"Mmhmm!," the woman by the bar replies, with just as much energy. "It's magic!"

"Again? There's funny magic things all over."

"Oh, is there magic where you're from? There's magic where I'm from, but not very much of it."

"I'm a witch, yeah? There's witches. And there's other things. Like this door. Or the talking fox or the rainbow river or the Neuroi 'cept people say they aren't magic so I dunno..."

"Sometimes things that look like magic aren't," she nods.

"Seem pretty magic to me. Flying and exploding things and stuff..."

"We have machines for that, where I'm from; you don't?"

"Nope. What's this place for anyway?"

"It's a magic restaurant, and part of the magic is that it lets people in from different worlds, where things can be very different. That's probably why my world has different magic and machines from yours."

"I didn't think there were other worlds. Except maybe Heaven. People talk about Heaven a lot."

"Well, that's what the bar says - she's a person, you can ask her about it if you want."

She is a little dubious at the idea but pops up onto one of the chairs. "Hi, bar. Are you like the talking fox?"

I am a bar, not a fox, and I can only write, not speak. Can I interest you in a free drink?

"But you're a magic person that's what I meant. And sure! This place is neat."

Yes, I am a magic person. A beverage appears! It is blue-green and fizzes lightly.

"There's not a lot of magic people where I'm from unless you count witches. Is the drink magic?" Also, is it tasty? Sip, sip.

The drink is not magic.

It's tasty though. "Wooow. Neat drink. Can I fix the door when I leave? Where'd my drink come from? What's it called? Are there really other worlds? Is Heaven real?"

(Marisel grins, without looking up from the datapad she's gone back to. Cute kid.)

The door will return to normal when you leave and it closes behind you. I made the drink out of nothing. It is called konpei soda. There are really other worlds, some of which the inhabitants or visitors call Heaven or something which translates thereas.

"So maybe it is real. You don't know which heaven I mean I guess? But maybe... And it's good the door will go away. Magic door in the middle of the city would scare people."

...She drinks more fizzy soda, less animated now.

"They won't even notice the door," she reassures. "Time works differently here. You can stay as long as you want and it'll be just the same time there when you leave again."

"Neat. I can stay here a while and go flying more today when I leave. Oh. My name is Grenadine. It's nice to meet you, ma'am, and you toooo... Bar? Is that the right way to greet you? Mr. Fox didn't care so I just called him Mr. Fox. But you're not him."

Bar is correct, thank you. And I am a she.

"Nice to meet you Bar! I think my friends would like the kon-pay soda. It's so sweet! Can I buy some and give it to them? I have a flying things job so I have money!" She says this last bit proudly.

Yes, I can sell it. She names a price.

"Three, please! I'm gonna tell the truth when they ask where I got it and they won't believe me." Giggle. She produces coins. "Do you have any other cool other world drinks? Or food? I have more money!"

Money disappears. Bottles of soda appears. Yes, I have all the food and drinks from all the worlds.

Grenadine spends a while having nibbles of strange and delicious food and drinks. Chocolate is a big hit.

Soon enough she asks the lady still next to her, "What are you reading, miss? I only ever read two real books."

"Hm? Oh, Bar has all the books from all the worlds, just like she has all the food, and I'm making a list of the ones I want to bring home to the library I work in. Everyone should have books to read."

"Books are so expensive though. I read the Bible and part of a doctor book and a book about weather when I was eight and that's all the books that were in my village."

"They're not very expensive where I'm from. Most people own at least a few, and my library has thousands and thousands."

She considers. "Would you like me to buy you some books?"

"Ooooh yes! ...You don't mind?"

"I don't mind," she grins. "Do you know what kind of books you want?"

"Hmm. Hmm! This is important. I could get some really good books. I could get other world books! About magic and science!"

"You could! Although I'm not sure we can get them in the right language - I have a friend at home who's going to help me with that, since the magic that lets us understand each other won't keep working after we leave."

"...Oh. Well we can ask Bar for only books in... I know Ostkav and a little English? Other people know Suomic and Gallian and Venezian and Hebrew and... Latin? I think I can find someone who knows those languages. But I should get good books. They'll be so useful."

"And I'm good at picking out good books, that's my job. Bar, can you get me a catalogue of books in those languages?"

It takes a bit of negotiation, but soon enough she has it. "So, magic and science, you said? Do you want just to read about it, or do you want something you can use?"

"I'm gonna give them to the Witch Knights! They can use the science to save people and fight the Neuroi better!"

