nexus_crossings | back and better than ever

back and better than ever

An eye cracks open, the other soon following, vision bleary as it adjusts. Chris is met by a pale sky, and the raising fog of his own breath as he exhales. Snow descends slowly and gently, but it comes down in bunches like frozen cotton balls, and they cover his face and his glasses like cold, haphazard kisses. His palms are flat against the ground, chilled by the layer of snow he's laying on top of, and his clothing, a casual sweater and jeans, are not fairing too well as what melts beneath him begins to seep in.

He sits up with a look of a vague confusion, his brow knit and his mouth curved into a pout. But realization soon sweeps over his expression after a quick inspection of the area with a couple turns of his head. Mismatched furniture left out into the open? That is much too coincidental for this to not be the Nexus, really. So, with eased resignation, he figures that the Nexus is exactly where he must be.

Most ungracefully, he stands, hands swatting at the snow clinging to himself as he moves to his feat. With hunched shoulders, he draws in on himself for warmth, and his hands clasp and rub together.

Now what? There are questions to answer, he thinks. He had once stumbled into this place, and then, recently, somehow, he had accidentally and unintentionally stumbled out. And now, here he is again.

"Is there, like, a guidebook to these doors or gateways or whatever..?" He half mumbles, mostly to himself. Of course there isn't. Some people are lucky and can easily come in and out as they please. Some are stuck here forever. Or they visit once, and then they leave, and they stay gone. Or, like Chris, they trip in and out of the place.

Okay.

Priorities.

Those questions can be asked later. Or ignored. It doesn't matter right now.

He has some people to find.

[ ooc; oh my. it really has been awhile, hasn't it? to the new, hi, i'm linds, i play chris from until dawn. to the old, hello, i've missed you all dearly. familiar and unfamiliar faces are both welcome to chat or pester this nerd. somebody please give the guy some mittens. thanks ♥ ]

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It's not as if Adia is trying to make a habit of acclimating (or re-acclimating, in this case) people to the Nexus, but the Plaza is her favorite place, and as such, she spots Chris shortly after he enters the Nexus. "I wish there was," she says sympathetically, overhearing his rhetorical question. "Do you need help finding your portal?"

He looks cold, and she wishes she had something warm for him to wear. She's dressed appropriately for the weather, although her hat and gloves look worn and shabby. Her scarf, a warm blue knit, is the nicest article clothing she has on. "There's free coffee just over there. Would you like some?" A hot cup of coffee to hold isn't as good as a pair of mittens, but it has to be better than nothing, right?

There's a noticeable flinch; Chris' mind had clearly been preoccupied, most likely by the predicament that he has gotten himself into once again. His shock is fleeting, and he recovers with a lopsided smile. "Kinda."

The prospect of a hot cup of coffee is much more enticing, really. "That would be awesome." The blue of his eyes somehow seem even brighter as the corner of his mouth tugs into a grin. "Get some heat back into my bones. Pretty sure they're almost frozen solid right now."

It's not often that Adia makes someone else flinch. "Where did you come from?" she asks, hoping that might narrow it down. Not that she can do much to help him find his way back home; she has her own way of getting to and from the Nexus.

Fortunately, he takes her up on her offer of coffee. That way, at least, she can help. "They have hot chocolate, too," she says, the concern in her expression tempered by a friendly smile. She gestures for him to follow her to a spot near the vending machines. There is a coffee machine, like one might find in a small office, along with some cups and other related items. A large umbrella keeps a nearby cafe table shielded from the snow.

"Do you know how to use one of these?" She asks. Chris looks modern, but one can never be too sure. "I can make you a cup if you want."

"Nah. I got this." He is as modern as he looks, and, as an obsessor over technology, he would probably figure it out anyways.

"I came from home." There's a vague hand gesture at that as he fiddles with the coffee machine. "Canada." As if that actually means anything to the woman. The fact that not everyone here is from (or even knows of) Earth is an almost fleeting memory that he catches after a beat. "On Earth. Lotta trees and junk."

She steps back and lets him handle it, tucking her hands back into her coat pockets to keep them warm. "Oh, I know someone from Canada," she says, pleased that she already knows this particular Earth place. "He's from... Alberta? He said there were a lot of trees."

