nexus_crossings | (no subject)

There's an exceptionally strange man with even stranger ideas of what makes good headgear who's been sitting nearly motionless in a nearby chair. Hands resting on his knees in an echo of Wrench's posture, long legs resting askew with his untied shoes planted on the floor. He might even look like some kind of bizarre art fixture on account of his surreal cage hat and the complete lack of movement or sound.

But when he hears the word 'cosmic', Micolash laughs low and breathy to himself.

"Worst...question," he eventually drawls in a meandering accent, his words drawn out as if distracted with other thoughts or simply considering this one very carefully.

"I think. That would be the question: Why?"

<3 <3 - ! ! - O O

"Woooah, man that helmet is the sweetest thing I've ever laid my eyes on." Wrench looks up at the stranger's headwear. And with the emoji of surprise flashing up on his mask, Wrench can't hardly believe what he's seeing. "You're gonna have to tell me where to get one like that."

- - Wrench can't help but to play along with Micolash. "But why?"

Micolash raises his head slightly more now, no longer looking vacantly at the floor. His eyes do seem to be profoundly tired, however, peering from behind a square opening in the cage's bars. He smiles despite this though, even if the expression is moderately queasy.

"Why? Whyyyyy why?" Micolash repeats, drawing out the word before chuckling. "Why is a bloodless inquiry. The desiccated husk of morality, demanding answers for actions that speak for themselves. Ascendancy should be...self-explanatory!"

He also seems to ignore the question about where one can find another cage like his.

Wrench looks so sure of himself, and getting Micolash to go on and on about the word why. This guy is the coolest guy he has ever met. And while his question about the cage goes unanswered, Wrench goes to play along with.

"Why?"

He wonders how long he can keep the insanity of asking the question 'why?' And he wonders if he should eventually follow it up with the other horrible question.

"Why wonder why? But what about what?"

Micolash is silent for a drawn-out moment before tilting his head forward, which is an interesting feat with that elongated cage around it. He chuckles softly and tsks, wagging his finger at Wrench in mock admonishment.

"Bloodless and tailless."

He sees what you're up to, buddy.

"Who?"

Yup, Wrench is so going to have a bit of fun and milk this for all it is worth.

"Who? Who? Where? When? And whhhhhhhhhhhy? The entire idea of having to ask a question is a bit annoying. What if I just want to randomly call people fat."

"Oh dear, dear. I can't abide by such base anti-intellectualism. Such aversion to discovery. How sad. How terribly sad..."

Micolash trails off in that droning way his speech tends to do, soon engaging in another one of his prolonged silences. Long enough that it's sort of awkward. Long enough that, coupled with his slouch in the chair and his haphazard legs, it might even seem like he's fallen asleep or something similiar. Only thing disproving that is his tired eyes still being half-open. Even if they're kinda unfocused and staring off into the middle distance in front of him.

...Yeah. Officially awkward.

"But those always seem to be the questions any good intellectual tends to ask. How would one find out if the universe didn't center around the Earth, or what makes the sky blue or purple."

Wrench looks completely at ease or the best at ease one can do when their mask emotes for them. He taps his fingers on the arm of the couch, his long legs spread out and he taps his foot on the floor.

More small talk. And Wrench isn't too bad at it.

"Name's Wrench."

His nickname or name sounds like it will fit in a place like this. He taps his finger on the armrest again. And he tilts his head to the side with an unchanged expression on his mask.

The conversation seems to rouse the drowsy(?) Micolash once more, turning his caged head towards Wrench to offer a tired smile. "Ohh, of course. Of course! What is research but a foraging for answers. But 'why' simply injects petty politics or debates of morality. Quagmires of pointless asides. Of spineless demands. It is one thing to ask 'why are we here.' And quite another to ask 'why have you done this'."

The smile widens slightly upon the offered introduction. "Micolash. Headmaster of Mensis."

"True... Not like this place is like where I come from. Though maybe you're one of the locals where." Wrench was told this place is a little different, or very different all thanks to his best pal Marcus. "And seeing I'm a total noobie, maybe you would be willing to share."

