Chapter Text
Truth be told, when Alastor had first gotten the letter in the mail, he thought it was a joke.
A gold and white letter lies upon his fingertips. He slowly opens the note, leaning on the wall as he does. The letter reads words he can hardly believe:
“We, the Morningstars, ask you of a great favor that will not go unnoticed, should you accept such an offer.
We ask you to essentially aegis our daughter in place of us, in our eventual leave. We searched high and low for an overlord strong enough to protect and care for heir in our absence. Which is we have chosen you, The Radio Demon, for this task.
If you take even the slightest interest in this offer, please arrive to the Morningstar estate by evening.”
His smile widened as he read the words, letting them fall onto him. Oh, the power that this could grant him! He could see it now; everyone would cower at the sight of him with the power he could have! There was no time to question such a request when the feared to not feared ratio is so high.
Alastor immediatly made his way to the mansion that is owned by the Morningstars. The trip is only twenty or so minutes away on foot, although he’s sure it would go much faster in a vehicle. Alas, Alastor is known for liking his traditional ways, isn’t he?
He sighs as he approaches the door to the estate, knowing he’s signing away a few years or so to essentially babysitting. He fixes his bowtie, and puts one arm behind his back as he knocks on the front doors. He reasons to himself that the babysitting won’t be too bad when he’s feared nation— no, worldwide.
The thumping of the doors sounded throughout the royals castle, letting the family know Alastor was there. The doors, if sentient, opened up on their own. Within the building lie two spiraling staircases heading up to the second floor. Just above said stairs stood the king, Lucifer. He looked rather relieved at the arrival of the demon, hurrying down to greet Alastor. He nearly stumbled, catching himself on his cape by accident.
“Ah! Oh, ehhm. Uh hello! My name is— wait, no, you already know that… aha! Uhm! You’re here for… for, uh, looking after my daughter, right?” He spoke in a faux-commander voice, trying to save his dignity after nearly falling to the overlords feat. As you can imagine, he failed miserably. He took Alastor’s hand, shaking it fast. “We’re extremely glad you showed up!”
Alastor must admit, when he saw the king scramble down the stairs, his first thought was the king is tiny. Well, smaller than what he was shown in those stories, that’s for sure. His hair was messy, as if he hadn’t brushed it today. Alastor took a scan around the room, noticing the different decorations around their strangely huge house. It was… tacky, to say the least.
Alastor nearly rolled his eyes when Lucifer shook his hand, but instead flashed a bright smile at him instead.
“Yes, I do believe I may take you up on your offer. I was fairly surprised when it came in the mail, but after some careful consideration, I’ve decided to accept.” He says in reply to the jumble of words the king had sputtered, pulling his arm back and subtly wiping it against his coat.
A wide grin took over the monarchs face. “Come, come! You’re going to have to meet her first, obviously! She’s super kind, sweet— She’s like me!” He shouted enthusiastically, twisting to look at Alastor as he walked up the stairs. “So, uhm, mister… red man! How are you today?”
The kings attempt at small talk was quite sad, really. Alastor decided to humor him anyways. This was the king, after all.
“Mister red man? I must admit, that is a new one. Nevertheless, I am quite alright!” He responded, walking a little ways behind his majesty. He glanced at the blonde woman in front of them, doing a quick look over. This was surely the queen. The woman stood with her back to them, cooing and caring for something or someone without them seeing. The supposed queen was surrounded by luggage and items, some clothes and— ducks? Lots of ducks. She turned to them slightly, still not fully facing the two of them.
“Ah, you must be Alastor! Thank you so much for taking care of our daughter.” She stood fully, revealing a small plush goat in her hands.
“Of course, it’s my pleasure.” Alastor responded, bowing slightly as he greeted the queen.
She smiled warmly, nodding her head in greetings. “No need for such formalities!” Lilith spoke, raising her hand.
“We know, or at least I do, that you’re one of the strongest sinners in hell. We hope you’re alright with this arrangement, and we trust that you can make sure she’s safe and protected in our absence.” She spoke as if she had hand picked the words, her smooth voice not stuttering once— unlike her husband. Lilith gestured behind her as she stepped back, waiting for Lucifer to hurry and invite Charlie to meet her new ‘babysitter’.
Alastor nodded his head, standing up to his full height. “I thank you for putting your trust in me, I vow to protect and care for her whilst she’s in my care.” He responded, smiling at the other woman.
Alastor must admit, he was quite curious to meet the princess. It’s only a matter of time before he does, anyways. He’s practically vibrating thinking about how much success he’ll end up with after this situation!
Lucifer quickly perked up, nodding enthusiastically at Lilith’s gesture before heading off to find their youngest daughter. He often lost track of where she was, much to Lilith’s dismay. He ran everywhere to find her, causing a sigh to emerge from Lilith.
“I’ve nearly got her, don’t worry, sweetheart!” Lucifer called out from across the room, not noticing Charlie standing by the door to her room, a small bag of luggage in her tiny hands. Lilith sighed once again at Lucifer fumbling around looking for their child, simply walking up to Charlie’s room and leading her out.
Charlie was a small girl, similar to one of a humans height. She wore a red dress with music symbols placed on the end of her dress and the cuffs.
Lilith lifted up the young princess, holding her up to her hip as Lucifer finally rushed back in, cooing at his daughter as he beckoned to hold her. Lilith only rolled her eyes, shaking her head slightly. The king pouted but accepted it, gesturing to his daughter as if Alastor couldn’t see her. Lucifer was not lying when he said she was alike the king, the two being nearly identical in the looks. Hopefully not the personality.
