Music drifts up from the quarter into the night air. Occasionally the sound of traffic or the occasional siren mixing in to create a discordant cacophony. Faux gas lamps light the streets and the occasional orange light to a club called Vixens Tail lights up a picture of a nine tailed fox.

The club is winding down for the night and most of the main attraction girls have gone home. Dean finds himself in the very earliest hours of the morning near the bar.

  Dean taps the bar lightly and smiles at the bartender to signal for a round.  The shift was jet about over, so he could relax and have a drink.  Another hour and the night crew would boot out the remaining patrons and go home, leaving the incoming morning cleaning crew to set up for the noon re-opening.  Jill was working the bar.  Some nights she danced, some nights she tended.  She always worked till closing, and Dean usually had a drink or two with her and walked her home.  Sometimes they hung out and fooled around.  Friends with benefits.  She was working her way through school.  Pre-med.

  It had been a good night.  Busy, folks spending lots of money, nobody got stupid enough to need a beating.  A few guys got a little handsy, but it was just a little too much booze and Dean had walked them outside without any issue.

  When Jill slides down to his end of the bar, Dean slides her a $20 and orders an Irish Coffee.  For employees drinks were just $5, but he always gave a $20 and never took the change.

  “Only one more hour, kid.  You hitting the books tonight, or getting some shuteye, or what?” He asks, watching over the place with a practiced eye.

It had been years since smoking had been allowed in the building before it had become the Vinxens Tail. Yet still it's smell could be occasionally encountered between the smell of sweat and alcohol. Tonight was one of those nights the smell of smoke was particularly strong. The lights in the place were low and even though they were a bit brighter by the bar it only made the liquids in the bottles and Jill's eyes shimmer in the light.

She takes the twenty the magic at which she made it disappear a matter of speed and skill more then magic. Giving a brief wink as she started to pour his drink. "Books, have to study up on the glandular system." She lifts a can of some red bull or variant thereof and takes a swig. She then slides him his drink with practiced skill it stopping before him. It sloshes in the glass but not a drop lands on the bar top.


Around this hour many of the patrons have headed home and only some regulars and a couple young guys are watching the stage. The look of disappointment on one kids face speaks volumes about the amount of money left in his wallet as he gazes into it.

  Dean nodded. “Books.  Hmph.” He teases, looking up at the neon fox above the bar, “See what I’m up against?  Glands.” He says playfully.  “I got glands.”    He knew that study time was the big priority, and that trumped all else.  Had she said sleep, that might have been negotiable, and if she had specified or what, well, that was a definite invitation to fun.

  He looks back out over the crowd.  The kid with the empty pockets would need to go soon.  Dean decided to take the nice way.  He reaches over and sets a to-go cup under the hurricane machine to fill.  Typically he’d hand one of these to the nice clientele that had overstayed their wealth or welcome and they would toddle off down the street with their frozen slushy booze.  He polished off his own drink while it filled.

  Dean puts the plastic lid on it and makes his way over to the no-cash kid.

  “C’mon bro, this one’s on the house, but it’s gotta be to-go.”

As Dean looks walks over to the kid he notices something there was a red head in the place a woman who easily looked like she could be a main draw dancer. The thing is he hadn't seen her come in. She was dressed really strange too. A glittery dress but with a look that he had only seen in old time movies.

When he reaches the kid the boy smiles up at him, "Yeah I guess so, I'm kind of out of money anyway. Thanks cool of you." He took the drink and got up turning to his friend to see if he was going too.  His friend gets up, "Better let me drive you've been drinking, Happy Birthday man." The two fistbump and head out.

  He watched and made sure the kids got out okay, then scanned the room again.  Now it was just a few regulars and the redhead.  It wasn’t unusual for women to come in.  Sometimes they got lesbians in, sometimes it was girls scoping for possible employment prospects, sometimes it was just friends of the dancers.  The dress was unusual.  He guessed that of all the possibilities, it was most likely that she was a dancer scoping the place out.

  Dean gives her a nod and a smile and returns to his perch at the end of the bar, watching over things in a more focused way.  It bothered him that he had missed seeing her come in.  He glanced at the clock.  Another forty minutes.  The redhead kept drawing his glance.  He really should have noticed a hottie like her enter.

  He whispers to Jill when she comes by again, “Anyone you know?”

Jill Hmmmm ? then follows his gaze, "I didn't even see her come in. No, don't know who that is. Maybe she wants a job. Wrong time to come in for that though." Jill shrugs a bit.

Looking at the woman she looks like a young Veronica Lake though with red hair. As she is watching the dancer she takes out a shiny metal case. It is hard to tell but it is not a gun. Soon enough it is clear what it is as she takes out a cigarette which she places in something that hasn't been seen for perhaps a century a cigarette holder.

As she slips the case away in her bag the cigarette lit. No lighter that could be seen but she was in the shadows.

  “Ahh, no.  Can’t have her smoking in here.  That’s a seven fifty fine.  I got it.”

  New Orleans was a strange place.  You could drink in the streets, carry blades openly, carry concealed weapons like iron knuckles with a valid permit, have full nudity in the clubs...but smoking was still forbidden inside business establishments.  Outside at the sidewalk tables it was fine, but the girls had to wear at least thongs.

  Dean strolls over, smiles, and says “Hi.  Thanks for coming to Vixens, but we have to ask that you don’t smoke inside the building.  Pesky state laws, ya know.”  He points to one of the posted signs. “It’s cool on the porch though, Miss...?”

Jill looked on almost unbelieving, "She smoking and vaping ?"


The woman looks up at him with incredible green eyes. Then she turns to look at herself her arms and torso. "I'm not smoking. Oh wait you mean the cigarette don't you ?" She shakes her head and her auburn tresses obscure her face a moment.

"It's only cancer, nothing dangerous." Her eyes look to the signs.

"Ahhh pitty is that everywhere or just here ?" She starts looking about the table.
"Hmmm no ashtray." She then presses two fingers into the glowing embers of the cigarette snuffing it.

"Im Millenia." A brilliant smile.
She has a kind of haunted look about her like a junky but it only seems to enhance her beauty as oppose to detract from her looks.

Slipping away the cigarette holder in her purse.
"So handsome, spin a chair around for yourself. Is this club yours ?"
This message was last updated by the GM at 03:55, Fri 15 Jan 2021.

  Dean isn't sure if she means that the smoking will cause cancer, or that she already has it, so he doesn't say anything to that comment.  She asks about the smoking ban.

  "Every restaurant and bar in the Quarter, except outdoors venues." he replies.

  Then she snuffs it out without flinching, the way that badass guys in the corps used to to show off.  Okay, she was probably drunk or on something maybe.

  She introduces herself with what is clearly her stage name.

  "Millenia, nice to meet you.  I'm Dean.  I don't own the place, I just bounce here.  I'm still on the clock, so can't really sit, but I get off shift in about thirty minutes.  Can I get you a drink though?  Last call should be...."

  As if on cue, Jill brings the lights up fifteen percent and announces "Last call, last call."

Millenia listens to Dean until the lights come up a bit and Jill calls out. Then her eyes flicker over to Jill for a moment. Her gaze then drifts back to Dean.

"Shutting down then ? I would love a French seventy five, or a Highball."

  "Let me see what I can do.  Be right back."  Dean sweeps the room with his gaze once more, but there wasn't anything that looked like it was going to be trouble so he makes his way back over to Jill.

  "Problem solved.  Hey, do you know how to make a French Seventy Five?  She wants either that or a highball.  Can't even remember the last time I ever heard of either being ordered.  Not sure quite what her deal is.  Seems harmless enough though."

  Dean pulls another twenty out of his pocket and puts it on the bar.

