Dancing Fox Inn XIII- Luck Costs Extra

[Earl of Purple]

Prumathe grimaces. "Ah, yeah. That's brain freeze. I did warn you, sorry. Um, I don't actually know what helps with that, to be honest. My magic... really shouldn't be used on heads except in an emergency." Heads are too fragile and too important to mess around with, unless it's either desperate or the biomancy is used very, very carefully.

[bc56]

Sekhmet shakes her head. "No, I'm feeling better already." Her player's never known brain freeze to last more than a few seconds. "It's so good! I could hardly stop myself!" She begins eating again, slower now.

[Earl of Purple]

Earl has managed to avoid brain freeze for long enough he can't remember how long it lasts, clearly.

"It is really good, isn't it? It's something most places do, here. Lots of people like it, so it's good sense to have some." There's also health effects of eating too much, but given how Sekhmet responded earlier about her weight, he's not going to mention them.

[5a Violista]

For the first time in nearly a decade, a certain paladin re-enters the inn.

Chewie, we're home.

He's a little tall, strong and fit, and has two swords with him that are probably too large to use.

He gets a nostalgic feeling, touches the frame of the door, and then enters. Zophiel, the paladin, is happy to be in the Nexus again.

[bc56]

"You can get it... anywhere?" Sekhmet asks, interested. She suddenly remembers that there's a cold box in her cabin at GLoG; she hadn't understood what its purpose was before now.

[Earl of Purple]

"Well, maybe not quite everywhere. But the big three cities and a lot of the smaller places with electricity in between, it should be easily found there." Just don't wander into a cobbler's and expect to be able to buy ice cream.

Sekhmet's cold box had better be a freezer if she wants to put ice cream in it.

[bc56]

"Big three cities?" Sekhmet can't imagine there are more cities like Inside. It's already several orders of magnitude larger than the city she lived in on her homeworld, and she thought that was big.

[Lord Magtok]

Oh Eww, a Paladin

Magtok didn't know they still made those things around here. Those types usually make him feel vaguely uncomfortable, what with the whole divine patron and moral authority business, as well as the smiting of evil and him being...well, Lord Magtok, self-proclaimed Nexus supervillain and all that. It would be very easy for that kind of do-gooder to mistake him for the kind of evil that needs to be purged from the world, rather than begrudgingly tolerated from a safe distance. A hero should not confuse striking at Evil and doing Good, lest their Good become the act of striking, as someone wise on that side of the alignment chart once said. It's less of an issue here, though. The Dancing Fox Inn has a rather ironclad rule against violence and bar brawls, which conveniently makes it the perfect sort of place to take Caelynn out for dinner, even as chaos descends on the city of Inside and any stranger could be a skinwalker assassin in disguise. It also means Ithuriel is way less likely to pull any vicious prank nonsense on him again.

"You know, it's weird, I've been a part of the Nexus for ages, and this Inn has been a famous landmark in it for about half that time, but I don't think I've actually been here before. Not once. I don't know why; it looks a lot nicer than Trog's does," the cyborg remarks as he strolls in with the aforementioned catgirl. Rare praise from a man who rarely has anything nice to say about anyone unless it benefits him somehow. Of course, given his distaste for the Nexus's premiere pub and his complicated history with the place, the DFI could probably be on fire and he'd still have nicer things to say about the Inn than the Tavern.

[Earl of Purple]

"Yeah, you've got Inside, which is the one nearby, where we work and I live. Then there's Riverside, which is divided into seperate quarters all governed basically independently. They got attacked by something recently, and they're recovering from that still. And finally Skyside, which is built on a flying island and rumour says it has no laws. I've never been there, though, and I can't see how a city could function if there's no laws. I know there's a slave-market there, one that operates in the open, and it's where mad scientists congregate and it's got a lot of gang violence. I've also heard you can make a fortune there, but... I don't think it's safe, and I've not trusted the people who told me that." Meaning it could have been intended to get him out of the city, into the back of a van, and from there into a cage and sold. "I think there's other cities, too, places in Seaside and a town called New Inside which doesn't like non-humans, but those are the biggest ones. I've not actually been to any of them except Inside, so I can't say which is biggest." But he's from a basically-modern world, where large cities are pretty common.

