[Nexus] Home 13: Insert Silly Title Here

[FireFox]

777 rue Molière

Colombine raises an eyebrow. Is that how his daughter was conceived?

[Mee]

777 rue Molière

Colombine raises an eyebrow. Is that how his daughter was conceived?

"And, like her fahzehr, she eenhereeted only zee best parhts."

[FireFox]

777 rue Molière

Mmm... I can't wait to meet her... The maid grins.

[Slii Arhem]

[Riss' Quarters]

"Well, uh..." Riss started, working herself up to answer. "There are sensations and, well, events that a person usually can't experience by their nature. Like... The sensation of sleep but without losing conciousness or a partcilarly risky stunt or, for those that are into that kind of thing, pain from a wound that should be fatal... Or, well... What it's like to die for that matter." she said, finally spitting it out. "And it is a rather psychologically harrowing experience depending on how the death happens and there isn't the, um, 'benifit' of falling unconscious and it might be used as a sort of preparation device to try and take the sting out of what might have been concisdered to be an inevitable event within a given enviornment and to later help commit to a rather grim decision when one felt that there was nothing else out there for them when compounded with a terrifying realization that the world shouldn't possibly, physically work or exist but..." From here, the muse would begin babbling while staring directly infront of her and while still tightly curled up.

Though now the story might be getting a bit familiar, what might not be would be the decidedly manic tone that was welling up in the muse's voice. That and the fact that her fingernails were starting to look as if they were almost digging into her skin might be cause for concern.

Riss' Quarters

Misha is unable to put into words the emotions and revelations this causes. Knowing just how close Riss was to ending things forever back then, knowing what would have happened if she had. Misha could have very well faded back into obscurity and been lost forever without a stabilizing presence like Riss.

She can't vocalize it though. It feels too selfish to say how much Riss living means to her own well being. As kind and comforting a thought that may be in any other situation, in this one saying "I'm glad you didn't kill yourself so I can have someone to keep me conscious." feels shallow and terrible of her now.

In fact, the only thing she can comment on is what she feels is a shared experience, "So, I guess this means that you know what it feels like to die as well as I do?" Maybe her own little admission will change the subject and move some of the attention off Riss for a bit. Probably not long enough for Misha to lose the sick, fuzzy feeling in her chest, but maybe a bit of time will help it ease.

[Shadowcaller]

Kate's Apartment

"Um... Julie's a fine woman living with her man and her two kids."

Kate is more careful now. She doesn't want to say too much about Julie on the off chance she might let something slip. If you talk about yourself, you can only hurt yourself. If you talk about someone else, you can harm everyone around them.

Kate's Apartment

"Sooo... she isn't your mommy? Huh. So whose your mommy then?!" Libra asks, somewhat surprised at this revelation.

[Lost_Deep]

Kate's Apartment

"What? No. My parents are in my home reality."

If Kate is not given more to think about, she will begin to ponder the notion of her being Julie's daughter.

It might be a good idea to distract her.

[Gullara]

[Riss' Quarters]

Mimi looks at Riss in, well, not shock, but she doesn't quite know how to take that in. Despite all she's learned about Riss, it's just hard to believe that she'd ever consider... doing that. For Mimi it's hard to understand why anyone would.

The pixie gets up and moves over to Riss' side. She sits down next to the muse and wrap her arms around her in a tight embrace.

[Shadowcaller]

Kate's Apartment

Since when have Libra ever been filled with good ideas?

"Ohh... that explains it! So what are they called? Are they different gender or the same?" She asks curiously.

[Lost_Deep]

Kate's Apartment

"Different genders." Kate hesitates for a moment, not sure if she wants to share their names with Libra. "They're Mark and Nicole."

[Terumitsu]

[Riss' Quarters]

"I don't know. I can only say I know as much as is possible through vicarious means... I hadn't run all that low on oxygen before winding up here so I don't really have that much... Practical experience so to speak." Riss said, having ceased her babbling although her grip remained tight. She couldn't bring herself to look up, feeling that meeting either Misha's or Mimi's eyes would let them see how ugly or gross the subject made her feel like. It was something she wanted to keep hidden and forgotten but.. Well.. You didn't exactly say you didn't want to talk about it either, right? You didn't like how you felt keeping quiet about it and... Well, it's a weird kind of relief though what happens now is to be seen.