Alastor wasn’t sure what he expected, but it certainly was not a tiny child. Sure, he knew he’d essentially signing away a few years to babysit, but at the very least she had assumed the child was older. Nevertheless, he’d already agree’d to take care of her.
“This is your daughter, I take it?” He questioned the obvious, it couldn’t be anyone else with Lucifer standing right next to her.
Lilith nodded, smiling warmly at the young girl in her arms. “She’s around five in human years, you can clearly tell my genes didn’t even try.” She chuckled, brushing a strand of hair from the girl’s face.
“Charlie. Charlie is her name.” Lucifer butted in, dangling his finger in front of Charlie’s face and cooing like some sort of bird. The girl in question giggled, grabbing onto his finger and tugging it. They were all clearly very happy with each other, but the fact that they were willing to leave their daughter alone with a stranger in hell was… strange, to say the least. There was no telling where they were going and no telling when they were coming back.
Alastor nearly recoiled when he saw Lucifer and Charlie interact, he wasn’t a big fan of public displays of affection. Hopefully Charlie won’t expect him to do… whatever that was with her.
“Ah, Charlie. What a wonderful name. Is there anything I should know about her in advance?” He strained his smile, trying to clear his head from the idea of having Charlie play with his finger. Is that what toddlers usually want? Alastor wouldn’t know.
Lilith thought. “Well, we expect the obvious; feed, dress, bathe, teach, and play. It’s important she also knows us well, knows we loved her very dearly and we miss her. No allergies that we know of at the moment, but Lu knows a Sin that can help with medication.” She spoke, trying to keep Charlie in her arms as she reached out to Lucifer.
Lucifer was nodding along, not really paying attention to the words, mostly Charlie who was giggling at faces he made.
“Charlie will also bring along two little friends, Razzle and Dazzle. They are specially made by my husband to keep her company and to play when you’re either busy or not in the mood. They dont require much and prefer to stay around Charlie.”
As Lilith spoke, Lucifer whistled for the two red dragon-demons over. The pair flew towards them, greeting Lucifer enthusiastically. Charlies clapped her hands, now desperately trying to escape her mother’s arms to reach the two demons.
Alastor peered at the struggling Charlie, trying to escape her mother’s arms. Yes, he does believe this will be quite easy!
“Alright. Do they eat anything? I’d hate to leave them starving simply because I didn’t know.” He said, pondering what he’d need to get, unethically or ethically, if they did. Obviously, he needs to buy things for Charlie, as he doesn’t have anything suitable for a child her age. Perhaps he’ll take her with him so he doesn’t waste his money on things she won’t use.
It’s quite strange for two loving parents wanting to leave their child in a strangers arms, yet still want her to know who they are. Alastor is curious, he must admit, but he knows not to ask about sensitive information. For others, he may have pried, but it’s a different story for royalty.
Lucifer perked up, wanting to answer instead. “I got this, dont worry.” He assured his wife pridefully. Lilith simply rolled her eyes and chuckled, letting him do so.
“Razzle and Dazzle must eat. Uhm.. they eat… anything really! I made them to just keep her happy!” He smiled gleefully while Lilith chuckled in the background.
Lucifer seemed awfully proud of a small statement for some reason, most likely because, public-wise, Lilith takes care of everything without tiring out, the king rarely appearing from time to time.
Alastor quirked his eyebrow at the response, but his smile widened.
“Anything, you say? So I can simply feed them whatever Charlie eats? Thank you for the information, sire. I’ll be sure to keep this in mind.” He nearly snickered at the thought of feeding them the sinners he didn’t ended up finishing himself.
Alastor hummed in thought before he spoke once more, “will I be taking her today or was this a ‘getting to know everyone’ invitation?” He asked, wanting to get this over with. They’d already spent so much time just chatting about their oh so dazzling daughter.
Lilith took head of the conversation once more, standing tall in front of Lucifer. “As you may see around you, it’s quite an urgency to where we are going. We would like you to take her today, any hour. Now or later during the day, at least. We do wish to say our goodbyes before we leave her.” Lilith spoke, pulling out a list from what it seems nowhere.
“These are some of her favorite things to do and eat, she likes exploring places as well so it’s advised you take her to some places unless it’s a turf war. Leave it to Razzle and Dazzle to keep her entertained.” Lilith spoke calmly, handing the list over. “We expect you to come take her now or in a few hours to prepare.”
Lucifer look a little saddened by the fact he had to leave, gently ruffling Charlies hair as she looked curiously at her fathers solemn expression.
Alastor pondered the pros and the cons of taking her now or later before making his decision.
“I can take her after you’ve said your goodbyes, I wouldn’t want to make you guys late for your destination.” He spoke, grinning at the family as he took the list from Lilith’s hands.
To be honest, it would just be more of a hassle to leave and make his way back later when he can simply leave with Charlie and go shopping with her. Perhaps he’ll even introduce her to Rosie, if he decides to.
Lilith nodded, planting a gentle kiss to Charlies forehead. “Say bye-bye to mommy and daddy, sweetheart.” She spoke softly to the young girl.
Charlie looked up to both her mother and father, smiling as she knew nothing of what was happening. “Bye-bye!” She spoke, waving her hand as she was set down. Lilith pushed her to stand besides Alastor, waving to her.
Lucifer’s breath hitched, causing him to let out a soft sniffle as he crouched down to hug his daughter for what it seems the last time. “Don’t give up, please dont. Don’t stop dreaming about that hotel.” He pinched his daughter’s cheeks, trying his best to look happy for her.
