milliways_bar | (no subject)

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[OOM: There's only one more Needle to go. And it's someplace lively and filthy.]

Somehow in the hustle and bustle of Milliways, Lucas returned to the Nowhere Islands and evened the score. It was strange, not even bothering to stop in Tazmily. Lucas barely noticed, however, finding the same comfort he would expect from his former home in Ionia's shell cottage.

He means to go back there, sometime after whatever awaits him in New Pork City. Out of all of the Magypsies, Ionia is the one who stayed with him the longest and he can feel the weight of knowing she's gone now pressing down on his very being.

And if all of that wasn't enough, he's still feverish.

But that makes opening the limousine door and finding Milliways instead of the promised luxuries within the car even better. So he's found himself taking up a bar stool, nursing an apple juice and looking over some literature about New Pork City.

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"Oh, y'don't have to. I got some gum that makes me float."

But he'll save that for later. For now, he'll just carefully pace.

"Hope I'm not makin' y'nervous; moving around helps sometimes," Lucas explains.

"Oh, right," Autor says, and breaks out into a grin. "The rafter gum. I remember the rafter gum. I remember that really, really well."

Then he shakes his head lazily. "You're not making me nervous. I'm never nervous," he says, and then abruptly changes topics. "Are you really making smoothies, Rae? Really? That's thrilling. My mouth is really dry right now. Almost extremely dry."

"You're not making me nervous, Lucas," Sunshine grins, gathering greek yogurt, bananas, a pint of strawberries, a couple of oranges, a lime, and a generously-sized sprig of mint. "Though Autor might be."

Teasing, of course.

"Your mouth won't be suffering for long, Autor," she adds, beginning to chop up the fruit. "Think you can hang around until I finish the smoothies?"

Lucas stops after a moment and jerks slightly, as if sneezing.

"Okay, fever's gone," he says, wiping away the last little bit of sweat from his brow. "Though I ain't about to turn down that smoothie."

He laces his fingers together and cracks his knuckles.

"Y'ready, Autor?"

Autor giggles at Rae's silliness. "Hang around! Are you serious? I don't have much of a choice, which is probably why you said it."

He blinks at her, and then his eyes widen. "Oh, wow, you're a genius. How did you do that?"

Then he turns to Lucas. "Yes, I'm ready. I was ready before you asked me. That is exactly how ready I am. Was."

He doesn't quite seem to know what he's ready for, but he most certainly is that.

"Hey, Rae, what's a smoothie?"

Sunshine grins as she freezes the chopped fruit - magic is helpful on occasion - and dumps it and the yogurt into the blender.

"Smoothies are better experienced than described. Suffice to say, they're tasty."

And loud, from the blender, but it doesn't take long until she is pouring the fruity swirly treat into three tall glasses, complete with colorful bendy straws.

"They're ready when you are, boys."

Lucas is going to hit Autor with a double whammy wave of healing.

"HealingΩ!"

And after another moment of concentration:

"LifeupΩ!"

Sufficiently wiped of PSI, he goes to fetch his and Autor's smoothies.

"Thank you, Miss Sunshine. This'll sure hit the spot."

The PSI is as warm as it ever is, and in Autor's current state, he has the impression of someone kind wrapping him up in a plush blanket. His metacarpals knit themselves back together and his ankle pops! back into place.

"Oh, goodness," he says, spinning in the air languidly. "That was wonderful, thank you. Would that everyone had a power like that. You're the best, Lucas. Rae, isn't he the best? You both are lovely."

Unfortunately, HealingΩ doesn't detox a system.

"Thank you, Lucas," she smiles at him as she scoots two of the smoothies to the edge of the bar where he can reach.

As much as she argues with Autor and disapproves of his life plans, Rae had been worried about him. Seeing him healed was like feeling a weight lift off her shoulders.

"And yes, Autor, he is the best," she grins, cleaning up the banana peels and orange rinds before emerging from behind the bar. "How're you feeling?"

"Well thanks," Lucas says, sheepishly accepting the praise while sipping one of the smoothies. "I'm feeling pretty good."

Physically that is. But being here is helping with the rest.

"Here's yer smoothie, Autor," he adds, passing the glass to the boy in midair.

"I feel fantastic," Autor says, pulling himself up Into a sitting position. "Actually, you know what? I feel like I could kiss someone. Did you know? My first and only kisses were stolen by a mermaid and a raven, respectively. If I had a choice for my next one, I'd try to hunt Punie down. She's glorious. I'm not worthy, though. Too bad."

Then he holds his hands out. "Lucas," he says seriously, accepting the smoothie. "Lucas. You are amazing. I've always thought so. But you are. Wait, is this a smoothie? Oh, it's good! Rae, why does everything you make taste so good? Hey, is there fruit in this?"

