nexus_crossings | Finally, a place stranger than his office!

Finally, a place stranger than his office!

Strange things happening around an office filled with magical beings is the norm in Mordred's life. Every day he deals with with magic users, vampires, and landlines in a bag (that call God, no less), so opening a door and finding something unexpected on the other side isn't really a shock. Or it shouldn't be, but a multi-dimensional hub is far outside even the young man's definition of "normal".

Instead of stepping into an unused office supposedly filled with the missing supplies he needs, he finds himself stepping out onto a chilly street along the Plaza. Mordred blinks a few times as he takes in his surroundings (including a-- Captain America PSA?), silently thanks the Goddess he's actually wearing a sweater while he looks around the area, and then makes his way over to the pamphlets to check one out. It's not the most helpful reading material, but it's enough that he looks slightly less nervous once he's worked up the nerve to ask a question as instructed.

"So, I-- This might not be the best first question to ask of strangers, but..." The druid's cheeks flush as he tugs at the bottom of his sweater, his fingers worrying the hem as he gathers his thoughts. "My fiancé and I are getting married soon, and a-a friend of ours-- his sister, actually... Well, she's planning everything-- for us, but I feel like I should contribute something." He frowns thoughtfully for a moment, then sighs heavily. "If you could add-- anything you wanted to a wedding, what would it be? Anything I should-- avoid, at the very least?"

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A reincarnation? Galahad's heard about things like this happening before, but it's something else entirely to meet someone who apparently is the reincarnated version of one of Arthur's men. Whether they're from the same Earth or not, this is as chance a Nexus encounter as they come.

"Aye, I am." Galahad frowns softly, watching Mordred with growing concern as the man before him pales and shakes on the spot. He's seen enough of men swooning on battlefields or after grievous injury to see that Mordred's struggling a bit, here. The knight takes his hand back, and touches the other man's shoulder instead. "Are you all right? You don't look well."

Was introducing himself like this the wrong choice? Did he move too quickly??? The knight can't tell, but this is definitely a concerning outcome of his attempt to be friendly.

Mordred misses the question asked of him while his mind struggles to keep up with what's happening. His head is spinning right now with so many possibilities of what's happening and it's very difficult to keep up with it. He closes his eyes briefly as he takes a breath to rally himself, but it doesn't really help. His eyes stay closed regardless of his desire to open them again.

Well, that's what he thinks is happening, at least. Galahad will instead see Mordred close his eyes and begin to lean forward slowly over their connected hands as his words start to slur together.

"You look-- like my f-fiancé... Hands are not... quite... right though..."

With absolutely no fanfare about it, Mordred collapses in Galahad's direction as he faints. It's not an unusual for unexpected situations to cause this sort of reaction, but it does seem to be a pattern with this particular face. It will also take him a few minutes to recover enough to get back on his feet, for which he is very sorry, Galahad. But at least he's very slim and light compared to most knights??

"Jesu--" There's nothing for it. Although Galahad sees it coming moments before it happens, Mordred's fainting is still surprising enough that it catches the knight off guard. It's instinct that saves them both. Galahad automatically reaches out to catch Mordred as the young man sways dangerously on the spot, and then tilts into a full collapse in his direction. He supports the other man's slight form in his arms, stumbling a bit under the dead weight for a second, and then turns Mordred so they can fold carefully down to the ground. Galahad takes a breath, and then settles Mordred onto his back once he has the proper leverage.

...Okay, definitely too exciting of a greeting, apparently. He'll have to work on that one.

"God almighty," Galahad murmurs, gently fanning Mordred's face with a hand as he looks the man over. There doesn't seem to be anything else immediately wrong with him, so the knight feels comfortable assuming that the other man is simply overwhelmed. "Can you hear me?" How strange, to be supporting someone who is both his brother and also not. "You're all right, Mordred. This is a safe place."

For his part, Mordred is extremely disoriented when he comes to a few minutes later. This isn't normal for him, per se, but there is precedent. Which means Mordred is chuckling a bit as Galahad's face starts to come into view and he realizes that he's looking directly up at the man.

"Got to stop-- meeting like this, Galeas." He chuckles again and is about to push through the pain in his fingers to pull the man above him into a kiss when reality catches back up. His hand immediately drops back onto his chest, and he makes a small 'oof' sound as he frowns up Galahad. Goddess, how many times is he going to keep doing this when confronted by someone with this face?! He's not at all a fan of seeing it look back at him with panic and concern etched into it.

Mordred's face turns a bright red as he stammers, "S-s-sorry, I-I didn't mean-- to f-f-faint on you. That-- ah, that happens... sometimes." He'll avoid owning up to the rest of that particular line of thought to spare them both some embarrassment. "I'm all-- right. Just out of sorts."

