Charlie has, at least, been warned that Vox will be arriving to help at the hotel.
And she's THRILLED. Okay, so her favourite people aren't the Vees, but this is an opportunity, and she refuses to turn anyone away. She's sure if he spends enough time here then Vox will reform his ways, and he might even be able to persuade Valentino to give up Angel Dust, and then--
Anyway, Alastor is currently doing... um, she's not sure what actually, but he had asked her to be there to greet Vox until he was done, so she's leaping down the last few stairs into the lobby when the TV-headed demon overlord enters.
"Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel~! I'm Charlie, it's sooooo nice to have you here."
"Your highness, hello indeed," Vox kept his smile fixed, offering his hand palm-up to her. "Thanks for such a warm welcome. And congratulations on fending off the Exorcists - you all did a pretty phenomenal thing, there."
She's a little cautious about giving her hand to one of the Vees, given last time it had ended with her arm being licked, but she does.
"Please, call me Charlie! Oh-- and thank you, we were incredibly lucky to have help from the residents of Cannibal Town, it's really thanks to them and the brave residents here that we succeeded."
He is, mercifully, much more of a gentleman about it - he doesn't give it a proper shake. That would be uncouth given that he's an Overlord and he doesn't want to give the impression of a sneaky Deal. No, he just lightly lifts it and squeezes it in greeting, much more like a business handshake.
"It's been an inspiration to see your hotel's efforts. We at Voxtek have been developing Angelic Security, and not only did you buy is all a LOT more time to guarantee an effective product, you provided all of Hell with critical knowledge to make it even more feasible than the long shot we had before."
"Oh! I had no idea you were working on something to protect people, that's wonderful! I'm sorry, we don't-- um, watch much television here."
There's the unspoken comment that Alastor would likely have some sort of fit if they installed televisions in the rooms where he's the facilities manager.
"Alastor will be down shortly, but do you want a tour while you wait?"
"Of course, my dear! Lead the way, I'm all ears," he lilted in a show of enthusiasm, flashing a clipart image of an ear on his screen for extra comedic effect.
It certainly makes her laugh, her enthusiasm building at his seeming receptiveness to all of this. Maybe he wasn't so bad? Maybe it was just Alastor's bias changing the opinion of the hotel against him?
"Great! Well... this is the lobby, as you can see. This is the bar, Husk is usually bartending but it's still early so he's asleep. This is the parlour where people can sit and spend time together. This is the staircase leading up to the rooms. This is..."
She's basically dancing around as she points at everything, leading him up the stairs and pointing out every random door.
"...and that's my room, and that's Niffty's room, and that's Alastor's room..."
He's got a room to himself, aww, he really has moved in, hasn't he? Vox chuckled, drumming his claws on Alastor's door.
"Poor old man must be having a hard time getting up early, these days, if he's got a young lady doing his job for him, huh?" he teased, knowing full well that Alastor was listening. The old bastard was ALWAYS listening.
"And he's still got that Niffty lady around, huh. Pretty funny how she took out Adam - I'm pretty sure that's how her real life husband or suitor or whatever went and how she got down here. Couldn't confirm or deny it," Vox scoffed. "Last I heard, Alastor was keeping her in an endlessly burning fireplace."
She doesn't know anything about an endlessly burning fireplace, and she's not sure she believes it as she's always thought that Niffty was devoted to Alastor, and in turn he seems as fond of her as he ever got of anyone.
A frown mars her forehead, concern rather than anger, and she turns to face him properly.
"You will try to get along with Alastor while you're here, won't you? We don't allow fights in the hotel. If you need help, I have plenty of trust exercises I can give to you to help strengthen and mend your relationship!"
"Hey, if you can convince that old fart to actually open up and be vulnerable, I'll bare it all. Emotionally, that is," Vox chuckled, putting his hands behind his back again.
Actually... there was a MUCH funnier possibility to annoy the ever loving hell out of Alastor. Using the Princess he'd been buddying up with! Sighing, putting on wistful airs, Vox put his hand on Charlie's shoulder. "I miss my old pal, you know? He and I go way back... he got me on my feet in the first place, y'know? I'm here to help you first and foremost... but yeah, there's a little bit of me that misses those good old days."
