As the talk once more turned to the size and power of people's weaponry, Rafael stood up, swigged down the last of his ale and his whiskey and finished his cigar. With a little puff, the remains of the tobacco disappeared. He didn't like to leave a mess.

"Okey dokey, chaps. We ready then?" He picked up his duffel, had it stashed behind the bar and put his hands in his pockets jauntily. The bird lurked on his shoulder. "Less talk, more walk." He began to move to the door, motioning the others to join him.

Wilford looked around, he was no longer sure who would be going with him. He took a momentary pause and placed the unholy relic back into his pocket and removed two batteries. One was the size of a small cellphone, the other was a normal AA. He exchanged the batteries in each of his devices and looked up again when he was done.

Well, I guess Westward Ho! He smiled, did a full turn around and headed for the tavern door, stopping just in time to remember the food he ordered. He made a quick dash to the counter to grab the "picnic packed" meal and headed back for the door.

He began humming the theme song to Have Gun, Will Travel.

This had mistake all over it.  But Scott liked Rafi and he was starting to like Wilford too.  And if he was right, then those guys having someone with them might be helpful...necessary even.  Of course, the notion that these more experienced and probably magical gentlemen would not need help from the likes of him, never entered his mind.

Alright. He arose and stood went to stand by Rafi.  Nice knowin' ya, and thanks for the food. He said quietly to Parker as he went past.

Before we go I have a question that I would like to get out of the way. Is there a way I can get back to my universe? or am I stuck here?

He looks uncertainly twords Rafi

"You want to go back?" Rafi grinned at Dave, "You should be able to by retracing your steps, finding the portal that brought you here. " He shrugged, being a little more serious now, "If you're finding it difficult, I can probably help. You too... " He looked to Scott, smiling,

"But I think that there's usually a reason for things. The inn wanted you here. Aren't you curious to find out why?"

I have no intention of leaving, I'd just prefer to know if was stuck here is all.

Dave stands up knocks back the rest of his beer, slings his rifle over his shoulder, sticks whats left of the cigar in his mouth, and follows the others out the door

Scott gave Rafi a brief nod.  That was good to know.  He did want to go back...eventually.  But, he wasn't quite ready to do so yet.  And when he thought about it, sure there were things he'd miss, but if he'd been stuck here... he could'd've coped with that too. His mom would be upset, and he'd feel a little bad about that, but then, she always said she thought the bike would kill him....

A reason for things? He parroted thinking. Yeah. Like there was a reason why he was supposed to go on this journey.  His thinking it was stupid, probably was just him being subconsciously scared and not wanting his conscious to know about it.

"Excellent." Rafi glanced at both Scott and Dave, "That's the spirit. We'll be back before we know it." As he waited in the doorway and Scott began to move past, he leaned towards the young man, passing him something with a smile,

"Wear this." He murmured, "And if anyone goes loopy or something out there is out to get us, you'll be protected." With that, he strode out onto the porch.


[To the Porch]

Scott took the band.  He looked skeptically at Rafi, but thanked him.  Slipping it on a finger he was certain he wouldn't loose it, he followed the other man to the porch.

[To the Porch]

Following the crowd, Garrett gathered his pack from the corner and headed for the door as well...

<To The Porch>

Boone finishes his whiskey, gives a heartfelt <<buuuuurp>>, says 'scuse me and goes to join the others.


--------------<to the porch>-----------

"So Mr. Parker," Jethro speaks up now that the tavern is overly quiet, though still smokey. "How are you enjoying your roasted interlopers? The chefs here seem to have quite a knack for handling poultry if I do say so myself."

Parker looks at the Bard and lets out a roar of laughter.

"Fear that you are one of only two who caught on to my joke.  I have a small flock of guinea fowl, these were never human."

Now he was happy he had bought this man a meal.

"I am afraid that the room has emptied.  I do not think your music was to blame... at least not too much.  Come sit and enjoy your meal."

Jethro picks up his plate and brings it to the bar. "Sorry if the music wasn't to your liking, I don't have much experience with old english folk, or anything from other worlds. I'm just glad there were some people here that recognized what I was playing." Looking down at the kobold's plate, "well I'm glad those aren't people. I feel a lot better knowing that I wasn't enjoying the smell of my own species roasting on an open fire."

Parker continues to eat his food as he contemplates those outside, wondering how they are doing.  There are one, two or even three of them that their worlds would probably be better without, but at the same time, there were a few that he did indeed like.

"You speak not of magic but of the sciences.  Such things are rare in my world.  Where did you learn of such things?"
This message was last edited by the player at 03:29, Fri 10 Apr 2009.

"With a lot of study and generations of research and experimentation, not unlike your world's magic I assume."  He dug into his plate again and smiled.

 "There is no magic in my world, at least nothing recorded and proven of it in the last 2000 years that I have heard of, and even then those events were probably exaggerations. So people have been studying how to make everything else work like magic. From the looks of it, some of those adventuring sorts were using highly advanced technology. Until about two years ago, I spent most of my life studying the sciences and trying to make developments that will make those items possible."

Baal walks into the tavern and lets out a large sigh. "Finally. I made it." the old man says to himself. "Away from fighting. Away from war. I could get used to this place." He walks over to the barkeep to order a drink.

Jethro looked over to the old man, and was a little put off by his appearance, as his eyes seemed to have the same glaze people normally deemed crazy. More off setting was his comment. Jethro was only there for a little while, but seemed to realize that most of the patrons didn't come here intentionally, nor knew where they were when they first arrived. He certainly didn't, but this man seemed to know something about the place.

Wanting to show respect, he waved at the man and greeted with a friendly, "Hello", while remaining in his stool

When the old man gets his drink he turns to the man that greeted him. "Hello young man." He says as he walks over to the young man. He sits down in a stool near the man and begins to sip his drink.

Parker gets up off of his chair and steps up onto the table.  He approaches the old man and looks at his face.

"I am Parker, and please allow me to warn you of the enchantments that surround this place.  It prevents any violence from happening inside the inn.  I would hate to see anyone else put on the floor for trying to start a fight."

Waiting a few seconds for the man to absorb that, Parker continues.

"If you are from a world that is unaccustomed to my kind, let me say that I am a Dragon Borne Kobold.  I am not a creature of evil or a talking lizard."

The old man looks down at the Kobold with his dark, sunken eyes. "Aye, I know what you are. I'm not here to pick a fight. As a matter of fact I'm here to get away from it. And I supposed you are here to do the same? No offence but your kind is known for stearing clear of danger. Unless you are one of dem ones that have more guts than the rest." When he finishes his sentence he looks foward again and sips his drink.

"My people go to great lengths to avoid conflict.  When the fight can not be avoided, I am the one that goes out and finishes it.  I am Dragon Borne, inheritor of the Arcane Might of the Great Wyrm Brohemine."

His smile is broad and he is quite pleased to have someone else here who not only knows what a kobold is, but doesn't think of them as some trained talking lizards.

"You are welcome to sit at my table."

"Well thank you my new friend. By the way my name is Baal and I will join you after I talk to this young man here." He says with a friendly yet creepy smile as he points to Jethro. One other feature most people notice about Baal's smile is that at his age he still all his teeth.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:55, Mon 13 Apr 2009.

"Nice to meet you, Baal. My name is Jethro Caso," he introduces with a tip of the fedora on his head.  "If I may ask, where do you hail from?"

Parker looks at the old man with a questioning look for a second.  The young human bard was sitting at the same table as himself.  With a shrug, he walks back to his chair and jumps down into it.  He still has some of his dinner left so he starts in again on that.

"There are many similar worlds.  There have been several people here from worlds similar to mine, but none from mine."