1st Annual Halloween Block Party!

[iam_senpai]

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

Comments

[chiron_survivor]

Funnily enough, he hasn't come up in conversation, although to be fair she hasn't spoken to many people in the Nexus, yet. Not one for conflict, she'd defend his name regardless. He has been nothing but kind to her.

She takes another sip of wine while he selects a proper knife. "I'll try," she says, carefully taking the offered knife. "I've cut into melons before." She sets down her glass and flashes him a grin. "But if you see me about to do something potentially dangerous, feel free to stop me."

[shardofwinter]

Give it a few weeks and that's bound to change, but for now he'll enjoy the hint of ambiguity.

He grins right on back. "I will, I promise. You'd never come back if you went home with cuts, and that would be an awful shame." He's happy to take up his wine again, stand back and watch, squinting at the pumpkin. "This is different..."

[chiron_survivor]

"It'd be my own fault," she replies, all smiles, although she is very careful when she pushes the tip of the knife into the pumpkin and begins to cut. Her hands are steady, and though she is slow, she does a good job of following the pattern she had drawn for herself.

"It's a Centurion," she explains, pausing a moment to pop out a chunk of pumpkin. "A non-human-looking Cylon." If she's distressed at all by looking at one in jack o'lantern form, she doesn't show it. "They guard the Cylon base."

[shardofwinter]

He should be less surprised. The steady hand and care that must be required when dealing with anything microsized lends itself to good hand-eye coordination. He'll allow himself to be a little impressed, though.

That reply gets a sideways glance from him. She might not see it as he does, but she has just forewarned him of a dangerous enemy. Or a dangerous hunt if Winter fever has him forget sense and fear. His attention shifts back to the pumpkin.

"In my world a Centurion was a Roman soldier." With a grin he adds, "They were about as handsome as yours."

[chiron_survivor]

Under the gaze of a stranger, she might be less steady, but she's comfortable around Reynard enough to simply concentrate on her work.

She'd worry if she knew what he was thinking, but probably needlessly. In all her time in the Nexus, she's never seen a Cylon, and only spoke with someone once who had even heard of them. He was a wizard, from Earth, and he wouldn't tell her how he knew about them.

"I'll have to look that up," she replies as she carves out the Centurion's other "cheek". "I don't know much about them, to be honest. They don't talk."

[shardofwinter]

"Yours looks scarier. Even moreso because it doesn't speak," he comments. Whether that's encouraging or not is up for debate. He sips at his wine, vaguely thoughtful as he watches. "But then, people don't scare me much anymore."

He turns his attention to her then as a thought strikes him, "Do you have ghost stories in your universe?"

[chiron_survivor]

"They're completely unapproachable," Adia murmurs. "That's probably why they're stationed where they are." She doesn't seem surprised by Reynard's comment. He's probably seen too much to be scared easily.

The eye slit is the trickiest part -- if she cuts too far, she'll ruin the design. She takes a small break to sip her wine and think about his question. "We do. I don't think as many as from what I've heard about Earth, though. The dead are just as likely to reincarnate into a plant or animal than come back and haunt us." There is a brief, forlorn look on her face. "Well, in the stories, anyway."

[shardofwinter]

That makes sense. He would have done the same thing if he were in the cylons' position. "Quite the deterrents."

While he understands that Adia has been through a lot he doesn't entirely understand the expression on her face. The muscles around his eyes twitch, betraying his confusion. A moment later he takes a stab in the dark. "Being haunted isn't all it's cracked up to be."

[chiron_survivor]

"They also have guns built into their arms," she mutters, staring at the partially carved image before her. But rather than look upon it with fear, she seems more thoughtful than anything. "They don't act like the human-looking Cylons, either. Maybe they can't."

She doesn't catch his confusion, but his comment is close enough to her emotions on the subject. "If someone was haunting me, it'd be because their soul wasn't at rest." She smiles sadly. "And I wouldn't want anyone making themselves miserable on my account."

Another sip of wine, and then she sets down her glass and resumes carving. "But if someone you love is transformed... well. Maybe you can't be with them, but you can look upon a certain flower, or bird, or even the stars, and remember them."

[shardofwinter]

While he listens, all Adia's talk of the dead and memories captures his thoughts. Even when she's silent again he doesn't respond immediately. Instead he moves to sit next to her with a somewhat weary sigh while he watches her work.

"Ghosts make for poor company," he tells her, a thin lightness in an otherwise gentle tone. When he speaks again it's with fond, soft words. "You're young, Adia, and vibrant. Beautiful and intelligent, with your whole life ahead of you. And oh but you're brave and strong, weathering a storm with such dignity."

He takes a sip of his wine to give her a moment. "One day you'll understand that living for those lost is better. You'll feel it right through to your very core."

[chiron_survivor]

She blushes profusely, not knowing what to do with his kind words. Her instinct is to argue against them, or somehow brush aside his compliments. She doesn't feel very brave or strong. Halloween costume aside, she doesn't feel particularly beautiful, either. She's just trying to survive.

It's his words of wisdom that she focuses on instead, and the weary sigh that accompanies them. "I try," she says quietly, as she continues to work on the pumpkin, her hands steady. "To live for those lost. But it's a lot of pressure. One life -- mine -- for so many."

She sets down the knife and pops out the last bit of shell, her carving complete. "There. What do you think?"

[shardofwinter]

He nods, gentle and slow, as she talks. While he could say more, try to elaborate or work through it with her, he decides to give his encouragement silently. So when she changes the subject, he doesn't resist.

Instead he smiles, setting down his glass and turning the pumpkin towards him with a hand on each side of it. He pulls his hands back, shudders theatrically and recoils, one hand on his heart. "It's terrifying!" Melodramatically he groans, "Why-oh-why did I choose to be the devil tonight? I'll be driven out by the sight of this!"

