nexus_crossings | Give me your clothes, your boots...

Give me your clothes, your boots...

Adam has found himself a small apartment, and he is looking forward to having a stable place to stay in while he is taking care of business between here and Prague. He is standing at the old wood door with a few cardboard boxes, a few plastic gun cases, and two long rough sacks. And seeing he was only able to transfer some of his credits, the place isn't going to be much better than what he has now,

But while he is working to get the door to his apartment open, Jensen pauses. "Who is in charge of the police here?" He is hoping to draw the attention of either Felix or Stratos. He finally manages to get the door open, and he turns around to look at the neighborhood that looks like it belongs in the Middle Ages. But so long as electricity, he doesn’t care a whole lot about temporary accommodations.

“And how far will you go to follow the rules? Or break them.” He then looks down at the closed boxes, and he has one other simple question. “Where’s the closest market?”

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"I'm not sure there is a police force here; but I have been told there's an anti-violence..shield..thing around the place."

Guess who also lives in this apartment block? Luckily, someone who's feeling helpful. She answers his second question as she goes to pick up one of the boxes.

"And as a general rule, I tend to follow the rules. Much less trouble than breaking them."

Jensen was about to say something when the young woman he met in the dance studio picks up one of the boxes. He kneels down to grab hold of the heavy stack without any effort, and he shakes his head. "It seems like the people here are looking to start one. And I'm not exactly sure about this 'anti-violence' field."

If there is something, he doesn't trust about this place it is that thing. Perhaps it is to do with the current case he's dealing with back home. And not knowing much about the authorities here are somewhat unsettling. Perhaps this will be something to deal with after his work with Taskforce 29 is done.

He pushes the door open, and he finally gets a look inside of it. It isn't much a simple kitchen, living/dining room, and a bathroom. It will do. And once he has some spare money, Jensen will see about getting a larger place after he leaves the ghettos of Prague. And his eyes look down at the wooden floorboards, and he'll take care of those later.

"I think most of us follow most laws. But I'm sure you've illegally downloaded music or movies before." He recalls the music she was playing on the iPod, and he finally steps inside of the door.

"Surely that's a good thing, if there isn't one in place already?" As for the field, she's had no reason to test it out. She only has what other people have told her to go no.

Grace follows him inside, pulling a face to herself when she knows Adam won't see. She doesn't make a habit of illegally downloading things or breaking any smaller laws, but now that he's said it, she's thinking back on all the times she might have done.

"For the sake of argument, I plead the fifth."

Technically an American thing, but hey; why not try to keep it light?

He walks past her with the boxes in hand; his footfall is heavy against the wood floors. And Jensen, shrugs off one of the cases off his shoulder, and it lands on the floor with a heavy thud. "The police force or anti-violence field?" He asks as he continues to study the apartment, and he finally drops the first stack of boxes on the floor next to the rifle case.

He straightens himself up, and he rests his hand on the edge of his couch. "Spoken like someone who makes a habit of jaywalking or cutting the label off of their mattress." He uses some of that dry humor of his, and he walks away from the couch to look around his apartment.

"But you're right about one thing, it doesn't hurt for this place to have some type of law enforcement." He doesn't speak of the kidnappings he's learned of when he first spoke with Rosco.

Putting down the box she'd picked up, she glances over how many he brought inside seemingly without effort. It's also around now that she's really noticing his hands and arms. "Oh, sorry - the police. I'm not sure how many people here are trained though, besides you"

Folding her arms loosely in front of her chest, Grace shoots him a smirk as she looks around the place. It's a very similar layout to the one she's laid claim to, although hers is emptier.

"Technically in England jaywalking isn't illegal. It can be risky, but not illegal. The mattress thing though.." she shrugs, feigning guilt. "What can I say."

"There's three others besides myself from what I know of. And I happened to meet with one of them not long after I arrived here." Jensen says, as he continues to walk through the apartment, and he comes to a stop beside the sofa and he shrugs off his coat and he drapes it over the back of the sofa.

And with a raise of an eyebrow, his sunglasses retract back into their frame and he looks at her. "They'll lock you up and throw you in The Lower." Small talk isn't exactly his forte, and he tries to find something to talk about that doesn't revolve around police work. And he knows from his own colleagues that he needs to learn to take things easy.

