nexus_crossings | (no subject)

(no subject)

There's a new addition to the nexus; a young woman in her early twenties with a small duffel bag slung over one shoulder, wearing a completely bewildered expression as well as pointe shoes, tights, and an oversized jumper over a black leotard.

She was expecting to leave her class and end up in the main theatre for rehearsal; instead, she's God knows where. After walking a little, she stops and looks around again, trying casually not to panic in a way that only the British are able; usually this involves a couple of deep breaths and muttering to yourself, but is subject to change.

"This is fine. Totally fine. I'm just completely lost in a place I've worked for years. Totally normal."

and then, at normal speaking volume;

"If there's anyone here, I'd really appreciate a hand. Anyone?"

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At this stage, many of the regular visitors and residents have already gotten to know him, and it hasn't been difficult for Reynard to gain a Reputation. It's a refreshing change to spend time with someone who only knows what they've seen of him in the past hour or thereabouts.

Hand over his heart, he bends in that echo of chivalry he likes to tap into. "I aim to please."

As another floats closer to her in the hope of getting an apple itself, Grace keeps her hand out for it to inspect.

"Is there much more like this here? From alternate realities and everything?"

It feels as though all she does is ask questions, but this place is like an odd dream; vivid and surreal.

It's fine by Reynard. He's enjoying making her smile and playing the role of the all-knowing guide. He thinks it rather suits him!

"Almost anything and everything you can imagine. Worlds more technologically advanced than any sci-fi movie could show, others filled with magic and mystery... It's just a matter of which people and places you stumble across."

He's doing a stand-up job of helping her forget her anxieties about possibly not getting home, for the time being anyway. Just the mention of magic and mystery has her curiosity piqued. The ammonites alone are fascinating to her - she can't imagine what else this place has.

"I don't know how anyone could be bored here. London's seeming more dull by the second"

"It's rare a place seems exciting to the people who live there. But then this place is exceptional." He sets his hands on his hips as he looks out at the flock(?) of ammonites. "There's always something round the corner."

After a minute of admiration, his gaze slides over to Grace. "Does this mean I'll be seeing more of you around here?"

She seems to be taking this remarkably well, but one can never be too sure.

"Very true."

London had seemed like the biggest, most exciting place in the world when she'd first moved there to go to school. It was her first time living away from her parents, and although she'd been a little apprehensive at first, her want for adventure had quickly overcome it. Now, it was just a city; a city she loved, yes, but no longer quite as magical as it had been.

She pauses at his question, her smile wavering for a moment before she looks at him. "..If I can't get home, then I suppose you will be, yes."

For a moment he almost protests. Nearly makes jokes about how poor his company must be for her to already long for home. But he sees that look in her eyes, and he closes his mouth, pinching his lips together. He offers her his arm again.

"Let's see if we can't get you back, hm?"

Her smile picks up a fraction, though now it's more appreciative than fascinated. Although she knows there's no need to, she can't help but feel bad for putting a downer on what was a pleasant mood only moments ago. A large part of her wants to stay and explore, wants to meet people from other worlds and get to know Reynard better.

But she also knows that leaving her life in London behind isn't an option. She's worked too hard to give it up now.

Stepping towards him, she shifts her bag further onto her shoulder, and takes his arm once more.

"I'd appreciate that..thank you"

"I could still carry that for you while we walk," he offers again, even as they start to move.

It's not a difficult feat for him to navigate them back to where they met. Learning off the Nexus and all its routes is only made difficult by how large and changeable it is. The main sections he has an extremely firm grasp on.

"If everything goes smoothly, you only need to go back where you came from."

She rolls her eyes playfully, "It's fine, really. Pointe shoes and flapjacks don't weigh all that much."

Which is true, but even if she'd been hauling her white and Black swan costumes around, she'd feel bad letting someone else carry it.

"Well, best case scenario, I find a way to come back here without getting stuck. Now that I know this exists, being able to come back would be a much better way to spend my days off."

He stops and untangles himself from her. "If you can't find your door there are machines around. Gadgets in the vending machines. They help some people get back, but they're not always reliable. That's always a plan b."

Grace stops when he does, her brows raising slightly with surprise.

"From vending machines..?" random, but at this point, she should really expect that. "That's good to know; honestly I'm not sure I can remember exactly which door is mine."

Stupidly, she hadn't left any kind of marker to help her find her way back. She'd been too curious about where the hell she'd ended up to think about how to get back.

"This I can't help you with." He tips his head to one side and concedes, "Unless you'd like me to walk through each door with you as you try them. Your memory is more helpful than mine."

