nexus_crossings | Ho Ho Ho! Happy HP Holidays!

Ho Ho Ho! Happy HP Holidays!

There is something different about the Nexus this Christmas season. There is a light snow falling over the entire Nexus plaza. The snow is gentle, with no real coldness to the falling snow flakes. As one approaches the main gathering area, they will notice that there are many Christmas decorations, including garland hanging from the air, and there are twelve towering decorated Christmas trees, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles. There are also thousands of floating tiny candles in the Nexus plaza, that gently move at their own discretion.

In one corner, there is an orchestra, directed by a Dwarf. All of the musicians are playing music on instruments made from ice. In the center of the Nexus plaza, is a huge banquet table, loaded with holiday foods and treats that showcases a variety of food from different cultures, and some of the different worlds that gather into the Nexus itself. The main delight of the banquet table is that magic can make the food replenish itself, meaning Christmas dinner never has to end. Most will be able to find something they would enjoy. With the added perk that the food is LOL-free.

There are some added little Christmas adventures, for those who get caught up in the holidays. Here are some of the extra options for the Holiday season.

Secret Santa!
There is an added bonus to the Secret Santa gifts this year. The presents will deliver themselves! There are tons of wrapped gifts floating through the air, destined to only drop when they reach the person to which they are intended. Please note that not all gifts will be given in the spirit of the season. There are a few prank gifts floating around too. Be sure to watch out for them!

Christmas Crackers!
There are Christmas crackers scattered among the tables, and in amongst the branches of the trees. They are decorated with festive paper that is twisted at either end like a sweet wrapper. Inside of the tube are prizes, and some contain Muggle prizes such as a paper hat, a plastic toy, and a slip of paper with a joke printed on it. But the rare person will receive a unique, peculiar magical prize, and will envelop everyone nearby in a cloud of blue smoke.

Weasley Sweaters!
Time to try your luck at the Christmas Sweater bin. There is a large rotating clothing rack that seems to have an endless supply of them. Each one more Festive than the last! Pick one and show your Christmas spirit for the rest of the day.

Enchanted Mistletoe!
Be warned Nexus traveler, the Nargles** have hung enchanted Mistletoe all around the plaza. If an unlucky person steps underneath the Mistletoe, they will find that they are magically stuck to the spot, until they can find someone to kiss them. Of course, the kiss can be platonic, familial, or even romantic. For a few unfortunate people, the kiss may be the last thing they would want to do... but it is that or be stuck in the same spot for the rest of the season.

**Nargle Wiki
[Click Here for information on the HP Holiday Event!]
[Your character is free to give other Christmas gifts to people they care about -- HOWEVER, please do not deliver your Secret Santa gift. That will be handled by the Secret Santa moderator. Please post details on your Secret Santa gift in this post please.]

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"You would think so," she replies drily. With each displaced soul and every nightmare void, the irritating reality of her limitations is starting to wear her down. She forces a sigh in an effort to stop herself from being so tense. "I think it's more a case of getting comfortable with not being used to things. You can't rely on anything here. Except some of the people."

The decision is an easy one. The more contacts she can get the better. That lesson was ingrained in her early. Discovering how useful those contacts are can always be done later. She shrugs and nods. "Sure, and then I'll use it to send you mine."

Well, there is is where Caspar is at another loss. He doesn't rely on anyone except Adia. Perhaps another Cylon if things get complicated on Atlantis. Here, he's only just starting to connect with other people, and very reluctantly at that. It'll be a while before he puts his faith in anyone else.

But adding another contact to his PINpoint is a start. He types his information into Isidor's device, then hands it back to her. "Considering everything I've been though these past three years, getting used to things changing on me might not be all that difficult. Who here do you think is worth relying on?" Not as fun a conversation as bashing Shark, but he's curious.

When he hands it over again it's only a few seconds before his PINpoint receives a message with her details in return. With that done she can put it away again and answer him properly. "Steve Rogers," she says without hesitation. "He's noble, good, and he cares deeply for people. He's a man whose word you can trust."

Then she pauses, debating her next choice for a moment. "And Harrowheart. He makes mistakes and he's more difficult than Steve sometimes, but he's loyal, honest, and reliable." She looks around and then nods. "Those would be my top two so far."

"I've met Steve." His expression doesn't change much, but considering how easily he put down Shark and the man in the glittery suit, their interaction went favorably. "That's the impression I got. He reminds me a lot of a guy back home who fits that bill."

He can't say that he likes that particular brand of All-Around Mr. Caprican, but it's true, it's the kind of man you can trust. It makes him feel a little better that Adia is already good friends with him.

Harrowheart's name gets an eyebrow raise, but only because he's heard of him, too. "He's another good friend of Adia's," he notes while he tucks his PINpoint back into his inside jacket pocket. "She says the two of us have a lot in common." His mouth pulls into a faint smirk. "I suppose I should be flattered by the comparison."

The lack of reaction comes across as a little dismissive to Isidor, but it doesn't bother her. Caspar seems like the kind of man who's more used to the kinds of people she knows. That he's a little on the brusque, stiff side is understandable. Steve is kind and noble, but there are times either one can be as much a flaw as a virtue.

Excuse Isidor as she tries not to laugh. Looking at Caspar with his sharp suit, professional demeanour and utter seriousness, he couldn't be further from Harrowheart if he tried. Clearly Adia was picking out what she thought would appeal most to Caspar when she gave her descriptions.

