nexus_crossings | 1st Annual Halloween Block Party!

Current Mood: Festive
Current Location: The Plaza

1st Annual Halloween Block Party!

Perhaps it's the leaves of fiery golds and oranges drifting on the breeze, or the sight of various hard squash being mangled into festive ornaments, or even still the bowls of candy left out simply everywhere in the Nexus that signifies the import of today. Regardless of when you take heed, Halloween has come to the Nexus.

Neat little handmade signs and fliers of all kinds lead to a particularly festive sectioned off block with the Crossroads Cafe at the center. The brick building has more than its fair share of decorations hung from every available windowsill and door. Hanging skeletons, jolly Jack-O-Lanterns, orange and black streamers cascading down and blowing to and fro in the crisp breeze.

The doors are propped open just waiting to beckon you inside. What are you waiting for?

((See the OOC post if you have any questions! Backtagging and threadhopping are fine. Come on in and have a blast :D ))

Coats and Costumes
The Cafe
Bonfire
Dance Floor
Haunted House
Side Halls and Storage

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Her instinct is to shrink back against the wall as the large ghostly mass lumbers towards her, but as soon as she recognizes it as the the polar bear who was tending bar at the recent Meet and Greet, her demeanor relaxes visibly. She has a soft spot for animals, and Josh had already vouched for his furry friend, besides.

"Thank you," she says, touching one of the toy snakes self-consciously. "Yours is nice, too." She blinks at the drink offer -- both sound quite good. "A pumpkin spice latte would be nice, actually. Can I help you with that at all?" She points to the trash bag.

It's good that she doesn't run away, since Ice Bear has only trying to spook his friends, not any potential guests. So far it's working, mainly due to his inability to actually be scary (ghosts don't have cute bear ears, after all) and his friendly personality.

"Thank you. Ice Bear is a ghost." He looks at the trash bags and shakes his head no. "Ice Bear will not make a guest take care of this."

He glances outward at the cafe, catching sight of a few seats that seems tucked away nicely away from the costume-wearing customers. Ice Bear gently takes her hand with his free paw, if allowed to do so.

"Please trust Ice Bear." He's not going to make her brave the crowds until she's ready.

The cute bear ears do take away from any potential scariness, but the overall effect is endearing. She looks a bit disappointed that Ice Bear does not want her assistance. She's the type of guest who spends half the party cleaning up after others because it's easier to be helpful than make small talk with strangers. But she gets over it quickly.

She lets him take her hand without hesitation. She's never touched a bear's paw before, but he is such a friendly bear. "Okay," she smiles, letting him lead her to a seat.

Ice Bear is the type of person who always treats the lady with utmost respect and would never subject someone as gentle as Adia to picking up garbage. He's got to win over people as well.

Once Adia's hand is in his paw, the bear glides her around the groups of people effortlessly, some of them barely even glance up to see the floating ghost and Medusa walking by. Navigating crowds must be second nature to the bear, as Ice is able to get Adia to a small chair and table near the back of the cafe. He lets go of her hand in order to pull the chair out for her.

"Ice Bear will go get your drink." A pause, as he wants to make sure she's settled in comfortably before leaving. "Want a treat as well? Ice Bear will not give you a trick."

Ice Bear is a true gentleman. (Gentlebear?)

Adia is impressed how agile Ice Bear is, even while wearing a ghost costume. She realizes belatedly that he must work at the cafe and get a lot of practice weaving among the tables. She smiles warmly at the chair pull and settles into the offered seat easily.

"Hmm? Oh, thank you. Yes, a treat would be nice." The latte is already treat enough, but Adia's world does not have much in the way of sweets right now, so she'll indulge. Hesitantly, she reaches out and pats Ice Bear's paw. "You are a wonderful host, Ice Bear."

Gentlebear is an acceptable title.

The guests seem uninterested in a ghost leading Medusa to a table and continue to stay out of the way of the duo. Once Adia is safely seated, Ice Bear politely bows his head to her.

"...Ice Bear must earn the title of best host. Please wait here while Ice Bear gets you a drink." He'll make sure she's fully settled in before making his way to the back of the cafe. After washing his paws and cleaning up a few other things in the back, he returns a few minutes later with her latte in a ceramic mug and a piece of apple pie.

Both treats are placed on the table in front of her for approval, as the bear steps back, waiting for approval or critique.

Gentlebear it is.

She watches him walk away, not sure what he means about earning a title. He's already a better host than any other party she's been to before. Not sure what to do with herself, she sits back and takes in the decorations, as well as the other costumed guests.

By the time Ice Bear returns, she's considerably more relaxed, having gotten used to her surroundings. She blinks in surprise at the slice of apple pie, having not expected such a comforting treat. Forgetting momentarily about the latte, she spears a small piece onto her fork and takes a bite.

The fact that she finds it delicious is obvious, but she swallows quickly so she can tell him, as well. "This is wonderful, Ice Bear. Thank you."

"Ice Bear can't take the credit for it. Was made by Katsuya-san."

There's a hint of sadness in the bear's voice, disappointed in the fact that it's not his baking that she's trying. But, he's quick to return to normal, taking the seat across from Adia carefully. He won't pressure her to eat and drink, just puts his two paws in his lap, looking like the world's most gentle ghost.

"...Having fun?"

