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[sapphireravensworld]

The cutest big boss of hell himself 🥰️

[sapphireravensworld]

I see where you’re coming from on that. When I look at this specific design, I can’t help but think of Truth from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Since it they describe themselves as all and one, including yourself and also shifts forms depending on the person, it makes sense that there isn’t a set form.

I like to think that it’s sort of like a blank slate that can be made into anything. I would like to also think that would explain the large amount of diversity in humanity. Of course, these are just my thoughts I think I said more than was necessary 😅.

you know what I don’t get? Why people seem to think this…

Is god?

(not my photo by the way.)

Like sure it’s a cool design and all but it’s not… very human like.

Like for an Angel I could see, but humans were said to be made in God’s image.

I don’t know. It doesn’t seem human to me.

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1. That would definitely make him more intimidating and makes me want his full demon form to have shark attributes. I know they don’t have to all be based off of animals but I still think it would be cool.

2. First, I f*cking hate that! Kill it with f*cking fire! And second, when initially thought of that, I just thought of his true form being a form of energy with his current body being his preferred vessel.

3. I guess he can already teleport without his cameras as long as it’s in the same room. Now it just makes me wonder if he can teleport anywhere through the cameras in his drones.

4. I mean he does have some control from what we’ve already seen. We’ll probably see more of it later on and how much control he actually has. Now how much electricity can his body handle? That’s what I want to know. Does his body have an infinite threshold and can absorb it to make him more powerful? Or does his body have a limit of how much it can take?

I would also like to add something that at least would make him more of a threat: we’ve seen that Vox unintentionally caused a blackout from his emotional episode, but it makes me wonder if he can do it intentionally and even co tell what areas get power and which don’t.

[sapphireravensworld]

Reblogging because even though I'm an adult and have been for some time, I still have no idea WTF I'm doing half of the time and it's always nice to have something to refer to.

how to grow the fuck up

[sapphireravensworld]

HH Character Bio: Sibelle

Name: Sibelle

Born in : 1600’s

Died in : 1600’s (age 19)

Height : 5’7 (alive) 5’11 (now)

Species : Sinner

Nickname/s: Belle (only allows Jean to call her that)

Likes : Jean, Charlie, nature (plants in particular), reading, dancing, gardening, sewing, campfires, hot baths, any food with blueberries, foggy mornings, thunderstorms, making flower crowns

Dislikes : Alastor, change, being alone, alcohol, majority of the industries in Hell, excessive debauchery, causing pain, having too much time on her hands, the Vees (Vox in particular)

Sexuality : Bisexual

Sins : Manslaughter, Witchcraft

Job : N/A

Background: Sibelle was born into a cult to the High Priestess. From a young age, she was groomed to take her mother’s place. She studied a great deal of services such as paganism and rituals. One ritual in particular was one she spent years preparing for (or moreso, she was being prepared for). At the age of 18, this ritual was performed under the assumption that Sibelle was inheriting the power of her mother as she had inherited from the earth. Instead, the ritual-gone-wrong ended up absorbing the souls of everyone in the coven, bounding them to Sibelle. Mortified, Sibelle fled and wandered, not knowing what to do after the massacre. Hard as she tried, she couldn’t hold back the overwhelming power dwelling within her. Eventually, she was discovered, captured, and burned at the stake. 

It had been no surprise to Sibelle that she had entered Hell after the lives she had taken. Even so, she found a desolate area in Pentagram City and made it her territory. All she had wanted was to be alone, utilizing all of her skills and even developing new ones to keep it that way. One of her most effective powers includes creating illusions which she used to scare away anyone who happened to stray into her dominion. As a result, very few sinners knew of her existence and even fewer interacted with her. The only indication they ever witnessed of her was shockwaves of magical power that would expel from her body on her rampages due to lack of control over it. 

And so, after centuries of successfully repelling any trespassers and keeping to herself, one finally managed to slip through and convince her to stay. On an Extermination Day, Jean had stumbled upon her territory and took shelter in order to ride it out. Despite the illusions she displayed, any spells she casted, Sibelle was unable to drive her away. Driven by curiosity and loneliness, the young witch revealed herself and allowed Jean to stay. Throughout that time, the two grew extremely close, sharing stories and enjoying each other’s company. So close, in fact, that Sibelle was convinced that Jean was the perfect candidate to make a soul contract. She had learned that should anyone own another’s soul, they can control them. By that logic, she believed that said owner would be able to curb her meltdowns. It was difficult, however, to find a candidate that she felt she could trust. Eventually, after explaining her reasoning, Sibelle managed to win Jean over and form the deal. 

After a few years together, Jean came to her to inform her that she would be leaving for a while. Frightened for her wellbeing and not wanting to be alone again, Sibelle went all out to convince her to stay within the safety of her domain. However, Jean was set in her decision, insisting that she wasn’t leaving forever and that she was determined to free her mother from the Overlord named Vox. Although sad, Sibelle came to accept her decision on the condition that Jean would visit and call on her should she need her. The first few days without her were the most difficult as her illusions that once brought her comfort were no longer enough. This only made her more excited for the times that Jean did visit.

Appearance: Mostly clad in violet, gold, and black. Pastel purple skin. Triangle body shape. Round eyes with black sclera and lilac irises. Wears gowns a majority of the time along with corsets. Her favorite was something Jean had gifted to her:  a cold shoulder velvet dress, deep violet and black with gold accents. Straight, waist-length black hair. Sibelle has five wisps that never stray too far from her.

Personality: From the beginning, Sibelle was dutiful towards her studies to one day take over her coven as the High Priestess. As such, she didn’t socialize very much aside from performing her duties. She held nature in the highest regard and always attempted to find the beauty in all of it. In her little spare time, she had been brainstorming ways to improve the customs of her coven, to make things better and happier once she took over. All of it was for nothing as the ritual went wrong. Knowing of the power she now held and disliking the idea of causing pain to others, she attempted to hide herself from the world, both on Earth and in Hell.

It was rather difficult having to deal with loneliness in the position she was in, so she created illusions nearly constantly. To keep her mind occupied from what lay beyond her domain and how dangerous she viewed herself to be. And then Jean entered her territory and her life. She was wary as even though Jean looked harmless, she was still a sinner. Sibelle wouldn’t allow her to get close, not even letting her see her, though she let Jean know she was there in her own subtle little ways.

As she begins to reveal more of herself, there are changes in the area surrounding her. It becomes more warm and inviting and the wisps that followed her would become excitable. Even if she didn’t show it, she was happy to have some proper company. Soon enough, the illusions she created for herself were no longer enough for her. A single hug from Jean gave her more joy than any memory of hers from when she was alive. As adverse to change as she is, she does yearn to be where Jean is and live rather than just survive.

Abilities & Skills:

Immortality: like all sinners, Sibelle cannot die by any other means but by angelic weapons. 

Spellcasting: knowledgeable in basic magic, especially since the hellish energy has increased her power. Pyromancy and nature magic are her favorite. Though the spells are basic, her overall power makes them quite effective, especially in battle.

Teleportation

Illusion Magic: can create and control illusions. It’s powerful enough that it can affect the senses of those within it with touch being the exception.

Telekinesis

Smoke Mimicry: Can turn her body entirely into smoke. Her body can also break apart and merge back together.

Habits & Quirks:

She finds that if her mind wanders into daydreaming, they would come to life via her illusions. She found this out after creating one of Jean…only for the real Jean to walk in the room in the middle of it. 

Sibelle, not interacting with others for so long, still speaks and acts the same as she did in her time alive. After finally interacting with people, she finds herself very insecure about her mannerisms which are quickly extinguished when Jean expresses that she finds it “cute” *blush* 

As hard as she tries to understand, the culture shock can overwhelm her and often relies on Jean to help her through the workings of Hell due to her isolation. She is quite adverse to change.

She has a green thumb. As an admirer of nature and its creations, she is particularly fond of the plants and loves using her magic to bring some beauty into the hellscape.

Trivia: 

The terms of the deal between Sibelle and Jean were simple:

Sibelle offered her soul, keeping her power to use as she sees fit as long as it doesn’t endanger Jean. She would also be at the call for anything Jean might need as long as Jean doesn’t try to force her to do things against her will.

In exchange, Jean would agree to keep Sibelle company and cannot be away from too very long. She’s also responsible for monitoring Sibelle’s behavior to track how far off she is from going on a rampage, which she will also be responsible for stopping using the power of the owner of her soul. 

Sibelle is bicurious, not really giving much thought to romance until spending time with Jean. She often daydreams about things based on what Jean described when coming to terms with her own sexuality.

Sibelle creates illusions of her past as a form of comfort, though she ends up spending unhealthy amounts of time interacting with an environment and people that are not there.

At one time, Alastor “offered” to own her soul under her terms and she outright refused. She refers to him as “The Malevolent One” as she sensed nothing but ill intent coming from him. She will absolutely attack on sight should he place so much as a toe into her domain.

Sibelle has five fiery wisps that surround her all the times. Even she isn’t totally sure what exactly they are aside from the only company she had since arriving in Hell. 

The wisps appear to be an extension of Sibelle, having what look vaguely like faces are very expressive (think of the faces in Asmodeus’ mane). If anyone wants to know how Sibelle really feels, all they need to do is look at the wisps. 

Despite being in Hell, Sibelle finds herself being summoned to Earth by cultists that discover the ways of her former coven and wish for power, only for the ritual-gone-wrong to absorb those souls as well. Jean finds herself cursed and trapped as a result as she has no choice in the matter. This occurs every decade or so.

With these rituals making her stronger, Sibelle did in fact have the potential to become an Overlord, though she never had a desire to do so. 

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HH OC Bio: Sawyer

Name: Nadine Sawyer

Gender : Female Born in: 1931

Died in: 1971 (age 40)

Cause of Death : Electrocution Height: 5’5 (human), 6’4 (demon)

Appearance : Hourglass figure with light bluish-gray skin. Eyes are black sclera with cyan pupils with a cyan outline around her right eye (obtained after signing the soul contract with Vox; pupils were originally yellow). Long, wavy electric blue hair that she often keeps up. Mostly dressed in work attire with a blouse and pencil skirt matching the rest of the employees’ (which is essentially in Vox’s colors). Species : Sinner Nickname/s : Sawyer (name she goes by in Hell), Evelyn Ward (birth/maiden name; name changed after going into hiding), Naddie, Evie (Madison’s nicknames) Likes : theater, the arts, ballet, carnivals, picnics, beaches, shopping, movies, reading, baking, origami, scrapbooks, hands-on work, seafood, Madison Dislikes : the Vees (Vox and Valentino in particular), most of her coworkers, alcohol, thunderstorms, isolation, shallowness Sexuality : Bisexual Sins : Murder Job : VoxTek IT Technician Background:  Evelyn Ward was a big name in the Golden Age of Hollywood as an actress and singer. It started when she was young, participating in any theatrical production she could find whether it be school plays or anything in the local theater. Acting, stage crew, selling tickets; it didn’t matter. She was simply content with just basking in the world of performing arts. Upon appearing in more acting roles, she eventually went professional leading to performing on grander stages and even television commercials. Even after achieving all that she had, Nadine began to notice that since she ceased all work “behind the scenes,” all praise for her went towards her beauty and nothing else. Although she was proud of it, Evelyn found herself questioning her talent and intelligence which were also things she once never doubted. Life as a celebrity became more of a chore than anything else. At least until she met him.

Meeting through the same industry, the man in question was kind and charming, quickly winning her over throughout their encounters. Eventually they were married and were quite happy…at least until his untimely death. At that time, it destroyed Evelyn losing a husband, but not before finding out she was with child. The guilt of not telling her husband of their future child ate away at her, though she initially kept quiet considering he had not wanted children. Not long after his death, Evelyn was attacked by men who claimed to know her husband. Apparently he had dealt in some shady business and apparently her husband had some unresolved issues. In short, something went wrong and now his family had to pay the price. When one of the men went after her newborn daughter, Jeanette, all Evelyn could see was red. Once the haze dissipated, her baby was wailing and the blood of three men was splattered all over the floor and wall.

Evelyn Ward, now going by Nadine Sawyer, took her child and essentially disappeared, changing her entire identity and devoting herself to raising her daughter on her own. It was difficult and often she felt hopeless and overwhelmed, but to have her child with her made it all worth it in the end. However, tragedy struck when she was caught in an accident involving a crashing car into a fire hydrant and wires from a telephone pole to snap and electrocute her to death, sending her straight to hell. As a sinner, Nadine did just about as well as anyone else, if not a little better. Life in hell was never that easy, but having electrical powers certainly gave her an edge. Things were going smoothly…but then she found Jean during an Extermination of all times. Both made it through and stuck close together, essentially returning to how things were before…only now in hell. 

As an occupation, Sawyer decided to stray from the performing arts and decided to try her hand at one of her other talents:  tinkering. She worked with anything she had, mainly scraps she could find abandoned on the streets or in the garbage. Adapting to the developing technology over the years, Sawyer was able to earn more and more customers and money fixing electronics. That, unfortunately, caught the attention of Vox, who had learned of a ‘third-party tech’ stealing business away from him. She was abducted from her workshop and brought to him where she underwent intense interrogation, though she refused to submit to his will. During that time, Vox discovered Jean’s existence and, with obvious malicious intent, offered her an ultimatum:  he was going to get a deal out of this situation whether it was from her or her daughter. Experiencing his capabilities firsthand, Sawyer knew he could and would follow through on his threat. With a heavy heart, she accepted and made a deal:  in exchange for her soul and employment, Vox and any of his associates were forbidden from harming Jean. Other specifics were included, one of which being a confidentiality agreement that she could not disclose any information regarding their deal to anyone else. 

Life as an employee at VoxTek was not entirely unbearable in the beginning. Of course, there were the obvious issues:  outlandish demands from her new boss (master), hazing from the more bitter and bloodthirsty coworkers, and the lack of privacy of any kind. Few as there were, she couldn’t deny there were benefits such as the pay, the few coworkers whose company she enjoyed, and the consistency of her schedule. Her most trusted colleague, Madison from the  VoxTek marketing department, was especially a big help in coping with the stress of  her situation. Overall, she was able to return home and be greeted by her sweet daughter and that’s what made it all worthwhile; however, she knew that came with risks. Sawyer couldn’t allow Jean out of her sight whenever possible, certain that Vox would find a way around the contract to harm both of them. It had pained her to keep her daughter hidden and trapped at home, but she felt like it was the only way to protect her. She could not have anticipated Vox catching on to this and initiated a plan to draw Jean out into the open. 

More work was placed on her plate which kept her prisoner at work. Quite literally, as one condition of the contract was she was forbidden from leaving the premises until all work assigned was completed. She would spend days or even weeks away from home and couldn’t even make personal calls, not able to inform her daughter of her condition. It was one day she was working on a group project when one of her coworkers commented on having a ‘cute kid’ and remarked how nice it was of the boss to give her a tour of the place. Quickly assessing the situation, it was all too clear what was about to happen and Sawyer jumped to action and intervened before a deal could be made. When Valentino stepped onto the scene and put hands on Jean, Sawyer was able to retaliate and incapacitate both overlords and the entire surveillance system. This allowed her to aid Jean in escaping the building and get to their secure safehouse without Vox being able to track her.

From then on, if work was hell before, it was made even worse than ever. So much work was put on Sawyer that she was essentially kept prisoner at the Vee Tower. Since so few people were aware of what happened that day, many of her coworkers considered her to be Vox’s ‘favorite’ seeing as he would always be watching her and interacting with her. He could have been waiting for Jean to return so he could attempt to make a deal or it could just be her punishment for insubordination. It could have been both, but it was hard to say for certain. On top of work, she would use her abilities to survey the areas and keep an eye out for Jean through the cameras. She was unable to find a trace of Jean since she escaped which provided relief and also intense dread. As long as her child was safe, Sawyer would endure any hell thrown her way.

Personality: Sawyer is a no-nonsense kind of person, always giving her all into anything she does. She’s a passionate and dedicated individual that doesn’t really know how to do any less. It can often intimidate those around her and is considered to come off as intense. She can also come off as stubborn, rebellious, and even unapproachable at times. 

Of course, these are traits that can’t help but come out even when she’s putting on a front. Sawyer is well aware that in a place like Hell, she needed to show no weakness of any kind. She utilized her acting skills to put on various personas for any situation in order to have it end in her favor. Most of the time, Sawyer prefers not to escalate confrontations and tries to diffuse them as quickly as possible. 

Sawyer is also a conscientious and careful kind of person. She’s always thinking many steps ahead in the situations she believes matters the most. Fully aware that not everything can go her way, she prioritizes her safety and that of her daughter’s. Though she tries to avoid the very situation, a time or two has come when she would do so even at the expense of others. Guilt did eat at her when innocents were caught in the crossfire, but would otherwise not care very much when people who were openly harmful to others were collateral damage.

As if it weren’t obvious enough, Jean is Sawyer’s entire world and her greatest weakness. After losing everything when she was alive, her child was all she had left. Although she managed to build another life afterwards, that mindset never changed. Many had described her as being a very doting and devoted mother every step of the way, even to the very end of her human life.

Abilities & Skills

Immortality: like all sinners, aside from death by an angelic weapon, Sawyer cannot permanently die.

Handywoman: developed when she was alive, able to restore, repurpose, and repair many things. 

IT Technician: As technology was becoming more advanced, Sawyer made the decision to expand her business to computers and the like. She researched information systems and became familiar with the inner workings of the computers and hell phones that were being produced. 

Acting: as a former actress, Sawyer is able to control her emotions based on her situation.

Business Savvy: Sawyer has started and/or run quite a few businesses, even as her time as an actress. In that time, she learned many methods (honest or otherwise), which was why they were able to remain successful for so long even as small as they remained.

Electrical Manipulation: Sawyer has the ability to generate and manipulate electricity from her body or from an outside source. It can come out as small as sparks to larger scale surges. She can also turn her body into pure electricity, increasing her speed and allowing her to travel through electronics.

Camera Scrying:  this was an ability she picked up as she worked for Vox. She can observe the outside world through the cameras set up, though unfortunately she can only view through VoxTek cameras. 

Habits & Quirks: 

A very private person and, as a former actress, very good at putting on a front to conceal it. Very few people know anything about her, even Jean knowing so little. 

Sawyer has a resting bitch face. The most obvious way she expresses emotion is her eyes and the way electricity that flies off of her body. 

She often lies down when she’s thinking. In any room she uses, she has a couch placed just for that purpose.

Sawyer is quite intuitive and also has a strong maternal instinct. One of the greatest examples is the time of her death in which she could sense the danger coming and managed to push Jean away in order to escape that same fate. 

