It ain't his first rodeo, at least

[adregem]

"The Nexus has a library, huh?"

Roland Crane, a tall and stately man with a face no older than twenty but a disposition that betrays his young visage, halts his step in front of The Grand Library. True to its name, the newcomer stares at its grandiose facade with awe in his eyes, marveling at the architecture which feels both new yet familiar. He crosses his arms across his chest and tilts his head back until his eyes meet the light in the sky, gaze following the zenith of each rooftop and awning.

"I wonder if Evan's planning on making something like this in Evermore, one day..." He says, to no one in particular. A few days in and his heartstrings tug at him, though he tries not to give the feeling much sway over his day to day. The facts of the matter are clear: he is not in Evermore, not anymore, and he is alone. No matter how much he misses his new king, his friends, Roland must move forward. There is no other way.

"So," He exhales steadily. "Has anyone actually found any real answers in this place, or am I just...wasting time and all this is just for show?" He starts his trek up the stairs, and his boots seem heavier than he remembers.

"People keep talking about this place being a second chance, but what if I've already gotten mine?" Roland pauses, his usual steely determination faltering for just a moment. "What if I don't have anything else to do, third-time around? What then?"

Comments

[adregem]

Roland slows his pen as he absorbs Ben's words, one fact at a time. It all boiled down to convenience. Was he going to stick around long enough for him to need to get a job? To adjust to whatever currency works for food, lodging, and basic survival? Or was he going to spend more time looking for the door that brought him here in the first place? His brows meet in deep thought, a subtle hum echoing in his chest.

He doesn't voice out his personal concerns, but he does sit back slightly, fingers careful with its grip against the quill.

"A talent, huh...? That's gonna be a problem." Roland finally sets his list down and crosses his arms in his usual position. "I don't think the Nexus has got any need for a guy like me." He looks around the quiet library, before turning back to Ben. "I can serve bodyguard duty, but with an anti-violence shield around the place, what would be the point, right?"

[chiaro_oscuro]

"Well, I wouldn't say there's no place for fighters. We've got plenty of those. I'm one of them." Ben looks over the library books himself, curious. "There's just nothing to fight for the time being, and hopefully things will stay that way for a good long time. The last time we had to fight someone was two winters ago. Those people aren't gone, but there's a truce now."

Not that he's very confident the truce will hold, but he wishes it does, for everyone's sake. He hopes for the best but prepares for the worst.

"I'm a mechanic, using myself as an example. I do repair jobs and modify vehicles so people can come and go from the Nexus more easily. If you have a hobby, you can adjust it for this place. People will buy most things, you'll find. Nexus people are generous. I sell art in the Plaza sometimes to supplement my work on slow days."

[adregem]

"That's concerning. But I suppose if there's already a truce in place, we technically shouldn't be worried..." Roland was a born and bred leader, trained to look at contingency and protecting his land and liege. Although such information nags at him, he stores it away for his own pondering later on. He's decided to take his cues from people like Ben who seem to have lived in the Nexus for far longer, and would know more about the world than a newcomer like himself.

And so Roland passes on the topic, for now. Back to the more pressing matter, which involves figuring out what he could do while he had the opportunity to make a difference in a new realm.

"A mechanic, eh? Color me impressed," Roland says sincerely. "You're a real jack-of-all trades. That's great. I'll be sure to drop by for some repairs if I need it." A few beats pass between them before he suddenly gets an idea, inspired by Ben's suggestion. Something I can adjust for the Nexus...

"Hey, I just thought of something," he goes. "Not sure if it'll work, but can't hurt to try. If someone in the Nexus wanted to set up shop somewhere, who do we talk to?"

[chiaro_oscuro]

"I'm concerned, too, between the two of us. A truce isn't the same as peace. But there isn't really much we can do, since they aren't interested in improving relations and it would be dangerous for everyone to press them."

Ben's naturally untrusting, but he's developed a sense of pragmatism. That, and he benefits from the same protection other dangerous people in the Nexus do. He's sure if more of the people here knew his full history they wouldn't be comfortable with him living among them - even though he intends no harm, he's caused enough.

He smiles when Roland offers to come by for repairs. Ben respects Roland quite a bit by now.

"How do you set up a shop? There isn't really anybody official people go to. Once I had the money I bought an abandoned warehouse and refitted it for my needs."

[adregem]

"Exactly my thought. It's not so much a truce as it is a ceasefire if the other side still feels threatened. We'll just have to be cautious."

Roland feels a kindred sense of foreboding from Ben as well, but he shakes off his concerns for a second time. Consequences will come later, if at all, and they'll deal with it then.

Needless to say, Roland already appreciates Ben's instincts equally. He tucks away his list for safekeeping.

