+1 small, superpowered boy

[bilocate]

Today is a day Alex is especially glad he brought his pocket notebook with him, as it means he can take notes on the weird PSA. He doesn't seem scared, or even particularly surprised, as he jots down some quick things to remember to ask his dad about later - interdimensional stuff sounds like something out of his dad's sci-fi movie collection - and makes a note to himself to look for the door home after no more than an hour. That's probably enough time to look around around without also being so long his parents will notice and get worried.

Once he's got his notebook stashed away again, he starts off towards the direction he's fairly sure he came from, just to make sure the door is there. After a few moments, he winces and clutches his head. Apparently, headaches could travel across dimensions, too. Biting his lip, he carefully looks around, trying to gauge which adult looks the least likely to be annoyed by a kid. Eventually, when the headache throbs especially badly, he gives up that endeavor to approach the nearest person who doesn't look clueless and asks, as politely as he can manage, "Do you know where I can get some aspirin? My head is killing me and it's been long enough since I took some I can have some more. I think."

If time worked the same across dimensions it would have been easier to tell, but alas.

Comments

[outpostcook]

"You lookin' for medicine, huh?" A small man with scars on his face notices the newcomer and waves hello. Kinner knows about asprin, and he's willing and able to help. He only wishes he had some medicine on him to give this young man. All he has is some herbs back at Kinner's Kippers, and he isn't sure whether those would be enough to help.

Bit it's better than nothing, and Kinner wants to offer this newcomer a helping hand.

"I got some herbs back at my food cart that coud help with headaches, but they aren't as good as real medicine. Or I could show you to a medicine shop. Your choice."

[bilocate]

"Thanks." Alex massages his right temple, trying to get the sustained pain to ebb, and smiles gratefully. He checks his pockets and frowns thoughtfully. "I have some money, so. I could buy some, I guess. I don't want to use up your stuff - you might need it later."

That, and he'd inevitably need more aspirin later, so it was more economical to just buy a bottle and call it good. His parents had the Advil locked out of his reach for a reason; given half a chance he'd treat it like Pez. Straightening up, he tries to look less like he's in midst of a migraine than he actually is. "If you don't mind showing me the way, I'd really appreciate that."

[outpostcook]

"Don't mind if I do. Believe me, I know about headaches, so I'm happy to help you out. By the way, my name's Kinner. Joseph Kinner's my full name, but I mostly go by plain old Kinner. It's a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to the Nexus. I'm a shopkeeper around these parts. Seafood salesman, to be specific."

Kinner points in the direction of the shop he hopes would help the newcomer out. "There's a pharmacy not too far from here. Would you rather you buy your asprin or me? I can do things either way, but if you're headache's real bad we should hurry. I'm guessin' it is."

[bilocate]

"I'm Alex. Well, Alexander Taavet Seidelmann, but that's way too long and sounds like an old man's name. Nice to meet you, too." He briefly wonders where someone would get seafood around here and if there's an ocean, but those are questions to seek the answers to once he's gotten some relief from the all-too-familiar pain.

He squints in the direction Kinner points to. His first impulse to project himself so the other him can grab it, but the attempt only results in a ghostly flicker of a humanoid shape. There's a point where he can't keep pushing his luck, and it seems like he's reached it, even though in the crowds of the Nexus he'd probably be able to get away with that kind of thing normally. He sighs, glancing over at Kinner to try to subtly check if he'd seen that. When I get back, I'm not telling my Dad about this part.

At least the store isn't far. "I can do it. I don't want to bother you. And it's not the worst headache I've ever had, but it's better to nip these things in the bud." Or at least, that's what his mom said, and at eleven, he's still young enough to trust in her authority on these matters. "We should hurry."

[outpostcook]

"That's a nice name. Even the onger version isn't that bad." Kinner didn't see the projection, since he was looking in the opposite direction. "My names's kind of plain, but it's mine and I like it. I run Kinner's Kippers in the Plaza, if you ever wanna stop by..."

He switches over to helping Alex. Advertising his business can wait until this young man is feeling better. "It ain't far. You're right, we'd better get you medicine quick." Kinner gestures for Alex to folow him as he wanders down a path until he finds a Nexus pharmacy, checking the door handle. It's unlocked, which is good by him. The small cook opens the door, inviting Alex in first. He smiles warmly, hoping this young man feels better soon.

