nexus_crossings | +1 Half-Alien Artist

When the Morpho touches down on the furthest outskirts, the ship itself seems only large enough for two people. If he isn't bothered then and there, he can be found wandering about, clad entirely in his latex-like flight suit and a gossamer mask he's made, comprised supposedly of intricately-woven spider thread.

He can easily be found out and about, sketchpad and an old pencil in hand as he draws what he sees. It's late enough in the evening that he arrives. He's mindful to keep distance from anyone in the area, to the point of exhibiting avoidant behavior unless they deliberately approach him.

Should he even stay here? Should he just go again?

For the most part, he only wanders about the outskirts and wilds. Nowhere in a closed space.

Maybe it's wrong to come here, anyway. But so long as he continues to observe his strict cleaning regimen, and physically distances to keep the temptation to interact with others down, there's no risk. He can treat this just like any other planetary observance. It's worked in keeping himself and others safe for two centuries now. It'll work here, too.

Regardless of where he's found, he's surprised when someone gets too close to his self-enforced distance. Even if they're familiar, he doesn't recognize them at first, shoulders hunched and head tucked downward.

"Ah-- I'm sorry, could you please take a few steps back?"

[ooc: For those I've threaded with before, you're welcome to have your character remember Glenn! If so, please let me know, so I can adjust Glenn's reactions to match. :) Furthermore, please feel free to use whatever writing style/tense you prefer; I'll match it.]

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"I see. I can understand why you don't want me to come too close, then." Ben nods in understanding. "In my case, I prefer to keep to myself most of the time. It's better that way, though I've been trying to reach out a little more lately. I'm not the kind of person who's used to making - or having - friends. I have a few, though, and I've settled here well enough. My problems aren't yours, but I can assure you I've got my own set."

Ben's aware that there are worlds where humans have achieved space travel and moved beyond their homeworld. He wonders if Earth is where humans back in his galaxy originally came from, forgotten long ago.

"Neo-Earth? So you aren't from Earth proper? Earth isn't my homeworld, so I'm in the minority of human beings here."

While he's hardly an expert on Earth, he's only been there a few times, Ben can't help but be interested. He's learned about Earth culture during his time in the Nexus as a hobby. It's interesting and gives him something calming to do.

"My world was gently renamed from 'Earth' in celebration of the rejuvenation project that occurred in the year 3012. Basically, as if Earth has been reborn, and so it has been named since before my birth. But it is still part of the Sol system."

He shifts a little from foot to foot. It's easier to talk about this than acknowledge how similar Ben's issues are to his own. Part of him wonders, with awe, in regards to the similarities, while the rest of him wishes it were socially acceptable to run and hide.

"...But I have not been there since I left over two-hundred years ago. I am uncertain what has changed and what has stayed the same since."

"I'm not an Earthling, or Terran, or whatever Earth people are called, so I won't be much use there. But if you want a friend here in the Nexus...I'll do my best to be one for you. It's just that..." Ben swallows hard. "I wasn't the best of people where I came from. It's not a happy story, so I'll leave it at that. But I'd like to make something better of myself now."

Ben's never sure how to bring up the fact that he was an infamous space tyrant and warlord. It's not something that usually comes up in polite conversation, especially since he's not proud of it at all. He doesn't want to frighten people, especially strangers.

"Sol system. The galaxy I came from doesn't have a system by that name, though I can't imagine we've found every planet there. My homeworld was Chandrila."

Glenn hesitates, nodding a little. His weight shifts again.

"Chandrila. I like the sound of it." Meaning literally. The name itself sounds kind of like a chime when spoken. It's nice.

"Honestly, the word 'sol' just means 'sun'. Even our moon is named 'luna', which means 'moon'. Our names are not that original. But they were named so ages ago."

A beat, as he considers things.

"...Regarding your personal choices in the past, it is not my place to judge you. But... if you want to be... friends.. I think we can arrange that. If you really want to."

"It was my home planet, though my family traveled. I was never the kind of person to settle down. The Nexus is my home now. I'm dead back in my world, I'm afraid. It's not so bad."

