From Union Solider to Frontier to ...

[ltjohndunbar]

The young Union Lieutenant from the Civil War finds himself looking into a building that he's familiar with, however as soon as he walks inside, everything is different.

"... Where AM I?"

Everything looks so above his time as he walks inside Millways.

Everything in here had a goldmine of information, and he was quickly jotting notes down in his journal.

Comments

[sunbaked_baker]

It's been a busy morning for Rae, but a baker's morning is always busy.

Entering into the main bar room from a side door through which a modern kitchen can be glimpsed, the woman carries a tray of baked goods braced against her hip. She has her red hair pulled back by a kerchief of blue, sunflower-dotted fabric, and it's probably the only hint of what might be called modesty about her, as under the matching blue apron she wears a modern t-shirt of bright yellow and a pair of orange jeans. The tray she carries is covered in a variety of breads and rolls and pastry concoctions, still warm from the oven and fragrant with butter and garlic and rosemary, some with chocolate and cinnamon, and with good yeast dough.

She spots the young man near the door, an unfamiliar face with a familiar confusion about it, and offers a slight but friendly smile. "Hello there. Welcome to Milliways."

[ltjohndunbar]

The confused Union Lieutenant could smell the delicious scent of breads, pastries and so much more. Enough so, it started to make the man's stomach rumble in hunger.

"Millways? I thought I just entered a fort."

He had a bit of a accent.

"Those breads sure smell good, Ma'am. Can I.. have one?"

[sunbaked_baker]

"You may have walked into a fort, but Milliways isn't like most places. Sometimes doors that should lead into normal rooms lead here, instead. But you may absolutely have some bread," she replies with a smile. "Is there any particular kind you'd like? The morning called for comfort so I made rosemary-garlic rolls, as well as wheat and seed breads, and cinnamon rolls."

[ltjohndunbar]

John eyes the delicious breads "I'd like to try the rosemary-garlic rolls."

[sunbaked_baker]

"Those are some of my favorites," says the woman, smiling as she sets the tray down onto the bar and fetches a plate. With a pair of tongs pulled from a pocket of her apron, she settles two of the warm, fragrant rolls onto the plate. Each of them is approximately the size of a clenched fist. She sets the plate and rolls down before him. "Here you go."

"Ah, tradition dictates that new patrons' first drink is free, as well. Often newcomers are... well, naturally surprised by a familiar door leading where it shouldn't. For some, the drink helps."

[ltjohndunbar]

"Well being here is a bit.. unnerving considering I'm supposed to be on duty at the fort on the Frontier. So.. I'll take a drink as well.

"The rolls smell delicious, ma'am"

These unfamiliar rolls smell great as he lifts them up to his mouth and takes a bite. A flavor in every bite."

He swallowed his food first and nodded "These are delicious, something unlike I've ever tasted before."

[sunbaked_baker]

"I'm glad you like them," the baker grins, pleased though faintly curious that the flavors were unfamiliar to him. "I'm fortunate the kitchen garden has a healthy variety of herbs that I can use fresh."

"The bar counter can actually provide drinks by itself, also. All you need to do is ask for whatever drink you'd like," she says, not sure how the man will take such an explanation. She'll get around to the discussion of Milliways' time distortion in a little while. One thing at a time.

[ltjohndunbar]

By.. itself?! How the hell... I don't understand this.. modern tech yet...

He takes a deep breath..

"I..I need a drink."

[sunbaked_baker]

A tumbler glass with two fingers of whiskey appears on the bar, with a yellow paper napkin that reads, Welcome! written on in black sharpie.

"The bar is quite kind," Rae says, sympathetic to how overwhelming Milliways can be. "Take a seat, get your bearings. I can answer any questions you have. Or, if I don't know the answer, I'll give it my best shot."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

There's a woman seated at a nearby table, wearing a subdued dark green shirt and trousers. Her hair is steel-gray, but her face is relatively young- scarred in a few places, and a few notches look like they've been cut out of one ear, but still young-looking for all that. At the sound of an unfamiliar voice she looks up.

"Oh- you're new here, aren't you? Welcome to Milliways. It's... a little complicated. My name's Ellen."

