First EP

[justmark]

When Mark steps through the door with a very sick Dodger in his arms, he's more than a little confused. This is not the lifeguard station. This is not anything he's seen before. Even though there are more people here right now than he has seen in a couple of years, it doesn't even occur to him to ask for help.

"What," he says, struggling to make sense of anything.

--

A little while later, after Dodger has been taken care of, Mark returns to the main bar, trying to make sense of everything. It's been a weird day. Weirder than most. And his days are usually pretty weird.

[ooc: Catch Mark after he's taken care of Dodger. All threads after the thread with Sam.]

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[notapilot]

Sam was having a nice quiet breakfast when he noticed the door opening and the two people walk in. Catching the hint some help might be needed, he set aside his newspaper and headed over.

"Hello, you guys need some help?" he asks with a pleasant smile, looking the obviously ill woman over for signs of injury or the like.

[i_ship_it]

Dodger hasn't noticed yet that she's back in Milliways. All she knows is she's in a situation she doesn't want to be in. But the more she tries to get away, the more everything hurts and makes her want to puke. She tries to tell Mark to put her down and go away, but it only comes out as a pathetic groan.

[justmark]

Mark's still trying to figure out what is even happening right now.

"Uh," is all he manages at first. But this place seems friendly, which is odd, but hey. He'll take it.

"She was like this when I found her," he says. "I think she's sick."

He was going to try to make her drink some water or something, but that can probably happen here just as easily as it would have happened back on the beach.

[notapilot]

Sam recognizes that look--well, the look on Mark's face.

"OK, let's take this one step at a time. First, my name's Sam and you are in a safe place. Second, I'll explain everything after we take care of your friend there. Was there any blood or did you notice any injuries?"

[i_ship_it]

Dodger still doesn't want to be here. She thought there were two, but now there's three? She wants to puke on all of them.

"Goway," she says, hoping it will somehow have an effect and make all these people leave.

[justmark]

For such a scrawnly little thing, Dodger's surprisingly heavy. Or maybe she just seems heavy because she won't quit squirming around.

"Not that I saw," Mark says, ignoring Dodger's demands that he leave. Just like he ignores the way Sam called Dodger his friend. "She was just on the floor when we came in."

[notapilot]

Well, if she had been injured, chances are the damage has already been done.

"OK, follow me then. There's an infirmary here and I can help." So saying, he leads the way. Once there, he gestures to a bed, assuming the guy will catch on, and reaches for a bedpan and a basic triage kit. "Miss, we're going to take care of you, you're in Milliways which is a safe place. Can you tell me you name?"

[justmark]

"All right," Mark has slowly.

He follows after Sam, trying not to drop Dodger as he goes. When the bed is gestured to, he does the logical thing and puts her down and steps away. He doesn't know her, or Sam, and isn't sure exactly how safe any of this is, so he takes a step away from both of them — from Sam because he looks like he could put up a good fight, and from Dodger because he doesn't trust her not to reach for the machete hanging from his belt.

[i_ship_it]

Once Dodger's put down again, she feels the smallest amount better. She still feels pretty awful, like everything inside her wants to come out, but she doesn't feel quite as vulnerable and overpowered now. Though this still isn't a situation she wants to be in.

"Dodger. Whaddya want?" she asks in a low, mumbled voice.

She only now realises she's not in the lifeguard station. She's been in this room before, actually. This is Milliways.

[notapilot]

Some coherence, good. She seems more tired and worn than delirious.

"Hi, Dodger, I'm Sam. I'm here to help and to do that, I'll need to touch you. Take your temperature and the like. I promise to be a gentlemen and will stop any thing at your word, okay? Can you tell me a bit about how you got this way?"

[justmark]

Mark watches Sam try to do his thing. He can't be sure he wouldn't behave just like Dodger is right now, if he were in her shoes. People have to be self-reliant where they're from, and he's still not entirely sure finding a sick woman in one of his bases wasn't meant as some sort of trap.

Though, if this was the intended outcome of the trap, it's not the worst trap he's ever walked right into.

"She had a bunch of soup cans out on the table. Some of that stuff doesn't always keep well," he offers.