Alastor watched them say goodbye to their child, wondering what caused them to leave in the first place. Only time would tell, he supposed!
‘The hotel’? Sigh, everyone knows a child’s dreams are nothing but fantasies, whatever this one may be. Of course he wasn’t about to say that out loud and get killed twice, of course not!
“Have a safe trip,” is what he said instead. Alastor wonders if there’s photos out there of the two of them he can show their daughter. If not, he’s sure drawings will suffice.
Charlie waved goodbye to both her parents, trying to stand tall so they both see her. “Bye bye mama!! Bye bye papa!!” She called out before looking up at Alastor.
“Hi mister!” She spoke, speaking loud as if she was calling out across a long hallway. “You’re very red!”
She clearly was a lot younger, and from guessing, not too much time around other kids her age. It could be quite dangerous for someone of her status to be out by herself, it’s a wonder why her parents were willing to let her go.
Alastor looked down at the young girl beside him and grinned. She is quite loud, though. He’ll have to fix that.
“Yes, I am, aren’t I? Just like your clothes.” He says, looking at the red dress with musical notes on it and a heart on the middle of it.
She looked down at her clothes before looking up at him once more. “Yours are more… red-red.” She said, tilting her head as if to think while he spoke.
Hmm, suppose they should get going to go shopping for her room. Alastor’s furniture won’t suffice for a toddler and her two.. pets? Whenever they are.
“My name is Alastor, dear. I’ll be caring for you for now. Would you like to go shopping for some… toys?”
She gasped, clapping her hands happily. “YES!! Mama and papa never take me to get toys! And if I do get toys, they are ducks. I want a pony toy.” She cheered happily. “They always say it’s too dangerous!” She spoke, following Alastor to the door while hauling her bag.
She reached out to hold his hand, standing on her toes to reach for his hand, trying to grasp at least one finger.
“Well, never to worry, my dear. Nothing will ever be too dangerous with me.” He says, peering down at her while she tries to catch up with his steps. “No more ducks, either. We’ll get you a variety of toys and other necessities.”
He looks at her little hand reaching for his fingers, and decides to humor her. He lets his hand fall into hers, although her small hand can only grab onto one of his fingers.
She looked up, glee written across her face. Once again, the appearance of her father lingered with her looks. She hurried along, practically skipping.
“Ok, good. As much as I like papa a lot he has way too many ducks. I don’t know why. He likes ducks a lot… I like rainbows a lot!” She says, staring up at Alastor instead of what could be in front of her. “There’s no rainbows in hell though, but papa makes rainbows like he makes ducks.”
“Yes, I noticed the abundance of ducks. Maybe there’s a toy out there with rainbows on it, you never know until you look. Unfortunately I cannot make such things happen for you.”
Now that he’s thinking about it, perhaps he shouldn’t go see Rosie with Charlie. She’ll want to question him about it, and if he doesn’t tell her every detail she’ll assume the worst. The worst being that he has his own child, of course.
“Let’s stop by my house to put up your suitcase first though. Then we’ll go out for some food, and to go shopping.” He says, making his way out the door with Charlie in toe.
They’re walking on the sideway now, the people around them cowering at the sight of the Radio Demon. Good, it’s best they don’t question the little girl next to him.
Alastor’s house is only a few streets away, thankfully, although it might be longer for a child such as Charlie.
She looked at the surroundings as if it were the first time, pointing out random things that would’ve been normal to Alastor. She was quite sheltered, did they even take the time to teach her?
She waved to the sinners, smiling with glee at the many people. “Whoa, so many people out here!” She commented, tilting her head. “They all seem scared like when mama is mad at papa.. why?” Charlie questioned, looking up at the overlord.
Alastor quirked his eyebrow at the small child speaking her head off.
“You see, my dear, I’m quite powerful around these parts. It’s better when they’re scared, if not, you have quite the big target on your back! You’ll have to learn that one way or another, princess.” He exclaims, smiling at the young miss holding his hand.
He turns his head to the people whispering, and they immediately scatter when they see his glare and grin. Ah, it’s always nice when people express their terror! It brings a genuine smile to his face. They’re nearly to his house now, the people dwindling as they make their way closer.
She was awed, staring up with more curiosity in her eyes than before. "Powerful?" She tilted her head, as if she had never met anyone like this.
She thought for a moment before answering back. "Mama and Papa said that you're very strong. Is that the same thing?" She asked curiously. "A big target? I don't see any..."
“More or less, they’re similar. Strength means power, but that’s not all it includes. You’ll learn in due time. As for the target, it’s when people don’t like you very much, and they want to get rid of you. Of course you don’t have to worry about such things with me around.” He turned the corner, his house only a few steps away. Luckily there were no people around, there never was. They know to steer clear of the Radio Demon’s hunting grounds.
“Now, my dear princess, shall we put up your things and go shopping? We’ll have to pick up things for dinner as well.” He ponders his statement as he looks over the three new residents he took in today. Normally, Alastor would simply eat flesh of any kind, but he can only assume that’s not befitting royalty.
She nodded as if she understood all of that, yet with her limited knowledge she got half of what he said.
"Okie-dokie!" She spouted cheerfully, skipping more along with Alastor's pace before she paused, thinking for a moment. "But what about Razzle and Dazzle?" She spoke, pointing to the two little red dragons following.
The two dragons both looked a little confused at the new surroundings, sniffing the air and making low chirping noises; curious about the new environment.
He looked at the two creatures ensuing behind them. On one hand, Alastor supposes it would be best if they get to know the area while they still can, should something happen and Alastor not be there. But on the other, it’s more of a risk if anyone recognises the three of them next to himself.