[ltjohndunbar]

Lt. Dunbar blinked "Ma'am... yes, I am. Name's.. John Dunbar... Lieutenant in the Union side.

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"The- oh, okay," says Ellen. "Then welcome to Milliways, Lieutenant Dunbar. I'm not entirely sure how to explain this place, unless you've... um."

Shoot, she doesn't remember when H. G. Wells wrote The Time Machine. Or when Jules Verne wrote anything.

"... well, to make a long story short, I honestly don't think there's very much I can tell you about this place that you'll actually believe right off the bat. I know it wasn't the kind of thing I was able to believe when I first came here, for whatever that's worth. But I can start by saying that it's a bar, and a place where you can get decent food, and when you go back through that door you'll be wherever it was that you came from and people won't even notice you were gone."

[ltjohndunbar]

Lt. Dunbar nodded and turned his head "So nobody knows I'm missing? Good thing. Some decent food would be nice to bring back to the fort while I wait for the others to show up."

"However, it's going... to take a while to adjust."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Believe me, I know," Ellen says wryly. "As far as food goes, they make just about anything in the kitchen you can think of. And it's all fresh, too, which is a nice change from the kind of stuff travelers have to make do with. Can I ask which fort's involved? I'm guessing it's not Fort Independence?"

[ltjohndunbar]

"Fort Sedgewick.."

A mess of a fort I had to rebuild myself. But I didn't mind.

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Okay, then," Ellen says. "I have to admit, I don't know where that one is. Fort Independence is a little ways up the Massachusetts coastline from where I am. That's... something you're probably going to have to get used to around here. Not everyone arrives from the same place, or even anywhere close by."

[ltjohndunbar]

"So wait, this Fort Independence... I don't know of one yet... but I'm from the year 1860."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Fort Independence was built sometime in the Colonial period," says Ellen, "although I think it might have been called Fort William or something like that before the Revolution. As for the year... for me, it's June of 2282."

[buh_bye]

A very skinny man in a very nice black 20th century suit appears in a chair near the bar. Just poof. A rat runs up and delivers a tray full of food to him. There is a white stoned silver ring on his right hand, and he has a silver topped walking stick. On the table in front of him he sets a small rusted scythe.

[ltjohndunbar]

The man he met, was a little on the skinny and pale side.

"Who .. are you?"

He calmly writes in his private journal about what he's seen so far.

He eyes the Scythe in the corner.

The man looks up at the rat handing Death food.

There's a first time for everything.

[buh_bye]

"John Dunbar," says Death while he arranges his food on the table, "I am Death."

[ltjohndunbar]

"Death, huh?"

The tired soldier swallowed tightly.

"I longed for the taste of death at one time. I would of embraced it too but plans.. changed for me. I survived... my attempt and a lot happened in my life I don't wish to repeat."

[buh_bye]

Death takes a bite of pizza, putting the folded slice down on a plate, then wiping his hands and mouth with a white paper napkin. After chewing for a moment, "It wasn't your time."

[ltjohndunbar]

John looked up, he'd never thought he'd stare death right in the face.

"I'm glad it wasn't. I met a woman of my dreams. She would be horrified if I had to leave her."

[buh_bye]

Death shrugs, "You will still die. Even I might die some day."

[ltjohndunbar]

That's true, unfortunately.

[electro_kinetic]

Yeah, that journal is going to get real full, real quick.

Noriko--short, female, blue-haired, Asian--leans back in her chair, heels propped on the table. "Milliways," she says. "It's a bar."

In case that wasn't obvious.

[ltjohndunbar]

The young civil war soldier nods looking up at the blue-haired female.

"Not every day a glowing door happens to show itself in a fortress, ma'am."

"I know what a bar is, just haven't been in one in a while."

[runningred]

Jay is seated near the bar, sharpening a deadly looking katana. He looks up and nods to the newcomer. "Grab a drink from the bar if you want one. The first one is free."

[ltjohndunbar]

The old time soldier got up and walked to the bar, "One.. stiff drink please.."

[runningred]

A large glass of good whiskey appears on the bar in front of him. "Rough journey?" Jay asks, putting the sword down to order himself a coffee.