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[dreamofpaprika]

There had never been a twinge of vexation nor a bout of panic. Frustration had never boiled over, and mild confusion swiftly changed to delighted curiosity. Her arrival at the Nexus was not a problem that needed fixing, but rather an opportunity to dive into something new, exciting, and potentially dangerous. Paprika had been accustomed to oddities, she herself being someone who mostly hid from the view of society within her own world due to the peculiarity of her existence. If would only be natural for her to greet the Nexus with roused fascination and an open mind.

Exploration had to commence right away, of course. Poking around here and there eventually lead her to a cafe where she now sits with a steaming cup of tea wrapped within her hands. Her eyes are peering through the haze emitting from the hot drink at the trickling stream of people coming in and out. The gregariousness within urges her to prompt a conversation, and she's finding that she can't quite help herself.

"Do you mind--" She suddenly pipes up, her voice warm, friendly. "Telling me your favorite thing about this place?" Her eyes are shimmering with genuine interest. Won't you please share your experiences with her?

[ ooc: Linds here with a new muse (Paprika from the film Paprika). Be nice to her ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ Or don't be because negative CR is also good fun ]

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[juststeverogers]

She asks just as a young man (child?) wearing a green coat with matching gloves comes in, sighing at the relief from the cold. Steve jumps at the suddenness, before pulling off his hat and scarf to better make himself understood.

"Have you only just arrived? You should be careful. Some people don't have a way home once they end up here..."

[dreamofpaprika]

He's a jittery one. There's a soft chuckle of amusement, not out of unkindness, but out of fondness. She already enjoys how this stranger presents himself.

"I'll find my way home," she says simply, having no actual worries towards that matter.

[juststeverogers]

"I'm one of those folks." Steve admits quietly. "That's why I thought I should warn you, is all." He's much smaller without the bulk of that poofy green coat he was wearing.

"But in answer to your question..." There's a hint of a smile on his face. "Being able to have friends. That wasn't something I had, back home."

[dreamofpaprika]

"You'll find your way too" No matter how hard it may be to locate, there's always a backdoor, she believes.

"No? I'm surprised," she says candidly, her expression softening.

[juststeverogers]

"World's a different place in the 40's." Steve remarks quietly, chuckling slightly as he moves toward her little table. "D..do you mind if I..?"

Whether she laughs or just accommodates he'll take a seat only after she's given him permission.

"What do you like so far?"

[westfallcorndog]

Exploring the Nexus may as well be Harrowheart's full-time job, so even though he doesn't need the warmth of a café or any of the flavors it might be offering, he finds himself inside, enjoying the sensation of company that comes from being in a crowd of people.

The woman's question surprises him, but also makes him smile. It's a subject he's considered often since he's found the place, and his answer comes immediately.

"It's peaceful," he says, smiling. "Not all the time, but mostly. More than I'm used to. And I get to be peaceful, too. I get to be the person I used to be for the first time in years."

[dreamofpaprika]

Her head tilts in thought, and she leaves a respectful pause before responding - just in case he has more to add. She's always been the type to listen with intent instead of simply waiting for her turn to speak. "It sounds like a simple answer." She adjusts, placing the mug down and propping her elbows up on the table to cup her cheek with her hand. "But it isn't." The smile against her mouth curves upwards even more so. So little was spoken, but he had revealed something important about himself, she thinks. "I haven't been here long, but it does seem so. Peaceful."

[westfallcorndog]

She speaks with few words, and there's something very calming about that. Harrowheart glances to the other chair at her table as if to ask if he's allowed to sit rather than loom. Normally he'd invite himself, but somehow that feels rude to do to this lady.

"The place you come from, is it peaceful like this? Is it a place on Earth, or are you from some other world?"

[dreamofpaprika]

She nods towards the chair directly across from to indicate approval towards his silent question. He's more than welcome to join.

"Maybe in some places." Hailing from Tokyo, the most populated city on the planet, means that escaping from the bustle comes with difficulty for most.

There's a glint in her eyes when he mentions Earth. The true answer is complicated, unexplainable when exploring the depths of it, really. But, to answer it simply: "Sometimes Earth, sometimes elsewhere."

[westfallcorndog]

Harrow takes his seat quietly, and when he's sitting rests his arms on his lap beneath the table. His severed, floating hands intertwine their fingers and come to rest delicately on the tabletop.

He offers with a lopsided smile, "I think we're all kinda from our own home planets and 'elsewhere' once we find a place like this, huh?"

Still, he'd really like to know what she means. Rather than ask outright, he decides to give himself at least one guess. "But you're sayin' you left Earth before you found this place? Which means you're..." The lights of his eyes flicker as he shifts his gaze across her face. Then a small smile forms and he inches his chair closer to the table.

"You're part of a starship's crew, huh? You leave Earth sometimes to explore the stars? I got a pal who does that."

[bestdadinamestris]

"Why, meeting new people of course!"

Of course the intelligence officer, decked in his usual blue uniform, would stop to answer a question about things he enjoys. Because if Hughes does that, he can follow it up with his favorite question.

"And showing off pictures of my wife and daughter of course." There's a sly edge to that bright smile of his. "Want to see?"

[dreamofpaprika]

How could his energy not be contagious? She visibly perks up, straightening her back and smiling widely. "Oh! I'm sure there are plenty of interesting people here." Hence why she wanted to speak out.

"I'd love to."

[bestdadinamestris]

"Great!" He's positively beaming as he pulls out his wallet and then pulls out two photos to share. "This is my wife, Gracia," he says excitedly, shaking the photo featuring his wife. "And this," he wiggles the other photo, "is our daughter, Elicia. Isn't she the cutest thing you've ever seen?"

