#trapped in amber | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

iamembarrased · 1 month

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I. Trapped in Amber

Introductions

Tags: Hazbin Hotel, original female character, Mute oc, minor violence

Notes: soon to be AlastorxOC, posting this so hopefully I can focus on writing my actual book and not fanfic 😅 not used to posting on tumblr, let me know if I need to add certain tags!

【1st Chapter】【2nd Chapter】【3rd Chapter】

【★】

The Hazbin Hotel stood out like a sore thumb in the outskirts of Pentagram City, no one usually paid any mind to it as it belonged to the delusional princess and her strange idea of a rehab center for sinners. Anyone who dared to threaten her could face the wrath of the King himself Lucifer, so as a precaution, no one ever bothered her.

One particular soul looked to the hotel as if it were a beacon, a symbol of hope, an escape from the city, somewhere she could take refuge, and her last resort.

The bat demon couched under a tarp, hidden atop a pawn shop in Pentagram City. The light of the hotel shone through a hole in the tarp and cast a glow over her large amber colored eyes.

After a few moments of staring and listening, the bat demon quickly darted from under the tarp, spread her wings, and leaped off the roof down to the dark and grungy alley below. Just before reaching the pavement, she tossed her watch and phone, landing directly on the devices with her heels.

For good measure, she stomped on both multiple times. When she was satisfied, she scooped up the remnants and scattered the parts in the nearest dumpster, dusting her hands of it easily.

Spreading her wings again the bat demon took off with one destination in mind, she couldn’t believe she was going to grovel to a princess who preaches and sings about redemption, but she had no other options. She can play nice if it meant she can hide under the protection of royalty, she wondered why no one else had thought of this yet aside from Valentino’s porn star and the snake demon that was supposed to be a spy.

All she had to do was smile and nod.

Smile and nod.

When she reached the front doors, she wondered if she was supposed to knock. It is a hotel. No one knocks at a hotel, but this feels different. Her watch before she crushed it said it was 6PM. What time did their lobby close?

The princess’s song on the news didn’t give any instruction.

The bat demon quickly ran her hand through her long pale white hair, readjusted the amber colored feather quill she had tucked behind her large bat ears, and dusted her long red dress, ensuring she was as presentable as a sinner could be.

With a deep breath she raised a hand and knocked.

And waitied.

Just as she was about to open the door she was face to face with the porn star, Angel Dust. Well, face to sternum as Angel towered over her.

”Who’re you?”

The bat demon blinked. She didn’t know why she expected something different, like a butler or bellboy, to take her coat and usher her inside. Of what she’s heard, Angel isn’t their bellboy.

”You, uh, gonna say somthin’?”

The bat demon grabbed the sides of her dress and dipped into a polite curtsey. She should have come prepared for this, though thinking back she didn’t have a lot of time to do anything, this was very much a last-minute decision, a now or never situation.

”Okay…” Angel Dust glanced inside and shrugged. “Uh, so, are you here to see Charlie, or…”

”Wait!” A cheery voice echoed from deeper inside. The sounds of rapid footsteps followed her voice. “Someone for me? Is it a newcomer?”

Angel Dust was promptly pushed to the side as the Princess of Hell herself bulldozed right through him to beam at the bat demon. One could say there were stars in her eyes.

”Oh my gosh, is this - are you - are you-” The princess couldn’t keep her excitement together. She took a deep breath. ”Are-you-here-to-be-a-part-of-my-hotel?” The princess blurted the words so quick her words almost became a jumble of syllables.

The bat demon smiled wide and nodded. As she dipped to another curtsey, she found her feet had left the ground, the princess had grabbed her arm and whisked her inside without a moment's notice. Angel groaned and shut the door behind them.

”Everyone! Everyone!” The princess nearly screamed, placing the newcomer in the center of the empty foyer. “We did it! It worked! We have our first guest at the hotel!”

The bat demon thought the princess was going to hyperventilate. She looked around briefly, noting the smell of dust and the echo the princesses voice made across the empty hotel.

“Wait, are you serious?” A voice called out.

”Fresh meat!” Said a small, high pitched voice.

”Wait, wait, wait. First guest?” Angel Dust scoffed. “What am I, chopped liver?”

”You could be!” The small voice chimed in again.

”Firssst?” Another voice called. “You sssaid I wasss the firssst!”

“You both know what I mean! Plus, Ser Pentious, you only came here to spy on us at first. But her! Our first guest that isn’t a spy!”

The bat demon raised an eyebrow, wondering if the princess seriously ruled her out as being a spy in the first minute of seeing her. How did she grow up in Hell and come out like this?

”Woah woah woah.” Another person approached the princess, a shorter, pale haired young woman. “Slow down there, hon. We don’t even know her name.”

”Ohmygosh, you’re right! How rude of me I can’t believe I haven’t asked yet!” The princess finally looked at the bat demon instead of looking at the prospect of a new guest. “I’m Charlie, Princess of Hell and the owner of the Hazbin Hotel!” Charlie opened her arms wide as if to gloat about the ‘wonderful’ hotel around her. The bat demon couldn’t help but notice the place looked a little run down. “So, what’s your name?”

The bat demon reached in to her coat pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment paper.

”Uh, did you forget, or…” Angel Dust mumbled.

The demon pulled the feather quill from her hair and wrote on the paper with glittering gold ink, her penmanship remarkable with serifs, spirals, and not one crooked or misplaced letter. Once she was done writing, she displayed the parchment for all to see.

“Ambergris, Amber for short.” Charlie read the note out loud, she hummed. “So… I appreciate the formality but you can talk, I’m not that kind of royalty.”

Amber’s smile lowered a bit and she shook her head.

