𝐿𝒾𝑒𝓈 「𝒜𝒹𝒶𝓂 𝓍 𝑅𝑒𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓇」

𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ -Hands almost thrown & Emotional-

Your eyes snap open from your position in a chair, Razzle and Dazzle flying towards Charlie with a box of tissues. You sigh, rubbing your eyes with your hand and standing up. "Morning, Charlie... How ya feeling?" you ask lightly, dropping to your knees and grabbing her hand.

"Hmmm," she groans loudly from under her blanket.

"Charlie... It would help if you talked to her. Not now. But you eventually need to talk to her," you urge gently.

Charlie disappears further into her blanket and groans once again. You sigh and stand back up, gasping when Alastor pops out of nowhere.

"Oh, Charlie, you look an absolute mess!" he says cheerfully.

You glare at him. "Alastor..." you say warningly.

"Ugh, go away, Alastor," Charlie screams from under her blankets.

Alastor sits on the bed, and you settle back down in the chair you spent the night in, watching him like he's prey.

"Now, now, is that any way to act after picking a fight with all of Heaven and dooming everyone you love?" Alastor remarks, causing you to scoff.

"I have enough on my mind without hearing your sadistic idea of a joke, asshole," Charlie says, emerging from her sheets and throwing her onto the bed.

"Who's joking?" Alastor retorts.

Charlie turns to see him laid out on the bed, causing her to shoot up from the bed and fall to the floor. "You have a captive audience downstairs waiting to hear what kind of inspiring performance you have planned next," Alastor continues.

Charlie leans on the bed, her expression filled with pain and sadness. "Ugh, I can't. How can I face them after failing them all so hard?"

You lean forward, about to speak, but Charlie turns, stopping you mid-sentence. "They came here to be saved, and all I gave them was more pain," she laments, her voice heavy with remorse.

Alastor lays on the bed, his legs kicking back and forth as he observes the scene with his characteristic grin.

"I'm just as bad as the cruelest Overlord in Hell. And maybe worse," Charlie admits, her voice heavy with self-doubt.

You lean back in the chair, observing the interaction between Charlie and Alastor. "At least they don't go around giving false hope," you mutter under your breath.

Alastor glances at you before returning his attention to Charlie. "Well, I never expected to see such a miserable display of self-loathing from you," he remarks casually.

Before you can interject, Charlie steps in. "Oh, fuck you, Alastor," she retorts.

Alastor adjusts himself, leaning in closer to Charlie. "All you do is stand there, smiling while you watch us struggle and fail. I don't know how you can enjoy all this suffering so much," Charlie accuses, her frustration evident in her voice.

You stand up, watching Alastor with a gaze filled with anger. Ever since Alastor came back, you've sensed that something was off. He had changed, no longer the old friend you shared your Friday nights talking and sharing coffee with. Now, he was a foreign creature intruding into your and Charlie's lives, unwanted and strange.

"Just because you see a smile, don't think you know what's going on underneath," you remark, your voice laced with frustration.

Alastor releases Charlie's shoulder and uses his fingers to make a smile on her face. "A smile is a valuable tool, my dear. It inspires your friends, keeps your enemies guessing, and ensures that no matter what comes your way, you're the one in control."