He hummed in thought. Alastor supposes more danger is no stranger to him, he’ll just have to be more cautious.
“They can come with us if you’d like. It would be best if they got to know our surroundings, anywho! We’re just going to drop off your suitcase and we’ll be on our merry way.” He says, opening his door and guiding the small child in.
Charlie lit up once more, hurrying herself inside. She took in the posh surroundings and- eugh what was that smell! She pinched her nose, looking for the source of the smell.
"Yuck! It smells like you!" She commented, fairly backhanded. "But.. it looks nice," She tried. "Very old looking but it's nice! I like it." She pointed out the surroundings, the fireplace, the wallpaper, the radio.
"Oh? Music player." She called it, walking closer to the radio. She peered at the dials, considering whether to touch them or not.
Alastor quirked his eyebrow at the little girl calling out her thoughts. He sniffed the air, and all he could smell was… well, flesh. Tasty rotting flesh! The best kind.
“It smells like me? I’ll take that as a compliment.” He responded, looking around his own house. “Isn’t it? It’s much better than that tacky house you used to live in, that’s for sure!”
She looked up, humming. She was a very curious person, but what less do you expect from a child who just got out of her house for the first time.
"Tacky..?" She looked confused, but chose not to question further.
He walked over to where she’d wandered off to, and put his hands in front of her to stop her from messing with anything. “Not just a music player, it’s a radio! Perhaps we can listen to some good old jazz someday.”
She listened to him, furrowing her brows in confusion. "Jazz? I dunno what that is..." She said, turning around to face him fully.
“You don’t know what jazz is, oh my! Now, I have to introduce you to the best genre of music ever created.” He snapped his fingers and suddenly the radio turned on, playing a song of Alastor’s choosing.
The night is young, the skies are clear, so if you want to go walking, dear, it’s delightful, it’s delicious, it’s de-lovely.
The song continues on with much more lyrics, Alastor resisting the urge to hum it himself.
I understand the reason why you’re sentimental, ‘cause so am I, it’s delightful, it’s delicious, it’s de-lovely.
He turns to face Charlie and see what her reaction to the song he’d turned on is, expecting nothing less but absolute joy.
Charlie gave her attention to the tune, listening to the words and melody as it played seemingly everywhere. She nodded her head, watching the radio as it played.
She was more perplexed at the radio and music, never hearing— or well, hearing the name of it before. She stayed quiet as if she might disturb the woman singing.
She nodded her head, enjoying the tune. She didn't say much, but it was clear through expression she liked it.
Alastor’s smile turned a bit more genuine at her reaction. He must admit, he does quite enjoy Eliza Fitzgerald quite a lot. This song in particular was one of his favourites.
You can tell at a glance what a swell night this is for romance, you can hear Mother Nature murmuring low. “Let yourself go!”
So, please be sweet, my chickadee, and when I kiss you, just say to me, “it’s delightful, it’s delicious, it’s delectable, it’s delirious, it’s dilemma, it’s delimit, it’s deluxe, it’s de-lovely!”
The song continuous on, leaving Charlie and Alastor to enjoy the tune coming out of the radio. It’s not often Alastor gets to listen to music uninterrupted. Sinners to eat, sinners to scare, he leads such a busy life!
“It’s De-Lovely” ends a few moments later, Alastor sighing in contentment as he smiles at his radio like he can see the woman herself.
Charlie turns to Alastor. "That's pretty music! I like it!" She exclaimed cheerfully. "I like the music a lot! My dad only ever listens to polka and my mom makes her own music!" She spoke, turning back to the radio.
“You’ve been missing out, my dear. Never fear, we’ll certainly be listening to more jazz when you’re with me.” He shut off the radio with a motion with his fingers, quickly silencing the static that had began to pour out of the device.
It could've been the first time Charlie ever listened to Jazz, making Alastor the first person to introduce her.
"Can we listen to some more or do we have to go out?" She pouted, wishing to listen to more of the melodies.
“Now, my dear, let’s be rational. If we don’t go out we won’t have anything you like to eat for dinner. Unless you want to try a special type of meat, the type you smelled when you first walked in. It’s quite delicious!” He stopped after his sentence, taking a moment to wonder. “On second thought, I doubt your parents would appreciate that. So, yes, we have to go out. We can listen to more music when we’re back home.”
She pouted slightly, but the thought of eating whatever was stinking up the place made her gag. Reluctantly, she agreed to go.
"Oh, wait, before we go!" She paused, turning around. "Where do I put my bags and should I change? Mama said people like me must dress nice when going out!" She spoke, tugging at her nightgown slightly.
The two red dragons sat beside her bag as if they were preparing to unpack for her, staring up at Alastor the same way Charlie was.
“Oh, of course. You can sit them by my bed, if you’d like. Unpack what you want and I’ll show you the way to the bathroom to get changed. I trust Razzle and Dazzle can change you if you have any problems?”
Charlie nodded, grabbing her bag from the twin dragons and running off to find his bedroom. She looked through the long halls, wondering why it appeared so small on the inside but was much larger than it was in.
Alastor trailed after the fast toddler, wondering if she’d be able to make it by herself. Sure enough, she ended up finding his bedroom and even setting her suitcase down all by herself.
As she walked down, Razzle and Dazzle followed suit, guarding her from whatever was inside. She set down the bag on his bed, tilting her head up to peer curiously at it. It was quite a grand bed with a towering canopy and- oh god it smells in here too!
