Nike the Angel (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
magnetite_plz) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
nexus_crossings2020-02-12 04:09 pm
magnetite_plz) wrote in nexus_crossings2020-02-12 04:09 pm
https://tinyurl.com/ufdk43p
A trail of strange, unidentifiable red petals winds through the plaza this cold day in the Nexus. Not a heap of them, but enough small bits of brilliant red to pop out amid the snow and dreary ground to leave a distinct marking of something or someone passing through.
The trail leads anyone following it to Nike, currently brushing more of those petals out of her impossibly long golden tresses, her brow furrowed in concentration. It's more of an emotion than her countenance normally belies. She startles to see anyone approaching her and drops her hands from her hair quickly. Scrambles for a long piece of red and white cloth she's got folded into her pack.
"Apologies. I did have queries for the populace today." Her fingers grip and cinch the fabric between them, slowly working their ways down the length of the cloth. She fidgets with it while she addresses anyone who will listen.
"Why do people choose partners based on mere attraction? Out of dozens of qualifying attributes, why should something so unimportant have a disproportionate weight to the equation? The choice could be made based on compatibility of skills, or a mutually sought after goal or..." Nike trails off and with a sudden forceful flick of her wrist bunches up the fabric in her hands to flop against her thighs in clear frustration. The demon clearly does not understand and it's eating at her.
"Why do you do this?"
The trail leads anyone following it to Nike, currently brushing more of those petals out of her impossibly long golden tresses, her brow furrowed in concentration. It's more of an emotion than her countenance normally belies. She startles to see anyone approaching her and drops her hands from her hair quickly. Scrambles for a long piece of red and white cloth she's got folded into her pack.
"Apologies. I did have queries for the populace today." Her fingers grip and cinch the fabric between them, slowly working their ways down the length of the cloth. She fidgets with it while she addresses anyone who will listen.
"Why do people choose partners based on mere attraction? Out of dozens of qualifying attributes, why should something so unimportant have a disproportionate weight to the equation? The choice could be made based on compatibility of skills, or a mutually sought after goal or..." Nike trails off and with a sudden forceful flick of her wrist bunches up the fabric in her hands to flop against her thighs in clear frustration. The demon clearly does not understand and it's eating at her.
"Why do you do this?"
no subject
A young man in dark clothing observes the stranger curiously, listening to her question. The trail of red petals wasn't hard to follow, especially in the white snow, and while Ben Solo usually tries to stay inconspicuous in the Plaza the mystery was too tempting. Ben had followed the petals to their source, and he has several questions of his own that he doesn't begin to ask. It's the Nexus. He's learning to go along with its more bizarre qualities, and he assumes the trail is one of those.
"Complicated is a good word for it, actually. Relationships and people." He's intrigued. One of the unspoken questions Ben has is what that unfamiliar symbol he caught a glimpse of on the woman's cloth meant. That isn't connected to her question, though, and not his business anyway, so he doesn't ask her about it. "I'm hardly a person who should be offering you romantic advice, if that's what's on your mind. But I can tell you it's more complex than mere attraction, as you put it."
no subject
To a man accustomed to all walks of alien life there's something vaguely inhuman about this otherwise ordinary looking woman. Her hair never quite seems to lay flat under gravity's beck and call. There's a lightness to her, as though she could be blown away by a sudden breeze. And yet she looks solid enough. Human enough. She's clearly wearing human tactical gear and carrying human weapons at her side.
"Complicated, perhaps. But attraction is too heavily relied upon as a factor. A partner should be someone to be relied upon at all costs." How can they not see that choosing based on physical desires will so often lead to incompetent pairings?
no subject
He can also guess that just because someone looks human here doesn't mean they necessarily are. It could be that this woman has something strange about her, but Ben can't pit his finger on exactly what else she could be besides human.
"As I said, I'm hardly an expert, but I can't disagree with you on the second part." Ben shrugs in reply to her answer. "I haven't seen you around the Nexus before, but I'm new. There's a lot I haven't seen yet, I think."
no subject
"I am Nike, a demon volunteering to keep watch over this place." She has no good nor bad connotation to the term 'demon', it is simply used to denote her species. "Rest assured, human, there are those who work to keep even this chaotic place as safe as can be managed."
no subject
"Like the Guardians. From their name and the one I met, I figure that protecting people is one of their duties here." He only talked to one Guardian for any length of time, so he doesn't know a great deal about their universe or their culture.
no subject
Even the occasional problems that plague the nexus are nothing to the Chaos of the world she hailed from. Nike considers this place to be an Oasis. A peaceful place to be protected at all costs.
"And she is very adamant about keeping this place safe. In this our goals are aligned."
no subject
He sincerely hopes there won't be problems. Ben likes the relaxed atmosphere of this place, and he thinks it's doing him some good, but he's on guard in case there are problems, as Nike put them, again.
Just because he's in the process of reforming doesn't mean he can't get frightening when the situation calls for it. It hasn't yet, but that isn't the same as never.
no subject
That's surely what she should say. Nike nods a little.
no subject
Not the first time he's picked sides in a fight, but at least this time Ben thinks he'll be on the right one.
no subject
"I will tell her." Her eyes widen somewhat to see the bow. It's not a gesture often given to a simple servant. Nike gathers her robes around her and bows deeply in return lest she look disrespectful.