nexus_crossings | Happy Naberus! [Party post]

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Happy Naberus! [Party post]

There's a chill in the air and a distant howl, and the sun is nowhere to be seen. On the outskirts of the Plaza, grinning faces carved into squashes tempt passersby to follow their lighted path, leading visitors down twists and turns through darkened streets, fog swirling around their feet. Did you already pass this way before? Are you going in circles, lost forever? Doubling back on yourself will lead to much the same result. And you don't remember when or how, but your clothes have somehow become a costume - whether funny, horrific, or downright bizarre.

Eventually, you find yourself in a small street carnival, tucked away far beyond the beaten path. Lights and lanterns run the length of a darkened street, the smells of fried and baked treats in the air, a light haze of smoke gathering under the awnings of food stalls. Beyond the food stalls, a haunted house beckons the brave to venture into its dark, cramped corridors, the sounds of distant screams coming from deep within. To the other side, a mountain of pumpkins waits to be carved, scoops and wicked-looking knives laid out on a tall table. Further still, wooden washtubs full of dark red wine host a small flotilla of apples to be bobbed, leaving all participants with deep red stains running down their necks from trying.

But before you can investigate the many wonders this strange little celebration has to offer, you must first be confronted by the host.

What looks for all the world like a fleshy flower writhes in the entryway to the festival, already towering over most visitors at fifteen feet high. But then that flower opens, unfolding into the form of an even larger young woman, bloody handprints painted on her exposed skin and shards of glass seemingly jammed directly into her head, and papercraft severed limbs hang in a necklace around her throat. She grins at you with unrestrained glee. "Couldn't resist, right? This is the happiest time of the entire year! Happy Naberus! You do know what that is? The Orokin festival of death, darkness, and deviance." She peers down at those in her presence. "We're all equal on Naberus night now, under our masks. Who's to know who's powerful and who isn't?"

She straightens up and laughs, waving her arms towards the carnival behind her. "Don't say I didn't warn you!"

[ooc: Happy Naberus, Nexus-goers! This is a party post, so feel free to tag around under the activity tags or just with each other! And remember, everyone must have a costume to participate! You can make it as mundane or as terrifying as you like. If you are open to spooky and/or horrifying events happening to your character, please also contact me through DMs here or to Ael on Discord so we can plan it together beforehand. The horror side of this event is opt-in, and threads containing such content should be tagged in the subject line.]

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Neither Isamu nor Minoru had any idea what they were getting into when they happened upon the spooky street carnival. But a stand with karaage and takoyaki? Fresh pumpkin mochi? A spooky-looking obakeyashiki? The party itself decided that they needed to better fit the theme…

Moments upon entering, the twins found themselves looking very much like fantastical samurai warriors. (Isamu | Minoru)

“Woah… check this out!” Minoru chuckled, checking out the lacquered armor.

“I am aware that Halloween is never a time to be a stickler for historical accuracy. However, I cannot believe the host of these frightening festivities decided that out of the two of us, you should be in charge.”

“Say what?”

“She gave you the gunbai. I merely have the traditional daisho.” Isamu replied. “Clearly, you are the commanding officer or military leader.”

Minoru laughed, “well, as boss of you, I say we get some treats! Everybody’s gotta be hanging around here somewhere!”

Erik was indeed impressed with the twins' efforts regarding a Halloween costume. Samurai! The Swede himself had come as pirate! It was some of the others from the tour giving the young guitarist some ideas on mischievous costumes. The choices were bat, goblin, pirate or ghost and pirate won out.

"Hej, twins! I really love the detail on your armour. My brother said I should be a pirate because I'm always stealing things from his room. That and I used to hobble around on crutches so now I have a wonky pirate leg."

He had spent a good few months hobbling about on crutches with his leg injury so being a pirate with a wonky leg made total sense. The Swede jingled a small leather purse at his hip filled with fake gold coins.

“Thanks! But we can’t take all the credit on this one.” Minoru laughed.

“Or any credit, really. Our clothes transformed into something mire appropriate when the woman at the front welcomed us in.” Isamu revealed. “It is good to see you up and walking around again. Minoru told me the harrowing tale.”

