Trog's Tavern CLVI

[Morty]

Krayger considers the proposal.
"Well, I guess it would depend on the team we dug up. I wouldn't go down there undermanned."
A concern which is alleviated a little bit when someone immediately shows up.
Krayger steps aside and lets the host grill the new person for their expertise.

Haggis turns his attention to the human newcomer, beaming at him. "Ah, good day my friend! Indeed I am in need of such help, and you do indeed look like just the person I'm looking for! Me and my fellow horned friend here are planning to venture into The Mispelled Cemetary and reap the spoils of such an adventure." He points to the sword on his back, the grin becoming less welcoming and more smug. "As you can see, I can handle myself in a one-on-one confrontation, but for the hordes of the dead we shall face I need a bit more help. Any questions?"

"I believe myself quite capable of facing down hordes of the dead," the enormous man says. "Are you simply going there for the treasure, then?"

[Ironsmith]

[Down* the street from trog's]

June has fought giant bugs and frogs (survived those encounters), children who enslaved magic animals (talked her way out), a dumb mind-controlling wizard (beat him with deception), some ghosts and some cultists (she got some help with that), and a single giant who can use magic and doesn't care about collateral damage. (Not counting friendly sports matches, obviously.) ((Oh, and grabby drunk people probably count as fighting, too.))

Unlike the giant, she can't really say that she's used to dealing with this kind of situation.

Fortunately, this time, since the giant was fast enough that the gun is still in her hand and not her pocket, June doesn't drop the pistol.

So she gets exploded away. Which is unfortunate because she's still not completely fine after that encounter with Magtok Prime.

Tumbling in spite of the pain, however, is something that she has a lot of experience with.
Flying through the air turns into a grounded roll which turns into half a cartwheel which puts her back onto her feet far too quickly with momentum already behind her.

Ideally she'd run back into Trog's, but the giant's magic blasts have already knocked her too far from getting back in there without running right past the giant.

So, obviously, the only thing to do now is run.
And turn around a corner since she has an idea for how far the giant can jump at once.

[Down the Street* from Trog's]

This also has the added benefit of breaking line of sight with the giant, which means that when it launches another globe, the only damage it can do to her is an assault on her eardrums as broken bricks clatter to the ground. It can't move nearly as quickly as June can; or at the very least, it seems rather disinterested in using up as much energy as she does. All of that heavy stome armor probably has something to do with it.

In any case, the giant won't make it to that end of the alley until after June's already at the far end, looking out on a different street. If she's so inclined, she might be able to slip away entirely; the giant isn't doing a very good job of pursuing her.

[Rebonack]

"It's good to lift some heavy questions every now and again. Get pumped up mentally!" Zee says, doing her best (terrible) body builder impression. "Honesty and family are pretty good ones. And making a family of your own is definitely a noble goal!"

Zee knows for sure her mom would approve.

"But making a family is easier said than done, right? You need to connect with people. You need to be vulnerable with people. Building something is way harder than blowing something up. That's just basic thermodynamics for you."

Gosh Zee is such a dork sometimes.

"So where do you start? What's the first step to being who you want to be?"

Just some nudges from the definitely normal bar-tender at Trog's.

Meanwhile!

"That one's a pretty neat name even if it's two names," Zee reasons. "A seraph is a name for a sort of celestial in a lot of cosmologies. Which... is what I am, actually. A seraphim."

Then she frowns a bit.

"Probably not much like seraphim from where you're from, though. Or what most people probably imagine. Sometimes I kinda wish I was. That would probably make my life way less complicated. Shining and singing a bunch? Seems like an easy gig to me. But no, things have to be complicated instead."

Stupid complicated cosmos!

Something June says really catches her attention here. "Wait, you looked different when you arrived? Not just before you got all-"

She waves vaguely at June and her collection of limbs.

"Huh. That is pretty odd. Usually when someone gets dumped here there are no differences. It's only afterwards that weird happens, assuming they don't get really fortunate and manage to avoid it."

Some people manage to avoid weird completely!

Most of those people are boring NPC types, sadly.

"I definitely get the relearning thing. When I got dumped into the Empyrean I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. Frankly I still don't know what I'm doing. Mostly I just pretend I know what's going on and it works out the majority of the time. It wasn't that long ago that I found out there is apparently a tutorial! I had no idea! How was I supposed to know that?"

Man just too much weird.