"It's a long, sad story! I couldn't trouble you with it, my dear," Vox hummed, though he fully expected her to only have her interest piqued. "Much less while loitering where we might disturb people still in their rooms."
He's playing her like a fiddle, her eyes are wide and full of strong emotion at even the hint of a friendship ruined.
"It'd be no trouble, really." She reaches out and sets a hand on his shoulder, voice soft and warm and genuine. "It can sometimes help to get these things off your chest, and maybe I can help you find a way to reconcile."
Women like Charlie really were too easy... Vox 'softened' his gaze, gently brushing his knuckle under her eye as if to wipe a tear away. So gentlemanly! "Alright, alright... show me around the kitchen and I'll tell you about it over a cup of coffee, my dear."
He seems so much nicer than she had imagined any of the Vees could be, and a lot more openly friendly than the vast majority of demons. It's a shame Vaggie isn't here to see this today, she had been so concerned about Charlie meeting with Vox alone and had wanted to be there to glare protect her.
"Of course! Here at the Hazbin Hotel we have a wonderful communal kitchen stocked with food and drink to suit every taste."
Wheeling around, she practically jogs him to the kitchen and sets the coffee machine going.
"Those cupboards and that fridge all have communal food in, so please help yourself. Those ones--" She waves her hand to the back of the kitchen. "--are people's private foods, so please don't take anything from there."
Coffee machine, perfect - he doesn't have to go through the pretension of some old fashioned shit that Alastor would be obsessed with. He started peeking through the cabinets she hadn't opened until he plucked out a pair of mugs for them, setting them by the pot and leaning against the counter.
"You know, Charlie, I could pull a few strings and get some mini fridges in the rooms for guests as things expand - accountability is good, of course, but if this whole place fills up, the personal items fridge may not be able to handle it all."
She looks ever so pleased to hear him call her Charlie already; usually Sinners take at least a day or two in order to get over the whole 'princess' thing, but she loves it when they start to see her as one of them.
"Hmm, that might not be a bad idea! But I don't want to discourage residents from using the kitchen, it's such a good communal space. I mean we have the bar and parlour as well, but I read a book that says nothing brings people together quite like cooking! Though I suppose it might be nice not to have Alastor's... meat... near everyone else's food."
"As if you can get him to use anything but an old fashioned ice box, stubborn old--" Vox cuts himself off for the dramatics of the moment, and sighs!
"He wasn't always like that. When he picked me up that first time we met, after he saved my ass from the Exorcists? Alastor couldn't help himself, he insisted on knowing everything there was to know about how radio waves were being used to bring television into people's homes. He was excited about it. And he didn't try to strike a Deal or anything... I got praised for not selling my soul just because I landed in Hell in December and everyone was trying to get it from me in exchange for 'protection' from the Purge."
She wants to believe him, and she's not calling him a liar exactly, but that doesn't sound like the Alastor she knows. She's seen him defend the hotel, but never just protect a random new Sinner from the Exorcists, let alone then not try to make a deal.
"He saved you? That's... incredible. No wonder you got so close, so... what happened?"
"We got even closer - see, we can both 'talk' with just radio waves," Vox explained, tapping the side of his screen, "He wanted to see what television could do. How big it could get, all that - he'd wander off and do his own shit, sure. But Al always came back, always chimed in, we'd meet up at a bar and we'd drink and dance and all that good shit. Damn, that was always fun... we didn't have to lose our voices, and we could pretty straightforwardly gossip in front of people's faces and no one would even know. Hah!"
There's a big, dramatic sigh! Those 'good old days'...
"I know you're full aware about the Vees, about Overlords, all that. Something that was always true before Alastor came and tore down old power structures... Overlords couldn't trust anyone. They all had to accrue power themselves, be powerful individuals to make sure the other Overlords wouldn't swoop in and tear them to pieces.
"But Alastor tore through over half of them - proved that power didn't mean shit if no one missed you when you were gone. I realized... shit didn't have to be that way.