She WILL think lower of you if you throw out user manuals. She thinks of it as one of the most important tools in maintaining your possessions. Throwing it away just makes her believe you don’t value either of them as much as you should.

Trivia: 

Sawyer has abilities very similar to Vox’s which is part of the reason she believes he wanted her soul. She can travel via electricity and watch through the cameras and screens. Much of this power, however, had been limited due to the terms of her deal with Vox.

In the beginning, Sawyer made it her mission to make Vox regret ever forcing her into a deal by being an absolute menace at the workplace. She would work too slow, sabotage any developing projects, etc.

The deal between Sawyer and Vox was given many conditions between the two:

Sawyer’s powers are extremely limited as a way for Vox to keep her under control. It also minimizes any damage done should she choose to retaliate due to her rebellious nature.

Sawyer was sure to implement specific conditions that would further protect Jean from the Vees. One of them being they could not coerce her into a deal (ex: Vox cannot use his hypnotic powers nor the Love Potion to force her into a deal lest that deal become invalid; both hers and Jean’s). 

Knowing Valentino’s violent temper, Vox was sure it would only be a matter of time before Jean was caught in the crossfire and the soul contract would become invalid. However, since that was Sawyer’s main condition, he got creative with it. He offered the condition that he and his associates couldn’t harm her (that wouldn’t include subordinates) and should they do so, the restraints on her power can be released and free for her to use until the threat is subdued. In this way, even if Jean were to get hurt by their hands, Vox can still keep Sawyer’s soul so long as he allows her to eliminate the threat to her child.

There are times that Vox will have Sawyer accompany him to work events as arm candy when Valentino isn’t available or their situationship is on the rocks. These are one of the times Sawyer loathes the most as Valentino got jealous very easily and often takes pleasure in showing her personally. 

Though she did manage to incapacitate Valentino and Vox at the same time, even Sawyer admits it had nothing to do with being stronger and all to do with the element of surprise along with it being a terrible matchup. It makes sense as Jean described the encounter as Sawyer becoming a sentient bug zapper for Valentino and catching Vox off guard long enough to fry his circuits. 

[sapphireravensworld]

HH Character Bio: Jean

TW: This character's backstory does involve self-harm and suicide.

Name: Jeanette “Jean” Sawyer

Gender: Female

Born in: 1956

Died in: 1974 (age 18)

Cause of Death: Suicide/Hypothermia

Height: 5’2 (alive), 5’10 (current)

Appearance: pale blue skin; navy blue hair with white frosted tips on the end; eyes with icy blue sclera and a white iris; body type on the slender side, inverted triangle body type; forearms are larger than normal with white scars going down the length; often seen wearing warm clothes and arm warmers

Species: Sinner

Nickname/s: Jean, Jeannie, Shrimp, Kid, Kiddo, Shortstack, Toots

Likes: cooking, baking, skating, milkshakes with french fries, mini golf, listening to music, watching movies, singing, dancing, trying new things, board games, cats, people watching, anything soft and warm, stargazing, camping

Dislikes: the Vees (Vox and Valentino in particular), the cold, the dark, her arms, pineapples, most electronics, being the center of attention

Sexuality: Lesbian

Sins: Suicide

Job: Hazbin Hotel Patron

Background: It is difficult to get a grasp on what kind of person Jean is at first glance considering how much distance she puts between herself and others. In life and in death, stability was a luxury that Jean never truly had, making it difficult to open up to others, let alone fully trust another person. The only trustworthy constant in her life was her hardworking mother, whom she always looked to as a role model, confidant, and caretaker. Life was rather difficult, but both felt that having each other was all they needed. One day, Jean’s mother died, leaving her with nobody to care for her. It wasn't too long after that, that she fell into a pattern of self-harm. For three years after, Jean was passed around in foster homes where she was beaten, scolded, and (the final nail in the coffin) had a foster parent attempt to sexually assault her. In a flash of panic, she injured her would-be rapist and she couldn’t help but fall into despair, deciding to take her own life after fleeing the current foster home in the middle of a blizzard.

Upon entering hell, Jean was more confused and helpless than ever. Once her first extermination came around, her mother found her and brought her to safety where they would essentially live life from where they left off. Jean rarely went out on her own with the fear of the sinners often leaving her frightened for herself and her mother who often left to provide for them both. At a sudden point, her mother seemed to vanish for a few days before returning to her. Things seemed to change after that. It seemed her mother was bringing in more money than ever before, leaving them much better off; however, many things felt off as well. For one thing, her mother seemed to be more on edge. She also wouldn’t allow any electronics other than what she tinkered with and any time Jean ever went out, she never went alone. Then one day, her mother never came home and couldn’t be contacted. Concerned for her mother’s wellbeing, she searched for any leads and she found one in her work-related files: a business card belonging to VoxTek.

Upon entering Vee Tower to inquire about her mother’s whereabouts, she was swiftly intercepted by Vox himself. He told her she was indeed in the building devoting herself to a new project he put her on and offered her a tour as the daughter of one of his ‘top employees.’ She hesitantly accepted, wanting to heed the warning her mother gave of interacting with strangers yet drawn into the shiny new world she had just entered. Jean had never seen technology so advanced before and began to wonder why her mother never showed any of it if she indeed worked there. The answer became all too clear once two people inserted themselves into the situation: her mother, who found out she was there and rushed to protect her, and Valentino, who spotted the young sinner with no master and was drawn in immediately. One thing led to another and, upon Valentino harming Jean, her mother incapacitated both of the overlords in order for Jean to escape. Unfortunately, her mother was not so lucky.

For ten years going forward, Jean lived in hiding and fought to survive on the meager resources her mother stashed away and what little she could receive from her via care packages. Jean often read the hand-written notes her mother included with them in order to feel close considering the danger of meeting with each other in person. Even from a distance, her mother always relayed the same message, which was also the last words she ever heard from her mother: ‘Keep your soul. Don’t trust these dealmakers.’ After some time, Jean accidentally trespassed onto the turf of a mysterious entity (at least as far as the other residents of Hell save for a few were concerned). She was quick to find out the entity’s true identity: a powerful sinner named Sibelle, a girl around her age that perished centuries ago for witchcraft. She allowed Jean to stay in her territory and over time, the two grew extremely close even to the point of Sibelle wanting to make a deal. Jean was quick to try and decline until she heard the terms of the deal: Sibelle was offering her soul and in exchange, Jean was free to summon her and use her power so long as it wasn’t for selfish reasons. In the former’s eyes, the latter would be able to call on her should she need help while she was outside the territory. As Sibelle would explain, her power is prone to force her into violent rampages and she had been in search of someone she had full trust in to form a soul contract with in order to keep her in control. After a while of asking, Jean had been worn down and accepted the deal. Not long after, Jean had decided to move on despite Sibelle’s protests and pleads to stay for her safety. However, she was sure that she couldn’t stay forever as she was now determined to find a way to free her mother from her contract with Vox.

One day, Jean encountered Charlie and Vaggie as they were recruiting patrons for the hotel. Charlie was more than eager to drag her along and talk Jean’s ear off about her idea and, with the short amount of time they had known each other, that she’s positive that she had an excellent chance at redemption. Mainly because of curiosity, hope and really having little else to do, Jean accepted and moved into the hotel to see she was one of two patrons. Once Alastor and his crew enter the picture, she does feel her walls coming down and finally confides in Angel Dust about her past, feeling he would understand considering their connection with Valentino. In Angel’s words, if Valentino ever found out she was there, it wouldn’t be from him. Outside of redemption exercises, Jean can be seen throughout the hotel interaction with the other residents doing a number of things such as: playing cards with Husk, babysitting Fat Nuggets, and being Alastor’s unwilling little helper. She would grow especially close with Angel Dust and Husk, growing to see them as an older brother and father figure respectively.

Personality: As previously stated, Jean faces some serious trust issues due to lack of stability in her life and (the very obvious) trauma inflicted on her by those she was told she could trust. It would take a great deal of work and time to break her walls down, which is honestly what she is hoping to find (basically, too afraid to initiate steps to build trust and often needs others to take the first step…s). She’s quiet, almost to the point she sneaks up on people and spooking them with no intention to do so. Many initially found it creepy save for Alastor, who found the startled reactions to be quite amusing.

Despite this, the persona Jean puts on in front of others is one she copies from her mother: a no-nonsense spitfire that refuses to submit to anyone (though her version is vastly different from her mother's). Of course, it is merely a front she copies as she’s seen her mother use in order to deal with the more threatening individuals. Dying at the age she did, Jean did find it easy to be rebellious though it clearly proved to be her downfall many times. Although her age makes her more prone to naivety and recklessness, it does allow Jean to remain open to new ideas (hence willing to try redemption) and not become set in her ways like a lot of adults tend to do with age. Unfortunately, this also means that Jean’s younger mind isn’t able to handle emotions and stress as well as an adult would, making her prone to emotional outbursts and meltdowns.

Abilities & Skills:

Immortality: like all sinners, aside from death by an angelic weapon, Jean cannot permanently die.

Handywoman/Tech Savvy: although not as proficient as her mother, Jean does know her way around appliances. She can identify tools and can troubleshoot most problems with very little difficulty.

Blade Manifestation: Jean can summon blades from her forearms, specifically through the scars in which she made when she took her life. For that reason, she prefers not to use them at all. When she does use them, however, she can manipulate the size and shape of the blades. They can also detach and reabsorb back into her forearms. It may even be possible for her to absorb and use angelic steel in her body.

Ice Manifestation/Manipulation: this is a power that she can only utilize in her full demon form. She can form it on her body or spread it over a large area. It’s also thought to be the reason she feels cold/is cold to the touch.

Habits & Quirks:

Jean wears arm warmers constantly even if she is wearing long sleeves

Is a quiet person to the point where she ends up sneaking up on people

Is always cold, most likely due to dying partially to hypothermia; strangely the intensity of how cold she feels depends on her mood

Has a terrible sense of direction. One of the very few reasons she owns a smartphone is for the GPS. It’s also why she studied astronomy when she was alive in order to read the stars for direction.

Trivia:

Jean has a baby face, making her look younger than she actually is. It’s especially amusing when Charlie practically exclaims “not in front of the baby!” or “she’s just a baby!” while covering Jean’s eyes and/or ears. It can be quite embarrassing, yet she can’t help but feel slightly flattered. But mostly frustrated and embarrassed since she is technically an adult.

She hates looking so young since she feels that the people around her look down on her because she looked more like a younger teen. She despises not being taken seriously more than anything else. Having said that, Jean had freshly turned 18 when she died it being days before she took her life.

Jean gives nicknames to all her friends and family, using them in her journal and has their contact name in her phone. She rarely addresses them with these names in real life, but likes to do so on occasion

Charlie: Princess Bedhead 👑🥱

Vaggie: The Warden ⚔️

Husk: ♣️King of Clubs♣️ (AKA ♥️Dad♥️)

Jean is seen to be very sentimental. Considering how little she had in life, it made sense to her to place value in the very few things she did possess. Her most prized possession is a photograph she managed to hold onto as she died of her and her mother at their local state fair.

Jean is a cuddlebug. In fact, her love language is touch, along with quality time. She is a very affectionate person and loves to feel the warmth of others (with consent, ofc 😉)

Jean is a big animal lover. She had always wanted a pet for as long as she could remember, but circumstances wouldn’t allow her to have one. Though she is still without a pet of her own, she has no problem indulging in other peoples’ pets.

She made pet beds for Fat Nuggets and Keekee that she keeps in her room in the times she is pet sitting or they just want a place to sleep.

Since the confrontation with Vox, Jean had developed an aversion to most electronics, even the ones not developed by VoxTek. She still gets anxiety any time she has to pass by any screen.

[sapphireravensworld]

The Soul is a Precious Thing IV

You know, I'm not totally sure how to feel about this chapter. It may be that I'm desensitized from all the angst/hurt and comfort fics I've read or if I've just read over this chapter so many times proofreading that I feel like it isn't doing enough to hit me in the gut like I intended it to. If it does end up making anyone feel the angst and sadness like I meant to, then I guess that's victory enough for me.

I tried making Vox as much of a manipulative, gaslighting bastard as I possibly could. I certainly hope I was able to keep him in character considering that's what he is.

Anyway, this is a little gift coming out on Easter Sunday. I hope you all have a pleasant Easter and if you're not celebrating Easter, have a nice day, anyway.

CW: manipulation, gaslighting, angst, controlling behavior, vague and obvious threats

As always, Hazbin Hotel, its characters and plot all belong to Vivienne "Vivziepop" Medrano. My characters and my plot all belong to me. Enjoy!

Ch. 4: The Reluctant Pact

God, it was bad enough she was left in this tiny room with no food or water, but this Satan-fucking bright light was unbearable. Sawyer couldn’t get one wink of sleep since arriving at what she presumed to be VoxTek headquarters. She had already been working herself to the bone at her shop, so her energy was absolutely drained even before being brought here. At this point, even if she wanted to attempt another escape via her power, she just didn’t have the strength to do so. She could try transforming her body, but if these really were industrial-strength lightning rods, she was sure she would be sucked right into that generator they were supposedly hooked up to.

Was he telling the truth about that? Who knows. All she did know was that she couldn’t command her power the way she usually did. With her vitality draining by the day, she couldn’t afford to try such reckless stunts. On the other hand, the fact that she was losing energy meant she may very well become desperate enough to try anything before she became too weak to fight back at all.

Vox came to check in with her perhaps once a day. Without a clock or window, there was no way of telling just how long she had truly been trapped. The most she could conclude was that it’s been a few days since she first woke up. 

Aside from that, Sawyer passed the times by letting her mind wander. How were things on the outside? What about the shop? Ralph and the other employees? What about Jean? The poor thing has to be worried to death at this point. Yet another reason to get out as soon as possible:  if the VoxTek products coming through their business was what pissed Vox off to begin with, there was no telling what he’d do if business continued as usual. They’d have no way of knowing that he may very well come for them all and Lucifer forbid if Jean were there if and when that happened-!

The door slid open revealing Vox with quite the large grin on his face. His showman smile, she saw it as: one that manipulative bastards like him would use to charm their way to get what they wanted. There was something different about this one, though. It seemed he had something up his sleeve this time. 

“Good evening, my dear. How are we doing?” 

“Wretched.” 

“That so? You do look the part. You should really take better care of yourself.”

An irritated growl grated from her throat, which only made Vox chuckle in amusement, “Just a suggestion. No need to tear my throat out.” 

“If tormenting me was all you came to do, I’d much rather be left to rot alone…”

“That’s unfortunate. The offer is still on the table, you know. All of this ‘torment’ as you call it, can come to an end. You just have to say the word-”

“ No .” 

His grin fell in a deadpan expression, “You’re certainly not easy to buy, are you? I can respect that, at least to some degree. You’re sure I can’t convince you otherwise?”

Her glare intensified, making him throw his hands up in mock surrender as his grin returned,

“I’m just saying I would be doing you a huge favor, taking all of that responsibility off of your shoulders. After all, running a business and being a parent can be quite taxing, or so I’ve heard.”

Sawyer’s blood suddenly ran cold and her breathing hitched, which Vox picked up on. She swallowed the lump in her throat and inquired,

“...What are you talking about?”

“I mean, I wouldn’t know. I never had any. Glad I never did. Little brats take up too much time, time I’d need to devote to my empire. No offense to you, of course. There’s no shortage of people trying to do it all, but they end up going belly-up eventually. You, on the other hand, have managed to do where most people inevitably fail-”

“That’s not the part I meant and you know it! What gave you the idea that I have a child?!”

She was getting frantic and emotional, quite unlike the stoicism she had displayed in her past encounters. Vox smirked inwardly at the conclusion that his gambit had paid off. He’d found her Achilles’ heel, the chink in her otherwise impenetrable armor. And now was the time to exploit it. 

With a flick of his claw, he transferred the damning evidence onto one of the screens. A second later, Jean’s voicemail replayed for all in the room to hear. Upon hearing her voice, Sawyer’s gaze snapped to the screen which played the recording. Shock, horror, apprehension. All of this was evident on her face as the message played out. Once it was over, her eyes locked back onto Vox as he continued,

“Sounds like a sweet girl you have there, dollface. Cute name, too. Is Jean short for anything or is that it?”

The flabbergasted expression disappeared and was replaced by one of pure rage, glowing eyes, hair, and resounding growl to boot. The glow in both was considerably dimmer than he remembered, showing just how weak she had gotten in such a short period of time. And although the fear disappeared from her face, it certainly remained in her eyes. She was at her weakest, her most desperate, and fully backed into a corner. The perfect circumstances for a deal to be made as long as he played his cards right.

“Hey, hey. Let’s not get violent. I’m just asking simple questions. I am curious, after all. Reading through those ratings and reviews, I can only assume that this ‘cute cashier’ is your daughter. She’s quite popular with the customers. Outside of the generic or inappropriate reviews, there are plenty complimenting her work. Apparently, she’s quite tech savvy, almost as much as you are, apparently.” 

Sawyer’s stomach was dropping further and further with each sentence in which he spoke of her child. The way he was speaking was sounding so many alarm bells in her head that she could feel her ears ringing. She had a sinking feeling that she knew exactly where the conversation was going.

“And hey, you say you’re not interested in my offer. That’s fine. I do wonder, though, if your daughter would be interested in the job.”

Her eyes widened, “You wouldn’t!” 

Vox grinned once more, this time quite smugly and responded with an edge in his voice, “What? Isn’t it a good thing that she’s talented enough to be scouted by the biggest and the best? Surely as a mother, you don’t want to keep your kid bound to that little rinky-dink workshop for the rest of her afterlife when she can move on to bigger and better things, do you?”

“I won’t allow it! She’d never follow someone like you, anyway! Especially when she finds out what you’ve done.” 

“Ah, so you mean to tell her everything that’s happened, then? That’s fine. I’ll just have to have a talk with her about my side of the story. I think she’ll come to see firsthand ȟ̵̤ơ̶̧w̶͈̕ ̶̺͑p̶̧̑e̵͔͌ȓ̷̬s̷͙̚u̸̥̐a̴͕̓s̵͙̀í̶̝v̵͈͗e̴̘̒ ̵͕͆I̷̘͐ ̶̩̎c̸̬̔a̴͍̾ñ̶̢ ̴̢̔ḇ̸̉ḛ̴̑. ”

Vox showcasing the hypnotic spirals from his left eye was all it took to relay his intent. Sawyer seemed to be immune to his influence, but was Jean? No, she couldn’t allow him to have that chance to find out. She wouldn’t allow it.

