nexus_crossings | A reminder to not count your Earths before they've hatched.

A reminder to not count your Earths before they've hatched.

It is not unusual to find Adia in the Plaza. She is there frequently enough, sitting in front of a Nexus terminal or fixing herself a cup of coffee. It is not even unusual to find her accompanied by pokémon. This time it's only one, a large bird that stands nearly as tall as she does. It stays close to her seat, keeping a watchful eye for suspicious characters.

What is unusual is the expression on her face.

Adia has come to the Nexus upset before, but this is different. All her nervous energy is gone, replaced with a washed-out, nearly lethargic appearance. She's holding a children's drawing in her hands, staring at it for long seconds before folding it along well-worn creases. She picks at a corner, staring into the distance, then unfolds it and starts the process all over again.

This goes on for several minutes until Bucky, wise bird that he is, gently nudges her with his beak. Coming back to herself, she blinks and looks around, remembering where she is.

"Something... something bad happened back home. A lot of people are... really upset. And losing hope. How do you come back from that?" She looks down at the picture and whispers, "How do you learn to hope again?"

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"Then perhaps there is a way to bypass the nexus altogether. If it's possible to jump from your world to here and back, who's to say it isn't possible to leap from one world directly into another?"

Granted, she has no idea how one would even begin to go about doing something like this, but the possibility still remains.

Well. Now there's a thought.

She folds up the children's drawing and tucks it into her messenger bag, then pulls out a device that looks like a cross between a stopwatch and a beeper. "I use this to travel between the Fleet and the Nexus. I think it runs on similar technology to the jump drives my ships use. Maybe... there might be a way to connect the two... of course, that would require an engineer, which I'm not, and coordinates to a spot in another universe that has a habitable planet, which I also don't have."

But it's something. A little bit of her hope flickers back to life. She manages a smile for the other woman.

"Thanks for the suggestion... my name is Adia, by the way."

"Well then, Adia, I'm glad I could be of some assistance at least. Please, call me Tielle."

She give's Adia a slight nod before taking another swig from her flask.

"Sadly the advice is all the help I can offer. The world I'm from relies mostly on alchemy and the arcane when it comes to planar exploration, and even then it's not my area of expertise. That was more my sister's forte. She studied alchemy and magic, while I took up my father's mantle as his heir to the throne.."

She paused for a moment, stopping herself before she began to ramble.

"I've come across a surprising amount here who have travelled the stars, perhaps one of them might be able to assist with the finer details of putting this theory into action."

"It's nice to meet you, Tielle." If she were in a better frame of mind, she might wonder about all that flask-swigging, but as it is, she's too busy mulling over the woman's suggestion.

The admission that she comes from a world of magic makes Adia smile softly. "It's okay. You've given me a lot to think about, and I've met some other space travelers here, as well. I'll be sure to talk with at least one of them." She pauses, then adds, "You're in good company here. A lot of people in the Nexus are familiar with magic in one way or another."

She smiles, giving Adia a slight nod.

"I'm more concerned that people might take issue with what i am. It's not often my presence is met with something other than fear or confrontation. Thankfully, this place does seem to be a bit more understanding..."

She gives Adia a rather intentionally wide grin, revealing a pair of sharp fangs.

Adia blinks at the fangs. She looks curious, but not afraid. Either losing the prospect of Earth has her numb to emotion, or she's another one of the understanding people who frequent the Nexus.

"Are you a vampire?" she asks politely. "You might run into some judgmental people here, but I think anyone who has been around the Nexus long enough will know better than to make assumptions. One of my good friends here was a vampire." She smiles. "I was a bridesmaid in her wedding."

Tielle gives her a nod, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I'm relieved to hear I'm not the first vampire to find themselves here. Perhaps I don't have as much to worry about than I at first thought. I haven't quite found a practical way of feeding, but thankfully this should last me for quite a bit..."

She pulls out her flask, taking another light sip before tucking it away again.

"Though, I'm still somewhat getting my bearings here. I arrived shortly after what everyone has been referring to as 'The Khan Incident', when everything was still somewhat in disarray. Any advice for a newcomer like myself?"

Her eyebrows raise a little in mild concern over Tielle's predicament. "My friend drank animal blood. Would that work for you? You could probably find human blood here, too, honestly. The Nexus is so vast..."

If she weren't so worn out from her own troubles, she'd find some humor in the absurdity of a vampire asking her for advice on how to navigate the Nexus. Ever eager to help, she leans forward in her seat before replying. "Don't take the anti-violence field for granted. It's not the first time it's failed, and it's spotty further out from the Plaza. And, um... I'm sure you've been on the receiving end of this more often than the giving end, but don't make assumptions about anyone you meet. You never know what someone is really like until you get to know them."

"Sadly animal blood won't do, but I do have a few flasks worth to tide me over until I find a more permanent solution."

She looked over at the large bird by Adia's side, then back over to Adia.

"I feel like I've been asking you so many questions, by all means, if there's anything you'd like to know about me feel free to ask."

Bucky is still keeping an eye on Tielle. Other than the flash of those fangs that reminded him of a zubat, she hasn't done anything out-of-the-ordinary, so he isn't concerned. Just watchful.

"I hope you're able to figure something out," she says sincerely. It doesn't occur to her to worry that this woman would find a solution that wasn't fair for everyone involved.

When offered the opportunity to ask her own questions, she's quiet for a long moment, feeling put on the spot. Is it rude to ask how someone became a vampire? Or what she's doing in the Nexus? "How did you end up here?" she asks finally. "Are you looking for a way back?"

"To be quite honest, I think it was by total chance I wound up here. My family has been plagued by a half-demon with a deep grudge against us. It's a bit of a long story, but you'd be rather miffed if my father had sealed you away for the better part of a century. Granted, he did so with good reason."

Pausing for a moment, she contemplates just how much details she'd rather divulge at the moment. On the one hand, it's been a while since she's been able to open up like this since arriving at the Nexus. On the other hand, she hardly knows the girl, and she'd rather not give her entire life story and sordid past. The poor thing has enough to worry about without having to feel sorry for her on top of it all.

"In order to protect my family, I finally managed to seek her out in hopes of sealing her away again. I can only assume she meant to send me into the abyss, but I ended up here instead."

She looks up at the sky for a moment, pondering the thought of returning home.

"At some point, I would like to go back, but I do kind of enjoy the opportunity for a fresh start this place has given me. If I could find a way to bring what's left of my family here, there's a chance I'd never go back."

The mention of a half-demon is enough to bring a worried expression to her face, but she doesn't interrupt, listening and waiting patiently as the other woman decides what parts of her story to share.

"Aside from your family, there's nothing you'd want to return to on your world?" It occurs to Adia, after she asks, that being a vampire nearly anywhere isn't easy. Wanting to offer some hope in return, she adds, "Some mages here can open portals. They aren't always successful, but it'd be a good place to start for when you're ready to go back and get your family."

Would that solution would work for her, too.

That troubled look returns. "Just so you know... invasions like the one Khan caused are rare, but it's happened before. I don't know the details, but there was a demon invasion here nearly two years ago."

She gives her a halfhearted smile, shaking her head.

"Family is really all I have left, that and a few close friends. I've lost everything else that matters now anyway. Perhaps I could bring them here, there really is only the six of us, but I'd best get my bearings here first before all else. They'll need someone to help them adjust to this place."

She thinks for a moment, thinking aloud.

"...and perhaps this place will help me finally move on as well."

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A reminder to not count your Earths before they've hatched.

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