Mage opened the door for Nehru and her musical comrades and stepped aside, allowing them passage.
After a side glance to both F-Zero and Kelly, who both had that 'Maybe you should go first' face, Nehru stepped forward and through the portal-
!!!!
Not too surprisingly, it was like walking into...a restaurant. The main chamber was brightly lit and expansive, with all the trappings of an expensive, top-rate restaurant and then some. The carpet was dark blue with complex orange geometric line designs throughout it.
*awe-inspiring, sense of wonder music*
"This way, my lady," said Mage as he closed the door behind them.
He guided them through the maze of tables and the people and the waiters walking to and fro (<- now that's a pretty archaic phrase). Finally, he led them to a door that was more or less sanctioned away from the main part of the restaurant. On the door, there was a picture of a blue circle being orbited by a smaller, white circle.
"Charon is a very...unique individual," briefed Mage. "Do as she asks, and everything will flow smooth as silk."
He smiled and took out a key from his robe, and used it to open the door, once again stepping aside to allow Nehru and company passage.
Nehru walked into the dimly lit room-
"Let's skip the scenery, and let them dream it up themselves," said someone in the room.
(I wonder who it could be...?)
"You're Charon?" asked Nehru.
The person, her back to Nehru and hands held behind her back, slowly glanced over her shoulder, "Yes."
--Charon had very fine black hair, with sparse white streaks, that extended down just past her shoulders. Her eyes were frosty white in hue, almost like dry ice against a white background. She was gaunt and lengthy in stature, and wore an outfit that was frozen blue in color.--
"Do you like my description?" inquired Charon with a small perk of a smile. "I wrote it myself."
Nehru blinked. "Huh?"
"Have a seat," offered Charon as she made a small gesture to the two chairs across the circular table from her.
Nehru sat down in said chair while F-Zero and Kelly stepped in and Mage closed the door behind them once again.
Nehru glanced around, wondering how to begin. Maybe blurt tactics would be best. "Would you-"
"Wait," interrupted Charon, who was making a conscious effort to avoid looking directly at Nehru. "On the table in front of you is a pair of sunglasses, put them on."
Indeed, there was a pair of sunglasses on the table in front of her. Nehru glanced down at them, then asked innocently, "Why?"
"Just do it," replied Charon in a beseeching way.
Couldn't hurt.
Nehru picked up the sunglasses and-
*PZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!!!*
"Ow!" Nehru yelped as her hand recoiled from the massive static shock. "That did hurt! Ow...my pinky..."
After Charon was done with her little gigglefest, she spoke, "I apologize - a little practical joke. But please, I still want you to put on the sunglasses."
F-Zero was holding back laughs about as good as a cardboard dam would a river, while Kelly nearly had a stroke she was laughing so much. Mage was standing by, smiling amusedly.
Despite the wonderful encouragement of her friends, Nehru once again reached for the sunglasses - no shock this time - and put them on.
Charon slipped on a pair of her own sunglasses and sat down in her chair. With an edge of a smirk, she said, "Once again, I apologize. I'm just tired of most everyone using the phrase 'Couldn't hurt' as their sole reason for doing something."
Nehru blinked, "How did you...?" Maybe some things were best left alone. "Nevermind. So...uh...what's with the shades?"
"I don't feel comfortable making eye contact with people when I talk to them - it's one of my numerous quirks," explained Charon.
Nehru's eyes squinted as she failed to understand. "...Why is that?"
Charon shrugged nonchalantly. "I just do." She paused (<- nice dramatic effect: 10 points). "You'll come to learn that 'just' is a very powerful word. It can explain anything without really explaining it. In fact, would you like to know what I think? I think that the word 'just' is the Anti-Why. While 'why' is a word of ultimate complexity, 'just' is a word of ultimate simplicity."
Mage scratched his chin and asked, making sure to don sunglasses before he spoke, "Is this the philosophical discussion part?"
"Indeed it is," replied Charon with an engaged smile.
"Splendid, I always enjoy these," commented Mage enthusiastically.
Nehru, all the while, was thinking about something after Charon's speech about the merits of the word 'just'. "Can I see what shoes you wear?"
Without a second thought, "Certainly!" And Charon shifted in her chair so that her footwear might be visible.
And what she wore were a nice new pair of Nikes.
"Thought so," said Nehru. "Anyway, I wanted-"
"Who are you, really?" F-Zero blurted out. (<- Plot Device #57, the Blurt of Fate. Beware.)
"Hey!" Nehru chastised as she turned around on him. She pointed to her face and asked, "Who's wearing the sunglasses? Huh? Who's wearing the sunglasses?"
"Oh, my bad." Improvising the best way he could, F-Zero wrapped duct tape around his head and asked again, "Who are you, really?"
Kelly gave the rockstar a whithering look and inquired patronizingly, "Can you breathe in there?"
"No..." whimpered F-Zero (<- I'm with stupid).
"It's been a while since I answered that question for someone," started Charon, unsheathing a grin. "I am a Rough Character in the story. My flaw is that I had too many quirks, and so I didn't survive the Brainstorm, and thus didn't make it into the Final Draft, like many others. We don't actually go anywhere, but we don't take part in the story either. We're just a part of a world that doesn't know we exist and creations of a creator that forgot about us.
"I myself aspired to be more than just a wanderer, like a lot of the other Roughs. I originally founded my Restaurant as a haven for others like me, but I've gained quite a bit of notoriety over time. Now I host everything from Waiters to NPCs, from Sides to Bench Warmers."
"Bench Warmers?" inquired Nehru.
"Yes," said Charon. "Characters that are neglected because there is simply no time for them or their 'muse', as some people like to call it, is gone for a while. Could you show them, Mage?"
"Certainly, my lady," complied Mage as he took out a key and unlocked another door in the room and opened it up.
In the Bench Warmer's room was pleasant scenery...and lots of benches. Among those sitting patiently in the room were Father Irving Savarin and Sir Adamant Isenhart (and probably some that YOU might recognize...you know who they are...)
All of the Bench Warmers brightened up with hope when the door opened, but Mage waved his hand, "Sorry, false alarm," and shut the door.
"What a terrible fate..." remarked F-Zero.
"That sucks..." was Kelly's input.
Charon crossed her legs and continued, "This leads me to wonder why the Main Character, the Protagonist herself, has come to my little abode. I can only guess that you're here to partake in the servies of my second profession."
"Which is?" asked Nehru.
Charon cocked her head to the side. "Would you like a drink?" she inquired, going totally off subject.
"You're a bartender??" exclaimed the duct-taped F-Zero, and Kelly smacked him for being stupid.
"...Sure, I guess," replied Nehru awkwardly.
Charon glanced in Mage's direction and asked of him, "Could you get us two drinks? With ice, of course. Definitely ice. Lots of ice."
"At once, my good lady," responded Mage as he went about his business.
Charon refocused her attention on Nehru. "Anyway, I happen to be a vendor of information. Even though I'm not actually a part of the story, I like to know everything I can about it.
"You were...sent by that idiot, the Melovingian, weren't you?"
"You don't like him?" questioned Nehru curiously.
Charon flashed a nasty smirk, "Of course not. Ever since he found out about me he came under the impression that I work for him. He's a megolomaniacal egotist with nothing better to do than come up with new schemes for more power. I really hate Archetypes like him."
"So...does that mean you won't answer my question?" asked Nehru with an unsure glance.
"No," assured Charon. "I have a growing interest in you, Protagonist. I'll hear you out for the chance to learn more about you. Ask away."
Nehru straightened up, then went straight to the point, "Where's the MacGuffin?"
