By the time the next extermination rolled around, things had improved at the hotel. Cherri Bomb and Arackniss were dating within a few months Yeah, it took some time and it was rough at the start, but eventually they settled down. Once he got the courage to ask her out, things went smooth sailing from there.
Cherri invited Arackniss to her science job, and he was given a position there as a assistant. They got to do cool stuff, like blow shit up and cause explosions. Arackniss managed to make a few types of addictive substances with enough fooling around and even made some that exploded!
Alastor and Vox were on decent terms, they weren't friends,but not enemies either. Sure, there were awkward moments where you could tell there was tension, but Charlie broke his silence with her charisma and her cheer, which always got Vox and then Alastor to calm down.
Vaggie was chill, and Niffty was basically a less judgmental person. Other than killing bugs, she was basically kind to everyone else.
Husk's biggest struggle was gambling He had done it since he was alive when he was kid, a habit he had picked up that was considered essential given he lived/raised in a casino. Breaking it was obviously a massive struggle, and it was a good thing he got rid of the alcohol first else it would've been next to impossible for him to break his habit while under the influence of beer.
By the end, and I mean it the end of December, Husk managed to finally put the cards away, but the smoking was something he did to make up for this. He smoked cigars on a daily basis, he had done it since the army days, and always took one out when he felt stressed. It's what he did to make up for the alcohol, and while he didn't do it as much as he used to, it was still a habit he was struggling to break.
After the extermination passed, Heaven was cracked open again and Michael came down, mask and all. The rest of the hazbins waited outside for him,
Charlie gave him a large hug,"Hey Uncle! Whats up? Long time no see!"
"Hello Charlotte…" The taller male smiled, though it wasn't visible behind his mask."It's been a long time. We may have just met a year prior, but I'm happy to see your face."
"You too, I kinda wish you could stay!"
"Luci and Father wouldn't like that. They need me up there. But, I am happy to inform you that Anthony is doing quite well in heaven. He says that he's never been happier, but he does miss your presence."
"Aw….I wish I could go up too…"
"I do too, but I doubt your father would allow you to. It's probably for the best, it'd get messy if you came up here. However, I do believe I came for a fair few of your friends."
"Which ones?
"I'm taking a fair few of them with me. Cherri Brooks,Adriano D'ambrosio and Nia Valdez."
Cherri Bomb, Arackniss, and Niffty both looked up before looking at the rest of the group.
We're going together, Cherri!" Arackniss smiled, a rare sight for the charcoal spider. He couldn't believe it, he was going to step foot in heaven. And he was going to do it with the girl he loved!
"Hell yeah! I'm so excited! All this stuff we went through was worth it, now we're gonna see Angie!"
Niffty smiled,"I'm so excited, this is gonna be so amazing! Heaven's gonna be so cool-Wait...you sure nobody else got picked?" She asked.
Michael shook his head."Nope. Your friends still have work to do. I'm sure they'll get there eventually…"
"Oh…" She lowered her head before walking up to Alastor and Husk."Guess this is for now guys. It was a pleasure of being of service to you, Al. I'm gonna miss you. You too, Husk, keep taking care of things for me."
She knew how much they relied on her, so she was sad she had to say goodbye. Hell may not have been the nicest place, but it had been her home since the fifties.
"Don't worry my dear, we'll take care of things just fine! We're not perfect, but we'll try to keep things tidy!" Alastor said,"I promise, we'll be fine. Right Husker?"
"Yeah, we'll be fine. Don't you worry, I'm sure that it'll be my turn sooner or later." Husk muttered.
"Okay…" She gave Alastor and Husk a hug, the Radio Demon reluctantly accepted it.
She then turned to Vaggie, Vox and Charlie,"I'm gonna miss you too. You're gonna be ok down here? I don't wanna leave you guys..."
"Yeah, we'll manage things here. I'm sure Vaggie will be up there with you eventually." Charlie smiled.
"Don't worry, it's not like we're going anywhere." Vox said.
"Give it time, I'll be up there before you know it.." Vaggie said."Come on, don't cry. Heaven's gonna be wonderful, Gabriel said it's...well heaven. It'll be a nice place, you'll love it there."
"Ok, if you say so."
Niffty went up to the others."You guys ready for this?"
Cherri and Arakniss nodded, holding hands and smiling."Born ready," They said in unison.
"Alright Michael, we're ready to go."
"Good. Now grab my hand." Michael then used his magic when they did, surrounding the three in a bright light. The blinding rays faded, the three stripped of their demon forms.
Cherri had two eyes that were gold in color with fair skin with freckles . She had blonde hair with gold highlights. Her outfit was replaced with a white tank top with white and gold skirt with leggings and heels.
Adriando had tan skin with jet black hair. He had a gold and white suit with baggy pants and black shoes. All his eyes disappeared and he had dark brown freckles all over his face and gold eyes.
Nia wore a white and gold skirt with patterns on it She had a white scarf around her neck. She had two eyes that were gold in color and pale skin with white hair and a gold undertone.
All of them had a halo and wings.
"Woah! Look at us! We have wings! Weeeee!" Nia began flying around like a bug.
"Alright! This is what I'm talking about!" Cherri shouted.
"This is amazing...I can't believe this is happening," Adriando exclaimed..
"I believe it's time for you to go three. You have plenty of time to adjust to your divine forms up in the clouds."
Cherri, Adriando and Nia all looked up,"We're ready."
"Alright then, bid farewell to your friends. It's time to ascend to heaven's gates…" He guided them upwards, the three former sinners taking flight into the air, the others waving goodbye to them as they vanished from sight.
"They're in a better place now," Charlie smiled.
"Yeah…" Vaggie muttered.
"Guess they'll be reunited up there, "Vox said."Angel will probably be happy to see them."
Charlie noticed Alastor lowered his gaze, his smile slightly strained,"You alright Al?"
"What? Yes, of course! I'm just...a little tired that's all."
"Al, your fucking lying, don't give her bullshit. You fucking miss her don't you?" Husk accused.
"What? Preposterous nonsense! I'm happy for her, she's where she wants to be and that's that."
Nobody believed it, but they knew pressing Alastor wouldn't get them anywhere. As everyone got inside, Alastor turned back to the place where they left. He didn't want to go to heaven, he knew this was where he belonged, but he couldn't help but feel unsatisfied. Like Niffty's absence actually had an effect on him.
'Maybe playing music will make this strange feeling go away….
