Later that day, Charlie, Vaggie, and Carrot Cake returned to the hotel, where Charlie slumped over a couch in the lobby.

“So, how'd it go?" Angel Dust asked smugly, still in his chair while staring at his phone.

Vaggie sighed in disappointment. “Not a single new recruit."

“I stuck flyers all over town, but I don't think anyone's gonna notice them," Carrot Cake added. “Probably should've just launched a website."

“Yeah?" said Angel Dust. “Well, who would want to use their last days not fucking and fighting?"

Suddenly, there was a loud banging at the door. Curious, Vaggie went to answer and found a familiar, serpentine demon on the doorstep.

“Why, hello, my dear..." Sir Pentious greeted, only to receive a punch in the face and a shiny, silver spearhead to the throat as he fell on his back. “Wait, wait, wait! I come in peacccce."

Of course, Vaggie wasn't having it. “What are you doing here?!"

“Vaggie, what's the problem?" Charlie asked, then gasped in surprise upon noticing Sir Pentious. “Oh! Hello, again."

“Ain't that the guy who blew up the wall this morning?" Carrot Cake pointed out.

“I didn't come looking for a fight," he insisted as he got back up. “I, uh... I heard that you're helping people. People who want... to be better?"

That was all Charlie needed to hear.

“You heard right!" she said, guiding him inside. “Welcome to our home of healing. Our resort of restoration. Our—"

“Are you fucking nuts?!" Angel Dust interrupted. “This chump was trying to kill us, like, literally six hours ago!"

Carrot Cake checked a nearby clock and said, “Actually, he's right."

Angel Dust nodded. “And now, you wanna bring him in here to live with us?!"

“Absolutely!" Charlie insisted. “This place is about second chances, and who deserves one more than this... slithery... slippery... special little man?"

“Aren't you supposed to be protectin' this place?" Angel Dust asked Vaggie. With one look at Charlie's bright, pleading eyes, however, she just sighed in defeat.

“I... guess he's not much of a threat without the war machine," she said, making Sir Pentious smile. “Or even with the war machine."

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Charlie cheered, hugging and spinning her white-haired girlfriend around before returning her focus to the snake-like sinner. “Sir Pentious, welcome to the Hazbin Hotel!"

“Oh, no, darling, thank you!" Pentious said as he slithered inside with the women. “You won't regret this."

“Eh, I give you a week, tops," Angel Dust huffed, following them.

“So, this is the bar and the bartender," Charlie said as she pointed to Husk, who was chugging down a bottle of cheap booze. “This is the curtain, and this is the new wall after you broke the last one. Ha! And, oh, this, this is—"

Vaggie pulled Charlie back and said, “Babe, you don't have to show him every detail."

“Sorry!" Charlie apologized with a smile. “I'm just so excited to have our first real guest!"

“Uh, what the hell am I then?" Angel Dust asked, quite offended.

“Well, you're an important part of our family here, Angel," Charlie insisted. “But, you um... uh..."

“Constantly make us look bad, sexually harass the staff, and have literally never once tried to improve?" Vaggie listed.

“What she means is, it's just nice to have someone interested for once," Charlie said, then returned her focus on Pentious without noticing Angel's hurt face.

Carrot Cake, however, did notice, but didn't say anything. She just felt Charlie grab her by the shoulders.

“This here is Carrot Cake, our head of advertising," she said.

“That's funny," Carrot Cake muttered. “I got a promotion in less than a day."

“Over here, we have our maid, Niffty," Charlie continued. Niffty immediately got excited as she noticed Pentious.

“The bad boy is back!" she said as she jumped up to his face, making him uncomfortable. “Never leave me again."

“We're about eighty percent sure she's harmless," Charlie explained nervously. “And over here, we have—"

Out of nowhere, Alastor just seemed to pop up into the room.

“Oh, uh, Alastor, our gracious Facility Manager!" Charlie introduced. “You've met our newest guest, Sir Pentious. Heh heh.."

“Ah, yes," Alastor said as Pentious waved at him nervously. “You're the one who ruined my coat. I definitely remember you now."

Charlie gulped nervously as Pentious's face paled. “Well, I guess this is a great time for your first lesson: How to apologize. The first step to becoming a better person is to admit when you are wrong! Why don't you give it a try?"

Seeing he had no other choice, Sir Pentious nervously smiled at the stag-like Overlord.

“Yes, um... Mr., um, Radio Demon, sir," he stammered. “Please forgive me for attacking you and ruining your very lovely coat. Um... here."

Alastor laughed as Pentious handed him the tiny piece of torn fabric. “Oh-ho! Not many people have been able to take even this much off me. It must have meant quite a lot to you."

