Allotted Time for Discount Beverages, commonly known as Happy Hour

[knightoftheswan]

The Knight is starting to find himself traveling back and forth between Heinrich's kingdom and Milliways. He's not entirely sure what to make of it. This strange bar of burning stars is still so very new to him.

So when he first gets the napkin, he doesn't even hesitate to say, "No."

Another napkin.

"I don't see how it would be good for me."

Yet another napkin. And it's about here that Lohengrin realizes he's arguing with a sentient bar that's keeping track of his tab.

He doesn't say anything else, taking some of his outerwear off and rolling up his sleeves before getting behind the bar. The specials board remains blank; he wouldn't know what to put up there even if he wanted to do this.

So give him something to do besides leaning against the bar and boggling at all of the equipment.

[OOC: And I'm off to bed. This is still open for any interested parties and tags will be picked up tomorrow.]

Comments

[mnt_raph]

"Huh," says Raph as he sidles up to Bar, and the man standing behind it.

"I ain't seen this place this dead in freakin' ages."

To say Raph is an anachronism would be a rather sizable understatement. He talks like someone from 20th Century Earth, but is dressed for the Mid 440 era Olau.

[knightoftheswan]

Lohengrin straightens up at the arrival of his customer (a regular from the sound of it).

"Neither have I," the Knight admits, glad he can get the gist of what Raph says. "But I've only been here for a short while."

And the longer he stays, the shorter the time he's been here feels. Just when he thinks he's figured something out, he learns of something new. Or an old mystery will make even less sense than it did before.

It takes him a moment, but he does remember to ask, "What would you like, sir?"

[mnt_raph]

"Fresh meat, huh?" he says grinning. "I'll go easy on you. Just an ale'll be fine."

Along the long row of taps is one that seems almost out of place. It looks more like a wooden spigot than a modern tap.

"That one right there'll do."

[knightoftheswan]

"Thank you."

And boy does he mean it. He was sure he would either hurt himself or do some sort of property damage if he had to try figuring out some of these strange tools.

And before long, Raph has a frosty glass of ale in front of him.

"You have been coming here for a long time, then?" Lohengrin asks. "Perhaps you could tell me some about this place."

[mnt_raph]

Raph's shrug is his answer to the first question, though mostly because it was asked while he was still drinking.

"What'd you want to know?" he says wiping his mouth with the back of one hand.

[knightoftheswan]

Oh, there are a lot of questions. But aside from potential doppelgangers, a new big one has popped up recently.

"Why is it that no one where I'm staying notices my absence when I'm here?"

[mnt_raph]

Ah. A time question. This should be fun.

"On account of the fact that time don't work the same way here that it does back where you're from."

[knightoftheswan]

And time already works funny there.

"That would explain why no one questioned me being away for a week when I first arrived here."

Which, if a week truly had passed, he probably would've been in so much trouble it's not even funny.

"Is this somehow related to why we're not being consumed by the burning stars outside the window?"

[mnt_raph]

Raph turns to look out the observation window.

"Uh...maybe? I don't really know. I don't know how all this stuff works, I just know it does."

You're asking the wrong brother there, kid.

[knightoftheswan]

Lohengrin nods slightly. It's the answer he's gotten from others, more or less.

"Do you know about any of the strange devices strewn about this place? I've never seen anything like-"

He gestures to some of the kitchen equipment.

"-most of what's back here."

[mnt_raph]

"Oh that crap I can totally help with. Okay that there?" he points to a contraption on the far left. "That's a juicer. You put fruit in the open thing at the top an' all the juice comes out that thing over on the side."

[knightoftheswan]

Lohengrin steps over to the juicer, carefully picks it up, and looks it over.

"Do you think anyone will mind if I try it?"

[mnt_raph]

"Nah, an' it ain't like you don't got adult supervision or nothin'."

Because that's exactly what you are right now Raph, adult supervision.
(The multiverse help us all.)

[knightoftheswan]

This gets a look. Not a particularly bad one but the Knight is...well, a knight. And sufficiently adult.

But that doesn't really matter since he's never used a juicer before.

He's got enough presence of mind to put a glass underneath the juicer's spout before looking for some fruit. Lohengrin's search yields an assortment of berries, if for no other reason than because he doesn't have to cut or peel them to put them in the juicer, which are carefully put in a few at a time.

