The Stumble Inn

Molodi tugged on the man's arm, and led him down the stairs to the reception desk. "Thank you, Melanie. He... Well, something strange happened. I'm not sure if you noticed... Ah, nevermind." She brushed back her hair, and pulled out a cigarette, putting it in her mouth and lighting up. "I think this guy's name is Wreath, or something." She coughed on her cigarette. "He can't speak English... Or if he is, I can't understand him..." She looked down at her cigarette. "Wonder how many more of these until I'm the same way."

Hal returned to the Inn, sighing. "Sorry about all the fuss, folks. I accidentally activated something I made sure wasn't a weapon... Insecurity System... I didn't even have that on the ship... Where would that have come from?"

Kasei-La sighed, bored. Getting up, she decided to head down the stairs, and walk outside, now wearing a new sari. She blinked when she spotted Taban. "Hey, Taban! What are you doing up there?"

R'ioth looked around, now surrounded by strangers. His hand gravitated to his blood canteen, still not trusting them, especially not in numbers. At this point, he had deduced that the woman behind the desk was the proprietor of this establishment, but he had no clue as to what she would charge him for his nightly stay. It was all so confusing, and it was making his head spin.

"Raken receb S joa?" R'ioth asked, looking over the desk to Mel. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a gold coin, sliding it over the desk to her. "S var lado."

Molodi smiled at R'ioth, and pointed at the money, shaking her head. "Freeee." She motioned for him to put the coin back in his satchel. "...I just realized... There is no money in use here... This place is..." Her face went pale. "Communist..." She looked at Mel with deep concern in her eyes. "No one runs Wayside, right? There's no dictators, or armies?"

Dent sighed as she pulled on what she could find; a cheerleader's miniskirt and a shirt proclaiming "DEVO forever" loudly on its front, the blue letters standing out on the red dye job of the shirt. Looking down at her hand, she wondered quietly to herself. Maybe... Maybe I can control the changes? Focusing on her hand, she thought about eagle talons. Nothing happened. Sighing, she grumbled quietly to herself, wanting to be male again. Surely enough, a change started, and she toppled to the floor, shrieking in surprise as she shifted back into her normal self. "...Dude. I have... YES! Oooh, what to do wi-- I'm still wearing a skirt." Denton looked around the laundry room, and saw nothing else he would wear. "...Okay, back to female form, for now..." He focused, and he shifted back to Dent. "...Awesome." She giggled to herself. "I wonder if it extends to other things..." She walked upstairs, and waved at Mel. "Hello, there!"

"Nan." R'ioth responded, understanding the concept, but still pushing the coin closer to Mel. "S hota gana ta aqul."

Though he was now garunteed a room, the world here still greatly confused R'ioth. He was debating whether it would be worth it to give in to the witchcraft and speak to these people. However, he decided that was what the witches wanted him to do, and remained steadfast, in line with his original decision.

Melanie gave a quick bow and accepted the coin from the new guest. Sometimes people just wanted to pay anyway, and that was fine by her. The currency didn't have much use, but she would add it to her collection of things from other worlds.
"No, Molodi. No one rules here. Everyone is just as lost as everyone else." She smiled. "Occasionally, someone will try to, but no one listens to them anyway." Catching sight of Dent, she raised her hand in a hesitant greeting.



Taban looked over at Kasei-La, still agitated. "I am sitting."

Dent grinned at herself. "Looks like now, I can regulate how I change!" She grinned, and made her ass a little bigger. "...This is gonna be great." She grinned to herself, and then her eyes went wide. "...I can shapeshift myself so I can finally roll my tongue! BADASS!"

Molodi looked up, and noticed the weary look in Mel's eye, so she tried to distract Dent. "So, um... You even found underwear down there? Isn't it... Strange to be wearing someone's discarded unmentionables?"

"Oh, I'm not wearing underwear."

"I should never have asked. Ever." Molodi returned her attentions to Mel. "Say, I'm going to make an omelette, but I never eat much. Do you want half?"

