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He enjoyed the rain. It was calming at worst and thrilling at best, in the case of the cause being a thunderstorm. Those were common down here by average standards he'd learned, but having grown up in New Orleans meant the opposite, where such weather was a weekly occurrence at the absolute rarest. It also wasn't acidic and didn't reek, but those were both things he'd become accustomed to.
So whenever it was pouring, he liked to go on small walks. It was a nice excuse to get away from the residents at the hotel and their near-constant noise. Short of murder, it was one of the things he found helped calm him best.
It was late, and most of the misfits had gone to bed already. Even if they hadn't, they were used to his disappearances by now. He could never choose to avoid finding other activities to keep himself busy with when they were proving to be boring.
He hung around for a few of their little “bonding” experiences, primarily because he was present and Charlie had insisted on it, but he'd yet to actively participate in them. He didn't care for redemption, but they were fun to watch at times.
There was a scuffling noise and he immediately stopped moving, his ear twitching.
He'd almost forgotten where he was. This close to the hotel, the chances of a threat were low. Worst case scenario, he'd have a little snack, but before he moved, he wanted to see if he could gather a little information. No use in attacking something if he didn’t know what it was, after all. Although, he was admittedly considering it. It would provide him some brief amusement.
It wasn't long before he could hear movement, like someone was trying to be quiet. Not really possible, given the large puddles everywhere, and now he was certain it was a person, and they were trying to remain unseen. They didn't move very far, keeping behind a large tree. Those were kind of funny, they never had leaves. Dead looking things all over the city, but they never fell apart or rotted, so he had always assumed they were alive in some way. No one ever seemed to notice or care — granted, they were probably busy dealing with whatever far more important matters they had, but Alastor liked small details, so they’d stood out a couple of times.
Another noise reminded him of what he was doing, and gave away his target. Definitely not a threat. In fact…
“Charlie, dear!”
He heard her gasp like she thought he wouldn't have noticed her breathing. She was being quite loud, especially given the blanket of noise from the rain.
“What are you doing?”
There wasn't a response. If he hadn’t already figured out she was attempting to be stealthy, this would have given it away. Though he was having a difficult time figuring out why she thought silence now would convince him she wasn’t present. After a moment, he sighed and approached the tree, making sure his footsteps were audible before instead warping around it to face her.
“It's rude to ignore a friend, isn't it, darling?”
“Ah, what the fuck—!?” She nearly screeched and fell over, taking a moment to recompose herself and realize he was there.
“I'm sure you could hear me!”
“Don't..! Do that…” He felt his ear twitch as he watched her bury her head in her arms.
Had she been crying? That wasn't something he'd expected and it certainly wasn't something he'd intended to deal with. He was terrible with emotions, his own or otherwise. Rosie had noted that rather quickly after meeting him, and it was something he was aware of long before said observation. Comfort was one of his worst skills and he was very much not looking to test it here.
He took a moment to consider what to do. He could just leave. Fall into his shadow and warp somewhere else, he'd done it so often she probably wouldn't bat an eye. Staying to talk would be redundant.
But he was already here.
And the more she trusted him the better.
He could probably wing it anyways. No doubt a simple hug or a pat on the head would be enough. Charlie was so filled with sunshine and rainbows to begin with. Besides, if he cheered her up now, that would give him easy ammunition against her childish father should he initiate another argument later.
So he leaned against the tree beside her and tilted his head. “Ah, you look to be quite out of sorts!”
“No, I'm fine!” Of all the things she could have done to prove that statement true, looking up at him was not one of them. Her face was covered in tears, just barely noticeable through the rain. And that was on top of her miserable expression.
“Truly! I, too, cry when I am fine!” He chuckled.
“I haven't been crying..!” Her tone was defensive, and of the few things he knew, a defensive tone was essentially a confirmation. Even if he hadn't already known that, Rosie's used it to call him out mid-lie far too many times.
After a moment, he sat down next to her and sighed. Perhaps a less direct approach would help. “I am not a fool, my dear.”
“I didn't say you were…” She looked away.
