/donut/ - Donut Bar

>>993

"Fair enough," it says. "I'll try my best at both."

>>994

"This place, being between worlds. There is no standard form here?"

>>995

"This place is this place," It says. "All I know is some doors in whatever world will go here instead of where we think they will go, and leaving we jus think of where we want to go and we'll pretty much go there."

>>996

"Oh!" She looks crestfallen. "He really could be anywhere then."

>>1044

"Like I said, I know where he is going right now," It says. "You could ask around next time, or maybe think 'somewhere near that spider' when you leave."

A young woman wearing a private-school uniform walks into the Bar.

She's got a long, thin carrying case, and a military-surplus backpack. As she walks up to the bar, she shakes out her hair, quietly focusing on the bartender.

"A friend of mine came here, a while ago," she says in a level tone. "Have you seen him? He's wearing the same uniform I am."

Oh, shit. Is this the famous Cayenne?

The bartender nods silently.

"Where is he?"

The bartender points out the door; the woman strides toward it, pulls it open--and sees a thousand blinking stars--no, doors, opening and closing, opening and closing...

She closes the door.

"I see."

She turns to the rest of the bar.

"Is there an explanation?"

The petite elf dressed in leathers looks at you, bottle in hand. "Yeah. Apparently this is a place between all worlds, and it can take you anywhere."

She raises an eyebrow. "Though I find it interesting you came here looking for somebody too. Somebody who you are sure came here, right? And now they aren't."

She motions at the bombsuit. "And this thing here, it told me that my objective was out on an errand deemed important by a few people. Perhaps your boy was one of those few people and they are together?"

>>1058

>>1059

"Yeah," It says. It opens it's small notebook. "I don't remember what the others were wearing, was it the guy that is apparently a magic weapons contractor or the boy that can have magic armor? The other two were a spider and a girl, so they don't fit the description."

He notes the woman's bag and case. "Do you go to a military school of some kind?"

>>1059

>>1060

"The boy with magic armor. He was carrying a short sword? The girl might be his sister, I know he came here with her."

She walks to the counter as if she isn't talking to a shapeshifter and an apparently haunted bomb-defusal suit, and takes a seat.

"So all these people are together then?"

She looks at the suit, then the woman.

"That means you and I point the same direction."

>>1065

"Then we just need to find our way."

She offers a hand to you.

"My name is Cayenne Piper. And yours?"

>>1066

She reaches out to grasp it, giving a much firmer shake than the elf smaller than you should be able to. "Shudleng, Among Others," she says with a spry grin.

"What are you hunting this boy and his sister for? Have they wronged you?"

>>1066

>>1068

The bomb suit writes in its small book. "Yeah, I'm curious myself," It closes its book. "I want to know if I decide to open the door towards where they went if I'm going to be keeping one shape shifter from throttling a spider or a shape shifter and a girl from throttling a spider and a boy."

Shudleng looks over at the bomb suit. "It's poor form to call a shapeshifter one without everyone in the room knowing. And believe me, I know bad form."

She smiles grimly, like at a joke.

"It's fine though. Obviously the normal rules don't apply here. Though you don't have to worry about that. I wouldn't throttle the spider"

>>1076

"Heh, good point...Yeah, I know you probably wouldnt throttle him," The bomb suit glances over to the broken spear the shape shifter had earlier. "You'd probably do a good deal more."

>>1077

She shrugs.

"More, or less. Depends on on the situation. If I got him in an ambush, I can put him down and be done. If I had to fight him? I'd take it slow." She smiles wider, showing pointed teeth.

>>1078

"And that's why I'm A. Withholding his location, and B. Going to go stand between the two of you if I do open the door there," It says.

"Because I'd justifiably want justice?"

>>1080

It appears visibly disturbed by that statement.

"How is that justice?"

She leans in. "Shouldn't I seek payback for years of emotional torment?"

>>1082

That seems to visibly put a twinge on the suit. He stands up straight, no longer leaning on the bar.

"For him pulling a joke that has been going on for longer than it should have?" It asked rhetorically. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned- and your form is currently feminine- but is killing him really justice? Is it really more than just wrath? Revenge?"

"Have you experienced love?"

>>1084

"A can't say I have," It says.

She nods. "Ok. So I think you might lack empathy for this."

>>1086

"Perhaps so, but empathy and sympathy are two different things. Despite my lack of them, I'm all ears."

"Fair. It's a difficult situation to describe, so I'll go from a legal standpoint. Vasnesh is wanted for crimes in two nations, and many more towns than that."

>>1088

"Crimes such as?"

She counts them off on her fingers, adding an extra one for each person. "Destruction of property, impersonation of others, thievery, and connection with 17 missing people that weren't me."

"So he's a wanted man, for the theft of your heart--among other things."

She nods to the bartender, and picks up her drink--a glass of tea, with a lemon in it.

"And you want to kill him for it. Sounds..vaguely reasonable. I wouldn't do the same to the one I'm looking for."

"Theft of my heart many different times. As many different people. Then revelations that they aren't who they say they are. I think once it twice would be enough for murder. This is much much more."

She looks at the drink, then back up at Cayenne. "Then why search?"

>>1090

>>1091

"I think impersonation of identity wouldn't be something a shape shifter wouldn't find difficult," it says, leaning slightly towards the pointy-toothed elf. "Though i wouldn't be against apprehending him."

>>1091

"Why are you after the boy, anyways?" It asks.

>>1092

>>1093

"He missed his fencing practice."

She takes a sip of her drink.

"He never misses fencing practice. Unless, of course, something more important comes up."

>>1093

"Impersonation is easy but immoral, depending on what one does with the identity. It's much much more moral to make a new identity." She finishes her bottle and shakes her head. "You can't apprehend him. It's been tried. He's a trickster. He's escaped before."

>>1094

"He went with a spider to get his sister's brain fixed," The suit says. "Pretty sure that is more important than practice."

>1095

"I think a knife in his back that would likely kill him in one stab would be a good way to keep a hold on him for a while," He pulls a knife out of a pouch on his side. It is black, and appears to have a small button on the bottom of it. "Push in, press button, get enough air to fill a basketball filled into your target. I never have to use this."

>>1096

"He always did care for his sister. Do you know where they went? If I were a gambler, my money would be on him needing help."

>>1096

"So, they went with the spider? To fix a brain?" Realization dawns on her face.

"I know where they went."

She admires the knife, "But why would I let you be the one to kill him?"

>>1098

Cayenne glances toward you.

Her gaze is cold--cold as an iceberg, and twice as immovable.

"Nobody said you wouldn't be the one to go. But nobody said you would not have company."

She pushes her stool back, and begins walking to the door. "If you know where they are, now is the time to lead us there."

>>1099

She grins widely, and smoothly moves to the door, looking back at the suit. "Ready?"

>>1100

"Yes. We will need to track them, hovever; it has been a few days."

She grips the handle of her rapier.

"Not to mention that, since this is presumably a different world, there is a significant chance of hostile things on the other end. But I'm always ready for that."

"I'm always ready."

She moves to the door, thinking for a moment, then walks through, into what looks to be a breathtaking crystal forest.

Cayenne follows shortly behind.

>>1097

"I know where they went in the sense that I looked out the door when they left and can visualize where they went," It says.

>>1098

"I'm not. Chances are I won't even use the compressed air blast even if I do have to get rough, it just works as collatoral..."

It begins catching up on the conversation, and follows them out.

Someone comes hurtling through the front door. He's built like a barrel--stout and strong. He hefts a baseball bat over his shoulder.

"...dammit, Cayenne. Why do you always go running off without me?"

The bartender points him toward the door. He leaps through, shouting "YOU HAD BETTER LEAVE SOME SHADOWS FOR ME, CAYENNE!"

A woman walks into the bar. She has a maroon trench coat, black pants, and black leather shoes on.

She looks around, as it was obvious this was not where she expected the door she walked in to lead. "Where on Earth..."

"...is Carmen Sandiego?"

The bartender chuckles. "Sorry, personal joke. Come in, sit down."

>>1295

"I get the reference," She says. She walks up to the bar, taking a seat on one of the stools. "You look like you come here often, what exactly is the place?"

>>1298

"It's nowhere. Well, sort of. It's also everywhere. You walk into a hole in the wall, you might end up here. You could say this is a hole in the fourth wall, heheh."

