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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Caspar looks up at the familiar voice, his gaze lingering on the snakeskin jacket. That's... a fashion choice. "Hey," he replies casually, feeding another bit of egg to the little pig at his feet. "Not bad, all things considered."

"It has been a while, hasn't it?" Adia says with an apologetic smile. "Where've you been? Working hard at your club?"

Majima's sartorial choices are a very far cry from his old tux: gaudy jacket, no shirt, leather pants and gloves.

"Nah. Had to skip town, but Harley's still keepin' an eye on the joint. I'm back in Tokyo these days. Gettin' some new business ventures off the ground," he explains, keeping details notably vague.

He pulls off a bit of his beignet and tosses it to the strange pig. "Atlantis still treatin' ya alright?"

The old tux was a little pedestrian, in Caspar's opinion, but Majima has managed to overcorrect his course. That, combined with his vague answer, has him frowning thoughtfully. He hasn't forgotten the previous conversation that they had. The one about murder? Yeah, that one. Great reason to skip town.

The little pig gobbles up that beignet morsel like it's nobody's business. "Hey," Caspar says, his thoughts derailed momentarily. "Ask first if you can give her a treat. She's a Tepig, not a garbage can." He moves his plate towards the center of the table, much to the pig's disappointment. "That's enough human food for now, Princess. Sorry."

"Pastries are a sometimes food," Adia explains apologetically. She has clearly missed all subtext in Majima's earlier answer. "It is, yes. We're having a wonderful summer. Congratulations on starting a business. Is it another club?"

Majima catches Caspar's frown, but doesn't appear perturbed. He can make of it what he will.

He's definitely not accustomed to pet etiquette. He hasn't dealt with a lot of pampered creatures -- mostly strays who are happy for a handout. He grimaces at Caspar's reprimand. "Pigs are nature's garbage cans. They can eat all kinds of trash. Besides, she likes it!"

Majima pops the last of the pastry into his mouth and chews thoughtfully, swallowing and clearing his throat before answering Adia's question.

"Nah. Got out of the hostess business. Changin' it up a little: runnin' security, logistics, and some light gaming." Euphemisms for protection rackets, contraband, and gambling dens, respectively. "Managin' ladies was way easier than the staff I got now, I'll say that. Bunch of young dipshits tryin' to throw their weight around. Feels like I'm runnin' a daycare."

"Not to be a pedantic asshole, but she's a Tepig. Not a pig." Never mind that yes, Princess did indeed love the beignet and is already plotting ways to get ahold of another one.

Caspar's frown intensifies -- not a disapproving one, he's simply thinking over what Majima really means underneath all those delightful euphemisms. He stays silent, leaving Adia to hold up their end of the conversation. "This is why I never wanted to manage a lab. Or a daycare," she adds with a soft laugh. "Have you tried team-building exercises with your staff? Or social activities? It might get them to settle down."

"Tepig? Is this one of those poke-things?" Majima still doesn't fully understand Pokemon. Animals? But not animals? Not normal ones, anyway. "They should know how much they can eat. Harley's dog-thing was smart enough to text me."

Majima laughs at Adia's suggestion. "Team building, huh? ... Like trust falls and stuff? Nah. Nah. Ya gotta be tough with these punks. Lay down the law. The business is still real fragile. Can't have 'em fuckin' it up. Makin' us look bad."

Caspar twists his mouth in response to that bit of logic. "Yes, she's a pokémon, and yes, she's smart, but she'd also eat nothing but sweets all day if she could get away with it." He leans down and scratches the piglet between her ears, hoping the show of affection will make up for the lack of treats. Princess oinks softly, forgetting about her beignet quest for the moment.

"Um, well, I was thinking a little more mundane than that, like working on projects together, but you know your staff best." It doesn't sound like Majima likes them very much, which is too bad. He seemed to have a lot of platonic affection -- Harley excluded -- for his staff at the hostess club. "Are things going well otherwise?"

