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

[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.

[shardofwinter]

"Humanity would have found a way to make tools and build fires one way or another." Of that he feels certain. Though he isn't entirely atheist he doesn't put as much stock in gods as some humans tend to. The tenacity of humanity on the other hand has been repeatedly proven.

Her approval gets him to beam and he stands back with her, hands on his hips. "It's wonderful, Adia." He gestures to it proudly. "You're a natural carver!"

[chiron_survivor]

"Lucky for us," Adia murmurs, adding more light-heartedly, "We wouldn't be able to make jack o'lanterns otherwise."

"Thanks." She smiles, genuinely proud of herself. "I could take it up as a hobby... kind of a limited season for it, though."

[shardofwinter]

Reynard continues with the jovial mood. "And what jack o'lanterns we make!"

"You could," he agrees. "I'm sure there's a way you can get them all year around. In the Nexus all things are possible."

[chiron_survivor]

"Jack o'lanterns year round?" She laughs. "Josh would like that very much, I'm sure. He helped with the party decorations and the haunted house upstairs," she elaborates, in case Reynard doesn't know him. "Halloween is his favorite holiday."

She spots another party-goer with a handful of wrapped candies. "Oh... there is supposed to be a candy exchange, isn't there? i wanted to grab a few for my friends back home." She can hear the music on the dance floor but it's not really to her taste. "Can I take a rain check on another dance?"

[shardofwinter]

Reynard leans in conspiratorially, a cheeky grin across his face. "Well we know what to do for his birthday then."

With one foot moving back, Reynard waves a hand and dips into a flamboyant bow that is complimented by the cape. "As you wish, my dear." As he rises again, he smiles. "You enjoy the night, and the candy. I'm sure you'll be able to find me if you want me again."

[chiron_survivor]

Adia laughs. "That's a wonderful idea." She just needs to find out when his birthday is.

Reynard's theatrics always bring a warm smile to her face. Considering that she is already in a good mood, she positively glows. "You, too, Reynard. Thanks for helping me celebrate Halloween."

She disappears into the crowd, fully intending to look for Reynard again after she's had her fill of candy. But Reynard will not see her again that night -- not on the dance floor, and not anywhere else.