  He wasn't sure if there might have been a pang of jealousy from Jill over him talking to the redhead.  Their thing had been very casual, no strings or any of that.  They both occasionally dated other people, and Jill was very lightly bi-sexual.  Their only rules were "keep it open and honest", "just have fun", "no head games", "don't be obnoxious", and "don't bring back any critters or diseases".  They had each always come back to the other though, and then the re-starting sex was always great.  There was this time when Jill had dated a baker from Cafe Du Monde, and when that ended she had called Dean over to her apartment for urgent help.  On his arrival he had found her laying naked with powdered sugar covering her naughty parts, begging him to eat her beignets while they were still hot.  There had been discussions about potential three-ways, but it hadn't happened to date.

Jill stopped for a moment and tilted her head. She did something she rarely did and went to a book she had at the bar and flipped through it. It was for mixing drinks and as her eyes scanned through it her face rose with a really odd look as she looked past Dean towards the woman.

"Does she think prohibition is on ? These are drinks from a century ago." She shook her head but prepared a French seventy five. She handed the glass to Dean.

"So you figure out if she is looking for work or just looking or what ?"

  Dean shook his head. "Dunno yet.  She asked if I owned the place, so maybe she's looking for a job.  Seems a little odd, maybe some weird nostalgia cosplay thing or something going on, or maybe it's just an affectation.  Who knows, maybe she just grew up around really old people?"

  He looked at the drink, shrugged again, carried it over.  Now it was twenty minutes to closing, and last call was done.  The dancers were wrapping things up, collecting their last few dollars from their admirers.

  Dean pulled up a chair this time, spinning it around and sitting on it backwards

  "So, Millenia, haven't seen you around the Quarter before.  What brings you here?  Business, pleasure...?"

Jill shrugs, "Bit weird, then again we have about twenty Dracula's that tour the quarter so."

Millenia took the drink, "Thank you."
"Oh, I'm here for the Door. I guess I should pay the dancer some respects too."

She puts her bag on the table and goes through it pulling out some gold coins.
"Would you be a gentleman, and give these to her." Millenia gives a movie starlet smile.

  Dean takes the coins, looks at them briefly.  They're heavy.  Really heavy.  Way too heavy to be Mardi Gras throws from a Krewe.  Probably some painted or electroplated lead he figures, but hey, why not play along.  It didn't generally hurt to indulge somebody's role-playing.  Sometimes it was even amusing or interesting.  That's what New Orleans was for many, a good time, a fantasy.  It's what Vixens sold people.   He waves over the closest girl.

  "Hey Tori, the lady would like you to have these.  Here ya go, hon, try not to spend them all in one place."  he gives her a wink as he places them in her hand.  He knew that dancers hated it when people tried to slip things into their thongs.

  Ten minutes to closing now.  Dean gave the nod to the regulars and they began heading out.  Anyone who had ever seen Dean have to expel someone the hard way knew that they didn't ever want to go down that road.  One guy had pulled a knife on Dean once.  There was still a piece of the table that Dean broke with the guy's face nailed to the wall in the men's room with the date on it.  Right above the urinals.

  "The Door?  I'm not sure what you're getting at.  I don't think the boss has any openings for doorstaff right now, but he is always looking for servers and dancers.  I can get him if you want.  He should be back in his office."

The coins have strange markings and some language he can't place.

The girl takes them and gives them an odd look, "These actually worth anything ?" She asks Dean.

Millenia smiles when he comes back, <Red>"Oh, I shouldn't need him, though I am rather an excellent dancer. That Door though." She indicates with a motion of her head.

Dean remembers this place has a really odd door that no one could open. It's been a mystery since the place was new. The owner when he took over the place to remodel tried to get in there with no success. Locksmith no success, you and a crowbar no success and a broken crowbar tip and completely unscratched door.  He gave up on it after a few other tries when even a sledge hammer didn't put so much as a mar to the doors paint.

  Dean laughs.  "Oh, the old Sword in the Stone!  Yeah, it's behind the Coors silver bullet banner.  The owner used to hold contests to let guys try to open it.  There's a half dozen or so rumors circulating about it around the Quarter.  Door to the Dancer's Private Lounge, Door to the Stairway to Heaven, Gateway to Hell, Entryway into The Twilight Zone, A Voodoo Queen's Secret Vault.  There's probably a couple more.  I personally like the one about whomever opens it becomes a Ruler of the Universe.  You're welcome to give it a shot it you want." he says with a smile.

"Oh it's all those things !" then there is a moment where this woman goes from a sultry and confident woman to chewing her bottom lip but it doesn't seem to be about the door.

"I should like to give it a shot if you don't mind ?"

  Dean nods. "Of course you can.  Hang on a minute, let me get the banner out of the way."

  He pushes a chair over and stands on it, tucking the Coors banner up and out of the way.  He then removes the chair, and gestures with a flourish.

  "Have at it, Millenia.  I'll be behind you to catch you in case you fall."  Dean says easily.  The door had once been pretty popular, had gotten written up in the touristy gobbldey-gook that was right up there with ghost tours of the quarter.  Dean didn't remember when it's popularity had fallen off.

  He stands ready to catch her, just to make sure that nobody got sued.  Maybe that was why they stopped promoting it.

Millenia reaches out turns the knob (Which many others have done) Then opens it without so much as a rusty squeak or sound of a stuck door coming open. She gives a smile and hands him her glass. "Thanks handsome." She heads through the Door and closes it behind her.

Before it closes though an elegant hall comes into view with gorgeous paintings and lit by chandeliers in crystal which makes the light seem to reflect in a dozen different directions then click the Door is shut.

  The glass slips from Dean's hand, shattering on the floor.

  He whirls, looking to see if Jill or any of the dancers had seen what he just thought he had seen.

  "What the fuck??!" he exclaims.  He KNEW there was no elegant hall behind the door.  Near as anyone knew, the space beyond it was the storeroom of the little gift-shop next door.

  "Jill, you saw.....wait, you're punking me, right?"

Jill did see but no one else in the place did.

In fact Jill is so startled she doesn't even answer as she just looks at the door.

Jill comes out from behind the bar, "What is back there, how did she open it ? Open it back up Dean !"

  Dean starts to laugh. "Nicely done.  You gals got me real good.  Don't step on the glass there.  Oh ma, Fuckin A..."

  He grabs the door handle, turns it and pulls.

Gripping the handle no problem turning it no problem pulling it almost makes him pull a muscle as the door doesn't so much as budge a millimeter.

  He turns it the other way, pulls.  Tries with both hands.  Tries with a foot braced against the wall.

  Dean stops, begins shaking with laughter, turns to Jill.

  "Ok, you win.  You totally got me.  That was freakin' awesome!  How did you do that?"

  He's thinking maglocks with a switch behind the bar to release it.  He looks around for the cameras that must be filming this.

"What ! you can't open it. How did she get through." Jill tries opening it and almost falls on her back.

"It's not a joke Dean. If I thought she could actually do it I would have been over here to see what the heck was behind it. Well she has to come out it's probably full of cobwebs and old junk."

  Dean stops laughing.  "No, seriously Jill.  You saying you didn't set this up?  Then it had to be Rocco, right?  Shit, he got us both!  He musta found out about what we did on the bar after closing on Christmas Eve.  That bastard!"

  Dean took out his cellphone and dialed the owner, Rocco Riccio.  He expected to hear him laughing his ass off.  He wasn't.

  "So, Rocco....you saying you're not taking credit for setting us up with that door gag tonight?  No, you know what I'm talking about.  What?  Seriously?  No, check your cameras.  Just like two minutes ago.  Woman in red, redhead, going through the freakin' door?  No?  Oh, c'mon.  Yeah, no, okay.  Bye."

