nexus_crossings | Now you're just somebody that I used to know.

Now you're just somebody that I used to know.

Adia is sitting at a computer terminal in the Plaza with a pint of cookie dough ice cream and a carton of boxed wine, watching cute animal videos online and occasionally wiping at her red-rimmed eyes with the back of her hand.

It's every bad break-up cliché, but Adia does not care. After recently experiencing the (second) worst day of life, she needs a break. And unfortunately, the only place she can get that is the Nexus.

She clicks on a thumbnail of a hamster eating a tiny burrito and takes a swig of wine while it loads. "How do you get over someone," she asks the Nexus unhappily, "When they've clearly gotten over you?"

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"BOSS! YOU'RE MAKING HER UNCOMFORTABLE!" Neirin looks upset about this, even setting down his pizza to say it. "Why you dragging her into sex talks if she's not on board?! What the hell. You're being gross and mean."

Shark puts a hand on his chest, loudly protesting, "I'm just trying to get her mind off of her shitty ex! I'm not creeping, I'm being a pal! Pals can talk about sex!"

The cat has descended upon the unguarded pizza. He's already chomping on it. Victory tastes sweet.

Awww, Neirin. She wasn't expecting him to stick up for her -- not that she wasn't expecting it, either. But she had assumed that all his attention was either on Shark or his slice of pizza, not her and her embarrassment.

"It's okay, Neirin," she pipes up, leaning forward to better peer at his image -- oh, that cat is eating the pizza, that's cute. "He was just trying to help." Her expression brightens ever so slightly at being considered a "pal" before she side-eyes Shark. "But all the same, it's not my business."

Neirin seems to notice that Adia's eyes are on his pizza and he glances that way. Oh, wait, she's looking at: "Orange Man..." He says it as he reaches for the slice once more. The cat, apparently named or nicknamed Orange Man, growls low and dangerous. You'll have to kill me before I give up my pizza! A silent, staring battle of wills happens, Neirin and cat alike unblinking...before Orange Man darts off in retreat. The mordesh picks up his food and takes another mouthful, unbothered by it having cat bites on it now. There's a swath of cheese missing too.

"Hey, so wait. Ex problems?" Neirin picks the conversation back up as well once he's swallowed. "You need someone beat up? I can beat someone up for you if you want."

"I already offered you up," interjects Shark.

"I'm ready whenever," Neirin adds with a nod.

Orange Man! What a cute name. Why can't they talk about the cute pizza-stealing cat instead of sex with giant muscular horned alien guys? Are they as tall as Neirin, though? Because otherwise how would that --

Oh, wait, they're talking about being up Caspar. Now there's a mental image she lets herself indulge in. Caspar's only a few inches taller than her, it wouldn't be a fair fight at all. Then again, it wasn't very fair when he pushed her, either...

She shakes her head, then winces when it makes her dizzy. "No, no... that's sweet, but no. No, thanks. There's no way to find him now." And even if she did, would she really waste a third chance by having Neirin beat him up? No.

Aw jeez, THIRD chance. Always swing for the fences, Adia.

"Yeah, well. As Neirin's boss, offer's always on the table. Shoot me a text and we'll square up. And how hard can it be to find him? I mean, we just track down all the clones of him -they got clones like we do, Neirin, just models of different humans copied over and over- we track them down and shake 'em up a little. Ask them if they know a nice kid named Adia. And when we find the right one, boom. Neirin, tell Adia what the boom is."

"Me punchin' him?" This is said with slight uncertainty around a mouthful of pizza crust. Shark nods and gestures at the mordesh's image, as if saying 'see, there you have it.'

Maybe she wants a chance to take a swing at Caspar herself?

...no, probably not.

Adia tenses noticeably and fidgets with the carton of wine still in her hands. "No, no, it's not that simple... there are so many of them, and -- look, I'm sure Neirin is amazing at punching people, but you'd both get shot, like, immediately for trying." Her eyes shimmer with another potential round of tears. "And I won't let that happen, you've both been so nice to me, even though you showed me porn, Shark, you've been trying to make me feel better. I really appreciate it."

Shark sighs through his nose at his generous offer being sold so short, but Neirin's expression turns to one of honest sympathy. Seeing people cry is hard! "Aw, well, hey, I'll help you with whatever, even if it's not punching. How about that?" And then he turns his attention to Shark, expression now irritated. "And porn? What are you doing to this poor chick? She's not nasty like us, dude."

Shark sputters and points accusingly at Neirin's image. "Hey, she asked to see a Draken and I showed her a pic of Rati! An artfully cropped picture of Rati. Not my fault Adia decided to scroll on it."

It's a soppy look of gratitude that she gives Neirin's image, although she manages to keep any tears from falling. "Thank you, Neirin. You're so nice." That must be why he's so good at -- no, Adia, stay focused, nobody's talking about Neirin's sexual prowess anymore.

She takes another quick sip of wine and swallows.

"It's true, he did crop it for me, but I scrolled anyway," she interjects, not wanting Shark to get too much flak from his assistant. She blinks and asks, "That's her name? Do you know her, Shark? You should tell her that she's pretty. But not in a creepy way, okay?"

