nexus_crossings | Mother always told me to never give away a story for free

Mother always told me to never give away a story for free

"Honestly, all this bare chest and he hits home right in the fabric..."

Did the demonic looking purple stranger look at all put out by the new locale? Not really, they'd been given a pamphlet that was currently tucked into their belt to be reviewed later. Their attention more focused on the bloody hole in their rather ostentatious coat, lips quirking on a frown as they fingered the damaged fabric lightly, tail twitching behind them in a clear hint of their annoyance.

Really, they're looking rather calm for someone that bloody. When they hear someone coming near they glance up with a jingle of jewelry both in skin and decorating their curved horns, red eyes brightening as their mouth spreads to a cheerfully hopeful smile.

"Well then!" They straighten, something of a showmanship in the shift from grumpy contemplation to sunny disposition but at the same time that shift didn't seem dishonest either. "Hello there darling, please tell me there's some manner of tailor to be found here? As you can likely see I'm in dire need of one."

Clearly this was some manner of weird afterlife, but Mollymauk would be dipped in Fuck No if anyone expected them to wander around with their coat in tatters.

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"Bloody brave bloke and I respect him a lot and not just because he's my girlfriend's dad either."

Mick found space to be slightly terrifying and awe-inspiring at the same time because both Ziggy, Tommy and Aletayria had come from Anthea and landed on Earth. What or who else was out there? It just made the guitarist's mind boggle and he'd rather focus on his music for now. Glancing at the friendly arm outstretched, Mick smiled and slowly took it seeing no harm in it.

"Fortunes, eh? Sort of like gypsy fortune telling, like? I once went to someone at a fun fair. A lady in a tent and she had these cards out. Not sure if she were real or not though."

Mick walked up to the nearest bar and pushed the doors open, walking in with his blue friend. It was the Angel's Retreat. Balthazar's bar. Sliding up to the bar, Mick sat on the stool wondering what Molly would like to drink. He waved over the angel who was talking to another patron.

"What can I get you, mate?"

Nothing wrong at all. It made the amble to the bar almost like a pleasant little stroll as the cards were whisked away as quickly as they'd appeared.

"Oh it's as real as you want it to be. Some will say otherwise but," He gave a light wave of his hand. "They're usually trying to sell you something. Or actual Seers which is a whole 'nother ball of wax."

Molly seems quite content to follow Mick's lead, settling easily on the stool at his side as he glanced around at their surroundings. An angel-run bar, now wasn't that something! "Whisky sounds about perfect. Something that'll really put a kink in my tail if you would be so kind."

Mick didn't really believe in hocus pocus and all that when he was younger because he was rather naïve and just loved playing on his guitar. Was he still sceptical now that he was in the Nexus? After what he'd seen he couldn't really doubt that magic didn't exist at all. Molly seemed good with his tricks and maybe magic actually was real in the Nexus, who knew?

"I'm interested in these cards you've got."

Two whiskeys were slid along the bar top as Balthazar offered Mick a friendly smile, since the angel was Ziggy's brother's partner. They knew each other well. Waving towards the blue patron, the angel was then moving to serve someone else who had arrived. It was a busy bar.

"The angel here is the owner and partner of Ziggy's brother. We're all family, really."

He took a sip of whiskey and eyed up Molly carefully, wondering if he was about to have his fortune taken for real. Adjusting his guitar carefully on his lap, Mick kept his eyes on the tiefling's hands.

"Going to tell me my fortune, mate?"

Molly thanked Balthazar warmly for the drinks before he was off on another task. A barkeep's work was endless after all.

"Sounds like you're all getting along rather well here." And honestly it made him feel a bit better about this strange place that others were prospering, that even those who were not 'specifically normal' enough seemed to be doing well made him confident in his own ability to carve out a life here if he decided to.

He took a drink of his own whiskey, a softly exclaimed delight at the burn in quiet Infernal uttered as he brought the cards out again at that question with a grin, shuffling them easily between long fingers.

"Sure will. Lets do single pulls for now, see what happens from there. Got any questions you want to fling out to the Fates to see what they make of it, now's the time." He tended to stick with normal readings. 'Cold reading' like anyone could learn to do. Sometimes though something real slipped through, and it was hard to tell which it would be until he had the card picked in hand.