"You earn the names, right? You and all the other Junes. That's what sets you apart and makes you the same. I think that might be why I get you all confused so easily even if a bunch of you look really different. You're all reflections of the same person? Maybe?" Zee reasons. She really isn't sure on this one it's well outside her range of experience. "Things like me don't really have names as such. My name is more like a description of me, of my Path, of what I stand for and strive for. If the Path I follow changed for whatever reason then my name would change with it."

[5a Violista]

Seraphs. "The fiery and the wings..." Right. Yeah, so much else is different it'd make sense if that was also different too. "Pretty sure the wings are metaphors for something hard to explain, anyway." June guesses that here in the Nexus, they literally have all those weird wings.
She glances at Zee, though, double-checking for wings that somehow went unnoticed.

Anyway,
more importantly than possibly-metaphorical wings not located on a barmaid,
Arriving. And being different on arrival. That's actually something June was about to mention right before the distraction with the sloths. "Yeah. I mean, I looked different, but I was still me so it really wasn't that big of a deal."
June shrugs.
Guess it wasn't actually 'more importantly'.

On another note, the downside of being an NPC is that when some mass event like Buttercups happen, you also get completely changed instead of only partially changed.
"Honestly, a tutorial would be really handy for...I guess, everybody in the Nexus. Maybe even a tutorial on how to access the tutorial."

Actually 'more importantly',
June nods. Yup. That's how names be. "Yeah, I've got eight na..." Pause. "Wait, weird, no, nine names. I can remember nine so why do I think eight?" Pause. Quickly counting on fingers up to eight, and then one more"Whatever. I'll think about it later. So what does your name, your Path, mean then?" June asks this because, honestly, it's the closest, most home-feeling idea of names that she's seen in a while, except focused more on the future? instead of the past? or something. At least, better than all the people who just treat a name like a title or something to call you.

"Honestly, I think I'd prefer it to be 'alternate-dimension twin' to 'reflections of the same person'," June says. "Because, then, like, what's casting the reflection? And why?" She thinks for a moment, then shakes her head. "Well. I guess 'you're different versions of the same person from slightly different dimensions' technically could count and would work with some stories I've read, and for some reason the universe just decided to take a couple of these same people because of some...physics technobabble words words resonance words reason."



[Down the Street from Trog*s]

Sadly, June likes her eardrums and would prefer the giant to not assault them.

She closes her eyes to help her keep a better view of where the giant is, and turns down that other street. In this kind of situation, the first thing to do is run, and only hide if running isn't an option. Seems like it's an option right now, though. So, she runs down that street and makes another turn to put more distance and more turns between her and the giant.

She hasn't decided exactly where she wants to go, yet.

[Rebonack]

"The fiery and the wings are pretty consistent," Zee admits. "And they're less metaphorical and more... well, imagine you're looking at something that's almost completely unlike anything you've ever seen before. And then you try to describe it. You're going to compare it to things you're familiar with, right? It doesn't help that when empyreans like me show ourselves we're really... abstract, I guess. For lack of a better term. It takes reality a bit of time to figure out what to make of us so the longer we stick around the more concrete we seem."

She wrinkles her nose.

"It's pretty weird. And I keep most of me tucked away, wings included. I'm dangerously brightly and inconveniently huge. Neither of those things are really conducive to bar-tending."

How are you supposed to tend to a bar when you're bigger than the bar AND devouring your surroundings with all the intensity of a star come to earth?

That's a good time for no one.

"I do have some informational pamphlets for Nexus newcomers," Zee says, ducking behind the bar and coming up with a nice little glossy trifold pamphlet. She offers it to June.

So! You're a Castaway in the Nexus. Where do you go from here?

What follows in a rundown of various services and support groups for newcomers. It's all pretty informative.

Then questions!

"I'm called Yezekiel. The Mighty Will Strengthen. But, hehe, maybe not strengthen in the sense you might think? To bind together. To bind up. To encourage. To heal. To repair. To take hold. To take courage. One becomes mighty by apprehending one's self and by holding up others. My strength is the strength of many and not one alone."

Zee turns her gaze upward, eyes fixed on something only she can see.

"All my kind seeks to ascend the Tower. To grow ever greater in might. But what does it really mean to be Mighty? I guess we're all figuring it out," the totally normal barmaid says wistfully. "Haha, that's probably not what most people think of when they think of angels, right? Just... people. Weird people with alien concerns, sure. But still just people trying to make sense of the world."

June gets a smile as she talks her way through the alternate reality stuff.

"What casts the reflections, and why? That's a good question."

Zee doesn't provide a good answer.

