"We were talking about my possible migration to Druig's world. But beforehand I'd like to retrieve some things from my world. Would I be able to leave Milliways and return in a few weeks? Possibly a month or more."

I'm afraid I can't guarantee Milliways will return for you if you leave. Once you step outside the door you came in through and close it behind you, the link to Milliways will vanish. Many who find themselves here only do so once.

...hm. August touches the napkin carefully and considers the words.

"Can I use magic inside Milliways? I have a few summoning spells I could cast, to gather the things I need."

So long as it is non-violent, and will not cause alterations to the structure of the taproom, you may perform any magic you like.

"You mentioned an outside, earlier. I could do it there? I'd also need to gather energy... would I be able to siphon the natural energy from the earth - or whatever equivalent you have here?"

I should think so! The door to the backyard is at the end of the hall to your right. Please be aware that it is winter out there as well, and that the prohibition on violence only extends throughout the first floor inside the building.

Druig is reading over her shoulder, "There's an outside to this place? Not the forest where I came in, if it's winter. Interesting." He steps back, "If you need it, we can see if you can handle cosmic energy," he offers, "But maybe let's leave that as a last resort." 

August looks up at him. "I can feel the energy radiating from you. Normally I can't sense energy unless I'm very familiar with a person, or I'm touching them. Last resort sounds good."

He smiles down at her, "Let's go have a look, then."

The hallway leading to the outside door is just over there.

She's not blushing. Nope. August follows him towards the door, and then outside. Hopefully it's able to distract him from her face doing the not-blushing thing?

Either he doesn't notice or he's feeling merciful - he doesn't mention it.

He leads the way down the hall, the surcoat of his strange black and red armor flaring behind him as he walks.

And then- outside.

It's snowing, lightly. It's the kind of snow that produces large snowflakes, so you can see the spokes and branches as they fall to your shoulders and mittens and nose, perfect, individual, natural works of art. The snow has piled up across the landscape before them, from the snowdrifts surrounding a court mostly cleared just in front of the door, to the pristine sledding territory of the hill leading down to a frozen lake in the distance - frozen aside from one strip of shore further along the lake, where summer seems to have kept a foothold in Milliways backyard.

Around the clear area of lakeshore-hillside-courtyard is thick tree cover. From the hilltop where they stand they can see little but frosted pine from horizon to horizon, with a backdrop of looming snow-tipped mountains, their height difficult to discern.

Druig actually has to stop a moment just outside the threshold, readjusting to the sight of all this... white.

It's beautiful.

"And here I thought I'd never appreciate snow again."

"Really? It's so beautiful," he reaches out to catch a snowflake on the tip of one of his fingers, adjusting his body temperature there to preserve it long enough to get a good look.

"The first handful of times I ran into a snow storm and died of hypothermia made it lose it's luster, a little," she says, smiling. "But I can appreciate this."

"Right," he draws out, ending with a little laugh. "That's a fair point. Still, yes," he looks up, dropping his hand and letting it return to normal, "There's no danger in this weather. It's barely below freezing."

"My coat is up to the task," she says, nodding. "Also, layers. So many layers."

She looks around, looking for a place to sit. She'll need contact with the ground. Someplace to dig her fingers into the dirt and snow.

The treeline isn't very far away. Druig follows her searching gaze and gestures towards the incongruously sandy beach, though, "If you take energy from life, would it be better to investigate that?"

She considers it and starts walking over. "It is a little harder to get energy from the earth in the winter," she nods. "Though not impossible."

"Makes sense," he nods, moving into step with her down the hill, "It fights all the harder when it will need it for the spring."

They crunch through snow for a while, down the hill to the frozen lake. The shoreline is snow-covered, and Druig finds a nice heavy rock to toss at the ice as they pass, investigating its thickness. You only have to fall through ice once in the middle of a fight before you learn better.

"You could skate on that," he comments, though he continues around the edge rather than trying. "Do you know skating?"

"Not recently, but yeah. It's a popular pastime, especially in countries where it snows. It's an Olympic sport."

His eyebrows bounce up, "The Olympics?" He laughs, "Haven't heard that in a while. That was us, you know. A race held in," his voice skips a beat, before recovering, "In Makkari's honour. They renamed the village after our home." His enthusiasm subsides some at the end.

She notes his tone and lets it pass, not wanting to pry. "The first modern games, as I know it, started at the end of the 19th century. If the history textbook I read in school was right."

"They stopped holding them in the Roman Empire sometime when we weren't paying attention to that area," he looks off at the mountains just visible over the treetops, "We were in... The far southern hemisphere, at the time. Skating as an Olympic sport, though? Do they hold it somewhere cold, or does technology advance to allow it somewhere warm?"