nexus_crossings | 1st Annual Halloween Block Party!

The mental image is unnerving. Maybe there are worse things than human-hating sentient robots. "How did they get under the moon's surface? Do they live there?"

In contrast, the talk of mythology is much lighter topic. "No, we have myths about unicorns," Adia says thoughtfully. She smiles again at Ghost's hat. "Is that why you chose your costume?" She nods at Blaze and adds, "Although the Titans weren't monsters. Just precursors to the gods."

This party has done wonders to make Adia smile. She seems as close to relaxed as she can get. "No, nothing like this. We have costume parties on occasion, but they don't revolve around monsters and candy." Speaking of which, Adia starts to look through the candy bowl. "Do you know which of these have chocolate? I want to take back a few to my world for my friends."

"They claimed it centuries back. The Guardians were- uh- we were forced to abandon it to them after a great battle. The Speaker tells the story sometimes, especially this time of year. One of their foul gods, Crota, forced us to retreat, and the Vanguard declared the moon off-limits for decades. All that time, the Hive just burrowed in deeper. At least, until we came back to repay them."

"

Well, the hat was a gift from our friend Steve, and there aren't many costumes that fit a Ghost... but a unicorn seems like a nice thing to be. Fierce and brave at least in some of the myths.

"

It's good to see Adia look so relaxed, in contrast to their last meeting. Blaze points out one of the 'strange coins', a disk wrapped in silver foil with a raised green center. "The coins are chocolate! I think that's all in the batch we brought. Take all you want, we always collect too much and someone's got to eat it."

She can see why the story gets told during Blaze's equivalent of Halloween. The idea of alien monsters burrowing into a moon and multiplying is disturbing. "What do they look like, when they're too young to have eyes?" She asks, morbidly curious.

Adia hasn't met Steve yet, but it's a point in his favor. "I was a little obsessed with unicorns when I was a girl," Adia admits. "Anything about horses, really." She thinks Ghost is a lot braver than a unicorn, but doesn't know how to tell him without sounding silly.

"Oh, thank you." She tucks a few into the pockets of her dress. "I'm not sure how to explain where I got them, but I'll think of something. What are the other ones?"

"Humanoid. About your size, but thinner, with elongated skulls and too many teeth." Blaze sounds calm, more than anything as she settles into the description. The Hive are too grim a subject for even a Guardian to be totally casual about, but she's not trying to frighten her friend either.

"They have a few plates of organic armor fused to their flesh, what there is. Their skin's bleached and withered- sometimes it's decayed right down to the bone. See, the Hive aren't living creatures - they're dead things from birth, feeding on the Light they corrupt. Thrall are weak, but they move fast and they're never alone."

"I don't know which part I like less - the claws or the way they shriek."

Okay, maybe that's more information than Adia really wanted.

"

I'd like to see a horse one day. One of our other friends loves them as well, although... he's afraid there are none left on his Earth. They've, um, suffered their own calamity.

"

All this talk of sorrows needs some sweetness to balance it out. Blaze is happy to lean over and point out a few. "Well, the engrams are like little crunchy balls, I know some of them are sweet or salty. The void fizz is kind of, uh, tangy fluff? And those ones are chewy, I remember that."

Blaze's intention may not have been to scare Adia, but she's looking a bit pale under her green scales. "Is that what all the aliens are like? Already dead?" No wonder they want to attack Earth.

"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that. About your friend's Earth. We, ah... well, our biodome might have some horses, but the rest we had to leave behind." She smiles at Ghost consolingly. "If I get a chance to ride a horse again, you can come with me."

She laughs a little at the name "void fizz". It's silly, but seems appropriate for candy. Feeling brave, she picks up one of the engrams to give it a try. If they taste like something her friends would like, she can save the rest for later.

"Oh, no. I mean, it's not much in their favor, but at least they aren't the Hive. Vex are part of some vast machine collective, Cabal are regular troopers from some high-gravity world, and the Fallen, they're a bunch of pirates hanging on to what nobility they've got left." She takes in Adia's expression and tries to be reassuring. "And hey, even the Hive can learn fear. And now their god Crota is dead - really dead - at the hands of a Guardian."

Ghost perks up curiously. "That might depend on where you go... but thank you. I would like that, very much."

The engram turns out to be some sort of fried dough, crunchy and faintly spiced, coated in a layer of cinnamon sugar. The paper wrappings have different colors and patterns - the one she just tried was purple, but there's green for the sour ones, and red for the salty ones.

"The people of your Earth have a lot to deal with," she remarks finally, after taking in Blaze's explanation. "Um... which ones have you fought personally?"

