A woman in jeans, a green sweater, and a carved owl mask walks into the bar (though perhaps she may be confused as to which bar she is in). The aforementioned mask covers up her surprise at the unusual decor. Where are the closed booths? Where is the large wall of board games? Where is the waiter signalling system, and in that vain where is the bartender?

Regardless of these concerns, she presses on; after all, this location came with warm recommendations from her friends.

Perhaps the man by the fire has some relevant information, and he's sitting in what appears to be an open-conversation area.

"Hello, do you know why this bar has such atypical decor?"

Morell looks up with a little surprise that she approached him right out.  But regardless, he smoothly takes his nametag - just "Morell" - out of his pocket and smoothly slips it into the tab on his shirt designed for it.

"This's a worldgating bar!  You can meet people from all over the multiverse here!  And it sells good drinks, too."

He shrugs.  "Don't ask me who decided on the theme - I asked the Bar, and it wouldn't tell me more than 'the management.'"

Valin takes a silent moment to process this response, she feels a bit out of place without a nametag and a designated nametag-holder.

While her friends might have failed to mention different construction or social-standards, Valin thinks that they would have mentioned if the bar they recommended had an elaborate role-playing theme.

Also any self respecting role-playing establishment would put their code of conduct by the front door, rather than relying on unwitting customers to explain it to newcomers.

...

Eh, never hurts to check.

"I'm Valin. Clarification request, is this a role-playing-establishment, or are you being literal about the fact that this bar connects to different worlds in the multiverse."

A slight pause.

"Also, which drinks?"

"Literal!  I know - I would've been shocked too if it hadn't grabbed the door to my pantry!  And then I met a wizard who proved she was a real wizard, but she wasn't interested in talking much."

He lifts his cider.  "Anything you ask for, I think.  Or the Bar can surprise you, and I hear it tends to go for drinkable surprises.

"Where're you from?"

"I am still pretty shocked! I expected to walk into a normal bar and ended up here instead."

She sits in one of the soft chair across from him.

"I'm from the Main City in the south canal district. I guess that's on the planet Paulum? The people I talked to in the past were from the same planet as me."

This may be the strangest moment in Valin's life! She thinks that this is probably an elaborate troll hosted by some dedicated actors, but none of her joke-detecting-heuristiccs are going off!

"I'm sorry if this is too much to ask, but could you make a serious-promise that this isn't a joke or an elaborate attempt to deceive me? Setting up fake scenarios is the sort of thing that happens sometimes, but not often, on Paulum, so I just want to check."

Valin's thoughts aren't that organized today. Belatedly she adds, "Also, did you say wizard? How did they prove it?"

Morell raises his hand and stiffens his expression a bit.  "I pledge, I've been serious and sincere in everything I've said to you so far, no deception said or intended."

He smiles a bit more.  "I was surprised too, I mean, but the surprise for me was in just seeing something that isn't my pantry.  It was like I'd stepped into a story."

In fact, a number of books began just like that.

"And after that... hearing it was a multiverse bar was just confirming the surprise, and seeing the wizard make some lights dance and move a chair over" (he gestures to another chair) wasn't really new.  I wish he would've told me anything about his world before running off, though.

"I'm from... 'Ev' would be the best name.  We also call it 'world' but I'm sure your planet's called that too?"

Okay, no one from Paulum would make that pledge if they were lying, Valin's not even sure what would happen in that case.

"We would call it 'world' or 'the world' as well. And yes, this is the sort of thing that would happen in stories, but not in real life. If some worlds have magic, and from your description of a wizard as abnormal, yours does not, then mine is also a non-magical world. Stepping into multiverse bars isn't the sort of thing that anyone would reasonably expect to happen.

"It feels strange talking about something so paradigm-shifting while sitting in front of a fireplace."

It is a very nice fire, and a very nice chair.

"It feels strange to just be talking about it at all.  I've read books about travel between universes all my life.  But if anyone's actually seen it before, in all the history of the world... well, they didn't tell anyone.  Or maybe it was so long ago it's just legends by now..."  He shrugs.  "We've got old legends about magic, from back before the History-Monks started keeping really reliable records.  Sometimes we like to pretend they're real, but we're all sure they aren't.  But now I'm wondering."

A napkin appears on the arm of her chair.

"Welcome to Milliways.  Would you like a drink or food?  The first drink is free."

"And there's the magic! I'll have a plain chocolate milkshake."

Valin shifts her attention to Morell,

"We have stories about magic and inter-universe travel too, but not really any legends about it. I wonder if the prevalence of those stories is related to Milliways here. It certainly seems that it would be easier to write a book if you heard the story firsthand."

She thinks for a moment and then turns back to the napkin with a jump.

"Wait, are you sentient? I'm sorry to be rude, the possibility just didn't occur to me until now."

A large chocolate milkshake appears, with straw and spoon already in the glass.  There's another napkin with it, saying,

"I am the Bar.  That is enough."

"Maybe?  But if so, I think the writers would've been clearer about where they got the stories from...  And so far, I don't think this bar looks anything like the old legends of tree-spirits and water-spirits and elves and powers.  And, we've got a lot of authors where we know they're making up their stories and revising them from their own heads."