"Yeah, I've been here for a month or two now and Ziggy's really made me feel at home. At first I was scared and nervous because of all the aliens, robots and other creatures around. But now? I am slowly getting used to the strangeness of it all."

There was always something new around every corner and Mick loved the mystery of it all. That and the fact he could play guitar to everyone he met, no matter who or what they were. Sipping his drink, he pulled out a pack of his favourite smokes and offered one to Molly. Did tieflings smoke? Well, he was about to find out as Mick liked to share things with friends.

"Uh---I don't know, mate. How about you surprise me, eh?"

He had no idea what to even ask so just lit his smoke and exhaled a line of smoke above his head.

"Well I'm weird and you're doing just fine with me so I'm gonna say you're coming along real well." It might be lightly joking, but at the same time it was a genuine enough sort of compliment. Not everyone could deal with Weird. It was why so many people drifted to the carnival to find a home.

He wasn't entirely familiar with this sort of setup, but the smell of tobacco was familiar enough that Molly didn't even have to ask what he was being offered, gently slipping a cigarette from the wrapper with a hum of appreciation once he'd finished shuffling the cards, popping it between his lips to find a match to light it with before turning his attention back to the cards, fanning them in one hand to hold out to Mick, backs up.

"Alright a general peek at the future to start then! Pick a card and turn it over and let's see where you're at, my friend!"

"You're not so bad, mate. I've got a friend who's actually called Weird. That's his name. Our bassist."

The black long-haired bassist being part of the Spiders from Mars and Mick's close friend. They had auditioned together along with Gilly, their loud-mouthed bitchy drummer. They all liked each other really. Mick, now glanced down at Molly's hand, wondering what card he'd pick out first. Inhaling softly, he slowly picked one and turned it over.

"Ok---here goes. What did I get?"

He was partly afraid it might be the Grim bloody Reaper or something.

"Oh I'm not meaning that weird is bad. Just that a lot of people don't know what to make of it. Makes them antsy." He tilts his head, brows lifting. "But that's his name? Goodness, I'll have to meet him some day, bet he's good fun."

Molly settled in as Mick took his time, red gaze turning to the card the guitarist had selected, the surface painted with a deep navy sky, a silvery moon on the face.

"The Moon! Light without the harsh burn of sunlight, while still preserving the softer edges of the Dark it finds itself in unity with. A balance there, and it's that same harmony I see you walking towards on your midnight path," Molly mused, reaching to lightly take the card, turning it back and forth lightly to let the light reflect off the silver paint. "Given her domain, the harmony you're working towards is both a thing within yourself as well as in your romantic life."

"The Spiders will hopefully come into the Nexus one day and I'll be sure to introduce Weird to you once they do."

It would be a culture shock but they needed to know about the whole alien aspect first before stepping through the portal. Two men from the 1970's would be blown away once they did set foot into the Nexus much like Mick. The blond's eyes were soon back on Molly and what card he was dishing out.

"The Moon? Oh---is that good? Well, it talks about me and Ziggy and says it's romantic so---yeah, that sounds about right."

He smiled and wondered what other cards he would draw. Molly seemed to be skilled at what he did and Mick did wonder if it would all come true. So far so good. He sipped his drink and swallowed.

"What's the next card say?"

"I will absolutely look forward to meeting your bandmates then." Molly hummed, taking a drag of his cigarette to blow out a few smoke rings above their heads.

"The cards aren't technically straight good or bad. There's positives and negatives to each, it's just a matter of interpreting the card drawn and the person it's drawn for. A detail picked for one draw might be different than the same card drawn again even for the same person," Molly clarified, not wanting Mick to worry about his fortune turning out terribly. "Yours seems to be positive so far, but even the negative reading can be... well bad things happen. Bad things happen to people and they happen to good people which is shitty and unfair, but it's also a chance to learn something. About yourself, about the world, about your place in it. All up to the person what they take from it."

The cards always do make him feel a bit more introspective, and he huffs a soft laugh fanning them towards Mick as before. "But a second card? Sure, pick one and let's see where things meander from here."

"They're really good lads. You'll get along with Weird since he's a down to earth bloke who is caring and loyal."

He was the band dad since he was the one who opened the limo door to let everyone in and out. Weird also played peace keeper when Gilly mouthed off at everyone or got too bitchy. This was if Ziggy didn't get there first in putting the drummer down a peg or two when it was needed. They were all good really.

