milliways_bar | (no subject)

(no subject)

Enter Faith, through the front doors.

Alone, tan, her hair grown out to her backside, looking not at all surprised to find the bar instead of...wherever she's coming from.

Outside there's sand, and palm trees, and beyond that, ocean as far as the eye can see.

Vacation's over. Time to get back to work.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Oh, how cute. What's its name?"

"Scampi. He was abandoned by his owner so I'm hand rearing him. The vet reckons he's about two or three weeks old."

He puts the kitten down on the table and it pads over to sniff Faith.

Faith resists the urge to make a joke about shrimp.

"Cute." She holds out a hand to it, smiling.

The kitten sniffs the hand and rubs against it. Then he rolls onto his back to have his tummy tickled.

"Have you been away for a long time? It's just your hair has grown a lot."

Faith scratches the cat, obediently.

"Yeah, you know how time is. Gone for a few hours in the bar, gone for five months."

"Five months? Our worlds must have very different ratios of time. When I'm in here the outside world moves at one twelth of the speed, except when I'm Bound, when it doesn't move at all. I think my friend Abs is finding that a bit difficult to take. He said he met you when he came in here the other day."

"It varies, with my world, but I wasn't in my world. I had some help from somebody else in the bar, to stay as long as I needed and only have a few hours pass here."

"It really opens up the opportunity for tourism being in here."

Scampi purrs.

"Yeah, with the personification of Dream as your travel agent."

"I've heard of Dream, but I've never met him or her. Does that mean you can go anywhere in the universe?"

"Him. And...it's complicated. Anywhere in any of his worlds. But I don't think he'd do it for anybody...we're close."

"I wasn't really planning on going anywhere. I just wondered."

He smiles. "So what have you been doing for five months? Apart from getting a very impressive sun tan."

Faith laughs.

"Nothing. Not a thing. It's been fabulous."

Guppy grins. "Best kind of holiday that one."

Faith grins back and nods.

"Good to get away."

"So, now that you're refreshed, and I'm not disturbing you, would you mind showing me how not to get stabbed? It's quiet in Holby at the moment, which from experience is never a good sign."

Faith chuckles.

"No problem," she says with a grin. "We can do it now, if you want."

"That would be great, thanks. I just need to find somewhere to put the kitten."

He nips over to the bar and finds a cardboard box, that appears to have once contained crisps.

"Here we go. Shall we move somewhere with a bit more space?"

Faith nods.

"Oh, yeah, we can't do this in here. Outdoors."

Guppy picks up the kitten and puts it in the box, then heads outside, holding the door open for Faith.

Faith steps outside, leading Guppy out toward the lake, and commences the lessoning.

Self-defense. Yay.

Guppy removes his tie. It just seems the right thing to do.

"Okay, what do I do?"

Faith shows him some basic things, nothing too complicated or painful for the victim.

She also shows him the one she's showing Ron Weasley that can break the wrist, just to be safe.

"I'm not sure I can break bones. I think that would count as assault, but thanks anyway."

He practices them carefully. He's not very good at it, but he's clearly trying.

"It doesn't always break the wrist, only if you put a lot of pressure."

She doubts he's strong enough, frankly.