nexus_crossings | A Wayward Groom

A Wayward Groom

It'd happened in the blink of an eye, one moment he was on the trail of his darling bride to be, the next he'd stepped through a door and was faced not with the bitter winter cold of the Colorado mountains or the vision of concrete, wire fences and barbed wire. It was bright, there were people. And these people were not the same people he was used to seeing. No lab coats and cold stares. No mutilated Variants skittering around and attacking anything that moved out of some panicked sense of self-preservation. He hadn't seen anything quite so inviting in what felt like years. Even before the fall of Mt Massive to Billy Hope.

Eddie could smell the coffee in the air. His stomach knotted. This wasn't right. No matter how his delusions tried to wrap it, there was a gap in logic that even it couldn't grasp at. He had nothing.

What had meant to come out as calling to his Bride to be through the crowd came out sounding somewhat strangled and muted.

"Darling? Where are you?"

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Through the crowds a slight woman made her way towards him. There was obvious intent to find him specifically. But why she was doing it was beyond him. There was a crackle in the back of his mind that echoed familiarity, but nothing was adding up. Flickers of leaving the facility entered his head, but it didn't make sense because She hadn't gotten away from him yet...

Eddie recoiled somewhat, a foot going back to steady himself. There was too much noise, too many people. Too much everything. But where has our darling gone? Where is she? Why did this happen?

"What is going on?" He drawled, a slight lisp that drew out the 's's in his speech. The broken skin above his lip still raw and angry looking.

As he steps back, she stops where she is. He looked exactly as she thought he might; now here's hoping she can be at least a little help in explaining things. It wouldn't make any sense at first, and people didn't always react well to that.

"You've managed to find the Nexus. What's the best way to put this..It's kind of a meeting place between worlds, I guess? I know how that sounds, trust me."

He raises his brow slowly. He doesn't know the first way to begin processing this. Neither Eddie nor the Groom are capable of wrapping their head around it, which results in something of a mental short circuit. There isn't the loud static the Morphogenic Engine emits clouding his head. He feels dizzy for a moment, taking deep breaths.

And then his breathing steadies out. Of course, this is the beautiful town at the foot of the mountain side he lives on. It's as beautiful as he remembered it being. Ah yes, his friend he hadn't seen in what is his opinion far too long. Still as pretty as he recalls.

"Ah yes, the melting pot of different cultures coming together. It's such a wonder." His tone is suddenly light and calm, looking around with wonderment. "It's such a lovely day out, no wonder it's so busy."

Well, out of all of the reactions Eddie could have had, this was one of the better ones. This Grace can work with. She hopes. Not that he could hurt her if he'd reacted badly, but who wants that regardless?

"It is, yeah. Usually it's a little colder, you picked a good day to find your way here."

This could be good for him. People lived in the Nexus, not everyone chose to go back to their home worlds. No one here knew who Eddie was; he could stay here if he wanted to.

With a gesture back towards where she was sat before; a cluster of armchairs and sofas close to a small coffee shop, she offers him a smile.

"I was just having a drink - you're welcome to join me."

Normally Eddie didn't exactly feel the cold, but that was possibly more down to The Groom's utter lack of regard for it. He was probably going to be the death of him, but he sometimes wondered if that was really such a bad thing-

The Groom's smile broadened, such a charming girl. Yes, he recalled her, even if it was more like a dream, but the same could be said of his darling. His memories were hazy, fragmented and distorted, but he recognised her and she smiled so nicely at him; it was all he needed to convince him.

"You're too kind." He beamed, although the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm a little out of practice, you'll have to tell me what's good."

"I'm sure they'll have something you'll like."

Grace noticed the smile, how it was void of any real humour, but she didn't comment on it. She couldn't even be sure that Eddie really remembered her. All she could do was humour him, try help him process his being here if she could.

As they approached the sofas and chairs, she was glad to see no one had taken her seat, and there were still a few to choose from if Eddie wanted to sit.

"What sort of thing do you like? Coffee, tea? My treat."

He was practically giddy. Flitting between panic and calm so easily couldn't have been good for him, but he found himself settling down on one of the sofas without any trouble. It was so plush and comfortable. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt something so wonderful.

He chuckled as he settled into it further and set his arms resting on the back. He looked as though he owned the place by the way he was sat.

"And generous too, really, you don't need to." The smile finally began to look less uncomfortable. "I haven't really had either in a long time, I've just been unable to get any back home... What do you normally have?"

"I know, but I want to." That, and she couldn't think of anyone that needed a sit down and a mug of something hot more than Eddie.

"Usually it's tea, but the states have kind of turned me into a coffee fiend." The answer to his question came with a smile of her own. "I'll be back in a sec."

She wasn't gone long, as promised - returning with two wide mugs of black coffee. While her first instinct had been to assume he wouldn't care how his drink came, she'd asked for milk and sugar separately for his, just in case. Setting the tray down and settling herself down a moment later, Grace stirs in the packet of sugar she'd gotten for herself, looking over at Eddie only when her mug's enclosed in her sleeved hands.

"So..this is probably an odd question, but do you remember me..?You didn't look as though you did when I first walked up to you."

"I've heard that to the English, tea over here is terrible compared to what they have. I think it was something to do with how the leaves blend with the water." He reached for the sugar, a modest single scoop and a lot of milk. Mostly just so he could drink it quickly. It'd been so long since he'd had a hot drink, let alone something to eat.

He took a sip and sunk into the chair, clutching the mug closely. He'd missed coffee more than he realised. Once the daze of his first sip of coffee in years passed he glanced back at her. There was a nagging. She was being so familiar with him and yet he couldn't place it. Yes, she was familiar too, but... it was blank.

"I can't say I do." He frowned, feeling bad. "But I do, at the same time. If that makes sense? I know that I know you, but I don't know how." Eddie paused and set the coffee down after another sip. "How did I look? Did you know me before Murkoff? I have to say a lot of that's quite hazy to me now." He admitted sheepishly.

"It's pretty bad, yeah - but the coffee kind of balances it out. Italian coffee is the best I've had though, easily."

At the question of knowing Eddie before Murkoff - however long ago that'd been - she shook her head, lowering her own mug. God she hated remembering this particular story, if only because of how much it made her cringe. It hadn't been her smartest decision in history, not by a long shot.

"Ah...not quite, no. A few of my friends from work decided it'd be a great idea to break into Mount Massive when we were last stateside. While we were wandering around inside, I got separated from them and ran into you, and you helped me get out."

And that was how she was going to leave it, rolling her eyes at herself as she took another mouthful of coffee.

"Not my proudest moment, I'll admit."

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A Wayward Groom

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