(no subject)

[theladylazarus]

Buffy blinks into the artificial light, expecting desert sun through dirty windows. This isn't the inside of a bus. She stands just inside, staring, searching.

Isn't the Hellmouth supposed to be closed? As in, sealed, finished? It shouldn't be using its freaky Hellmouth magic to take her to...a bar. A bar on the other side of a schoolbus door. Buffy whirls on it, finds a wall instead. No Dawn, no Willow--no one had followed her in. She looks down at the blood on her jacket and shirt.

"Am I dead again?"

She better not be. Her life just started, really started.

Heaven hadn't felt like this. She thinks.

Comments

[quick_clean_pure]

Graverobber is aware that the girl at the door is asking a rhetorical question. He's just a dude chilling at a bar, sipping a light domestic beer. Still, might as well answer.

"You might be. Some people here are," he says, looking at him over his beer glass as he takes a swig. "Or you might not. I thought I might be dead first time I came here, but it turned out I was still breathing and all that."

[theladylazarus]

She turns toward the voice, noting the calm with which this person is just...sitting in a bar from nowhere.

"Okay. Huh?" She scrunches her nose up. "That's not really clearing up the picture here. Am I in purgatory?"

[quick_clean_pure]

"Nah, I don't think so," he says. "Seems too chill to be purgatory. I know at least one guy who thinks it's Heaven, but I'm not sure that's right either. I think it might just be a bar. I mean, it's a pretty weird bar, but it's nothing threatening, if that's what you're worried about."

Graverobber shrugs slightly. "Sorry, I know that doesn't make a ton of sense. I'd explain it better, but I don't exactly know much about it myself."

[theladylazarus]

"Definitely not heaven," she agrees. "Heaven's a little more...abstract." Or so she thinks. She can't remember anything about it aside from what it made her feel.

"Thanks for trying to explain it, at least. I'd hope it isn't threatening." She can handle it if it is, but that's just unnecessary at this point in her life. Or ever, honestly. "So you don't know much. That mean you just walked into it one day, like I did?"

[quick_clean_pure]

"Yeah, basically," he says. "Only a couple months ago, too, so I'm not quite an expert it on it yet. It's pretty friendly so far, though. Most of the people are pretty cool. And the bar has basically any alcohol you want."

Gesturing at the bar, he says, "The bar's supposed to be kind of -- I don't know, outside of time and space and stuff, but I'm not gonna lie, I don't really know how that works."

[theladylazarus]

"Just your average friendly random magic bar. You've been here two months?"

[quick_clean_pure]

"Yeah. I mean, not consecutively or anything. You can leave if you want to," he says, before clarifying. "Unless you're dead. Which is possible. But the dead people I've here don't seem to mind being dead here, so, there's that, at least."

[theladylazarus]

"That's a relief. I think." She shouldn't be dead. Not if the pain is any indication. As she digests the information, her adrenaline goes down and Buffy is more aware of the partially-healed holes in her torso. She sits with a wince.

[quick_clean_pure]

"You okay?" he asks, catching the wince. "If you got bruises or something, I'm pretty sure there's an infirmary around here if you want someone to take a look at it. I haven't been to it, but I know it's around here someplace."

[theladylazarus]

"It's a bit more than bruises," she gets out. "I don't think I'll die or anything--" really, that'd be too funny now "--but that might be a good idea."

[quick_clean_pure]

"All right," he says, before politely knocking on the bar top. "Hey, uh, bar? Would you be kind enough to tell us which way to infirmary?"

The bar sends up a napkin with a scrawled map drawn onto it. It's just a series of arrows and halls, but it's pretty easy to read. "Thanks, bar. Well, this is simple enough, I think. Need help walking?"

[thewidewideworld]

A pretty, androgynous man looks up from his table, a violin being restrung there.

He gives her a warm and welcoming smile. "I don't believe so. But stranger things have happened here. Is this your first time here?"

ETA: Sorry, the site told me it hadn't worked and so I resubmitted. Deleted the first reply!

[theladylazarus]

A violinist? Less weird than finding a demon, at least. Yet. Her sense are going wild, here. She can't be sure who she's actually around.

"Yep. Or, I'm pretty sure. Stranger things is kinda my life, so." She shrugs uncertainly.

it happens

[thewidewideworld]

"Then welcome." Sinric smiles, gesturing her to sit if she wishes. He finishes up, deftly threading the last of the wires. "This is Milliways. A place between worlds and outside time. It is a haven to some and a tavern to others."

If she can sense that, he's human but touched by magic, gold at the edge of his eyes.

[theladylazarus]

She can't sense magic in humans, but she can see the gold in his eyes. Figures there'd be something up with a person she met...wherever this is.