Kasei-La kept looking up. "You look kinda antsy, Taban! Are you okay?"

With his room payed for, R'ioth sighed and went to sit down in a nearby booth. He kicked his boots together and thought of his next move. He still needed a resupply on his blood canteen, it was only one-third full, and a good meal would do him well. Yet, in this strange world, he had no idea how to ask for such things. He then remembered the panel he'd drawn for each of those, but couldn't seem to remember where he'd left the parchment. It was all so confusing...

"Yaki, qeu ghana ta servi dana?" R'ioth muttered, asking his gods for reasoning. "Sa nan fore...."

Kiseki quietly opened the door to The Stumble Inn, and glanced around quickly before letting her body in. Aoi Chō fluttered lightly upon her head trying to get a feel for the new place. It had been a week since she began her traveling, and it would be best to rest for a few days before continuing her search. Aoi Chō flapped its little wings, and glided through the lobby only to seat itself upon the bell sitting on the counter top refusing to let Kiseki to ring it. She chuckled lightly, and glanced around for someone to talk to.

"Um, hello? Is anyone here?" Kiseki asked. She sighed lightly, slipping the heavy leather backpack off of her shoulders, and gently putting it on the floor for a moment. "I wonder where everyone is Aoi Chō..."

(Everyone is currently gathered at the reception desk, Kiseki.)

"No thank you, Molodi." Mel turned towards the newcomer and smiled a bit. "Hello. Welcome to the Stumble Inn. Do you know where you are?"




Taban forced himself to smile, but remained tense. "I'm fine. Just fine."

(Oops, guess that's what I guess for not reading. I blame Farmville.)

"I'm right here," Kiseki said, holding up a map, and pointing at a black spot where the town of Wayside should be. She chuckled lightly.

(. . . Wayside shouldn't be on any map either. It's where lost people and things go. Lost, you know?)

Melanie blinked in surprise. "What? Really? I mean, uh. . . wow. If you know where you are, then how did you get here?"

(Therefore a black spot.)

"Aoi Chō said so." Kiseki was an odd sort of girl perhaps following a blue butterfly to odds end, but it brought on more odd travels.

Molodi just stared at the woman blankly, and then looked at Melanie, speaking deadpan. "Think it's too early for me to get drunk?" She puffed on her cigarette, and sighed.

Dent blinked, and scratched her head. "...You talk to a butterfly? O-kay, that's... Cool. I mean, butterflies are nice. Uh... So, that's a Japanese word... I'm assuming you're from Japan?" She giggled awkwardly.

Kasei-La climbed up the same staircase Hal used, and plopped down beside Taban. She didn't speak, though, and tried to look where he was looking. "...The fog goes on forever, huh?"

Kiseki giggled.

"Hardly. I only know Aoi Chō's and mine. Aoi Chō means blue butterfly, and Kiseki means miracle," she answered. Aoi Chō fluttered its beautiful wings, and rested on top of her head once more.

(Wayside is more of a "Where the hell does that other sock in the pair go when I lose things in the dryer?" place than a "Oh yeah, just go straight down Broadway for a few miles and hang a right at Vasser" place. It's a crossroads in-between dimensions. It doesn't actually exist in any solid location. It should not be on any map at all, though there might be stories about it. You can only get there by being lost. )


". . . Um, okay then. . . Well, if you want a room, we have them. . . " Melanie continued looking at her strangely for a few moments before she shrugged it off and pulled out the registry. She'd seen stranger people after all. "So. . . I don't know if I should put down your butterfly's name. Is it sentient?"


Taban said nothing either, just sat there, thrashing his tail. Really? He just wanted to be alone while he came to terms with his own mortality. Was that too much to ask?

Kasei-La looked at him for a moment, and picked up on that she probably wasn't where she was wanted. She started to slowly climb off the wave, only awkwardly waving to Taban as she dropped back onto the street below. Sighing to herself, she decided to check out the school. Maybe there would be kids there, or something!