For his part, Galahad is glad that Mordred's all right. Relief fills his face as the other man opens his eyes and looks up at him, going as far as to apologize for something that seems very forgivable to the knight. The Nexus is far from a normal place, and although the knight's grown used to it over time, he can understand Mordred's reaction. The multidimensional hub has a way of bending the expectations anyone might have until they break. Particularly, it seems, in the case of this man who knows another person with his face well enough to smile up at him with the level of fondness and affection that Mordred's shown him in flashes.

"It's all right. The Nexus is a surprising place for everyone when they come here first," Galahad assures Mordred, smiling uncertainly as he reaches to fish out the water skin on his person. "Have some of this, aye? It'll help."

Edited 2021-03-11 05:51 (UTC)

Water is very necessary right now, and as Mordred implicitly trusts anyone with his fiancé's face, he doesn't hesitate to take the water skin from Galahad once he's sitting. He takes a long, slow drink and then offers the skin back to the knight with an apologetic smile.

"Thanks. I didn't think I'd end up somewhere like this today, and even less that I'd meet-- someone like you." His cheeks flush a deep red and he immediately dips his head, busying himself with worrying the hem of his sweater again. "M-my fiancé looks-- like you, a-a-and his body was modeled after yours by the celestial beings who created him." Ah, he probably shouldn't be offering all that information, should he? Goddess, he's so nervous after everything that's happened, and he really can't help the way he feels like he can talk to that face without hesitation.

The druid takes a breath to settle his heartbeat before he continues. "It's all a lot to take in. I'm used to magic and weird-- things happening, but I've never--" He takes another breath and shakes his head. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you weren't expecting this to be-- part your day, either."

Now it's Galahad's turn to be surprised. Someone else was modeled after him, and by Celestials --angels-- no less? This is so much more information than he was expecting when he approached Mordred in the hopes of offering a supportive word or two on his marriage difficulties. It takes a few moments of confused blinking and staring for the knight to collect himself.

"After me?" Galahad clutches the water skin as Mordred offers it back, before letting it go at his side. "What do you mean by that?" The words are self explanatory enough, but he's suddenly starting to understand Mordred's fainting spell better. What, if anything, could this mean? Is there something here in suddenly meeting and finding out about this from Mordred's reincarnation that he isn't seeing?

Edited 2021-03-11 14:36 (UTC)

It's at this point that Mordred's realizing he probably shouldn't have mentioned that part about Galeas. Ah... oops? Goddess forgive him, these are very unusual circumstances and he's really trying the best he can.

"I-I... well, I mean-- what I said." Oof. That was terrible. The druid tries for a breath before attempting to explain again. "Where I come-- from, you did great things for God. A-and when He needed an envoy, someone wh-who could talk-- to Him and His... kind," that phrasing leaves much to be desired, but he's going to go with it anyway, "they shaped someone after you. B-b-but Galeas isn't just-- like you, I swear. He's his own person! He... just... looks like... you..."

That really didn't get any better, did it? Please continue to be patient with the poor druid, Galahad, he's really doing the best he can.

Encountering samefaces in the Nexus is a routine, if rarer, occurrence, but this is something else entirely. The knight isn’t sure what to do with this information, but his modesty trigger is being pushed hard. Surely there were saints or other people of God who would have been more appropriate models for what Mordred’s describing? But then again, if it was a choice made by the divine, doesn’t that make it ineffable?

Cue internal flailing.

“I-I’ll have to keep that in mind, should I meet him,” the knight says gently, in an attempt to steer his personal ship of awkwardness back on course. This is a wild double whammy of information, and he’s sure it’s just as strange for Mordred, too. Sameface is one thing, sameface fiancé is another. Hopefully they can flail through this together.

“But it does sound a great honor to convey His will in a straightforward way like that.” The knight smiles slightly at the idea. “He touches me, too, but the messages I receive from him aren’t so direct. Your fiancé must be loved and trusted, to hold such a place in the hierarchy where he can be given the Word unveiled.”

Meet? ...yeah, that is definitely going to happen if Galeas has any say about it. Mordred's expression becomes apologetic as he nods along with what Galahad is saying. That will be quite the rough introduction he'll be brokering, but hopefully he can manage without too much awkwardness.

"It's a very big honor," he agrees. "He was created specifically-- to do that, but he's very excited about what he does. It's adorable." Mordred chuckles softly, his cheeks flushing a bit as he thinks about the wonder and joy with which his fiancé experiences life. There's no one who thinks or acts quite like the man he loves, and it's a thing the druid very much appreciates having in his life.

"I'm told God is very loving and accepting of humans, so I'm sure your own God appreciates what you do." He doesn't want to say or assume anything on behalf of a God he's never interacted with, but Mordred hopes this much is true for Galahad. "I hope He offers you some clarity, if that's what you're looking for. It can't hurt-- to ask at least."

Galahad smiles as he listens to Mordred gush about his fiancé and watches his face flush with happiness. The version of the young man standing before him that he knows is reserved and seems unhappy with his lot in Camelot most of the time. Seeing that his future self ends up happy in this way is reassuring and a pleasure.