He leans over to the side a little and he points to where his ears are hidden by his hoodie hood.

"Be a pal Micolash and let little ol'Wrench in on your research."

Edited 2017-06-06 21:49 (UTC)

"New...bee?" The look of puzzlement makes it clear he's never heard such a term. "If...you're asking if I'm a local, I'm only poised to disappoint. I am a fresh arrival to this..." The prolonged pause this time is less dreamy and more nervous now; even if his expression remains overall tired and placid, his tongue runs over his upper teeth as he searches for a term. "...Dream."

Like the question of cage acquisition before, the request to share research is overlooked. Or ignored.

Edited 2017-06-07 01:00 (UTC)

"Same diff, my bro with the funky headgear," Wrench does his best to help explain his Earthly slang. "Or we're new to something. It's a word we use to describe people are new to thing back home."

. . his mask flashes and this place does indeed feel like a dream. "This place does feel like a dream. We don't exactly have the technology to leave our own solar system, yet alone leave our own dimension."

"Ah. I see." Filing that away for future reference, perhaps. Although Wrench's further rumination seems to further stir Micolash from his repose. He sits up more, hands moving to grip the arms of his chair.

"...Did you say...dimensions?"

"Yeah, I read the memo."

Wrench goes to fish out the pamphlet on the place from his pocket, and on bringing the crinkled piece of paper out he shows it off to Micolash.

"Are you a frequent dimension hopper?"

Micolash smiles weakly as he holds up a single finger.

"Only the once. After the ritual. Returning back was not...ideal. Which is why I find it so queer to be in another realm altogether."

"Why do you think this is strange? I mean not like we got rituals that send you to other worlds back where I come from."

Wrench looks at the crumpled up piece of paper that gave him a gist of the place he'll be calling home for a while. He then proceeds to fold it, and place it inside of his vest pocket.

"But I'm looking forward to doing some dimension hoping. Maybe I'll end up in one that will put me in a spaceship. Or maybe I'll find myself looking at a gorgeous princess who needs a knight to rescue them from a giant dragon."

"It is not what I have been lead to believe is possible. Even when I dedicated years and years to study of what already seemed unreal. It does not fall into the understanding we at Mensis had been led to conclude. I'm afraid this place not being...a figment. Undoes a great deal of my research. It will be prudent to step back and rethink the nature of reality if this place remains a constant and is not simply..." His focus drifts off again briefly, a drawn-out pause as if he'd forgotten he was speaking to another, before he resumes that sentence, "...a passing fever dream."

Wrench describing his ideal discoveries in the Nexus prompts a thin giggle from Micolash. "Endearingly....childish," he concludes. "Heed that the mind of a child is hardly a bad thing. They perceive without bias, without expectation. Boundless, really, in a way that is impossible to recapture."

Adia is in the Plaza, helping herself to a cup of coffee from the free coffee machine near the vending machines, Steve's trio of pokemon waiting impatiently at her heels. She spends all her free time in the Nexus either caring for them or learning how to care for them, and she needs the caffeine.

Despite that, she's still willing to answer a stranger's question. The mask takes her by surprise, but only for a moment. "Oh... um, probably anyone on my ship asking me where I've been. I haven't told them about this place..." She's a little envious that this newcomer has a friend willing to share the details. She wishes that she could bring one of her friends here. "I like your mask, the, um... the eye thing that it does."

She hopes that it's a mask. She didn't just make a horrible faux pas, did she?

Wrench's mask is now blank as he just enjoys the comforts of having to spend time in an alien dimension. It is way too cool, and trying to find a way to express himself from via his mask is hard. O O flash the LED lights, and he takes a deep breath.

"Aaaah. I smell coffee. Must consume coffee." ` ` and with a turn of his head he spots the trio of Pokemon ! ! "Sweet Jesus! Marcus didn't tell me this place has gigantic animals! Just, just, keep them away from me!" For someone who looks like he gives zero fucks, Wrench finds himself leaping from his seat to take cover behind his couch. "What did you feed those beasts?! Babies?!"

