nexus_crossings | 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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Blaze...!"

For how densely populated the Nexus seems to be with humans Katsuya's always grateful that it never takes long to find his comrade whenever he needs the Exo. He's stepping away from his table momentarily to gesture for her to meet him.

"I know you're primarily going to be in the field but with the PINpoints and the like down I wanted to make sure you knew the Crossroads is being turned into a shelter. Even if it's just storing your gear for between missions, I'll have a place for you."

Her head swivels round at the sound of her name, and Blaze pushes through the crowd to join him. It's much easier to do that when you weigh a small ton and give everyone around you the sense they need to get out of the way or get run over.

"Suou! Good to see you here." Safe and in good health, adds something in her tone. Ghost floats over her shoulder and spins in greeting to the officer, Blaze herself leaning a little closer to listen to him. She nods in approval then. "I appreciate that. Not just for our sake. Our PINpoint's still working last we checked, but I..." She pauses, distant for a moment, then gives a smaller nod, as if reaffirming something to herself. "I'm not leaving. Can't take the chance of being locked out. People here need us."

She reaches up to clasp Katsuya's shoulder, the Exo's heavy touch warmer than ever. "Thanks for the offer. We'll swing your way and drop off some gear, maybe some refugees if we pick up any. You need any assistance, we'll be there sooner rather than later."

Honestly it eases many of the officer's fears to see so many capable fighters here, even if it's because they've all been stranded thanks to the worsening weather. Many of them are old, old comrades-in-arms too. People he knows he can put his back to and trust it to still be there in a fight.

These two in particular are some of his oldest.

"I was in that situation until this morning. Now I am also among those stranded here. But I have been preparing the Crossroads to be a shelter for some time now. I thought that if my friends ended up stranded here I would make sure there was a place to house them. Joshua's scouting for supply runs and knows most of the sources we got our food from directly so we've been trying to barter or buy as much as we can. I should be able to defend the building itself if worst comes to worst...."

He's had to kill people before but he hopes it won't come to that. But his face hardens all the same. Katsuya knows what could happen if they're not careful. How far people will fall when panic and desperation to survive overcomes the bonds of polite society.

Blaze grunts in answer. She knows. Some old, steely, calculating part of her knows exactly what's preying on the officer's mind. The Exo sweeps her gaze over the room, half-consciously cataloging every face she sees: who's known, who's healthy, who's hysterical, who poses significant threat- and something else in her rebels at her own acceptance of the situation. Something newer - and much older, at the same time.

She's not an enforcer, damnit. She's a Guardian. A Titan. A Sunbreaker, reminds the mark swaying at her side. It means being more than a heavy fist.

"We need to fight despair as much as cold and hunger," she says. She turns golden optics back on Katsuya. "Keep people busy, keep them doing something useful. Get them telling stories - there must be a few around where who know some good songs or tales. People need hope as much as they need discipline."

"A much more difficult prospect than the fights I'm used to dealing with." Fighting against despair? It's one thing that until recently Katsuya had more or less come to accept as just a truth about his life. It's no way to live, but it means he's not exactly the best when it comes to boosting morale and inspiring hope in people.

'Put your head down and keep walking' isn't exactly an inspiring rallying cry.

"That's why we're here though. To protect people. I'll do everything I can to make sure they're safe and cared for. But I'll keep in mind and try to make an effort to emphasize socializing as well as safety. Maybe get people to bond oer all of this."

"It's not my specialty either, but I'll bet someone around here will have some smart ideas on what to do. By the sound of it you've accomplished a good deal already." Congratulations, Katsuya, you've earned a surprisingly warm clap on the shoulder, like it or not. "Glad we've got people like you holding the line around here. You'll call us in if you need a hand with supply runs? Or the other thing."

The worst comes to worst thing, that is.

He doesn't shift nearly as much as most people would. Definitely not as much as he should given his waifish build. But Blaze knows that Katsuya's strength is different from her own. He's no Warlock but the similarities are definitely there.

"Definitely." For the former and for the latter, even if he's not going to speak aloud about it anymore.

"Josh should be back anytime. He's been scouting out potential supply points for the expeditions to go hunt down."

Josh. She's heard that name, she's su- wait. Her optics narrow sharply. It might be a common name...

"Josh? You know this guy well, Suou? Someone by that name was stalking and killing people here not that long ago."

Sure, she heard he was gone, but these days you can't assume that's a permanent state.

Why what's that look for? He hasn't been weird in front of Blaze has he? Katsuya's raising both hands to start trying to explain when the Exo lets that bomb drop. His eyes widen and he's looking around quickly. Needs to make sure no one heard that. More importantly, he needs to make sure Josh isn't around to hear it.

Katsuya shakes his head quickly.

"No. He's--he's far from perfect but he's no murderer. And he's...one of that man's victims too. Please don't bring it up. I can't handle him having a breakdown right now." Katsuya heaves a breath but it looks like they're in the clear for now.

"Josh isn't always the most stable but he's doing well right now and he's being a huge help. I'd like to keep it that way."

That's a reaction she doesn't understand, at least for a minute. The more he explains, the more her stare eases until finally Blaze blinks and frowns instead. "Oh. That's a different story. Guess I'm out of the loop on a lot of this. I'll keep an eye out for him, Suou."

The Start of the Storm

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