(no subject)

[janisthorn]

An exile wanders into the bar, carrying a loaded crossbow and wearing an animal skin that doesn't cover very much of her at all.

She has just bid farewell to a good friend and a great warrior whom she suspects will soon die in vain, so her mind is uncharacteristically elsewhere as she walks through the portal. It takes several seconds before she notices the change of lighting and the absence of foliage.

Leela blinks several times. Her eyes narrow as she hefts her crossbow to waist height and scans her environs.

"What is this place?" she demands of no one in particular.

Comments

[jonathanparagon]

[OOC: *squeaks* Leela is my very favourite companion. Welcome!]

[janisthorn]

[OOC: Mine too! 'Course, this isn't my first new pup, but it's always exciting to bring in fresh blood.]

[igetthatalot]

"Nice crossbow," says the short fellow nearby; he's as tall as a nine year old child, proportionately as broad as a rugby player, and wearing a rather nice leather duster that's open most of the way down his torso. His own crossbow, slung across his back, is considerably more complicated but still recognizable as the same sort of weapon. "New here, serah?"

[janisthorn]

"New?" She frowns.

"New where? What is this place? Why have you brought me here? Tell me, or I will show you how well this crossbow works."

It should go without saying that she's now aiming the business end of the crossbow at the dwarf's head.

[igetthatalot]

"Whoa." Varric puts up his hands. "I didn't bring you here, serah. I'm just one of the patrons. This is Milliways, and it's a tavern. They tell me the door's magic. Haven't seen any reason not to believe them, personally."

[janisthorn]

She ponders the dwarf's words for a moment. There are a number of different questions she could ask in response to that. She narrows in on two.

"What is a tavern? And why would I be brought to one by sorcery?"

The crossbow is still pointed exactly where it was before.

[igetthatalot]

"You don't know what a tavern is? Maker's breath, that's sad." Varric shakes his head and mentally adjusts his assessment to 'probably some kind of Avar barbarian who got her hands on dwarven weaponry'. "Do your people ever make drinks from fruit or grain that's gone off? You know, drinks that make people relaxed and talkative and prone to doing things on an impulse, and they wake up the next morning with a pounding headache, but at least they had a good time the night before? A tavern is a place where drinks like that are sold to people who want somewhere to drink them and enjoy the situation."

[janisthorn]

Her brow furrows. "The fruits of the janis vine can lift the spirits and weaken the will. There is a store of them kept in this place?"

She shakes her head and her eyes narrow further still. "You are a stranger. You talk of me as one who is not one of your people. Does this mean that you are Tesh?"

Her finger moves closer to the crossbow trigger.

[igetthatalot]

"From what I understand, there's a store of everything kept in this place," Varric assures her. "And no, my family name is Tethras, not Tesh. Varric Tethras, second son of house Tethras, at your service. In case you couldn't tell, I'm a dwarf, not a human."

Some of these barbarians aren't always clear on the concept.

[janisthorn]

"The priests of the Sevateem speak of only two tribes - ourselves and the Tesh, who serve the Evil One. They have said nothing of Tethras. Or Dwarves."

Her body language relaxes slightly - emphasis on slightly. "Though it is not impossible that you are of some third tribe. I have never believed the priests' lies."

[igetthatalot]

"That's probably for the best. In my experience, priests tend to have their own interests first, their flock's second," says Varric. "Myself, I don't particularly serve anybody, unless you want to count working with a friend of mine from Ferelden. That's... not the same thing, though."

[janisthorn]

"That does not answer my question," she responds curtly. "Who has brought me here and why?"

[igetthatalot]

"Well, people say there's a Landlord who's in charge of the magic," says Varric. "Never seen him, myself. Or seen any sign he's for real. More likely someone left an old magic artifact in existence and it just hasn't worn down yet."

[janisthorn]

"Land Lord?" She sounds out the word. "Has no one seen this sorcerer? If they have not, how can they know of what he does?"

[two_to_the_head]

Corazon is sitting closest to the Door when the tribal with the crossbow comes in. Seems like it's up to her to calm the newcomer down before she starts shooting people with that thing. Why does Corazon always end up in these situations?

"This is Milliways," Corazon says, getting out of her seat and making sure she can keep her hands where the tribal can see them. "No, it's not my fault you're here. Can you please put that thing down?" She gives the crossbow a significant look. "You're gonna make people nervous."

[janisthorn]

Leela does not comply with Corazon's request. If anything, she aims the business end of it closer to the stranger's head.

"If you have not brought me here, then how did I get here? Why did I not see the outside of this hall before I entered it?"

[two_to_the_head]

Corazon's evaluating her chances of making it under the nearest table via dive-and-roll without getting shot. They don't look good. "'Cause it's magic, okay? It picks up people from all over time and space. But it's got booze, so it's mostly all right."

[janisthorn]

"And who controls this magic? A sorcerer? A shaman? Where can I find him?"

She pauses a moment. "And what is booze?"

[two_to_the_head]

The first question is completely driven out of Corazon's head by the second. "You don't know what booze is? Seriously? Seriously? I mean, do you have stuff that you drink and it makes you feel kind of happy and wobbly? Because if you don't that's very sad."

[janisthorn]

"The fruit of the janis vine makes a drink that lifts spirits and weakens the mind."

She scowls, keeping her crossbow trained on Corazon. "You are a stranger to me. You are not of the Sevateem, but I do not think you are Tesh. What are you?"

[two_to_the_head]

"Uh, I don't know what either of those things are, chica," Corazon says. "I'm not a mutant or a ghoul, if that's what you mean. My name's Corazon Escobar. I come from a little mountain village in Mexico. And now you have me at a disadvantage, as they say." And she's not talking about the crossbow.

[janisthorn]

"Leela," she says. "I was a warrior of the Sevateem before my exile."

She lowers her crossbow as she thinks more on what the stranger has said. "I do not know of such a place. Is it very close to here? Or did you arrive here suddenly as I did?"

[two_to_the_head]

"Where I came from isn't close to here," Corazon says, relaxing a little now that Leela is no longer drawing a bead on her. "This place isn't really close to anywhere that anyone comes from, I think. Pretty much everyone gets here by accident, at least at first. Bright side, though, is that you get a free drink if you're a new visitor. Say, I'll bet you've never had tequila before, but whether it's to your taste or not, the next drink's on me."

[janisthorn]

"Then I must be very far from home," she says. "The door to this hall must be very powerful magic indeed.

"I've not had tequila before, and how can a drink be free? Are beverages normally imprisoned in this place?"

[two_to_the_head]

"What? Imprisoned? Nonononono, that's not what I mean," Corazon says. She runs a hand through her hair as she tries to think of a tribal-friendly explanation. "I mean, you don't have to pay or barter anything for your first drink. That's what I mean by 'free.' After that you can run up a tab, which means the Bar will give you stuff now and you can pay for it later, but you have to make good every so often. Comprende?"