nexus_crossings | The Start of the Storm

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The Start of the Storm

The god hosted Yule party left the Nexus in the state of beautiful Winter Wonderland. With the snow falling softly and steadily, and the beautiful festive lights twinkling in the darkness, the Nexus is left with a sense of serene nostalgia hanging in the cold air. This peace and joy clings to the streets for several weeks, buoying everyone’s mood as they look back on the past year and forward to ringing in the new one.

It starts in the Wilds, and the outskirts. The cold air suddenly feels like it freezes everything it touches in an instant. Light doesn’t quite pierce the gloom. Gentle snowfall becomes thick and falls hard. One or two people looking for shelter from their uninhabitable homes isn’t too noticeable. People can still enjoy their pretty Winter, blissfully unaware. Pipes freeze solid, paths become impassable, power cuts out, simple walks become baffling in the poor visibility. Soon it’s not one or two people, it’s many, it’s families. There are people coming in, bloody, bruised and scared, saying they were chased. Eventually the kindness of friends and strangers becomes strained. Spare rooms are packed to the brim and the storm that stays just shy of the bizarre torches somehow seems to have a slow, but unmistakable march closer towards a point where the Plaza, Industrial sector and Downtown meet. On top of that, people are complaining about PINpoints acting up or portals freezing over.

Streets are becoming packed full of people with far more problems than solutions. Huddling together and whispering about ghosts and monsters moving about in the shadows. In a place with no government, no organisation, no collaborative emergency services, chaos and confusion reigns supreme. And with chaos, comes panic. With confusion, comes frustration and anger. The Nexus is a powder keg waiting to blow.

That’s certainly how one Durant sees it. As a manager, Isidor is keen on organisation and order. Both things that are lacking in the Nexus at the moment. Groups pop up to help, but struggle to communicate effectively, or work together. Some people get free food twice, some people are still waiting for some at all. It’s madness, and Isidor can’t stand it. Particularly because she, her brother and sister-in-law are stuck here. So, when nobody else takes the mantle, Isidor Durant takes it upon herself to inject some order into this scrum.

In her fur hat and long coat, leather gloves and thick boots, Isidor can be seen directing people this way and that. There’s something about a confident person taking charge that means people instinctively defer to them. She becomes the point of contact quite easily, with people soon taking her direction regardless of whether or not they know her. Under her instruction, people are directed to a building that has tables set up, queues in front of them, and volunteers behind them taking names and telling people where to go. It might still be chaos, but at least now it’s organised chaos.

The question is: Where will your character go?

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((Below are comments for each desk. Tag any of them, threadhop, or post with your own character. I suggest putting your character’s name in the subject to help keep things clear. Comments marked with a snowflake ( ❅ ) have been coordinated with the mods and I as official event comments. The OOC Post is here! If you have any questions, feel free to message me or one of the mods!))

Threads of Note
Medicine/Illness | Shelter/Heat | Food | Security/Crime | Lost items/people | Misc resources/Donations | Volunteers | Expeditions | Planning Table/The woman in charge | Drulb's Deelz | A Ship in the Outskirts

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To be fair, only two of the five individuals present would probably even know who Dia even is. The droid, and Furiosa, who might have trouble recognizing the exiled Sith who's bundled up to try and weather the storm elsewhere at the moment.

Being hauled up by Harley, however, surprises 2V, he yelps, as this is NEW! and TERRIFYING! And something else he wasn't designed for. He weighs a little more than a person his size would, being made of metal, circuits, and various complicated mechanical bits from the retro-esque future aesthetic a certain Galaxy Far Far Away always maintains, regardless of when you're there.

For his part though, he's been Force lifted by Dia several times, so he at least knows enough not to flail and panic, instead, he goes limp except for watching his Mistress's ship disappear in the distance, now damaged worse than when they arrived, and will likely have to be dug out of the snow given how the storm seems to be burying it further as they flee.

Or at least, that's what it looks like.

For all he knows, his sensors could be malfunctioning.

