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[holy_or_broken]

[Pre-Milliways: Dedication Day.]

Jack Benjamin -- or Prince Jonathan of Gilboa, but he won't insist -- steps into the Bar and closes the door on the party behind him. As confusing as it is to find a bar in the palace, he's got a look of eager anticipation.

"What is this place?"




[tiny tag: Jack Benjamin]

[ooc: Adult content shenanigans in the Ganymede thread.]

Comments

[the_cupbearer]

"Milliways," comes the reply, from a young man midway through winding two wooden flute pipes together. They're a little archaic, yes, but it's soothing enough as an activity and currently he doesn't have much else to occupy him.

"First time here?"

[holy_or_broken]

"Yes," says Jack, watching the winding with fascination. "What's a Milliways? Something tells me it's not in the pal--in the blueprints."

[the_cupbearer]

"That's because it isn't," Ganymede says with a little smile, tying the linen cord together with practiced fingers. "We call it the bar at the end of the universe; people from all places and times have ended up here. The more important thing is that when you come in, time stops on the other side of your door. When you leave, it'll be to the same place and time you left."

[holy_or_broken]

"Well, that's good, anyway," says Jack, trying not to show his surprise at being at the end of universe. "Then I won't miss the party."

[the_cupbearer]

"No, you won't miss it. You should be right on time, assuming you weren't planning on being late to begin with."

He knows the feeling of surprise--or more accurately, dread--at being told you've walked into the end of the universe. "Your first drink here is free, if you'd like one." And yes, Ganymede is flirting, but that's not particularly out of the ordinary for him. Telling him not to would be like asking him not to breathe.

[holy_or_broken]

Jack smiles a little and says, "I'd love one.

"The party's underway, actually. I stepped out while everyone else is busy--I'll hardly be missed."

[the_cupbearer]

"What would you like?" he asks, and his smile turns up a little bit. "Surely someone noticed you leaving. I'd miss having you in the same room."

[holy_or_broken]

"My mother did," Jack says, his smile turning up a little more, too. "She disapproved.

"Just a bourbon. Thank you."

[the_cupbearer]

"She sounds like mine," he murmurs, and in a moment he's back, evidently comfortable with serving someone. "Bourbon, and you're welcome."

Since his sleeves are rolled up, the talon scars circling his forearm aren't covered, long and curving around the thickest part below his elbow. "What party were you slipping away from, if you don't mind my asking?"

[holy_or_broken]

Jack is surrounded by old soldiers all the time--a few scars don't faze him.

He has a sip before he speaks. "Just a thing my parents are throwing. Celebrating themselves. You know."

[the_cupbearer]

"Oh, those," Ganymede replies, as if he's not quite sure whether he should miss them more than he does. It's been a long time, in his defense.

"My name is Ben," says he. "Do I get to know yours?"

[holy_or_broken]

"It's yours if you want it.

"Jack. Jack Benjamin, oddly enough."

[the_cupbearer]

"Generous," he remarks, and he doesn't sound upset by it in the least. "My surname isn't nearly so interesting, but it's Ben Prince, since you gave me yours."

It really isn't, but then he's very good at making the introductions believable by now. "I like your name better, if we're being honest."

[thebesteverseen]

"The end of space and time." That's a voice not far off Jack's three o'clock, from a man sitting at one of the tables. An open file folder and a Longboard beer sitting next to it, beaded with sweat and a little forgotten looking. He only looks up the second after speaking, too.

Adding with some blank pause to it, "Hypothetically."

[holy_or_broken]

Well, that gets a smile from Jack. "We're in a hypothetical place?"

It makes as much sense as a bar in the palace hallway.

[thebesteverseen]

"In as much as you can be told by everyone here that it is, and yet no one can give you any solid proof it is."

The you in this case very much may be Jack, or it could be Steve, himself. He's rather particular about liking to have the undeniable lay of the land of wherever he ends up. Milliways doesn't like complying with at least half the things that go along with that kind of casing of area of operation.

[holy_or_broken]

"So this could be anything from a real place to a joint dream."

[thebesteverseen]

"The reality of it seems solid enough." Mostly in that it keeps happening, whether it happens to be the door or the magically appearing food or even the time stopping outside the door. "But the answer to your question is more one most people here seem to take on faith and hearsay more than fact or proof."


Beat. "Steve McGarrett." There's a head tip, more chin than forehead, toward a chair, like an invitation, if he wants it. Though he just continues on without much more to it than that. "Guessing this is your first time in Milliways, then?"

[holy_or_broken]

Jack raps the table with his knuckles. "Feels solid enough, too."

He takes the invitation and sits, setting his cap on another chair and undoing a few buttons on his uniform. Since he can. "Jack Benjamin. It is--I was poking around our new house tonight and there was this bar in the hallway.

"A lot of faith around here, is there?" Sounds like home. He's not sure this is a good thing.

[thebesteverseen]

He closed the folder, while Jack seemed to be getting more comfortable with the place, as he answered that one. "Or a lot of people who just accept what they can't explain, or get explained to them."

Steve is pretty partial to facts and specs over supposition. He's not against the place all things considered, he's just not for blind acceptance of things that can't be explained either. It's the military man in him, that's more than three-quarters what he is, does, lives, breathes. He can take the unexplained, he can live under blackout, redacted unexplainable.

But it doesn't warrant faith or blind trust from him. Little on his planet, or any planet, could.

[holy_or_broken]

"Am I right in thinking nobody lives here, and they all come from someplace else?"

[thebesteverseen]

"No." It's simple, easy. Fact.

Get's a wave of his hand toward the ceiling, without it even lifting four-five inches off the table.

"There are rooms above this one. Catacombs of them." That don't fit in actual logic, if count rooms or floors, and then study the building from the outside. Another thing filed under that uneasy Magic clause of the place. That couldn't be explained or denied. "There are some people who live here, some even who were basically born here. But the majority is all from somewhere else."

"Another world, another time, everything from the most plausible to some less than logical, crazy ones.."

[holy_or_broken]

For reasons that Jack is not even sure he can explain, that makes Jack smile. "Tell me something. Does the name Gilboa mean anything to you?"

[thebesteverseen]

Steve shook his head. "Not really."

He can come up with case names that are reminiscent of it, but nothing that would hit that nail on the head.

"That the name of your planet? City?" Otherwise location. Or even the milita force he'd guess backs that uniform he's wearing.

[holy_or_broken]

"Country," Jack says, really relaxing. "It's my country. And if you haven't heard of it, it's probably safe to say you and I are from different worlds."

He is surprisingly okay with being that far from home.