"I..I'm not.. I didn't have any connections then, though. I didn't.. I still don't like people though that's too mild a word for it but.. I didn't have anything to really.. I didn't feel like I mattered. I didn't really feel like I existed and I didn't have any reason to.. Well.. to stay, you know? It wasn't something I just decided to do on a whim. I just.. It was like I was just a rock in one of those industrial grinders they had. Ground down and down and down into dust to be thrown away. Not even iron. Just a stone, really.." the muse murmured, gnawing on the inside of her lip until she tasted the strangely sweet flavor of her own blood.

[Shadowcaller]

Kate's Apartment

Libra giggles. "Those names are funny. Not as funny as Julie's though, I wonder if my Kate will be any different from you when she grows up." The oni wonders as she tilts her head slightly like an owl. "I hope so, beacuse I like to play with her! You don't like to play with me do you?"

[Lost_Deep]

Kate's Apartment

Mine field! Kate is quiet for a moment before carefully saying, "Admittedly not. Beings as powerful as you scare me, because I've been changed by them so much."

[Shadowcaller]

Kate's Apartment

"But I won't change you at all! I promise! Come on, just a little bit? We can have great fun!" Libra exclaims, offering her hand to Kate.

[Lost_Deep]

Kate's Apartment

Kate looks...hesitant. "Is this going back to the holodeck thing?"

[Shadowcaller]

Kate's Apartment

"Nope! Not anything like that! I just want to show you the nexus and no one will be hurt or changed." Libra says with a wide smile.

[Lost_Deep]

Kate's Apartment

"What parts of the nexus?" Kate asks. She doesn't seem against this idea, just cautious about the details.

[Murkus]

Wanna do it now then? Vierzt chuckles. I mean, did your mom or family or something teach you, or do I have to?

"No, no. I think... maybe I oughta go anyway. I've got this job at HALO, and I think I oughta show up at least every once and a while!" Gel says, trying to swipe some of the juice off her side with one hand. She smiles. "Maybe I can see you again sometime?"

[No Longer House Hunting]

"The hell..." Kirk recognizes the song where that came from as well, and the implications behind it. "There's something here with us, and whatever it is, it has a sick sense of humour. This room, definitely wasn't like this before, though. I mean the walls." He gestures to them.

"I remember. What'd you wanna do?" Tina asks. Should've trusted her instincts about this place. Not that it would've done any good, with snow falling by the inch. Spooked as she is, she'd probably be panicking without Kirk around. It shows on her face, in the way she hugs her arms at the sudden chill that might be the house or might just be her.

[Fettina's Place]

Evan chuckles, "I'll take the end," Drat, their plot has worked!

Tina gives Evan a little smile at that. He's not really the youngest, and she knows it, but they're all just playing around to begin with.

The girls start to dig in, and the compliments arrive in a wave.

"Y'know, I think we could use some wine with this spread."

"Any excuse, eh Tina?" Gelley says, through half a mouthful of potatoes.

"Damn skippy," Tina agrees, shoving her chair out to grab a bottle of fine wine off the shelf. The girl's gonna need something in her if she's to survive the evening.

[Slii Arhem]

[Riss' Quarters]

"I don't know. I can only say I know as much as is possible through vicarious means... I hadn't run all that low on oxygen before winding up here so I don't really have that much... Practical experience so to speak." Riss said, having ceased her babbling although her grip remained tight. She couldn't bring herself to look up, feeling that meeting either Misha's or Mimi's eyes would let them see how ugly or gross the subject made her feel like. It was something she wanted to keep hidden and forgotten but.. Well.. You didn't exactly say you didn't want to talk about it either, right? You didn't like how you felt keeping quiet about it and... Well, it's a weird kind of relief though what happens now is to be seen.

"I..I'm not.. I didn't have any connections then, though. I didn't.. I still don't like people though that's too mild a word for it but.. I didn't have anything to really.. I didn't feel like I mattered. I didn't really feel like I existed and I didn't have any reason to.. Well.. to stay, you know? It wasn't something I just decided to do on a whim. I just.. It was like I was just a rock in one of those industrial grinders they had. Ground down and down and down into dust to be thrown away. Not even iron. Just a stone, really.." the muse murmured, gnawing on the inside of her lip until she tasted the strangely sweet flavor of her own blood.