[Zefir]

"It's good to lift some heavy questions every now and again. Get pumped up mentally!" Zee says, doing her best (terrible) body builder impression. "Honesty and family are pretty good ones. And making a family of your own is definitely a noble goal!"

Zee knows for sure her mom would approve.

"But making a family is easier said than done, right? You need to connect with people. You need to be vulnerable with people. Building something is way harder than blowing something up. That's just basic thermodynamics for you."

Gosh Zee is such a dork sometimes.

"So where do you start? What's the first step to being who you want to be?"

Just some nudges from the definitely normal bar-tender at Trog's.

To be honest I don't really have an image of Zee in my head. More like a blury version of something that fits everywhere and didn't I think her size changes and form as well?

"Don't get on that" he says about the blowing up comment. "I know that you know farm more about anyone here then you pretend. Still it's true destroy something is easier then build."

"That is kinda where i run blank. I did all i know and ended up the way I am now. Not doing something just won't do either. It will lead to me in a corner of a room that none ever enters.
I might assist that guy over there with his dungeon crawl. For a change"

[Ironsmith]

[Down the Street from Trog*s]

Sadly, June likes her eardrums and would prefer the giant to not assault them.

She closes her eyes to help her keep a better view of where the giant is, and turns down that other street. In this kind of situation, the first thing to do is run, and only hide if running isn't an option. Seems like it's an option right now, though. So, she runs down that street and makes another turn to put more distance and more turns between her and the giant.

She hasn't decided exactly where she wants to go, yet.

[Down* Street** Trog's***]

Fortunately, it seems she's got time to figure out where she wants to go. The giant's pace hasn't picked up in the slightest, so she's in complete control over how much distance there comes to be between them.

...Up to a point.

Eventually, June will reach a wall of houses that aren't there in Inside. They don't have any doors or windows, and if she touches them, they're going to feel like badly-painted plywood, only somehow sturdier. Based on how far she's gone, it seems like these houses form a one-block radius around Trog's*, preventing her from properly escaping this place on foot.

[5a Violista]

"Sounds like you're trying to describe 'metaphor' but just with extra steps," June comments, deciding that how Zee is describing that kind of angel is remarkably more similar than she had expected. Comparing some abstract thing you can't describe with something you're familiar with? Yeah, definitely a metaphor.
"Sounds like your only choice is to just a really big bar," June then jokes, commenting on being 'inconveniently huge'. "At least you'll be able to take everyone's orders without having to move too much."

She grabs the pamphlet, and flips through it.
"I guess I was pretty lucky that I met someone who showed me around everywhere and explained a bunch of stuff," she says, as she decides there's not much in the pamphlet she needs to look through.

June listens to Zee's explanation of her name and path. She nods. "Maybe not most people would think of that," June says, "but it sounds pretty normal to me."

Well.
Anyway.
June pauses, waiting and expecting Zee to go on. Yeah, it's a good question, and...?
After too much time passes, June laughs. "Haha, I was totally expecting you to provide some sort of answer to that question."
She sighs, runs hands through her hair, and after some thought says, "Well, if it's not something that I know, then it practically doesn't matter. If what's 'casting the reflections' doesn't have some sort of observable real effect that I can notice, then it may as well not exist." Having concluded that philosophical line of thought, she finishes off the lemonade.
...
And then she starts overthinking it. What if the existence of other Junes is that 'observable real effect'? Or, at least, the first signs of it? Ugh. Dang. Shoot. Frick. This is probably going to be something that actually matters, isn't it? Can't just be slothful and forget about it. If she's metaphorically a reflection, then what's the source image? Saying it would look just like her would probably be carrying the metaphor too far; it could just as easily be a conglomerate of ideas instead of a real, physical person. Is the 'source image' currently in the Nexus? Is she tethered causally to whatever this source is? "I'm going to need another lemonade," June concludes.


[Down*Street**]

The first thought June has, upon reaching the plywood 'houses' is, "Am I stuck in another painting?"

She hits her head on the plywood. "Why is she always away whenever I get in these kinds of situations?"

June considers the possibility of climbing the wood...or maybe she could lure the giant over here to knock it down?
No, before doing something as drastic as that, June decides she needs to verify for sure that this painting frame goes all the way around.
Following the plywood perimeter and keeping it on her right side, she starts to follow it around.

[Ironsmith]

[In A Painting?]