[chiron_survivor]

Adia bursts into laughter, both out of relief and genuine amusement. His theatrical display is a welcome change from the previous conversation topic. "You are too much, Reynard. I haven't even put a candle in it yet." She picks up her wine glass and takes a celebratory drink. "Do you want to help me find one and then a place to display it?"

[shardofwinter]

Her laughter makes his smile grow, and then he nods with her suggestion. "A wonderful idea!" Scooping up his cup he takes a swig to finish it off, slaps one of his knees and then stands to search for a candle.

"We should get a large one to burn brightly, or several!" He turns to explain with a wave of his hand. "As it's a robot and they run on electricity, it must glow brightly."

[chiron_survivor]

They don't run on electricity, not exactly, but it's an excellent guess on Reynard's part, so Adia doesn't bother to correct him. "If I had an LED light I could mimic their eye better," she muses. "They have a little red dot that goes back and forth. But a number of candles would work, too."

There is an assortment of candles on another table, both the traditional kind and the flickering electric ones that restaurants like to buy in bulk. It's closest to where the lit pumpkins are displayed, presumably so people don't have to carry them too far.

((FYI, Blaze spilled the beans to Adia about Reynard and what he did last winter, so Reynard should enjoy this last bit of blissful ignorance while he can. ;) ))

[shardofwinter]

"That makes them sound like a metal cyclops," he muses. After a second of thought he perks up with the idea, "A cross between a golem and a cyclops!"

Spotting the candles he heads over to the table and considers the display in front of him. He picks up a traditional candle and an electric one, bringing them back to Adia. "Which do you prefer?"

((Well! She won't be getting a Christmas card from him. ;P ))

[chiron_survivor]

She's not sure why he's so excited by the concept, but she nods agreeably. "I've described them as sentient golems to a few people here, from magical worlds."

Both candles would probably do the job equally well, but the bonfire sways her opinion. "The regular candle. It's more traditional, isn't it?"

((hahaha. I actually hadn't read too far back in the comm so the news about Reynard's eternal winter was a shock to me as well! Good thing Adia met him well after that.))

[shardofwinter]

His lips curl into a grin and his eyes smile at her. "I prefer them as well."

"Sentient golems... A good description." He peers off thoughtfully. "I wonder if they exist in my world."

Turning back to set down the electric candle, he picks three of the wax ones instead and brings them over. "Do you use candles much or everything advanced where you come from?"

((Far be it from Reynard to let things get dull around here!))

[chiron_survivor]

Sharing the same preference with Reynard -- even for something so trivial as a type of candle -- always gives her a happy feeling. Maybe it's because she looks up to him, for his bravery and confidence. Having things in common means that she can be brave, too.

"Is there any possibility they could?" She asks, confused. She had assumed for some reason that his world did not contain magic. Although, if he really is as old as she thinks he is, and perhaps not as human as he appears, then who's to say what else might exist in his world that doesn't in hers?

"No... well, it depends. We still have access to power for our grounded ships and water treatment facilities. But most of the settlement isn't wired for electricity. If people have candles, they use them." Or lanterns, trash barrels... whatever can hold a flame, really. "What's easiest, putting them in first and then lighting them? Do they have matches long enough to reach?"

[shardofwinter]

"There's always a possibility. I've come to learn that there will always be sides to life, to the world, that we will not know about. Unless we stumble across them, of course." Magic other than his own isn't something he's familiar with, and what magic he does do doesn't feel like magic to him. It's just how things are. He knows there are strange creatures in the world but they don't feel magical. They feel normal.

"Hm, a place between worlds," he comments lightly before turning to her questions. "I would light them and put them in," he tells her, a palm resting on his chest. "But my hands are rough and difficult to burn. I could do it for you if you'd like."

[chiron_survivor]

She nods. It makes perfect sense to her. She had thought Earth was a fantasy in her universe until fairly recently, after all. "If they do exist, and you do see one, try to take a good photograph. Or else only the cryptozoologists will believe you."

"Well... okay. If you don't mind." She was all set to do it herself, but she'd rather not risk burning herself.

[shardofwinter]

"I wouldn't dare," he says before he thinks. A moment later he explains. "Somehow I don't think it would be a good idea to make an enemy of golems. Especially not sentient ones."

Reynard smiles and sets about lighting the candles, putting them into the pumpkin one by one with extreme care. "Years of hard work shows its benefits in strange places sometimes."

[chiron_survivor]

"They can be pretty relentless," she agrees. A trait that applies to Centurions as well. She smiles. "I'll believe you if you tell me that you've seen one. No photographic evidence necessary."

Belatedly, Adia is glad that she ceded the candle-lighting task to him. She's the type to douse spent matches under running water, just to be safe. "Have you worked a lot with fire? Or candles specifically?"

[shardofwinter]

He beams and sets a hand on his heart again. "You honor me, my dear."

Reynard, on the other hand, lets the matches burn for longer than perhaps he should before extinguishing them with a swift blow. At her question he tips his head and lifts his eyebrows, setting in the last candle. "Out of necessity, not choice. I've relied on candles to see and campfires to…" Well, he doesn't really need the warmth, but… "To cook."

[chiron_survivor]

"It was Prometheus's greatest gift," she says thoughtfully, watching the candles burn. "I don't know how far humans could have gotten if they hadn't figured out how to build a fire. I'm glad that knowledge wasn't lost for us."

She takes a step back to look at her jack o'lantern, now that it is lit. The candlelight does not recreate the disturbing back-and-forth of a Centurion's LED "eye" as it constantly scans its environment for threats, but the flickering flames do give the image a kind of ethereal menace. "I like how it turned out," she says, satisfied with the final product. Too bad it wouldn't really work to scare off Cylons.