"They should have asprin here. I've been here before, and this is a good place." Kinner wishes he had asprins to give Alex himself, but he doesn't have the medicine to give him. "How much do you need, you think? Could the headaches come back? Do you know what's causing them?"

[shieldborne]

Well, this guy kinda looks like the one in the PSA (spoiler: he's not that guy, actually, but a very close and usually-acceptable substitute), so he's probably not a bad choice to approach. His brow creases in concern when the kid comes up to him looking like he's in pain, and he crouches a little to be closer to his eye-level.

"Uh...I mean, we can definitely find you something, but how old are you? I think Reye's syndrome is a concern up into the teenage years, so I'm not sure aspirin is the greatest idea. Tylenol and a cup of cocoa?"

Captain Dad-merica has made his counteroffer, young man. Your move.

[bilocate]

Alex would like to think that he's pretty used to weird things, but he does a slight double take at the outfit. He's not even into superhero movies and he still knows that's a superhero outfit. Between that and the PSA thing superheroes are real and he's meeting one. For a second the sheer coolness of it roots him to the spot entirely. Too beautiful; they should've sent a poet.

Then he sighs and explains, "I'm eleven, and it's okay, my dad's a doctor and he's been using aspirin, a ridiculously strict sleep schedule and a regulated diet to help treat me. I'm allowed to have aspirin." Maybe not as much as he'd like, since if he had his way it would be his default response to all headaches, but arguing with adults who hold a doctorate in anything is pointless unless you've got one of your own. Still, he's pretty sure doctors outrank captains under that whole medical clause thing. He saw it in a rerun of Star Trek, so it's probably a thing. "I'm not allowed to have Nyquil, though. I have a weird allergic reaction to it. I... don't actually know if Tylenol's okay? I've never tried it."

He might end up having a really bad reaction to it. Your call, Captain.

[shieldborne]

The outfit Steve is wearing has seen better days. The star is no longer white, fabric torn around it, and the knees and elbows are threadbare. He, himself, has a slight 5 o'clock shadow, but his expression is as gentle as any responsible adult's should be, encountering a kid in distress.

"Your father's a doctor?" Steve has his doubts, still, but further explanation makes it sound like this kid has a chronic illness, not a sudden fever or the chicken pox. 'Regulated diet' in particular makes it sound like a seizure disorder or something, so Steve frowns a moment in thought, then opts to give way.

"All right. Sounds like this is something you deal with a lot, huh? Let's find you a place to sit and I'll run and get you something. How about the drink? Is cocoa allowed?"

[bilocate]

Alex isn't going to comment on the disarray of the superhero outfit. He probably had to go fight crime or something and hasn't had time to wash it. Being a hero is a lot of work; he's kind of amazed Steve isn't more tired or grumpy after dealing with criminals and aliens and maybe vampires or something. (He makes a mental note to ask Steve what kind of bad guys he's fought later, when he feels better.)

"Uh-huh. He's a neuroscientist. Sometimes he guest lectures at universities and stuff; he's kind of a big deal back home. I mean, he doesn't think so, but I think he's just mad at himself that he can't fix me." His dad is a complicated person. There's a lot of perfectionism there, which Alex gets because he can get that way, too. At the same time, it's not like his dad hasn't helped him out a lot as is.

He smiles weakly, trying to downplay the growing agony in his skull. Alex has spent a lot of his life telling people it's okay, usually when it isn't. "I've been dealing with this stuff since I was seven. So you don't have to worry about me - I'm used to it. My mom says I'm 'tiny but tough'." He always groans at her that he's not tiny, he's just overdue for a growth spurt, but it's that last word that's most important. "Cocoa is okay if there's not caffeine in it. Thanks for helping me out. I'm sorry if I worried you. I'll be okay, really."

He's not about to explain what caffeine does to him since 1. it's weird and 2. he wants to look cool in front of an honest-to-God real life superhero, but the implication that it'd mess with him is still pretty clear. And he's definitely not about to explain that being okay can be more of a temporary state of being than anything, not when Steve already looks super concerned.