It takes fifteen minutes of walking, June will be able to confirm that yes, the frame of house does indeed go all the way around Trog's*, without a single door, window, or even so much as a garbage can to use as a footstool. More importantly, she'll be able to confirm that, despite the distance between them, the giant hasn't lost track of her; it's going in her direction no matter where she walks. The cat-and-mouse strategy might be working for her for the moment, but it's not exactly a long-term solution on its own.

[Rebonack]

Zee is definitely a completely normal human bar-tender with a bit of a fantasy vibe to her. She's every and any barmaid you might meet at any given fantasy tavern around the multiverse. Or, at least, that's how she presents herself. There might be a core of something under there but she mostly just lets the patrons fill in the details with what makes them feel comfortable.

No reason to look beyond the surface level.

Nothing weird going on here.

Zee lets the comment about her knowledge pass without commenting.

"Going on a dungeon crawl isn't a bad idea," Zee replies brightly. "A little adventure is a great way to learn who someone really is. Masks tend to get stripped away when under pressure. That's how Raril and I got involved, actually! It was quite the road trip. Decided to get out and about since the Town was busy being over-run by undead at the time."

Nothing like an undead moon to bring people together.

Meanwhile!

Zee sticks her tongue out at 'metaphor but more words'.

"Yeah but metaphors are more about symbolism. I don't think my weirdness represents anything. Or at least nothing that I'm aware of. But that hasn't stopped people from assuming that it represents something. I think those descriptions are more of analogies? Oh! Analogy! So! A binturong is like a cross between a bear a cat and a weasel, right? But it isn't actually a cross between those things it just kind of looks like that. And that's kind of how angels are I guess? Unless you want to start getting into Platonic ideals weirdness in which case the solution there is that I don't look like a dragon because actually dragons look like me. A shadow on the cave wall."

Everyone loves the metaphor of the cave it's good fun.

"Hehe, Trog's does stretch a bit for big guests but I don't think even Trog's would be able to accommodate me. I'm like... mountain sized. No joke. The problem with being catastrophically big is that doing anything will cause trouble. I break stuff just by being around. So I'm really really careful about being far away from anyone when I'm busy being me. Thus far I've had pretty good luck with the bottom of the ocean. No one really hangs out down there."

Except Elder Things and Leviathans but they're weirdos who cares about them.

On the subject of Paths Zee just sort of shrugs. "There's a lot of nuance to it that's hard to put to words, but it's a description of what I'm doing. I definitely don't mind others following a similar Path. In fact, I encourage it! The world can always use more helpers willing to improve themselves so they can help better."

And then a tragedy happens.

June runs out of lemonade again.

So Zee gets her some more.

Mostly she's letting June talk through her thoughts on the reflection thing.

[CosmicHobbit]

"I believe myself quite capable of facing down hordes of the dead," the enormous man says. "Are you simply going there for the treasure, then?"

Haggis shrugs at the large man's question. "Partially for the treasure, partially for the thrill, partially for bragging rights. Mostly for the treasure though." He grins as if he found his little quip to be the most funny thing in the world. "Say, I'm not quite sure I got your name! If we're going to be teaming up to take on undead I should probably know that."

[Morty]

"My name is Askeladd," the enormous man introduces himself. "Your reasons are fair ones. How does one gain fortune and glory without a little recklessness? I will support you in your expedition."

[Artemis97]

Out front, a carriage pulled by two black horses, stops before the Tavern. A liveried man hops down from the driver's seat to open the door for those inside. First out was a man in a cream colored suit and tails. His blonde hair shimmered unnaturally in the light, reflecting back the rays of the sun. His eyes, too, were golden and bright. He carried in one hand a walking stick of light wood topped with a large piece of amber. Around his neck was a pendant made of a stylized sun. A Persian cat, pure white, leapt out of the carriage to land on his shoulder and perch there. He scratched the cat under the chin with a gloved hand, before turning and offering his hand to the other occupant of the carriage.

She was a woman, pale as moonlight, with jet black hair pinned up under her hat. Where the man's hair shimmered golden, her hair sparkled with hints of starlight. Her eyes, as well, reflected a similar light, shining silver under long dark lashes. She wore a Victorian style walking dress in black and purple, festooned with lace. Hanging from her neck was a delicate crescent moon in silver, with earrings to match. A silver chatelaine hung from her waist, with various objects dangling from it, including a small crystal vial, an ornate pocket watch chased in mother of pearl, and a length of ebony wood tipped in moonstone. Overhead an owl hooted and then alighted on the coach, a melanistic barn owl, its feathers a deep black, speckled with white.

