nexus_crossings | 2nd Annual Halloween Block Party!

Current Mood: SPOOKY
Current Music: "This Is Halloween"-Marilyn Manson

2nd Annual Halloween Block Party!

The leaves have turned gold and orange, the air has grown crisp, pumpkins both carved and uncarved have begun to crop up. It's time to don your costumes, light your candles, pray you don't see any spectres (or do!), rev up your sweet tooth. Why?

Halloween is Here!

Inhabitants of the Nexus may recall the festivities from last year, but even if you're new or your memories are foggy, the fliers and invites have been floating around for the past two weeks or so. They urge anyone who wishes to celebrate the spookiest time of the year with friends, food and festivities over at The Crossroads Café. The entire block is sectioned off for the shindig, in fact! Black and orange streamers festoon the café and trees, along with hanging (plastic!) skeletons and bats, plenty of jack-o-lanterns and candles.

Welcome, one and all, to the Nexus 2nd Annual Halloween Block Party!

Costume Loan: If you don't have a costume ready or are lacking access to one, the Café staff has you covered! Next to the coat closet is a rack of various options for dress-up with a sign simply stating: Feel Free to Borrow! Outfits, hats, accessories, masks; anything a person needs for a perfect last minute costume is there for the taking.
Inside the Café: The doors to the Crossroads Café are propped open and awaiting your arrival! Seating inside the Crossroads Cafe comes at a bit of a premium, though for those who need the warmth and enclosure of inside there are certainly several tables inside, as well as couches and seating areas all around the bonfire outside the cafe.

The lights have been dimmed for this special occasion and the display cases as well as the counters are laden with foods and treats from all over the Nexus. The far counter has been converted into a bar area for anyone in need of some liquid courage. On one table sits a large table set aside for people to share their own Halloween themed treats should they so choose. For now it's mostly empty, save for a large bowl in the center with a sign reading: Candy Exchange Program. There's sure to be something in there you've never seen before if you dig around long enough!
The Bonfire: Out in front of the cafe in the middle of what is usually the street is a large bonfire in a rather large fire pit. Plenty of tables are set up near the fire, showing off pumpkins carved in all manner of spooks and designs. Seems like folks are welcome to bring their own jack o'lanterns and other festive creations if they so please.

There's plenty of seating on one side of the large fire, though the other side gives way to a large, open area.
The Dance Floor: On the far side of the bonfire where usually the outdoor seating goes is a marked off area for a dance floor. The large speakers ensure anyone walking by won't be able to miss the fact that there's a party going on. Several floating lights bathe the area in a golden light altogether separate form the light and heat the bonfire provides.

Music from many different worlds plays continuously throughout the night. It beckons one and all to let loose and enjoy themselves on this night of celebration.

((Check out the OOC post here!))

EDIT 10/31/17: Something's gone wrong. [Phase 2: NIGHTMARE has begun!]
((Here's the OOC post regarding Phase 2!))
Here's where people go to wonder what the heck just happened. [Left Behind thread!]
EDIT 11/28/17: The Nightmare is over. [Finale thread!]
((Thanks for playing, everyone! And happy holidays!))

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"I'm here. You're here. You're safe, you're back, I have you." He's shaken and shaking, from the fear and the relief, the power poured into the ritual and how suddenly he had to shake free of it. He lifts his hands to cup Jim's face, reassuring himself that the captain is right here, that it feels like him. "I won't allow anyone to take you again, I'm sorry..."

He swallows and looks back for a moment, only because he must. He has to know his brother is safe before he can whisk Jim away to privacy. His gaze falls on his familiar and he tells it urgently, "Find Stratos."

While it disappears back into the crowd he lets out a long breath of relief and focuses on Jim again, quickly moving to catch up the hand he's favoring. "What happened- are you hurt?"

Given the way Jim looks, he's sharp enough to backtrack on the question he started asking. Physical wounds are both an immediate and relatively safe concern.

"You...y-you.." And Jim can't hold himself together. The shaking won't stop and seeing Felix here solid and alive underneath his fingers has the captain falling apart where he's sitting. Tears stream silently down his face and he chokes on whatever words he was going to say as he drops his gaze in shame.

