nexus_crossings | Time for a big ol' Nexus Block party

Time for a big ol' Nexus Block party

On a sleepy summer morning a wonderful smell begins to waft throughout the Nexus. For those familiar with this place there can only be one explanation but for those new faces to the nexus this may be a strange thing: seeing so many people flocking toward the sweet and savory scents perfuming the Nexus.

There are a few tables set out this morning in the Plaza in front of a small cafe loaded with several carafes of coffee, a myriad of pastries from more than a few different worlds and cultures, and a large pan of eggs and sausage kept warm over a chafing dish. On either end of the table are disposable plates, cups, and cutlery as well as a few welcome pamphlets in a small container. Along the front of the tables is a hand made banner.

Meet and Greet

Manning the tables is Katsuya Suou, red apron on and a cup of coffee in hand. He looks far too cheerful for how early in the morning it is. It's always satisfying to put one of these on and see the throngs of different people stuck in line together to get their food and find a place to sit among the tables and couches nearby.

"Right then, is anyone hungry? I've got more than enough here for everyone so please mingle among yourselves or feel free to ask me anything you'd like."

((OOC: This thread is ALL ABOUT threadjacking and hopping. I encourage folks to tag on each other's comments and mingle rather than to reply only to me. This is a huge opportunity to have your characters interact with people they wouldn't have talked to before. Branch out! Meet new people! Scheme new schemes! Steal the last chocolate croissant!))

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"What do you do for a living back home? You could always work at Crossroads, right? I don't think Katsuya would be opposed to a little nepotism. And he's short-staffed anyway." Because of a certain delivery boy gone missing. The thought sours Caspar's unusually pleasant disposition and he looks away a moment, but by the time Panda speaks, he's regained his composure. "Yeah, no problem. Come find either of us if you want an escort to the Wilds, okay?"

Princess oinks in agreement. She can roast anyone who gives Panda a hard time.

~*~

Her expression gives away her answer long before she says anything. How ironic, she thinks as she stumbles for an answer, to have everyone's concern when she is no longer being stalked. "It's... it's not quite like that. It's more like, um... like he's an alternate of someone who bothered me in the past. This Jeff, the one who's dating Marie, he's fine. But I'd rather not remind him of things that his alternate has done. Does that make sense?"

As for anything else he can help with, she shakes her head. "No, Ice Bear. You being a good friend to me and Caspar is more than enough. Thanks for looking out for us."

Caspar can't fault him on that line of reasoning. He keeps an eye on the other man as Adia settles in to tell him what happened -- any comparisons to Earth movies are going to earn him a dirty look.

"Ah, well... there was a man stalking me in the Nexus. He was a serial killer on his world, but it turned out that he was being influenced by a god of chaos. That god wanted access to the Nexus, but my stalker had found coordinates to a pokêmon deity temple. He wanted me to go there and ask for a blessing, to try and undo the damage he had caused. He thought, because I was kind, that Arceus would listen to me."

"You are leaving a lot out," Caspar interjects, but Adia shushes him with a hand.

"The blessing, in a roundabout way, led to the chaos god's destruction, and gave me the chance to... well, I thought it was to reset the timeline, but perhaps more accurately create a new timeline, one that the chaos god couldn't interfere with. So, everything that happened... it technically didn't, in this new timeline."

"He never became a serial killer. Never became possessed by a dark god." Caspar frowns a little, not looking entirely satisfied with this outcome. "I would have preferred him to stay dead, but we can't always get what we want. At least he doesn't know who Adia is this time around."

It's not that she wants to do this. It's not even that she wants to be better, because she has no clear idea of what that means. It's that she needs to do this. Ghost has made sure she knows that. It's that she's genuinely frightened of what happens if she can't stabilize and stay stable. She's uncomfortable with the self-scrutiny. Uneasy about how unknown this path is to her. Angry that Steve has to sit with her and do this when they should just be out there fighting, doing what they're both meant to do. Guilty that he's facing this for her when he has so many other concerns.

And despite all that coiling in her fists and in her synthetic guts, there's a weight of cloth that presses at her right hip, heavy with must and decay. A reminder of why she has to push forward. She cannot go back to that.