He's polishing a glass. You didn't see that glass in his hand before, and there weren't any on the counter.

"So don't be surprised if you see something that shouldn't exist in your world. We get a lot of travellers here."

>>1301

"Going by that..." She sighs, leaning over the counter and putting a hand on her forehead. "I'm going to need something strong... What do you have?"

>>1304

"Anything you want. Name it, and I can provide it."

>>1315

"A glass of red wine, Bully Hill brand," She says. "Please."

>>1317

He produces a bottle, and works the corkscrew with deft fingers.

Within a moment, the cork is out; and soon after, a glass is sitting before you, filled neatly with ruby liquid.

"Enjoy."

The bottle and corkscrew are nowhere to be found. The man looks as if his shirt has barely even been ruffled.

>>1321

"Thanks," She says.

"So why are you here? Though I should be asking why this place exists..."

"I apologize, I should probably introduce myself," The woman says.

"My name is Susan Altmer, and you are?"

>>1325

>>1331

"I am the bartender."

He shrugs.

"That's what I do. Someone has to keep this place clean, after all."

>>1337

"Ah..." She says. "So what brings most people here? Chance? Fate?"

>>1341

"A mix of both. Perhaps some of them seek this place on purpose, but it's hard to get here the first time."

He gestures to the empty tables. "As you can see, we've got very little traffic as yet."

>>1346

"I see..." Susan says, looking over the vast emptiness of the bar with a sip of her wine, holding the glass by the stem as one should. "That would explain why this place isn't as infinitely packed as the way to get in would imply..."

>>1347

"It will grow. When you build something, people will come to it."

He sighs. "It just takes time."

>>1351

"Of course, I know about business a bit," She says, taking a sip of her wine.

"A good idea is to get word out on here. Word of mouth, flyers, social media..."

>>1352

"Not a lot of ways to advertise for a cross-universe bar with no real address."

He studies a glass. "Not to mention that not everyone's happy about me franchising this place."

>>1353

"Who would disagree? People could learn new things, meet new people..." She says, a sip of her wine. "It seems perfect, if the decor could be better, more people here...'

>>1354

"There's people who think I'm doing this because people at the old place treated me like the village idiot."

"That's only half the reason."

>>1355

"Other half just trying for a different customer group?"

>>1356

"Yep. See, the old crowd...it's stagnant. They aren't doing anything. You used to see people comin' in and out on grand adventures..."

He frames the door with his hands.

"But then they stopped. The old guard left, and the new guys...they didn't do anything new or exciting."

>>1357

"Well, starting a new story would be a good plan, nothing wrong with that," She says, taking a sip of her wine.

>>1358

"The old guard felt betrayed, though."

He sighs.

"That'll screw with my traffic."

>>1359

"Betrayed?"

>>1360

"They built this world."

He seems to fold in on himself.

"I just came along and jumped in. Right on time to see it all fall apart, too."

>>1361

"That's a shame," She says. She takes a nice, slow sip of her wine. "I'm guessing I'm coming in at the birth of something new, then?"

>>1362

"Got in through the ground floor, so to speak."

He points upward. "Haven't even gotten a second floor yet."

Nothing but the mass of webbing, which is looking firmer and firmer as time goes on.

>>1364

She nods. "That sounds like upgrading might improve the place."

>>1365

She looks up. "What is with the webs?"

>>1367

"It's a project that one of the first arrivals is undertaking. A first-and-a-half floor, so to speak. Vasnesh!"

>>1365

The tender calls up to you.

"Be wary. I intend to put in a few more floors."

>>1368

>blaming Vasnesh being here on time fuckery

The telltale form of a spider comes scuttling over one of the lower webs. It pokes it's head over the front, looking down at the two of you.

"That sounds great! Can't wait to expand there too!"

He waves at Susan, and says "I'm making things a little more comfortable for those like myself that don't necessarily sit like you folks do. Also, there's this horrible racial compulsion to ensconce myself in a we labyrinth one can be safe in, but hey, whatever. If one is a frog, you might as well croak."

>>1369

>Time fuckery is standard fare here.

"Just watch out for sudden stairs."

Worth noting that the spider is roughly half the size of a man, and covered in dark brown hair. His black eyes sparkle with intelligence.

>>1370

"Will do, Bartender. I'm glad to have gotten in in the ground floor, by the way. From what I've heard, this place caters to my kind more than the other one."

He throws a salute and resumes his weaving, throwing a rope down into the bar, so that his Web works are now accessible.

>>1372

>Don't forget, you can make a thread for it. And since I'm online, I can make it cyclical just like this one, if you want.

"We cater to all kinds, Vasnesh. That having been said, avoiding fights is in our best interest."

Susan examines the webbing and the giant spider with a sip of her wine. You can see just in her eyes alone she is amazed, possibly for various reasons.

"I'm surprised I didn't notice it when I came in..."

>>1373

>that was the plan, as soon as I got home to my keyboard. As soon as it is up, I'll point it out and would appreciate the cyclical.

"Of course. I'm a spider. You think I like to fight? Hell no. I'm a trickster and a lover, not a fighter."

>>1374

He drops down om a thick strand of webbing, to about her level. "Yes, I try to keep it a little unobtrusive. No reason to draw attention to it, right?"

>>1375

"Mmhm."

He starts polishing his usual glass.

"As I said, watch for sudden stairs. And stay out of trouble, friend."

>>1378

"Always do, Bartender. Wouldn't dream of jeopardizing my place in my new home here."

>is that a warning about anything specific? Just being sure because of the repetition.

>>1376

"Well you did a good job at that," She says.

She finishes her wine off.

"So you are Vasnesh?"

>>1380

"I am. Vasnesh the Spider, at your service." He performs a mock bow in the air, giving the little arm circle and inclining his front end. "And you are Susan Altmer, yes?"

>>1381

"Indeed, I am." She nods as a small bow. "Nice to meet you."

>>1379

>Things tend to suddenly appear.

>>1382

"And you as well. If you spend any time here, I've got a line dropped all over the bar, so to speak. You can reach me if needed."

He heads over to the bar and asks for an order of the usual, drinking the foul-smelling pinkish liquid that results.

"What do you think?"

>>1384

>Heh, no worries. It's a hazard of a place like this, right?

>>1387

>Indeed.

>>1386

"I think that is fairly interesting..." She says. She looks around at the web.

"How long have you been here?"

>>1392

"Time's a little weird here. No real sun to base time off of, after all. I did mean just what do you think of the bar in general. I like it here."

He finishes his drink and drops to the ground. "I can look different if you would prefer, I know that one is often not accustomed to speaking to Giant Spiders."

>>1398

"Ah, well... The bar is pretty neat... Could use a little ambience asides from whoever is here, maybe a radio or even a jukebox, not enough people to make up for the lack in background noise," She says.

"And I'm accustomed to chatting with a small fox, so I don't think a spider is that too far a fetch."

>>1400

He looks her over. Then does it again.

"So what did Note make you?"

>>1402

"Ah, you've met her," Susan says. "Well if she said anything about it, a magical girl."

She is clearly an adult, not a young girl.

>>1403

"I have. She's certainly... Something." He looks her over again. "I meant your weapon. I know it isn't normally an actual weapon, and have yet to see one in real life that wasn't in a combat situation."

>NOTE TO SELF, CLICK NEW REPLY WHEN YOU FINISH TYPING.

>>1404

"Ah, yes... She is a handful..." She says. "And I can show you mine."

She snaps her fingers and summons forth... A book. A book that is 9 1/2 inches tall, 6 inches wide, and almost 2 inches thick, the cover is blue with reflective gold title and design on it.

>The dimensions of the book are the same as the dimentions of The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide by Douglas Adams.

>I literally just grabbed a ruler to measure that stuff.

>>1408

>I know that feel

"I see. Very nice. And what's it do? Cut enemies to death with the paper?"

>>1409

"Yes." She says with a straight face.

Then opens it. "As well as summoning more books, being a good read, and other things."

>>1410

"Ah, that's about to be expected then. What else does it do for you? Gives you that standard transformation sequence, right?"

>>1411

"Of course, what else do you expect?" She says. "I said I am a magical girl."

She flips open the book.

>>1416

"Yeah, but we don't have magical girls in my world. At least not as an actual thing, like yours apparently does."

