milliways_bar | Entrance Post

Entrance Post

OOM: Pre-Milliways: Bruce looks for a Diner

A middle-aged man with very brown hair walks into the Bar and stops, looking confused. Behind him, the door vanishes. Bruce Banner stares around, his confusion growing higher. This isn't the diner he was headed into. He catches sight of the observation windows and his eyes almost bug out of his head.

He looks back to see the door, and sees it gone, and shakes his head, trying to understand what has happened.

He looks forward at the people in the bar, shaking slightly, looking a little green. Seeing the bar, he staggers to it and, clinging to it like a lifeboat, looks around for someone, anyone who might have answers.

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What appears to be a very tall man in a suit of armor walks over to the man.

"Sir?" he says, and his voice is young, a little boy voice. It echoes oddly and is muffled by steel, and full of concern. "Are you feeling all right?" The helmet tilts towards the bar. "Are you hungry? Bar will get you something."

Bruce blinks, rapidly.

"What...?"

He looks around again and then at the robot...person?

"Who are you? Where am I?"

He looks grenish in his skin, and his eyesmay have a slight taint to them as well.

"I'm Alphonse Elric," says Al, cheerfully and kindly, extending a leather-and-steel hand to the greenish man. "You're at Milliways. It's kind of a strange place. There's magic and time travel, and I haven't figured it out yet, but I will, because I'm a scientist. Who are you? Would you like something to eat?"

Bruce looks at the hand and extends his carefully, his color slowly fading to normal.

"What is Milliways and why is there a window facing what looks like exploding galaxies?"

He shakes his head to clear it.

"Me? I'm... Brent. Brent Dobson. Nice to meet you."

His voice gets firmer as he goes and his eyes move around as he looks at the people around him. Good so far. Noone seeing him as familiar. No one seemed to even notice him, which was new... but good! He brings his attention back to the robot(?) Alphonse Elric.

"So, how did I get here, Alphonse. And where is here anyway?"

He blinks again, then nods.

"Food would be good."

"This is Milliways Bar. It's a restaurant, but it's at the end of the universe. The temporal end." He does his best to seem comforting. Being made of steel makes it slightly difficult, but Al has developed a strange knack for, if not smiling, then projecting the image that he is. "You seem scared. But this is a nice place. I used to come here a lot when I was a little kid. What would you like to eat?"

One eyebrow arched as Bruce stared at the robot, then at the Window. The temporal end of the universe...? That is...amazing. He stared for awhile, then turned back. He looks over this new friend he has apparently made and nods. He has met odder.

"Ah... a hamburger and fries... maybe a soda?"

He settles onto a stool next to the Bar he has been leaning against and looks around for someone to order from.

"Who takes the orders?"

"Bar does. She's magic." Al points to the surface of the bar, where Bruce's order has appeared. "I tried to figure out how it works, but it doesn't follow any alchemical laws that I can find. So everyone says she's magic, which is real, apparantly, though not in my world. Do you have magic in yours?"

Bruce eyes the barcounter he had been leaning on. Magic.... right. Maybe or maybe it was science... just such as he didnt understand. he would reserve judgement for now. He sniffs the food and touches it. It seems normal. He sips the soda and nods. Tastes right. Then he turns back to Alphonse to answer his question.

"Yes. There is magic thee, as well as science so advanced it seems as magic to most. This could be either. Either way, it apparently works."

Bruce takes a bite of his sandwhich, chews, and thinks.

"Have you been here long?"

"Science is often mistaken for magic," agrees Al. "I'm an alchemist, and when I first came here, everyone mistook it for magic. Some of them were still convinced it was, even after I explained it." He pauses. "The strange thing is, this is the first time I've been back here in four years. But I came here a lot to study, when I was ten. This is your first time, right?"

Bruce nods. He wishes for a moment that he had some of his instruments, but that would just be a distraction. he had to be watchful, careful. He couldnt let anyone know who and what he was.

"Yes. I was entering a diner and... I came here instead. I was going to leave right away, only the door closed and vanished."

Bruce glances back at the wall where he came in. Yep. Still no door.

"Then I saw the window and tripped and staggerred over here."

"Oh," says Al, his voice suddenly reserved. "I think that means you're stuck here."

Bruce looks at the other, hearing the slight change of voice. His stare is piercing, or would eb if he could do such to a ...robot.

"Stuck here? Stuck... here.."

His voice trails off.

"And can others follow me here?"

There is a sudden urgency in his voice.

Al backs up, a little surprised by the man's intensity.

"Uh, I suppose so . . . the bar lets people in as it wants to, I think."

Bruce nods and goes back to his food for a moment. Then he glances up and nods.

"Thank you. For your help, I mean."

He grins a little.

"Sorry for the intensity. I have...enemies back home. Being stuc her with no way to run and with them beign able to come here... may not be avery good thing at all."

Bruce seems to be concentrating on eating very meticulously and every word is slow and tought out as if he is being very delibberate. Which he is. If you were wrestling with three very strong personalities in your head, you would be very distracted as well.

And silence reigns for a few moments in his head.

Al is not, and has a tendancy to be cheerfully oblivious about most anything.

"I'm glad I could help," he says, honestly and cheerfully. "I'm sure you'll be safe here. Fighting isn't allowed."

"And how is it prevented?"