"But you picked it out for me," Adia says quickly, not wanting Ice Bear to be disappointed. "Did you make the latte?" Carefully, she lifts the mug and takes a small sip, not wanting to burn her tongue or smudge her green lipstick. "It's wonderful, too. It goes well with the pie."

She's glad that he's joining her. Now that she's gotten comfortable, she's more inclined to socialize. And Ice Bear is a very non-demanding conversational partner. She has to stop herself from staring at his ears, though. They're really too cute. "I am now. It takes me a little while to warm up to parties."

"...Ice Bear will make you something fresh in the future." Blame his pride for not taking the compliment, as Ice secretly compares his own cooking to Katsuya's. He bows one head to the kind words either way. "Ice Bear likes lattes too. Good in the Fall and Winter."

Consider Adia with good company then, as the bear is hardly the over-eager socialite at parties. It took his friends to get him here and in costume after all. He's quiet and polite, not trying to talk over Adia as she speaks. Truly more men could learn a few lessons from one fuzzy polar bear.

"Same. Ice Bear is not used to this. Having friends."

"I look forward to it." And not just because there is a devastating lack of baked goods on her world. "I'll drink coffee any time, but you're right, lattes are especially good this time of year."

As quiet and polite as Ice Bear is, she hadn't assumed that he would have the same feelings towards parties, or socializing in general. "Really?" she asks, her eyebrows knitted in confusion. "What were you doing before you came to the Nexus?"

"Just tell Ice Bear what you want. Ice Bear can make anything."

The bear fidgets a bit in his seat, mainly still trying to get used to the costume he's wearing and the fact that he's holding a conversation in it.

"Doing usual Ice Bear things. Living with two brothers in California. Ice Bear still does this anyways, just visits the Nexus from time to time." A nod. "What about nice lady? "

"I believe you." It's hard to think about what else she could want while already indulging in dessert, but she'll be sure to tell him when the opportunity presents itself again.

"California? Is that on Earth?" She thinks back on a conversation she had once with a talking fox. "Are you from... um, a place where all the animals can talk?"

She blinks at the moniker before realizing that she hadn't bothered to introduce herself yet, and was only fortunate enough to learn Ice Bear's name because he speaks in the third person. (Which she would normally find odd or pretentious, but seems to suit Ice Bear perfectly.) "My name is Adia," she says with a smile. "And... oh. I was on a spaceship when I first accidentally discovered the Nexus." Her smile drops a little. "Now I live on New Caprica. It's... um. Not great."

"Yes. Ice Bear is from Earth, year 2016." His nose wiggles, as if the bear is getting increasingly annoyed by the fabric around his snout. This costume might be coming off in the next few minutes, and hopefully, Adia won't mind seeing a naked(?) polar bear.

"Adia. Ice Bear is happy to make your acquaintance." He takes her hand with one paw and lightly pushes his dry nose against it, in a kissing gesture. Her disappearing smile gets a concerned head tilt from him. "Ice Bear will not force you to talk about it. Can Ice Bear help in any way though?"

"Is that itching you?" Adia asks in concern, momentarily forgetting talk of home worlds. She wouldn't mind at all if he needed to remove his costume, although if he pointed out that it made him technically naked, she'd probably feel a little awkward about it.

She tries not to squeal in childlike glee when Ice Bear puts his dry nose against her hand, but that's nearly as cute as his ears. "Thanks," she smiles. "I think keeping me company is helpful enough." She takes another sip of latte. "What do you do on Earth? Do you bake there, too?"

"A little. Ice Bear doesn't want to hurt the feeling of the friend who made this costume though." He nudges at the fabric with his paw, until the tablecloth sits nicely around his black nose. For now, ghost Ice Bear remains.

"Ice Bear lives with his two brothers, Grizz and Panda. Ice Bear does the cleaning and cooking." The bear might be blushing a little under his costume, but it's hard to see given the dark, Halloween party room. Women, especially nice ones, have a tendency to get Ice feeling all warm and fuzy inside. "There's a few other animals who speak English. Very few though."

"Why, who made it for you?" She gestures to the make-up on her face. "I didn't think it'd be a good idea to wear a mask. I was afraid I'd bump into things."

"Are your brothers a grizzly bear and a panda bear?" Please let his brothers be a grizzly bear and a panda bear. She doesn't notice Ice Bear's blushing, too busy taking another bite of pie. It's very good, but she won't tell Ice Bear that again. "How strange that only a few of you speak at all. Do you know why? Is it hard, to be bears living among humans?"

If someone had told her before she had discovered the Nexus that one day she'd be having a conversation with a talking polar bear while dressed as Medusa, she would have kindly suggested that they seek professional help.

"Josh. Ice Bear's friend."

The itching has finally reached it's toll, as Ice Bear flips up the costume, folding the tablecloth into his lap.

"Yes. Have lived together since we were cubs." There's always a small smile on his face while talking about Grizz and Pan Pan, as family comes first over anyone else. "Ice Bear doesn't know why. Not rejected from society, just don't fit in."

He shrugs his shoulders are tries to play it off as nothing important, but it's painfully obvious that being the bear in a big city is not as easy as it looks.

"Oh! I should have guessed. He helped me with my make-up." She smiles fondly. "He spoke very highly of you, by the way. That's how I knew you were a friendly bear."

She looks at him sympathetically while drinking some more of her latte. "I felt like that a lot, growing up," she admits. "It's hard enough to fit in with humans when you are a human, sometimes. I'm glad you have your brothers."

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1st Annual Halloween Block Party!

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