"Oh, so you do have a plan? That's good."

Emily is relieved. She was really not sure how to help. It seemed big and hard and complicated, and she's very new at solving problems.

Her own problems are seeming quite a bit smaller and more tractable by comparison.

She sips her wine.

"Why do you think you ended up in here, when the door you came through usually goes somewhere else?"

"I have no idea. It's very exciting really. The whole place is quite fascinating. I have no idea what's happening through the window there. You were here first have you leaned anything in that time?"

"No, not at all, I was only here a minute or two before you were. Do you want to go look through the window?"

"Oh, I have been. I do wonder if it's some sort of stellar phenomenon. My people haven't devoted nearly enough time to studying the stars. In many ways it has been to our detriment. Returning to the topic of this place, did you bring that drink with you or did you find it somewhere in this room? Have you explored any of the spaces down the hallways or through that other door?"

"A napkin appeared on the bar with some writing on it, saying that my first drink was free. If you approach the bar, maybe the same thing will happen for you? I haven't explored at all, I just came through my door and looked around, got my drink, and then you were here."

"Teleportation of some kind? Or perhaps some form of manufacturing." He walks over and uses some of his forward legs to raise his body to the level of the bar counter. "Hello, may I have a trisian swirl? Also, are you able to communicate on topics other than drinks?"

A small dish more closely resembling a gravy boat than a glass appears filled with something colored in swirls of green and red. A napkin accompanies it.

Welcome to Milliways. I can communicate about any topics in this manner. I don't expect to be able to answer all your questions though.

Sherkaner ignores the swirl for the moment. He is throwing caution a little to the wind but tasting something from an unknown source would be one step too far at least for now. "Well that's to be expected. I don't think anyone has been able to answer all of my questions. That would make the world a little duller. Are you somehow invisible or perhaps operating through some mechanism at a remove?"

I'm the bar. What I do is more like manufacturing than teleportation.

"How does that work? And what can you tell me about this place we've found ourselves in?"

I can create any non-magical food or drink in exchange for currency. I don't make things that would be dangerous to the people intended to consume them. The ability is instinctual for me. I don't know what's involved in the process.

I know quite a bit about Milliways but the general summary is that Milliways exists outside of the universes the two of you came from and in most cases time is paused in your worlds of origin while the door is closed.

"Oh, how exciting. I wasn't aware that time was something that could be paused. If that's true that is immensely useful. Can I get things from outside and then return here?"

There are no guarantees but typically the door will not remain linked to Milliways after it is closed from the outside.

Time is paused at home while Emily is here? This is fantastic! Maybe she can stay here for like thirty years and learn how to be a person and then go back!

"Can I just... stay here until I'm ready to leave? Or does that cost money? And if staying here costs money, are there any jobs available?"

There are rooms available for rent. They are charged per experienced day. Sleeping in the main bar is discouraged, and doing it for too long invites adverse coincidences and some other bartenders will call security to enforce that rule.

Milliways hires staff for cleaning, bartending, medical and security shifts. All of those positions are sufficient to pay for a room indefinitely assuming you meet the requirements.

Running a balance is also allowed, though some people avoid it in the fear that it will result in adverse coincidences. There is no concrete evidence that such caution is necessary though.

"How fascinating. I suppose I'll have to remain for at least a while. Is there any consistent way to return? Also what exactly are adverse coincidences and what else invites those?"

People who arrive once are more likely to arrive again. Beyond that there is no firm pattern, some people can get doors at will but that is rare.

Adverse coincidences are just that small things that build up and make what you're doing uncomfortable or impossible. The main thing that leads to them is holding open the door for extended periods of time.

"Hmmm. I'm not sure if I actually need to sleep or not. I should probably get a room for at least the first night, just in case I pass out at 2am."

"Bright side, if I do need money, I'm an experienced bartender!"

Emily beams. Things do tend to work out!

She turns to her new friend.

"What about you? Do any of those jobs work for you?"

"I can't say I've had experience at any of those jobs. I expect I've picked up a little knowledge of cleaning and security over the years, I doubt my limited knowledge of bartending would suffice and my knowledge of biology is largely theory based. If there's on the job training though, medicine sounds the most fascinating."

Positions largely rely on previous experience. New staff are generally introduced to the available facilities by existing staff but are otherwise expected to use existing skill sets. Due to coincidence management no member of staff will be faced with situations that are beyond their ability to handle.

Emily is unsurprised that her existing knowledge of serving Beer and Coffee will be more than enough to support herself. Why wouldn't it be?

"Hmmm, it sounds like there's not really on-the-job training here, but if you want, I could teach you how to serve Beer! Then we could be bartending buddies together! What's your name, by the way?"

"I'm Sherkaner Underhill. I'm always interested in learning new things but I'm also not particularly short on money. What is your home like?"

"I'm Emily. I come from a very small, peaceful town. There are only thirty or so people in the whole town -- we have a teacher, a doctor, a shopkeeper, a carpenter, a scientist, and so on. I like how friendly and quiet it is, but there's not much of a fashion scene and nobody ever changes their clothes."

"How about you, what is it like where you live?"

"I live in a university city. It's wonderful having so many students around. There's always new things to learn about and work on. There's around a hundred thousand people in total. I got my house recognized as an annex of the University which means there's students coming through and working on projects quite a lot. Nothing is better than having interesting conversations with people about new ideas. And trying to make those ideas a reality."

"Like what kind of ideas?"

Emily is brand new at making ideas a reality and wants to hear more about how that's done.