"I'll have to scout a location then. That's fine. I can do the legwork," he replies. "What I've got in mind is just about the only useful thing I can do here." A pause. Then, "Unless anyone needs me to run for office for them." Roland quips dryly, again.

[chiaro_oscuro]

"The Fallen are the ones who attacked us first. They're a ruthless, xenophobic people. Desperate. They see everyone who isn't one of them as a possible threat. So they're best avoided."

He could almost relate, as his hands are very far from clean. Ben has a creeping feeling they haven't heard the last of Baroness Pelsor and her Eliksni army, but he lets the subject drop.

"The Nexus is a rather...disordered place by nature. There are some influential people here, but that influence is usually limited to their own factions." Ben doesn't know all of them, but he's aware of a few. "People here only unify when they have to. The Plaza's a popular choice for businesses, as is the dowtown area."

Ben might be distrusted and disliked by the more straight-and-narrow hero types like Rogers - for good reason - so he tends to avoid them when he can. He also doesn't trust himself in positions of power or leadership and will defer to others.

this reply assumes Roland has finished up his other thread with skekGra and urGoh!

[adregem]

Roland grimaces at Ben's words, none too kind for the Fallen who seem to have taken permanent residence outside the borders of the Nexus. "Charming," he remarks with cheek. "I'll keep that in mind."

Not like I'm looking for trouble here, he thinks to himself.

"Heh, well unless someone calls for an election or a trial, I'll just make myself scarce. Maybe take people up on that offer for a vacation after all. How often do you find yourself in a - what did I call it? - a third chance at a new life, right?" He's honestly already used to his new arrangement at the Nexus. All he needs is to iron out the small details, and he can see himself settled in within the next couple of days. For all his time and help, Roland offers Ben his hand to shake and an appreciateive smile.

"You definitely sound like you've made the most out of your time here. Good for you. I'll do well to follow your lead."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"I figured if I'm here to stay I may as well get settled down. Find a place to live. Make myself useful." In peacetime, and in war if it ever becomes necessary. He personally hopes it doesn't.

The Nexus is a peaceful place, for the most part, but it still has its dangers. Ben doesn't quite trust the place even though he considers it his new home. The people, yes, most of them at least, though he has to comment on how trusting and accepting they seem to be. But the place, no. He's heard too many stories about what can happen when things go wrong to completely relax.

He accepts Roland's hand and shakes it. "If you ever want to find me...well, I'll probably be either in my shop or here in the library."

[adregem]

Roland has a thought, and though he mentions it casually like a joke, his words do hold some weight to them. He wasn't sure of where Ben's darkness came from, or what happened to him before this chance encounter in between worlds, but what Roland does know is that he doesn't really care. The past should never hinder the development of the future, and Ben seems to be doing the most he could with the chance he's got here.

When Roland draws his arm back, he crosses both back against his chest with a smirk gracing his lips. "You know, if you start looking for greener pastures, I'd be happy to introduce you to Evermore. We could use a citizen like you among our ranks. It's not as big as the Nexus, but it's a kingdom where people can start over."

[chiaro_oscuro]

Ben considers his new friend's words - he considers Roland a friend, or at least an acquaintance. It wouldn't hurt to have a place to stay if he wants a change of scene, or if something happens in the Nexus, though he would prefer to stay and fight if the people here would accept his help. He's genuinely grateful to hear Roland's offer either way. It's a generous one.

"That's generous, Roland. I wouldn't mind visiting your world sometime, on a casual visit at least. I'd invite you to mine in teturn, but first off I'm dead there and secondly it's recovering from a war. So I wouldn't exactly recommend a casual visit. I'd be happy to see Evermore. I ought to travel more often now that I have a PINpoint."

[adregem]

Roland is taken aback by the casualness in which Ben mentions his personal tragedies, but more than anything he feels a kindred sense of familiarity with both. Not only was his original home world destroyed by an act of war as well, Roland was on ground zero when the impact blasted everything away. Had it not been for a magical creature tied to his own destiny in the Second World, he would have had the same story to share...

He shakes his head out of his thoughts and grows a tad bit somber. "Dead, huh? Guess you and I have a lot more in common than I thought. Definitely a tale to tell for another time. Maybe in one of those places you just mentioned. I'll check my list." The dry humor helps him cope, but Roland is genuinely curious about the people he has met, and will undoubtedly continue to meet in the Nexus.

"Our kingdom's got a lot of colorful characters and crazies of its own, you'll never get bored with the lot we've gathered." Roland brightens up considerably at the topic of his new home, the land he helped build with Evan. "Even if we can't convince you to be a citizen, our gate's always open to friendlies. Get your PINpoint up and running and when you get there, I'll conduct the grand tour myself." He grins, amusement evident without a loss of sincerity.