“Then why lie to me as though you believe I am?” To illustrate his point, he wiped some of the tears from her face. “I am not blind, darling.”
“That's just the rain..!” Turning back to him, she tried — and failed — to force a smile. “I'm not—..! Uh…”
He considered that before speaking again. “...What a convenient excuse.”
“Huh? It's not—..!”
“Do not lie to me, dear! It's quite unprofessional, wouldn't you agree?”
She paused, went silent, looked like she was about to speak, then sighed and buried her head in her arms again.
Alastor waited a few moments to give her time to sort out her thoughts, but when she didn't, he decided to continue. “Now what has our princess so distraught so late at night?”
“It's… it's stupid, just… it's not important, don't worry about it…”
Well that was easier than he thought it'd be. She'd already admitted she was sad. He was expecting that to be the hard part given he’d never admit to such feelings. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite sure what the next step was.
Before he could figure out what to do, she continued anyway. “I mean, I've already ranted about it a lot to Vaggie and… it's not like there's a solution…”
Okay, he could work with this. He's tried winging much more risky conversations and come out fine. “Well, I don't suppose there's any harm in venting your feelings again! Seeing as I'm already here, I may as well listen!”
“I don't wanna bother you or anything, and it's fine..! Really, I—..!” She waved her hands defensively and shook her head as she spoke.
“Your majesty, if I were ‘bothered’ I wouldn't ask or offer! I'm sure I've heard plenty worse throughout my time in Hell regardless.” He figured he may as well drive the point home, so he decided to provide an example. “Such as a rather graphic depiction of a fool losing his arm upon treading into Cannibal Town, plenty of blood, I imagine, and—!”
“Okay, okay, okay! Ew! Point taken!” She covered her ears and glared at him. Well, as much as the equivalent of a miserable and angry hamster could, anyway. Then she sighed and looked away, continuing after a moment or two. “Yeah, it's not… violent. Or gory or anything…”
“Wonderful! Then it should be no more a bother than anything else!”
“I don't wanna make it your problem…”
“I've handled far worse than a little emotional discussion! Go on, dear, I'm quite stubborn!” He tilted his head and didn't move at all when she turned to stare at him with a conflicted expression.
She fell silent again, leaving no noise but the ongoing rain.
He wasn’t too sure what to do. He could keep pushing for her to talk, but she already seemed to be considering it, so he figured he’d be patient and wait out her silence until she hopefully decided to break it. Waiting was easy, he could outlast almost anyone in a game of patience. Granted, he’d quickly grow annoyed and bored, but if it came down to being spiteful, he’d be able to mask that and put up with it until he got what he wanted. He’d done it several times, in several situations, against several people. Sometimes it was in fights, sometimes it was more longterm, such as waiting for someone to step into a trap they knew he’d set up. It was a reliable tactic for plenty of—
Charlie taking a deep breath brought his attention back to the current situation. “...It’s… my mom…”
Oh dear.
“Is that so?” He tilted his head.
“I miss her… a lot…” Very quickly, she spiraled, shaking and beginning to cry even more as she spoke. “I want her to come back. I’m so worried about her and I know she can handle herself but it’s been so long and she won’t answer my calls a-and sometimes I wonder if she doesn’t love me anymore and maybe that’s why—...” She cut herself off to breathe. “I know that doesn’t make sense, but I-I think about it sometimes. I miss her so fucking much..!” And with that, she buried her head in her knees again, gripping her hair rather tightly. He was sure she was still saying something, but it was quiet, muffled, and incoherent.
That was a lot to process, and he had to take a few moments to even begin to put together what he could or should say in response. He knew very well what it was like to miss a mother, but Charlie’s situation was very different from his and he was never good at comforting other people. Rosie was easy, given she was rarely sad, and when she was, all he had to do was let her hug him and pet his ears until she worked through her own feelings.
Still, he was certain he had to do something. Both because it would help get this rather awkward ordeal over with sooner and because it would so badly anger Lucifer to learn Alastor had once again been there for his daughter when he wasn’t. It would also help Charlie feel better, but that… was a bonus.
And nothing else.
