Death at the Hazbin Hotel

Chapter Two

"Why the long face, pretty lady?" A voice sounded from behind the gloomy girl as she sat in the arena covered in dirt as her three younger brothers ran amuck. She'd tried, and failed, as she always did, to tag along with her siblings, and they knocked her in the dirt. Thanatos, her loyal skeletal steed snorted hostilely and laid his ears back as he turned to the newcomer.

Death turned her dirt streaked face and looked to the only being besides Thanatos who'd ever treated her kindly, Lucifer Morningstar. He stood at 5ft 6in, a little taller than Death and had pale white skin, rosey cheeks and champagne blonde hair. He extended a clean handkerchief to her. Thanatos relaxed as he realized the newcomer was trying to console her and not a threat.

"Why doesn't anyone like me?" She asked softly, watching her brothers joust and cause chaos in the arena. They were laughing and having fun but anytime she tried to join in, they'd all gang up on her and force her out.

Lucifer's smile fell a fraction, "hey," he gently nudged her not realizing she wasn't stable, causing her to topple over with a soft 'oof', "I like you Dede."

Her pale gray eyes lit up ever so slightly, but dimmed as her brothers laughed raucously. "Why doesn't anyone else?"

Lucifer looked to the other three horsemen. Famine, the second eldest was a tall lanky man, towering nearly 9ft astride a monstrous black steed with glowing red eyes. War the third eldest was a towering behemoth of a man rippling with muscles upon muscles gripping a massive greatsword sitting astride an angry red warhorse. Conquest, the youngest, was a young man standing at 6ft tall with long golden locks creating a crown atop his head, carrying a bow and arrow sitting astride a bright white horse. Despite them all being younger than Death, they were all practically giants compared to the petite childlike girl standing at just 5ft.

He offered his only friend a warm smile, "they're afraid."

"Afraid?" She paled, which was honestly impressive for someone as naturally pale as she.

"You're stronger than all of them combined." He noted, "you could very easily go in there, rough them up and make them fall in line, they all know it and they resent you for it."

"...but I don't want to hurt anyone..."

Lucifer gently reached out and tousled her dark hair, "I know."

Dee adjusted her dramatically large sun hat though there was no sun to burn her fair skin as she knelt in the garden with Alastor. She'd been frozen in time for hundreds of years, it was her fault. She didn't want the tea to get cold while she waited for Lucifer. He promised he'd attend one of her tea parties, though hadn't specified which one, when an injured Alastor showed up she'd been so stiff and tired she hadn't realized it wasn't Lucifer and unfroze everything.

"Alastor! Lookie!" Dee cried excitedly as she dug her hands in the dirt causing a plethora of plants to spring to life, plants she'd seen in Alastor's memories from life.

Alastor turned and stared dumbfounded for a moment before his smile softened, the garden was crawling with Louisiana Irises, Honeysuckle and Phlox. "Lovely."

Dee clapped her hands together, spraying dirt everywhere, "gardening is so much fun!" She giggled. "Can we bake the pineapple upside down cake next?!"

Alastor's smile turned bittersweet, it was something his mother used to bake often, something Dee must have seen in his memories from his life as a human. "Of course, my dear."

"It's been so long since I've had a friend over, this is so much fun." Dee beamed as she got to her feet, rubbing her dirt covered hands over the frilly white apron tied around her waist atop her simple black sundress.

"Have you ever left your home Dee?" Alastor pondered as he begrudgingly accepted the iced tea that had appeared from nowhere, he'd never been a fan of tea but he didn't have the heart to refuse the sweet girl.

Dee thought for a moment, "why would I leave home? People are afraid of me."

"My dear, you've been gone for a very long time, I bet there's a good chance very few people will recognize you. Haven't you ever wanted to explore? Have you ever been to Pentagram City, it's not too far?" He noted.

"There's a city nearby?!" Dee asked in awe.

"I'll be returning there someday to settle some things, I need to take care of something first, you should visit me there sometime." Alastor grinned.

"Really?!"

"If I'm not mistaken, Lucifer also resides there." Alastor watched her carefully wondering what her reaction would be.

"He does?" She asked hopefully.

He nodded.

"Thanatos! Isn't that great news?! We can visit Lucifer!" Dee cheered.

Her loyal steed, a terrifying skeletal horse with fire in its eyes and flaring from its nostrils laid its ears back at this and huffed in agitation. Alastor's pointed smile turned positively wicked, it seemed he and the horse had a mutual dislike of the King of Hell.

"You really think it would be okay if I went to the city sometime?" Dee asked, nervously wringing her apron in front of her. She looked up at the tall radio demon who'd stumbled into her lair. He was a foot taller than her youngest brother, Conquest with a slimmer build. His pointed yellow teeth were nearly always pulled into a smile and he wore a classy red and black pinstripe suit jacket complete with an oval monocle and bowtie. His hair looked very soft and was a pink tinged red color with black tipped tufts that somewhat resembled deer ears with two small black antlers protruding from the top of his head.

"I have every confidence you could handle anything you come across in the city." Alastor noted with his signature smile.