OOM: To the labyrinth with Bossuet

[cook_the_rude]

At the top of a hill, there is a door, set into the hill-face.

The lake is shimmering in the distance, and the Scottish summer is in full effect.

But the door in the hillside might still be considered boding.

"Not making any Dante puns," Dr. Lecter declares, gesturing to the door invitingly.

Comments

[tire_moi_mes_bottes]

Or that. Lesgle pins his miscellaneous books under an elbow and frees a hand to scrabble at the doorknob. With an inelegant flourish he gets it open and steps into--another part of the bookshop? There's a half-familiar carpet, though, and when he looks around the corner Lesgle finds himself staring at a wait-rat.

"...The library, I believe."

[cook_the_rude]

"Oh, good," Dr. Lecter says, stepping through. "So we found the part we needed. And, it seems, some books and maps."

[tire_moi_mes_bottes]

"Yes..."

He looks back at the door they just passed through; but when he tests it, it opens only onto a small and uninteresting broom closet. Well, a functioning door to Paris of the future would be more surprising, wouldn't it? Still, Lesgle sets down his loot and rummages in his satchel for the twist of embroidery floss. He ties a bow around the door handle, shooting Lecter a rueful look. "On the off chance that it changes its mind and lets a person back into Paris."

It's a very slim hope.

[cook_the_rude]

"Even at the risk of it leading to modern-day Paris, with cars and burger restaurants?" Dr. Lecter says, with a look of disapproval at the latter. "Whoever opened that place made a very deplorable choice."

He puts the books and maps he has brought on a nearby table.

"I should send them some money," he muses. "We have technically robbed their bargain basement. I hope they're in the same version of Earth as I am."

[tire_moi_mes_bottes]

"It is a risk I am willing to take," he says gravely. "Having faced down dragons and the scorn of Parisian youth, I am willing to hazard a visit to a restaurant. But what about you? Are you still bored?" After all, conducting an acquaintance away from boredom was at least one reason to go along on this foolhardy adventure.

Lesgle's conscience has been shamefully quiet on the subject of the book theft. Now he does look a bit guilty, though, as he checks over his unintended haul. "...I, ah. I will have to owe you."

[cook_the_rude]

"I'm not bored, and I hope you aren't, either," Dr. Lecter says. "And now, you can entertain your friends with stories of a dragon and of the horrors of modern junk food."

He looks through both their stacks, as if mentally tallying what would be a fair price.

[tire_moi_mes_bottes]

"Oh, I intend to. By the time I'm done there will be the smoldering corpses of at least three dragons, an armful of grateful princesses apiece, veritable boulders of gold, and...I suppose still a Quality Burger Restaurant. But what is a Quality Burger?" It's not all he'll have to say to his friends, but yes, they're going to hear about the dragon.

He'd picked up some four or five books that caught his eye, mostly histories and cocktail recipe books. Nothing that will break the bank.

[cook_the_rude]

"Despite the name, very awful food," Dr. Lecter says. "A 'burger', short for Hamburger, is a patty of minced beef served with vegetables and some sauce or other in a bun of bread. If I describe it that way, it sounds nowhere near as hideous and revolting as a mass-produced burger is."

[tire_moi_mes_bottes]

Ah, yes. The bar has given him those before. Very nice, in fact. "Well, I'll trust your judgment in matters culinary. If I ever see the Quality Burger again, I shall heap silent scorn upon it. I can promise I've had worse, though. --Say, the older collection of maps. May I borrow it?"

He still wants to compare notes with the modern one--just in case.

[cook_the_rude]

"Yes, of course," Dr. Lecter says. "I'd like them back later, but please, do use them so you can find out where we were."

Pause.

"And we should not aim for less bad food; we should aim for good food. At least I, for one, do."

[tire_moi_mes_bottes]

"And I hope your aim is always true! But I've gone out looking for food I knew would be terrible, from sheer sentimental attachment to a place--have you never? So charitably, I like to think the Quality Burger is dear to someone's heart."

Well. All right. Bossuet adds the map book to his heap and hefts his lance again. "Tell me what you think I owe you, and I'll try to invent a currency?"

[cook_the_rude]

"I was very entertained on a slightly dull day," Dr. Lecter says. "That is worth a few old books."

[tire_moi_mes_bottes]

Lesgle sketches a bow as best he can with a lance and an armful of books. "The soul of generosity, unless I'm better company than I thought. Thank you, sir, for a remarkable afternoon. And do let me know if you're ever finding the place dull again?"

[cook_the_rude]

"I promise that I will," Dr. Lecter says, returning the bow, his lance held straight.


[[OOC: Fade here?]]

[tire_moi_mes_bottes]

"Excellent. And now--I think I shall go and tilt at windmills!" He's armed for it, after all. He ambles out of the library and off into the halls.

((Sound good. Thanks so much for the fun thread! :D))