nexus_crossings | To be Determined in the Nexus

To be Determined in the Nexus

Waking up in a bed of flowers after taking a giant fall is one thing she prefer to wake up from. But in the middle of the cold floor Plaza of a strange new place, is new. Frisk had thought she was dreaming after finally getting a good sleep in her mother's home. She had faintly smelled the sweet butterscotch and cinnamon mixture of her favorite treat. Though after a few pinches to herself and squeaks of pain, it was not a dream. She was not in her bedroom.

Luckily, there were some pamphlets on the side she was able to reach. The girl took her time to read one carefully. "Nexus..." she whispered to herself. There were other areas detailed in it that she could go to. She would definitely want to visit those areas later, but a new concern raises in her. "Excuse me," the human spoke up to anyone in her direction, trying to get anyone's attention. "Is there a place I should stay in for a while? I don't have any money, but I promise to do anything to help pay back. Please?"

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This is the second under-21 person Marie's seen wandering around the Nexus lately, and to be fair, she doesn't feel it's fair that the Nexus keeps dragging people here. Complaining about the uncontrollable multiverse isn't going to help the situation at all, so she approaches Frisk with a smile on her face, greeting her with a polite wave.

"Hello there. Don't worry, I'm here to answer your question and help out." She knows all about how kids are taught to be mindful of 'stranger danger', so addressing that concern is the first thing she can do. "You don't have to pay me back either. IT's not fair of me to charge a child for something you need."

Frisk looked up to the adult that had noticed her. She smiles back and waves up at her. It has been a while since she had seen any other humans. Let alone an adult one. "Thank you so much!"

"I know this has listed different places like cafes, the library, and many other things," she began, holding up the pamphlet in her hands. "But I did not see anything like hotels or inns around here. Unless I missed it." She cocks her head to the side.

"Of course, it's no trouble at all." For being stuck in the Nexus, Frisk certainly impresses Marie by how optimistic she is. What an enduring and determined child. She bends down on one knee in order to be facing Frisk at eye level.

"I think you're right. The pamphlet really doesn't go into detail about hotels. Most people head down through the Shopping District to find a place to stay, however, I don't think a young child such as yourself should be walking around unattended." Much as the Nexus had an anti-violence field, who knows what kind of people will try to take advantage of this child. "How about you stay with me for a little while? We can look around for your doorway as well."

She nods. "That would be nice. Thank you so much." The small child beamed. It has been some time for Frisk to have someone walk alongside her. The kid had been used to being by herself, that company was still pleasant to have.

"Oh, my name is Frisk," the girl introduces herself. "It's very nice to meet you!"

"It's no trouble at all. Us adults should be looking out after any lost children." She extends one hand to Frisk, in order to make sure the child doesn't get lost while they walk around. To be fair, she won't be offended if Frisk refuses.

"Marie. It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Frisk." She'll start walking along slowly, making sure to not lose sight of her company. "Where should we go first? Do you want to go searching for your door? Or maybe you'd like to get something to eat? I'll take you wherever you want to go."

Frisk holds onto Marie's hands as they walk side by side. Before she could reply, a low growl came from her stomach. A warm flush grew upon her face.

"I guess food is a start," she responded. "I didn't bring any money though..."

Oh, Mothers help her, another child? This one looks quite young. Forgetting how looks can be deceiving in the Nexus, Furiosa glances around to make sure there are no hovering guardians or parents, then makes a gentle beeline for the girl. "There are inns and shops, and some people have their own homes here. I don't have a suggestion for where you can stay, offhand, but I'll wait around with you until you find a safe place. If you want."

"My name is Furiosa, what's yours?" She herself is probably not the most reassuring figure, tall and scruffy and scarred, with a metal prosthesis on her left arm and a scratched-up leather back slung on her back, but she makes an effort not to loom over the kid.

"If you're not too busy, that would be great!" Though Frisk was curious about her appearance and wondering how Furiosa got a fake arm, she doesn't seemed too bothered by it. Seeing monsters helped her accept strange appearances. Though she would not be able to say that.

She gives a small bow to her. "My name is Frisk. It's nice to meet you," she introduces herself. She holds out her hand to the other woman to shake hands.

"I'm not too busy," she smiles, and it looks like an expression she doesn't use a whole lot, but it seems kindly meant.

Frisk wouldn't be the first person to wonder about where the metal arm came from, or where the original flesh-and-blood version went. Furiosa doesn't care for that type of questioning from adults, for the most part, but she'll take it from children. Whether she'd give an honest answer or make something up depends on her mood.

In any case, she shakes hands with the right hand, clasping gently but firmly. "Well met. Did you come here on purpose or by accident? You seem pretty calm about it."

"This is my first time coming here," she answered. "Maybe it was an accident." The exact how is still unknown to her. If there was a reason for her presence, it seems vague as of now.

She chuckles lightly. "I have been through something like this. Finding myself in a different place far from home. Guess I'm used to it. Is it a bad thing?"

