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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Isidor's eyes follow the cigarette and she thinks, just for one moment, about how gross that is. But then, she's never been a fan of the habit itself in the first place. Majima's question draws her thoughts to more important matters.

"Ah. Isn't that the question…" She smiles, her head rolling towards the crowd before she returns her gaze to him. "All private. So far all from my own and family funds. While I have plans to monetise the research centre, that will take time before it turns a profit. I'd like to be able to set up an arena, but there's nothing worse than getting family involved in your plans more than absolutely necessary. It gives me time to organise everything, I guess."

And thus with prissypants officers busy playing the good host does Majima set about being a horrible influence to the Nexus at large right under Katsuya's nose. Majima must be living right now.

They won't have too much of an opportunity to sit back and shoot the breeze. With alcoholic beverages on offer a lot of people who already grabbed food are sure to be coming back for some liquid fuel for the day and Katsuya is busy greeting every friend and new face that comes their way with as much charm as the terminal case of serious face can. Actually, he's really starting to smile a lot more the longer this goes on. Engaging in conversations even!

By the time things begin winding down he honestly looks a wee bit sunburnt. Or drunk. Both are very viable options thanks to some people.

"You have fun out here today?" Katsuya doesn't look up from the boxes of leftovers he's packing up and setting out for anyone who might need some extra food to take with them when they leave. "You were more of a help than I thought you'd be."

On the whole, Moira is exceptionally good at keeping her expression neutral even in tense situations. This, however, has her mouth pulling thin as she resists looking anything more than disapproving. It really is Ana then. How irritating.

"You're even more casual about dying. Are you sure you're still able to shoot in your condition?"

"Yeah?" Her mouth doesn't move, but she sure sounds like she's grinning. "I could test that for you. A little disintegration won't bother me so much. Worst-case scenario, Ghost'll pull me right back together."

"Not every test run has to involve physical harm, you know."

“It sounds like his heart is in the right place. He just doesn’t remember what children are like. How they need not only safety and someone to look after them, but also family.”

Forgive him, but he doubts spirits gifted with a clear and singular purpose could ever truly understand the hopelessness of a life that was not wanted. That serves no purpose beyond survival. Modern worlds may be forgetting the seasons, but thousands of years of experience can’t be compared with the innocence of a child whose only way of making sense of evil is to blame itself. It’s a despair he’s seen again and again. He channels his own understanding of their plight into a facsimile of worry. His brows draw together, eyes narrowing in what’s meant as concern before slackening into a questioning gaze that he directs toward Hazel.

“What will happen to her during the Winter? She won’t be able to understand why he’s gone. All she’ll see is that she is comparatively unimportant to him. Children are so impressionable. They take every rejection as a reflection of their personal worth.”

"Slight problem, I mean maybe? Unless I find something voice activated you're going to have a hell of a time selecting anything on a computer."

Just trying to picture this big lion moving and clicking a mouse or a touchpad seems unreal.

"Maybe I could get you a stylus and you could poke at a touchscreen but that would be so slow..."

Aslan holds out one of his large paws. Nodding slightly at Peter's assessment.

"I know many smaller animals who can help me. Or perhaps I could introduce you to High King Peter the Magnificent."

Peter can grin enough for the both of them, worry not Blaze. That big ol' grin he had on his face when he first spied the Exo and her hovering companion is back with a vengeance. He's nearly bouncing on the balls of his feet with excitement to have someone it would be (relatively) safe to test this out on.

"I mean, if you wanted to? That'd be really cool of you actually but I don't want to like accidentally hurt anyone." He's been really careful in setting up his tests so far but there's not a whole lot more he can do before trying it out on himself. It just seems wrong to test it on someone else before he puts his own skin on the line.

“Viatorus.” He noticed the other’s anxiety and is silent for a moment, hands folded on the table in front of him, leaning forward slightly as he stares thoughtfully off to the side. “I want you to know,” he begins with his own feigned hesitancy, “I’m not judging you for knowing magic. It just doesn’t exist in my world. Or if it does, its users keep themselves hidden away. And with good reason.” His voice is relentlessly calm. “My world is full of horrible monsters, who exist only to destroy whoever and whatever.”

