You hummed along to the easy listening station you had playing on the radio while you wrote in your journal as the evening wound down.
You loved the static sounds that accompanied the music as it swelled through the bell of your gramophone.
You had died fairly young, but you had been raised by your grandparents (may they rest in peace) who had live through the Great Depression. You were certain your grandparents ended in Heaven, the two graciously welcoming you in when your parents abandoned you. You were certain you'd come across your parents here in Hell, but that day hadn't come yet. Nonetheless, you had acquired you grandparent's antique taste.
"And that was Henry Hall and His Orchestra - Hush Hush Hush Here Comes the Bogey Man"
You heard the Radio Demon was back after a seven year disappearance, and bought the gramophone soon after he began his broadcast. You found yourself listening more and more. Something that first became sentimental quickly became an everyday habit. You respected him, especially after his broadcasting battle against Vox. You were never a fan of the Vee's in Pride Ring, but it was hard not to come across them. Their turf had expanded tenfold due to the last extermination. You lived in a border area, but it bordered the Vee's District and has started to be swallowed into the new territory.
"This next song has a similar sound, this is Flanagan & Allen's Run, Rabbit, Run!'"
You let your mind wander as the pen glided across the paper. You began to wonder what he was like, the Radio Demon. He was an Overlord, and yet, you felt like you knew him just by how often you heard his voice on the air.
"And now, a word from the Sponsors, 'Hazbin Hotel, a haven for has-beens like yourselves. Stop here to save a sinner!' 'Looking for something to eat? Stop by Rosie's Emporium, the food is To Die For.' Now, back to our regular schedule."
Who said he didn't have a sense of humor? You mused as you recognized the next song, Jambalaya by Fats Domino.
***
Sitting behind his sound board, the antlered demon checked his ratings, an old sonar looking machine that showed dots on the areas of active listeners. He noticed one dot that's been on the monitor for days now,
'An avid listener!'
His Cheshire smile grew.
He grew a habit, of checking that one spot on the monitor. It beamed, unwavering, even throughout the night.
The radio demon grew fond of this dot. How funny, he mused. You stuck with him through days of happiness, and days of strife. Your dot became his favorite to see. Consistent. Familiar.
Until it was gone.
Alastor felt his smile dull a bit, recognizing a sense of saddness when he first became aware of the absence. At first the thought it was a glitch. After he tapped the monitor, he came to accept his most reliable dot had vanished. He wondered what happened to the listener behind the dot.
'Maybe they got bored listening. Maybe they died. Maybe their radio busted from all of their listening and they're getting it replaced.'
He never stopped looking for the dot.
Until one day he noticed a new dot.
'Could it be?'
The new dot he noticed was just like the last, and unlike the others. While there was nothing visibly different than the other dots, this one stayed on the monitor like his dot. The one located in the Vee's District. But it wasn't in the Vee's district. it was closer.
'Did they move? Is my listener alive out there?' He hoped as he played more lively songs. The more he saw the dot move closer, the more happy he became. So much so it had become visibly noticed by his comrades at the Hotel.
"Hey, You's ever see Red smile like that?"
"What do you mean? he's always smiling."
"Nah, nah, theres sumthin diff'rent 'bout'm. He's genuinely happier."
***
You moved closer and closer to the hotel as you could. This could be your shot at seeing your grandparents again. You couldn't pass it up. Each time you managed to grab a room at a cheap motel, you listened to your radio.
You noticed the Radio Demon's music taste had jumped from easy listening to more bouncy and lively music. Currently, Feeling Happy by Big Joe Turner was playing, next you had heard his song "Hide and seek".
It felt like the closer you got the hotel, the more exciting the music was getting.
'No, that's just you. You're making yourself excited by thinking of seeing your grandparents.'
After a few months trekking to the Hotel, you made it. You were greeted by the Princess herself. The other staff seemed either too bored to introduce themselves, or too excited, like Nifty.
"Well, here's your room! I'll let you get set up!"
"Thanks, Charlie. I really appreciate it. I can't wait to get started."
You happily set up your radio, turning it on while you situated the rest of your belongings.
On the other side of the hotel, high in his tower, The Radio Demon noticed a new dot, coming right from the hotel. He took shadow form to teleport to the lobby.
"Charlie, did we get a new resident?"
The demon didnt even give her a chance to speak, her eyes gleamed as her answer.
Static came from his radioed smile, an electric buzz of excitement.
As he searched the hotel in his shadow form, he neared the room with the radio playing music from the record he left on. He could hear a voice humming along to the music. He fixed himself to look presentable, smile widening (You're never fully dressed without a smile, some may say), and knocked on the door.
With the sound of shuffling, the door swung open and a short figure met his chest.
"Hello!"