Knowing his luck, on this most unfortunate day, it could very well be true. "It doesn't matter how they got their hands on weapons, the more important thing is if they know how to use them effectively!"

"Well, it's like a specialized talent," Danny explains. "Not everyone has it. But you can't tell who does or doesn't just by looking, unless you're a master sorcerer yourself. Mine never said how he found me, but he had me touch his ring as a test. A lot of magical objects will respond to any sorcerer who touches them."

Not all. But it's good odds to bet on.

"And then, once you're identified, you have to have a master to teach you." He worries his lip. "I, uh, haven't seen mine in a while, but...I have my book and whatnot."

When they make the safety of the torches, Harley finally ducks a little to place the droid back on his feet. And breathes a slight annoyed sigh... at the fact they were not able to reclaim anything else. Plus, the extra damage to the ship ain't going to do them any favors.

"There is a lot of mystery about those creatures. We report what we saw... and hopefully someone can find some answers."

Danny's done plenty of pickpocketing of his own. If he gets the gems he needs for Felix, he won't complain about losing some of his cards. That's not honor among thieves so much as 'I'll overlook you screwing with me because I plan on screwing with you, too'.

He's privately fascinated with all this. There's a 100% chance he'll be coming back here later, as soon as he's a little better-established in the Nexus and knows how to conduct business on his own behalf. It doesn't seem quite as dangerous as he was afraid it was. A little red-light-y, but no one looks like they want to slit his throat.

He pauses by the fountain, struck by the image of the woman. She can't be Morgana, he figures, but she seems like a figure of sorcerous power. Dark or grey magic, maybe? He wants to know so much more, but just in case she's close enough to Lady Morgana to put in a good word for him, he gives the statue a little bow of his head and a soft salute with his ring hand before moving on.

He takes quick stock of the vendor. Marafi said something about him being an elf? Definitely not the Legolas kind, but that's probably for the best. Danny breaks into a smile, trying to look enthusiastic and a little bit dim. "Yeah! I mean, my master and his friend sent me to pick up a couple things. This place is amazing. We don't have any market like this back home. I'm from New York. Have you ever been to New York? Or heard of it? It's huge. Kind of loud."

"This reminds me of the subway, you know? How it's underground and all that. I'd never have known it was here if Mr. Caelus hadn't told me how to find it."

"Ah," Mr. Slick nodded and rubbed his chin while he listened intently, his tail curling from side to side, "So, the best way to know whether ya are able to learn magic would be from a master sorcerer or to touch a magical object? I guess that might not always be wise?"

As someone that doesn't know about magic, Danny's explanation sounds quite plausible.

The alien looked thoughtful when the sorcerer's apprentice mentioned he didn't see his sorcerer for awhile.

"Um," he fiddled with his moustache as he looked thoughtful, "Are there are sorcerers or other magic users in Nexus?"

He cleared his throat.

"I mean...maybe they can also teach ya in the meantime until ya met yer master?"

Furiosa is 100% on the droid's side, for the moment. They can worry about where the guns came from once they're well out of reach of them. It's still a valid question, though. These monsters are strange; they don't operate quite like a trained military unit. The strategy they're employing is very basic. And yet, they're well-armed, and very, very tough.

She's wheezing subtly when they finally reach safety, although she's taken no injury and probably managed to pick off a couple of their pursuers. She had a collapsed lung a couple years back and while it's healed shockingly well considering the lack of medical facilities and antibiotics, a long rush through the snow on high alert makes it act up a bit.

She clears her throat a couple times, then pats Palmer's shoulder and gives him a nod of approval. Rational obedience is what you want in a mechanic on a risky run. He's done well as far as she's concerned.

A couple steps brings her closer to Harley and she exchanges glances with the other woman, wondering if she's interpreted that attack the way Furiosa has. "You're good," she says. "Very good. Better than me. But they could have surrounded us in the ship and we'd have never broken through without someone getting hurt. I don't think they were trying to kill us. What's your take?"

