This is this first chapter of a fic I was working on when Hazbin Hotel first came out. I had posted this elsewhere originally, but decided I would put it here.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 1: Radio From Another Realm
Who knew visiting the land of the living would spark a new friendship in two different worlds? Mortila was a peaceful entity, choosing to keep to her realm and her people. However, she occasionally visited the land of the living. One day in particular, Death herself decided it was time to spruce up her living space with more remnants of time gone by. What better place to go than an antique store?
As she searched the cluttered shelves and navigated the oversized furniture of yesteryear, she stumbled across exactly what she was looking for. Haphazardly mixed in with other various media was a lone brown radio. Picking it up, she was instantly intrigued by it and decided it would be the perfect addition to her room. The radio was wooden, easily handled one-handed, and shaped like the front of a grand cathedral, but instead of stained glass, it had black speakers.
Mortila did not know why she felt drawn to this radio, but regardless, it found its way into her abode. Later that evening, Mortila was settling down for the night when a strange phenomenon happened. The radio turned on.
"Aren't you just a fascinating little thing~?" Mortila softly purred, not expecting a reply. After all, the undead occupied the world she lived in. Propping herself up in her bed, Mortila studied the radio a little closer. Perhaps she picked up a haunted vessel, and there was a soul trapped inside, not that she could assist with that, but the creature would be at home regardless.
What started as soft jazz music soon changed to what sounded like an old-timey radio broadcaster, complete with static. Even the smooth voice sounded like it had a touch of static in it. The voice caught Mortila's attention and caused her to rise to a sitting position. No one in this world or the next had a voice like that. Was it possible this little radio was an opening to another world? As the broadcast continued, mentions of demons, overlords, and even extermination filtered through the speakers. Extermination? What world held exterminations every year? Mortila was scratching her head, desperately trying to think of where this could be. Nonetheless, she was sure there was no way she could help.
The broadcast was dying down, prompting Mortila to settle back into bed. Before she could pull her blankets up, the voice returned and spoke to Mortila.
"Greetings, dear! How did you enjoy my broadcast?"
"You can hear me? Like I can hear you?" Mortila questioned, slowly rising again. This time, she had no intention of laying back down. How fascinating was this?!
The voice on the other end of the radio was silent before what sounded like a claw tapping on a microphone echoed through the speakers. "Is this thing on?" The static-filled voice asked though it was easy to detect the sass among the words.
Mortila softly chuckled in response, "Yes, I can hear you loud and clear. Who do I have the pleasure of meeting this fine evening?"
"Alastor! Pleased to be meeting you, dear~" The voice on the radio replied. Mortila was momentarily silent, thinking of where to guide the conversation from that point. Honestly, she wasn’t even sure if she wanted to keep talking to the radio. She was a face-to-face kind of gal.
“If you don’t mind me asking, dear Alastor, where are you residing currently?” After her momentary silence, Mortila decided to get on with the question; there was no point in beating around the bush. Static filled the speakers as the radio host fell silent, clearly thinking about answering the question. Mortila was about to speak when a single word came across the radio.
That was enough for Mortila to jump into action. She had frequented many Hell’s, but this seemed like one she had never visited. That was all about to change in a matter of minutes. Standing up and walking to her closet, Mortila began pulling out a change of clothes. She could hear Alastor and his radio trying to get her attention, but she didn’t pay attention. After picking out a pair of pants and a modest long-sleeve shirt, Mortila quickly got changed.
“Alright, Alastor dear, hope you don’t mind visitors~”
Mortila put her hands on the radio before using it like a vessel to another world. A ghostly black mist filtered through the radio into Alastors’ radio tower, much to Alastors’ surprise. The thing Alastor didn’t know was Mortila was Death incarnate; possessing things was child's play for her.
Slowly, the mist started to take the form of a middle-aged woman. As Mortila came into view, more details emerged. Everything from being dressed in all black, her blood-red hair, and even a set of black wings started to build from the mist; finally, eyes red enough to rival Alastor’s appeared on the young face. The fog dissipated, leaving Mortila in the middle of Alastors’ radio tower.
“Glad I can put a name to a face!” Mortila smiled a playful, fanged smile. She was proud of the stunt she had just pulled, and admittedly, Alastor was a bit surprised she managed to pull that off.
“You are much taller than I expected, honestly..” Mortila remarked, looking up at Alastor. Next to his seven-foot frame, Mortila was short, but it didn’t bother her. The radio demons’ ears flicked with mild amusement.
“You are quite plain for someone capable of all that,” Alastor remarked, his wide-fanged smile never leaving his face. His little remark garnished a laugh from his unexpected visitor.
“Yes! Well, I never leave home in my good clothes.” Mortlia explained before making her way past the radio demon to look out the windows of his radio tower. The red tint made it hard for her to get a good view of what was below, and the only visible building was the hotel the radio station was attached to. As she continued sightseeing, Mortila could feel another presence in the tower; a shadow with red eyes appeared in the window.
She assumed Alastor and his shadow freaked most people out, but Mortila was intrigued. Upon turning around, the shadow seemed to vanish behind Alastor to return to the void it emerged from.