Unfortunately, that doesn't help Chris's situation. Josh has been stuck in the Nexus since he arrived. Her smile dims a little at the thought. "He said it was very pretty."

Now that is quite too much of a similiarity to be an actual coincidence. "That's the place, and I'm pretty sure you're talking about my friend. He, uh, still around here? Do you know?" There's an attempt to be calm, to be nonchalant, but the worry is clear in his tone.

[ sorry for the delay! life made me unavailable last week! ]

"Do you mean Josh? Yes, he still lives in the Nexus. I saw him not too long ago, he helped me out of a bad situation." There is warmth in her words, but concern, too, Chris's worried tone being reflected in her expression.

She offers her hand. "My name's Adia. I was... well, I used to regularly visit the Nexus, and then I wasn't able to get back for some time. Josh is one of the first people I met here when I returned. He's been a good friend."

((I forgot to add, don't worry about it! Life has a tendency to do that.))

Edited 2017-01-17 16:56 (UTC)

"Hey...hey!"

There's a smallish man all bundled up to fend off the chill of Winter's bite hurrying over to where the young man is getting to his feet. Steve has seen people fall into the Nexus before, and this is not the best time for that sort of thing considering the frozen rock hard ground and snow everywhere.

"Are you okay?" He's able to stand, at least, so that means he can't be too terribly hurt. The comment about the portals makes Steve wince in sympathy. "If only there were."

"Yeah, totally." Wait. Double check. He glances over his shoulder and peers down the curve of his side, and the temptation to joke about his butt not freezing off is oh so alluring, but he opts for maturity over humor. This is a concerned stranger, after all.

"Seriously. Someone should, like, write one or something." Or develop a nifty app for figuring it out, like a gps...for portals to your home.

"They'd make a mint if they did, that's for certain. Though, place like the nexus, I gotta wonder how accurate those could ever be. The way this place shifts and changes and all."

Steve does his best to brush the snow from the young man's shoulders and pulls off his knit hat to hand over. His hair is close to Chris's in color, and even in his winter clothes it's clear this guy is lucky if he's a hundred pounds soaking wet. Or, frozen solid given the weather.

"You don't seem to be troubled....have you been here before?"

"Yeah? If I a crack the secret, I'll def patent that." Because even if there isn't a pattern, maybe it can be tracked? Like weather patterns.

Anyways.

Chris is glad to have run into a friendly face. Most people in the Nexus are just that, thankfully. But the trouble makers happen to cause a great deal of it, so he'll consider himself lucky right now, especially as the smaller man offers up his hat.

"I'm pretty familiar with the place."

"Oh, good. It's too cold to play tour guide today."

Steve shakes his head and hunches up his shoulders to better protect his now exposed ears from the wind that gusts through the plaza. Seriously, Reynard. Steve has no proof that the winter spirit is meddling with the weather, but it's not going to stop him form casually blaming him either. He remembers what a hassle it was last winter.

"Sorry, almost forgot." He removes a mittened hand from his pocket and holds it out. "I'm Steve Rogers, by the way. It's a pleasure. Be more of one if we got out of the wind though."

Now there's a face Amelia hasn't seen in a while. Funny how it was snowing heavily the last time she saw him, too. A smirk tugs at the corner of her lips as she approaches the poor snow-covered man.

"Haven't you learned by now that this place likes to change everything when you're not looking?"

It's not really an answer, but it comes with a consolation prize: Seeing as the rogue is out in her wool-blend clothes, she'll take the cloak off her shoulders and offer it to Chris. "Here. Take this until we find you something not soaked through and a hot drink. And before you ask, I'm fine without it." Apparently she's not going to take 'no' for an answer here.

"Dude! Amelia!" His expression brightens immediately.

The answer is suitable enough because it is completely true. Chris is just hoping that not too much has changed. He had just grown accustomed to it before his untimely departure. "My hero." No arguments here. "I've got clothes here." There's a vague hand wave. "I think." Then, with a mumble. "I hope my roommate didn't throw them out.."

It's hard for someone even as naturally unhappy as Amelia not to smile at Chris' reaction. It's not often that someone's excited to see her. The fact that he accepts the cloak without question helps, too.