"Can you not go everywhere?" She asks Ghost curiously. "I mean, I know you need to stay with Blaze and help her, but other than that?" A small flying robot might also spook a horse, but they can cross that bridge when they come to it.

Adia makes a sound of approval as she chews and swallows her bite. "This is really good," she tells Blaze. "It's like something I used to eat at the county fair."

"All of them." Okay, now she's starting to sound downright eager, straightening up with excitement. If Blaze owned a t-shirt it would read 'Ask me about stuff I've fought'. "Hive witches, Fallen barons, Vex- never met any really big Cabal, but we took out a few of their centurions and a colossus once. Not sure whether the most powerful thing I've killed myself would be a witch or the Vex oracles - but the oracles were more fun. Sort of a long story, though."

Ghost somehow manages to look abashed. "

Well, it's not so much that, as... that if we went to your universe it might be, um- problematic. Whereas it would be quite safe if we found horses in the Nexus.

"

"Hey, glad you like it," Blaze says sincerely... though the tilt of her head seems curious. "Uh, county fair? Is that like the little markets they have round here sometimes?"

"Centurions?" Adia blurts out, before shaking her head quickly. "Sorry... I'm sure that's just coincidence." It has to be, Blaze had never heard of Cylons before. "If you want to tell me the oracle story, I'm happy to listen." And if it keeps her up all night with thoughts of scary aliens, at least it'll take her mind off the scary Cylons.

"It wouldn't be my universe, but I understand." She doesn't, actually, but she's worried if she tries to find out the root of Ghost's traveling problem, he'll become even more embarrassed. The last thing she wants to do is make her new friend uncomfortable. "I'll see if the Nexus has a stable. It has just about everything else."

Adia swallows another bite of the fried treat and shakes her head. "Not quite. There are stalls selling crafts, but there are also domestic animals, produce displays, and rides and games. They started out as a way to showcase the annual harvest, but once Aerilon took over most of the colony's food production, the fairs on Leonis were more symbolic than anything."

"I don't know what the word means to you, but it's the closest translation we've got for that rank of Cabal." Hard to say if Blaze is giving Adia a concerned look, but Ghost certainly is. And the Titan's tone softens a little, though that might also be because she's flattered by Adia's offer. Still enthusiastic, but tempered by a sense of formality now. "I'd be honored to tell it for you. For our people this is a time to share memories and honor the dead. Will you share a story with us, too?"

"I hope so. I'm almost surprised we haven't seen one, but our patrols don't really focus on local fauna."

Blaze listens to Adia's description with interest. "Sounds like a nice way to get together. Did you have a farm? Uh. Your family, I mean." It's an unfamiliar sort of conversation, this, a novel topic to discuss. Nothing wrong with that.

"It's what we call the Cylons who are still in robot form. But -- I mean, that's okay, I know that's not what you meant." She looks at Ghost reassuringly. "It's like you said, you share names for some of our mythical creatures. Must be one of those things, too."

Blaze's question surprises her. "S-sure. Um. If you'd like to go first?"

Her attention is back on Ghost, when he speaks. "You patrol the Nexus?" It's reassuring, but worrisome, too, that this Nexus needs to be patrolled. "Do you know how far the anti-violence field extends? Maybe I could come with you sometime... um, to the areas that are safe, anyway."

"No, we lived close to Hedon, a major city. But my dad's family owned some property out in the country. We might have had stock in a vineyard, too. Just about everyone did." It's a novel topic for her in some ways, too. Whatever is left of that land has been irradiated and abandoned. But she doesn't mind talking about it to Blaze.

Blaze nods. "We ought to sit down somewhere. How about by the fire?" They'll do this right.

They can talk as they move, if so. Ghost is happy to keep pace with Adia. "

We have a good idea of where it's reliable by now. Although most places are safer when you have a Titan escort. Sometimes we intervene in local, um, trouble, but we're mostly just looking out in case a real threat finds its way in. You're welcome to join us sometimes.

"

"Yeah," Blaze agrees. "You don't run across much more than cultural misunderstandings and criminals here. The only real battles we've had came with plenty of warning signs."

She's not sure what to say, for a moment: she reaches up to rub an antenna out of habit, then remembers the festival helm in the way. She ventures, "You ever go out to visit? Sounds like you must have had a lot of open ground. I always figure a living city is a hell of a thing, but it's good to get out under some open sky."

"Sure." She hasn't really had a chance to sit by the bonfire yet. In the chill night air, it's very appealing. Tucking one last candy into her dress pocket, she follows the Guardian to an open pair of seats.

