If the events of this morning were any indication, Kevin quickly realized that living in the Hazbin Hotel was going to be anything but mundane.
A close encounter with Niffty, another tense moment with Alastor, and an unexpected intimate moment with Vaggie had left him feeling overwhelmed and frayed at the edges.
Now that he’d finally gotten something to eat, he decided for once to indulge—something he rarely allowed himself to do—and made his way into the bar area of the hotel, sitting down on one of the stools.
At the other end of the bar, the resident bartender, Husk, was cutting oranges and pressing them for fresh juice.
He lifted an eyebrow at Kevin as he got comfortable.
“I’m surprised to see you saunter up to my bar.” Putting down the orange, he wiped his claws on a towel hanging off his belt.
“I figured from the story, drinking isn’t your thing?”
“I drink.” Kevin tapped the bar twice, indicating a shot.
“I just don’t drink often.”
Husk lifted a claw toward the large selection behind him.
“What would you like?”
“Surprise me.”
With a nod, Husk set a glass on the bar, then turned and selected a bottle of Scotch.
With a tap of the bottle’s neck to the edge of the glass, he poured two fingers’ worth.
Kevin raised an eyebrow in question.
“From the story.” Husk shrugged.
“Figured it’s your go-to?”
“Good memory.” Kevin poked at the glass and sighed.
“It’s usually not, though.
I prefer a cold beer.
But that night in the warehouse was…” His voice trailed off, his mind wandering back to when he had to kill the sentry to save Charlie’s life, and then their fight in the car shortly after.
Husk picked up on it immediately.
“You did what you had to do to protect Charlie.
Anyone else would have done the same.”
Kevin lifted the tumbler and watched the amber liquid slosh about.
“Oh, I know.” He didn’t move to drink, his eyes lifting over the rim to look at Husk.
“But dammit, I was scared to death that I might lose her.”
“But you didn’t,” Husk reminded him softly.
“And now you have her back.”
“I do.” Kevin swirled the drink.
“And now I’m the soldier who has to obey the princess.”
“How ya feel about that?” Husk asked, his tone curious.
Kevin shrugged.
“Just fine, actually.
I’m used to following orders as much as giving them.”
“Charlie isn’t really one to command, though,” Husk reminded him.
“She doesn’t much care for the power she has.
She’ll need your experience and expertise, as much as Vaggie’s love and support, if she’s ever going to rise to the occasion of becoming queen.”
“Queen,” Kevin murmured, his expression softening in thought.
His thumb ran slow circles on the side of the glass.
Husk set another glass down and poured two fingers for himself, then cleared his throat.
When Kevin focused on him, Husk raised his drink.
“To saving the princess.”
“The princess,” Kevin echoed.
He raised his own in salute and threw it back.
When it hit the back of his throat, Kevin’s eyes widened and teared over, a strong cough rattling his chest.
Husk grinned.
“Surprised?
Our stuff is a lot stronger down here.”
“No—” Kevin cleared his throat and managed, “—shit!” He blinked at the empty glass.
“No wonder Charlie could down the stuff like water.
Earth Scotch is weak!”
Husk raised the bottle and an eyebrow, waiting.
Kevin set the glass down and nodded.
“That was what I needed.
Well called, sir.”
Watching the liquid drop into the glass, Kevin waited for Husk to pull the bottle back, then took a breath and downed the shot.
Though he now knew what to expect, it didn’t lessen the impact much, and he coughed once more, a lot cleaner than the first.
“Damn, that kicks!” Kevin shook his head, grinning.
“And that’s just our standard stuff,” Husk huffed with a quiet grin, amused by his reaction.
“The top shelf is for drinking-to-forget kind of nights.”
“So noted.” Kevin looked at his glass.
“Truth is, I have always been careful not to indulge too often.
I like to keep my senses alert.” He set the tumbler down.
“But down here?
Having Charlie back?
This stuff might be worth an occasional night off.”
“You did right by Charlie.” Husk held up the bottle.
Kevin turned the glass over, shaking his head.
Husk nodded and set the bottle aside.
“So anytime you need a break, as I said last night, drinks are on the house.
Besides, I don’t think Charlie would like me putting a tab on her boyfriend.”
“I don’t even know if I’m getting paid.” Kevin let out an easy laugh, the tension finally bleeding out of his shoulders.
“Or how currency even works down here.
I need to educate myself quickly, though.”
“Honestly, none of us is getting paid in the usual way.” Husk huffed but didn’t elaborate on the fact that he and Niffty were more or less ‘volunteered’ by Alastor to work at the hotel.
