The latest in pocket-sized companions

[adregem]

Upon finding his door back to Evermore and briefing Evan and company on his latest discovery of the Nexus, Roland has finally gotten to returning to the ever-changing realm of portals, dimensions, and alternate universes. His PINpoint is beeping away as he updates his friends on his whereabouts. There's an easiness to Roland this time, no longer wound up by the mysteries that need not be solved. It just works as it is, and he is glad to have somewhere new to explore, a place with no endgame in mind. A place where he can just...be. It isn't often he can let himself relax, with the fate of two worlds at risk almost constantly.

As Roland heads to the very end of the Plaza, he recalls a particularly fond memory, one of his firsts in the new, other world. Their dear Auntie Martha was being harassed by a wyvern, but it was not magic that came to their aid in the heat of battle. Higgledies did, tiny little things that could only speak in small squeaks of Higgle! Pig! Piggle! when they felt like expressing themselves. Other times, the higgledies would dance on the spot, or hop around shoulders, heads, and arms if they particularly enjoyed their master's company.

These spirit-like creatures could call on their own and wreak havoc in a fight, but they are peaceful, if not mischievous by default, and to find a higgledy or two around town is a sign of thriving life. And if you were lucky enough to see them - for not everyone in the other world could - then it meant there was something special about you, something strong in your heart to see such creatures of pure natural energy.

Roland reminisces about that particular memory now, because on top of his broad shoulders, and even sitting at the top of his hair, are a couple of the Higgledies themselves. One of every color hung around his frame, with some walking next to his large boots. He grins as he allows some to hop off his coat, arm extended outwards for their easy mobility. Some are bouncing with energy; some are shy and timid.

If these tiny little companions have caught your attention, dear citizen of Nexus, then you will hear Roland happily ask whoever can hear him:

"So, who wants to meet these little troublemakers?"

[ OOC: I'll be assigning certain Higgledies to whoever tags, as the game lists about 101 different little critters! Though they don't have sentient personalities, they are great for RP threading scenarios, and some Higgledies are more special than others! ]

Comments

[adregem]

"What can I say? I'm proud of the work we've all done, and we're going to get even better still. And if all goes well, I might just ask Evan to open Evermore to inter-dimensional tourism." Roland says with a small laugh, though it does excite him to plan for the future. His life has turned out more magical than he ever expected, and if he could just give back a little bit more to Evan and the rest for literally saving his life, then he could part ways with them with a lighter heart.

But as he listens to Ben's recollection of adventures in other doors and worlds, Roland is reminded of something he was once told way back when they first met in the Grand Library - I'm dead in my world, so I can't go back. He allows a moment to pass before he turns to Ben again, voice steady but no less serious.

"If you don't mind me asking," he starts, arms crossed against his chest again. "How did you find yourself in the Nexus in the first place?" He cranes his head to the side, watching the higgledies run around with each other, making a mess by their feet. "I haven't forgotten what you told me. You said you couldn't go back to the door of your home world because you had died there." And he speaks with a gravitas, a certain sympathy, that could not have come from someone who didn't share the same experience, to a degree. "Did you just...wake up here?"

[chiaro_oscuro]

"Doors to the Nexus work both ways," Ben says. "Unpleasant things can travel through portals, too, so it's a good idea to know where your door is and keep an eye on who comes and goes. But your world sounds like one of the more peaceful ones." Honestly, Ben could use a world where he doesn't have to fight anything, even if he considers the practice necessary. He likes fighting, and probably always will - though he's more careful about his use of violence.

However, that's not the same as saying that he won't fight or even kill if he deems it necessary - the draughrs and cannibals in Atreus's world who died at his blade could testify to that. The former needed the rest he gave them, and the latter would have gladly had Ben and his younger friend for dinner if they had the chance.

"I'm dead where I'm from," he explains. "Sometimes people who die in their home worlds wake up here, in the Nexus. All the injuries I'd suffered - broken bones, bruises - they were all healed. So I was able to find my way to the Plaza easily enough when I felt up to it." He was quietly glad the Nexus patched up his wounds. While he probably would have been able to limp to a hospital anyway, it saved the staff a scare and allowed Ben to hang onto what little pride he had left.