He shrugs.

>>1417

She shrugs.

"I doubt every world would need us," She says.

>>1419

"Note said you fight monsters. Could you elaborate?"

>>1421

"There is various kinds of monsters, but we do it to keep people safe- and from wandering into areas certain kinds of monsters are in while we fight them- she asked us if we wanted to become magical girls, and then makes a weapon, and then we can do our magical girl shtick," She says.

"The outfit is like some form of magical armor, not just to look pretty. Keeps us from having what would realistically happen if, say, a giant cylinder of metal came at us at roughly twenty miles per hour and slams us into a wall," She elaborates.

"...I should probably abridge this rather than chat your ear off," she says.

She offers her glass to the bartender, asking for a refill.

Susan acquires x1 Glass of Bully Hill Wine.

>>1423

"I see. And there's not a problem with it only being young girls chosen for this? I mean, I don't really see the need for child soldiers. She said it had something to do with believing in magic, but if your world is somewhere that people can actually not believe in magic..." He shudders.

>>1424

The scarecrow is carried away by the autumn wind.

Time to enhance the autism

>>1424

"There's always doubters, people who just plain don't think it possible for magic to exist, people who think magic is devilry... And a part of it is being pure in heart as well, and part of it is actually being able to notice Note, since in our world she'd have to actively try to get noticed for people to see her."

She takes a sip of her wine. "Even then, there is still the chance they don't see her as out of the ordinary."

"And as for it just being young girls... Actually, I don't even think she has tried a boy yet, might just be because the first person she made into a magical girl knew about magical girl things, and so Note thinks she only can do it with girls... Never know what's in her head sometimes."

>>1426

>Feel free to.

>>1426

>This will be fun.

>>1562

"No, friend, you are not."

A friendly, if nondescript, face turns to you.

A bartender. Always a welcome sight, aren't they?

"Welcome to the Donut Bar," he says, polishing a wineglass. "Drinks are on the house."

>>1566

"So then it would be safe to assume that no one here knows who I am?" The man asks, his eyes alight with malicious glee.

"Oh how fun."

He strolls over to a chair and takes a seat, totally relaxed and at ease.

"So tell me, is this door a one way trip or can I go home just like I came here?"

>>1568

"Think of home as you walk out, and you will arrive there."

The bartender studies his handiwork, and places the wineglass upon a rack, next to thousands of others.

"Oh, and be careful. I've got some construction going on upstairs--multiple projects. Things might suddenly fall in here."

A young man, around his thirties, enters the bar. He's dressed in a gray suit; the knees are scraped and stained, and the shoulders of his jacket are padded with leather. He sits at the bar and taps twice, blinking in surprise when a glass of golden liquid slides down the counter into his hand. He turns over to face the other newcomer.

"Hey. Come here often?"

>>1568

Whoops! Forgot to tag!

>>1569

"I see, and so would it be possible to go to... other 'homes' that way?" He asks, his smile widening further.

>>1570

"I'm sorry, I don't think I was talking to you." He says, his smile vanishing for an instant before reappearing, causing the others to question whether or not he had stopped smiling at all.

Looking up, he freezes for a moment but then seems to gather his wits and his smile returns.

"And who might you be, stranger?" He asks the newcomer while smirking again.

>>1573

"Theoretically. But I'm sure that you won't cause trouble."

The bartender eyes you for a moment, then grabs another glass from...somewhere.

>>1574

"Cross my heart." The man says with a dark glint in his golden eyes, slowly tracing his finger over his chest in an "X". He giggles quietly for a moment before turning back to the other new arrival.

"My bad; I'm usually too open with people. Gets me into a lot of trouble back at the uni. You can call me Pollux."

He offers his hand to the newcomer

>>1576

"Very well then."

The bartender fades into the background; his introductions are finished.

>>1576

GAH I NED TO REMEMBER TU TAG

>>1577

Rising from his chair, the golden eyed stranger approaches Pollux, looking him over and appearing to sniff at him a few times.

"You're not a normal human. Are you?" He asks, his ever-present grin gone while he watches the young man.

>>1580

"Eh, I'm just a physics teacher from Pittsburgh. There's some weird family history, but I'd like to think I'm a fairly normal guy."

The hand is still out there, offered.

>>1584

The dark haired man sneers at that, but suddenly feels a chill run down his spine. Looking over his shoulder, he can feel the eyes of the bartender upon him, though the man himself seems to be absent.

Turning back to Pollux he takes his hand, and gives it what appears to be a warm handshake.

"My name is Joshua." He says before taking his seat once again.

Feeling a slight prick on his hand, Pollux notices a very small cut where Joshua's thumb had been moments ago.

"What do you serve at this establishment?" Joshua asks, looking down the table at the infinite room.

"Or is it possible to go hunting for a meal?" His eyes seemed to shine for just a moment when he mentioned hunting.

>>1586

"We serve anything," the bartender says, placing a wineglass upon the counter.

"What would you like?"

>>1586

>>1586

"They have blood. Any type. Or cerebral fluid, if that's your fancy. They've got anything and everything here."

Pollux sloshes his glass about.

"This, for example, is ambrosia."

>>1587

"Any kind of meat would be appreciated." Joshua says, though his smile seems to indicate that he considered saying something else.

"Raw if at all possible please." He says with a giggle.

>>1588

Upon hearing that, Joshua's ears seemed to twitch a bit.

"Ambrosia you say? Isn't that the so-called nectar of the gods?" He asks, eyeing the drink closely

>>1590

A plate, bearing a freshly-cut steak, appears in front of you.

The bartender continues polishing mugs and steins, his hands clean.

>>1590

"Well, technically this is nectar. Ambrosia is the food of the gods. There are recorded instances, such as Tantalus, in which mortals have ingested both ambrosia and nectar! While the fact that it's stocked here means somewhere at this establishment there is a member of some circle of gods, I'm somewhat please because it's delicious!"

Pollux toasts in Joshua's direction then takes a swig of the glass.

>>1591

Joshua's eyes shine momentarily again at the scent of fresh meat, but they quickly fade to their usual dull gold.

"Now doesn't this look delicious." Joshua says with a smile, although there seems to be a faint air of disappointment.

Moving extremely slowly, Joshua pulls a butterfly knife from his coat pocket & flicks it open. He then slowly, gently takes a small fork from the same pocket and cuts a small, bite-sized piece of steak from the rest of the meat. Slowly and trembling ever so slightly, he takes a slow bite of the meat that still drips with blood.

"Exquisite." He says, with a grin, and for a brief moment, his teeth seem to be a row of razor sharp fangs, but are totally normal an instant later, seeming to have simply been a trick of the light.

>>1595

Pollux casts a glance over to Joshua

Then he taps the bar, and a sippy cup slides down and *clinks* against Joshua's plate. The little piece of tape on the side labels it "O+".

>>1599

Sniffing the bottle, Joshua frowns and looks at Pollux with a twinge of irritation.

"What's the point in just drinking blood if there's no meat to sink your teeth into? I'm not some kind of vampire you know." He says, feigning offense before cackling loudly. His laughter soon gives way to quiet giggling as he takes another slow, measured bite of his steak.

>>1600

"I always figured it was like drinking apple juice instead of eating an apple."

Pollux shrugs. He then reaches down to ground-level and hoists a gym bag onto the seat next to him, where he takes out a small oilcloth and a box. He opens up the box, picking a few tools out of it, then begins tinkering with the contents of the oilcloth.

>>1603

"I see it as just buying an apple when you can always pick you own." He says with a toothy grin once again, before taking another bite of his steak. His hands seem to have stopped trembling, but he is still taking extreme care and eating very slowly.

>>1607

"The difference being that the apples run and scream, I suppose."

>>1614

"My favorite part." Joshua says with a savage grin, his eyes shining brightly for a moment before fading back to normal as he takes another bite of his steak.

>>1616

"That attitude's gonna get you killed one day."

Pollux says this with a remarkably casual tone. As if he were telling you that if you fell in a river, you would get wet.

>>1621

"Many have tried." Joshua says as he stifles a laugh, a small trickle of blood drips from his canines and down his cheek.

"Oh, where are my manners? I'm afraid I'm not very accustomed to eating at the table." He says, drawing a stained handkerchief and wiping the blood from his lips.

