Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

Herein lies the various threads in which our characters live out their lives
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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The girl was stirred the greeting, their snoring coming to a sudden halt. "Urk," In turn, they would groggily lift their head up and rub their eyes. Evidently still tired, they laid on their side and glanced over to the source of the voice with half-shut eyes.

"Sorry, what was that?" They asked non-chalantly.
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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"I asked if you're okay." The green-haired woman tilts her head, putting her hands on her hips. The bottle of wine remained at the bar. "Seeing how you crashed in through the ceiling."
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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"Hmm?" The girl looked puzzled, taking a moment to right herself. She sat cross-legged on the floor, raising an eyebrow to the green-haired woman. "Yeah, i'm fine. Wouldn't the ceiling just break my fall, anyways?" She had an air of jovial lethargy about her, being totally unphased by her surroundings and only the slightest bit curious.

"I'm tired." She slumps her head to the left, supporting it on her left fist and gazing vacantly to the floor.
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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"Yeah, ceilings don't do that. Trust me, I've been there." The woman crouches down to take a closer look. "Maybe you should sit by the bar and have something to eat."
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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"Ah, ok." The child backs up a little as the woman approaches her, finally standing up. From here, her dimunitive figure was even more apparent. "What kinda food does this place have anyways?"
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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"I'll be honest, I haven't taken a good look. I was busy drinking." This should tell the child a lot about who this woman is. "But let's take a look. Sandwiches? They're a healthy snack for a kid, right?"
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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"Wait a second, i'm not a kid! I'm 11 and a half years old, that makes me a..." She trails off, an absent-minded gaze filling her eyes as some drool falls from the side of her lips. She quickly sucks it up before pointing her index finger up in an excited gesticulation "...An Adolescent! Yeah, that sounds right."
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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"Huh."

It would appear as though Zee, the manager of Trog's Tavern, just returned from the kitchen (only slightly scorched thanks to the actively hostile appliances!) holding a large platter of dumplings of an absolutely absurd variety. Is it a sort of dumpling? She's got a couple on the tray. Because it's dumpling Tuesday, obviously. She's paused at the door, glancing between the hole in the roof and the hole in the floor.

"That's hasn't happened in a while."

Very true.

The last time someone crashed through the tavern it was a whole SPACE SHIP full of people!

Quite exciting!

But it's been quite some time since ONE person made a dramatic crash landing.

At the talk of food the completely normal human barmaid (you suspect nothing!) offers a kind smile to the pair of sort of newcomers and sets the tray of dumplings down on the counter! "Here you go! Dig in! You both look like you could use a bite. Maybe even more than a bite. Just biting food without any follow-up is pretty disappointing, believe me."
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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"Hm?" The girl gave a friendly beam in turn to the barmaid in turn, noticing the dumplings as they were pointed out. She zoomed over to the counter, temporarily blurring into a streak of light before reappearing atop a stool with her hand over a dumpling. She voraciously scarfed down several dumplings, not paying attention to much else.

Feeling a sudden sense of awkwardness, she turns back to the green-haired woman, smiling casually "Oh, my name's Asami, by the way. What's yours?"
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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"Yeah, that's still a kid, kid. Sorry about that." The green-haired woman shakes her head. Then she peers at Zee for a good long while. Is this the mysterious bartender of Trog's? "And my name's Mai." Zee might get the idea that this isn't her real name, but in a way, it is hers... just in a strange metaphysical sense.
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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"And I'm Yezekiel! Most people around here call me Zee, though. Rolls off the tongue better," the bartender replies cheerily. She touches the edge of the platter on the counter and scoots it eeeeever so slightly toward Mai. The meaning of the gesture is clear enough. The laborer can feel free to help herself.

"So what brings you to this humble tavern, Asami? Just rolling through? On a great adventure? Falling from heaven? We get all sorts around here, ranging from wonderfully mundane to delightfully esoteric," she says, offering a quick wink toward Mai. "Sometimes both at once! If you didn't know, this is Trog's Tavern. We're smack in the middle of the Nexus, a crossroads between AAAAAALL THE COSMOS! So you might meet a person or two who stretches your horizons a little around here. Like... uh..."

She glances around the room, looking for a patron that's really weird.

"That guy!"