[coinbot]

An unattended child. That seems like a bad idea in the Nexus. Connor is still in the early stages of collecting data on this place, but he's pretty sure he saw a dinosaur from afar once.

[New Objective: Report Lost Child To Authorities]

... Does the Nexus have authorities? Connor hasn't particularly met any.

[Objective Overwritten]

[New Objective: Escort Child Personally]

The android offers the boy a thin, somewhat awkward smile. "Hello. My name is Connor." That's something of a non sequitur, but he does continue and address the boy's question. "I would be happy to help you find a convenience store in this area. Alternatively, I am carrying generic brand Excedrin currently. It contains aspirin, paracetamol, and caffeine, for treating migraines. But I'm unsure if administering aspirin to someone your age is a wise choice."

Back in his own world, Connor developed a habit of carrying Excedrin for his partner at the Detroit Police Department, Lieutenant Anderson. Hank never took care of himself well and was prone to migraines. Or hangovers, as the case may be.

Briefly Connor hopes someone else is offering Hank pain relievers now.

[bilocate]

To be fair, it's not like he was trying to be unattended. He was at home when he got pulled here. Normally, he'd have his parents to go to for this kind of thing.

The idea of finding somebody professional to talk to occurred to him, too, but he's not sure if interdimensional cops or doctors are a thing. Even if they were, trying to find them here seems hard and would only get harder the worse his headache got. The responsible-ish thing is probably to get the headache sorted out first and then go find somebody who can help him get back home.

Being a regularly awkward person himself, Alex smiles back. "Hi Connor, I'm Alex. Um, I'm not allowed to have caffeine. It makes my headaches worse sometimes and messes up my sleep schedule. Aspirin doesn't do that, so that's what I'm supposed to take." Granted, any responsible adult would raise an eyebrow at the dosages Alex's dad let him have it in, but being both eleven years old and not a scientist, he trusts in his neuroscientist dad. If his dad says aspirin is best, then it is.

Besides, he doesn't want to get back and have his dad rush him to the lab for more tests and worry and fret over him. Even if Excedrin is okay, he knows his dad would have a mini-meltdown.

[coinbot]

Connor nods dutifully. He will have to trust Alex's own understanding of his needs. Connor isn't particularly built to dispense medicine and besides, here in the Nexus he can't make too many assumptions about how other worlds work anyway.

He will be careful, though. He will pay attention. Surely a child is a child anywhere.

"I'll help you find a convenience store, then," he says. "I've been scouting out this place for a few days now, so I have an idea of some common landmarks. I don't know if you've noticed, Alex, but buildings tend to move around in this place. It can get confusing easily."

His smile grows a little. "But don't worry. I'm a good sidekick."

He winks.

They ought to get going before the boy's headache gets worse. Connor takes in the buildings that have decided to be around today, and decides on the best direction to look for the store he has in mind. He starts walking and gestures Alex on.

"I take it you get headaches often? Do you have a medical condition?" It would be best to know this if Alex is to be in his care, even briefly.

[bilocate]

Alex isn't exactly a doctor, but he's listened to his dad discuss his own treatment enough that he knows what to avoid and what's okay. He's pretty sure he can manage a day here or however long it takes for him to get back home. Fiddling with his scarf, he smiles a little at Connor.

"I noticed, yeah. It's so weird I didn't think they were really moving, but I guess what's weird back home is normal here." He snorts, rolling his eyes. "No, I'm the sidekick. The younger person is always the sidekick in superhero movies. That's just how it works." Still, he smile gets a little bigger, and he keeps close to Connor as they walk, careful not to get lost.

He sighs, nodding. "Sort of. My dad's not sure what it is, but I get chronic migraines, a lot of little headaches, and I have sleep problems. Caffeine makes all of it worse, and I'm doing better the more vitamins I have. But it's not anything specific enough to be a condition with a name. Or if it is, we haven't figured it out yet."

[to_the_wolves]

Today must be a day where people are susceptible to headaches, as Marie looks like she's had a rough night doing who knows what. Her once pressed suit is somewhat wrinkled, tie loosely hanging around her neck, as if she's just come off a sleepless night of work. So being approached by a child, who's asking for aspirin is somewhat disarming, but related. Seeing a child in need will always get her attention, first and foremost, since no one deserves to be walking around the Nexus alone.