Wrench's reaction takes her completely by surprise. She looks around in case there are some legitimately scary animals about, but no dice. She looks down at her pokemon, who seem equally confused. Well, except for the rufflet, who flies up to the top of a vending machine and proudly puffs up his feathery crest. That's right, who's the badass now?

Adia sets down her cup, but before she can say anything, the growlithe decides that this must be some sort of game -- like hide and seek but with more flailing -- and trots towards the couch Wrench is now cowering behind. "Sarah, hold on a second!" Adia hurries over, intercepting the pokemon. "Hey, it's okay... um, sir? They're completely harmless. Well, except for Bucky, but... um, it's okay, I'll keep them away. Can I get you a cup of coffee? It's free."

Wrench backs off as Sarah starts to approach. And he shoots both her and Bucky a dirty not so happy look. And he shakes his head, and he doesn't look ready to believe her. "That's what they all want you to think. They want to think that they're harmless, and that is when they are going to get you. Especially dolphins!"

And he points a finger over to the shieldon. "And this one is plotting for total world domination as we speak. And the others might eat you in your sleep if you're not careful."

He sounds completely serious, yup, he's serious and perhaps it wasn't a good idea for Marcus to tell Wrench about this place. "As for your offer of coffee, I will accept if those dastardly animals find somewhere else to go. I for one will not end up as a meal for the animal take over."

Ethel, who had been completely minding her business over by the coffee machine, tilts her head and gives a puzzled snort. Bucky, meanwhile, meets Wrench's dirty look with one of his own, not liking this man's attitude.

It takes Adia a moment to understand what Wrench is ranting about, and even then it doesn't make much sense. Dolphins? World domination? "I'll keep them by the coffee machine," she promises. "C'mere, Sarah... that's a good girl. You sit over her by Bucky and Ethel, okay?"

She presses button on the coffee machine for another cup, a small frown on her face. She's not thrilled about how this man is talking about Steve's pokemon, but he's scared and new to the Nexus, so she'll let it slide for now. "How do you talk your coffee? And... Marcus? That's your friend's name?" Wait, didn't she meet a Marcus recently? "Is he the one who came here with his drone the other day?"

Maybe it wasn't a good idea to bring Wrench to The Nexus, but as soon as the Pokemon are at a safe distance he phews. "Good. Just keep an eye on them if you catch my drift."

"Oooh, thank you." He makes a gimmie motion with his hands. "Lots of sugar. I mean lots of sugar. So much sugar that you won't even tell that you're drinking coffee." Maybe this has something to do with his jumpiness. Or maybe not. "Yup, Marcus is my partner in crime. And he's the man with the mad drone skills, though; he's not the only one who is one with the drones."

"I'd show you, but Marcus has my shit with him. And I'm damn good with building things. And if we can get a 3d printer, I'll show you some of the marvelous things I've built!"

"I don't have to keep an eye on them, they'll stay put," she replies mildly as Wrench's coffee is dispensed. She's trying to be accommodating, but it's difficult for her to understand how anyone could be afraid of such cute animals, or think they'd be up to nefarious things.

She adds plenty of sugar to his cup, stopping just short of turning the liquid sludgy. To her own cup she adds a splash of cream. Then she walks over and hands him the coffee. "Here you go... I met Marcus the other day in the park, he's very nice." What an odd pair they make, she thinks as she sits down on the other end of the couch. Marcus loved playing with Steve's pokémon... you'd think he'd at least warn his friend that there was animals int he Nexus, considering his phobia...

At least Wrench seems a lot friendlier now that he isn't ranting about dolphin mind control or whatever. "Oh, a 3D printer... the engineering department had one of those, it was quite a marvel. I would have liked one for our lab, but we couldn't justify the expense."

"You'll be sorry..." Wrench waggles his finger in the air at Adia, but he is just going to leave it there. He is weird. Very weird. But he is very happy to switch the subject from the animals to Marcus and his beloved 3d printer.

