Dancing Fox Inn XI: The Menu's Made Up and the Drinks Don't Matter

[KerfuffleMach2]

Delta's visible eye blinks in surprise.

Wow. That wasn't long ago at all.

She gives a reassuring smile. Yeah, this place can be kind of overwhelming at first, but everybody here has been really nice so far.

What was your world like?

[Deathkeeper]

At some point in the middle of all of that, Mist Anders gives his name to the curious djinni.

((also, can you please confirm what exactly your character is, McGinty? Unless your avatar was supposed to be a hint I only know she's a female...thing))

"Thanks. Would you like to talk about the obstacles, or would you rather just forget it for a while?"
Poor Mist. Hopefully it isn't her making him sad.

"Oh, and how do you feel about heights?"

Mist shakes his head. "It's okay, Leah. Our chef just quit. He'll be happy, I'm sure, and we'll manage. That's what's important. Well, he'll be as happy as someone like him can really be, that old grump.
I've never really dealt with heights before. What did you have in mind?"

[Mrs McGinty]

((also, can you please confirm what exactly your character is, McGinty? Unless your avatar was supposed to be a hint I only know she's a female...thing))

(OOC: Sorry, I'm new to this. She's a human woman in late middle-age, grey-haired, plump and dowdily dressed, with a British accent of uncertain origin. Aside from having recently suffered a mild case of death (the effects of which seem to have worn off now), she appears entirely unremarkable.)

[Baeleck]

'For most people, rich and prosperous. I, however, was either a captive or a fugitive, depending on the situation.'

Another sigh.

'I've already explained to one of the other people here about my world. The long and short of it is that my people are oppressed and mistreated because of what we are, and what we can do.'

From her tone, it would be safe to assume that Buhayyah doesn't want to delve too far into the details.

[KerfuffleMach2]

Delta picks up on Buhayya's reluctance to discuss her past. The cyborg will go to put her left hand on the djinn's shoulder. Which is the normal hand.

I kinda know how you feel. I'm a fugitive myself. I'm also a military project.

Delta reaches up and pulls her bangs aside, exposing the right side of her face. From the cheek bone up to her forehead, and from the side of her nose to back past her ear, Delta has metal instead of skin. Her right eye looks kind of like a camera lens, and has a slight glow to it. The metal continues down the right side of her neck and beneath her shirt.

This was done to me over a year ago. Most of my right side is mechanical.

[Baeleck]

At first, Buhayyah shrinks away from the reassuring hand, but a little bit of solidarity goes a long way. Delta is allowed to place her hand on her.

'Sounds like you've escaped to a better world, too,' Buhayyah says, relaxing now. 'I noticed there was something different to you than a normal human, but given how strange this place seems...' She shrugs. 'I figured it could be perfectly normal for you.'

Buhayyah takes a little time to inspect Delta. Technology wasn't a big thing in her homeplace.

[KerfuffleMach2]

Delta smirks a little and shakes her head.

No, this is definitely not normal. Even in my world, I'm pretty unique. There are people with mechanical parts, but they aren't as extensive as mine.

The thing I hate most is that all of my memories from before they worked on my head are gone. Or blocked. I don't even remember my real name. Delta was the name they gave for the group of cyborgs made at the same time as me.

Delta pulls up her right sleeve to expose her shoulder. Stamped into the metal there is a triangle followed by the number 88.

That's the serial number they gave me. Delta 88. When I escaped, I just decided to keep being called by Delta because I didn't know any other name for myself.

[Baeleck]

'It's possibly for the best that you can't remember. I know there's plenty from my past that I'd rather forget.' That's over two centuries of personal history, there. Buhayyah frowns. 'It must be frustrating not knowing, though.'

The serial number is also inspected in some detail. 'Delta's a fine name,' she comments. 'People find it hard to pronounce mine.'

[KerfuffleMach2]

Delta shrugs a bit. Yeah, I know I might not like what I find. But I still want to know. I mean...I don't even remember my parents.

Then she smiles a bit. Thanks. It's just a letter from the alphabet of an old language back home, but I still like it.

I can see how people would have trouble saying Buhayya correctly, but I still like it. Delta actually pronounced it exactly the way Buhayya herself did.