“I won’t let you! And as long as I’m here, you won't be able to find her!” 

“I suppose that’s true, but why don’t we let her decide for herself, shall we? All it’ll take is a single text. You don’t mind if I use this, right?” 

From his pocket, he pulled out a phone. Not his phone, but Sawyer’s work phone. It was at this point that Sawyer began to physically thrash in her seat as his claws were tapping away, presumably creating the text. Oh, she was so close to breaking, he could taste it. 

“You can’t!”

“Well, I actually can. The poor thing clearly misses her mother so much. I’m in a generous mood, so why shouldn’t I help the two of you reunite? I’ll just instruct her to come here for us to meet. It really is no trouble at all-”

“DON’T!” 

With her outburst, Vox’s grin became triumphant as he turned to her. Breathing heavily, Sawyer was trembling from exhaustion. Sweat dripped down from her brow and her gaze was downcast, but even he could see that her eyes were wide open. 

“Don’t?”

“Don’t…please…anything but that…”

Her voice had broken, and so had she, it seemed. Setting the phone down, Vox approached her once more,

“I imagine now we finally understand each other, don’t we?”

She clenched her fists, “Yes...”

“So, are we ready to negotiate?”

“...Yes.” 

“Excellent. Now, shall we step into my office? A utility room is hardly the place for such an important occasion, but before we do…”

He grabbed her chin, directing her broken gaze up to his own. His grin had vanished, and his voice was laced with ice and malevolence, “Keep this in mind:  if you try to pull anything before this deal is done, I will tear apart that pitiful little shack you call a business, brick by brick and board by board. And when I’m done with that, I will personally track down that little brat of yours and make her soul mine, whether she wants it or not. You can try to stop me, but you’d barely have a chance at your strongest, let alone in the sorry state you’re in now. Do I make myself clear?”

She hated to admit it, but he was right. As shitty of a man as he was, he was a shitty man with a lot of power and resources at his disposal. She was able to repel most of the threats that came anywhere near Jean, but she knew she was nowhere near the most powerful sinner around. It was one of the main reasons she decided not to expand past the original shop:  having money and power was nice, but it also put a target on your back. She wouldn’t dare do it to herself or to Jean.  

He’d follow through on his threat. She was certain of it. 

“Crystal,” she ground out, seething but with far less bite than before. 

His smirk returned, oozing with condescension while patting her cheek, “That’s the spirit. I think you’ll find that working for me can be such a pleasant experience. Or not. That all depends on you in the end.” 

With a swipe of his hand, her restraints disappeared. She removed any traces of rubber from her body. She’d be feeling the chaffing for a while. 

“Well, shall we proceed?” 

His outstretched hand came into her view, drawing her eyes to his. She narrowed them before pushing herself out of her seat, stumbling a bit before willing herself to stand on her own. 

“Let’s just get this over with.” 

~

The air was chilly in the CEO’s office, somehow even colder than it was in the utility room. Shadows passed over the room as the sharks in Vox’s aquarium casually swam. Vox was sat in his seat at his desk and Sawyer sat on the other side. The light was low, which she was grateful for; the only sources being the aquarium, the floor lights, and the glowing, cyan contract sitting between the two.

“So, I’ve laid my terms out. Let’s hear yours.” 

“First and foremost, I’d like my phone returned to me, if you please.”

With a hum, Vox pulled the device from his jacket pocket. He had a look of obvious disgust as he slid it across his desk which she was quick to swipe, “That thing is archaic as hell. Don’t worry, all of my employees are given the latest in state of the art technology. I don’t want to see that thing in this building after today.” 

Sawyer rolled her eyes and tried not to snap back as she pocketed the hellphone. He folded his hands together, elbows on his desk, awaiting her to proceed,

“You’re not to lay a hand on her. I swear, you so much as harm a single hair on her head-”

“Yikes. You certainly had that one on retainer. I expected something like that. Since I’ll have your soul, what incentive do I have to go after some kid? If that’s what you really want, though, we’ll get it in writing.”

“No.”

He arched a brow at her, “No?”

“I’m not fucking stupid. I’ve seen plenty on the way up her to know it’s not just you. I don’t want you or anyone you associate with hurting her. Not even a scratch. I don't trust you and that extends to the company you keep.” 

As annoying as it was that she knew her stuff, he had to admit that it was refreshing to have someone around that knew what the hell they were doing. 

“I can manage that. You have my word that neither myself nor any of my associates will harm her. Not even a scratch. I’ll even throw in a bonus. If somehow, some way that does happen, you’re more than free to step in and retaliate on her behalf. You’ll be allowed to do whatever is necessary to deal with the threat that caused her any harm. How’s that sound?”

Narrowing her tired eyes, Sawyer inquired, “Why suggest that?”

“I told you that working for me can be quite pleasant if you allow it. Of course, if you don’t want it in there, I don’t have to add it.”

“No, it’s fine.”

With a flick of his claws, the amendment was made, “What else?”

“I don’t want you or these ‘associates’ using any sort of mind tricks on her like you tried to on me to force a deal. None of that mind control, hypnosis, drug trips or any of that. Anything that puts her in a state where she can’t consent.” 

“Really? All of this for one little soul? You’re certainly the careful type.” 

“If I’m signing my soul away, then it really shouldn’t concern you what I’m asking for or why.” 

He shrugged, adding the amendment, “Fair enough. All the things you’ve listed so far are well within my power to grant. You should show some gratitude.” 

“Maybe I will once the emotional blackmail is over.” 

“It won’t even be a worry as long as you behave yourself. Now, we’re getting off topic. Is there anything else?”

“Hmm. If I’m really coming to work for you, you’d better make good on your word about that compensation. I’m giving up an entire business to become someone’s underling, so I expect to be paid as such.” 

“Of course. If you’re really as good as I’ve heard, you’re easily worth at least what ten of my subordinates would be. In fact, I may just be able to let ten of them go once your paperwork is processed. Though, there is one thing I’m going to need to add:  I love that power of yours, I really do, but I’m afraid you’ll need limiters while you’re on the clock. I can’t have you electrocuting every dipshit who stupidly decides to swat you on the ass.” 

Ugh. This man was the absolute worst. This entire situation gave her the worst case of the ick. After all this time running her own business, of being her own boss, now she was giving all of it up to work for this pompous, egomaniacal sociopath. And not only work for him, she would be bound to him till the end of time, or at least until one of them was dead. 

“Fine. I’ll agree to that, but I have one final condition.”

Vox leaned back in his chair, awaiting for her to continue, “Let’s hear it.”

“You’re free to spy on me all you want here, but outside of this building, my personal life is off limits. No tails following me, no trackers or spyware in any of the tech I receive, no wiretaps or cameras. None of that.”

Sawyer jerked back a bit as Vox’s head sparked, his left eye spiraling and his claws scratching the surface of his desk. She could tell by his disgruntled expression and glitching that this was something he would be hard pressed to agree to. Finally, he released his grip and replied,

“I’m afraid that’s a tricky one. I require all my employees to be available at all times for any and all incidents that occur within the workplace.”

“I can be reached just fine without having to have my location known at all times. Is this doable or not?”

“...It is technically doable. Unfortunately, I have plenty of things that go on in this building that need to stay in this building. I value loyalty, remember? So, how about this: a confidentiality pact. You will be forbidden from disclosing anything considered sensitive information outside of this building. Of course, you’re free to discuss those things with me, but that’s it. I think that’s a fair compromise.” 

“Only if my privacy is guaranteed outside of this building.”

“...Of course. I haven’t forgotten that little detail.”

That was probably the best she was going to get out of him. He obviously had all the signs of a control freak if she’s ever seen one. 

With the final amendment made, Vox smiled as he slid the cyan tablet towards her along with a stylus. Sawyer heaved a heavy sigh as it slid into her hand. This was it. All she could do now was pray and hope that she had done all she could to protect Jean. 

Her hand moved swiftly, ripping to proverbial band aid off, 

N. Sawyer

“Ah ah ah,” Vox tutted, clearing the signature line.. “You’re full name, please.”

Glowering at him, she sighed as she signed once more,

Nadine Sawyer

With the final letter written, the tablet vanished. Sawyer gasped as she felt a tugging around her neck as if something was being torn away. There was an uncomfortable tightness around her throat. Her eyes widened as a bright cyan chain formed across the desk, ending right in Vox’s hand which he happily snatched into his grasp.

“Welcome to VoxTek. I expect big things from you, Nadine.” 

~

Sawyer grumbled to herself as she washed her hands in one of the building’s restrooms. She was at least away from her new boss for the time being. All that was keeping him on her mind were his parting words as she left his office,

“I’d go get some rest if I were you. You start on Monday.”

Now that she could reconnect with the outside world, she found that it was Friday, giving her the entire weekend. And even now, dusk was approaching fast. That was hardly enough time, but now that she was on his leash, it would have to be enough time. She certainly had no interest in staying in this God forsaken place any longer than was necessary. 

Cupping her hands, she gathered the cool water which she then splashed on her face. She had little to work with for her to freshen up, but it would have to do until she returned home. The home where Jean was likely awaiting her return. 

“I’m so sorry, baby. I’ll be home soon.” 

The paper towels were of fair enough quality, she supposed. Nothing worth scratching her face, but at least enough to pat it dry. Even with this, she probably still looked like a wreck. Though one would look like such a sight when they’ve been deprived of sleep with barely any food and water. 

She took a good look in the mirror, ready to pep talk herself to put on a happy face for Jean’s sake-!

Cyan eyes stared back at her, causing her to shriek and throw a fist right between those eyes. The next thing she knew there were mirror shards on the floor and counter, some of them stained with blood. Her hand was brought into her view, and she recoiled at the sight of her hand now bloody and wounded with shards still lodged in her skin. 

Her breathing was heavy and fast when she did a double take in what was left of the mirror. The cyan pupils were there once again, but she realized that they were not Vox’s eyes. They were hers. Her pupils really changed from their normal yellow to a bright cyan. Her uninjured hand reached up, shakily tracing along the cyan outline that had appeared around her right eye. 

That same hand immediately went to her mouth in a poor attempt to muffle her sobbing. Her other hand clenched into itself, only wounding herself further. She fell backwards until she hit the wall, sliding down to the floor. It was honestly a good thing she decided on using one of the single-use restrooms lest anyone could walk in to witness her breakdown. 

She sold her soul and gave up everything she had built for the sake of her child. Keeping Jean safe was worth it, that she was certain of, but now Sawyer was stuck with an ugly, permanent reminder of what she had done. She had been broken and rendered helpless, and she’ll feel that any time she sees her reflection. 

Life, indeed, was full of harsh, unforgiving lessons to be learned. And you were never too old or too experienced to learn them.

~

Jean slumped into the couch, the television showing…she actually didn’t know. It was all background noise to her. Day four was coming to an end since she last saw her mother. She still hadn’t heard from her. All of her messages were seen as delivered and her voicemails went unanswered.

The young woman sighed, her eyes drifting down to the arm warmers she was mindlessly tugging at. It did make her smile a bit. Sawyer could tell that having to see those scars made her terribly upset. They were, after all, a painful reminder of what she had done to herself. To remedy this, Sawyer had gifted her some arm warmers to keep them covered. It was quite difficult to find a good size for her due to her enlarged forearms, but she eventually came upon a business that did custom orders. She would go there from time to time to place orders with different colors and patterns. It was pricey, but it felt worth it in the end.

The front door clicked as it was unlocked, creaking as it opened. Jean’s eyes snapped open and she bolted up, rounding the couch to get to the main corridor. Her back was turned, but it was, indeed, her mother.

“Mom! You’re back! I missed you so much!” 

She sprinted down the hall, pouncing on her with a desperate embrace just as she was turning to face her. Jean pressed her cheek against her mother’s chest as she squeezed her tightly. Sawyer tensed upon the contact and even hesitated to reciprocate. Slowly, she did and, all of a sudden, everything felt right with the world, even if it was still Hell. 

“I missed you too, Jeannie. So, so much.”

Jean’s smile grew, tilting her head up, “How was the business trip, mom-!”

She paused, taken off guard, “Mama, what happened to your eyes? They’re so…different. It’s a good kind of different, but…”

“I-it’s nothing to worry about, sweetie,” Sawyer absentmindedly had her bandaged hand over her right eye which then went to cradle Jean’s head against her once more.

“Um, mom? You look really tired. Maybe you should go lie down…”

Instinctively, her mother pulled her closer. Heaving a sigh, Sawyer buried her face into Jean’s navy hair,

“I will, Jean. Just…just let me hold you for right now. My baby…”

Jean was here. She was here and she was safe. And she would do anything and everything in her power to keep it that way. 

“Mom, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

She didn’t even know when the tears began. It seemed that she still had some left to shed even after the meltdown she had only a short while ago. Her breath was shaky and Jean could feel her hair becoming damp.

“We can talk about it later. I’m just happy to be here with you, honey." 

~

Honestly, I was unsure about a few things in this chapter. I guess you could argue that three days was too short to keep Sawyer before she complied with Vox, but I also thought onto Jean's character and just how much she emotionally depends on her mother. Of course she'd want to try to reach her after three days of no contact.

I can imagine that Vox had the patience to play the long game if it meant getting such a powerful soul under his belt, but also that he'd rather have it sooner than later. He found some blackmail and he went for it.

Anywho, there is probably going to be a bit of a longer wait for the next chapter since I'll be working on the sister story to this one. Eventually, the events of both stories will build up to them merging at a later date. I hope that this can satisfy in the meantime.

@a-hazbin-reader

[sapphireravensworld]

Hazbin Hotel Masterlist

Here is my first attempt at creating a masterlist. Hopefully it goes well.

You can also check out my AO3 account if you prefer that format.

The Soul is a Precious Thing

Ch. 1: A Story of Scars

Ch. 2: Family Business

Ch. 3: The Chink in Her Armor

Ch. 4: The Reluctant Pact

OC Profiles

Character Bio: Jean

Character Bio: Sawyer

Character Bio: Sibelle

[sapphireravensworld]

The Soul is a Precious Thing III

Gosh, this is a LONG chapter. The longest so far. Still, I had lots of fun writing it. 

CW: kidnapping, manipulation, and coercion. I wrote Vox the best I could, but he may be a bit OOC. I tried to make him as charming and manipulative as possible, hence the warnings. 

TW: I don’t think there are any for this chapter? I guess mentions of torture, though it isn’t done.