”No?”

The one with the pale hair hummed. “Are you not able to talk?”

Amber nodded.

”That’s okay, we can learn sign language as a group!” Charlie smiled wide. “Inclusion means to care for others and will lead everyone down the path to redemption!”

Amber already started to regret coming here. She had hoped the preaching would have waited for at least ten more minutes. She doesn’t even know sign language, only a few select words.

”But first! This is my girlfriend Vaggie-“ Charlie gestured to the one with the pale hair, Vaggie waved casually. “This is Angel Dust-“ She pointed to where he was only to find he had wandered to the bar. “That’s our bartender, Husker!”

The bartender had his head firmly planted on the bar. He didn’t respond to his name being called.

"That's Ser Pentious, our first- um, second guest."

Ser Pentious kept his distance, eyeing the newcomer suspiciously from a distance.

”That’s Niffty, our maid!”

Although Charlie pointed across the room the small demon raced up to them with intense speed, she climbed up Charlie’s leg and stood on her shoulder, her one eye scanning Amber rapidly. “Isn’t Ambergris whale poop? You don’t look like whale poop.”

Angel Dust’s laughs echoed across the hall. Husker didn't react or move to his sudden laughter.

”You kinda look like a bug. Are you?” Without giving her a chance to answer, Niffty pulled out a needle that looked half her size. “ARE YOU?”

Amber felt a presence behind her. The pressure in the air changed, and she felt internally that something extremely dangerous had manifested. The presence almost sounded like… static.

Amber gathered all her strength to not flinch or react to whoever or whatever manifested just inches behind her.

”Oh, Niffty!” A new voice called. This one sounded like it had an old radio filter applied over it. The voice came from directly behind Amber from the dangerous presence she sensed. “We can’t go around stabbing our guests. What would the papers say? Let’s leave the stabbing for the roaches, dear.”

Niffty giggled. “You got it, sir!” And without another word, Niffty sprinted away with lightning speed, maniacally giggling as she left.

”I do apologize for being late, how rude of me! I almost missed welcoming our new guest!”

Amber turned around to face the demon behind her. She had to step back and look up to meet his red eyes and yellow toothed smile. She grabbed the edges of her dress and curtseyed again.

”This is Ambergris, Amber for short.” Charlie said. “She’s our newest guest! Can you believe it? A new guest! Here!”

As Charlie continued rambling the tall red demon bowed. “Charmed to meet you, how do you do?”

Amber smiled wide and nodded once.

The tall red demon cocked his head unnaturally at a ninety-degree angle. ”How quaint. Not much of a talker, are you?”

”She’s mute, I think.” Vaggie responded, her attention quickly brought to Charlie as she had now started pacing in circles and naming all the lesson plans she’ll have to change and create now that they have someone that can not talk.

“Well that’s fine, we have enough chatterboxes in this hotel anyway.” The demon shrugged. He straightened his neck and extended a hand. “I’m Alastor, the facility manager of the hotel. Perhaps you may have heard of me from my radio broadcasts?”

Amber’s blood ran cold. Charlie never mentioned the Radio Demon was working here when she was singing on the news.

It had been seven years since he’s been seen around hell. It has also been eight years since a particular scream joined his broadcasts. Amber took pleasure in listening for those wails amongst all the others, spending many afternoons just listening to the channel that hosted the screams. She has him to thank for taking down the cruel overlord that owned her soul back then.

Amber nodded with an excited smile. She extended her hand.

”Oh, how delightful!” Alastor shook her hand roughly, excitement in his eyes as he got his recognition. “You have no idea how uncultured demons are these days, always focusing on those clunky picture boxes, melting their brains and wasting away their attention span.”

“OKAY!” Charlie had finished panicking about her dilemma and returned her attention to Amber. “How about Alastor and I give you a tour!”

“What a splendid idea!” Alastor procured his microphone staff and gestured deeper into the hotel with it. “Shall we?”

During the tour Alastor kept a gentle pace, not once slowing down or speeding up to match pace with Charlie’s erratic behavior. Amber had been shown the important parts like where her room will be, access to the main balcony, and access to the pirate ship- which no explanation was given for.

She had also been shown the not-important parts of the hotel, like various stains on the ceiling, paintings on the walls, curtains on the windows, and scratch marks on the floor.

As they walked, Amber and Alastor made small talk, mostly Alastor talking about himself. Amber communicated through her parchment, as the parchment would fill with letters, she would simply flick her quill, and the previous text would vanish, leaving no trace of ink behind.

“I do have to say, you have quite the talent in penmanship. It’s quite striking!”

Amber smirked and wrote, “Thank you! Calligraphy has always been my second best talent.”

”Oh?” Alastor glanced at her curiously. “And what is your first best talent, if you don’t mind me asking?”

She smiled and wrote, “Well, a lady has to have some secrets.” She paused as Charlie continued to ramble, oblivious that they weren’t paying attention. ”Do I have to sign anything to stay here?”

“No, my dear, you are not contractually obligated to do anything here! If a wayward sinner wishes to stay here, they can simply walk through the doors! You don’t even have to pay.”

“Yes, but-“ Charlie stopped rambling about the painting they were passing to join the conversation. “We do have some rules.”

Amber nodded, shocked they didn’t charge a fee. Though she was thankful as she didn’t have many funds to her name at the moment.

”While you’re here we really want to see you make an effort, but we understand everyone changes at their own pace, just- do remember the next extermination is…”

”Five months away.”

”Yeah, that… Um, no drugs, we will confiscate and destroy any that we find. No running unapproved businesses in the hotel. Most importantly, no violence, and no manufacturing weapons. Everyone under this roof is under my protection- though, Alastor is usually the one to take care of threats.”