Looking from him to the first couple of doors closest to them, Grace makes herself mentally backtrack to when she first came through.

She hadn't been walking long when she'd jumped into Reynard, but she knows she'd turned a corner. Her door had been down a corridor of sorts, but as far as her memory served, there hadn't been much of a difference between her door and the others.

Occasionally, she stops and looks back at how far they've walked, trying to determine that way if she's any closer. The couple of handles she tries either do nothing or just open onto darkness. At one point, in an attempt to hide her - quickly growing - frustration, she takes a deep breath, and glances over to Reynard.

"..I could be doing this for a while. You don't have to stay with me if you don't want to."

It's not that she doesn't want him there, but more because she feels like a complete idiot for not being able to remember.

His eyebrows lift and a moment later he bows. "If you like."

Mid-turn to leave, however, he stops and smiles, facing to her again. "But if you find yourself needing me, I will be around the corner in a quaint little bar that does hearty meals. Or you can seek out Madeline, if you remember how to reach her."

It's another hour before she gives up.

Only now, while she's irritated with herself about not being able to get home, she also feels bad for how she spoke to Reynard. She hadn't meant to be rude, and she hopes that he didn't take it that way, but the longer she'd been alone the less she'd liked it.

Remembering where he'd said he'd be, thankfully - surprisingly - it doesn't take long for Grace to find the bar. Once she's spotted him, she approaches his table and sinks into the seat opposite. She looks frustrated still, but not as she did earlier. Now, she's resigned.

"So..that was time I'm never getting back"

It will take a bit more than a frustrated huff to offend Reynard. The Winter spirit has a nice seat in a corner where he can keep an eye on who comes in and out. Which, incidentally, makes him easy to find. A plate sits to one side, nothing but crumbs remaining, and a large glass of beer is slowly being worked through.

When Grace sits, he straightens slightly, leaving a cautious silence before venturing, "Did you try the vending machine devices?"

As he straightens, Grace seems to wilt, folding her arms on the table and resting her forehead down for the duration of the silence between them.

A moment later, she moves her face and peeks up at him, and shakes her head.

"I'll try them sometime later, I think...right now I need to remind myself that this isn't the worst possible thing that could have happened." another pause, "...I could've fallen into a black hole...gotten hit by a bus..instead I've wound up in a place with floating fossil-snails that eat fruit..."

He listens to her convince herself not to panic, or cry, or be upset. When she fades off, he waves to a waiter who has a few too many eyes. "Get this lady a drink, would you?"

"You look like you could use one," he tells her with a nod and he takes a sip from his own glass.

Shaking her head again, she pushes herself up, conjuring a smile from the part of her that still wants to be optimistic. She addresses the waiter first, and does a stellar job of not overtly staring at his additional eyes.

"Just water, please"

And then, she looks to Reynard again.

"I'm okay. Just need to tell myself that I shouldn't worry about things I can't necessarily control-" she pauses as the glass is set down a minute later, turning it between her hands. "...Thank you for showing me around. Well, showing me the Wilds anyway. I'm getting the feeling this place is much bigger than I first thought"

He mirrors his smile with a stronger one of his own. "It was my pleasure."

Then, shifting his eyes to take a look around, he leans in closer and watches her carefully. "But there are a few things you should know if you're going to be staying here for a while."

"Firstly, there is an anti-violence field here to keep people safe. No one can be harmed unless they give permission, including by trying to be violent themselves. But this field... The further out from the Plaza, here, you go, the more unreliable it becomes. Which leads me on to my next point..." He sighs and straightens a bit to look at her better. "Don't accept food or drink from anyone you don't trust. Don't make deals with anyone unless you are certain you don't have any other choice."

Her expression becomes a tad more serious when he leans forward; just his tone is enough to make her pay attention.

For the most part, it's good information to know - the anti-violence field is certainly reassuring for her. But it's the warning that worries her. She doesn't make a habit of making deals with strangers on a regular basis, but the fact that it needs to be said makes her wonder what other kinds of people reside here.

"I'll bear that in mind...is there anything else I should know?"

Grace is glad she met Reynard when she did; providing he's one of the trustworthy people here (which she really hopes he is), he's so far proven to be an invaluable source of information. She just hopes she'll be able to repay him somehow for being so helpful to her.

"Not that I can think of off the top of my head." His moustache rolls as he sifts through what might be useful to know. "As long as you keep in mind that all kinds of people from all kinds of places pass through here."

"Keep your wits about you," he decides to settle on as he relaxes back into his seat. "You'll do fine."

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