nexus_sages | Interdimensional Cable

Interdimensional Cable

Today in the forum, someone has set up a techno-pile of video gadgetry. At the heart of it is a television, and an old one at that. The screen is large enough, but it sits in a retro wooden fixture that gives it the appearance more of furniture than of an entertainment system. All the better for it to hold the weight of a number of video-playing devices from across the ages and dimensions.

On either side of the pile of plastic boxes and tangled wires stacked on top are a set of outdoor lounge chairs. One, sat up like a chair, is empty. The other, fully reclined, is full of a whole lotta dead dude. It’s Harrowheart, who can’t possibly understand the vast majority of what he’s lying next to, a lit cigarette between his lips and his arms dangling off the chair and onto the grass. His floating hands are hard at work twisting knobs and pounding on the top of the television. Now and then the screen flickers with a hint of a signal.

Without spending the energy to lift his head, Harrow calls out to any passers-by, “Hey! What’s your favorite movie? People keep tellin’ me about ‘em, but I ain't ever seen one. I wanna find a good one and invite everyone over to watch it. Help me pick one out, will ya? And if y’ain’t ever seen a movie either… I dunno, weigh in on someone else’s recommendation?”

(( OOC Info: I want to stream a movie in-character! I love streaming movies, usually it’s a really good time for everyone involved. I’ve never done one IC, but I think this is a great opportunity to start. I’ll take any and all IC movie recommendations (real movies only!) and by next Wednesday I’ll try to decide which one we watch. The better your character talks it up, the better its chance! I’m shooting for next Saturday the 21st at around 8 or 9pm Eastern for a start time, but I’m going to be flexible if people know they can’t make it. I want as many people to be able to enjoy this as possible! If you’re interested in the idea or have any questions shoot me a PM and I’ll PM you back with answers and details and remember to get back to you when the movie and time are decided. ))

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Harrow tenses at the apparition of a little machine, but ohhhhhh he can't help but be so terribly intrigued. He stares at it a little while after Blaze's question until her words finally sink in and he turns back to look her in the eyes. Optics. See-spots.

"I'm a worgen. I'm a death knight. I'm a farmer. And I'm from Azeroth." Like this hyper-tech lady is going to know about his backwater, podunk planet. "And yeah, Steve and Jesse, they're my pals! I'm waitin' for Steve to get his new apartment so I can invite myself over, and I'm gonna try to convince Jesse that we oughta hold this movie night deal at his place. I wanna meet his people!"

The television and movie-playing devices, meanwhile, are just that. Some of them are from non-Earth worlds. Some are from Earth's relative past, some from the relative future. None of them are sinister, and most of them aren't even hooked up right. The whole mess of tech is plugged into some kind of infinite power system. Despite this, somehow everything is running. Well, it is the Nexus...

Staring at the Ghost does not help its over-protective partner relax any, sad to say. She shifts restlessly and is on the verge of barking at him when he shifts his gaze.

"Death knight?" she asks bluntly. She's not sure what to make of his being 'friends' with some definitively good people; she does know that if he's going anywhere near those people she wants some good answers. She'd say she trusts their judgment, and yet... "I know the Dark when I sense it. Since when do its creatures care about friends? Or movies? Or farming?"

"Uhm, this does look like just an attempt to connect all these devices to the television," the Ghost says quietly. "I don't detect any significant threat."

Oh man. If he could sweat, he would. Quite the line of questioning from this lady.

Harrowheart's hands tug at a satchel underneath his seat. They manage to pull it out and he goes about swinging it over his shoulder. "You know what I like about the Nexus?" he beginss as he adjusts the straps, his gaze spreading its time equally between the Ghost and the woman.

"When I'm at home, I got certain... Obligations. When I'm here, that ain't the case. I can do whatever I want. Make friends with anyone I want to. Nobody knows what it means when I say I'm a death knight. People like Steve and Jesse? That's just words to them. Words with no meaning. And I like that."

He stands finally, his hands clutching the strap of his bag. "But I ain't so sure I like where these questions and implications are leadin'. So either somethin' here changes, or I head out. What do you prefer?"

He’s… retreating?

Fully stumped by this response, she looks at the machine pile, and at the Ghost hiding behind her. The latter whispers something urgent along the lines of “-telling the truth, we don’t have grounds…”

It doesn’t occur to her to clarify that she isn’t remotely the local police, because she can’t fathom that an actual servant of the Dark would care. They don’t bother to lie their way into people's homes, either: the knights of the Hive are very up-front with their giant bone cleavers. Nothing here quite adds up, and she can’t stop to figure it out.

“You’ve named some good people here," she says finally, settling her weight as she reaches a conclusion. "People I- people it’s my purpose to protect. Right this moment I only need to know one thing: that if I back off now you aren’t going to harm anyone.” That’s it. That’s what all her questions and trying to figure this were aimed at, when you get past ‘what is he planning’ and ‘how many more are behind him’.

Harrow squints at this robo-cop. His hands grip his bag's strap anxiously and he purses his lips... But it all comes out in a sudden rush and a small, understanding nod.