Edited 2019-02-23 17:15 (UTC)

"If they weren't trying to kill us," Palmer says in a huff, "why'd they laugh at me when I was tryin' to negotiate with 'em? Couldn't bother to tell us what they wanted. They would've saved themselves and us a lotta trouble if they'd listened to what I had to say." He brushes the tears in his jacket. Palmer's not usually like this, but his optimism had been roughly thrown back in his face.

He's physically unhurt, but the same can't be said for his pride. Palmer feels foolish. He actually thought he could stop the fight. It's a good thing he hadn't gotten himself killed.

He thinks the creatures are intelligent, all right, smart enough to set traps and use complex weapons, but they were clearly not interested in explaining what they were or what they wanted. He just doen't understand why, if they were smart enough to understand what he was saying, they just laughed his offer of peace off and continued attacking.

"That was too close. I'm gonna stay in the safe zone for a while."

Edited 2019-02-23 20:59 (UTC)

"Yes, staying in the safe zone might be wise at this point," 2V agrees, as he's set down. He's thankful, at this point, he's note human, so his fear of this whole situation isn't as obvious as it would be. Although he does anxiously tap the tips of his fingers together for lack of anything better to do with his hands.

"They seemed at least. Somewhat organized. But very dangerous. And I was not capable of translating anything they were vocalizing." He tilts his head, "Which is ... mildly odd, given my language database is extensive, but the Nexus is an unknown variable."

Ah, the woman of the hour has arrived. Prometheus greets her with a brief nod, his spear at the ready in case another one of these ruffians decides to do something stupid. Better a whack from the blunt end of his spear than whatever either of his companions would care to dish out.

"You checked the Insani-Tee?" he asks, nary a stumble of amusement over the silly store name. "This gentleman here claims that as the drop-off point for the supplies."

"Not always wise to touch a magical object, hell no," Danny grins a little. "Some of 'em are cursed and some are just super powerful."

He worries his lip and looks a little sheepish. "Well...honestly that's one of the reasons I was trying to borrow your shop floor for a bit. There's a mage or something selling potions and he said if I brought him a few things he'd tell me a little about what went into 'em. One of the things was to find him space to do a ritual."

"He also said it's under guard," Daredevil adds, though he rather doubts that news will come as a surprise. It'd be stupid to leave valuable supplies sitting around where anyone could find them, especially for ones who stole them in the first place. "By the 'shot-callers.'" Which means if they find the goods, they find the brains behind this operation too.

"Organized, but relentless. Ready to attack, but they didn't seem to take advantage of surrounding us. It was almost like they just wanted to push us away from the supplies. They didn't seem to be sticking around the ship to claim the supplies for themselves either..." Harley bounces on her feet for a moment as she thinks.

"There is more to those creatures than meets the eye."

The elf smiles and listens and nods with the patience of a man waiting to see what he can get out of this. When Danny drops the name Caelus he'll see exactly that spark of recognition he was looking for, followed by the vendor taking a moment to reassess him. Wondering all the more what he can get out of this green boy.

"Caelus, hm? I've done business with him before. And you must be an apprentice mage yourself. How... interesting. And what has young Caelus sent you all the way down here for? More potion ingredients? Spare robes?" He seems quite willing to cut some manner of deal; whatever Felix's reputation, it clearly doesn't involve cheating his suppliers.

"I don't think I wanna find out what type of curses the magical object might have," he laughed, "Even if it's somethin' harmless, like make my fur extra long,"

Mr. Slick gave Danny a sympathetic smile.

"I'm happy to hear ya have found someone that would be able to teach ya some magic," he smiled, "I'm happy to be able to help ya out by lettin' ya use my shop,"

He rubbed his moustache in thought.

"If I may ask, what type of ritual would it be?"

"If their whole purpose was to try and prevent us from retrieving supplies," Furiosa says grimly. "That implies orders from someone or something higher up."

What does anyone have to gain by trapping them, making them desperate? Unless the whole point is just to sit back and watch everyone in the Nexus fight one another for survival.