"If you worked with people you do trust... if you look out for friends, and they look out for you... you could make a difference. That's what it was always about. I wanted to bring together people I cared about and trusted. People who were smart, ambitious, invested... and people that actually gave a shit about each other."
"Fucking joke's on me," Vox snarled, punching the counter he was leaning against - not especially loudly or hard, just-- he was fucking mad. Of course he was mad.
"The man I'd been f̸͕̈́r̵͚͠i̷̘̓e̷̝̓ṇ̴͝d̶̩͊s̵͉̅ with since I died in the fifties... the guy that taught me everything about Hell and how to be an Overlord and shit... fuck, if it'd just been a simple fucking 'n̸̨̡̳̥͍͇̰̙͓͍̈́̇̔͐̚o̸̱̪̜̭͍̬̿͛̐̄̊̈̃̿̾̃͠͝' I wouldn't have been upset, but it was so much worse."
The worst part... he wasn't even really lying about any of this. The anger crackled over him, the rejection still utterly painful.
"I told him. 'Al, I want you to be my partner'," Vox said in a low voice, hands shaking. "'I want you to join my team. We could be everything together.'
"And then that fucker L̶̟̀̄͆̋͋̏̋A̴̡̛͎̝͍̟̻͇͔̬̟̖͔̱͈͓̗̝̿̽̐̇̑̆̂͆̔̚͝U̷̧̡̢͙̟̞͇͇͓͙̞̤̰̻̘͉͑̏G̷̨̩̟͈̖̣̬̱̫͙̤͉̮̙̞̊̓́̀̈́̂͌͜H̸̨̲̣̥͎̖̠̩͖̭̘̼͐̄͋̈́̑̓͐̆͛͋͜S̶̺͔͙͙̱̥̮͛͂͑͘̚in my ̴̤̬̖͙͈̮̼͕̜͓̺̖̱̘̪̈́́̎̃̎͐̊͂͑̈͂͋͌̇̈̇ͅf̶̡̫̯͇̲̮̣̹̩͔̻̍̈́̋͑̈́̀͌̓̽̊̈́̃̓̒ͅȁ̸̗̰̼̠̑ͅĉ̵̡̯̰̹̬̹̗̲̥͌ḛ̶̠̹̰̙̪̱̘̘͇͖͑̀̿͛̆̕̕͜͝!"
Oh, and how it had fucking hurt.
"Not a simple no, I have shit I want to do. Not no thanks, but good luck with that. No, he fucking looked me right in the eye, and laughed like he'd heard the funniest thing in the world. And he told me that was pathetic, that I was short-sighted, that I was stupid to trust anyone. And-- I told him, Alastor, I trust you-- and he fucking laughed at me again and said that I was stupid for that, too."
It's the vehemence of his words that sell her on this being truthful, the way he devolves from just telling a story into something of pure emotion is hard to see. He was obviously wounded horribly by that response, which she can completely understand. How awful, to lay yourself bare and have that spat on!
Her eyes are filled with tears as she reaches out tentatively towards him, hoping to set a comforting hand on his forearm.
"All it is, my dear, is a cautionary tale about the stupidity of trust."
Alastor's voice is chipper and amused as he slides out of the shadows between the two of them, back straight and heels clicked together as always.
"For someone who purports to always have their eyes on the future, you certainly spend an inordinate amount of time obsessing over the past. Come now, old pal, there's work to be done and you've bothered Charlie for long enough."
Vox is careful not to bump the Princess as he gestures at Alastor like SEE???
It'd gone from a careful manipulation to just... honest anger. He was crackling with electricity again, trying not to scratch gouges into the counter. Alastor has him seeing fucking red all over again.
"And for someone who's obsessed with clinging onto any little old thing from the past, you sure as shit throw away anyone in a heartbeat," Vox spat, viciously, having worked himself up. Oops.
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And she's THRILLED. Okay, so her favourite people aren't the Vees, but this is an opportunity, and she refuses to turn anyone away. She's sure if he spends enough time here then Vox will reform his ways, and he might even be able to persuade Valentino to give up Angel Dust, and then--
Anyway, Alastor is currently doing... um, she's not sure what actually, but he had asked her to be there to greet Vox until he was done, so she's leaping down the last few stairs into the lobby when the TV-headed demon overlord enters.
"Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel~! I'm Charlie, it's sooooo nice to have you here."
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"Please, call me Charlie! Oh-- and thank you, we were incredibly lucky to have help from the residents of Cannibal Town, it's really thanks to them and the brave residents here that we succeeded."
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"It's been an inspiration to see your hotel's efforts. We at Voxtek have been developing Angelic Security, and not only did you buy is all a LOT more time to guarantee an effective product, you provided all of Hell with critical knowledge to make it even more feasible than the long shot we had before."
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There's the unspoken comment that Alastor would likely have some sort of fit if they installed televisions in the rooms where he's the facilities manager.
"Alastor will be down shortly, but do you want a tour while you wait?"
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"Of course, my dear! Lead the way, I'm all ears," he lilted in a show of enthusiasm, flashing a clipart image of an ear on his screen for extra comedic effect.
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"Great! Well... this is the lobby, as you can see. This is the bar, Husk is usually bartending but it's still early so he's asleep. This is the parlour where people can sit and spend time together. This is the staircase leading up to the rooms. This is..."
She's basically dancing around as she points at everything, leading him up the stairs and pointing out every random door.
"...and that's my room, and that's Niffty's room, and that's Alastor's room..."
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"Poor old man must be having a hard time getting up early, these days, if he's got a young lady doing his job for him, huh?" he teased, knowing full well that Alastor was listening. The old bastard was ALWAYS listening.
"And he's still got that Niffty lady around, huh. Pretty funny how she took out Adam - I'm pretty sure that's how her real life husband or suitor or whatever went and how she got down here. Couldn't confirm or deny it," Vox scoffed. "Last I heard, Alastor was keeping her in an endlessly burning fireplace."
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A frown mars her forehead, concern rather than anger, and she turns to face him properly.
"You will try to get along with Alastor while you're here, won't you? We don't allow fights in the hotel. If you need help, I have plenty of trust exercises I can give to you to help strengthen and mend your relationship!"
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"Hey, if you can convince that old fart to actually open up and be vulnerable, I'll bare it all. Emotionally, that is," Vox chuckled, putting his hands behind his back again.
Actually... there was a MUCH funnier possibility to annoy the ever loving hell out of Alastor. Using the Princess he'd been buddying up with! Sighing, putting on wistful airs, Vox put his hand on Charlie's shoulder. "I miss my old pal, you know? He and I go way back... he got me on my feet in the first place, y'know? I'm here to help you first and foremost... but yeah, there's a little bit of me that misses those good old days."
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Her eyes are wide and guileless, the perfect mark for Vox because she truly does trust and want to see the best in everyone.
"I had no idea. Is that why Alastor is so-- I mean, that's so sad, what happened? Maybe I can help you reconcile, I'm sure it's not too late!"
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"It'd be no trouble, really." She reaches out and sets a hand on his shoulder, voice soft and warm and genuine. "It can sometimes help to get these things off your chest, and maybe I can help you find a way to reconcile."
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glareprotect her."Of course! Here at the Hazbin Hotel we have a wonderful communal kitchen stocked with food and drink to suit every taste."
Wheeling around, she practically jogs him to the kitchen and sets the coffee machine going.
"Those cupboards and that fridge all have communal food in, so please help yourself. Those ones--" She waves her hand to the back of the kitchen. "--are people's private foods, so please don't take anything from there."
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"You know, Charlie, I could pull a few strings and get some mini fridges in the rooms for guests as things expand - accountability is good, of course, but if this whole place fills up, the personal items fridge may not be able to handle it all."
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"Hmm, that might not be a bad idea! But I don't want to discourage residents from using the kitchen, it's such a good communal space. I mean we have the bar and parlour as well, but I read a book that says nothing brings people together quite like cooking! Though I suppose it might be nice not to have Alastor's... meat... near everyone else's food."
