Lost psychic, meet Nexus

[karma_loop]

Another unsuspecting visitor has stumbled into the Nexus today, not ever realizing that their usual pathway has changed into something unfamiliar. There's a man in his late 20's, dressed in a suit and cravat, channeling portions of the 70's and 200o's alike with his fashion sense. His gaze is aimed downward at the phone in his hand, a pair of earphones blocking out the loud noises of the Nexus. It's only after a few minutes of wandering forward that Ethan realizes something is different about his usual pathway.

"The Metro is stupid busy today. Maybe I should've paid an Uber to take me home...?"

It takes him only a second after prying his attention away from the cell phone to notice that the people walking past him are a variety of shapes and sizes, some of which aren't human at all. Annoyance turns to concern as he removes the airpods from his ears, forced to stare at the new scenery like a deer exposed to headlights. Okay. This isn't the D.C. subway station at all.

The initial shock doesn't wear off for at least an hour, after seeing the introduction video and reading the Nexus pamphlets, the man is still thoroughly confused. He gets it that this place is a hub, but does he need to ask a question in order to go home? Does it have to be personal? Sighing loudly, he takes a seat on a nearby bench, one hand grasped tightly around his messenger bag handle.

"So asking questions to random people isn't exactly something I usually do. However, I'm starting to suspect that if I want to find a way back home, I'll need to do whatever this Nexus place asks. So, let's start with something easy..." He takes a deep breath, trying to get comfortable. "What's you favorite musical album, vinyl or not. I'm kinda curious if this Nexus shares similar music tastes to my world, or if other artists and genres exist."

Comments

[wannabedisney]

[Two things that Ethan will most likely notice when he sees someone heading towards his direction. The first being that Charlie is just a tad bit taller than him in height -- with her being a demon and all. And as for the second, on each side of her are these little goat demons in winter clothing like her. She had just got done having a little happy reunion with them before he stumbled upon the Nexus, thus she appears to be in a lot better mood than how she was prior.]

[Charlie tilts her head to the side when she hears his question, hums a little to herself in thought.]

Favorite music album?

[She plants a seat across from him as her goat bodyguards huddle close to her for warmth. Charlie strokes one (Razzle) along the head, leaning back to make herself comfortable as well.]

-- Weeelllll, we're a big fan of musicals...! I tend to always express myself better through songs.

[joblin]

"You don't want to ask something like how to get home?" The goblin shrugs.

"Uh, I listen to what comes on the radio."

[madotsuki]

My favorite, album?

[Madotsuki had been watching him for the past few minutes—it was hard not to with how uncomfortable he looked—and with the thought, he must be new here too, she takes a seat next to him on the bench.]

I don’t, really listen to albums, but, a friend of mine…!

[She perks up suddenly, a smile playing on her lips.]

He’s really good at playing the organ. Oh! And I can, play the flute, too… We sometimes, play together…

[Her burst of enthusiasm fizzles out as she becomes nervous, embarrassed, and her voice trails off. She stares down at her hands, fingers fiddling with the hem of her skirt.]

[coffee_elf]

You are just collecting all the non-humans today, sir! This one is decidedly non-threatening, though. He's slightly over four feet tall, with smooth brown hair, dark eyes, and pointed ears. The style of clothing he's wearing is oddly halfway between modern Earthly kurta-and-salwar outfits and the heavier, more ornate style of a Renaissance Faire.

"I don't think it's a requirement that you ask questions," he says. "It's just kind of a social norm? I've been hanging around without really asking anything. Just answering."

"...and I'm not sure what you mean by vinyl? Our music is usually distributed digitally over the comms or sat-nets. It's probably not quite the same as what you're used to if you're Terran, but maybe similar. Arraka'aran voices have a different kind of resonance than human ones because of differences in facial structure and hearing capability. There's a much wider scale, for one thing."

[ididntasktogetmade]

If this visitor isn't used to seeing aliens and the like, perhaps the raccoon that approaches is a bit more familiar. Well, besides the fact that he's wearing a tailor-made jumpsuit that looks like a cross between a mechanic's uniform and a space-age rogue. And the gun strapped to his back that's almost as large as he is.

Well, and the part where he talks.

"Best kinda album's the one you make yourself," Rocket answers casually. "Mix tape kinda thing. I asked for recs a while back and got a hell of a lot of stuff to listen to, but I think the Mötley Crüe stuff's gotta be the winner for me."

[aloongstory]

Kam Loong is at least outwardly human at the moment( though depending on what kind of psychic Ethan is, he may notice some indications to the contrary), a smallish Asian man in jogging gear, perhaps slightly older than Ethan but not by much. He's probably not terribly intimidating to look at---at least if you can ignore the blackened steel nunchaku tucked discreetly into the back of his waistband and the fact that he really is exceptionally buff for his size under that track suit---and he seems to be in a friendly mood at least.

He speaks in fluent, though strongly accented, English,

"Oh, hey, nice suit! I had one almost like that. Different color though."

"Anyway, to answer your question...I like pretty much anything I can dance to...Where I came from that mostly was Latin-style music, I even entered some dance competitions of that kind as a kid and it's really fun. But since I've come here I found some really interesting newer stuff that isn't like anything I ever heard but it's wonderful for setting a pace for my workouts. I think I might even be able to use it to help some of my students learn some things..."

He pulls out his PINpoint and begins pulling up some songs. (Apparently he's mastered modern smartphone use pretty quickly for someone whisked from 1973 a few weeks ago).

YouTube link