milliways, the lurking thereof

[andaisq]

A few years ago, Deekin would have been very cavalier about this weird demiplane that just inserted itself into the Underdark, much as he was about basically everything. Times have changed, though; now Tynan is a factor, so instead of skipping merrily towards the bar, Deekin keeps his crossbow high and his stance low, even as the baby pokes his head out of his rucksack and babbles merrily.

...This place doesn't seem to be dangerous in any way.

This is intensely suspicious.

But after a quick casting of See Invisibility, a nip of Barkskin potion for Tynan, and a nice loud Curse Song in case someone's still hiding somewhere, Deekin feels comfortable enough to sit at the very polite bar and get free drinks. (Tynan gets some kind of strange black milk, which he obviously enjoys. Deekin gets something he thinks might be apple cider with a shot of cow blood, which is very nice even if it does kind of remind him of Tymofarrar.)

Comments

[light_another_life]

She doesn't recognize any of these.

"Hm," she says. "Something very odd is going on here."

[andaisq]

Tynan burbles inquisitively.

Deekin looks uncomfortable, but flips to a page with a slightly faded picture of a heavily armored male human posing heroically, infant in one hand and sword in the other. Tynan burbles delightedly. "Aaand that human. You know human, Deekin know human, Tynan obviously wasting everyone's time."

[light_another_life]

Head tilt.

"I'm afraid I don't understand how he would be wasting time, if he were wasting it. Would you explain?"

[andaisq]

Deekin looks slightly even more uncomfortable. "Well, um, no new information gained by looking at picture of human, so. Wastes time."

"Dada," Tynan contributes.

Deekin winces. "Also that."

[light_another_life]

"Ah." She recognizes that particular brand of wince. So that's why Deekin's looking after this little child.

She sits, leaving an empty seat between herself and Deekin.

"I see."

[andaisq]

Tynan clambers back up onto the bar, crawls into Deekin's pack, and returns with a small gold coin clutched in his hand. He deposits this onto the bar and receives a rusk, which he gums appreciatively.

"So, what about Human Lady plane? No elves, no kobolds; what kinds of people you got?"

[light_another_life]

"Many. We'd be here a while, if I tried listing them all. ... Do you have just the one planet?"

[andaisq]

Deekin cocks his head. "Well, Prime Material only be one plane. Abyss, Celestia, Nine Hells all different planes, lots of others too but Deekin not remember." He considers. "Deekin guess Negative and Positive Energy plane, and Elemental Planes, but most of them just infinite expanses of light or fire or air or whatever, so they not really count in Deekin's opinion."

Tynan babbles reproachfully. Deekin rolls his eyes. "Also Plane of Shadows, yes, thanks Tynan. Plane of Shadows mostly just like regular Material Plane but darker, though. And full of slightly worse people."

[light_another_life]

Interesting.

"And planes are? Different - dimensions?"

[andaisq]

"Yep! Portals and stuff get you between planes easy. Pity there not more of those, really. Or Plane Shift scrolls. Deekin would pay lots of money for Plane Shift scroll."

[light_another_life]

"I see. And you'd go... where?"

[andaisq]

"Somewhere less people try to shoot Deekin and steal baby be nice," Deekin suggests drily. "Deekin mention Underdark not very nice place? Underdark not very nice place. Very low-rent neighborhood of Prime Material. Deekin go to Sigil and find portal to nicer part of Prime Material, maybe first visit outsider baby doctor to find out why Tynan not aging, find way to free ghost from sword so he can be golem instead, sidequest stuff."

[light_another_life]

Somehow she suspects Dromund Kaas is not going to be a better place for Deekin and his baby.

"There's a ghost in a sword?" she asks, because what.

[andaisq]

Deekin retrieves a sword from his pack, displacing several more objects which really should not fit in a bag that size.

"Ah, once again my services as a party trick are called for," the sword(?) says. "How very dignified. Who is that woman and what in the world is she doing to her life force?"

[light_another_life]

"What I do with my life force is entirely my business, thank you," she sniffs, without even a surprised pause, even though internally she's wondering what. "Is it hurting you in any way?"

[andaisq]

"No," the sword sniffs back. "I'm just making conversation, I'm sure."

"Human lady is nice, don't be mean," Deekin chides. "Taste in armor may be questionable and Drowy but otherwise totally not evil."

[light_another_life]

"Thank you," says the human lady who is apparently nice. ... She probably shouldn't break it to him that she's a sith. "I apologize for accidentally summoning you as a - party trick. Deekin mentioned a ghost, I was curious."

[andaisq]

"I'm not a ghost," sighs the sword. "Well, sort of. I'm the soul of a human, Enserric the Grey, contained in the blade that killed me. Ghosts aren't people; they don't grow, they hardly ever even remember anything beyond what's relevant to their haunting. I, on the other hand, form memories, opinions, and have even been known to occasionally change my mind. As far as I can tell, I'm as much of a person as you or the nanny here."

[light_another_life]

"... I apologize for calling you a ghost, too, then." She glances at Deekin, then at Enserric. "I'm Callida. It's a pleasure to meet you both."

She'll leave off the 'Lord' for now. She's trying not to be scary.

[andaisq]

Deekin grins toothily. "Deekin Scalesinger. Pleasure acquaintance meet etcetera."

"I didn't know you had a surname," Enserric says, nonplussed.

"Deekin made up surname few weeks ago," Deekin says. "'Scalesinger' sound cool."

[light_another_life]

"I've definitely heard people sincerely call themselves much worse names."

[andaisq]

"Demon boy name 'Valen Shadowbreath,' also chose himself. Lots of bad names in world."

[light_another_life]

"... Shadowbreath?" she repeats, amused. "Well. It doesn't beat Kallous. ... Spelled incorrectly, of course, because how else do you prove that you are scary and tough."

[andaisq]

Deekin nods. "Calluses very tough. Notable feature of callus. Not so scary, though."

[light_another_life]

"I think it was more in line with callous, for uncaring, but - yes. Not very scary."