[Arkhosia]

Just Enjoying a Smite Out

It's been a long time since Caelynn had lived in the Nexus, long enough that all the genre-savvy, trope-aware analyses of the environment around oneself had decayed a fair bit. So the shining knight in armor doesn't quite inspire anxiety about the safety of her boyfriend; people don't lash out at strangers for no real reason, at least not out of the blue. Unless they're really damn pissed off, but this guy doesn't seem really damn pissed off.

"Banning barfights probably helps out a lot with keeping the place neat and tidy," she points out in good humor. "I worked at one briefly while getting my degree, and you have no idea how much of an ordeal it is to clean up after a single thrown stein."

[5a Violista]

Oh, Eew, a Paladin

The paladin realizes that he must look really strange, just standing there and drinking in the nostalgic atmosphere. It's just that it's been so long since he had been here.

Actually, though, he has been trying to get back here. It's just that he forgot that the place changed its name shortly before he left, which made it significantly harder to find it. Everybody that he asked would just say 'wait, which town?' and then point him towards the nearest city. Not to mention the chaotic nature of the universe, and he had a lot on his mind when he was last here...looking around, things don't seem to have changed all that much. Still a mixture of magic and technology, the food looks pretty much the same, nobody turned into evil eldritch beings, there's still catgirls here...fairies? There's probably still fairies. And that guy right there, he looks like someone he saw all over the news a long time ago. All that's missing are redeemed succubi all over the furniture.
When he finally found the Dancing Fox Inn, however, he knew he finally reached here again: that was one place he definitely remembered.

The shining knight Zophiel obliviously decides to crash the date. He walks towards Magtok and the catgirl to interrogate them: "Hey, excuse me, do you know which way Town is from here? Or...whatever it's called now, I'm sure it must've changed names a half-dozen times by now."

While waiting for the answer, his imposing figure leans on to the table...except he actually doesn't wait, he just keeps on talking. "Seriously, I had forgotten how hard this place is to get around. Half of the road signs are wrong and the other half change as soon as you start to follow them, and all the maps and landmarks are wrong."

[Lord Magtok]

Oh, Eew, a Paladin

Did this guy say Town?

Town?

So he's not just a paladin, he's a holy relic too, then. I mean, a lot of characters vanish for a while and then come back years later to a world that's changed drastically in their absence, but most of them are from the Nexus era. Town is so far back that Magtok was sure he'd seen the last of the Town veterans years ago. Town was a memory that he was sure was as dead and buried as anything in this world ever could be, and yet here we are. Some primitive, god-fearing stranger is asking him where to find that gaggle of demigods, fox folk, and high fantasy fantassins, as if the world of his youth could be right down the street from here. He'd better be the last one; Magtok burned too many bridges and inspired far too many enemies in those loathsome days of old. There were plenty of people with legitimate reasons to want him dead back then, and if any of them ever saw him, or worse, if she saw him again...

"You're about a dozen years too late, old man. Town is dead. This whole world is the Nexus now; we're not all crammed into one little medieval hamlet anymore," the cyborg answers with evident distaste, even though he's inwardly cheering at the opportunity to call anyone else 'old man.' All the 'actual' old men are usually Nexus natives who were born here in cities that haven't even been around as long as Magtok, so it's nice to have a shot to be an ageist jerk to someone who might very well actually be older than the MagCollective for once, without any weird time wrinkles complicating the matter. He takes care to make sure he's standing between the paladin and Caelynn, which is really just dumb posturing, since there's no violence here and paladins aren't the sort to involve innocent doctors in their brawls even if there wasn't a rule against violence in a place like this.

[Devixer]

Mist nods.
"Yeah, most couriers out here have wings, wheels, or at least a few more feet. Doesn't mean you couldn't find one of those for yourself, though. I know Leah's got lots of fancy mounts people use. Flying reptile things, big running birds. I bet you could do it if you wanted."