”And it is my pleasure to do so!” Alastor chuckled.

“We also have daily morning exercises! After breakfast, we get together and start your journey to redemption!”

“One failed lesson at a time!”

Charlie deflated. “Not all of my lessons fail! Sometimes it just… takes time for the lessons to come in to effect.” She crossed her arms. “Anyway, do those rules sound doable?”

Amber nodded, she quickly wrote on her parchment, “No drugs, no violence, pay attention, and be good!” She displayed her note with a charming smile.

Charlie quickly bounced back to being excited, the quick acceptance of the rules brought hope in Charlie’s eyes. The prospect brought a pep in her step as she continued the tour.

As they continued Alastor stroked his chin, deep in thought for a moment. “Do you mind if I have a closer look at that parchment of yours? I find it rather interesting.”

Amber handed the parchment quickly and easily, tucking her quill behind her ear hoping it would hide it from view.

As Alastor looked over the parchment his eyes lit up, recognizing the feeling of true vellum in his fingers. Calf skin professionally stretched, scraped, and dried. The small sheet she carried would cost a pretty penny, he wondered how much it cost her.

“My, my, what peculiar tastes. Did you skin this yourself?”

Amber steeled herself, preventing her from outwardly reacting. She shook her head, hiding the truth.

“What a shame, I’ve always wanted to pick my victim to make parchment with, I’ve just never had the time!” He brought the sheet closer to his face, inspecting the glittering ink on the page. ”And may I ask what ink you use?”

For a moment Amber’s heart dropped, she had hoped he would have dropped the subject once he felt the vellum, it was quite the conversation piece but he nearly skipped right over it. She tapped her quill as she removed it from her hair, the ink on the page dissolved.

As she held out her hand to ask for the parchment back, Alastor handed it over with a large toothy smile, his sharp yellow teeth gleamed in the dim light of the hallway.

Amber didn't dare hand him the quill. Instead, she wrote, “I am a lady of MANY secrets.”

Alastor broke out in a hearty laugh, Charlie turned and realized the two weren’t listening to her again.

”My dear, you’re absolutely delightful! If there were more sinners like you around here, I may just change my opinions on this place.” Alastor looked over to Charlie. “Please, may we continue the tour?”

The tour ended back at the foyer. As they neared the parlor, they could hear something playing on the TV. Angel and Vaggie had turned on a movie and were lounging, both focused more on their phones than on the movie. Sir Pentious, Niffty, and Husker were nowhere to be seen.

Charlie turned her attention to Amber. “Sooo, what do you think?”

Amber wrote on her parchment, “Wonderful! I'll enjoy my stay here.”

Charlie squealed in excitement and wrapped her arms around Amber, uncaring for personal space. “I'm so glad to hear that!”

“Splendid! Another to add to the list, at this rate, the hotel will be full with hopeless sinners before the next extermination!”

Charlie was both excited and discouraged by his statement. “Anyway, we don’t have a curfew, so you’re welcome to do whatever you usually do when you’re not here. All we ask is your participation in the morning.” She smiled. “Do you have any bags?”

Amber shook her head, her only possession being her quill, parchment, dress, and cash.

”That’s okay, we can help you pack and get your stuff in the morning! It will be a good activity for everyone to show their support and build trust!”

Amber shook her head again, this time pulling out her parchment to write, “I don’t have other belongings, just what I have on me now.”

”Oh.” Charlie blinked. “Not even clothes?”

“Hm, are you a fresh soul? Perhaps you believe you were sent to the wrong place?” Alastor laughed. “Such naivety.”

Amber wrote, “I am not new to Hell, I recently lost possession of all my belongings.” She frowned. “I apologize, are there any clothes I can borrow until I am able to place an order?”

Charlie hummed. “I might-“

”It is done.” Alastor tapped his cane on the floor. “When you return to your room, your wardrobe will be full to the brim! I hope my tastes suit you well.”

Amber smiled up at him, writing, “Thank you, Alastor. I will return the clothes as soon as I am able.”

”No need! Consider it a favor.”

Her smile faltered, she has been in Hell far too long to fall for that trick. “I would rather not.” She wrote. “Unless it is an act of kindness, I do not accept, though I appreciate the offer.”

“Alastor…” Charlie frowned and crossed her arms at him.

”What? I was just testing her!” His smile only grew wider as he shrugged. No one believed him. “The clothes are a welcome gift, then. Can’t have our guests walking around naked, can we?”

”Why not?” Angel chimed in, not looking away from his phone.

”Anyways!” Charlie quickly cut in before Angel or Alastor could continue. “We will discuss more in the morning. We’re watching movies tonight if you’d like to join.”

Amber, with nothing better to do, joined in on the movie night.

Charlie sat in the middle of the couch, snuggling up with Vaggie and getting uncomfortably close to Angel. Amber could have taken the armchair, though she was much more interested in the lit fireplace.

She eyed the TV carefully and held her breath as she passed. When she got closer she let go of her breath upon seeing it wasn’t VoxTech brand.

She sat on the ground in front of the fireplace and propped her elbows on the raised hearth, she basked in the warmth of the fire on her face.

Alastor gladly took the armchair. He procured a newspaper from the cushion and paid no mind to the movie. Though he tried to read the paper, his eyes would trail to Amber, something about the way the fire light reflected from her eyes was attracting his attention.

Amber also paid no mind to the movie, choosing to stare deep into the fire. Her large bat ears perked and she listened as Angel and Charlie would make comments throughout. Even as they were whispering, Amber still heard them and would smile at their comments.