  Dean looks at Jill.  "He says he didn't know anything about it.  He ain't got a decent poker face either.  He shoulda been crackin' up."

"Even the place before Vixens, that door has never been opened. I honestly thought it was glued or cemented shut and there was a wall right behind it or a small closet I mean we are right against the shop next door."

"Rocco coming here ? Bet he will try and weasel out of paying since we haven't been advertising that for months now."

  Dean shakes his head.  “He isn’t coming.  Was sort of pissed off that I interrupted him, and didn’t believe me.  He thought Inwas yanking his chain.”

  He grabs a broom and dustpan to sweep up the broken glass as they talk.

  “Jill, I didn’t see a closet or a storeroom when she opened it.  This is gonna sound really fucked up, but it looked like a ballroom, with chandeliers and paintings.  No shit.  I know there’s no way it could have been, but that’s what it looked like.”

Jill gives Dean a look this time, "Ok, you pulling my leg this time ?"
She knocks on the door.  "Ok, you did it you opened the door but we are closing up here. You need to come out so we can lock up."

Several more knocks and ever increasing frustration from Jill and not a peep is heard from the door.

"I don't believe this ! I am not staying late here  Get Out Now !!!"

  Sitting down once the glass is swept up, Dean shakes his head.

  “Jill, this HAS to be Rocco punking us.  It’s GOTTA be!  No other explanation.  He set us up but good, so it’s on him.  Let’s just lock up and get outta here.   It’s on him if she gets locked in for the night.   I’ll walk you home.”


  There just wasn’t any other rational explanation for it.

"You sure Dean if she comes out and steals alcohol or from the safe it will be on us and you know it."

Some of the Dancers come out from the shouting, "What's going on ?"

  With a nod, Dean says “You’re right, Jill.  I wouldn’t put it past him.  Okay, you got studying to do, so take an Uber home and I’ll stay until she comes out, then see her out.”

  He looks to the dancers, “Nothing going on, just Rocco messing with us.  He musta had a contractor in and set up some kind of gag with the door..  Anybody see anyone in here doing any work recently?”

Jill nods and hugs Dean, "Thanks Dean."

Jill finishes up counting out the drawer and cleaning up then heading home.

The girls say they haven't seen anything surprised that he started up the door contest again.
They make calls getting rides home or walking home from the club.

The club looks almost depressing with no one there and only a couple lights on. Dean becoming aware of the glitter that never quite leaves his clothes or skin.

Once he’s made sure everyone has gotten their rides and headed out, Dean locks the doors behind them.   Dean pulls up a chair, gets himself a Diet Coke from the bar and waits about eight feet in front of the door.  While he does, he checks all the confirmation texts from the girls, letting him know that they made it home safe.  It was an extra step, and had gotten a lot of eye rolling at first, but it had eventually become routine.  They even checked in with him on his night off.  He was, after all, their protector.  It was just how he was wired.

  The place is quiet.  Too quiet.  Once the last girl has checked in he clicks on his Pandora.  His feed is stuff never heard in the club.  Gordon Lightfoot, John Denver, Abba, Kenny Rogers, Cher.

  As he sits there he looks at his hands, the glitter, the ring.  It was one of the few things he had left from his mother.  He got it, along with the dagger and iron knuckles from a safe deposit box after her death.  It still haunted him.

The entire night goes by without so much as a peep.

So it will be up to Dean how long he stays.

  Dean stays until 8 am.  The daytime cleaning crew came in then, preparing the club for it's 11am opening.  They had their own keys, and had had this gig since before Dean had started working there.

  Dean said hello to them on his way out.  Nice Creole-Cajun couple.

  As he hit the streets he could see shopkeepers hosing down the front sidewalks from where drunken revelers had relieved themselves.  The tourists were just starting to flock to the breakfast joints.  Dean didn't want to deal with crowds, so he just made his way home, texting Jill an update that there had been nothing.

  He looked again at the glitter, smiled.  It was better than the blood that had been dried into the edges of his nails during his time in the Corps.  He had been in some serious shit, done a lot of horrible things to bad people.  His ledger had a lot of red in it.

  He walked.  It was only about a half a mile.  He was looking forward to getting some sleep.  He'd have to be back in at 7 pm.

The next day no one said anything about the woman or the door.

Things go fine at Vixens the next two weeks go relatively fine. One of the girls has a problem with her dealer that spirals. Other then that just the regular stuff.

Then early in the night as your scanning the club the red head is back and you know she didn't go past you.

    Dean knew that Cindy had problems.  Broken home, some bad life choices, and definitely some mental health issues.  She was trying though, but she had fallen off the wagon and was back into the drugs.  The dealer, a local called Baron, was trying to het her to hook for him, and he was using the drugs to do it.  Dean found him slapping her around in the back alley for money she owed him, and got into it with the guy.  Dean slapped him back, disrespected him, and sent him on his way.  Baron left issuing death threats to Dean, and threatening other things to Cindy.  It was only a matter of time before the asshole came back, so Dean moved quickly.  Cindy needed to dry out, so he dragged her to the local hospital and got her Baker Acted.  Involuntary seventy two hour medical hold, renewable if the doctor saw fit.  She was pissed, but it would at least get her some medical help and a chance to get through her DT's.  He used about half his savings to get her a room in a different section of town, paid it three months in advance.  When the Baker Act ended, he sprung for her rehab  He and Jill moved all her stuff, went through and got rid of any drug paraphernalia.  He left some brochures from the local community college with a note saying that if she decided to go, he'd pay for it for two years provided she kept a C average or better.  It was a one shot deal at a better life for her.  Now it would be her choice.

  Then came the redhead one night.  Not through the entry.  Maybe she had been there somewhere before he came on shift, but he was sure he would have noticed her sooner.  Figures that Jill had taken the night off to write a paper.  He scans the crowd, has Dixie get him a drink to bring over, and pulls up a chair again as he places down the drink in front of her.

  "Millenia.  Long time, no see.  How's things?"

Millenia seems to be humming along to something when Dean sits down. Her eyes flicker to him.
"Hello handsome, has it really been that long ?" She offers a warm smile.

Seeing the drink she looks to him, "For me ? Careful some might suspect you a gentleman."

  “Two weeks since you left me sitting here staring at the door all night.  You’ll have to show me the trick to opening it some time.  You and Rocco really got us good.”

  He laughs when she calls him a gentleman.  Apparently she wasn’t familiar with that particular drink on sight.  “Oh, I don’t think anyone around the Quarter will ever mistake me for that.  Not by a long shot.”

  He waits until she’s tried the drink.  Vodka, peach schnapps, orange juice and cranberry juice, of course with a skewered cherry.

  “Like it?”

Millenia gives him an odd little look.
"Who is Rocco ?" Her face shows instant engagement instead of passive interest.

She lifts the glass downing it till the glass is empty. "It's good, though I am not a big fan of Vodka, thank you though."

She looks distant a moment, "Two weeks, yes that sounds about right, I am not really good with time, thanks for the reminder. You really stared at the door all night ? I should have told you I wouldn't be back this way for a while."

"Ok, you bought me some drinks, what is on your mind ?"

In reply to Millenia (msg # 44):

  “Rocco owns the place, and I assume he was the one who put you up to opening the door.  Maybe he didn’t give his name when he hired you.  Heavy set, swarthy guy, wears a lot of gold chains...ring any bells?”

  She doesn’t let on that she knows him.  Okay, maybe he used an intermediary.  He watches her down the drink.

  Dean nods to the glass.  “It’s called Sex on the Beach.  Told ya I’m not much of a gentleman.”

  He smiles, “Well, a very beautiful woman manages to get in here without me seeing her enter, opens the door and exits into what looks to be a ballroom but can’t possibly be just based on the size of the building, and then pops up here again two weeks later.  Color me intrigued, Millenia.  Who are you, and how did you do it?”