"I think I get what's goin' on here," he says. "I think there's a miscommunication happenin' between us. You're upset about what I might do, not what I am doin' or what I used to do, huh? Shoot..."

He nods again and pulls a face that says 'typical.' "Arrite, I see. You're lookin' out for your pals, that's all. Ma'am," At least, he's pretty sure the bot is a ma'am, "You ain't gotta worry. I'm here in the Nexus because I don't gotta hurt anyone. You got no idea how refreshing it is to be friends with folks like Steve and Verity and other good, normal people who don't wanna hurt nobody and who I don't gotta hurt in return."

In a show of good faith he lifts his bag off of his shoulder, sets it down on the ground, and holds his empty hands up placatingly. "Maybe we all oughta chill out here. Get acquainted. I told you my name, what I am, and where I'm from, so... How 'bout you?"

“I don’t know what you used to do,” she points out, although maybe she’s not totally oblivious to the past tense. She falls silent long enough to listen to the rest, optics flaring brighter at mention of Verity’s name. Things still are't falling into place. But it does get her to wonder if maybe she’s jumped on a false reading here. Maybe. So- what, he’s here to get away from his own kind, whatever they are? What kind of world is he from?

Standing around thinking about it isn’t helping, so in the end she lets out a troubled ‘hmmph’ and just nods slightly. Since she hasn’t drawn a gun, she reciprocates his gesture the best way she can and folds her arms. Her fists are her primary weapons anyhow. All right. Let’s try this. Not like she can’t respond fast if he changes his tune.

“Blaze-37. Guardian of the Last City on Earth.” She’s dubious still. “You’re trying to tell me you’re here for some kind of refuge?”

"Refuge?" he asks with a laugh. What a dramatic way to put it. "Sure, if you wanna call it that."

He waits a second, thinks back on what she says, and asks, "New York? Is that the Last City on Earth? 'Cause that's the only city anyone from Earth ever talks about. I kinda figured it was the last place left."

She's giving him a look. What's so funny? It'd take something dramatic to bring this about, in the normal way of things. The Nexus sort of accounts for that, but she doesn't want to start leaning on that.

"...No. New York is- it's long gone." She found out about the Manhattan Nuclear Zone after she asked the Cryptarch, and there hasn't been any call to bring it up with her friends since. "Mine is the city that hasn't fallen to the Darkness. We just call it the City."

Harrow blinks hard to keep himself from rolling his eyes at that name. With a lopsided grin he says, "Y'all are real big on creativity there, huh? Well, at least Blaze is a cool name. You pick it yourself, or was it given to ya?"

One of his hands motions at the little Ghost, wherever it was last he saw, and he asks, "What's their name? What does... Hhhhhhe?... Do?"

"Always had it." She shrugs. Doesn't really answer his question, but it's not like she knows the answer either.

Her optics narrow again when he gestures to the Ghost, which peeps over her shoulder to see if it's the one being talked about. But Blaze sounds puzzled. "You don't know what a Ghost is?"

Well, if she's going to be all high and mighty about it! Harrow scoffs and puts his fingertips to his chest.

"Of course I know what a ghost is," he says. "I'm a necromancer. And that's not a ghost. That's a little robot! Unless... there's a spirit inside the bot? Shoot, that'd make me look real rude if there is." He calls over to the Ghost, "Sorry little buddy!"

Edited (Note to self: don't attempt to tag on the phone haha) 2015-11-16 00:00 (UTC)

...Yeah, okay, he doesn't know what it is. That's... kind of a relief? Guess the spooky knight doesn't have designs on her little partner after all.

"Nah, not a literal ghost. It's.. sort of an AI, made of Light and metal. It's my guide and companion." It's hard to tell from her expression, but her stance just relaxed quite a bit. Her guard's not down, she's just starting to accept he's not an immediate threat. "What do you mean, you're a necromancer?"

"Light? Like... The Holy Light? Essence of life, the universe, and everything kinda Light?" Well, that does make him interesting! He shouldn't be so curious in the face of something that might fry him, but he can't help but take a few cautious steps closer. He needs to meet this little Light bot.

"A necromancer's a..." Okay, he's got to choose his words well if he's going to get a chance to see this little metal critter. "Kind of like a zombie doctor? I do magic for folks like me and Jesse." The details are unimportant.

"Sounds like it," she allows. "Ours comes from the Traveler." And yes, she's looking at his face real closely to see if that rings a bell before she carries on, "The being that's protected humanity for the last thousand years. It created the Ghosts to seek out new Guardians for it."

She cocks her head when he draws closer, but her concern's overridden when he explains about necromancy.

"Then- you know something that could help Jesse?" She actually perks up, leaning forward a little. Even the little Ghost floats out a bit further, its silver shell spinning as it studies Harrowheart. Seems he's hit on something relevant to their interests! "He must've told you he's hunting some way to cure his people."

'Traveler' doesn't elicit anything from Harrowheart, not even a shrug. It's just another of the many words and people he doesn't recognize. But he hasn't totally glossed over it, and in response he says, "Have you ever seen the Traveler? I bet it's a Naaru. They're beings made of the Light, their job's to defend life. They protected a bunch of good folks called the Draenei from the end of their world."