As always, Hazbin Hotel along with its characters and plot belong to Vivienne "Vivziepop" Medrano. My characters and plot belong to me. Please, enjoy!

~~~

Chapter 3: The Chink in Her Armor

“At this rate, we’re going to have to suspend our services just to keep up with the orders we’ve already taken,” Jean sighed, clenching and unclenching her hands to ease the aching in her fingers.

As happy as she was that the days kept them busy, this was beginning to be too much. If she had to listen to one more sinner bitch about their phones running slow because they couldn’t be bothered to close down their apps…

“Yes, it’s beginning to get to me, too. Suspending the orders might not be a bad idea. It will certainly piss some of them off, but certainly nothing I can’t handle.” 

It was late afternoon, typically the time in which business was slow for them. Those were quiet times in which they simply went about their work and just talk. Honestly, there were times that Sawyer missed the days when business was just busy enough to keep things afloat. She had the free time to be able to work on her own projects outside of those she charged for. 

Of course, that all changed when she found Jean, so helpless and alone. 

It was no joke that it was essentially entering motherhood all over again when she took her in. In life, she was sure to raise her daughter to be as self-sufficient as possible and she has always been eager to learn new things. It seemed that seeing her mother die took a much more serious toll on her psyche than she initially thought. 

Jean has improved greatly since then, even comfortable enough to travel on her own. Of course, she had to have her GPS and stick to the safe parts that they had found. It was fortunate that most of the other sinners stuck to not bothering others as long as they weren't bothered. She’s cooking her own meals again and fixing her own electronics, practicing all that her mother taught her. 

Her little girl really has bloomed into a beautiful young woman. 

Sawyer frowned to herself. Of course, while that couldn’t be truer, she couldn’t help the unease she felt in her heart. She had stuck by her mother most of her life and lost her at the age of 15. Still too young to properly fend for herself. Self-sufficient as she was, Jean was still fairly sheltered from the harsh realities of life. So many lessons still to learn.

Lessons that could only be learned by striking out on her own. 

As a mother, she already knew it was going to be difficult and sad to see her child one day leave the nest. Now that they were in Hell where the sheer amount of malicious intent was at its peak, she felt more dread and apprehension than anything else. No, she needed to think this through…

“Sweetie, why don’t you go home early? You’ve worked hard enough today.” 

Jean arched a brow, “Are you sure, mom? I didn’t mean to sound like I was complaining-”

“No, no. It’s not that. I just don’t want you to overwork yourself. Why don’t you grab some cash from the register and pick up some dinner?”

Her eyes grew wide with delight, “Really?! You mean it?!”

“Of course, I do,” Sawyer chuckled. “Just be sure to go straight home when you’re done.” 

“Sweet! Want me to pick up anything for you?”

“Don’t worry about me, honey. I plan on staying late to handle the inventory, anyway. Don’t wait up for me, okay?”

“Got it!” Jean rushed over, giving a quick side hug and kiss on the cheek. “Love you, mom. I’ll see you later!” 

She bolted past the curtain that led to the storefront. The moment she heard the sound of the bell, Sawyer slumped down in her seat. It was difficult to keep up a mask of certainty and strength for so long, especially since she still felt the need to keep it up for Jean’s sake even after all this time. 

Hours later…

Sawyer was sprawled on the sofa she kept in the storage space in the back. She had given up on taking count of the inventory ages ago. Her thoughts were now consumed by Jean and their relationship going forward. 

As difficult as it was going to be, Sawyer decided it would be best for her to begin separating from her. Of course, this was something she needed to discuss with Jean. This, she found, was the challenging part. She had to explain it in the best way possible for her to understand why it was important for her to spread her wings, to start making a life for herself. 

It was tragic, Sawyer thought, that Jean had lost the opportunity to truly live her life. To make her own path and find her calling. Even if they were in Hell, there’s no reason she still couldn’t do that. And she would be there to guide and support her every step of the way. 

She would help her think it through and make a plan. They could even start small. The building the shop was in had an apartment right upstairs, doing nothing but gathering dust. She had put up an ad for someone to rent, but nobody seemed to be interested because they were afraid of her . It would be the perfect starter place for her. A place that would be her very own.

Jean could even keep working in the shop for as long as she desired. And if she found herself wanting to pursue something else, Sawyer would support her decision. That could prove to be difficult depending on what that ‘something else’ was, but she couldn’t deny the truth any longer:

Jean, despite looking younger than she was, was an adult and she needed to be treated as one.

Letting out a loud sigh, Sawyer finally sat up, stretching her limbs that had fallen asleep. The inventory can wait, she needed to get home to rest. Jean was certain to be asleep by now, so this would need to wait until tomorrow as well. 

With the power off, the day’s profits sealed away in the safe, and the necessary things locked up, Sawyer finally closed the entrance. Pocketing the store key, she turned on her heel in the direction of home. 

“Good evening, madam. You wouldn’t happen to be the owner of this…fine establishment, would you?”

Her eyes locked on to the two men in front of her. She could tell that these men had ill intent, but they were too nicely dressed to be just common thugs. Yellow eyes narrowed,

“I am.”

“So, I take it that you are the one named Sawyer?”

“Who wants to know?” 

From the alleyway a few yards away, two more nicely dressed men emerged. They approached stealthily as the one that was speaking grinned as he continued, 

“Forgive us for bothering you, madam. We represent our employer who has taken an interest in you and your business. We were wondering if you were able to spare some of your time to speak with him. I assure you; it will be worth your while.” 

Unfortunately for him, Sawyer was quite the intuitive and observant individual. All it took was the slight shifting of his eyes looking behind her for her to know what was about to happen. Her eyes opened wide once more before she spun around, snatching onto the shirts of the other two. Sparks were swirling around her fingers before she even made contact, only to flare up seconds later as the two were mercilessly electrocuted. 

Sawyer hissed as she felt herself grabbed from behind, releasing the fried sinners and thrashing in the hold. 

“Knock her the fuck out, already-!”

He was interrupted as Sawyer threw her head back into his face. He yowled in pain and released her, and in that moment he almost suffered the same fate as the other two. She had her hand reaching for him glowing until her vision disappeared by the blindfold thrown over her eyes. It caught her off guard, keeping her still long enough for the needle to prick her neck. 

Shit! Sawyer cursed, staggering back and already feeling the effects of whatever was injected into her. Whatever it was, it was working fast, but she could still get away if she acted fast enough-

The next thing she knew, her head made contact with the sidewalk. Hard. Her vision was turning darker by the second and now her head was throbbing in pain. 

“Finally. I thought that bitch would never go down,” the lead sinner panted. “Let’s move. The boss is waiting on us.” 

She could feel herself being dragged away before her vision darkened completely. For the first time since arriving in Hell, she was at the mercy of whoever was behind this. It was also the first time she felt pure fear. 

~

Jean hummed to herself as she placed the last of the freshly washed dishes back in their place. She stretched her arms with a yawn as she looked at her phone for the time. 

“Guess mom really meant it when she said she was staying late,” she frowned. Well, she was told not to wait up for her, so she won’t. Still, there was just one last thing to do before she turned in for the night.

Opening the oven, Jean took out the foil pan and put it away in the fridge. She grabbed the notepad, scribbling a quick message and sticking it to the door. She left, turning out the light before heading to bed.

Hey, mom!

I know you said you didn’t want anything, but I got you the seafood medley special! I know it’s your favorite. You work really hard, too, so you deserve something special! I put it in the fridge for you. 

I love you!

Jean

~

The amount of pain running through Sawyer’s head reminded her of first waking up in Hell. She was sure she fell and hit her head on the sidewalk that time, too. It made her regret waking up at all. 

All she really could do was groan, not that anyone was there to hear her. At least, that’s what she initially thought with how foggy her head felt.

“Awake? Good. Go get the boss.” 

She was able to hear well enough, even if those words sounded muffled as if her ears were full of cotton. Reluctantly, she blinked her eyes open only to still see darkness. She felt cloth on her face, confirming she was still blindfolded. 

The room felt unnaturally quiet, so she couldn’t be sure how many there were or if all of them had left. She was restrained, obviously, she thought. She was in enough hostage situation scenes in her acting days to know how these things went. 

What was strange to her was the material that bound her to her seat. It didn’t feel like normal rope in the slightest. It felt…rubbery? She could feel it on her arms, her hands, her legs, her waist and even around her neck, keeping her head in place. 

The door opened, the abductors entering followed by Vox. His expression was stoic until his gaze landed on Sawyer. Then it turned to one of confusion,

“This is Sawyer? You’re Sawyer?”

She sighed, “Yes, I’m Sawyer. Now everyone please stop asking!”

“Honestly, from the trouble you’ve caused me and my subordinates, I expected you to be a man.”

Ah, so this must be the boss they spoke of that was speaking to her now. His voice sounded pleasant enough, but she knew better than to fall for a pretty voice. Anyone could put on a mask; she would know from experience.

“I get that a lot.” 

“I have to say, I’m surprised you’re not, you know, screaming, crying, begging for your life. You haven’t even asked who I am or where you are. You’re not curious in the slightest?”

“...You’re seriously asking me to play the damsel in distress? What good would that do me, exactly?”

“Not much, really,” Vox responded, moving towards her until he was just an arm’s length away from her. He reached for the blindfold, his claws gently tugging at the knot until it gave, granting her back her sight.

Sawyer flinched away from the sudden brightness attacking her eyes. Her breathing was shallow as she allowed herself to accustom herself to the light before observing her surroundings for the first time. The room itself was…not what she expected it to be. There were wires everywhere along with multiple electrical panels on the wall. It seemed to be an electrical room.

She paused as her gaze landed on the boss himself. She blinked, not expecting to be staring into a television screen when looking him in the eye. It was fortunate her head was angled to be able to look him in the eye considering how he towered over her. 

“Anyway, I suppose you want to know why you’re here. You are aware of who I am and what I do, I assume?”

“Not really, no.” 

His demeanor switched quickly from cool and in control to irritation as his screen glitched. He met her eyes with a glare, regaining his composure before continuing,

“Then perhaps an introduction is in order. I already know your name, it’s only fair you know mine. The name’s Vox, of VoxTek Enterprises.” 

…!

Ah, the pieces were coming together, and she now had a better understanding of the situation. With everything that had led up to this, she was infinitely relieved that she decided to send Jean away early.

“I see. I do know you, well, I at least know of your products. Quite a few of them have passed through my humble little shop lately. I’m assuming that’s why I was invited to meet with you?”

Well, Vox had to admit that she was certainly smarter than he had initially given her credit for. Though the snark was something he could do well without. Though strangely enough, even with that snark, what pissed him off the most was how calm she was in her current situation. 

“Glad we’re on the same page. I wanted to bring you in for a little meeting, a little chat, if you will.”

“A chat, huh? This could have easily been done with a phone call. I could’ve done without the abduction experience.” 

“I suppose that’s true. I would have reprimanded my employees for that little fuck-up, but it seems you went ahead and did that for me. Two of them can’t even return to work because of how badly they’re burnt.” 

“Good. It’s what they deserve from trying to attack someone with their back turned.” 

“What can I say? The world of business is cutthroat, dollface. Which brings me to why you’re here.”

She held her tongue and allowed him to speak, “I don’t take kindly to worthless little nobodies who think they can muscle in on my business and get away with it. Originally, I was going to have you brought in, in the hopes of persuading you to shut down your little operation. By any means necessary, of course. However, I’ve been giving it some thought since then and I believe I’ve come up with a solution that will satisfy the both of us.”

He held out his hand where electricity gathered and flashed. In its place was what looked like a cyan-colored tablet. Something was off about it with its unnatural glow and the sparks that jumped off of it every now and then. 

“Here’s my proposal. You close down your ‘humble little shop’ and come work for me. I’ve done my research and it’s clear to see you’ve got a talent for this. Talent that I’ve been in the market for, for quite some time now.” 

Sawyer’s eyes drifted from him down to the tablet, “This, of course, is just a formality to get everything in writing. I’ve come with my terms and conditions, but I am willing to allow you some time to think over your own. You’ll even be compensated the same as you would running that shop. More, if you prove to be a valuable asset.” 

He flicked the tablet over to her, which it did while floating at eye level. She scanned over each and every line the contract contained. It did seem like a normal contract at first glance, listed almost in the same format as one would find in terms and conditions. Still, there had to be a catch. There always was.

And there, neatly tucked away, she saw it.

“‘By accepting the terms of this deal, the promisee agrees to forfeit all rights to his/her/their soul and, in doing so, transfer all rights to the promisor, Vox of VoxTek’? Were you really about to trick me into making a soul deal?!”

Vox’s grin didn’t vanish, but it did tighten, “I like to think of it more as insurance. After all, if there’s anything I expect out of my employees more than competency, it’s loyalty.”

Sawyer had heard of soul deals being out and about in Hell. Certainly, she was aware of those ‘deals with the devil’ when she was alive only as plot devices in storybooks. Down here, however, they were very real and could be very dangerous. And when you bartered your soul away, you’d lose your freedom. No matter where you went or how far you run, you would always be bound to your master. 

“Loyalty, huh?” 

“You don’t believe me? I’m hurt you’d think so little of me. I can assure you that, unlike most sinners, I̶͖͗'̸͓̋m̵̝͗ ̵͖̕s̵̠̋o̶͕͝m̸̭̒e̶̪͛o̶̭̒n̷̞͌e̴͉͋ ̸̝̎w̶̏͜o̵̫̔r̵̹̿t̷͚͋h̴͇͊ ̸͖̈ţ̷̊ṙ̵̖u̸̪̍s̶͔͗t̷̬͗ĭ̴̞ň̸̗g̷͈̿.̶̯̅ .”

The pupil of his left eye flickered before rippling into black spirals. 

…

Sawyer arched a brow at his actions. What in the actual fuck was happening?!

“Uh…what are you doing?”

He frowned, ceasing his hypnotic power. That…wasn’t supposed to happen. She should be under his thrall by now.

Vox glanced over his shoulder, activating his power once more, “ S̷͉͑m̶̝͝ĩ̴͜ṯ̸̀ḩ̴̍,̴̄͜ ̶̻̿S̸̳̎ã̷͎n̵̫͑d̶̤̀e̶̺͌r̶̢͛s̵̭͒.̶̞̑ ̶̩͊L̵̟̓ě̷̱a̴͓͒v̴̝̀e̷̩̓ ̵̢̌å̸̝n̷̮̏d̶͙̃ ̴͍̕g̸̮͂ȉ̴̡v̶̦͝e̵̤͗ ̶͉͊u̵͎̅s̷̩̈́ ̴̹̂ṣ̶̚o̸͎͌m̴̦͂ḙ̴̈́ ̸̡͐p̸̢͋r̸̭͆ḯ̵̢v̸̘͋ḁ̶̄c̵̮̽ÿ̵̩ .”

The eyes of Smith and Sanders became pools of red with black spirals. They obediently exited the room without a single word or thought in their heads. So, his power was working just fine. It would be his fucking luck that she would be one of those sinners. This limited his options considerably. 

Still, he wouldn’t relent. After all, it wasn’t only her skills he was after. Most of his employees he found to be incompetent, but the competent ones were still common enough. 

No, the state of the subordinates he sent to pick her up was proof enough of just how powerful she was. To this day, he’s never encountered anyone with powers similar to his own and he knew she was only showing a fraction of what she could do. If he were able to be the master of a soul that strong, his own power would increase exponentially. It wasn’t something he was going to give up on so easily. 

“This is ridiculous. I’m not interested in anything you have to offer, so if you’re not going to release me, I’ll do it myself.”

Her yellow eyes were radiant and her hair flared up as she activated her power, releasing the electricity from her body aimed right for Vox. Except it went nowhere near Vox. In fact, she couldn’t see it go anywhere at all. 

Vox smirked as he approached her, “I told you I was made aware of your skills, so I made preparations in the event you became difficult. The chair you're strapped to contains industrial-strength lightning rods that redirects electricity to a high-capacity generator. The rubber you’re covered in is for extra insulation.”

He came to a stop in front of her as she deactivated her power, casting her eyes downward. The TV demon grabbed her chin, lifting her gaze back up to his, 

“I won’t stop you from trying, but I’m warning you now that it’s a waste of energy on your part. On the other hand, the more you try to escape, the less I have to pay in my power bill this month. See? Haven’t accepted my offer and yet here you are, already proving to be such a useful asset.” 

Sawyer glowered at him with a hiss, willing just enough electricity to shock his hand away. It was only a small jolt, but it was enough to do the deed. He shook his tingling hand,

“I can see you need some time to think. I’ll leave you to it and check in on you later. After all, I still have a company to run. See you soon, dollface.” 

With that, he turned on his heel and exited the room, the automatic door sliding shut behind him. Now she was left all alone with her thoughts. She would never admit it aloud, most of all in front of Vox, but she was thoroughly trapped. There was no easy way for her to escape as far as she was concerned. 

That didn’t matter though. There was a method of escape. There always was. For her sake, for Jean’s, she would find it.

~

Jean nodded her head along with the music playing from her phone as she enjoyed her breakfast. She had checked to see if her mother had returned only to find an empty bedroom. Oh well. She just presumed that she either already left or spent the night at the shop. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d done that. 

Ring ring! Ring ring!

Ralph is calling , the caller ID read.

Ralph, the assistant manager at the shop when Sawyer was unavailable. He was a gentle giant of a man. She accepted the call and greeted, 

“Hiya, Ralph! Good morning!” 

“Mornin’, Jean. Hey, I was just seein’ if your mom was with ya. I’m at the shop now, but nobody’s here.”

Frowning, Jean shook her head, “No, she’s not here. It doesn’t even look like she ever came home.”

“That’s odd. She always calls when she can’t make it in. Let me try callin’ her and I’ll call ya right back, alright?”

“O-okay.”

The line cut after that as he ended the call. Jean kept her hellphone in a tight grip, now feeling anxious. It wasn’t unusual for her mother to not be the first to arrive at the shop as she was typically running errands for the business or the home. What was unusual was for her to do so without any sort of communication beforehand. 

She jumped in her seat as she saw Ralph calling her back. She was quick to answer,

“Hey, did you hear anything?”

“She didn’t answer the call, but she did send me a text. It said, ‘Won’t be back for a while. Had to leave for a last minute business trip. Keep the shop closed until further notice.’ Huh, that’s weird, but the boss’ orders are the boss’ orders.”

Jean’s frown deepened, “Why would she tell you that but not me?” 

“Who knows? You know how your mom can be sometimes. She gets so wrapped up in her work that she’s just in her own world. Besides, it really must have been something big for her to just leave like that without a word.” 

That still didn’t feel right, either. Sure, her mother was passionate in anything she did. That was one of the things she admired the most about her, but she’d never just up and leave without a trace. Even then she’d say where she was going.

“Well, there’s nothin’ for it now. Since we got the day off, how’s about you and me head down to the monster truck rally?” 

“O-Okay. That sounds like it’ll be fun…”

“Great, I’ll be there sometime this afternoon. You relax and enjoy your day off. You’ve earned it, kid.” 

With that, he ended the call once more. Jean sighed heavily to herself. It wasn’t a bad feeling, per say, but it was definitely off. Still, that text message was the only thing they had to go off of for now. Perhaps she would try calling her later since it seemed she was busy.

~

“There, that should pacify them for a while.”

Vox set Sawyer’s phone on the desk, turning his attention back to the screens in his monitor room. Cracking the code on her phone was child’s play, giving him what he needed. Of course, he didn’t look through all of it. He had better things to do.  

He swiped across the screen, bringing the focus onto the room his newest guest resided in. Sawyer was still, only turning her head every now and then. 

Vox’s claws tapped onto the desk impatiently. He was more than certain that her restraints were more than enough to keep her in place. There was little to zero chance of her finding any weakness in the contraption. Having said that…

With the treatment done by his subordinates combined with her stubbornness, his charisma wasn’t going to convince her. His hypnotic power had no effect on her either. She’s also smarter than most sinners, being able to pinpoint the soul deal. It’s not like he went out of his way to hide it, but most people were satisfied with the ‘this is just a formality’ schtick and didn’t bother actually reading the contract in full. At this point, who even reads the terms and conditions anymore?!

Her, apparently. She knew her stuff, he’ll give her that. He supposed there was a reason she’s been in business as long as she’s been. Regardless, she had a weakness. Everyone did. 

Vox could always up the pressure and see just how much she could take until she gave in. He wasn’t against resorting to torture to get what he wanted, though he has his doubts that his ‘shock treatment’ would even have an effect on her. Still, perhaps it would be best to save that as a last resort. If something like that somehow got leaked to the public, it could be detrimental to him along with his associates.

Of course, he could go the old-fashioned route and provide an ultimatum. The question is what that ultimatum would be. He could threaten to destroy her business, but that would require time and resources and there’s no guarantee that she’d go for that. He could see that when they last spoke. 

No, if he was going to use an ultimatum, it had to be something that tugged at her heartstrings. Something that would destroy her if she were to lose it. It was all a matter of finding her weakness and exploiting it.

~ 

Three days. It’s been three days since the shop had been closed and in that whole time, outside of that one text message to Ralph, nobody’s heard from her since. 

Jean couldn’t focus on anything, almost always keeping her eyes locked on the front door. The first day her mother left without a word it was easy enough to keep her mind preoccupied. On the second day, she felt hurt that she hadn’t heard anything from her. On the third day, she was now an anxious mess, worry superseding any sort of hurt she felt. 

She understood that her mother could get busy, but she hadn’t answered any of her texts or calls. Of course, she had only been trying to contact her personal number. She could always try calling her work phone. It was only meant to be used for emergencies or work-related matters, but she was getting desperate for answers. 

Scrolling through her phone, her thumb lingered over the number before pressing down. The ringing was somehow comforting and awful all at once. The sound continued until she finally reached her inbox. With a deep, melancholic sigh, Jean left her message and ended the call. 

With the day almost through, she decided to forgo dinner and turn in early. She wasn’t feeling hungry, anyway…

~

Three days. He’s kept her in that room for three days now and not much has changed. She was still being one stubborn bitch and it was beginning to distract him from his work. Even with no food or water, or sleep for that matter, she still wasn’t budging. 

Her phone vibrated on his desk, though he paid no mind to it. He concluded it was a work phone, so he wasn’t going to find anything useful for this situation. The buzzing stopped and a moment later, it gave off a ding ! 

His eyes drifted to the phone. A voicemail? 

…

At this point, why the fuck not? Loathe as he was to admit, he needed any advantage he could get his hands on. Using a claw, he tapped the phone’s screen before flicking it to his monitor. Grabbing his coffee mug, he proceeded to play the recorded message.

“ Hey, mom. It’s Jean .”

…!

Vox nearly choked mid-sip on his coffee. What in the ever-loving hell did he just hear?!

“ I know you’re probably busy, I heard you went on a business trip. I hope that’s going well, but I haven’t heard from you for so long. I’m starting to get really worried. Please call me back as soon as you get my message, OK? I love you. Bye .” 

The message ended and it was quiet once more aside from the humming of his monitors and the cool air blowing from the air conditioning system. The mug was set down and Vox grinned menacingly as he clasped his hands together.

Oh. Oh, the game has changed, and it looked like it was changing into his favor.