"Oh yeah. Rati and me go way back. She's a call girl. I will totally tell her you're hot for her."

"BOSS."

"I wasn't being serious! Damn! Hard out here for a player. Look, Neirin, you're being a pain in the ass now, so I'm hanging up. Eat your fucking pizza, you slob." The mordesh manages to give a small wave and friendly smile to Adia before the hovering image makes a 'blip' and closes in on itself. Shark rolls his eyes as he puts his datachron away again.

"Hired help these days, am I right?"

Adia is about to protest that she didn't mean it like that, but then Neirin comes to her rescue. She returns his wave -- a little frantically, as she knows that Shark isn't going to give him time to say goodbye.

"He seems more like your friend than anything," she replies to Shark's rhetorical question, but her tone is far from scolding. "I meant it, though, you've been really nice to me. You didn't have to come over at all, and you did anyway." She looks at him fondly, although she can't quite manage a smile. Caspar's rejection still stings deep. How ironic that Shark of all people was willing to let her down gently...

"Hey, um... if I had been crying over you instead of Caspar, what were you planning to tell me to help me get past it?"

"Yeah, well. Me and Neirin have been working together for a long time. We've gotten pretty biz-cas over the years. Partners in slime." Though the follow-up question surprises him! He looks confused for a split second and then nods, settling into his answer.

"Right, right. Uhhh. I dunno! Let you know that despite how rad I am on the surface, I've got baggage? Stuff that's a hassle to have to deal with and how there's way lower maint relationship options out there. Also, that we can totally still hang even though we're not gonna hook up. Oh, and also that work always comes first for me and you don't seem the type to want a career-driven guy that lets it suck up all his time."

She feels kind of dumb for asking, especially because of Shark's brief confusion, but then he answers, and it's so... nice. Despite literally just telling Shark how nice he was, she's still surprised. And oddly touched. Who knew that a rejection speech could make someone feel so (platonically) un-rejected.

She smiles a little. "Yeah, you are pretty rad," she tells him, sounding like somebody's mom. She picks up her wine carton again, but doesn't drink from it, just sloshes the remaining liquid around inside. "For what it's worth, I felt so bad that you'd been cursed. I was worried you wouldn't want to talk to me again, after, because...y'know, it was embarrassing, and if the situation were reversed I'd be so embarrassed I probably wouldn't have the nerve to show my face around you again."

"If I ever let shame stop me from doing something, I'd slate myself for recycling. That is NO WAY to live." He also preens a bit on being confirmed as rad, straightening his cufflinks and licking his thumb to smooth over one eyebrow. "Even if no one saw it, crying would have been weird either way. I don't really...do that. Ever. Ask Neirin, he'll back it up." He won't call him again for that one, at least. They've bothered the legal assistant and his Orange Man enough for one day. Well, one hour. Shark's a demanding boss.

Shark's preening reminds her a little of a green parakeet that she had as a pet, but she knows better than to say it. Shark deserves to have his radness confirmed on occasion. "I wouldn't make a very good clone then..."

If he's expecting some heartfelt speech on how crying is good sometimes, that it can be cathartic, he won't get it from Adia. "You're lucky, then. Crying's the worst." She sets the carton of wine aside. "How do you not cry? Or is it part of your personality template?"

"Might be? Just not something I do a lot." Shark leans an elbow on the sofa's armrest, resting his chin on the loose fist of that arm. "I get angry easier than I get upset and crying just doesn't happen in almost any situation ever. I mean, there's maybe ONE time in living memory, but that wasssss, uh. Well, it was some complicated shit and I was probably SUPER high at the time. You know how it is." Shark, no she doesn't.

"Hey, speaking of, you gonna be good getting home like this? Or you gonna crash somewhere here in the Nexus? Me and Neirin hole up in a motel around here if we're overnighting. Could probably point you that way if you need it."

No, she doesn't, but she sort of understands, deep into her carton of wine as she is. "I hope it wasn't too awful for you. Crying for real." His more recent episode of blubbering could at least be blamed on the cursed candy. Sometimes she wishes she had the same excuse.

"No... no, thanks, but I have to head back. It'd look suspicious if I went missing after being interrogated like that." She smiles at Shark tiredly. "I'll be okay. I've got my PINpoint, remember?" Not drunken stumbling to a portal for her!

"Oh, right. PINpoint." He actually has no idea how the thing works. He didn't listen to the explanation and like hell he's gonna read up on it. Shark had been picturing it working like a compass or something. "Good deal, though. Remember to drink a whole glass of water before you sleep, though. Hangovers are proof there being no kind or loving god."

The lawyer gives Adia an encouraging few pats on her knee before hopping up off the sofa. "You know how to get me if something's up or you can't navigate. I'll send Neirin out to fetch you, okay?"

Adia is a big fan of PINpoints, perhaps enough so that Shark will likely get a little lecture from her at some point in the future. He better be wearing his listening ears.

"A whole glass of water, right." The combination of the friendly knee pats plus his offer to help should she need it brings a sentimental smile to her face. It's a good thing Shark is already out of drunken hugging range, or maybe he'd have to worry about tears on his suit after all. "Okay. Thanks, Shark."

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Now you're just somebody that I used to know.

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