She quickly walked back— away from the smell— holding a pair of nice clothes and small shoes for her size. "I have my clothes and.. yeah!"
Alastor looked down at the clothing, making sure it wasn’t too tacky, knowing how they decorated their home. He hummed, it wasn’t too bad. He couldn’t help but notice the way she recoiled near his bed, and it made him grin at the tiny thing.
“Follow me, dear. I’ll show you to the bathroom.” He says, turning around to open the door without waiting for her.
He walks down the hallway with one arm folded behind his back, taking a left and stopping at a door in front of him.
“We’re here.” He called in a sing-song voice, turning around to see if Charlie was keeping pace or if she got left behind.
Charlie smiled happily, turning back to face Alastor. "Thank you mister!" She grinned, running back to the bathroom, Razzle and Dazzle trailing behind.
She sniffed the air, it was.. cleaner than the rest of the house, but a little dusty as if the shower hadn't been in use.
She quickly changed out of her clothes with the help of Razzle and Dazzles, pining up her hair and so on. She came out looking like a proper princess, close enough to what she wore during her outings, which seemed every once a blue moon.
"Is this okay? Dazzle also helped me with my hair!"
“Yes. Very charming, princess. Are you ready to go out now?” He said, pushing himself up from the wall he was leaning on waiting for her. He expected Charlie to take much more time, but he supposes with the help of two dragons it’s no problem.
She nodded, getting her shoes on. She looked back up, reaching out her hand to hold his. She was insistent about holding his hand; she is only young, it made sense for her to beckon for his hand.
"I'm ready! Are you?" She joked, giggling.
Razzle and Dazzle switched into smaller forms, something similar to mice. They jumped up on her shoulders, hiding away from the view of sinners other than the two of them.
Alastor gave her his hand, he can only assume this is his everyday life now. An unfortunate demise, as he prefers to avoid physical touch, but he does need to keep her close to avoid danger.
“Of course.” He smiled at her, leading the group out of the house and back into the streets. In total they probably spent twenty minutes or so in Alastor’s house. Their next stop was… well, any store they came across that looked promising, he supposed.
“So, tell me, how did you enjoy your life with your mother and father? Any stories you’d like to tell?” Making small talk was not his specialty, but he supposed it was better than the endless chatter he’d be enduring about plain things you’d see everyday.
She walked alongside him, checking to see if the twin-now-not-dragons on her shoulders were alright before answering. "Mm.. It was okay. Mama and Papa.. uhh.." She took her time to think, tapping her chin in thought.
Fun stories? She didn't really have much, her mother often kept her away from her father, so that was out of the picture.
"Oh! One time papa took me to see a fun carnival! It was his own he said. Lulu world..? Yeah! That's what it's called!"
“Lulu World is quite popular among the children these days, isn’t it? I hope you had fun there.” As they turn the street, a store pops up in the corner of Alastor’s eyes with bright colours. He turns his head, peering at the store whilst tugging Charlie to a stop so she doesn’t get too far ahead, albeit she wouldn’t get far while holding his hand.
“Charlie, my dear, how about we go in there?” He says, pointing out the store with the name of Devil’s Workshop, “It seems they have some toys in there that would be sufficient for your amusement.”
She swiveled her head towards the store, gasping. She had never been to any toy stores before!
She let go of his hand, pressing her face against the display window; peering to see all the toys and gadgets. "Whoa! Do you see the lion?! It's a rainbow!" She exclaimed excitedly, practically jumping up and down.
She turned back to Alastor, grinning with glee. "I wanna go, I wanna go!"
“Yes, I see it. Don’t stray too far, you have to stay close to me. We’ll go in if you promise to behave.” He says, almost smiling… no, not fondly. He simply just smiled. There was no fondness in it.
Charlie nodded quickly, running over to Alastor and began to start tugging him by his tail-coat towards the door, pulling him inside with her.
She giggled, yanking him inside. The walls and shelves were covered in all sorts of plushies, toys, and trinkets. The shop keeper looked relatively bored for owning this colorful shop, smoking a cigarette way too close to the flammables.
It was smaller than most exaggerated toy shops, but it was pleasant.
Alastor peered around the store, surprised to see one here. Although, he supposes there’s a lot of different shops in town. He hasn’t been to many, but he’s seen them whilst walking around.
“Do you want to take a look at the aisles and see if there’s any toys you want? If not we can always go to another store,” he says, making sure Charlie is secured next to him in case of any danger. Should she be too far, he wouldn’t be able to protect her.
She pointed at the small lion plush, a yarn crafted plush with its mane in small rainbow strands. It was perfect for her to hold, perhaps carry around.
She rushed over to the plush, jumping up and down to try and grab it from the shelf.
She huffed when she couldn't snatch it off the shelf, turning back to Alastor. "Can you help me, mister..." She pleaded, staring up at him.
He huffed at the girl’s attempt to reach for the much taller stuffy, and grinned at her.
“Of course, my dear.” He says as he turned to pluck the stuffed animal off of a shelf that wasn’t even half his height, and hands it down to her. “Would you like to look at the other toys as well?”
She pondered, looking around the store to try and spot any more plushies or toys.
"How many am I allowed?" She questioned, tilting her head. She was holding that tiny lion plush like it might break if she let go.
“As any as you want. This is a trip to make you most comfortable in the new environment, dear.”
The store owner took this as an advantage to sell more.
"Well, sense you want tha newest toys, check out our NEWEST, BRIGHTEST toys ever!" He spoke, gesturing to the more expensive toys.
