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One more step, and another, and another… Each step brought you that much closer to making it to the Hazbin Hotel. Your body was heavy and ached with every movement. Trekking through Hell was never an easy task, but you were determined to make it.
Walking down the empty street, you felt a moment of melancholy. The area leading up to the hotel was deserted as it had been since the Angels attack. You missed the bustle (if you could call it that) of the streets.
While Hell was still overly populated, the denizens tended to avoid the streets unless they were also going there. The hotel didn’t have a bad rap per say, but there was a Princess there who could be very overwhelming and if she noticed you nearby, she’d try to drag you inside.
While everyone was grateful that she saved them, she still had ‘delusions’ of grandeur but with nothing to show for it. You didn’t want to be cynical, but couldn’t help it. Hell was Hell for a reason. Nothing could get better here. They didn’t deserve second chances.
But… you didn’t really believe that did you? You tried to convince yourself that Charlie was crazy, but here you were, taking step after step towards the hotel you keep putting down. Was there actually redemption? If anything, it could be a good distraction.
Sure, you weren’t really going to be “redeemed” or anything like that but maybe…
—
Aza was snapped out of her reverie as her vision blurred, causing her to stagger, tripping over something on the ground. Bile rose in her throat as she wretched off to the side. “Fuck..” She rasped as she tried to get her bearings together.
Her back ached where her wings used to be. It had been decades since Adam had ripped her wings from her, but whenever it flared, the pain was the same as if she were reliving those moments.
Clenching her fist, Aza slammed it into the ground next to her. She felt her bones protest as she kept hitting the solid brimstone ground. Eventually she could no longer feel her hand and she looked down, seeing the bloody mess she’d made of it.
Well, it helped distract from the pain, so whatever, right?
Standing back up, she wiped her face with her good hand, smearing it on the wall nearby. She wanted to at least look somewhat presentable when she arrived. She wasn’t sure what to expect but steeled herself as she walked up the steps to the Hazbin Hotel.
— Alastor’s POV —
It was another… wonderful day at the Hazbin Hotel. Charlie was doing some weird lesson planning. After the hotel was rebuilt, she was more inspired than ever. It was exhausting, but Alastor wouldn’t tell anyone that.
He kept his trademark smile on his face, as he believed that anything other than a smile was weakness. It was one thing that drove him crazy about Charlie. The girl wore her emotions on her sleeve. It was far too easy to tell whatever emotion she was feeling.
But at the same time it was.. Endearing? Definitely not a word Alastor would’ve expected to be thinking. He sipped on his tea, while sitting at a table in the lobby. Angel Dust and Husk were bantering as usual, something something Valentino this, something something sex that. He didn’t really care.
Niffty was doing her thing (chasing bugs with a knife), Vaggie was just watching everyone with her arms crossed. He didn’t really care that she used to be an executioner, so long as she didn’t endanger his hotel or Charlie. He had plans for her.
Suddenly there was a commotion as Charlie came bounding down the stairs. Her hair was a mess and she looked like she’d been working on something all night. You’d think she was some school girl with exams coming up. Alastor’s demeanor didn’t change, but he chuckled internally. These guys were growing on him.
As Charlie started yelling about something, the door to the hotel slammed open. Narrowing his eyes, Alastor homed in on their sudden guest. It was a woman (who looked like she’d had better days.) She had a sheepish smile on her face. He could tell immediately that it was a fake smile plastered on and he felt a spark of familiarity.
He didn’t move from his spot, just sipping his tea as Charlie bounded up to this woman and excitedly started chattering about the hotel. This was not just any normal Sinner who showed up to their doorstep.
Things were going to be interesting.
— Aza’s POV —
Aza had finally made it to the hotel. In her excitement, she didn’t watch her strength and ended up slamming the front door open. Suddenly there were 6 pairs of eyes on her. A cold sweat drenched her as she felt nervous for the first time in.. a long time. It was a foreign feeling.
Before she could get a word in, the blonde bounded up to her. Her eyes were sparkling as she started chattering about the hotel. “Oh my gosh! Hello! Welcome to the, uh, the Hazbin Hotel! I’m sure you’ve heard of us because.. Haha, you know the whole Angel thing. Anyway yeah! My name is Charlie! Charlie Morningstar.”
She extended her hand and grabbed Aza’s without even thinking and gave it a few shakes. Aza couldn’t help but wince as she grabbed the broken hand, causing Charlie to realize and look down at her bloodied hand.
“Oh shit- sorry! Oh gosh I should have looked before I grabbed. Are you okay? Vaggie, can you get some bandages? We can wrap that for you.” She spoke towards a gloomy looking woman at the back. Immediately Aza could sense the holy from her, though that had been greatly diminished. The only reason she could tell is because of her own faded holiness. She could only hope there wasn’t a sliver of it left. This ‘Vaggie’ seemed to be pretty recently “fallen” to say.
Her eyes swept the room, she saw two men at the bar. One she recognized as Angel Dust- yeah she’d seen one of his porn to say the least. The other she didn’t recognize, but could tell he was a cat demon of sorts.
Then she saw a little one (cyclops thing?) zooming around the lobby. She didn’t seem to mind Aza’s presence and was more focused on randomly stabbing the ground. Aza didn’t really care to watch too much more of that one.
Then her gaze drifted to the man in red sipping his tea. He had a wide smile on his face and he seemed to be watching her in turn. Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she smoothed her features again. Her gaze lingered on him as they trailed down his chest, a small smile appearing as if she was happy about something.
Quickly, she continued to look around the room. She saw a large painting of a snake man, whom she recognized as Sir Pentious. He had sacrificed himself to distract Adam during the battle. His name was known across all of Hell.
Zoning back into Charlie, she took in the Princess of Hell. This was Lucifer’s daughter, the woman who had saved Hell from total obliteration. But she was still so naive and so hopeful. There had been no contact from Heaven or the Angels since Adam was killed, so Hell just continued as it had been.
Charlie was chattering about different things while she waited for Vaggie to come back out. Not long after she got done rambling about the ‘amenities ' of the hotel, Vaggie came down the stairs with a little first aid kit (if you could call it that.)
Vaggie seemed to be watching her wearily, as if she wasn’t sure what exactly she was seeing. God, this was a moment that she really hoped her previous divinity had faded completely. She didn’t want any of these guys asking too many questions or thinking her a threat.
Again, she got lost in her thoughts. She felt a soft squeeze on her now bandaged hand (when did that happen??) as she looked at Charlie in front of her. The Princess of hell had a soft smile on her face as she slowly led her to see her new room.
For the first time in awhile, Aza began to feel emotions she thought she’d locked away.
Hope.