Having finished his meal, Joshua stands and stretches for a moment, yawning as he does so which further reinforces his appearance of a large predatory cat.

"Well this has been an interesting experience. But you said if I go through that door, I can go to other places right?" He asks the bartender, who nods the affirmative.

"Wonderful." Joshua says with a throaty chuckle before stalking off towards the door, his laughter building into a giddy giggle as he opens the door and vanishes into the darkness on the other side.

A young man--clearly a scholar, by his build--walks through the door of the bar, brow furrowed.

Behind him, a stunning woman enters, dragging a stocky fellow along for the ride.

"We'll need to find someplace private, somewhere that we can talk without being heard--"

A thrumming sound fills the air.

"Heads up," the bartender says.

Immediately followed by a man with dark brown hair clothed in grey silk. It almost looks like spiderwebs.

Walking alongside him is a petite elven woman with dark eyes and long fingers.

>>1810

The thrumming sound is coming from somewhere above you--above your webworks.

Up there, you can see something moving.

The sound of whistling wind joins the thrumming.

It's the sound of wood and metal moving at speeds that no matter was meant to move at.

The stairs are coming in.

William saunters in with a perplexed look on his face, clearly confused at the actions of the others.

"What's going on?"

The door opens slowly, and a low chuckling heralds Joshua's return. While his hat seemed decidedly wetter than when he arrived before, his suit seemed cleaner, almost new.

"There are so many things I-" he freezes, examining each of the people in the room.

"-There are more of you than before." He says slowly, eyeing the various weapons of the others though his smile never leaves his face.

"You didn't happen to come from some place called Peglion, did you?" He asks slowly, closing the door behind him.

>>1813

"No, I don't. Why?" William asks the stranger.

>>1814

"Oh no reason." Joshua says, his grin widening.

"What about you kids?" He asks the other new arrivals.

>>1815

Both Vasnesh and Shudleng turn to the new arrival. They mirror his grin. Shudleng saunters up to him, while Vasnesh hangs back.

"No. I feel like if we did, we might have heard of you. Isn't that right?"

>>1812

>>1813

>>1814

>>1815

>>1816

And then, just ten feet away, a massive set of stairs lands.

They lead up into the ceiling--past the webs, past the rafters. At the top, there's some kind of hallway.

"Second floor's finished," says the bartender.

>The BEDROOMS are now unlocked.

>>1809

The scholar, the lady, the dwarf, and the girl who looks oddly similar to the scholar exchange glances.

"...well, maybe we can get some privacy up there."

>>1817

Vasnesh spins to the bartender and grins. "Good work, Bartender. I've been hoping to expand upwards."

He grabs one of the ropes hanging down from above and clambers up it like a spider with only 4 limbs.

>>1819

"Glad to be of service," the bartender says, saluting you.

Meanwhile, Percy grabs Riley's hand, and the awesome foursome make their way upstairs.

>>1816

Joshua gives a dark chuckle, and flashes a toothy grin.

"No, I don't think you would have. But good to know I haven't missed much. I don't remember all this being here last time I visited though, so I suppose time passes quite differently when you're beyond these doors."

>>1817

>>1819

>>1820

William follows behind the group, curious to see what the emergency was.

>>1822

You see Percival, Riley, Hal, and Cayenne all enter the same room...

>And then we hopped to the Bedrooms thread.

>>1821

"Oh, don't pretend you are exactly subtle." Shudleng saunters up very close to the man, obviously getting a big whiff of that smell of death that surrounds him and enjoying it.

"I spent more than a few years as a predator. I'd recognize you as one even if you didn't smell like an abattoir."

>>1825

"You wound me!" Joshua exclaims with mock offense.

"Besides, where's the fun if the hunted don't know you're coming?" He says with a giggle, his eyes gleaming brightly momentarily.

>>1829

"Because they taste better if they are afraid. And there's no fear you can give them that is sweeter than letting them fill themselves with the fear of you first."

Before your eyes she changes into a near replica of Joshua, though his eyes are far too bright and the smell isn't quite what one would expect from him, though as time goes on these flaws correct themselves and they'd be impossible to tell apart.

The new Joshua speaks with a voice you only hear when it's played back to you.

"But, I never have that problem anyway."

>>1834

"Fear of the reaper is secondary to the fear of death." The man says, sniffing like an animal, pacing around the replica.

"You're quite good. I almost can't tell us apart. What are you?" He asks, giggling giddily

>>1839

He giggles. "Exactly. Be the reaper. Don't just be Death."

As for the second question, he follows his pacing.

"I am what I am. And that is whatever I want to be. On my world you'd have your share of competition. From Beasts larger than this bar released every hundred years to mindreaders. My kind are the apex shapeshifters and all else pale in comparison." He slowly giggles the words out, picking up his speech patterns the more he talks.

>>1842

"Sounds like my kind of party." He says with a mad cackle.

"Humans are fun to play with, but there's no challenge in it." He puts his hands in his pockets and shakes his head like a disappointed school teacher.

"Do they even care about hunters running wild?"

>>1844

He nods, then shakes his head, giggling "Of course they do, as long as you are within the city. If you want to hunt monsters, go ahead. It's a world of danger out there. They faced crystal-infused bears linked up to a hivemind just a day ago. I wouldn't recommend going there though. The guard tend to look unfavorable upon dangerous elements in their forests. When they found us, they reduced all but a few of us to unconsciousness with a mental attack so devastating it almost destroyed one of us. As it stands, there are other worlds like that, if this place can really go everywhere. You could be fighting on a world permanently embroiled in war if you like. " He giggles.

>>1847

Joshua laughs uncontrollably.

"They can do all they want. Can't break something that's already broken!" He cackles, eyes shining brightly.

"That sounds fun!" He says, trembling ever so slightly.

"But I'd need a guide, don't want to attract too much attention too soon." He says, approaching his doppelganger, close and intimate like dancing partners.

>>1850

As he approaches, the imposter grins. His grin is deadly, and all together right on point on his face, even as he trembles.

"Don't presume too much. It's rude to make yourself too familiar with one who does not even know your name. If you wish to ask for my services, you may."

>>1854

Joshua's hair stands on end, and he quickly puts some distance between the pair.

"Now now, I wasn't planning on hurting you. Not yet anyway." He says with a cackle.

"Would you like the name I was given or the name I have taken?"

>>1856

>>1856

>The pair? My bad. Vasnesh is upstairs listening.

He chuckles and shakes.

"Of course you weren't. But it's still not very nice. I'd like both, and I can give you mine."

>>1858

"I was designated number three: 'The Hunter', and they learned first hand how apt that name was," he says, laughing at a joke only he understood, "but you can call me Joshua." He says, faking an exaggerated bow and removing his hat, letting his shaggy black hair fall in front if his face.

>>1862

"I am Shudleng, Among others. So you were created as you are? Interesting." He does much the same, mirroring your actions.

>>1864

"Oh I wasn't made this way. Not entirely. There was an... incident." He says, placing the hat back on his head and grinning a wicked smile before descending into wild cackling once again.

>>1866

He does the same, giggling.

"Ah, accidental transformation instead of willful creation. There's quite a story there, I can tell."

>>1868

"The stories I could tell you would curl our hair." He says, giggling.

"Would you look at that? I'm talking to myself again, but for once I'm not doing it because I'm crazy!" He cackles again.

"You are actually here right?" He asks, mockingly serious.

>>1872

"My stories would do likewise."

His eyes shine. "Anyone here could tell you there's two of us. At least I hope. I mean, otherwise we would be crazy." He cackles at the joke.

>>1878

"So do you just mirror those you meet? Or are you planning on replacing me?" Joshua asks with a wicked grin.

>>1879

He giggles and the impostor's form shifts to a petite woman. The very essensce of high society, with long red hair and a slim black backless dress. She seems a little tall, and her eyes are slightly off-color from each other, but those imperfections fade in time. She speaks in sultry breathy tones. "I don't replace anyone. I have fun mirroring new people though."

>>1885

"Well it certainly seems to be a fun hobby." He says, grinning.

"So what's the story with the people upstairs? None of them seemed normal."

>>1888

Her smile is small and perfectly wide. "It is.Too long of a story to tell. None of them are. Most of them are demon hunters. Another is just a spider."