"I'd like that," she says to Ghost, with only a little hesitation. She trusts that she'll be safe in their company, although she hates conflict of any sort. "I haven't explored much of the Nexus yet, but I think I should." She looks over at Blaze. "Warning signs... like the demon invasion?"

"Oh, yes, all the time." She smiles nostalgically. "Not so much to the vineyards, but my Nana lived in the country. You had to pass through huge fields of tulips to get to her house. She lived near some stables. That's where I learned to ride a horse."

Blaze offers Adia the seat closer to the fire, as well as the cushion from her own chair. She hardly needs it after all. She plonks herself down casually, leaning forward on her knee guards while she talks.

"You heard about the invasion, huh? That's one of the bigger skirmishes we've had here. We weren't patrolling so regularly back then, but I hear there were scouts around ahead of the attack. The other real fight, against the Winter spirit- well, hard to miss that something was wrong beforehand."

Tulips are flowers, she thinks. Blaze isn't sure which ones, but it doesn't seem important. She can imagine them, like the fields of big flowers that dot the European Dead Zone on Earth. "So she taught you? That's a nice way to do it, learning from family."

Adia sinks into the cushioned seat with a small sigh of contentment. She had been on her feet for most of the party -- even dancing, which had never been on her agenda -- and could use a little rest. The warmth of the bonfire sinks into her skin as she stretches out her legs a bit, getting comfortable.

"A few people have mentioned it," Adia confirms. "It's what made me realize that this really isn't the same Nexus I remember. The invasion happened a year ago, but I was visiting the Nexus a year ago, too, and I never saw any sign of it." This is the first she's heard of the other fight, however, and she sits up straighter with interest. "Winter spirit?"

"Oh, no... the stables were owned by a neighbor. I didn't get lessons from Nana." She laughs softly at the mental image it brings. "Nana knew how to ride, but she didn't much care for it. She told me she wasn't interested in a form of transportation that had its own ideas about where to go."

"Hmm, yeah. Would've been hard to miss. Most of the demons weren't even good opponents - they were more interested in tearing into the civilians and wreaking destruction than putting up a solid offense." There's the rumble of hard disgust in her voice, though she lets out a lighter 'heh' at Adia's question.

"Right. Reynard. The guy who tried to lock the Nexus in eternal winter months ago. We knew something was wrong the way the climate kept swinging back and forth - hell, we had a blizzard come right out of nothing and hit the plaza. Nearly froze a few people to death." Which isn't hyperbole, not by her tone. "We found out what was happening when he came out and declared his intentions to the Nexus. And then- ah, it's too bad you weren't there, Adia. Half the Nexus banded together to fight him and his minions, to unravel Winter's grip. Steve was out there painting flowers, Jesse and his crew were warming people up with music, sowing spring every place we could. Fighting him on every front until we flushed him out of hiding. And then it was up to us warriors to do our part. Now that was a pretty good battle."

She's a little disappointed her mental image was wrong, but it's still a nice story. "Guess that would be pretty strange. Ancient ships used to have their own minds, but that's kinda different. It's like Jesse said, riding a horse is like having a partner. That has to be what you want."

That's not particularly reassuring: Adia is a civilian, after all. But it sounds like Blaze and the other Nexus regulars got it under control quickly, so she tries not to stress about it.

She looks stunned, for lack of a better word. First at Reynard's name, then the talk of the danger he put the Nexus through. She tries to wrap herself in denial -- maybe this spirit isn't the same man she considers her friend, but... no. No, it makes perfect sense; the hints at his true age, his love of winter, the playful banter that speaks of a certain carelessness...

In a voice so small that even Blaze might struggle to hear it, she asks, "But... nobody died? And Winter ended?"

Blaze is taken rather off-guard by that reaction, the enthusiasm of her retelling checked somewhat. Perhaps Adia's more sensitive to war stories right now than the Exo assumed?

So she nods- and then pulls off her grinning jackolyte helm so she can set it aside and look Adia in the eyes. "That was one good thing - the battle was a hell of a lot lighter on civilian casualties than the demon incident. Ghost reckons the weather was so bad before that most of the vulnerable were already holed up in shelter." The little bot bobs agreement, drifting closer to peer at Adia in concern.

"And thanks to all the people who acted fast, we heard no report of any deaths. Some of us went toe-to-toe with Reynard - Officer Suou, a couple of warlock-types - I hear even Hughes had a tussle with him." Plus there was that sniper she never got an ID on... "We brought him down, between us. Winter broke, Reynard fled. I don't know if his power will return in time, but he ought to have learned his lesson."