Safe? He was never safe, Anywhere. And noone and nowhere was safe from him or for him. Not as long as he had the Hulks locked up inside him with a slippery grasp on the key.

Al shrugs. His armor clanks.

"I think security takes care of it. There are very powerful people here."

"Hmm. Interesting. Thank you. I will have to see about Security sometime."

Bruce slowly smiled. Even not safe, this place might just be a refuge.

"That's a good idea, if people are trying to fight with you." Al draws himself up importantly. "If someone does, and I'm here to see it, I'll help you fight them off. I promise."

His voice is full of youthful conviction. It's a little unnerving that such a childlike voice comes from such a huge suit of armor.

Bruce smiles, a little.

"Thank you, Alphonse. I appreciate it. I will try not to get in fights though."

He shrugs.

"Bad stuff happens when people fight."

Al nods.

"I know."

And he does.

Bruce nods, absentmindedly, as he eats.

"So what do people do around here? I mean... it's a bar right?"

"Eat, meet people, and talk, mostly. I used to study here."

"It sounds.. nice."

And it does. Bruce mulls it over as he finishes.

"So where do people stay?"

"Upstairs. There are rooms. I think you can ask the Bar for a key."

Bruce eyes the robot and then turns to the Bar. He coughs for a moment and then speaks.

"Bar could I have a room key?"

On appears, with a number on it. He nods, another oddness added.

"Thank you."

He turns to Alphonse.

"And thank you too. I think I will turn in for tonight."

He puts out his hand to shake.

Al takes the hand, carefully monitoring the pressure he delivers and watching for sharp ends on the armor plating. It's not good to scratch and crush a new friend's hand. ~~Even if the friend thinks you're a robot.~~

"You're welcome. Sleep well, Mr. Dobson. It was nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Alphonse."

He waves and heads for the stairwell, hoping it will elad to hsi room.

There was a little tugging motion on the man's shirt as he leaned against the bar. If he looked down, he would see that a four or five year old girl was standing next to him, looking up at him with curious and concerned eyes.

"Are you okay, mister?" She asked him.

Bruce looks down. Then he looks around for parent. then he looks down again.

"Ah..."

Oddly enough, the sight of this child is more than enough to shift his mind and his body out of danger zone, and he nods as his blood pressure goes down.

"I think I will be, young lady."

He smiles at her as best he can. He never had kids, and doesnt really know what to do with them, but she is a real cutie.

"Is your dad or mom about?"

Lian looked at the man a little longer before she nodded, satisfied with his word that he was okay. He didn't seem like he was going to fall over or anything anymore.

As for the question about her parents...

"No. I came with Uncle Connor." She had wandered off, but she had told him that she wanted to go play, so he probably wouldn't worry for a short time.

"Uncle Connor, huh? And he knows you are off on your own?"

Bruce smiles, a bit. Unlatched kids... scary.

But this was Lian. She was much more responsible and well-behaved than your average kid. That happened when your father was a superhero.

"Mmhmm. I said I was going to find someone to go play with." After all, they were out of Ashram, so she might as well find new playmates.

"Ah... are there other kids around here?"

The prospect frightened and annoyed Bruce at the same time as he thought it fascinating.

"And, ah, what is your name?"

"I dunno. I haven't seen any, but I think there are," Lian said, cocking her head to one side. It was too bad that there weren't any kids in sight that she could play with, but adults were okay too!

"I'm Lian," she told him, extending one tiny hand over to him.

Bruce smiles and grins slowly at the little girl. So far this was going okay.

He extends his hand to her.

"I'm Brent. Nice to meet you Lian."

He shakes her hand gently.

"Do you come here often?"

"Nice to meet you too, Brent!" She chirped at him with a sunny smile. So far, she liked this man. He was nice. It was a good thing he didn't look sick anymore!

She shook her head at his question, though.

"No. Daddy and Uncle Dick brought me here once, but that's about it."

He tries smiling at her. Kids like smiles, right? And, wow, she was bouncy, and perky.

"Ah, well, this seems, so far, like an okay place. You like it here?"

The kid didn't get out enough. Around people like this place, anyway.

"Mmhmm. I got to play tea party with Robin and Superboy last time," she told him with a smile.

"With...who?"

He blinks a lot. Vaguely, he can remember an adventure or two as the Hulk with someone who sounded like that but... it slipps away before he can grasp it.

He assays a smile again.

"Sounds like fun."

"Robin and Superboy. Robin is Batman's sidekick and Superboy is his friend," Lian explained in a serious fashion. Because they were her friends. "I'm trying to get Batman to come play tea party with me."

Bruce blinks again.

"Okay. Sounds like a good plan to me."

he grins at her, a little.

"You like tea eh?"

Lian nodded at that. Mmhmm. It was nice to play tea. And Connor gave her real tea sometimes.

"It's much better than all that icky coffee."

Bruce chuckles.

"Well, I do like coffee, but tea isnt so bad either."

He smiles.

"Tea is healthier, too. Or that's what Uncle Connor says," she said with a sage nod. Or she tried to, anyway.

And speaking of Uncle Connor...

"I should probably go back to Uncle Connor to see when we're leaving," she said. "It was nice to talk to you, Brent!"

"Nice to talk to you too!"

he smiles a little.

"See you again sometime, Lian!"

Smiling, Lian waved as she trotted away to find her Uncle Connor.

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