smartass_captain | A Very Nexus Reception

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A Very Nexus Reception

To all the friends of the happy grooms, PINpoint messages have already been sent weeks ago inviting them to expect quite the street party arranged in the commons of the Nexus. Guests have been invited to bring an appetite--both for food and for a social adventure. Nirnish weddings are public affairs, after all. While the ceremony has had to be somewhat sequestered for the sake of keeping the existence of Other Worlds a secret, neither Felix nor Jim would want to leave out their interdimensional friends entirely. Having a reception party arranged in the Nexus became the natural plan of action.

Overnight large sections of the Commons are transformed via diligent craftsmanship and quite a lot of magic from those who’ve volunteered. Lanterns representing the Divines are hung along every lamp post, bringing at least the idea of warmth even if the flames are too small to heat their surroundings alone. Bardic tunes carry in the air as readily as the scent of food and drink. Past banners of red and black, blue and white the people gather.

For both grooms this is nearly a continuation of the day before. They’ve had the chance to sleep off the nerves of their ceremony. Today is entirely for celebration--uninhibited celebration at that. No more minding what is said and isn’t. No more pretending to be anything other than who they are. Jim’s traded out his Nirnish finery for a suit and tie, garments he’s much more familiar with. Felix is staying with his native clothing; though he may have dressed down a little from his wedding clothes, the conjurer’s dressed in fitted breeches and his best fur-trimmed coat and boots, the soft hide dyed blue to match his tunic. By their side sits the conjurer’s spectral wolf familiar, ears pricked at the gathering.

As the guests find their ways over it will be easy to spot their friends amidst all the decor along with many other avenues with which to enjoy themselves….

Greetings
Food and Drink
Music and Dancing
Bonfire Entertainment
Party Games

((Links to all relevent wedding Prose can be found Here!))

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It's nice to see Thor letting down the sadness that lingers about him all the time while they dance. Amelia knows such overwhelming weight will return after a time, but for now they can enjoy themselves without thinking or worrying about anything else. Thor can lead for as long as he wants - which will definitely be at least one more dance when he offers to show the rogue what she can expect for Yule.

"Please. I'd be delighted to learn now so I don't look a complete fool when we dance in Asvera." She smiles brightly at her friend and gives his hand a tight squeeze, offering what assurance she can in the ways Adia and Harley have shown her. "Take pity on me when I mess up the steps," she laughs, "and forgive me if I manage to step on your toes."

"AS if I'd let you get out of coming to watch." Really, Jim. He turns a conspiratorial grin on Danny once the man's out of earshot. "You don't need to worry. You don't need to know much about the daedra I'm summoning, though I daresay you'll pick up a few things as we go."

He glances around to make sure nobody's looking for him immediately, then places a hand on Danny's arm to guide him over to a quieter corner. "Without giving everything away, I wanted to show off a few new familiar spells, then the basic elementals- you know, fire, frost, lightning-" these probably aren't the standard where Danny's from, but Felix isn't thinking about that, "before I swallow as much magicka potion as I can and try for something really special."

Edited 2020-01-25 14:05 (UTC)

Even if Loki wasn't so sharp, the grimace of sudden pain that cracks Felix's expression would be another clue. He hides it quick enough, shooting Jim a Look, but it's really too late for that.

He wants to elbow his husband, or demand What in Oblivion did you do that for? Were it not that Loki's standing there watching, expecting an answer with eyebrows pointedly raised... Felix pulls a sheepish smile, clears his throat. And elbows his husband just a little bit when Loki's eyes are directed at his face. No more of the Cyrodillic brandy for you, Jim.

"Not that, so much. More a matter of having time to consider. And now that our wedding is safely done and blessed by the better part of a dozen gods, let's say it feels a bit less like pushing my luck to share some of what I know." He shrugs. "Though I would have spoken with you sooner, most likely, if the preparations hadn't taken most of my... ah, focus."

