nexus_crossings | One Trashcan Comes Rolling In

One Trashcan Comes Rolling In

The trash can had rolled away from the loud party he had been thrown into a few nights back as it was now sitting on the edge of the Plaza area alone. An unassuming silver trashcan which housed a curious being inside. Yet, most would just assume it was a normal trashcan which was for the Nexus residents to dump their garbage in. But this was not so. Oscar the Grouch was trying to sleep.

Again.

He heard more noise. Talking? Birds being overly loud? Or was that someone whizzing past on roller skates? Kids? Dogs? Too much noise. Signing grumpily as he popped the lid of his can open a tiny crack so that morning sunlight pierced his vision. Ungh sunlight. Why couldn't it be nice and dark all the time? Sunlight made people come out and want to talk to him if they saw him. This is why he was only peeking around to see where the noise was coming from. Ever since someone had dumped him off into this strange place all he'd heard was noise. The first lot being from someone's garden party. The damn loud guitars and some weird guy popping his lid for a look.

So rude.

Oscar pushed the lid open a little further and looked around frowning as he always did. His large brown eyebrows fixed to the top of his green furry head, as he wondered what was going on. How long had he slept? Hours? Days? Even he didn't know. What day was it? He was currently wallowing in a pile of trash and felt something stab him in the back. Huh? Reaching around he grabbed the Nexus pamphlet, which someone rudely shoved into his trashcan when he first arrived, and threw it out onto the floor. How dare they! This was his home and not someone's private garbage can.

"Geez. What does it take for a monster to get some peace and quiet around here?"

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Caspar is in the Nexus for his daily trip to the coffee shop to pick up a coffee (black) for himself and a mocha for his wife. Dressed in a bespoke wool suit, he does not look like the sort to hang around trashcans, except perhaps to throw away an empty to-go cup. But Oscar's voice cuts through whatever thoughts were in his head and he pauses, looking curiously at the furry green monster.

"Buddy, if you're looking for some peace and quiet, you've definitely come to the wrong place."

Oscar heard the voice directed towards him as he looked to the guy now talking to him. Perfect. Just what he wanted to hear. This guy telling him that his trashcan had been rolled into the noisy neighbourhood. That got a long sigh from the green monster as he rooted through his can, tossing out a mouldy banana skin close by the guy's feet.

"Uh-huh? Is that so? Well, guess what? I didn't want to come to this place. Someone moved my trashcan and dumped me here. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Because if this was some sort of joke? It wasn't funny. At all. The whole dump Oscar at a garden rave thing? Yeah. That got him wound up big time. He wasn't in Sesame Street anymore that's for sure.

Caspar casually takes a step away from the banana peel while he listens to Oscar rant. Normally Caspar is the grouchiest guy around when it comes to Nexus nonsense, it's not often that he's outclassed. He smirks, genuinely impressed. It also helps that Oscar is a monster, and an oddly adorable one at that, despite living in filth.

"Do I look like someone who picks up trashcans and moves them around?" he asks with a raised eyebrow. "You probably rolled in through some portal. Happens all the time around here. Where are you from, anyway?"

Sorry about the peel, pal. Oscar likes to wallow around in trash since it feels more natural to him. As for the stink. What stink? This monster doesn't think it's stinky at all living in a trashcan. Nope. Everyone else is clearly missing out in his view and all he wants is to be left in peace.

"How do I know? You could be. Portal? I don't buy that."

He sighed, rubbing his furry face with his hand. Seriously? A portal? Was this guy trying to crack a joke? Because it wasn't working.

"I'm from Sesame Street. All I want is to be left alone and to sleep in my can. The last time someone opened this lid? It was at some damn rock party with guitars blasting my ear holes off."

Oscar has ears just not visible ones.

"In this suit?" Caspar remarks, gesturing to himself. "Give me a break, pal. And yeah, a portal. That's how almost anybody ends up here. Were you expecting a subway stop or something?"

Not that Caspar is entirely without sympathy. He'd have hated for his introduction to the Nexus to be at some insufferably loud party. Ear holes, though. Heh.

"Well, the last thing you have to worry about is me touching your lid. But I can try to help you get back to Sesame Street, so long as it doesn't interrupt my coffee run."

