[open] test your metal

[subhuman]

Who: Dante & YOU
When: Throughout November & into December
Where: Castle Thorne, Horizon, & Nocwich
What: Causing trouble in Thorne (incidental) and getting lazy & crazy in Horizon (purposeful)
Warnings: Dante-brand stupidity, but other than that will update as needed.

Comments

horizon; OPEN

[subhuman]

[ Amongst all the fantastical structures and wildly imagined realms that Horizon has to offer, there is a section that looks a little more like an old, dirty city than anything worth admiring. The scape seem to be in a perpetual state of early evening, a distant sun having just set over the horizon with bits of orange still visible. But for the most part the streets are lit by lamps that flicker in and out, illimitation that leaks out from beneath fabricated doorways, and the neon that advertises various faux businesses. But the sign that shines the brightest touts a shapely woman wielding two pistols in a neat cursive reading "Devil May Cry".

It's definitely not a fine establishment.

And truth be told, the inside doesn't look much better than the rest of the city. Hell, if anything it looks like someone hasn't cleaned up the place in years. But this is Horizon. Surely someone wouldn't bother dreaming up a mess? Well, apparently they did. Papers, magazines, old pizza boxes and bottles litter the floor. But, hey, the lights work, so that's what matters.

It's not quiet inside either. In the corner there's an old jukebox that seems to be blasting some sick beats. It's a well-crafted playlist for any connoisseur of metal. If you've similar taste in music or have an excellent sense of humor, the jukebox may let you shuffle through songs or pick something of your own. But if you're Nero (or happen to be close to him), it's possible that only "Cotton-Eyed Joe" will play on repeat. Weird!

Despite the loud music, Dante may be found snoozing away at his desk, feet propped up on the wood and a magazine covering his face as he leans back in his chair. There's no way he's actually sleeping through all the racket, right?

There is a second floor loft and a few doors to the back on the first floor. Upstairs starts out normal enough, but instead of something normal like a bed there is a full convenience store counter where any hungry patron can grab snacks, ice cream, or somehow a full pie of pizza. There's no cashier but a vaguely feminine and flirty laugh will sound if you pick up something to eat.

Downstairs, one of the two doors leads to a gaudy strip club, complete with an overuse of cheap velvet fabrics, low lights, a catwalk and poles on a stage, though the music seems to be the same from what's playing in the lobby. Unfortunately, Dante can also be found here, either lazing back in of the chairs and eating an ice cream sundae with his feet perched up on the stage despite the fact there are no dancers, or...well, he'll be on stage practicing some of his best dance moves. Sorry.

The last door just goes to a bathroom. It's small, it's normal, but the toilet flushes. And if you don't appreciate how special that is then you can hold it. ]

[unnecessaryflourishes]

[It's curiosity as much as anything that drives Emet-Selch to check out this particular corner of the Horizon. He is, after all, no stranger to the dingier sorts of places that have tended to crop up in mortal cities. But to find a portion of same recreated in the Horizon itself is.. well. It's not entirely surprising, perhaps. But it is an oddity, and one he figures he might as well check out, if only for the novelty.

As has all too often become the case, he has to alter his size to fit into the building, once he finds it. But for all that he prefers to not have to, it's not any significant difficulty to do so either, and he barely even has to duck under the frame of the door, once he's done.

That said, he cannot claim to be impressed by what he finds inside.]

I suppose it was only to be expected.

[Especially for a run-down looking building in a run-down city.]

[subhuman]

[ The sound of heavy metal is almost loud enough to drown out the complaints of any would-be guests. Almost. As it stands Dante is quite proud of his little edge of the world. Because it's his, built up from his own efforts. Sure, maybe the horizon isn't quite the same as the real deal, but it's good enough for him.

The man lounging at his desk, seemingly asleep, suddenly speaks from beneath the magazine that's covering his face. ]

Did I leave the "Open" sign on again?

[unnecessaryflourishes]

Had you not intended to?

[It's not - quite - an answer. But it's close enough, perhaps, and if nothing else it's a reasonable suggestion that Emet-Selch had found nothing to bar his entry. (Or at least, not enough that he'd had to resort to anything other than mundane means in order to enter.)

The music, meanwhile, he mostly tolerates. It's loud, yes. But not yet enough so to be truly irritating.]

[subhuman]

Well...

[ Dante waves his hand somewhat dismissively and doesn't move the magazine. Definitely not the way to greet potential "customers", if such a thing can exist in this realm. ]

That all depends on who's walking through the door. And, don't take this the wrong way, but you're missing the countenance of a young, enthusiastic, and open-minded woman.

[unnecessaryflourishes]

[Fortunately enough, Emet-Selch has spent enough time being similarly dismissive that he isn't particularly bothered by Dante's lack of politeness. To say nothing of the fact that he is quite entirely too old to bother with being offended over something comparatively trivial.]

I should certainly hope so.

[He might not have given much thought to whether his vessels had been male or female, over the long millennia. But this form is his alone, and certainly not one he would expect to be mistaken for anything other than male.]

Though I have my doubts about your success in finding anyone even near that description, should this be your chosen approach.