divinetree | Charlie & Vox

"Mmm... it's never helped," Charlie admitted, finding a loose screw in the basket and finding where in the knee joint it was supposed to go, twisting it back in place.

"You, hah, said it yourself - I kinda... fuck up everything I try to do. I'm lucky I have so many good friends willing to help me even when I fuck up and make things worse."

The things she did to Angel... the things she said to everyone when she was angry... the failed pitch that just accelerated the genocide...

"I didn't have to scramble to survive, but even if I did, it wouldn't be a good excuse for how often things turn out worse instead of better when I try to handle them myself."

He only offered a minute nod when the screw was twisted into place. He gradually gave a small swing of the ankle a try, and couldn't help sending a grouchy look the limb's way. It wasn't his...

He missed his body, but who fucking knows what happened to it...? It's been so long, the rats probably got to it or something. He'd worked so hard on it, too... sigh.

"Well... I mean, get realistic for a second: You're Hell's biggest nepo baby. Things are going to suck for you for a while, and that label's gonna be stuck to your ass pretty much forever. ...I'm just stating facts," he added, and raised a hand in defense.

"Having friends to help is nice, I guess, but then you run into the age-old-" His eyes swapped to radio dials. "You can't do ANYTHING on your own, can you??"

When they switched back, he rolled them. "Y'know. Peanut gallery shit."

"...At any rate... you wanna beat yourself up over the times you fucked up, that's your prerogative, princess. But even though I had seventy years to bring VoxTek to where it is... was... you think I was perfect about it? That it was swiftly successful? I mean, I was amazing on many occasions, but... I fucked up sometimes, too. But each fuck-up had me learn something. Failures turned into opportunities."

"You know, the whole 'nepo baby' or 'privileged' thing never bothered me. It's true!" Charlie huffed, a little chuffed. "I know I have a lot of privilege and advantages that my people don't. I don't mind that people are sometimes bitter about that - it doesn't seem fair. But... I care a lot if people think I hate them, or that I'm mean or nasty or any of that," she admitted, letting out a frustrated sound.

The whole 'Charlie Morningstar: DICTATOR??' rhetoric bugged the SHIT out of her.

"But! Vaggi was right - I shouldn't have paid you or Katie Killjoy or whatever ANY attention, I just made things way way WAY worse. I should've listened to her from the start! ...I made her the hotel manager. She's got a much more level head about making decisions for the hotel itself."

After a beat, she gave Vox's newly attached chest a poke.

"I bet you already had that plenty with your friends in the Vees. And you know what? I think that's a good thing!"

Look, Alastor was a manipulator! For all HE knew, his old pal was screwing around with you, and using your power! Y'know, for all that he talks about others using others, he sure was a fuckin' hypocrite--

The poke had him blink. But he pulled the blanket in tighter around him and rolled his eyes.

"...Fat lot a good it's done now. They still threw me out." But he flattened his mouth, narrowed his eyes to the floor briefly, and-

"But they'll learn they can't do SHIT without me and come craaaawling back!" There, that's better. Maybe if he said it enough, it'd come true.

Maybe if he said it enough, it'd manifest and he wouldn't have truly lost everything.

"Or maybe they'll miss you, once they're not as mad," Charlie added a hopeful little addition. "...I think that's probably closer to the truth. So, once you're settled a little, we'll try making your exercises about giving sincere apologies."

He was all bundled up... Charlie took the handful of shirts and sweatpants from where she'd pulled them out of the basket, folding them and laying them on the bed.

"If that's what you want to pick for your Deal, I mean."

Hmm... she'll have to ask her dad about helping make a couple of legs. Hoooopefully he wouldn't be too mad about Vox. Hopefully. He didn't usually seem to be bothered by people or remember them???

"We can shake on it now, actually. ...In exchange for staying here and me keeping you safe from Alastor, you swear to not physically harm or hypnotize any Hotel guest," she explained, thinking it out carefully. This really was the first time she was laying out a proper Deal, huh... well, the first time with a for-real Overlord. Former overlord. "As a Hotel guest, you will abide by the rules that all guests abide by. And you have to try to be a kinder person - however you decide you want towards that goal."

Former, yeah. Ouch.

Vox made a face at the terms, even if they were sensible. No hypnotism or harm, got it. But he could think of a loophole for the next bit.

Kinder? Be kinder, though. He'd rather have let the Might of Lilith explode. However you decide you want.

All he wanted to do was sleep, thanks to the depression. It seemed that getting any peace would require a handshake, and those terms were... simple enough. He just needed to hope he didn't have to actually follow through, since Vel and Val would come and get him quickly.

He reluctantly stuck his prototype hand from the confines of the blanket and, not looking at her, offered it.

"...Fine."

She'd agreed to a Deal with Alastor, but this was the first she was establishing the magical bond - her tail, her horns, her eyes all slipped out. Her extended hand grew with a shimmering red magic, and as she clasped her hand with his the glimmers of light sparked into pops of blue electricity as it entangled with Vox's magic.

Huh.

So that's what it'd look like.

On his end, he could feel the familiar rush he'd known countless thousands of times. But to his complete lack of surprise, this rush was more intense than the rest. She wasn't a Sinner, Overlord, or even the Goetia... she was the daughter of Lucifer. She could snap him like a twig if she didn't find the thought violent or mean.

But he, in turn, felt something sweeping around his wrists, unseen to the naked eye, but the feeling of them would linger for a while.

"...You better hold up your end of the bargain. Because I was serious about Alastor: I have no idea what he plans on doing from here on out."

It's an unseen feeling, the magic coiled around her wrist - around his, too, naturally. An agreement, leaving his soul untouched... Charlie's horns and tail slipped back into subtlety, leaving the two of them there as the air still buzzed with magic.

The shadows were definitely dancing, a little - the Deal would absolutely have been noticed.

"Me neither! Buuuuut he and I are gonna have a long talk about my hotel and my rules. And I'm gonna ask dad to help make some prosthetic legs. I'll go handle that now - you take it easy, okay? Good night, Vox."

She did sort of have to hurry - even as she stood up, there was the distinct sound of footsteps running through the hall.

"Just-- try to take it easy. We'll talk more when you're ready! --Hi, Vaggi--" Charlie waved at Vox before slipping out of the room, off to explain things to her justifiably mortified girlfriend. And to wrangle Alastor. And to talk to her dad.

It'll be fiiiiiine.

Ohhh god she didn't sound entirely convinced, did she? Cool, great, excellent--

But he waved, expression stony bordering on mortified, not quite able to find the words right now. All he did was make a Deal to be, what a good boy? All while wearing a body that was practically defenseless and short one leg, and he is PRETTY SURE he was picking up stray signals with no means of silencing them without becoming even more obvious.

Hey, hey, hey. Fuck his life.

He reached up to the top part of his blanket and slowly pulled it up and over his head, then toppled onto his side.

Oh my god, Val, stop having a hissy fit and COME GET HIM, PLEASE.

Charlie & Vox

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