<3 <3 his mask lights up with glee as he takes hold of the cup, and he lifts the bottom of his mask up just a smidgen so he can take a sip of his coffee. "Just how I likes it. And don't worry, I'll pay you back. That's if you don't mind having Earth money." He slips his mask back down to cover his mouth again.

"Yeah, he's my partner in crime, like serious crime. To think of all the mischief we get into together." He puts his coffee off to the side, and he clasps his hands together. "And he's such a dream boat too!" And boy is Marcus going to get it when it comes to not warning him about the dangerous animals that live here. But that is then and this is the now.

"Well when we get a new hacker space setup here, I'll be glad to let you play with my 3d printer. And I'll even show you the dildo gun of death!"

A small, defensive frown appears on her face, but she doesn't say anything. It's one thing to be afraid of animals, it's another to foist that phobia onto her. She looks over at the three pokémon, to make sure they're doing okay. Bucky is still glaring at Wrench, but he's keeping his distance. Ethel has decided this is a good time for a nap. Sarah is also lying down, her head resting on her paws and her eyes big and sad over the fact that no one is playing with her.

Adia returns her attention to Wrench. She's relieved to see that it is indeed a mask he's wearing. One can never be entirely sure in the Nexus. "He told me a little bit about what he does... so you're trying to expose corruption, too?" She raises her eyebrows a little at the dreamboat comment and takes a sip of her coffee.

And nearly spits it out at his offer. "Um..." She clears her throat. "Thanks. I'll pass on the... on the gun." She shifts awkwardly in her seat. "Marcus told me he's going to make part of the space an arcade. I think that'll be a nice addition to the Nexus."

He can see just fine through the fine mesh that covers his eyes or perhaps there is more to the technology between the Wrench mask than he wants to tell. It seems to be in'sync with his moods, so who knows how it works besides Wrench himself. He lifts the bottom part up again to take another long drink of his coffee.

"So delish. And you don't want to see high explosive dildos? Girl you don't know what you're missing! And the looks on people's faces when they come popping out of an equally phallic looking gun is going to be priceless! And I'll have to break it out once I'm done with the finishing touches, and a few shits and giggles." ~ ~ Wrench sounds completely tickled by having a chance to show off the new weapon, and he hasn't exactly given much thought on if it will work in this place or not. "... Maybe I'll just turn it into a fireworks gun. Because you know the field of anti violence."

Nodding, Wrench knows all about the plans to build an arcade as their hacker space. "I was hoping for an actual cave, but Marcus insisted on something with a lot less dank. But for an inter-dimensional bridge between worlds, I wonder if we can get some top of the line stuff. Like a holo-deck."

The emoticon eyes are the only saving grace to the mask, as far as Adia is concerned. She doesn't like that she can't see his face... or maybe she's put off by the talk of explosive dildos. Probably both. What is this guy, twelve? "You can't hurt anyone with a gun, I don't know if that'll prevent it from firing at all, though."

Watching him drink his coffee, she realizes she never answered him about the cost. It's tempting to give him some arbitrary price. Some money would be nice... but no, that would dishonest. She feels bad for even thinking of it. "That coffee machine is free, by the way. It makes tea and hot chocolate, too."

At least the subject has shifted to something more pleasant. Adia takes a sip of her own coffee before responding. "I don't think I've ever seen a holo-deck here, but there is a lot of holographic merchandise in the shopping district."

Wrench never got past twelve, and he seems quite content with his choice in life. And so long as chicks dig the mask and aren't freaked out by it, Wrench is a-okay. "I'll have to try it, maybe Marcus will let me experiment on him." He rubs his hands together with some mock evil glee. "And I'll get back to you with my test results."

He eyes the coffee machine and he oooos. "I'm not really into tea. But I'll never turn down a cup of hot chocolate with a shitload of marshmallows, or a cup of coffee flavored sugar."

... O O Wrench is almost dancing in his seat at the mention of holographic merchandise. "This place is the most awesome place I've ever visited. Then again I don't leave San Fran much, and if I do it is for another place with lots of concrete."