Riss' Quarters

"But it didn't grind you down. It didn't grind you down at all, instead you were polished like a stone in a riverbed that slipped downstream until falling into this big, wide sea." Misha can't help but be a bit poetic with her water imagery, but she's secretly hoping that thinking over her words might pull Riss a bit farther away from the dark place the muse's dream has taken her.

"I... I think death is something all things that die understand, on a genetic level. Everyone I've, well, kissed... I can feel what it would be like to die as them." It's something Misha has never spoken of, not just because the admission that she once killed to protect her pool is embarrassing, but because she doesn't know how to bring up knowing what death feels like on the other end. Among nymphs and other immortal spirits, nereids are almost unique in knowing death many times before their end comes.

[Halae]

Tina gives Evan a little smile at that. He's not really the youngest, and she knows it, but they're all just playing around to begin with.

The girls start to dig in, and the compliments arrive in a wave.

"Y'know, I think we could use some wine with this spread."

"Any excuse, eh Tina?" Gelley says, through half a mouthful of potatoes.

"Damn skippy," Tina agrees, shoving her chair out to grab a bottle of fine wine off the shelf. The girl's gonna need something in her if she's to survive the evening.

[Fettina's Place]

It's funny, given he's probably by far the oldest of the group.

In the meantime, he's showered with praise. Mostly he just smiles and says thanks, in fact seeming bashful. Cutting it off before someone can tease him about that though, "Hey Tina, you said something earlier about wanting to talk to me about something important?"

[Shadowcaller]

Kate's Apartment

"All of them! We'll visit every location in the nexus and I promise you or anyone else will be harmed in any way! It'll be just the two of us looking at cool things!" Libra replies.

[Lost_Deep]

Kate's Apartment

Uh...

"I think if you think for a minute, you'll see a problem with showing me ALL the places. How many forests are there out there? How many lakes? How many oceans... and because the nexus is more or less infinite, there's more or less an infinite number of places to visit."

Note that Kate doesn't worry about the safety as much... she's sure that if Libra wants to, she can keep Kate from being hurt.

[Gullara]

"I remember. What'd you wanna do?" Tina asks. Should've trusted her instincts about this place. Not that it would've done any good, with snow falling by the inch. Spooked as she is, she'd probably be panicking without Kirk around. It shows on her face, in the way she hugs her arms at the sudden chill that might be the house or might just be her.

[No Longer House Hunting]

"Let's go back downstairs and bunker down. We'll wait out the storm and get out of here when we can. With any luck we won't have to deal with any more of this and the worst thing you'll have to put up with is my company." Kirk gives an attempt at humour. Hopefully he's reassuring her.

[Riss' Quarters]

Mimi stays quiet for now. She'd like to say something comforting, but she's entirely out of her element. She can't think of a word to say that would be helpful. So instead she just squeezes Riss a bit tighter. She's here, even if she's not talking.

[Murkus]

[Fettina's Place]

It's funny, given he's probably by far the oldest of the group.

In the meantime, he's showered with praise. Mostly he just smiles and says thanks, in fact seeming bashful. Cutting it off before someone can tease him about that though, "Hey Tina, you said something earlier about wanting to talk to me about something important?"

That was, indeed, one of the first things she said suggesting this evening. She starts a bit, then smiles and scoots her chair out. She says, "If you guys would excuse us for a second..."

Tina stands, beckoning for Evan to follow her. She'll cross her bedroom and step outside onto the balcony, which overlooks the mismatched glowing madness that is the city of Inside. Fettina gazes down at the pulsating, wondrous chaos. A million different lights reflect upon her dark eyes.

"Kirk's asked me to get back together with him," She says simply. She wants to see his reaction.

[No Longer House Hunting]

"Let's go back downstairs and bunker down. We'll wait out the storm and get out of here when we can. With any luck we won't have to deal with any more of this and the worst thing you'll have to put up with is my company." Kirk gives an attempt at humour. Hopefully he's reassuring her.