He turns his back on her as he continues once more to look at the apartment, and especially the pictures that he begins to remove from the walls. "And I had thought you may have came from England judging from your accent." He reaches his arms up to take down a picture of a bunch of flowers in a vase, and he goes to put it in a corner.

A mysterious-looking stranger with a pertinent question is more than enough to draw out the less aloof of the Caelus brothers. Felix is already loitering nearby to take stock of the tough fellow in black and all his intriguing packages. The questions merely give him a polite opening to stroll over in all his quasi-Roman leather armor.

"For your first question, that's something we're still arguing over. It's so hard to decide who should get the credit, sometimes. But I think the title ought to go to our new sheriff. Rosco Coltrane."

Admittedly he'd quite like a healthy share of the credit if the law enforcement venture goes well, but with credit comes responsibility, and Felix prefers to avoid direct contact with that.

"As for the other question, let's say I like to play by the rules, whatever they may happen to be." He smiles. There's an awful lot going unsaid in that.

Jensen turns around to look in the direction of Felix, as he grabs hold of another stack of boxes without any effort. He looks him over, and he notices the Roman style armor. "Nice gear." He dully points out, as he turns around to put the boxes inside the door of his apartment.

But back to the matter of his question, Jensen tilts his head to the side. "From what the Coltrane told me, the ones who are in charge go by the names Felix and Stratos." Jensen still has his application tucked away into his coat pocket, and he did manage to complete it. Still he has plenty of questions to ask before he commits himself to the job.

"Good to hear." Jensen flatly says, as he continues to look Felix over from under those sunglasses of his. "But still most people seem to be willing to bend laws they deem to be harmless."

He's impressively strong, this man. Perhaps stronger than he looks like he ought to be. Felix inclines his head at the compliment, hiding a smile when those names are mentioned. Maybe he ought to be careful here.

"That would be Tribune Stratos Caelus, yes. He's decided to support the sheriff. Why, are you looking for him?" He asks it quite innocently, tilting his head. Despite the armor, he's carrying no weapons. He doesn't even have a helmet, just a blue-green hood draped around his shoulders. Under his easy-going air, however, he holds himself like someone trained to fight - or at least, to react fast when there's trouble.

He lets out a chuckle at Jensen's latter remark, though. "Well, the rules need a little flexibility, don't they? My uncle told me once that the law is like a great oak tree. It must stand strong and firm to shelter the people around it, but if it can't sway with the wind then the entire thing comes crashing down."

"Why don't you come inside?" Jensen asks it seems better to discuss things in the security of one's own home than out in the open. "I'm willing to support him, but I'm going to ask you the same that I did him." Jensen still holds the boxes in his hands without breaking a sweat, but it is still a strain on his batteries and afterwards he is going to need to a recharge.

"About how the three of you intend on implementing these laws, and how are people going to be tried." Jensen's tone is serious, and he has seen first hand what happens when people bend the law to benefit themselves. "And there's also something else I wish to get a little history about."

The words Felix speaks are true. "Your uncle seems like a wise man."

Felix has to pause before accepting the offer. He's been having fun with this business, but he's not blind to the fact that certain types of people might get a bit... concerned, hearing about the advent of law in these parts. People he might not want to be alone with.

Still, the anti-violence field works around here so far as he knows. And half the fun of being a conjurer is in being able to change your odds in a hurry.

"Oh, I don't really have much to do with all that. I just make a suggestion here and there. I'm not sure what sort of history I can give you. But I'm happy to help, of course. Sheriff Coltrane would certainly be glad of more assistance."

He nods at the remark on his uncle. "He understands some things that most people fail to appreciate. I try to keep his lessons in mind."

Particularly those about the law, and how it ought to bend.

Jensen has boxes in the corner, and he has finally put some of the books he had in Detroit that never made it to Prague on some of the shelves. And most of them are legal books, criminology, and books on cybernetics, and the Renaissance. But there are other cases and rough sacks sitting in the hallway that leads towards his bedroom.

And the main room of his temporary living space is kept well lit by a lamp hanging from the rafters. Jensen has no reason to attack anyone here, at least nobody has given him a reason to put anyone into a coma or clobber them yet.

"Then who does? From what Rosco told me that you were working on finding a fair system of laws that will work with a diverse place like The Nexus." Jensen walks over towards a wooden table that sits under the light, and he places his metal hands on the back of one of the chairs.