As she helps him settle it on her shoulders, she raises an eyebrow at him. "Did you leave your roommate with a reason to throw them out?" A beat. "...just how long have you been away from the Nexus anyway?" Because now that she thinks about it, she hasn't seen him for months.

"If you're sure you're clothes are in order, though we should at least get you that drink. No sense in being wet and cold." And hypothermia is no joke, which is why she's leading him off toward the closest cafe she can think of without asking.

"Nah, but she almost seems like the type to do." Perhaps not throw out, but at least shove it all into storage. The side comment had mostly been a joke anyways. There's no actual concern on that part.

"Couple days, I think. I sort of forgot that time is weird here." Ah, now here comes the real concern. It weaves its way into his features, tugging at the corner of his mouth, drawing his brow back.

"Yeah, I should, uh, get on that first." The whole warming up thing. "Thanks Amelia. You're a real life saver."

Han will find Chris later - after plenty of the good hearted Nexus folk have helped him to standing, dusted him off and found various ways to take the chill off of his bones. No need for the Corellian to smother the kid too.

At the question, Captain Solo simply shrugs. If there's an atlas to help people navigate through this kryffing place, he sure as heck doesn't know about it. Since the surroundings are ever changing ... it would probably have to be some kind of magic to keep up with the constant interruptions to the laws of time and space.

And magic is not Han's strong suit.

"Hey kid." He says finally. "How you been? Or should I be asking where, instead?"

Chris may just appear as surprised as he was the first time he saw Han Solo (though he is much less starstruck). Is he expecting a hug? Because that's what Chris is giving him.

"I've been...not awful," he admits with a shrug. "I wound up going home. Must have opened the magical closet to Canada." Strangely, that is probable. "And it's kinda a shit show back there." His bright features dim at that as he glances off to the side. Chris doesn't talk about what went down often, but he's sure that Han knows bits and pieces of it. "Anyways, it was just a couple of days. No biggie."

A Han Solo of this age is never expecting a hug. While not common among people he knows in the nexus, people at home - even the ones who like him - are more likely to pull a blaster on him than pull him into an embrace.

Unexpected though it might have been, he still returns the gesture to Chris. It might feel slightly awkward at first, but there's a warmness there. He cares about the kid.

"I can imagine." The details he has of the events on the mountains are spotty. Josh messed up in a big way. People died. Nothing vastly more specific than that, but he's seen the kid break down enough to have put two and two together.

"I always figured you'd still have family there. Did you catch up with them?"

Awkward or not, the returned contact is welcomed with joy. After being submerged in an immensely tense and gloomy setting for a few days there, he is more than happy to interact with a friend who won't question his mental state or ask how he's doing or question him over and over again.

Chris is definitely content with ignoring trauma right now, thank you very much.

"Uh--" If Han would let him, that is.

"Yeah, I mean, it's just me and my mom," he mumbles. "I missed her a ton, but, you know, time is weird, so I wasn't even gone long enough for her to notice, and--" Oh. Time discrepancies. Chris pauses, mouth hanging open as he thoughts side track. "When was the last time you saw me?"

Hey, he ain't trying to traumatize the kid. That's not really his style. Even threatening people is better left in the hands of Chewbacca.

It's just ... by now Chris has had enough encounters with Han to realize he hasn't met Luke or Leia. Furthermore, despite kicking back with Chris and Josh - drinks flowing to take them away from all their respective troubles - Han has never mentioned family. Not once. Never had anything to add when the topic of family even came up.

"Enough for people to miss you, which, is just the right length of time." That's an unfortunate pillar in the tenants of Solo. One that will drive all kinds of people who come to care for him crazy. "You missed Halloween and Christmas."

Edited 2017-01-07 18:13 (UTC)

Chris knowing more about Han than Han realizes may have to do with the lack of prodding (though he certainly holds his fair share of curiosities). And home life has been somewhat of a sore topic for Chris, so he doesn't tend to lead conversations towards that route. The topic will inevitably pop up, however, and Han might be coerced into spilling some personal details there.

"Yeah?" The thought of actually being missed by the connection made has warmth bubbling within the pit of his stomach. It's nice, he thinks, to be missed in such a way. The pleasantness of the sensation is appreciated for just a moment because realization strikes from the last comment.

"You--You're kidding." He missed Halloween? And Christmas? What else? "What month is it?"

