Welcome Committee

[sumarusfinest]

There's been so many fresh faces to the Nexus recently, and more than a few of them have been children. Questions about finding a way home, about trying to decide if they want to go home. People wondering what to do now...

There are a few tables set out this morning in the Plaza in front of a small cafe loaded with several caraffes of coffee, breakfast pastries from more than a few different worlds and cultures, and a large pan of eggs and sausage kept warm over a chafing dish. On either end of the table are disposable plates, cups, and cutlery as well as a few welcome pamphlets in a small container. Along the front of the tables is a hand made banner.

"Meet and Greet"

Manning the tables is Katsuya Suou, red apron on and a cup of coffee in hand. He looks far too cheerful for how early in the morning it is.

"Right then, is anyone hungry? Have any questions about the nexus?"


((OOC: Feel free to mingle and threadjump in this thread. I'm trying to get people who have yet to meet to interact, so do not feel obligated to only reply to me!))

Comments

[chiron_survivor]

Adia looks over, at Ice Bear first. A polar bear is always going to get her attention first, but unlike the trepidation she shows at meeting just about anyone in the Nexus, she smiles brightly. "Oh, he talks? Is he friendly? He looks so soft..."

Her gaze shifts over to Josh's human friend. She looks surprised at first, and then smiles in relief and takes a sip of coffee. "I can see how he fits the description I gave you, although they don't really look much alike. He was very helpful in answering some of my questions about the Nexus. I think it's awfully generous of him, this whole buffet."

She listens to Josh elaborate, slowly working on her danish while he does. "That seems like a good idea. You never know what can happen in the Nexus while you're gone."

[brother_alone]

"I don't really know the officer. Just that he hired Ice Bear on to work at the cafe. Ice is a good friend though, and a real nice guy.Kind of stoic, but he really cares about folks."

Josh pauses to take a sizable bite out of the chocolate croissant he'd packed onto his plate and makes a small hum of pleasure.

"It is yeah. There was something like this going on when I first showed up, too. Folks around here seem pretty eager to help each other out. For the most part."

[chiron_survivor]

"Hopefully I'll get to talk to him sometime," she says, after another sip of coffee. Unfortunately, this is already her final pass at the buffet, and she's not particularly interested in a drink for the road, but at least she won't hesitate to talk to him, should their paths cross.

"There was nothing like this when I first showed up. I mean, the people I spoke with were very helpful, but there weren't any pamphlets, or a welcoming meal. Just a bright neon sign telling you to ask a question." She frowns a little at the rest of her danish. "This really isn't the same Nexus I remember."

[brother_alone]

"Does that bother you, that it's different?"

He wipes a bit of flaky pastry from the corner of his mouth as he replies. Josh could see it being both good and bad. Missing old friends, but getting the chance again to get away from her world. If only for a little while.

"It's the only one I've ever been to, but it beats where I'm from."

[chiron_survivor]

"A little," Adia admits. "I miss the friends I made. I hope they don't think that I've forgotten about them."

She looks up at Josh. Aside from nearly dying, she's not sure what else was so awful about his world that he chose to live in a shack in the wilds rather than try to find his way back home. It must have been pretty bad.

"I still like coming here," she says, as if reassuring him. "The computers and free coffee haven't changed. And I never got free food in the other Nexus."

[brother_alone]

"There's gonna be a party for Halloween."

Josh chips in, trying to think of all the good things about this Nexus. He fidgets with the sleeves of his flannel.

"I'm doing the decorating for it, even. Everyone's invited. You should come. Meet some folks. Have a good time."

[chiron_survivor]

A Nexus friend had told her about Halloween, once, but it still takes her a moment or two to remember the particulars. "That's the holiday where people dress up in costumes, right?" Her expression brightens. "That sounds like fun. What sorts of decorations are you making?"

[brother_alone]

"Yeah! That's the one."

And clearly a favorite of Josh's if the grin he's giving Adia is any indication. He looks a lot less uncomfortable suddenly too.

"Traditional stuff mostly. Carved pumpkins, fake bats and skeletons, spooky music. But they let me have the upstairs to do a haunted house too, and that is gonna be spooky as hell. I'm gonna make sure of it."