Some life returns to his eyes as he blinks once, shaking his head and redirecting his focus back toward Viatorus. “You have a gift. Am I correct in understanding you were a prodigy? You must know more about dreams than I can imagine. And you’re using your knowledge to help people. Nothing you’ve said sounds anything less than admirable. You don’t have to worry about scaring me off.”

"Nice to meet you Mr. Ogilvy. Name's Jim Kirk."

Since they're both occupied with mugs of coffee he doesn't stick out a hand to shake. Just sips at his drink and regards yet another man from far, far in his world's past. It happens more often than not. There's not that many folk from his time floating about.

"Invented? That's a few centuries back for me. Earth isn't as divided in my time as it is in yours. Space travel was first invented for a dick waving contest between rival countries not quite at war. Took a long time for us to develop it to where we had our first warp drive."

"She's...who knows. Twelve or thirteen. Old enough to understand that Reynard and myself aren't normal humans. She's gone winters without him before, they've apparently known one another for some time now. Since before I arrived in this place, at least."

It would be unfortunate if Tina did not trust Hazel to watch over her in Reynard's stead when he's busy with his season, but she doesn't feel much need to worry about it overmuch when they haven't been introduced yet. The girl might be quite friendly and attach herself to Hazel too. The Autumn spirit does not mind raising and protecting. Such things are in her nature, after all.

"I will watch her during Winter. Reynard mentioned she had other people in the Nexus she got along with, I'm certain they will want to see her too. I'll have to bring them round and introduce you once I'm able to."

Rhys! Rhys brings up a good point. Booooooo. BOOOOOOOOOOOO. Doing things the boring way is no fun at all. Tina turns her face toward the man with a pouting sulk but her malnourished tumtum agrees with him on this.

Getting the food is more important than how fun the journey is. And if it's free, well. Watch this wasteland child put on her biggest skag puppy eyes and wibble at the good officer playing host for some cake and tea she can serve to the friends she's made here. Her wibbling will get them an entire tray of tea (with matching cups!) and a fruit tart sliced for them to share. Rhys is even getting a very grateful smile for keeping the kid and her stuffed animal friend entertained and not being underfoot.

Not burning the cafe to the ground more like, but you know. It's still gratitude!

"Lookit what i got us!!" Tina holds out the tart with a huge grin. "You've got the beast ideas, Bearbear~!"

"Yes, I do." Ogilvy nods in understanding, guessing that "planetside" meant doing his research on Earth. "We use telescopes, though I also find star maps helpful."

Ogilvy didn't believe in magic. He's a trained scientist, after all, with a university education, years' worth of studies, and a doctorate from Oxford. A few days ago he would have scoffed at the very idea that magic existed. Like that nonsense with the fairy photographs, no doubt. Sleight of hand.

But he can't think of an explanation for this - something in clear violation of the law of conservation of matter. He has to say, he's impressed - maybe magic is real after all. He smiles, admitting defeat. Felix beat him fair and square.

"How did you do that?"

Ikran. Ogilvy wasn't familiar with that word, so he could assume they were a species native to Jake's world.

"So they're some sort of bird? Or flying reptile?" Ogilvy thinks of the pterosaurs whose skeletons he'd seen in museums back in England. Those were the only things he can think of that got anywhere near the size needed to ride them.

Majima wouldn't be very good at his job if he couldn't put one past an officer. It's the classic yakuza-law enforcement symbiosis, albeit on a much smaller scale.

With the exception of a few tipsy light-weights, most people have enjoyed enough food to absorb a lot of the booze. Majima pops the cork on the last of the champagne and hands the foaming bottle to a particularly amorous couple. They look like they've hit it off extra well at this meet and greet. "Shoo! Go get a room, ya horndogs!"