Can she tell he doesn't get to do this often around here? Or is he, perhaps, always this excited? It's difficult to tell at the moment.

[dreamofpaprika]

There's a small, audible gasp, the sort that comes with being pleasantly surprised. "She's definitely the most adorable little girl in the universe." Her gaze flickers up from the photos. "You have a beautiful family."

[bestdadinamestris]

"Why, thank you." He's positively beaming. "They're my angels and I'd be a liar if I didn't say I was the luckiest man alive because of them."

After carefully tucking away his precious photos, he offers his hand to the newcomer. "Maes Hughes, by the way. It's nice to meet you." He's all smiles and happiness about their meeting. "What brings you to the Nexus?"

I squealed so loud when I saw this post! *A*ﾉ

[emboldsursicklyspirit]

She felt Paprika before she saw her, felt the ripple of being-notbeing within the Dream echoing throughout her sense of self. Even as constrained as she was, she knew something different had occurred within the Nexus, something as to make the Hunter's Dream ripple in....sympathy. From her place of rest, her painted eyelids opened, her body rising as to find the source of this odd disturbance.

Letting her feelings guide her feet, in time, she wanders into the cafe just in time to hear Paprika's probing question. Confused, she looks around before pointing to herself in question. When the affirmative answer comes, her answer comes in carefully used words. "This place...it is a place of possibility that I could not imagine within the Dream. So many things..." Impropriety of what she was going to say next caused her to lean in, cupping her pristine crafted hands to shield her whispering secretive voice. "I was even allowed the chance to experience life as humans do for a short spell. It was most informative."

yaaaas ♡

[dreamofpaprika]

Dream? Paprika narrows her eyes, a combination of caution and intrigue swelling. How curious. Are they similar? Is she aware of what the redhead can do? Or this is some great coincidence?

She motions towards the chair across from her, inviting her to take a seat, to chat a bit more. "People are certainly interesting, aren't they?

ur mai dream boo <3 chu~ :V

[emboldsursicklyspirit]

She nods solemnly as she comes to realize how awkward it is for an eight-foot-something woman in Victorian garb to just be standing in everyone's way and takes a seat opposite of Paprika. "I do think so, yes. They are most curious, are they not?" The Doll sighs, melancholy tinging her voice as she looks past her counterpart, lost in her memories.

dream girls aaay

[dreamofpaprika]

Such beautifully sorrowful eyes, she thinks. "They might find that we're even more so." Paprika can come off as being very human through her mannerisms and simplified taste in style. Many have interacted with her without so much thinking that something was not quite right. Still, those who just begin to know her are often perplexed, not really believing, or not wanting to believe, that she's not exactly human at first.

insert cheesy pop song here

[emboldsursicklyspirit]

The Doll sits in silence for a time, mentally digesting Paprika and her words. It is only after some time she realizes that strange feeling she had been following was, in truth, right here before her. With little prompting, she asks in a cautiously curious voice, "Pray tell, what are you?"

[heirtothearcane]

The voice, though an unexpected interruption, is a relatively pleasant way for Viatorus to be pulled from his thoughts. He looks around for the owner and, spotting her, sees the familiarity of tea and adventurous excitement. Perhaps that's why he feels so determined to be as pleasant as he can be and keep awkwardness at bay.

It doesn't quite work.

"Oh, um." He shuffles on the spot, looking around as he thinks, pulling at the strap of his leather satchel. On realising that he's at that difficult distance between needing to shout and speak normally, he takes a few steps closer. "Oh, um... The... The people- Oh! No, but... there's also the places, the environments it has to offer, and... There's the cultures too- The library! The library is amazing, so is the scenery, but... the library and all its books and knowledge... Though the people here are so equally varied and tell you so many things... and they're so nice."

His brow settles into a light frown. "Picking one favourite is far too difficult."

[dreamofpaprika]

She moves a hand to cover her mouth as she giggles softly, not meaning to appear as if she's laughing at him. Because she isn't, not exactly. His attempt is endearing because there's such a swell of excitement and uncertainty towards pinpointing a single answer. The drive to give a sort of proper response to her question, instead him simply humoring her out of kindness or pity, is appreciated. "Ah! Then I'm lucky that I arrived at a place full of wonderful things!"

[heirtothearcane]

"You are," he agrees, frown transforming into a smile, then. "But do be careful. Some people here aren't able to get home, so they miss it. Don't be too upset if asking about this place makes some people distant."

Warning given, his lips tug upwards again gently. A little apologetic about the momentary turn of conversation. Determined to return to something more pleasant, he moves on. "I like that there is always something new here, even when so much has grown familiar. It retains a sense of wonder, of magic. Though to me it has always felt a little familiar."

[dreamofpaprika]

While there’s little concern on whether or not she’d be able to make it back, she had not considered how effected the more homesick would be. Although she specializes on pressing touchy subjects as an occupation, she makes a mental note to let that subject be unless otherwise prompted for advice or consolation. She nods earnestly at that to ensure that he knows how valued his advice is.

She smiles when he continues, even more so at the mention of the word 'magic'. "So it's full of surprises, hm?"

[heirtothearcane]

The more he talks about it, the more excitement sneaks out and it shows. "It is! But most of them are good. This place has... places and people, sights and sounds... everything for everyone! It's not at all an exaggeration."

It's only then that he realises that he's been doing so much of the talking. Alone. To a pretty woman. He stops suddenly and clears his throat, drawing in on himself a little again. "W-What about you? What do you like? There's lots to see and do."