Radio to the heart

Building the bond 

The armchair creaked beneath me as I shifted, my fingers tapping rhythmically against the cane resting by my side. This place... Hazbin Hotel. It's a mishmash of luxury and decay, like someone took a palace and let it rot from the inside. My eyes drifted over the peeling wallpaper, the sagging chandelier, and the worn velvet drapes. Whoever decorated this place had some imagination.

I muttered under my breath, "This place... it's something else."

Alastor wasn't lying when he said the residents were all kinds of messed up. Angel Dust letting people treat him like trash, like it didn't even matter. He's loud, outrageous, but in a way, I kinda get it. Then there's Charlie, bouncing around, full of energy and optimism that honestly reminded me of Makayla. Sweet, too sweet for my taste, but damn if I didn't see some of Makayla's light in her. Makayla... My heart clenched at the thought of her. My fiancée. My everything. Being here made me miss her in ways that twisted deep.

My thoughts wandered as I tapped the cane on the marble floor, letting the sound echo in the empty lobby. Husker seemed like someone I could get along with. Quiet, brooding, the kind of guy I could probably hang out with-if I ever tried drinking. The others? They're a different story. I'd need time to figure them out.

Suddenly, a voice slid in beside me, rich and sharp, "Something else, indeed."

I snapped my head up, startled, and there he was. Alastor, just... there, like he'd stepped out of the shadows without so much as a whisper. My heart lurched, but I covered it up quickly, not about to let him see he'd gotten the jump on me. His grin stretched across his face, all teeth, all amusement.

"It's more than meets the eye, darling."

Every time I saw him, it was like he pulled me in deeper. There was something about Alastor that fascinated me, a mystery I couldn't quite put my finger on. His red eyes glinted, reflecting the curiosity that never seemed to leave them. I met his gaze, feeling that invisible pull between us strengthen. Demons were never my thing, but he... he made me rethink a lot of things.

"You always sneak up on people like that?" I asked, half joking, half serious, a small smile tugging at my lips despite myself.

He chuckled, bowing slightly, "Only the ones who interest me."

I raised an eyebrow, wondering if that was a compliment or just his way of messing with me.

Later that afternoon, I wandered into the library. The place was huge, dust thick on every surface like no one had set foot in here for years. My fingers traced the spines of ancient books, some titles familiar, others in languages I couldn't even recognize. One book in particular caught my eye, old, with a strange, shimmering cover. I picked it up, feeling the weight of it in my hands. As I flipped it open, a voice drifted in behind me.

"Careful with that one," Alastor warned, amusement thick in his tone, "It tends to bite."

I turned, half-smiling, "Guess I've handled worse."

He stepped closer, his presence filling the room, his eyes gleaming with something I couldn't quite read. I didn't mind though. Something about this felt... natural. Like we were meant to be here, in this twisted place, circling each other like this.

The velvet beneath me was threadbare, its faded burgundy color struggling to hold onto any semblance of luxury. I tapped my cane absently against the marble floor, the sound bouncing off the high, decaying walls of the Hazbin Hotel's lobby. The place reeked of contradictions-crystal chandeliers that caught the light beautifully but hung precariously, walls lined with intricate gold filigree that chipped away if you looked too closely. This place was alive, not just with the demonic inhabitants, but with something far older. Something that watched.