[action]

[nopolicelikeholmes]

There is a young lady in the square. It may not have been obvious when she appeared; she's just a normal woman - taller than average - in a brown trenchcoat. But she's there now, looking about her with a sense of curiosity that seems to want to take in everything and store it away forever. She's staring, possibly staring at you and reading you like a book. And apparently you're one of those really good books - the kind with more questions than answers, the kind that keeps you turning the pages long after you should have gone to bed - because her dark eyes glimmer with interest at each new aspect she notices and there's just the hint of a smile on her lips.

"Amazing," she murmurs to no one in particular, "no two of them are alike."

[ ooc: I now have a permissions post set up, with a thing to fill out if you do/don't want your characters to be deduced. ]

Comments

threadjack?

[o_tea_p]

Iroh was walking through town when he caught sight of Lin chatting with a young woman he had not seen before. Smiling, he approached them.

"Lin, don't tell me you're having a tea party without me."

yay, threadjack!

[nopolicelikeholmes]

Lin's warning had the opposite effect; Shirley's eyes glimmered with interest at the thought of seeing things she had never thought possible, and her expression almost seemed to say, Try me. You know, completely as though she had not just now been tried and wasn't still recovering somewhat from the shock.

"I'm sure you mean that as a warning and not a challenge," she said, looking down somewhat self-effacingly, as though apologetic that she has to be so difficult. It was completely a lie.

She raised her gaze on hearing the newcomer, though. If Lin's attire could be considered 'steampunk' then this guy's seemed a bit more medieval. If they were from the same place at all, they couldn't be from the same time period. The older man's demeanor was quite different from that of the officer, too. If they were friends, they must be an odd couple indeed.

"We don't have any tea," she said somewhat ruefully. It hadn't occurred to her until he had mentioned it, but she could probably use some about now.

whoo!

[lawbender]

Lin was glad to see Iroh. She had the idea that she wasn't handling this new person very well, and if there was one thing among many that Iroh was good at, it was putting people at ease. She nodded a greeting to him.

"Tea wouldn't be a bad idea," she agreed. "This young person is new to Burby and could probably use some explanations."

She paused. "I am Lin Bei Fong," she said, finally remembering to introduce herself to Shirley. "And this is my friend Iroh. He makes very good tea."

Huzzah!

[o_tea_p]

Iroh noticed Lin's discomfort and smiled reassuringly at them both.

"The best tea in Burby," he said with no small measure of pride. "And I have plenty of it in my home. Why don't you both join me? Pleasant company makes drink all the sweeter, and I'm sure you have many more questions."

[nopolicelikeholmes]

Holmes gave her name, because it seemed polite.

"That sounds like a great idea," she said. Because going home with an old man was totally sensible. I mean, he was obviously super-nice but Watson would probably not approve - and with her gone, Shirley would no doubt suffer from a deficiency of disapproval if she didn't try to simulate that kind of snark within her own brain.

[lawbender]

Then it was settled. Lin fell into a comfortable stride beside her two companions, content to be silent as they walked.

[o_tea_p]

"Where are you from, Shirley?" Iroh asked as they walked along.

[nopolicelikeholmes]

"The Northeastern United States," Shirley replied, "but I'm starting to suspect that we don't have enough shared points of reference for that to mean anything to you."

After all, just based on how he was dressed, he was either from Medieval China or Magical Medieval China. She wasn't sure yet how to tell the difference short of Sudden Magic Chairs.

[lawbender]

Lin thought she had heard the name before from one of their fellow "guests," but she had no real point of reference for it either.

"Iroh and I are from the same world," Lin mentioned, somehow succeeding at making conversation. "The world of the Four Nations."

[o_tea_p]

"Northeastern United States..." Iroh stroked his beard. That did sound very familiar. "I think there are a few people here from there. It's been awhile since I've seen them." He wondered if Tommy and Merton had managed to make it back to their home.

"Your world has many nations, I think?"