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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Not enough chocolate? Mordred frowns at that. He can't imagine a world in which there wouldn't be enough chocolate for a cake. "I'm sorry you couldn't have the cake you wanted, though I hope what you did have was good." Dessert isn't supposed to be the highlight of the day, but it should be whatever the couple really wants it to be. That, at least, is a thing Mordred knows about weddings.

Something that represents his relationship with Galeas? It's a surprisingly difficult idea to work out. Their lives revolve around work, chocolate, and sex, and two of those three things really shouldn't be part of a marriage ceremony. The druid thinks about this for a moment, his fidgeting continuing until inspiration strikes him and he looks up at Adia with a bright smile.

"Plants. We-- grow a lot of plants together, and it's something we've done together since before we became a couple." His expression softens and warms noticeably as he thinks back to the first time he and his fiancé followed up on some of their first conversations and grew vines in Galeas' office. They'd only been simple pothos vines, but it was still theirs, and that meant a lot. "Maybe we could include some-- of our favorites, though they're not really good for bouquets or anything. Maybe flower crowns? That's fairly traditional for hand fasting ceremonies..."

This is unexpectedly amazing advice. The druid absolutely beams as he makes a mental note about all this. "This extremely helpful. I hadn't thought about-- making this wedding ours, rather than a big party for us. Thank you." He offers a hand to Adia, though he quickly pauses in reaching out when he realizes the cat is probably in the way. "S-sorry, I'm-- Mordred. It's nice to meet you-- and your cat, too."

"Don't worry, I get all the chocolate I could ever need here," Adia replies with a grin. "But thanks. I'm glad you're getting the cake you and your fiancé want."

While he thinks over her question, Adia patiently scratches behind Anastasia's ears, curious if he'll think of anything. It's okay if he doesn't, he seems like a nervous kind of guy and she certainly knows how difficult it can be to think when in that frame of mine. His answer surprises and delights her. "Oh, that sounds really nice! It's okay if your favorites don't make for good bouquets, there are plenty of ways to incorporate plants into a wedding."

His gratitude makes her smile modestly. "You're welcome." She stops petting Anastasia to shake his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mordred. I'm Adia, and this is Anastasia. She insisted on coming with me today." Anastasia peers up at Mordred with large orange eyes and chirrups hello. "Congratulations, by the way. When's the wedding?"

"Other ways?" Mordred really has no idea about the many details that go into weddings, which is-- good in some ways, but means he's not quite able to keep up with in some of these wedding related conversations. "I know I can make flower crowns for my fiancé and I, but what else do you do with flowers at a wedding?"

Today is a great day for learning a lot of things, if nothing else. Their wedding planner will be very surprised when he comes back with ideas he wants to incorporate into the day.

The druid gives Adia's hand a good shake before leaning a little closer to Anastasia's level. Being a magical creature herself, she might recognize his own power when he reaches out to gently pet her head (with Adia's permission, of course!). He isn't in tune with his own abilities enough to recognize that the cat isn't a regular house cat, but she's cute and that's more than reason enough for him to inspect her more closely. "She's beautiful. I've never seen a cat quite like her before."

Oh. Uh, that's a good question. Mordred's cheeks flush a little. "Soon? I-- haven't really asked. The woman planning our wedding works for the same place my fiancé and I do, so she's told us not-- to think about it too much. I think she'll tell us once the details are settled?" Maybe? Hopefully? He really doesn't know for sure when it comes to Galeas' sister sometimes.

"You can use them for decoration, and as centerpieces at the guest tables. That's what I did with all the orange tulips at my reception. You can also give them out out to guests as wedding favors, if that's something you're doing. But I really like the idea of flower crowns, that sounds beautiful."

Anastasia seems delighted to have this magical human show a friendly interest in her. She eagerly butts her head into Mordred's palm, purring up a storm. "She's a kneazle," Adia explains. "A kind of magical cat. I adopted her from a friend of mine who comes from a world where there are wizards and witches and all kinds of magical creatures." She hopes that the explanation doesn't unnerve him, but he's handling his arrival in the Nexus pretty well, so she's optimistic. Besides, he's so good with Anastasia already, it should be fine.

