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Ever since the hotel became more than just a joke and a silly fantasy, the reception area was constantly overflowing with sinners, all eager to try the experience of the path to redemption! There were so many, you couldn't even walk around because it was so crowded, and it was only the first week!
But that didn't bother Niffty; on the contrary, it made her very excited. Lots of people moving in meant they were gonna do a constant mess, which meant dirt, which meant bugs, and bugs meant cockroaches! And cockroaches had to be STABBED AND STABBED!
It was definitely her dream hotel!
Chuckling quietly with her characteristic maniacal laugh, she continued her work with double effort, cleaning every corner and every sinner she found in the place. Everything and everyone must be clean! But with so many people around, the work was definitely slowing down, so much so that it was already nighttime, and the residents were retiring to their rooms, surely to continue making a mess. She was going to need more claws to clean the entire hotel! Could she have some servants at her command? Maybe Baxter could modify the cockroaches for her!
She laughed again, this time more softly, and continued on her cleaning route, reaching the back of the hotel. There were more administrative rooms, with empty halls for storing materials and equipment that Charlie planned to use in some future activity or important event, but for now, they were there getting dusty. Niffty loves chasing the dust bunnies she finds in those rooms; they squeak so cutely! Especially when she drags Husk along to help her hunt, even though he always complains, she knows he likes chasing them too. He can't hide the smile she gets when they catch lots of bunnies!
Hmm, now that she thinks about it, she hasn't seen Husk much these days. She didn't see him at the bar today! And that's even though many guests wanted to take advantage and drink from his good bottles, but Niffty managed to stop them in time! Hehe, now they were subjects of Baxter's tests, so they'll learn their lesson before continuing with their redemption! Charlie would surely be grateful.
But where could the kitten be?
A noise distracted her from her thoughts. In one of the empty rooms (where several members of the staff took their breaks from work to rest and whisper), she heard noises and something more. What was that? It was past midnight! Had some bugs managed to survive and gone to hide from her in there? How foolish! They could never escape her, NEVER!
Laughing again, she rushed toward the doors with her knife in hand. The survivors would be the perfect test subjects for Baxter! They needed more insects for their next flea circus.
That thought gave her the push she needed to dash to the door and throw it open “YOU CAN'T HIDE! —” but her threat was drowned out by louder ones.
“YOU'RE A TOTAL IDIOT! CAN'T YOU SEE I'M TRYING TO HELP YOU?”
“I NEVER ASKED FOR YOUR HELP! I CAN MANAGE ON MY OWN!”
“WELL, YOU'RE DOING A SHITTY JOB OF IT!”
“LOOK WHO'S TALKING!”
Before her eyes were Husk and Cherry, yelling at each other in the middle of the room with such intensity that they look like they were going to hit each other (although, judging by the broken glass scattered around them, they had already started). Niffty could see bottles of alcohol on the floor and a stain of Husk's vomit smearing the wall. (She had cleaned up the cat's mess so many times that she could recognize it at a glance).
“GET THAT I’M WORRIED! I don't want to see you in that state, like... like...!” Cherry's voice faltered for a few seconds, seconds that the other took advantage of to counterattack.
"Like how, Angel?” Husk laughed ironically, baring his teeth and narrowing his eyes. “Don't give me that crap, as if you've been such a big help to him all these years.” His words were slightly slurred, but the intention to hurt was there, with every desire for the cyclops to feel it.
The silence that followed was so heavy that even Niffty refrained from chasing a cockroach passing by in the hallway (it was saved, but not by much).
Cherri's face was about to explode.
In fact, she did explode.
“FUCK YOU! GO FUCK YOURSELF, I DON'T GIVE A SHIT,” she pushed him angrily, causing him to stumble, and headed straight for the door. Only then did she notice the other cyclops, but that did little to change her anger. “There, is all yours! See if you can throw him in the garbage” she said, slamming the door behind her, with explosive complaints still echoing down the hallway.
Niffty just watched her leave, waving goodbye. “Rest well!” Cherri had nothing to worry about. She was going to take care of the cat!
And speaking of him...
The mentioned one had curled up next to the sofa, where the pink haired had pushing him. His face was hidden, pressed against a cushion, but Niffty didn't need to see his face to know what expression he had.
