[OPEN] Leave that old record spinning~

[robintohood]

Who: Jason Todd robintohood and you!
What: Grand Opening Week of Descendant Karaoke Bar and Lounge
When: Week of November 28th
Where: Central City
Content Warnings: N/A for now. Will edit if needed.

[Throughout November, you may have seen posts across all the major social media platforms about a new Central City karaoke bar opening up. They even include some nice professional photos of the interior taken by Mark Bryant. Or maybe you’ve heard vague rumors in the criminal underworld about a new safe haven for discussing and doing some illicit business.

Meanwhile in Central City, the renovations of a two-storied building with a basement and an attic were being done swifter than any legally permitted construction project. The owner made sure it was good work done too.

And now at the tail end of the month, there’s a newly opened karaoke bar and lounge known as Descendant. Everyone is welcomed, regardless of their meta status or if they’re part of any guild.


Descendant’s entrance door is relatively innocuous. As soon as you step into the building though, you’re in the security check area and met with bouncers holding metal detector wands. No one’s allowed further in until they get checked. Once you check your weapons, you’ll receive a key labeled with the number of the locker your weapon(s) are in.

In a nod to Ascendant, the previous bar that attracted some of Central’s criminals, much of Descendant’s interior basic layout is similar but now with a speakeasy-esque decor. Once you walk through weapons check, you’re greeted with the first floor being an open space for mingling, drinking, and eating. The walls are visibly brick and the tables and chairs aren’t too fancy. The first floor is also where the bar is.


Further towards the back of the first floor are private rooms for guests to enjoy if they reserve ahead of time and pay extra. The cheapest karaoke rooms are simple and while the most expensive are more luxurious.


One room that makes Descendant unique is the reading room everyone is welcome to use. You're free to drink and enjoy some quiet reading time. Take a book for keeps or donate a book! Quiet conversation is welcome, but overly noisy patrons will be kicked out.


On the second floor are a couple of arcade machines, pool tables, and a stage for live performances. There are plush lounges for people to sit and enjoy the shows, or to take a break between rounds of pool.

With the exception of the reading room and the employee-only areas, you’ll hear music throughout most of the building. It’s either coming from the karaoke machines or from a separate playlist.

Whatever you decide to do, the owner and other attentive employees hope you enjoy your time at their establishment.]

((OOC: Mingle post! Enjoy yourselves. More information about Descendant is here and here, including an opt-in form for the BatFamily to spy on your character.))

Comments

[robintohood]

Candy Lofts but I'm pretty in and out of it because of how busy I get.

[Meaning he's got multiple safehouses]

[demigoth]

Okay. I can look it up if I need to. They have phonebooks online.

[ He's had a pretty steep learning curve - first at home, and then here. Universes were magic and technology are used to working together. It's so much easier to do basic things when cell phones won't bring a legion of monsters on your head. ]

That's why I'm here. I thought I only need you to sign the paperwork, but I need to know what I can say when people ask questions. I know they're going to be lies, but the lies have to match if they ask you.

[robintohood]

[They need a cover. It makes sense. Eventually someone might try to dig further into the paperwork]

Depends on what's being asked. It'll have to be something that says I'm acting as a surrogate. The relation can't be too close otherwise there'll be a lot more details about each other to keep track of.

[demigoth]

Guardian, and I don't live in Sunset Falls. I live in Central City, and you're -

[ Wait? Didn't Jason use a fake name when he signed the papers? Nico digs a ragged photocopy out of the pocket of his jeans and tries to read it through all the legalese and tiny fonts. ]

[robintohood]

[Indeed, Jason used a fake name to sign the papers]

Jason Todaro.

[There won't first name confusion at least if anyone listens in on them]

I'm a distant family friend who took you in because you needed a place to live in Central City. Does that work for you?

[demigoth]

[ Oh, he used an Italian surname. That sounds smart, especially because of the story he's giving. ]

Yeah, okay. And you know I'm 15 and go to that stupid metahuman school. I promise not to get suspended - that's when they call you.

... Todaro is Venetian.

[ Says the boy from Venice. ]

[robintohood]

[Jason nods]

Yeah. Figured it was best to use an Italian surname if I'm supposed to be your guardian. Some people can't say it right so I tell them it's okay to say "Todd" as well.

[demigoth]

[ Nico looks like a tiny storm cloud. ]

Todaro isn’t hard to say! And the D goes in the second syllable!

[ Who are these made up friends and why are they dumb? ]

[robintohood]

[Whoops...]

Whoa, hey. I'm saying that as a cover story. I know the name's not hard to say. But people can be very stupid so it's entirely possible for it to happen.

[demigoth]

You need better fake friends. That can be one of the things I know about you.

[ Nico knows that you need at least three facts about fake adults, in case another adult asks you what they’re like. ]

I should know what you do and one thing you like.

[robintohood]

Fine. I'm a bookworm but I also like working out.

[Which would help to explain his build]

And I used to be a car mechanic.

[He then pauses to think]

If we say this is where you live, we might have to say that I work at the bar.

[Which has its own pros and cons. Tying the bar to his fake identity as Nico's guardian could lead to someone realizing Descendant isn't what it seems]

[demigoth]

I thought you said Candy Factory Lofts?

[ Nico frowns ands looks around. ]

And this is your safe house. I can’t say I live here if the school asks.

[robintohood]

[Nods]

Candy Factory Lofts then. The place is kind of a dump but we make do. I want you to focus on school first so that you can have a better living than me.

[It's nearly the truth]

[demigoth]

[ Nico laughs at this part of the cover story. His grades are… less than stellar, mainly because he can’t seem to stay out of trouble. ]

I have bad news for you, Mr. Todaro.

[robintohood]

[Jason laughs]

You might become a dropout like me?

[demigoth]

School’s not really a big part of my life. I’m only going here because they make you.

[robintohood]

Fair enough. Probably for the best in this case if they're trying to feed you guild propaganda.

[demigoth]

They are.

[ He’s compared it to going to school in Mussolini’s Italy before. It’s not THAT bad, but it’s very slanted. ]

I’m not supposed to call them fascists anymore.

[robintohood]

[Jason scoffs]

Nevermind that's exactly what they're being with the way they're treating metas.

[demigoth]

Turns out you get detention for replacing the Pledge of Allegiance with World War II slogans. And for correcting the history teacher.

I don't know how to get expelled, but I'm interested.

[robintohood]

[Okay, Jason can't help but snicker at that]

Just make sure to have a plan if you do get expelled.

[demigoth]

I have a place to stay, and the school doesn’t know the address. Neither does the guild.

Oh - right, that’s the other thing I should warn you about before you come over with tools. I live with ghosts.

[robintohood]

Yeah, I kinda noticed. How many? They came with the house?

[demigoth]

Four. It's their house. They're been living in it unchecked for hundreds of years, and I get the idea that it's really their house. They took a vote to let me stay.

One of the sisters asked if you were moving in.

[robintohood]

Heh. Cute. And nah. I'm just gonna drop by to help. I'm sticking to Central for now. What are the ghosts like? Besides the fact they like to dance.