At some point, Amber had the feeling she was being watched. No doubt everyone was keeping an eye on the stranger, but it felt as if someone was staring at her. She casually raised her arms and stretched, using it as an excuse to twist her body to see who was staring at her.

She made eye contact with him, and he looked at her with distrust and suspicion in his eyes.

Angel Dust.

Amber pretended not to notice, facing fully toward the fire in case Angel felt he recognized her from somewhere. She even pulled her hair over her shoulder to hide her face more.

Once the movie ended Charlie and Vaggie left to go to bed, leaving Angel Dust who stayed lounging on the couch with his face buried in his phone, and Alastor who didn’t seem to notice the movie had ended and still stared at his paper.

She felt like it was a game of chicken between the three. Who would leave first?

When the fire began to die out and there were no more logs left Amber had to go, even though she could see in the dark she knew it was still weird to be the only one just staring into space.

When she moved to get up, she caught a glimpse of Angel watching her and quickly returning his attention to his phone. Before walking away, she curtseyed as a way to say goodnight to the men still in the parlor.

”Ah, goodnight, my dear, get plenty of sleep - we have a big day tomorrow!”

Amber was dreading tomorrow but kept the smile plastered on her face.

When she was alone she could still feel eyes on her. There weren’t any security cameras that were obvious but she felt like the shadows were watching.

When she reached her bedroom door the spy made themselves obvious.

”Hey.” Angel Dust walked out in the open and quickly rushed up to her side. He bridged the distance with quick long strides. "Can we talk?"

Angel didn’t give Amber an option as he pushed her against her door. She quickly scanned his hands for weapons and readied herself for an attack. He held one pair of hands against the wall to entrap her, and the other pair rested on his hips.

“Look, don’t play dumb.” His voice had lowered almost to a growl, his face only inches from hers. “You don’t think I wouldn’t recognize Vox’s mute bitch?”

Amber could feel her heart beating out of her chest, she honestly thought he wouldn’t remember her. They rarely crossed paths and Vox usually had her running errands away from the tower, if Angel wasn’t plastered on billboards she probably would have forgotten him.

”Did Val send you here? Are you here to spy on me?”

Amber frowned and shoved him back with one arm, she raised her wings in an instinctual need to make herself feel larger. She knew he could hold himself in a fight and prepared herself for one in case he tried.

Angel didn't make a move as he was shoved back. “What the fuck are you here for?”

Amber very slowly removed her quill from behind her ear, instead of reaching for her parchment she pointed the quill toward Angel, ink spilled from the metal tip yet the golden ink stayed stationary in the air.

In between her and Angel, she wrote, “I am not here on Vox’s orders.”

Angel wasn’t shocked at the words that appeared between them, when he read the message he scoffed, not fully convinced. “Look, I need you to promise.”

Amber shook her head.

”Not a deal, not like either of us have shit to give anyway. Just… promise me you’re not here to spy on me- or anyone here.”

Amber hummed. She flicked her quill to clear the text in between them and bridged the gap with a pinky finger extended.

“A fuckin’ pinky promise? I’m not… y’know what- fuck it.” Angel sighed and wrapped his pinky finger around hers. “I’ll keep an eye on you-“ He pulled his hand close to his chest, forcing Amber to take a single step toward him. He towered over her. “Don’t fuck this up for me.”

Amber glared up at him, not threatened in the slightest by his display. She let go of his finger and quickly wrote, “Likewise.”

Angel grumbled as he walked away, ”G’night, ho.” After he entered his room he slammed his bedroom door behind him.

Amber slowly entered her room and leaned against the door. She sighed loudly, grumbled, and pinched the bridge of her nose.

She’s fucked.

Amber was hoping Valentino’s favorite porn star would have been too drugged and dazed to recognize her, if he tells Valentino she’s here or she gets caught in the background of a selfie- she’s caught. Her escape from Vox would turn into a short lived vacation.

Would this count as a vacation? Of the residents, one could be counted as a coworker that could rat her out, one is a naive and lonely princess trying to start a cult, a bug demon - those are never normal, and one is her bosses’ mortal enemy- another powerful overlord. At least the snake, Vaggie, and the bartender didn’t post much of a threat.

Fuck, she will have to keep on her toes to survive here.

She has one thing going for her.

There’s nothing on her contract about redemption.

【☆】

#hazbin hotel #hazbin alastor #hazbin hotel fanfiction #fanfic #Trapped in Amber

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iamembarrased · 20 days

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II. Trapped in Amber

First Day at Rehab!

@readergirlstuff tagged as you asked c:

Tags: Baking, show and tell, bugs, explosions, arguing, Alastor being a pest.

Notes: formatting on tumblr mobile is god awful.

【1st Chapter】【2nd Chapter】【3rd Chapter】

【★】

In the morning, Amber explored her new wardrobe, courtesy of Alastor. She was impressed at the selection, not thinking the Radio Demon would have good tastes in lady’s apparel, the modern world would call it ‘vintage.’ She frowned at the thought that she was considered vintage.

Although she appreciated the wardrobe, most dresses had a similar problem: there wasn’t room for her wings. Usually she would default to exposed shoulder or open back dresses to accommodate the bat wings, a very small amount of these clothes would actually fit her.

With a quick glance over her shoulder, as if to confirm no one was in her room, Amber took her quill and ran the tip of it along the neckline of a particularly gorgeous red dress. The back of the dress lowered by her command, the fibers weaving in and out to suit her wishes.

Amber left her room with a wide smile, happy to wear something she can call her own. Something Velvette didn’t have a hand in designing. Something she wasn’t expecting to get blood on.

She entered the foyer, surprised to find there wasn’t any breakfast prepared for the guests. Aside from peanuts in a bowl on the bar, there was no food in sight. Angel and Husker both snacked silently on the peanuts.