[Mee]

Mrs McGinty wrinkles her forehead at Naku’s last question. “Is it… safe? Well, I’ve not had many complaints. Well, alright, I’ve had quite a few. But nobody’s ever got sick. I mean, there was the time old Reverend Caulson got a bad of a case of the you-know-whats after eatin’ too much of my mutton vindaloo, but that counts as self-inflicted in my book…”

She pauses for a moment, a hint of a smile playing at the edges of her mouth as she recalls what was, apparently, a highlight of her career.

"…Anyroad, the name’s McGinty – Mrs McGinty to you – and I’ve been cooking since I was a wee lass. I learnt my trade at my mother’s stove, and I’ve made a fair enough living off the back of it, I’ll have you know. I’ve worked in the big country houses, cooking for the great and the good: aristocrats, politicians, famous authors, stars of stage and screen… But also for the humble folk, down at the local pub or the village fete; never get too big for your boots, that’s what I say."

"As for my repertoire..." (her voice takes on a rather more pretentious tone at this point) "...I have recipes to suit every occasion and every taste, with dishes ranging from the comforting and homely to the challengingly exotic. If you would care to examine it, I have here a menu of the various culinary delights with which I might enrapture the taste-buds of even your most choosy of customers..."

From the pocket of her cardigan, Mrs McGinty brings out a folded piece of paper, and offers it across the bar...

Spoiler: Mrs McGinty's Menu

Show

Mutton Chops, Mutton Steak, Mutton Burger, Mutton Pie, Mutton Pasties, Mutton Soup, Mutton Broth, Mutton Casserole, Mutton Stew, Mutton Pudding, Steamed Mutton, Roasted Mutton, Baked Mutton, Boiled Mutton, Broiled Mutton, Fried Mutton, Mutton-Fried Mutton, Stir-Fried Mutton, Grilled Mutton, Chargrilled Mutton, Flame-Grilled Mutton, Pulled Mutton, Minced Mutton, Smoked Mutton, Salted Mutton, Mutton Biltong, Mutton Jerky, Jerk Mutton, Mutton Tartare, Mutton Salad, Mutton Noodles, Mutton Risotto, Mutton Pickle, Mutton Pate, Mutton Terrine, Mutton Kebab, Mutton Croquettes, Mutton Dumplings, Confit of Mutton, Muttonballs, Mutton Cachupa, Mutton Hawawshi, Mutton Teriyaki, Sweet and Sour Mutton, Mutton Satay, Mutton Korma, Mutton Madras, Mutton Jalfrezi, Mutton Bhuna, Mutton Vindaloo, Chilli con Mutton, Mutton Fajita, Mutton Ravioli, Mutton Souffle, Mutton Sponge, Mutton Tarte, Mutton Eclairs, Mutton with Orange, Mutton with Cherries, Mutton Surprise.

"Holy crap an actual menu." Naku mutters under her breath when she's handed the piece of paper.
"Why is it all Mutton, though?" Naku asks politely. "Your qualifications seem good, though. Your thoughts, Boss?" She aims the last at Mist.

[Recaiden]

Mist shakes his head. "It's okay, Leah. Our chef just quit. He'll be happy, I'm sure, and we'll manage. That's what's important. Well, he'll be as happy as someone like him can really be, that old grump.
I've never really dealt with heights before. What did you have in mind?"

"Hope he is, yes."
Chef. How funny. She'd never spoken to him. Not that there was a reason to. No, there was, once. He offered to make ghost food, mistaking her for someone who was properly undead. He had seemed nice.
"Well, going flying should be fun then. The nexus is very different from the air."

[Deathkeeper]

Yes she has, there was a scene about Strahd offering to try making some ghost-edible food for Leah, but it kind of went nowhere...
"Oh, um, flying? Flying uh, how?" says Mist, unsure of what Leah has in mind?

Mist gives a sidelong glance to Naku and the woman, and her menu!
"Credentials seem alright, but we get a decent number of vegetarians here. Can you make anything that isn't from the same basic dish?" he says.

[Recaiden]

"Oh, I do remember him! Poor guy."
Leah laughs softly.
"On flying animals, silly. Like horseback-riding, but up in the sky. It's fun. Then, well, I'd go out to the Hunting Grounds, but if you'd like something less frightening perhaps a film or a museum."