Ben has lived in the Nexus for about a year, though it feels like it's been longer. A lot has changed since then, and he's sure there are more changes ahead in the future. Good or bad, it's nice to have a future to look forward to at all.

"Then I'd like to be friends." Ben considers, then nods. "It's not my place to judge much of anyone. Welcome to the Nexus, Glenn. You've got a beautiful ship." Ben's got an eye for spacecraft, and knows good craftsmanship when he sees it. "I haven't flown one in a long time, though a friend here gave me one as a gift."

He hasn't even named it yet, though he isn't used to naming his personal ships - since it's his, though, and he's abandoned the military lifestyle, he just might. He doesn't want to use the ship Misfire gave him for war.

It's... interesting, hearing this person know for certain that he's dead where he came from. And yet, alive here, without doubt.

He simply accepts it, nodding once.

"The name for it is the Morpho. After the iridescent blue butterfly on my world. It was a gift from my late fiancée. We wanted to travel together."

He regards the vessel thoughtfully.

"I have been using this ship for about two-hundred and forty years now. None of the parts are really original anymore."

"Blue butterflies?" There's a flicker of a smile on Ben's thin face. "I saw a swarm of those once with my father, a very long time ago. I don't remember it well, I was only a child and a very different person, but they were beautiful. Interesting coincidence."

Ben doesn't have many pleasant memories, but he clings hard to the ones there are. That's one of them, foggy and half-formed though it may be.

He closes his eyes when Glenn mentions that his fiancee is dead, presumably. "That was a good gift she gave you, and I'm sure she'd be pleased that you're taking such good care of it."

When Glenn mentions the age of the ship, he listens to the explanation, interested.

"I have a ship here, though I don't travel with it. There hasn't really been any need to."

"My ship is my home, so there's plenty need to travel with it often." He thinks a moment.

"It is good to have the option to travel if you need to. But, because I am distracted... do you remember how the butterflies looked in your memory? I would like to draw them. Is 'right now' an okay time?"

He lifts his sketchpad up a bit in emphasis.

"I travel here, sometimes, but I always come back. The Nexus has food and shelter, something everyone needs, no matter how powerful. I'm a Force-sensitive, so I'm not exactly an ordinary human myself."

Ben smiles, a little more than last time, and with this one teeth show.

"Yes, I can help you draw them. Are you collecting the image through telepathy or would you rather I give you a description?"

Glenn frowns in confusion at first, and then shakes his head.

"Verbal would be good. Or you can draw it on my pad and I can interpret it that way." Cheering up a little, he goes on, "Also 'force-sensitive'? What's that? Another term for telepathy?"

"Alright, I'll draw one for you. They're blue, like how you described your morphos, and they're textured as if they're made of crystal. I'll draw one for you."

Ben pulls out his own pad to draw on for Glenn.

"I'm what's called Force-sensitive where I come from. It's complicated, but the Force is a kind of energy field in my world that connects all living creatures, and certain people are very sensitive to it. Telepathy's one of the abilities it gives me, but there are others."

Glenn immediately pays even more attention - particularly to Ben's movements regarding the pad. He almost forgets to pay attention to his words.

"I do not believe my world has something like that. Not in a way I can perceive, anyway."

Looking very, very closely, Glenn's fingers itch to draw.

"I did not bring any color with me, but it is aboard my ship. Grayscale will have to do for now."

He thinks a moment.

"Ah! Can you use telepathy to convey pictures? Is that why you asked? I assumed you were asking if I could use telepathy."

"Yes, I can - that's one of the ways my powers manifest."

Ben concentrates, trying to project the image of a crystal butterfly into Glenn's mind. They're delicate creatures with shining blue wings, a lot like Earth butterflies.

He was very young then, so he doesn't remember much of the story - but he never forgot how beautiful the insects were, and the way they seemed to like him.

As much as he's changed, he wouldn't mind seeing them again.

"There are equivalents to the Force, in other universes. Maybe it's a kind of magic, but I don't see it that way."

+1 Half-Alien Artist

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