Everyone's done it before. You're starving, and some seriously out of date and banged up can of soup or spaghetti-os is your only option, and the next thing you know, the world is ending all over again.

[i_ship_it]

"Why," Dodger asks.

She doesn't want to be touched. She doesn't want to be here, with people, in her space. But it's not like she can just get up and leave this time. Every time she tries to move, her insides tighten up and she gets a sour taste in her mouth. This time, she isn't able to hold it back, but she does manage to kind of roll over before puking up what little she's eaten today.

[notapilot]

"Well...," Sam starts to say before his is suddenly stepping back and barely saving a pant leg. Reaching to a nearby cart, he grabs some towels to contain the mess. He also grabs a bigger bedpan and sets it next to Dodger. " Just let it out. Sounds like you ate something that's making you sick."

"I'd like to take you temperature and pulse rate incase it's something else though, which is why I'd like to touch you. I'll work around it though if you'd prefer not. I think there's scanners, or something, around here."

"And as to here, by now I am going to assume you two've figured out something strange is happening. You're right but as I said before, it's safe and no one is likely to harm you, especially in here. You can go back through the door you came in to return to the place you came from."

Sam keeps his voice matter of fact and friendly, all in the hopes of getting Dodger to relax.

[thewidewideworld]

There's a man at the bar with long blonde hair, pouring himself apple tea from an elegant silver pot. He greets the newcomer with a soft smile. "Would you like some?"

[justmark]

Mark finds himself rather conflicted, after being bombarded with a lot of information at once. On the one hand, apparently free food is a thing around here? On the other hand, it's sometimes not very nice?

On the other, other hand, the amount of people around here is starting to get unnerving. This doesn't seem like a situation where grabbing for the machete on his belt would be the right choice, but everything's gone a bit funny today, and he's not really sure what the right choice is right now.

"Uh. Yes?" Mark says.

[thewidewideworld]

Sinric nods and asks the bar for another glass. Which appears from nowhere along with a plate of baklava.

Seeing nothing strange in this, Sinric pours the second glass, tying a linen napkin around it with a neat, practiced gesture. Keeps one form burning fingers in the tea glass.

He offers it to Mark with a smile and sips his own. "I'm Sinric. Is this your first time here?"

[justmark]

Mark sees something a little odd with it. But that may just be his general distrust of magic.

"Yeah. I think I got the gist of it, though," he says, accepting the tea. This feels like one of those situations where refusing would be rude, and end up with him getting turned into a toad or something, so he takes a polite sip. It's hot, and surprisingly, not awful. A hell of a lot better than distilled sea water.

[thewidewideworld]

"It is a place full of strangeness, and much to take in all at once." Mark hasn't offered his name but Sinric doesn't push. "I have been coming here since I was a boy and still it surprises me."

[justmark]

Mark's forgotten most of his social skills. You'll have to forgive him. People are kind of a new concept.

"Yeah, it's strange all right," he agrees. He looks around the place, not quite sure if he likes it or not yet.

"I heard there was food. Is that true?"

Best to get the important questions out of the way.

[thewidewideworld]

"There is, indeed." Sinric nods, gesturing to the plate of baklava. "You need only ask Lady Bar and she will provide."

[justmark]

"More magic?" Mark asks.

He's a little unsure. Taking magical food that's been offered to him is risky enough. Outright asking for it seems like asking for trouble.

[thewidewideworld]

"This place is magic. Or some mystery we are yet to understand." Sinric shrugs. "But it is safe."

[justmark]

"I'll, uh. Pass. Thanks," Mark says.

Safe magic is an oxymoron, as far as he's concerned.

"How do you know it's safe if you don't understand it, anyway?"

[thewidewideworld]

"I understand more than I once did." He explains softly, helping himself to a slice of the dripping desert. "And I have been coming here for many years. The bar has my trust earnt many times over."

[justmark]

Trust doesn't exactly come easy to Mark, and he wears this very clearly on his face. He's also hungry, though he tries not to eye the rather tasty-looking dessert that's temptingly close.

"Hasn't quite earned mine yet," he says.

He's definitely not eyeing up that dessert. Nope.