"Yeah," She says, managing a weak chuckle but no banter to follow up with. Tina slips back downstairs with Kirk, looking for places and things they can use to stay warm. Even if the heat's working, she feels rather chilly. "You act like you've dealt with this sort've thing before," Tina ventures as they walk. The blue girl's honestly got no idea what to make of it.

[Halae]

[Fettina's Place]

Evan leans his back against the railing, a little smoke coming out of his mouth, "And you're worried it'll end up the same way it did last time."

His reaction is very calm. Too calm in fact. He's probably hiding something.

[Murkus]

[Fettina's Place]

"Well. Maybe," Tina says, her eyes somewhere off to the side. Looking at nothing, now. "That's part of why I wanted to talk with you. Before... before I decide anything." The cyborg girl looks at him again, meeting his gaze this time. Her expression is somber and thoughtful. She knows he's hiding something, that gaze says, and has a guess what it is.

Must be a skill she picked up from Kirk.

[Halae]

[Fettina's Place]

Evan grunts at that look, "Look Tina, I'm not one to tell you how to live your life, but I don't like Kirk. Maybe he just rubs me the wrong way, but I don't think he's good for you." He shrugs, "That's just my opinion though."

[Gullara]

[No Longer House Hunting]

"Not exactly, but I've had my fair share of stressful situations to deal with." He decides not to mention dangerous. "I suppose it puts me in a better position to cope." Kirk will help with finding things to keep warm. Perhaps they'll find a bedroom that has blankets.

[Terumitsu]

[Riss' Quarters]

Riss began to slowly melt into the pixie's embrace, the warmth of her contact manifesting into comfort. Gradually uncoiling, the muse reached out to hold one of Mimi's arms close although doing so displayed the marks she had made in her skin. If only everything else messed up about me would fade as fast as they did.

As Misha spoke of being weathered, though, she began to gently shake as she held in laughter although that which did escape didn't sound as if it was the sort that was entirely healthy. She was about to make a snippy rebuttal to the nereid's poetic imagery but Misha's admission put a stop to that as she felt her blood freeze. "I-I-It is true that death is encoded into a genome in a way. Some cells exist just to die after all so there is a precident for that, scientifically speaking, and, in a way, it could be said that we.. Um.. We.." Riss stammered as she processed the implications of those words, taking refuge in cold facts in a failed attempt to avert her attention from a logical conclusion. I...I sought it out on my own. I had an idea what to expect and was more or less psychologically prepared for it as one could get but.. She's lived with it forced on her when... Oh.. Oh no. No no no. Have... Have I..? She's stronger than I could ever be if she's been able to keep herself together after living through that but... Have I been forcing her to feel my death each time we...? ...I'm an idiot. A selfish, thoughtless idiot. She told you that it was different for her... But no. You just had to whine about it. About what you couldn't have and pressured her into.. Has she been aquiessing since then because of that? Have I forced her to live through that each time? Misha..How much have I hurt you?

It felt like she had been stabbed, so intense was the onrush of guilt. She felt as if her skin were literally coated in grime and she was finding it hard to stay close to Mimi as she felt that her mere presence was a contaminant. With a hoarse tone caused by her vocal chords becoming uncooperatively tight, she manged to utter a plaintive "...Sorry" before weakly trying to push herself away from the pixie. She didn't deserve that kind of comfort. Or any comfort. Not something as disgusting as her.

[Lost_Deep]

No Longer House Hunting

Okay, there was a bedroom right over-no, apparently this is an office now. It's the same room as before, but without a bed or whatnot... it instead has a desk, some shelves, a filing cabinet... and unlike the one downstairs, this one actually has stuff in it. Of note is a little brown book sitting on the desk.

[Murkus]

[No Longer House Hunting]

"Hey, is it just me or did this one change too?" Tina looks around at the office they've just passed. She could've sworn this was another bedroom. "I'm not sure I'm coping too well." The brown book does catch her eye, however. "Hey, what's that?"

Closer looks might be taken. Cautiously.

[Fettina's Place]

Tina might normally have gotten upset about that. Snappy or sarcastic or annoyed. Instead, surprise crosses over her face. But instead of arguing, she just smiles mildly and asks, "Then who is good for me, Evan? Who could be? He... he makes me feel good. And not just, y'know..." She rolls one shoulder in a shrug, looking down at the city again and crossing her arms to lean against the rail.