Mist is rarely outside the DFI, from what she understands. Everyone she asked about how to conduct dates had unhelpful answers.

'Well I really don't know any more than you, Leah.'
'You should go tomb-robbing together; always worked for me'
'Courtship is an inefficient practice. You should let me arrange a more beneficial relationship for you.'
'Ssssssissshssssss'

[Deathkeeper]

Mist gives her an interested look.
"Oh, what kind of animals? I'm not super good at riding, so it might be kind dangerous for me, since falling would be...bad. If you think it's safe I'd try it. I'm only really good at throwing knives, honestly. I guess I'm an okay shot if you gave me a gun. I don't know if I'd do very well hunting one of those giant things in the Grounds." he says.

[Mrs McGinty]

"Holy crap an actual menu." Naku mutters under her breath when she's handed the piece of paper.
"Why is it all Mutton, though?" Naku asks politely. "Your qualifications seem good, though. Your thoughts, Boss?" She aims the last at Mist.

Mist gives a sidelong glance to Naku and the woman, and her menu!
"Credentials seem alright, but we get a decent number of vegetarians here. Can you make anything that isn't from the same basic dish?" he says.

Mrs McGinty looks puzzled, as if the concept of a mutton-less meal has never occurred to her before.

After a moment spent deep in thought, an idea pops into her head. She smiles warmly at Naku and Mist, and says with a chuckle: "Silly dears... You didn't look at the other side of the menu..."

On the reverse of the piece of paper, another list has appeared, which definitely was not there a moment ago:

Spoiler: The Other Side of the Menu

Show

Turnip Chops, Turnip Steak, Turnip Burger, Turnip Pie, Turnip Pasties, Turnip Soup, Turnip Broth, Turnip Casserole, Turnip Stew, Turnip Pudding, Steamed Turnip, Roasted Turnip, Baked Turnip, Boiled Turnip, Broiled Turnip, Fried Turnip, Turnip-Fried Turnip, Stir-Fried Turnip, Grilled Turnip, Chargrilled Turnip, Flame-Grilled Turnip, Pulled Turnip, Minced Turnip, Smoked Turnip, Salted Turnip, Turnip Biltong, Turnip Jerky, Jerk Turnip, Turnip Tartare, Turnip Salad, Turnip Noodles, Turnip Risotto, Turnip Pickle, Turnip Pate, Turnip Terrine, Turnip Kebab, Turnip Croquettes, Turnip Dumplings, Confit of Turnip, Turnipballs, Turnip Cachupa, Turnip Hawawshi, Turnip Teriyaki, Sweet and Sour Turnip, Turnip Satay, Turnip Korma, Turnip Madras, Turnip Jalfrezi, Turnip Bhuna, Turnip Vindaloo, Chilli con Turnip, Turnip Fajita, Turnip Ravioli, Turnip Souffle, Turnip Sponge, Turnip Tarte, Turnip Eclairs, Turnip with Orange, Turnip with Cherries, Turnip Surprise.

[Baeleck]

Delta shrugs a bit. Yeah, I know I might not like what I find. But I still want to know. I mean...I don't even remember my parents.

Then she smiles a bit. Thanks. It's just a letter from the alphabet of an old language back home, but I still like it.

I can see how people would have trouble saying Buhayya correctly, but I still like it. Delta actually pronounced it exactly the way Buhayya herself did.

Ah, parents. Now there's an alien term to Buhayyah. As a genderless creature born of magical energies, the word is known but not comprehended. Her limited knowledge is garnered from the small interactions she's had with members of the other races, in those fleeting periods of escape.

'Sorry, um... I don't really understand what parents are,' she admits. 'I get that they're elders who assist in one's upbringing, but I have a feeling there's more to them than that.'

The pronunciation of her name is met with a pleased smile.

[KerfuffleMach2]

Delta nods a bit. Oh yeah, definitely more to it then that. They're also usually the people that created you in the first place.

I take it your...um...species? Is that the right term here? I guess your species doesn't reproduce the same way as humans?

[Baeleck]

'No, species is the right term... but reproduce is the wrong term. We continue lineage.' Buhayyah pauses, then explains. 'When one of us dies, a new djinn is formed from the residual magical energy. We're so old, and our origins so obscure, nobody knows how or why it is that way.'

