nexus_crossings | A Touch of Inspiration

A Touch of Inspiration

Sheets of paper are strewn about the Nexus today. Moreso than usual, and not just the innumerable 'Welcome to the Nexus, Newcomer!' pamphlets that can be found all over the Plaza. They're full of nearly ineligible scrawling (and some of them are sticky eww--oh wait that's just raspberry jam) but the title of each sheet is the same.

BUNKERS AND BADASSES Campaign the Second

Near the center of this litterocalypse sits Tiny Tina, a crayon tucked behind her ear while she writes fervently over yet another piece of paper in pen. A plate of crumpets sits to the side, only one of them half eaten. The young lady groans in frustration before balling up this piece of paper too and chucking it behind her.

"Hey y'all so I'm trying to plan a new Bunkers an' Badasses campaign but I gotta get some new ideas son or it's gonna be one hell of a lame trek through imagination land, ya dig? What's the most awesomest adventure you ever been on? Or, if you're hella lame and haven't saved the world or conquered one in the name of crumpets or what have yas, what kind of character would you play in an adventure game?"

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Oh hey it's Adia the nurselady from the huge 'no Tina don't throw explosives at the Baddies for some reason' thing. The thirteen year old grins up at her when she approaches.

"Heeeeeeeeey gurl long time no see. How you doin? You cool? You look cool." She is about to consider the answer to the question when trains of thought are derailed by mothahumpin adorable animals AAAAAAAAA--!!

"Oh my god. Oh my god oh my guh I'm gonna die of cute whosagoodboy is it you? Is it you? Enrique would love you to pieces figuratively and probably literally actually so it's prolly a good thing Brick punched his head off now that I think about it."

She throws the paper for the pokemon to fetch before turning her gaze on Ethel and Rufflet.

"Damn, son. These things are kawaii as hell."

"I'm okay," she replies shyly. She looks better since the last time Tina saw her. Of course, the fact that no one is currently destroying the Nexus probably has something to do with it.

Her uncertainty vanishes in the face of Tina's enthusiastic reaction to Sarah. She smiles and relaxes, remembering her own internal squealing when she first met Steve's pokémon. "They are, aren't they? They're called pokémon. I'm watching them for a friend. Um, that one's a girl, actually. Her name's Sarah."

The growlithe wiggles her whole back end with excitement. Yes, yes she is a good girl! Throw the paper! She dashes after it, catching it easily and returning it to Tina. The paper might be singed a little at the edges in her excitement. The one that looks like a little dinosaur is ambling about, although she does lift her head and rumble a hello to Tina when her cuteness is also acknowledged.

Bucky, however, does not appear flattered in the slightest. He puffs up and glares at Tina. He is not kawaii, how very dare you. Adia sighs and pats down his feathers. "Sorry, Bucky's wary of strangers. Ethel is friendly, though."

"Ohmyguh you named her Sarah that is the cutest! C'mere Sarah! Who's a good girl? Whosagoodgirl? You are! Yes you are! Go long!" Tina grabs a couple of discarded sheets of paper and balls them up tight together for one bigger paper ball and chucks it as hard as she can. Look at that little fluffy pupper go.

"You. Have the best pets. Ever." Adia is officially the coolest person Tina knows. Don't worry metal dino thing there are plenty of pets and face rubs for you too. Such cute! Suuuuch cuuute!

Though when she tries to approach the bird all she gets is a lot of fluffed out feathers and and a dirty look.

"Aww, come on Bucky. I uh...OH! I got a crumpet? Whoooooo wants a treat? Come on son work with me everyone loves crumpets I'm offering a peace treaty here."

Sarah dashes after the paper ball as eagerly as she did the first. Yay, fetch! Best day ever!

"Oh, thank you, but I didn't name her. They belong to Steve. He was hurt during the invasion and is recovering off-world." She'll spare the gory details, although she suspects that it wouldn't faze Tina. "They're great, aren't they? I've really enjoyed taking care of them."

Ethel basks in the attention before nosing through the field of crumpled up papers once more. Bucky, however, appears unmoved. No, he does not want a crumpet, Tina. He turns his whole head away, his beak up in the air.