"Well," she says with finality, after considering for a moment. "Chances are we'll see them again. I guess we'll learn plenty more about them before the season's out."

That's a really good sign. Danny should probably feel a little guilty that this guy is about to get robbed, and that that might make for an awkward exchange later, if Felix has further contact with him. But if he goes around feeling guilty about every little incident of petty theft, he'll never get anything done. Anyway, if kind of is Felix's fault if things get awkward later. He's the one that sent a street urchin to shop for him.

"Sure am!" He smiles, half sheepish, half proud. "My master's name is Stone. Don't know if you'll have heard of him. He doesn't spend much time around the Nexus, and he's never brought me before. Anyway, they were talking about potions--Mr. Caelus says he has one that'll help keep people warm in this weather, and my master was asking about it, and then I started asking, too, and they say I talk too too much."

He wanders over, hands in pockets, to peer excitedly at the stock laid out on the table. "But they said if I can bring back a couple lesser soul stones they'll teach me what goes in the potion so maybe I could make one! Do you have those?"

"You're so fluffy already," Danny grins a little. "Does it take a lot of work to keep clean with fur all over? Sorry, that's probably a rude question. I'm just thinking about having to shampoo and condition all the time."

Although, in all fairness, no one's taking too many baths with the power out in ice-cold weather. They'll all be filthy come Spring.

"Well, if the magic thing doesn't work out, maybe you'll need someone to sweep up for you after you reopen." Danny worries his lip. "Not sure exactly what kind of ritual it is, but he wanted wine, and usually wine is directed at something sort of sentient? Might be a summoning. Or maybe just, you know, asking some questions of a spirit of some kind."

"If that's what those critters are like," Palmer says, "I'd hate to see the big boss." He thinks over Furiosa's suggestion and what he observed in the field.

A leader makes sense. Well, taking out the leader would throw the creatures into confusion, he thinks. Let's see how they like it for a change.

"Y'know those little fish that follow sharks around? There's gotta be a big one somewhere. I say we gather our numbers and take down the boss, whatever it is. Not before we know what we're up against, but we're gonna have to take the fight to them sooner or later. Killing or wounding the leader would show we mean business."

Edited 2019-02-27 00:53 (UTC)

"That's true," he laughed warmly, "Nope, it's not a rude question. It does take a lot of work. I use this special soap/shampoo liquid, plus I need to brush and comb regularly or else my fur gets knotted. Thankfully, I can still brush my fur, but I can't wait to have a mighty nice shower,"

Mr. Slick had to admit he and the shower will be very good friends when Spring arrives.

"Ah, perhaps," he gave a small shrug as he smiled, "I would rather worry about that when this entire storm is over. I gotta admit I'm not familiar with magical stuff, so I guess it could be any of those possibilities,"

"Oh, they talked too?" The spy clicks her tongue in clear disapproval for their enemies. Maybe even a hint of disdain for making her come out here in the first place for such a weak willed effort. When you're used to HYDRA and world ending armies as your opponents, a comparatively easy job feels like a set up. Rather than complacency, Natasha finds herself waiting for the other shoe to fall. "The store's up past this block. Small place, would be easy to guard. Front entrance has floor to ceiling windows to entice moody teens inside for irreverent or music related clothing. Back entrance will be inconspicuous and lead to the alley."

While they march up the street Natasha points out a store of similar design to Prometheus, in case he's never been into a strip mall clothing store before. By description alone she's confident Daredevil has an idea of the kind of place they're dealing with. Small cramped fighting spaces with lots of funnel points and environmental hazards and only two viable entrance or exit points.

In other words, between the three of them they should be able to ensure that no one else escapes to go summon more backup. Nat looks between the two men a few times before nodding toward Prometheus in approval.

"You're the largest and have the most reach with that spear. Take the front entrance and don't let anyone past. He and I will rush in from the back and try to take them out quickly, but there's going to be runners and Im counting on you to stop them by any means necessary. Be ready to shield and dodge though-- guns are definitely going to be a thing. Not for long, but."

