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Lucifer heard everything from his oval prison even as his power was drained by Vox’s angelic canon, even as each breath taken in was a hundred needles down his throat and lungs.  Charlie’s girlfriend had tried to save him but she couldn’t break through his containment in time and now?

Now Charlie and the others were running out of time. 

He didn’t know what they were doing up top nor why there was a chorus of voices trying to bolster each other, but what he could discern was that whatever they were trying to do, it wasn’t working.  They were running out of time.  They couldn’t keep going. 

Pain spasmed through his body as more and more of his power fed into the machine.  He may not understand the technology but he’d heard Carmilla shouting that it would blow and take everyone out with it when it overloaded.  His power was what was fueling the machine and, with each passing second, he could feel the machine demanding more of it as it ramped up and broadcast a sensation back to him like the keen of a siren. 

He was running out of time.

If he couldn’t be saved, at the very least, he could do what he could to save his daughter. 

And so, with a smile, he forced his will into the machine and felt its mechanisms entwining into the very fibers of his being before both fallen angel and weapon of destruction disintegrated into nothing.

They’d done it.  They’d done it!  Charlie couldn’t believe her eyes—still couldn’t as she hugged and cheered with Emily and the other Sinners and Overlords.  They’d actually come together and defeated Vox’s weapon through the sheer power of their friendship! 

The celebrations and accolades went on for awhile but, eventually, the Overlords dispersed, vowing to never speak of this again.  The angels departed for Heaven after with promises to keep in touch with talks of future plans regarding the two realms, leaving behind the staff from the Hazbin Hotel.

Only then as the dust settled did a unified realization come to mind.  Where was Lucifer?  Vox had mentioned he’d been there.

“The weapon!  Vox was using your dad’s power to fuel it—he’s probably still stuck under the rubble,” Vaggi announced, clapping her hand to her forehead with the recollection.  “The weapon was draining his power so I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s down there, still bound, needing a power nap or just too fucking exhausted to get out himself.  Shit, we’ll have to apologize to him when we dig him out.”

Charlie’s eyes widened at the revelation.  “He’s been down here this whole time?  Oh, dad!”  To think all this time he’d been so close to them!  And with his power drained to fuel the weapon as well?  She’d been pissed with him before but now she was ready to greet him with a hug and the promises of a warm ducky bubble bath and a cup of cocoa!

Hurriedly, the two stepped over to the rubble, attracting the attention of the other staff members who’d come over to help move the rubble aside.  A pathway cleared gave Vaggi room to slide back down into the subterranean chamber.

Silence.

Then: “What the fuck…?”

“Vaggi, what’s the problem?” Charlie asked, fearing, at best, that he might have been knocked unconscious from the power-drain.  Instead of a hug hello they might just need to take him to bed first so he had time to recover. 

But the look on Vaggi’s face as she came up spoke volumes and Charlie felt her heart sink.

“Maybe… maybe he teleported back home.  The machine would have broken the bindings when it disintegrated, right?  I wouldn’t be surprised if he was back home right now trying to crawl back to bed or- or a pile of ducks—whichever is closest!” Charlie reasoned.  But even as she did, she could feel her cheerfulness being forced as a different feeling took over.  Something cold and sharp with a clarity only intuition could offer.

“Y…yeah.  We should go back to the Hotel and see if he’s there.  And if not, we’ll knock on the doors to Morningstar Manor until he opens up!” Vaggi reinforced, knowing this was all for the charade.

The others nodded too, knowing it wasn’t their place to break the act.  Not until Charlie was ready to accept the truth.

Heaven had been notified.  Even if Lucifer hadn’t been considered one of their own ever since his Fall, there were those in Heaven who still felt a connection to him.  They, more than anyone else, would have been the ones to confirm Vaggi’s suspicions. 

“You say you’ve searched every inch in Hell for the Morningstar?” asked Sera as she and Emily sat with Vaggi in the Seraphims’ office.  Vaggi knew she had to act alone carrying out this search; knew she had to support Charlie while the princess tried her fruitless efforts to deny the truth through every Missing Person poster she put up and through every call she tried to make to her dad’s phone, willing him to pick up each time before it went to voicemail. 

“Yes, twice just to make sure,” Vaggi confirmed, her face grim.  “I know it’s impossible for him to have managed to come up here but….”