...but those crumpets smell really good. Is that raspberry filling? He loves raspberries...

"It's okay, Bucky." Adia gives him an encouraging pat on the head. "I'm safe. Tina's a friend. You can have a treat."

Sarah dashes over, paper ball forgotten. Did somebody say treat? She'll take that crumpet if Bucky doesn't want it...

"If Momma Adia says it's alright y'alls can have some of my crumpets." Tina hops onto the chair she'd been working at and scoops up her unfinished crumpet before breaking the half into three equal pieces.

Let it not be said that Tiny Tina plays favorites or is an ungracious host. She is a lady thankyouverymuch. One piece she lays in front of Ethel. One she tosses to Sarah. And the last...

Tina holds the piece in her hand, palms flat as she hoists them upwards toward where Bucky is sitting on Adia's shoulder. She doesn't even try to grab him. She's certainly brave for a kid who might be about to get her fingers pecked off.

Momma Adia. The phrase makes her grin. "A piece of crumpet should be fine." She wouldn't mind one herself, honestly, but she'll wait for the pokémon to get their bits before she even considers the possibility of asking.

Sarah catches that sweet treat in her mouth before Tina can blink, then happily licks her lips. Ethel is more sedate in her crumpet consumption, although she does appear to enjoy herself. Bucky...

Well, she's not trying to pet him. That's good. And Adia is still smiling, still safe. Also good. And that crumpet smells really, really good...

Carefully, he plucks the piece from Tina's hand, then gulps it down, all while keeping his eyes on her. He tones down the glare at least. So long as she keeps her hands to herself.

Adia who are you kidding there is a whole plate full of crumpets you are so getting a whole one for yourself and as many more as you like. Tina can't eat this many on her own in one sitting anyway and it's better you have them than Brick eating all of them if she takes the leftovers home.

She'd at least appreciate them.

Tina smiles up at Bucky when he takes the treat but makes no attempt to get any closer for the moment. She may know more than she lets on about distrust and abandonment issues, little bird.

"So, you'd wanna play some kind of Animal Summoner type. Not like--a druid who becomes animals. More like: 'Sup I'm Awesome Adia and here are my partners Butch, Cassidy, an' the Sundance kid here to wreck up your shiiiiiiiiiiiiit' and then you do an' it's epic."

Adia would most certainly appreciate them, although she wouldn't keep them all for herself. She has friends on her ship who could use a dose of sweetness. So long as she can concoct a suitable excuse of where a batch of freshly-baked crumpets came from.

The fact that Tina leaves him be seems to settle Bucky further. He lets down his guard just enough so that he can preen his feathers. For all of Tina's running commentary, she has a quiet way with wary animals. Adia's impressed.

"Ah, well..." The pop culture reference goes over her head, but she understands the rest. "Oh, I wouldn't want them to fight for me. I'd just want to collect them..." She smiles sheepishly. "I guess that's not much of an adventure, though."

Tina knows loss, distrust, and the need to protect oneself against the world.

Her defenses may be different from the fluffy bird pokemon's, but they're no less extensive than his own. She backs up a step and then plops back down in her seat to keep scribbling at her notes.

"Okay but you'd have to go on adventures to find an' rescue them. Gotta save them from bad people and starving all alone out in the elements. What would you do then?" She twirls her pen between her fingers, staring up at Adia.

She's certainly more subtle about it than Bucky, who relaxes further when Tina sits back down, his feathers settling back into place. Sarah goes back to snuffling the crumpled papers, and Ethel goes ahead and plops down right next to Tina, intending to take a little nap while the humans chit-chat.

"Oh, hmm..." Adia finds a seat for herself while she thinks. "Is this game fantasy or science-fiction based? I like the idea of using spells to rescue animals... maybe someone else can do the actual fighting, and I can do the healing? This is a group game, right?"

"Both! Neither! It's your story, is what it is. Games like this are usually done in groups, yeah. Havin' a healer on their side would really make the badass heroes even more badass and heroic not havin' their inside spillin all over onto their outsides and junk."

Tina jots down a few notes before she looks up again.