>>1891

Joshua freezes. His grin falters.

"Spider?"

>>1892

"Yes. A spider. Is that the one thing that gets you? Really?" She raises an eyebrow.

>>1897

Speaking of, immediately down the stairs comes a spider half as large as a man sprinting as fast as he can. He hits midway down before leaping for a strand hanging from the Webworks and holds on for dear life. His voice is screechy as he watches the stairs.

"BARTENDER. RENOVATIONS ARE NEEDED."

>>1901

His head jerks up at the spider dangling from a thread, and opens his mouth. In a quick motion, a second set of teeth drop from somewhere above his gumline, each tooth long and razor sharp. He opens his hands and sharp claws extend from his finger tips, dripping in his blood. The wounds on his palms close rapidly and he starts giggling, sounding like an aggravated hyena.

>>1901

>>1902

>>1903

"Oh, don't tell me you broke the bedrooms already--"

The bartender glances between Vasnesh and Joshua.

He hops over the counter.

...there's an insignia on the back of his jacket. Two wings, surrounding a white star.

"No fights here," he says. "You wanna kill each other, take it outside."

"What's going on here?" William asks, looking at the laughing man and Shudleng beside him.

>>1904

Shudleng immediately notices the brewing shitstorm and clambers up up the rest of the way, sitting at an entrance to the Webworks. He screeches down. "I don't fight! Shudleng! What the fuck is that! Bartender what the fuck is going on!"

>>1906

>>1904

Joshua's laughter stops momentarily.

"I think you have a bit of a bug problem! Why don't I help you clean up!?" He shouts, shaking as he does so. Turning and looking at the newcomer, he licks his lips.

"You don't smell like the others. No you smell like metal and fear. I think I'll save you for later." He says, turning towards the man.

He looks at the bartender and scowls, but the lights from his eyes dim for a moment as his raise. Clearly sensing danger.

>This is starting to look like a stand-off...

>>1906

>>1907

>>1908

"Like I said."

The bartender steps between the spider and the vampire.

"You wanna kill each other, take it outside. I just finished this flooring a couple months ago, there's already a hole in the wall upstairs, and I'm not gonna clean up after you two."

>>1910

Joshua shakes, his eyes losing their glow.

"Keep that thing away from me." He says, breathing heavily as his teeth and claws retract.

>>1911

>>1912

"You're gonna calm down," the barkeep says, idly cracking his knuckles. "Then, you two can stay as separate as you damn well want. You can go get married, for all I care--and if you do, I'll be at the wedding, because that will be quite entertaining. But you don't get to tear each other apart inside my bar. Take it out back if you absolutely have to, you understand?"

"FUCK ME." Joshua shouts, angrily stomping towards the door.

"Well Shudleng? Care to join me on a hunt?" He asks, opening the door as his eyes glow again.

The bartender hops back over the counter, and returns to his cleaning duties.

"Friggin' panicky vampires."

>>1915

"Splendid. And I wouldn't mind giving you a hand with it." He says, covering his face with his hand and chuckling, before a single golden eye focuses on the spider above.

"The bartender saved your life bug. Be sure to thank him." He spits venomously.

>>1916

"And I'm not a vampire." He says with mock offense.

"I'm just a normal human being." He says with a fake sigh of sadness before cackling wildly at his own joke.

>So do I just make a new thread or...?

>>1918

You do.

>>1918

Yep to wherever you and Shudleng are going.

>>1916

"What the almighty fuck was that about?" William asks as the pair vanish into the shadows of the door.

>>1922

Vasnesh, who is still watching from the entrance of the Webworks and is not moving says, "Fuck if I know. Apparently the big bad monster is scared of spiders! I run from one threat up there to the waiting claws of another down here!"

>>1923

"Better question would be what the Bartender is that scared him off?"

>>1924

"He's the bartender. This place is his. There's places like this back on my world. Where someone fully owns a place and might as well be a god within their own domain."

>>1925

"Well at least it seems like we'll be safe as long as we're here I suppose." William says with a grin.

"If that's the case, why don't we head back upstairs? Doesn't seem like Riley can actually do anything to us if this is the case."

>>1927

"Because honestly? I don't think the bartender would be able to stop it in time. She put a chair through a wall, William. If we go up there, you stay in front."

>>1928

"I can agree to that," William says with a grin, "But I expect backup if things go south."

>>1930

"I already have strings attached to every single one of her limbs. But I don't think it would mean much." He shrugs. "Okay. Let's go."

The bartender quietly opens a door.

Around him, the counter reshapes itself, until it's clear that there was always a door to the back room, and there's another one every twenty feet or so.

Having finished this, he quietly walks into the middle of the tables, and sighs.

"...any minute now, Traveller."

>>1963

"Woah."

The Traveler looks up into the rafters.

"Spider problem? I thought you owned this place. why not keep it a bit cleaner?"

Removing his hood, Traveler sighs as his brown hair poofs out from under the fabric.

"Uuuuuugh, hood hair... The one downside to cloaks..."

The newcomer sits down at the bar and pulls a book out from his travelsack, along with a pen and a pot of ink.

"Mind if I write, Barkeep?"

>>1964

"Just keep it under control," the bartender mutters.

"I don't mind at all," is what he says out loud. "If you need a drink, just call for me."

"Gotcha. No problem, Na-- sir."

The Traveller starts idly writing.

"Oh, you got anything good? Read about any good drinks lately?"

>>1966

"Finally learned about Metheglin. Figured you might like it."

He grins, as a bottle of the stuff appears on the counter.

"Now, I must be off. Have fun."

The Traveler perks up as the bottle *thuds* onto the table.

"Is that a stone bottle? Kick ass!"

He takes a sip, and smacks his lips.

"Honey... Ginger... Nutmeg... Galangal... This is a Welsh mead. Would go great with some meat, maybe beef or mutton. Definitely a turf beast."

>>1968

"It's hard to pair something so special," the Bartender says, walking in behind you.

"But you can definitely appreciate how smooth it is. Me, my tastes are much more mundane. Redd's Cider, please."

The bottle appears before him, and he takes it.

"I haven't the taste for strong liquors yet," he admits.

>>1983

>ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: Horse of a Different Color (Introduce a character who is non-humanoid)

The bartender glances down at it.

"...welcome. Do you speak?"

>>1984

>lol

"I speak," The small dragon says, looking up to the bartender.

>>1985

"Good. You'd probably find it quite a lot harder to get around here if you didn't speak some kind of language."

He gestures to the counters, which tower over you, and the tables, whose undersides are caverns to you.

"As you can see, I haven't got anything in your size," the bartender says with a wry smile. "But I can still get you something, if you'd like."

>>1987

There is a glass of water sitting on the counter in front of you.

"There aren't many visitors here anymore," the bartender mutters.

For a moment, it looks like he's looking at someone else--but nobody else is here.

>>1988

The flowery dragon picks up the glass with two paw-like appendages, looking in the direction that the bartender is looking at. "What are you looking at?"

>>1990

>Appendages? That was the best word I could come up with?

>>1989

"We're really bustling today, actually. Two people!"

He laughs, and turns to the flower-dragon--

>>1990

And his smile disappears. His eyes seem distant.

"No one in particular."

The smile comes back.

>>1991

>I've done worse. FAR worse.

>>1992

"That's awesome! Nothing is boring!"

>>1993

"Yep! And you look like a flower!" She hops up on the counter.

>>1994

"I'm a dragon."

She takes another sip of her water.

>>1993

>There's not really any rules here. Or requirements. You don't have to be Edgar Allen Poe.

>I've written some terrible fanfiction. I'm not gonna judge you for a slightly awkward choice of words.

>>1993

>>1994

"The way things are goin', we might even have to get out some more tables," the bartender says, laughing. "It's about time people started comin' in."

>>1996

>Any links on the fiction? Might be good for a laugh.

"More people would be nice," She says. "It is pretty empty in here.

"Asides from that," She says, pointing at the webs above the bar.

>>1997

>>1998

>...I should have shut my big dumb mouth.

>Behold, my ten thousand word furry fanfic. Look upon it, and be driven mad.

>Gaze upon the high-school-tier biblical references. Be awed by the half-assed title I threw on in the last minute.