"Either way, we'll be ready this time," Ghost adds, hoping to reassure their friend.

Rather than reassure her, the words only make her feel worse. This was the Nexus. People were supposed to get along. There wasn't supposed to be violence, or fighting among people she considered friends. It was supposed to be better than her world.

The only silver lining is that nobody died. But... how could Reynard have done this? He may have been Winter but Winter didn't have to be cruel.

She can feel Blaze's gaze upon her, more keenly without the pumpkin helm. Ghost's, too. They're her friends, and they're concerned. She owes them some sort of explanation. A small part of her even wants to defend Reynard. But do they know that he's back? Would Blaze go storming after him, right here at the party, if she knew?

In the end, she decides to tell the truth. Reynard would have stayed hidden if that's what he really wanted. "Um... he... Reynard. He befriended me, when I first came here. He's been very kind. A good friend."

Why hadn't he told her what he really was? Even Oceanglide didn't wait that long, and he had much better reason to stall. She curls up on her chair like a wounded animal, unable to look at her friends, feeling hurt and betrayed. How could she have been such a fool.

Blaze straightens up, optic lights burning brighter at that. There's the faint prickle of static in the air as she searches Adia's face. "You've met him?"

She sounds alert, serious- but not exactly angry. She exchanges a look with Ghost. "And does he seem like he's up to anything? Has he spoken about his plans?"

Experience in the Nexus - and the strange nature of the spirit - mean she's not immediately decided on how to respond. Not entirely, anyway. Her first priority is clear - Reynard is dangerous, a potentially serious threat. She needs to determine how immediate that threat is... and whether any of it is directed at Adia.

Her questions remind Adia too much of when Caspar killed himself, when Lieutenant Ridley sat with her in the Chiron's conference room aftewards. How well did you know Mr. Millen? Did you notice anything out of the ordinary? Did he tell you his plans?

When did you find out he was a Cylon?

"No," she says finally, not meeting Blaze's gaze. "We talked about what kind of music we liked. He gave me advice. I didn't..." Her expression grows a touch defensive. "I didn't know he was a Winter spirit. He never spoke about that. He offered to make me pumpkin bisque."

She almost talks about how gentle he was dancing with her, how careful he was with each spin, how he gutted a pumpkin for her and told her she was beautiful and strong and brave. But then Blaze would know that he was here at the party, and she's already had enough fighting to last her a lifetime.

Edited 2016-11-13 21:58 (UTC)

"Hmm." Her gaze flicks down, thinking a moment, then back to Adia. "That's good, then. If he's not threatening anyone." But Adia looks hurt all the same, and Blaze can guess why. How would she feel, after all? She places trust in her friends without hesitation or qualification - what if she found one of them had deceived her?

"I'm sorry you found out this way," she says honestly, leaning toward Adia. "You meet some strange people here - most of them good people, but others are- hnh. Dangerous."

Ghost stirs, turning his bright gaze up toward the Titan. Reminding her: "He's not of the Darkness."

"True." She looks back down at her partner - her guide, and nods a little. "He's not the enemy I was raised to fight. But I don't know exactly what he is, or how to read him."

She looks at Blaze again. The hurt is still there, but she tries not to let it overwhelm her. "It's okay. If he really caused that much trouble, I was bound to hear it from someone. I'm glad it was you two." She means it, too. Better another friend, one who cares about her well-being, someone who has been honest with her from the beginning.

"I was hoping that... that I had gotten a little better at reading people, since coming here." She sighs bitterly. But she's willing to cut Blaze more slack than herself. "He's very mysterious. I'm sure he acts that way on purpose... to be more dramatic, or something." Or to keep gullible humans like Adia in the dark.

"It's hard to figure people out, especially here. Everyone's got secrets. But you should be able to trust your friends, of all people. If he breaks that trust, that's on him." Blaze is utterly clear on that. "It's hard enough starting out new without worrying if you can trust your guides."

She drags her seat around to sit closer to Adia. "Hey. Do you want a hug?"

Adia's gaze falls into the middle distance. Blaze's words have a way of cutting to the heart of the matter, but she can't think of anything to say in return. The situation is opening too many old wounds, reminding her of things that she had never truly recovered from.

"All this has happened before, and all this will happen again," she murmurs to herself. She never thought a proverb from the Sacred Scrolls would ever apply to her so personally.

She surprised initially by the Guardian's question. Then she nods mutely, lips pressed together so she doesn't cry.

1st Annual Halloween Block Party!

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