"Fair enough." She says to the napkin.

She takes a sip from the milkshake, It is delicious.

To Morell again,

"In my world there are a lot of anonymous authors that, of their story construction methodologies, we know little about. They certainly could be publishing tales from other patrons even if the bar itself never makes an appearance in their works.

"Also, now that I'm a bit more settled, I should explicitly ask: do you want to continue the conversation? And if so, do you want to establish a methodology? On Paulum this would have been sorted out first in this kind of impromptu conversation, but I think you can see the... extenuating circumstances we're in."

She gestures vaguely at the picturesque surroundings.

"If yes to both, I lightly propose alternating questions, as that seems simple and flexible."

Morell blinks.  "Yes, of course I'm happy to continue!  And alternating questions is fine.  If one of us doesn't want to answer a question for whatever reason, just let the other know."

He starts twirling his pen in his fingers.

"I can start, if you don't mind...  Why are you wearing that mask?  Is it common in your world?"

"I don't! I'm wearing this mask because it went with my outfit, and it meant I don't have to worry about my looks or facial expressions when out having fun. I put it on occasionally when going out, and I have one at home that just covers my lower face. I estimate that in my part of the city a bit less than 20 percent of people will be wearing face coverings of some sort in public at any given time, but easily over 80 percent of people have something they wear sometimes. Different communities will have different norms, but my area is representative of civilization at large in aspects like that."

She tilts her head slightly as if looking at a spot on the wall before looking back.

"What are the History-Monks? In what way would they differ from monks who are historians? Also, what are monks? The word is translating as 'dedicated-follower-of-way-of-life' but I'm not sure that that's quite correct.

"I'm going to abstain from delving deeper into how we are able to communicate at all, and chalk it up to 'magic' because I have a feeling I'm not going to get a more satisfying answer than that."

"Yeah, magic is the only explanation I've got for how we're communicating, too.  Is the magic letting you read my language too?"

He holds up a thick hardback book with a plain green cover, titled "Dinumburg in the Flowering Era".

"That's... not wrong about what a monk is?  But there're all sorts of utopians who would also be described like that, and they aren't monks.  A monk is someone who... follows a specific way of life together with other monks to accomplish a mission, a purpose.  The History-Monks are an order of monks dedicated to writing and keeping straight the true history of everything that happened in Ev.  They take vows never to try to steer history themselves, but just write it accurately.  Sometimes they vow to keep something secret for a while so some company or some utopia will tell them what really happened, but only for a while.  I guess someone could try to be a historian outside the Order, but they'd have so many fewer records, and..." He frowns.  "I guess I wouldn't trust their books as much.

"I'm noticing you don't have a nametag...  How do you keep people straight - by your masks?  And then you don't wear a mask when you don't want people to talk to you?  How does that work?"

"I can read the language.

"In business meetings, parties, or hunts there might be nametags, but generally you can keep people straight by their masks, faces, clothes, or voices. A lot of people wear the same clothes a lot, I have 5 of this sweater. Wearing a mask is a personal mood choice rather than an indication of social openness.

"In a bar like this, you would determine who is open for conversation by where they're sitting. In my world there are enclosed booths in many restaurants with adjustable signals, so people can open up their night to light conversation with a stranger if they want it, but then decline to continue later.

"I asked if you wanted to continue the conversation since there weren't any booths and I didn't know what "sitting by a fire" signaled as it was still in the open but wasn't at the bar. If you sit at a bar, that's signalling that you are open to conversation in general.

"How are your nametags produced, what are they made of, and how do you decide your names?"

"Huh, you can actually keep track of faces and voices, even in a bar that's full?  And I'd never have more than one shirt like this" (he tugs at the lacework on the sleeves a bit) "when I could have different ones instead.

"In Ev, our nametags are made of plastic, mostly.  Sometimes some metal."  He taps his.  "I don't know how the factories work, but I imagine they're molded and then let cool into the right shape and stamped with your name - or sometimes drawn, like for short-term tags for games, but stamped for long-term tags like this.  We wear them when we're open to talk with people beyond just really close friends.  That's when I put mine on when I noticed you were here.

"Oh, and our parents usually choose our names - occasionally someone changes his or her name before becoming an adult, but not often.

"Is a restaurant where you'd normally go to talk with people?  What if you don't want to buy dinner?"

"We can keep track of faces and voices, but our bars rarely get so full that that's even a consideration. Perhaps yours have a higher capacity or density? Most people don't like crowded or loud spaces too much.

"You could go to a restaurant or bar, but for just talking you'd be better off going to a board-game-social-business, some of them have food, but you don't have to order. Otherwise you would contact your friends online or go to an event.

"A lot of interactions are with friends of friends or neighbors, rather than people you don't know.

"What sort of food do you eat?"

"Hmm... I'm not sure we like crowded spaces, but a lot of our meeting halls get crowded when we've got a good debate or an important national meeting.  Less often restaurants and bars.

"For just loose socializing - yes, you'd do it with neighbors.  It'd be interesting to check out your board-game-social-businesses; we play board games with friends a lot."