Since she's not doing very well at hiding her amusement, she stifles her smile and decides to give him a little forewarning. "You probably do, but don't worry if that doesn't come across immediately." Her grin reappears. "He grows on you."

His smirk grows in response to her barely stifled amusement. He knows that Harrowheart, in addition to being loyal and reliable, is also loud, funny, and a fan of novelty fashion. Their personalities might be dissimilar, but their past -- that is where they have a great deal in common. Death and destruction followed by a humble return to the grace of their loved ones. But that's not something he's about to mention in polite company.

"Well, I'm bound to meet him sooner or later." He looks Isidor over thoughtfully and remarks, "Funny how you didn't mention yourself, but I suppose that goes without saying." Of course you have to rely on yourself.

It a relief that he doesn't find any badness in her amusement, and encouraging that he joins in. She smiles a little more freely, but his comment gets some hesitation. With a small shrug she explains, "I'm not exactly objective about myself. It would be easy for me to say I'm the most reliable person here. But then almost anyone else could turn around and say that I'm only reliable for my family. I'm organised and professional. That gives me an advantage, but ultimately you'll have to judge me for yourself."

Harrowheart sounds like a real character; he can appreciate the humor of being compared to him. But his smirk drops when she answers his unspoken question, replaced with a sober nod of understanding. He knows what it's like to be focused on family only. He's as dependable as it gets when it comes to Adia, but that doesn't necessarily transfer to anyone else, even people she cares about.

"Adia thinks very highly of you." She also thinks highly of Reynard, and he is the literal worst, but in this case he's inclined to trust his girlfriend's opinion. "And I'm assuming you keep an eye on anyone involved in your family's business. That puts you another few steps ahead of most of the Nexus."

"I have my priorities, but..." She dips her head to concede his point. "I take care of my friends, and my family's friends, and our business partners." Her smirk returns. "Isn't that the point of having wealthy, powerful friends? To use them as a big stick for people who you don't like?"

"Then you're someone I can rely on, at least when Adia is concerned." He smiles respectfully. She'll still need to prove herself to him if he's going to lower his guard any more than he already has, but he can put to rest some of the concerns he'd been harboring over a research center in the Nexus.

Her comment on wealth and power makes him chuckle dryly. "Careful, that used to be me. It's no fun finding out that you're no longer the most powerful person in the room any longer." As for wealth, he can provide for himself and his girl. He doesn't have anything to prove by pulling out a fat wallet.

Now that comment intrigues her. Isidor folds her arms and tilts her head at him curiously with a raised eyebrow. "Is that so? And what were you in the business of that made you the most powerful person in the room?"

"In the business of being a Cylon," he replies, his smirk returning full force. "I'm stronger than a human, I can endure more, and I can sure as hell compute more. But that's apparently a dime a dozen around here."

"I love having magic but the culture is excruciatingly convoluted. Maybe it would be better to have less of the power just to avoid the hassle." She sighs but with a smile. "It's a pity your world doesn't know about the Nexus. What you have sounds like a perfect combination for any number of jobs."

"Can't simply zap someone who's giving you a hard time, eh?" His cocky smile turns a touch sympathetic. "I'd say you're better off with the power. The Nexus makes for a strange playing field."

Her additional comment makes him shake his head. "We don't need the threat of reality-breaking nonsense happens here spilling into our world. Besides, they keep us busy enough on Atlantis as it is."

His joking gets a smirk and she shrugs. "Get to know about my family better and you might change your answer. You'll feel lucky yet."

"Atlantis." Her smile becomes thin. "Be careful with that. The Atlantis on our world was sunk to the bottom of the ocean by the gods. You might want to have a home elsewhere as well. Just in case."

"Likewise," he says, and this time he has to laugh. "Grass is always greener, I guess."

His amusement disappears with her words of warning. "Adia told me about the unfortunate coincidence in names. I'll keep it in mind, but so far the island seems geologically stable." He's not going to touch the idea of divine vengeance. It sounds like some petty shit a god would do, but he's an atheist, so he's not concerned about the possibility.

Isn't it just.

"It might mean nothing, but on the off chance it's not then you should know." She tilts her head at him pointedly with a conspiratorial smirk. "Us protectors have to help each other out." Her grin grows until she laughs and shakes her head. "Adia is even more like Viatorus than she knows."

The fact that she gives the potential threat the amount of weight it deserves is what allows him to return that smirk with an approving nod. "If he's anything like Adia then he deserves someone to look after him." And needs it, too, but he'll leave that unsaid. He doesn't want to play the role of protective boyfriend so heavily that he annoys Adia. It's a delicate balance, especially with all the obvious and not-so-obvious dangers of the Nexus.

Isidor shrugs and nods, accepting his comment even as her gaze drifts back to her scientist friend. "If Adia is anything like Viatorus she'll appreciate you getting along with people here." She smirks and adds, "I don't blame you for skipping Shark, though."

That gets a small chuckle out of him. "Rumor has it that there are some people even Adia doesn't like," he says with a faint smile.

Unfortunately, Shark is not one of them.

Adia looks in Caspar's direction, her expression brightening when she sees Isidor. She gives the other woman a friendly wave, then gestures for Caspar to join her in her conversation with the little green alien and his tall blue sidekick.

"Looks like that's my cue," Caspar says with a barely contained groan of annoyance. The things he does for love. "It was nice to meet you, Isidor. I'll see you around." Said much more sincerely. He gives her a nod in farewell before departing.

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Ho Ho Ho! Happy HP Holidays!

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