Chapter Five
Charlie raised her hand to knock, then lowered it. Then she raised it again, then she turned around, bit her knuckle and jumped on the spot a few times.
Knocking on Khepri's door while the girl was sleeping should not have been something that made her this nervous. Khepri was a client at the hotel and would soon be an employee. But Khepri was also creepy as fuck.
Charlie was about to girdle her loins and knock when the door opened up without so much as a whisper and she found herself stretching her head back to look Khepri into the eyes. The girl's chitinous hair was pointing every which way and her sweatshirt looked a little rumpled, but she didn't look any worse for wear. "Can I help you?" she asked.
Nodding, Charlie took a small step away from Khepri and clasped her hands together. "Yes, yes you can," she said. "Seeing as how you'll be starting your duties as an employee of the Happy Hotel soon, I thought it prudent to, uh, inform you that your current style of dress is, um, insufficient."
Khepri looked down at her sweatshirt and skirt, then back up. "Is it?" she asked.
There wasn't even a hint of threat in the words, but Charlie still felt as if she had answered one of her dad's questions wrong. "It is?" she asked.
Khepri pulled at the front of her brownish-beige sweatshirt, then back up to Charlie. "Okay."
Charlie exploded--but not literally--with joy. "Brilliant! Let's go, let's go. I got us a reservation at Madame Modest's. She's the best seamstress in Pentagram. Everyone who's anyone goes to her to get the dirtiest dresses and hottest suits. That's where I got my outfit." She ran ahead a bit and posed with her hip cocked to one side and her head tilted back just so. "Vaggie says it makes my butt look good. What do you think?"
"Um," Khepri said.
"I know! She's a bit biased though." She grabbed Khepri's wrist and pulled her along, almost stumbling down the stairs as she took them three at a time. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun! And I thought today was going to be boring. We're just waiting for deliveries all morning, and then, this evening we have another prospective guest. Two! Two whole guests at the Happy Hotel. This is the best week!"
She skipped across the lobby, waved goodbye to Vaggie who was busy looking over some papers and pushed open the front doors with her hip.
Her limo was parked out front, engine already growling and ready to go with Razzle and Dazzle in the front. She sidled up to it and opened the backdoor with a wavy gesture and a grand smile. "C'mon in!" she said.
Khepri folded herself almost double to fit in the limo, then skittered her way to the front where she found a seat for herself. She was still doing that thing where she didn't look around herself while moving, but it was okay, proper body language wasn't super important to rehabilitation.
She plopped herself down in the seat nearest the door and began tap-tapping her feet on the ground. "So...." she began, stretching the word out.
Khepri just stared at her. She didn't even blink.
"How long have you been in Hell?" she asked.
"Two days now," Khepri said. "I can't say I'm terribly fond of it."
"It's not that bad," Charlie said. "It's just this huge influx of immigrants are taking all of the proper citizen's jobs. At least, that's what my dad says. He's a bit of a conservative, fire and brimstone kind of guy. But the next purge is due any day now, so no worries." She laughed, but it felt weak and, honestly, a little tired. Talking about the purge always got her mood down.
"I see. The people here are... not what I would have expected from Hell. There's less fire and torture and a lot more debauchery and... well it reminds me of home but with less inhibitions and stranger people."
Charlie waved the last bit off. "The people here aren't that strange. You just need to listen and pay attention and you'll figure them right out. I always believed that there was a kernel of goodness in every demon."
Her words were punctuated by the limo's horn blaring as a crowd of demons cut them off, all of them running in a panic away from something. Razzle and Dazzle were good drivers though, and managed to plow through the crowd with only a few casualties and bumps.
"There's a guy in green power armour shooting demons with a shotgun two streets down," Khepri said.
Charlie's smile froze a little. "Oh, him, he always gets like that before a purge. Um. But I'm sure he's nice under all the murder and mayhem?
"The purge?" Khepri asked. There wasn't any more inflection to her voice, but Charlie had the impression that she was now the centre of the girl's attention.
"Angels come down once a year and, uh, kinda murder a whole lot of demons." Her shoulders slumped. "They can do that. Murder demons, that is. It's a thing, and I intend to do something about it. But don't worry, the Hotel is on the edges of the city. We should be perfectly safe."