“That’s a neat trick…” Mortlia stopped and tilted her head in confusion. Was that a look of annoyance? Curiosity? That smile made it so much harder to read emotions, and his body language was equally calm. The only thing that gave him away was his ears. Fortunately, Mortila was used to animal body language. She shape-shifted into a horse, so ears were a big tell when it came to emotions.
Alastor was blunt and to the point. It was a good thing he was so charming. “Where did you get my radio?”
“It ended up in an antique store, and I picked it up. I’m a fan of all things from the good old days.” She explained. “Not to worry, I’ll keep it in good shape. I can even make it into a shrine. Demons still like something like that?”
The radio demon’s smile was unwavering but seemed more genuine after her explanation, especially at the mention of a shrine. After silence, the radio demon spoke again, getting excited and curious. “Are you a demon, too? Is that how you were able to enter my radio?”
Now Mortila could be excited, “I’m Death!”
The radio squeal was audible as Alastors’ smile fell from his face. Was this woman crazy, or was it possible she was Death? If she was, why come to Hell just because of a haunted radio? Was she here to steal souls to take back to Purgatory? Was that even possible?
Alastor was too stunned to speak, so Mortila decided to talk for him. “My name is Mortila, and my official title is Goddess of Death. I am only here for fun and curiosity. An entity able to haunt a radio and reach into my realm is worthy of my time and attention.”
That still wasn’t enough to get Alastor out of his stunned state. Mortila decided another avenue was worth trying, starting over.
“Nice to meet you in person; my name is Mortila,” the Death Goddess held her hand out for a shake.
“Alastor, the radio demon. Welcome to Hazbin Hotel!” Alastor seemed to perk right back up and resume his facade. He was hesitant to shake her hand at first, but it was impolite to leave a lady hanging. Alastor gently took Mortilas’ hand and shook it, garnishing another fanged smile from his guest.
“You say this is the Hazbin Hotel, but it is in Hell? Can you explain that to me?” Moritla asked, wanting to keep the conversation on a topic he could handle. There would be more time for explaining later.
After briefly explaining an attempt at redeeming sinners, Alastor decided it would be better to show than explain. The radio demon led Mortila from his tower to the hotel. Soon, the pair was standing in the lobby of the hotel. Upon entering, the lobby was empty, but it didn’t stay that way long.
Charlie was the second resident of the hotel to lay eyes on Mortila. She had just awoken and was walking down the hallway to start another day at redeeming sinners. As soon as she entered the lobby, she quickly stopped, staring excitedly at Mortila.
Mortila didn’t share the same excitement, but she was very curious. In their brief conversation, Alastor had mentioned Charlie. He explained her desires for the hotel and its two occupants, Angel Dust and Sir Pentious. Nonetheless, Mortila put on a kind smile and waved at the giddy princess.
“Alastor! Did you find a new patron for the hotel?!” Charlie practically bounced over to meet this new sinner.
“Yes, he did! He’s quite the charming gentleman~” Mortila answered before Alastor could explain. Charlie didn’t need to know any particulars, which is how Mortila wanted it.
By now, the rest of the staff and patrons had begun filling the room. Husk had started setting up the bar, Nifty was chasing bugs, and Angel Dust and Sir Pentious had occupied the nearby seating. Vaggie, Charlie’s partner, had joined her girlfriend.
Seeing so many animal-based looks made it obvious how odd Mortila must look. Sure, Charlie and Vaggie were somewhat human-like, but Mortila couldn’t help but feel that Vaggie wasn’t originally from Hell. She made a mental note to look into that later.
“It’s nice to meet you! Welcome to Hazbin Hotel! My name is Charlie Morningstar.” Charlie held her hand out for Mortila to shake.
Mortila smiled and gently took Charlie’s hand, shaking it. “Pleasure is all mine. My name is Mortila.”
Charlie went to open her mouth to speak, but Mortila was quick to interrupt. “I hope you don’t mind, but I had a long night and would love to go to my room for a few hours.” Mortila made herself appear as tired as possible, but realistically, she wasn’t up to meeting anyone else. Questions would surely arise, and she was mentally unprepared.
“Certainly, dear! I’ll show you to your room.” Alastor chimed after a long silence. He carefully guided Mortila from the lobby and toward the rooms.
“That was quite a show you put on, dear Mortila,” Alastor looked over his shoulder at the curious death goddess who was taking everything in.
“You had no problem telling me what you are; however, you stalled in a group. Why is that?” He continued stopping in front of a closed door.
“First, you reached out to me. Secondly, I trust you. Third and final, I never put myself in a situation I can’t handle.” Mortila explained, looking up at Alastor. There was a low, almost growling, radio static in response to her answer.
What did she mean she trusted him? And what was this about only involving herself in what she could handle? Did she know who she was talking to?! He was the radio demon and a mighty overlord! He probably owned more souls than she could dream of. Nonetheless, now was not the time or place to see how powerful their new guest was.
Alastor reached over and opened the door they were standing in front of.
“Make yourself at home, darling.”