“How’s the leg?” Minoru asked, glad that it wasn’t a real wooden stump, just a boot cover made to look like one.

"Oh no? This place is always filled with surprises and I never get bored coming back."

Erik beamed because there was a lull in tour activity over the spooky period so it had given the Swede chance to come back through the portal to visit the Nexus. Seeing the twins in their costumes was just perfect. As for the harrowing tale---Erik nodded but was still smiling as always.

"My leg is almost back to normal now. Thank you for asking. It still twinges now and then but at least it's not made of real wood!"

That got a giggle out of the guitarist.

"How are you getting on at the hospital, Minoru? Patching more people up? I haven't eaten any more strange cactus since my last drunken adventure."

“… cactus?” Isamu blinked. “Very few of those are safe for human consumption.”
“For the record, I told him not to eat it.”

Minoru shook his head. His buddy was lucky it was merely hallucinogenic, and not some kind of deadly poison. Fortunately, this had been a pretty calm week. (Knock on that fake wooden leg of yours, Erik. Let’s not jinx anything!)

“Sometimes, I swear, if the medication somebody’s on is going to make them all dizzy and uncoordinated, that’s the guy who’s gonna get out of bed in the middle of the night even though the nurses tell them not to.”

"Yes, I ate this cactus juice and I thought it would taste good but I was drunk at the time."

Erik shrugged but was still smiling because Minoru had helped him and that was a mark of a decent friend. The drunken Swede obviously not thinking through the whole scenario of eating an unknown cactus.

"People get out of bed in the night and fall over? Do you help them back up?"

The Swede wondered just what a "normal" night would entail in the hospital. He was now looking around at what pumpkin to pick to carve. They were all different sizes and Erik wanted a decent one so he could carve it for Robert. Perhaps some leaves and animals because the Brit loved nature.

Isamu opened his mouth, about to ask Erik if he’d learned a valuable lesson. But then he closed it again. The man was drunk at the time, and he’d heard enough stories from Tom about what everybody was capable of getting into when they drank.

“More often than anyone would like. We don’t want anyone getting hurt, you know?” Minoru explained. “Lifting and transferring patients is a big part of the job description. I know changing linens, setting up supplies, all of that is important, but helping the patients be more comfortable? That’s the the most important part to me. Patients talk to us and tell us stuff even the nurses don’t know. So we get to fill in a lot of gaps that really help sometimes.”

Erik definitely proved that last part firsthand during his recent cactus-induced hospital stay. It’s easier to talk to the friendly guy in scrubs who holds your hand than it is the nurse who’s poking you with needles or the doctor in the formal lab coat.

Even if Isamu did ask Erik if he'd learned a valuable lesson he'd probably end up doing something equally as stupid next time he got drunk. Rock stars did as rock stars wanted, even though Erik didn't know the cactus juice was poisonous.

"Of course not. I bet you're a really nice man-nurse, Minoru."

The Swede liked Minoru's bedside manner and knew his friend did his best when looking after those sick inside the hospital. Isamu probably rolling his eyes at how big of an idiot Erik was that night getting drunk and wanting to try something new.

"How is your research going, Isamu? I hear you try Ivar's gut rot now and then. That's got to be scientific!"

When trying something new, it’s probably a good idea to find out if it’s liable to kill you. Just a thought. (And one that Isamu would have to tell Minoru too. Though, his brother was surprisingly cognizant of what he ate. It was all the things he DID that were crazy…)

“My associates are still assisting me in gathering data for my study on real-world demonstrations on transient hypofrontality during alternate states of consciousness. A larger sample size is still needed in order to draw meaningful conclusions, and measuring the phenomenon has been more difficult than originally intended.” He reported. “But our paper on Anticoagulants in Vampire Saliva and Histamine Reactions in Humans with Sensitivity to Mosquito Bites did pass review and was recently published. Although I was merely part of a larger team, and not lead researcher, it is still exciting, nonetheless.”

Discussions on his other study, The Effect of Fermentation on the Micronutrient Content of Anthean Vegetation, was probably best left undiscussed in current company.