He still sees Felix bleeding out in his arms every time he shuts his eyes. Can feel fresh blood dripping down his arms and soaking into the cloak the figure had been wearing. Dying in Jim's arms in the one place he never wanted Felix to ever have to experience firsthand. Witnessing his panic attacks over the years have been bad enough.

But Felix is here. Alive. Unharmed. His grip with his good hand tightens to something near painful, so desperate is he to make sure Felix doesn't disappear in his arms like the dying figure had.

"...M'hand. Other stuff, it doesn't matter. W-w-were you here this whole time?"

"I'll heal it. I..." His voice falters. His hands twitch with the unwanted memory of the twisting pain that tore through him last time he tried to heal Jim. Maybe Felix can't heal him.

He's too worried by that thought to think about his answer to the question. "I was here. I wanted... wanted to see you, at least. Didn't want to be... well. Hiding away any more." Though he still asked for a hood.

Jim's too utterly exhausted from his ordeals to process insignificant things like Felix still being in costume considering how long Jim's certain they've been gone. The dissociative fog that had got both captains through this mess alive is turning into a numbness to his surroundings as he clings tightly to the only thing his mind will allow him to focus on.

"You're here. Safe."

It wasn't Felix. It wasn't him. Jim pulls Felix forward and clings to him with both hands, ignoring the sting in his sliced one. His knees hurt worse and are also ignored.

"C..can we go somewhere else?" Somewhere safe? There are no safe places anymore. But somewhere safer than here, at any rate.

There's a pang of guilt as he wonders where Jim feared he was. Realizes that maybe in staying away he's caused his love more pain, more anxiety. And yet here Jim is, pulling him closer yet.

"Of course," he promises. "Of course..." He looks around as the ghostly wolf returns, Stratos in tow. The elder Caelus's face is pale, and though he carries himself straight and unhurt his face is pale and taut, the bright Starfleet uniform spattered with blood, something strange in his voice and manner when he catches sight of his brother.

"Felix! Are you hurt? Is Jim?"

"No no, I wasn't taken. Jim is- I need to take him home, Stratos. Are you...?"

"No." A curt answer, a shake of his head. "See to Jim. Look after him. I will... deal with matters here."

Felix just nods gratefully. Stratos is a full-grown war mage, after all. Powerful and experienced in defending himself against magical and physical assault alike. In the moment it doesn't occur to the frantic and unfocused conjurer that Stratos can't take care of himself just fine. "Come on, Jim. Let's get back to your ship..."

A second figure steps out of the shadows once Felix and Jim have gone. Nekomata doesn't carry herself with the levity and carelessness she usually does in this place. She's bloody, tails curled protectively around herself as she follows Stratos' every move.

They haven't spoken since they made their escape. Now though, she's reaching out and touching his arm gently.

"Come on. Let's get cleaned up, boss. You gonna come quietly or am I gyonna have to carry ya?" As if they both don't know Nekomata can do no such thing if Stratos so much as protests. She has an image of their dynamic to uphold, and she has to wonder if Stratos will appreciate it as much as she thinks he will at the moment.

He looks surprised to find her there, though the expression is quickly masked with something neutral. Or meant to be neutral. There's a distinct air of quiet discomfort.

"I... suppose I should attend to that." Spattered in other people's blood is no way to walk around the streets. And he's in no state to return to camp, either. "Do you know somewhere we can wash?"

He would have said 'I', but decides against shooing Nekomata away. He... owes her the chance to talk, at least.

"This way."

The demon points a claw out of the bakery and leads them on a winding side road that skirts around the main part of the Plaza where Stratos' men are posted before curving further out toward the wilds. "It ain't gyonna be warm but it's clean."

It's obvious from the collected trinkets tucked away in a crevice underneath the aged stump the demon sits on that this is one of her hangouts. Admittedly not one she'll be able to keep through the Winter considering a certain spirit's penchant for making the weather harsher than the Nexus clime would otherwise be. A few yards beyond is a small stream flowing with clean water.

"I dyon't got any towels or anything but I can gather up some wood if you wanna start a fire."

Since they're heading out that way, Stratos diverts them past a public storage locker where he has some civilian clothes stashed. He's not staying in these garments and he doubts the demon has anything in his size to share, somehow.

"Please do." He can start the fire readily enough, and frankly just getting himself clean will take up most of the energy he has left. Stratos moves stiffly, slowly, as if everything aches. Not without looking around at Neko's hideout. It's not what he expected. So simple and small, barely even a corner in the wilderness.