"You intend to do something about it?" Khepri's head tilted to one side a little like an ant trying to figure out which part of a corpse to bring home. "Do you preemptively kill the angels? We could kidnap one, perhaps, find out about heaven and how to gain access that way."
Charlie smiled, because smiling might distract Khepri from the sweat running down her forehead. "Nnooo," she stretched out the word. "I meant that if we redeem enough demons, then we wouldn't need purges anymore."
"That doesn't sound as efficient as my idea," Khepri said. "We should discuss these angels and how to defend against them more later. If my job will include protecting the Hotel, I might have to get rid of them at the source."
"I don't think that's how it works," Charlie said. She was beginning to suspect that rehabilitating Khepri was going to take a while.
"We'll see," Khepri said. "Not all those who come to you for help will be as even headed as I am."
"Ahaha... yeah," Charlie said. She swallowed. "We're, uh, almost there?"
Buildings were flashing by though the limo's windows, most of them huge skyscrapers that belonged to various corporations, but there were a few specialized shops and boutiques tucked in between those with bouncers by the front doors to keep out the rabble.
And there was lots of rabble.
The limo screeched to a halt and parked against the side of the road, two wheels on the sidewalk and right over a no-parking zone. Charlie was the first out, stretching and standing tall and ignoring with habitual ease all the looks being directed her way.
There were a lot more people in the streets, not just because it was so close to another purge, but because of the huge number of dead that had come down recently, some of them unprocessed and still quite lost.
Khepri was slower to step out of the Limo. She was staring at the store before them but Charlie had the impression that nothing was happening on the street without her knowing. "Is this the place?" she asked.
Charlie pressed the front of her suit down, adjusted her tie, and gave a big, happy nod. "Yes indeed," she said before inspecting the building herself.
Madame Modest's boutique was a tall, glass-fronted and rather modern building. An ominous red glow poured out from within and illuminated the models standing behind every window in such a way that you could barely see the ropes holding their bodies in place in all sorts of suggestive poses.
"Is this a brothel?" Khepri asked.
"What?" Charlie asked in return. "Of course not... well, technically, yes, but mostly it's a fine clothing store. The best in Pentagram." She nodded as she pulled Khepri towards the front door. "Madame Modest's staff kidnap only the best and most beautiful people to force them into indentured modelling contracts. Personally, I think it's a bit much. But that's fashion for you."
"Uh-huh," Khepri said as she was pulled into the front lobby.
It was a wide, open area, lined with mannequins covered in all sorts of suits and dresses and costumes from every era. There were dressed for pharaohs and outfits that looked like they belonged in a Village People music video. Assless chaps and all.
And there, standing with her hands folded over each other in full body BDSM gear, was Madame Modest. Behind her were two dozen stick-thin figures covered in tight leather and straps and zippers. "Bonjour," she said with a curt bow. The shop assistants all bowed as one a moment later, and a bit deeper too.
"Hello Madame Modest," Charlie with a returning nod. The Madame was the kind of woman that was quite formal and just a bit eccentric, but she was the best at what she did. She smiled at the seamstress. "I called you earlier. I was wondering if you had the time to whip something up for us?"
"Oh-hoh-hoh," the Madame said as she moved a hand to cover her mouth. "Indeed I do dearest princess." She spun around, butt wiggling around under a too-thin layer of spandex. "Follow me."
With a strut that would put most catwalk models to shame, the Madame lead Charlie and Khepri up a wide staircase, then down a lavishly decorated corridor lined with photographs of the Madame and her various highbrow clients. She recognized a few of them, from the elusive Pig, to the Radio Demon and even Charlie's own mother.
"Here ve are, ma cherie," the Madame said as she gestured and a pair of doors opened up.
It was a small room, tiny, but well lit and surrounded on all sides by mirrors that made the white dress and off-white suit in the middle of the room stand out like the centre jewel on a crown. The mannequins were sculpted to look just like her and Vaggie.
Charlie spun around on a heel, slapped a hand over Khepri's eyes and used a bit of demonic power to slam the door shut behind her with a resounding thud. "You saw nothing!" she screamed.
"Was that a wedding ensemble for you and Vaggie?" Khepri asked, quirking her head in an attempt to peek around the fingers.
"It was no such thing!" Charlie yelled back.
