barring emergencies

[the_very_best]

Bella's not sure where she has wandered. She thought she was about to walk into a shop, but this appears to be an unattended bar. With none of the windows associated with the shop she thought she was entering. It could be an elaborate psychic assault of some kind, but it doesn't feel very... assault-y... and she was in the middle of a town and doesn't think any humans want to sic their 'mon on her. It's strange. She approaches the bar, looking around warily, hand hovering near her belt.

with Max (Benedict)

with Earth and Lightning (kappa)

with Ann and Sabrina (kuuskytkolme)

Comments

[unblinkered]

"So, yes. A kindness, heh. If there's someone powerful enough to cross between universes, build consciousnesses, universally translate, and create anything they like on the spot... whatever this is, it's intentional. There has to be a reason for this beyond... some kind of benevolent whim. Nobody goes to the trouble of getting that kind of power just to do something like this."

[small_magics]

"Not all power is intentionally sought. You seem to be willing to take the bar's word for it that her own considerable ability is something she began with."

[unblinkered]

He rolls his eyes.

"I'm not taking her word for anything. I just don't have enough information to figure out what she's more than likely lying to cover up. All I've got to go by is what these napkins say, and these napkins say she's got shadowy superiors who don't tell her anything. Not like I have leverage to make her stop feigning ignorance if she is."

[small_magics]

"If you believe this establishment is so so sinister, you could, you have mentioned, leave rather than risk participating in its agenda."

[unblinkered]

"Oh, I guarantee participating in its sinister agenda would be more interesting than anything I could have planned for the afternoon. I just want it to happen already instead of keeping me in suspense! Driving me crazy, waiting around... well, waiting around reading an extremely interesting physics textbook, but... waiting."

[small_magics]

"Perhaps nothing is waiting to spring out at you."

[unblinkered]

"That's what I'm afraid of, yeah. That... whatever this place was built for, the builders forgot about it, or put it on the back burner, or got themselves killed. Or that it's a byproduct of something else, and they never cared about it in the first place. I've just... there's gotta be some answers, somewhere! As far as I know, this is the most important place in existence, and nothing is happening in it!"

He sighs and turns to the bar.

"Where's that room I bought? Think I'd like to take a look around."

[alicornucopia]

Room 559, says the bar, materializing a key. It will be on the fifth floor to your right, on the left-hand side.

[unblinkered]

Fifth floor to your right...

Max takes the key and walks over to the stairs. He's not totally sure he's interpreting the directions right, but he finds his way to the fifth floor and follows the room numbers to 559. He opens the door and surveys the room.

[alicornucopia]

It is a small room with a window overlooking the lake, an ensuite bathroom, a twin bed, a desk and a desk chair, soft carpeting, and good lighting.

[unblinkered]

It's a really lovely room, very cozy, nothing to complain about. The view is very ni-

Wait why is the view very nice, what happened to the exploding stars, what in the hell-

Max runs over and opens the window- and too late wonders whether the scenery might be an illusion and whether opening the window would suck him into the vacuum of space- but by all appearances, outside the window seems to lie a pristine wilderness with a perfectly ordinary sky. He waves his hand around outside a bit before turning and dashing back downstairs.

"What's that- up there, out the window?!" he shouts, the moment he steps foot on the first floor. "There's a lake! What happened to the stars?!"

[alicornucopia]

The stars are in the front, explains a napkin. The lake and forest and so on are in the back. Do you want to exchange your room for one with a front view?

[unblinkered]

"No, I don't want to- where is this? I assumed- I didn't think about the stars, I didn't- I thought they were decorative, what- how can the sky be different in the back, what's- is there some sort of dome, a- what's all that doing there?!"

[alicornucopia]

I have never, says the bar, actually been outside myself, you realize.

[unblinkered]

"That's...!"

That's a remarkably good point, actually.

"You... but, that is a noticeably atypical outside, I'm sure you... or... most universes, they do have continuous..."

How do you ask a sentient location about... their familiarity with...

"Just... what do you know about the outside, besides that half of it is stars and half of it is... whatever you said, lake and forest and so on?"

[alicornucopia]

Rules about violence are relaxed in the back yard, the lake contains a giant squid, attempts to depart the area of the yard result in wrapping back around on the other side, the building extends laterally and vertically enough to prevent going around it, and people do not visit the area out front in person.

[unblinkered]

"...and, I assume you don't know why any of this is the case, any more than you know why you're a talking sapient bar connected to infinite alternate universes."

He puts the napkin in his pocket.

[alicornucopia]

You assume correctly.

[unblinkered]

Max sighs, sits down, orders another coffee, looks at it, and concludes "This is the most convenient least convenient possible situation I've ever been in."

[alicornucopia]

To which statement the bar has no response.