Aal's ears go up at the sound of familiar voices. Currently, she's on a bench next to two of her wee ones, while Dor fetches them some more goodies and napkins with their eldest who wished to do some walkies before pumpkin craving time.

"Hey laddies over here" She murmurs warmly waving at the twins once she spots them.

The twins turn to look, almost in unison. But it’s Minoru who waves back first (and with a hilariously large fan to boot).

“Aal! Hey! It’s great to see you!” He grinned, having not seen his friend in a while. Working nights was like that sometimes.

“Indeed it is.” Isamu echoed. “Are you having a pleasant… Naberus, I believe is what this festival is called?”

“Man, the kids have really grown!”

Aal grins, and then chuckles at the fan wave.

"Ello ello." She murmurs warmly "and you miboys." She murmurs warmly.

"Ah, well so far." She murmurs literally softly knocking on wood. Glancing about quickly.

She chuckles bemused at that. "Aye that they have." She murmurs looking over her pups proudly. And then toward her Mate's back where he and Gawain are getting into the line for a nearby stall it seemed.

In Minoru’s defense, he did have a lot more experience saying hello than signaling an army of samurai on the battlefield.

“What have you been up to?” He asked.

Isamu, however, was a bit distracted by Aal’s knock on wood. He tilted his head curiously. Was there a reason to be wary? (Besides the obvious fact of that a scary-looking street festival sprung out of nowhere and just happened to give you costumes if you weren’t already dressed for the occasion.)

Aal gives him a warm look and chuckle before replying. "Oh the usual work, kiddos..trying to plan things that hardly work out. " She starts the last wryly and coughs.

Before giving a sheepish smile to the other twin and copying his movements though, in a more doggish way, the girls rooing cutely and doing so in a puppy-like manner. "Roo?"

Aal chuckles, "Ahem, better safe than sorry. " She eyes the wee ones and then scans the area again. Precious cargo and she was rather protective of her 'extended pack 'as well. "Party or not. " Especially when she did not know certain persons so well. She shivers a little thinking of another party or person she'd not seen about lately..Well, Last Halloween hadn't been too bad..granted. Her eyes soften as they land on her little family. For a moment, before her nose twitches never the less.

Let's just say she's used to be the more designated driver' in such cases. She reaches for the semi-pouch/pack on one of her several belts. There had to be something..Non fighting related in these things somewhere.

“Hopefully some will start to work out!” He added cheerfully. Minoru knew the feeling of being busy. If he wasn’t working his shifts at the hospital, he was rigging lights for the Ziggy Stardust tour or training for next year’s American Ninja Warrior competitions. (He was technically also listening to class lectures on his PINpoint, but he was keeping that part a secret from Isamu.)

“The ankle’s completely healed up.” He added. “I’m back running at full speed.”

“Which is hopefully something none of us will need to do tonight.” Isamu added, following Aal’s protective looks.

“Unless it’s through a haunted house.” Minoru grinned. He pointed at the sign, which was close enough to Japanese that it translated perfectly. “They have one over there.”

Aal softy smiles despite herself. "Let's hope so, from yer mouth to Fates' ears." She murmurs lowly with a slight sleepy head tilt. Sometimes just trying over, and over and over again with the same result..Or rather little to none was..just trieding at this point.

Her eyebrows go up and glance down at them both but smiles warmly. "Glad to hear that." With a happy squint.

She hums, with an agreeing nod as she pets her nearest pups head.

Aal coughs wryly at that. Following the eyeline/gaze. "Mmhmm, well you all have fun with that." She murmurs sincerely though not impressed with the activity choice that is. Not her cup of tea.

Her hand as still rifleing through her pouch, when a low familar voice murmurs. "Here ya are darlin.'

Causing her to look up and beam. "Hello, there Handsome..and mmh thank ya." She murmurs as her eyes land on the stream-curling cup of hot cocoa, in the hand of her tall drink of water Mate. "Mmh yum." She murmurs as she reaches for it, and aims a peck at him as he comes within range moving to carefully sit next to her Gawain in his Bijon. Some sort of cake pop in hand.

"Your very welcome." He near purrs as his arm goes round the back of the bench and her as he throws the twins a warm wolfish grin. "Ello there boys." His tone was warm, before gently nuzzling his beloved and sipping his own drink and setting the drink caddy nearby but out of reach of little hands. A plate of goodies floated not far from that.

