+1 "Put That Thing Back Where It Came From Or So Help Me"

[nomoreroom]

So! This wasn't actually what he was expecting, when he opened the kitchen door today. He had an excellent venison burger sitting in the fridge, practically calling his name, but he opened the door to the Hotel kitchen, wouldn't you know it-

A completely alternate dimension. Well isn't that just a fine how do you do?

Now if he were a demon of more basic desires and concrete obvious goals, he'd have shut that door and kept trying it until he got his goddamn burger.

Clearly, though, that wasn't what happened.

Tall, that's what he was, way too tall to not stand out, all limbs and pointed fingers and jagged dagger smile, gleeful as he wandered about the plaza and no doubt scaring the children, if there happened to be any unfortunate enough to be there. Nosy thing too, deer-like ears swiveling this way and that to eavesdrop on any possible conversation in the immediate area.

And when he opened his mouth, the hiss and crackle of an old radio came out with a pop, that voice tinny, gleeful and disquieting.

"Good evenin' folks, fantastic night out, isn't it?

Now, I went about readin' your how to's and what do's and where go's and how so's, but I still got a question for you fine, lovely folks out there.

How many of you beautiful surface citizens came from somewhere a little further south? Don't be shy now, step right up."

Comments

[nomoreroom]

"Hey, if I was an angel in a world filled with demons, I'd wanna be considered a myth too." Casually stated, taking an idle sip of his water while casting his stare around the room for a moment.

She certainly is interesting though, that he won't lie about. There wasn't any in betweens where he was from after all, it was either human, demon, or angel, without a mixture to be seen, through science, magic or otherwise. He always did like oddities.

"Well ma'am, can't say too much about the surface and the living, haven't seen it in eighty five years! But I can tell you all about Hell! This club, for instance-" One clawed hand gestured about them, "Wouldn't look too out of place in Hell! More red back there, but this seems like home to me! The Pentagram's quite a city, ma'am, quite a city, full to the brim with every nasty, sinful, unrepentant piece of work you could ever hope to never meet!

Me? I'm just a radio host, ma'am!" Well. Okay, obviously not just that, not with literally everything about him going on.

But that seemed to be the answer he was giving.

[to_the_wolves]

"Yeah, well there was a lot of things I didn't get to learn, even after becoming a slave to karma. Thankfully, that world will probably just destroy itself in due time, without anyone knowing about the Nexus." It's a fortunate thing that no wild demons made it out, but hearing of Alastor's world make her wonder if a new demon army will try to invade.

"So it's pretty much like the lore and stories describe it to be: a place where sinners reside for the rest of their lives. Eighty five years would put you from around the 1920's or 1930's, correct? It's been a long time since I've met someone from that time-frame." She rests one hand under her chin, not drinking from her glass just yet. That is, until, she hears what Alastor does for a profession. Her demeanor changes from being open and optimistic to depression. Something about his words must have triggered a memory in the back of her brain, as apparent by her subtle next comment.

"A radio show host? Huh...That's ironic." She says this almost wistfully, while taking a sip of wine.

[nomoreroom]

"Just leavin' it all to burn, huh? Guess there's nothin' for that, is there? Can't go back and fix it alone! Say, is there a door to your world here? Sounds like a place I might want to take a peek at." As to why, well... Demon tourism?

He probably won't ever tell.

"Sure is ma'am, sure is! All the sinners of earth, in one spot for all eternity.

Well... Would be for all eternity, but we do gotta keep makin' room every now and again, so we're all there until we get caught with our pants down by the Exterminators. Then you're just gone!" On a lighter note, however-

"1933, ma'am! That was the year I died, just four short years after the stock market crash! I'll tell you ma'am, I haven't been that entertained since, what a fiasco that was!" The rather sudden change in her demeanor isn't missed by him at all though, tapping on his glass with a claw.

"Ironic huh? How so?"

[to_the_wolves]

"Survival of the fittest. To be honest, most of them were savages before I left, so I don't mourn the loss of people who willingly make poor choices." A smile creeps up on her face, almost rivaling Alastor's mischievous nature. Her next statement seems completely out of left field, but shows some of her own insanity or craving for power. "If you promise not to drag any of those demons here, then I might show you the doorway. That all depends on your intentions, Alastor. I won't object to a proper meal, but I'm not risking my life or the Nexus for it."

