Peter nodded as he listened to the man’s explanation.  "No, this isn’t the way to the land of the dead and its ruler.  It is a crossroads between different worlds of the living.  See Meriwether here.  You saw his guns" and Peter stumbles slightly over the strange word, "Is there any like that in your world?  I certainly haven’t seen anything like that in those worlds that I have travelled to."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:28, Thu 29 Jan 2009.

     "That is a good thing to know, then if I am not in my world, and you are not in yours, then can we get home, and what if we don't want to? This raises too many questions to ponder till after i have eaten." The last remark spoken as his hearty and thick stew is brought out. There are figs and dates on the side plate, with a two hand portion loaf of a dark crusted bread.

Meriwether was content to listen to the two men talk. Sometimes a wise man spoke little & listened much. Unfortunately Meriwether was never that wise but for tonight at least...

He sipped his tea & nodded his approval of the stew "The stew is spot on sir! As is the tea. Roman eh? The Romans settled much of my England. It would appear that men may come not only from different worlds but indeed different times from the same world! Tis a mouthful!"

With that the Englishman stuffed his mouth with another bite of his own stew...

"Now that is an interesting thought, and not something I have ever considered." Peter responded to Meriweather's observation.  The sage thought for a moment or two, before continuing.   "I don't think I have ever travelled in time." he added before moving onto the question Quintus asked.  "I don't know about this place, although I did once visit a portal world that had residents of its own.  Some had escaped there, running from something, other had just sort of drifted by and stayed.  It was a strange place, all underground but completely self sufficient with its own agriculture and craftsmen."  The sage concluded with a nod towards Quintus.

"Excuse me Miss", Peter suddenly called across to Aalyssa.  "I couldn't help but notice your companion has left.  Please join us if you would like to.  After all an evening in a strange inn alone, is rarely enjoyable."

carefully Peter poured a little more of the wine into his glass and held it up to the light to appreciate the colour.  Suddenly he swirled the glass, making the deep red liquid climb up the side of the glass, before lowering it to his nose and breathing in the aroma.  A smile crossed his lips briefly as he inhaled, before eventually taking a sip of the liquid.

     Continuing the stew that he had tucked himself into, Quintus offers one of the cups and the pitcher of wine to the young lady. His attention only slightly diverted from dinner, he does notice she has already procured some dinner for herself as well.

Meriwether ate & sipped his tea. All along he listened intently & observed the woman in detail for the first time. There was something familiar & yet altogether different about her. The Englishman was curious now...

"Yes! Please do! We have plenty of room it would seem. Just talking & guessing you see. Your thoughts would be most welcome. You seem familiar to me. Have we perchance met?"

The door opened.

Standing in the doorway was a woman, blonde hair hanging down to her shoulders under a black akubra. Her eyes were blue, piercing into the tavern as she let them scan over each of the patrons inside, warily assessing the risk associated with each person before moving on to the next.

She wore a red and black checked flannellette shirt, and a jacket that looked like it had been constructed out of a variety of animal skins rested over it. She shrugged the jacket off, and hung it on the coat rack just inside the door.

Around her waist was a black leather belt, but more importantly, holstered on either hip were two pistols. Black jeans covered her legs, and black boots completed the look.

She closed the door behind her, stepping across the floor to the bar.

"The usual mate." She said to the barkeep.

The barkeep nodded, filling a glass with ice, and then pouring it to the top with rum. The woman nodded her appreciation, leaning with one elbow on the bar as she let her eyes once more scan the tavern and its occupants.

"If you will excuse me for a moment?"  The sage rises and heads off towards the bathroom

Meriwether sipped the last of his tea & gave the sage a friendly nod "But of course sir!"

He then stood himself & strode to the bar. Finding himself there with both women, Meriwether gave them both a half bow.

"The name is Smythe, Meriwether Lewis Smythe. Pleased to meet you both. We have a table... "

With this, the Englishman hitched a thumb back where Quintus remained sitting & eating "... & we would be delighted if you cared to join us?"

Then he turned to the bartender "I say my good fellow, might you top off my tea then? Jolly good by the way. I have not had that blend in a month of Sundays!"

Joe blinked as he entered the tavern. There was the Englishman, dressed as uselessly as ever. Joe, as usual, looked like the cowpuncher he wasn't. He let out an exasperated snort and strode over.

"Meriwether, didn't you get my telegram?" he said as he pulled up a chair. "I had 'em spell it out proper and everything..."

Joe stopped and looked around. This sure as heck didn't look like Cheyenne.

"Meriwether," he began again, "This ain't Wyoming anymore, ain't it?"

Amanda raised an eyebrow at the Englishman who greeted her, and for a brief moment her eyes then slipped to the other woman sitting at her own table alone, eating her meal. She had a soft smirk on her face, although that was actually a cover, she was in fact doing everything that she could to keep from laughing.

It certainly wasn't that she was surprised to find Meriwether here, or Quintus for that matter. She knew her way around the dimensional planes well enough to know that she could come across anyone here, but there were times when the patronage could certainly be amusing.