Emily and Sera exchanged a glance before they both shook their heads.

“He isn’t here,” Sera stated matter-of-factly before adding on with a touch of emotion, “I’m sorry.” 

Emily, though, was already on the verge of tears.  “You said the last you saw of him was under the machine? Shackled to it and unable to get out?”

“Yes.  He was there alright, plain as day, speaking to me, asking about Charlie,” Vaggi confirmed, her brows knitting together tightly.  “I don’t understand how—ooft!” She was caught off-guard as she was suddenly engulfed in a tight embrace by the smaller Seraphim who began weeping loudly.  Very quickly she found herself needing to comfort the angel, though it was with awkward pats at first.

“I can’t explain it properly myself,” Sera admitted, rising from her seat to pace in thought.  “The machine didn’t explode, it disappeared.  There was not a way for the Morningstar to have been hurt by it unless…” 

It took a moment but, with a soft gasp, Sera realized what Emily already knew—the very reason she was crying now.

“We thought… we thought it was through our strength of will that had overpowered the weapon’s destructive intention… but in reality….” Emily sobbed out, burying her face into her palm.

“In reality,” Sera continued for her, her voice lowered to a whisper, “it was the love of a father who wanted nothing more than to protect his daughter…”

“Then that means….” Vaggi’s throat tightened as visions of what was to come filled her mind.  From the moment of her discovery, she knew Lucifer was gone and not in the same way as Pentious’ first disappearance.  Now, with the Seraphims’ confirmation, all she could think about was what would happen once Charlie had no more avenues of denial to use. 

Understanding, Sera came over and added to the embrace briefly before she said, “I have no doubt that you will be there to support her no matter what.  But a loss this significant is going to be difficult to navigate.  Difficult and terribly painful.  Unfortunately, there will be parts of the journey only she can navigate on her own and will need to navigate on her own.  Bear that in mind as you stand by her side.”

“I know,” Vaggi replied grimly.

“And we’ll- we’ll be there to support you too however we can… we promise!” Emily added on, smiling tearfully.

Vaggi couldn’t help quirking a faint smile back before she replied a little lighter, “I know.”  Then, after a beat: “Thank you.” 

Vaggi let Charlie have a month.  A month of endless searching and rationalizations and tackling every single solution that could possibly explain why Lucifer was gone except for the one reason that was the reality.  But after yet another all-day search through dehydrated delirium and scarcely any food due to a lack of taking a moment to simply stop and take a break to eat, Vaggi knew she had to stop indulging Charlie’s delusions.

They’d been about to make their daily visit to Morningstar Manor after scouring the streets on foot for any sign of the King when a fresh storm of pelting acid rain and brimstone hail forced them to hasten their return to the Hotel. 

“We have to go back out there after the storm passes,” Charlie announced, frowning as she watched the streets blacken to nothing except for the red and orange glow of hail as it made contact with the city’s infrastructure.  Otherwise visibility was practically nil. 

Vaggi saw Husk bite down on his tongue to keep himself from demanding of the princess ‘Are you out of your fucking mind?’  The other staff members had taken to doing that lately—keeping their comments to themselves no matter how much they’d like to speak their mind since they had sense enough to know it had to be Vaggi to finally ease Charlie from her delusions.  As per usual, they chose to step out to give the fallen angel the space to do what she needed to do. The other days hadn’t felt right but now, one month since Lucifer’s disappearance, Vaggi knew she had to keep this from continuing on.  The longer it went on, the more harm Charlie was doing to herself through neglecting her own needs in order to pay full attention to her hyperfixation of seeking someone who was no longer there. 

“Babe… I think…tonight… we should skip going to the Manor,” Vaggi began, expecting the sudden turn Charlie made as she rounded on her.

“How can you say that, Vaggi?  What if my dad’s there now?  We have to check on the house!  It’s okay—the storm should let up soon and we can go.”

“Charlie.” Vaggi reached out to her but the princess shirked from her hold with a determined frown.

“I’m going once the rain lets up, Vaggi.  You can either come with me or stay here—that’s entirely up to you.  But I need to find him.  I need to-“

“CHARLIE.”