"I mean, I was thinking of just buying a bicycle, at lease for now. I can't ride a horse, never mind a pegasus," Aimi says, with a bit of humor in her voice. "But yeah, it's something I'd like to do. I'm sure I'll figure things out."

[bc56]

Sekhmet still seems shocked that there are such large cities. Still, the other ones don't sound as good. "So, uh, the other cities are kind of bad? Do those sorts of things happen in Inside?" She means the slaving and the attacks and such.

[Earl of Purple]

"Slaving's illegal, and Inside's home to a lot of very powerful people and a single, unified police force. There's been attacks before, but nothing recently. The one on Riverside's unusual, really." Amusingly, since this scene started a large-scale event has hit Inside, involving a Skinwalker invasion.

[Arkhosia]

Oh, Eew, a Paladin

Did this guy say Town?

Town?

So he's not just a paladin, he's a holy relic too, then. I mean, a lot of characters vanish for a while and then come back years later to a world that's changed drastically in their absence, but most of them are from the Nexus era. Town is so far back that Magtok was sure he'd seen the last of the Town veterans years ago. Town was a memory that he was sure was as dead and buried as anything in this world ever could be, and yet here we are. Some primitive, god-fearing stranger is asking him where to find that gaggle of demigods, fox folk, and high fantasy fantassins, as if the world of his youth could be right down the street from here. He'd better be the last one; Magtok burned too many bridges and inspired far too many enemies in those loathsome days of old. There were plenty of people with legitimate reasons to want him dead back then, and if any of them ever saw him, or worse, if she saw him again...

"You're about a dozen years too late, old man. Town is dead. This whole world is the Nexus now; we're not all crammed into one little medieval hamlet anymore," the cyborg answers with evident distaste, even though he's inwardly cheering at the opportunity to call anyone else 'old man.' All the 'actual' old men are usually Nexus natives who were born here in cities that haven't even been around as long as Magtok, so it's nice to have a shot to be an ageist jerk to someone who might very well actually be older than the MagCollective for once, without any weird time wrinkles complicating the matter. He takes care to make sure he's standing between the paladin and Caelynn, which is really just dumb posturing, since there's no violence here and paladins aren't the sort to involve innocent doctors in their brawls even if there wasn't a rule against violence in a place like this.

A Grand Old Paladin?

While Magtok's response is perhaps a tad bit hostile, Caelynn just grins. "My, you just attract sorts of old faces," she jokes. Truth be told, it was also nice to not be viewed as the oldest person in the room. Even if Magtok had been around for much longer than both she and this time-displaced knight, it was hard to see in her lover's features - and considering how most residents of the Nexus arrive young, most folks would assume one's age and Nexus residency to correlate.

..Hm, maybe such overly-analyzed fears are why she doesn't get out much.

While Caelynn recognizes how pointless Magtok's decision to stand in front of her may be, it doesn't stop her from recognizing the meaning within. She shows her appreciation with a gentle squeeze of his hand, staying behind him.

[5a Violista]

Oh, Eew, a Grand Old Paladin

"Oh, right. Nexus," the paladin Zophiel says, nodding. "That's what it had changed its name to. I had forgotten."

He then finds this funny, so he laughs. If only he had run into somebody who knew this some time ago, he wouldn't have been so lost and it probably would have been easier to find his way here. I mean, sure, Nexus is still a generic word but at least it's not so generic and out-of-date as 'Town'. "That explains why it was so hard to come back here."

It probably doesn't need to be noted that Zophiel doesn't object or even seem to care about the 'old man' comment, probably because he's had a long time to stop caring about being old. Sure, he only looks like he'd be in his 40s or so but...that's still kind of old around here, right? Everyone used to be either teenagers or 20-somethings, from what he remembers. Plus, he's actually old. And, as Magtok was kind enough to point out, the paladin's older than the entire current iteration of this world, having come before it. So...old in pretty much every sense of the word. No arguments there.