"There is?" He doesn't remember that either, but either one of Jim's friends must have arranged matters or- well, the Nexus does like to provide, doesn't it? "Well, you can't ignore good fortune like that."

If Delia's taking one of Jim's arms, Felix is taking the other, escorting the captain between them to the open table. Once there, the conjurer breaks away to lean against the table as he peers over it, a mite skeptical.

"Well then, which of you charmers is going to show me how it's done?"

When the music begins to fade out from the song Pavel takes the opportunity to lead the princess back toward the fringes of the dance floor where more people are mingling there with snacks and drinks. He startles slightly to see an older man watching he and Leia approach. Both get offered a drink when Pavel reluctantly leads them that way.

"Leia, this is my best friend Hikaru Sulu. He is the pilot I was telling you about. Hikaru this is Princess Leia of Alderaan, one of the captain's most esteemed guests." So take that hint and do not be a jerkface right here right now Sulu please he's nonverbally begging you.

Unlike Pavel, Hikaru isn't the sort to wear his emotions on his sleeves. Though there's a twinkle of amusement flitting across his face because he knows how this has likely gone down. The sorts of things his friend loves to lead the ladies he so eagerly courts into believing. Nothing harmful, really. But not all of it true, either.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, your Highness." He gives a small bow of his head in deference to her title. "You couldn't have picked a better dance partner out of our lot save for perhaps Uhura. I hope the evening's been treating you well."

"She cheats, she is good at everything she touches." Pavel huffs only slightly, mostly because he cannot fault their communications officer for being at least as multifaceted as the princess herself is. "But yes, we are glad to show you around."

"My room-mate does not appreciate it the way I do. I have had to invest in personal sound devices when she is in." Which is a damn shame so far as Jaylah is concerned but she's learning well enough how to get along with others at the Academy. It hasn't been the easiest of transitions for her.

"I have my music box with me, if you want to see. I brought the beats to this night." Hup, let her just hop right on up to her feet once more. Ready to go and take Rocket to her music set up she's got. While the bards take a turn playing music she disconnects her PADD from the sound system set up and hands it over to Rocket to peruse. Given his music diving with Jim the one day, lots of the bands contained therein won't be surprising. Jaylah has taken a lot of recommendations form him in her music list.

Very few ballads live here, but banging jams? She has that in spades.

"Ah, netch-shit."

Jim knows swears in more languages than Stratos at least are like to think exist (Thor, Jim assumes, has been around the galactic block before being a space knowledgeable magic man/god) but because his brother in law is here, the bad words he's learned of Nirn are the first to be called into play. He can't gesture with his hands full of drink or he would be very rudely toward that innocuous looking hammer. He takes a sip of his own glass instead before setting them both back down on the seemingly immovable table.

The captain of the Enterprise leans forward and rests both palms flat against the table. He's not about to admit defeat yet. Jim's seen horrors from the darkest parts of the galaxy. One magic hammer of all things is not about to stop him.

"Okay. Oh...kay. Maybe. Maybe we're goin' about this th'wrong way. Hammer's magic, an' the table's also magic now he's put it in place with the hammer. We might not be able t'interfere directly with this circuit. It's a...s'a full unit now, yeah? Table under the same enchantment as th'hammer. How do we move either of them? ...Could I beam them somewhere else?"

"Would Jim even consider taking one?" Vulcans do not chuckle, yet somehow Spock's expression seems to just a bit even though he is quiet as ever. He sits back to pull his gloves back on once the familiar has moved on to inspecting Jim's hand and snuffling at Tiber, who will immediately hop onto the familiar's back as though it's his own personal steed to settle down into a loaf while watching everyone gathered here carefully. Still purring loud enough to wake the dead, all the while.

Spock glances Felix's way.

"It is more difficult than you might imagine to convince James Kirk to take a day off. A vacation? That might prove more challenging still." If there's a way for Jim to get absorbed in his work to the neglect of all else, he will find it. Spock's seen decades of proof toward that with his own headstrong human.