While the servant took care of the carriage and horses and their luggage, the man and woman entered Trog's. The man held the door open for the lady, and stepped in behind, allowing time for the owl to fly through the door and perch in the rafters. The pair found a table for themselves, the man setting aside his top hat and walking stick on an empty chair, the Persian cat taking the free seat to curl up in. He picked up the menu and began to peruse it. The woman sat, toying with a coaster nervously.

[Rebonack]

Well!

That's definitely a sparkly pair of newcomers!

Exceptionally sparkly details, too. All those little bits and bobs flashing like points of light. That helps Zee get an idea of who she's dealing with. People with a hefty worldline like this are always easier to interact with because there's just more... more. Sunguy seems fairly self-assured. Moongal by contrast appears a bit anxious? Because of where she is? Doesn't get out much? These two definitely seem fancy, either with some appearance enchantments woven into their clothing to get that neat effect or else with some serious magic humming under their skin.

So...

Nobles with expensive baubles or some sort of fae?

Questions questions questions.

Oh.

And of course there's man-man tending to the horses. Zee dispatches Cosmo to make sure the stables are actually up to snuff. They honestly don't get all that much use these days.

So! Yes. Approaching.

"Well howdy!" comes the ever-exuberant greeting of Trog's very own completely normal human barmaid (you suspect nothing). "Welcome to Trog's Tavern! I can't say I've seen your faces before, I'm sure I would have remembered someone so glittery. What can I do for you today?"

[Artemis97]

The man smiles broadly at the barmaid. "I suppose you don't get many Chosen of the Ladies here, do you?" He asks. "I'm Sunbound Johnathan Coltrane, and this is my sister, Moonbound, Miss Jessamine Coltrane."

The lady nods politely, and quickly puts down the coaster, now that she's in the spotlight. "We will need a set of rooms for a time, stabling and food for our horses, of course, but presently? Is it too late for teatime? Or should we order supper?" She glances at her brother at that, who shrugs in a 'whatever you like' sort of way.

Jessamine sighs. "Yes, supper I think. It's been a long day of travel for us." She says to Zee.

Up close, Zee will see the pair are indeed siblings, in fact, were it not for the differences in coloration and gender, they would be identical.

"What looks good?" Johnathan asks. "Anything special?"

[Rebonack]

"You're the first, I think," Zee replies without missing a beat.

So celestial goddesses?

Or celestial fae. Powerful ones.

Not that there's a great deal of difference between those two things.

Unless you happen to be a from a VERY specific sort of setting where there is a VERY major distinction between divine forces and eldritch forces.

Like the one Raril is from!

But Zee is guessing these folks aren't.

They definitely have the wrong flavor about them. Definitely not medieval stasis on these folks. The style of dress is all wrong.

"Well, you two can call me Zee. I'll be getting your order for you today," the barmaid informs them. "And we do have a dinner special today, as a matter of fact. Roasted duck in orange sauce, served with candied walnuts. It's a little on the sweet side, but it's really good."

[Artemis97]

"That sounds delicious!" Johnathan decides, collecting the menus and handing them to Zee. "We'll take two, along with whatever wine pairing your sommelier suggests. And can you do up some plain fish for my cat?" He asks, giving the animal's fur a ruffle.

Jessamine half smiles. "I do not think they have a sommelier, Johnathan. Still, wine sounds nice." She says to Zee. "We'll take a bottle, to share. Perhaps a rose?"

"Ah. Lovely idea, sister mine." Johnathan agrees, and takes a look around, as if seeing the place for the first time. Yes, no sommelier at Trog's. This place was definitely more... rustic, than he was used to finding in cities. It came well recommended, however.

The Sunbound man looked to Zee. "We're new to town, as you can probably tell. We're looking for a friend of ours. His letters were all addressed from, well, a Good League of Good?" He chuckles, hardly believing he said such nonsense out loud. Still, he pulls an envelope from his coat and shows the return address. It looked more modern than what their attire suggested, though the words were written in a rough but even hand. Balthier Wolfbound, was their friend it seemed. And he was indeed staying at one of the cabins on GLoG. "Do you know where we might find it?"

[Rebonack]

"Haha, no sommelier here I'm afraid," Zee replies as she takes the menus. "But we do have quit the selection down in the cellar. Do you want me to bring out a bottle now, or with dinner?"

That's an important question.

Some people prefer having a bit of wine before the main course arrives.

Others prefer to wait.

And Zee isn't quite sure what sort she's dealing with.

But she'll probably be finding out pretty quickly, won't she?