So they're kinda like phoenixes, that way.

[KerfuffleMach2]

Delta tilts her head a bit. Huh. That's kinda interesting, actually.

So, do you have somebody that raises you and teaches you stuff? Or is the knowledge just passed on automatically? Or is it more like instincts?

Delta's thirst for knowledge is showing.

[Baeleck]

'We certainly don't get caught. And there's knowledge... just, no memory.' The amnesiac experience is probably quite familiar to Delta. 'I don't know how much I would say instinct has a part in it, purely because we're not an instinctive species. We don't have the same base desires as other people - we don't eat, sleep, breed...'

[KerfuffleMach2]

Delta shows a bit of confusion on her face. Caught? What do you mean by that? Delta didn't remember mentioning being caught at all.

[Shadowcaller]

Has Cessie explained the different to Fortuna yet?

Rebo's pretty sure she hasn't. Which means Fortuna is just speaking in ignorance right now.

"It sounds like a really exciting time to be studying magic on your world," she says brightly. "We really don't have any analog for that back home. The closest thing would be gathering proto-matter from the Astral Plane since it can be shaped pretty easily by magic. I don't think we have anything like kami, though."

She is used to people using the word 'magic' to describe anything "supernatural" and she doesn't consider eldritch to be supernatural. "The differences between the world is indeed curious. Makes me wonder how we all can co-exist here so easily. But with luck I'm guessing you will find that out soon." She says with a smile. "If you haven't already of course, but I have heard all manner of theories on the subject and it does seem to be hard to prove anything conclusively." That's most likely the nexus trolling any scientist trying to find out too much about it.

[Baeleck]

Due to an oversight on her player's part, Buhayyah similarly looks a bit confused. 'Did I say caught? I meant taught. Yes, taught.' If she was capable of blushing, she would be.

((Serves me right for relying too much on auto-correct ))

[KerfuffleMach2]

((Curse you autocorrect!))

Delta chuckles a bit. That's okay. It happens.

It sounds more like instinct than anything else. Just because you don't have the same instincts as humans doesn't mean you don't have instincts.

[Baeleck]

'That's true enough, I suppose. Running is definitely instinct for us, even when escape isn't really possible. We're quite cognitive otherwise. Plenty of time on our hands to think things over. Process things logically.'

Buhayyah had gotten quite upset earlier, it was true. Now, however, she was remarkably calm.

'So, um... to what extent are you different from the rest of the people in your world?' Buhayyah figures she should ask some questions too - give Delta some proper time to speak about herself.

[KerfuffleMach2]

Delta gestures towards her mechanical arm. Most people don't have any kind of mechanical parts on them at all. There are a good number of people that do, but the majority don't.

What makes me more unique is how much mechanical stuff I have. She uses her right hand to tap her right leg, and then the right side of her torso. Both taps produce a distinct, metallic sound.

Most of the people that have mechanical stuff just have it on their limbs. Hands, feet, legs, arms. A fewer number have some kind of mechanical thing inside of them. Mostly stuff to help failing organs. And a few had work done on their brain. Those people were pretty much all military experiments.

With the "Delta Phase", they wanted to combine all of it and get it to work. Which, they did.

[Baeleck]

'I'm assuming the more augmentations they attempt, the more dangerous it becomes?' Buhayyah shifts a little under her jacket, seeming uncomfortable with the thought of experimentation on such as scale. 'It's interesting it's just one side of you... do you think they were aiming for a full-body transformation, eventually?'

[KerfuffleMach2]

Delta nods a bit. Yeah, more dangerous for the person getting the mechanical stuff, and more difficult for the people doing it.

As far as I know, their final goal was to replace most of my body with the cybernetic stuff. They stopped at this point so they could do testing and make sure everything was working out.

[Baeleck]

'How did you escape? And did any of the other subjects make it out with you?' Buhayyah assumes not, given Delta was alone.

[KerfuffleMach2]

Delta shrugs a bit. There was some kind of explosion at the facility. It took out most of the security systems. A bunch of people escaped, but I haven't seen any of them since. The chances of them ending up here are pretty low.