milliways_bar | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

When Barry walks into Milliways and sees the transformation of the place his face splits into a wide grin.

"Sweet."

After checking himself over and finding no apparent changes, costume or otherwise, he heads for the counter.

"Hey Bar, what's going on?"

The screen that appears makes his grin widen further.

"For real? Awesome."

After reading over the explanations and rules very carefully he swipes over to the first offered reconfiguration. When he sees what it is there's no need to go any further.

"A robot cheetah? Are you serious?"

The change happens in an eye-blink and Barry is soon marveling at his new sleek and metallic form.

Perhaps a wiser, or less enthusiastic, person would wait until they were outside to give their new form a test run, but Barry refrains from such and immediately punches it.

The result is a spotted form streaking across the bar and slamming into a setup of Lego table and chairs with a loud, "MROW--AUGH!" followed thereafter by an, "Ow."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Wow, okay," he replies with a nod and a smile. "It's cool that you all are tight like that."

It is good to have friends, as Barry is learning.

"We've gotta be. Everyone's out to get us." YT says. "Cops, truck drivers, business douchebags in expensive cars, 'roided-out teenage boys in their moms' bimbo boxes, Narcolombians, assholes from the apartheid burbclaves." YT rustles and resettles her wings. "So we've gotta protect each other."

Confusion crosses Barry's expression mixed with concern. He only got about half of the words she's saying, but the general gist carries through well enough.

"Is it really that bad? Where are you from?"

"Los Angeles, 2009," YT says. "But that might not give you the right idea. Most of the Americas people come from around here are, like, really different from mine."

They don't have Narcolombians, for instance, or burbclaves.

"Yeah? Different how?" he asks. He tries to sit down, the effort taking a couple awkward attempts before he gets his back legs and tail sorted out enough to manage it.

"I'm from Central City, it's 2014 for me," he adds, pretty much expecting her not to know Central City since so few here do, and then only people from a different version of his Earth.

"Well, it's a lot more...what's the word? Libertarian, right. We had a couple of dumbass Presidents in a row and a hyperinflation crisis. So, like, there's not a lot of federal government, and LA has only a little city government, and lots of things got privatized."

YT flicks a fly off her flank with her tail. It's good for that.

"We have franchised nation-states and stuff. Burbclaves are one of those. I live in a Nova Sicilia burbclave these days."

Barry tilts his head, listening and trying to put it together.

"So essentially there's no country, just pieces of one," he says, checking to see if he's understanding her.

"There kind of is. But it's really loosely organized. There's other cities where it's different. San Francisco, Chicago and New York are almost like city-states - no burbclaves or anything in 'em. Some states have picked up where the Feds have left off, like Texas and New Jersey."

California is not one of those states.

"Yeah, that is a lot different than where I'm from." But different is kind of the name of the game with Milliways, isn't it?

"Is there anyone else from your world who comes here?" he asks.

"No. So far it's just me. Sometimes my dog Stella comes but I'm not sure she counts.

"What about you? Have you got a crew who comes here?"

"No," he says, shaking his head. "None of my friends have been here. At least... not that I know of."

He's pretty sure any of them would tell him if they'd found Milliways, but then again, he hasn't told anyone else so...

"There are people here from different versions of my world, though, and that's kind of trippy."

"Well, there's people from a bunch of different Earths here." But maybe he doesn't mean that? "Are you talking about different versions of, like, specific people you know?"

"More like, different versions of me," he replies.

He tries to explain, "Apparently people here come from versions of my Earth where we know each other, or I guess, they know me, but it's that world's me. And there also seems to be a different guy who was me who came here to Milliways."

It's all so strange, but he's getting used to it. Sort of.

"Things are slightly different in each world, but there's enough that still matches."

"Whoa. So someone comes up to you being like 'hey, Barry how's it hangin'?' and you have no idea who they are."

What a mindfuck.

"I haven't run into anything like that. It would be really weird."

"Yeah, pretty much." Only a hundred times stranger than that considering those people then also already know his secret.

"It is pretty weird, but I'm getting used to it, I guess." He's at least stopped running away from people who seem to know too much.

"The advice I was given was just to roll with it, and anything else crazy that happens to pop up." Here or at home.

"Pretty good advice," YT says. "I mean, if you try to resist the weird shit that goes on here it'll turn you into chiseled spam. Or at least a nutcase."

Edited 2017-07-03 20:03 (UTC)

"Chiseled spam?" he chuckles. Her slang is great, and he wonders if she has as much trouble losing people with it as he sometimes does.

"Getting hung up is a pretty good way to miss stuff. Like this whole thing here is weird," he gestures at himself, and gives a nod to her, "But it's fun. Opting out would be kind of a bummer."

"Yeah. I mean, this place being so fucking weird is part of what I like about it. That and the people." Pause. "Well, most of the people. Jim Moriarty is a psycho, Pinkstache is a pain in the ass, and there's one guy on Security who's a typical asshole cop."

It's important to give people a heads-up about these things.

"Most folks are pretty cool, though. Or at least not boring."

"I... don't think I know any of them," he says, giving her an odd look.

"I've only met a couple people on security and they were alright. Who'd you have a problem with?"

"Gene. He KO'd Pinkstache's dog." YT does not like Wilford, but she's fond of Buster, even if he's kind of annoying and weird. "I mean, also he put me in lockup for a day, but that's not a big deal for me. The cells are nicer than some jails I've been in."

"KO'd? Like knocked out? He knocked out a dog? Why?" If the dog was dangerous or aggressive it might be understandable.

He won't judge her for having been put in the cells, especially since a day isn't all that long and X has explained to Barry that sentencing is based on severity.

"Well...Buster bit him when he arrested Pinkstache. Then Gene went" - YT strikes a hoof on the ground - "with his pistol butt, right between the eyes." YT thinks. "I guess it was better than just shooting the dog, but it was still major harsh."

Barry winces. "Ow. Seems kind of a tough situation. I mean, Gene was bit, but still, can't really blame the dog either if that was his owner."

"Well, at least Buster's okay now. But Gene's not as much of an asshole as some cops I've met." Pause. "Jim is the one you really have to stay the hell away from."

Pinkstache is irritating as hell, but not particularly dangerous.

Barry frowns, but chooses not to comment about cops, focusing instead on, "Yeah? What's Jim's deal?"