The Titan hunkers down and tells herself not to fidget. Ghost hovers in the middle, over their shoulders. The first words on the page draw an involuntary snort of laughter from her. She doesn't know if that was meant to be aimed at her, but it's fitting.

"Patience, huh?" For a moment she's actually amused, before Steve speaks. She looks up at him, optics flicking down to the page and back. There's no sigh, no exhale of pretend breath. But armored shoulders slump as a tension goes out of them, something in the Exo disarmed by his willingness to join her in this boat.

"You don't need to do that, Steve." Her voice is subdued. "Ghost can learn these protocols and administer them."

"Perhaps, but I don't see why they wouldn't be beneficial for Steve as well." Ghost has his own ideas of what both of them need, and he's not about to miss the chance to keep a sensor on Steve's well-being in addition to his Guardian's. "We are talking about healthy habits, not experimental neuro-programming, Blaze."

"No."

He still might sound smug, "Unless it's a plant from another planet, and even then...I can learn. I can study the green's language and I can learn it."

If he had eyebrows it would be raised, "Are you looking for...something specific?"

Majima makes a pained noise accompanied by a dramatic shushing gesture. "Nah, nah, nah! Don't go outin' me like that!"

His glance flicks between her face and the over-familiar touch. Between that and the insistent 'gentleman' assessment, he can't help but feel like he's being played. Just a bit.

Majima leans his hip against the table, and pops the rest of the beignet in his mouth. He dusts the powdered sugar from his leather gloves, then presses on before he's entirely done chewing: "This was my plan -- eat some free grub, rub an elbow or two. Maybe walk away with some new contacts."

"As if we ain't in public right now, buddy!" he says, moving to the server's side of the table and clapping a heavy hand on Katsuya's shoulder to make their social ties abundantly clear to onlookers.

"Lucky for you, I just got outta the hospitality industry!" Majima tugs the apron over his head and fumbles with the ties in back. It looks ridiculous cinched over his bare chest and boxy jacket.

In no time, he's plating up eggs, pouring coffee, and borderline intimidating people into taking seconds and thirds. Whenever there's a lull, he pesters any wallflowers not actively socializing. "See the sign?! Get out there! Meet! Greet!"

At some point, he glances back over at Katsuya. "Ya shoulda served alcohol. Nothin' like booze to help people get their mingle on."

Edited 2018-08-08 03:42 (UTC)

She figures everyone deserves a vacation, herself included. Not the... most ideal place, but then when she thinks on it, the less people the more likely it'll be something more extreme and frankly, quite unpleasant. There's absolutely no reason whatsoever that she can't have an eggcellent (heh) time... Though perhaps it might do her some good to do a little of that meeting and greeting at a "meet and greet," she figures.

But first she'll take her sweet time polishing off a cup of coffee with what could potentially be the most leisurely sip ever known. Eyes down, having already skimmed for each exit. Which she knows internally is borderline paranoid, but it's not exactly her fault that any time she gets a breather there's a viral outbreak. You don't want to be somewhere like this when people start to turn, no matter how skilled you are.

Although the wall is a pretty comfortable place to stand...

Random's well enough, so with a flick to the brim of her hat, she decides to get to the actual point of the shindig and approach someone nearby. Putting on that good old Valentine charm, Jill extends a hand in greeting.

"Jill Valentine, good to meet you." Well, here's hoping anyway.

Jill just watches with her eyes slightly widened. It's not... that she hopes his plate will topple or anything, but it would be a lie to suggest that she's not morbidly curious if he can keep this juggling act up. Will he eat more, will he bump into someone? She's not the type to always people watch, but...

Well, it can't hurt.

At least until she gets bored -- which is right about now. Just coffee in her hand, she's more than capable of carrying anything with the free one.

"You need a hand or five, there, pal?"

She peers to the side, craning her neck for a peek. Vanilla Coke and no rum? For shame. Then again, the one near it doesn't seem to be of age, so you gotta get your enjoyment where you can, she supposes.

Without asking, Jill's plucking a pastry from his plate and sidling up just as comfortably as she'd taken the food. Like she knows him.