Husker didn’t even turn to look her way as she approached, in fact his eyes weren’t open as he nursed his hangover with peanuts and a bloody mary.

Angel must have sensed her confusion, he huffed as she neared. “This ain’t like the hotels you’re used to, toots. No chefs and no twinky little bellboys to bring food to your door.”

“We have food in the fridge.” Vaggie’s voice came from the top of the foyer stairs, she descended with a yawn. “We technically have Niffty as our cook, but last time she made dinner she put worms in the meatloaf, so she’s not cooking for us right now." Vaggie grimaced. "Sorry, we’re still working out the finer details.”

”Ya' call feeding your guests and staff, ‘finer details’?” Angel mocked.

”Hey! I said we have food!” Vaggie crossed her arms. “Anyway, have you seen Charlie?”

Angel scoffed and ignored her question. “Food, yeah, right. Only thing in that fridge is popsicles and eggs.”

”We have more than that!”

Amber listened to them bicker for a few moments, delighting in the snarky come-backs Angel had and the building frustration in Vaggie. After a few moments, Amber made her way to the kitchen. She could smell someone baking.

“Good morn- WAIT!” Charlie cried out when she spotted Amber walking in, attempting to hide what she was doing, only to slip and fall flat on her ass. She preciously held a bowl of white liquid in her arms, not a drop spilled. “Oh man, it was supposed to be a surprise!”

Amber got closer, the smile on her face widening when she saw Charlie baked a cake. The cake itself looked and smelled nice, however Charlie clearly had no patience as she had stacked the double vanilla layers without waiting for it to cool down, the watery icing in between had caused the top layer of cake to shift and the frosting melted off the sides. It’s sad to look at, really.

“I know I’m supposed to wait until the cake cools, but I wasn’t sure what time you wake up, and I woke up late today, and I had to go shopping, and I was panicking and-”

Amber held up a finger to her own lips to shush Charlie from rambling on.

Although the cake was intended to be a surprise for Amber- she couldn’t stop herself from taking over the task, delegating Charlie to cut some fruits and make coffee. Amber took care of scraping the icing off the cake, thickening the icing as Charlie had put too much milk in it, and decorating the cake once it was cooled properly.

With Charlie’s fruits on the top it made the cake look healthier, something one can eat for breakfast if you squint hard enough.

”Hooray! Teamwork!” Charlie giggled and brought out a piping bag with orange frosting. “Now, the finishing touch!”

When the cake was presented to the ‘full’ lobby, it was met with wide eyes, the sloppy orange letters that read “Welcome Amber!!!” didn’t quite match the level of detail Amber had put on the rest of the cake - though it looked appetizing nonetheless. As it was placed on the bar, everyone gathered to get a slice.

”Well, I can tell where Charlie helped.” Vaggie smirked, eyeing the sloppy orange letters.

“I baked the cake, but the rest was all Amber. She’s amazing!” Charlie beamed.

Alastor hummed from behind Amber. He didn’t take a slice, only holding his hands behind his back and watching. ”Yes, she does look quite appetizing.” He eyed the back of her dress, not remembering this particular one being an open back.

Amber didn’t know if she should take the comment literally or flirtatiously. Considering his large, sharp teeth, she wondered if he came from cannibal town.

Vaggie rolled her eyes. “Al don’t eat our guests, I’ve seen what your meals consist of.”

“Oh, he can eat me any time.” Angel had wiped some frosting off his cake slice with his finger and very sensually licked it off, making sure to make direct contact with Alastor.

Alastor laughed and quickly said, “No.”

“So, Amber.” Charlie quickly changed the subject before Angel could make any more sexual remarks. “You can’t talk, right?”

Amber nodded.

Nifty crawled on to the counter to stab at the leftover cake. ”Can you read?”

Another nod.

”My dear, of course, a refined lady like this knows how to read.” Alastor’s voice came from directly above Amber’s head. If he lowered himself ever so slightly, he would be resting his chin in her hair.

Amber felt very tempted to twitch her ears and bat him in the face, though she wasn’t sure how he would take that, so she sat still as if he wasn't hovering over her.

“Do you have a phone?” Charlie reached in her pocket and pulled out her cell phone.

When the phone faced Amber, she jumped back, accidentally bumping into Alastor. He recoiled, not expecting her sudden response. She turned back instinctively to see what Alastor was doing so close. He adjusted his bow tie and dusted non-existent dirt off his jacket as if nothing had happened.

In response to Charlie’s question, Amber shook her head no. Angel raised an eyebrow. He distinctly remembered that she had a phone the last time he saw her, not to mention anyone who worked for Vox required one.

”No phone? Well, if you’re out of the hotel, how should we get in contact with you?”

”Bat signal?” Angel suggested.

”Or how about postmail?” Alastor suggested.

Amber took her parchment out and wrote, “I don’t plan on leaving the hotel.”

Charlie’s smile turned sideways. “Oh, you don’t need to do that! We’re not holding you prisoner. You can come and go whenever.”

Amber shook her head and underlined her statement, adding on, “I ask that you don’t make me leave the hotel, I would very much like to stay inside.”

”Ooookaayyyy.” Charlie shrugged. “Is there a reason?”

Amber nodded, folded her hands in her lap, and smiled - clearly not willing to give a reason.

“I know why!” Niffty raised her hand. “It’s dirty outside!”

Amber shrugged. If that’s the narrative they wanted to go with, she would have no qualms with it.

”Anyway, I was going to text you earlier that today's activity is show and tell, but, well, you don’t have a phone." Charlie said. "I’m sure you can come up with something after everyone else goes!”

