|
Post by s on May 25, 2005 10:22:07 GMT -5
The door creaked open. Slowly, a face peered into the dimly lit room, but the prisoner was nowhere to be seen. “Antenora?” called a sharp, masculine voice. Then slowly, cruelly, “come out, come out, wherever you are.” The man quickly entered the room, black trenchcoat flowing behind him. His cold blue eyes scanned the room for any signs of life. “Antenora?” Quicker this time. Harsher. But she was nowhere to be seen. The man sat down on the cot in the corner of the room – the only piece of furniture there. If Antenora wanted to play games like this, fine. He would only kill her sooner. When a gust of cold air blew the lone window open, he stood up, slammed it shut, and, in the cloud of his billowing black trenchcoat, left the room.
The man was Dante. As cruel as he was intelligent, as heartless as he was ingenious, as cold as he was brilliant. His intricate plans had led him to become dictator of 667. Now, he was enjoying supreme power. His hard work had finally paid off.
Hidden under the cot was Antenora. Once Dante’s lover, she had left him when he had threatened to take over 667. Now she was paying for it. Dante’s first act as monarch was to imprison her, and imprisoned she was – hidden deep within one of 667’s towers, where nobody would find her. Ever. As soon as Dante left the room, she sat on the cot and cried. Not that anyone saw her.
|
|
|
Post by Dante on May 25, 2005 10:25:27 GMT -5
Well, this is out-of-character, although at least I haven't executed Antenora. I wouldn't do anything terrible to her.
But dictator of 667 - there's a position we all covet...
|
|
|
Post by Ennui on May 25, 2005 10:28:00 GMT -5
Blast. You stole my "Dante as Supreme Authoritarian Ruler" plotbunny. Though mine is fairly different, so I'll let this pass...
On the other hand, I don't think Dante would ever kill Antenora. Imprison her, conceivably. But he'd destroy himself before harming her...
Do I get to be in this? I'd like to be an evil Machiavellian adviser in Dante's regime...God that was unsubtle. Pleeeaaase?
|
|
|
Post by s on May 25, 2005 10:34:40 GMT -5
Well, he's not actually going to kill her. It's sort of an internal conflict of his - he is still very much attached to her, just angered that she refuses to be with him. Don't worry, he is unable to bring himself to actually physically harm her, although I suppose imprisoning her is taking its toll on her. Anyway, here's some more:
Dante swept down four flights of stairs, his trademark black trenchcoat trailing behind him. Antenora…his heart still twinged every time he thought of her. Which is why she would be better off dead. Dante hurriedly pushed these troublesome thoughts away, and headed out the door with a swish. The cold, bitter wind gnawed at him, causing his dark-blonde hair to whip at his face and his deep blue eyes to sting. He continued walking, apparently indifferent. Rule #1: Never show any signs of weakness. He brushed past a crowd of lowly newbies and hurried on his way. *** Akbar was talking to a crowd of 667ers when Dante flourished by. A strong leader among those still faithful to the previous ruler, he admired Dante nevertheless. After all, they had a lot in common with each other – intelligence, leadership, ambition. The two had been friends before Dante usurped the throne. Now, Akbar’s only intent was to restore peace to 667. *** Dante continued down the narrow street, noticing but not acknowledging the furtive glances from those around him. What did he care what those commoners thought? He kept walking briskly, always keeping his destination in mind. *** Another group of people Dante pushed out of the way was that led by Haloman. Unintelligent, annoying, and narrow-minded, their only strong points were their violent tendencies and their poor grammar. However, violence goes a long way in a society governed by hate and cruelty. A gun hidden under his cloak at all times, Haloman was the epitome of the really cool member. Hated by most, but worshipped by the rest, he invariably abused what little power he had. His mortal enemy was Akbar. Tension was continually building between the two. Haloman would eventually snap, but whether or not he would be victorious comes later in this story.
Edit: sorry about the random blank. I could not for the life of me think of the word I was trying to use. If anyone has any suggestions, please say so. Edit (again): really cool member it is, then.
|
|
Antenora
Detriment Deleter
Fiendish Philologist
Put down that harpoon gun, in the name of these wonderful birds!