[mnt_raph]

Raph is one of those obnoxious people nearing 40 that considers everyone younger than himself to be a kid.

He stands on the foot bar and leans over, craning his neck to get a better view of the juicer.

"I think the power switch is by your right hand."

[knightoftheswan]

Power switch?

Lohengrin turns the machine on and jumps back at the noise.

Well, that's a great impression. Siegfried's most trusted Knight and sworn defender of Lady Elsa, bested by a juicer.

[mnt_raph]

"You all right there, tough guy?"

[knightoftheswan]

That gets a brief glare, though more of it is directed to the juicer than to Raph. This whole tending bar thing feels like someone's trying to play a joke on him.

"Does it have to be so loud?"

[mnt_raph]

"Only if you want berry juice. Otherwise I'd say you could probably turn it off."

[knightoftheswan]

At least berries don't really take long to juice. The machine is pretty much done when the Knight turns it off.

"Are all the machines back here like this?"

[mnt_raph]

"Like what? Loud? Not all of them, an' you get use to them after a while. Then they don't seem so loud."

[knightoftheswan]

"If you say so," Lohengrin says, eyeing the juicer as he retrieves the glass.

At least the device works.

[mnt_raph]

"That isn't the best thing here though, not by far. What you need to try is the shower. Hot running water? Best invention made by man."

[knightoftheswan]

"Ah yes, I have been here long enough to try that. It leaves me a bit reluctant to return sometimes."

[mnt_raph]

"You an' me both. Next to my family an' it's the only reason I don't just up an' wish for the door to close behind me for good."

[knightoftheswan]

That brings up an interesting thought.

"Hypothetically, what would happen if someone were to remain here or find some way through here to keep from returning home? Do you know?"

[mnt_raph]

Oh great, more metaphysical questions. Raph's going to need to drink while he thinks.

"Depends. I don't know how your world works. If it freezes when you leave then I guess it'll stay froze. If not, then I guess it'll just spin on without you."

[knightoftheswan]

The Knight thinks on this for a moment. Either it will stop and await his return or it would go on without him.

"It's probably good that I have no intention to find out."

[mnt_raph]

"Well, that can't hurt, but you know there is a chance you won't get a say in where you get stuck...right?"

[knightoftheswan]

He blinks a little at the thought.

"I've heard of being Bound here but I didn't think that a permanent thing. Is there more to it?"

[mnt_raph]

"The only folk I ever met who were bound here permanent like were dead, an' for whatever reason what comes next for them wasn't ready. But here ain't the only place you can be bound. Anytime you go out that door," he gestures with his cup, you run the risk of the door not bein' there.

Even if the world you went to wasn't yours to begin with."

[knightoftheswan]

The Knight looks from Raph to the door and back.

"You mean it's possible to go to someone else's world?"

[mnt_raph]

"Well yeah, I mean...you don't think I'm wearin' this get up for my health do you?"

Raph is dressed in a pretty standard Medieval working man's outfit. The only thing that might make it stand out is the fact that it's all black.

[knightoftheswan]

"Considering the various states of dress I've seen here, I wasn't about to question anyone on clothing."

But the exchange gets a chuckle out of Lohengrin.

[mnt_raph]

"Pssh, use logic, see if I care," he says smirking.

[knightoftheswan]

"This place clearly has its own logic."

And that's probably for the best.

[mnt_raph]

"Heh, I wouldn't go quite that far. This place has somethin', but it sure as hell ain't logic. Grows on you after a while though, that's for damn sure."

[knightoftheswan]

"I can see the appeal. To some degree."

It still has to grow on Lohengrin a little.

[mnt_raph]

"She seems to like you," he says giving Bar's top a pat. "SO you got that goin' in your favor."

[knightoftheswan]

"She?" he asks, looking at the bar. "I wasn't aware a bar could have a gender."

Magic though it may be.

"Should I apologize for that?"

[mnt_raph]

"For thinkin' she's a he? Nah. She can't hear you right now anyway. Just, you know...remember in the future an' you'll be fine."

[knightoftheswan]

"I'll keep that in mind."

He may not have the same rules as he does at home, but the Knight finds he has plenty to keep in mind here.

[mnt_raph]

"She's got a wicked sense o' humor, so watch out."

[knightoftheswan]

"As long as that's the only thing wicked about her, we'll get along fine."

[mnt_raph]

"Just keep that in mind and you should be fine. You know, in theory."