Charlie startled as Vaggi hugged her tight enough to make her bones creak.  Normally, she was the giver of such hugs but now, on the receiving end, she tried to push from it.  But no matter how hard she tried, Vaggi would only hold on all the tighter.  And the longer she held on, the more Charlie felt the build-up growing inside her until it pushed against her rib cage and throat and chest and stomach—the same feeling she felt that day seeing Vaggi’s face as she rose from the rubble of Vox’s machine. 

“….”

The feeling became overwhelming.  And for the first time since Lucifer’s disappearance, she finally cried, letting out a wail that pierced straight to Heaven.

It was a wonder what being buried in a blanket burrito and a hot cup of cocoa could do.  For one, it staved off the cold and kept one comfortable and in easy reach of the tissue box.  For another, it gave adequate excuse to not see any visitors yet still be in a position to accept their myriad of condolence gifts.  Husk and Cherri saw to delivering each new bouquet of flowers or gift to Charlie and Vaggi’s room (Alastor had been banned entirely for risk of his biting sarcasm) which left Vaggi free to stay by the princess’s side as she finally let out all the misery that came with the acceptance of reality between fitful stints of awful sleep.

It was upon waking up from another of these naps that she was greeted with a tray Vaggi had brought up that contained yet another fresh cup of hot cocoa, a cup of brothy soup, and pancakes—just about the only combination of food Charlie could take in without throwing up after a few bites.

“Wow…the pile got bigger,” Charlie noted as she saw the teetering piles of unopened boxes amidst the vases lining the windowsills and every available surface so the scent of flowers was almost too overwhelming. 

“I mean, you are the princess of Hell.  Your family knew a lot of people,” Vaggi reasoned, trying to keep the conversational tone light as she helped Charlie sit up and take the cup of cocoa in hand.  “How are you feeling, babe?  Did you get some sleep?”

Charlie nodded faintly before taking a sip of her drink.  The warmth did her some good with each sip after bringing slightly more life to her eyes until she was satisfied to simply hold the mug in hand.

Vaggi got to work realigning the piles of gifts better. 

“Hey, look, this one is from Asmodeus,” Vaggi mentioned, holding up a box with a card attached.  “Your ‘Uncle Ozzie’, right? You want to take a look at it?”

Any other gift might have been turned down, but the mention of the sender convinced Charlie to nod before she set her cup aside to accept the box.  She took the card up first and opened it, reading it in silence.

“…..you know, it’s kind of a weird thing, right?” Charlie began, setting the card back down. 

Vaggi dusted her hands off and took a seat besides Charlie on the bed to peer over at the card written with Asmodeus’ fancy script.  “What’s weird, Charlie?”

“This.  Right here.”  Charlie tapped the portion of the card at the end.  On it was written ‘Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything.’  “They all say that, right?  The same sentiment.  If I need anything I should reach out to them and they’d help me with whatever I need but….”  Charlie’s face started to screw up, “but the thing I need the most is something they could never get me.”  Tears began to prickle at her lashes as she tapped the card sharply. “I need my dad!  He’s what I need!  The one thing I need is the one thing no one else can get for me and that’s- that’s what makes this weird and frustrating and- and- and-“

Very quickly, Vaggi embraced Charlie, letting the princess cry as she needed to.  This time the cry lasted only a few short minutes—an improvement from the debilitating sobs that kept her from forming coherent sentences earlier. 

“Why did he do it, Vaggi?  Why?!  I never asked him to- he should’ve- if Vox hadn’t-“

Vaggi never stopped holding her, giving her comforting pats along her back as Charlie let out what she needed to until she petered out to a mere sigh.

“I can’t believe he’s gone, Vaggi….”

“I know, Charlie… I know.  No one can.  It’s… it was never something anyone thought possible.  It’s fucked up,” Vaggi agreed, moving back to brush Charlie’s hair from her eyes, to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

“Do you know what else was fucked up…?”

“What, babe?”

Charlie’s mouth quivered but the thought that had been plaguing her arose through practiced words though a thousand rehearsals in her mind still didn’t prepare her for how hard it was to admit out loud.  “What’s fucked up was the very last thing I told him was that he should leave.  That he’d fucked things up enough for me and… and that’s…. that’s the last memory he would ever have of me.  The last words I’d ever say to my dad.  Not ‘I love you’.  Not ‘thank you for being there for me’.  No.  The very last things I said to him were out of anger and disappointment and that’s….that’s so fucked up…”  

“…you can’t beat yourself up for that, Charlie,” Vaggi cut in as a fresh wave of tears spilt from the princess’s eyes.  She dutifully wiped them away as they fell, each and every one of them.  “You couldn’t have known.  None of us did.  I’m sure your dad knew you loved him even if you were angry with him at the time.”

