Everyone gathered into the main office right on time. Loona was already there, lounging with her feet propped up on the desk, hands behind her back with her ever honed disinterest. Millie and I entered shortly after, her taking up her usual seat as I pulled up a chair nearest to the board. Moxxie stood near the front, reviewing last week's numbers one more time before presenting them to everyone this time.
He began, and I nodded at his responses already having been showed most of the data. Everything seemed to be looking up, at least financially.
As Millie watched him with that dreamy expression she always wore when he was in his element, I caught the slight flush creeping up his neck as he noticed. He cleared his throat, trying to refocus, but the small smile tugging at his lips gave him away.
"Alright, Mox, we get it—" I said with my head rest on my palm "Very sexy. Now can we get this show on the road?"
"I—I wasn't trying to be—" Moxxie stammered, adjusting his bow tie. "I was simply ensuring accuracy before—"
"Before boring us to death?" Loona muttered without looking his direction.
"Hey, play nice," I said, though I couldn't keep the amusement out of my voice.
Moxxie shot me a look that was equal parts grateful and exasperated before refocusing.
The new electronic board we'd, literally, just installed last three hours ago glowed softly against the wall, casting a pale light across the office. I stood and picked up the stylus, testing the sensitivity across the smooth surface. Responsive, clean lines, no lag. "Alright, this fancy-ass thing better be worth what we paid."
"It was a necessary investment," Moxxie said. "And it's already improved my own presentation time by—"
"Yeah, yeah, you were right, I was wrong, let's move on." I waved the stylus at him.
We went over the standard updates: client retention was steady at seventy-eight percent, contract completion rate was up three percent from last quarter, and supply costs had finally leveled out after that nightmare with our weapons against the agents.
I wrapped up the updates and Mox sat back down at his seat, then turned to the board and wrote one word in bold letters: Loss.
The room went still waiting for my elaboration.
I faced them, stylus still in hand. "What would happen if we lost twenty percent of our income?" I let my words still for a bit. "What about fifty?"
Moxxie looked up first, his brows tightening in thought. "Uhh… twenty percent? we've managed something like that before not to long ago. It'd be tight, but we'd pull through as usual. We'd have to cut discretionary spending, maybe renegotiate some contracts—"
"And fifty?" I pressed.
The room was visibly heavier now. Still though i pressed for an answer. Millie straightened in her seat. Loona's eyes flicked in my direction.
Moxxie leaned forward, his tone cautious. "Fifty would put us under. There's no cushion for that. Not unless we cut contracts or…" He hesitated, glancing at Millie, then at Loona. "Or staff."
I tapped the stylus against my palm. "That's what I wanted to hear. Now I want us to figure out how we'd survive it—if it happened."
Loona's ears perked. "Is something going on?"
I shook my head, maybe too quickly. "No. It's just a question. We should know our options."
Moxxie started outlining possible safety nets—budget reserves, expanding into other types of contracts, maybe even taking on lower-tier jobs to keep cash flow steady. He was focused, methodical. I respected the hell out of his effort, but I was looking for more full proof preventions to stop our business from collapse.
We discussed it for a while longer, tossing around ideas. Millie suggested reaching out to old contacts who'd be willing to help for a lump sum. Loona, surprisingly, mentioned that she could probably drum up more business through an online market. It was good input, a website or even mobile app would definitely improve business flow. Solid thinking.
But nothing concrete came out of it.
Eventually, I dismissed everyone, telling them we'd revisit it next week with fresh eyes.
When the office cleared, I stayed behind, staring at the word Loss glowing white faintly on the board.
The Hazbin Hotels verse wasn't something I could easily shake off.
Word had been spreading since yesterday about Charlies announcement of making a hotel for sinners. All I could think about was what would happened at the Hazbin Hotel. About the fight. About the fucking angels coming down here, led by Adam himself, trying to wipe out sinners wholesale. About how Charlie Morningstar and her ragtag group somehow held them off.
And about how one of the most powerful beings in Hell—an Overlord, for fuck's sake—had apparently survived and clearly plans to do something terrible.
It sounded insane. It sounded like bullshit.
But my memories wouldn't stop. And if even half of it was true, like i remembered it meant things were changing in Hell. Fast.
I didn't even think of stopping the hotel. If Heaven was willing to launch an assault like that once, what was stopping them from doing it again? And what would that mean for everyone else down here just trying to survive? For businesses like ours? For imps who didn't have indestructible walls or god powers.
I dragged a hand down my face, feeling the weight settle back onto my shoulders.
I needed to know. Not just for me—for the crew. If something that big was brewing, if it was exactly like the original, I couldn't afford to be blindsided.
Curiosity got the better of me.
I grabbed my keys and headed out to the van. Luckily, I knew we both operated in the Pride Ring, so it shouldn't be too far. I climbed into the driver's seat, started the engine, and pulled out onto the streets.
The drive took longer than I expected. Traffic in the Pride Ring as usual was a clusterfuck but tonight felt worse than usual. Sinners stumbling across streets, hellborn gangs loitering on corners, the occasional explosion in the distance that no one even bothered to react to.
I kept my eyes on the road, one hand on the wheel, the other drumming against my thigh.
I knew it wasn't just about money that I was so worried about the existance of Hazbin being a reality. It was the thought of losing anything i cared for in the crossfire.
I'd lost enough already.
The GPS finally directed me deeper into the inner city, where the buildings got taller and the crowds got thicker. Sinners and hellborn folk packed into every corner, neon signs flickering overhead, the air thick with noise and condensed smoke.
It was no wonder Charlie had decided to start her hotel here. Plenty of people to choose from. Plenty of lost souls looking for something, anything—to cling to.
That's when I saw it.
Tall red brick. Bright red neon. Clean, almost optimistic design despite the surrounding chaos.
A sign out front read: The Happy Hotel.
I squinted at it, parking the van across the street. "The Happy Hotel? The hell kind of name is that?"
I sat there for a moment, engine idling, staring at the place. It looked... surprisingly intact. Welcoming, even, in a weird way. Like someone actually gave a shit about it.
Part of me wondered if I should even go in. What was I going to do, knock on the door and ask if they'd talked to angels recently?
I got out the car and began heading in the hotels direction but before I could decide, the building next to the hotel erupted in a massive explosion.
The shockwave hit me like a freight train. The van rocked violently, glass shattering somewhere close. I threw my arms up instinctively as the world turned into fire and noise..
Then everything blurred black.
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Bruh I literally made this chapter last week and forgot to upload. This got nothin to do with was going on now but Angel dust female or male people ??