Millenia nods slowly, "I know his type, if I don't know him specifically."

"Lot's of Rocco's running hooch in Miami." She smiles slyly, "Nice name for the drink, is that what it is supposed to result in ?"

She gives him a really odd look this time, "I am Millenia, you already know that but the second thing I can show you if you would like." She gets up and then says, "You should warn your friend." She looks to the dancer, "Her heel is about to give out." She then walks over to the door waiting by it.

  Dean looks over. “Hey Carla, check your shoe.”

  He then follows the redhead to the door.  He wanted to see what the trick to opening it was.

Carla looks down and checks her shoe and one of her heels is indeed loose and looks ready to come off. Carla shakes her head, "Thanks eagle eyes."

She heads to change into new heels.


Millenia says, "Ok, it is pretty simple you just grab the handle turns it clockwise and pull it open." The door opens a bit.

"See."

  Dean let’s out a laugh.

  “I and at least a few thousand others have tried exactly that.  You are the only one that I have ever seen open it.”

  He looks at her hand to see if maybe she was wearing a ring, or a bracelet that would signal what had to be a mag lock to release.  Or maybe it was in her bag

“May I?”  He asks, reaching for the door...

She does have a ring or two no wedding ring.

She waits for him to put his hand on the knob. She then steps back.

The Door instantly starts to shut as if someone was pulling on the other side someone like The Hulk, or Thor.

Millenia said, "Be good."

The Door went slack and stopped closing on Dean. He isn't able to open it further then it is but it stays open to the point it is at and has ceased closing.

The same large hall with paintings and crystal chandeliers is beyond. A bright white hall and  definitely larger then what should be on the other side of the door.

  Dean considered wedging a foot into the door, but decided against it just from the force he felt closing it.  He looked through, blinked, looked again.

  “Ok, what gives?  This isn’t supposed to be...can’t be here.”

  He hadn’t drank anything, so she couldn’t have drugged him.  He looks again, then looks at her, clearly waiting for an explanation.

"Why is that ?" She looks under his arm.

"Why, what do you see ? Your not one of those odd writers hopped up on opium are you ?"

Opium?? What the heck was she taking about?

  “Never touch the stuff, but I’m starting to wonder if I’m losing my marbles.  This was, where the door is, should lead into a storeroom or something.  But that room...that’s bigger then the whole building.  And why cantI pull the door open more?”

"Well, it is a special door a capital D, door. There are only about five of them on this continent. So you see something larger then should be on the other side, could you describe it to me though. This part is important."

She opened it a bit more and it stayed open at the new position.

  “It’s a really big, white ballroom, with paintings and crystal chandeliers....sorta like the final scene from Beauty and the Beast.  Why, do you see something different?”
This message was last edited by the player at 06:33, Mon 18 Jan 2021.

"You can see it as it is." Millenia has a rather shocked look.

"Now do you have to be here ?"

In the background the pounding music of  Daddies Girl plays as Carla spins about the pole to admirers. Some bills raining down on the stage.

  Dean scans the crowd.  While it doesn't look like there are any serious troublemakers in the crowd, potential disaster was always just one-too-many beers away.  He looks back through the door.

  "Yeah, I kinda gotta be, at least until I can get one of the other bouncers to come in and cover me.  I'm all these girls have to keep them safe, y'now?  If you can give me like an hour, I should be able to get someone in..."

  He pulls out his phone and sends a text to the other two bouncers that worked the club.  Hopefully one of them was free and could come finish up for him.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:50, Mon 18 Jan 2021.

She nods, "Understandable."

Millenia waits and gets herself a drink nursing it.


As Dean is at the door a few girls come over and look through the door.

  "Finally!"  Dean says, making the call to the one that texted him back.


  "Bobby?  Yeah, need you to cover me till closing, man, something came up.  Yeah, soon as you can get here.  Thanks bro, I owe you one."

 He sends a text to Jill.  RED IS BACK! SHE OPENED THE DOOR AGAIN!  GONNA CHECK IT OUT!  CALL YOU LATER!

  Dean nods to Millenia. "He'll be here in twenty minutes.  Soon as he gets here I'm free."

  He asks one of the dancers, Barb, what she saw when she looked in through the door.

Barb gives Dean a strange look like he is crazy for asking and walks through the door he is holding. Just like that, like someone changed a channel. The white brightly lit hall with paintings vanished and a dark small closet with tools and old items on wooden shelves snapped into place. There was a safe in there too. Barbra says, "Uhm just a lot of old junk, don't know what is in the safe though."

Jill texts back wait for her she wants to see what is in there.

  Dean dials Jill's number and hands his phone to Barb to tell her what she saw.  She saw what he had expected was there, minus the safe, he decided to let her tell it, even maybe send her a pic.  He didn't want her to race down there just to find that Dean had had a little mental break with reality.

  From there it was a waiting game.  Waiting for Bobby, unless Jill still decided to come and got there first.

Barbara shrugs but takes some selfies and one of Dean holding the door open.
She hands him back his phone. "Kind of anticlimactic really."

Bobby will show up.
"Sup Dean, feeling sick or something ?"

Jill hadn't arrived yet or texted his phone.

  Dean smiles and gives Bobby a firm handshake.  "Nah man, just something came up.  Redhead over there at the bar, man, she opened the freakin' door, dude.  I'm trying to figure out what the setup is on this.  Gotta be Rocco playin' me, man, but it was a slick setup so I'm gonna go along with it and see where she wants to take me."

  He nods at the patrons. "Nothing going down here today, but you heard about that thing between me and that asshat Baron, right?  Well, try not to get in the middle of it.  I don't trust that little shit as far as I can kick him, and I think he's gonna try something shitty with me.  I'm not worried, I'll beat his ass if he does anything to anyone from the club.  Anyway, I know Jill wanted to see what's going on with the door, so I'm trying to give her time to get here if she's coming.  I don't know if she is or not though.  If I'm off before she gets here, tell her I tried to wait for her." 

  Dean pulls out the copy of the schedule from his jacket pocket, looks at it. "I'm off for the next 2 days, so maybe a fun weekend ahead for me.  We'll see though.  Anyway, thanks again.  You need me to cover you whenever, just say the word."

Bobby shakes his head, "Baron, little piss is bad news. Thinks he is five times his size because he carries. I see him I'll give the NOPD a call. Always leaches like that around the girls."

He looks around, "She opened the door ? I mean I can see it's open but her ? How ?"
He shakes his head not believing it since like you he tried his hand at opening it many times.

"Yeah I'll let you know if I want a night off, picking up extra hours and cash ain't that bad though."


Jill shows up about five minutes later dressed more like she was studying then anything else. She moves over to the door.

  Dean heads over to Jill and the door.

  "See?  She came in and opened it as easy as pie.  I tried to pull it open farther and it almost felt like it was being pulled back, but then it stopped.  I don't see a maglock, but if Rocco is going all in on this gag he might have shelled out some bucks to have it built-in and hidden.  I'm guessing she has something on her that disables it somehow, like one of those hidden gun rack shelves that they sell on tv.  Anyway, why don't you meet her and say hello."

  He waves Millenia over and makes the introductions.

  "Jill, this is Millenia.  Millenia. this is my best friend, Jill."

Jill looks at Millenia, "Hey, I called for you to come out of that closet. Why did you blow me off ?"

Millenia looks at Jill, "Sorry, I couldn't hear you on the other side of the Door.

Jill's eyes narrowed, "A whole two inches of door, yeah I can see how that could make someone deaf."

  “Ladies, ladies, can’t we just chalk it up to a big misunderstanding?  The important thing is that the big mystery is finally solved, and Rocco got us good.  I may need to see about getting a CT Scan though, because I didn’t see an old closet when I first looked in.  I thought I saw a giant ballroom.”