Vaggie hummed. “She doesn’t have a lot of time to prepare. Maybe she should sit this one out.”

”No, it’s fine!” Charlie exclaimed and began ushering everyone to the parlor, regardless if they finished their cake slice or not. “Show and tell can be about anything!”

As everyone filed into the foyer, Amber sat in front of the fireplace, not comfortable enough with the rest of the hotel residents to share a couch with them. Alastor sat in the armchair next to her.

“I’ll start!” Charlie proudly stood in front of the TV and talked before she ensured anyone was paying attention. “This-“ She reached under the coffee table and pulled out a large book. It looked old yet well taken care of. “-is my copy of The Story of Hell, it was created when I was a baby!”

Amber listened intently as Charlie rambled about her book. No one seemed to have any questions, though Angel and Alastor enjoyed heckling her.

”Does your little storybook mention me?” Alastor chuckled. “Does it detail the massacre I left in my wake?”

Charlie looked through her book. ”You’re mentioned in the notable sinners section, but just your name.”

Alastor hummed with an annoyed tone.

Charlie took a deep breath and looked excitedly to the group around her. ”It feels so good to share and be listened to!” She closed her book. “Who wants to go next?”

Amber raised a hand. She didn’t truly want to go, but a good first impression could go a long way. If the princess wants it, she will do it.

Charlie gasped. “You want to participate already? Oh, I’m so excited!”

Amber wrote on her parchment and held it out for everyone to read. “I need a radio in order to do this.”

”Ah, now that’s a request I can handle.” Alastor smiled wide and snapped his fingers. His radio that was placed by the bar had vanished and reappeared on top of the TV.

Amber tapped her fingers to her chin, moved her hand down, and mouthed the words “thank you” to Alastor as she stood. One of the only proper uses of sign language she knows.

She approached and stood just to the side of the radio so everyone could see it’s face, before she started, she gave a curtsey to the crowd.

She gently laid a hand on the top of the radio. The moment her hand touched the wood, the display lit up, and the speakers sparked to life. The radio began broadcasting the sound of a live radio show tuned to a random station.

Charlie applauded.

Amber smiled but didn’t remove her hand just yet. She took a deep breath and focused. The channel changed without Amber touching the dial, then again, and again. Soon, the radio was switching from channel to channel rapidly. In between the static, multiple voices could be heard, all coming together to provide a word or syllable in a sentence.

The radio spoke, “GOOD MORNING - to all - of - you. It has been - very NICE - to - meet - YOU ALL-”

Alastor leaned closer in his armchair. “I must say, this is actually quite impressive, my dear!”

Amber’s smile widened with the compliment, and she continued to speak through the radio. “I learned - this trick - from an old - friend - who - USED TO - haunt humans!“

A sly smirk spread across Alastors face, intrigued by her display.

“Oh!” Charlie raised her hand. “Where is this friend? Do you think they would want to check out the hotel?”

Amber shook her head. “He - died in the last extermination.”

”Can you do that to the TV?” Angel asked.

Amber released her hands from the radio and shook her head. As her hands left the radio, it instantly powered down. She would never dare tap into a TV. If it had any link to Vox, she wanted nothing to do with it.

Charlie, Vaggie, and Alastor clapped. Amber dramatically bowed and returned to her spot by the fireplace.

As she walked across the room Husker couldn’t help but notice the way Alastor was looking at the new girl, almost like she was fresh meat.

Angel volunteered next. He got close to the tv with the remote while he searched for a certain film. He proudly returned to his spot on the couch as the film started, a smug grin cast on his face.

Amber recognized the opening logo instantly. It’s a porno filmed by Vox’s recording company and produced by Valentino. She hummed and watched with a blank expression. It was impossible to live in hell without being exposed to sex, porn, and violence - this was nothing new.

Once the plot ended and porn started Amber inspected her claws, just waiting for it to be over. She looked to everyone else for their reaction.

Alastor was disgusted at first, his smile turning to a snarl. However, he turned his attention to the other people in the room. When he locked eyes with Amber, they both shared an eye roll. Of course, the porn star would show them porn. Both their attention turned to the disgusted looks around the room.

Nobody seemed impressed by the film, especially Husker.

Eventually, Angel was forced to stop the film, no matter what award he won for it. Amber didn’t involve herself in the arguing, though she enjoyed listening to it, especially when Husker got involved, be seemed to know exactly what to say to piss Angel off.

While they were arguing, Vaggie snatched the remote from the coffee table and turned the TV off.

Before Angel and Husker could argue more, Angel got a phone call. Amber could hear his voice crack and his cocky attitude drop at whoever called. When he ended the call, Angel composed himself and excused himself from the morning activity.

“Angel, you can’t leave yet!” Charlie stood and ran after him.

Amber’s ears perked, listening to their conversation even as they stood at the main entrance, listening as Charlie begged Angel to stay.

“Unless you can fix my boss, there’s nothing you can do.” The next sound heard was the door slamming, and Vaggie heels against the tiled floor walking up to Charlie’s side.

Amber hummed, thinking one well placed bomb could 'fix' both of their bosses.

As she eavesdropped, she noticed Alastor was staring at her, catching her in the act. He only smiled wider when they made eye contact, not saying anything to disturb her ability to hear the conversation from across the foyer.

After some light pressure, Vaggie managed to convince Charlie to go after Angel, under the guise of being ‘aggressively kind’ to Valentino.

This would not turn out well for either of them. In the short time she’s known Charlie and the few years she’s known Valentino, someone will either die or come out of this severely injured. Most likely, Angel - even Val isn’t stupid enough to lay a hand on the princess.

