(Untitled)

[alorn_bear]

Belar's real proud of those mountains, now that the snow's finally settled in and everything's in shape for maximum winter-time use. Time to go see if he can't rustle up some interest in 'em, as long as they're out there waiting for people, hey? At least, once he's done with his obligations.

The sign on his table tonight reads:

ANSWERING PRAYERS

Comments

[river_meimei]

River, at a nearby table, is... not staring at his sign, actually. Or at him.

She's scribbling instead, in three colors of very stylish pens, on a legal pad. (Real Earth paper, not digital.) STOCK PORTFOLIO OPTIONS reads the top.

Her skirt and sweater and boots are a slightly different style than usual, if you happen to notice these things. Still heavy on the pink and white, but a lot less tatterdemalion hippie than usual.

More... yuppie.

[alorn_bear]

That's okay. He's good with that. People ignore him all the time, when he's looking human.

Kind of weird for her to still be doing the same thing when he opens his eyes, though.

"Doesn't fifteen minutes of that kind of thing get boring?" he asks curiously, craning his neck a little. "Or are you one of my brother's children?"

[river_meimei]

"It's a very important subject," River informs her paper without looking up.

"Diversification is vital." Half a beat, and then she glances at him with a quick and conspiratorial smile. "Got to be competitive. It's 2520 -- marketplace is a jungle."

"Traditional metaphor," she adds to the air over his left shoulder. "There's a dearth of tigers."

[alorn_bear]

Belar nods. "I never did get on all that well with the big cats," he says, twisting briefly for a look over his shoulder before turning back in her direction. "Oh, the stock market. Okay. Yeah, see, I ask because my brother Nedra? He trades commodities on the Street. Told me I'm not ever allowed to show my face anywhere within a hundred miles of the place. It's, uh, it's amazing how soon the bears show up after that, you know? Metaphorically speaking."

Or not, but, you know, he's trying to get a feel for the conversation here.

[song_tra_bong]

Signs like that tend to get a person's attention. Especially when somebody hasn't yet spotted the newest addition to the landscape outside.

So she takes the sign's advice and steps ouside.

She steps back inside pretty damn quickly and pulls up a chair. Her curiosity is peaked.

[alorn_bear]

He holds up one finger; the sign is still decrementing downwards-

15 SECONDS

10 SECONDS

5 SECONDS-

And then the upper part of the sign winks out in a spark of brilliant blue light. That's when he opens his eyes. "Okay! So!" He grins. "What can I help you with?"

[song_tra_bong]

She grins.

"Am I safe in assuming you're responsible for our new mountain range?"

[alorn_bear]

"Bingo!" He sticks out a hand. "My name's Belar. I don't know if you know the bartender named Garion, but I'm from his world. I kinda thought we needed a little extra territory for winter sports around here, so I got permission from Bernard to do this, and he suggested offering lessons as long as I was at it."

[mmquitecontrary]

Mary is waiting, politely, for time to be up.

Her hands are folded primly behind her back, and her eyes are fixed on the sign. It would not do, after all, to interrupt someone else's prayer.

[alorn_bear]

No, indeed, and Belar is glad to see manners in the young. When the fifteen minutes are up, the top half of the sign disappears in a wink of blue light.

"Hi, Mary," he says cheerfully. "What's up?"

[mmquitecontrary]

"I wanted to tell you," Mary says, solemnly, "that the kitten has a name now. I thought you might like to know."

[alorn_bear]

"Really?" Belar sounds delighted. "Oh, that's great! What did you name her?"