Charlie and Sir Pentious stared as Alastor set the bit of fabric ablaze with an intimidating grin.

★

“Now, with a new resident, I think it's important we all get to know each other, so we are going to play a little game," Charlie said to Vaggie, Angel Dust, Sir Pentious, and Carrot Cake. “Everyone, follow me!"

“Please tell me it isn't truth or dare," Carrot Cake muttered, just before Charlie started clapping.

My name is Charlie *clap! clap!*

I like to sing *clap! clap!"

And when we get to know each other

It's the greatest thing! *clap! clap!*

Once she was finished, Charlie extended a hand to Pentious, signaling it was his turn. He was hesitant, but nonetheless complied.

My name's Sir Pentious *clap! clap!*

I like to build *clap! clap!*

And despite my stupid Egg Bois

I think I'm very skilled! *clap! clap!*

Carrot Cake giggled. “Reminds me of kindergarten."

“Ooh, Carrot! You want a turn?" Charlie asked.

“Crap," she muttered upon realizing she set herself up then and there. “Okay, uh..."

M-My name's Carrot Cake *clap! clap!*

I... don't sing *clap! clap!*

It's not that I hate music

I just... I just...

“Clearly, improv ain't my thing," Carrot Cake admitted, then clapped twice. The three of them turned to Angel Dust, who looked up from his phone to glare at them.

“This is stupid," he said flatly. Charlie grinned in embarrassment.

This is not stupid! *clap! clap!*

It's just the game! *clap! clap!*

Carrot and Pentious did it well

So, now, please try to do the same!
*clap! clap!*

Angel Dust just pinched his brow. “I am too sober for this."

“Well, get used to it and learn how to play. This is gonna be your whole day!" Vaggie huffed, clapping twice at the end of her own rhyme.

That evening, Charlie prepared another activity: good behavior roleplay.

“‘Oh, I'm a bad man on the streets who never got enough hugs. Now, where's an innocent kid I can sell crack to?'" Angel Dust boredly read aloud from a script, wearing a brown hat and a blood-stained trenchcoat. “Wow. Who wrote this?"

“It's great, right?" Charlie said, ignorant of his disgust. “Keep going!"

Angel Dust resisted the urge to roll his eyes and turned to Sir Pentious, who was dressed in a sailor suit and licking a giant lollipop. “‘Hey, you.'"

“Who, me?" Pentious said innocently.

“‘Yeah, you look like a kid who could use some... devil's dandruff?' Oh, for fuck's sake."

“Not me!" Pentious replied. “I have to go home and study!"

Even though he thought the script was garbage, Angel kept reading. “‘Come on, kid. It'll make you cool like me... the crack head.'"

“The only cool thing here is to say no to drugs!" Pentious said loudly. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to not have sexual intercourse before marriage!"

“Yes! Oh, bravo, bravo!" Charlie applauded, standing and clapping.

“I thought he was going home to study," Carrot Cake said, only to be ignored by Charlie praising Sir Pentious.

“Wow, Pentious," she said. “At this rate, you'll be redeemed in no time!"

“I... I'm going to bed," Angel Dust announced, seemingly hurt.

“Angel?" Carrot Cake muttered, but he was already heading up the stairs by the time she got back on her hooves.

“I am so proud of you, Sir Pentious," Charlie continued, not noticing the spider demom's saddened expression. “That was amazing. That was beautiful work today!"

“Thank you, thank you!" Pentious said, quite flattered. “You like me, you really like me!"

Although it was admittedly nice to see someone actually trying to improve, Carrot Cake was more concerned for the one who seemed less interested. She found Angel Dust's room, but just before she could knock to see if he was okay, she heard a muffled voice she did not recognize. Curious, she pressed her ear against the door to get a better listen.

–Angel, baby, come home. It's not the same without you here. I miss you, come back....
Angel, you bitch! If you don't come home, you will be fucking greasy truckers for the next year—

–Hey, amorcito, I didn't mean to yell, but you know how crazy you make me f—

–You fuckin' slut!

–Hey, Angie! About earlier—

–Kill your whole fucking fami—

–Work's really stressful—

–Little cocksucking piece of shit!

Having heard more than enough, Carrot Cake backed away from the door. This was something she knew she would have to eventually try to talk to Angel Dust about. But without the whole story, and given her own... issues... this wasn't going to be that day.

For the moment, it seemed best she did nothing.

