nexus_crossings | (no subject)

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Many others of his ilk like to cause a scene or enter with a bang - Stolas, however, is not one for dramatics. He's also one for studying a situation before stepping into it.

He doesn't immediately ask any questions - instead, he watches the Nexus-goers like someone would people watch. Perhaps a little more intently than some would like, leaving them feeling like an owl is watching them from somewhere. The custom of asking a question makes itself shown quickly, and people like it when customs or traditions are followed. He might as well.

Stolas' voice is on the deeper end of the scale, but clear and calm, sounding like a college professor. "What constellations have you always been able to find, when the sky allows it? Why do you think it's easy for you to find this particular one?"

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"True enough." She thinks over his question. "I never really thought about it, but I suppose I do. She didn't save anyone for the glory. But she might have put too much faith in Theseus."

"I'm not familiar with that, I'm sorry. Is that a style on Earth?" She hopes he isn't disappointed by the free tea. It's just a hot water machine and a small variety of tea bags. But it's more than she has on New Caprica. "My name's Adia. It's nice to meet you, Stolas. The tea is over this way, past the vending machines."

"Compassion was one of her strengths - too trusting of someone she'd only known a short while, one of her flaws." A shrug. "There are worse to have."

Stolas smiles. "It is! A little involved, but I enjoy the result. Where is it you're from, if you don't mind my asking?" He rises from his seat as he talks, graceful and confident in his actions in the way that someone who's always had power or wealth has. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Adia." He lets her lead the way.

Stolas can't possibly know her own struggles of trusting too soon, but it's comforting to hear that he doesn't think of it as an unforgivable flaw. "It was ultimately Theseus's loss, anyway... things ended badly for him, if I remember correctly."

"Leonis, one of the twelve tribes of Kobol," she replies automatically, clearly not minding. "Earth is a myth where I'm from." It's not very far to where one can make tea. She points out the hot water machine and the selection of tea bags, a setup like one might see in a small office or hair salon. "The cups are over there, and the sugar and cream as well."

He nods.

"Fascinating!" Stolas doesn't sound sarcastic. He walks next to her, but makes sure to keep pace. He's got long legs and he's very tall - six foot even, putting him a bit above her. "The story of Theseus and Ariadne - did people on Leonis say that it happened on Earth, or were they different things entirely?"

He looks over the tea bags and picks something up that has warm spices - cinnamon and such. He doesn't add any cream or sugar, just opens up the bag and prepares it. "Thank you, Miss Adia."

"No, it supposedly happened on Kobol. That's where human life began, in my universe." She's had to explain this enough times in the Nexus that it's starting to become second nature. "There was some sort of disaster, so the twelve tribes left to colonize twelve new planets... except for the thirteenth tribe. They supposedly left before anyone else, and colonized Earth."

"You're welcome." She smiles up at him before selecting a tea bag for herself. She mostly takes advantage of the free coffee, but some green tea would be a nice change.

Stolas nods, giving a 'hmm' here and there to encourage her to continue. "Very interesting. I do wish that people would feel more motivated to make progress and move forward more often. It usually takes some kind of disaster, doesn't it?"

He drinks the tea, though it's not something he'd drink most of the time. "How long have you been here?" He gestures absently to mean the Nexus. "You seem to know to know it well enough - you're willing to give tours to lost new arrivals."

"Well..." She shrugs awkwardly, unsure of what to say. "It depends on the kind of disaster. On Kobol, it was likely due to global climate change caused by fossil fuels. It must have spurred on the clean sources of energy that the colonies used, in addition to space flight." But, what really counts as progress? The colonies only lasted two thousand years. In some ways, humans were right back where they started, desperately clinging to survival in the face of extinction. It weighs heavily on her mind while she makes her cup of tea.

"I've been coming to... well, perhaps not this Nexus, but one very similar, for a couple of years now." She smiles modestly. "It's seems kinder to let people know where everything is than make them try to find it on their own."

He smiles a little wryly. "I'm all too familiar with that kind of scenario. It seems like the Earth I know will be having such problems soon, unless things change very quickly."

Stolas nods. "It is. Dangling information above one's head or taunting someone with it - it's cruel and unnessecary in my opinion. Especially if the information can be shared without harm."

"That's a shame," Adia says sincerely. "Earth is supposed to be a utopia, advanced in the science and the arts, according to the Sacred Scrolls. The reality is probably not that impressive, but I doubt they would have gone back to fossil fuels."

She finishes steeping her tea, then dithers a bit over what to do with the teabag, reluctant to throw it out and be wasteful. Carefully, she places it in a second, empty cup, and puts her full cup on top. She'll take it home with her if she doesn't use it again here.

