Detective Time needed a palate cleanser. Enough of baffling cases and paradoxes and impossible time travel. Just a quiet visit to one of the stranger districts in the lesser explored areas of Metric.
He went down to the docks, the robots were offloading another set of dream cubes from the ferries. Something about the water aged the cubes, giving the dreams within them an ancient quality to them. Silly fluffy dreams about the home you grew up in became twinged with nostalgia like fine wine. Wasting time with friends became warm slumbers around a perfect campfire with soul stirring songs and majestic nature surrounding you.
Nathan wondered if he could get a sample of the water to see if it had an effect on anything else. The robots didn’t seem to mind, as long as he didn’t get in the way. He went out to the edge of the pier and found a small bucket to lower down into the mysterious waters. The rope was smooth from use and the container had seen better days. It was typical of Metric. Something you thought was unique was actually quite common, but nobody bothered to spoil the surprise for you. He tasted the water. In an instant he felt his time as a detective and a time pilot and temporal surgeon quantified as a strange and otherworldly flavour. He thought about bottling it, and how it might taste to others.
It was then that the fog cleared and Nathan felt slightly disoriented. He was suddenly on the other side of the body of water, in Metric’s Sampler District. It was cramped and haphazard. Exotic wooden signs for fuels, alcohol, teas and coffees, dyes and candy and soda filled the jumbled streets. One particular sign caught his eye. “Detective Draughts” read the large lettering, and a smaller card in the window had a crude drawing of his sonic pen in it.
He rushed inside and almost demanded to know what was going on, then he remembered how time worked in this area of Metric. Small chance encounters spun around, collected time and blossomed into full products and stores with very little input. A small man behind the counter noticed Nathan’s somewhat flustered appearance and quickly said “With your permission of course. It’s so nice not to have to explain the whole procedure.” Nathan quickly smartened up. He knew that drinking the water on the pier made the experience bear fruit, and it was free for any citizen of Metric to harvest the result and refine it for as many weeks at that would take. It would generally attract the original person quite quickly once the process was finished and they could negotiate on the continued viability of the products.
Nathan quickly apologized for his initial reaction and the storekeeper laughed. “In all my years, you’ve been one of the quickest people to grasp what’s happened here, no surprise either considering.” Nathan swats away the compliment “So, what’s it taste like?” “Oh, it’s quite something” says the storekeeper “I thought of a few different products, but a beer seemed the most appropriate. He hands Nathan a large mug containing the best of the initial batch. “I won’t bore you with the details” he says, “but the water gives a kind of reverse hangover. A sharp pain to start with which mellows out into a pleasant buzz.” It probably wasn’t the most marketable idea, but it suited Nathan’s philosophy – get the rough stuff out of the way first and bask in the resolution.
Nathan was satisfied with the result. It was something he could probably get behind, not too much mind you, but probably a store or two beyond the Sampler District as long as his name wasn’t too associated with it. There was a soft limit on how famous a Detective could get before it started working against them
.Title: Detective Time and the Sampler's Surprise
Genre: Mystery/Adventure
Setting: Metric, a unique city with time-neutral zones
Characters:
- Nathan "Detective Time" Fillion - A seasoned detective with a knack for solving perplexing cases.
- Shopkeeper - A quirky resident of Metric's Sampler District with a talent for turning chance encounters into unique products.
Scene 1: The Docks
- Nathan Fillion, in his detective attire, strolls along the misty docks of Metric. Robots are unloading dream cubes from ferries, giving the area an otherworldly vibe.
Scene 2: Nathan's Curiosity
- Nathan observes the water, noticing its peculiar effect on the dream cubes. He decides to lower a bucket into the water to collect a sample.
Scene 3: A Strange Taste
- Nathan tastes the water and experiences a disorienting moment as the fog clears.
Scene 4: Sampler District Surprise
- Nathan finds himself in the Sampler District, a bustling and colorful area of Metric. Signs for various products fill the narrow streets.
Scene 5: Detective Draughts
- Nathan enters the "Detective Draughts" store. The shopkeeper recognizes him and explains the situation. Nathan is intrigued.
Scene 6: The Unique Beer
- The shopkeeper offers Nathan a mug of "Detective Draughts" beer. Nathan is hesitant but takes a sip, experiencing a mix of sensations, including nostalgia and adventure.
Scene 7: Nathan's Approval
- Nathan appreciates the unique flavor of the beer and compliments the shopkeeper's creativity.
Scene 8: A New Venture
- Nathan discusses the potential of "Detective Draughts" with the shopkeeper and offers to help bring it to a wider audience.
Scene 9: An Unexpected Opportunity
- The shopkeeper agrees, and Nathan finds himself unintentionally starting a new venture.
Detective Time and the Sampler's Surprise is a heartwarming tale of unexpected discoveries and the quirky charm of Metric's Sampler District. It's a story that showcases how even in a world filled with mysteries and time travel, life can surprise you with new opportunities and flavors.
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