  Dean shakes his head.  He must have hallucinated it.  Hadn’t he?

Jill looks in the closet.
"You saw a ballroom ? It's just a small walk in closet. With a safe, is the prize money in there ?"

Now that Barb had left the closet for a set.
Dean saw the dusty cobwebbed closet. He also saw the hall with pictures and the chandelier. The images flicker like he could pick which one to see.

Millenia heads to fetch a drink. She gets one  for Jill to after finding what she likes from the bartender.

  Dean stares at the opening.  While Millenia is at the bar, he says to Jill,  "This is gonna sound really messed up, Jill.  No bullshit.  I can see both, flickering, alternating, fast...like when someone is flipping channels on a tv remote.  I...I don't understand it.  You don't see that at all?  Fuck, maybe I am going crazy, or dreaming, or someone slipped something in my soda or something.  I'm kinda worried.  Damn."

  When Millenia returns he asks her, "Jill sees the closet with the safe.  I see that, and I also see the ballroom.  Seriously, what's going on?  Am I cracking up?  What do you see through there?"

Jill says, "Did Red, buy you a drink ?" Jill goes into the closet picks up a hammer. "I only see  a closet Dean, I don't think you could fit a ballroom in here." she chuckles.

"Your cracking up, you sure Baron didn't slip you something ?"



Millenia hands Jill the drink she bought her then sips her own drink.
"No he is not cracking up, there are both." She looks at Bobby, "Hi Slim."

  He looks at Millenia.  "Okay, this is starting to freak me out.  Can you please explain exactly what's going on here?  Please?  And I don't care if Jill and Bobby hear, they're both like family."  He smiles at Jill.  "Sometimes in a West Virginia kinda way, sometimes not...but family all the same."
This message was last edited by the player at 11:27, Tue 19 Jan 2021.

"Well, you can see the hall, it's not a ball room. A hall, or expanse is a better way to describe it. It is there passed the Door. The closet with tools and that safe is there too passed the door. Most people just see the closet, in fact I am surprised you can see the expanse that is rare, very rare." Millenia seems to be doing perhaps mental mathematics in her head. She shrugs giving up on coming up on the odds.

"The closet is part of this world, nothing to special about that, the expanse is not part of this world, it's not part of any world. It is well, how to put it." She tilts her head.

"Ygg the world tree, the Grand Stair, The Backstage of the Play, The Lattice upon which is hung matter. Yeah it is also, the wonderful sore foot maker."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:07, Tue 19 Jan 2021.

  Dean gives a confused look. "The world tree?  That's the kind of stuff my mom used to say when she was drunk.  She was into a lot of weird stuff, like Quabbalah and Wicca and stuff.
 Always trying to find something better, but all she ever really found was the bottom of the bottle.  So, if I walk through the door, will I bump my knees on the safe, or step out into the hall?"

"Your choice handsome." Millenia smiles.

Jill kind of glares at her, "What hall !?!?"

  With a shrug, Dean steps forward when the vision is showing him the hall. What the hell, if I'm going crazy, might as well face it head on.

Jill screams, "Dean !" She spins pointing at Millenia.
"Where did he go ! What did you do to him ?"

Bobby goes slack jawed, "Dean ?"

Millenia says, "He is in the hall, you couldn't see the hall remember, that is why you can't see him. Hey handsome you mind coming back so your friends know your ok."

In reply to Jill (msg # 76):

  Dean looks around, jaw agape.  It's beautiful.

  He hears their voices behind him, turns and tries to step back to Vixens.

  "Holy shit." he says, wide-eyed.

Jill steps back, "What is going on ? Dean are you ok ? You vanished."

Bobby, "Man that is wild, you sure this is Rocco's joke ? I better get near the door." He heads to the entrance of Vixens.

Millenia smiles, "See all in one piece, not half melted, or with bites taken out of him, or with stab wounds or anything. He is just fine."

  Looking himself over, Dean says, "Yeah, I'm okay.  Maybe mental, but okay.  I stepped through into the big white hall.  I don't know how to explain it, but it definitely wasn't the closet.  Wait, vanished?  Like invisible or something?"

  Dean turns to Millenia, "Okay, so what was that?  Some kind of trick, or illusion, or hypnosis?  Or was that some kind of alternate dimension or something dimension, and why are you and I the only ones able to see it?"

"Oh no trick, you left this world, you left the stage of this play if you like. A different dimension would also suffice as a suitable explanation. You didn't really turn invisible but imagine you were in a hall with a slope up and one that continued straight. You went up till they couldn't see you. If you went straight they would still see you. Either way you were still there and not invisible." She smiled.

She then holds her hand to her head, "Well that last part is a bit difficult to explain. I can because I am a Warden you know I keep things safe, and protect things as I can, though I do have other jobs one I really like too ! You though, I am not sure but your ring and some of the things you have on you. Might explain why you can."

  “My what?  My ring?  It’s just some old stuff my mom had left in her safe deposit box at the bank.  It’s all I have left to remember her by.  We were poor as shit when I was a kid.  I was always in trouble when I was  younger, was doing ninety days in juvie for boosting a car when she was killed.  When I found out, I was a mess.  Some big asshole said the wrong thing at the wrong time in juvie and I beat him into a coma.  Big fucker, bullied everyone in there.  I just fuckin’ snapped when he started talking shit about my mom.  I was looking at some hard time, but the judge said he’d seal my record and wipe it clean if I signed up for the military.  I took the stuff with me when I was in the field.  Came in real handy.  Lot of AlQueda blood on it, but what does that have to do with anything?”

Millenia rolled her eyes slightly, "Skye is so much better at explaining things and teaching then I am. Ok your ring and things they are like that Door, they are part of a greater reality then the world we are in right now. Look I am pretty honest or I would be lying like crazy right now. Come with me through the Door into the hall, if you wish to come to Jill just put your hand on my shoulder or on Dean's shoulder then you will be able to see the Hall. I will protect you both there as Warden.  If the ring and things were your mother's she might have been a Warden like myself. Well ok no one is quite like me but you know."

She heads through the Door into the hall and waits.


Jill gives you an uncertain look.

  Dean takes Jill’s hand and places it on his shoulder.

  “Look, if I’m crazy I need you to be the one that puts me into a psych ward.  If I’m not crazy, you’re the only one I have to share it with.  You’re my bestie, after all.”

  Once Jill decides, Dean steps through.

Jill goes through with you.

Her jaw drops when she sees the hall. The hall has Doors interspersed with the paintings. The paintings are a bit gothic in look.


Millenia looks at the two.
"Welcome to the Grand Stair, your on one of the classier expanses."

The Door shuts behind you click.

"As a Warden, I shall do my best to keep you safe." She gestures, "Each of these Doors leads to a different how did you put it, reality, no dimension that is what you said."

  Dean looks to make sure Jill is okay.

  “So, you say you’ll protect us.  Is this dangerous?”, he says reaching into his right jacket pocket to slide his hand into the iron knuckles.  He had punched through a cinder block wall once with them back in Afghanistan to get at a sniper.  Hadn’t even scratched them.  He hands Jill his knife,j ust in case.

Millenia nods, "It can be yes, think about it this way. Petty Tyrants, Opportunists, Slavers, Cannibals, and other sorts should they somehow gain the ability to access this place might seek to plunder worlds. That is just people, there are monsters, demons, gods, devils all kinds of things. Warden's were a long, long time ago set up to help keep the stair clean and safe. Help people that are lost upon it. Though not everyone holds to that anymore."

