Fine Print and (Un)Fair Fights part 3

from /hhg/ - Hazbin Hotel General Thread #283
part 1: https://pastebin.com/pWA1srza
part 2: https://pastebin.com/c44bE7Xb
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Repost
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ckCo80imFo
>Micheal is at the front door of his home
>The old snake was about to go inside when something catches his attention
>Distant screams and cheers
>In the lowwest tier of Avarice
>He turns around and feels his blood go cold
>One of his factories is on fire, it's visible from even here
>He hurries back into his steampunk styled car and rushes towards the burning factory
>He crashes through the iron bar gate and stops in front of the crowd of celebrating workers
"What have you foolsss done?!"
>"We're done being your fucking slaves you damn worm!"
"Thisss factory isss built over a lake of OIL AND METHANE YOU DAMNED MORONSSS!"
>Realization flashes across all of the workers faces
>They all hurry to try to put out the flames while Michael drives off trying to get to safety, but its too late
>The factory explodes
>A large part of Avarice is devastated by the explosion or destroyed by it depending on proximity
>Michael is severely burnt
>Mommon wasn't pleased with the destruction of so much of the sector
>Michael and Ezekiel offer to cover the repair costs, which Mommon agrees to
>This left the two snakes with only a quarter of their wealth left
>Seeing as their home was one of the many buildings destroyed, they have no where else to go
>Except the Ha(zbin)ppy Hotel
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>they scoff at the area - though rebuilding, now that it's effectively under the control of the Princess' consort, Despair was still a fourth world shithole
>still, until Avarice was back up and running, there was nothing they could do
>the brothers have spent the journey to the Hotel bickering, shifting blame
>it was Ezekiel's fault for cutting corners and building the factory over its own fuel source
>no, it was Michael's fault for not keeping up with changing trends in the employee market - even the prostitutes of Luxuria were allowed to unionize, all he had to do was offer his own workers a token raise, and allow the organization of a representative body (which would've no doubt resorted to squabbling the moment they've made an inch of progress), instead of shutting down and firing every debutation sent his way
>whatever the reason, the two now found themselves in front of what was once known as the Ceausescu-villa, though, now carried the sign of "Hazbin Hotel"
>Charlie met them with a more measured smile than usual
>she was aware of their situation, and awaited the two snakes with open arms - though, not without a discomforting air of predatory confidence
>clearly, Alastor has rubbed off on her
>speaking of which, the Radio Demon himself looked far better than the last time they saw him
>though, to be fair, that was when he had just returned from one of their desert labor camps
>his cheery demeanor was even more unnerving than the Princess' threatening smugness
>the Overlord of Despair was far more open about her distaste of the two: Vagatha wasted no effort in telling them that they'll be under a close watch for the duration of their stay
>it was with this mixed reception that Ezekiel and Michael found themselves in an old-fashioned, but nicely cleaned studio room, wandering what to do while their sector (and wealth) was being rebuilt
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>They also have to attend rehabilitation courses while they're staying
>The two brothers are never far apart, Michael punishing Ezekiel whenever the young snake acts like the spoiled brat he is
>Charlie and Vaggie find out the source of their greed during a therapy session
>The two boys grew up in poverty
>Once they managed to gain enough money to start their own business, their greed came to be
>Ezekiel could finally spend the money his youth denied him and he did so fervently
>Michael feared going back to poverty and began hoarding his wealth, only spending the necessary amount on anything
>When Ezekiel died Michael became withdrawn and cold, becoming a miserable old miser with no friends or family save for Ezekiels gold digging children and widow who only wanted Michael's wealth
>Vaggie gains some small amount of empathy for them but still doesn't think highly of the snakes
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>then, they hear about what happened to Val, Vox and Velvet
>now they wonder if the Princess knew about the riot that would lead to the loss of their factory (and most of their sector and workforce)
>...but they figure she wouldn't have allowed it, had she knew - the loss of lives was too great
>still, that lingering, nagging feeling rears up it's ugly head every time they talk to her

>Ezekiel is slithering along the suite walls
>"She screwed us Mike."
>Michael looks up from the book he was reading
"And what makesss you sssay that?"
>Ezekiel lets out a frustrated yell/hiss
>"She's the one that made the workers riot! That royal whore nearly ruined everything we worked for! First it was with that spider and its pimp, then we get fucking Mommon breathing down our necks! And now, AND FUXKING NOW SHE BLEW UP A GOD DAMNED SECTOR!!! OH! And here's the best god damn part! We fucking crawled to her on our fucking bellies like worms! Not only is our fucking home up in ashes but so is our fucking pride!"
>Michael sighs and closes his book
"Even if she wasss the one to incite the riot, I doubt she would have wanted them do ssset the factory ablaze. The destruction of Avarice isss on the headsss of the idiots who lit the match. Ssscreaming won't bring any of it back and neither will acting like a brat that wasss never beaten. Our pride might be injured but we aren't back out on the streets begging for coinsss like before. Now, calm down and put your head back on your shouldersss."
>Ezekiel is obviously still upset but has managed to calm down a bit
>"I'm going to raid their bar."
>Ezekiel slithers out of the room and to the lobby
"Don't come back drunk."
>"No."
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Fixed anons many grammar fuck ups and typos
>husk trying his best to not get a headache
>after Ezekiel tried to raid the bar which just ended with husk telling him to shut up, sit down, and have a drink with him.
>Ezekiel won't stop talking about how his brother Michael is an idiot with how he "let the princess screw us over."
>he keep on rant about stuff of "if we did it this way, our factory won't have been destroyed."
>then... out of nowhere he began to cry...
>it looks like the alcohol is getting to him
>husk put his hand (or claw) on Ezekiels shoulder and gave him the look of "it's going to be ok"
>"one more drink?" husk asked, Ezekiel looks at him and nods
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>Avarice was built over hells largest source of oil and natural gas
>Charlie convinced the workers of the sectors biggest factory to riot
>Rioters burn it down
>An entire sector dedicated to money is completely fucked
>Hell's economy is in pieces but is slowly recovering
So, how's Charlie taking the fact that she almost single handedly destroyed Pentagram city?
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Charlie DIDN'T convince the workers to riot - they did that by themselves.
However, the riot WAS ignited by the fact that in other industries, such as Adult Entertainment or Media, employees received benefits and were allowed to form unions, thanks to Charlie pulling some strings to remove their contracts with Valentino and Vox (and re-negotiating Val and Vox's contracts with their own patron demons.

This lessened their influence, and since their employees were no longer bound to their will by soul contracts, they organize themselves for collective bargaining.

Since Charlie's deal with Michael and Ezekiel had only involved buying back Val and Alastor from them, with no effect on their own contracts with other sinners, and the whole transaction essentially putting more pressure on the brothers to perform, due to Mammon's increased attention on them, tensions across avarice rose, and it was only inevitable that someone would flinch.
And it was the workers of one factory, which just so happened to be built on top of a large reservoir of oil and natural gas (for convenience's sake)...

Charlie did nothing - she had done the least amount of business with the brothers, and she never took part in labor organization, being busy with the Hotel herself (especially when Alastor was "indisposed" for a couple of months, working off his dept to the two snakes in a desert labor camp).

The pieces were all in place - the changes kicked off by Vox and Val's lessened influence, Mammon's deeper involvement with Michael and Ezekiel, and the two brothers' respective follies: Michael's stubbornness with the workers, and Ezekiel's corner cutting with the placement of the factory.

It all built up to the catastrophe, which would devastate Hell's heavy industry, and lead to a reorganization of Avarice - with Ezekiel and Michael being forced to take the backseat like Vox, or have their influence reduced in their office, like Val's was.