"Oh?" The Madame said. "But ve vere so careful vit the measurements you gave us."
Charlie shook her head from side to side so hard her hair splayed out. "No, nope, they're perfect... for someone that isn't me and Vaggie."
"I think it's rather cute," Khepri announced in a perfect deadpan. "Have you told your girlfriend yet? You are girlfriends, yes?"
"One word and you're fired!" Charlie threatened. A short pause before she smiled, "And yes! We are!"
"You haven't actually hired me yet," Khepri pointed out helpfully.
Charlie's hair caught on fire as her cheeks burned. "Sh-shush! We should go look at your uniforms. That's why we're here. Right Madame Modest?"
The Madame was reeking of evil French magic, the sort that only showed up with there was good drama afoot. "Of course," she purred before she began to walk again. She stopped before a more modest pair of doors just a little ways down the corridor. "Our selection vill certainly appeal to you, ma cherie."
Khepri seemed to sense Charlie's trepidation. Instead of following the Madame she slowly raised a hand, then patted Charlie on the head. "I won't tell your girlfriend that you want to marry her," she said.
Charlie melted, tears coming to her eyes as she focused on the ground between Taylor's insectile legs. "It was a just in case thing," she muttered.
"I'm sure," Khepri agreed. "Now, let's look at these uniforms?"
"Right," Charlie agreed. She firmed up her resolve to pretend that nothing had happened, puffed out her chest, and strolled over to where Madame Modest was waiting, a knowing grin on her lips.
"This is ze first option my staff and I 'ave created," the Madame said as she gestured and a spinning platform turned. On it was a mannequin in an upright, modest pose, arms before its stomach and legs together just-so. Its uniform was a black and red and white dress covered in fine ruffles and plenty of lace.
"It's so pretty!" Charlie said as she clapped.
"That's a maid outfit," Kehpri said. She was staring at the hemline of the ruffled skirt that stopped somewhere close to the thighs. "A slutty maid outfit."
"Ah, yes. It is designed to ride up just-so ven the maid bends down to reveal our custom made lace underthings, yes?" The Madame pointed out helpfully.
"No."
"Huh?' Charlie asked as she turned to Khepri. "You don't like it?" she asked.
Khepri stared at her, then at the dress. "I wouldn't wear that if hell froze over."
"You mean like in Canada?"
"What?" it was Khepri's turn to sound just a tiny bit confused.
Charlie shrugged one shoulder. "It's the part of Hell where all the Canadians live. They called it Canada. It's cold to keep all the people meat fresh... nevermind." She shook her head and turned back to the Madame. "Maybe something else?" she asked.
"But of course," Madame Modest said. Her whole outfit creaked as she bowed at the waist again. With a twirl of a wrist, the platform with the maid outfit shifted around and revealed another maid outfit. Or at least, an apron.
"No."
The next few uniforms to pass were all very pretty variations on the same theme. They were all, at least in part, maid outfits. Or parts of maid outfits over mannequins not wearing anything else.
The Madame's smile only grew. "Perhaps something from our other line, then," she said. There was a click-clack from behind the revolving platform before the next outfit slid out and stood before them.
It was a concierge outfit done in the Hotel's red and black. Eight buttons on the front in two rows, shoulder guards with black tassels, cuffs with twin black bands around them. The skirt below was a sim thing that stopped well below the knees, black with twin red bands along its side. And atop the mannequin's head, a kepi with a small brim all done in black with a red band along it's edge.
"It's perfect!" Charlie said. She turned to find Khepri looked at the uniform with a sceptical eye. "What do you think?"
"It looks professional, at least," she said.
"Zen les us try it on," the Madame said. She snapped her finger and just like that, Khepri's sweatshirt was torn off and before the girl could react, the uniform jumped onto her.
Khepri, froze, all movement stopping for a few long seconds before she looked down at her new outfit.
The skirt was a bit stuffy, but it's fit was nice if androgenous. The uniform top was nice and snug and a pair of black velvet gloves had found their way onto Khepri's hands. The hat was the best part, sitting at a jaunty angle above Khepri's insectile and segmented hair with her antenna poking out on either side of the brim.
"Oh, you look so cute!" Charlie declared.
She could imagine Khepri holding doors open for people already.
Truly, Charlie was the luckiest girl.
***
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