"You are a kind hearted Siren who's calling in life is to protect the innocent cute puppies and kitties from all the evils in the world! You've trained for years to hone your powers into a healing touch that rejuvenates life and inspires the down trodden. When you come across a band of heroes travelling the world you reluctantly join them. They will be a good protection for you and travelling with them will give you the chance to rescue any cute critters you find along the way!"

Her real life story is turning out to be a healer of sorts, although she spends most of her time patching up fellow civilians. Does that make her idea boring? Shouldn't she try creating a character who isn't essentially herself?

But then Tina takes the time to turn her suggestion into something amazing. A siren makes her think of the dangerously beguiling creatures of myth, but it only adds to the character's allure. This is the character she'd select in a game without hesitation.

"That sounds really cool," she tells Tina with a warm smile. "You have a real knack for character description. Can I have an animal companion, too? Or is that too much?"

"Sirens are p-much the best dayum ladies on the planet an' having known two of 'em I can assure you they are the For Real Deal of coolness."

Tina nods eagerly, pausing only to scribble down a few things onto one of her sheets of paper before she looks up again.

"Sure you can! You'd want to have one that could look after himself though. Even if he's not there to fight he should know how to defend himself and you if something big and nasty attacks."

"You have sirens where you're from?" Adia asks, intrigued. She reminds herself that they likely aren't the same thing as what she's thinking of, but she won't pass up an opportunity to learn about someone else's world.

Yay, an animal companion! She looks at her current companions thoughtfully. "That's a good idea... I know I feel much safer when I'm out an about with these three. Can it be something I can ride, too, like a horse?" Her eyes light up. "Can it be a flying horse?"

"Yeah, but only like, a few can exist at any one time. They're real good at controllin' space and elements and shizz like that. Lilith is all about the blaze and Maya's foiiiine ass is all kinds of talented too."

Hmm, an animal companion for the lovely Adia has to be equally as lovely. Tina frowns in thought.

"Gonna level with you, you prrrrobably don't want to use a horse. For one, they spook easy and for two the evil magistrate Jack has like a huge boner for them and would probably steal yours and rename it Buttstallion Jr."

That doesn't exactly explain what sirens are in Tina's world, but it gives her a vague idea. Enough to be flattered by her character concept, anyway. "They're a myth where I'm from. They're like mermaids, or birds with the faces of women. Their singing is so beautiful that sailors will crash their ships trying to reach them."

She looks disappointed, but only for a moment. Tina brings up a good point about horses spooking easily. Some can be trained to enter battles, but she wouldn't want to put a horse through that, even in fantasy. "Who's Jack? The villain in your story?" She purses her lips. "I most definitely do not want my horse stolen and renamed that."

A flying mount would be pretty cool, though. Looking around for inspiration, her gaze lands on Bucky. "What about a hippogriff? They'd be able to defend themselves better."

Bucky gives her a look in return. Adia, please. He can learn Fly. What does she need of some weird made-up creature when she already has the real deal?

"Really? They're like...kickass lady magic users of some kinda something on Pandora. To be real I don't really know too much about it. It's a hella rare trait to have."

Tina looks momentarily surprised when Adia asks who Jack is, before her gaze drops to the table. Who is Handsome Jack? A hero? A villain? Either way, he's the man who killed Roland and deprived Tina of her father figure once again.

"Yeah. He's uh...he's a real bad guy, Adia. Real bad."

Her shoulders hunch up and she bites at the cap of her pen. Come on Tina. You gotta smile. Showing weakness gets you killed. She forces it and perks up after only a second or so.

"Yeah son, a hippogriff would be ten kinds of awesome and much more rideable than a skag or the like. Marjorie is a purebreed with snowy white feathers speckling into a charcoal grey to black as her coat transitions and you have raised her since she was a chick. She's always got your back and knows you'll keep her safe."

Ah, okay. That gives her a better sense of what they're about. "Sounds like it. I'm flattered my character gets to be one."

It's impossible not to notice Tina's change in mood. Is Jack real, too, like the Sirens? He must have been pretty horrible to make such a negative impression on her. But aside from looking concerned, Adia doesn't say anything. Tina doesn't seem to want to talk about it,

Sarah also picks up on the shift in mood. She stops chasing discarded balls of paper so that she can pad over to the Tina's side and lean her warm, furry body against her legs.