Molodi rolled her eyes at all the giggling. "Yes. Definitely time to get drunk." She winked at Melanie. "Just call me if you need me to kill anyone. I know a little bit of karate, heh heh." She walked into the bar, grabbing the bottle of whiskey, before heading to the kitchen to make her omelette.

"Oh, coool. Japan doesn't exist anymore where I come from. Neither does the rest of the world. God blew it up in his war with us. We assassinated him a few months ago... Heaven is really mad at us now."

Melanie gave a bit of a smile. "I used to want to go to Japan. I'm from North Korea. I am 윤 은미, but you can call me Melanie. Or. . . Melancholy Melanie if you are feeling vicious." Mel sighed, and wrote down the girl and her butterfly's names. "Any room you want is open to you. . . "

Dent smirked at her. "Oh, and I'm not ALWAYS a girl. I just totally found out I could shapeshift, so I'm trying this body out... Oooh, so many things I've always wondered, now to be realized! Finally, I will know if blondes really do have more fun." She bit her lip, and looked rather excited about something so trivial. "The possibilities are endless!"

Molodi fried up the omelette, adding in the ham and mustard. "Nnn..." She blinked as Hal walked in, grinning at her.

"So... You're Russian, hm?"

"Ukrainian."

"Right, right... You know, you have rather gorgeous red hair, you know that?"

"If you're trying to woo me, I am currently in the possession of a rather hot piece of metal. So the answer, as you might have guessed, is no. I am rather fed up with the male gender at the moment, so please excuse any unpleasantness, no matter how deserved."

Hal sank. "...Why does no one find me attractive?" He sighed, and shuffled out of the kitchen.

R'ioth stood up from his booth and wandered over to Molodi, staring at the food she had prepared. He pointed to it and bit his lip, attempting to signify that he was hungry. He felt like a child, having to speak through signs rather than words. "S var da?"

Molodi blinked, and thought she understood. She finished up the omelette quickly, and cut it in half, putting one half on a plate each. She gave him a half-smile, and handed it to him, before taking a swig from the whiskey bottle she had near her. "There you are. That IS what you wanted, right?" She looked at him, wondering if she could ever manage to break this communication barrier.

R'ioth smiled and bowed, nodding as he rose again. He picked up a nearby fork, slicing up the omelette and eating it hungriliy. It had been at least seven hours since he last ate, and then what he had eaten was moldy bread. In fact, this food was some of the best that R'ioth had every tasted. He finished his food and looked over at Molodi, smiling brightly.

"Saluda te." He said, thanking her in his own language. "S arhm rolak!"

Molodi blushed slightly. "Well, it's nothing, really. Looks like you enjoyed it, though." She grinned to herself, feeling rather proud that someone was enjoying her cooking. "I know what it's like to be in a... Oh, you don't understand, so what's the point, hm?"

"Erhm...nan...esa noka." R'ioth responded, trying to come up with a slightly reasonable response to whatever she was saying. He shrugged and pulled out his blood canteen. He poured a few drops out on the counter and created a little hamster creature, sending it over to Molodi. "Ena saluda."

Molodi sighed at the hamster, and picked it up in her hand, before placing it on his shoulder. "You're definitely sweet." She picked up her plate, and walked out of the kitchen, waving at him. As she walked back to Mel, she munched on her omelette. "Mmm... I think one of the eggs spoiled, or something. Kinda strong. Egh... It's still edible."

Dent had headed upstairs to "inspect" herself better, and high-pitched, empty-headed giggling could be heard from her room. "Hair long! Hair longer! Hair hits the ground! Hehe, this is so awesome!"

R'ioth stood up and headed toward the hallway that was supposed to have rooms. He wandered into an empty one, sitting down on the bed. The confusion of this place was lessening, but R'ioth knew he'd have to work for months to learn a language so strange and foreign, so it would probably be best just to give in to the witchcraft. Yet, now was not the time to decide, he laid back and let himself be dragged off to sleep.