  “So, Wardens are essentially the bouncers for this place.  Keep the peace, take out the trash, keep an eye on things.  So, all these doors go to different worlds, or dimensions, or realities?  And demons and monsters and gods are real?” Dean asks, looking around.  “So like, if we went through that door, where would we wind up?”

"Well like me I am a demon, demoness really. That Door, it leads to a really nice tropical kingdom. It is warm to hot depending on the season. Magic is a force that works there and it has a lot of active volcanoes that help build up the islands."


Jill, "Your a WHAT ?" Jill moves behind Dean.

  Dean blinks.

  “Wait, you’re a demon....Er, demoness, but you said you’re a Warden.  A protector, right?  So, are there like good demons and bad demons?  Where we are from, I don’t think anyone  ever considered the possibility of that, just bad demons with the whole possession and stealing souls and all that.”

"I'm kind of a unicorn among Demons. I am really nice." She shrugs. In that moment the femme fatale façade drops.

"Most demons are evil and should be avoided ok, not all I mean we are individuals but in general. We have a bad reputation mostly because people summon and bind us to force us to do evil things. I try to free my kind, when I find them forced into servitude. I break the bonds that bind desires."

"You can find worlds where there are good demons, but in general your world has it mostly right, but then again there are many horrible things out there that people think are demons which are clearly not."
This message was lightly edited by the player at 11:32, Wed 20 Jan 2021.

  Dean shrugs, "I suppose.  Heck, there's some people I've met that are probably worse than demons...like that little snot Baron.  Guess that goes for all sentients, right?  Some really good, some really bad, some just trying to get along."

  He looks around, "So, this is how one travels between worlds?  How do you open the doors?  I mean, are they all like the one in Vixens that only you seem to be able to open?"

Millenia nods, "In general yes, though in rare situations some Doors anyone can open, and some Doors no one can open. It is usually wise to not fiddle with Doors like that, as a Warden probably locked them for good reason. As a Warden I can open Capital D Doors and little d doors."

Millenia smirks, "Your right about people can be as bad or worse, I have met some and fought them."

  “So, now we can go through any door, right?  I mean, just pick one and go?  But we wouldn’t know what’s behind a door unless we open it, right?”

  Dean thought about it for a minute.  They could change their lives forever just by opening a different door.  It was both terrifying and intriguing.

Millenia leaned forward the femme fatale facade back in place as she trailed a finger down his chest. "That's right handsome. Each Door, has a world, or worlds behind it remember your own Door has a whole universe behind it."

  “Doesn’t do any good though if the doors are like the one in the bar, and it takes a Warden to open them.  Jill and I are pretty much stuck unless someone opens them for us....unless there’s some way to become a Warden.”

  Dean’s brows furrowed.  “You know, they never solved my mom’s murder.  Is it possible that she was killed by someone from another world for some reason?  When they found her she had been nailed to the wall and dissected like a frog back in high school biology class.  There had been stuff scrawled on the walls in blood, but it wasn’t even letters or numbers, just weird symbols.”

"In general you will need a Warden, there are some other odd circumstances. See all of this." She gestures to the hall of Doors, "This is your expanse and sometimes people can open Doors along their expanse. Ever wonder how some people seem like geniuses coming up with new technology sometime they find a Door and just steal from nearby realities. There are rare instances where they slip through a Door following a Warden or a Door becomes unstable for a while. There is the cult of the key, they are people who ended up on the Stair and they collect Keys to the Doors. They can get through whatever Doors that they have Keys too. Older groups sponsored by Warden's who have forgotten their duties to amass personal power and glory exist and backed by their Lords."

Her eyes look up to his and she shuddered a bit, "That is horrible, I am so sorry. I can't say that I don't know people that ruthless but I don't spend time in their company. It is possible people from here can travel to your world like myself. Your mother might have been able to travel here. It could explain how you saw this expanse."

  Dean shakes his head.  "I don't know, but if this had something to do with her murder, looks like I'm gonna have to figure out how to open some doors.  I promised myself I'd find who was responsible and see that they pay for what they did to her.  My mom had a lot of problems, and I know I didn't help any, but she didn't deserve that."

  He looks at Millenia, "So, how does one go about finding these keys?  Are they like real regular keys, or is that some kind of analogy?"

"Mostly like regular keys as long as you see a regular lock, though sometimes allegory or an object that is a key for a unique lock. Still for the majority of Doors a Key like the ones you are used to on your world should be what you are looking for. You might get picked to be a Warden yourself, if so you will feel a call something like a yearning or wanderlust. Follow it and Doors will open for you. Eventually you will come to know the stair better. It doesn't happen for everyone, but happens for some."

  Dean looks skeptical.  "Probably not me.  I couldn't even manage to hold the door in the bar after you opened it.  Felt like it was being pulled closed until you spoke to it, told it to be good."

  He turns to Jill, "So, you gonna have me committed, or do you believe me now?"

Jill, "I would put myself in the believer camp now. So what are we like Dr. Who companions or something now, Dean ?"

  Dean laughs.  "I don't know.  We know about this, or maybe we've both just snapped and need adjoining padded cells, but the big question is, what the heck do we do with this?  I mean, we could turn around and go back to our regular lives, or ..."

  He stops, looks to Millenia, "...or what are our other options?"

"Well if your mother's killer is someone who uses the Stair and knows about the Doors your best bet is to learn what you can of this place. If you want to go back to your life and forget about all this, I should be able to help."

  "Nah, I want to learn more.  I don't think I'd be able to just forget about it, and it's not like this kind of thing just comes along every day....but I can't speak for Jill.  She's got a lot invested in her medical career.  Jill, what do you want to do?"

"Well, you might need me to patch you up, and now that I know this exists I don't want to forget about it either."

Jill said, "I mean each one of these has it's own world behind it !"

  Dean favored Jill with a smile.  Ever since they met, she had had his back, and sometimes his front.  Most importantly, she was his best friend.

  "Okay, looks like we're in.  Lead on, Millenia.  Where to next?"

"Me ? I can lead anywhere where is it you wish to go ?" She shakes her head with a light laugh.

  "I never really thought about it.  If I could go to any existence that I could imagine, that is.  What are the limitations?  Can we go back in time, for example, or forward in time to see what we turn out like?  Or could we pick something like out of a movie and go there?"

  He looks to Jill, "Where do YOU want to go, kiddo? I dragged you into this, so you certainly have a say.  Tropical vacation paradise, maybe?  Paris?"

Millenia looks upward as if pondering.

"Temporal differences are not really possible, seeming differences are you understand. You might find a world very much like a future or past version of yours but it would be different and unique in it's own way. A movie ? Yes there are certainly gossamer realities that qualify. Books too for that matter."

Jill says, "Take me someplace like the Matrix where I can download all that medical knowledge I want."

Millenia laughs, "Easy Peasy ! My home well Skye's home has that kind of tech, follow me."

  Dean smiles.  "That's one way to crib medical school and not have to dance to pay off student loans...although I'd definitely miss not seeing you dance."

  He lets Jill fall in line behind Millenia, taking up the rearguard position.  This way he could see any danger headed towards them, while protecting their backs.  As they walk, Dean can't help but notice that the two make a nice contrast to each other, and each has a beauty that speaks to him.

  "So, demons are from high-tech worlds?  Interesting.  By the way, who is this Skye person that you've mentioned?"

"Mostly no they don't I'm known as that damn space faring crazy demon succubi." She shrugs a bit, "That is by enemies though. Skye is an Angel we are opposite sides of a coin."

"Hold on." Her features flow like water a moment till a new figure clothes and all stands before you.





The blonde woman with hair that glows almost like a halo and has eyes as blue as the sky looks at the two of you in confusion. She then holds her hand up.

"Oh Millenia, what did you involve me with now. Hold on you two, I am finding out what that lunatic left me with and who you all are." She paces looking like she is talking to herself.