It wasn't the first time she'd seen him in that state.
She walked quickly over to her coworker. “I didn't know you were a bad boy now,” she said jokingly. That side of Husk always did curious things!
A growl came from under the cushion. “Niffty, get off, I'm not in the mood.” Although he tried to sound annoyed and authoritative, the girl didn't take him seriously. His drunken babbling didn't affect her!
Niffty made a face. “I'm not done cleaning yet! I'm sure what you threw up will attract a bunch of bugs, and I'll be able to catch them.” She laughed maliciously. Soon she would have her circus!
Another groan was heard, this time more exasperated. “I told you to get out!” There was a THUD as the cushion hit the wall, very close to Niffty's head, who didn't seem fazed by the attack.
On the contrary, the moment she felt the gust of wind from the projectile, the sinner narrowed her eyes, baring her teeth in a maniacal smile. So that’s what they were playing?
The silence that followed should have alerted the cat, but his drunkenness slowed his reflexes and he was unable to dodge the cyclops' bite. “WHAT THE HELL NIFFTY?!” He grabbed his arm in pain, glaring at the redhead, who simply laughed. “You were being a bad boy, and bad boys get punished.” Husk growled, shaking his head and turning his back on the girl. “Stop talking nonsense, I'm not one of your weird archetypes from your stories,” he sighed bitterly, going to sit on the other couch.
“Well, you're acting like one,” Niffty replied simply, pulling a duster from under one of the living room furniture and starting her task. She had work to do and cockroaches to catch!
He growled again, looking at her with anger and disbelief. “Of course not! I'm not any of that,” he said, picking up one of the bottles nearby that had some liquid in it. “I'm not... I'm not that,” he said, staring at the brown liquid in the bottle and frowning.
“Well, that little act you did with Cherri was a classic ‘drunk and rude bad boy’,” she waved his feather duster, as if presenting the title. “All that was missing was the slap and someone crying. I didn't know you acted! I thought that was Angel's specialty.”
At the mention of the name, Husk growled, squeezing the bottle tightly, then sighed wearily. Niffty stopped dusting a piece of furniture when he heard him sigh for the second time, noticing his drooping ears and tail moving reluctance. It wasn't the first time she had seen him hating the world and drowning his sorrows with a bottle in his hand, but it was the first time she had seen him so... sad.
She grimaced; it wasn't an expression she liked. Sadness led to disaster! And she hated disasters. Besides, she didn’t like seeing Husk like that, what did Charlie say in one of her many group activities to improve co-operation? Always try to cheer up your friends, especially if they're sad! There was no room for sadness, no, no, no.
An idea came to her in that second. She knew how to cheer him up!
“Wait here!” She didn't give him time to respond as she ran out of the room to the upstairs bedrooms, leaving a cloud of dust behind her. She didn't take the elevator. It was too slow! And she needed to get there as soon as possible.
She needed the piggy!
-
Husk just watched as the girl ran away, not fully understanding her request. Maybe he should take advantage of the situation and leave, so he could avoid whatever strange thing Niffty would do to him.
But he still felt the slight dizziness from the liquor, the smell of the drink, the tiredness of his body, and the heaviness of his soul.
Ugh, he sounded stupid, which was why he hated drinking.
The memory of the night at the casino where he threw away almost every combination at the bar told him otherwise.
He sank into the armchair, resigned, turning the bottle over and over, waiting for it to magically give him the pain relief he had been looking for since Angel left the hotel; but, like every night for the past week, it only gave him a headache, a shitty mood, and made him throw up the little food Cherri forced him to swallow.
And apparently, according to Niffty, that made him a ‘bad boy.’
He growled at the thought. How stupid, the redhead read too many trashy novels, he wasn't like that at all. He had decency, scruples. He wasn't abusive.
Was he?
The fight with Cherri came to mind.
He squeezed the bottle in his hand harder.
How silly, it wasn't the first time they had fought.
The silence became more present and heavier
God, he really was a piece of shit.
What was wrong with him? This wasn't a normal binge (for him), it wasn't his usual feelings of regret, it wasn't apathy, it wasn't hatred, it wasn't the emptiness he was used to, it was, it was...
A pain so different from any other he had ever felt...
His heart ached so much.