He drains the last of his cider, takes a gold-colored bill out of his pocket, and clears his throat.  "Bar, I'd like a mug of vanilla tea and a small plate of Vendian chicken, please."

The money and the empty cider mug vanish, and on the table in front of Morell appear a new mug of steaming tea, and a plate of roasted pepper strips and rice mixed together with a black sauce on top, with some cubed chicken by the side.

Valin has finished her shake and somewhat awkwardly pulls out and holds up a plastic card.

"Bar, I'll have a mug of green tea with honey and a..."

She trails off for a moment.

"How are the animal products sourced here?"

Any food that appears to come from animals is in fact created magically without animals involved.

"Feel free to try some of mine if you want.  This's a typical meal, as much as you can say one meal's typical.  Some meat, a lot of veggies, something like rice or bread...  Usually it'd all be cooked together in Ev; I guess maybe Milliways knows some parts of the multiverse don't like meat?"

He picks up one of the two forks on the plate and offers it to Valin.

"Are..." He frowns.  "Are many people in your world vegetarian?"

"Many are, and those that aren't, like me, prefer to purchase from places that treat animals well. There are some companies that farm animals in pretty terrible conditions in exchange for lower operating costs; they're only as big as the proportion of the population that is willing to purchase from them. It seemed prudent to check.

"I'll finish my order with a bowl of shrimp fried rice, with some portioned off for Morell."

She tries some of the chicken, (the bottom part of her mask folds open) how does the sauce taste?

A flash of light surrounds her card for a moment, and then a bowl of fried rice appears with built-in dividers dividing it into quarters.

The Vendian chicken tastes like it's seasoned with ground peppers (in addition to the peppers alongside it); the sauce tastes somewhere between Worcestershire sauce and Hoisin sauce.

Morell nods.  "Yes, I understand - there's been a debate about farm animal treatment in Ev for a while.  Different nations have different standards, and nobody's quite willing to make a territorial law about it..." He shrugs.  "If we're making territorial laws, there're more important things I'd want first.

"Speaking of politics, how easy is it to change between nations in your world?"

"There's only one 'nation', but different areas have different customs, expectations of behavior, and economic regulations."

She offers a fork to Morell.

"Moving to a different area is pretty optimized, you just have to find someone willing to sell a place to stay and someone selling moving services.

"How many nations are there in your world?"

"Just one nation!?  How did that work - or even, how did you get everyone in an area to agree on the same rules and expectations?"

Morell takes a fork and scoops up a forkfull of the fried rice.

"I wouldn't even know how many nations there are in Ev.  At least ten thousand.  Here in the territory of Iliron where I live, there're maybe thirty.  They're all non-territorial, of course."

He pauses, twirling the fork thoughtfully a moment, realizing he'd better explain that as if he were talking to someone pre-Flowering-period.  "That means anyone can choose to change which nation they're in whenever they decide they'd rather live by different rules or they feel more ties to someone else.  Of course, Iliron has a government of its own to handle things between people of different nations.  There're a few actual territorial nations in Ev, but I'd never want to live there, and most people would agree with me."

Valin eats some of the fried rice.

"What do you mean by 'ties to someone else'? Family, leaders? I think that the non-territorial nations are somewhat equivalent to cities, in that they have local rules and you pick the one you want to live in the most and move there. I'm not sure how many of them there are, at least thousands, but they get smaller in population the more specific in laws or isolated in location they are until they become towns and then small communities.

"The society-wide laws, the ones that apply to the mega-nation, are about things like... public good distribution, medicine, schooling minimums, and archiving. Not really about expectations or rules beyond the complexity of 'Don't assault people'.

She has a thought!

"How much of your planet is oceans? Paulum is a little over 80% water with two large continents and a bunch of islands."

It's good fried rice, if a bit blander than he'd like.  He eats some more of his chicken with peppers.

"Yes, ties to family or friends or leaders, or to ideas.

"Maybe I can see how your world's system would work if you don't mind moving?  But wouldn't that be a bother?  Especially if you've got friends or a job or you like one location's mountains or sea or such more?  At least I can see how your world could be one nation if it keeps the laws down to that - we've got occasional assemblies that do sort of the same thing.

"Ev has... I forget, maybe two-thirds water?  We say it has eight continents, but depending on how you define it, it could be anywhere down to three."

"It is a bit of a bother, anyone who has good ideas to make it less of a bother stands to make some money. In most cases, people are able to find a spot with a job, good scenery, and accepting culture and they stick around there and make friends in the area.

"You mentioned stories a few times, what sorts of fiction does Ev have? Be it physical books, online stories, or video."

"We've got lots of adventure stories set in history.  Political adventures, physical quests, mysteries... Also lots of magical fantasy.  Elves who live in a different world weirdly close to ours are so common that now that I'm here, I'm sure there were some real Elves visiting Ev sometime in the past.  Sometimes it's just a story set with the elves or wizards or other magical people; sometimes the elves or wizards show up on Ev somewhere back in history and send it off in a weird direction; sometimes you get isekai stories where people from Ev visit the Elves.  I was just reading one fun isekai story last week.

"Video isn't so common as it could be; I don't know why.  Maybe it's just that it's harder to film than to write?"