"Hmm. Maybe you should tell me more about the Neuroi, so I can figure out what would help the best."

"...They're flying monsters. Flying and exploding things with red light. Some of them on the ground but mostly flying. They attack everything they see until a Witch or someone kills them. Burn down villages an' blow up cities. We walked all the way to Albania and I don't know where my brother went and we got on the boats and saw the Neuroi attacking the city and Witch Knights fighting them and there's always more. And people say they made a giant storm."

"Oh, dear, that does sound bad. I can probably think of some good books for your Knights, yes. What I really meant was books for you, though - Bar, can I have a copy of End of the Mountain?" It appears; a thin paperback with three machines flying in formation over a mountain peak on the cover. "I think you'll like this one."

"I'm not important and good like the Knights. I'm just a little witch. I can fly stuff and that's it."

...She takes the book and slowly starts reading it after a few moments, though.

And Marisel quietly asks Bar for reading material on the Neuroi and the girl's world. After some skimming, she starts asking for books, slowly accumulating a small pile of them and some accompanying trinkets that demonstrate various principles.

Grenadine sulks just a bit and reads the story. She doesn't ask any of the dozens of questions that pop up about the tech and such. Reading is kinda hard...

After a little while, a metal woman covered in enameled flowers comes up to the bar to return one book and ask for another.

"Oh, a droid! Like in the book!"

"Mmhmm. Daisy belongs to a friend of mine."

"...Are droids like a dog or something? Weird. They seem smarter than pets in the book. Hi, Daisy."

"Hi," Daisy says, pausing for a moment to consider before continuing. "Droids are very smart. Most people think we can't be people because we're machines, though."

"I guess... Machines are kind of strange... But if you talk an' remember things and are smart...?"

"Mmhmm," she nods. "We can do almost anything humans can do, if we're made the right way."

"There was a flying droid I saw in the book. You can be lots of shapes if you're a droid."

"...What if the Neuroi are people???"

The prospect is actually really alarming. Grenadine stands up and grabs her branch - and - hesitates and stands still, looking around.

"The who?" Daisy looks from Gren to Maris.

"It's okay, hun, they probably aren't. And they aren't here, anyway, dangerous things aren't allowed."

"...You're right. Neuroi don't talk. And if they were people they're evil anyway. They're monster demon things. The Neuroi."

"Oh, dear."

"Yes; I'm working on it."

"I'm probably gonna join the Witch Knights when I'm older. The Witch Knights are heroes. I got my magic really little, though."

"And I'm sure you'll be a great one."

(Daisy takes a seat nearby and starts reading her book.)

"Maybe. I don't know what Witch Knights have to learn yet."

"We could find out, maybe. Do you want to know?"

"Yeah! Maybe there are Witch Knight books!"

"I expect so!" Bar?

There are dozens of orders of magical knights with long and short histories. Pretty much every one of them, plus equivalent organizations from other culture groups, have gone out to fight the Neuroi and are recruiting much more aggressively than in the past and do not hesitate to brag about this in written works and ask for donations. An advertisement suggests that if you are willing to fight as a witch you don't even need to pay for your equipment and training to join these old noble orders anymore, in fact, you can get paid, they're collecting enough protection gifts to do that!

The ones that are succeeding enough to put out the advertisements will hire any adult witch who can use a magical shield and a bow as a mercenary, and are looking for children to train up in the next three to five years, though the exact requirements they judge candidates on vary a lot.

The Royal Order of the Rose, based in England, has published a book on how to make simple shotguns. The opening line is "All warriors who be brave enough to stand against the demons which currently despoil our world, all of which is under the eyes of God, must fight with weapons suitable to the task and the enemy, no matter that the weapons be inelegant and dishonorable. We wouldst fail in our duty if we do not do our utmost to destroy the enemy. With that in mind this text contains instructions for the manufacture and best use of a weapon which has proven adequate against the foes known as Neuroi in recent battles."

Maris skims them and passes a couple of the advertisements over. "You can definitely be one, see? But that wasn't really what you were asking - Bar, can you get any of their training materials?"

I'm afraid very little of those are widely used enough to be considered 'published'. This is the best I can do.

One of the advertisements declares a list of things Witches will learn. Flying, archery, fighting in a team, navigation.

"Well, thank you anyway." She passes it over.

"That sounds good, though. Thanks for finding these for me."

"You're welcome."

"What do you need to learn?"

"Fighting stuff and working-together-stuff and magic stuff."