“Ugh!” Husk grabbed the fur on his face in exasperation, pressing his palms against his face as hard as he could, the bottle still in his hand. He was fed up, he wanted to stop breathing, stop talking, stop thinking...
Stop thinking about Angel.
He pressed his face even harder when he felt a stinging sensation in his eyes.
No, he wasn't going to cry anymore. He'd had enough of that all week.
But a wet sensation unexpectedly passed through his nose. Did he still have tears left to shed after all?
A little noise he knew very well brought him out of his thoughts “Oink, oink!” When he cleared his vision, Fat Nuggets was looking him, with his tongue hanging out after licking his nose, and Niffty lifting him up insistently ”Here he is! Uh, what did Angel used to say? Oh, yes, ejem, do you want to play with the piggy?” She lengthened the “o” a little, giving the word a musical tone, and brought the animal even closer, rubbing it against his face.
Snorting a little, he turned his face away to talk to the girl. “What are you doing, why did you bring it?” He was still annoyed and irritated, but seeing the piglet's little face made his frown relax... just a little.
The licks that followed didn't help him.
“I brought him to cheer you up! Playing with you cheers me up, but you can't play with yourself, at least not here,” Husk grimaced in annoyance, “and since Angel isn't here and you already screwed up with Cherri, the closest thing to him is Fat Nuggets!” She brought the piggy back to him, this time dropping it on his lap, “And the piggy loves you! I know he sleeps in your room now.” Despite the creepiness of his response, Niffty's smile was endearing... in its own way.
Fat Nuggets, seemingly sensing his discomfort, rubbed against his chest, somehow trying to settle into his lap and comfort him, or so it seemed to him. He put the bottle on the floor and stroked him behind the ears, smiling a little... Ugh, it seemed that Niffty's idea was working.
And from the girl's smile and bright eyes, she had realized it too.
Husk sighed. “Nif... thank you,” he smiled a little, more sincerely. “And sorry for throwing the cushion at you,” he apologized as well, he really didn't want to attack his co-worker.
She smiled even more. “Don't worry about it! I know that when you're depressed, you act grumpier than usual.” She sat down next to him on the arm of the couch and patted his hand quickly. “Come on, tell your friend Niffty everything” The tone in which she said it was quite similar to Rosie's when she played the role of therapist, which he had heard several times. It was the opposite of when he had to play therapist.
He felt a little indecisive and confused. He wasn't used to Niffty wanting to comfort him. On the contrary, he swore she enjoyed his suffering a little. But since they had both come to the hotel, the way they interacted had changed a little: they were both kinder, more considerate, and he genuinely enjoyed spending time with her... Hmm, it seemed that Charlie's socialization classes were working a little.
He sighed again, resigned and agreeing to talk to his friend. “I was at the casino visiting some friends.”
"Your bottle friends? Because I remember that the Huskettes don't exactly like you very much, and the rabbit at the bar even less.”
"What do you mean?! They always welcome me nicely every time I go. And that rabbit has to serve me as many times as I tell him to.”
“Well, you're their boss, they have to treat you nicely... Is the casino still yours or does it belong to Alastor?”
“I don't treat Alastor nicely, and that casino is mine! Even though Alastor gets the profits, my workers get their pay!”
Niffty just nodded, but you could tell from her face thats he wasn't paying much attention. Shee was writing something in her notebook (when did she get that notebook?).
The bartender shook his head. “Well, the thing is, I was there, and Cherri found me.” He still didn't know how the pinkhead had gotten there at just the right time to see him lying on the bar with all the shots available around him.
“Did she drag you out or carry you?”
“Why do you want to know that?”
“It's important! Maybe you hit your head a lot while she was dragging you, and that's why you're being so rude.”
For a moment, he felt that this could be true, but he instantly forgot it; he had always been that rude.
“I've always been like this, don't say I haven't.”
“But never this rude, not even with me or Alastor!”
He didn't know how, but Niffty made him think, and he didn't like it.
“We went out together, she didn't have to drag me or anything... at least not until the casino entrance.”
Niffty nodded, still writing things down. “Okay, and then what happened?”