“HOW could I ever know?!” Charlie shook her head as an incredulous laugh punched its way through her throat.  “He’s gone! He’s never coming back! You- you said so yourself, right? Heaven said he isn’t there!  This isn’t like when Pentious died.  Pentious died but was redeemed.  But dad….” The princess bit her lower lip as she struggled to hold the words back.  It was only from Vaggi’s gentle coaxing that she let go before her lip was split.

“Charlie, your dad did it because he loved you.  To the end, he just wanted to protect you.  I know this may sound harsh, but think about how he’d feel seeing you like this.  Do you think he’d want to see you destroy yourself over his memory?”

Charlie looked up, wanting to protest yet found any would seem weak in the face of the truth.  She smiled wryly as she looked down at her thin hands with nails splitting at the ends and skin that was peeling from neglect.  She knew her face must look even worse.  Thank goodness there were no mirrors nearby—she could feel the weight of the bags under her eyes, the cracked skin along her lips.  She reached for the cocoa again and Vaggi helped bring the mug to her hold so she could take another sip. 

“I must look a mess, huh?” she asked with a soft laugh.

Vaggi smiled back.  “A cute one,” she added on, earning another laugh from the princess before her face dropped.

“I just…. I wish I could’ve said goodbye.  Properly.  It was so sudden and unexpected and… it’s just.. it’s not fair.  I wasn’t ready for it.”

“But would you ever have been?” Vaggi pointed out gently.  After a beat, she added on, “I don’t think this is the type of thing anyone could ever be ready for even if they’d had advanced knowledge of it days, months, weeks, even years ahead of time.  I mean, think about it, Charlie, it’s a loss no matter what.  No matter how it comes about—slow or fast—it would hurt and-“

“But I would have had a chance to say good-bye!” Charlie shot back out, looking off to the side as her eyes darted wildly in time with her thoughts, “I would have been able to tell him the things I should have told him! If only-“

“Charlie.” Vaggi held the princess’s face in both her hands, forcing her to look at her and only her.  “I’m going to ask you again.  What would your dad have wanted?”

“…..” Charlie inhaled a deep breath before looking down, her energy completely depleted.  Her silence was answer enough, encouraging Vaggi to pull her back into a hug.  Only after a long moment did she say quietly, “I miss him, Vaggi….”

“Yeah…I know… We all do.  He might have been a goofball, but we’re all going to grieve him in our own way.”

“I just wish I could do something to honor him… honor what he did.” 

Vaggi squeezed her a little tighter.  “I think we can manage something like that.” 

Hell-wide the passing of the King was met with the usual PR schticks.  In memoriums across the news channels, shows talking about his contributions to Hell, and people coming forward in the message boards to post their condolences and thoughts regarding the King.

But privately, to those who were in his inner circle, a ceremony at the Hazbin Hotel had been arranged.  It was a simple one—not necessarily a funeral but a celebration of the life he had lived.  The Sins had paid their respects as did the demon royalty and Overlords who knew Lucifer personally.  Heaven had been invited as well but, for obvious reasons, chose to tactfully decline, reserving the day for Hell to mourn.  The day culminated in the dedication of a golden apple tree statue next to a bench that sat in front of a duck pond on the property.

It was here Charlie found herself, seated and staring at the surface of the water as she twisted the notecards she’d written for her eulogy.  The other guests had long departed and the Hotel was quiet again.  The others had watched as she walked off but chose to hang back to give her the space to breathe after a whole day of endless and repetitive interactions (“I’m so sorry for your loss.  Is there anything I can do to help you? Call me if you need anything.  How did it happen?  That’s a real shame.” ad infinitum).  There was nothing out there but the shadows to keep her company.

Except, one of the shadows took form behind her. 

Charlie knew who it was even without looking.  Right now she was too exhausted in every sense of the word to care to even greet it.

“My, my, it was quite a turnout today.  I daresay the Hotel has never been more filled!” Alastor put in with his typical cheerfulness.  Upon receiving no reply, he helped himself to a seat beside her, crossing his legs as he looked out towards the duck pond before glancing to the gleaming statue besides them.  “A curious choice to dedicate a figure of foliage as opposed to the King’s visage, but I suppose out of the two this was the more palatable option~!”

