[Nexus] Inside 43

[Lord Magtok]

Morningside

Oh right, they have that fancy tech-telepathy option. Magtok had completely forgotten all about that in his furniture-induced panic. Of course, even if he knew that he could ask Missy, he probably wouldn't have done so anyway.

"She thinks you're pulling a Prodigal Son. Fudge."

Back in reality, Magtok is about to consult Missy on what sort of things her family probably would have stocked in the fridge, before deciding against that. Honestly, that would just be the stupidest of ideas. If he can't even ask for a drink without secretly asking someone to hold his hand through it, there must be something terribly wrong with him.

"I'll just have water, I guess."

[happyturtle]

Morningside

"Let's have some tea," Clemency says.

"Of course, dear," Blessed says, and after another hug, she hurries off to the kitchen.

Once she's out of the room, Clemency stares down Missy, making her feel like she was five years old again, the first time she got in trouble for starting fights. She sits up straighter and holds his gaze.

"Submission, why are you really here?"

Oh. That's why he asked for tea. To keep her mother away for longer than it would to pour two glasses of water.

"I'm here to see my child." she says, refusing to lower her voice.

"Impossible."

"With faith, all things are possible," Missy says, her tone snarky.

"I don't want to hear the holy scriptures on the tongue of an apostate. You brought a weapon into this house." He says, his eyes flicking to her feet, where one boot is custom made to make room for an ankle holstered handgun. "If you are ready to repent, then throw it away, right now. Renounce your false allegiances."

"If I did, would you let me see my child?" Missy's voice quavers a little as she asks this.


Vacant Lot

Cole flinches when she touches him. It wasn't proper for a woman to touch an unmarried man. But then she offers to heal him. Oh, she's a healer. The rules are different for them, though she still should have asked before the touch.

He actually has to look at his arm to see the wound. "If you please, Madam. Thank you."

[Lord Magtok]

Morningside

Magtok bites his lip. As much as he might want to involve himself in this silly mess and back up Missy here, it's just too soon. Mr. Halifax hasn't left him an opening for a suitably poignant and biting rebuttal. If he spoke now, he'd just be told to butt out, because it's none of his business and what does a crazy robot man stranger know about families anyway. He instead bides his time, keeping absolutely quiet, speaking neither aloud, nor over the electronic communications route.

[happyturtle]

Morningside

"It wouldn't be good for him."

"Him." Missy clutches at this scrap of information - that her child had been a son - like she clutches at her father's hand. "I only want to see him, not take him from his mo- his family."

Clemency's shoulders slump, and he suddenly looks old. He crosses the room and puts his hand on Missy's head, stroking her hair.

"I'll see what can be done." Clemency says, relenting. "It may take a while before they'd agree. But, we have photos, letters. Just throw away the weapon, Missy, please."

Blessed returns in time to overhear the last. She carefully sets down the tea tray, turning icy cold. "You're carrying a weapon?"

"I'm a soldier, Mother." Missy says. "Soldiers carry weapons."

[Lord Magtok]

Morningside

Probably not a good time to mention that Magtok has at least three weapons built right into his body that are here in the room right now, to say nothing of the fact that he could just yoink any old thing out of his robes without a single thought. He remains quiet, still just biding his time and waiting for an opening.

[happyturtle]

Morningside

"...Get out." Missy's mother says.

"Blessed, maybe we should give her some time." says her father.

"She's had ten years."

"She's thinking about it. Missy, tell her you're thinking about it."

Seems they've completely switched roles.

Missy gets to her feet, gives her father a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and then steps back deliberately. "I'm a soldier, Father. I always will be. Let me have the photos and the letters, and I'll go."

Clem goes back to glowering, and now both parents have achieved hostility. Progress!

"No. You aren't welcome here, Submission. Leave."

Missy smiles bitterly. "Make me." She goes to a small writing desk in the corner and starts searching through the drawers.

That's the downside about a cult of non-violence. If emotional manipulation fails, you don't have a fall back option to get your own way.

[Devixer]

Vacant Lot

Cole flinches when she touches him. It wasn't proper for a woman to touch an unmarried man. But then she offers to heal him. Oh, she's a healer. The rules are different for them, though she still should have asked before the touch.

He actually has to look at his arm to see the wound. "If you please, Madam. Thank you."

Hildur nods, knowing that Cole won't see that. She reaches into the backpack she's carrying, and pulls out her first-aid kit. While pulling out some antiseptic, she says, "I'm cleaning the cut, this is going to sting a little." She dabs it onto a cotton ball, and tries to clean up the cut on Cole's arm.

[Shadowcaller]

Silent Sleep

Both of the rooms have large mirrors; I mentioned them in the description. They both swing open silently; they're well-oiled. In Astrana's room, three humans climb out with the barest whisper and one will take a chalk and start drawing strange runes on the floor, muttering slightly as he does.