The mention of GLoG gets her attention, though. Visiting a friend? She isn't terribly familiar with all the people who stay at the campsite. It's been quite a while since her last visit, honestly. Wolfbound...? Is that a name she knows? Leaves her wondering how literal of a surname that is. Wolfy people have an amusing tendency to be appropriately named by sheer happenstance FAR too often for it to be sheer happenstance.

"Oh, sure. Head out the City's east gate. GLoG really isn't very far off the main road. Walking distance, really. The scenery transition is pretty stark, though, if you aren't used to that sort of thing. One moment you're walking through city outskirts and the next right in the middle of the woods surrounding the lake."

[Artemis97]

Johnathan looks over at his sister, judging her mood. "I think we'll start with some wine, yes. Perhaps with an appetizer? Whatever you think is good, we'll try!" The Sunbound man surely didn't understand just how weird nexus cooking could get, but Zee probably wouldn't steer them wrong.

Jessamine tilts her head. "Out the east gate, got it. The sun does still rise in the east here, correct? We were warned a bit how strange the terrain can be here. We certainly noticed it on the way in. Gave the coachman a bit of a fright."

"Hmm... perhaps a bottle of brandy for the poor man, too? He should be arranging things with your stablemaster." Johnathan suggests.

[Zefir]

Zee is definitely a completely normal human bar-tender with a bit of a fantasy vibe to her. She's every and any barmaid you might meet at any given fantasy tavern around the multiverse. Or, at least, that's how she presents herself. There might be a core of something under there but she mostly just lets the patrons fill in the details with what makes them feel comfortable.

No reason to look beyond the surface level.

Nothing weird going on here.

Zee lets the comment about her knowledge pass without commenting.

"Going on a dungeon crawl isn't a bad idea," Zee replies brightly. "A little adventure is a great way to learn who someone really is. Masks tend to get stripped away when under pressure. That's how Raril and I got involved, actually! It was quite the road trip. Decided to get out and about since the Town was busy being over-run by undead at the time."

Nothing like an undead moon to bring people together.

Zefir doesn't know Raril so she might just get a confused look. He's not sure how to replie to that so instead he stands up from his place.

"Well, thanks for the talk. I give it a try. What could be the worst outcome? I come back to finish ym drink" he replies with a grin. "Other then they try to kill me."

He then drives over the glass and the drink inside seems to cool down. Even the Ice cubes grow a bit back.

As he heads for the other table he throws a look at the newcomers. Thought it doesn't ned to be very long to get thei nature. Both of them seem to have some overnatural heritage in them. The man will get a bad stare if he even notice. For some reason Zefir is already mad at him, but the reason for that isn't obviouse. The woman on the other hand gets a mix. With her looks she has gotten those intressed looks from men everywhere she goes, but in Zefirs case it mixes with the hatred stare like he's between liking and hating her just from what he can see.

It's at this moment a large minotaur with large horns like those of a Texas longhorn walks in, having to enter through the doorway rather carefully to avoid hitting his head or the sign in his hands on anything. A large sword is strapped to his back, and apart from his slightly ragged cloth pants and some leather belts criss-crossing his chest nothing covers the brown and white spotted fur covering his body. He makes his way over to a table, carefully and gently sets up the sign on it, and lounges in one of the chairs around the table he's transformed into his personal advertisement space. The sign reads:

WARRIORS, HEALERS, ASSASSINS AND OTHERWISE WANTED
An expedition into a most foul dungeon with most lovely riches!
Any and all skills that would help with combat against beasts, monsters, and monstrous beasts wanted!
All non-magical items shall be split equally, with magical items being given to whoever first finds them.
- Haggis

The minotaur, apparently named Haggis, seems very pleased with his sign as he puts his hooves up on the table and leans back in his chair.

So Zefir arrives at the table, immediatly feeling small between the minotaurs and the tall man as he is only average human size. That might be the same feeling dwarfs have while only got elfs and human as company.

"Hello fella. It seems like you'r up for a dungeon and I think I will be a good addition to your party."

[Deathkeeper]

Krayger nods at the conversation.
"So I feel like it's obvious but I guess we should ask anyway. What's folks good at? Because it seems like for the most part all of us fall into the 'hitting things rather hard' categories." he says with a smile, though he glances at the newer person.

[Rebonack]

Hmm... Appetizers that go well with the wine and the duck.

Trog's is a bit limited in the appetizer department. After all, this is primarily a pub. Zee makes a point of having at least one fancy thing she's fixing any given day but finding something to pair it with can be tricky. She'll just have to improvise. "No problem, I'll be out with your first course and the wine in a jiffy."