★

To get as comfortable as she could, Carrot Cake fluffed up the biggest pillows she could find and snuggled her person half into them while her horse half was lying on the mattress itself. As she pulled the covers over her body, she thought about her newfound role. It seemed as though Charlie wanted her to stay as long as possible, but Carrot Cake thought it would be best to pull her weight while she did, since she wasn't an actual resident. First thing in the morning, perhaps she should start working on new ways to promote the hotel.

SNAP!

Well, second thing. First thing, she would buy a stronger bedframe. Another downside to her hideous body.

Once she was finally comfortable enough and began to fall asleep, Carrot Cake heard someone shouting. She didn't know who it was or what they were saying, but she did hear something about the Vees and someone being a slippery little shit, followed by a few loud thuds. Carrot Cake stepped out of her room to find Charlie and Vaggie in the hall.

“You guys hear that, too?" she asked them.

“Unfortunately," Vaggie groaned, rubbing her eye. The three ladies followed the sound of the ruckus to Charlie's office, where Angel Dust and Sir Pentious were at each other's throats.

“What's going on?" Charlie asked with a yawn.

“This little bitch is a traitor!" Angel Dust yelled, sounding quite drunk.

“Preposterous! I would never betray you!" Pentious claimed, slithering up to hug Charlie and Vaggie. “You are my best friends!"

“Uh-huh, then explain this," said Angel Dust, revealing a camera hidden in a bookcase. Pentious tensed up and turned his head to notice Charlie's devastation, Vaggie's rage, and Carrot Cake's surprise.

Immediately, he chose flight over fight.

“Abort! Abort! S.O.S.!" Pentious screamed, and pushed up his sleeve to call for help on a blue and gray smartwatch. “Agent Pentious in need of immediate evacuation!"

“Pentious? Wait... you were caught?! Haha, it hasn't even been a day!"

“Please, you've got to get me out of here!" Pentious pleaded, but Vox, the television-faced demon on the other end, just kept laughing.

“I can't believe we thought you could handle even something this simple! Do us a favor. If they don't kill you, go ahead and DO IT YOURSELF, YOU MISERABLE FAILURE!"

“I... I..." Sir Pentious cried softly, and curled up on the floor to accept his fate. “Just make it quick, I guess. Not that I deserve it."

“Gladly," Vaggie said coldly, holding out her spear.

“Wait!" Charlie interrupted, stopping her girlfriend, and kneeled down to extend a hand to the slippery snake. “Pentious?"

Still feeling ashamed, Sir Pentious raised his head to see Charlie giving him a warm smile, while Vaggie and Angel Dust still glared at him from behind the princess. Carrot Cake just stayed back, not fond at all of confrontations.

It starts with sorry

That's your foot in the door

One simple sorry

Spoken straight from your core

The path to forgiveness

Is a twisting trail of hearts

But sorry is where it starts...

Though he was touched by her kind words, Pentious turned away from her, believing he was beyond redemption.

Who could forgive a dirtbag like me?

I don't deserve your amnesty

Angel Dust and Vaggie:
Can't we just kill him?

Shoot him and spill his blood?

Charlie: That's an option you could choose

Angel Dust and Vaggie: Works for us

Charlie: But who hasn't been in his shoes?

It starts with sorry

Sir Pentious: Ssssorry

Charlie: Dig down deeper and say

One sincere sorry

Sir Pentious: I'm so sorry

Charlie: And your journey's underway

Both: It'll take time to cover

Charlie: Your vast multitude of sins
Sir Pentious: My vast multitude of sins

Both: But sorry is where it begins!

It starts with sorry...

“Charlie, that was beautiful," Carrot Cake said in awe as Charlie and Pentious held hands while smiling at one another.

“I hated that song! Why are you so lame?!" Niffty exclaimed in disgust, kicking Sir Pentious in the tail before storming off. “Not a bad boy!"

Charlie sighed in relief. “Good first day. Let's get some rest."

While everyone else left the room, Carrot Cake stayed behind to examine the spy cam in the bookcase.

“Why would the Vees want to spy on the hotel?" she asked herself before dropping the camera into a trash bin. “I guess it doesn't matter anymore."

As Carrot Cake headed back to bed, she neglected to notice glowing red eyes and a sinister grin hiding in the shadows. Alastor walked in, picked up Pentious's watch, and used his own power to speak to Vox personally.

“WHAT?!"

“You'll have to try harder than that next time, ol' pal," said Alastor as he crushed the watch, much to Vox's rage, and slipped out in a puff of smoke back into the shadows...

I thought about having Carrot Cake act more aggressive towards Pentious, since horses don't really like snakes, but I don't want to distract from the fact that her soul is still human. Plus, the only people she acts aggressive towards are those who hurt her on a personal level.