"Thank you, Mordred. That's what I believe, too; That we may face challenges and setbacks in life, but that Heaven does love us as we are. I believe that clarity will come for me when I have earned it." He has no idea what that might mean for him, but Galahad resolved long ago to be patient with such matters.

"There is one thing about God and the divine that may help you to know, though," Galahad starts to explain, after a short hesitation. "Some of the peoples who walk this place have very different experiences of God. They will undoubtedly quarrel with you or your fiancé over the nature of the divine if they hear words like those you've just said to me." His own process of finding that particular detail out ended up rocky in more ways than one, so why not prepare someone new just in case?

Edited 2021-03-12 19:23 (UTC)

Mordred can't really offer any advice to Galahad in response to his beliefs. He doesn't know the man's God (is it the same one Mordred knows or another entirely?) and as a man of the Goddess himself, his knowledge is all secondhand anyway. He does hope for the best for the knight, though. Anyone with his fiancé's face will automatically have his best wishes, but Galahad seems a good person and that's more than reason enough for Mordred to wish him well.

"They... might?" The druid frowns softly at the idea. "Is it because their own gods treat them differently? I know I can't speak-- for God, even where I'm from, because I'm not one of His own, but I'd hope no one would be offended by hearing things that don't line up with what they know." Nothing productive comes from attacking someone else for speaking what they know to be true. It might not be true for someone else, especially in a place like the Nexus, but the idea that someone would get upset by hearing about God from Galeas or the Goddess from himself... It's disheartening, to put it mildly.

"Aye, it's because their God treats them differently. People here have been abused by the divine in their own worlds." Galahad clasps his hands behind himself. "I say this only in the hope that you or your fiancé may not be surprised in the same way I was."

How terrible. Mordred frowns softly and nods his understanding. "Thank you. It's kind of you to offer advice like this. I didn't come-- looking for it, but it'll be very helpful to me and my fiancé." Likely more for Galeas than himself, but it's still useful for him to know ahead of the envoy knowing. The druid takes a breath, then offers the knight a smile.

"I know it'll be awkward-- if we meet again, but I hope we do someday. And I hope your God is as kind and gracious to you as the one where I'm from has been to the man I love."

"Thank you, Mordred." The seriousness slips away from Galahad's demeanor as he regards the kind, and well-mannered druid. "You have my good tidings for your upcoming wedding, too. How soon will you be married?"

Mordred's cheeks flush a bright red as he immediately looks down and begins tugging at a frayed thread at the hem of his sweater. He really should know the answer to this, but... well...

"I-I don't actually-- know. With our friend doing all the work and-- planning, I never thought to ask. She works with us, so I know she's arranging time off work and everything-- else that needs taking care of." The druid laughs nervously as he looks up at Galahad with a shy smile. "Sometime after spring begins, I think. We want it to be warm outside, as we're getting married in the garden of a large local church."

Oh! Galahad also offered advice when he first approached, didn't he? The druid should probably touch on that before he forgets again. "Ah, you suggested we take time-- for ourselves during the ceremony and after, right? What do you mean by that?"

The knight smiles softly as he pictures Mordred getting married outside of a church and surrounded by flowers. It's a wonderful idea, and sounds like a perfect way to celebrate the love between two people. Maybe he'll have to consider bringing up the idea of something similarly floral-heavy to Beelzebub once their own wedding draws closer. For now, the knight files the idea away in the back of his mind.

"A Spring wedding sounds pleasant. It'll be good weather for your guests too." How wonderful.

When Mordred speaks up again, the knight is drawn a little from his own private reveries about what it would be like to get married in the Spring and surrounded by flowers. He blinks, and then runs a hand through his curls to bring himself fully back to the present.

"Ah, that... Well, most weddings mean spending time greeting guests and receiving their well wishes, aye? But I would think it important to spend the most time, whether publicly or pulled off to one side, with the man you love. To enjoy yourselves fully, as lovers deserve."

It's not quite the same, but Mordred could swear he recognizes that dreamy look on Galahad's face. It brings a bright smile to his own face as he watches the knight pull himself from his daydreams, though the wisdom he offers quickly brings him back down to a much more earthly thoughts.

"Enjoy ourselves fully," he repeats softly. As lovers deserve suggests quite a few things, but given his relationship with Galeas, Mordred's mind automatically skips ahead to a thing the two of them have been dreaming about since the day the druid say yes: husband sex. Goddess, wouldn't it be wonderful if they could steal away from their own wedding for just... ten or twenty minutes to be together after they're married? His cheeks flush as the idea settles in his mind, and he has to shake his head to keep from getting too distracted.

"Y-yes, that-- I remember being mentioned. The greeting and-- well wishes, I mean." He pauses for an excited breath. "I'll ask if our friend can't find us a little-- time for us to spend alone during the day, though. Even a few minutes alone with my..." He inhales a deep breath and exhales it as a content sigh. "With my husband would be amazing." She can manage that for them, right? If Galeas asks, there's no way it won't happen, because the woman would do anything for her brother.

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Finally, a place stranger than his office!

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