Still nothing.

“Funny how much people think of him now after he’s gone as opposed to his time alive.  But I suppose some of us were meant to find our fame as a martyr.  Too bad it took copying the claim to fame from the serpent to do so~.”

The sigh that heaved from Charlie’s lungs weighed more than Mimzy’s debts. 

“Alastor… respectfully… please fuck off.”

“Oho! Such ire!  I was only making conversation~!”

Charlie slowly turned to glower at the host of the hotel though even that was muted.  She was just too tired.  Unexpectedly, Alastor was smiling at her—actually smiling and not smirking—which prompted her to demand, “What?”

“Nothing.  Or, well, that isn’t entirely true~.  I suppose it could be considered a relief to see that your fire hasn’t completely gone out.  You have been doing a marvelous job smothering it this entire time, after all~.”

“Ugh. I don’t have the energy to engage in this conversation right now, Alastor.  Can’t you leave me alone to my thoughts and bother somebody else for your entertainment?  It’s been a rough day for me and I just want to be left alone.”  Charlie brought her knees up and curled into a ball, doing anything to keep from seeing the annoying radio host. 

“Mmmmmmmno I don’t think I will.”  Before Charlie could retaliate, Alastor’s shadow came up to her other side and slithered around her like a snake, engulfing her in its own version of a hug.  “You see, at a time like this, being alone is just about the worst thing you could do to yourself.  Tormenting others is something I’d like to reserve for myself~ so you’ll have to excuse my denying you of doing it to yourself~!” 

The hug from the shadow wasn’t warm but, oddly enough, the cooling presence was comforting in its own right.  And was the shadow…purring?  It was almost like hugging KeeKee but all over. 

Sighing, Charlie glanced back over.  She was going to damn herself for indulging him, but her curiosity had been piqued.  “And?  How would you know that, Alastor?  Have you ever lost someone important to you before?”

Alastor’s laugh annoyed her but not enough to respond.  “Of course, my dear!  I was mortal in life, after all—it’s inevitable!”

When he didn’t follow up, Charlie prompted with, “And?  Who was it you lost?”

“My mother.”

The response came out so naturally and genuinely that it almost caught Charlie off-guard.  From anyone else, maybe not, but this was Alastor after all.  Though the reminder did humble her some and she couldn’t help feeling a little thread of camaraderie at the admittance. 

“Yes, she was a darling woman,” Alastor continued, closing his eyes with his smile fond.  “A hard-worker, very intuitive and clever.  Must be where I got all my charms from~.  Ah, yes, I lost her when I was not quite a boy but not quite a man either.  Those pesky transitional years where it’s most inconvenient to lose a parental figure!  It was quite devastating~ oh, yes, quite.  There aren’t many moments in my life that I’d shudder to revisit, but the day of her death would definitely be one of them.”

“But she died as a mortal so she ended up either here or in Heaven, right?” Charlie prompted.  It was only logical.

“Mmn.  Yes, that is true, I suppose.”

“Have you ever seen her?  I- well- I guess it’s rude to ask if she’d be in Hell but…”

Alastor chuckled at her awkwardness, waving it off with a gesture. “No, my dear, she hadn’t landed here.”

“Oh! Then she’s in Heaven!”  But therein laid the difference in their situation.  Her spark of enthusiasm quickly petered out though she smiled for his sake in the way where one could still appreciate the fortune of others.  “I guess you haven’t seen her in a while but now that Heaven is more open to communicating with us, maybe we could track her down and you two could finally speak to each other again."

“Perhaps,” Alastor replied vaguely though the slight trail-off made Charlie curious.  He made her wait a while before supplementing further with, “But I do believe there is the running theory in Hell that those up top lose their memories upon passing the pearly gates.  If that is so, I could meet her but the context of our conversation may not be quite what you might expect~.” 

“Oh- Alastor I’m so sorry, I-“

Alastor cut her off with a raised hand, chuckling at how contrite she looked. 

“I’ve made my peace with it long ago regardless.  Rest assured, this is not a wound that could be picked at easily.  It is what it is, you know.”

“What is?”

Alastor held up his arm and moved the sleeve of his jacket back just enough to show one of the scars that had long healed upon it.  It was jagged and ugly but also nothing more than a minor discoloration on his skin.