"Yeah...I should have some with me." The purse she has wrapped around her shoulder is removed, rummaging through the bag until a low-dose aspirin bottle is finally removed. "Here. Although, I would recommend having food and drink with it. There's a nice little cafe about a block from here that serves good meals." Frankly, she could use something warm in her stomach, but hopefully the boy doesn't think of her as a threat. "It's a really neat place where a polar bear is the chef. I'd be more than happy to take you there."

[bilocate]

Alex has his own concept of what constitutes a rough night of work, but for once, he hasn't been breaking his parents' rules about running around after dark. This is just one of those flare ups he gets regardless, and he tries not to look too tired. He's seen his dad wiped out from work enough to recognize that expression on somebody else.

"Thanks. I really appreciate it." He doesn't want to bother her, so he was about to say there was no need right up until she mentioned the polar bear. Polar bear chefs are a thing. He's not sure how or why but he's intrigued nonetheless, and even a slightly sick kid has to admit the idea is awesome. And while he's not as bad about cooing over scary things as his dad, he'd hug a polar bear if given the opportunity. "...if my mom asks I definitely didn't go anywhere with a stranger. But yeah, I'd like that, if you don't mind showing me the way."

[to_the_wolves]

"It's no trouble at all. People have to look out for each other here in the Nexus." Despite being exhausted, she gives him a smile and extends the aspirin bottle to Alex politely. It's hard to tell what Alex has been through on a first glance, but Marie knows he needs someone for support right now. "Your secret is safe with me. I'm Marie, by the way."

Once Alex feels comfortable and ready to move, she'll walk beside him, but not in an overbearing way. It seems like the topic of food or polar bears is helping the conversation, so Marie decides to stick with that discussion for now. No reason to bombard the poor kid with serious questions while he's still getting over his headache. "What kind of food do you like? Ice Bear is a master chef and can make just about anything if he has the ingredients."

The familiar brick building isn't hard to spot after a brief walk, as many people are going in and out of the Crossroads Cafe. It shouldn't be too busy right now, and even from the outside window, she spots two seats near the counter-top. Prime seating for anyone who wants to watch the chefs at work.

[bilocate]

"People should look after each other in general," he notes quietly, and there's something sad tingeing the words, making him sound older than eleven for a moment. Then it's replaced with a smile, polite enough despite not reaching his eyes completely. "I'm Alex. It's nice to meet you, Marie."

He only needs a moment to rub at his temples to sort of stabilize himself, and then he's good to walk. He's worked through worse headaches in the past. At least Marie isn't walking too fast. As they walk, he glances around, taking in the sights and the weirdness of the situation with a lot more calm than most kids would have in his situation. This is definitely strange, but time has taught him there's bad strange and good strange, and this could still go either way. "I like a lot of things. And I like trying new food, too, so long as it's kosher. Why is the polar bear named Ice Bear? Won't that get confusing if another one shows up?"

Alex wonders if the polar bear is lonely, being the only one here, and resolves to be as nice to him as possible. He looks at the cafe curiously, pausing when a realization hits him. "I think I only have five dollars on me. I can't really pay you back for this, Marie."

[lovesuwithknives]

A small child probably wouldn't ordinarily approach Azwel--while he's interesting-looking, he could also be considered a bit scary.

The little creature perched on his shoulder, however, is adorable and peers at the boy. It gives a squeak, and then another, pointing at him. The man looks down at the creature. "Hm?"

The squeaking almost sounds like it's saying Raaaaaaalts... Azwel looks at the boy, then walks over to him. He stands over him for a moment before the creature pokes him and gives a rather imperative-sounding squeak. "Oh! Right." He crouches down.

"You're not feeling well?" he asks, curious.

The creature squeaks sadly and reaches out a paw to pet the boy.

[bilocate]

Azwel isn't as scary to Alex as he probably should be. People like him aren't scary like they used to be, after some of the stuff he's seen and done. It's people who are a little too nice that set off some alarm bells for him.