>And remember that this was like five years ago now and I have had a significant amount of practice.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aTSlgotr7-iQb8XAnQ9VQM_QNktuaMRhT_Rj4xqYAMs/edit

Meanwhile, the bartender quietly nods, and braces himself for the embarrassment.

>>2000

"Thanks, I guess?"

>>2001

>>2002

>Apologies.

>>2001

>And now...

>We yiff riff it.

"Hey, can I have some soda?" Note asks the bar keep.

>>2003

"You're welcome!" She says.

>>2000

>>2003

The bartender relaxes to a significant degree.

"Ahem. Can I get you two anything else?"

He turns to the fox, smiling like he hasn't just exposed one of his most terrible mistakes.

"Would you like some water? Or something a little harder?"

>>2004

In a moment, you're looking at a fine can of cola. Ooh, it's even made with cane sugar!

"Anything else? I'm here all night. Or not. It depends, really."

>>2004

"You are... Pretty weird."

She finishes her glass of water, setting it on the bar.

>>2006

Note does her little trick where she wraps the tails of her ribbons around the soda can for stability...

Then realizes it doesn't work as well because cans are a tad smaller.

>>2007

"Yep! But I'm nice so it is okay!" She says, trying and failing to drink the soda can without spilling it.

>>2007

>>2008

The bartender steps back, fading into the background...

>Feel free to take up the reins on this guy if you need a refill. I need to sleep, and honestly, I can't be the bartender 24/7 anyway.

>>2008

Rosebay looks at the bartender like he might have a clue about this strange fox...

>>2009

And he had promptly faded into the background, wonderful.

>Alright, sleep well, strange furry guy.

>>2009

>I should sleep, too.

>Late.

>...Well, I'll probably be here if anybody else comes...

A rather petite elven woman wearing what looks to the most generic adventuring outfit ever comes stalking into the the bar.

Note recognizes her as Shudleng. She looks around before seeing the new arrival and walking over.

"Why hello! You are the cute one aren't you?"

>>2014

>actually, I did mean the flower drago. Sorry. It is late.

>>2015

>It's alright.

>Though if you need to sleep, do go ahead and do so, this seems to be a slow place, I can wait. Waited two days from my first post.

>>2013

The dragon smiles. "I am told by quite a few that I am!"

>>2016

>I'll head to bed then, but I'll be back in the morning!

"I'm sure! I never considered the mixing of little verdant flowers and draconic physiology! You are something I've never seen before, and let me tell you. That is interesting me more and more the more I look at you!"

>>2018

>I'll likely be here tomorrow.

>Not specifically the morning.

>afterbirth just got patched. There goes my plans.

The elf giggles at the question. "You could say I'm an enthusiast. But not just dragons."

She lays a hand on the counter, and before your eyes it sprouts petals all over in a shade of soft blue, so now her hand looks like one big flower.

>>2020

The bartender quietly holds up a watering can.

"Need a drink?"

>>2021

She looks at the bartender and smiles at him.

"Uh, just a tall glass of water please. I rather do like it here, you know. You've got everything I could want."

>>2022

>The Afterbirth Expansion for Binding of Isaac: Rebirth. Added a bunch of items.

She reaches out to the dragon, offering her arm for inspection.

"Well, it is a little difficult to explain, but yes I can do that. I don't know if you feel like a flower yet, so it might not be quite there yet, but definitely."

A young lady steps into the bar. Her red hair hangs like a cloud around her slender face. She carries a worn leather book, stained with ink and blood. Her coat is a bit too large for her, and there's a hole over the left breast...

She sits down at the counter, burying her head in her arms.

>>2026

>>2026

"Gods, I wish I had... Things would be easier."

Her voice is muffled by her sleeves, but rough around the edges, like she'd been screaming or crying.

"Sorry, I shouldn't be talking like that. This has been a hard few days..."

She turns her head sideways, peering at you over her arm. Then she thumbs through a few pages of the book in her hands.

"So, what're you? And where is this place? It's not in the Traveler's Journal..."

>>2027

"To answer your questions, I'm a wildflower dragon, and I have no clue about this place other than that it is a bar of some sort."

"What happened the last few days?"

>>2028

"I finally found someone I'd been looking for for eight years, after he left me for dead. I didn't want revenge, just answers. In the end, he died in my arms. And it was my fault."

She sets the book down on the table.

"This was his. So was the coat. They're all I've got left of him."

>>2024

It is real, and smells faintly like some kind of rose.

>>2028

>>2029

Shudleng takes the chance to speak up. "This is a place between worlds. Apparently all roads can lead here and away."

She looks over the book and table. "I'm very sorry to hear that. He was obviously important to you."

Shudleng takes te

>>2030

>Thanks 8chan for completeley fucking over my post. just ignore that last line.

>>2030

"He made me who I am."

She laughs a little, to herself.

"Me and so many others."

>>2032

"I see."

She seems skeptical.

"What is it he used to do?"

>>2033

"He was my Narrator. He brought me into being, and molded the events around me... Until I found out. Then I did some stupid things, and, well..."

>>2034

"So he was a god in your life then? Your actual creator?"

>>2034

The bartender isn't nearby.

No, he's quite a ways away. He's polishing the counter.

And staring at you.

>>2035

>>2036

>>2037

"Yeah, he--"

Turning, the girl notices the bartender.

She freezes.

"Who is he?"

>>2038

His eyes meet yours.

He drops the rag, and quietly lifts a hand, beckoning you closer.

>>2039

The young lady stands up and walks over. She clutches the book in her hand like a dying man holding onto a scrap of wood.

>>2040

The bartender nods to you, and whispers...

"I know what happened. And I'm aware that you didn't get a lot of instruction."

He lowers his voice.

"Don't tell them what we are. You've revealed too much already, and you're risking their sanity as it is."

>>2036

Shudleng looks to the flower dragon as the other two talk, curious. "So do you mind if I touch you? I want to know if you actually feel like flowers."

>>2043

She reaches out and touches you gently with the nonflower hand, running her hands over your back and tail, rubbing a few large petals between her fingers. She mutters a little, as she goes. Never anything more than a "Hmm." or an "Ah."

What does it feel like?

She gets a few more good rubs in, before she takes her hand away. "Okay. Since you've been so nice, and you seemed interested in it before, I'll ask permission. Is it alright if I attempt your form? Or a form similar to yours?"

>>2047

She looks in bemusement at the flower-hand, and the pedals fold back in to return the hand to normal. She's stifling a chuckle as she replies. "Yes. I am."

She preens herself a bit, and looks shy. "Aww, thanks. I just like the color blue, so I figured a mix would be fun. I took cues from yours, though."

>>2052

"That is actually a pretty awesome... You look spot on..."

"I mean, I'm a native and I can barely tell any sort of difference."

>>2053

"Yeah well..." She curls her tail around herself. "You can say, I'm that type of shapeshifter. I'm damn good at it too. My people are the apex of it where I'm from."

>>2054

Rosebay nods. "I can tell..." She hops onto the counter, inspecting Shudleng. "Wow... can't tell any difference."

"My name is Rosebay, what is yours? As in actual name, not- not any alias."

>>2055

She shows off, making sure that Rosebay can get a good look. "I'm Shudleng, Among Others." She seems concerned. "That's my most common name. We don't have just one name like most things. We have the names we use in certain situations, and the names we take for any form we spend a long time in. Shudleng is the one that anyone would know."

>>2056

"Well, it is nice to meet you, Shudleng. Being able to transform like that must be super cool..."

She thinks about the many names thing. "Well, if you ever end up around Ambross Drell, yo'll probably need a name to match local convention... Name a wildflower, and you've pretty much got it."

>>2057

She nods. "And nice to meet you as well, Rosebay. I'll keep that in mind. I'd like to visit one day, if you'd be willing to go with me. And yes. I think transforming is cool. I can try just about anything you can imagine, and a few things you can't."

>>2058

"I'd be glad to take you for a visit! Though, uh... Don't make it immediately obvious you are a shape shifter, since little ones will think you are a wizard, and... Won't stop bothering you. Ever. I'm not even kidding, I'm sure some of them don't know what sleep is..." She closes her eyes and puts a little paw to her head to emphasize this.

>>2059

She smiles and nods. "Of course not. It is poor form to show yourself a shapeshifter anyways, unless you are in extraordinary circumstances." She coughs a little. "Anything else I should know? Can you do magic? Can you fly? Because while I can match your form, anything magic you can do I'm going to have to recreate."