This young Jim does not seem like he has deviated far from that trait.

"The magic? Of my swords? Sure thing. In fact," he says, and for a moment lowers the phone so that he can look at Runa without a screen between them, "I think they called to me before I ever saw 'em." And just like that he raises the phone again and starts to nod.

"I think if they really want a person, they don't need to be held. But I know that once you hold 'em, you give 'em power over you. Lotta magic's like that. You know that. Don't invite evil in... But posin' with it strategically ain't off limits."

He ducks out from behind the phone for a quick smile and a nod. The camera clicks and Harrowheart says, "Your arms were just fine."

He stows his phone away and nods in the direction of the joust. "So? You ready to win?"

Even if these systems weren't fairly intuitive to start with, Rocket would have had little trouble figuring out how to use it ASAP. Nimble little hands scroll through her library, recognizing quite a few tracks on her list, though others he's never heard of. "Damn," he says, sounding impressed at the sheer quantity of tracks she's collected. "You could listen to this for a coupla days without any repeats."

And to think that Quill had once listened to the same dozen songs over and over again for years.

"Not that you know about," Rocket answers without hesitation. Partly to see the look on his face, and partly because hell, it could be true. It's not like folks who've done time have a big I've Been To Prison sign on their foreheads.

Still, he has a lazy grin as he winks up at Viatorus. "It's a hell of a long story. Think Groot and your wife are gonna get tired of dancing way before I'd finish telling it."

He laughs a little. "My toes can take it. And if not, I know a guy." He doesn't imagine Hephaestus would be very impressed if he came limping back to the forge in need of godly prosthetic toes, of course, but fortunately he shouldn't have any need whatsoever to test this theory.

If Amelia is familiar at all with ballroom dancing, the first dance that Thor leads her through might remind her somewhat of it. Specific steps, a gentle tempo, partners revolving around a central point. It's the sort of dance that one might expect to be able to have a private conversation during, despite being on a dance floor with perhaps dozens of other couples, something courtly and downright civilized.

The second dance, not so much. This one is clearly how Asgardians prefer to party, more fluid and less rigid in pattern and pace, and open to more improvisation, closer to the spirited tribalesque dance that they shared before. It's the sort of dance that makes your hair whip off your shoulders, something that needs a bold and steady drum beat to sync one's own heart to.

Finding people who are the right mix of intelligent, skilled and discrete who like her is a never ending challenge for Isidor. Without explaining in-depth and making sure he proves his understanding of the kind of world she lives in, Jim knows already and she knows he knows. There's nothing more freeing than that. She spends her days hand-holding people as they grasp what to her is basic knowledge. It's a relief to have someone already on her level. Or close to it, at least.

She smirks, raising an eyebrow and shrugging. "Welcome to the siloed nature of magical alliances. There are some barriers that even my family are still working on getting through."

"Mm, just as long as you let me in on what you find. I don't get to study like you and Viatorus. The least I can get is priority in hearing your discoveries."

And what if the teacher isn't trustworthy? She wants to ask. What if he has already been consumed by the temptation of darker magic? These are the questions behind her smile, curling like the tightening coils of a snake. If she asks, she cannot accept the offer. If he answers, she won't believe him anyway.

"Let me think about it," she says instead. Maybe she can talk to Harrowheart. Or someone else in her family. Some kind of expert on death knights or the temptations of darker magic.

"Felix has unusually good luck that way." Jim mutters into Delia's ear, though he's not quiet enough to keep the Imperial from easily overhearing him. "Bastard always seems to get what he wants."

It's made a lot easier when Jim goes out of his way to spoil Felix as much as possible. While Felix is getting a lay of the table with its walls and lights Jim's going to find them cues so they can get started.