That guy, in this case, is a sapient swarm of neon purple equilateral triangles. Or at least that's how 'he' manifests into physical reality. They whir and spin and gyrate in a fashion that vaguely suggests the silhouette of something but it really isn't clear what. Several triangles are rapidly orbiting around a large mug of dark amber beer, causing its volume to slowly but steadily decrease.
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

Post by ForTheGnomes »

Morty wrote: Feb 06, 2023 10:29 pm "You also need to avoid being eaten by the dragon," Olvisin points out. "Before coming here I thought dragons were a fairy tale. A healing factor? This could have some medical applications if we isolated it."
[Necro-Leaf Research]

"That I have no doubt. Let's see... What other things do I have that are used for healing. Hmm, I have these, and those, and that." Jerick rummaged around the room, taking things from jars and pots and picking things from planters. When he came back to the table he had a handful of assorted herbs and what looked and smelled like fermented lizard flesh. He lied them onto the table, putting them into individual piles.
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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Morty wrote: Feb 08, 2023 3:31 pm "Yeah, that's still a kid, kid. Sorry about that." The green-haired woman shakes her head. Then she peers at Zee for a good long while. Is this the mysterious bartender of Trog's? "And my name's Mai." Zee might get the idea that this isn't her real name, but in a way, it is hers... just in a strange metaphysical sense.
"I'm not a kid! I'm not a kid!" Asami grit her teeth in frustration and held both her fists up below her chin, straightening her posture. Suddenly, her face reddened slightly, accompanied by her corona instensifying. To those close-by, it would feel like the sun was beating down on them on a hot summer day. This phenomenon lasted only momentarily, as she was quickly distracted.

Rebonack wrote: Feb 08, 2023 4:29 pm "And I'm Yezekiel! Most people around here call me Zee, though. Rolls off the tongue better," the bartender replies cheerily. She touches the edge of the platter on the counter and scoots it eeeeever so slightly toward Mai. The meaning of the gesture is clear enough. The laborer can feel free to help herself.

"So what brings you to this humble tavern, Asami? Just rolling through? On a great adventure? Falling from heaven? We get all sorts around here, ranging from wonderfully mundane to delightfully esoteric," she says, offering a quick wink toward Mai. "Sometimes both at once! If you didn't know, this is Trog's Tavern. We're smack in the middle of the Nexus, a crossroads between AAAAAALL THE COSMOS! So you might meet a person or two who stretches your horizons a little around here. Like... uh..."

She glances around the room, looking for a patron that's really weird.

"That guy!"

That guy, in this case, is a sapient swarm of neon purple equilateral triangles. Or at least that's how 'he' manifests into physical reality. They whir and spin and gyrate in a fashion that vaguely suggests the silhouette of something but it really isn't clear what. Several triangles are rapidly orbiting around a large mug of dark amber beer, causing its volume to slowly but steadily decrease.
"Well..." She shakes her head. "I don't have a heaven yet, and I didn't come here on purpose either. I fell asleep while I was falling, so it must've been from a great height. I was probably just playing on one of the local moons and got too close to the stratosphere by mistake." She shrugs, mainly unphased. When the formation of triangles is pointed out, however, Asami gets goosebumps. She took a step back from it, wholly opposed to interacting with such a being. "Yeah, i'm not fucking with the non-euclidean entities. Who knows what properties it may have? I say let some foundation or something deal with them."
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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Zefir wrote: Feb 04, 2023 9:04 am Reedon and his arguments are very straight it seems.

"So it's a game of getting attention and drawing it to make the others make false concusions about your cards? Sounds for me like you need to be in their attention and then switch your intentions as you need them. Stay unpredictable if you like.
If your not good at it I don't think I can be. Especially when money is involved. I never hat enougth to play around with it."


"Anything else you do that isn't that risky?"
Mel nods. "Yeah, basically," she says when he describes how he understands Poker. "Well, you can also win by just being really lucky and being hard to read."

She pauses, and thinks.
"Might be why I lost a bunch of money. I'm just a bit too easy to read. Maybe I'd do better if I wore a mask or something. That's why I thought you would be good at it, just because it'll be harder for people to tell what you're thinking."
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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[Necro-Leaf Research]

"You sure have everything and the kitchen sink here." Olvisin grins.
"You'd feel right at home with our alchemists. Where do we start?"

