Battes

*"At the end of the day, who can you blame? My husband...was a vicious, disgusting pig...and the bill for his actions came due for him. Just as mine came due for me."*

-Battes to Vaggie, on why she is responsible for her condition.

**Battes** is a sinner and resident of the Hazbin Hotel. An abused housewife from South Africa, Battes sin was the brutal murder of her sadistic and rapacious husband, Scoobi Hogger. Despite her circumstances and what others say, Battes acknowledges that she and she alone is to blame for her own actions. Battes, for the most part a gentle advocate, refuses to use violence unless given no other choice, or when she mentally snaps.

## Appearance

Battes is a tall woman with light gray skin, inky black hair and orange eyes. Her teeth are filed to points and her fingers end in talon-like nails. Her ears are elongated and tapered, hypersensitive to sound. She dresses usually in black shoes, slim jeans, a white tee shirt and a gray windbreaker. When flying, her arms expand and turn into wings capable of flight.

When pushed into an aggressive state, her eyes roll over to white with a red outline, her nose flares, and her hackles raise, making it look like quills jutting out of her back. Her nails go from looking like talons to full on claws, and her teeth sharpen considerably.

As a human, Battes was a petite woman with fair skin, blonde hair and green eyes.

## Personality

Battes is a gentle, selfless and quiet woman. She has a very motherly attitude and gives of herself liberally to her friends without asking anything in return. She is not confrontational, but is also not a pushover when push comes to shove. She is willing to stand up to others and work out a peaceful resolution, and regards violence with distaste unless all other options are exhausted.

As a former housewife, Battes is an exceptional cook, and enjoys sharing South African Cuisine to the residents of the Hotel. She also occasionally helps Nifty with housekeeping and Charlie and Vaggie in coming up with the daily agenda. If not otherwise engaged, she enjoys playing violin, reading and spending time with her boyfriend, Ian Mercer.

Battes does suffer from an inferiority complex, however, due to her abuse at the hands of her ex-husband, and if pushed the wrong way, can become disheartened and vacillatative. She is also extremely self conscious and hates the body Hell gave her. It doesn't help that her ears can hear every disparaging remark around her. Furthermore, she is prone to snapping when pushed over the edge, and can become uncharacteristically violent in such a state.

Battes is impressively learned in Demonology, from many nights of reading. She thus knows her way around various charms and spells to help keep Ian hidden from Abaddon and his all-seeing third eye. She is also a profound mathematical genius, able to work extremely complex equations in her head at a snap. She has no idea where this ability stems from, as she has no particular interest in math.

## Trivia

* Annabelle is name of Latin-French descent, with Anna having a Latin root in "Grace" and Belle being French for "Beauty".
* Battes speaks English with a pronounced Afrikaans accent. When stressed or angry, she begins to ramble in Afrikaans, with her signature exclamation, "Hoekom ek?" meaning "Why me?"
* Battes and Mercer's relationship is almost completely non-sexual, given the nature of physical contact being painful for Mercer. Instead, they draw comfort from each other's presence.
* Battes has two musical solos in Hazbin Hotel, a rendition of the Murder of Jane Crow song, "I'm Not Afraid Of The Dark," and the original "Dare I Try Again?". She shares a duet with Ian Mercer, "Love in the Fire," and with Vaggie, "A Cage With No Locks."