That, and he's got a cute thing, which is all Alex needs to immediately be won over. He nods, glancing at Azwel before looking at Ralts again, curiously. "I've been better. Um, if you can maybe point me towards a pharmacy or something, that'd be great. I, um, think your tiny friend is upset."

He gently pats the Ralts on the head in return. Despite being unsure what Ralts is, he can appreciate the sympathy.

[lovesuwithknives]

Azwel smiles an amused smile, looking at Ralts. "She can sense emotions--she can tell you're hurting. She's very kind." Ralts squeaks some more, smiling.

He looks about for a moment. "Ahah. There's an apothecary just over that way." Good job it's got a sign that reads Pharmacy. More squeaking. "No, I'm afraid he needs something a little more tangible." Raaaaallllts! "Of course I believe you can help!" he say with feigned outrage.

[bilocate]

"Oh. That's really nice of her. Thank you. Both of you, I mean." He wonders if the little thing is an alien, but there's no way to ask that without sounding rude, probably. Better to save that for later.

Alex's shoulders sag in visible relief. He's pretty sure 'apothecary' is old timey talk for pharmacy or doctor or something like that. It was in a movie he saw. Maybe this guy's from the past - which normally would be the source of many, many questions from him, except he's got a more pressing one: "You can understand her?"

He's seen a rerun of Star Trek huh? Then he's gonna love this.

[smartass_captain]

Jim doesn't tend to pay kids much mind around here. They're not all that common but plenty of folks live in the Nexus full time and it stands to reason they'd have kids of their own, you know? But then, most of the locals don't tend to spend much time in the Plaza where all the 'tourists' frequent. The Starfleet captain's pouring over a glass tablet-ish looking device when he's grabbed by the sleeve.

The kid is scrawny, blonde, and obviously in pain. Or at least real strong discomfort.

"Oh...yeah okay. I'm sure we can scrounge some up for you, kid. They've got first aid kits around here. You're not having a reaction to something here, are you? Light sensitivity or something?" Jim's quick to get out of his seat and steady the kid with one hand.

"Come on. I"ll see what we can find."

I'm tagging from work because I couldn't resist this.

[bilocate]

It's Captain Kirk. Holy crap, it's Captain Kirk, the coolest guy to have ever done anything cool, and Alex instantly starts kicking himself for his uncool introduction. Oh man, wait, should he say he knows who Kirk is? Would that impress him with his cross-dimensional knowledge? Or would that make him sound like a lame fanboy? Be cool, Alex, he tells himself, straightening up and trying to smile through the pounding headache. Be less like you and more like your dad: cool and suave and OH MY GOD HE HAS THE PADD THINGY FROM STAR TREK-

"Thanks," he manages, before quickly adding, "Um, no, it's not an allergy thing. It's a me thing. This happens sometimes. Don't worry about it."

Captain Kirk is worrying about him. He has ascended to a level of Trekkie unmatched even by his mom, who owns a Star Trek robe and matching slippers.

Alex is living the dream

[smartass_captain]

Wait until he learns there's more than one Captain Kirk in the Nexus. That'll be a trip. The boy's gaping up at Jim and for a second he wonders if there's something on his face before a feeling of dread sets in.

Does this kid recognize him?

Is he from Jim's world? If that's the case he's a long, long way form home.

"Noted. Come on, we'll get you a painkiller and then I'll ask all those not-fun-adult questions we always seem to have. I'll try to make it as painless as possible. Not all of us have forgotten what it's like to be your age. And uh, just so I don't end up calling you 'Sport' or 'Kid' all day, what's your name? Mine's Jim. Jim Kirk."

This is now officially the best day of his life, yes.

[bilocate]

His mind probably won't explode as much as the average person's. Not because he's a Trekkie, but because his parents are nerds who have normalized really weird sci-fi concepts for him. Mostly, he'd be nervous he'd come across to not just one Kirk as a nerd, but to two.

He looks away, reminding himself that staring is rude and probably also uncool. "Thank you, Mr. Kirk." He can't call him Jim, that's just weird. "I'm used to those questions - I get those a lot. I'm Alex. Alexander Seidelmann."

Unfortunately, it's not Alexander Tiberius Seidelmann, even though that would have been awesome. But at least he does have the middle initial 'T.'.