He rolled his eyes as the owner spoke loudly, trying to advertise the surely overpriced toys. Nevertheless, if Charlie wishes to have them, he’d get them for her.
“Do you wish to look at them, Charlie?” He turned to the young girl, looking at her take a gander around the store.
Charlie looked up, tilting her head. “Mm.. They look broken..” She commented, hugging her plushie tighter to her chest. She pet it like a small pet, making the mice dimly gleam with anger.
Alastor hums an amused sound at Charlie’s words, stopping himself from patting her on the head. It’s good she knows the worth of the toys, Alastor would prefer not to spend extra money on toys she won’t use in a week.
“EY!” The shopkeeper yells out. “Listen er’ you prick, these toys are made with blood and sweat, but especially the blood!”
Charlie flinched back slightly, sheep ears pinning back a little.
Alastor’s eyes snapped to the creature who created the boisterous noise, his horns slightly emerging. Someone yelling at the princess, in his presence? Already? They should know better than to mess with anyone in relations with the Radio Demon. Perhaps he’ll broadcast such a lowly scream, surely it would be satisfying.
His eyes turned into a clock ticking, his smile widening at the person sitting in the middle of the store who just called out to them.
“Aha… what did you just say?” His voice is laced with static as he speaks, yet his words come out loud and clear.
The shopkeeper twirled the toothpick in his mouth, not looking up quite yet. “Yah heard me, get your daughter to be more respectful to humble ownas’ like me.”
She hid behind Alastor’s leg, gripping on his tailcoat. She seemed nervous about conflict, trying to speak up. “Well sir I didn’t-“ She started before she was cut off.
“I ain’t need time for apologies now, dick.” He spoke under his breath, finally looking up at Alastor and pausing. “Oh. hah- I- mister radio demon! I didn’t expect you to come by!” He said, voice growing slowly more high pitched
“Didn’t expect me to come by? Perhaps you should look who you’re talking to before you run your little mouth.” Alastor doesn’t necessarily care for other children, but when it comes to one he’s been entrusted to take care of? Alastor supposes he can let a few feelings slide by.
Alastor turns Charlie’s head away, instead pointing her to a bin full of toys. “Charlie, my dear, would you go play over there for a moment? I have to take care of something, I’ll even put on some music for you.” He snapped his fingers, and suddenly the speakers in the store snapped onto a song that incudes the words *‘you’re never fully dressed without the smile’.* he makes sure to tune it up to the max volume without making it too loud, and blocks her view from the scene about to ensue. Alastor will make sure to not make it too messy, of course! Children are present.
His little monsters emerge, dragging the seller into the street and holding him down. Hmm, if he’s going to leave Charlie in here he’ll have to make sure no one else tries to get in. No worries, he’ll simply eat the old man. Alastor’s unsure if he’ll taste good, but, it’s the better solution to this problem. Another sign not to mess with the Radio Demon.
After the matter was dealt with accordingly and fast, Alastor made his way back inside the store, and quieted the music currently playing to show his prevents.
“Princess? Are you alright? There’s no need to worry about the crude old man anymore, he’s been dealt with. You should know that nobody gets to talk to you like that.” He questions, walking up to the spot he’d left Charlie in with his hands behind his back.
Charlies head turned towards the small toys, skipping over to play. She happily listened to the music, pretending the little toys she had were singing the song, unaware of the brutal bloodshed happening just outside of the little toys shop. She hummed along to the beat, grabbing lots of toys to play pretend.
She played with the toys, making the deer take care of the lamb, replaying today’s activities through the small figures. She made the sheep and ram walk away, staying in the castle while the deer took her out to have fun! She giggled, making little sound effects for each scene.
As soon as she heard Alastor come back, she collected the little figures she wanted and stood. “Im okay! What happened to the old man? Did he go to mean jail?” She rapid fired questions before perking up. “I got some toys! I like these ones!” She revealed the deer figure, the ram and sheep, and the smaller sheep, most likely a baby one. And her little lion!
“Yes, he’s away permanently. That’s what happens when people are rude to you. It’s none of your concern about him anymore, though. Don’t fret your pretty little head over it.” He responded coolly.
His eyebrows quirked at the deer, but who is he to tell Charlie no? “Ready to go get some dinner? Perhaps we can find some more toys and blankets along the way.”
She perked up, nodding profusely. “I wanna get dinner and blankets!! Yes, yes, yes, yes, please! I wanna get a big fluffy blanket for my bed and a million plushies!” she shouted happily, running along side Alastor.
She paused her talking for a moment to ponder, looking up at Alastor. “Uh.. do we have to pay or did the man let you have the stuff for free?” She tilted her head, scratching her nose slightly. “Because if we do I have a little purse we can get back at home!”
“We don’t have to pay. He was… kind enough to let us have them for free. Let’s make our way to eat first, and then we can go get things for your bed.”
Alastor takes Charlie’s hand in his, leading the way with the small girl shortly in tow.
Although, they didn’t make it far until a familiar voice called out to them.
“Alastor, oh my, is that you?”
Rosie makes her way up to the unmistakable deer, opening her arms in an invitation of a greeting.
“It’s been so long, my dear!” She exclaims as they embrace each other.
“It has been quite the moment, hasn’t it?” Alastor says back, his usual smile settling on his face.
It’s only then that Rosie notices the blonde hair peeking out from Alastor’s legs, and she peers down at the little thing latched onto him. She blinks, looking back at Alastor, and then to the little girl once more.
“Uh— right. This is… new, to say the very least!” She says as she flashes the little girl her sharpest smile.