~~~

This was a pretty fun chapter to write. I meant to move the story along more, but the chapter is already long enough as it is. I feel like I was OK writing Vox and his character, but feel free to let me know if improvements can be made. I know that in the next chapter, we’ll be seeing Vox as the manipulative bastard that he is. I hope you guys are excited for it. I know I am.

@a-hazbin-reader

[sapphireravensworld]

I’m happy you’re excited 😂. Idk though with how fast you rebooted both chapters did you even read them????🤣🤣🤣

And don’t worry, chapter 3 is in the works as we speak. I hope these two can keep you occupied in the meantime. Believe me, it’ll be worth the wait.

The Soul is a Precious Thing

Being stuck at home didn't sound appealing in the slightest, so Jean decided to join her mother at her job. She was always eager to learn new things and Sawyer could use an extra pair of hands. It turns out to be more fun than expected.

I have to say, I feel good about getting two of these chapters up. It feels like it's something to occupy the mind until the third chapter comes out. And believe me, it's going to be interesting. This chapter is also lightly proofread, but may be up for revision one day.

One more thing: should you choose to read this on AO3, I also have my OC profiles listed as a story on my account. I can also post them on my page here if you want that as well. I will be posting the AO3 link.

Once again, Hazbin Hotel along with its characters and plot belong to Vivienne "Vivziepop" Medrano. My characters and plot belong to me! Alright, without further ado, chapter 2 starts now!

~

Chapter 2: Family Business

More days went by, and Jean’s recovery was successful. With a nice, long discussion, both agreed that life would continue on as if they had never been separated. At least for the time being.

“Well, this is it,” Sawyer waved to Jean to enter a storefront with her. “This is my shop.” 

Jean looked around in wonder. Her mother had told her about the business she started up, first utilizing any junk she could find, tinkering, repairing and repurposing it until it became popular among the other sinners. She was eventually able to start a business to create and repair appliances and other technology. 

This was the first time since she had found Jean coming here and so, she decided to show her. 

“Wow…” 

Her mother smiled, “I’m glad you’re amazed, but you haven’t even seen the actual workshop yet. That’s where the real magic happens.”

She gently grabbed her shoulder, nudging her through the store and towards the back. With the way Sawyer had spoken of it, Jean had many imaginings of what it looked like as she pulled the curtain open. As it turned out, it was so much more than that.

The first word that came to mind was:  messy. But of course, with as many projects as she had it was going to be pretty disorganized. 

“I have to say, I’m quite proud of this. It’s certainly nothing extravagant, but it's something I built myself. It’s almost like the diner all over again, isn’t it?”

That’s right, Jean reminisced. I remember mom was working at a diner when we had to move. Her boss, the owner, was such a sweet old guy. He ended up leaving her in charge of the diner. It made sense then that she would start a business of her own.

“Yeah. It really is.” 

Ding, ding!

Both turned at the sound of the ringing bell. It seems a customer had just arrived. Sawyer gestured for her to stay put as she went to welcome the potential customer. Maybe even a regular. 

“Sal, what a pleasant surprise.”

So it was someone she at least knew by name, Jean couldn’t help but think as she inched closer to the curtain. 

“Couldn’t help it, Sawyer. You’re always such a fucking delight, plus I caught wind that ya had to close up shop for a while. Saw you were back and wanted ta see for m’self.” 

She could detect sarcasm in his tone. Not hostile, but not necessarily friendly either. 

“So nice to see I’ve been missed. You here for your microwave, then?”

“Hell yeah, I am. You’re lucky you’re good at what ya do. Couldn’ even enjoy my leftovers these past few weeks.” 

Her mother laughed, “Don’t get your boxer briefs in a twist. Let me just fetch it from the back.” 

Jean backed away as her mother strode through the curtain, humming to herself as she ran a hand over the various appliances.She stopped at the mentioned microwave, a small tag attached that read ‘Sal’. She heaved it up and brought it back out to the front.

“There ya go. That’ll be the usual, please.” 

Jean took this time to look around at the rest of her workshop. Along with the parts and projects, There were also many manuals she assumed was used to aid her in her repairs.

“Sorry about that, honey. I wanted it to be just us today, but I guess I forgot to lock the door.” 

“Can I help?”

Sawyer blinked at her, “You…you want to help? Here in the shop?”

Jean nodded, “Yeah. I wanna help.” 

“I…I suppose we can find something for you.” 

~

And so, Jean began her apprenticeship. Each day she would join her mother in her workshop. If she wasn’t assisting her mother in repairing, she would be studying the manuals. They were fairly easy to come by since people just threw them away upon purchasing their new products. Fucking morons, Sawyer would mutter under her breath on the days in which they would go out scavenging for spare parts. 

It honestly wasn’t too different from what she saw her mother did when they were still alive. Having as little money as they did, they had to make their belongings last as long as possible. Rather than buy new stuff, Sawyer always found a way to make them work again. 

It was pretty fun working with her mother in the shop. At the very least, it was better than being alone and constantly cooped up in their home. Although having to interact with the customers that came through was a lot to adapt to. Most of them were as pleasant as it could be as far as sinners go, but others were far less pleasant. 

Whatever awful behavior they directed at her, however, was quickly shut down by Sawyer. That in itself had few possible outcomes. Some would shut their mouth and continue on in fear of her wrath. Some would take their business elsewhere, either muttering curses or whimpering under their breath. As for the rest who didn’t heed her warnings, the storefront windows would glow from the bright flashes inside before said sinner was thrown through the door. With how badly burnt and smoking their bodies were, it would be in their best interest to never return. 

As the months went by, Jean became more accustomed to the interactions. She knew the regulars by name and most were even quite friendly with her. 

“Here. Your first project.” 

A cardboard box was, one day, placed in front of her. Jean furrowed her brow, “What exactly is this supposed to be?”

“A blender. A customer just came in complaining about it dying on him. I want you to have a look at it and fix it. It seems simple enough for your first job.” 

“Um…okay. I guess I’ll…get to it then,” Jean, still unsure, scooped the box into her arms. Just as she was moving to one of the workbenches, the familiar ringing of the bell drew Sawyer’s attention. 

“Go ahead and get started while I take care of this.” 

“Okay.” 

Sawyer moved through the curtain and up to the front counter. Said customer seemed to be one of the more unsavory sort, but nothing she couldn’t handle. 

“Welcome, what can I do for you today?”

He gave her a suave sleazy grin, “Yeah, there is something. Word on the street is you're the one to go to when I need somethin’ fixed. Is that right?”

Sporting a strained smile, Sawyer was already done with this guy, “Right enough for it to become a rumor, apparently. Are you in need of my services?”

“You could say that. Why don’cha close up shop for a bit and we can take this to the back so I can show ya what kind of job I need done.” 

Yup, she fucking knew it. There was no shortage of degenerate perverts in Hell, but it wasn’t often that they dared be so bold in her store. Considering the reputation she had built up around these parts, this guy was either freshly dead, a masochist, or just plain stupid. 

“Sir, I’m afraid you’re a bit lost. I think you’d have better luck in the Entertainment District for the kind of job you’re in need of.” 

She always felt it only fair that she allowed those who behaved like this to correct themselves. The passive aggressive undertones are usually all she needed. This guy, however, seemed to be the stubborn type. Or the dense type. Maybe both.

“Don’t be like that, sweetheart. Whatever these fuckers are payin’ ya to fix their shit or whatever, I can pay double. Triple depending on how far you’re willing to go.”

God, did she just want to deck this guy. Even in death, she had to deal with the worst of the worst. Then again, this was Hell. It’s meant to be a punishment.

“I’m afraid I’m not for sale. As I suggested, you should take your business down to the Entertainment District.”

“Is that right?” his eyes drifted to the curtain leading to the back. “How about your little helper? She sure sounded cute. How much do ya want for just a bit of her time?”

Her yellow eyes shimmered, sparks starting to shoot from the ends of her hair as well as the tips of her fingers, 

“Your money's no good here. Get out. I won’t say it again.”

“You know what? Why am I askin’ you? I should just ask’er myself. You don’t mind, right?”

Then the fucker had the absolute audacity to not only ignore her order, but to bypass the counter and try and enter her workshop. Not only without permission, but with the intention of propositioning something so disgusting to HER CHILD. 

Her hand snatched his wrist in an instant, throwing him back while still keeping her grip firm. She didn’t care for resorting to this, and she certainly didn't want her daughter to see this side of her, but it seemed to be the only way these…people seem to learn. The only thing she hoped was Jean was far enough in the back that she wouldn’t hear it. Or anything prior to that for that matter.

“Fuck’s wrong with you, bitch?!” The sinner tried yanking his arm away, only serving to make Sawyer sink her claws deeper and draw blood. 

He started to feel a tingling sensation as the sparks seemed to grow. Said feeling started traveling throughout the rest of his body. His defiant glare was quickly devolving into one of fear as the shop owner began to change.

Her hair flared out as the electricity spread throughout her body. She gritted her teeth and hissed, her eyes fully golden and glowing, 

“ You are what’s wrong, but not for much longer .” 

~

Jean bit her lip as she looked over the blender. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it on the outside, so she would need to take it apart to find the source of the problem. She’ll need the toolbox for this, it seems.

The lights started to flicker, going between dim and bright before there was a loud boom. It startled her out of her seat and onto the floor. It almost sounded like thunder. The lights then returned to their normal, consistent glow. 

“Mama? Mama, what happened?!” 

Barely a second later, Sawyer entered the workshop. She wore a satisfied grin as she used a towel, wiping any trace of blood from her hands. 

“Nothing to worry about, sweetie. Just an unruly customer, but I handled it. Now, let’s have a look at that blender.” 

Meanwhile, outside the store…

Sinners gathered around after hearing the commotion. A lot were wide-eyed in confusion and fear, but most of them were unsurprised considering where the body had come flying out of. He was charred and burnt beyond recognition, still twitching every now and then. 

~

“And...I think that should do it.”

Jean felt quite satisfied with herself at the final result of her assigned project. The issue, from what she could tell, was a burnt out motor. It had taken her about two weeks as it turned out to be more difficult than she first thought.

“I see. Shall we test it, then?” 

She nodded eagerly as she brought out the ice cream and milk. She had been craving a milkshake for the longest time since arriving in Hell. With the proper amount of each, the top was sealed with the lid and she switched the power on with great anticipation.

The blender whirred to life, the motor sounding loud but smooth as it continued spinning. Jean bounced in glee, her eyes shining in pride at her work. Sawyer nodded with a pleased smile,

“Not bad at all. Replacing a motor is a fairly complex task. I would say at this rate, you’ll be moving onto the big things in no time at all.” 

“Uh-huh,” Jean nodded absentmindedly as she switched the device off. She detached the pitcher and brought it close, fully determined to drink straight from it.

Her mother frowned, her hand grabbing Jean’s just as she was about to remove the lid, “Remember, this isn’t our blender. Besides, I taught you better than that. Go and grab a cup for it.” 

Jean gulped, smiling awkwardly, “Sorry, mom. I’ll do that. It’s too bad we don’t have any french fries. French fries and milkshakes are the best together.” 

Sawyer watched as her child scampered off with her treat. Her smile returned and she sighed in contentment. As bad as Hell was, if most days could be just like this, she could imagine actually enjoying the rest of her afterlife here. 

~

Luck, surprisingly enough, was on Sawyer’s side in that regard. For many years, the two worked together in that shop. Most of the days were spent in the workshop, whether it be for their own appliances or others for their profit. As it turned out, they had more money for themselves since, thanks to Sawyer, they didn’t have to worry about an electric bill. 

There were days where they would have a day out together. They could be shopping, going to the movies, or even visiting some of the restaurants. It was a pleasant surprise to find there were places in Pentagram City that didn’t involve sex, violence, or drugs. 

As accustomed to Hell as Jean had become, she was still wary about being out and about on her own. Sawyer understood her fear. Her child, unfortunately, had the appearance of someone who was such an easy target. One could argue that she looked so meek that she wouldn’t even be worth the effort. That was a chance neither were willing to take. 

Along with that, Sawyer had to begrudgingly admit:  Jean was a terrible navigator. For all her life, it seemed that she just didn’t have a sense of direction. For the love of God, she once got lost in a jungle gym! It did get better as she aged, but not by much. 

Fortunately, that wouldn’t be a problem as they were entering a new age of technology and with that, a new device:  hellphones. Everyone had one and they were no exception. Sawyer had to admit, it was quite a useful device, especially if they were ever separated from each other. Not that she’d allow that to happen.

“Hey, mom,” Jean piped up one day while the two enjoyed dinner. Her mother hummed in acknowledgement, and so she continued, “I was just thinking. Everyone’s been using these hellphones for a while now. I’ve been hearing a lot about how the prices to fix them up are outrageously high. I even checked and they’re right. They really are!

So, I was thinking that since we’ve been working with the computers, we have the tools we need. We could offer hellphone repair services. We can even just do the troubleshooting and not charge much to make it more appealing. What do you think?”

“Hmm. Not a bad idea. The business has been running a bit slow lately. It could be an opportunity to move forward with the times. It’s important for the business to be able to adapt if we want to stay afloat. Let’s see what we can do tomorrow.” 

And so they did. Countless hours were spent learning about the inner workings of the hellphones, even as they became more advanced. Everything from the hardware to the softwear. After all, they had all of eternity to learn, so why not?

It was a rough start, but word started spreading and the customer circulation started picking up. Sinners came from all around for hellphone repair, so much so that they didn’t even consider the shop a place for appliance repair anymore. It was even to the point where Sawyer needed to hire a few extra hands, mainly to deal with the inventory and maintenance of the shop.

“Welcome, what can we do for you today?” Jean greeted with a smile. 

“Yeah, hey. I heard you guys do hellphone repairs. Mine keeps freezing on me no matter what I do. Could you take a look at it?”

“Sure thing. Let’s have a look.”

The phone was placed in her hand and she gave it a once-over, “Ooh. Fancy. I’ve never seen this kind of phone before.”

“Really? They’re the hottest thing right now. I see them everywhere I go.” 

“Well, it’s really nice. I especially like the design on it.” 

The advanced piece of technology was lightweight and sleek. She could even make out her own reflection and still able to make out what she assumed was the maker’s logo.

The red circles that surrounded a large cyan V. 

The next day…

“That should do it. Be careful not to drop it in the toilet again. Maybe get a case for it, too,” Jean explained as she came from the back with said device. “Anyway, that will be $50, please.” 

“Shit, are you serious?! That’s cheap as fuck! I’d be paying, like, triple the amount if I went were I got it.” 

Profanities aside, the sinner had a large grin as he handed her the cash before grabbing the phone. 

“Eh, it wasn’t that hard of a repair. It’s a good thing you fished it out when you did, and even better that the toilet was just cleaned. Feel free to drop by if you need anything else.” 

“You can count on that!” 

Upon leaving the shop, said sinner got to work, typing vigorously away on his Vphone’s keyboard.

“ 5 stars all the way. Fixed up my Vphone as good as new after dropping it in the toilet. Had to wait longer, but the money I saved made it fucking worth it. The cashier was pretty cute, too. Would definitely smash. Anyway, if you got a Vphone in need of fixing on the cheap, this is the place to go.”

~

After that review went out, it was as if a switch was flipped. More and more people showed up almost overnight requesting service for their phones. It didn’t even stop at the phones:  soon they brought in tablets, laptops, and desktops. Strangely enough, the one thing they all had in common was they all had that same ‘V’ logo. 

That’s how it was for months on end. There were slow times every now and then, but the sheer number of sinners bringing in these particular devices. was enough to provide a profit for them alone. 

“It’s crazy how much the business is booming ever since we started servicing hellphones, huh?”

“I have to admit, I didn’t think people cared so much about these electronics,” Sawyer commented, locking up the shop for the day. Both mother and daughter made their way down the street, on their way home. “A lot of them come in with the most frivolous problems that they could have fixed themselves had they not discarded their manuals. Idiots, the lot of them.” 

“Yeah…”

Jean had to admit, it did get on her nerves, too. Then again, both did decide to take on this endeavor, so of course they are more knowledgeable on it than the average sinner. 

“Still, all of this is thanks to you,” Jean laughed as her mother ruffled her hair, pulling her into a side hug. “This was your idea, after all. I’m glad you talked me into it.” 

~

In a different part of Pentagram City, there stood a large tower in the Entertainment District. Or as many normally called it, the Vee District, named after the powerful Overlords who ruled it. The district was their kingdom and that tower, their castle. 

The tower, dubbed the Vee Tower, was bustling with activity. All of their workers diligently accomplishing their tasks. While most of the tower was busy, it was mostly calm, all except for one room.

In a conference room, most of those inside were tense and silent. In fact, the only noise that could be heard was the crackling of sparks and the tapping of claws against the polished wood at the head of the table. Their boss was in quite a foul mood, and they knew it was in their best interest to not speak until spoken to.

Their boss, Vox of VoxTek Enterprises, stared each and every one of them down. While it normally did feel nice to know they knew who was in control, he was in no mood this time. His claws stopped their tapping, now digging into the wood as he finally spoke,

“I’ve called you all here because I want answers. It’s the end of the quarter and here I am seeing a net loss, specifically in our IT repair and maintenance. Ê̶͜x̶̗̫̀p̵̗̽ͅl̴̺̈́ạ̶̈i̶̫̳͠n̴͕͊̆,̷̜́ ̶͈͆͆n̷̩̓̆ö̵̗́͊w̵̨͛ͅ.” 

They began to sweat at his glitching voice. Still, they did their best to obey his order.

“W-well, Mr. Vox, sir, at first, we thought it was just a slow period. Just the products running smoothly and not in need of maintenance; however, we found it was a significant decrease compared to past quarters. It’s…abnormal.” 

“No shit, it’s abnormal. I asked for answers, not for you to tell me what I already fucking know! Do you have it or not?!”

A shaky clearing of the throat brought Vox’s gaze to one of his employees, “Well, s-sir. I believe I do.” 

He narrowed his glowing red eyes, “Well? Out with it.” 

“A-as I was saying, “I thought it was abnormal as well, but everything was running as it should, so I decided to do some snooping outside of VoxTek and I found these.”