Then a bob at the question regarding the sun.

"Yep! Sun still sets in the west and rises in the east. It's a conservation of angular momentum thing, I think" Zee says, holding up one hand and making a little looping motion with her pointer finger. She doesn't explain what she means by that further, though. "And I'll get a bottle of brandy for the coachman, too! You two settle in and enjoy your time in Trog's!"

Off she goes!

At about this point someone decides to plunk a few coins into the tavern's jukebox and gets some swanky music playing.

Meanwhile!

"Good luck!" Zee calls after Zefir, apparently completely unphased by his confusion.

[5a Violista]

[In* a Painting]

June is glad for the confirmation that she's in a painting, and wonders when the whole being-in-a-painting started. Probably sometime right before the chemistry puzzle; putting the timeframe then would explain a lot of things.

Clearly, she needs to get the giant to come to the edge and to fall out of the painting.

Realizing that she doesn't want to be trapped in a corner, June goes along the wooden wall to about its middle, so she's not in a corner but still has the wall to her back. So she has left and right open.

And...
She waits.
Can't really do anything until the giant gets here.


Meanwhile! [not in a painting]

A cross between a dragon, philosophical idea, and wings sounds a lot more like a metaphor than an analogy to June, but she supposes she'll actually have to wait to see for herself what exactly makes it more analogous than metaphoric.
As it is, though: still sounds much more what she imagined angelic to be than most 'angelic' things she's come across in the Nexus, and all of Zee's insistence that it's different hasn't really been that convincing yet.
Seems like they're at an impasse for now.

"There's lots of scary things down at the bottom of the ocean. Like giant squids. And weird fish. And volcanos. And stuff."
Having never been to the bottom of the ocean, June is just guessing.


With more lemonade, June is ready to start thinking about this whole dumb reflection thing again.
She spins around on the bar stool, and watches her long snaketailbody wrap around. "So. I'm thinking," she says as she spins.

She stops spinning and drinks some lemonade. "Probably not a coincidence. Way I see it, there's really two main possibilities." A lower hand holds up one finger: "First. The 'reflection' already happened, so it's really more of an 'echo' than a reflection. Meaning...like..."
June thinks about where she's going with it, then says, "Okay. For example, there was some kind of multiverse harmonics, or some powerful weirdo with a specific 'type', or something, just brought a bunch of 'me' to here. Had some effects on me on arrival, but that's it. Just have to deal with having lookalikes all around, so the only thing I have to worry about is mistaken identity and...I guess it'd be weird talking with someone that possibly has the same memories as me."

Okay. More drinking.
She lifts up a second finger. "Other main option is that there's some sort of active thing going on, meaning the change-on-arrival wasn't just a one-time-thing." And it's the more worrisome option because it means there might still be future changes happening that have nothing to do with her choices. "Seems the only way to tell the difference is to check if anything else weird happens? Or something. And then from there come up with a way to figure out what's the 'source' and what that means."
"What do you think?"

[Artemis97]

The siblings converse quietly with one another while they wait for their food and drink.

"Do you think he'll be able to help?" Jessamine asks her brother.

"He is wolfbound, after all." Johnathan replies.

The female twin frowns. "I suppose. We're running out of time, however."

"I know Jess, I know." He replies, softly, reaching to pat her hand.

[Rebonack]

Most angelic things in the Nexus being a very literal human with very literal bird wings sticking out of their back.

Zee could argue more but honestly the distinction is pretty silly anyway.

On to more important topics!

Such as, "Mostly the bottom of the ocean isn't very exciting. Just lots of muck and sea cucumbers trundling around. Though anywhere I end up poking around at tends to attract wildlife about as well as a whale carcass does. It's pretty boring down there so anything new must be really exciting by contrast. Really, it isn't all that scary. The only things that are really dangerous are the cold and the water pressure but neither of those really bother me."

Just a real normal place, the bottom of the ocean. Dark and cold and with plenty of funny looking echinoderms.

Then?

Zee watches some spinning and listens to some ideas.

They're some pretty good ideas, she thinks. As likely to be true as anything else.

"If you were all brought here by someone you might have to worry about the reason," Zee points out. "Since it might be some sort of sinister plan of June-bringing because... I don't know? When I was originally brought here for reasons the reason wasn't very sinister, I guess. It's just that the really big angels don't really... y'know, think like regular people do."