>What's all this about posts not posting?

>>2061

"Hmm... Gliding and flying... and lightning? That'll take some experimenting."

She then looks confused.

"Different?"

>>2063

"Different as in... mild..." She mumbles the next word a bit.

>>2064

She moves in close, looking incredulous. "Are you ashamed of it? Why?"

>>2065

She leans backwards a bit, but still balancing on the chair she is upon. "It is a... mild... aphrodisiac..."

>>2066

For a second, her eyebrows go up, and she about falls off the stool backwards she's laughing so hard. In fact, she does. She seems remarkably light, and just drifts off the chair, her body contorting with laughter.

After a few moments, she actually calms down and she seems to concentrate enough to drop herself down onto her stool. The humour in her voice is not missing when she asks, "Why would you be ashamed of that! That's got a million and one uses! Lightning has like 6 at most!"

>>2067

She groans "First off is THAT." She indicates the fact that the shapeshifter fell off her chair laughing.

"Second, I'm a bit... nervous about such things."

>>2068

"I was laughing that you are so ashamed of that, silly. If at all possible, I'd love to see it. Or better, feel it. If I had an idea of what a created aphrodisiac felt like, I could make it myself. Though if it's magic, I'd have to make do."

She hops over to Rosebay's stool, not even shaking it as she lands. She does appear to weigh next to nothing as she throws a limb over Rosebay's back. "And that's okay to be nervous, Rosebay. It's an important part of life, not one that should be rushed to. But you do have a gift."

Meanwhile, the bartender quietly chuckles to himself.

"...'the shipping hits you like a frieght train', huh? Some things never change."

>>2069

"But it is essentially concentrated, well... lewd and more..." She swallows. She is a bit nervous.

>>2070

Rosebay looks towards the bartender with a look that appears to be asking for help.

>>2071

>Begging, not asking.

>>2071

Shudleng sighs and drifts slowly off the stool like a helium balloon, slowly rising then dropping and rising until she reaches some kind of equilibrium. "And? It is still a gift. I'm not going to tell you to love it, or even use it. I'm just pointing it out as it is." She shrugs a little, petals all over waving gently like in the wind.

>>2072

>For what it is worth, pretty sure he's asleep

>>2071

He shrugs, and gets back to his cleaning.

Looks like he makes it a policy of staying out of things.

Probably for the best.

>>2074

>NOW I'm asleep. I should've been asleep an hour ago, really, but I just can't stop doing things.

>Plus, ya know, didn't wanna leave a post unanswered (at least not without mentioning that I'm going to bed). Etiquette and such.

>>2073

She nods, a bit slowly. She takes a deep breath... and lets it out quickly. "Are you... reeeaaally sure you would want me to use it on you?"

>>2075

She looks at him in a way best described as -_- in physical form. A look of a fair bit of disappointment.

>>2076

"Well, if it makes you uncomfortable, I'm not going to force you." She tuts at her. "I'm not that type of person. And I certainly wouldn't expect you to do it here in full view of everyone."

She drops slowly back to her stool. "And it doesn't have to be right now. Just at some point I'd like to experience it. I can just turn it off if I want to. Things don't affect me like they'd affect you.

>>2077

"That last bit was what I was worrying about in using it on you... Don't know how an aphrodisiac would work on a shapeshifter."

>I swear I pressed send...

>>2078

>Cripple god, why you do dis

She smiles and nods. "It's a fair thing to worry about. I'm touched by your concern."

>>2079

"Yes, that... and other, legitimate concerns." She looks to be imagining some pretty horrifying thoughts.

>>2080

"Like what?"

>>2081

"What one would do with Aphrodisiac breath, for starters..."

>>2082

She laughs again. "Rosebay, you wound me. I already can create pheromones for every race I've spent time with. I've been and done nearly it all. I'm just a sucker for new experiences."

>>2083

"Ah, okay..." She seems to be able to blush through the really tiny scales on her face. "I'm sorry I- wait, done?"

>>2084

She furrows her brow a little, then she looks really closely at Rosebay. "Is that surprising?"

>>2085

"There's a looooot of things to do... You'd have to be reeeeeeaaaally old to do everything..."

>>2086

She nods. "I'm not sure how your years work, but mine would agree. Not having organs to fail means a longer life, after all."

>>2087

"I don't know much about dying other than that things typically die if you hurt them enough... Honestly I don't want to know more than that..."

>>2088

She nods. "That's a good amount of knowledge. If everyone felt like that the world would be more peaceful."

>>2091

"Yeah... I honestly don't want people to ever get hurt... I'm a lover, not a fighter, and don't make a joke about the aphrodisiac breath and that."

>>2092

She smiles. "I don't need to. You've obviously heard them all. For what it's worth, I completely agree."

"Yeah... People in my world actually know about my kind's breath ability there."

>>2094

"And you know what? I don't judge you for it. You don't judge me for my kind's gifts after all."

>>2095

"Not at all, shapeshifters are actually held in a fairly high regard in my world, especially ones that are honest like you, for many reasons."

She raises an eyebrow. "Oh? Why is that?"

>>2099

"For one, a shapeshifter in my world tends to be able to look from more than one viewpoint, being able to think like another being to mimic them perfectly.

>>2103

She nods. "That's a fair point, and one often overlooked. Your world is rather thoughtful."

>>2104

"Well, considering a lot of the world's population wants to become wizards, it is an inevitability." She sits up rather proud with that statement...

Said look quickly drops to a grumbly looking one. "Too bad wizard school and mage's colleges are stupidly expensive..."

Interested, she repiles, "Really? I could take you to a magical academy in my world! It wouldn't be so expensive!"

>>2106

"R... You would..."

"REALLY?!"

She nearly jumps on Shudleng in excited joy. In fact, she does!

Something about the bartender's stance changes.

He seems...distant, but alert. Like he's watching a storm as it comes in.

He sets his glass on the counter, and goes into the back room. A few moments later, the sound of a crackling fire is heard. Pans are brought down. Bowls are set out to be filled.

Something about the bartender's stance changes.

He seems...distant, but alert. Like he's watching a storm as it comes in.

He sets his glass on the counter, and goes into the back room. A few moments later, the sound of a crackling fire is heard. Pans are brought down. Bowls are set out to be filled.

Minutes later, he still hasn't left the back room.

>>2109

Rosebay sees the bartender guy's oddities, and considers following him back there...

>>2111

He's standing over the sink. Pots and pans are strewn about the counter, but he pays them no mind.

"..."

He turns to you.

"You don't seem too confused by how strange it is here," he says, putting a soapy bowl back into the sink. "You've got a sound mind. Sounder than most, anyway."

>>2111

"I am confused, Im just not, well... vocally questioning it."

"I mean, it is a tad bit confusing, but I am piecing things together, I think."

>>2113

"It takes some doing to piece it together."

"Be wary. Some parts of this place are harder to understand than others. And, if I am not mistaken, we may be getting some strange visitors soon."

Shudleng follows the others back here.

>>2113

>>2114

"Strange visitors, eh? That sounds like fun. Let's hope they are fine with some trickery, if Vasnesh is here when they arrive."

She looks over ar Rosebay.

"Sorry about that, yes. There are a few academies on my world. I had to think of which one would be most understanding of your particular oddness."

>>2115

"Well...define 'fun'."

The bartender chuckles softly. "Some people would find them annoying. Anyway, they're the least of our problems."

He turns back to the sink, and grabs a rag.

"I can't even tell you what the worst of our problems are."

>>2115

>>2116

"Well, there is the chance we aren't part of those some people." She smiles. "And more people sounds good. The place is relatively empty..."

>>2117

"True."

Moments later, he sets the last bowl down beside the sink; it's empty now.

"Be careful, both of you. There's even more going on than you think, things I can't tell you about."

Rolled 1, 1 = 2 (2d2)

>>2119

"...here we go."

The bartender quietly emerges from the backroom, and looks at you.

"Huh. First one in, and it's a changeling. That was fast."

>Totally innocuous roll.

He shrugs, and picks a glass up off of...well, you're sure he picked it up off the counter, even if the counter's totally devoid of other bits of glassware.