That's kind of a surprise to hear, that he doesn't know the date yet. Don't wedding venues have to be booked months in advance? "Um... well, I'm sure that's fine. We didn't have an exact date picked until a couple weeks out, because of the tulips. But we just had it on our property, anyway. But soon is good! You must be really excited."

"We can give them away?" He really likes that idea. Giving away a small favor of something meaningful to him and Galeas would be wonderful, and with a little magic, they could even last more than a day or two. Mordred smiles brightly and adds that to the running list of flower ideas Adia's helping him come up with. "I think my fiancé will like the flower crowns, too. They're traditional in my heritage, and he likes bright flowers."

The purring and nuzzling earn the kneazle a happy laugh and more pets. "A magical cat. Is she like a witch or warlock's-- familiar, then? A magical companion who can help with spells?" Not all witches or warlocks have a familiar, of course, but now he's curious. If this little cat is inherently magical, is she powerful, too?

Mordred laughs nervously. "Y-yeah, my fiancé's sister insisted-- on taking over for us. If something's important or she needs a question answered, she'll talk to us, but otherwise..." He shrugs and gives Anastasia another set of pets and ear scritches. "I'm happy it's finally happening. We... had a little trouble getting engaged, but now we're trying to get everything settled so we can be married once the weather's good. It's all happening outdoors, so the weather needs to be warm enough that we don't lose any of our guests to the cold."

"Sure you can give them away. It's a nice thing for people to remember your wedding by. That's what I did with the tulips." Curious about the significance of flower crowns, she asks, "Your heritage? I, um, I'm not originally from Earth, so there are a lot of customs I've never heard of before."

Adia certainly looks human, although it's a bad idea to assume based on looks in the Nexus, or even on her own world, for that matter. "Oh, no, she isn't -- I mean, yes, some kneazles are used as familiars, but Anastasia is just my pet. I'm not a witch." She thinks of her moon rune and rubs the back of her head guiltily. "Not technically, anyway..."

Anastasia continues to purr and bask in the attention of this kind wizard, oblivious to her owner's mini identity crisis.

"Yeah, that sounds just like my friend, Maggie." Adia gives him a sympathetic smile. "If she's your fiancé's sister, then she probably has a good idea about what you two want at a wedding, anyway. My husband and I had a little hitch in getting engaged, too... some family drama, I guess you could call it. I'm glad you got through it, though."

"Oh! Sorry." Mordred chuckles at his own excitement, his cheeks flushing a little. "I'm Pagan. Ah, it means... the Goddess I believe in is tied to nature, and the balance of the entire world. A lot of traditions around holidays or the changing of seasons involve offerings of flowers, fruits, or plants that can be harvested at the time, so events like weddings will often involve flower crowns with whatever plants are in season." He smiles brightly, obviously excited to be explaining this. "It's not a widely practiced religion, but I do what I can to keep-- traditions as I live my life."

That's an interesting idea. Adia isn't (technically?) a witch, but still has a magical cat as a pet? This place allows for a lot of strange things to happen, but that's actually... amazing. Mordred smiles as he continues giving lots of pets to Anastasia. "No matter what she is to you, it seems she's happy to be at your side. That's a good thing to have with any companion, magical or otherwise."

Wow. The more they talk about this, the more grateful Mordred is that Adia stopped to talk to him. They have a lot more in common, for wedding-related things, than he might have initially guessed. "I'm glad you and your husband were able to work through everything as well. And I think you're-- right about his sister. She cares for my fiancé very much, and all she really wants is for us to have the perfect day." He smiles thoughtfully as he adds, "I think it's that I'm getting ideas from people like you today. Things will be even more perfect with all of the advice and suggestions I've gotten."