Downstairs, Mai tries not to laugh at Asami's insistence she's not a kid. She's also obviously supernatural in some way, but then her entry through the ceiling already displayed that prominently. She's less phased by the triangle-person than Asami is. She's seen weirder.

"Sounds like you'll fit right in here."
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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"Do you play on moons and accidentally get too close to stratospheres often?" Zee asks conversationally as she passes another glass of what Mai had previously ordered to her. "Because while I HAVE been to a moon once before that was a pretty long time ago! Also it was a giant undead head. Moon. Not cheese. Really not any fun at all, wouldn't recommend."

If it HAD been cheese would it have been head cheese?

But head cheese really isn't ACTUAL cheese, though. So maybe it would be a head this is also cheese as opposed to head cheese.

Hmm...

"But anywho! If you aren't on an adventure and you aren't falling from heavens that may or may not be yours then what are you going to be doing now that you ARE here? Aside from scarfing dumplings and not being a kid, of course."

Of course.

She doesn't comment on 'dealing' with triangle man over there.

He doesn't need to be dealed with! He's just having a relaxing afternoon.
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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Asami smiles at Mai's comment, delighted to hear it. As for Zee, she takes a more serious tone. "Nope! This was my first time leaving my homeworld." She muses for a second and crosses her arms, closing her eyes inquisitively. "Let's see.. I'll need a place to sleep at night and a way to make money, assuming its used here. After that, I'll try to find out as much about this world as I can."
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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"We do use money here. All kinds of money. Gives you a headache if you think about it, which is why I don't." It's a philosophy Mai applies to many topics. "I don't know where you could earn money, though." What with being a kid. Or looking like a kid, if she insists.
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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"Well," Zee muses, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "It just so happens that the first person you've met is CLEARLY a well accomplished migrant laborer and absolutely not anything else! I'm sure that means she's quite accustomed to traveling, exploring, laboring to make cash, AND probably even sleeping!"

Mai does precious little actual sleeping.

"I bet she can show you the ropes. But for now the inn rooms here at Trog's are always welcome. Our payment scale is pretty flexible. Whatever you think the service is worth. Now you might expect this means we get stiffed a whole bunch and we definitely do. But! The patrons that are very generous more than make up for it!"

Speaking of!

The collection of triangles decides to pay its tab and leave!

It pays with the concept of coneness.

Zee now has one(1) concept of coneness.

She looks puzzled.

"What am I even supposed to do with this?"
Last edited by Rebonack on Feb 10, 2023 3:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Asami lets her arms down, looking at Zee with confusion. "But, she just said she doesn't know where I could earn money. Doesn't that contradict what you just said?" She chuckles lightly, quickly moving on. "Alright, so if I can just stay here, then I guess there's no rush to make ends meet. In that case, may I please play outside?" Her voice sounded more excited than usual.
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

Post by Morty »

Mai shakes her head.

"Yeah, my kind of lifestyle isn't really suited for a kid. It's a lot of hard labor and uncertainty. And I'm not qualified to look after one, either."
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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"She said she doesn't know how YOU could labor to get cash," Zee points out helpfully. But then! She looks very disappointed. "Aaww... that would have been a really endearing buddy comedy, probably. But I guess everything can't come to pass."

Which is a real shame.

But then!

Questions!

Zee hums to herself and looks out the window of the tavern. Precisely WHAT is out there is somewhat... uncertain.

"What kind of outside are you looking to play in?" she asks of the child. A very important question to be sure.
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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"Well, a living is a living. I can deal with the work being unsuited for me as long as its still possible for me to do it. Likewise, I don't have anyone looking after me most of the time, so someone whose not qualified to would be better than that." She shook her head, shooting an annoyed gaze towards Zee. "Outside... The tavern? Why do you ask?"
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"It might be helpful if you could tell us just what kind of society you come from." Mai has one of her rare moments of insight. "Since I think some cultural misunderstandings are happening."
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"Because outside the tavern isn't one place of course," Zee replies matter of factly. "It's several places! Because the tavern isn't in one place. It can be found just about anywhere Inside (which is a city) or Outside (which isn't). If you just leave without a destination in mind ther'es really no telling where you might end up! So it's always important to know what sort of outside you're looking for."

