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 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?"

"He does, you can usually find him by listening for his guitar. I don't know. I'm one of the more ordinary ones here, most folks are more interestin'. Though I'm not the only one from my when and where, which must have helped,"

Though his father and Wade come here and that probably made it easier for him to find a door.

"Ordinary people do extraordinary things," Autor says. "In fact, they have to, if the world's technology is to keep progressing as it does."

He tilts his head. "Who else attends here happens to come from the same time as you?"

Edited 2013-05-07 20:58 (UTC)

"My father and an outlaw from our world named Ben Wade. There are other folks from the west but not exactly my time and place."

Autor blinks. "Did they arrive at the same time?" he asks, furrowing his brow. "They can't act out grudges in the bar, if they had any. Does your father still come here?"

"I don't know. They came in here before me and no, grudges ain't a problem. If anyone was goin' to shoot Wade, it would have been me."

Autor props his elbows up on the counter. "Why's that?" he asks softly.

"Cause its his fault my father's died. I know he didn't mean it to happen but if we hadn't been takin' him to Yuma, never would have happened,"

He keeps expecting the story to get easier to tell but it doesn't and he pushes the remains of his hot chocolate around with his spoon.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Autor says, and glances down at the wood. He's never quite sure what to say about death--another part of life he hasn't had to deal with often.

William's comments about his brother now make more sense. "How long?"

"Gettin' close to four years now."

Autor fills up his hot chocolate again. He'd like to say something about how losing a father hurts, but William knows that it hurts, and how much. He's living it. He'll never stop living it.

So he just sits back with his tea and nods at the other boy. Presence, even if he can't understand.

William nods and pulls out his book, it looks like the counter's getting busy.

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