Vaggie returned to the parlor, looking amongst those still left. “So, who wants to go next?”

Niffty excitedly stood and raised her hand, climbing on to the coffee table to raise her hand even higher. “Me! Me! I wanna go next!”

”Go ahead, Niff.” Vaggie smiled and sat back at her spot on the couch.

Alastor’s ears perked as Niffty stood on top of the TV. He leaned forward, eager to see what she had in store. This is bound to be interesting.

Niffty pulled out two puppeteer crosses, each limb with a dead bug attached to the string, mostly cockroaches dangled from the crosses.

Husker and Vaggie blanched, Ser Pentious covered his mouth, Alastor’s eyes widened, and Amber adjusted her posture to face the puppet show fully with a genuine smile.

Niffty controlled the entire army of roaches like a puppet master. Her puppet show featured star crossed lovers, a love triangle, a brutal war, a lobotomy, soldiers going AWOL, and for the finale- a carpet bombing.

Quite literally as Niffty lit a pack of firecrackers on the carpet and quickly tossed all her bugs on the top, along with a baggie full of more dead bugs to act as a metaphor for all the soldiers that have died during war.

The scene of warfare came to a dramatic climax, erupting in fire and scattering chunks of bugs across the parlor.

While Vaggie mechanically clapped in support, Amber and Alastor gave Niffty a round of applause.

”Bravo my darling!”

Amber was the last to stop clapping, which Alastor took note of. Perhaps she was enjoying the performance even more than he was?

Niffty bowed and began collecting the pieces of bugs that had scattered along the room.

”Well…” Vaggie cleared her throat. “I think we should take a break until Charlie gets back.”

Husker stood instantly, brushed the bug parts off his fur, and quickly returned to his normal spot behind the bar. Ser Pentious slithered quickly out of the room. Vaggie had to stop herself from running up the stairs. Alastor stayed put.

Amber assisted with gathering the bug bits, her claws easily picking the carcasses and limbs from the carpet. She didn’t show even the slightest shiver as she collected the bits in her open palm.

”Quite the show, Niffty!” Alastor praised, brushing bits of bug off his sleeve. “Truly impressive, a master of your craft!”

”I liked it when they all exploded.” Niffty said from under the table.

Alastor laughed, he leaned forward in his seat to get a closer look at her. “Where do you come up with such ideas?”

As Alastor leaned, Amber caught the sight of a whole roach stuck in his red hair, close to his scalp. She stood on her knees and stretched out a hand to grab it without a second thought.

Before she could reach the bug Alastor rotated his neck, giving his most intimidating glare he could muster without moving. He studied her movements, waiting for her to make her next move.

She didn’t flinch as he moved. The dials in his eyes were a nice touch, Amber thought. She instead continued to reach, merely locating the bug and pulling it from his head. She did linger just for a moment, enjoying the feeling of his hair in between her fingers.

Alastor was so shocked he didn’t move, allowing her to touch him. Amber lacked the intimidation that most demons felt under his stare or in his presence. She plucked the roach as if it was casual, as if he didn’t glare at her with bloodthirst, as if she wasn’t scared of him. That will need to change, along with his composure. He shouldn’t be letting strangers touch him!

With the last of the bug bits cleaned up, Amber deposited what she had gathered into Niffty’s baggie. Niffty joyfully ran out of the room, leaving Alastor and Amber alone in the parlor.

”Did you enjoy the performance?”

Amber nodded with enthusiasm, quickly took out her parchment, and wrote, “Niffty is very eccentric, I appreciate that she doesn’t hold back for other people’s sake.”

”I too appreciate her unconventional ways.” Alastor leaned back in his chair. “So, you are quite the eavesdropper. Tell me, do you always listen to other people’s conversations?”

Amber hummed, she wrote. “With ears as big as mine, it’s not possible to ignore. I find eavesdropping a valuable skill.” As she faced the parchment toward him, she wiggled her large bat ears.

“Valuable indeed! The secrets you must know, I’m dying to know what you’ve heard.”

Amber shrugged and wrote. “I’m sure you are.” She gave him a smug smile and walked out of the parlor.

She thought about going to the kitchen to cook a proper meal, the cake was good but she needed something with protein. When she spotted the bar and made a quick diversion.

Amber joined Husker at his bar, writing on her parchment for him to read, “Are the drinks free, too?”

”All paid by your royal highness.” Husker grumbled, his voice laced with sarcasm.

She wrote her order down for an Old Fashion with a please and thank you.

As Husker began making her drink, he paused as if seeing her for the first time. “Do I know you from somewhere?”

Amber pursed her lips and inspected Husker, he looked a little familiar but didn’t recognize him. She shrugged.

He continued making her drink, staring at her in the corner of his eyes. “You ever gamble?”

Amber shook her head and wrote on her parchment, “I like to play it safe. I play cards strictly for fun, not for gain.”

He had to squint to read it from his position at the bar. ”You can gain a lot by putting your chips on the table.” Husker set her drink in front of her. “You can also lose a lot.”

Amber stared at her drink. She grabbed it and stayed for a moment longer. She wrote, “I’ve seen many losses over a game of cards.” She took a sip of the drink. “Clothes, money, power, souls.”

“Stakes are set high when souls are in the mix.” Husker scoffed and grabbed a bottle from the shelf. “Word of advice, if you ever pick up gambling - don’t deal in souls.”

Amber took another drink. “I never plan on it.” She wrote.

As Husker drank he glanced in Alastor’s direction, grateful to see he was still in the parlor, now listening to the radio and reading the newspaper. “Look,” Husker set his drink down and spoke under his breath. “I don’t know if anybody’s warned you, but you should stay clear of Alastor.”