"Your coffee run? So your coffee is more important than my life? Thanks, pal. Hey, I didn't ask to be here, you know. Some moron thought it funny to roll me here and dump me into some weird world."

Oscar huffed and felt like slamming his lid shut on this guy but knew that wouldn't really solve anything. He had to try to get back home but didn't know the way back to Sesame Street. It wasn't his fault he was asleep when someone happened to roll his can into a party.

"You don't happen to know if there are more monsters like me around here, do you? Sort of furry, different coloured types? A giant yellow bird, blue guy who loves to eat cookies? That sort of thing?"

If there were more Sesame Street people then maybe they could get him back.

Caspar raises an eyebrow. "That's a little dramatic. Relax, you're not going to waste away here." Although he does find the complaining entertaining. It's a nice balance to the excessive cheeriness that he sometimes gets around here. It is far too early in the morning for sunshine and rainbows, especially when he hasn't had any coffee yet.

He shakes his head at the mention of the other monsters. "The only monsters I know are at the coffee shop I go to. You can come along and ask around, maybe one of them knows the yellow bird or the blue guy."

"Dramatic? I'm not the one worried about his coffee run. Sheesh."

Humans. Why did they have to be so fixated on running around like a headless chicken with their so important lives? Oscar didn't care about that. At all. Just him in the dark, in his trashcan. That's all he wanted.

"Monsters in the coffee shop? Really? What sort are we talking about here? Or are you yanking my chain?"

Oscar just eyeing the guy up and frowning.

"I'm not yanking your anything, pal. The shop is run by a giant rabbit, she's from a place where everyone's a monster." Although a lot of them are cute enough that Caspar isn't sure why they ever got that label. Probably because of humans being their usual xenophobic selves. Ugh.

"Can you get there on your own, or do you need me to roll you there? I gotta warn you, the staff are all really nice." He smirks. "I wouldn't want you to get sick over it."

"You sure about that, pal? A giant rabbit, huh? What's its name?"

Oscar could believe that since back on Sesame Street there were all sorts of giant animals. Big Bird and others. They talked to him but usually Oscar was too grouchy to be interested in a conversation. Why should he have to talk to them anyway?

"I can't roll my own can, buster. It's like asking you to lift your own house and move it while you're still standing in it."

Obviously?

"Her name's Harriet. She's a great baker, if you're into sweets."

Caspar is having a hard time picturing Oscar with a sweet tooth. A guy who chooses to live in a trash can probably has a unique taste on food, too.

When Oscar implies that Caspar will have to roll him to the coffee shop, the Cylon's nose wrinkles in distaste. The last thing he wants to do is put his hands on a dirty trash can, but maybe if he gets the tipping part over quickly, he can roll the can with his foot instead.

"Fine, fine. My name's Caspar, by the way. What's yours?" He should at least know the grouch's name before he lays hands on his "house".

"Hello!" Oscar is approached by two odd-looking creatures - one like a sort of strange vulture and the other a sort of mammal-like bird with four arms. "It's wonderful to meet you!" Clearly the fact that the visitor wants quiet was lost on the Heretic. It wasn't on the Wanderer, though, so urGoh steps in to help.

"Go easy...on him...skekGra," the Mystic gently chides. "Welcome to...the Nexus. Who are...you?" urGoh has never met someone who lived in a garbage can before, though anywhere he and skekGra live tends to get cluttered with their materials. It had been the case at the Circle of the Suns and it's certainly the case with their new house. It's moreso skekGra's fault. The skeksis is filled with frenetic energy.

Oh great. What now?

Oscar is now greeted by the two odd looking creatures. Were they monsters too? Looked like it. This was the last thing he wanted. Company. Sighing he just stared at the two and rubbed his face. Why were people so damn cheerful in this Nexus place? Couldn't they just all leave him alone?

"Oscar. No, I don't want to make friends and no I don't want to buy anything."

Thinking they might be door to door salesmen? Or, at least, trashcan to trashcan salesmen. Either way, have a grumpy monster, skekGra and urGoh. This guy just wants to wallow in trash.

"Someone rolled me here and I didn't want to end up wherever this is. Are you a lizard or dinosaur? You looked sort of reptile like."

He had definitely heard someone whizzing past on roller skates. Harley Quinn, decked out in clashing neon colors, and a bright smile on her face, skidded to a stop when she heard a voice from the trashcan.