"Welcome to the Donut Bar, place between places. Don't worry, most people aren't gonna be dumb enough to start a fight here. Drinks are free. I gotta go take care of something."

He hops over the counter, and starts walking up the stairs.

"Play nice," he says.

>And with that, I go to sleep.

>>2120

>>2121

The changeling looks at the bartender with a discombobulated expression. 'How did...'

'... wait you speak Hive?' he buzzed. 'Wait. Where am I? Where's the Queen? Who are you?' The changeling continues to sit on one of the stool, dumbfounded.

>>2124

"I think both apply, I'm a wildflower dragon."

She attempted to reach through one of the holes in the changeling's legs. "What are you, exactly?"

>>2129

"Me? I'm a changeling, of course!" The drone drew his chest up proudly. Then bursts into a slight giggle as the dragon tries to reach through one of the holes. "Hey, don't do that! It tickles!"

>>2130

She withdraws a little paw. "Sorry."

"A changeling? Never heard of one of those."

>>2131

I'm going to just not namefag, because it's getting annoying to switch back and forth between boards. Should still be obvious who am I.

"You... don't?" The changeling seems entirely bemused by the very idea. "How could you live in Eq-- oh. I'm not in... Equestria anymore, am I?"

>>2132

Of course.

She shakes her head. "No, from what I gather, this is some place between worlds. Believe me, I'm still getting used to the idea there are beings who don't know what my kind are exactly as well."

>>2133

"Oh." Awkward silence, as the changeling scratches at his neck nervously, all his bravado drained. "Um. So... how do I get back?"

>>2134

"I would assume the same way you came in."

She suddenly has a smile on her face. "Maybe I could follow you! Wherever you came from might be interesting!"

>>2135

"I... don't know how I got in! One minute I was with my hivemates and the next... I'm here." His chitinous ears wilt a little. "... sorry."

>>2136

She blinks. "Oh..."

"Well, there's a door." She points towards the door in question. "I came in it, but since it is the only one, I would think it doesn't just lead to my world."

>>2139

"Billyfish. Tan coat, black mane, rainbow eyes, cutie mark changes every time you look at it? Well, that's only one way she looks. She's changed a lot. Continues to change a lot. It's kind of her thing. Eldritch things do that."

He rolls his eyes, and reaches behind the counter.

"The real question is, why am I in this bar? I mean, it's obviously the Donut Bar."

He gestures to the wide expanse of rooms.

"But it's not the Bar I've been in. They changed the layout! And whose idea was the whole hall-of-mirrors thing? It makes my head hurt."

He lifts a bottle of Glenfilly from behind the counter.

"Plus, there's webs fuckin' everywhere, I'm talking to a small fox thing instead of talking to a small mouse thing, nobody's brought up the psycho pink alien thing--I doubt I wanna screw with it anyway, it killed an entire dimension of time cops..."

>>2140

Said small fox thing has two tails and a big white bow around her neck.

"She sounds cool! That all sounds cool! Except that dead time cop thing..." She says.

"This is a new location, and I'm preeeeeeetty sure it just goes on forever, the webs are because of Vasnesh, he's a spider! And I'm Note!"

>>2137

"Oh um. You mean that door goes anywhere?"

>>2139

The changeling stares at the two newcomers. One was quite familiar. The other... wasn't.

>>2142

The small dragon shrugs.

"I would guess so. I assume magic of some kind is involved."

>>2142

And the small fox thing looks at the hole filled pony oddly. It has seen ponies before, but not ones with holes in them...

>>2141

"...okay."

He holds out a hoof, presumably for shaking.

"I'm Dawn. Dawn Breeze."

>Achievement unlocked: My name's not Francis (Meet Dawn)

"It's nice to meet you, Note," he says with an almost rehearsed politeness. "Who else is here? Besides the spider guy, that is. I think I'd rather stay away from that guy."

>>2142

The new pony--Dawn--waves to you.

"Hey. You new here? It's a little hard to tell. For all I know, you might be my sister!"

He laughs. "But seriously, I hope you aren't my sister. That might be the one good thing about finding a new bar--she's not here. Frickin' nutjob."

>>2144

" Nice to meet you, too!" She says. "Hard to do! He can be others! There's also Shudlung, that dragonflower over there named Rosebay, there was this bomb suit..."

Said bomb suit is a bit down the bar, reading it's little black book. It gives a wave at being mentioned.

>>2145

Dawn waves back.

"Hey. Nice to meet ya."

He turns back to the tiny fox thing.

"So this place--is it crowded, usually? I mean, it's pretty empty compared to the other Bar. There's usually a lot of background chatter."

>>2143

"Huh." More a statement than a question. "Guess we should find out...?"

>>2144

>"Hey. You new here? It's a little hard to tell. For all I know, you might be my sister!"

The changeling blinks owlishly. "Pony, I am not your sister. At least I don't remember disguising myself as her..."

>>2149

The changeling shrugs. "S'pose you could call us that. But I never took a non-pony form before..."

>>2150

"Oh. Limited then."

>>2151

>Didn't know Note was Rosebay. Kill me now.

"Yes, the door leads anywhere you want, Rosebay. So you know. That's why I'd be able to take you to one of my magical academies."

She looks around. "Who else? We've got this... things." She motions at the changeling and then looks around. "Vasnesh wherever he is... and me. The apex."

>>2147

"Good. This place ain't meant to be empty."

He pops open the bottle of Glenfilly.

>>2148

"Fair enough. She's...a bit of an oddball."

He sighs. "But for now, I don't have to deal with her."

>>2149

"Nice to meet you, Shud--hang on a minute...Shudleng. There. Took me a moment to figure out how that should sound."

He settles back into the bar, and takes a pull from the bottle of...you're not sure exactly what it is or where it's from, but this 'Glenfilly' looks like a very strong drink of the sort usually served in shot glasses.

>>2152

>Cat's outta the bag now. We're all Note.

>Now, I have an interview with a company that I'd actually like to work with tomorrow.

>Meaning I really ought to sleep tonight.

>And we're finally getting some traffic, too. Crap.

>Try not to kill each other without me?

>>2152

>To be fair, you are literally THE last person to know that me and Rosebay are the same.

>I'm still going to pretend me and Rosebay are different people because I have expectations for what my characters are going to be, but don't have expectations for Rosebay's characters, so I feel a sense of freedom in being the Rosebay persona I don't feel as myself normally, if that makes sense.

"That is good to know..." Rosebay says.

>>2153

"I know! Without enough people, I'd probably get bored and wander off a lot more."

>>2154

>Good night

>>2153

"That's ok. You've got it more than most do."

She examines the drink closely. And the intricacies of this small pastel horse being.

>>2154

>Don't mind waiting. Gotta be heading off anyway.

>>2151

>"Sounds good to me." She hops off of the stool she is on. "Lead the way!

"Um. Now? Maybe we should ask these new guys first?"

To which the changeling looks at each of the bar patrons. "Hey um, if you don't mind me asking, where does that door lead to?" He shuffled on his stool uneasily. "I kinda want to get back to my hive..."

>>2157

"Anywhere and everywhere, lesser one."

>I should be heading to sleep as well because I leave for work in less than six hours and need longer than negative 15 minutes to get ready for work.

>And seriously, being Rosebay is hard work. I write differently, OOC differently... Even my filenaming conventions are different!

>>2157

"Fair enough, I hadn't thought about that..." She climbs back up on to her stool.

>>2156

>>2157

>>2158

>>2159

"Hang on, hang on."

The green horse hops off his stool, making various exasperated noises.

"Ya just gotta walk through and think of the place you're going. Like this--"

He pushes the front door open, walks through, and walks back in through the back door.

"See? Works this way in the other bar, too."

"So these small horses are who the bartender was talking about. They seem fine... so far."

"You."

She looks over at the changeling.

"What's your world like."

>>2162

Again, the changeling seems bemused. "It's... just is. There's uh... grass, rocks, trees, ponies..." He continued rattling off things he had seen.

>>2163

She listens closely, nodding her head at each before interrupting. "Wait. Is that it? Is that all your world has is ponies??!!"

>>2163

>>2164

A certain green pegasus trots into the room, from the front door, with an empty bottle of Glenfilly in his teeth.

With a shrug, he sets the bottle on the counter.

"There's three or four different kinds. Plus zebras, buffalo, griffons..."