Inn forty-four

She ignored the dog's comment. She had heard that line before -- so instead, she simply watched Suitov as he spoke.

Nonetheless, Helmine took a moment to wrap her mind around that. At first she pursed her lips. "Ah. Yes. One would think that fishes, taking an utterly outlandish example here, would sometimes surface -- pardon the unintentional pun -- and drown in air. Well, well. That is puzzling. I'm not certain if that should be reassuring, also. Turning that piece of empirical evidence around would suggest that any of the worlds one might find all share at least the same manner air and edible materials... am I right?"

"For reasons you can imagine, I've so far been cautious about testing that supposition too vigorously. For one thing, the risk of locals with conveniently compatible digestive systems who would count us as edible materials. Or at least be prepared to make the effort... Experience so far suggests that atmospheres at least are remarkably consistent. As far as I know, nobody has taken mineral soundings yet, or returned from doing so. Currencies and show-offs can be a clue, though. Osmium, platinum, iridium and gold and so on seem to be consistently rare, from the information I've gleaned."

If she took that information and managed to make a killing in the precious metal trade, that'd be her good fortune.

Yes. Yes it would. Oh yes, yes it would. Helmine thought about that very seriously.

"Yes. I would be quite annoyed should I find myself forty fathoms deep," she said without the faintest smile. "How often do the same faces appear here?"

And don't think he hadn't known the value of the snippet before letting it slip. Ah, so many exciting prospects and never enough hours in a day. Even when the sky got itself stuck on 36-hour rotations.

The human hesitated for a moment at Helmine's question. "That depends on the face," Basaltine relayed for him. "There are a few repeat visitors and plenty that aren't seen again. Some, though not many, attempt to stay here permanently."

Revealing the reason for his hesitation, he added: "Pardon the question, Helmine, but your face is itself familiar. Have you any relatives who might have passed through here before?"

"Familiar," she said a little sharply. "My mother tells me I resemble my father, who I haven't seen in almost fifty years. I doubt he would be smart or foolish enough to come through here." It was a particularly biting insult in Wies, at any rate. Being average was sadder than being stupid.

Yet Helmine shrugged. "That is about it. I don't have any other members of family that would resemble me. Or so mother tells me." She was still quite bitter about that. She would have liked her mother's figure.

"Ah. Then, unless you have a brother someone failed to mention, I'm probably mistaken. No matter."

Suitov wondered whether she considered herself smart or foolish. He himself would cheerfully have claimed to be both.

"Maybe so. Let's not think about it. I doubt you would know Sebastian of Nowhere, anyway," Helmine said with a smirk. "I am sorry if I ask too many questions, but I'm interested in how you see this place. Before... before I found myself here, I didn't even suspect that there were more than one world."

Suitov smiled. "Not in the slightest. On my first encounter with another world, I almost ended up in the middle of a pitched battle against pig rustlers. At least, I had to assume that was what was going on. Could have been an obedience competition for all I know.

"Since you mention it, the chap who looked like you was called Sebastian. It could be a coincidence, of course."

Helmine took the news with a suspicious look. "Let's not think about it," she repeated, casually breaking a small carrot into two. Before she put one of the bits into her mouth, she said: "How is it that you find your way back here, then?"

"Agreed," he said. Then, "I've arrived once or twice by absent-mindedness, but usually by taking a few purposeful strides under certain specific conditions. One of my companions only seems to find the place while in a foul mood or by following somebody else. I have met a few, like Mendel, who can appear and disappear completely under their own power. You could try asking for a lift.

"Oh, and if you meet a green, leathery and damp-looking horse that tries to entice you onto its back, I'd advise against it, however valuable the bridle looks."

The woman made a contemplative sound as she chewed on the second bit of carrot. "Thank you." For what, she didn't bother specifying. "So I take it, considering what I have heard from you and Mendel, that you cannot point me in any particular direction from here? Or, if you can, I would just love a relatively peaceful place. Or simply anywhere -- my interest has been piqued. I do not think I will be going home just yet."

"I don't know that I can think of any very peaceful places," Suitov said with apparently genuine regret. "Plenty of interesting ones, though. If we get you onto the right road, finding one should be straightforward."

"Oh, interesting may well be good enough," she said and cast one more glance at the dog. Then, again, to Suitov. "Provided that it happens to be the right kind of interesting of course."

That raised a smile. "Then we'd better define interesting. Can't have me landing you in the middle of a goblin folk etymologies seminar, can we?"

"I might even enjoy that," she quipped a hint amusedly. "Let us settle for something that does not mean constant fight for survival or a continent filled with battlefields. I seem to have had an overdose of that lately," Helmine sniffed and broke a bit off a roll so that she could wipe her plate.

"Battles get boring quickly," Suitov agreed.

After relaying this, Basaltine looked back at his master, head on one side. "Oh, c'mon, not ones with spellcasters on both sides. Or artillery. Kaboom!"

"I find artillery especially boring," Helmine said and directed a somewhat approving look at Basaltine. "So: let us consider the possibilities then? I would welcome peace and straightforward life, really."

"I can think of one place that might suffice." Suitov told her about it.

She considered the information and nodded. "Thank you kindly. I will visit once I... hmm. Is there a place where I can rest a bit? I've been on the road for days and have found my mood to be progressively worse with each passing day. I think only your company is keeping me civil right about now," Helmine said with a straight face. Empty pleasantries or not, there was no telling. She seemed more interested in setting her utensils so that they signalled that she was finished. Or that's what it meant in Wies, anyway.

Basaltine really wanted to be sniffing around the wainscotting about now, along with his other dogly duties. Oh well. At least he'd scored some sausage. These things always tasted better when unofficial.

"Too kind, I'm sure," he relayed. Suitov had seemed dryly amused as he'd said it. "I'm coming to realise that opening hours are meaningless here, so: One of the rooms upstairs is retained for one or two weeks more. The other three are vacant. Other hotels and hot water sources may be available."