  He's mulling over the words damn space faring crazy demon succubi when Millenia starts to change form.  He had been wondering if the whole succubi thing was accurately represented in Earth's rendition, about how bedding one was wonderful, addictive, and ultimately deadly.

Dean takes a quick protective step between Jill and Millenia, or whoever she has transformed into.

  "Holy hell!  Umm, uhh, Millenia...is that you?" he asks, tentatively.  Whoever she was now, she was smokin' hot too, albeit very different from her redheaded incarnation.

"No, Im Skye, please don't confuse us. We are very different people. Alright Dean and Jill right ? Jill your wishing to learn some skills through virtual download, that is easy enough. Dean I am sorry to hear about your mother do you perhaps have a picture of her ?"

She motions with her hand.
"Follow me, I can get you those medical skills. I might ask for some favors in the future for my help, and having someone that knows doctoring would be beneficial."

Jill just looks at Dean with yet again a look of disbelief as if the other shoe had dropped.

"You just..changed. Like into another person."

  Dean nods.  "That's right, I'm Dean, and this is my best friend Jill.  Nice to meet you, Skye.  Thanks for the condolences.  I have a picture, hang on a minute.  It's old though."

  He fishes out his wallet and removes the picture he carried of his mother.  Dean looks at it, then hands it to Skye.  It was from when he was around ten, before the alcoholism and other stuff had really taken hold of her life.  It was from one of those photo booths at a carnival that she had taken him to, back before things had gone badly for the both of them.

  "Umm, not to be impertinent, just trying to understand, okay?  Millenia said you two were like two sides of a coin.  Does that mean you like share the same, umm, body or vessel...or that only one of you can be visible at a time?   It seems like you two are in communication with each other.  I hope that my asking isn't offensive, we're just trying to figure it out so we don't offend either of you.  Up until just recently, we've never met a demon or an angel before, so we're kind of out of our element."

Skye takes out a slender bar and humms a tune tapping at it and holographic screen pops up and she takes a picture of the picture that Dean shows her.
"I don't know the face, did you show this to Millenia ? I can ask others if they have seen her now at least."

She then turns the screen off slipping the thin bar away.

"Of course she leaves me to explain, we share the same matter so body yes. We are not in contact with each other, though I can understand why you might think so. We have an assistant that aids in when we change and stores a great deal of memory. A kind of back up as well as storage device for music, and visual files. As well as other functions."

Looking to Jill, "Yes, we are completely different people."

  Dean tries to process what Skye had just said.  It was pretty strange, but no stranger than anything else that had happened today,  Demons, Angels, other realities.

  In answer to her question, Dean says “No, she didn’t ask to see it that I remember.  So Skye, Millenia had been telling us a little about her being a Warden, and about doors and keys.  Are you a Warden also?  Would you be so kind as to tell us a little bit about yourself?  Is the whole Angel and Demon thing the way the Bible on Earth tells it, or is that more of a mythological account?”

"Yes, Millenia is a chatty one. I am a Warden. The whole angel thing is her misinterpretation based on my looks. I am not an angel even though she thinks me one. I'm a CEO, of an intersolar company. At least I was. Millenia is though a succubi, tell me did she have hooves and horns and all that or was she more human looking ?"

<Blue>  “No, no horns or hooves, just a redhead in a red dress.</Blue>” Dean answers, wondering if her look had been intentional to draw him in, or if it had been merely to just fit in without drawing attention.  “So, you’re not an Angel?  Okay, so CEO of an intersolar  company .  Got it.  What exactly does your company do?  Does it produce stuff, or is it a management company, or a consulting firm?

"She's getting better then, her honesty kept her from disguising herself. I told her it would only get her in trouble. Good she is learning. My, my aren't you the precious little boy all curious with eyes alight and questions on tongue. Looking for a job ? My company suffered a loss recently the planet we were based on has it's star go nova. I tried warning people, my scientists did a really impressive job trying to convince the government the star was on the verge of it. Well the government built ships to escape the fate for themselves and convinced the populace my science was shady you know nothing wrong at all. So no one prepared except myself, my company and the governing body. No sol, no intersol company. I'm currently looking for a new star and planets. The Door though works, it is a Door that leads to my ship and I have all the technology needed for skill program transference."

  “Wow!  Sorry for your loss.  That’s some pretty shady shit the government pulled.  At least now they’re just clustered together with nobody to prey on except each other.  If you’re hiring to help people, I could sign up, maybe part-time to start.  It’s kinda what I do back home anyway.   I’m a bouncer at a strip club.  I keep the girls safe from creeps.  Jill can testify to that.”

  He thinks for a moment. “Our planet is in kinda a bad way.  Bad politicians, corrupt governments.  It could probably use some help if you need a new market.”

 You all show up here !

  Dean didn’t hurry to Brantley himself from the jumble of beautiful, exotic women.  If anything, he was enjoying it.
“Welcome to Vixens!”

Millenia sent a wave out from herself of umbral energies after a few minutes everyone was themself again unless they resisted it.

Barbara was intrigued and almost resisted,  but then allowed herself to change back

"So, is this world near mine, then?'

Millenia shrugs, "Heck if I know, can we get a drink before we head out ?"

Where the Umbra energy touched this place rot, rust, decay, some outright omission of things seem to have taken place but everyone here seems fine.

  Dean looks around as the pile untangles and everyone changes back.  The tp dispenser  was rusty, and the bowl had some water Er rust stains on t that he didn’t recall.

  “I don’t see why not.  If it’s morning, we should have the place to ourselves.  Opening isn’t until eleven.”

Barbara nodded and joined the others

  Dean peeks out, makes sure the place was indeed empty.  It was morning, so it was.  He quickly moved to the alarm panel and deactivated it and sat down on his usual perch while Jill moved behind the bar.

  "Bloody Mary, please." he asks after the others have a chance to order and be served.

  "Skye had mentioned the hooves and horns bit.  Is that what all Succubi look like, and is our mythology on the subject anywhere near close about the whole draining the life force out of people through sex, and leaving them as dead, dried out husks...or is that impolite to ask?"

  He gestures to the door on the wall.  "That, by the way, Barbara, is how we got onto the stair."

Barbara nodded,  looking around with obvious curiosity
She'd patrolled the rougher parts of Gotham City for a few years,  but she had to admit that she'd never actually been inside a strip club.

"That was quite a ride.  Do they have Diet Coke here?"

Jill slaps her forehead, "Oh damn I missed a shift, and I am supposed to be on today too."

Xantria, "What is this place it looks weird ? I'll have a root beer."


Peeking out Dean sees the place is empty it isn't open yet and the clock reads 9:37 AM

Millenia smiles, "Don't be silly Dean. Well alright some do remember there are multiple worlds are all humans the same ? Some that I have met are very greedy creatures who like comfort and to be pampered so they would never kill and admirer. I tend to like people unless they are slavers or attack me. Oh and Nazis They really annoy me. I think I will have one of those drinks like you got me last."

  "Diet Coke, check.  Root Beer...hang on, Bobby drinks that sometimes.  He must have some tucked under the bar...yeah, there it is.  Sex on the Beach for Millenia."

  Dean helps Jill with the drinks, then pulls out his cellphone.

  "Got a signal again.  Jill, why don't you call someone to cover you for a couple of days, say you got a paper for school or a sick relative or something.  Millenia, I think you won't find any real Nazis around NOLA...there's some asshole hater wannabes maybe, and the only thing close to a slaver around here is that little shit Baron.  Another wannabe pimp, drug dealing asshole.  This, Xan, is a strip club.  It's a bar where women dance up on the stage while guys watch and give them money.  My job here is to make sure none of the guys do anything to hurt the women."

