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Being alone has always bothered him.
Even back in his human days, Vox constantly tried to surround himself with people. Hell, the more the better. There’s nothing like the validation hit of hundreds of people looking up to you, praising you, worshipping you.
And he had finally gotten that feeling back just a few weeks ago. All of Hell was on his side, supporting his ideas for the war against Heaven, and he almost fucking did it too. He came so close to being the god of both Heaven and Hell, just like he should be.
But of course the stupid fucking Princess had to come in and ruin everything.
Now, Val and Velvette won’t even talk to him. Valentino even went in front of Katie fucking Killjoy and claimed he has no idea who Vox was! After so many years of being business partners, and he still had the fucking nerve to go on television and say that.
It stung when he first saw the segment air, but now he’s just pissed about it. Everything about this situation is pissing him off.
At least the other Vees had helped put his body back together. That’s the least they could do after ripping his head off.
Stupid fucking partners.
And now he’s completely alone. Stuck in his office with nothing to do but ignore paperwork that he doesn’t care about and think about everything that’s happened.
The silence is really starting to get on his last nerve.
Even listening to Alastor bitching day in and day out while he was captive was better than this.
But no, Vox is now stuck here, hardly even allowed to leave this room because it’s ‘bad for the brand’, and they’re even trying to change the name of the company. His company.
As if he wasn’t the one who started it 70 years ago and built it from the ground up. Such a fucking insult to everything he’s worked for.
Vox taps his fingers against the desk just to have something to do with his hands. He could work, but what’s the point? It’s not like it would really matter anyway.
Between work or letting himself get sucked into his own thoughts, the latter has been winning out more and more often these days.
Honestly, these stupid ideas keep slipping into his mind. Some ridiculous thing the Princess had said last time he went to that rundown hotel. “I believe anyone can be redeemed” or some fairy tale bullshit.
Maybe this is why they shove people in solitary confinement. They start going insane from the lack of stimulation and start considering the craziest ideas.
Vox couldn’t care less about redeeming himself or going to Heaven. The only reason he’d want to go there is to take over the place, like he originally planned to.
The only reason this stupid idea keeps coming up in his mind is because he can’t stand how quiet it is around the tower, being locked in this room and avoided like a rabid dog.
Even talking to the losers at the hotel would be better than being stuck here with his own thoughts for another five minutes.
…
Honestly, fuck it. It’s better than being stuck in this room and staring at the wall.
Though there’s a slight pit of nervousness in his stomach, he feels like he’s going crazy in here by himself. Charlie and the residents might be pissed at him too, but at least they’ll actually talk to him. Hopefully.
With a sigh, Vox pushes himself up and zaps his form into electricity, heading to the next district over to the Hazbin Hotel.
It better be worth it.
With a flash of blue static, Vox finds himself staring at the front doors of the Hazbin Hotel.
It feels even more nerve wracking now that he’s actually here. And he’s not even here to get dirt on someone this time, he’s here to just… talk to someone. To get out of his own head.
He really hopes that Alastor isn’t the first person that he runs into. It’s already embarrassing enough that he’s here just because he’s lonely, and having Alastor rub it in his face is really just salt in the wound at this point.
The fucker shouldn’t even be alive anyway. He had him right there, and he was about to finally win.
But he can’t get too caught up in all of those thoughts now. He needs to focus. Focus on the plan.
All he needs to do is get in there, find Charlie, and get into a room. That’s it. He can deal with the rest later, when he’s actually had time to mentally prepare himself to face his worst enemy again.
With a deep breath, Vox puffs out his chest and tries to find his CEO bravado that died along with his cannon, pushing open the front doors and stepping inside.
As Vox takes a look around, there’s nobody in the lobby. Not a stray sinner, no sign of Alastor, and Charlie herself is nowhere to be seen either.
It’s not the worst, he guesses. He could be getting rushed by tons of sinners asking him questions or insulting him.
But he needs to find Charlie and get himself a room before that luck changes.
He starts to walk inside, placing his hands behind his back. Where is everyone, anyway? Probably out celebrating his failure or who knows what.
