milliways_bar | (no subject)

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"But musing what an easy thing it were to mix our opiates in a larger cup," Autor says, patting the counter in preparation to hop over it. "And drink, and not perceive"—and here he hops—"sleep deepening lead his truer kinsman up, like undistinguished Night, darkening the skirts of Eve.*"

After a few minutes of setting up his prior preparations, the boy reaches for the specials board. "Good night, Bar."

Bitter Chocolate Aria
Hot chocolate & one croissant

Submission Sonata
Virgin strawberry & wasabi daiquiri

Ode to Blood
Giga ant eggs, sour apple juice, seltzer water, flavored ice

Fiery Trigon
Grenadine, lemon juice, apple juice, passion fruit juice, & cinnamon

Silent Overture
Free coffee if you can prove that you’re knighted

Note: Virgin bar.

[This post is open forever.]

*Ode to Sleep , Richard Chenevix Trench

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Autor notices the glance, but doesn't press.

"I do," the boy says, sighing, "but I've read everything in it twice. This library is so vast, I could spend my life and afterlife there, reading."

Then he waves a hand. "Anyway. Aside from reading, what do you like to do for pleasure?"

"You've got time to do all that readin' if you're in school? Don't you have to work or anythin'?"

Maybe he's like Regulus who can just focus on his school work.

Autor tilts his head. "I don't sleep much," he says. And that's all he'll say on that.

"I suspect you don't either?" he says, and chews on his latke.

"I sleep when I can. So all you do is read books and sometimes practice piano?"

That's the nicest life he's met anyone having here.

Autor laughs ruefully. "Oh, no! When you put it like that, my life sounds completely lazy compared to everyone else's." He does more than that, of course. But that would take time. And trust--more so than Autor gives his own mother.

"More latkes?" he offers. There are two left.

"Its not? What else do you do? No, I'm good for now."

"I make latkes," Autor says, throwing a sheepish, disarming smile at the sharp-eyed ranch hand.

After looking him over, the boy decides that he actually likes William, so he changes tact. "Really, it as you said. At home, I read books and practice tune my instrument. On the moon, I have three jobs and am looking to start an apprenticeship. And here, my activities are a variety of things, of course, because whose aren't?"

He sips his tea again, his posture loose, and his head tilted slightly. "Still. Not a hard life at all."

"On the moon, do you go between your world and another world along with Milliways?"

That would fill up his time more, but he could see it getting confusing.

"I do," he says, and sips his tea. "Do you know Mia?"

"I think I might have met her once but I'm not sure if I have,"

There are a lot of people in Milliways.

There are, indeed, and William has been around for a while.

Autor nods and finishes off his tea. "Somehow I managed to talk her into opening her door for me," he says, and glances again at William's hot chocolate, checking to see if he might want more.

"Out of all the people in Milliways that you've met, who was the most strange to talk to at the beginning? My vote is on Bar."

William looks down into his hot chocolate before answering since his answer hasn't changed since his first year.

But he doesn't know this boy that well and this doesn't feel like the moment to talk about his father, "Yeah, she's one of the strangest."

Autor notes that hesitation, and refills his tea. "More hot chocolate, then?"

"No, I'm fine. I don't think I caught your name,"

He might come back to that, it depends but for now he'd rather go with the simpler answer.

The kid shakes his head. "No," he says. "You didn't."

He could leave it there. He often has. But he likes William, and the level of threat he gives off isn't terrible.

"Autor," he says, lifting his teacup in a toast. "And yourself?"

"William Evans. Is that Latin?" Its the sort of name that sounds like it means something.

"Hello, William," Autor says, and then laughs at his statement. "Hm! You're the first one to ask. And no, my name isn't Latin, though it could be. Do you speak the language?"

"No, I've seen it written, but never learned it,"

He knows its something that gets taught in good schools but wouldn't know where to start with it.

Autor nods, well aware of his privilege again.

"If you want to learn or need something read, let me know," he says quietly, and sets his tea aside. "I am happy that you make the time to read Twain and his contemporaries. I'd probably sleep."

The boy does find it a bit strange that he seems to have less in common with William, who appears to live on his earth and even around his time, than he does with other Milliways' patrons.

"I've always liked readin'. I do sleep a good bit and I'll remember that. I don't always know where to start when I'm lookin' for somethin' else and end up asking Miss Bar,"

Its a way to see that life can be simpler. William's from a hard time and place that means he's more on the edges than many patrons.

Autor's lips quirk briefly, and he smiles without realizing it. "Have you ever heard of Lady Aerin Fire-hair? She slays a dragon and becomes queen."

He rattles off the title of the book. "It's quite interesting, if you like fairy tales. There are myths, too. If you like the Greco-Roman world there are so many to dive into. Cupid and Psyche, the Iliad, Ovid's Metamorphoses, and those are just some of the major ones, if you haven't read them already you really should, they're fascinating..."

The kid could talk about this all night, William.

"I've read a lot of the myths cause we've got some of the gods and their kids here. Though it seems like most of those stories don't really touch all of their truth, which makes sense. A dime novel wouldn't teach you much about what my life is like."

"Very true," he says. "A lot of the time, stories are just other people writing what they think may have happened.

"To complicate matters further, each world has their own version of the god," he says, toying with his teacup again, "until all the myths fold back on one another and it's difficult to tell between them."

The kid grins. "I never did think I'd get the chance to meet a god. Have you ever met yourself?"

"I have, yeah, and was good friends with the daughter of one. You'd probably like Apollo who comes here, he's pretty nice for how powerful he is,"

Thalia and her world are confusing and William's not sure of where to start explaining it.

Autor nods, logging that away. He won't be able to guess which daughter--though he tries--there are just too many. "I've heard that Orpheus attends here as well."

He shakes his head. "Gods, demons, and humans working with cows--two-headed or not. I wonder how the bar chooses to pull people in?"