He pushed a manilla folder across the table where his boss’s claws latched onto, dragging it closer to him,

“And what, exactly, am I looking at?”

“These are ratings and reviews of a little shop in the inner city. Apparently, they’re supposed to be a repair shop that expanded their services to electronics such as ours. I even highlighted the ones specifically mentioning VoxTek products. It seems they’ve provided exceptional service at a fraction of what we charge.”

Vox’s claws clenched into the table, dragging them as his other hand held the papers. So, some little nobody thought they could move in and steal business away from him and get away with it?! This wouldn’t do.

“What else?”

“I managed to get an address and even the owner’s name. A fellow named Sawyer, it seems.”

“I see. Well then, I guess I’ll have to have this Sawyer brought in for a friendly little chat.” 

~

I really liked that I found a cursed text generator for this. It feels good to have something that adds to the more demonic moments. As you can see, I used it for Vox when he’s glitching. He will be using his hypnotic powers in the next chapter, so here is how I’m going to make it easy to tell the difference. The context should make it obvious enough, but this is just in case.

T̸̞̓͛h̷̟̑i̷͓͂̏s̴̨͈͂͆ is when he is glitching. T̸̞̓͛h̷̟̑i̷͓͂̏s̴̨͈͂͆ is when he’s using his hypnotic power. So basically, the former is in bold, and the latter is in bold and italics.

@a-hazbin-reader

[sapphireravensworld]

The Soul is a Precious Thing II

Being stuck at home didn't sound appealing in the slightest, so Jean decided to join her mother at her job. She was always eager to learn new things and Sawyer could use an extra pair of hands. It turns out to be more fun than expected.

I have to say, I feel good about getting two of these chapters up. It feels like it's something to occupy the mind until the third chapter comes out. And believe me, it's going to be interesting. This chapter is also lightly proofread, but may be up for revision one day.

One more thing: should you choose to read this on AO3, I also have my OC profiles listed as a story on my account. I can also post them on my page here if you want that as well. I will be posting the AO3 link.

Once again, Hazbin Hotel along with its characters and plot belong to Vivienne "Vivziepop" Medrano. My characters and plot belong to me! Alright, without further ado, chapter 2 starts now!

~

Chapter 2: Family Business

More days went by, and Jean’s recovery was successful. With a nice, long discussion, both agreed that life would continue on as if they had never been separated. At least for the time being.

“Well, this is it,” Sawyer waved to Jean to enter a storefront with her. “This is my shop.” 

Jean looked around in wonder. Her mother had told her about the business she started up, first utilizing any junk she could find, tinkering, repairing and repurposing it until it became popular among the other sinners. She was eventually able to start a business to create and repair appliances and other technology. 

This was the first time since she had found Jean coming here and so, she decided to show her. 

“Wow…” 

Her mother smiled, “I’m glad you’re amazed, but you haven’t even seen the actual workshop yet. That’s where the real magic happens.”

She gently grabbed her shoulder, nudging her through the store and towards the back. With the way Sawyer had spoken of it, Jean had many imaginings of what it looked like as she pulled the curtain open. As it turned out, it was so much more than that.

The first word that came to mind was:  messy. But of course, with as many projects as she had it was going to be pretty disorganized. 

“I have to say, I’m quite proud of this. It’s certainly nothing extravagant, but it's something I built myself. It’s almost like the diner all over again, isn’t it?”

That’s right, Jean reminisced. I remember mom was working at a diner when we had to move. Her boss, the owner, was such a sweet old guy. He ended up leaving her in charge of the diner. It made sense then that she would start a business of her own.

“Yeah. It really is.” 

Ding, ding!

Both turned at the sound of the ringing bell. It seems a customer had just arrived. Sawyer gestured for her to stay put as she went to welcome the potential customer. Maybe even a regular. 

“Sal, what a pleasant surprise.”

So it was someone she at least knew by name, Jean couldn’t help but think as she inched closer to the curtain. 

“Couldn’t help it, Sawyer. You’re always such a fucking delight, plus I caught wind that ya had to close up shop for a while. Saw you were back and wanted ta see for m’self.” 

She could detect sarcasm in his tone. Not hostile, but not necessarily friendly either. 

“So nice to see I’ve been missed. You here for your microwave, then?”

“Hell yeah, I am. You’re lucky you’re good at what ya do. Couldn’ even enjoy my leftovers these past few weeks.” 

Her mother laughed, “Don’t get your boxer briefs in a twist. Let me just fetch it from the back.” 

Jean backed away as her mother strode through the curtain, humming to herself as she ran a hand over the various appliances.She stopped at the mentioned microwave, a small tag attached that read ‘Sal’. She heaved it up and brought it back out to the front.

“There ya go. That’ll be the usual, please.” 

Jean took this time to look around at the rest of her workshop. Along with the parts and projects, There were also many manuals she assumed was used to aid her in her repairs.

“Sorry about that, honey. I wanted it to be just us today, but I guess I forgot to lock the door.” 

“Can I help?”

Sawyer blinked at her, “You…you want to help? Here in the shop?”

Jean nodded, “Yeah. I wanna help.” 

“I…I suppose we can find something for you.” 

~

And so, Jean began her apprenticeship. Each day she would join her mother in her workshop. If she wasn’t assisting her mother in repairing, she would be studying the manuals. They were fairly easy to come by since people just threw them away upon purchasing their new products. Fucking morons, Sawyer would mutter under her breath on the days in which they would go out scavenging for spare parts. 

It honestly wasn’t too different from what she saw her mother did when they were still alive. Having as little money as they did, they had to make their belongings last as long as possible. Rather than buy new stuff, Sawyer always found a way to make them work again. 

It was pretty fun working with her mother in the shop. At the very least, it was better than being alone and constantly cooped up in their home. Although having to interact with the customers that came through was a lot to adapt to. Most of them were as pleasant as it could be as far as sinners go, but others were far less pleasant. 

Whatever awful behavior they directed at her, however, was quickly shut down by Sawyer. That in itself had few possible outcomes. Some would shut their mouth and continue on in fear of her wrath. Some would take their business elsewhere, either muttering curses or whimpering under their breath. As for the rest who didn’t heed her warnings, the storefront windows would glow from the bright flashes inside before said sinner was thrown through the door. With how badly burnt and smoking their bodies were, it would be in their best interest to never return. 

As the months went by, Jean became more accustomed to the interactions. She knew the regulars by name and most were even quite friendly with her. 

“Here. Your first project.” 

A cardboard box was, one day, placed in front of her. Jean furrowed her brow, “What exactly is this supposed to be?”

“A blender. A customer just came in complaining about it dying on him. I want you to have a look at it and fix it. It seems simple enough for your first job.” 

“Um…okay. I guess I’ll…get to it then,” Jean, still unsure, scooped the box into her arms. Just as she was moving to one of the workbenches, the familiar ringing of the bell drew Sawyer’s attention. 

“Go ahead and get started while I take care of this.” 

“Okay.” 

Sawyer moved through the curtain and up to the front counter. Said customer seemed to be one of the more unsavory sort, but nothing she couldn’t handle. 

“Welcome, what can I do for you today?”

He gave her a suave sleazy grin, “Yeah, there is something. Word on the street is you're the one to go to when I need somethin’ fixed. Is that right?”

Sporting a strained smile, Sawyer was already done with this guy, “Right enough for it to become a rumor, apparently. Are you in need of my services?”

“You could say that. Why don’cha close up shop for a bit and we can take this to the back so I can show ya what kind of job I need done.” 

Yup, she fucking knew it. There was no shortage of degenerate perverts in Hell, but it wasn’t often that they dared be so bold in her store. Considering the reputation she had built up around these parts, this guy was either freshly dead, a masochist, or just plain stupid. 

“Sir, I’m afraid you’re a bit lost. I think you’d have better luck in the Entertainment District for the kind of job you’re in need of.” 

She always felt it only fair that she allowed those who behaved like this to correct themselves. The passive aggressive undertones are usually all she needed. This guy, however, seemed to be the stubborn type. Or the dense type. Maybe both.

“Don’t be like that, sweetheart. Whatever these fuckers are payin’ ya to fix their shit or whatever, I can pay double. Triple depending on how far you’re willing to go.”

God, did she just want to deck this guy. Even in death, she had to deal with the worst of the worst. Then again, this was Hell. It’s meant to be a punishment.

“I’m afraid I’m not for sale. As I suggested, you should take your business down to the Entertainment District.”

“Is that right?” his eyes drifted to the curtain leading to the back. “How about your little helper? She sure sounded cute. How much do ya want for just a bit of her time?”

Her yellow eyes shimmered, sparks starting to shoot from the ends of her hair as well as the tips of her fingers, 

“Your money's no good here. Get out. I won’t say it again.”

“You know what? Why am I askin’ you? I should just ask’er myself. You don’t mind, right?”

Then the fucker had the absolute audacity to not only ignore her order, but to bypass the counter and try and enter her workshop. Not only without permission, but with the intention of propositioning something so disgusting to HER CHILD. 

Her hand snatched his wrist in an instant, throwing him back while still keeping her grip firm. She didn’t care for resorting to this, and she certainly didn't want her daughter to see this side of her, but it seemed to be the only way these…people seem to learn. The only thing she hoped was Jean was far enough in the back that she wouldn’t hear it. Or anything prior to that for that matter.

“Fuck’s wrong with you, bitch?!” The sinner tried yanking his arm away, only serving to make Sawyer sink her claws deeper and draw blood. 

He started to feel a tingling sensation as the sparks seemed to grow. Said feeling started traveling throughout the rest of his body. His defiant glare was quickly devolving into one of fear as the shop owner began to change.

Her hair flared out as the electricity spread throughout her body. She gritted her teeth and hissed, her eyes fully golden and glowing, 

“ You are what’s wrong, but not for much longer .” 

~

Jean bit her lip as she looked over the blender. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it on the outside, so she would need to take it apart to find the source of the problem. She’ll need the toolbox for this, it seems.

The lights started to flicker, going between dim and bright before there was a loud boom. It startled her out of her seat and onto the floor. It almost sounded like thunder. The lights then returned to their normal, consistent glow. 

“Mama? Mama, what happened?!” 

Barely a second later, Sawyer entered the workshop. She wore a satisfied grin as she used a towel, wiping any trace of blood from her hands. 

“Nothing to worry about, sweetie. Just an unruly customer, but I handled it. Now, let’s have a look at that blender.” 

Meanwhile, outside the store…

Sinners gathered around after hearing the commotion. A lot were wide-eyed in confusion and fear, but most of them were unsurprised considering where the body had come flying out of. He was charred and burnt beyond recognition, still twitching every now and then. 

~

“And...I think that should do it.”

Jean felt quite satisfied with herself at the final result of her assigned project. The issue, from what she could tell, was a burnt out motor. It had taken her about two weeks as it turned out to be more difficult than she first thought.

“I see. Shall we test it, then?” 

She nodded eagerly as she brought out the ice cream and milk. She had been craving a milkshake for the longest time since arriving in Hell. With the proper amount of each, the top was sealed with the lid and she switched the power on with great anticipation.

The blender whirred to life, the motor sounding loud but smooth as it continued spinning. Jean bounced in glee, her eyes shining in pride at her work. Sawyer nodded with a pleased smile,

“Not bad at all. Replacing a motor is a fairly complex task. I would say at this rate, you’ll be moving onto the big things in no time at all.” 

“Uh-huh,” Jean nodded absentmindedly as she switched the device off. She detached the pitcher and brought it close, fully determined to drink straight from it.

Her mother frowned, her hand grabbing Jean’s just as she was about to remove the lid, “Remember, this isn’t our blender. Besides, I taught you better than that. Go and grab a cup for it.” 

Jean gulped, smiling awkwardly, “Sorry, mom. I’ll do that. It’s too bad we don’t have any french fries. French fries and milkshakes are the best together.” 

Sawyer watched as her child scampered off with her treat. Her smile returned and she sighed in contentment. As bad as Hell was, if most days could be just like this, she could imagine actually enjoying the rest of her afterlife here. 

~

Luck, surprisingly enough, was on Sawyer’s side in that regard. For many years, the two worked together in that shop. Most of the days were spent in the workshop, whether it be for their own appliances or others for their profit. As it turned out, they had more money for themselves since, thanks to Sawyer, they didn’t have to worry about an electric bill. 

There were days where they would have a day out together. They could be shopping, going to the movies, or even visiting some of the restaurants. It was a pleasant surprise to find there were places in Pentagram City that didn’t involve sex, violence, or drugs. 

As accustomed to Hell as Jean had become, she was still wary about being out and about on her own. Sawyer understood her fear. Her child, unfortunately, had the appearance of someone who was such an easy target. One could argue that she looked so meek that she wouldn’t even be worth the effort. That was a chance neither were willing to take. 

Along with that, Sawyer had to begrudgingly admit:  Jean was a terrible navigator. For all her life, it seemed that she just didn’t have a sense of direction. For the love of God, she once got lost in a jungle gym! It did get better as she aged, but not by much. 

Fortunately, that wouldn’t be a problem as they were entering a new age of technology and with that, a new device:  hellphones. Everyone had one and they were no exception. Sawyer had to admit, it was quite a useful device, especially if they were ever separated from each other. Not that she’d allow that to happen.

“Hey, mom,” Jean piped up one day while the two enjoyed dinner. Her mother hummed in acknowledgement, and so she continued, “I was just thinking. Everyone’s been using these hellphones for a while now. I’ve been hearing a lot about how the prices to fix them up are outrageously high. I even checked and they’re right. They really are!

So, I was thinking that since we’ve been working with the computers, we have the tools we need. We could offer hellphone repair services. We can even just do the troubleshooting and not charge much to make it more appealing. What do you think?”

“Hmm. Not a bad idea. The business has been running a bit slow lately. It could be an opportunity to move forward with the times. It’s important for the business to be able to adapt if we want to stay afloat. Let’s see what we can do tomorrow.” 

And so they did. Countless hours were spent learning about the inner workings of the hellphones, even as they became more advanced. Everything from the hardware to the softwear. After all, they had all of eternity to learn, so why not?

It was a rough start, but word started spreading and the customer circulation started picking up. Sinners came from all around for hellphone repair, so much so that they didn’t even consider the shop a place for appliance repair anymore. It was even to the point where Sawyer needed to hire a few extra hands, mainly to deal with the inventory and maintenance of the shop.

“Welcome, what can we do for you today?” Jean greeted with a smile. 

“Yeah, hey. I heard you guys do hellphone repairs. Mine keeps freezing on me no matter what I do. Could you take a look at it?”

“Sure thing. Let’s have a look.”

The phone was placed in her hand and she gave it a once-over, “Ooh. Fancy. I’ve never seen this kind of phone before.”

“Really? They’re the hottest thing right now. I see them everywhere I go.” 

“Well, it’s really nice. I especially like the design on it.” 

The advanced piece of technology was lightweight and sleek. She could even make out her own reflection and still able to make out what she assumed was the maker’s logo.

The red circles that surrounded a large cyan V. 

The next day…

“That should do it. Be careful not to drop it in the toilet again. Maybe get a case for it, too,” Jean explained as she came from the back with said device. “Anyway, that will be $50, please.” 

“Shit, are you serious?! That’s cheap as fuck! I’d be paying, like, triple the amount if I went were I got it.” 

Profanities aside, the sinner had a large grin as he handed her the cash before grabbing the phone. 

“Eh, it wasn’t that hard of a repair. It’s a good thing you fished it out when you did, and even better that the toilet was just cleaned. Feel free to drop by if you need anything else.” 

“You can count on that!” 

Upon leaving the shop, said sinner got to work, typing vigorously away on his Vphone’s keyboard.

“ 5 stars all the way. Fixed up my Vphone as good as new after dropping it in the toilet. Had to wait longer, but the money I saved made it fucking worth it. The cashier was pretty cute, too. Would definitely smash. Anyway, if you got a Vphone in need of fixing on the cheap, this is the place to go.”

~

After that review went out, it was as if a switch was flipped. More and more people showed up almost overnight requesting service for their phones. It didn’t even stop at the phones:  soon they brought in tablets, laptops, and desktops. Strangely enough, the one thing they all had in common was they all had that same ‘V’ logo. 

That’s how it was for months on end. There were slow times every now and then, but the sheer number of sinners bringing in these particular devices. was enough to provide a profit for them alone. 

“It’s crazy how much the business is booming ever since we started servicing hellphones, huh?”

“I have to admit, I didn’t think people cared so much about these electronics,” Sawyer commented, locking up the shop for the day. Both mother and daughter made their way down the street, on their way home. “A lot of them come in with the most frivolous problems that they could have fixed themselves had they not discarded their manuals. Idiots, the lot of them.” 

“Yeah…”

Jean had to admit, it did get on her nerves, too. Then again, both did decide to take on this endeavor, so of course they are more knowledgeable on it than the average sinner. 

“Still, all of this is thanks to you,” Jean laughed as her mother ruffled her hair, pulling her into a side hug. “This was your idea, after all. I’m glad you talked me into it.” 

~

In a different part of Pentagram City, there stood a large tower in the Entertainment District. Or as many normally called it, the Vee District, named after the powerful Overlords who ruled it. The district was their kingdom and that tower, their castle. 

The tower, dubbed the Vee Tower, was bustling with activity. All of their workers diligently accomplishing their tasks. While most of the tower was busy, it was mostly calm, all except for one room.

In a conference room, most of those inside were tense and silent. In fact, the only noise that could be heard was the crackling of sparks and the tapping of claws against the polished wood at the head of the table. Their boss was in quite a foul mood, and they knew it was in their best interest to not speak until spoken to.

Their boss, Vox of VoxTek Enterprises, stared each and every one of them down. While it normally did feel nice to know they knew who was in control, he was in no mood this time. His claws stopped their tapping, now digging into the wood as he finally spoke,

“I’ve called you all here because I want answers. It’s the end of the quarter and here I am seeing a net loss, specifically in our IT repair and maintenance. Ê̶͜x̶̗̫̀p̵̗̽ͅl̴̺̈́ạ̶̈i̶̫̳͠n̴͕͊̆,̷̜́ ̶͈͆͆n̷̩̓̆ö̵̗́͊w̵̨͛ͅ.” 

They began to sweat at his glitching voice. Still, they did their best to obey his order.

“W-well, Mr. Vox, sir, at first, we thought it was just a slow period. Just the products running smoothly and not in need of maintenance; however, we found it was a significant decrease compared to past quarters. It’s…abnormal.” 

“No shit, it’s abnormal. I asked for answers, not for you to tell me what I already fucking know! Do you have it or not?!”