Adia has heard the term pagan before, but this is the first time someone has explained to her so clearly and succinctly. "Oh, a bit like Persephone and Demeter," she says thoughtfully. "It makes sense to have plants at your wedding, then, even more so than just to make things pretty. Is your fiancé pagan, too, or is this an interfaith wedding?"

Does being marked by the shadow of an Eldritch God who somehow imparted her with vague paranormal powers qualify Adia as being a witch? She doesn't know, but having Anastasia as her feline companion is unrelated to all that. "She's very happy in general," Adia responds, her smile returning. Anastasia purrs and turns her head this way and that so Mordred gets all the good spots, demonstrating what a good-natured kneazle she can be.

Adia is glad she stopped to talk to Mordred, too. It's nice to have something in common with someone that isn't being a refugee, or in the middle of a war, or suffering loss. Besides, he seems like a nice guy. A little nervous, but that's just one more thing to have in common with him. "People here can be really helpful. That's why the pamphlets suggest asking a question. Is this your first time in the Nexus? You're handling it awfully well."

"No, he's an envoy to God." ...uh, maybe there's a better way to explain that. Mordred's smile turns apologetic as he quickly continues, "H-he was created to act-- as an agent of God's will. The, uh, Christian sort of God, if you know what the means. And I--" The druid huffs an excited laugh, his expression undeniably fond. "I fell in love the first time I saw him. We bonded over plants, so they're a big part of our lives."

That... might have been a lot to drop on Adia all at once, but this next part might explain some of that? He smiles and shrugs at her comment about how well he's taking in a place like the Nexus. "I work at an office filled with magical people and creatures. Things here are-- still weird, but I think the only thing that's really strange is meeting people who look like those I know back home." Like his fiancé, for example, or (as he'll find out later) himself. That's extremely weird. He chuckles and offers Adia a smile. "When you work with witches, vampires, and agents of both Heaven and Hell, there's not a lot that registers as outside the normal even in a place like this."

Adia's eyes widen comically at Mordred's reply, but aside from her initial reaction of surprise, she doesn't seem disturbed or put out by his explanation. After meeting literal gods in the Nexus, it takes a bit more than that to faze her. Besides, it's not her religion, anyway, maybe this happens all the time in Christianity. "Wow, um... and he can still get married and all that? He's not too busy with being an envoy?" Maybe that was the problem with getting engaged that Mordred alluded to earlier. He seems terribly in love, though, which is very sweet.

As for Mordred's ease into the Nexus, that makes far more sense. "Oh, no wonder," she says with a relieved smile. "Yeah, you'll find people like that here. Do you have magic powers, too?" That seems safe to ask, considering his profession.

His other comment has her nodding, expression sobering. "We call them alternates, people who are like the ones you know back home. Or sometimes people just look really familiar. It can be jarring, sometimes, but... well, so long as you remind yourself that they aren't the same person, it usually goes okay." She smiles wryly. "I have a lot of practice with that where I'm from. My in-laws are Cylons, a kind of biological robot, and there are several copies of each model. Just one of my husband, though."

It's a fair reaction, given Mordred's description of his fiancé. Even on his own world, this is a very rare thing. "Not too busy, no. He has set work hours like a human does, and God told-- me it was okay for me to marry him, so..." The druid chuckles nervously. "If his Father says it's all right, I have to believe it is."

Being asked about his magic is pretty normal for him at this point, and given Adia has a magical cat, he figures there won't be any issues with him telling her about his abilities. "I do. I'm a druid, and most of my magic is focused on plants. I can help them grow, slow their aging, or preserve them for a short while after they've been trimmed. I can manage some other-- small spells as well, but they're not impressive. Things like levitating plates or moving heavy furniture short distances."

Biological robots? ...someone at his office will be very excited to hear about this. "H-how did you end-- up with just one of him...?" The rest of that is very important, but that one detail is very strange, so Mordred needs a moment to digest it.

