"I can absolutely try that but we should not try that yet, just in case it works, and then Gus thinks you cannot buy coffee because you have only 1G and that is very different from having 0G."

"I'd propose that we build me up to a few million G first, and also make sure there's some other person in town who can generate G for my account, before we try giving you 1G and seeing what happens.  I hope that's okay.  My prediction is that it doesn't work but we are messing with reality on a level where we should also ask what happens if it does work and if maybe it's not totally cool."

Emily is not entirely sure this is on the up and up.

A few million G???

On the other hand, this is definitely the most interesting thing that has happened for as long as she can remember, and she doesn't want to tend bar forever, she wants to get on with her life.

And Oliver did give her the daffodil.

(Once she asked for it.)

Hmph.

She'll go ahead, but she'll keep her newfound wits about her.

"A few million G? I never heard of anybody having that much. That sounds like it could take a really long time!"

"I... forgot to ask Gus what today's special is, but if it also costs 1000G, and you buying the last stack of items did not change anything, I propose that you go buy one special from Gus, check to make sure your balance is still 0G, and then you buy a few stacks of 999 of it and we go have me put it in the crate."

"And then I'd be able to buy enough wood to make a storage container that I could use to forever keep the salad that you gave me on the day we first met."

(Oliver is completely sincere about this.  He would not eat that First Salad even if all it marked the foundation of was a longtime friendship, if he didn't need to eat it to survive and it was otherwise imperishable.)

Oliver wanting to keep the salad forever makes her heart go flippy-flop and she feels a little bad for doubting his sincerity.

He really is pretty dreamy. Literally.

"Sure. I don't normally start work until later but we can go there now as customers if you want."

"And are you sure you want to buy wood? Why not just chop down a few trees?"

"If I've got time left at the end of today to chop trees, I might do that instead!  Chopping wood is fun when you're not made out of unpleasantly realistic details!  I've actually been thinking that there's no reason not to do things the way that normal Pelican Town intended me to do, if it doesn't hurt, and I don't starve, and it hasn't gotten terribly boring.  Otherwise I might miss out on information I'm meant to find out."

"But I'm not quite sure how my day might go, or how much time I'll have left at the end, or when I'll need the inventory space.  So having the option to just buy wood instead is helpful."

"Jeepers. I've never chopped wood, myself. I wonder if I even could? I wonder if I'd like it? I'd need an axe... huh. Anyway."

"Sounds like acquiring wood is not the next thing, anyway. You want to go to the saloon now? Are you coming too or just me?"

"I'd like us to go there together while talking and see if it takes less than 20 minutes to walk across the town square that way!  Have you noticed how the clock changes when you just stand around for a few moments but not while you're talking to me?  If not, discovering this fact could be an important part of your new destiny!"

"Normally time kind of drags for me. I spend a lot of time standing around at home, or standing around at the bar. I'm not particularly in need of making time go slower. Though I guess my opinion about that might change now!"

Emily is moving toward the front door and opening it as she talks to Oliver.

Oliver follows!  And checks the time!  "Of course, now we do have to find things to talk about in order to make sure Time doesn't see us."

"According to you--do you have a sense of how many days have passed, with you just standing around at home?"

Actually even if she says 36,525 that's still, like, 4 years old in subjective time, buuuuut Oliver's life will probably be more fun if he never thinks about that again.

It is 1:00pm.

"Well, I remember my parents moving away a couple of years ago. They left to travel the world. My sister and I have been living here and taking care of their house since then."

"I don't seem to have a lot of memories before that? I mean, I do remember my parents. I remember that we were happy as a family together. And I have heard stories of my grandparents and great-grandparents."

"I remember... I used to be less worried about money, when my parents were around. I think Haley still doesn't worry about it very much, even though she doesn't work. I wonder why not?"

Why should she, if Haley can buy all the things she needs, despite having "0G" aka infinite money?

It's not quite in Oliver's interest to point this out to Emily just yet.

"I'm still building up my understanding of Pelican Town, but on my understanding, people in there who come in contact with me and my strange ways and my pointing out strange things about the world, are just starting to--wake up, in some ways.  Acquire a spark of, looking at the world around them and seeing what's strange about it."

"Before people get that spark, they have... a kind of nearly arbitrary momentum, let's say, including just standing around the house waiting for somebody to give them cloth.  If Haley's momentum says for her not to worry about money, she won't worry about money, in her life that always stays the same from day to day."

"At least, that's my current theory of how Pelican Town worked."

"It's not fair that Haley can have a thousand skirts in her closet and keep shopping for more while I wish for some cloth!"

"Oh dear Yoba."

"I wonder if Haley would let me have some of the skirts she's not wearing any more?"

"Very possibly!  You should try that sometime soon!"

Oliver also isn't quite enough of an asshole that he'd discourage Emily from trying things she thought of herself.  If Allah wills, so be it.

What time is it, now that they've been traveling for what should be well over 7 subjective seconds?  Also where are they relative to the tavern?

The walk takes as long as it takes for the conversation to take its proper shape.

It is 1:00pm.

...but where are they now relative to Gus's tavern?  Barely outside of Emily's house?  Almost there?

They are in the liminal space between Emily's house and Gus's tavern, in the town square.

Or, if need be, the toooooooooown squaaaaaaaaaare.

OLIVER IS ACCUSTOMED TO HAVING A PARTICULAR THREE-DIMENSIONAL LOCATION AND THE END OF THIS PARTICULAR FACT WILL BE HARDER TO DEAL WITH THAN SOME OTHER FACTS

but you feel energetic in the morning tho

"Emily have you noticed that while this conversation is ongoing we seem to be in the town square but not anywhere in particular inside the town square even though we are walking at a steady pace."

"Is that different where you come from?"

"Yes.  Okay, going to try ending the conversation and seeing if we're then at the tavern and what time it's become."

Oliver does so, by an act of will, though some of that may depend on Emily's will too, now.

The pair arrives at the saloon! It is now 1:00pm!