the Hotel, with the idea of redemption severing their contracts and freeing them to go to a paradise without their abusers was a tempting prospect. There were a few power moves made towards the Hotel because of this, but it was just more entertainment for the Radio Demon as he dealt with these.
After a couple incidents, Vaggie voiced her concerns that Alastor would fall into this same category, but though he was not really merciful towards those he held under contract, nor did he abuse his power the same way some of them did. He’d pull them into whatever schemes he was planning at the drop of a hat, and remind them to keep up their end of their deals if there was any hesitation, but he did not needlessly beat or, Satan forbid, molest them as some of her contemporaries did.
In fact, many of his contracts were for protection against such from others in Hell.
Additionally, his being part of the Hotel was a bit of a deterrent – those contracted to him less likely to seek out shelter from him in a place under his protection, and the fact that he had been involved before this revelation deterred rumours that he had assisted himself with the Hotel to catch prospective deal-breakers in the act.
Vaggie briefly considered this had been part of his plan joining in the first place, but soon dropped it as his shock at redemption being possible precluded his having thought it was possible, and thus that this scenario was possible.
Of course, some attempts were more genuine than others. Some demons though the Princess had – or had created – an ‘in’ with Heaven, thinking all they had to do was sign up and maybe attend a few meetings and off they would go.
They didn’t realize, or want to put in, the work to address their problems and genuinely better themselves. Some just saw it as a place they could get away from bad bosses and contract holders. A free, guarded shelter.
It was entertaining, for a while, watching the grab-bag the Hotel had become now that it had a shred of legitimacy, but eventually, Alastor had to approach Charlie about the prospect of kicking out the more unruly and/or .... unmotivated guests.
The idea was against her beliefs that no one was beyond redemption and not to give up on anyone. But while that may have worked when they were mostly seen as a laughing stock, having trouble getting and retaining guests, and could afford to have rooms occupied by those less cooperative and slowly wear them down into getting with the program, now they had an influx of guests, and prospective ones, and it was getting to the point that they could not take all of those wanting to stay at the Hotel at once. It would be worse to turn away new guests who were genuine and committed to the program because of lack of room, and it was a better use of their limited resources to free up the rooms for those who were coming in with a real desire to change.
They could always come back once they had reflected on their choices and decided to actually try to get into the spirit of the program instead of mooching off of it.
Alastor ended up getting a few deals from demons who were solely looking for protection and were promptly put to work in the suddenly once again grossly understaffed Hotel.
The plethora of new guests kept her busy, but Charlie would reminisce with the original staff about Angel Dust from time to time, about something he had done or hoping things were going well for him in Heaven, and she’d get a distant melancholy look, but he was safe, and in a better place, and Charlie was genuinely happy that was the case and hopeful that others would soon be in the same situation.
Cherri Bomb ended up joining the Hotel, missing her ‘favourite party guy’ and complaining that it was boring without him around, so she might as well try this redemption thing. If it didn’t work out, well, they knew that there was a way out of Heaven, that you could fall. She seemed to realize the potential insult to the Daughter of the very angel she was referring to, but the princess didn’t seem insulted and welcomed the cyclops.
When Niffty Ascended, it was then first time that a full staff members Ascended. Charlie had always known, and always told everyone, that she’d seen improvement in everyone, even the staff who weren’t enrolled in her programs, and Niffty was proof.
They needed to hire five additional workers to to make up the work left in Niffty’s absence, but there was no way they could ‘replace’ Niffty. None of them were replaceable, Charlie said, they were all individuals and each brought something uniquely their own to the table.
For the first few weeks, Charlie would sometimes start look for or asking about Niffty, before remembering that the little cyclops was in Heaven.
Alastor himself often missed the frantic energy she radiated, and no one was better at attending to the very particular way he liked things done in regards to maintaining his spaces and things.
Alastor, who himself smiled all the time, caught the wistfulness behind Charlie’s smile when she remembered that Nifty was no longer there. The missing of her.
After Husk Ascended, Charlie stopped hanging out at the bar. She had mostly done that to chat with Husk and the rest of the staff, because the alcoholic cat was the least likely to relocate than any others in the Hotel, and it gave them all something to do besides sit there, though Charlie rarely indulged in alcohol, and Vaggie never did.
In that sense, it made sense why Charlie no longer hung out there as Husk was no longer there to draw her to it, but Alastor also noticed a slight avoidance of the bar as well. But it was in the front lobby, and Charlie would sometimes look at the bar, with its new tender with a sad expression. By this point, while she still was devoted as ever to getting the subjects into the safety of Heaven, away from the violence and years Exterminations, she seemed to keep a bit more distance between herself and her patrons than she had in the beginning.
To those new to the program, the princess was engaging and she was genuinely invested in all of the and to those new to the program. She seemed to get quite close and involved with her patrons. But to Alastor, who had been there from nearly the beginning, it was obvious that the princess was holding herself back. Outside of work, Charlie clung to her girlfriend, and Alastor, those she was already incredibly close to. She never shied away from those who had Ascended, and honestly, truly was happy for them, but it was clear that the princess missed them. When the Radio Demon caught her in a melancholy reminiscence, he would tell a funny story of when they were all happy, or, it that didn’t work, would distract her with something, until the feeling of missing passed and all that was left was the remembrance of good times.
