All it takes (A charlastor slow burn)

Chapter 2: When life gives you surprises

A few weeks have passed since the open house day, and, in the meantime, the hotel staff has managed to fix most of the damage caused. New guests still haven't signed up for the accommodation, but at least the hotel was being talked about among sinners as expected, even if only as a place where you can get drunk for free. At least some kind of publicity, right? From time to time, some demon would stop by the front desk to ask when the next party would be. Husk, fed up with the eternal questions, kept throwing them out the door straight away. Unless, of course, Charlie was present. She wouldn't miss a single opportunity to save someone and did not appreciate Husk's lack of tact and sympathy for those poor souls. She took every single visitor aside and tried to give them a private tour, hoping that, during that time, she would be able to convince them of the feasibility of redemption. However, once the demon realized the hotel tour did not include a tasting at the bar, he eased out of her reach immediately. At least she wasn't mad at Husk for the party gone awry. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Vaggie. The moth demon still threw annoyed looks at him whenever she passed him by, despite him helping with the cleaning the morning after. Forced to do so, he spent almost the whole day with a mop in his hands.

Vaggie had just returned from shopping, carrying a paper bag full of groceries. She closed the ornate front door behind her, frowned at Husk leaning bored against the reception desk, and headed straight for the kitchen. As she walked through the hall, she noticed Charlie sleeping on one of the couches in front of the fireplace. She was stretched out on her back, one hand resting on her chest, the other hanging loosely along the side of the couch. In that one, she clutched several papers, most likely bills, and the rest were scattered on the ground. The hotel cat, Keekee, was curled up in a ball on Charlie's stomach, purring softly. Vaggie placed the shopping bag on the coffee table next to the sleeping demoness and picked up the papers from the floor.

Charlie opened her eyes and sat up. Keekee jumped down, stretched, and jumped back into her lap.

Charlie put a hand to her forehead languidly. "Did I fall asleep?"

Vaggie placed the papers on the table and sat down next to her. "Looks like it."

"I've been kind of tired lately," the blonde yawned, staring at the crackling fire in the fireplace.

Vaggie noticed dark circles under her eyes, but she was positive it wasn't from a sleepless night. They slept together in the same bed, and if her girlfriend got up in the night, Vaggie would one hundred percent notice. She put her hand on Charlie's forehead, but it didn't feel feverish.

"You have a lot going on; that's normal. Shall I make you some coffee to wake you up?" She asked.

Charlie looked at her with a smile and inadvertently scratched Keekee behind her ear. "That would be very sweet of you."

Vaggie picked up the shopping bag and headed for the kitchen. She put the groceries away and put on the coffee. Once it was ready, she reached up to the cupboard, grabbed Charlie's favorite mug with heart pattern, the one she had given her for their anniversary, and filled it to the brim. Then, carefully to avoid spilling anything, brought it over to Charlie. She was already going through the bills again, making Vaggie sigh resignedly. The princess was one of the most stubborn creatures she knew, and getting her to slow down and relax for a moment was almost impossible. She placed the steaming mug on the coffee table and sat down.

Charlie reached for it and took the opportunity to kiss Vaggie on the cheek. "Thank you so much."

She took a good gulp and froze. She swallowed with struggle; and, with shaking hands, put the mug back on the coffee table.

The bewildered look on her face couldn't escape Vaggie's attention. "Hun? What's wrong? Is it too hot?"

Charlie laughed nervously. "No, not at all. It just...tastes a little weird."