Multipup post

[ostro_goth]

On such a fine morning as this, there is always a number of people outside, happily doing outdoors things. Among them are today:

• one purple god of magic, wearing a green gardening apron, and weeding between the roses in the garden by the back door of the bar


• one tarot card, smoking a large cigar while leaning on a fence near the horse stables,

Comments

[mogget_cat]

One not'cat is approaching the edge of the lake, possibly near the swan king's rock, eyeing the pale surfer in the sunshine.

"He's insane," he concludes, shaking his head. But he already knew this.

He holds it true for any who willingly go into the water.

[born_to_it]

Donovan turns his head.

"Insane?" he says. "Who -- the surfer? That's just a surfer. One of the most ordinary things I've seen here. It's not a glowing woman dancing over the water, or anything."

[mogget_cat]

"A dead surfer in the Caribbean part of a Scottish lake on an asteroid right before the end of the entire universe isn't weird where you come from?" The cat-eyed albino shakes his head, smirking.

"Better over the water than in it, I'd say." That's the insane part.

[born_to_it]

"He looks pretty alive to me," Donovan says, looking at the man. An albino were-leopard, perhaps, with those eyes?

"Look -- he's moving! And now he fell into the water, flailing. I don't think a corpse would do that. Not even a well animated zombie."

Beat.

"And who says it's a Scottish lake? I was suspecting I was in Vermont, Maine, or upstate New York, when I first arrived. Granted, that's not exactly close to the Caribbean, either, and the surfers at the Maine coast mostly wear neoprene, not shorts and a piercing."

[mogget_cat]

"He is one of the Dead, I know," Yrael says, watching the flailing wet Ostrogoth. "You can ask him and he will tell you so, himself. A great warrior, who died in battle."

Dry. "And, for a fact, I know the lake this one was modeled after, in Scotland, and the person who made this lake. He made it because his friend the then-Head Bartender was homesick for the place that lake graces. In Scotland."

He gives the swan king a dryly amused look.

"Yrael." A very very warm, pale hand is offered with a lopsided grin. "You're new?"

[born_to_it]

"It's nice to meet someone paler than me," Donovan says, shaking the offered hand. "Donovan Reece. I am."

He laughs.

"This is such a cool place: great dead warriors take up surfing!"

[mogget_cat]

"Nice to meet you, Donovan Reece," Yrael smiles. "All the worlds seem to cross, here, so I suppose even great dead warriors must take up surfing, raising cats and playing the guitar, eventually."

"What's your where and when, Donovan? Earth, I'm guessing." American, by accent.

[born_to_it]

Donovan laughs at that. "What a hippie sortof lifestyle!" he says. "It sounds like he's really having fun here."

He sighs, remembering that this is not a free holiday for him: the glowing dancer had said that people from his world are here, and his path was going to go on through this place, whatever that meant.

Well, it means business, that much is certain.

"Maine, originally," he says. "But my, well, job takes me all over the country, and I find myself spending more time in St. Louis than I like. But it seems to be a happening place, even if mostly not in a good way."

[mogget_cat]

"I haven't yet seen Maine," Yrael smiles. "Nor St. Louis, but not for lack of trying. I would travel more, but I'm rather restricted in travel, in the Earth I have access to."

"I'm not from there originally, after all." And that particular world lacks magic enough to sustain him.

[born_to_it]

"Why'd you try to get to St. Louis?" Donovan says. "Believe me, it's more trouble than it's fun. Where have you been, on Earth?"

Hah, what a totally weird thing to ask anybody!

[mogget_cat]

"I've visited Florence, Italy, and Scotland, New York City, Amarillo, Texas... but most often I have been to New Orleans, as I have a door there, and a budding jazz career," he grins.

"As for St. Louis, I have some friends there."

[born_to_it]

"Oh, do you?" Donovan says. "I wonder if it's anybody I know."

[mogget_cat]

"Possibly," the not'cat smiles, only vaguely wondering why this man is making him vaguely hungry. "It might be your world's St. Louis, too. Who do you know?"

[born_to_it]

"If it's my St. Louis," Donovan says, "people will have heard of Anita Blake. She's all the rage in my part of it."

[mogget_cat]

Yrael's default, secret-hiding and vaguely amused look gains a measure of wry distaste at the name. It's the flaring of the nostrils that does it.

"I have heard of her, I'm afraid."

[born_to_it]

"Yeeeeees," Donovan says, sighing deeply. "I heard people from my world are here; the glowing dancer over the water told me. And I thought the universe had handed me a free holiday to get away from myself! I'm a very silly swan for entertaining that sort of vague hopes."

He sighs again, shaking his head at his own naivety.

"Do you know who is here?"