  He felt a little guilty about explaining it, but she had asked.  At least he left out the naked part.

Jill charges her phone and calls while it is plugged in.

It turns into a bit of a yelling match with Jill hanging up.

Xantastic dances and says "Hey Dean really people pay money for this ?"

Jill watches for a bit and her face goes from angry, softening up and then just starts laughing.

  Dean manages to suppress a laugh, but just barely.  He pulls out his wallet, removes a five dollar Bill and hands it to Xan.

  “Something like that.”

"Wow I can buy a happy meal. Thank you Dean."
She puts the five dollars in her pocket.

Barbara smiled at Xan's attempt at professional dancing.  She shrugged
"It's a good rule of life: if you can do something good enough,  someone will pay to watch you do it. "

  Dean nods. "Lots of dancers make a great living.  Heck, Jill has been working her way through med-school, and that ain't cheap.  She puts in some brutal hours, but now it seems like things may get a little easier since she already knows all the material."

  Dean sips at his drink, puts it down and walks over to the door to see if he can open it this time.

  "So, what's our next move?"

Millenia tosses off the drink.

"That tastes better the second time."

She smiled then, "Alright my lovelies, what now ?"

Barbara nodded and shrugged
'The industry can be very dangerous and exploitive,  but has the potential for lots of money."

She took a sip of her drink and looked at Dean
"Well, I'd like to get to my world's door, and do a proper investigation.
I rushed out because i thought it was a rescue mission,  but if there's nothing obvious,  now i need to start looking for clues"

  "Sounds like a plan.  Jill, what's your thought on things?  I know you've got school and all.  We can check out Barbara's door and then come back here, I suppose."

Jill looks over, "Yes, I might not have a job when I come back but I have more skill then most doctors I know now."

  "Trust me, if Vixens lets you go, there's plenty of other places to work.  Anybody would be crazy to not want you on their payroll.  I mean, who says you even need to limit yourself to this world, right?"

Jill smiles, "Exactly ! Maybe I could even become a hero on Batgirls world."

Batgirl grinned
"More heroes is always a good thing, and one with medical skills is even better.    We're definitely an accident prone group "

  "So, shall we go?" asks Dean, pulling on the door, trying to open it.

Dean you feel like your straining yourself.

In reply to Little Mammoth (msg # 144):

Dean shrugs.  “I got nothing.”

Barbara shrugged
"Will my key work?"

Millenia walks over and opens it, "Sorry, forgot for a moment. C'mon everyone."
She gives a bright smile.

Barbara shrugged and followed

Dean follows once everyone is safely through.

"Oh, each Door has a Key, so that Key works on your Door it shouldn't work on this one but do you want to try ?"

Always curious,  Barbara tried her key on the door

The key jiggles and jangles and glows getting hot but then pops out of the lock.

"Right.....okay, lesson learned "

"That was interesting. I didn't even think it would get that far."

Barbara shrugged
"Perhaps it's because this is another Earth?"

  Dean asks, “So where would the key for this door be, I wonder?  And what happens if a key gets lost...can a new one be remade?”

Millenia nods, "New keys can be made. As for them both being Doors to an earth maybe !"

"A simple warden can't make a key though. That requires a different level of understanding and power."

"So where is your Door Batgirl ?"

Barbara winced and shrugged
"I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't know.   We didn't go this way before,  after all

  Dean turns around, trying to remember which direction Barbara and Xantastic had come from.

Dean your able to locate it after a bit.

  “That one! “ he proclaims triumphantly, pointing it out.

Barbara looked to where he was pointing

She easily finds a door that looks like it was drawn by a comic book artist.

Barbara raised an amused, but annoyed, eyebrow.
"Now that's just insulting."
She rolled her eyes and sighed with resignation, and went to look around the door, checking for any remaining clues.

Just like on her side of the Door which looked much more natural then this side the Door was pristine and unharmed. She does find something though. Near the Door are a couple carved figurines of some soft stone. One is ruined and eroded as if by that temporal thing. The two other pieces look like people. One looks like a stylish Arabian dressed cat humanoid. The other is a serious looking woman with a long scarf, gloves and an almost comical cold war agent look.

There is also some ashes and a bit of print from a shoe in them.

Barbara immediately puts the items in ziplock bags,  careful not to touch them, and takes samples of the dust and boot print

  Dean looks, but is careful to not touch any of it.

  “Any idea what these mean, or what they were for?

"Those little figures might be icons, though most icons are paintings or sketches or digital files. Though my friend Jack could keep them in his watch somehow."

Barbara shook her head
"I'm not sure....yet. The boot might help identify someone later, though.
I can also analyze the dust for clues as well. Millenia, do these figures look familiar?  Do you recognize them?"

Millenia gets close scrutinizing them, "Yes the cat person is Raj Theleko, he isn't a Warden but a powerful royal from the Bone Ossuary, think he is a Rakasasha."

“So, a Royal and some Nazi wannabe looking chick.  Why would someone stick figurines of them by the door?”  Dean asks.

"I do sense a lot of Umbra energy around them. Especially the melted one."

Barbara pondered the clues
"Would it kore likely that the 'icons' belonged to Jessica?  Or perhaps dropped by someone who , maybe in the struggle?  There's wear and tear here similar to what's in my world,  which i can show you when you're ready?"

"Would she leave clues like that for you ?"


Xantastic nods, "Jessica is smart."

Barbara glanced at Xan, then shrugged
"I honestly don't know her,  so i couldn't say."

  "I suppose we aught to see what's behind the door then, eh?"  asks Dean.  He already knew he wouldn't be able to open it, but Barbara had the key, so it was up to her.

Barbara nodded and went to open the door, first checking to see if it would open on its own, but then using the key if necessary

Barbara the Door does open but your knocked out...


Millenia checks on Barbara as does Xan but it is Jill that is able to tell she is ok just suffering from seeming shock.

Barbara collapsed, as some vague wave of unseen energy seemed to overwhelm her.
She was twitching and seemed to be in serious REM sleep

  “Shit!” Dean exclaims, “What the hell did that?  Was it booby trapped?”

Dean moves to the door to cover it, making sure nothing is coming through the doorway.

Dean doesn't see anyone coming through but he does see the other side which looks blackened and a bit wrecked. There might have been a trap though he cant really see one.

Barbara sat up abruptly,  looking around wildly
"SO....MANY....STAIRS!!!!"
She leapt to her feet, in an acrobatic manner most people only see in movies,  and looked around,  blinking.
"The door.....the stairs.....all the stairs...they...they spoke to me.  In my dreams.   In my mind.   I can see all.the stairs now."
She looked at Millennia,  suddenly understanding her more
"It's....it's just so incredible "

Millenia smiled, "You did it your a Warden ! Congratulations, I admit I have never seen someone walk the stairs that way but completely valid."

 Dean looks  back and forth between Barbara, Millenia and Jill.
“Barbara, are you okay?  Is she okay?”

Jill, "I believe so, I checked her over but I don't understand the Warden stuff."

Xan smiles, "She looks ok."

Barbara shook her head,  as if to clear it, though it didn't really work.  She smiled at everyone,  nodding to Dean
"I think I've just been drafted by the Stairs to be Jessica's replacement as a Warden,  i think "

Xantastic sits down looking sad, "You think it means Jessica is dead ?"

“Umm, is that a good thing?  I mean, it’s great that you’re a warden, I guess...but does that mean that your cousin is replaced...?”

Barbara looked concerned,  but shook her head
'No, or at least not definitely.    I suspect it's more likely that The Stairs, for lack of a better phrase, needed a temporary replacement.  At least until she's rescued. "

"At least," Barbara thought silently,  "i hope so."
She knew almost literally nothing about Jessica Gordon, but found herself hopeful of seeing her safe