"How many cards are you supposed to take? I just want one more because I'm curious about all of this. I mean---I don't want a bad one because I'm sort of worried it might come true or something."

Mick was wary but so far he'd had a good one so it might not be so bad? Slowly, he took another card as he took a drag from his cigarette and blew it above his head.

"Well I've already got good vibes about you, I'm sure I'll like them just as much." Molly knows how it can be, a small group, tight knit where everyone just kinda works well together. A family in a weird sort of way. From the way Mick spoke, it sounded like his band was that for him. "As for how many, it's all one-offs right now, just casting out a hello to the universe and seeing what it says back. We can stop whenever you feel like."

Some people got nervous about fortunes. Molly understood that, but he also could respect Mick forging on even a bit regardless. He slipped the selected card from the guitarist, turning it between two fingers to reveal the painting of the robed man, bearing a staff and book, a faint smile playing over his lips.

"The Magician. Remember that path you're on? Looks like the fates are still on about it. A font of unbridled, passionate inspiration, yours and your companions, have propelled you on your way so far, in that wonderful rush of an idea, a vision, much like the Magician's singular pursuit of knowing. It can be a wonderful, lovely thing, and I can see it taking you and yours so very far," He twitched his fingers holding the card up, as if to emphasize. "But from personal experience be sure to keep at least a bit of attention on the path. That light of art and inspiration is a lovely thing, but the shadows that light can cast on a road can hide some nasty pitfalls if you don't watch out for each other. But from the sounds of things I imagine you already do."

"The Magician? It sounds a lot like me with my passion for music and ideas. Is there an actual Musician card because that would be me all over."

He sipped his drink and smiled at Molly, glad that he was spending time reading his fortune. As for the bad cards? Mick hoped he wouldn't get a bad omen because he didn't really want to have to deal with that. Losing Ziggy or some other terrible thing---yeah. That wouldn't happen---not while he was around to protect his alien girlfriend.

"Would you like another song, mate? Seems only fair that you read me two cards. Two good cards too."

Placing his whiskey glass back on the counter top, Mick began plucking at a few of his strings as he brought his guitar back round to his chest once more.

"Not in the typical deck but then most readers where I come from tend to customize their decks. So it wouldn't surprise me that someone might have a Musician in theirs!" Molly had started that process himself- the Magician card hadn't originally had that red hair after all, and the Tinker elsewhere in the deck wasn't normally depicting a clever little goblin with lamp-yellow eyes.

"I would love another song," Molly enthused, tail curling up with a sway of the end, not unlike an interested cat's tail might move. "You and your guitar are delightful."

"Ah I get you, mate. Well, here's another song. I think you'll like this one since I did a little dance in it and Ziggy seemed to enjoy it too. This was on stage mind you so you might have to imagine me doing a bird dance. I sort of wiggled my hips a bit and glammed it up."

Mick's famous "bird dance" performed on the 1980 Floor Show. Of course it had to be shown as him playing The Jean Genie on guitar whilst getting all touchy feely with Ziggy. A bird mating dance of sorts? Either way, the crowd seemed to have liked it. So, right now he's going to play The Jean Genie and hope Molly likes the riffs he's going to produce. The Jean Genie.

"Here we go."

Mick starts playing with a smile.

"I bet Ziggy loved it. If they didn't have dibs maybe I'd have to snap you up, you're delightful." The little flirt was true enough but all in good fun, just a bit of fun complimenting for a friend. For as much of a hedonist as Molly could be, he wasn't one to homewreck, and the way Mick got soft talking about Ziggy was too cute.

And with just a drink to worry about, he'd be happy to sway in his seat in time to the music, body going one way while his tail twirled the other with a soft chuckle.

"Yeah, he did love it. We all did. What? Oh--"

Mick blushed slightly at that and looked a little awkward because he wasn't used to having people flirt with him. At least, not blue tieflings. He knew Molly was being friendly so just smiled and clinked his glass against his new friend's one. Ziggy was all Mick wanted and no one else could ever come close. After three years of near rejecting the Anthean--he knew he could now make it up to his girlfriend. He gave his fingers a rest from the strings as he drank his drink for a moment or two.

"Do you know what you're going to do here, Molly? For a job, like. Now that you're in the Nexus."

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Mother always told me to never give away a story for free

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