Why had he gotten himself involved with all of this. Why did he bother staying here. He’d long since now had his share of entertainment. Yet something compelled him to stay. It couldn’t possibly be these people. What in the nine circles would compel a demon of his stature to stay at a hazbin filled hotel with a porn star, a moth with a hatred towards men, and the daughter of the ruler of hell as its forerunners. He wouldn’t admit it but it sounded like a rather entertaining picture show.

He remembered the words he said that day. “Consider it an investment of ongoing entertainment for myself!” Entertainment he had indeed. It took very little time for word to spread that he was involved with the hotel; and in time the first patron walked through the doors. The joy that emanated itself from Charlie’s little puppy dog grin nearly drove the wayward soul out the front door. But they remained, with some coaxing from himself, and in time more demons made their way through the front door.

Watching from the sidelines, Alastor couldn’t help but smile at it all. The satisfaction of watching his very words come to fruition as demon after demon fell at the knee to the temptations of sin. For the longest time his smile only continued to grow at the continued failures of the tenants, with some minor assistance from himself. However, it reached a point where his smile was at its widest when Charlie’s was as well. He couldn’t explain it for the afterlife of him; but it never changed. His smile mirrored hers and whenever her smile turned to a frown he managed a way to fix hers as his remained unfaltered; and if it wasn’t him it was her friends.

The day of the first redemption will go down in the eternal history of hell. Not a soul could believe it when it happened, after so many failures at last a demon had done it. They had been not only rehabilitated, but redeemed. Just as word spread quick of Alastors involvement with the hotel, so too did word of its success. Within hours all the channels of hells news spoke of the act, all gang violence had stopped, for the first time hell was calm. That is where it all started to go wrong.

The day after the first soul found themselves free, the entirety of the hotel was brimming with activity. Demons of all walks of life found themselves pushing through hordes of other demons to reach the front desk. It was all too much to handle, so many demons had arrived it was impossible to hold them all, even Alastors magic could only do so much. At last, the hordes of demon ceased in their attempts to enter. Only for something worse to follow in their place.

Alastor watched from the corner, still as a statue and grinning like a mask, as none other than Charlie’s father strode through the door. He knew from the way the sharply dressed demon walked that something was amiss. The calm focused steps of his stride, the unfeeling look in Lucifer’s eyes; and the unflinching smile on his face. A similarly wide smile spread across Charlie's lips, so delighted and full of joy it could sway the hearts of even the most unfeeling of demons; except one. What reason could her father be here other than to congratulate her? The sight of how quickly and far that smile fell, as the realization of her father's intent spread across her face, could have brought those same unfeeling demons to heartbreak.

It worked on at least one.

In little time, did the father daughter duos’ disagreement to turn to shouts and reprimands against the other. All the tenants and staff looked on with frightful wonder at what this verbal dispute could turn into. Alastor on the other hand, merely watched from the side. This is what he wanted after all. Reality. True passion. For some reason or another that thought didn’t seem to be appealing at the moment.

It was a strange feeling, a subtle twitch at the corners of his mouth. It felt almost alien, foreign; and yet oddly familiar. For a moment Alastor's mind drifted away from the yelling, though he still knew what was being said. Lucifers words, though increasingly growing in anger, were those of fear and worry as he spoke to his daughter. He claimed that with his daughters success it would only bring about suffering later. He said that the angels which cleanse hell would be sent after her; and would take her away.

In an action eerily similar to his own past deads, Charlie refused to stand down. She denied and went against her father's wishes, something she’d been doing for years now that he thought about it. For only a moment, Lucifer faltered with his drive at the reflective actions of himself he was seeing upon his daughter. A part of him was proud; but that part was drowned out by the worry that he would lose his daughter for what she believed in.

The tension in the room was reaching its high. All the demons which had watched from the sides were beginning to slump back in fear of a potentially physical conflict arising. No one wanted to be caught in the middle of a family dispute between the ruler of hell and his daughter. The worry had grown to such staggering heights that Vaggie, Charlie’s dearest friend and one of the few who supported the wishful princess, had resorted to something she never wanted to do.

With a heavy sigh and scared bat of her eye, hurried over to Alastor. The well dressed demon having remained motionless corner, with his eyes looking onward in a blank motionless stare. Vaggie commanded that Alastor help, that he was Charlie's business partner; and that if the hotel shut down he wouldn’t have his sick source of entertainment anymore. The words made her nauseous, but she knew that the only other demon that could stand a chance at helping her friend against Lucifer was one she hated and despised.

Alastor did nothing. Like a statue, Vaggie’s words fell on deaf ears as the glowing eyes of the Radio demon dilated with a sickening sense of fascination at the display before him. Anger quickly rose within the Moth demons throat, her shouts rivaling that of the pair just across the room, yet still Alastor remained unmoving. All except the shakey, twitching motion of his glare as it looked down at the demoness to his side; and the widening ear to ear smile adorned on his stretched lips.

His unnerving smile and gaze were pulled away from Vaggie at a sudden rush of movement in the corner of his eye. Lucifer’s arm had launched itself backwards as his palm opened with intent to strike. It was a fluid motion, unbeheld to the gravity situation nor the potential outcome of it as well. The angered look on the faces of the arguing pair were matched as Lucifer's hand swiftly came down towards his daughter.

What would have been a sharp, unrelenting slap across Charlie’s face was halted. The hand of Lucifer stopped less than an inch from making contact. The yelp of terror which slipped from Charlie’s lips as her hands limply trembled at her sides sent a shock of comprehension to her father's core. The foundations which Lucifer had built for his confrontation with his daughter had been shattered in an instant. Regret and strife spreading across his face as his eyes trailed down his arm.

There, just above his wrist, in a shade of black and blood were wrapped three tendrils. Each pulled taut from their point of origin, a tear through the fabric of reality itself on the floorboards. Charlie, Lucifer, and all the demons within view stared at the tendrils for just a moment before their eyes all shifted to the one controlling them.

Alastor's once statuesque visage within the corner had vanished. His body now stood with a leg and arm outstretched towards Charlie and her father. The piercing red gaze of his eyes were filled with vexation and crestfallen vile. His outstretched hand clenched tight like a fist as his other held tightly around his cane. The very air around him seemed to flicker with static and dark sigils.

What brought worry to all however, was his smile. In the stead of that once unwavering countenance, which remained unmoved in the slaughter of human, demon, various overlords of hell and the constant discrimination of one of the few Alastor could deem a friend. Sat a cold, shallow frown of disappointment and rage.

"Come now Lucifer, I expected a father to treat his only daughter better." His words sounded as if they spilled with distasteful venom as he stepped forward and released his grasp. "I've a proposition. A deal. You're a fellow deal maker right?" Alastors closed palm opened wide as a blinding green light of the arcane spilled from it.

"So, let's make a deal."