He holds his hand to first shake Magtok and then Caelynn's hand.
"Oh! Hey, what are the chances people I knew are still here?" he asks, pretty hopeful. It hasn't been *that* long, right? And they're strong enough not to die. "When I left, I'd promised two people that I would come back."

[Deathkeeper]

"I mean, I was thinking of just buying a bicycle, at lease for now. I can't ride a horse, never mind a pegasus," Aimi says, with a bit of humor in her voice. "But yeah, it's something I'd like to do. I'm sure I'll figure things out."

"Well, my wife has a magic sleigh. If you need it, you'll always have options. But my parents aren't for rent. Um, did you meet my parents?" he asks, glancing between Aimi and the doe he was just talking to.

[Devixer]

Aimi chuckled a little. "Briefly. I definitely heard your mother just now," she said, before turning to the doe. "You're Mist's mother, I assume? My name's Aimi, I'm an old friend of his."

[bc56]

"That's, uh, that's a relief." It is. Sekhmet was a little worried there, probably without much cause. She's just finishing the last of her ice cream now. "Uh, what is there to see around here? What's really special about Inside?" she asks awkwardly.

[Lord Magtok]

You'll Have a Grand Old Town

Spoiler

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Oh, Eew, a Grand Old Paladin

"Oh, right. Nexus," the paladin Zophiel says, nodding. "That's what it had changed its name to. I had forgotten."

He then finds this funny, so he laughs. If only he had run into somebody who knew this some time ago, he wouldn't have been so lost and it probably would have been easier to find his way here. I mean, sure, Nexus is still a generic word but at least it's not so generic and out-of-date as 'Town'. "That explains why it was so hard to come back here."

It probably doesn't need to be noted that Zophiel doesn't object or even seem to care about the 'old man' comment, probably because he's had a long time to stop caring about being old. Sure, he only looks like he'd be in his 40s or so but...that's still kind of old around here, right? Everyone used to be either teenagers or 20-somethings, from what he remembers. Plus, he's actually old. And, as Magtok was kind enough to point out, the paladin's older than the entire current iteration of this world, having come before it. So...old in pretty much every sense of the word. No arguments there.

He holds his hand to first shake Magtok and then Caelynn's hand.
"Oh! Hey, what are the chances people I knew are still here?" he asks, pretty hopeful. It hasn't been *that* long, right? And they're strong enough not to die. "When I left, I'd promised two people that I would come back."

"I'm not going to sugarcoat things, your chances are pretty slim," Magtok admits, with much less animosity than he held a few moments ago. It's hard to maintain that kind of spite and vitriol when Zophiel doesn't even seem to notice it, so he begrudgingly shakes the man's hand and discards his own petty nonsense. Plus, he's very, very, very familiar with the concept of people he knows just fading away into the void with the passage of time, and it's hard not to feel just a little pang of sympathy pain for the pally. The first generation of AMENites, his first fiancée, the second and third generation of AMENites, a few of his children...there's a lot of names and faces he's buried but not quite forgotten.

"If you remember the name Nexus then you're probably from the final days of the Town, though. That puts your odds at slightly better than nothing at all. There was a time when it and Acro just sorta coexisted awkwardly, with some people furiously insisting on keeping the two apart and others passing freely between worlds, before they eventually stopped doing all of that and just merged. Is any of that sounding familiar to you?" Magtok asks, before remembering why he came here. He looks for a menu or something to fiddle with and/or stare at, to try to get back to that whole date night business before he gets sidetracked again. Caelynn is supposed to be the center of attention here, remember? We've set aside the apocalypse prevention plans, the MagMart revitalization schemes, the anti-slavery lobbying, and the ongoing MagCave resettlement operation to have a pleasant evening with our lovely catgirlfriend. This is Caelynn time now; not 'find some brand new excuse to join all your other excuses for neglecting your girlfriend' time.

[billtodamax]

After work drinks

Honeysuckle snickers at that. Can't he just admit that the drink is good? Oh.
Apparently he pretty much can.
"Standard boring job, but short shift. 've had a lot of trouble with the plague, actually, so they're running more of the reserve turbines."

