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╰---------➤ ❝ [𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑] ❞

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Previously...

I saw him cleaning a wine glass at the bar, his back facing us but I could tell that he held a grouchy-looking expression and the sound of his heavy breath smelled of alcohol from a mile radius of my nose that it sent some deja vu; Not even taking a glance at me or the others until Charlie immediately called him out:

"Husk, we've got a new guest!!!!~" She singingly tells him, who only replies with an eye roll, and says it louder, "Husk, don't ignore her! She's standing right here, look!" The name was so familiar that it slowly began to dawn on me...

"Hey Gabes... you ok?" I ignored Angel's question, took deep breaths, and walked in with hesitant steps, my heart racing with both excitement and nervousness. I spotted him, standing behind the bar, nursing a drink with a faraway familiar look in his eyes and approached him, unsure of how he would react to seeing me after so long, so I said:

"Your name is Husk?"

(No Pov): Now...

"Your name is Husk?" Gabriella asked softly, her voice trembling with emotion.

Charlie and Angel seemed to notice that she knew the bartender and continued to watch the scene unfold in front of them, "Yeah? What of it?" "I'm Gabriella." The minute she told her name to him, a wine glass shattered into pieces below his feet; Lifting his head and slowly turned around with the same yellow eyes as hers widened in shock as he saw his daughter standing before him.

"Gabriella?...No fucking 'way you—" he whispered, disbelief evident in his voice. They stood in silence for a few moments, both unsure of what to say or how to start the conversation. But then a shadow cast over his yellow eyes as the memories of his past life on Earth came back to him: 

"Hi, Dad," Gabriella said, her voice barely above a whisper. Husk or her dad, however, snapped out of the memories and turned to face her; It was hard to read his expression "...She ain't here, not in this shitty dump." he growled, his tone laced with bitterness.

Gabriella's heart sank at his response. Tears welled up in her eyes as she was unable to find the words to express how much she had missed him. She had hoped for a warm embrace, but instead, she was met with hostility: "D-Dad... I am here, a-and...all this time, you've been down here," she replied, trying to keep the hurt out of her voice. 

But his words were like daggers to her heart when her dad calmly spat out, "Well, ya shouldn't have fucking known, can you?" He continues, "For the record, the name's Husk, and I ain't got a daughter, so get out." Turning back to his drink, his daughter realized her father was acting off. 

During her childhood, she watched him divorce her mom, go to Vietnam, then lose his magic jig, and skip classes just to make sure he was ok; Gabriella had never even cared about those things nor did her dad's alcoholism. But now, she never thought it would change him so drastically. 

Even in Hell.

But what Gabriella didn't know was that there was a deeper reason behind his behavior. 

"But—" She gets cut off by her dad, "GET THE FUCK OUT OF THIS PLACE, NOW!?!" His yell made Gabriella run out of the place, not daring to look back and Angel immediately ran after her while Charlie walked over and asked Husk:

"What...the Hell  was that, Husk?" Charlie's question hung in the air, a mix of confusion and concern evident in his eyes. Husk took a long swig from his glass, his gaze fixed on the spot where Gabriella had stood moments ago.

"I don't want her involved in this mess," Husk muttered, his voice heavy with a mixture of regret and protectiveness. "She shouldn't be here..." Charlie studied Husk for a moment, recognizing the pain and turmoil etched into his features. "You can't just push her away like that, Husk. She's your daughter."

Husk's grip tightened around the glass, his knuckles turning white. "You don't understand, Princess." He closes the bar and turns off the lights by walking face to face over her, "There are things... things you don't wanna know." The Princess of Hell's expression remained steely as she met Husk's intense gaze. "Try me," she challenged, her voice unwavering. Husk would have to admit that she had guts, just like her dad.

Hesitated for a moment, his yellow eyes searching hers for any signs of fear or doubt. Instead of telling her, he slowly began heading upstairs.

Not caring about his daughter...when in reality of the situation, Husk was scared.

He was scared that HE would use her to blackmail him or WORSE... to hurt the only person he cared about in his own damned life.

----𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐥...

Meanwhile, Gabriella had run out of the place with tears falling from her eyes and stopped to feel the rejection sinking deeper into her heart as her dad's words; HUSK's words echoed in her mind. 

She felt lost and vulnerable, unsure of why it happened as she sat on the swing near the Hotel and slowly let her thoughts race as she tried to make sense of the situation, but the pain in her chest was too overwhelming to bear that she didn't even hear someone's footsteps behind her: 

"Hey, Gabes...ya'ok?" Angel's gentle voice inquired, while Gabriella concealed her sorrow behind her wings. However, he refrained from offering solace to the teenage female cat demon struggling with fatherly concerns. 

Gabriella took a peek from her wings with her yellow eyes met Angel's with a mixture of sadness and pain. She had always appreciated his quiet understanding and support, even when he didn't directly intervene. 

As she drew in a deep breath, she murmured, "I ain't...ain't okay, Angel." Wiping her tears, she sniffed and clenched her teeth: "Everything just feels so..." 

"Fucked up? Yeah," Angel nodded, his face showing empathy and a willingness to listen, "I know how ya feel..." Sitting beside her on the spare seat, he glanced down, understanding that sometimes, simply having someone there to share the load could mean the world.

And so, in the silence that followed, Gabriella found herself hugging Angel, who returned the friendly embrace but it wasn't just friendly; It was an embrace of someone who became a parent figure to her. 

"Why's he like that, Angel...?" Angel sighed softly, his gaze fixed on the red horizon as he pondered Gabriella's question. "Some folks just have a hard time showing love, Gabes," he began, his voice gentle yet firm. "Doesn't mean they don't care, but they struggle to express it in ways we understand." 

He paused, choosing his words carefully. "Your dad, he's got his own shitty problems to wrestle with. It ain't an excuse for hurtin' ya, but sometimes, people hurt others because they're hurtin' inside." 

Gabriella listened intently, her heart heavy with a mix of emotions. She knew Angel spoke from a place of wisdom and experience, and his words offered a glimmer of understanding in her confusion. 

"Thanks, Angel," she whispered, her voice barely above a breath. "For bein' here, for... for bein' you." 

Angel smiled softly, his eyes reflecting the fading light. "Anytime, Gabes. Anytime." 

Together, they sat as the gentle creaking of the swing mingled with the soft rustle of the evening breeze. At that moment, Gabriella knew she wasn't alone in her struggles. With Angel by her side, she found solace in the simple act of being understood, of being accepted for who she was.

As the stars began to twinkle in the darkening red sky, a sense of hope flickered in Gabriella's heart. Despite the pain and uncertainty that lay ahead, she knew that with Angel's unwavering support, she could weather any storm that came her way. She took a deep breath, wiped away her tears, and made a decision. 

Going back inside with Angel following behind, who was confused about what she was going to say but then saw Charlie wipe her head around and hug Gabriella, "I'm so sorry that your dad said those things to you but—" 

"Charlie..." 

"Everything will be—"

"LUCIFER DAMNIT, CHARLIE GIVE ME A SEC TO SPEAK!?"

Silent.

Clearing her throat, Gabriella lifted her hands in hers by staring intensively at the Princess and sighed, "Good, listen up!" She starts: "I'll be staying here, whenever Da-Husk likes it or not, he may not care but I'm already damn sure that he cares about me. So..."

She paused before glancing around the place and back at Charlie.

"Where can I start my redemption plan?"