In Cynthia's room, a single figure in heavy robes climbs out and produces a bottle from one of its sleeves. The bottle is slowly opened and a drop is allowed to fall out; the figure is trying to drip it onto Cynthia's face- her mouth if possible.

Silent Sleep

And so the horror comes!

Astrana is sleeping deeply though and doesn't react to their presence. The idol shakes slightly as they enter the room however but doesn't do anything yet.

[TechnoScrabble]

A nearby soldier takes MP3's statement down.
We will investigate. Now that you're awake, tell us about what happened from beginning to end. The person who brougth you here was not very clear.
The medics appear perplexed at the situation. They try to hold the removed arm to the stump so that the two halves of the grub are brought together.

"Concrete, Heatstroke, and Crosswire were holding up the pawnshop. The stone moron over there pops out of nowhere, prompting Concrete to shoot the cashier, he shoots at Concrete, Concrete shoots at him, Crosswire punches him, he runs out, shoots me and runs off. After that, I was too busy dealing with the migraine of the century to notice anything."

[The Bandicoot]

Cragg sighs. I didn't shoot YOU. I shot an EMP burst round at Crosswire. Haven't had to use one in a while, forgot the exact burst radius. Sorry you got caught up in it but I was panicking a bit. Go centuries without feeling any kind of pain then suddenly feel like you're being torn in two. Stuff happens, I may not have been as accurate as I usually would've been normally.

[happyturtle]

Vacant Lot

Hildur nods, knowing that Cole won't see that. She reaches into the backpack she's carrying, and pulls out her first-aid kit. While pulling out some antiseptic, she says, "I'm cleaning the cut, this is going to sting a little." She dabs it onto a cotton ball, and tries to clean up the cut on Cole's arm.

He tries to hold still, but can't help flinching a little. The cut isn't too deep, but the broken glass was very dirty. The whole time, he continues to dig his fingers into the hard earth, keeps his cheek pressed against the ground. Mori whines a little.

[Morty]

"Concrete, Heatstroke, and Crosswire were holding up the pawnshop. The stone moron over there pops out of nowhere, prompting Concrete to shoot the cashier, he shoots at Concrete, Concrete shoots at him, Crosswire punches him, he runs out, shoots me and runs off. After that, I was too busy dealing with the migraine of the century to notice anything."

Cragg sighs. I didn't shoot YOU. I shot an EMP burst round at Crosswire. Haven't had to use one in a while, forgot the exact burst radius. Sorry you got caught up in it but I was panicking a bit. Go centuries without feeling any kind of pain then suddenly feel like you're being torn in two. Stuff happens, I may not have been as accurate as I usually would've been normally.

I see. And where does the person who brought you here come in? He said he'd punched someone to death, the soldier says.

[Gullara]

Silent Sleep

In Cynthia's room, a single figure in heavy robes climbs out and produces a bottle from one of its sleeves. The bottle is slowly opened and a drop is allowed to fall out; the figure is trying to drip it onto Cynthia's face- her mouth if possible.

Much like Astrana, and for the same reason, Cynthia is sleeping on her front. So while her mouth is wide open and drooling a little, it's not at an angle that the drop will get in her mouth. It can, however, splash on her face. The demon girl will stir a little as it does, but she won't wake up.

[Devixer]

[Vacant Lot]

Assuming everything goes okay, Hildur will keep on cleaning the cut, and will soon put a bandage on it. "There we go, that should help." Soon as she's done, she'll move so that she's sitting on the ground, making sure to sweep away any glass with her gloved hands.

[Lord Magtok]

Morningside


"No. You aren't welcome here, Submission. Leave."

Missy smiles bitterly. "Make me." She goes to a small writing desk in the corner and starts searching through the drawers.

That's the downside about a cult of non-violence. If emotional manipulation fails, you don't have a fall back option to get your own way.

Morningside

Wow. Missy...Missy pretty much has this whole situation under control, doesn't she? Magtok tries to finish his water, figuring that no matter what happens next, they're not going to be hanging around here much longer. He tries on his best vaguely apologetic look, hoping that if the parents happen to glance in his direction, they'll be a teensy bit less likely to misdirect their hurt and shame and disappointment towards their visitor, who is totally not an accomplice and definitely didn't smuggle any weapons of his own into their house.

[happyturtle]

Morningside

Blessed cries and begs Missy to stop. When that fails, she starts to pray. Clem glowers and puts his arm around his wife.

Missy's hands shake as she finishes searching the desk. Nothing. She hates what she has to do next, but if they aren't here, they'll be in her parents's bedroom. She walks down the hall and opens the door, feeling as if she's invading a sacred space.

Which she is. Her parents will see this - feel this - as a violation. The only thing that even makes her capable of attempting it is the memory that they did far worse to her.

Back in the living room, Blessed's eyes turn to fix on Magtok. "You... you..." she splutters. "Get out of our house!"


Vacant Lot

Cole knows he should sit up at least, but he can't bring himself to do it. "Madam.... why do people live here?" he blurts out.