She surveys the other bar patrons for a moment. Yep, those sure are some living beings, aren't they?

Oh yeah? Like the main ones got damaged or what? Nigel asks, idly playing with one of the cardboard coasters. Or is there like a... Nigel does not know enough folklore to guess at something that eats electricity. Like the gremlin thing from that twilight zone episode where it tears apart the plane?

[Earl of Purple]

"There's a lot of things to see in Inside, as it happens. From skyscrapers to castles, Inside's got everything. The parks have a bad reputation, because Inside's built in the centre of the Nexus, or near enough, and things get pulled through all the time. That includes buildings and houses, as it happens. It's why people live here, since it's easy to find somewhere to live. And it's got a special ability that means you'll pretty much always find what you're looking for, if you know what you're looking for. Means maps are pretty hard to find, since the streets don't stay still." He thinks a moment; that sounds quite scary. "But, um, I've never heard of a street moving whilst people were relying on it to get them somewhere specific. And the other pub, Trog's Tavern, that's around every corner in Inside, maybe the other cities too."

[bc56]

Sekhmet was hoping for some specific landmarks, but that works too. "It, uh, must be confusing to live here all the time." She's always taken the same route from the train station to work. She's never thought about going a different way.

[Deathkeeper]

”You are surprisingly not surprised that my mother is a doe.” Mist states to Aimi with a raised eyebrow. Mrs. Anders giggles and stands up, features changing until she’s a satyr-like woman in her early 30s wearing a deerskin vest.
“We do still have some resemblance.” She assures Aimi. Mist seems to be cringing a little.

[Devixer]

Aimi shrugs. "I try not to be too surprised at things anymore. Besides, you both transform, it makes sense. I think," she says. "I had kinda thought your parents weren't really around, though? Did that change when you got married?"

[Earl of Purple]

"I can't remember anything else, really. I suppose it is, but no more so than anywhere else. And it's pretty fun, just going on a walk when you've got five minutes and seeing where your feet take you. I found a dwarf restaurant that way, once. I, uh, wasn't brave enough to actually try anything there though. The menu had a strong emphasis on rats and mushroom, for some reason. And you just turn around and think of where you live to find your home again, afterwards." He found the menu a little disconcerting, particularly since he remembers a pet rat in the orphanage when he was very young.

[5a Violista]

A Grand Old Town - a high-flying town
*was asked to skip Caelynn*

Zophiel snaps and points at Magtok. "Right! I remember that happening. I thought it was kind-of dumb, honestly. They were basically the same thing anyway, so why did the Taverna Generica insist on banning half the population? Even after it stopped doing that, I didn't go there." If I remember correctly, he was actually my second or third character to cross between the ACRO and Town barrier, but he stayed mostly on the Town side of things.

The paladin sighs and starts mentally going through the people he left behind, and uses his fingers to count...there's only three. "Let's see...Cleo and my daughter probably stuck together, so I'm sure they're both fine even if they're not here. And Helen...hm. She left at the same time as me and comes from the same world as me, but...weird. I can't remember seeing her there." Realizing that musing aloud to himself is probably rude, he tries to rope the two back into the conversation.

"OH! Sorry. I forgot to say, my name's Zophiel." ...he was going to say that back when he shook their hands but he was too busy being lost in thoughts and forgot. "The only time I've sat around doing nothing was that time I was pregnant; it's not really my style," he says as way of explanation for his following question: "So, do either of you know things I could do or groups or whatever to join?"

[bc56]

"That does sound fun," Sekhmet replies, then hastily adds, "Exploring, not the food." She shudders at the thought of eating rat, thinking of rats which carry plague and eat food stores. "We, uh, we should do it sometime."

[Deathkeeper]

Mist grimaces.
”Little bit before. But that’s a long-complicated- mildly unpleasant story.” He brightens, only maybe disingenuously. ”But it worked out! So it’s fine. Mostly. My parents work here sometimes, and sometimes they pull my wife’s sleigh as her chauffeurs.”
“It’s good hard work.” Mrs. Anders says with a giggle, flexing her muscled arms.