Regardless, with no other ideas, he put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a hug. That was what Rosie enjoyed and Charlie seemed like the type to appreciate it. She seemed caught off guard, freezing for a moment for very suddenly hugging him back much more aggressively and crying noticeably louder now. Cautiously, he gave her a couple pats on the head.
“I want her to come back and I want her to be proud of me..! She loved her kingdom a-and she loved performing and—..!”
“Charlie, dear, I would advise you try to slow down. Breathing is a necessity, after all!” His tone was probably not the best given the situation, far too cheerful.
Thankfully, she did pause to take several deep breaths. In the process, she began leaning on him and — fortunately — loosened her grip. A few seconds passed and she continued hyperventilating, only to try to calm herself again. After the fourth attempt with no progress, he offered some advice he’d heard from Rosie a few times.
“It may help to listen to my breathing, darling.”
She slowly nodded, holding her breath for a moment and presumably listening until she could pick up a pattern. Had it been anyone else, he’d have intentionally begun breathing painfully slowly just to bother them. Granted, if this was anyone else, he wouldn't be allowing them to lean against him, let alone hug him.
He stayed still and silent as he waited for Charlie to slowly but surely catch her breath and set a proper pace for herself. She didn’t move at all afterwards, and he couldn’t really care enough to tell her to.
“Better?”
“...A little…”
He nodded and sighed, tilting his head as he carefully spoke. This was a delicate situation and he had to treat lightly. “I highly doubt the most powerful woman in Hell could be so easily eradicated. As well as a relationship built strong enough to warrant your continued calling her after so much time.”
There was a moment of silence as she slowly looked up at him.
“...I’m sure she is simply keeping herself busy, dear. After all, with the stories you’ve shared, I would be quite shocked if she’d left for any reason aside from something requiring immediate attention in one way or another. Once she has it sorted, she’ll return with a good explanation, I'm sure.”
She didn’t immediately respond. In fact, she continued to stare at him for a bit.
Then she chuckled and hugged him again, burning her face in his shoulder. Somehow, he hadn’t expected that and it took a moment to process the action. “You’re really nice when you want to be…”
That was fast.
“...Well, it comes in handy every now and then!” A strategic tool — that’s all she needed to believe it was. “I take that to mean you’re feeling better?”
“Uhm… A little bit, kinda…” Despite her answer, she made no effort to move away. She still looked upset, but she wasn’t actively crying anymore.
They both fell into silence, once again allowing the white noise of the rain to become noticeable. There were very few people Alastor would allow to touch him for any length of time, and he was learning that Charlie seemed to be on that list. He was not going to think anymore on that, so instead he focused on the rain.
By now he was soaked and, unsurprisingly, so was Charlie. In fact, she was more so than he was. Which made him wonder. “...May I ask when and why you decided to come outside?”
In response, she shrugged. “About 20 minutes ago..? And… I thought it would help me get my mind off of it… but I couldn't and then I saw you… so…”
“Ah.”
“Why are you out here..?”
He tilted his head and looked down at her. “I quite enjoy rainy weather. I find it calming.”
“I find it sad…”
That made him giggle. He's heard that sentiment plenty but he couldn't say he understood it. Rain felt like the air was cleaning itself, it muted all the noise around him, and it kept most others indoors, which was always a pleasant bonus. The quiet — putting aside the noise of the rain itself — was wonderful.
“I thought I could get away with telling you I wasn't crying… I'm all soggy anyway…”
Well, that was a rather sudden subject to bring up. “Oh? Charlie, dear, so you truly believe tears look the same as rain?”
“It works in movies…”
“Plenty of things take place in movies and do not apply to real world scenarios. All it takes to tell is a little attention to detail! Not to mention, you're very expressive.”
She paused for a moment and looked up at him again. Fortunately, she seemed to be more amused than sad now. “Oh… Yeah, I guess that's true…” She finally released him, but she didn't move far. “I think I'd fall for it…”
“Would you now?”
“Well, yeah… I mean… if you were upset and you started crying and told me it was just rain, I wouldn't think too hard about it.”
