milliways_bar | (no subject)

One of these days Shephard is going to learn to avoid the Bar around Halloween. Yesterday was not that day. Either he missed the calendar altogether or he read it wrong, but either way he wound up sleeping upstairs rather than going home and risking a surprise on his morning trip to the bathroom, because a magical change of clothing is a terrible thing to do to a man when he's not yet awake.

So is getting turned out of bed by- well, you know how some people say they've got a spirit animal or spirit guide, whether they do or not? Shephard's happens to be a dead white guy from Arkansas. And you know how Milliways gets around Halloween.

Anyway, point is, Shephard spent an awful lot of time last night either awake or in an extraordinarily vivid dream being made to talk to people he knew had been dead considerably longer than he'd been alive, so when he woke up good and proper this morning, he was in no fit mood for interacting with anybody. When he came down the stairs and his clothing changed on him, all he did was mutter some really unpleasant words in Arabic- don't ask what they were, they don't really translate into English- and go outside for a run anyway.

He's back inside now, in the 1812 uniform Bar gave him, and he's being as happy about it as a man can be; the alternative, a napkin has led him to understand, involved not only the 1812-era uniform but sideburns, and he would really rather avoid that if he can.

Do not come between him and his coffee, but he'll talk to you as long as you don't mind him drinking the whole time.

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Legle and Joly have been around since midnight, happily haunting each other. But haunting is yet more fun with yet more people!

"Boooooo," says Lesgle, wafting in Shephard's direction. After a moment's thought, he adds a clanking-chain-noise. He's sure that with a little more practice he'll be able to manage a thunder-clap.

So yes, there's a real ~~live~~ blanket ghost approaching, but it's not getting between Shephard and his coffee.

Shephard kind of has to look up at that.

"'m I supposed to scream, or are you more the 'lookit me and repent' kind of ghost?" he says.

"I'm a haunting reflection on mortality," he says, and is rather pleased. Apparently that's close enough to a miserable pun. "Really, though, it's just Boossuet."

"Gotcha," says Shephard. "Sounds like you're gittin' into the Halloween spirit. How's the holiday treatin' you?"

Jane was simply looking for a quiet place to read when she entered Milliways and found herself in trousers.

She sighed and headed to the counter and nodded at the man in a familiar outfit. The trousers are comfortable but take some getting used to as does the sword at her side.

"Afternoon, ma'am," says Shephard, nodding politely. "Havin' a good Halloween?"

His own outfit came with a sword. Where the Bar got his actual alchemized yulesabre he doesn't know, but at least he can maneuver with it.

"I am, yes. Though this outfit requires some adjustments, it is comfortable. What about yourself, sir?"

At the counter, she's presented with a flan along with her tea that is tasty.

"Can't complain," Shephard says, and means it. He's pretty sure if he did he'd get the sideburn treatment. "Forgot about the calendar, but there's a hell of a lot worse things that could happen on a day like today."

"As did I and I agree. This is odd but not uncomfortable."

Shephard nods. "This ain't even close to my usual uniform," he says. "Mite heavier than my daily wear. Ain't so bad compared to my dress gear, though, I'm good with that."

"I don't believe that I recognize it. What unit do you serve with?"

His accent sounds American but she doesn't know American uniforms, from what she knows, Americans don't have that many of them.

"Greenbrier First and Only, ma'am. United States Marine Corps."

There are times when being part of the oldest service in the United States comes in handy. If people in Milliways know the United States exist, then the Marine Corps almost certainly existed in their time too.

(OOC: Sorry for the lack of unit name, its never mentioned so something in the infantry of the British army.)

Jane starts to curtsy then bows to him, "Jane Austen, sir, my brother serves in the _th Foot."

Edited 2014-10-31 23:10 (UTC)

Shephard gets up and returns the bow. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Austen," he says. "Sergeant-Major Adrian Shephard, at your service."

"Where in America is Greenbrier, Sergeant-Major? I'm afraid that I don't recognize the name."

"White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, ma'am," says Shephard. "'Bout two hunnert'n fifty miles from DC."

"What sort of country is it?" Nothing he's said means anything to her.

"Mountain territory, mostly," says Shephard. "Lot of forest. The government set up the place years ago so's they'd have a fallback if somethin' went wrong. Real bad winters, though."

"Mind if I ask where you'n yours're from?"

"I'm from Longminster in Hampshire in England. There's a lovely forest near my home. My father's a vicar."

"Can't say I know where that is, I got to admit," says Shephard. "You got my apologies for that. My poppa passed away some years back, but my momma's mayor of the town I grew up in."

"She's the mayor. I've never known a woman to be mayor."

"Sure," says Shephard. "We got a pretty fair number of 'em. Shit, my commander-in-chief's a woman."

"I do love the future. A great many opportunities appear."

"Sure do," says Shephard. "I'm guessin' you got a bit more in the way of limitations in your own day?"

"Yes, I do. There are not as many as I might have but still quite enough."