This is very wise and very important advice.

While half the adventure of a journey is the journeying a destination is still important.
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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"Let's see..." Asami raises an index finger to the side of her chin. "In my country, most people prefer to adhere to the status quo. So whenever something out of the ordinary happens, few people actually acknowledge it. Supernatural beings typically operate in a sort of underground society."

She was taken aback by Zee's explanation, her skin shivering briefly. "Seriously!? But this is the only place i've been; does it work the same if I don't even know what my intended destination even looks like? I'm scared to leave now..." She had a worried look on her face, showing a sudden aversion to the front door.
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

Post by Gold »

Well, that worked, but it's not the type of gag you do more than once in such a short time-frame. Either way, Gaul has a feeling - borne of personal experience - that the armoured man isn't in any real danger.

He does quietly say to himself "Sheesh, and I thought my name was bad..." in response to Hoshiki's full name reveal.

Gaul isn't entirely sure if the armoured man's questions are rhetorical or not, but decides to answer honestly for the sake of the conversation. "It sounds better on paper," he says.
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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Rebonack wrote: Feb 11, 2023 2:46 pm "Because outside the tavern isn't one place of course," Zee replies matter of factly. "It's several places! Because the tavern isn't in one place. It can be found just about anywhere Inside (which is a city) or Outside (which isn't). If you just leave without a destination in mind ther'es really no telling where you might end up! So it's always important to know what sort of outside you're looking for."

This is very wise and very important advice.

While half the adventure of a journey is the journeying a destination is still important.
[brackets lover] wrote: Feb 11, 2023 3:47 pm "Let's see..." Asami raises an index finger to the side of her chin. "In my country, most people prefer to adhere to the status quo. So whenever something out of the ordinary happens, few people actually acknowledge it. Supernatural beings typically operate in a sort of underground society."

She was taken aback by Zee's explanation, her skin shivering briefly. "Seriously!? But this is the only place i've been; does it work the same if I don't even know what my intended destination even looks like? I'm scared to leave now..." She had a worried look on her face, showing a sudden aversion to the front door.
"Best advice I can give you is not to think too hard about it." Words Hiep lives by in any event. "People get where they're going one way or another. It just works somehow. Anyway, does that mean most people have no idea what you can do? Like survive falling from a moon and such."
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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Given Hoshiki looks like he's a second away from crushing the armored man's throat, some people might have a different opinion than Gaul. "Who told you this?", he demands.

"I won't tell you", the armored man spits back, "Not yet. I need a reason for you to leave me alive."

"That's not much of a reason. If you're not going to tell me, I'm better off looking for them on my own", Hoshiki scoffs.

"Ah, but what if I promise to tell if you win me in a fight?", the armored man offers.

Hoshiki has to restrain himself from laughing at the absurdity of the suggestion. "I think it's abundantly clear you would lose in your condition."

"Exactly!", the armored man says victoriously, "It wouldn't be a fair fight. It would just be you beating a man at death's door until they spit out the words you want to hear. Which is why you will give me ample time to recover. Besides... as discussed, I have a debt to pay. Or would you like to pay it in my stead?" He points at Gaul's note still lingering on the table.

This does give Hoshiki a pause. He loosens his grip, then lets go of the man. "What guarantee do I have you will keep your end of the bargain?"

The man puts a hand on his blackened breastplate. "I swear it on the sign of the Reaper."

This seems to mollify the swordsman. He takes one last look at Gaul's note. "Fine. I will give you enough time to pay off your debt. So... two weeks, was it? Then I'll come after you, where ever you are."

With those words, the swordsman storms off. The armored man squeezes his fingers under his damaged collar and pulls it off. He tosses the chunk of iron away and leans on the table, panting.

"Well, it seems you helped in buying me some time", he says to Gaul after catching his breath. "I'm not gonna pay you any extra for that, though. Now, if you excuse me, I have to rid myself of this tincan."
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Re: Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

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"If you just left without a destination in mind you would probably end up somewhere in the city here," Zee replies with a thoughtful nod. "Since you're looking for somewhere to play outside, maybe near a playground? There are a few nice playgrounds."

Some of them filled with top quality playground sand.

This causes trouble with catgirls occasionally but that just means regular grounds keeping is important.

"It isn't too much to worry about."
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