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

[the_very_best]

"I take it amulets don't break unless you do magic to them."

[pythbox]

"I've never heard of an amulet breaking while it wasn't being used. As far as I know, it's not possible. And I don't think you can use an amulet, because there's no reason to think you can do any magic at all if it doesn't even exist in your world."

[the_very_best]

"Yeah, probably. That sucks. I wonder if - Bar, can people go to other people's worlds from here?"

If a native of the destination world holds the door, yes.

"I don't know how much that would help, but..."

[pythbox]

"If we went to yours, you mean? I'm not sure it would," says Earth. "It might be better to wait here and see if someone else shows up who seems like they could break an amulet and wouldn't mind stealing one."

[the_very_best]

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I'm not sure how much you'd like it in my world anyway, somebody might throw a Pokéball at you and wild 'mon would probably attack you and just like you don't know if I can do magic I don't know if you can train 'mon, the ability to do that varies even in my world among humans."

[pythbox]

"That too, yes," says Earth. "Although elementals are immortal, so being attacked by wild 'mon might still be preferable to what we get at home."

[the_very_best]

"How'd you manage to be immortal?"

[pythbox]

"'Manage' implies a successful effort of some kind. It's just how we are," shrugs Earth. "We don't age, and we can be hurt or injured but not killed."

[the_very_best]

"Can humans do that too where you're from?"

[pythbox]

"No. It's not a 'do', it's a 'be'."

[the_very_best]

"Rattata."

[pythbox]

"There's such a thing as magical healing..."

[the_very_best]

"Color me fascinated."

[pythbox]

"Earth healing is one of my particular specialties, and I know how healing works with the other relevant elements. I can tell you all about it if you like."

[the_very_best]

"...but I can't use it, and you're not coming to my world, and I don't really like the idea of haring off and abandoning mine unless - Bar? How easy is it to get home if you leave your world?"

That depends entirely on how often you get doors. This varies considerably person to person and most people don't receive them on demand.

"Rrg."

[pythbox]

"If I succeeded at getting someone to free a lot of elementals here, you might be able to convince some of us to come to your world then," says Earth. "In which case it would be handy to know at least a little about which ones can do which things."

[the_very_best]

"Okay. Do you think you can in fact convince somebody to do that?"

[pythbox]

"I have no idea," he says. "I've only met one person here so far. I don't know how likely it is that someone else might show up who could help, or how likely it is that they'd want to, or if it's even meaningful to ask how likely those things are in a place this strange."

[the_very_best]

"Well, if you knew somebody at home who might come in - since Bar says you can hold the door - Bar, can they let more people in?"

Yes, if those people can be communicated with while the door is held.

"Then that would affect your confidence, probably. But if you're just waiting here I guess it depends on bar traffic."

[pythbox]

"The list of people at home who I might trust to do anything helpful whatsoever is very short, and I think she's out of town at the moment."

[the_very_best]

"Dang. Bar, is it usually more crowded than this?"

Often, yes. I don't control the comings and goings of the door so I can't make predictions or take requests.

"Huh."

[pythbox]

Earth shrugs.

"We can wait, anyway."

[the_very_best]

"Bar, when drinks aren't free what do they cost?"

Moderate prices in appropriate currencies. Yours would have been ¥75.

"Do elementals need to eat?"

[pythbox]

"No," says Earth. "We can, but it doesn't hurt us not to."

[the_very_best]

"Oh, then you're probably good to camp out here forever, lucky you."