A Strange Afterlife

[ginger_firebird]

 It had to be impossible. He could feel his skin. A pulse beat under his neck. He stood in front of a store window and regarded his reflection in the glass. Same black leather outfit. Same brown trench-coat. The fabric weight down on him and he rubbed his arms as he tried to figure out what was going on. A wandering spirit had doors to enter and exit when it came to the world of the living, but he'd never achieved something like this. It was alien and wrong and he had no idea where anyone was.

Mantis sighed, marveling quietly at the way his chest rose and fell with his breathing. It didn't matter. He'd keep moving and hope for the best. If this was some punishment for a misstep, he knew exactly who to take it up with.

"Sorrow!" Even his voice carried an echo. Mantis pointed himself into a new direction and began to walk. "What did I do this time, old man?"

Comments

[chiaro_oscuro]

"I prefer to keep a low profile about my abilities, most of the time. It's a matter of habit. There are people here considerably more powerful than me." Ben looks over to the stranger. "There are others like you, where you're from?"

[ginger_firebird]

Mantis can understand wanting to keep out of the public eye, but he was never inclined to do that either. If he could make a name and get paid to do what he did naturally, why hide it? "Not many. It's a rare ability, so we stand out a lot when we're found out."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"There are some people with similar abilities to us here, I think. So there isn't really any need to hide that power." As far as Ben can tell, nobody in the Nexus really goes through the effort to keep their powers secret.

[ginger_firebird]

There's a moment of silence on Mantis's part. Other psychics and weird powers? It inspires curiosity more than anything. "I'll be sure to put on my best face when meeting them. So far, the people here seem to be peaceful."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"In the inhabited part of the Nexus, yes. But some of the people and creatures out in the Wilds aren't so pleasant, and are best avoided." Ben hasn't met many hostile people and wants to keep things that way. He tries not to look for trouble. "But it's easy enough to avoid trouble with them."

[ginger_firebird]

"I wouldn't mind trying my hand at the Wilds. No animal is so dangerous that they cannot be dealt with." He's envisioning crocodiles and lions, but given the haphazard nature of the Nexus, there may very well be beasts only found in stories. "Seems like my first priority is going to be a residence and then food and clothes. It almost makes me feel young again."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"I was in the same place you were not so long ago. Fresh out of my world, not sure what to do with myself." Ben figures they aren't far from the vending machine now. "I hunted in the Wilds for a little while, so I'll help you if you ned a guide. There's some hostile territory there we avoid because we don't want to start a war, but the people who live there marked it."

[ginger_firebird]

"Then wouldn't it make sense to find it so I can avoid it properly?" He jokes, for the most part, but as smart as he is, there's a certain part of him that always wants to toe the line. "Keep away. For now. If there's money in this place, there's a chance I can find things I can make some real use of."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"Money's not the only currency in the Nexus. People here trade in favors, too." Ben finally catches sight of the vending machine. "Here we are - just put the coins in the slot and you'll have a PINpoint. They're a lot like a phone, if you have those in your world."

[ginger_firebird]

"I've used plenty of phones." Mantis leans in to peer at the vending machine and mutters quietly as he takes it in. The coins float out of his pocket and slip into the corresponding slot. After a brief rumble, he sees the device fall out and picks it up. "Not much different at all."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"They aren't hard to figure out, but they're very useful to have. The Nexus is, ah, chaotic." A pause. Ben has mixed feelings on the chaos, but he's never seen it go bad himself. "I'll give you my number, if you'd like to keep in touch with me."

[ginger_firebird]

Mantis is going to mess around with the device. Some of the icons are intuitive and he pulls up what looks like an alphabet. Forgive him, young Ben. He's a bit of an old man with these kinds of things. "That will help. How do I find mine on this thing?"

[chiaro_oscuro]

"I'll show you." Ben fiddles his own device as an example, showing Mantis his own number. "Now that we know where your number is, we'll go to your contacts, and I'll add myself. That way you can text me at any time."

[ginger_firebird]

Mantis will just loom over a bit while Ben demonstrates how the phone works. He looks at Ben's contact on the device and tucks it into his jacket pocket. "After I find a place to stay for the night. I'm assuming the usual rules about day, night, and weather apply to this place."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"I live in an apartment in the downtown area," Ben explains. Part of him likes teaching people about the Nexus. "Yes - the usual rules apply. We have seasons, too, except they work a little differently in a few ways. Nexus winters can be very harsh, so stocking up in the fall is important. There are beings in charge of the seasons here. I'd be careful talking to them. They're very powerful and making them angry isn't a good idea."

[ginger_firebird]

"It seems there are a lot of people who live here naturally." And increasingly, he's curious about what kinds of people they are. "Do we know how they control the weather? I can handle a hard winter, but this sounds like magic more than something that can be explained rationally."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"Some of them are like me. They died in their world and can't go home, or they have no home to go back to. I think some live here by choice, though." Ben considers the question. "It's magic, so no. I've met a couple of the seasonal spirits, Reynard and Dyane - you'll know them when you meet them, though they're most likely to come out in their seasons."

[ginger_firebird]

That rule again... Mantis doesn't doubt that Ben believes it, but he's not about to let that kind of rule stop him from trying to find his way back to Liquid. Rules exist to be broken, after all. "Real magic. All right. I suppose the way we can read thoughts would look like magic to people who don't know how our worlds work."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"The seasonal spirits' magic is different from ours. Much older, as I understand, and much stronger. They're as ancient as the seasons themselves." There are a few people in the Nexus even Ben would never tangle with, and they're on the list. "We still have access to the powers we had back home, thankfully."

[ginger_firebird]

"Hmm. We have stories about such things where I come from. I may not know their exact rules yet, but I do know how their kind work." It's tantalizing. He almost wants to stay long enough to meet one. "You're welcome to become a client if you think my powers will be of use to you. I don't mind business from...friendly faces."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"When you're dealing with beings like the angels and the seasonal spirits, my best advice is to be polite. You never know who you're talking to in a place like this." It's one of the reasons why Ben's learned to watch his tongue. "I'll think about your offer. It's not often I meet someone outside my world with similar powers."

[ginger_firebird]

Angels now. It's a veritable menagerie of things that aren't supposed to exist. The rules are ones he's familiar with, but he's going to need some time to wrap his head completely around what he's wandered into. "I rarely met people in my own world with powers like mine. It seems like it's a rare thing everywhere."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"There are a few more people from mine, but I wasn't aware there were others who had similar powers. That's why you caught my interest." Ben tucks away his own PINpoint. "Our numbers are slowly growing. It's a bit of a relief, honestly - though you startled me a little when I felt you in my head."

[ginger_firebird]

"We can start a group for the resident psychics. No need for fliers and posters when everyone can find out from each other the dates and times for meetings." As much as he jokes, Mantis wouldn't mind seeing something like that come to pass. It's odd and comforting to find kindred spirits.

[chiaro_oscuro]

Ben laughs, but softly, as if he's not used to laughing. "Yes, that would make the matter of deciding where and when to meet easier. I doubt we're the only psychics here. I'm interested to see what use you put your powers to."