Sunshine chuckles, sipping her own smoothie. "Lots and lots of practice, Autor - and yes, there's fruit. Frozen bananas, oranges, strawberries, and some mint, blended with greek yogurt. It'll keep the heat off you on a summer's day, and is good for you."

See? She can make healthy things!

Though those healthy things are also delicious.

"It's even better than ice cream sodas."

Lucas always did like fruit and yogurt better than the overly sweet soda concoctions, nice as they may be.

"But why'd ya say that, Autor? Y'shouldn't say yer not worthy."

"That's a lot of fruit, Rae," the boy says, blinking. "You put a lot of fruit in this glass."

Then he shakes his head. "Oh, no! That's not it at all? It's just... the difference is so much like a candle flame compared to a star," he says, and drains some of his smoothie. "But I did kiss the sun during Cubefall. What did you do for Cubefall, Lucas? I was a girl."

"You should totally find this Punie and kiss her, Autor," Sunshine grins. Autor's got a cruuuush. Aren't teen crushes adorable?

There's no way Sunshine isn't going to be teasing Autor about this once he's back to his calculating, snarky, and easily-riled self. "You might be her first kiss."

"Hey yeah," Lucas agrees. "Maybe she'd want you t'be her first kiss."

But then the rest of what Autor said catches up.

"Wait, you were a girl? Were you a Magypsy?"

"Really? You think I should?" Autor says, and draws back with a smile and pink-dusted cheeks. "If I ever catch a falling star, maybe I'll do that. But are first kisses really important? That's been bothering me since the lake. I don't think they are. But they're nice. The mermaid took me to see squiddies afterwards, and those are adorable."

Autor chews on the end of his straw. "You know. If I'm really Punie's first kiss, neither of us will know what we're doing. How ridiculously awkward."

He shakes his head and pokes at his smoothie with his straw. "Nope! I was just a boy-turned-girl. Because Milliways."

"No falling star needed, Autor," Sunshine chuckles. "Nor, lucky you, getting with child a mandrake root. And you already know how to hear the mermaids singing, from what you say."

"I decided to be a deer for a couple of days of Cubefall. Just out of curiosity. To see if the actual experience matched..." She shakes her head. Those were dreams. "Did you do anything for Cubefall, Lucas?"

"No. Guess I missed it when I was back on the Nowhere Islands. Say, thinkin'a that..."

Lucas returns to his spot at the bar and picks up one of the pamphlets he had been reading before.

"Either of you heard'a New Pork City?"

"I was born to strange sights, things invisible to see," Autor says, and grins as he raises his glass. "And have made a pilgrimage sweet to find a woman true and fair."

He reaches a hand out for the brochure. "New Pork City? That can't be kosher."

"So tell me, what wind does serve to advance an honest mind, Autor?" she grins back at him, nudging his shoulder lightly with her own before she leans to also peer at the brochure.

"New York City, I've heard of, from mine and other various worlds - but not New Pork City. That sounds... rather unsanitary."

Also vegetarian-unfriendly.

Lucas hands one pamphlet to Autor and grabs another for Sunshine. Autor's pamphlet covers the sights of New Pork City, including its arcade, movie theater, fast food restaurants, and statue of King Porky. Sunshine's is focused on the mighty Empire Pork Building, King P's 100-story tribute to himself.

"I dunno anythin' 'bout it, either. But some guy with a strange, long car came up 'nd said this King Porky wants t'see me."

Autor manages to execute a surprisingly graceful turn in the air. He giggles when he bumps into Rae. Then he drapes his arms over her shoulders from behind, resting his chin on her.

"King Porky?" he says, dragging his sleepy gaze over the pamphlet she holds. "What would a pork chop want to see you for? Lucas. Hey, Lucas. Does this pig have a beef with you?"

Needless to say, his grin is terrible.

Sunshine had been about to remark that she didn't like the sound of someone who obviously self-centered as this King Porky being anywhere near Lucas... but then Autor utters such a gods-awful pun that she can't help but groan.

"Augh, Autor, you're terrible," she remarks, trying (and mostly failing) to hide her grin as she ruffles his hair.

"And I bet the guy didn't mention why King Porky would want to see you. Can we just assume it's not for a good reason?" She holds up the brochure of the towering tribute the king built for himself. "I'm already not liking this guy."

"He didn't say anything 'cept that King Porky wants me to go to New Pork City."

A creeping feeling crawls up and down Lucas's spine.

"It's almost like when Fassad was tryin' t'sell Happy Boxes in Tazmily. An' everyone was gettin' upset 'cause I kept sayin' no. I think... I think everyone from Tazmily might be there."