"Thanks." Buffy sits; she might as well, what with the not-so mortal wound and all. Really, she should be dead, but let's say she's not. For now.

At his explanation, she raises her eyebrows. "It's a bar," she says flatly. "Well, I can see that. So it's like the modern answer to limbo?"

[thewidewideworld]

Sinric blinks, thinking about the term as the bar translates it. Even with his gift for languages, drift in meaning can be tricky

"Purgatorium?" the closest word in Latin, "Perhaps. For those who have died it can be an afterlife, for others - simply a step out of the flow of their lives."

"While you are here, no time passes outside. A haven to rest and regain lost strength." he cocks his head at the blood. "Do you need help? These is an infirmary here."

[theladylazarus]

Rest and strength. If that's true, it's a weird way for the universe to answer her wishes. Of course, that means it probably is true.

"Probably. It doesn't hurt anymore, much but--" As she says it, her muscles feel like they're sagging. The adrenaline and the shock are starting to let her feel other things again. She looks down at the bloodstain. "Not the kind I thought I'd live through."

[thewidewideworld]

Sinric frowns, worried she might have died, if it no longer hurts. He isn't sure how to be sure of such things.

"These are private rooms above, if you're seeking somewhere to rest. You seem to have suffered in battle?"

[theladylazarus]

"Yeah. I got up again, though. Got through it." Buffy flinches slightly. There it is. Well. It could be worse--had been worse. "I figure if I was gonna die, I'd have died then."

[thewidewideworld]

"Then you should allow yourself time to heal. Here, where no-one is asking anything of you and you can take your ease."

[theladylazarus]

"That sounds nice. Which usually means 'too good to be true.'"

[thewidewideworld]

Sinric gives her an absent gesture. "Explore for yourself. Find out if I speak the truth or not."

[iprotectyou]

"It's entirely possible. I know I am, but most people aren't," an armorless giant sitting at a nearby table says. He's using a pneumatic graver to etch designs into the larger barrel--the one meant to shoot the metal quarrel--that he forged himself for his lightbow. A sweating pitcher of ice water rests near his left elbow along with two glasses, one of which is full.

"I'm Baze Malbus. May the Force of others be with you! Would you like a drink of water?"

[theladylazarus]

And here is a person doing...what? Working on a weapon? He's not giving her any bad vibes, though.

"That explains it." Her voice is matter-of-fact. Getting useful answers might be a bit of a job, apparently. "I've been dead before, but it didn't look like this."

Then she wrinkles her nose, looking at him intently.

"Force of what? And--this wouldn't happen to be one of those 'drink and you're trapped forever' deals, would it?" Buffy has never been the best student, all-too-brief time in college excepted, but she's pretty sure she remembers something about that. Plus, not taking food or beverages from strangers in magic bar worlds? The obvious choice.

[iprotectyou]

"Meaning you're alive now?" Baze says, blinking at her. There's a story there, but he's not about to press for details.

"Well, okay! The Force of others. The Force is an energy field that binds and surrounds all things. As for leaving, well, if you have a door, you're good to go! But if you don't, you're probably Bound or dead... Again. Er."

[theladylazarus]

"That has a certain logic to it," she gives a little nod.

"Got it. Energy fields." Not her thing, though she supposes it might be like magic in her world. Willow had that connected feeling, sometimes. Maybe this guy was a kind of Wicca?

"Great. So I just...wait to see if a door shows up again?" She starts to pace. Stops. "There are people I'm supposed to be with out there." If she's trapped or Bound or whatever, Willow can get her out. It should be fine.

"Okay. Who does the binding?"

[iprotectyou]

"No, no, time stops out there while you're in here," Baze says, hailing a waitrat. The rat arrives, and takes a look at Buffy before glancing at Baze.

"A welcome pamphlet, please! And whatever the lady would like," he tells the rat, who chitters at him.

[theladylazarus]

"I'll stick to the pamphlet for now," she says faintly.

Buffy's not scared of rats. She was one for a little while. But she's not quite ready to take a drink from one yet.

"Guessing the time issue is included. Meaning, this is a regular thing."

[iprotectyou]

"This is a regular thing, yes," Baze says, watching the rat skitter off before returning to engraving his barrel. He pushes the chair opposite out with his foot.

"Why not have a seat? I can tell you more about Milliways. Anything you want to know, though I don't know all of it, and I'm generally terrible at the welcome speech. That's what the brochure is for."

[theladylazarus]

She's not turning that down. Buffy sits in the chair offered. "Thanks. Can we start with the rats? Because I don't want to be rude, but hygienically speaking, it's not something I'm used to."

First things first.