It looks like the vendor might be getting quite distracted by his talkative customer. Especially when he moves to answer Danny's question, reaching for a few long, roughly oval faceted crystals with a deep purple hue... and then he freezes, and looks up at the boy.

"Soul gems? Caelus wants them?" He frowns, starting to worry there's an angle he's missing, but his suspicion isn't directed at Danny. "But just... lesser gems, correct? Nothing more... potent?"

For a moment there's silent movement in the shadows behind him, a sign that Danny's accomplice is close at hand, watching for an opportunity.

Prometheus has seen such stores before, but a refresher is appreciated. Already he's taking into consideration the points of entry and exit and how those large windows might come into play. When Natasha vocalizes a role for him, he can't find a flaw in her plan. He does have the most reach, and he is the largest -- he can be quite larger, actually, but that would make him a bigger target to be shot at, which he'd prefer to avoid. Regardless, this woman knows how to strategize.

"Well, I have the shield for it." He pats the reinforced metal shield on his back. "It can take a few more shots if necessary. I'll make sure no one gets away." Especially not with the medical supplies, which is the main point of this venture.

Small, enclosed spaces are one of Daredevil's favorite places to work, and a slightly wicked grin pulls at his lips in anticipation. These bastards are going to regret their life choices by the time they're through with them.

The building is easy to single out once they get close enough, and Matt tilts his head slightly, mapping out and counting heartbeats, murmuring their locations to Natasha before they even enter the premises. There's enough subtle sounds bouncing around to give him a general idea of the store's layout, and a shelving unit near the door catches his ear, something that could be easily toppled to block the back exit. It's going to be noisy as hell, but the element of surprise only lasts so long anyway.

And then Prometheus is in position, and it's go time.

The back door flies open, and Natasha is inside in a flash, zeroing in on the spot where Daredevil had pinpointed the closest goon. Before the confusion that's erupting can give way to comprehension, Daredevil slips inside too, and heaves the shelving unit in front of the door with a crash. Gunshots ring out, and he ducks behind another display rack to break line of sight, snapping on his batons and swiftly closing the distance to the biggest threat.

He counts three guns in play - no, two, as Natasha lands a solid blow to her opponent's wrist hard enough to snap it like a wet branch, now armed with a broken pipe from shattered shelves. One's almost out of ammo already, panic-firing at the intruders and nearly ready to click dry, so Daredevil goes for the other one first. Disarming him is easy, twisting the baton into the man's forearm and flinging it outward hard enough to jar the weapon free, but this one seems tougher than the spineless sycophants they steamrolled earlier, not afraid to use his fists.

Good. A man after Daredevil's own heart.

What follows is almost more like a dance than a fight, Natasha and Matt harrying the men like a pair of wolves on the hunt, drawing attention one way only to attack from the other. A leg sweep from her leads one goon to split his chin on Daredevil's upswept baton, a body blow from him staggers another straight into Natasha's waiting thigh choke. Back to back, attacked from both sides at once, they pivot around and fend off blows meant for each other, always moving, always adapting.

It's too much for some of them to take. Outmatched, watching the intruders methodically beat their comrades down bit by bit, two of them make a dash for the front entrance, another trying his luck at the rear until he sees the mess that blocks the way out.

"Well, it looks good on you, mate," Danny smirks, eyes sparkling.

"I'm really hoping I get to find out," he says, regarding the spellcasting. "The more I can learn, the better."

"Well, yeah?" He blinks at the man innocently. "Lesser's what he said. But he said they need to be full. He showed me an empty one; they're right pretty, aren't they? We don't use that kind of thing in the world I come from, but my Master, Drake Stone, he's working on a thesis in cross-dimensional magical synthesis, and he wanted to learn everything he can."

"Why, how potent do they get? I mean, I figured if there's 'lesser' ones there had to be 'greater' ones, too, but is it just the two levels or are there more than that?"

His hands come out of his pockets and he reaches out tentatively to try and touch whatever's on the table nearest him.

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The Start of the Storm

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