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

[romeoinabox]

"The United States, originally. I'm a little all over these days to call any one place home, though." Red smiles in return, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. Really, it wouldn't be quite as difficult to handle if he wasn't in a strained relationship with his motherland right now, but such is the way life goes.

"Have you thought about making the Nexus a more permanent home?" It's a curious question, meant more as a suggestion than a hard offer. He lets that settle as he takes another sip of his drink. "I've heard of many people making this place home for any number of reasons and being quite happy here."

[chiron_survivor]

Adia wonders briefly if he's homesick. She knows that feeling all too well. Still, she's a bit pleased that she was able to identify his country of origin. "Earth sounds very diverse, from what I've learned so far. It's like all twelve colonies on one planet, and then some. Do you have a favorite place there?"

He's not the first person who has asked her, and he likely won't be the last. She's glad that it's at least phrased as a mild suggestion. It's a decision she struggles with every time she visits. "I've thought about it. Things are... not easy, where I'm from. But I don't want to abandon my friends." She fiddles with her fork, picking it up and setting it down again. "Especially not now, as... well, we're under occupation, currently, and people from our settlement go missing on occasion. I couldn't leave them, knowing that's the conclusion they'd come to about me."

[romeoinabox]

"You do indeed find all sorts on Earth," he agrees. He pauses for a moment at her question, 'hmm'ing softly in thought. "I've always liked Pennsylvania, one of states in America," he says after a moment. "It has some great metropolitan areas as well as a great many natural landmarks and forests that are truly breathtaking. And there's all the American history ingrained there, of course. That's always a fun thing to walk through from time to time."

That's certainly a sentiment he can understand. Perhaps not the occupation part, but things haven't been 'easy' in his life for some time, no matter how effortless he makes everything seem. "No reason you can't still live in both," he offers after a brief pause. "Having a contingency plan, in case the worst should happen in either place, is both prudent and wise." It may be he says this because he has contingency plans for his contingency plans, but a man in Red's position can never be too carfeul.

[chiron_survivor]

"Pennsylvania," Adia repeats softly to herself. She'll have to look that up later, on one of the Nexus computers. "Is that where America started? I met a man from Georgia, he seemed very proud of America's history. A rebellion from a king, if I remember correctly."

That's an idea that hadn't occurred to her, and she gives it serious thought in between a bite or two of her eggs. "I wouldn't know where to start," she admits. "I'm still getting used to this Nexus. There are entire areas I've never been... but you're right. I'd live here, if things get to that point." It'd have to get really bad on her world, though. War, genocide, even occupation haven't driven her to the Nexus permanently. But even Adia must have a hard limit.

[romeoinabox]

Red chuckles at her question. It's rather endearing to meet someone who doesn't know American history. "That's a bit of a long and convoluted story that I'm not sure I'm qualified to explain, but it did begin as an act of rebellion, yes." Does that make Americans the petulant children King George thought they were? Perhaps, but what an amazing thing those same children built.

"Perhaps a guide would be in order? While I'm not enough of a resident myself, I'm certain I could introduce you to someone who is." And be there for her if being around another complete stranger is a little overwhelming. "It seems like with only a little help, we could get you well on the road to making this place a secondary home."

[chiron_survivor]

"Leonis was a monarchy for over a thousand years," Adia explains. "But our transition to a democracy was peaceful." She used to be proud of that fact, that her colony was able to transition to a more equitable government without any bloodshed. But now she wonders if that made her people too complacent once real war was upon them.

"Oh... that's very kind of you. Thank you." Her expression brightens considerably. "Whether I decide to live here or not, I really want to get to know the Nexus better." She squandered that chance last time. She won't miss another opportunity.

[romeoinabox]

"There have been peaceful transitions on Earth as well, but it seems the vast majority are not. Humans by their very nature are violent creatures." And that's really just how things are. That Red can be (easily) counted among them doesn't bother him in the least.

"If you're ever looking for an escort while you wander, do let me know. I'm curious to know more about this place as well." Getting to accompany a beautiful and interesting woman as he explores would simply be an added bonus. "If you're willing, of course."

[chiron_survivor]

That's disappointing for Adia to hear. Earth is supposed to be a utopia, according to the Sacred Scrolls, a colony dedicated to art and the sciences. But every Earth she learns about seems to have the same problems the colonies did, if not more.

"Maybe," She says, not agreeing with him exactly, but wanting to be polite. "There are a lot of things in our nature that worked so well for our ancestors that we keep doing them, even when we should know better."

"Sure. We can learn about the Nexus together." It's comforting that there are places in the Nexus that even someone as confident and resourceful as Red has not seen. "It's probably safer, too. I wouldn't want to get lost."

[romeoinabox]

Earth is still a magical place, by all accounts, but anyone whoever said fairy tales were all rainbows and unicorns never read anything by the Brothers Grimm.

"That's a fair point. And not everyone wants to own up to their ways and change, either. Sometimes it's easier to continue doing something wrong rather than change one's ways." Change - real change, anyway - is always so much more effort than one expects, and it's never the fun one would like it to be.

"We'll have to get one of those... oh, what were they called? PINpoint devices? That way we can always come back to the Plaza if we find ourselves completely lost. I'm sure there's a place to buy them around here." Seems a useful thing to have even if they weren't going exploring.

[chiron_survivor]

She wonders what sorts of experiences Red has had, to come to such negative conclusions about human behavior. Not that she disagrees with this particular assessment. "Is that a problem? On your Earth?"

Adia's expression brightens considerably at the mention of PINpoints. "Oh! I have one of those already." Setting down her fork once more, she reaches into pocket and pulls out what looks like a stopwatch on steroids. "I got it from a vending machine for free," she says, holding it out so he can look it over. "But that was... well, either a long time ago or in another Nexus. I hope they still have them, they're very convenient."

[romeoinabox]

A knowing smile pulls across his lips at that question. "It's a problem everywhere, Adia. One never has to try hard to see it." It's all a matter of opening one's eyes.

Carefully taking the PINpoint from her, Red looks over the strange device slowly. "Remarkable," he murmurs, turning it over in his hands. This kind of technology is far beyond his capability to understand, but here is trying to figure it out anyway. "How does it work, exactly?" He's fairly certain they can find one somewhere, so he focuses instead on how such a device might work rather than where to obtain one.

[chiron_survivor]

"I guess some things about human nature are universal." Which isn't quite the comforting thought it should be. Adia eats a little more of her breakfast to compensate; good breakfast food seems to be a universal, too.

"I don't know," Adia admits, watching Red handle the device with a small amount of nervousness. She trusts Red to be careful with it, but all the same, her PINpoint is her only lifeline to and from the Nexus. "It's far beyond any sort of technology on my world. Even our ship's FTL drives require vast amounts of calculation power to teleport us any significant distance."