Amber cocked her head.

”Nothing good comes from that demon.”

She wrote, “thank you” on her parchment and sipped her drink, grateful to get off the topic of gambling. “Do all morning lessons end like that?”

Husker shrugged. “Sometimes.”

”Are you here to be redeemed?”

Husker scoffed. “No, I never asked to be here, I was told.” He glared at Alastor from across the room.

Alastor, feeling the glare, turned his head from his newspaper to look at Husker. Sensing he was the topic of conversation Alastor gave the biggest shit eating grin he could muster.

Husker growled and turned away to tidy the bar.

Amber walked away with her drink in hand, wandering to the kitchen to find something real to eat. She searched the cabinets and the fridge, finding the contents underwhelming and disappointing. At least they had tons of coffee.

A list would need to be made of what they needed. Amber took to writing a shopping list on some scrap paper, the cheap paper was frustrating to write on with a quill but she didn’t complain.

As she took stock she also threw out anything expired and pulled out certain ingredients, deciding she wanted to cook to pass the time.

Amber’s ears twitched at the sound of footsteps behind the door, someone with nice shoes and a steady pace.

She cheerfully wrote on her parchment and displayed it for Alastor. ”If I’d like to place an order for food, would I give this list to you or Charlie?”

Alastor pulled up a stool, sat at the island countertop, and inspected the list. “The short angry one usually takes care of these things. Are you intending on taking Niffty’s position of head chef? Poor thing will be heartbroken!”

Amber shook her head and wrote, “Just until she can return, I love to cook and can’t stand the lack of a proper meal.”

Alastor chuckled for a second before speaking again. “You will be cooking out of the kindness of your heart? I’m sure the residents here would appreciate your hard work, though…” Alastor leaned closer. “You aren’t trying to earn yourself any favors, are you?”

“Pay would be nice, but I don’t expect anything back.” Amber wrote. “I’m already staying here for free, may as well make myself useful.”

Alastor hummed, watching as Amber worked hard to create something edible. He filled the silence by telling stories of his time working at a butcher shop, coming home with scraps and cooking with his mother.

As he finished the story Amber put a loaf of soda bread in the oven and began cooking eggs.

”And how about you, where did you learn to cook? I don’t see any recipes you’re working off of.”

Amber wrote with one hand and cooked with the other. When she finished the note, she delivered the parchment to the counter. Alastor sat in front of and returned to her work. The note read, “My parents sent me to finishing school, I learned how to cook proper from there. After arriving in Hell, I was a personal chef for a while. My skills have become broadened since then.”

“Finishing school, eh?” Alastor traced the letters with his claw, inspecting the ink closely. “You may be older than I thought!”

Amber turned and gave him a pointed look.

”What, only a statement! I’m an older gentleman myself.” He adjusted his monocle. “So you say you were a personal chef? Not many of those around, who were you employed under?” Alastor slipped the paper away from him, with a wave of his fingers the parchment twirled in the air and landed on the counter just next to Amber.

Amber hummed, he sure enjoyed flaunting his power around. She tapped the quill and wrote, “A few different demons, no one special.”

As she finished writing the note, Alastor waved his cane, the parchment slid out from under her quill, and was delivered directly to his hand. “Oh but not any regular sinner hires a personal chef. Everyone down here is about indulgence, power, and wealth!” He pushed the paper and flew it back to her side. “Those who hire personal chefs are either worried about being poisoned or are too busy to cook for themselves. Do you want to try again?”

Amber pretended to write a much longer note. When she finished, she tucked her quill in her hair and put on oven mitts to pull out the bread.

Alastor took the paper in his hands, and he pressed his lips together as close to a frown as possible. The note simply read,

“No.”

She brought the eggs and bread over to his side of the counter with some plates and forks. She served a small portion on a plate and held it out to Alastor. He hesitated, waiting for her to serve herself a plate and eat before eating his own, ensuring it wasn’t poisoned.

As he watched her eat he wondered what he could do to get under her skin. Calling her old got him a glare but nothing more, she hardly reacted to Angel showing his porno- if anything she was bored. The only reaction he had seen from her was when Charlie pulled out her phone.

”So-“ Alastor took a bite of the eggs. “I wonder why you lack a cellular device? Surely, someone who isn’t able to speak would find text messages convenient to communicate versus parchment and quill, truly medieval.”

Unfortunately for Alastor, she didn’t have much of a reaction. “If I did everything out of convenience, I would simply microwave meals and spend my days lounging about doing nothing.”

He nodded. “Yes you have a point there. If I did everything out of convenience, I would simply set my cellular device on the counter and film podcasts right where I am sitting!” He rolled his eyes, then he had a thought. His reaction was bigger than hers. “Speaking of, I have to record quite a bit for my radio show this afternoon. How would you like to get a sneak peek of my radio tower? It will only be for a short while and the view from up there is gorgeous! I don’t normally invite visitors, but you have been quite a delight!”

Amber hummed, she thought of Husker’s warning and Alastor’s incessant need to ask many questions. She had been able to fend for herself, he hadn’t once made her doubt her safety and to be honest, he was nice company.

”It will only be for a few minutes, I don’t record with others in the room unless they’re a guest, and unfortunately I don’t think you’d make a good guest on an audio only show!” He laughed loudly. “What do you say?”

Amber looked at her grocery list, she didn’t have much else to do in the kitchen and it would be nice to have some variety to her day, her only other idea she could think of to entertain her time would be to wander the hotel and find out if they had a study or library of some kind.

She nodded with a grateful smile.

【☆】

#hazbin hotel fanfiction #hazbin hotel #hazbin alastor #alastor #Trapped in Amber

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