"Yes, exactly. I know that I wouldn't have done nearly so well here if people hadn't taken the time to explain things to me." She takes a small sip of tea, careful not to scald her tongue. "Do you have any other questions about the Nexus? You seem quite comfortable here, honestly."

"Perhaps the one in your universe is," Stolas says amiably. "I'm afraid the one I'm familiar with is... not." Stolas wants to smirk at the mention of what is likely her holy book - in his experience, they omit too much. He isn't even mentioned once. "Hopefully they haven't. I assume that it'd be more difficult than cleaner energy."

He watches, not judging, just mildly curious. Most people just toss teabags away without a second thought. It could mean a few different things, but Stolas won't assume just yet.

He takes a sip of his own tea while she speaks, not concerned about whether he'll scald himself. "I've been many places. Once you've done it enough, you can find comfort in most places." He looks thoughtfully into his cup. "Any ideas on how long this place has existed? From yourself or others."

"I honestly don't know how you could even have an extensive space program with fossil fuels. The amount of fuel you'd need to travel any significant distance would be a logistical nightmare." She smiles faintly. "Well, it is still only a myth... what's your earth like? Aside from the abuse of fossil fuels."

"Do you like it, so far? I thought I had either gone mad or was dreaming when I first came here. I'm still getting used to it, in some ways." The question makes her blink and lower her cup, halfway to taking another sip. "Gosh, that's... a really good question. I have no idea. It's at least three years old, I've been coming here that long, but it must be far older than that."

"It is," he confirms. "They're trying to find ways that it isn't, but there's forces at work attempting to keep the status quo on fossil fuels." Numerous ones are assisted by demons. Not all of them in his legions, either, so it's quite a pain in the ass.

He hums to himself in thought. "Complex. For every good thing, there is a terrible thing. But there are beautiful sunsets, though they're because of pollution. There are lovely libraries, but books are burned regularly by extremists. There are lakes and rivers and beaches, but the risk of pollution is great. Don't mistake what I'm saying - I am very fond of Earth. And I always will be. But it could be so much more if people would simply get things together for once." He finishes his rant with a noise that's between a sigh and grumble.

"I do! I do like it here so far." He's being truthful. He's having fun so far. "Interesting! I think that you're right. How much older is another thing entirely... It can be hard to tell, the age of things." It'd be tacky for him to wink. He will not wink. He resists winking.

It would come as no surprise to Adia that Big Oil has made a deal with the devil, but for now she assumes Stolas is referring to something more mundane. At least until he describes his Earth to her... such a curious way of phrasing things, almost as if he were an observer from the outside. "It sounds far better than my world, at the moment, but I understand how you feel. People accomplish so much more working together."

There is an awkward silence from her that she fills with a careful sip of tea. His attitude reminds her a little bit of her friend Reynard who is far older than he looks. And not human, besides. "That's true," she says finally. "Some people have been visiting the Nexus for a very long time. You should ask around."

He tilts his head. "I'm sorry to hear that. A lot of turmoil where you're from?" He can understand that. Maybe this place is some sort of haven for those from troubled worlds. If that's the case, he hopes that he's not intruding. Most people would be horrified at the thought of a fallen angel intruding on a sanctuary.

He nods. "I will. I think I'll come back here again. It's quite the interesting place. And there are interesting and lovely people to speak to." Adia is included in that, which he hopes she knows.

"Um... yeah, I guess you could say that. We're under Occupation currently, but... it's more than that. The planet we've settled on is harsh and barren, barely habitable. I'd love to have lakes and rivers, libraries and sunsets, even with the threat of pollution or extremism."

The Nexus is a refuge to her. An increasingly complex refuge, but one nonetheless. But her religion has no talk of fallen angels, and demons are mythical creatures meant to scare, but not steal souls. She wouldn't consider Stolas intruding, if she knew.

Adia smiles bashfully at the compliment. "Do you have a way of getting back here?" she asks curiously. "Some people use portals, but they aren't always reliable."

Stolas winces. "Ah. I'm very sorry, Adia." He means it, too - both for his foolish question and for the fact that her planet is occupied, and that it's barely habitable. He wonders why she hasn't decided to just stay here, but he's already been an oblivious asshole.

"I think I'll be fine," Stolas says. "But what's the method you use, to get back and forth from here? A portal, or something else?"

"It's okay," Adia says with a small shrug. It's not that she doesn't appreciate Stolas's sympathy, but the conditions on her world have become a fact of life, and she hates becoming a sob story to others. "I at least have the Nexus, if I want to experience nature. There is a forest here, and some other green spaces."

Adia admires Stolas's confidence. Most people are at least a little bit concerned about getting back home after a visit to the Nexus. He must have come through a stable portal. "I have something called a PINpoint. It's a little electronic device that lets you teleport from your world to here, and anywhere else you have the coordinates for. There is a vending machine that sells them."

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