Edited 2017-06-22 19:29 (UTC)

She pales at the thought of this trigger-happy hooligan shooting a gun at Marcus and frantically waves her hands. "Hey, hey. No. That is a really bad idea. We've had the AV field get disabled at least twice now, and sometimes it'll drop out if it thinks the violence is consensual. Marcus could get hurt, or worse. Just take my word for it, or... or shoot it at a wooden dummy or something. There's a firing range around here if you're that desperate."

It's not like Marcus probably can't take care of himself, especially since he's probably used to his friend's antics by now, but Adia is not going to keep quiet about gun safety. Not after what's lived through.

Wrench may have found someone he is going to enjoy messing with, as he starts to rub his hands together. And all he needs to do cackle like a villain, but he doesn't go all that far. "But if it's working now, and Marcus doesn't approve being blown apart with a plastic-shaped dick, wouldn't this shield prevent him from being blown up?"

Not that Wrench would actually shoot Marcus with anything lethal. They're partners in making crime, and Wrench would be devastated if his buddy got hurt.

"Or does this field of no violence have a sick sense of humor and a mind of its own?"

This guy is not taking her warning seriously. More than that, he seems to be actively trying to aggravate her. It makes her look away unhappily. "No, it -- no, I don't think the AV field is sentient. I'm just saying it's not entirely reliable."

Perhaps sensing her displeasure, Bucky resumes his creepy bird stare, fluttering to land on a closer vending machine and glaring down at the weird man in the mask. Are you hassling her friend, bro?

" 'Do you think it's poisonous?' "

There's a list of awful questions to be asked, and that's right up there with the worst of them. Especially when it's asked after ingesting the suspect item. The Canadian shrugs and takes a seat on a nearby bench.

"Whats with the face thing?"

"Was it poisonous?"

Now Wrench has to ask, and the question marks on his mask flash to change the emote ^ ^. "The mask is a part of me, bro. It is literally glued to my horribly disfigured face."

"A bit? It was an irritant, let's put it that way."

The aftermath was not pretty for anyone involved. Josh would prefer to leave it at that. One of the dangers of having a large group of friends who all enjoy drinking a bit more than they should and who are city kids with no idea how to handle themselves out in the wilderness.

"Don't eat random plants you find no matter how good they look. It was a drunk decision at least."

The comment about his face has Josh frowning thoughtfully, unsure what the appropriate response is to such a revelation.

"At least it's expressive? It looks well made."

"I hope nobody put their hands down their pants."

Wrench tends to keep to the safety of a city if he can help it. Cities are safe places in his book, and they aren't filled with creepy hillbillies who might stick guys like him in a stew pot.

"Don't worry; this guy ain't leaving San Francisco or the plaza if he can help it. I'm not exactly a fan of the wilderness, and would prefer that the only threat to my existence is a mugger.

And thanks, I thought I did a good job on it myself. The best part of it is freaking people out. Fuck even chicks dig The Wrench Mask."

"You're from SoCal? That's cool, bro. My dad does work in Hollywood, but me and my family are from Alberta. Canada, I mean. I've not been to San Francisco before though. We didn't head down to the States all that often, and when we did it was usually to his premiers."

Josh tries not to make a big deal about the guy and his mask. Everyone's got their own baggage and disfigurement is a hefty one to bear.

"NoCal, bro! Silicon Valley, not Hollywood and fake tits. No offense meant to your pops... Wait. Wait. Did you say your dad works in Hollywood?"

His mask lights up with excitement, and he rubs his hands together with glee.

"What type of work did your dad do? Was he a big studio executive? And if so, I wonder if he will look at my script for an awesome space buddy cop movie."

"Right. Sorry, like I said, I've only been to the states a few times. "

Josh rubs at the back of his neck but doesn't dwell too long on the impromptu geography lesson. It's all South compared to Canada, anyway.

"He did, yeah. Semi-retired now. Still works on a few projects for folks he knows. But he's in set design and special effect, not executive stuff. Mostly did horror movies. You should see the props he keeps laying around in his workshop."