She skated over, and grinned brightly.

"Is that like a joke? Like what games do monsters play....."

She grins again. "Hide and Shriek!" Answering her own question.

With a glide, she skates closer. "Do you need shade Green Eyes? I can bring you an umbrella."

Edited 2021-02-16 19:09 (UTC)

Oh boy. So, this was the cause of the skating noise.

"A joke? No, I'm not joking at all. I'm annoyed someone rolled me here against my will. Some idiot thought it would be funny."

He's not impressed. At all. As for her joke? Oscar just rolled his eyes. It was way too early in the morning for all of this and he just wanted to curl up in his trash pile and sleep. Why did she have to be so loud?

"The name's Oscar, not Green Eyes. Are you always so damn loud? You're giving me a headache."

"Awwwww that sounds inconvenient. Do you want to be rolled back?" Harley kneels down so she can check out the trash can a little better.

"I can find you a nice dark alley, to hide in."

"You will? Gee, that's real nice of you, lady. You got a name?"

Oscar was being a bit more social now that she was offering to roll him back into a nice dark alley so that he couldn't be disturbed by noise of talking, dogs or loud music. Not many would have bothered like she was doing right now.

"It's just---not many people really like me. They think I'm just a grouch because to be honest? I am. My name's Oscar the Grouch back on Sesame Street."

"I think I could even pick your trashcan up, if that is okay with you. So you don't even have to bother with the rolling sensation again." Harley offers.

She smiles at him.

"Who says someone can't be friends with a grouch?"

"I'm Harley Quinn. And I would be glad to help you out, Oscar."

"You can? It's pretty heavy so be careful when you lift it."

She was nice. Actually being nice to him which was a change since most just ignored him or were mean. Called him the street grouch who stank and had no friends. This was true of course.

"It's just no one's ever bothered with me before. Everyone hates me back home pretty much. Not that it bothers me since I like being alone."

His trashcan was everything to him.

"One nice thing about enhanced strength... is that I can..." Harley makes sure to bend at her knees properly, and picks up the trashcan. She picks it up carefully, making sure that Oscar can still see out of it. And talk to her.

"Tell you what... I will bring you to a nice dark alleyway by my Nexus apartment. Then you are close by, if anyone tries to bother you again. Then you can be alone when you want. Or check in with me, if you want my company."

"Hey, you're pretty strong, lady."

Oscar's eyes widened as she lifted up his can and began to walk with it. Well, would you look at that. She could carry him and this caused the monster to rub his head in surprise.

"Yeah, I'd like that. It'd be swell. No one's ever bothered to care for me like you have. I'm pretty surprised I guess."

He rooted around in the bottom of his can and pulled out some smashed weeds, offering them to her as a present. This was a thank you gift of sorts.

"Here are some flowers for---you know? Lifting me here and actually bothering to say hello."

"Not a lot of people mess with my neighborhood." Harley winks at him, with another bright smile. "You will always have me looking out for you."

Her smile brightens with the weeds he offers her. "These are AWESOME!" She means it folks. "Thanks so much."

"Oh yeah? Glad you like 'em. Someone threw them into here around a month or so ago. Maybe they got ditched or their date didn't show up. Love's too overrated anyway. All that kissing and hugging. Ungh. I'd rather be alone in my trashcan with my piles of garbage."

This is all Oscar wanted really.

"When will I see you next? Uh---sort of if you lift my lid?"

Because Oscar was lonely even though he won't admit it.

"So no kisses goodbye then?" Harley grins at him.

"I can bring you stuff every morning, if you like. Before I go on my adventures. Say hello. Make sure no one is disturbing you. That sort of thing."

"You want me to kiss you goodbye? Really? Lady, you're the only person I know that's asked me that. Most just say I stink or I'm too much of a grouch. You're real nice to me."

Oscar scratched his green head and shrugged. Who was he to say no to a beautiful lady? He pushed his head further out his can and puckered up his lips for a kiss. Would she still kiss him?

"I'd like that, yeah. It's better than having jerks kick my can along the street or think it funny to put stones on my lid so I can't open it."

"I would never say those things about you." Harley leans forward to place a kiss on his forehead. And then another on his cheek. And finally on his puckered lips.

"I will make sure no one messes with you."

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One Trashcan Comes Rolling In

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