Hutch's is a welcoming little retro diner that exists simultaneously on every Earth in every reality. Whether it's a world like ours, a world ruled by a race of intelligent dinosaur people, or a bleak dead world without an atmosphere or oceans there will be a Hutch's All-Night Hamburgers somewhere and inter-dimensional travelers will have a safe place to rest for awhile.
Hutch himself, the owner of the diner, is very similar in nature and exists in all realities at once. Just like the diner his appearance varies depending on who's observing him but he's generally a deceptively normal-looking man. What he truly is is a mystery but whatever being could create a place like the diner and simultaneously run an infinite number of them at once must have great power. It's lucky that Hutch chooses to use his power to feed and chat up fascinating travelers from different realities rather than acting as most gods do.
If someone causes trouble in the diner Hutch won't harm them, but whatever is waiting on the random Earth he kicks them out onto might. It's best to just enjoy his hospitality and meet some interesting characters. Hutch will even let you out at the reality you wish when you leave.
The Magus had visited Hutch's many of times, as did the Magi before him and the Magi before her, each knowing the complexities of which the nexus point garnered upon its responsibilities. Olivier appreciated the nostalgia. An age many forgotten but for Olivier, being the millennium representation of what was to come, it was like breathing. He appreciated a good old hamburger and Pepsi, and not the ones they served today in those plastic cups. He preferred the glass bottles that time had eaten up as obsolete. That wasn't even mentioning the pie of the day that Olivier had learned to only frequent sporadically, or he would never fit into his tailored suit.
He walked in, fixing his suit and taking a seat to look out the window, waiting for the excitement to either walk through that door, or even the rumors to come from behind the counter. All Olivier had to do was wait and examine the menu.
"Ah-ha! My favorite customer!" Hutch said his usual greeting which every patron received and brought over a chilled bottle of Pepsi for the mage. He tapped his foot to the song only he and Olivier could hear, the jukebox in the corner playing different tunes for each patron. This place was fluid much like a dream, never the same for two people even if the difference was a single scuff on the floor. "How long has it been, man?" Hutch slid a menu towards Olivier with a grin even though his order was already being prepared before he entered.
@blhazerider: I can't take credit for the idea. There's a short story called "Why I Left Harry's All-Night Hamburgers" about a burger joint where sliders hang out but aside from the name being nearly the same I've changed the concept around.
It’s been longer then I had hoped. Magus savored the moment as Sinatra played in the distance. He would just close his eyes and savor the moment. Old blue eyes was not in his millennial reign, but there were days he wished he were. He could feel the cold condensation of his drink hit his hand with perfect accuracy. It always had with Hutch.
He would take a sip of the Pepsi, the realization of its actual existence just a moot point in the moment of his gratification. Olivier would open the menu with a childlike smile, I’ll take the usual, waiting for the cheeseburger with light mayo, slightly toasted to come walking out from the walkabout any second.
He looked at the menu, noticing the new assortment of cheese danishes screaming at his ego, but he had not come for the danish, but for information. Hutch! My favorite keeper in the entire multiverse. I’m hearing some grumblings down in the CVnU. It sounds almost like a Prime event. Any gossip coming from your neck of the woods? I got two tickets to Hamilton if the news is good.
"Well, an unusual one did come through recently..."
In a booth nearby a thing that looked like a purple pitcher plant with an excessive number of arms was performing a careful dissection of some small bat-like creature while simultaneously dipping french fries into a vanilla shake and dropping them into the gaping mouth on top of its body. An almost human-looking family with grey skin and red eyes, dressed as though they'd come from Sunday service sat nearby. Horrified at the gruesome sight, the mother stood up on her chair to cover the eyes of her oblivious child whose head nearly scraped the ceiling as they sloppily filled in the lines of a children's menu with cigar-sized crayons.
Hutch's words trailed off and he went to the kitchen to fetch Magus' meal. The towering toddler was starting to wail now, a sound like a storm siren that made ears ring and trays walk across tables from the awful vibrations. The parents of the child had already put in some advanced earplugs when they sensed the tantrum coming, clearly having been in this situation before. Just as the child was taking a deep breath a few words that were quite familiar to Olivier came whispered from the corner and the entire room seemed to freeze for a moment. The child opened their mouth to bellow again but no sound or any vibration at all escaped. Confused, the child started to cry, in fear now, and beat their fists on the table which also made no sound at all.
There was the lingering feeling of magic in the air. A man in the corner with a dark blue robe had just said the words that silenced the child, but this was no ordinary spell. It was a permanent curse that would rob the child of their voice for the rest of their life all for one obnoxious outburst. It was unlikely that the hooded man didn't know any softer silencing spells. This was a clear act of cruelty. He sneered and scoffed as he loudly slurped the last dregs of his orange soda.
Magus has tuned the child out as he enjoyed the cold glass sweat from the feel of his warm hand. He let out a gasp of satisfaction as it’s bubbly texture went down his throat and the child continued. His whaling was an awkward pitch but he had heard worse. It was not his place to question his parents decisions but he could hear the faintest of silence spells be cast. The air was still for a second, those not aware of it would have missed it with a blink or a cough, but for those that knew of this spells existence, it was a bane to many.
Olivier would look, feeling the the air meet once again as it were parted like Red Sea and crash down upon Pharaoh to reveal the true power of its nature and design meet upon the cloaked man in the corner. The design had its purpose. It wasn’t necessarily an evil design but used by many with that intent. I’m all honesty, Magus would use the spell himself, if it weren’t for the stigma. The Magus were about progress. An upgrade of the old order for the betterment of magic and science itself. The dilemma was the use of the spell in such a nexus such as the one they were all participants.
Olivier fingers would circle and look as if he were scribbling in the air, in truth he was using what he called sequence magic, calculating set points as constants to anchor his existence along with distance and time and other variables for a certain effect, that being as anchor For his desired effect. It would look like gibberish to the mages of old, almost like a dialect three generations removed. Olivier was not of the old mage era. He was one of tomorrow. The warlock of inevitability, and the the use of such a silence spell on a child was that of disgrace for the children are the future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. This dastardly mage would need a correction, an abolishment of highest order. And Olivier would give that punishment.
He would arise, fixing his suit to keep his suave and modern appearance intact. He would gesture to Hutch to remain calm as he knew Hutch could possibly do something on the same manner, but the lesson would not be taught if it were not from a considered peer.
Olivier would not teleport or speed to the spot, but slowly walk onto his presence was on top of the dastardly mage itself. As a frequent customer to this establishment, I would suggest you release the child from the spell you have cursed upon its life. Such an action is highly frowned upon and will even hamper your service in this place. Olivier would wait for the mage’s next action, hoping he would release the curse from the child but a part of him readied for stupidity, as ego were rampant amongst mages. The choice is yours.
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