It's a thought to distract him while he strips off and throws (most of) his clothes on the stream bank. His alteration skills have given him a bit more resistance to the cold, but he still winces with the shock as he sluices water over himself and scrubs at his chest, his face, his arms. He's beyond trying clever tricks to heat the water as it's cupped in his hands. He just needs to get the blood off and get his shivering self back to the fire Neko's building.

Her ear twitches ever so slightly when he uses the word 'please'. In truth she really didn't expect that level of kindness from him after everything that's transpired between them tonight. The demon's skills with the fire are laughably amateurish. The way she stacks the wood and how little she grabs to feed it later both speak to her inexperience with such human tasks but she's trying.

Only when the fire is going does she step into the water herself. She has no qualms about nudity of any kind but she doesn't look at Stratos before she wades as far in as she can and bends down to submerge herself as best she can in this tiny shallow stream. It's going to take considerable effort to get all of her own blood out of her fur but for now she'll take what she can get and get the hell out of the water and back to the fire.

Demon or no she's still a cat and long baths are sure as fuck not happening. Neko practically leaps out of the water as soon as she's had as much as she can stand. Kicks one leg a few times and then the other to shake the water from herself. The full body shake she's merciful enough to wait until she's not next to the human to do. Time to go sit by the fire and wring her tails out.

As shy as he can be, Stratos is far past caring if the demon sees him stripped to his underclothes. He just wants the blood gone. Wants to get out of the cold and feel something akin to normal again. He doesn't rush to dress either, not until he's used a spare shirt to towel himself off and the wind has helped dry his skin somewhat. Damp clothes are worse than being cold for a few minutes. At least he can get his pants and boots back on quickly enough.

He sits across the fire from Neko, still shivering a bit in his shirtlessness. The fire he can urge on with a flick of his hand. It's not very well assembled, though. Using his telekinesis to rearrange the burning logs keeps his mind busy for a few minutes.

"I owe you an apology," he says finally. When his thoughts quiet enough for him to muster words.

Golden eyes flit up to study Stratos' face when he finally speaks. She's currently turned with her back to the fire trying to dry herself off and warm up properly now that she's warmed her front a bit.

She nearly barks out 'damn right you do' but holds her tongue at the last minute. After everything that's happened tonight and everything she knows about Stratos' personal problems over the last couple of months she just can't bring herself to do it.

"...I do too, Boss."

"What have you got to apologize for?" He looks up, not sure if he wants to hear the answer but asking nonetheless. He's not generous-minded towards daedra, but even he finds it hard to see any sins of hers around his own.

This time she does sigh. Gives the mage a shake of her head in clear disapproval.

"You oughta know why by now, nya. You're smarter than that." She finishes wringing out her hair and tosses it over her shoulder before padding over to stand in front of him. "About why I didn't stay dead back there."

Oho. That. Yes, he has suspicions aplenty, and now he hasn't got an immediate threat to distract him they're coming back in full force.

"Nekomata," he says quietly, "what exactly is the nature of the link between us?"

"Look, it sucks to be a demon, okay? Especially in a place thyat caters toward humans more than not. But I like them a lot better than my own kind, so I came here. I did legitimate work, nya. But it's not enough to live on and most places won't rent to my kind. Half the stores don't want me inside. Can't hunt because of the AV field."

She squats down on her hind legs and stares up at Stratos.

"But there's another way to survive. It meant giving up my freedom, but I didn't have to struggle to get enough to eat anymore. I did a lyot of work, nya. Picking the right person. Someone who respected my work enough to hire me on. Only I didn't just take a job, see? We made a contract, you and I. You own my soul, mya. No matter how many times I die, so long as you call I can't stay dead. The rub of it is though....I cyan't disobey you."

She gives a shrug of her fluffy shoulders.

"Poof. Buh bye free will. If you wanted to you could make me walk around on all fours wearing a collar like some kinda sick pet. And I knew it. So I was careful. I liked the work I'd done for you in the past. Knew your magic was similar to mine. Figured...you know. I figured you wouldn't notice if I was careful."

This time she does avert her gaze. Every time he's ever called her she's been there. Every task he's ever given her she's accomplished and right away. She can't do anything else.