“See, I am not alone in finding that sort of activity unimpressive.” Isamu nodded toward his brother, before turning back to Aal and her family. “I personally never understood the appeal.”

“It’s a fun little rush?”

Granted, as a freerunner, Minoru could - and literally did - turn things as basic as a walk to work or a stroll through the park into a fun little rush, so… his opinion might be a little skewed.

“I could debate three of the four words in that sentence.” He looked to Aal for backup here.

Aal chuckles softly bemused by that Dor gives a wee warm but lopsided grin.

"Well if there were horses or some sort of water feature involved..it'd be another matter." Ooh, perhaps they could find out if anyone had a hay ride going..Her mind wanders toward some folks she met last Christmas time etc. She tilts her head toward her Mate. "That's Mister Water Bugs fave sorts of things." She murmurs fondly.

Dor shoots her a wolfish grin as he loosely wraps a bit of his jacket around her before rubbing her shoulder lightly. "Aye," He chuckles again, before sipping a bit of his own drink before setting it safely out of reach of the wee ones before checking on Gawain's nomming on his treat.

"Ahem, I only run when it's absolutely necessary these days." Wolf speed and energy aside. Emergencies were one thing. She twitches her nose. "And that place gives me.." She pauses for a moment to find the compatible words. "The Uber Hebee Jeebee vibes."

Minoru scratched his head. “It does?”

“That is precisely what she just said, yes.” Isamu added, knowing full well the question was intended to learn why, not just provide confirmation. (He, on the other hand, found that confirmation more than reason enough. He couldn’t agree more.)

"Cha,, ahem I mean Aye." She murmurs with a small nod.

Dor's lips twitch slightly bemused at the antics before glancing toward the 'House's' way. He imagined it was 'supposed' to be safe for those that wished to do such like the apple bobbing but one couldn't be too cautious around. He subtlely scents the air, he still couldn't place what exact kind of being they were dealing with. Which made him uneasy though they'd been to their share of festivals and fairs in their day.

So the same safety rules applied but also be careful what one verbally and otherwise agreed to.

"Just be mindful of your surroundings alright lads." He murmurs in a warm fatherly fond sort of tone. As he strokes one of his daughter's heads reaching for a soft bit of treat to feed her.

"And use the buddy system," Aal adds with a nod as she checks one of the bottles from the bags and then stares them straight in the eye. To highlight her seriousness on the matter.

We most certainly will.” Isamu nodded, but then retracted it slightly. “Well, I certainly will.”

Minoru, he was probably going to throw caution to the wind. In very much the same way he physically throws himself into the wind.

Aal squints pleased and nods. "Good." before turning to the other brother and giving the slight puppy eyes with a wee almost pout.

"And ahem if ya must..and get yerselfs in or with some scraps ya can always come running ta me." She reassures but does a wee knock on wood hoping such won't be necessary.

"Aye." Dor murmurs in agreement and a nod. "or Holla for me." His tone is low but firm. He was not above carrying and running them to safety and 'kicking' in doors etc if need be. Though Aal was likely to try and smoke or knock out bomb the place if they couldn't find a way to sneak in safely.

He might have been too nonchalant about the dangers that could go bump on this particular night, but he did appreciate his friends’ willingness to look out for them.

“It’ll be fine.” He insisted. “But just in case, I know where to come for backup.”

They both hum, not a hundred percent convinced. But willing to let it slide..for now.

"If ya say so.." Aal murmurs softly rubbing one of their little's back as she picked them up and rocked a little. "Good. " 'Aye." There's a murmured almost in unison chorus of agreement. They had one too many friends who had the bad habit of rushing/running into trouble and danger. Though granted it was sometimes necessary or on accident. It was the times that it was not that grated on them.

Both of their ears were up and furred, one of Aal's was wiggling in scanning concern. She made a low uncertain canine like sound in the back of her thoart.

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Happy Naberus! [Party post]

Isamu and Minoru are wandering around, feel free to come say hi!

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Re: XD ello ello Boys :3

Hello!

Re: Hello!

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