“Not that I’m complaining.
Free room and board and all the liquor I want means I don’t need much.
Got a nice little deal here, so I’m good.
But money works down here much like it does on Earth.
I mean, look around ya, kid.
Hell is about as close to living life as you had when you were alive.
All the same shit: restaurants, casinos, bars, hotels.” He smirked.
“Retail stores, dealerships, repair shops.
The only difference is that Hell is more honest about this being an endless life of working yourself to the bone for scraps.
And no retirement, or social security.”
“Customer service forever.” Kevin shook his head and pointed at Husk.
“I’ll count myself lucky, then.”
Husk pointed back.
“You’re dating royalty.
No getting luckier than that.”
“True,” Kevin agreed, leaning an elbow on the bar.
“Though when I see her, I don’t see a princess, but the woman who fought by my side on Earth to save innocent souls.” His eyes moved around the hotel, taking it in.
“And now, helping her to save not-so-innocent souls.”
Husk reached for a bottle under the bar—something with a glowing green liquid—and poured a good measure into a rocks glass.
Kevin watched it swirl, the glow catching the underside of Husk’s claws as he drank.
He didn’t ask what it was.
He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
“How does that make you feel?
You spent your life hunting evil, some of it with Charlie’s help, and now she wants to redeem sinners; give them a chance to reach Heaven.
It’s a radical change for you, isn’t it?”
“Not all sinners are evil,” Kevin shrugged.
“Most just made mistakes, had bad vices.” With that, he raised the shot glass and winked.
“I mean, even my faith drank sacramental wine for communion.”
“Far be it from me to talk about moderation,” Husk chuckled before taking another long drink.
“But there’s a far difference between a sip of wine at Sunday church and consuming so much alcohol that you fall comatose.”
“True,” Kevin smirked.
“But at what point does something moderate turn into a sin, really?
Even tobacco’s origins were spiritual, religious, and medicinal.”
“It’s the addiction,” Husk answered, “the same with excessive drug use.”
Kevin scratched at his jaw and let the question he’d been sitting on finally surface.
“That’s what got Angel Dust down here, isn’t it?
Addiction?”
Husk’s face clouded over, and he turned to set the bottle on the counter behind him.
“Guy’s had a hard time.” With his back to Kevin, he picked up a clean glass and started wiping it down.
“And if you asked me, he’s been given a bad rap.”
Recognizing the nerve he’d struck, Kevin steered the conversation elsewhere.
“So for Charlie’s vision—” He waited until Husk glanced his way before going on.
“If a sinner has been given a bad rap, made any number of mistakes, even did some bad shit…I need to open up my mind and not prejudge most of them.”
“Not if you want to support Charlie’s dream,” Husk agreed.
“Which I’m sure will make some of those choices difficult.
Like Bible, for instance?”
“Oh, him I’ll judge in advance.” Every word landed flat and cold.
“As well as Samedi and Rygen…with all that they did, even Hell seems like too nice a place for them.”
Husk raised his shoulders.
“Don’t you think Charlie’s dealing with the same issues?
She had time on Earth to understand evil in a way she never could here.
It was one thing to go all in willy-nilly to get each and every sinner redeemed, but now?
I imagine all of this is just as difficult for her to work through, and well, it seems to me that’s a couple’s discussion, and a pretty serious one.”
“Yeah.
It’s on my mind to ask her about that.
But ya know?” Kevin grinned.
“That’s a solid piece of advice, Husk.
Maybe we’ll tag a psychiatrist sign on the wall over your bar.”
Husk downed the last of his glass with a gruff huff.
“You pull that shit, and I’m charging more than five-fucking-cents.”
“Sure thing, Lucy.”
The gruff response made Kevin chuckle.
He glanced at the clock above the mantle—well past midnight, by Hell’s reckoning.
He knew he’d have to stop himself from tracking the hours, or his body would start fighting to be asleep by dawn.
He tapped the bar.
“Ya know?
Vaggie was in charge during the build to acquire what we have, but in my inspections, I realized there are already some repairs to do.
I want to change out a few things from what was originally set in place.” He scratched his chin.
“Who’s the go-to for electronics and military supplies down here?”
“For weapons and defenses, go see Carmilla Carmine.
She provided us with the angelic weapons we used in the battle.
For electronics…” Husk paused.
Kevin raised an eyebrow.
“For electronics?”
“Yeah.” Husk sighed, seemingly unhappy to explain.
“The top of the line in Pentagram City are the Vees, but I really wouldn’t recommend them.
