nside the hotel lobby, Sir Pentious sat on the very edge of the velvet couch, looking terrified. His top hat was bent into a strange shape, and his green tail was covered in gray dirt from the courtyard scrap. Charlie stood in front of him, holding a warm mug of cocoa with both hands, smiling down at him with genuine warmth that he did not know how to handle.
Vaggie stood right behind Charlie, her hand resting firmly on the handle of her angelic spear, ready to strike. She did not trust the snake demon at all, her eye remaining locked on his hands to catch any sudden movements.
Vane sat at the bar next to Husk, watching the entire interaction with a bored expression. His appearance had changed again because the hotel was quiet and safe. His sharp combat uniform had softened back into the dark purple sweater, and the glowing lines on his skin were completely dim, looking like old, flat scars. He looked like an ordinary demon taking a break from a long shift. He watched Sir Pentious try to slide a small, electronic bug into his coat pocket with terrible coordination.
"You are a terrible spy, Pentious," Vane said from across the room, his voice calm, steady, and loud enough to break the silence.
Sir Pentious jumped in modern panic, dropping his cocoa onto the rug. "I am not a spy! I am a supreme overlord of villainy! I am here to... to rent a room for my own personal use!"
"With a hidden camera in your hat?" Vaggie yelled, stepping forward and pointing her spear directly at his nose.
Charlie patted Vaggie's arm to lower the weapon, shaking her head. "Everyone deserves a chance, Vaggie. Even people who try to blow us up on a Tuesday." She looked back at Sir Pentious. "If you want to stay, you have to give up your weapons. That is the rule of the establishment."
Sir Pentious looked down at his coat pockets, which were bulging with tiny bombs, laser pointers, and remote triggers. He slowly started placing them on the coffee table one by one until there was a massive pile of military-grade junk.
Alastor walked down the grand stairs, humming a sharp jazz tune from the 1920s that sounded like it came from an old phonograph. He stopped at the bottom step and stared at Sir Pentious, his eyes turning into radio dials for a brief second while the sound of an old laugh track echoed through the room.
"Ah, the reptile returns!" Alastor cheered, his voice crackling with radio static. "Are we going to turn him into a nice coat, or is he staying for dinner?"
"He is staying as a guest," Charlie said firmly, using her princess voice to end the discussion.
Vane stood up from his barstool and walked over to Sir Pentious, reaching into the snake's top hat and pulling out a small, blinking tracking device that Vox had hidden there. He crushed it between his bare fingers, letting the purple sparks fall to the floor and dissolve into nothing.
"Vox is watching you," Vane told the snake, staring down at him. "And now he knows I just broke his toy. If you stay here, you work for Charlie. You do not work for the television."
Sir Pentious gulped, nodding his head quickly as he realized the King of Chaos was not someone he could trick with cheap gadgets.
Next chapter in Jun 3