“A wound.  A loss like this is like a wound, Charlie.  Would you say it’s accurate that you’re in a lot of pain right now?”

Charlie’s lips pressed together as her heart gave a painful thump at the reminder.  She nodded, wondering where he was going with this.

“Mmhm.  And just like a wound, it takes time to heal.  I know it sounds sooooo very contrite and blasé to say, but time is part of the salve.  The other is all up here.”  He tapped the side of his head, elaborating before she could interrupt, “Mentally and emotionally, the way you handle yourself and the situation.  Am I correct in assuming you have failed yourself on that front~?”

Charlie flinched as she looked down at her hands and touched the side of her face.  Sure, she had cleaned up and dressed up to look presentable for the occasion, but even the Sins had made comments of concern for her well-being with Asmodeus promising to visit more often; Queen Bee stating she was going to set up an exclusive account on BeeEats so that Charlie could order whatever she wanted to eat whenever; and Belphegor suggesting some salves and medicines she could take to improve her sleep quality and relaxation. 

“I… guess I’ve been doing a great job beating myself up about the whole thing,” Charlie admitted wryly.  “And…not really taking care of myself besides what Vaggi’s been doing for me…”

“Very good.  The first step is usually the hardest to make, but it is, all the same, the most important.  But simply admitting you have a problem is only the first step. Now what shall your next be?”

Charlie groaned faintly but knew he had a point to make.  “The next….would be…. to actually take care of myself.  Do the things even if they seem hard or like it’s too much or- or…”

“Or?” Alastor prompted, leaning in.

“Or…even when I feel like I don’t deserve it because it was my fault for-“

Alastor cheerfully bapped her on the head with the top of his staff. 

“Ow! Alastor!”

“Try again~.”

Charlie frowned but knew he had a point to make even with that and revised despite how hard it was to fight against her internalized guilt.  “Or even when I feel like I don’t deserve it but do because… because stuff like this happens and it’s no one’s fault and even though it feels good to put the ‘blame’ somewhere so the pain has somewhere to go….it’s not so…. I guess…. I guess…” Charlie tried to come up with the words but shrugged helplessly when they wouldn’t show themselves.

“So it’s more bearable even if it’s misguided,” Alastor finished for her, reaching over to pat her on the shoulder.  “Good girl.  As I’ve said, admitting is the first step.  One of the hardest to take yet one of the most vital.  Once you’ve admitted you have a problem, you take the steps needed to remedy it.  And right now what can you do as a ‘step in the right direction’ as one could put it?”

At first all Charlie could feel was the tiredness that had been a constant weight on her ever since she’d first started to look for Lucifer after his disappearance, expending all her energy in her denial.  But through it she felt how sticky and sore her throat was from not drinking anything all day.  And even if she wasn’t hungry, she knew she’d barely eaten too and should probably get something in her at some point.

“I guess… I could change out of these clothes… get something to eat and drink.”  Her muscles screamed soreness as she paid more attention to her body and she winced as she added on, “Maybe take a walk after.  I’ve been sitting or standing all day so…”

“There we go.” Alastor’s shadow retracted and he rose to stand, holding a hand out to her.  Charlie regarded him a moment before she took his hand and rose to stand as well.  Her legs had fallen asleep in her position but Alastor held onto her hand long enough for her to steady herself. “If you’d like to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, I could take you to a delightful little bistro in town once you’ve changed your clothes~.”

Charlie hesitated a moment since her idea of getting changed to eat was wearing comfortable sweats and eating in.  But something about his offer encouraged her to nod before she added on as a caveat, “Uhm.  No Sinner meat, okay?”

“Awwwwwwwww shuuuuuuucks~ and here I was thinking I could introduce you to a whole new side of Hell’s cuisine~.”  Alastor’s chuckling indicated he was joking and he reinforced that with a little pat atop Charlie’s head.  “No, no, my dear, it serves meat that appeals to a general palate along with an oh-so-delightful custard that I found myself surprisingly enjoying!  I’m not usually one for sweets but this custard—ah!—look at me blathering on when you’ve yet to change your clothes. Off with you now. Shoo!”

Charlie stepped out of the way before Alastor could bop her with his staff.  She rolled her eyes and shook her head at him but when she headed back inside to get changed, it was with a smile.