As he walks up to the front desk, he takes a peek behind it. There’s just a small handful of keys hanging on the wall for the rooms. At least there should be an open spot for him. Hopefully one that’s as far away from everyone else as possible so he won’t have random idiots knocking on his door.
With a quick glance around, he decides to call out, eager to get into a room before someone like Alastor pops up. “Helloooo? Is this how you guys really treat your residents? No wonder this place is a fucking joke.”
Silence is the only thing that greets him. Fucking typical. Maybe he should’ve just stayed in the tower, this is hardly any better.
Just as he’s considering leaving, there’s a whoosh of dark shadow that appears just a few feet away on the floor from him.
Great, here comes the Radio Prick. The last person he wants to see.
Alastor’s form appears from the darkness, his eyes narrowed and staff fully repaired in one hand. He skips the pleasantries. “My, my, what do we have here? And here I thought you had been reduced to a screen! How unfortunate that I was wrong.”
Vox rolls his eyes, stiffening up and crossing his arms over his chest. “I don’t want to fucking hear it. Where the hell is Charlie at?”
Alastor takes a few steps closer, smile tight and glare sharp enough to cut glass. “Looking for the Princess, are we? I’m afraid she’s far too busy for riff raff like yourself.”
Just as Vox is about to fire back, footsteps stomping down the grand staircase draws both of their attention.
Thank fuck, there’s Charlie.
Charlie rushes over to the two of them and steps in between them, trying to wedge herself between the tension thickening in the air.
Her eyes widen slightly upon seeing Vox, of all people, standing in the lobby. Is he here to try to slander her again? Or maybe he’s trying to start something with Alastor. Either option is not a good one!
She clears her throat and puts on a wobbly smile, attempting to appear friendly despite the tension in her muscles. “Oh, wow, Vox! I wasn’t expecting you! Uh, what are you doing here?”
Vox’s eye twitches and he lets out a sigh. Now he has to actually say it out loud. “Just wanted to get a room here. Need somewhere else to stay for a bit.”
Charlie is stunned silent for a moment, that’s the absolute last thing she was expecting to come out of his mouth. “Oh, uh, wow! You- Really? You want to-?”
Vox cuts her off. “Don’t ask questions. Just give me a room.”
Alastor’s ears pin back slightly as he takes a step around Charlie, turning his attention down to her. Charlie may be the one running this little establishment, but Alastor is not eager to let Vox of all people into his space. “I’m afraid we can’t allow that, dear Vox! Not after your little stint just a few weeks ago where you nearly leveled the entire Pentagram.”
Charlie blinks and shakes her head, trying to clear her thoughts, difficult as it is to do when two volatile overlords are standing in the middle of the lobby and three seconds away from starting a shouting match.
Even though Alastor is right that Vox is a… risk, she can’t turn someone away! That would go against her entire mission at the hotel.
Plus, she had literally just told him a few weeks ago that she believes that he could be redeemed. Despite the… incident… she still believes he can!
She just needs to make sure that this doesn’t turn into a blood bath first. “Okay, okay, hold on! Let’s talk about this for a minute!”
Alastor and Vox both turn their gazes down to Charlie, Vox with an annoyed snarl on his face, and Alastor with his ears perked up.
Charlie clasps her hands together and looks up at Vox. She doesn’t even bother responding to Alastor’s previous protest, not wanting to start an argument in front of a new guest. “If you’re serious about staying here, we can give you a room! We only have a few left, so you got here just in time!”
Alastor blinks as he watches Charlie walk behind the counter of the front desk. Though he can’t say that he’s necessarily shocked by this development, it still itches uncomfortably under his skin. “Charlie, surely you can’t be serious? Has your memory started to go so quickly?”
Charlie waves her hand dismissively without even looking back, trying to decide which key to pick. “Of course I remember! But we’re open to giving anyone a chance here! Regardless of their…” She finally picks a key and turns back around, gesturing vaguely at Vox. “...Past mistakes!”