"Seems like a shame to just watch us. Come on, take one of these. The whole goal's to get these colored balls into the right spots." For a man with more than a little drink in him Jim's pretty practiced at setting up the table and the balls for them to play. "Delia can go first, and we'll both help you when th'other one's taking a turn."

It's safer to say Jim's never known any other kind of life before meeting Felix and seeing the alternative first hand for himself. He never used to believe in any kind of supernatural phenomena before coming to the Nexus. Thankfully, a true Explorer knows to check their preconceptions at the door. Even the ones that cry out when observing the Impossible.

"Well, it's hard to Really know for certain. We can't exactly prove it definitively. That there's nothing out there, I mean. We have scientific explanations for a good chunk of the basics. Plus, that's not to say my world didn't used to have a huge focus on several organized religions...some of which still exist. Though by now they're most often practiced out of cultural tradition." It's just. Well. Nothing ever came of it. After their First Contact and the discoveries that came after it just made more sense to look forward rather than keep repeating the same history over and over again just because of belief.

"Considering how difficult it is for anyone or anything of magical inclination to utilize their abilities in my world though...I wouldn't be surprised if it really were the case. It seems to be a dearth of paracausal energy." He offers both angel and demon a small, diplomatic shake of his head and the tiniest of shrugs.

He's still working through observation logs and hypotheses. Jury's out yet.

Viatorus blinks, his eyes opening again a fair bit wider than before. That... is a thought. One he'd never considered before. Why hadn't he...? Oh! Isidor! Isidor would have stopped him from interacting with people who'd been in prison, surely... Unless he'd just met them once or twice in the Nexus. He wonders if Lyall is able to do on the spot multiversal background checks...

Clearing his throat, he opts to change the subject before his head spins any faster. "Have-Have you been in space before?"

If Runa's 'intimidating' expression looks a little uncertain that's because Harrowheart's answer is more than a little unnerving. The armour is cool, but she's glad to whip her hands away from the sword the second after she hears the click of the camera. Shyly muttering a small, "Thank you."

Then she's hopping towards the joust, eager to get away to the sword and to have some fun. "Yes! Come on!"

It's a small relief to hear that organized religion exists in Jim's world -- er, universe. It's not the same thing as spirituality, but it's something familiar, at least.

Not that his relief lasts. "You mean to say that anyone with magical or supernatural ability has trouble with their powers while visiting your world?" He sighs, clearly dismayed, and looks at Crowley. "Well, that scraps the visit to Alpha Centauri, doesn't it? Unless you're willing to go native. I'm not sure I am in all honesty..."

As much as Aziraphale likes living among humans, he does not feel the desire to emulate all of life's little inconveniences. That's like roughing it in the woods versus staying at a fancy hotel. There's no contest.

"So it's all... physics, then?" The look he gives Jim is confused. "And the aliens? There aren't any alien gods to speak of?" He'd take an alien god at this point.

"You never realize how long it takes stuff like this to grow until have to start all over," Adia says with a sigh. She hates to sound ungrateful or not up to the challenge, but it is hard sometimes, remembering how things used to be. At least it's something small, like coffee. It doesn't ping her grief over the Lost Colonies in quite the same way.

Caspar listens to Amelia's second suggestion with a hint of a smile on his face. "Are you offering?" he asks, before holding up a hand. "Kidding. Kidding. But yeah, that's not a bad idea. We can at least put a contingency plan in place in case this crop fails." He rolls his eyes. "The Quorum doesn't consider it a vital resource. Bunch of tea-drinking early-to-bed folks, if you ask me."

"At least all the other crops we harvested are doing well," Adia chimes in brightly. "And we have a proper mill now. That means enough flour for baking. Things are really coming together, Amelia. We should give you another tour."

Adia blinks at the man's frank assessment for Felix's style of hijinks before stifling a laugh. "Oh... well, that does sound like him, but I promise, they're very good."