It's kind of weird that Zee is referring to 'really big angels' when she described herself as mountain-sized earlier.

"Since lots of mes were brought here, too. Just not all of me at the same time. It was sequential. But! It was pretty clear why I got dumped here. The one that brought me here was using me as something of an intermediary, I guess? I sort of... just knew it? Kind of? But it sounds like you don't know why you're here. Or why all the other Junes are here, either. Which makes it way harder to figure out what might be going on."

Meanwhile!

Not too far away from the siblings' table a gray-haired woman is being harassed. A bit odd, that, given that she looks pretty young. The grey-haired part, not the harassed part. She's what, maybe mid-twenties at the oldest? She's wearing a rather impressive suit of brass armor with a purple tabard over the breastplate. The gauntlets and helm are sitting on the table next to her because of course they are. It's really difficult to hold a fork while wearing heavy gauntlets.

"Come on, please?" asks the reedy young man haranguing the adventurer.
"No."
"But it will be so cool!"
"It absolutely will not be."
"Come oooon, just one bite it's all I'm asking!"
"No. This is not a game. It is not fun. It is not enjoyable," she says, finally turning to glare at the young man with her eyes that almost seem to shimmer with the color of moonlight. "I will not change my mind regardless of how many times you ask."

It looks like he's going to ask again, but the woman's glare intensifies. Sullen, the reedy young man bows his head and skulks away.

Fenris Gray-Mane turns back to her food, giving a heavy sigh as she rubs the bridge of her nose. "Julianos' mercy I almost preferred it just being illegal."

[Artemis97]

Johnathan Coltrane notices Fenris' plight. Young woman with grey hair? Not quite the silver the wolfbound folks were wont to have but maybe she's somehow connected?

"Pardon me, Miss, but was that young man harassing you?" He questions.

Jessamine looks at the woman curiously. Was she fey-touched? or Adversary-born? Or something entirely different? She blinks, realizing she was staring a bit, and knowing her moon-silver eyes could be intense.

"Perhaps you would like to join us? If only to keep him at bay?" Jessamine suggests.

[Rebonack]

"Unfortunately, yes, I suspect I rebuffed him sufficiently to dissuade further pleading but if I have learned anything about this place it is that it will surprise you," Fenris replies, a hint of humor creeping into her otherwise serious tone. She gathers her drink and the book she was perusing and joins the twins. "Regardless, company would be welcome if only to ward off further intrusions. Well met, I'm Fenris Gray-Mane. For all the relevance clan names have here, I suppose."

It seems she's a bit wordy.

The woman has a bit of an odd accent, though she's very careful with her pronunciation. In spite of the armor she has something of the air of a scholar about her.

"Who do I have the honor of sharing a meal with?"

Speaking of meals!

...Zee doesn't return yet.

What?

It's only been a minute or so thus far!

Making goop appetizers takes time.

[Artemis97]

"I am Sunborn, Johnathan Coltrane, and this is my sister, Moonborn, Jessamine Coltrane." The man introduces them.

"It's very nice to meet you, Miss Fenris." Jessamine says, "We've heard this place can be very surprising indeed, or so we were warned." Noticing the book, she then asks. "What are you reading, if I can ask?"

[Rebonack]

Interesting titles.

Fenris hasn't the faintest idea what either of them mean, but that's of little concern to her.

Of what use are titles in a place so disconnected from the ways of other realms?

What seems to matter here are deeds, which is a currency Fenris is well accustomed to trading in.

"A pleasure to meet you both," she replies politely. Siblings? The resemblance is there, certainly. Aside from the... magical cosmetics, perhaps? they look very much alike. More so than she and her brothers do, certainly. But then again Fenris did tend to take after her father's side of the family, when it comes to looks. Her brothers more mother's side.

Her eyebrows rise slightly at the mention of the book.

A pleasant surprise, that these strangers would be interested!

"Ah, no of course I don't mind at all. It is a treatise on alteration magic by an archmage by the name of Tenser. A brilliant man, by all accounts. I believe the mechanics of magic in his home world differ slightly from by own but some of the underlying concepts are still applicable to my own work and quite insightful. I, ah, don't suppose either of you are familiar with Velmoth's four principles of diversion?"

[Artemis97]

"Oh you're a mage?" Johnathan surmises. "Wonderful!"

"I've never heard of either one, but I would love to learn." Jessamine says. "Johnathan and I are both magicians, as you might have guessed. Divinely gifted at birth, yes, but we still had to learn to master our powers. What are the four principles of diversion? If you don't mind explaining?"