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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[ooc: Continuing from here]

If this Haunted House had not already offered up all sorts of reasons for Peter not to use his superspeed -- he now found himself in a labrinyth.

"For fucks Sake!" He swore to himself, setting down the now expended candle. It turned out to be a good idea to take it, since it had saved him from whatever that creature was in the room before. But the object -- much like the ones that can be gained in video games -- seemed to have had its use.

Peter put his hand up to one wall of the labyrinth. And took a breath. He was reminded of some wisdom of the Professor, to find one anchor point and try to follow it.

"Can't keep a speedster down..." And he proceeded forth.

Moloch had been following the faint sound of footsteps through the halls. While the labyrinth has dimmed his sight, his ears are like directional satellites. After years of living in a labyrinth he can navigate one even if he has yet to find an exit.

He's breathing heavily from frustration when his head snaps to the voice, ears back and glowing, red eyes peering down the long hallway. In the moments before his ears spring back up to listen it may be possible to see the eye shine reflecting off his horns. Either way, the position of the eyes, so high off the ground, suggest that this is something larger than the average human. His end of the hall is stone and his hooves clop as he steps toward the being walking his way. The hall is cramped for his size, necessitating a hunched walk and the grating sound of his metallic flight feathers coming into contact with the walls. It's unlikely that Peter will be able to make his way past Moloch unless he tries to dive under his legs or something equally as athletic. Fortunately, Peter has time since the angel notices the hall is getting uncomfortably narrow for his size.

Peter was so focused on following that one wall with his hand, that it took him a moment to notice the creature that had come into the same path he was.

Having lived in the X-Men mansion, Peter has seen all sorts of shapes and sizes of mutants, from the small to the large. But the strange Minotaur creature still surprises him. And he can see there is nothing but stone behind it.

And are those wings?

Peter backs up from the creature, without losing track of where he had been walking.

"Hey hey hey... you gonna get stuck there..." He notes in slight concern.

He keeps eye-contact as best as he can, not wanting to turn his back on the creature and just running. He will get lost in this labyrinth if he does so.

While the Minotaur doesn't appear to be in the happiest mood from the sounds it is uttering, Moloch is also not charging randomly at Peter either. He's soon throwing his head and crashing horns into the stone wall. Clear sounds of bits of rock coming off the wall accompany it. He's already mad about the labyrinth and bringing up the concept of being stuck further begins to panic the angel.

He tries to turn around since there are more tunnels from where he came from but there's a lot of grating as horns and wings grind against the tunnel. If a human will get stuck going this way he certainly can't continue this way. While this human is tall, he's not broad and warrior looking which could trigger Moloch to fight after all his run ins with heroes over the ages looking to slaughter monsters like him.

The idea of being anything but a rampaging beast in the small space hasn't crossed Moloch's mind yet, even with potential help currently backing away. Bullheaded means more than looking like one to this particular angel.

Peter frowns, as he watches as the minotaur get more of his wings and his horns stuck in the tight corridor.

The main reason Peter does not view the Minotaur as a monster -- is because of his vast experience with mutants. And many mutants who were viewed as monsters.

His heart starts to go out to the creature.

"Okay... okay don't try to turn again." He tries a calming voice. "We don't want any damage to your wings. Or horns. Right?"

Peter looks around to see if perhaps there is an intersection of the labyrinth nearby, that he could guide the Minotaur towards. "Let's try to get you in a better situation..."

It's unlikely he would be hurt by the corridor but getting stuck is another story altogether. It appears that the Nexus has made the labyrinth angel proof as Moloch bashes his head into the wall to try and make room.

There is an intersection back the way Moloch came from which is why he was trying to turn around. However, he's now in a predicament because he tried to turn instead of backing out of the space. It's for the better that he is tightly caught or he might draw the double bitted axe off his back and make things even more dangerous.

It's probably safe to approach him and may even be space to slip past now that he is turned sideways and the wings aren't filling up the entire corridor. The run of the mill human might not be able to do it but someone speedy may well be able to slip past.

Spotting the intersection behind the Minotaur, Peter nods to himself.

"Okay. I am going to go past you... but I won't leave you like this..." He really hopes that helping the Minotaur won't have him getting chased through the maze later. He might be able to outrun the creature... but he would get lost.

Peter places a pair of googles over his eyes, that due to the Halloween magic seem to match his current skeleton make-up and costume. And in a blink of an eye, the speedster has slipped past the minotaur.

He turns. And surveys how best to get the Minotaur unstuck.

The axe looks large, and Peter doubts he has the strength. "Okay big guy... can you back up? Listen to my voice and just take a few steps back if you can."

Moloch has stopped listening and Peter barely gets past before more dust and small pieces of rock start raining down from where Moloch's horns are in contact with the ceiling. He's starting to panic more now that the other thing in hall is getting free and he's still stuck.

His wings fly open as he struggles displaying the long silver, bladed flight feathers that Peter may well have to dodge. It takes time for Moloch to shuffle around in the space. He's angry and might take part of the ceiling down in the process as more and more of the rock starts to fall away. He's wedged between his wings, horns and less flexibility when it comes to hunching down than a human might have in this situation.

"Whoa whoa whoa..." Peter dodges the rocks that were raining down from the ceiling.

"I'm still here." He places a hand on the Minotaur's back.

Wait... long, silver bladed feathers. Peter surveys the large expanse of the wings, to see if there is a feather that is loose.

"Maybe I can use one of these to get you loose?"

His ruff of hair down his back shakes at being touched, quivering from the contact because he can't see over his shoulder at the moment. There isn't a loose feather but there's a piece of one that has broken off in the struggles, near sword sized probably though much sharper. Peter may well be able to use it to dig into the ceiling or floor to give him more space to get loose.

The skill is going to be in using a blade around something large that isn't exactly staying still. Though, Moloch has reached up and starting to claw at the ceiling where his horn is wedged in between two of the stones above. It might be a good start for a place to start working the trapped angel loose.

Peter takes the broken feather, and smiles to himself. "Video game logic wins again."

He glances up to where the Minotaur's horn is wedged, and cracks his fingers. He superspeeds up the creature, with the agility of one who can walk on water and walls when he is going fast enough. When gravity itself can not even catch up to him.

And he starts working on that section, his hands going a mile-a-minute. "Let's see if I literally can get you out of this... in a second."

He winks down at the minotaur with a smile.

Thankfully the speed saves Peter from the thrashing but as soon as that horn comes loose Moloch is turning toward the wider end of the hallway bellowing angrily. He's had enough of this small space and may turn the labyrinth into the running of the bulls for a while because his head is down and he's charging back toward the four way intersection he had appeared from.

Once in that opening the charging will calm as he tries to decide which way to go in the darkness. He does glance back at the humanoid that was with him. He's not so far gone to not recognize that he had been helped but company isn't something Moloch appreciates most days.

Eight seconds on a bull. That might seem like a long time for any bullrider. It stretches out even longer for Peter --- as time slows down around him when he is in superspeed mode. But it is because of the superspeed mode that saves him from a trashing.

And finally when the Minotaur is not charging anymore, Peter slips off from his position on the back of the winged creature. And removes his googles.

Time returns to normal for him. "We can get out of this bloody maze together... Parley?" He sticks out a hand.

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Happy Naberus! [Party post]

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