Then Vaggie Ascended.
Charlie kept up a wide, if watery smile while her girlfriend said goodbye and was welcomed into Heaven, but quickly excused herself, and when Alastor found her, it was with the princess sobbing into a pillow in the room she had shared with the new angel.
The Radio Demon knew that he was not the greatest authority on comforting others, but he tried, letting her cry on him, stroking her hair to reassure her that he was there until Charlie managed to get enough out of her system that she felt she needed to get back to work, as their were still other demons to help.
She asked the last of the first residents, her business partner if he could handle finding a new manager.
The distant melancholy in Charlie’s eyes got worse, though she kept up a good front to those who didn’t know her well – which by this point was everyone but Alastor, as she was keeping all others at the distance. She had learned how to fake cheer behind a smile from the best, after all.
Alastor also noticed, over the next few months, that Charlie seemed to not only be distancing herself from the new patrons, but now from Alastor as well. She also started taking a more active roles, especially in tasks that had traditionally been handled by Alastor himself. Such as staffing, after the new manager position was filled.
It came to a head when Charlie personally defended the Hotel from an attack, one that had devolved into violence. The icing on the proverbial cake was when she had then breezed pasted him afterward, avoiding him.
That was the point Alastor decided he needed to do something.
“Charlie,” the Radio Demon said, finding her in the office and closing the door, “I believe we need to talk.”
“What’s wrong Al? Is this about the fight?”
Alastor shrugged his shoulders. “Partly, though that is only part of a larger trend. You have been avoiding me,” he said, not bothering to beat around the bush.
“I have not,” the princess denied.
“Maybe not outright avoiding me, but distancing yourself certainly. When was the last time we spoke? Without me having it hunt you down and corner you in this office? You’ve been taking over my share of tasks. Frankly, my dear, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were planning to kick me out.”
“I’m just... getting ready for when you leave, it’s better if I’m... prepared,” Charlie said sadly, eyes firmly down at the her desk
“When I-?” Alastor started, before realizing when she meant. She was preparing for when he was redeemed and Ascended, making sure she could handle protecting the Hotel and staffing it while he he was here so she would be ready when he was not.
Alastor let out a sharp laugh, causing Charlie’s attention to snap to him.
“Come with me, Charlie,” he said, and took her wrist, leading her through a portal.
When they emerged, the two were in a strange room, with what looked like a kitchen set up, and through a window, Charlie could see that they were in the other side of the pentagram from the Hotel.
“This is one of the places I keep,” Alastor said, walking over to the refrigerator, and opening it. Inside was meat, some of it in slabs, but Charlie could also see an arm in there, and other demon parts, and she was quickly able to conclude that all of the meat in the fridge, or at the very least most of it, came from demons.
“I kept my word not to sin while in the Hotel or its grounds, but I haven not been refraining completely. I have still killed demons off the Hotel grounds when I felt like it. I’ve still broadcast my carnage for all of Hell to hear, though I have done so at night and made sure that it would not interfere with your rest. When I felt a craving for demon flesh, I prepared and ate it here. I told you I have no interest in redeeming myself and I have never tried.”
“Alastor, I know you could –”
The Radio Demon closed the refrigerator door and walked towards her. “I don’t want to. All those who redeemed themselves were not happy in Hell. I am. Husk drank because he was unhappy and didn’t want to face it, Angel Dust similarly turn to sinful behaviour to escape the things he was unhappy about but didn’t want to acknowledge and work through.”
Charlie’s face started to fall, and Alastor knew exactly what her mind fad turned to. “Vaggie loved you, I am certain she and the rest of our ascended friends still do. She wasn’t happy with the rest of Hell, but you were the bright spot in all of it. She stayed as long as she did because she did not want to leave you, but you wanted her safe, and she wanted your dreams to come to fruition, and other than you there was nothing else about Hell that made her happy. The difference between me and the others, is that I am happy here. I love my power, I love the thrill of the hunt and the choice morsels I take from them. I’d be bored to death in Heaven!
“But... don’t you miss your mother?”
“I do, but would I wish to go be an embarrassment to her when I inevitably did something to Fall again to relieve the boredom, not to mention the lecture she would have for me? No, no, I’m a Sinner, through and through, and I’m afraid I’m only leaving at the end of an angelic weapon.”
“We have a deal! I haven’t been able to stop the Exterminations completely yet, but they don’t target the Hotel!”
“Well, my dear that just means you’re stuck with me, then!” Alastor chirped, leaning in close to her face, hands folded behind his back.
As the Radio Demon smiled manically at her, Charlie’s face slowly reflected her dawning realization, her eyes starting to well with emotion.
“Now,”Alastor started, snapping her attention away from her realization and catching her in a side hug, using the position to drag her along with him, “Can I interest you in a drink while we discuss all those things with the Hotel you’ve been keeping to yourself? Perhaps a meal as well, considering the time, how long this will take, and your exertions earlier?”
Smiling fondly, Charlie replied, “Okay, but no demon meat!”
Alastor scoffed as though offended and placed his free hand on his chest. “Why Charlie, you’ve known me long enough to know I don’t force my dietary preferences on others! But I take your statement as a declination to any offers to try. ...Tonight.”
Charlie laughed, knowing that he was being utterly serious, relishing in the warm feeling that she wouldn’t be alone.