IC contact for wethelost

[devoutish]

Solomons & Melborn
1108 Sweet Cream Street

[Feel free to use this space for letter/package deliveries as well as visits/knocks on the front door!]

Comments

[devoutish]

[Bars and bakeries both sound good, but he's in a pastry mood today, so Alfie heads over during the daytime, around mid-afternoon. He brings a prepared letter to drop off in case this "PG" isn't in, but he's hoping to catch him in person.]

Hello?

[voiceinthephone]

[The PG in question is already cleaning up one of the tables when he hears a greeting at the door]

Hello-hi! Welcome to the Phone Tap!

[That is far more energy a man who has been up since the break of dawn should have.] What'll you have? Today's special is apple pie and pineapple ham sandwiches.

[devoutish]

Solomons. You left me a note.

[He approaches and holds out his hand for a shake.]

I'll try the apple pie, mate. I brought a bit of shortbread in trade.

[voiceinthephone]

Coming right up Mr. Solomons! And pleasure to meet you in person!

[As he takes the shortbread into the kitchen, he serves the pie with flourish typical of a man who knows he made a delicious meal for his guest. Hell, he adds in a glass of chilled milk to pair off the tart pastry]

I didn't think I'd meet you in person so soon.

[devoutish]

Yeah, well, I had a free moment. The note made me curious.

[He cuts into the pie with his fork.]

You're a friendly lot, aren't you.

[voiceinthephone]

[Watch Phil perk up at that]

Well I try to be as welcoming and serviceable as possible to anyone who comes to the Meadous. We've all had a pretty rough journey coming here.

[devoutish]

Mm.

[That's an understatement.

Alfie lifts his fork to Phil with an appreciative nod.]

This is good. Hope the shortbread's to your liking. I haven't got a big baking set-up for it; I just used my own kitchen. Well-- the kitchen of the house I was assigned to, I should say.

[voiceinthephone]

[Phil obliged Alfie for a second and tasted the shortbread. It's pretty good!]

Don't you worry, it's pretty good! Zephyr probably had a good idea to give you a house you'd be familiar with. You can ask them if you ever want to change it into something more homely for you.

Where'd you come from? Not where you came before this place, where you were, um, were born.

[devoutish]

London, 1922. That's a city on Earth, if you haven't heard of it.

[voiceinthephone]

I'm from America, 1993, near Detroit! I'm pretty sure you've had other encounters with people from the far past or far future, the worlds kinda interconnect that way...I think I've gotten past some of the mental hurdles.


Is Mr. Royce from your time as well?

[devoutish]

So have I, yeah.

[It was a trip at first, but now it's just another day.]

Royce is from another world entirely. Hadn't even heard of Earth before he came to Norfinbury.

[voiceinthephone]

[Norfinbury...that place was reaping people like the Maeve on a summer solstice summoning spree]

Sounds like you're close, must've been hellish out there, to be so out of your element like that.

I'm sorry you had to go through all that.

[devoutish]

Close, yeah.

[Close is an understatement.]

Well - we're out of it now.

[voiceinthephone]

Have you settled into something to do in the Meadous? It doesn't have to be hard labor, just something you'd like to do with the skills you had home.

[Phil is completely oblivious of who Alfie Solomons is orwhat his job was back home. He looked like someone like a merchant.]

[devoutish]

[A little grin plays across Alfie's face.]

I don't think you'd like me to use the skills I use at home, mate.

[voiceinthephone]

Unless you were a serial killer, I don't know if that will be the case.

[There's a subtle edge to those words as Phil had his own experience dealing with two on his original world and in Eros.]

[devoutish]

Nah.

[If Phil's response hadn't had that edge, it would have read as naively optimistic to Alfie, and he would have been sorely tempted to be a little more teasing and baity - but he respects the caution.]

Still, it's not the sort of profession you'd likely be happy about.

[voiceinthephone]

Fair enough, at least you can settle here and be somewhat safe.

The somewhat being up to you of course. Zephyr's a good kid but they can't just shut down our free will.

Or the worst impulses.

[devoutish]

I don't follow my impulses with that sort of thing, mate. If you ever do see me do something awful, you can rest assured that there was thought put into it.

[voiceinthephone]

Were you a hitman?

[Phil asks point-blank, unafraid of the criminal underworld. After all, he had his dealings in Eros to keep himself alive.]

[devoutish]

Gangster. Gang leader. I had my own hitmen.

[voiceinthephone]

Ah, that explains the thinking through of the impulses. I'd ask what you dealt with but that's none of my concern either.

[He shrugs.]

I hope you were somewhat kinder to your subordinates than my mistress was.

[devoutish]

Your mistress?

[His brow furrows, questioning.]

[voiceinthephone]

Well, female master sounds awkward doesn't it? She and her sisters owned my body, what else would I call her?

[He sighs as he clears out a few things.]

[devoutish]

What were you, then, some sort of slave?

[Alfie asks, looking more and more baffled by the minute.]

Where was this - the place you were before here, or home?