"Marjorie," Adia repeats, her smile returning. "What a great name. She sounds beautiful." Bucky puffs up in annoyance, and this time Adia notices and reaches out to soothe his feathers. "It's just a game," she tells her feathered friend, which seems to mollify him. He is way cooler than a hippogriff, whatever that is...

Tina was hoping Adia would like the name. She's apparently a classy lady who's quite picky about what her friends are or are not named. How crushed would she be to learn that Buttstallion was in fact a real pony? Or that she belonged to Handsome Jack?

Used to, at least. Tina hopes the pony is in better hands now, but considering Hyperion's track record....she kind of doubts it. And that's a shame.

"My friend Mordecai would loooooove your character, Adia! He loves birds and pets in general too. So apologies in advance if his characters hit on yours, just sayin' that's a real possibility."

She'd be more crushed to learn how Tina has suffered from Handsome Jack's cruelty, but the idea of someone stealing a horse and renaming it something juvenile is plenty awful.

"If he loves animals then I'm sure we'd get along." Although the thought of him hitting on her in the game makes her laugh nervously. "So long as he keeps the flirting in the game only."

Tina gives Bucky a sidelong look that's a bit knowing before nodding along to Adia's assertion that Mordecai loves animals. It's best not to bring up what Handsome Jack did to his pet bird in real life. It's probably best in general for Tina just not to talk too much in length as to what her life is actually like on Pandora.

Just, for the best for everyone.

"Don' worry none he's a gentleman and pretty easy to tell off. Sides, he's a vault hunter an' like always busy with Lilith and Brick doing work so it's not much of a worry." Tina looks over her sheet and gives Adia a smile.

"What else would you want in a character? I think I'm actually gonna use this in my next game as an NPC. This is a dayum fine character you've got going on here."

Bucky's not sure what to make of that look, but for once he doesn't return it with a creepy glare. Perhaps he can recognize someone else who has learned to survive despite the cruelty of others. Or maybe he really liked that crumpet. Either way, he's warmed up a little to Tina.

"Oh. Okay." Adia doesn't seem like the sort of person who tells off others. Politely deflect, perhaps. It's unlikely she'll even have time to play a round of Bunkers and Badasses anyway, as she's too busy with her current responsibilities. "What's a vault hunter?"

She smiles at the compliment and shrugs a little at the question. "I don't know, that sounds plenty to me. If you make her too overpowered, it won't be much fun for anyone else. She'd be a great NPC for some sort of animal rescue mission."

She chews at the end of her pen when Adia asks, looking thoughtful for a long moment.

"They're like mercenaries I guess? They're real strong huggabutts who can take on any badass that comes after 'em and do work for the people of Pandora along with looking for ancient troves of alien technology buried underground in vaults."

They're also some of her best friends and surrogate family.

"She sounds real sweet and I will make sure no one gets her killed being a dummy." Tina promises to keep Siren Adia as safe as possible. She likes the design too.

Treasure-seeking mercenaries. It sheds a little more light on the state of Tina's world. "Ancient alien technology? Are any of these aliens still around?" She pauses before asking tentatively, "Are you from Earth? Or are you from another planet, like me?"

She smiles at Tina's thoughtfulness. "That's kind of you. It'd be punishing the players more than anything if you killed off a healing NPC." Adia has not played too many games of this nature, but she always felt bad if there was a character she couldn't save. She wouldn't want that guilt foisted onto Tina's friends. "If you do use her, let me know how it goes? I'd love to find out what sorts of adventures she has."

"Naw, not from Earth. I was born and raised on Pandora."

A bonafide prison planet baby. Just one of those things no one talks too much about on more civilized worlds. Better to just think of Pandora as being full of criminals and crazies and the occasional treasure hunter.

Makes people leading cushier lifestyles feel better about themselves.

"I'd never been to another world until I found this place. Lots of folks live on our moon, Elpis, but I've never been there either."

A Touch of Inspiration

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