"Amanda." She said, her Australian accent slipping strongly through her name, "I'll be glad to join you for a drink."

She picked up her glass, waiting for Smythe to have his tea topped up, to walk back to the table together.

Meriwether looked between the two woman as a slow smile played along his lips "Why by the taste of the whiskey & tea I quite thought it heaven. Now that you have arrived Joseph, I must completely rethink things."

However the Englishman's warm smile took the sting out of his words. He strode over to his long lost friend "No Joseph! Not Wyoming nor is it Kansas anymore! However, welcome just the same!'

Meriwether extended a slender gloved hand in welcome.

He then turned slightly "This is Amanda. Amanda this is Spanish Joe Vesper! I prefer Joseph though he does not! Please do join us!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:02, Sun 01 Feb 2009.

Joe shook the Englishman's hand gingerly, as if he wasn't too sure it was real. It seemed real enough...

When Amanda spoke, he mistook her Australian accent for an English one. "Aww, hell, Meriwether," he said. "We're in England, ain't we? I don't wanna be in England. Everyone's got funny saddles and funny ways of speaking and they dress like they go to church everyday."

Joe had never been east of Ohio, of course.

Forcing down the impulse to tell Meriwether where he would find heaven, she turned as his attention was also distracted by the newcomer to the tavern.

Amanda was an interesting combination of feminine beauty that seemed slightly hidden behind an air of strength and independence, she was definitely not the type who was going to be won over by flattery and buying drinks, though.

She did, though, laugh at Joe's description of the English.

"Sounds like a pom to me." She said with a grin, extending a hand to Joe. "I'm Amanda, and no, you're not in England either."

Meriwether tsked his tongue "Now, now Joseph we have two of the politer sex here. We should watch our language, shall we? Oh! In all the excitement it would appear I left my tea. What would you have to drink Joseph? I highly recommend the stew you see. Just ask Quintus... the Roman there. If you will excuse me & Amanda... do have a seat. The last woman Joseph chose to bite was a Comanche I'm thinking. Your accent & appearance assures your safety what?"

The Englishman strolled to the bar...
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:12, Sun 01 Feb 2009.

"Hello, Miss Amanda," said Joe hesitantly. He looked about. It sure as heck didn't look like any saloon he had ever been in.

He decided he'd ask what "pom" meant later. "You gotta explain this to me, Meriwether," he called out after the Englishman. "Since you're the one who's done all the book reading and you're good at expositioning things. They got whiskey in this place?"
This message was last edited by the player at 05:18, Sun 01 Feb 2009.

Amanda smiled, taking her glass and moving across to the table that Smythe had come from, looking across at the roman, he appeared a little more timid and quiet than what the Englishman was.

"G'day." She said, extending a hand as she sat down, "Amanda's the name, apparently your mate Smythe suggested I join you all for a drink."

Meriwether thanked the man behind the bar "Thank you my good fellow! May I call you Duncan?"

He then took his tea back to the table "Not sure myself Joseph. Let's just say its not anything I have ever encountered. People from different times & worlds would be my guess. Somewhere out in the Ether, mayhaps Mars itself. Does have a river right outside. Could double as a canal I suppose... "

He heard Joe's question as he passed "Of course! Just ask Duncan for the Irish. It was mighty tasty. Oh by the way, our guns do not work within the tavern it would seem."
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:22, Sun 01 Feb 2009.

Aalyssa finished her food and took her plates over to the bar, then went back to the table. She gathered up her cloak and her bow and headed for the door.

Meriwether waved a hand at Aalyssa "Hey there! I say! Will you not come by & join us? We are just knocking about ideas, you know thinking about where we are what?"

Meriwether smiled & he winked "Five heads are better than one they say, whomever they are?"

Joe nodded as if he was understanding this. Which of course he wasn't. "Ether" and "Mars" didn't sound promising. But when the Englishman spoke of a river he felt better. He didn't like the sound of his guns not working in the tavern, either.

"Well, that's nice," he said. "How do we get back to Wyoming? Think we double back south?" He took a sip of the whiskey. "'Course with this kind of whiskey, maybe we should stay a while."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:26, Sun 01 Feb 2009.

"Certainly," Aalyssa agreed. As she approached the group, she felt the tips of her ears stick out through her hair, and she quickly adjusted her hair so they were covered.

"Joseph Vesper," said Joe, touching his hat to this other lady. He thought for a moment that he has seen she had pointy ears. But he put that down to the strange, good-tasting whiskey.

"You an Injun?" She looked far too pale for that, and her bow was funny, but it was all Joe could think of.

Meriwether thought about what Joe had said "Well I am not at all sure which way is south. You know that all too well Joseph. Never have been a woodsman. However, I think we should just sit back enjoy the moment. Who knows, we will probably wake up & this will all be over soon enough!"

He then said to the woman with the bow once more "Joseph recommends the whiskey."

"My name is Smythe, Meriwether Lewis Smythe. At your service. I think not Indian Joseph."
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:35, Sun 01 Feb 2009.

"Aalyssa Penwern," she said in introduction. "No, I'm not an indian," she added. Then she said, her eyes round, "Who or what is an indian?"