[chiron_survivor]

Adia is not really one for haunted houses, but Josh sounds so enthusiastic, she's willing to give it a try. It's nice to see him happy about something. "We don't have anything like that, where I'm from. Do I need to wear a costume?"

[brother_alone]

"Absolutely! I'll make sure there's a few rentals on site for anyone who forgets but I've got mine all figured out."

He sounds so proud of this, grinning from ear to ear.

"It's gonna be soooo much fun."

[chiron_survivor]

"Okay. I'll try to find something to wear." She takes a sip of coffee to hide her mild worry. She'll probably need to borrow one of those rentals, as there is no way she'll find a costume on her home world. Not unless she wanted to go as "war refugee".

But she doesn't stay worried for long. Josh's grin is infectious. "What are you going to be?"

[brother_alone]

"Plenty of shops around here have all kinds of dress, and they'll barter. That's how I got mine. Lord knows my broke ass didn't buy anything outright."

Josh laughs though, too excited to get down about his financial state.

"Ah, ah, ahhh. That would spoil the surprise, wouldn't it? But I'll give you a hint; I'm gonna be someone important."

[chiron_survivor]

It's a little reassuring, although Adia isn't sure what she could offer to barter. "I'll figure something out," she says, not as confidently as she feels. Maybe she can get by with something simple, like a mask.

"Important here or important on Earth? If it's the latter, you'll just have to tell me when I see you," she says with a small grin.

[brother_alone]

"Oooh, good point. You're not from Earth."

Josh forgets that sometimes. He gives a nod, and then leans forward conspiratorially. With a wink he murmurs.

"I'm gonna be a kind of royalty. It's gonna be awesome."

[chiron_survivor]

Considering that she's human, it's easy enough to forget. She seems intrigued by Josh's costume choice. After his talk of spooky stuff, dressing as royalty doesn't sound terribly scary. "Sounds neat. Did you already finish it?"

[brother_alone]

"I did. I'm gonna be a long-dead guy come back from the grave."

Well, there's the tie in with spooks. But really, the real reason is a lot more convenient for his mun clever.

"Turns out I look an awful lot like a character form a movie I saw a while ago, so it's gonna be ten kinds of frickin' sweet."

Very clever costume idea. :)

[chiron_survivor]

Yes, that definitely sounds more spooky. She laughs a little at his explanation. "You'll have to explain it to me when I see it. I've never seen any Earth movies." He does look handsome enough to be a character in a movie -- not that she'd say that out loud in a million years. "Maybe I should dress as Medusa. She was always my favorite movie monster."

;)

[brother_alone]

"Oh dude, you could totally get a Medusa wig and scare the pants off folks. Fuck, it's the Nexus. You could probably get a wig made of live snakes if you really wanted to."

Does Josh look excited? Because he is practically vibrating with it. He is so stoked about this.

[chiron_survivor]

"You've heard of her?" Adia asks, briefly surprised, before giggling at the idea of a wig made of live snakes. "That doesn't sound fun for either me or the snakes," she says, amused. "But I'll look around for a Medusa wig. I might even have a green dress somewhere."

Adia sincerely doubts she could scare the pants off of anybody, costumed or not, but she's warming up to the costume idea. Josh seems so into Halloween. "I'm guessing this is your favorite holiday? More than... what's the other one... Christmas?"

[brother_alone]

"Yessssss, I can't wait to see you! It's gonna be so much fun. Let me know if you need a hand with your make up. I've got..."

Well, that's not right is it?

"I had two sisters. I'm pretty good at that sort of thing."

It's the one subject that can calm him back down to normal people levels. But even it can't ruin his mood completely. Not when the subject is Halloween.

"Man, fuck Christmas. Sitting around talking to family you don't even know pretending to give a damn about you for one day a year versus Halloween? Parties, spooks, friends, and fun? No contest."

Why yes, it is his favorite holiday.

[chiron_survivor]

Adia doesn't miss the change in tense, from present to past. She winces instinctively in sympathy, then fumbles for her coffee and takes a long sip, wondering if she should say something. She's lost family -- her entire family, in fact. But she's an only child. Maybe it's different to lose two sisters.

"That's really nice of you to offer," she says finally. "Um. I can help you set up the haunted house if you need an extra set of hands?"

She brushes a stray crumb from the table, her smile returning. "When you put it that way, Halloween sounds much more fun."