"And you're right about Sheriff Coltrane needing the help. But I'm curious as to what brought the need to make a police force for a place like The Nexus? I know he spoke that was a kidnapping, but he didn't know many of the details about what that entailed."

Felix genuinely relaxes a bit once he's had the chance to take in the interior. He strolls over to the books, drawn to inspect their titles. It's an interesting collection, and sheds some light on the type of help this man could be offering.

"Well, yes." Working is a strong word, but he won't very well dispute it. "Though really, I think it best to keep them simple. We're not out to collect taxes or govern trade or tell innkeepers when to lock up for the night."

He turns his steps toward the table, smile vanishing as he explains. "Some months ago now, there was a spate of abductions throughout the Nexus. The victims were being collected to be forced into fighting in an illicit arena, but since we had no guards nobody knew what was going on until the day of the fights. After that, a crowd of the Nexus's more combative sorts took offense and put a stop to things... with more wrath than co-ordination."

The Imperial smiles thinly. "Not that I blame them, of course. But I'm sure you can see why some protection besides that of angry mobs would be a valuable thing to have."

Jensen is an eclectic man by the looks of the books he reads, and it seems he reads a lot by the stacks of books that sit in a corner. Some of the books have to do with his profession, and the others range from baseball and cars.

Hearing what Felix has to tell him brings a bit of relief to Jensen, and he then raises an eyebrow when he brings up the abduction or abductions in this case. "Rosco told me about the kidnappings, but he didn't mention it as a mass abduction." And still to think of something like this happening anywhere makes his blood boil. "And that the people were forced into a fighting ring. So is there any idea as to who was responsible?"

And he can see how much of a clusterfuck an escape or even rescue can be without some coordination. Jensen's jaw tightens, and he knows how bad mob mentality can be for anything. "You don't have to tell me twice about what happens when people loose their shit."

Excellent. Felix controls his expression, not to give away how pleased he is at the success of this line of persuasion.

"Oh, the culprits seem to have been a collection of criminals and demons. No idea who the ringleaders were, but it was all rather well organized and executed. I'm sure they made off with the profits they wanted."

He nods seriously at the man. "I'm glad that we seem to be on the same page. Passing heroes and concerned locals are fine and good. But they're hardly the most reliable help for ordinary people."

"Rosco's going to have his hands full if we're dealing with real demons on a regular basis." Jensen did his reading before he approached Rosco about helping with the forming of a police force. And the more Felix describes the events of the kidnappings this is more than just a police force.

His facial expression remains calm as he leans back against the kitchen island that doubles as a table with his arms folding over his chest. "And I don't exactly have the experience when it comes to dealing with the supernatural, though I might have to change that. Or are they vulnerable "

But he frowns at the mention of passing heroes, and he knows at some point he will be one of those. For now he's taking the advice of Alex to step out into the light, and it is going to give him time to think about his place within TF29 after recent events. His slight frown vanishes into his normal calm expression, and he nods his head in agreement. "You're right, the people who are always here are the ones people can rely on to help at a moment's notice."

"Whoever happens to be closest when something goes wrong, usually."

The newcomer is regarded with a long scrutinizing stare from Natasha where she's leaning against a nearby wall, arms folded over her chest. He gaze is piercing and sharp, though her face belies no real emotion.

"Depends on what the rules are, and what the situation is." The second question only makes the corners of her mouth twitch slightly--the barest hints of a smile. "I'm more about the results."

The number of boxes in front of Jensen's apartment have shrunk, and he turns his head to look in the direction of Natasha. "So I'm going to be wasting my time by filling out this application." His own face is unreadable, and he simply stands there on the step with his hands resting at his side.

And he isn't the only one being stared down, Jensen looks Natasha over, his cybernetic eyes are covered by his sunglasses. He rests his metal hands on the railing beside him as he looks in her direction. And only now does a very faint smile form on his face, and it quickly vanishes.

"Maybe you can tell me about a situation where you would be willing to bend or break a few rules." The life of a double agent is a tough one morally; Jensen is constantly put in a position where he constantly bends laws in order to do his job.

"Not necessarily. If that hillbilly sheriff is serious about starting a force here, some extra patrols and eyes watching the Nexus can't be a bad thing."