A shaky clearing of the throat brought Vox’s gaze to one of his employees, “Well, s-sir. I believe I do.” 

He narrowed his glowing red eyes, “Well? Out with it.” 

“A-as I was saying, “I thought it was abnormal as well, but everything was running as it should, so I decided to do some snooping outside of VoxTek and I found these.”

He pushed a manilla folder across the table where his boss’s claws latched onto, dragging it closer to him,

“And what, exactly, am I looking at?”

“These are ratings and reviews of a little shop in the inner city. Apparently, they’re supposed to be a repair shop that expanded their services to electronics such as ours. I even highlighted the ones specifically mentioning VoxTek products. It seems they’ve provided exceptional service at a fraction of what we charge.”

Vox’s claws clenched into the table, dragging them as his other hand held the papers. So, some little nobody thought they could move in and steal business away from him and get away with it?! This wouldn’t do.

“What else?”

“I managed to get an address and even the owner’s name. A fellow named Sawyer, it seems.”

“I see. Well then, I guess I’ll have to have this Sawyer brought in for a friendly little chat.” 

~

I really liked that I found a cursed text generator for this. It feels good to have something that adds to the more demonic moments. As you can see, I used it for Vox when he’s glitching. He will be using his hypnotic powers in the next chapter, so here is how I’m going to make it easy to tell the difference. The context should make it obvious enough, but this is just in case.

T̸̞̓͛h̷̟̑i̷͓͂̏s̴̨͈͂͆ is when he is glitching. T̸̞̓͛h̷̟̑i̷͓͂̏s̴̨͈͂͆ is when he’s using his hypnotic power. So basically, the former is in bold, and the latter is in bold and italics.

@a-hazbin-reader

[sapphireravensworld]

The Soul is a Precious Thing I

When you're in Hell, it can be difficult to make a peaceful life for yourself. While it's the farthest thing from peaceful, Jean and her mother, Sawyer, managed to find some semblance of normalcy. Nothing lasts forever, though, and the mother and child find themselves torn apart by the powerful Overlords known as the Vees. Barely an adult herself, Jean struggles to find her way to make a life for herself. Turns out, Hell can be pretty damn scary when you're all on your own.

Set before the events of Hazbin Hotel. Meant to be a prologue before the main plot.

