SUPER FRIENDLY

[nomoreroom]

Christmas done, New Years over, the chance of encountering anything uncomfortably holy has diminished by a lot, and thus, what might be an disquietingly familiar crimson figure has popped back up in the Nexus again.

Just the same as he was before, that smile permanent, he's gotten comfortable in the plaza. Pretty easy to see the direction he came in from too, the snow partially melted and delicate little cloven deer hoof prints burned right down through to the ground. Rather odd, considering the obvious fancy calf skin shoes he's wearing.

"Happy New Years, ladies and gentleman, Happy New Year, hope you had a fantastic holiday, I know I did!

Say, any of you fine folks out there make a resolution? Keep it light folks, lets just have a nice fat chew here! What do you have in mind for the New Year? Don't say lose weight, if you didn't do it last year, well shucks, I don't think this will be your year either, realistic goals, folks, lets keep it light and real."

The hiss and crackle of that old vacuum tube radio and the tinny, artificial quality of his voice doesn't do much to lend to the 'lightness' of this entire scene, but hey, it's nothing he can help, nor distinctly seems to care about.

Frankly, a seven foot tall antlered anthropomorphic amalgamation of man and deer was about as un-light as one could get, but that's never stopped Alastor before.

Comments

[iwillcatchup]

"I am able to keep up with it." Peter shrugs. "And besides... I enjoy coming here to see my friends."

[to_the_wolves]

"Not the home you're thinking probably. The holidays are just a reminder of all my lost family and friends. Work would normally keep me busy at this time, but I stepped back to focus on myself for a while." She shoves her hand into her pocket, procuring a PINpoint without fail. New Orleans is one of her favorite cities in the US, so visiting it on a whim is nothing she'll object to.

"The whole day is ours, Alastor. Maybe you can give me a tour of your favorite spots in Louisiana. It's modern day, so I'm not sure how much has changed since your last visit there." Honestly, she should go home and change into something more presentable, but maybe doing a little shopping could be a good thing. Taking some fashion tips from Alastor would be a fun time as well.

With coordinates set, she politely offers one hand to the deer, PINpoint tightly in her other hand. "Shall we be off?"

[tryingitall]

That's good. Threats without violence are a game that starts out pretty funny but gets tedious before long. Ultimately, Balthazar is a lover, not a fighter (actually, he's more of a drinker than a lover of late), but everyone has limits to their patience.

He's not quite as prone to grins as the demon, but there's certainly something of careless good humor in his expression. "It is! But not every human can be an angelic vessel, and they have to give you permission to enter them."

Was that an eyebrow quirk there? Yeah, there's some inherent innuendo in this topic.

"It's weirdly complicated. The fellow I'm wearing is a delight, though. Picked him up before the first World War." He's actually legitimately attached to his vessel, but that's a story for another time. "Scotch was his drink, so I do like that, but my tastes run more toward brandy and cognac."

"When was that last New Year's? I suppose celebrating any holiday in Hell would be counter to the mood of the place."

[nomoreroom]

Go on and ask, Palmer! It'll definitely not be a horrifying answer, at all, in any shape or form.

"Hope your work isn't as bad as your wordplay, friend!

Heck, I can tell you why! Miserable people, self loathing people, people who hate being awake 'cus every second of life is Hell!

The less you feel, the better it is! And hey, what numbs it all better than a couple shots of rum, huh?"

[nomoreroom]

There's a snort. Not one of derision, apparently he found the idea to be very funny. "Did you buy him dinner first?"

Gonna take that subtle innuendo and make it blatant here we go!

"Sure looks real cozy in there, friend! Say, can you feel him getting drunk at all? Everything he feels, you feel now, right? All hooked up in there as you are."

There's a hum, as if he's thinking, but honestly he remembered the year he died as clear as a bell.

"Well shoot, that was 1933! That's the last New Years I remember having. Hell of a party, friend, one Hell of a party! Hell's got parties alright, nothing quite like a party in the Pentagram! But New Years? Holidays? None of that."

Granted, a party in the Pentagram usually meant someone was going to lose some teeth, skin, limbs or organs before the party was over. It wasn't fun until someone loses an eye.

[nomoreroom]

"Well, that's not surprising. There's a reason suicide peaks during the holidays!" Perhaps not the most reassuring of statements, but Alastor was never really one for reassurances.

"Oh I can only imagine! What with some of the stuff I see in Hell, looks like things have really picked up, topside! Can't wait to see it!" Fashion tips, of course, would be... antiquated, to say the least. He himself was over a hundred years old at this point, and his tastes noticeably old fashioned.

He took her offered hand, those large crimson claws delicately curled just so. Didn't want to go slicing anything after all.

"Lead the way, Marie!"

[readvondaniken]

"I've been told my work as a mechanic is better than my sense of humor. You know Cricket Pate? I'm his mentor." Sure, he's bragging a little, but Palmer doesn't mind a little boasting that he earned.

He considers asking about the radio sounds, but thinks better of it. There are some things it's better not to know.

Maybe in the future. Palmer's had his fill of horrors for the time being.

"To each their own. Marijuana's my drug of choice, anyway. Mac's not the most social guy around, so I doubt he'd tell me anything."

[tryingitall]

"No, but I did quite a lot of chatting with him. He was an artist. Really very talented." But probably the less he says about his human to a demon, the better.

"Having never been fully human, I can't say if my sensory perception comes to the same thing when I'm wearing one, as what they themselves would feel. I've wondered about that often, actually. But yes, more or less I do feel through a vessel. I can experience taste and touch. The angelic healing factor means I have to drink a warehouse full of liquor before I actually get drunk, but I've done it."

Not to mention a number of stronger and more illicit drugs. And also wild sex.

"That's quite a while back, chronologically, from when I was last on the planet," he says, and then blinks slowly.

"...I've never actually been to Hell," he says, "but I did hold the door open for a friend that had some work there. I think all things considered, I don't want to know what a party in the Pentagram is like. But each to his own, I suppose."

[to_the_wolves]

"Because people get overly depressed? Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. Holidays can be a real drag on the emotions of humans." That's to say, she doesn't doubt that other beings go through it, but there's something refreshing about putting humans on a pedestal for judgement, especially when her company is a demon. Even Marie has noticed that Alastor is slowly bringing out the darker side of personality, but it's something she's quite alright with. Sometimes it's good to have a little chaos in life...

When his claw-like appendages curl around her fingers, there's a brief hint of red in her cheeks. Her other hand grips the PINpoint carefully, already having the coordinates pre-loaded to their travel destination, before pressing the button to send them elsewhere...

There's a strange flash of light, nothing uncomfortable, but the familiar Nexus setting has been replaced with an alleyway surrounded by brick walls. Even though there's no immediate sign that they've arrived in the South, that quickly changes with the sounds of people talking and the familiar scent of food. It's a joyful environment, and upon stepping out of the alleyway, the city of New Orleans greets them.

However, there are a few small or big differences in the city, not comparable to a typical world. For starters, it seems like humans and anthropomorphic creatures live on this plane and they take great pride in their appearances. Many are dressed in nice looking clothes, true to the culture of New Orleans. The other thing to notice is how well-maintained the city is, much cleaner and well kept than even the finer areas of the Nexus.