"An' before you ask I'm not draining yer life energy or nothing stupid like that so don't get yer panties into a knot mya. Ain't that kind of contract. I feed offa magnetite, which is a by product of sentient creatures living. Your soul nor your body can use it, but it's like a battery recharge for my kind. I respected you enough to give up my free will, I wasn't gonna make you kill yerself t'get it."

Stratos listens in silence. After all that's happened he doesn't have the energy left to be shocked even if he hadn't already started to guess the truth. Still, hearing her lay bare how he's been tricked in spite of his sensibilities and precautions gives him a twinge of anger and alarm. For a minute his stomach turns - she lured him into a contract, just like Felix - but he closes his eyes and tries to calm himself. Nekomata is not like the runeblades. Would the runeblades have put themselves at risk for Felix? Surely they'd have wanted him to bloody his hands.

And as his gut rejection recedes, he admits to himself he does understand. If he'd been in the demon's place, or if something he valued depended on it... he would have done so in a heartbeat.

"That's why you spoke through the prisoner," he says finally. Understanding, if not comfortable with the situation they've found themselves in. "Every order I gave you, every instruction..." He's quiet for another moment before he comments, "Well, you were successful. I never did realize, until tonight."

"Got it in one. You told me to be silent so I didn't have a choice. You told me not to swing at the illusion, so I had to let it kill me. Even though I knew what was gonna happen."

She shrugs again in a sort of 'it can't be helped' kind of way before shifting so she's facing the fire again, still sitting on the ground just to Stratos' side.

"I sorta figured your sanity and survival were more important than my secret. Especially since if you die, my protection is gone."

"That's horrifying," he says quietly. His gaze lifts uncomfortably away from Nekomata, the tribune staring into the fire. He's no stranger to those sorts of calculation. He's been on both sides of the equation, as a junior officer. But this wasn't a choice forced by tactical circumstance or insurmountable laws of fact. The illusion snared him, latched on to every fault in his moral facade and pulled him to his knees. And she paid the price.

Had it been left up to him, she would have gone on paying.

He swallows. Says again, "I'm sorry." It's a minute before he adds, "Do you still want to continue with this... contract?"

"It ain't up to me, nya. And I probably shouldn't have told you that if I knew what was best for me but."

She sighs and props her chin up with both fluffy paws.

"I do, nya. I chose you for a reason an' we work well together. I know you won't screw me over and you've always treated me like an equal. But it ain't up to me. You've got all the power here."

Edited 2017-12-11 01:53 (UTC)

She's right, and he knows it. Demon or not, otherworldly immortal or ordinary person, he won't knowingly exploit or degrade her. He has too much sense of duty to those who serve under him. And if a part of him is inclined to balk at according a daedra the same respect as honest Imperial citizens... well, it's certainly overridden by his stark awareness of how much he owes her tonight.

Sanity and survival. Can he really deny her the same in return?

"I need to think about this, Nekomata. I owe you a debt tonight, and I... do not want to repay your service with abandonment. But I am not the sort of man who owns any other being's soul." Except that he apparently does, and it's taken him this long to notice. He's having some trouble coming to terms with that.

"I mean, if it makes ya feel any better, I pretty much gave it to you."

She watches him from across the fire and nods all the same. This isn't exactly the sort of thing humans are used to hearing and most demons wouldn't willingly jump into a contract without substantially more to gain than she's asked of Stratos.

A meal now and again. Survival. The rest she'll handle on her own.

"I'll keep an eye on yer brother for ya in the meantime. My ongoing assignment, as it were, nya."

"Thank you." It is perhaps the one thing he's still sure of: that he has to watch over Felix. Even adrift in pain and self-disgust and shock, the need to protect his little brother comes first. "It doesn't seem that he was taken tonight. Mercifully." After what the nightmare did to him, he shudders to think what would have been left of Felix, still vulnerable as he is.

"And I will continue to pay you for your work, of course," he adds. A deal is a deal.

Back to the ship.

Jim doesn't even look up at Stratos right now. Doesn't register the same empty look in the elder Caelus' expression. How can he when he's so busy clinging to Felix as though he'll turn to smoke and vanish if he lets go for even an instant? One more thing to feel guilty over, later.

He'll let Felix take them back to the Enterprise.

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2nd Annual Halloween Block Party!

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