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"He wasn't always like that. When he picked me up that first time we met, after he saved my ass from the Exorcists? Alastor couldn't help himself, he insisted on knowing everything there was to know about how radio waves were being used to bring television into people's homes. He was excited about it. And he didn't try to strike a Deal or anything... I got praised for not selling my soul just because I landed in Hell in December and everyone was trying to get it from me in exchange for 'protection' from the Purge."
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She wants to believe him, and she's not calling him a liar exactly, but that doesn't sound like the Alastor she knows. She's seen him defend the hotel, but never just protect a random new Sinner from the Exorcists, let alone then not try to make a deal.
"He saved you? That's... incredible. No wonder you got so close, so... what happened?"
1/3
There's a big, dramatic sigh! Those 'good old days'...
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"But Alastor tore through over half of them - proved that power didn't mean shit if no one missed you when you were gone. I realized... shit didn't have to be that way.
"If you worked with people you do trust... if you look out for friends, and they look out for you... you could make a difference. That's what it was always about. I wanted to bring together people I cared about and trusted. People who were smart, ambitious, invested... and people that actually gave a shit about each other."
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"The man I'd been f̸͕̈́r̵͚͠i̷̘̓e̷̝̓ṇ̴͝d̶̩͊s̵͉̅ with since I died in the fifties... the guy that taught me everything about Hell and how to be an Overlord and shit... fuck, if it'd just been a simple fucking 'n̸̨̡̳̥͍͇̰̙͓͍̈́̇̔͐̚o̸̱̪̜̭͍̬̿͛̐̄̊̈̃̿̾̃͠͝' I wouldn't have been upset, but it was so much worse."
The worst part... he wasn't even really lying about any of this. The anger crackled over him, the rejection still utterly painful.
"I told him. 'Al, I want you to be my partner'," Vox said in a low voice, hands shaking. "'I want you to join my team. We could be everything together.'
"And then that fucker L̶̟̀̄͆̋͋̏̋A̴̡̛͎̝͍̟̻͇͔̬̟̖͔̱͈͓̗̝̿̽̐̇̑̆̂͆̔̚͝U̷̧̡̢͙̟̞͇͇͓͙̞̤̰̻̘͉͑̏G̷̨̩̟͈̖̣̬̱̫͙̤͉̮̙̞̊̓́̀̈́̂͌͜H̸̨̲̣̥͎̖̠̩͖̭̘̼͐̄͋̈́̑̓͐̆͛͋͜S̶̺͔͙͙̱̥̮͛͂͑͘̚in my ̴̤̬̖͙͈̮̼͕̜͓̺̖̱̘̪̈́́̎̃̎͐̊͂͑̈͂͋͌̇̈̇ͅf̶̡̫̯͇̲̮̣̹̩͔̻̍̈́̋͑̈́̀͌̓̽̊̈́̃̓̒ͅȁ̸̗̰̼̠̑ͅĉ̵̡̯̰̹̬̹̗̲̥͌ḛ̶̠̹̰̙̪̱̘̘͇͖͑̀̿͛̆̕̕͜͝!"
Oh, and how it had fucking hurt.
"Not a simple no, I have shit I want to do. Not no thanks, but good luck with that. No, he fucking looked me right in the eye, and laughed like he'd heard the funniest thing in the world. And he told me that was pathetic, that I was short-sighted, that I was stupid to trust anyone. And-- I told him, Alastor, I trust you-- and he fucking laughed at me again and said that I was stupid for that, too."
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Her eyes are filled with tears as she reaches out tentatively towards him, hoping to set a comforting hand on his forearm.
"That's..."
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Alastor's voice is chipper and amused as he slides out of the shadows between the two of them, back straight and heels clicked together as always.
"For someone who purports to always have their eyes on the future, you certainly spend an inordinate amount of time obsessing over the past. Come now, old pal, there's work to be done and you've bothered Charlie for long enough."
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It'd gone from a careful manipulation to just... honest anger. He was crackling with electricity again, trying not to scratch gouges into the counter. Alastor has him seeing fucking red all over again.
"And for someone who's obsessed with clinging onto any little old thing from the past, you sure as shit throw away anyone in a heartbeat," Vox spat, viciously, having worked himself up. Oops.
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I THOUGHT I REPLIED SMH