Chapter 20: Morning Chats

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Later...

Angel returns. Charlie decides to let Cherri do the talking tonight and confront Angel tomorrow. She sends Razzle down to tell Cherri that Angel is home. Soon, she sees Angel and Cherri leaving the hotel from the balcony. She decides not to stop them; they are probably just going out to help him (Angel) blow off some steam. She just hopes that their escapade doesn't end badly.

Charlie decides to go to sleep and check on him in the morning. Hours later, while she is asleep, Angel returns with Cherri, looking much better and happier. Then Cherri leaves the hotel to go do her own thing (as usual).

The next morning, Vaggie and Dazzle wake her up. "Heyyy, good morning, sleepyhead! Sorry to wake you up. But I just wanted to let you know that Cherri Bomb left. And you wanted to talk to Angel." Vaggie tells her.

Dazzle also hands her a checkout receipt for the hotel from Cherri. Charlie heads down, alone, to Angel's room and knocks on his door.

"Come in!" he says.

She walks in and sees him sitting on his bed. He looks much better than the last time she saw him.

She asks, "Hey, Angel. What's up?"

"Nothing. Why do you ask?" He replies.

She responds, "No reason, I was just worried about you."

He raises an eyebrow, "Why?"

She pauses, sighs, and finally replies, "I might have followed you to Valentino's club. With Cherri."

He nods, "Mm-hmm."

She tries to explain, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I saw your text with Valentino on your phone."

He nods some more, "Did you now..?"

She asks him, "Are you mad?"

He smokes a cigarette and replies, "Not really."

Then he throws his cigarette into a nearby ashtray in disgust because it reminds him of Valentino. He continues, "Just curious. Why would you do that?" She looks confused, "I don't know. Because I care about everyone, including you."

He nods. She continues, "And I just want to help."

He thinks for a moment, then sighs, "That's quite noble of you. Helping bad people who don't want to be helped. I could never. I'm too far gone for any chance of any kind of good."

She shakes her head, "No! Don't talk that way! I think EVERYONE deserves a chance to be their best. That includes you."

He looks at her thankfully, although with a hint of sadness, "Even so, I'm not sure I can. I just keep making mistakes and poor decisions; doing drugs, prostitution, porn... I keep digging myself into a bigger hole and I just can't put down my shovel.... It's easy to be evil in a place so evil, and being good is just..."

She puts her hand on his shoulder, "Angel. It doesn't matter how many times you fall over, only that you get back up every time and at least try to watch your feet. And know that we, or at least I, will be here to help you. Even I make mistakes. But I don't let them ruin my plans, and I make sure I don't do them again."

He looks at her with some more happiness, "Thanks Charlie. I don't know if I can come clean and stay clean (right now), but I'm glad to know that you would be there to help me."

He smiles and hugs her. She stands up to leave, and he makes an (unfunny) joke, "I mean, hey, a guy's got to make a living somehow." Referring to his... exotic profession. She isn't sure how to respond, so she just leaves.

She heads down to the lobby and sees Vaggie and Niffty talking. Alastor is doing his own thing somewhere, and Husk is nowhere to be seen.

She approaches them-Vaggie and Niffty. Charlie says to everyone, "Good morning, guys."

They wave. She then tells Niffty, "Hey, Niffty, since Cherri left this morning, can you go straighten up her room?"

Niffty nods and leaves, followed by KeeKee. "Hey Vaggie." Charlie lovingly says.

Vaggie replies, "Hey, what's up?"

Charlie responds, "I talked to Angel, and it's all good with him."

Vaggie replies, "Good. Wouldn't want any kind of unresolved issues that could fester into something." She nods. Then Niffty and Angel exit the elevator into the lobby. Angel points a finger-gun at Vaggie, who looks annoyed at him, and he winks at Husk who has just exited the kitchen, holding a tray of drinks she doesn't recognize.

He looks at Angel annoyed and then stares at her fearfully, like he's doing something wrong....

Before she can ask him, Angel waves at Alastor, who has just entered through the front entrance, and makes a sex joke toward him, to his displeasure.

When she looks back, for Husk, he's disappeared. "What the-," she mumbles. Niffty comes up behind her and says, "The room has been cleaned. Anything else you need?"

She says, "No. Thanks." She turns to Vaggie. She opens her mouth to speak, but before she can say anything, Alastor steps in between her (in front of Vaggie).

"Ah, there you are!" He starts, "I need to tell you something. So I need to go out do some things. I'm also going to need Husker and Niffty to come with me. Oh, and, no need to worry about us (or what we are doing). Also, if you hear or see an explosion on the other side of town, It wasn't me. Okay? Wonderful!"

He then snaps his fingers and summons Niffty and Husk to his side, "Ok boys and girls, let's go. Toodaloo!" Then he and them teleport away with Al's shadows. She is confused by what that was, but after knowing Alastor for a couple of days, she's used to it. Now with them gone, it's just her, Vaggie, and Angel. Sir Pentious is... somewhere.

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