Home for the Holidays

[sweetcandygirl]

Over the weekend, Harley was busy decorating her Nexus apartment, stylizing everything in soft whites and a few bright splashes of reds.

In the middle of the apartment, where her aerial silks normally hang from the cathedral ceilings, and several pinwheel decorations. And soft Christmas music is playing on the stereos, filling the open areas of her apartment.

The smells of several delicious foods waft from the kitchen. Everything is made with a vegetarian-friendly flare, that is still respectful to the season itself. And to supplement the fact there may not be any meat on the menu -- there is a large keg of ale on a countertop nearby. There is also plenty of wine, cocktails, and eggnog available.

Harley has invited a few people over to her apartment for a small pre-Christmas party. Mostly, those who already live or stay in her apartment.

[No posting order. Mingle around. Thread jump. All is good]

Comments

[alittlehinky]

Cricket's more of a previously-neglected cause than a lost one, generally speaking. He seems awkward as hell in his suit and bowtie, but there's nothing about him to indicate he's anything more than mundane. He's even sans leg braces, because they didn't work so well with his new dress shoes.

He shakes hands with Josh firmly, smile warming up. "Ain't seen you around before, but I reckon any friend of Harley's is a friend of mine if they wanna be."

He is so sincere here.

[brother_alone]

So far as the Canadian can tell, the only thing Cricket's uncomfortable with is his Sunday Best. It reminds him a lot of when his best friend first started getting drug to all of Josh's family soirees, suit and tie affairs that Josh was raised around but to which most people under the 1% found exceedingly uncomfortable. Something tightens in his chest to think of Chris at a time like this. At a holiday party without his constant companion. You never realize you're alone quite so much until the holidays.

Cricket seems so genuine about it, too. Josh won't even realize the nostalgically soft smile he's wearing.

"I'm not too good at being social so I steer clear of the more crowded areas of the Plaza." Josh has to clear his throat from the unintentional tightness in his voice. It relaxes after only a moment. "Most of my time's spent running deliveries and picking up stock for the cafe I work at. It's good to meet you, bro."

[alittlehinky]

Honestly, Cricket can relate to that kind of feeling. He was always Jack's bosom companion through their childhood and on up into their teenage years. Jack turned twenty before Cricket did and was ready to court women and earn money and drive around in a fancy car, and he got left behind a little bit in that rush, but it wasn't because Jack stopped caring. The world gets small as you get older, and you have to step a little further out of your comfort zone to stretch.

Well, Cricket's way out of his comfort zone in the Nexus, but he's stretching to fit it.

"I hear you," he tells him with a smile. "I like people a'ight but I get out of my depth with 'em fast. Especially here. Most everyone's either magic or from the future compared to me."

He gives an encouraging nod. "Yeah? What cafe d'you work at? I got a friend with a repair shop I help at part time, but mostly I make moonshine these days."

[brother_alone]

There's not a lot to pick up on Joshua's world or background just by looking at him. No one would guess the horrors that drove him from his friends back in his own world. Even fewer would guess he did it to himself in more than one way. The Nexus may not be comfortable for Josh these days but it's better than starving and or freezing to death alone in a mine where no one knows you're alive.

"Nothin' so great about the future, bro. We make things shittier, not to last. Some of the tech is sweet but you'll get used to that quicker than most. You're young still, we pick stuff up pretty quick."

Green eyes light up with interest though at the mention that Cricket makes moonshine. He is very interested in lots and lots of alcohol. Very much. "I work at the Crossroads. Until recently I was living with Ice Bear, one of the two cooks at the joint so it made a lot of sense to just work there for them."

[alittlehinky]

Cricket doesn't have a good read on the man's personality yet, but he's quick to believe the best of most of the people he meets. There's something kind of endearing about how he keeps calling him 'bro', too. He assumes it's just something you say, like 'pal' or 'jasper', but it's kind of nice.

"You don't know I'm young," he jokes. "I could be from a world where people age backward or something. But yeah, I'm good with now. I don't need any tech that's too fancy."

"Oh, I met Ice Bear. He seemed real nice." Cricket looks thoughtful. "Didn't get to talk to him long."

[brother_alone]

"He don't talk too much to anyone, but that's just how he is. Both he and Katsuya are the strong silent types. I can go half a day and not hear more than a mouthful from either of them if they're not helping customers."

It's definitely just something Josh says. People are pretty divided if it makes Joshua annoying or endearing though. The Brospeak is strong with this one, but he doesn't have his partner in crime to riff off of so it's toned down a lot during his time in the Nexus.

"I'm from 2015 ish. Not sure where home's at timewise these days. But it's not all it's cracked up to be."

[alittlehinky]

"Well, bears don't talk at all where I come from, so I guess anything he has to say is more than I'd hear back home."

He chuckles softly and shakes his head. "Still a long way ahead of me. It was 1931 when I left. Can't go back, either, on account of dyin'."

[brother_alone]

"Fair point. They never did where I was from either. Unless you count guttural growls as words. I mean I understood the meaning just fine either way but not literally."

It's a pretty easy to understand message. GTFO or become dinner. Though the Canadian's expression clouds somewhat when Cricket speaks of death.

"I can't, either." He's not entirely sure if he died or not before he ended up here in the Nexus. At the end there he was completely out of his mind with grief and hunger. What he'd been willing to do in those last moments...Josh only thinks about now in his deepest nightmares. "I"ve been here for a couple'a years now."