Considering that the reception is open to anyone, she didn't want to assume that he knew either Jim or Felix, but it appears that he knows Felix, at least. "My name is Adia, by the way. Over there is my husband, Caspar."

Caspar gives Norn a polite nod. He noticed the way the alien put some polite distance between himself and Adia, and already likes him better for it.

"So," Adia continues. "How do you know the couple? I met Felix first, and then Jim. They were already a couple by then, but I'm so happy for them for finally getting married."

This is not something Runa would usually get involved in. Wrestling or fighting was never all that easy when you were a five-foot-nothing baker who'd only survived mosh pits because of mosh pit etiquette and rather large friends. Even with more than a few friendly pointers from the squires she wasn't feeling all that confident about her chances of winning. Not that it mattered: She was here to have fun with the strong friend helping her out this time.

Sitting on Harrowheart in full death knight armour is strange and difficult, but really the most difficult part is trying not to talk to the worgen supporting her. The two of them are quite the pair, and Harrowheart is immensely skilled at making Runa laugh. Once she's directed to her side she has to bite her lip to stop herself from giggling at whatever Harrowheart is saying to her this time.

She's nervous, and excited, and so, so ready for this!

Edited 2020-01-26 22:18 (UTC)

It can never be quite so easy, can it? Amelia's hand closes on the silk-soft cloth, only for Felix to hesitate in his turn as he misjudges his partner's step. He almost catches the motion behind him- but when he glances around, there's no sign of the rogue. She's managed to evade his gaze and leave him none the wiser.

The cloth, annoyingly, is still dangling from his belt- but only just. Amelia need only slip close enough to snag it once again and the prize will slip right into her hands- a pair of gloves, the same dark grey as a cuckoo's wing. If she can get them away to examine by firelight, she might detect the very faintest glinting from within the cloth, though the gloves are quite empty.

This is an interesting one. Turnstone's never actually seen one of those old motors running before today, despite occasionally running across half-rusted remnants of them. She's going to have to get a feel for how her opponent moves if she wants to win this bout. Lower to the ground than the cavalryman was, too. The first round, both of them are going to be feeling this out.

Got to give the civil- the Lieutenant credit, though. Man fills out that Hunter gear pretty nicely. Turnstone salutes him in passing before they split up, heading to each side of the field. She's noticed the two grooms cheering his name as they head to the starting lines too, which is... not exactly a damper on her morale, she doesn't know any of them. But she'll try not to knock the guy off too hard, out of courtesy.

Once the flag drops, she might not be accelerating as hard as she should. It gives the Hunter slightly more time to line up her lance tip- but so too does Sulu have an extra second to angle at his target. Which one learns the hard lesson might come down to luck...

Damn. She was so close. But that will only be truth for another phrase of the song. Determined, the rogue definitely gets a little too close as she physically brushes past Felix during a turn, using the distraction of one shoulder dragging across the mage's back to keep him from noticing her hands grabbing hold of the fabric at his waist. It defeats the purpose of not being noticed at all as she uses her thieving skills, but a rogue will do what she has to do when she's running out of steam for dancing and thieving at the same time.

Amelia passes the bards a few extra coins to get them to play one more phrase of music to give her time to slip away from the crowded dance floor. They're beautiful gloves, far nicer than anything she's been willing to purchase for herself for some time, and have a hint of something... more to them. She moves closer to a nearby torch to examine them more closely, her head tilting curiously as she turns them over in her hands and then peers inside.

She's too warm to need gloves right now, but her curiosity pushes her to slip the gloves on anyway. Still tilting her head back and forth, she holds a hand out in front of her as she continues to examine them. The glint is so faint, just on the edge of her perception, and intriguing beyond most things that have caught her attention in the past few years. They make for an excellent distraction that will allow Felix to truly sneak up on the rogue as she stares at her hands, turning them over time and again in fascination.

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A Very Nexus Reception

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Match: Runa and Harrowheart vs. Liuetenant Sulu

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