Vox has a history with Alastor; Velvette’s ‘okay’ if you don’t get on her radar, and Valentino holds Angel Dust’s contract, and he’s a fucking asshole.”
Remembering the rooftop, Kevin nodded. New chapters come out on g.com first.
“Yeah, I had the privilege,” he said, flat with sarcasm, “of hearing him on the phone earlier.
He sounds the type.
Set my nerves on edge from the start.”
“There are a lot of terrible forces down here, but Valentino’s a special kind of bad,” Husk groused.
“But that’s up to Angel Dust to tell you, if he wants.”
“I heard a little bit about him from Charlie last night, as well.
I know I can’t get involved directly in everybody’s business, but Charlie seemed especially upset about the incident in the porn studio.” Kevin closed his eyes for a moment and swore under his breath.
“When it comes to sexual abusers, I don’t have leniency, so if Valentino ever showed up here…” He let the threat hang in the air and looked at the empty glass, reconsidering a third pour.
“Can’t say I’d want to miss that,” Husk smirked to lighten the moment.
“And I’d probably lend you a hand at knocking Valentino off his high horse.”
Niffty materialized at the bar, appearing between two stools as if she’d always been there.
“Mmm, Valentino.
Such a bad boy!”
“Shit!” Kevin lurched back on his stool, nearly going over before he caught the edge of the bar.
Fuck!
Are there multiples of her!?
The thought raced through his mind.
If so, that would explain the one in the mirror earlier.
And that bell idea was starting to turn from an idea to a necessity, because this was the second time she’d popped up next to him unexpectedly.
Can angels have heart attacks?
He was really close to finding out.
“Keep that to yourself, Niff,” Husk grunted as he placed the Scotch bottle back in its place, then reached for a nearly empty one next to it.
“You want your usual?”
“Uh-uh.” Niffty shook her head, then swung her eye over to Kevin, who was steadying himself back on the barstool.
She fidgeted.
“Hey, Kevin?”
“Yeah?”
“I meant to tell you in the kitchen, but Cherri made the place a disaster, and I had to take care of that.” She blinked.
“Anyway, I wanted to say I’m sorry for my behavior earlier in the hallway.”
Now that his nerves had settled, Kevin shook his head.
“It’s okay.
I’m still getting used to living down here and understanding all of you, and while I’ve seen Charlie change into her demon form many times, you just shocked me, that’s all.
But I wonder, Niffty?
If you hadn’t seen my room and stopped?
Was I in any real danger?”
“No!” She shook her own head hard, then shyly twisted a lock of her hair around her finger.
“But I probably would have kicked you in the shin for questioning my work.
I don’t get scary like that often.
I don’t like it.
But I take a lot of pride in this place.”
“I noticed.” Kevin nodded with respect.
“And I’m sorry as well.
I won’t question your work ever again.
It’s just that I was trying to get your attention.
I wanted to talk to you.”
“Hehe!” The sparkle came back as if it had never left, and she jumped up, planting her butt on the bar top.
“About?”
“Niffty!” Husk protested.
“Why are ya sitting on the bar?
We have stools.”
“I wanna see Kevin like this!
I’ll wipe it down when I’m done!” She stuck her tongue out at Husk, then turned back to Kevin with a giggle.
“What’cha wanna talk about?”
Kevin bowed his head.
“I wanted to personally thank you for what you did in the battle last month.
I know Charlie wanted to show mercy, but I knew Adam.
Knew him well enough that if he were left to live, he would have likely crushed this place to the ground and killed Charlie.
I wanted to tell you how grateful I am for you.”
“Oh!
That?
No biggie!” Niffty giggled and waved it off.
“Charlie said stab angels, so I stabbed angels!” She paused, then grinned wickedly, poking him in the chest.
“So count yourself lucky that I was only gonna kick you in the shin.”
The two of them stared at her.
Niffty stared right back.
Venturing hopefully, Kevin asked, “You’re joking?”
Niffty grinned, her sharp teeth catching the low light.
“Of course!” She hopped down, grabbed her spray bottle, doused the bar top where she’d been sitting, and wiped it clean.
“Gotta go change out the laundry and finish the main floor.
See ya later, Kevin!”
She scurried off, and he turned to watch her go.
Two steps down the hall, she looked back over her shoulder and grinned once more.
“Just be sure to stay a goooood boy!”
She disappeared around the corner.
A moment of quiet settled over the bar.
Husk offered one word: “Drink?”
“Yeah.” Kevin sighed, his weary eyes still on the empty hallway.
“And make it a double.”