[Devixer]

[Vacant Lot]

"Wish I knew, kid. Haven't been here that long." Hildur spares a glance at Cole's dog, than back at him. "If you're going to mope like that, would you at least do so without a face full of dirt?"

[Lord Magtok]

Morningside

"As soon as Missy's done in-"

Not going to finish that sentence, Maggy? Okay, if that's what you think is best.

Magtok shuts his mouth and does as asked, his six words of resistance quickly shrinking away into a faint squeak, and then nothingness. He picks himself up off the couch he had been so nervous about and scurries right out the door, hoping Missy will be done with whatever she has to do before she notices that her friend ran out on her like a complete wuss.

[happyturtle]

Morningside

A few minutes later, Missy emerges from the house holding a a wallet sized school photo of a ten year old boy. The rest of the photos and all of the letters, she'd looked at only long enough to record the images to memory, but one physical token she had to keep. So she'd taken the most recent, the one that would be easiest for her parents to replace, and put everything else back in the carved wooden box on her mother's nightstand.

No one follows Missy outside. She had closed the door behind her, and as she steps down from the porch she flinches as she hears the lock engaged.

This is Morningside. Most people don't lock their doors in Morningside.

By the time she reaches Magtok's side, she looks completely desolate, her face streaked with tears.

Vacant Lot

His habits of obedience force him to sit up and wipe the dirt off his face, keeping his eyes lowered. One hand remains on the earth, while the other reaches up to stroke his dog. "I'm sorry, Madam. I don't know why I did that." Or why it helped. Just simple contact with the ground helped the sense of wrongness to fade a little.

[Devixer]

[Vacant Lot]

"Eh, it doesn't really matter. And just call me Hildur." Hildur adjusts her jacket a little as she moves to be more comfortable on the ground. "So how'd you end up here?"

[Lord Magtok]

Morningside

Magtok just stands there feeling terrible and cowardly for a few moments, before he finally manages to fight his way past the metaphorical frog in his throat and spits out a response.

"Did you get what you came for?"

[happyturtle]

Morningside

Missy nods and sniffles. "At least this time I told them goodbye. I don't guess I'll ever see them again."

Vacant Lot



Cole doesn't hear her question. As soon as she suggests he call her by her name, he scrambles back away from her. "Madam, we just met!"

[Devixer]

[Vacant Lot]

"...Yes, I'm aware of that. That's why I'm introducing myself." Hildur is just confused by Cole's reaction. Was this another one of those weird cultural things?

[happyturtle]

Vacant Lot

Cole's eyes flash in anger. "Do you think because I am lost and afraid that I won't resist? I am not a ... a prostitute! If that is the price of your healing, I do not want it!"

Considering Cole looks like he might be 14 or 15, his assumptions might strike Hildur as somewhat ridiculous. But in his culture, what she did was the equivalent of stripping off her clothing. Men and women simply do not address one another by name unless they are lovers.

[Devixer]

[Vacant Lot]

"Excuse me?" Hildur gets rather angry herself. "I came here to try and help you, and this is how you act about it? Where are you from, if you're so socially backward?"

[happyturtle]

Vacant Lot

"You offered me what should only be offered to a husband!" Cole says. He's both angry and frightened, but for now the anger is winning. "What am I supposed to think?"

[Devixer]

[Vacant Lot]

"Where in the world can only married couples use their names? What am I supposed to call you besides 'annoying kid?'" Hildur rolls her eyes as she says this. She really wanted to be back in Sweden right about now.

[happyturtle]

Vacant Lot

"You use names so freely in this city?" Cole says. Mind. Blown. No wonder there was so much wrongness! But then he remembers. "No, you said you weren't from here."

It feels wrong to instruct a woman, especially one older than him, but he should probably do it before she insults someone else. "You may address a male as Sir or boy. If you are speaking about him, and not to him, then it is permissible to use his name, but only his full name, and only when necessary to avoid confusion in communication. If you wish to tell a man your name, Madam, then you may do so, but you must not instruct him to call you by that name as you did to me. You must not ask a man for his name. It is his decision when to make it known to a woman." He tries to think of what he may be omitting. All of this etiquette is so deeply ingrained that it's hard to imagine putting it into words. So he doesn't include the part where none of these elaborate rules about names apply except between men and women. A man can call another man by name, or a woman another woman by name, and no innuendo or offence occurs.

Also, what Cole is not aware of, being a highly sheltered son in a noble family, is that the rules are relaxed somewhat among the lower classes.

[Devixer]

[Vacant Lot]

"Alright, Sir," Hildur says while putting a lot of sarcasm into that word, "Where are you from? I mean, it's pretty obvious to me that you're someone who thinks they're cultured when they're really just a prude, so I wonder where that's still relevant."

[happyturtle]

Vacant Lot

Cole stares at this woman, who was continuing to be rude to him after he tried to help. His lip starts to quiver, but he tries to keep his voice from cracking as he answers her.

"You said you were new around here, Madam. I was simply trying to keep you from insulting others as much as you did me."