He turns to Katsuya, untying his apron. "Fuck yeah, I had fun! And hey, the operation was a success! Managed to remove that stick from yer ass, Suou-chan. At least for a few hours."

It doesn't even occur to Majima that he should be self-conscious about his habit. Close quarters, public spaces ... it's all fair game to a man who hails from late-eighties Japan.

The snakeskin jacket creaks as he crosses his arms. "So everything out of pocket, huh? You got enough, or are ya lookin' for investors to fill in where your fam can't?"

Ogilvy's equally stunned to bump into a man from what he assumes is the far future, when humans had accomplished space travel. It's all he can do to avoid gaping in shock, since that, he figures, would be rude. Manners are important even if Jim seemed more relaxed.

"A dick-waving contest." Ogilvy knows what that means - as prudish as the people of his time could be, they still cursed behind closed doors. "So there's peace in the future, I'm assuming?" There must have been, going from the captain's description.

Maybe he was right about peace after all. "Don't forget about old-timers like me," he says, only half joking. "We astronomers helped make it possible."

His mouth drops open and he gapes, a breathless half sound escaping him as he blanches in the face of this man being so forward. It's as though his thoughts were spread out on a plate in front of Johan for him to discuss openly. No matter how reserved he's been, Johan seems to understand him like an open book. It takes him completely by surprise.

When he realises his mouth is still open, he closes it again and swallows, looking down at the journal in his hand to hide the colour in his cheeks. "I think..." He feels a fresh flush run through his skin. "I think sometimes people think I'm a monster when I tell them. Not always, but... When I fix people's dreams... I do it by dreamwalking. I step into their dreams, and I can change it. That scares some people, and the last thing I want to do is scare anyone."

He tries for a smile, but it flutters nervously. "I know I'm not a monster, but... honestly, I can't understand how people can be scared of dreamwalking, either."

Isidor readjusts her folded arms and shifts her weight to one leg, tilting her chin up as she eyes Majima with a grin. "I'm not opposed to hearing offers if there are some on the table."

"It'll be fine. You have it with you? All I'm doing right now is hanging around waiting for trouble. Besides, I'm the best test subject you'll ever get." She jerks her thumb at Ghost. "If I come out the other side with so much as a circuit out of place, he'll be able to tell."

"That's true. I would like to see if it works too." The little bot is starting to pick up some of their enthusiasm. He's spent so much time lately trying to rein his Guardian back, it's nice to completely agree on a plan, no matter how small.

Who in the what now? That's one heck of a title this Peter's got going on here. Guess someone didn't grow up reading the classics for literature because Peter hasn't caught on just who he's talking to.

"Wait, I'm Peter. You know a King Peter too? That's so weird."

With Katsuya none the wiser Majima is safe to plot another day. Too slow, coppers. Besides, who has jurisdiction in the Nexus anyway?

"I'll say." The boxes aren't as neat and orderly as Katsuya would normally keep them. They're stacked kind of haphazardly on the table. Ah well, it's the thought that counts.

"So long as you're not trying to give me fashion tips I think I'll live." But he's smiling all the same. "Thanks for the hand t'day. I mean it."

"Course. Without astronomers we wouldn't have the contest those countries chose to compete with, you know? There's all different kinds of stars out there. It's a pretty great place. We wouldn't be able to see any of it without astronomy. You made my world possible."

Or people like Ogilvy did at least. Jim shoots a grin the other's way.

"It's 2263 when and where I'm at. Earth got its act together pretty shortly after discovering life beyond our planet. Had to, or we probably wouldn't have made it to being part of the Federation."

"I know many Kings and Queens. Lords and Ladies." Aslan realizes he has missed introducing himself.

"Greetings to you Peter. I am Aslan. King of the Beasts."

Edited 2018-08-23 03:41 (UTC)

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Time for a big ol' Nexus Block party

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It's like natural camouflage!

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Did someone say science?! Moira not you.

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Everyone out of the way we're gonna do SCIENCE

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