Vox scoffs before reaching out, intending to snatch the key out of her hands and get away from Alastor as soon as possible. “Great, thanks-”
Charlie pulls her hand back at the last second, keeping the key firmly in hand. “Let me show you to your room! It can be pretty easy to get lost around here, believe it or not!” Better to not let him go wandering around by himself, anyway. Who knows his real reason for being here, and Charlie isn’t that naive to immediately give him free reign of the place.
Alastor’s static rises as he looks between the two of them, muscles stiffening. Having Vox of all people staying at the hotel is the absolute last thing that he wants, especially considering things have finally started to settle down around here.
But he’s also not willing to argue with Charlie, knowing just how stubborn she is about her silly little mission. Plus, he needs to stay on her good side for the time being.
With an irritated sigh, Alastor takes a step backwards. “Only the best for our guests!” His claws tighten around the handle of his staff, tempted to snap it in half. “But I will not be sticking around to clean up your mess when it inevitably goes terribly wrong.”
Before Charlie can even get a word in, Alastor melts back into shadow and disappears entirely from the lobby, leaving just Charlie and Vox standing by themselves.
Charlie deflates slightly at the sight of Alastor leaving, both a blessing and a curse. If things do go wrong, she can handle it without his help. Not like he’s been doing much around here these days anyway.
She turns her attention back to Vox, stepping out from behind the front desk. “Don’t worry about him! He’s… Well, you know how he is.” She starts to walk towards the staircase, fully expecting Vox to follow her.
Vox takes one more glance around the lobby, just to make sure Alastor isn’t coming back to stab him the second his back is turned. Once he’s satisfied he’s actually gone, he starts following Charlie at a leisurely place. “Yep. I know.”
The two make their way up the stairs, Charlie leading Vox down one of the long hallways of guest rooms.
It’s still a shock that Vox is here. But she can’t help the flutter of hope she feels in her chest. People really are considering her ideas! Even if he’s still got a bit of a chip on his shoulder, Charlie is certain she can buff that right out with enough time and persistence.
She isn’t one to just walk in silence, so she speaks up again. “So! What made you want to come stay here, anyway? I can’t say I really expected you to want to be redeemed!”
Vox rolls his eyes at the small talk, but continues following her. “I’m not here to get redeemed. I’m here because I’ve been locked in a small room for weeks and I’m bored out of my fucking mind.”
Charlie’s fingers twitch against the keys. Should’ve figured that he wasn’t here for redemption. “I see. Well, I’m sure you’ll change your mind once you see how fun our program is! And you’ll get to know all of the residents, maybe make some new friends!”
Vox shoves both of his hands into his pockets. “Yeah, because I definitely want to be friends with the losers who want to hang out here.”
Charlie doesn’t let the comments get to her, especially after half of the residents act exactly like this anyway. Plus, they’re arriving at the room now assigned to him. “Well, here we are! Home sweet home!”
She inserts the key into the lock and pushes the door open, revealing a standard hotel room. A large bed, some furnishings, the exact same thing that all the other sinners get assigned to. “You can decorate it however you want! Within reason, obviously. But you should spend the time to really make it yours!”
Vox takes a peek inside of the room. Definitely different than his office at the tower. No bright lights or screens everywhere. Literally just… a hotel room.
Great.
He looks down at Charlie and plucks the key out of her hand, taking a step inside. “Yeah, whatever. I’ll deal with it later. Now get out.”
Charlie rolls her eyes but takes a step back with a smile. “Just let me or Vaggi know if you need anything! We want to make sure your stay here is as comfortable as possible.”
She pauses before softening her voice and adding on. “I’m really glad to have you here, Vox. I think you’ll love it!”
Vox rolls his eyes. “Yeah, sure. Thanks.” He closes the door and quickly locks it before he can start getting lectured about something he doesn’t give a shit about, like how to redeem himself.
Well, at least he has roaming privileges around here and isn’t confined to a shitty little office. Can’t really complain about that much, he guesses.
And Charlie didn’t spend the whole time insulting him. That’s an upgrade from how it’s been at the tower.
Vox walks over to the bed and sits down on the edge, the mattress comfortably sinking under his weight.
As long as Alastor stays out of his sight, maybe he can find something worthwhile in this dump.