"Visiting your hell would be interesting, but I'd hate to be caught there during one of these extermination raids. I'm sure you'll find that the Nexus has a plentiful amount of entertainment, given the diverse worlds one can visit." She shouldn't be fueling his behavior, but she's been known to cause mischief on other planes before, so it must be a demon thing.

"My ex-lover left me a few days ago, no real warning at all. There was a note waiting for me and that was it. What's funny is, he was trying to get into voice acting and radio work." She takes another drink, visibly distraught at what's happened. "He's not a demon, but I do see a similar charm between the two of you."

[nomoreroom]

"Just a little tourism, ma'am, just a little tourism. Never seen demons outside of my own little Hell, and hey, who knows when I'll get the chance to do this again! Gosh, Charlie might not be too happy about there bein' a door out of Hell in her Hotel after all. Might find a way to get that all walled off."

If not her, than her mother or father, Lilith and Lucifer were nothing if not quite talented.

"They don't have those on a schedule, but we did just get cleaned out a short while ago, so I'm sure it'll be perfectly safe for at least a few more years." Perfectly safe from Exterminators. Not so much Hell's own denizens. "Oh I've already found plenty of things to keep me entertained here, ma'am, don't you worry. Got a whole schedule planned out now."

"Well that's a shame, Marie, my condolences." Said with the same energetic, upbeat attitude that graced all his other comments, the smile not even lessening by an inch.

"Never bothered much with relationships myself, too busy both alive and dead. But I'm awful flattered that you'd think I'm charming, ma'am, awful flattered."

[to_the_wolves]

"What's the chance that you'd take me to your world? Do you have any enemies that need removing from the picture? Perhaps we could work out a trade of sorts? I'd gladly let you see my wasteland of a planet if it means getting to visit someplace new." Making a deal with another demon seems full of risk, but if Alastor isn't about decimating the Nexus or destroying her work and client list, then there really isn't any problem to be had.

"Charlie? Is she a friend of yours?" Hearing about the hotel is interesting as well, but is something that she figures will be discussed in due time. "You could probably hide the doorway from her. It wouldn't be hard to get the tools to do that in the Nexus."

Somehow, not seeing the smile go away is something Marie is getting used to, albeit the difficulty in reading Alastor's emotions. "There's no need to apologize, but I appreciate you listening to my plight. If the whole goal was to disarm me with kindness, then it's working."

[nomoreroom]

Any enemies Alastor had considered necessary to remove had most certainly been removed, of this he was sure. If there was anything worth doing, it was worth doing with his own two hands, after all, never one to shy away from his own dirty work. "Shucks, ma'am, I'll let you visit Hell for free. Say hi to Charlie for me!" Not everything had to be an elaborate plan after all!

Little, simple things mattered so very, very much, after all.

"She's the owner of the hotel of course! A little demonic rehabilitation center for anyone just dyin' to get out. Can't get out of prison 'till you're reformed after all, now can you?" It was a noble goal. One that Alastor was clearly highly in favor of, as odd as that certainly seemed to be. "Well if that's the case, you'll have to show me where I can get those! I'd sure hate to not be able to visit again."

If there had in fact been other demons around that knew Alastor, hearing the words 'kindness' being used in reference to the sharp, grinning, crimson specter she shared the table with would have drawn a howling barrage of laughter. Alastor didn't even bat an eye at the compliment however. Why on earth would he? "Not a problem, Marie, I like listening to other folks problems!" Usually meant there was an opening for him to do something with it, one way or another. "I consider myself a bit of a fixer, honestly."

[to_the_wolves]

"I'm assuming I'd need to visit in demon form. However, I have a sinking feeling your friend Charlie wouldn't like me. Especially if she found out I was visiting Hell for many reason, some less favorable than others." Even if Alastor has no enemies, he's bound to have a good idea of which demons are 'expendable'. He seems like the independent type, similar to how she works, but a good contract here and there never hurt anyone.

"We'll take a look around the Nexus after dinner. Someone in the Industrial Area might have a good lead. You should also look into getting a PINpoint. They're like cell phones, but allow the user to teleport to any given place via coordinates." Speaking of food, their mute server returns with two fancy looking plates, then leaves without saying a word.

"A fixer, huh? So what does a demon like you do in your spare time? Plot against society?" She's lightly joking about that, while cutting into her steak, pausing for a moment to savor that rare blood dripping onto the plate. It's hard to hide that her demonic senses are slowly creeping outward, as if being around someone similar is only making it harder to hide her other self.