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[athelstanthescribe]

Athelstan was in the monastery gardens, gathering carrots to take to the kitchens. Then he stepped through a stand of trees and found himself... somewhere else.

He stands frozen in uncertainty in the Milliways grounds, clutching his basket.

Comments

[ostro_goth]

By the lake shore, there is a man crouching by the water, cleaning some kind of tools.

He turns his head to look at Athelstan.

[athelstanthescribe]

Athelstan peers back at him, and at his tools, and takes a hesitant step closer.

"Good afternoon?"

[ostro_goth]

"Good afternoon, young monk," the man says, with a ghost of a little smile.

Pause.

"You know not where you are, is that right?"

[athelstanthescribe]

"It is", he confirms, eyes darting as he tries to take everything in. "I was returning to the kitchens..."

[ostro_goth]

The man puts his tools into a bucket, and stands.

He is very tall, and wears a smith's leather apron.

"The kitchens in you monastery, one would assume?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

Ellen's seen that look a lot in the time since she's been stationed in Lacuna. She herself didn't mean to be here today- she was on her way back home to clean up after a nasty throwdown with several particularly unpleasant mutants who'd holed up at the old Temple of the Union and started preying on Brotherhood water caravans- but when the door opens on you, well, you come in. Silver armor painted with the Brotherhood emblem and all.

At least she's got her helmet off.

"Hi there," she says to the poor pithed-looking fellow in the doorway. "First time?"

[athelstanthescribe]

"I..." He looks at her, blinking, and tries not to stare but he's never seen a lady in armour. "Yes, I think so. Please, my lady, where is this?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

'Lady' would probably be stretching it in Ellen's estimation, but she'll roll with it for now. "This place is called Milliways," she says. "I'm not really sure how to describe it in a way that you'll understand, but it's not part of the everyday world."

Her usual this is going to sound like something out of a comic book isn't going to help here, she's pretty sure.

[athelstanthescribe]

"...have I strayed into the realm of the fair folk?" he guesses. "I know of nowhere else out of the everyday world, and yet in it."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"I... don't think so?" Ellen hazards. "I'm not really sure, but I've eaten here plenty of times and whenever I've gone home it's always been the same moment I left, not a hundred years later or something. So if it's the realm of the fair folk, it doesn't work like the stories say it does."

(They didn't really have those stories in Vault 101, but there was some discussion of the idea in an issue of Grognak the Barbarian.)

[lt_blade]

Sonya was outside as well, having just entered Milliays after a confrence with some of the upper brass and not a moment too soon. Taking a breath outside milliways was much easier then doing so in Hong Kong, where even winters were humid, least this place didn't smell polluted. Her garb is a dark green army tunic and black skirt, though outside base, the tunic was unbuttoned to show the white shirt and neck tie underneath. Classy as the dress greens looked, they were never meant to be comfortable.

She was only there a moment when she swore she saw a monk appear from where there was no one standing a moment ago. Usually people entered here through a doorway of some kind.

Looking at the young man's face, it was clear this wasn't where he was supposed to be either-at the very least he certainly wasn't expecting to arrive here.

[athelstanthescribe]

He glances her way, bowing his head in greeting even through his bewilderment.

"Madam."

[lt_blade]

He can hold his tongue, she supposed that was a good trait to have.

"Afternoon." She took a slight look over his shoulder. "I'm going to take an educated guess and say that this isn't where you meant to walk into-usually this place shows up through doors."

The last part was more aimed for her own observations than said to him directly.

[athelstanthescribe]

"...there are things that are usual about this place?" His tongue seems to be loosening now there are questions to ask. "And no, I intended no such thing."

[lt_blade]

Sonya wonders if he's been given the welcome speech before, or he's just this adaptive. If it was the former, then that would save her the trouble, otherwise, well, she'd try to tell it as best she could.

"Come here long enough and you start to see patterns." Or what one could call patterns. "Has someone explained this place to you so far, or shown you the main area of this place?"

[gredya]

All right, this time she's sure. Gredya points at him. "You are a monk."

[athelstanthescribe]

"...yes", he agrees, blinking at her. "I am Brother Athelstan of Lindisfarne."

[gredya]

A monk with--sniff--carrots. "The garden is yours?" She was just over by the herb garden; she's checking everything out.

[athelstanthescribe]

"Not this one", Athelstan tells her. "I came from the one I help to tend, but that is not here."

[gredya]

"You bring food here?" She knows they have people growing plants and raising chickens, but that doesn't explain everything she saw served indoors.

[myshootingstar]

A woman comes jogging from between the trees, all long legs and very short shorts, an iPod at her hip. She stops when she sees him, taking a sip from her water bottle. "You look lost? Are you okay?"

[athelstanthescribe]

Athelstan looks up at her - then, very quickly, at the ground. Women don't dress like that in any place he's been.

"I think I must be very lost indeed."

[myshootingstar]

She laughs warmly. "I'm sorry. I know this place can be a bit of a shock at first. Let me walk you to the bar and I'll try and explain on the way."

[athelstanthescribe]

"If you would, miss." He's still not looking at her legs. "But where are we?"

[myshootingstar]

"It's a place called Milliways. My boss tells me it's a multidimensional interstitial pocket-universe but as I have no idea what half those words actually mean I tend to just go with magic bar. It's like a crossroads tavern for people from all different worlds and times."