Hazbin Hotel, its characters and plot belong to Vivienne "Vivziepop" Medrano. My characters and plot belong to me. I hope you enjoy!

~~~

Chapter 1: A Story of Scars

TW: mentions of self-harm, suicide, and attempted sexual assault. Nothing explicit, but it was only fair to warn any readers sensitive to these subjects.

~

She could remember seeing white at first. All white-no. There was red, too. So much red, but not nearly as much as there was white. That much, she was certain. It was cold, very cold. As weak as she was, she was more than certain she felt chilled to the bone. Was it the cold that was making her so weak?

…No, not quite. The warmth being sapped from her body was only part of it. She didn’t know how she knew, but she just did. She could just feel herself becoming weaker, unable to even muster the will to keep her eyes open. 

The white and red were fading away into blackness. Perhaps once the colors disappeared completely, so too would the rest of her remaining strength. 

Strangely, it didn’t. It almost felt as if she had regained all of her lost energy in an instant. So she opened her eyes again. There was no more white nor black, but there was plenty of red. 

A gasp was torn from Jean’s throat as her eyes flashed open, darting around her new surroundings. Her other senses seemed to register much faster than her sight as she pushed herself up to her knees. The sounds of gunfire, sirens, and screams. The stench of fire and brimstone. The feeling of broken concrete under her fingers. She could even taste smoke and sulfur, making her gag and cough. 

Then she saw red everywhere:  on the buildings, in the sky, it was practically everywhere. As of now, she seemed to be in the middle of a dark alley. So red-

…!

Memories before she awoke began surfacing and she brought her arms out to confirm it. Except, rather than finding answers, all she found were more questions. One thing was confirmed:  on both of her forearms, two long white scars were drawn. A haunting reminder of what she had just done to herself, though the scars were not what were disturbing her most at the moment.

Those white scars were plastered on pale blue skin where her forearms were practically swollen with how large they had become. She spent a good few moments just gaping in horror at her arms, her breathing becoming unsteady and loud. 

SMASH !

Jean yelped and scrambled away from the spray of strong-smelling alcohol and the shattered glass it came from. She didn’t bother to investigate where it came from as a hostile voice shrieked,

“SHUT THE FUCK UP BEFORE I MAKE YOU, BITCH!” 

The girl didn’t bother sticking around to see if the voice’s owner would make good on that threat. She bolted to the alley’s exit, now fully aware of how light her clothing was against her body. That’s right, she was wearing pajamas last she remembered. Perhaps that would explain why she still felt so cold. 

Jean rounded the corner of the building, pressing her back against the brick wall as she caught her breath. Her eyes were still wide, adapting quickly to the brightness upon exiting the dark alley. It was still all red, but now just a bright red. And everything was in chaos. 

A myriad of strange looking creatures were all over the place, fighting and running, robbing and rioting. If anything wasn’t on fire, then it was either broken, dirty, or covered in blood. She pushed herself into the brick to distance herself from the strange things barrelling down the sidewalk. 

She slowly began to move, keeping as far from the center as possible. That was, of course, until she caught a glimpse of her reflection in a shop window. Her skin really did take on an icy blue, almost white tone. Even her hair and eyes were different. What were once black locks she was raking her fingers through were now that of a deep blue with white ends. 

And as for eyes, she imagined it wouldn’t have mattered all that much. She remembered having bright blue eyes before things went black, Now, her sclera was blue with white irises. No matter the color, they would have been filled with terror and tears. 

Gazing back over her shoulder, she looked over the “creatures” around her. Were…were these things people, too? 

~

It had been a few weeks since Jean had entered this waking nightmare that seemed to have no end. Any time she had tried to ask for help of any kind, she was met with many different responses. None of them were friendly. 

She never stayed in one place for very long being too afraid to do so. A wandering soul, she was, desperate for any form of stability. Of safety. Of comfort. She had found none so far.

Jean quietly sniffled to herself, shivering as she held herself to keep warm. Many had given her strange looks, seeing as plenty were seen wearing far less clothing while having no issue with being cold. She did her best to ignore the stares and keep to herself. She found that keeping her head down and staying quiet was the only way she knew to not cause trouble.

At least until it wasn’t. 

The shivering girl jumped with a yelp at the sound of slamming. She frantically looked around, only to furrow her brow when it wasn’t coming from just one place. Everyone seemed to be scrambling for cover, slamming doors and windows shut. They all looked on edge, even full-on afraid, but of what? The entire street was deserted at this point. 

Actually, the silence felt much heavier and overwhelming than the sounds of daily carnage and chaos ever did. As did the emptiness of the surrounding area, all devoid of life. As hard as she strained her ears, Jean struggled to hear anything even from a distance. It was as if the population of the whole city had simply vanished. 

Suddenly, the silence was erased at the bellowing of a siren. This wasn’t like the normal sirens she heard on the daily. There was something foreboding about it, as if seeing those who had scurried away to find cover finally made sense. And that now she really should be doing the same. 

Before Jean could do so, however, a screech stunned her into place as she observed someone round the corner of the street further away. He stumbled down the sidewalk just as a flash of gray swooped through the air after him. It came down at him and struck him with a flash of silver and red. He crumpled to the ground, never to rise again.

Any color in her face drained away, the young girl covering her mouth to swallow any screams or bile that threatened to come out. She backed away, hoping to slip away before she could be noticed. It was for nothing as the new creature turned its attention to her. 

Large wings unfurled from its back while gripping onto the spear it wielded. The entity ascended with mighty strokes as three more of its kind grouped together behind it. This lit a fire under Jean to start running away from the obvious danger. 

It was hard for her to know for certain how long the chase lasted. It was all a blur, now seeing more carnage caused by these winged beings. Between the ones she first encountered and the ones she saw in front of her, she didn’t even know if she was still being chased. She didn’t want to know. 

A silent scream got caught in her throat as searing pain in her shoulder caused her to buckle and collapse onto the ground. She shrieked at the feeling of boots stomping down onto her back, keeping her in place as more surrounded her. The pain intensified as the spear in her shoulder stabbed further into her and made her shriek crack after going up in volume. 

Clearly the creatures were taking too much pleasure in their torture lest they would have noticed sparks beginning to dance around them. They would have noticed how quickly they built up until the flock let out shrieks of their own as they were attacked with high voltage electricity. 

Jean’s attacker, the only one spared from this onslaught, diverted her attention from her target in an attempt to find the source of this attack that had ended just as quickly as it began. 

That proved to be foolish as a bolt of lightning struck her, throwing her straight through a building’s already decrepit wall. The debris came crashing down upon her as her sisters fell to the ground, their ever-grinning masks hiding any pain they may have felt as they remained paralyzed. They weren’t dead, not even close, but they wouldn’t be moving any time soon assuming they were conscious enough to do so to even try.

The sparks died down, but not before giving form to the one who interfered with their hunt. She was quite tall and dignified as she observed her handiwork. Electricity danced along her long, blue hair before calming down entirely. She glanced over her shoulder at the girl, who had long gone quiet, but still very much alive.

~

Jean whimpered at the aching in her shoulder. It hurt so badly she suddenly wished she could just fall back into the void, anything to make the pain go away.

“Try not to move. That exorcist wounded you pretty deeply. It’s a good thing I got there when I did or else you could have lost that arm. Or worse.” 

Jean could feel she was lying on her belly as she had to shift her head to follow the woman’s voice. Though her hair blocked her vision, she could make out a blurry figure glowing under the lights. Yes, the body shape and voice made her sure her savior was a woman. 

This was a first. Literally nobody had been this kind to her since arriving in this awful place weeks ago. The closest she had come to such hospitality were those that had not followed through on the threats that were hurled at her. 

Yet, strangely enough, this kindness made her feel anxious. She didn’t know this person nor did she even know where she was. For all she knew this woman could be even worse company than those winged hunters that caused the aching in her shoulder. 

With a rise in adrenaline, Jean yelped as she rolled over off of what she now found was a couch and onto the floor. As much as it ended up hurting her, it ended up barely mattering as she felt hands grab onto her and caused her to start thrashing. 

“Stop, stop! You’ll tear your stitches-!” 

The girl couldn’t care less, almost successfully squirming free of her captor only to be pinned down back onto the couch. It did little to deter her from trying to escape as she now resorted to scratching and biting. 

“Calm down! You’re not in any danger!”

All that seemed to do was cause her panic to grow, not believing the stranger’s words. Even going as far biting down on her arm. Hard.

“JEAN! STOP FIGHTING ME!” 

…! 

Her body went limp on instinct, not exactly calm, but not fully panicking anymore. Her heart had skipped a beat as she removed her teeth. No…it couldn’t be…

“M-Mama…?”

The woman sighed heavily, “Finally. Are you back with me, baby?” 

The younger woman’s eyes became misty, gazing up as she felt familiar fingers combing through her hair. Those fingers now had claws, though they scratched at her scalp in a way that was more pleasant that she would care to admit in that moment. 

This woman was her mother. Her form may have changed, but there was no doubt in her heart that this was her. Warm, soft, yellow eyes filled with nothing but love smiled down at her as gently as her lips did. 

It was too much for Jean, who hiccupped and sobbed as the dam burst as her head pressed against her mother’s shoulder. The woman, Sawyer, pulled her into her lap, cradling her head into the crook of her neck. 

“Oh, my baby. How could you have ended up in such an awful place?”

~

Sawyer had discovered the answer through the muffled sobs of her child who now lay on the couch, softly snoring after crying her poor heart out. She mulled over all that she had learned these past few hours as she held the dirty clothing she found Jean in earlier. So dirty to the point she wondered if it was worth even trying to clean. 

Three years. It had really only been three years since she had died and left her child all alone. With all that went on in Hell, it feels like it had been so much longer. From what little she could decipher through her daughter’s episode, she had arrived weeks ago, wandering the streets, cold and alone. 

It had concerned her from the start that she was frigid to the touch, but the state of her arms made her wretch in horror the first time she saw them. Two long white scars running up her large forearms formed a haunting image in her mind. Not only that, but when treating her wound, she could make out older, fainter scars that were much smaller. 

Sawyer was determined to get the full story in due time. For now, the poor thing needed to recover. She would also need to find more clean clothes for her as well as get her cleaned up. It felt like entering motherhood all over again and, honestly, she couldn’t be happier. 

She set the dirty clothing into the basket, being sure to check for anything in her pockets. She did indeed find something, after all. In the breast pocket of her sleep shirt, she pulled out a photograph. 

Oh. Oh, now this was a pleasant surprise. She and Jean had the biggest smiles on their faces while enjoying some cotton candy at the county fair in their hometown. She remembered that day so very well. Jean had been so excited to see the farm animals and indulge in all the sweets she could get her hands on. 

Sawyer couldn’t help but smile. Her girl had quite the sweet tooth back then, even as a teenager. She wondered if that had changed since then.

“Mama…?”

“Yes, baby?”

The words had slipped by pure habit as she turned to the doorway. The clothes she currently wore were far too large for her frame. She rubbed at her tired eyes, red and swollen from hours of crying. 

“Jeannie, what are you doing up? You should be resting.” 

“Sorry. I woke up and didn’t know where you were. I just…I don’t wanna be alone.” 

God, did that weak voice do things to her as a mother. It reminded her of when Jean was just a little girl, toddling to her mother’s bedroom in the middle of the night after having a nightmare. And now, having been all on her own for so long only to land herself in the worst place imaginable. She placed the photo on a nearby counter.

“Okay. This can wait until later. Let’s go to sleep.” 

~

Jean showed great improvement over the next few days, slowly regaining her strength. Her mother was practically at her beck and call, getting anything she ever needed. Most of the time, all she wanted was her to stay with her, relishing in the first bit of comfort and safety she had experienced in so long. 

“Jean,” Sawyer began one night, after serving some form of stew for dinner. “Please, come sit with me.” 

Curious, her daughter obediently took a place on the couch. As much as she had mentally prepared herself to ask, she wasn't so sure about hearing the stories behind those scars. 

“What is it, mom?” 

Taking a breath, Sawyer continued, “Honey, I know it’s a lot to ask, but I need to know what happened. Before you ended up down here.” 

Jean’s face fell and her eyes went downcast, “Wh-what do you mean?”

“Sweetheart, you’re cold as ice. And these scars,” her mother gently took her hands in her own, thumbs rubbing over the faded white lines near her wrist. She felt her daughter pull at her grip, but she remained firm. “I’m not mad, honey, but you know you can talk to me about anything, right?” 

It was quiet for a moment or two before there was any response. There was a sniffle followed by the racking of her shoulders. Jean’s eyes became misty again, tears threatening to fall. Even so, she finally responded,

“I’m sorry, mama. I-I tried, I really did. After you died, it was so hard! They took me away and I just kept messing up because I kept getting yelled at and sent back! I don’t know why I did it, I just didn’t know what else to do! I just kept doing it and I couldn’t stop!”

Sawyer kept her expression neutral, allowing her child to let out all the emotion she needed to in that moment. Of course, indignation did course through her at the thought of Jean being mistreated, but she needed to remain calm. She simply continued to hold her daughter’s hands throughout her episode. 

“It’s okay, baby. Take all the time you need.” 

That seemed to cause her sobs to get worse, her words becoming a bit more difficult to decipher, 

“I-I don’t know, I mean if anybody noticed they didn’t do anything. It just kept getting worse and worse, and then when he touched me, I told him no, but he just-”

…! 

“I’m sorry, what ?” 

The suddenness of her voice changing from being filled with honey to venom was startling. So much so that Jean paused in shock though the tears still flowed. 

Her yellow eyes were glowing as she snarled, “Somebody touched you? Who touched you ?!” 

Her long hair, a bright electric blue, swayed as sparks began to dance off of each lock. Those sparks quickly turned violent and lashed out. Any nearby light bulbs flashed before exploding, making Jean pull her hands away to shield herself from the broken glass that scattered through the air. 

Losing contact with her daughter was a metaphorical flipping of a switch, bringing Sawyer out of her rage. The electricity in the air died down as she took a deep breath before embracing Jean. 

“Shh. I’m sorry I scared you, honey. I won’t let it happen again. I’m not angry with you.”

Just the piece of absolute shit who had better hope was someone my daughter couldn’t identify. Otherwise, he better get used to sleeping with one eye open.

“I know,” Jean sniffed. “H-he tried to touch me and I tried to push him away. He was getting rougher and it all happened so fast. There were a pair of scissors on the dresser, so I just grabbed them and went for his eye…” 

Well then, I guess that little bitch isn’t sleeping, now is he? But there are no shortage of one-eyed degenerates down here…

Jean then continued, wheezing between sobs at this point, “He wasn’t alone and I panicked, so I just ran outside. There was a blizzard, but I was too scared to stay, so I ran into the woods until I couldn’t anymore. I was just on my knees, in the snow in the middle of nowhere. I was just so…I couldn’t take it anymore and then, I still had the scissors so I…I…” 

Her voice cracked before devolving back into incomprehensible sobbing. That was fine, though. Sawyer could piece together what went on from there. Everything finally made sense.

“Oh, my girl. I’m so sorry you had to suffer so much all alone,” she pulled her closer, cradling her head against her chest. “I’m here now. I’ll never let you hurt like that again. I promise.”

~

Well, that wraps up chapter 1 and chapter 2 will be up shortly. I should also mention that while I'm not new to writing, I am new to posting on Tumblr. I will figure out how to make a masterlist of some kind, but for now, you can read it like this or you can read it on my AO3 account.

@a-hazbin-reader I told you I'd tag you when I posted it. If anyone else is interested, just let me know.

[sapphireravensworld]

What else is there to say? I had so much fun developing Sawyer’s character. I’m always a fan of those who religiously practice malicious compliance 😈. I can’t wait to integrate them into my story 😍.

Hello, here I am with the second OC. I should have mentioned that the characters I do you typically have to read through all of the profiles to answer any questions about each other usually bc of their relationships with each other. Same as the last one, things may be added/removed, but this is the bare bones of the character that I'm still quite proud of. I would like to try to get some sketches done (may take a while though. I'm just starting to learn and need practice) and show them off since I really am proud of these. I hope you enjoy and, just like the last one, its VERY long so I hope you have some time on your hands XD.

Name: Nadine Sawyer

Gender: Female Born in: 1931

Died in: 1971 (age 40)

Cause of Death: Electrocution Height: 5’5 (human), 6’4 (demon)

Appearance: Hourglass figure with light bluish-gray skin. Eyes are black sclera with cyan pupils with a cyan outline around her right eye (obtained after signing the soul contract with Vox; pupils were originally yellow). Long, wavy electric blue hair that she often keeps up. Mostly dressed in work attire with a blouse and pencil skirt matching the rest of the employees’ (which is essentially in Vox’s colors). Species: Sinner Nickname/s: Sawyer (name she goes by in Hell), Evelyn Ward (birth/maiden name; name changed after going into hiding), Naddie, Evie (Madison’s nicknames) Likes: theater, the arts, ballet, carnivals, picnics, beaches, shopping, movies, reading, baking, origami, scrapbooks, hands-on work, seafood, Madison Dislikes: the Vees (Vox and Valentino in particular), most of her coworkers, alcohol, thunderstorms, isolation, shallowness Sexuality: Bisexual Sins: Murder Job: VoxTek IT Technician Background:  Evelyn Ward was a big name in the Golden Age of Hollywood as an actress and singer. It started when she was young, participating in any theatrical production she could find whether it be school plays or anything in the local theater. Acting, stage crew, selling tickets; it didn’t matter. She was simply content with just basking in the world of performing arts. Upon appearing in more acting roles, she eventually went professional leading to performing on grander stages and even television commercials. Even after achieving all that she had, Nadine began to notice that since she ceased all work “behind the scenes,” all praise for her went towards her beauty and nothing else. Although she was proud of it, Evelyn found herself questioning her talent and intelligence which were also things she once never doubted. Life as a celebrity became more of a chore than anything else. At least until she met him.

Meeting through the same industry, the man in question was kind and charming, quickly winning her over throughout their encounters. Eventually they were married and were quite happy…at least until his untimely death. At that time, it destroyed Evelyn losing a husband, but not before finding out she was with child. The guilt of not telling her husband of their future child ate away at her, though she initially kept quiet considering he had not wanted children. Not long after his death, Evelyn was attacked by men who claimed to know her husband. Apparently he had dealt in some shady business and apparently her husband had some unresolved issues. In short, something went wrong and now his family had to pay the price. When one of the men went after her newborn daughter, Jeanette, all Evelyn could see was red. Once the haze dissipated, her baby was wailing and the blood of three men was splattered all over the floor and wall.

Evelyn Ward, now going by Nadine Sawyer, took her child and essentially disappeared, changing her entire identity and devoting herself to raising her daughter on her own. It was difficult and often she felt hopeless and overwhelmed, but to have her child with her made it all worth it in the end. However, tragedy struck when she was caught in an accident involving a crashing car into a fire hydrant and wires from a telephone pole to snap and electrocute her to death, sending her straight to hell. As a sinner, Nadine did just about as well as anyone else, if not a little better. Life in hell was never that easy, but having electrical powers certainly gave her an edge. Things were going smoothly…but then she found Jean during an Extermination of all times. Both made it through and stuck close together, essentially returning to how things were before…only now in hell. 

As an occupation, Sawyer decided to stray from the performing arts and decided to try her hand at one of her other talents:  tinkering. She worked with anything she had, mainly scraps she could find abandoned on the streets or in the garbage. Adapting to the developing technology over the years, Sawyer was able to earn more and more customers and money fixing electronics. That, unfortunately, caught the attention of Vox, who had learned of a ‘third-party tech’ stealing business away from him. She was abducted from her workshop and brought to him where she underwent intense interrogation, though she refused to submit to his will. During that time, Vox discovered Jean’s existence and, with obvious malicious intent, offered her an ultimatum:  he was going to get a deal out of this situation whether it was from her or her daughter. Experiencing his capabilities firsthand, Sawyer knew he could and would follow through on his threat. With a heavy heart, she accepted and made a deal:  in exchange for her soul and employment, Vox and any of his associates were forbidden from harming Jean. Other specifics were included, one of which being a confidentiality agreement that she could not disclose any information regarding their deal to anyone else. 

Life as an employee at VoxTek was not entirely unbearable in the beginning. Of course, there were the obvious issues:  outlandish demands from her new boss (master), hazing from the more bitter and bloodthirsty coworkers, and the lack of privacy of any kind. Few as there were, she couldn’t deny there were benefits such as the pay, the few coworkers whose company she enjoyed, and the consistency of her schedule. Her most trusted colleague, Madison from the  VoxTek marketing department, was especially a big help in coping with the stress of  her situation.Overall, she was able to return home and be greeted by her sweet daughter and that’s what made it all worthwhile; however, she knew that came with risks. Sawyer couldn’t allow Jean out of her sight whenever possible, certain that Vox would find a way around the contract to harm both of them. It had pained her to keep her daughter hidden and trapped at home, but she felt like it was the only way to protect her. She could not have anticipated Vox catching on to this and initiated a plan to draw Jean out into the open. 

More work was placed on her plate which kept her prisoner at work. Quite literally, as one condition of the contract was she was forbidden from leaving the premises until all work assigned was completed. She would spend days or even weeks away from home and couldn’t even make personal calls, not able to inform her daughter of her condition. It was one day she was working on a group project when one of her coworkers commented on having a ‘cute kid’ and remarked how nice it was of the boss to give her a tour of the place. Quickly assessing the situation, it was all too clear what was about to happen and Sawyer jumped to action and intervened before a deal could be made. When Valentino stepped onto the scene and put hands on Jean, Sawyer was able to retaliate and incapacitate both overlords and the entire surveillance system. This allowed her to aid Jean in escaping the building and get to their secure safehouse without Vox being able to track her.

From then on, if work was hell before, it was made even worse than ever. So much work was put on Sawyer that she was essentially kept prisoner at the Vee Tower. Since so few people were aware of what happened that day, many of her coworkers considered her to be Vox’s ‘favorite’ seeing as he would always be watching her and interacting with her. He could have been waiting for Jean to return so he could attempt to make a deal or it could just be her punishment for insubordination. It could have been both, but it was hard to say for certain. On top of work, she would use her abilities to survey the areas and keep an eye out for Jean through the cameras. She was unable to find a trace of Jean since she escaped which provided relief and also intense dread. As long as her child was safe, Sawyer would endure any hell thrown her way. Personality: Sawyer is a no-nonsense kind of person, always giving her all into anything she does. She’s a passionate and dedicated individual that doesn’t really know how to do any less. It can often intimidate those around her and is considered to come off as intense. She can also come off as stubborn, rebellious, and even unapproachable at times. 

Of course, these are traits that can’t help but come out even when she’s putting on a front. Sawyer is well aware that in a place like Hell, she needed to show no weakness of any kind. She utilized her acting skills to put on various personas for any situation in order to have it end in her favor. Most of the time, Sawyer prefers not to escalate confrontations and tries to diffuse them as quickly as possible. 

Sawyer is also a conscientious and careful kind of person. She’s always thinking many steps ahead in the situations she believes matters the most. Fully aware that not everything can go her way, she prioritizes her safety and that of her daughter’s. Though she tries to avoid the very situation, a time or two has come when she would do so even at the expense of others. Guilt did eat at her when innocents were caught in the crossfire, but would otherwise not care very much when people who were openly harmful to others were collateral damage.

As if it weren’t obvious enough, Jean is Sawyer’s entire world and her greatest weakness. After losing everything when she was alive, her child was all she had left. Although she managed to build another life afterwards, that mindset never changed. Many had described her as being a very doting and devoted mother every step of the way, even to the very end of her human life. Habits & Quirks: 

A very private person and, as a former actress, very good at putting on a front to conceal it. Very few people know anything about her, even Jean knowing so little. 

Sawyer has a resting bitch face. The most obvious way she expresses emotion is her eyes and the way electricity that flies off of her body. 

She often lies down when she’s thinking. In any room she uses, she has a couch placed just for that purpose.

Sawyer is quite intuitive and also has a strong maternal instinct. One of the greatest examples is the time of her death in which she could sense the danger coming and managed to push Jean away in order to escape that same fate. 

Trivia: 

Sawyer has abilities very similar to Vox’s which is part of the reason she believes he wanted her soul. She can travel through electricity and watch through the cameras and screens. Much of this power, however, had been limited due to the terms of her deal with Vox.

In the beginning, Sawyer made it her mission to make Vox regret ever forcing her into a deal by being an absolute menace at the workplace. She would work too slow, sabotage any developing projects, etc.

The deal between Sawyer and Vox was given many conditions between the two:

Sawyer’s powers are extremely limited as a way for Vox to keep her under control. It also minimizes any damage done should she choose to retaliate due to her rebellious nature.

Sawyer was sure to implement specific conditions that would further protect Jean from the Vees. One of them being they could not coerce her into a deal (ex: Vox cannot use his hypnotic powers nor the Love Potion to force her into a deal lest that deal become invalid; both hers and Jean’s). 

Knowing Valentino’s violent temper, Vox was sure it would only be a matter of time before Jean was caught in the crossfire and the soul contract would become invalid. However, since that was Sawyer’s main condition, he got creative with it. He offered the condition that he and his associates couldn’t harm her (that wouldn’t include subordinates) and should they do so, the restraints on her power can be released and free for her to use until the threat is subdued. In this way, even if Jean were to get hurt by their hands, Vox can still keep Sawyer’s soul so long as he allows her to eliminate the threat to her child.

There are times that Vox will have Sawyer accompany him to work events as arm candy when Valentino isn’t available or their situationship is on the rocks. These are one of the times Sawyer loathes the most as Valentino gets jealous very easily and often takes pleasure in showing her personally. 

Though she did manage to incapacitate Valentino and Vox at the same time, even Sawyer admits it had nothing to do with being stronger and all to do with the element of surprise along with it being a terrible matchup. It makes sense as Jean described the encounter as Sawyer becoming a sentient bug zapper for Valentino and catching Vox off guard long enough to fry his circuits.

STOP ANYONE WHO KICKS VALENTINO'S ASS IS A WINNER IN MY BOOK

[sapphireravensworld]

I’m so touched you like her so much 😭. I’m glad you appreciate how much work I put into my OCs even though it’s almost like writing an autobiography and the story hasn’t even started yet 😂. I have more where that came from and a fanfic in the works too 😊

Hey, I can see you're busy, but I know you like to see our OCs and I finally have two of them finished, at least their profiles. I don't have any sketches of the sort yet. Anyway, I'll send them seperately bc, as I said before, they are pretty damn long and I was not sure in the slightest what to cut out. I had a lot of revamping to do since I started these years ago and now that season 1 is out and done, changes needed to be made XD. Anyway, here's the first one and I'll send the second one shortly. Changes may be made in the future, but this is in fact the bare bones of the character and I'm quite proud of it :D.

Name: Jeanette “Jean” Sawyer

Gender: Female Born in: 1956 Died in: 1973 (age 17)

Cause of Death: Suicide/Hypothermia Height: 5’2 (alive), 5’10 (current)

Appearance:  pale blue skin; black hair with white frosted tips on the end; eyes with icy blue sclera and a white iris; body type on the slender side, inverted triangle body type; forearms are larger than normal with white scars going down the length; often seen wearing warm clothes and arm warmers Species: Sinner Nickname/s: Jean, Jeannie, Shrimp, Kid, Kiddo, Shortstack, Toots Likes: cooking, skating, milkshakes with french fries, mini golf, listening to music, watching movies, carnivals, singing, dancing, trying new things, board games, cats, people watching, anything soft and warm, stargazing, camping Dislikes: the Vees (Vox and Valentino in particular), the cold, the dark, her arms, pineapples, most electronics, being the center of attention Sexuality: Lesbian Sins: Suicide Job: Hazbin Hotel Patron Background: It is difficult to get a grasp on what kind of person Jean is at first glance considering how much distance she puts between herself and others. In life and in death, stability was a luxury that Jean never truly had, making it difficult to open up to others, let alone fully trust another person. The only trustworthy constant in her life was her hardworking mother, whom she always looked to as a role model, confidant, and caretaker. 

Life was rather difficult, but both felt that having each other was all they needed. One day, Jean’s mother died, leaving her with nobody to care for her. For two years after, Jean was passed around in foster homes where she was beaten, scolded, and (the final nail in the coffin) had a foster parent attempt to sexually assault her. In a flash of panic, she killed her would-be rapist and she couldn’t help but fall into despair, deciding to take her own life after fleeing the current foster home in the middle of a blizzard. 

Upon entering hell, Jean was more confused and helpless than ever. Once her first extermination came around, her mother found her and brought her to safety where they would essentially live life from where they left off. Jean rarely went out on her own with the fear of the sinners often leaving her frightened for herself and her mother who often left to provide for them both. At a sudden point, her mother seemed to vanish for a few days before returning to her. Things seemed to change after that. It seemed her mother was bringing in more money than ever before, leaving them much better off; however, many things felt off as well. For one thing, her mother seemed to be more on edge. She also wouldn’t allow any electronics other than what she tinkered with and any time Jean ever went out, she never went alone. Then one day, her mother never came home and couldn’t be contacted. Concerned for her mother’s wellbeing, she searched for any leads and she found one in her work-related files:  a business card belonging to VoxTek. 

Upon entering Vee Tower to inquire about her mother’s whereabouts, she was swiftly intercepted by Vox himself. He told her she was indeed in the building devoting herself to a new project he put her on and offered her a tour as the daughter of one of his ‘top employees.’ She hesitantly accepted, wanting to heed the warning her mother gave of interacting with strangers yet drawn into the shiny new world she had just entered. Jean had never seen technology so advanced before and began to wonder why her mother never showed any of it if she indeed worked there. The answer became all too clear once two people inserted themselves into the situation:  her mother, who found out she was there and rushed to protect her, and Valentino, who spotted the young sinner with no master and was drawn in immediately.

One thing led to another and, upon Valentino harming Jean, her mother incapacitated both of the overlords in order for Jean to escape. Unfortunately, her mother was not so lucky.  For ten years going forward, Jean lived in hiding and fought to survive on the meager resources her mother stashed away and what little she could receive from her via care packages. Jean often read the hand-written notes her mother included with them in order to feel close considering the danger of meeting with each other in person. Even from a distance, her mother always relayed the same message, which was also the last words she ever heard from her mother:  ‘Keep your soul. Don’t trust these dealmakers.’ 

After some time, Jean accidentally trespassed onto the turf of a mysterious entity (at least as far as the other residents of Hell save for a few were concerned). She was quick to find out the entity’s true identity:  a powerful sinner named Sibelle, a girl around her age that perished centuries ago for witchcraft. She allowed Jean to stay in her territory and over time, the two grew extremely close even to the point of Sibelle wanting to make a deal. Jean was quick to try and decline until she heard the terms of the deal:  Sibelle was offering her soul and in exchange, Jean was free to summon her and use her power so long as it wasn’t for selfish reasons. In the former’s eyes, the latter would be able to call on her should she need help while she was outside the territory. As Sibelle would explain, her power is prone to force her into violent rampages and she had been in search of someone she had full trust in to form a soul contract with in order to keep her in control. After a while of asking, Jean had been worn down and accepted the deal. Not long after, Jean had decided to move on despite Sibelle’s protests and pleads to stay for her safety. However, she was sure that she couldn’t stay forever as she was now determined to find a way to free her mother from her contract with Vox.

One day, Jean encountered Charlie and Vaggie as they were recruiting patrons for the hotel. Charlie was more than eager to drag her along and talk Jean’s ear off about her idea and, with the short amount of time they had known each other, that she’s positive that she had an excellent chance at redemption. Mainly because of curiosity, hope and really having little else to do, Jean accepted and moved into the hotel to see she was one of two patrons. Once Alastor and his crew enter the picture, she does feel her walls coming down and finally confides in Angel Dust about her past, feeling he would understand considering their connection with Valentino. In Angel’s words, if Valentino ever found out she was there, it wouldn’t be from him.

Outside of redemption exercises, Jean can be seen throughout the hotel interaction with the other residents doing a number of things such as:  playing cards with Husk, babysitting Fat Nuggets, and being Alastor’s unwilling little helper. She would grow especially close with Angel Dust and Husk, growing to see them as an older brother and father figure respectively. Personality: As previously stated, Jean faces some serious trust issues due to lack of stability in her life and (the very obvious) trauma inflicted on her by those she was told she could trust. It would take a great deal of work and time to break her walls down, which is honestly what she is hoping to find (basically, too afraid to initiate steps to build trust and needs others to take the first step…s). She’s quiet, almost to the point she sneaks up on people and spooking them with no intention to do so. Many initially found it creepy save for Alastor, who found the startled reactions to be quite amusing. 

Despite this, the persona Jean puts on in front of others is one she copies from her mother:  a no-nonsense spitfire that refuses to submit to anyone. Of course, it is merely a front she copies as she’s seen her mother use in order to deal with the more threatening individuals. Dying at the age she did, Jean did find it easy to be rebellious though it clearly proved to be her downfall many times. Although her age makes her more prone to naivety and recklessness, it does allow Jean to remain open to new ideas (hence willing to try redemption) and not become set in her ways like a lot of adults tend to do with age. Unfortunately, this also means that Jean’s younger mind isn’t able to handle emotions and stress as well as an adult would, making her prone to emotional outbursts and meltdowns. 

Habits & Quirks: 

Jean wears arm warmers constantly even if she is wearing long sleeves

Is a quiet person to the point where she ends up sneaking up on people

Is always cold, most likely due to dying partially to hypothermia; strangely the intensity of how cold she feels depends on her mood

Has a terrible sense of direction. One of the very few reasons she owns a smartphone is for the GPS. It’s also why she studied astronomy when she was alive in order to read the stars for direction.

Trivia:

Jean has a baby face, making her look younger than she actually is. It’s especially amusing when Charlie practically exclaims “not in front of the baby!” or “she’s just a baby!”  while covering Jean’s eyes and/or ears. It can be quite embarrassing yet she can’t help but feel slightly flattered. But mostly frustrated and embarrassed.

Jean gives nicknames to all her friends and family, using them in her journal and as their contact name in her phone. She rarely addresses them with these names in real life, but likes to do so on occasion

Charlie:  Princess Bedhead 👑🥱

Vaggie:  The Warden ⚔️

Husk: ♣️King of Clubs♣️ (AKA ♥️Dad♥️)

Jean is seen to be very sentimental. Considering how little she had in life, it made sense to her to place value in the very few things she did possess. Her most prized possession is a photograph she managed to hold onto as she died of her and her mother at their local state fair. 

Since the confrontation with Vox, Jean had developed an aversion to most electronics, even the ones not developed by VoxTek. She still gets anxiety any time she has to pass by any screen.

STOP WHY CAN I PICTURE HER AND FAT NUGGETS CUDDLING I CAN'T-