“Who may this be, dear?” Rosie questions, looking back up at the red deer in front of her.
“Now, now, Rosie. Introductions are in due time. We were just on our way to get food, when you boldly halted our stroll there.”
“Oh, it’s no worries! I can simply join you! Who better than I could know the best restaurants in town? I practically run the whole thing, after all!” She coos at him. Glancing down at the little girl still clinging to Alastor’s legs. She was quite adorable!
“I trust we’ll get along well, when we do get introduced to each other.” She waves at the little thing.
“Now, come along Alastor dear. With your guest, too. I have just the spot for us to have a private conversation.” She says, beckoning them to follow with her hand.
Alastor sighs, yet decides to grab Charlie’s hand and follow the cannibal. Rosie truly does know the best spots to eat, hopefully the restaurant she chooses will have ‘normal’ food options for the princess and her two friends as well.
Charlie quickly follows in suit, gasping in awe at the surroundings. She pointed them out to Alastor as if he hadn’t seen everything in the cannibal town millions of times. She giggled, waving at the other younger cannibals in hopes of making friends.
She looked up at the taller woman, tilting her head. “You smell nice miss! Like flowers!” She spouted happily, waving. “Is this your friend, mister radio man?” She asked, tugging on Alastor’s sleeve.
Rosie glanced down at the sweet girl who was currently looking around the town as if she was shown the stars.
“I do? Thank you, my dearest! I try my hardest not to smell too bad.” She says, pointing to Alastor as she does. The said person glared at her from the corner of his eye.
“I do not stink. I smell tasty.”
“Uh huh… I’m sure,” smiling fondly as she spoke, “anyways, the restaurants just right here! It has just the best meals. Do you like waffles?” She questions, looking down at the blonde child once again as they reach the enternece of the restaurant.
She giggled, covering her mouth to stifle her laughs. “You kinda smell stinky mister radio man!” Charlie spoke, grinning like a joke.
She listened to Rosie, turning her head. She immediately perked up at waffles, jumping up and down. “Yes, yes, yes! I love waffles!” She exclaimed, tugging at Alastor’s sleeve once more. “Please, mister, can we get waffles?” She pouted, letting her lower lip stick out to seem more sorrowful.
“Of course we can get waffles. Would your little friends like a few waffles as well? We can order all you want to eat when we’re inside.”
The three of them entered the restaurant, it was a nice one. It had instrumental music on in the background, and there weren’t too many people crowding it. And, most importantly, the decorations weren’t tacky! A very rare find.
Rosie took up getting their table and seating them, apparently coming here often, and sooner than later they were sat at a table with menus in front of them. Charlie was in a booster seat beside Alastor and her dragons near her as well.
“So, Alastor, I do believe you have some explaining to do. Who is this little friend of yours? How did you… acquire her?” Rosie questioned, leaning on one of her arms and blinking at the man sitting across of her.
“Surely you didn’t… I know you would never do anything of that sort, you ace in the hole, so did you kidnap her?”
“A what now? No, I did not *kidnap* a toddler. This is Charlie, I’m being entrusted to take care of her while her family is gone.”
“Taking care of her? This isn’t like you, tell me the full story. I already ordered our drinks.”
“Well,” he murmured, “The Morningstars are leaving for an unknown destination for an indefinite amount of time. Therefore they decided leaving their daughter with the most powerful overload to protect her. Thats it.”
“Oh, how cute! I’d never thought I’d see the time of day where I’d see the Radio Demon taking care of a toddler!”
“Hello Charlie, I’m Rosie. I’m a friend of Alastors, the red fella over there.” She pointed at him. “Are you excited to spend your time with him?”
“Hi Rosie! I’m very excited to play with Alastor! Mama and Papa said he was going to babysit me for a while!” She spoke, setting Razzle and Dazzle down on the table to eat at some bread.
“He bought me toys and ‘took care’ of an old guy when he was mean to me, I dunno what ‘took care’ means but I think it means mean people jail!” She commented, talking as she brushed away the lions mane from its face as if it was sentient.
“I can’t wait for mama and papa to get back so I can tell them stories about this!” She said happily.
“Yeah? Babysitting? That must be fun.” She glances to Alastor as she responds, “took care, you say? He must’ve been *really* mean then. He definitely won’t be making any more rude comments to you anymore, or to anyone, for that matter!” She chuckles to herself.
Rosie blinks at Charlie’s last sentence. She can’t help but thinking the royalty wouldn’t return, seeing as they left their prized daughter in the hands of a stranger. Perhaps she’s too pessimistic, and she’s not saying that to a, what, five year old?
“Yes, I’m sure they’d love to hear the stories about what you and Alastor get up to in the days he’s takin’ care of you!” She responds instead, booping Charlie’s nose before turning to Alastor.
“Alastor, I didn’t know you already had a meal before coming here!”
“Yes, well, it wasn’t anything good. Or tasty, for that matter.” He grins back, obviously keeping it vague for the child next to them.
Charlie dug in her dress pocket, digging out a small deer toy that she got from the shop. It was a fawn, small and gentle. She placed it on the table next to her plate. She talked to herself; or rather, she talked for the fawn.
She made the lion and the fawn talk to each other, having a full blown conversation about whatever her six year old brain could think of.
Razzle and Dazzle watched, wanting to play along but waiting for command by Charlie.
The waitress came then, as Rosie and Alastor were chatting and Charlie was playing. Rosie stopped talking to look up at her, and ordered for herself.
“What would you like, dear? Just some waffles and a drink?” Alastor asked, looking at Charlie. “If you want to think about it for a moment, I can order first.”