An envoy to a god with set work hours; Adia might not mind so much the attention the divine likes to pay her if she could clock out at the end of the day. "I think if a god tells you it's okay to get married, then it's okay," she agrees with a little laugh. "Good for you."

Adia does not know as much about magic as someone with a magical cat probably ought to, but she's eager to learn. She's never heard of a druid before, but she gets the idea easily enough. "Levitation sounds pretty impressive to me. That's really cool that you can help plants grow, it's such a useful skill. Is magic, um... is it something lots of people on your world do? Or just a few?" Mordred seems so comfortable with magic, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's ubiquitous on his world.

"Um..." Adia blushes a little, adjusting Anastasia in her arms to give her something to do with them. "It's a long story, and kind of a sad one, I don't want to dump all of that on you at once. The short version is that I met him before he knew he was a Cylon. Aside from a few physiological differences, they're indistinguishable from humans. Then a war broke out... I didn't see him again for a couple of years. By the end of the war, he was the only one of his model left." She pauses a moment, and adds softly, "Lucky for us."

"It's a fairly rare gift. I've only met a few dozen people who can use it, and only know of maybe... a few hundred or so across my own continent? I know there's more than that in the world," his office being one branch of many such magically staffed offices attests to that, "but it's not as if you could point-- at someone on the street and guess they could use magic. You might point to someone who's not necessarily fully human when-- you do that, but that's a bit different." There are a lot of strange creatures on his world, after all.

Even the small bit of story Adia provides is on the sad side. Mordred frowns a little, instinctively fraying the bottom of his sweater again. "Very lucky. It sounds as if you might've been fated-- to be together. I-I don't know if that sort of thing exists where you're from, but it's not uncommon on my world." Maybe that's in part because magic is so prevalent? It's hard to know when he's learning about someone's culture for the first time.

A rare gift, but not unheard of. Adia nods thoughtfully to herself. "Yes, you mentioned some of the non-human people earlier. Is that related to where you work?" He works there, after all, and his envoy fiancé. It seems like too much of a coincidence otherwise.

"Fated?" She blushes and shrugs a little. "I don't know if it exists or not. Some people believe in that sort of thing, others don't. A brilliant man once told me that fate only puts you where you're supposed to be, but it's up to you to decide what to do." She smiles faintly. "But he was kind of a cult leader, too, so. I'm just grateful to be with my husband, I try not to overthink it."

"Sort of? Magical things happen all over Earth, but they're often explained away by those who don't know magic exists or those who want to keep it secret for one reason or another." He feels that's probably self-explanatory enough that he doesn't expand on it. He's being honest with Adia, but that doesn't mean everyone from his world would be equally open. "I work with people and creatures who are magical, but that's more-- a matter of who I knew before I arrived than the fact the fact that there are other magic users there. The woman who runs this office I work for was a friend of mine at university and also has magic. So when she needed an IT security expert, she came directly to me and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer to the job offer."

Maybe that was fated? It wouldn't surprise Mordred in the least. Given everything that's happened since he joined The Agency, finding out the Goddess had something to do with it would make far more sense than a lot of other explanations.

The druid nods and offers Adia a warm smile. "A sound plan. If the two of you are happy and are settled into your lives, there's no reason to question it. I hope the life you have ahead of you is full of less hardships than you've experienced in the past, so you can enjoy the happiness you've found together."

That makes perfect sense to Adia, especially considering that magical users are such a small minority of the general population. "So it was more of a networking situation," she says with an amused look. "I guess some things stay the same whether magic is involved or not. I got my position on the research vessel the Chiron because my former thesis advisor knew one of the project coordinators. Nobody had to twist my arm, though, I had always wanted to work in space."

Which is how she managed to meet Caspar and also not end up dead like most of the human population... She sighs, still thinking about the role fate has played in her life. "I think I'd feel differently about things if I didn't have so much survivor's guilt," she admits with a small shrug of her shoulders. "But thanks, I appreciate that. I hope the same for you. If you don't mind a little more advice, don't forget to actually enjoy yourself at your own wedding. Otherwise it'll all pass by in a blur."