Posts: 15,891
Likes: 113
|
Post by Antenora on May 25, 2005 10:38:17 GMT -5
really cool member, perhaps?
I don't think I'd ever leave Dante. If he became dictator, I'd want to rule alongside him, be his advisor/ally or something.
Edit: This is an interesting story, though. I'd be interested in seeing more.
|
|
|
Post by Dante on May 25, 2005 10:50:16 GMT -5
My internal conflict here is far more convincing. You've thought this out better than I'd anticipated. My hair is red in colour, by the way, although one might also describe it as orange, ginger, or auburn. I concur with Antenora's suggestion that ____ becomes "really cool member." I don't think I'd ever leave Dante. If he became dictator, I'd want to rule alongside him, be his advisor/ally or something. And I would be happy for you to join me.
|
|
|
Post by s on May 25, 2005 12:30:46 GMT -5
My hair is red in colour, by the way, although one might also describe it as orange, ginger, or auburn. Oh dear. Perhaps I'll change that eventually...the image is so much nicer with blonde or brown hair, though. *sigh* That's what comes out of my making assumptions.
|
|
|
Post by PJ on May 25, 2005 18:00:13 GMT -5
My hair is red in colour, by the way, although one might also describe it as orange, ginger, or auburn. Oh dear. Perhaps I'll change that eventually...the image is so much nicer with blonde or brown hair, though. *sigh* That's what comes out of my making assumptions. Yes, Dante's true image has destroyed many an imagination. He has long red hair and glasses. That's how most stories describe him.
|
|
|
Post by s on May 26, 2005 9:04:13 GMT -5
Ok, I might not be able to get more of this up very soon...sorry guys. We're going to India for 6 weeks, where I will have limited internet access. I'll continue writing, and post as soon as possible, though. And, I had the glasses and long hair part. I just didn't imagine it to be red. Oh well.
|
|
|
Post by eggman on May 26, 2005 12:09:26 GMT -5
Hehehe I like the Haloman references - he personifies the really cool member
|
|
|
Post by s on May 29, 2005 1:53:15 GMT -5
Akbar was formulating a plan. Eyebrows furrowed in concentration, he pored over all his papers, searching for any possible flaws. Akbar sighed, dark eyes made even darker with worry. His plan was perfect. Theoretically. Now if only it would actually work! *** Dante quickly made his way toward the moderators' tower. The "power tower," some joked. Dante never joked. Sarcasm, yes. Joking, no. A smile was a rarity; a laugh, a mistake. Eyes as cold as ever, he opened the door and entered in one fluid motion.
Room 667. Dante slowly, silently, walked through the open doorway and nonchalantly leaned against the wall. His presence was immediately felt, and the moderators all turned their heads in unison. dante had arrived. The meeting was ready to begin. *** Now was his only chance. Dante would be gone, at a meeting, for the next hour, but no longer. Akbar rubbed his suddenly cold hands together. It was time to put his plan into action. Time to rescue Antenora. Calling his followers to arms, akbar began the procession down the street. *** Dante knew something was wrong. He fidgeted in his seat, willing the meeting to end quickly. He had to get back to his tower, had to check on certain things -- especially Antenora. If anything happened to her... Then he sighed. What was wrong with him? As far as he knew, nothing was wrong outside. Besides, intuition was never a very reliable thing. Satisfied with this conclusion, Dante tuned back in to the meeting going on around him. What were they discussing again? Oh yes, Haloman.
"He is so narrow-minded. What does he have against intelligent conversation?"
"I know. What a nuisance."
"Why don't we just ban him?"