That was a strangely amusing thought. “Darling, if I were to cry in your presence you would believe there was something fundamentally wrong with me!”
“That's not true! Everyone's allowed to cry! It's not healthy to force yourself not to!”
“Dismissing the idea that I would ever display such behavior…” He chuckled. “I meant that in a rather literal sense! I do not ‘cry’ tears. My eyes simply bleed!”
He only realized after she completely froze up what he’d just admitted to, but before he could clarify that he’d absolutely never been so emotionally worked up as to break down, she nearly shouted. “Your eyes bleed!?”
…Nevermind, she seemed much more preoccupied with that fact.
“Of course! Can’t do anything normally, now, can I?” He waved his hand dismissively. “Not to worry, sweetie, it is painless and there’s no damage done!”
Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to convince her. “Your eyes aren’t supposed to bleed, Alastor! Like—..! That’s not normal! I know sinners are weird, but that’s—!”
“I’ve seen sinners cry ink plenty of times!” He cut her off. “Blood is not off the table! Besides, given there’s no discomfort or destruction to my sight, I fail to see the concern!”
That gave her something to consider, and she fortunately calmed down. “...You’re sure there’s no damage?”
“Believe me, if there were, Rosie’d have dealt with it a long time ago.”
She slowly nodded, visibly processing that information rather slowly. It was only after several long moments of silent thought that something seemed to click and she looked back at him and smiled. “So you do feel things other than sadism.”
Fuck.
“Quite the conclusion to have reached with no support.”
“If you know what your tears look like then you’ve cried before!”
“Crying is not always indicative of an emotion, dear.”
“It’s not?”
He was about to reply before he stopped himself. He was rather backed into a corner here. There wasn’t much that came to mind regarding reasons for tears. Sadness, maybe happiness — As Charlie had proven quite a few times — or excitement, pain — and he was not about to tell her that — and… well, amusement could work. He shrugged. “I’m sure you’ve found something to be laughable enough to warrant such a thing at least once!”
After she narrowed her eyes suspiciously for a second, she giggled and nodded. “Yeah, I tear up when I laugh too much.” Then she looked at him as though he’d just told her the sky was green. “But I know you feel things anyway.”
“Untrue.”
“You were happy — genuinely happy, not ‘evil’-happy — when we visited Cannibal Town. And anytime Rosie showed up, actually. Also! You’re here right now. You wanted to make me feel better.”
Ah, the unfortunate cost of gaining trust. “My dear, it is simply in both of our best interests that you are feeling your best as soon as possible!”
“Sure, Al.” After another moment, she seemed to have another thought. “...Is that what you meant by ‘a convenient excuse’?”
“Come again?”
“‘Cause you cry blood. So rain wouldn’t cover it up for you.”
He narrowed his eyes. She wasn’t usually this perceptive. She’d proven to have her moments, but he wasn’t necessarily expecting this to be one of them. He seemed to always either overestimate or underestimate her ability to put pieces together. An inconsistent, but fun trait of hers. “Yes.”
“...Huh.”
Deciding that she shouldn’t look any further into this conversation, he decided to put an end to it and got up, holding out a hand. “In any case, I suppose you’ll want to head back inside?”
She took his hand and lifted herself off the ground. “No. Not yet. I kinda wanna hang out with you, if that’s okay?”
He sighed, but considered it. Charlie was a constant bundle of energy he hadn’t been prepared for, but had quickly gotten accustomed to. She was a unique thing, certainly not fit for Hell, and that was interesting to him. He enjoyed her company more so than most others, even when she’d drained his ability to properly interact in under an hour. So despite himself, he nodded and began walking down the large hill. “I see no issue.”
“Where are we going?”
“Nowhere specific. I simply enjoy the weather. It sounds lovely.”
“Okay!” She kept pace beside him and, surprisingly enough, grew silent.
She could be a lot at times, her seemingly unending energy and easily affected emotions, he couldn’t help but find those traits to be entertaining in their own way. This entire ‘hotel’ venture had been more interesting than he’d expected.
And he found he wasn’t opposed to thinking of Charlie as… maybe a friend.