"Real wet blanket ya got yerself here, Adia-han," Majima snorts, rolling his eye at Caspar.

"Eh, I'll get 'em straightened out soon enough," he says dismissively. "Things're real good otherwise. Movin' on up."

He shifts his weight between his feet before flicking his glance back to Caspar. "You two haven't had to deal with any scorpions lately, have ya?"

Caspar has been called a lot of things, both to his face and behind his back. "Wet blanket" is a new one. He pointedly ignores the comment while he continues to pet Princess.

"Oh, I wouldn't call him that. It's only because he cares about her." She smiles benevolently, watching her boyfriend out of the corner of her eye while she takes a sip of coffee. "He went through the same thing with Anastasia."

What woman doesn't find it adorable when her man dotes on cute animals? Doubly so when he's a Cylon.

The word "scorpion" doesn't mean much to Adia, who gives Majima a blank look. Caspar, however, jerks his head up sharply, his gaze narrowing a touch at the question. "Not lately, no. We had a situation a couple months ago, but it got resolved."

"What are you talking about?" Adia cuts in curiously. "We haven't had any scorpions in our cabin."

Caspar sighs. "He's asking about your stalker, Adia."

"Oh." She flushes a little, gaze dropping to her plate. "Yeah, that's not a problem anymore."

Majima looks back and forth between Adia and Caspar. He tries to remember the last time he's seen a couple so obviously in love and quickly comes up empty-handed.

"Glad to hear that got taken care of ... somehow." He's tempted to press for more details, but a brief glance at Adia makes him hold his tongue. "There's a lot of freaky shit in this place. Can't always count on that anti-violence thingy."

He cracks a toothy smile. "Worth stoppin' in for the free grub, though. Assumin' it ain't cursed or somethin'."

Caspar snorts. "You got that right. The AV field's probably the only thing that kept her safe for that long." Adia sighs and his expression immediately falls, aloof smirk disappearing. "Ah... shit, sorry. Forget I said that." He takes her hand. "I'm just glad nothing happened to you before I got here."

In love they may be, but it doesn't mean that Caspar can't stick his foot in his mouth every so often. Adia gives him a soft smile, though, so all is forgiven.

"It's a long story," she tells Majima. "But I'd be happy to share it if you have the time."

The comment on free food makes her smile. "It's nice, isn't it? The last time Katsuya arranged one of these, I barely knew anyone here. I think meeting people was as beneficial to me as the hot breakfast."

"I'd be lyin' if I said I ain't curious." Especially if the stalker in question is still at large somewhere. He's keen on keeping tabs, and not above doling out a more aggressive brand of justice if required. "Knowin' the goings on in a place like this is important."

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."

That ... definitely wasn't anywhere near what Majima expected. Then again, nothing about the Nexus really adheres to his rather myopic view of the universe. He can't even come up with a cinematic parallel!

"Wait, so ..." He pinches the bridge of his nose as he tries to formulate his question. "Yer tellin' me this killer had enough wits about him to ask ya for help? He knew this 'god' was makin' him do this shit?"

He shakes his head, his eye darting from Adia to Caspar. "I'm with Caspar-han on this one. I don't trust it one bit."

There's a moment of surprise on Caspar's face, brief enough to miss, before he grins and gestures towards the other man magnanimously. "Thank you. If he could realize that this dark god was causing trouble, he could have done something about it ages ago, and he never would have had to drag Adia into it."

"He did do something about it, though," Adia points out patiently. "It was too late for that timeline, but not for this one."

"Lucky for him," Caspar mutters before taking a sip of coffee. But Adia doesn't press. This is an on-going discussion between them, and not one they need to have in front of company.

Smiling at Majima, she adds, "The point is, I don't have a stalker anymore. And anyway, I have enough people around me who treat everyone else with a healthy dose of skepticism. I'll be all right."

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Time for a big ol' Nexus Block party

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