"It's not a bad thing to face strange surprises calmly," she says. "But if this happens to you that often, that's probably not a great thing. Do you have...family? A mother? Will someone be worrying where you've gone?"

She doesn't take it for granted that a lone child must have parents somewhere. Such is rarely the case where she comes from. As an afterthought, she tugs her canteen off her belt and offers it out. "Thirsty? It's clean water."

Aqua cola. The best she has to offer.

Frisk accepts the canteen in her hands and smiles a her. "Thank you." She goes to remove the cap off before taking a few sips. The child let out a content sigh before handing it back to the Furiosa.

"My mom, definitely," she answered. "She would want to make sure I'm with a friend by my side or in safe, public places. Like the school. But I did not have the phone with me when I first woke up." Her pockets were empty on gold, if it could be accepted as currency in this place. Luck with taxis, buses, or payphones would be slim.

The girl strikes Furiosa as very polite, remarkably poised given the situation. She nods in acknowledgment and re-caps the canteen when it's handed back, tightening the cap and putting it back on her belt. "You have a mother, good. I hope she won't be too worried."

With any luck, though, maybe Frisk will be able to find her way home soon, or maybe she's one of those lucky few that can step into the Nexus and return home at will, with no time lost in their own world. On that note: "Let me get you a PINpoint. It'll only be able to take you home if you can program in your own world's location, but even if that doesn't work out, you can at least use it to send messages. Will you come with me? It's not far to the vending machine."

She nods her head. "Sure, I don't mind." Frisk doesn't know much about coordinates on a map or if there is another method that could help locate her home. But texting her mother would be useful. Messaging her that she was fine.

Frisk moves in closer to her, so as to not get lost.

Furiosa smiles, unwittingly charmed. Granted, she's always been more softhearted toward the young than most would think from her appearance, but the upbeat resoluteness of this one really strikes her the right way. "Are you hungry at all? I only carry jerky and protein biscuits, but there are always kiosks with snacks around the plaza."

Her money isn't really hers, per se. Furiosa trades for the Citadel, and only rarely indulges herself. One meal for a lost kid won't hurt anyone, though. And a PINpoint can be gotten for free. She offers her right hand--the one that's flesh and blood, not metal. "You want to tell me about where you come from? Do you have a school?"

That's one of the things you ask kids about, after all, but Furiosa's interest is more than casual. They're in the process of building a school where she comes from, and an outside perspective might be useful.

"If it's not too much trouble, I wouldn't mind getting a snack." Frisk didn't have much gold or other forms of currency on hand. She hoped that the food would not be too expensive. She held onto her hand.

"My place does have a school, yes," she responded. "My mom actually works in one. She has always wanted to be a teacher! You might be surprised when I say this...but the place I come from has monsters. Good ones though!" The girl assured. "They are like friends and family to me. We hang out, play games, sometimes I flirt with them..." The word 'flirt' seems to be emphasized, as if it was super important to her. A child flirting with a monster. Might just be the kid's playfulness.

"Sure," she smiles. "What do you like? I, uh, always get peach ice cream when I have the chance. But there are sandwiches and bowls of rice and meat at some of the food carts. And tacos."

The taco stands are weird. They seem almost like a religious organization, the way people crowd around and rave about their wares. It makes Furiosa wary; she hasn't tried one yet, just in case they're addictive.

"When I was a child, our mothers were always our teachers," she smiles, although she gets that that isn't quite what Frisk means.

Her brow creases a little. "You flirt with monsters?" There could be more than one meaning in there. She is, oddly, ready to believe there are good monsters. She's met plenty of scary-looking non-human people around here, anyway, and few to none have been threatening.

"Do they...like being flirted with?" She's trying to wrap her brain around this, here.

"I don't mind anything. But peach ice cream sounds very delicious!"

Another mother that was teacher. She wondered maybe if they ever had a chance to meet, they would work together in the same school.

"Yes," she answered without any hestitation. "I even managed to snag a date with a skeleton after I flirted with him. But it ended in just a platonic relationship. We're cool with that." The kid explains this as if it was a casual thing. Flirting with an undead being? What sorts of monsters she had met to give response like that to a small human?

"Peach anything is delicious." Furiosa has concluded this is a strange child, but she likes her quite a bit. She's a sucker for anyone with pluck and directness. "We used to grow peaches in the place I lived as a child. One of the mothers, Judith, used to make liquor from them..."

Kid looks way too young to drink, though. Even if the Vuvalini drinking age was pretty variable. Furiosa's first taste was when she was a new initiate, at twelve.

Speaking of too young, her concern about this tale is less related to the idea of monsters and skeletons than the association with sexuality. She has no way to relate to what a date is, though. She knows the term, but there aren't any cinemas or cute coffee houses to take a friend/potential-lover to where she comes from. "How old are you?"

Wasteland Mom wants to make sure you're old enough for dating, young lady. Although, in a way, she does understand. Her first tentative kiss with Valkyrie was shared at the age of eleven.

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To be Determined in the Nexus

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