[ sorry this took so long! i was so busy last week that i couldn't get on! ]

It is nice to be missed. Han has always been the kind of guy that thinks you can't really appreciate the full effect of how much you care about something until you feel it's absence in your heart. It might be a messed up way to look at the world, but when you think about it ... Solo is kind of a weird guy. Even among all the other weirdos of long ago and far, far away - he stands out.

He opens his mouth and it stays slightly agape for a beat or two. It's clear on his face that he's thinking about something or in this case, trying to remember something.

"January." He says finally, with a satisfied nod. The calendar of his home has different names, so it took him a moment to remember the Earth one. You have to give the man credit for how much he's trying to learn about their place.

[Nbd. Muse and writer are always happy to see Chris around.]

Edited (I am a hot damn mess) 2017-01-17 16:45 (UTC)

Yuri hasn't been here long, but is starting to understand how things work; people come, people go, or people CAN'T go. He doesn't know yet which one he is, but he can tell this guy just got here (or back here?) and is cold. He pulls off his scarf and tosses it toward him.

"Here, you can borrow this until you warm up or you find another one. I'm warm enough with my jacket and hoodie."

"Woah--!" Incoming scarf. Chris catches it with the utmost (lack of) grace. "Thanks." Borrow. Right. "Does it come with a return address, or...?" He jokes, naturally. The wide smile is enough to indicate as such.

"Nah," Yuri's embarrassed now. The stranger seems like a nice guy; he should have just given it to him. "I'm used to the cold, anyway, I'm from Russia." He looks around, trying to remember the scenery. "Is it just me or is it kind of hard to find your way around this place?"

Natasha has been in the Nexus long enough to know better than to hurry up to someone and start fussing just because they look like someone she knows. Blending in with a crowd, staying out of sight...these are things she knows how to do very well. But the fact that he seems to remember Han tells her that this is definitely the Chris she knows.

Which begs the question: why did he come back?

Surely he's better off in his own world, with family and friends that aren't raging schizophrenics who torture their friends. Maybe it was an accident. In which case, all she has to do is help see him off again. Don't get Natasha wrong; she missed the kid something fierce. But it's not in her nature to admit to such things.

At least not obviously.

"I didn't think you liked the snow much." The words drawl out casually while Natasha brushes a bit of snow from his shoulder that he's missed. "...Welcome back."

"Natasha." The name is accompanied with a sigh of relief. Unlike with Han, he knows better than to wrap her up in his arms, so he holds his smile. He had just seen her not too long ago, but there had been the fear that he would not get the opportunity again. How could he have guessed that his odds of reappearing back would be so high?

"Dude, Nat, I fucking hate the snow." She knows. He knows she knows. But he has to retaliate it. "Good to be back. Seriously."

"What, so the scruffy pilot gets a hug but I'm chopped liver?"

Trading sass and snark with Chris has always been something Natasha has enjoyed, moreso than she has ever outright told Chris. Once the kid had gotten over jumping every time she talked to him he'd been great fun to be around. She drapes her arms over his shoulders and pulls him into a short embrace. It's nothing more than a quick squeeze but it says more than her words do about how much she's missed him.

"....I was surprised you came back." After all, he'd been gone for long enough for her to wonder if he was coming back. She's kept his room clean and free of dust, but at this point it was habit moreso than any real expectation that it would be used again.

"Hey, I was trying to respect your boundaries, you know? But since you're complaining now--" The statement trails off with a smirk and raised brows as Natasha moves in for the hug. Short as it may be, he wraps his arms around her torso and gives a tight hug.

"Yeah, I, uh, heard I was gone for awhile." The concern there is evident. "I thought it had been a few days, but...apparently not."

"Secret to women you don't need; we're never happy."

She flicks the corner of Chris's glasses with her finger and grins after a moment when she's pulled away. Natasha truthfully doesn't want Chris to think she didn't miss him. Because she did.

"I kept your room clean." She decides not to make a huge deal about his absence. It sounds like he hadn't meant to be gone for long, which explains why he hadn't left a note or told her or anything. "...was home not all you hoped it would be?" And here is where the concern slips in quietly.

Her hand strays up and touches his shoulder. If he needs to talk about it--the gesture says-- she's there.

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back and better than ever

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