[iprotectyou]

"Oh, sure," Baze says, collecting the pamphlet from said returned rodent.

"As you can see, they're the bar's wait staff. They're very clean, and understand most languages--but that's probably thanks to the translation field. That's created by little yellow fish in the walls. You're probably speaking an Earther language. I'm speaking Jedhan."

[theladylazarus]

"Uh, yeah. English is a language from Earth." Gotta love this multiverse situation. She takes the pamphlet. "Very helpful, this bar. For a place that just picks you up randomly."

[iprotectyou]

"Oh, yes, Bar herself is also helpful," Baze says, etching a groove into the barrel.

"Bar being the countertop. It's all in the pamphlet. Feel free to read it and ask me any questions you might have afterwards."

[theladylazarus]

"Bar herself," she repeats, then cuts herself off, opening the pamphlet. After scanning it, she raises her eyebrows. "Demon bunnies in the forest. Anya was right."

Too bad she's not here for Buffy to tell her. Validation might've gone some way towards smoothing their relationship, though she's under no illusions that it could've been repaired. Even if Anya hadn't died.

Which she's not going to keep thinking about right now.

"So, this is less a bar and more of an...everything. Just add a spa and it's a vacation spot."

[iprotectyou]

"It is a vacation spot for a lot of people. The cantina is also a place of healing, a place of rest, and, for some, like me, a permanent home," Baze says, engraving a flourish into the barrel.

"I don't have a door back to my world, on account of being dead."

[theladylazarus]

"Sorry. That's rough." Even if he seems cheerful for a dead guy. She looks down at her hands, then up again. "I didn't mean to skip over that the first time you told me."

[iprotectyou]

"Oh, no, don't apologize. I don't mind it at all. And I didn't mean to belabor the point, sorry," Baze says, ducking his head sheepishly.

"Now, do you have any questions?"

[buh_bye]

The door opens and an old man in a nice suit steps through a silver topped cane clicking on the floor.

"No, Ms. Summers you are not," he says quietly, "However, you are standing in the entrance to the Bar. I might suggest lifting your jaw off the floor and moving to one side."

Beat.

"Or you could come with me to say hello to the Bar. I'm sure she'd like to meet you."

Buffy met Death.

[theladylazarus]

At the sound of the door opening, she begins to turn. When the person speaks, though, she gives him a level look. "Was that meant to be a pickup line? Because this may be old-fashioned, but I find a little flattery usually goes a long way."

[buh_bye]

Death smiles, "No it wasn't."

He taps his cane on the floor, "Welcome to Milliways."

[theladylazarus]

"Thanks. Glad we cleared that up. Because, what? Milliways?"

[buh_bye]

"The Bar at the end of the Universe... well this one at any rate," he says quietly, "Again, maybe you should meet The Bar, she's really quite nice."

He looks behind him as the door opens and a young man with long hair and pointed ears stands in the doorway. He's soaked from rain and tired from long hours in the wards.

"I believe Wil would like to enter," he says.

"Uh... wha?..." says the young man before just giving up. Milliways is weird.

[theladylazarus]

Buffy may be confused, but she doesn't have to be inconsiderate. She moves aside.

"Meeting The Bar." Well. If the place is to be met, she might as well talk to it. Her. Who better to explain things? "Sure. Why not."

[buh_bye]

Wil grins as he steps in, "Uh... hi." He then heads off towards the Bar herself.

"This way," says Death taking the lead, "I am sure she will be excited to meet you."

[theladylazarus]

"That's a good thing, I hope" she says as she follows. At least there's more room for good than if she's wholly unwelcome. Probably.

[buh_bye]

Death stops in front of the Bar and places a hand on her wooden top.

"This is Miss Buffy Summers," says Death to the Bar, "Miss Summers this is The Bar. I expect you two will become great friends."

[boghadair]

"You seem alive to me," a cheerful voice peeps up from the Bar proper. Buffy will notice a red haired girl dressed like a medieval princess with an enormous head of red curls watching her curiously.

She might think Buffy's just making a joke about the being dead thing, but it wouldn't be the weirdest thing she's heard this year.

[theladylazarus]

She looks toward the voice, raising her eyebrows at what she assumes is a Renaissance Faire costume. Or would assume, in more ordinary circumstances. "Hmm. It's normally a thing I'd notice, but what with the fighting," she gestures towards the blood on her shirt and jacket, "and the stepping into somewhere completely unexpected?" Buffy shrugs a little. "There's room for doubt."

[boghadair]

Merida raises an eyebrow at the. "Well, I wasn't somewhere dangerous or sick before I came here, which probably means you aren't dead." Then, with regret, "I wish I'd just come from a fight. But no, just another boring lesson with my mom."