"Waffles and orange juice!" She announced, looking up happily. She planted her hands on the table, accidentally knocking her figures out of balance.
"Oh! Please may I have waffles and orange juice?" She corrected herself
She noticed immediately, picking them back up and setting them upright.
“Awh, aren’t you the sweetest, darling?” Rosie cooed at the little girl, shaking her head.
“Of course you can have some! Your manners are quite well for a little thing like you!” She pokes Charlie’s cheek.
Rosie turned toward the waitress, the woman’s fish ears poking out of her short, brown and blonde hair. Her bangs were swept to the side, and she looked like she had been on break before this.
“May me and the red fella across from me get venison and a cup of tea, for me, to go along with it? He’ll want a blood goblet. The little one here, as I’m sure you heard, wants two plates of waffles and orange juice.”
The sinner, who looked to be a fish, nodded her head as she wrote down what Rosie asked for. Alastors ears flipped at his dear… *friend* ordering for him, and he felt his smile strain when she ordered just what he would have for himself.
“It’ll be right out, thank you for eating at the Chalice Restaurant!” The small waitress cheered, clearly fake smiling at the group.
Charlie giggled, tugging on Alastor’s coat sleeve. She stared up with a certain joy that can only be found in a child’s eyes, wonder.
She grinned happily. “What’s Venison?” She asked innocently, eyes twinkling with curiosity
“Venison, darling, is the best thing you’ll ever taste in your life! Its big grumpy Alastor over there’s favorite as well. Can you believe? I’m not too sure you’ll like it, though, so let’s hold back on that until another day.” Rosie replied happily, pointing at Alastor when addressing him.
“Now, now, Rosie. Are you going to hide what venison is made of to the poor girl?”
“It’s hardly hiding anything! Don’t be so crude. Charlie, do you want to taste a deer?”
“Uhh… no? That’s mean for the poor little deers! That’s like eating mister red man!” She pouted, pulling her deer toy closer to her.
“See, Rosie? What ever will I do if I get eaten? Imagine the horrors.”
“Oh, stop it. Don’t tease the poor girl. I bet you were just the same to your mama when you were a wee boy!”
Alastor didn’t get the chance to respond before the waitress came back, balancing all three of their meals and another tables foods at the same time.
“Order up!” She said before sitting everything down in record time, quickly making her way to the table near where they were sat.
“Oh, tasty! Are you excited for your meal, Charlie?” Rosie asked as she smiled at her meal, taking a fork and cutting the meat.
“Yes, yes! I love waffles! And orange juice is really good too!” She said, taking a fork just like Rosie, but stabbing the waffles instead of being precise with it like the other woman.
“I bet it is. Is it your favorite meal?”
“Uhh, yeah! Papa always used to make it for me, so it’s gotta be my favorite! I like it. Almost as much as ice cream!”
“What type of ice cream? Maybe we can get you some for dessert if you’re still hungry. My treat!”
“Oh! Yes! Yes! I like… uh… all of them! I guess I kind of like vanilla the most, though… or chocolate… or strawberry… or, uhm… I don’t know. I can’t choose.” The girl rambled on, taking her fingers and counting what flavors she liked with them.
As it turned out, Rosie was much better versed at conversations with children than Alastor was. She carried the conversation as they all ate, Alastor pitching it whenever he saw fit. When they finished eating, Rosie ended up ordering a small cup of vanilla ice cream for the little girl to eat for dessert, taking it with her alongside some food for her companions she took with her.
“Bye-bye, miss! You were really cool!” She waved obnoxiously to the woman as they exited the restaurant, the door chiming as they did so.
“Goodbye, princess! Have fun with Alastor, alright? Get comfortable over there at his place, I’m sure we’ll see each other again very soon. I had fun talkin’ to you two!” She waved back, looking up at the man she mentioned as she neared the end of her sentence.
The small girl gasped, tugging on Alastor’s coat. “Mister! Will we see her again? Oh, please, please!” She begged, looking up at him with her giant eyes.
“I’m sure we will. You were quite charming today, I bet we’ll see each other in passing, at the very least.” He said back, patting her on the head three times before pulling his hand back and dropping it so the girl could grab onto it.
“Goodbye, Rosie. We must be going now, a busy future is ahead of us! I’m sure we’ll cross paths again soon, yes? I hope our discussion today was enough to keep you satisfied in the time being.”
“Oh, of course! Have fun with ya new daughter, darling! Contact me soon, or else I’ll just have to go out and find you myself!” She said back, already walking away to her residence.
He merely sighed, nodded his head, and turned his back to make his way back to his home with the girl he was babysitting. She was nothing more than a power grab, he told himself.
They walked alongside each other, her two companions hiding somewhere on the girl, obviously close by. Charlie was less talkative about her surroundings on the way back, but still talkative nonetheless. She was simply ranting about all the fun she had today instead.
They only had to stop to buy some blankets, the seller cowering in fear when they saw who had entered their shop. He smiled with all his teeth on show, and bought the biggest blanket of Charlie’s interest for only a nickel. The perks of being feared, he supposed.
Soon, they were back at his home. He showed Charlie to her room, the girl rubbing her eyes and putting the food out for her pets as she climbed in the bed. He put the blanket over her and turned off the light, leaving the room soon after. No use in staying, he knows nobody has enough idiocy to break into his house— and even if they did, they’d be dealt with as soon as they got close to his building.
Tomorrow would surely be more interesting than today, he hoped. Oh well, only time would tell. Sleep was calling for him, and he collapsed on the bed as soon as he saw it.