"Space? As in..." Mordred points up toward the sky and then makes an expanding motion with his hands. "Outer space? On a ship up there?" That's a bit beyond current technology where the druid comes from, but it's incredible to think such a thing is possible for humans. "What sorts of things do you research when up in space?"

It's pretty easy to tell Adia's not keen on the sad parts of her own story, and Mordred is happy to move on from dreary subjects. Her ability to give advice he didn't realize he needed helps a lot to that end. "I'll try," he laughs. "There's so much more involved with weddings than I thought there would be. I can't even imagine how hectic the day is going to be."

Adia can't help but giggle a little at Mordred's question. "Yes, in a ship in outer space. I'm originally from multi-planetary system, we used spaceships to travel between colonies. People study all sorts of things up there, but my research vessel was specifically for infectious diseases. I'm a microbiologist."

Hopefully he knows what that is. Aside from the magic, robots, and space travel, there seems to be a significant enough overlap between their worlds.

"Yeah, it's a lot," she agrees. "But it should be fun. I mean, it's a celebration, and there's cake. Everyone can make time to enjoy cake."

Mordred's not the most knowledgeable about studying things that affect humans at large, but it makes sense to study diseases far away from big population centers. He can't imagine doing it in space, but the idea is pretty exciting. He'll always be a 'feet on the ground' type of person himself, but he loves that people would want so badly to go to space that they'd make it happen.

"That sounds like a very important job to have. I hope your research went well while you were on your ship, and that you're finding success with it now, too." He smiles brightly at Adia. "It sounds like you and your husband have built a wonderful life together. I'm glad the two of you made it through everything to be where you are now, even if it's a bit selfish because of your great advice." Which the druid is not embarrassed about admitting at all. Adia's been a great help to him, and he can't wait to share all of this with Galeas when he gets home.

The fact that Mordred understands the reasoning behind an isolated infectious disease lab would be good enough for Adia. Based on his expression, he seems to understand what she does for a living, although she brushes off his compliment with a wave of her hand and a modest smile.

"At the time all my research was much earlier in the pipeline of research to potential cure or vaccine, but thanks. I think we've done a lot of good since we settled on Earth."

She laughs a little at his comment on being selfish. "Hey, if I can give advice that's actually helpful, then I'm happy, too. Here, um..." She digs through her messenger bag for a small notepad and a pen, jotting down what looks like a phone number and handing Mordred a ripped off page. "At some point, if you want to keep visiting the Nexus, you should get yourself a PINpoint, it'll let you teleport here and also keep in touch with other people. That's my PINpoint number, you can text me whenever if you think of any other wedding questions you want to ask."

It's unexpected for a new acquaintance to want to keep in touch so easily, but Mordred is very excited by the idea. He smiles brightly as he accepts the paper from Adia, nodding as he looks over the number and then folds it up store in one of his pockets.

"Thank you. Thank you, I'll add-- your number once I get one of those PINpoint things." They seem to be important, given the information he's gotten since arriving, so he'll definitely pick one up before going back home. He smiles again as he adds a few more notes to his mental list. "I'll send you a message soon as I've figured out the device. I appreciate everything you've done for me today, Adia. I hope to return the favor again someday, likely with my future-- husband's help." And what a wonderful, happy day that will be!

Adia is not normally so bold about keeping in touch, but she likes Mordred and he seems like the sort of person she'd want to spend more time with, if given the opportunity. Besides, he might want more wedding advice.

"It's no trouble," she says sincerely, then laughs a little nervously at the idea of Mordred and his emissary-of-God fiancé somehow returning any favors. She hopes it's a mundane sort of favor, if at all, as opposed to divine. The last thing she needs is another deity taking notice of her. "Well, I look forward to hearing how things go, regardless. It was nice to meet you, Mordred. I'll see you around."

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Finally, a place stranger than his office!

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