Her reply is punctuated by a rolling shrug of her shoulders. A gesture purposefully drug out to make her seem as casual and unconcerned as possible. This one also carries himself like a predator. Not exactly subtle, but then he's off the clock. She's exactly the same way.

"I'm not about to sit back on my leash while politicians argue semantics about what I can and cannot do when lives are on the line, for starters. For another, the less law enforcement actually knows about me or what I'm doing, the better."

Someone's got to get their hands dirty for the betterment of everyone every now and again.

Jensen listens to her speak, and he continues to watch her body language. If this were a different situation, he would be a bit subtler and then again, he would do his best to remain unseen with very little bloodshed when needed.

"And what do you think about him?" He asks, as a metal hand goes to rest on the railing beside him and he taps his forefinger on the wrought iron. "The hillbilly sheriff that is, and how he will be able to handle a place like this." He uses his other hand to motion at the area at large. Jensen didn't dislike him, but some of the ideals seem to be from a long gone era.

Leashes, he knows all about those, and while his job with Sarif, Interpol, and Juggernaut Collective work well out of government hands he still has one. But it seems she might be like him. "I'm glad to see that there is someone else here who has this attitude."

And boy does Jensen know how to get dirty, and he has no problems with doing other people's dirty work for them.

"I think he means well and is generally harmless. How effective he is depends on who he recruits."

As far as causing trouble in the Nexus goes at least. He might even do some good if his little idea gets up and off the ground. It's definitely something Natasha is keeping a very close eye on.

"I've taken some strong consideration into helping him." Jensen still wonders if he still has what it takes to be a cop. It has been years since he's been on the street, and the life of a spy is a lot different. "I've been a cop before, and I think he might need some help."

But going in to work with Rosco might allow Jensen a chance to keep close tabs on not only Rosco, but some of the people he has hired.

"That makes one of us. I've only pretended to be a cop before."

There's a rather short list of things Natasha hasn't pretended to be over her career. It's easier to give that list really by comparison. She tucks a strand of red hair behind her ear.

"What's your angle, I wonder though? You haven't been here all that long. What's got you so interested?"

He hasn't been here long that much is very true, but Jensen isn't exactly the type to sit on his ass all day. And he gives Natasha a blunt response to her question. "If I'm to stay here I'm going to make myself useful."

"And I've seen what can happen to a police force if it is allowed to become corrupt." He looks up at her with a stern look on his face. "And when laws are made to take advantage of the civilians that the police are sworn to protect." This place is different, and he's had time to read about it. "There's also not just the police themselves, but this place has lots of room for criminal activity to take root. And Rosco will have his hands full if it does."

He's starting to sound much like a cop and the old security chief than a spy. And perhaps it is something he has begun to miss. A little bit of his old life while he's dealing with his life as a spy.

"Too late there. The Industrial district is full of criminal activity. Everything from human slavery to black markets and drug cartels. You didn't think a dimensional hub between different worlds and alternate realities wouldn't have been frequented by criminal types? And with an anti-violence field to stop people from trying to stop them?"

There's a reason Natasha has safe houses here in the Nexus. There's a definite risk of letting this place go unsupervised considering what all she's already seen.

"You've got your work cut out for you."

'You've got your work cut out for you' gets a thin smile sent in Natasha's direction. "Sounds like I'm already in heaven."

"I might be new, but I'm not naive. And I'm currently working with Interpol back home, so I know exactly what people are capable of doing. And I have no doubt that a place like this would attract the same people to this place like flies to shit. So being in my neck up in shit, it is all in a days work."

Jensen is going to be taking time to get to know The Nexus a bit better, but he then stops to think as the mention of the anti-violence shield is brought up. "This anti-violence field, what's your thoughts on it?" He's unsure about not allowing people to be able to defend themselves against the people who would take advantage of it." As much as he tries to use stealth over violence to solve his problems, there are still times when he has no choice.

"There's ways around it. You just have to get creative about making someone else throw the first punch if you want to fight."

Something Natasha has become quite good at, she might add. Throwing drinks in someone's face, a few well placed words. She can usually get a fight when she wants one. And she wants one a lot of the time when it comes to criminals.

"That shouldn't be too hard." Jensen has no problem with coming up with creative ways when it comes to subduing people. Though he normally prefers to strike first before he can be seen, but egging someone to take the first swing isn't exactly hard to do.

"Even if provoking a fight isn’t my style."

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Give me your clothes, your boots...

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