"We can't. He hasn't theoretically done anything wrong." This was Dante, of course. Always offering the rational, though undesirable, answer. "There are, however, other ways..." *** The mob had grown larger. Many people, seeing the mob march by, felt compelled to join its cause. Others were friends of people in the mob and simply felt the need to find out what on earth their friends were thinking. But either way, the mob had slowly but steadily become much larger and much more dangerous. sever people wielded torches, the words "fight fire with fire" seen burning in the flames. Akbar was in his prime. Things were going exactly as he had anticipated. Step #1 - Create a diversion. *** The conversation at the meeeting had somehow shifted. "A simple solution would be to employ capital punishment," stated Dante. "really cool member-like behavior could become a capital offense." "Yes," countered a mod, "but..." Her voice trailed off as she realized just who she was talking to. "But...?" replied Dante, his steely eyes focusing all their energy, boring into the moderator's eyes. "Care to finish your sentence?" "Oh, it was nothing," the moderator hastily replied. "Your plan sounds perfect." "That's what I thought." came Dante's cold reply. ***
Sorry if this section doesn't advance the plot terribly much / is somewhat superfluous. The next section will be better, I promise.
|
|
|
Post by PJ on May 29, 2005 3:18:33 GMT -5
Nice. Overthrowing plots are always great. So what role do I play? The Zealous bodyguard? Akbar's associate? Do I plan to step in and take control once Akbar overthrows Dante? That's the sort of sneaky thing I'd do. Only if Dante's oppresive regime bothered me, though. Which it probably does, but the sound of it.
|
|
|
Post by s on May 29, 2005 4:38:38 GMT -5
I don't know. I kind of have a very limited list of characters - namely, Dante, Antenora, Akbar, and Haloman. I'm not quite sure why I chose them, but I really don't feel like incorporating more, although I might do so later on. I guess I've read a lot of their posts, etc., so perhaps I feel I know them better? I really don't know. But as of now, chances are, you're not going to be in it. Sorry.
|
|
|
Post by PJ on May 29, 2005 4:46:07 GMT -5
I don't know. I kind of have a very limited list of characters - namely, Dante, Antenora, Akbar, and Haloman. I'm not quite sure why I chose them, but I really don't feel like incorporating more, although I might do so later on. I guess I've read a lot of their posts, etc., so perhaps I feel I know them better? I really don't know. But as of now, chances are, you're not going to be in it. Sorry. Oh, ok. Do write more.
|
|
|
Post by s on May 29, 2005 5:41:20 GMT -5
In the weeks leading up to the revolt, Akbar had scrutinized Dante's every move. Observation was indeed the key to success. How else could Akbar have figured out where Antenora was being held prisoner? Dante was a stoic, save for when it came to one thing - or rather, one person. And as much as he tried, Dante could not completely cover up his emotions regarding her. Antenora. Everytime he came out of her tower, Dante's normally blank face was coated with a hint of worry, reminescence. And Akbar had noticed. He had noticed that tower 63 was the only one which Dante visited no matter what; he had noticed Dante's worried expression each time he left that tower. But most of all, he had noticed Antenora's pale face - just once - peering out of the small window on the fifth floor. Now, as Akbar marched down the street, he glanced at that very same window, hoping to reassure himself through a glance of Antenora's face. However, no face appeared, so he instead started to think of the next step in his plan. *** Antenora had seen the mob. She paced her cell, hoping that they were planning to rescue her. The mob seemed to be led by Akbar. That was good. He wouldn't create a mob simply to commit random acts of violence. They must have a decent purpose - hopefully, to rescue her. Not wanting to worry about this, Antenora picked up one of the three books Dante had provided her with - The Ersatz Elevator, by Lemony Snicket. She began to read it for the umpteenth time, taking her mind off of the raging mob outside. *** Dante broke the meeting off as soon as a decision had been made. really cool member-like behavior would be punished by several years of jail time; if the situation continued to worsen, capital punishment would be reconsidered as an option. He had willingly made a compromise - a first for Dante. but it was only so that he could end the meeting as soon as possible. He had to get back to tower 63.
Dante raced through the back alleyways, his heart pounding. Voluntary running - another first. And that too, to help someone else. What was wrong with him lately? Dante wondered. He seemed to have gone soft. Why did he care what happened to someone else? The answer came to him with a jolt. It was simple, really. Because that someone was Antenora. In a flash, Dante realized what he had to do. He had to free Antenora. Oblivious to the mob crowding the street parallel to his, Dante continued running, taking all the shortcuts he knew, fervently hoping that Antenora was okay.
|
|