"Only saw this once," she says after she takes a few bites and cleanly swallows. Still no apology in sight. "A good one, though I'll admit I'm a little more hard rock. But worth hoarding snacks so you don't have to pause over, I think."

"Guess that means I should talk to that Professor Madrone first." Hunter chuckles.

"And you are always welcome to use my place to bond with Princess." He tells Caspar.

"I guess time will tell if she accepts that help. Or not."

"Hm. That description is awfully broad. Surely your expertise is more focused. Humanitarian work? Social issues? Education? Medicine ...?

"I can't claim a cause half as noble as yours," she says with a hoarse laugh. "I'm a bounty hunter."

There's someone else here scanning the crowds. Looking for any sign that something is out of the ordinary. Weaving in and out of the conversations going around her with an artificial smile on her face as good as the real thing through decades of practice. Parties in the Nexus aren't always what they seem and while things aren't going south right now it's best to keep an eye out.

Or several.

When Natasha catches this woman looking around she'll alter her path so she wanders closer. The handshake and firm greeting make a bit more personality bleed into the spy's smile.

"Jill, it's a pleasure. Natasha Romanoff. Have I seen you around here before...?"

Despite his question, Moira presses on with her own, since her answer is less interesting than what his might be. "Can you make your own plants? Something entirely unique, of your own making?"

She's happy to let the other talk and guess for a while, but she finally relents. "Science. In which there is a little of all of those things."

"A bounty hunter?" The scientist considers the stranger with a thoughtful look, letting the silence hang in the air for a minute.

"You look like you're on the clock," Moira says quietly, punctuating her words with a sip from her cup.

Like drawn to like? Something like that, anyway. It's easy to recognize one of your own, even if you can't pinpoint the exact similarities from a once-over (or twice, thrice, eighth-over, even). Parties are a good place as any to get to know people and the same mentality goes into a threat. Why set a virus out on an empty street when everyone's gathered in one place? That sort of thing.

Not that she's expecting some kind of outbreak to happen or anything. She's not that paranoid -- not yet, anyway.

Normally Jill would prefer to keep just a firm clasp on a hand than a shake, but there's no hint of trying to overpower or use it as a power move in general. Just a friendly, normal greeting. Normal.

"Maybe. I tend to skulk better than hang out in the spotlight." Her smile's genuine, along with the awkward and honest laugh that accompanies it. " Nice to meet you, too. I don't typically like to go to these things -- either it's loud and noisy or you've gotta hang around and try to be on your best behavior. Guess that's the life of working for an NGO, though."

Something about her suggests she resents the 'best behavior' part the most.

Ogilvy figures he ought to explore a little - it's only polite, and he's curious. The Nexus is teeming with activity, a dramatic shift for the astronomer from the quiet hamlet which he calls home. He feels a little awkward, adjusting his coat and lowering his hat. As a scientist, he's intrigued by the Nexus, and eager to learn more.

Not that he is at his most comfortable at social gatherings, but he owes the people here a try. He figures he won't look too out-of-place as he steps away from the wall.

He pours himself out some tea and takes a couple of biscuits, though he doesn't eat just yet. Getting himself comfortable is a good idea first, maybe working through his shy feelings and saying hello. He still has a lot to learn, and the least he can do is repay the hospitality he's been shown. He clears his throat.

"I have to say, I'm pleased to feel welcome here."

Palmer figures there's no harm in greeting the stranger. He accepts the handshake with a smile of his own, looking up from his own cup of coffee. Handshakes, he knows from experience, are a good way to say hello.

"Howdy, Jill. The name's Jim Palmer - pleasure to meet you, too."

He hopes the quiet jump in his voice isn't too obvious. While he isn't scared, he still is getting used to the Nexus and he isn't the best with social skills. In fact, he's usually pretty rude.

However, he knows better than to be rude to complete strangers, and Jill had offered him a warm welcome, so he ought to return it.

"Are you new here, like me?"

Edited 2018-08-09 00:10 (UTC)

Well, Tatsuya is of legal drinking age in certain areas, but not in his native Japan- and he probably doesn’t feel like he’s ready to try alcohol, anyway.

