First Visit

[mary-russell.livejournal.com]

She's walked into some odd things during fits of abstraction (a lamppost and Sherlock Holmes, to name just two), but as Mary Russell lowers her book and peers around her, it becomes apparent that this is no Oxford pub, and she wonders what, exactly, her penchant for perambulatory reading has gotten her into this time.

She notices the oddly dressed young man, the pretty young thing in Greek costume, the man with smoked glasses and...is that a tail? It's gone when she looks again. Then her gaze strays to the window and her eyes widen.

It seems that the paper on apocalyptic prophecy will require some extensive revision.

Comments

[nita_callahan]

Nita leads her over to the Bar and says, "Bar? Could we have some tea, please? It's Miss Russell's first visit."

A tea set appears on the Bar, and Nita pats it. "Thanks." She picks up the platter and glances at Mary. "Table or Booth?"

[mary-russell.livejournal.com]

The anthropomorphic Bar is the last straw. Russell sinks weakly into a chair.
"Er, booth, please."

She pours herself a cup of tea, stirs in cream and three spoons of sugar, and takes a deep draught. It's delicious.

"Thank you, Bar," she says, and could swear the Bar gleams in response.

[nita_callahan]

Nita beams at the thanking-the-Bar, and pours herself a cup of tea, two sugars. "Okay. It's probably easiest to start with the multiple universes thing. There's some theories that say that when something happens that could go two ways, two universes are formed. Like. . ." She casts a glance over Mary's attire. "Like the Battle of Waterloo. In some worlds, Napoleon won -- in some, he lost. With me so far?"

[mary-russell.livejournal.com]

Yes, I've heard that theory propounded, though I've never seen it receive such concrete form before.

[nita_callahan]

Nodding, she continues. "Now, I'm not sure that's completely accurate or not. I think there's some truth in it. Me, I think it's more like the Powers That Be got so into creation that they ended up creating hundreds of thousands of universes. This place -- Milliways' -- is kind of a place where they all meet -- a crossroads.

"And in some of those universes, mine included -- there's magic."

[mary-russell.livejournal.com]

[ooc: Sorry, but I need to go. Can we continue this another time?]

Russell nods.

"Magic. All right. And the Speech is magical?"

That would explain why it exhibits no linguistic pattern that she can follow.

[nita_callahan]

[OOC: I'd love to. I have to leave, meself.]

"Exactly. Wizards in my world use the Speech to describe things, very accurately. It can be very dangerous -- there's a lot of power behind it, and if you describe something inaccurately. . ."

[mary-russell.livejournal.com]

[ooc: Shall we pick it up when we're both back on again? Also, I have to admit to huuuuuge fangirling of Nita.]

"Well, of course. There's always enormous power behind words. If there were magic in my...er...universe, I'd expect it to be contained in speech as a matter of course.

[nita_callahan]

[OOC: Perfect. *adds you to her AIM list*]

"There's a good chance it is in your universe, you just don't know it," Nita says with a mischevious smile. "Where and when are you from?"