Husk scratched the back of his neck, looking away. “Um... we started arguing about why I wasn't at the hotel... I wanted to go to another bar... Cherri wouldn't let me...” The memories of the argument slowly came back to him. It had started with a few simple comments that turned into complaints, and by the time they got to the hotel, they were already yelling at each other.
The new therapist scribbled something else. “So it was your fault.”
“How do you know it was mine and not Cherri's?”
Niffty stared at him with her eye, raising her eyebrow.
“Okay, fine, it was more my fault, but she's not very subtle with her answers.”
“That's why you get along so well!” the girl laughed.
Husk decided to keep petting Fat Nuggets and not answer her. The truth was that he did get along very well with Cherri, even before Angel left. It was nice to get along with someone else who thought a little more like him on some issues, and didn't beat around the bush when she had to say what she thought.
“She's... easy to get along with.” That just made Niffty laugh again.
“She's the best! And her explosions are awesome! I wish they'd let her blow up more stuff at the hotel.” Her maniacal laughter continued, causing Husk to let out a light laugh. “Don't tell her that or you'll make her ego explode. We already have enough to deal with,” he said with a hint of affection in his voice.
Shit, he had been so mean to her.
The cat sighed resignedly. “I've been an idiot... she's having a hard time too.” If he felt bad, she must feel terrible. His friendship with Angel was very different from any other he had seen or had. They loved and understood each other so much that they were willing to do anything for each other's well-being.
The cyclops frowned. “I still don't understand why we're not going to get him out of there by force again. We did it once, we can do it again!” She raised her arms in annoyance. Husk shook his head and lowered the demoness's arms. “It doesn't work that way, Niffty. Angel has... he has to come on his own...” He didn't know how to explain it so that the redhead would understand, and he didn't fully understand it himself, but he had to. “If we force him, if we insist, he... he might never come back.” And the last thing he wanted was for him to never come back.
Niffty puffed. “Tsk, nonsense... but if that makes him come back, fine, I'll accept it.” And just like that, she resumed her resting position on the armrest, to write something else in her notebook and stay still for a moment. “... I get boring, too much talk and not enough action!” She got up and jumped off the armchair. “Here! My conclusion is that you and Cherri should kill cockroaches together and be friends again. You can bring her to catch dust bunnies next time! I'm sure her explosions will blow them up into smoke” she laughed excitedly as she handed the notebook to her friend.
The bartender had to stop petting Fat Nuggets, who had fallen asleep on his lap, to pick up the object and see what the demon had written... or rather, what she had tried to draw: a winged cat and a one-eyed bomb, with explosions behind it and lots of other scribbles that he didn't quite understand. Were they sparkles? He felt like he had seen them in one of those Japanese series that Niffty watches...
“Um, okay? I'll take it into account... Thanks, Niffty, I guess you weren't such a bad therapist after all,” he said, half seriously and half jokingly, because it was definitely better that Niffty wasn't a therapist for any of the residents; she would eat them alive.
“Therapy is so boring! No wonder you get frustrated with the guests, but Baxter really likes your insults. He says you're a good source of vocabulary!” The cat shook his head slightly. That scientist wrote a lot in those sessions, but as long as he didn't bother anyone, he was going to leave him alone. Besides, he got along very well with Niffty.
“Is part of the job” he was already a therapist behind the bar, so there wasn't much difference sitting in the chair. He looked back at the drawing of him and Cherri, leaving him pensive for a few moments, until he made a decision. “Well, Niff, I think I'll leave you now, I have... something to do” he handed the notebook to the redhead and picked up Fat Nuggets, “I just hope Cherri doesn't slam the door in my face” he joked, trying to lighten the mood, but he really hoped she would let him talk to her.
“If you have trouble getting into her room, tell me and I'll help you get in through the vents!” exclaimed her coworker, clapping her hands excitedly. Husk shook his head. “It won't be necessary... I think.” Anyway, he wasn't going to break into the cyclops's room; he didn't want to end up getting burned.
The redhead understood and before she left, she gave him a big but brief hug. “Okay! Now get out, I heard all the cockroaches that gathered in your vomit and I need to catch them,” she laughed excitedly, pulling out her knife and some plastic bags from who knows where.
Husk let her be, waving goodbye and leaving the room, careful not to wake the piglet in his arms. “Come on, Fats, I need to apologize to your Aunt Cherri...”