He doesn’t seem upset over having one of his pastries taken, or having someone sit next to him. It’s a Meet and Greet, after all, and Tatsuya has no objections about sharing food.

“That’s Queen for you,” he mentions as he munches on some bacon. “I grew up listening to them on vinyl records. Since then, I’ve always enjoyed foreign music.”

"None taken. I am good at hiding when I need to."

People disappear. Blaze is used to that. They walk out into the wild and they drop off the radar. Maybe they like working alone, maybe they want time to think, maybe they're caught up pursuing their own quests. Maybe they've made a stumble or a wrong turn and found jaws waiting in the darkness. Eventually they'll come back, be it weeks or hours or years later. Sometimes they don't. It's cause to celebrate every time one runs into a friend, be it on a smoking battlefield or in a Tower bar.

If Jesse had been another Guardian, that would have been all there was to it and perhaps she wouldn't even have been concerned. But the Rotten were more vulnerable, and the fact that all of them seemed to have gone presented some unsettling possibilities. It wasn't patience that kept her from dwelling on them, just the inability to handle things she could neither verify nor change.

She chose not to expect the worst. But as the months passed, at some point the possibility had been taken out and placed on a shelf in the back of her mind. Just in case she needed it.

And now she doesn't need it. Neither is she going to dwell on the last time they spoke, or (yet) how much has happened in the interim. It's not like the changes are visible, anyway. She has slightly heavier armor, and instead of a brightly embroidered mark there's a heavy bundle of stained and moldered cloth at her hip. Everything else looks the same when she steps back and takes another look at him.

"I won't pretend you didn't have us worried. Angel said you hadn't called on her- had to hope that was a good sign and not the other kind. You're all right, though? How's your gang?"

That's getting a funny look from both bots (and it's impressive how Ghost can pull that off given that he barely has a face to work with).

"He's not," Blaze says after a moment. Her optics narrow slightly. "And if he was, he'd be in a world of trouble."

Hey, she's not going to assume. Appearances can be deceptive, can't they? And then you end up somewhere like this and he could be ten or three hundred or something like that. She tries to withhold her assumptions for that reason, if no other.

It's a good thing because she's in pretty excellent spirits and it really would only amount to her teasing. She can make an art of bad jokes, so it might be for the better that he's opted to relax about it all.

"Yeah? Where you from, in that case? Ah -- assuming you don't mind me asking. Don't want to pry too much more than I already have, after all."

"Hello there friend."
Says the knee-height plush bear sporting a wide grin and waving a little at the two women. Its face speckled with crumbling bits of baked bread and chocolate.

"This is some get together."
Gesturing about him to indicate the plethora of colourful characters that surround them.

The playful dramatics get a genuine laugh from her which she tries to hide reflexively, ducking her head before settling her smile on him again.

It's lucky that she's spent so much time around Harrowheart or she might not have been able to keep her expression pleasant through Majima speaking with his mouth full. Instead she manages to keep her smile in place, but decides against offering a hand to shake. He gets to keep the sugar off of his hands, and she's keen on doing the same.

"Is that so... Well, since you're being so obliging, I will be too. The name is Isidor. Isidor Durant."

Even with all his answers, Isidor feels like she understands less and less about what has happened to Josh. Her eyes flit across his face, searching for clarity and coming up short.

The hand on Josh's arm squeezes firmly. "Slow down. Take a deep breath. Let it out slowly." She demonstrates, giving him a pause to follow suit.

"Now, tell me. You said David is actually called Jeff, and Jeff is a stalker, am I understanding this right?"

"I think you're outgunned, Guardian." Her little partner sounds amused.

"Hah!" Blaze doesn't want to concede that, but... "Why are Cabal legionaries scared of their... oh. That won't make sense to you." Yeah, she doesn't know that many jokes to start with, and even fewer that'll translate. She reaches up to rub at one of her antennae ruefully. "Heh, I guess you've got this round." Everything is a battle of some sort, apparently.

"She hasn't botany puns," Ghost adds quietly by her shoulder.

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Time for a big ol' Nexus Block party

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Jill Valentine

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Ogilvy

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Re: Hermione Granger

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