Then with a frown he says, "I can't fix Jesse. Not in the way he wants to be fixed. I could give him a nose, maybe. Put parts on his folks who're missin' theris. Keep 'em well-preserved. But I can't cure death. I can only... Change the way it works."

…!

Watch both of them stare at him, optics flaring bright in spite of the visible disappointment that he can't help Jesse. It’s Blaze who speaks first.

“Yeah, we’ve seen it. It looks like a giant floating silver sphere. I don’t know if that’s the whole of its form, but- these Naaru? They sound like it."

"Have you ever seen one?” the Ghost asks hesitantly from her side. It’s not sure if it wants to know, considering what the Darkness’s minions do to the fragments of Light they can get their claws on. But if there’s any chance of gaining even hints about their great silent patron (and parent) …they have to ask.

Edited 2015-11-16 02:20 (UTC)

"I did see one! More than one!" Harrow says eagerly. He reaches into his shirt pocket and withdraws a stumpy pencil and a rolling paper. He bends over and uses his knee as a surface to draw against. When his masterpiece is through he brings the sketch over to Blaze and the Ghost.

"They were all like... Different shapes? No matter what way you looked at 'em they were always facin' you. They spoke into people's minds and made beautiful wind chime noises all the time. I was alive when I saw 'em, so I wasn't scared to go near. I ain't much of a believer, but bein' around them was... Probably the most good experience I'll ever have. They were all warmth and love and... Light." He laughs self-consciously at his lack of eloquence and offers up the sketch for Blaze to take and keep.

She actually takes a couple steps closer while he sketches, trying to peer at the picture. So Steve's not the only artist around...

When he brings it to them, she accepts the picture cautiously. Maybe she's just concerned for the paper, considering how gently she holds it between her armored fingers. She tilts it so the Ghost can see, the pair of them scanning the sketch excitedly before the Exo's gaze snaps back up to meet Harrow's.

"You're not what I thought you were," she says, with the certainty of a judgment passed and the lingering bemusement that says she's still not sure what he is. Not really.

Harrow smiles softly at that. It brings him more than a little comfort to hear her say those words.

"You're not what I thought you were, either. Most people who chase the Light on my world smite first and ask questions later. You'll excuse me for bein' flighty before."

He eyes her up and down. "So what did you think I was? What's the big bad on your world that I remind you of?"

"Hmmmh." She rubs one antenna a little awkwardly, because she's self-aware enough to know 'smite first' is totally her kind of plan. She's just... prepared to cop to it when the signs say she's charging the wrong target.

No lie, it's kind of a shock. First time that's happened since her rebirth.

"Figured you for another creature from the Darkness." She shrugs. "That's the enemy that wounded the Traveler and wiped out human civilization past our walls. All the colonies on other planets, billions of people, an entire Golden Age of technology and culture taken from us. It's got a bunch of alien species doing its dirty work. The Hive are the worst: undead who worship it, send their knights and wizards out on crusades against the Light. They experiment on the captives they don't sacrifice, torture Ghosts to death- they feed on pain and Light."

She pauses. "Your reaction was all wrong, though. Never seen a knight look scared of me before."

Among other cues, but that startle response, his nervous mannerisms... they brought back an echo of something both familiar and very out of place. The kind of unexpected sensation that'll make a war machine slow down and start noticing details even if they don't want to.

That's heavy news to hear. He hadn't expected all of that. And some of those details... They hit a little close to home. What does he even say to that information? Maybe just a platitude. Better to be shallow than dive too deep.

"It's a good thing there's good folks like you out there protectin' humanity."

He eyes her up and down, clears his throat, and finally asks, "You are human, right? Under all the armor?"

She won't hold that against him. Wasn't a lot she could say when she woke up to it except 'where do we start?'

"...Thanks." See, that right there: that was something no enemy of theirs would say. It's still weird and she isn't too sure how she ought to respond.

His question causes the mood to lighten, intentionally or not, because she can't help laughing heartily. "Does everyone think that? I need to get a sign or something! I'm an Exo! Machine all the way through. Humans built us as soldiers back in the Golden Age, not that we remember any of that."

Harrow's eyes widen and his mouth opens and closes, and for a minute there he looks a whole lot like a fish out of water.

"N-no way! That's so cool! You're so intelligent! And well-spoken! And you're not killin' anyone with lazer beams! Robots on my world aren't any of those things!"

One of his hands hovers near her arm and very nearly touches her, but he remembers his manners at the last minute and asks, "Can I?"

“Uh- thanks?” It’s nice to get a positive reaction, even if it’s a little bewildering considering the source. “Guess you’re still on the little beep-boop kinda robots, huh? But with lasers.” That’s progress of a sort. Laser Roomba: Advanced Warfare!

She gives his detached hand a curious look, but nods. “Go ahead. You realize that’s just my armor, though.”

Strictly speaking it’s not her. Although it is the high-tech descendant of ancient plate armor, so it’s pretty futuristic too. It’s also built to channel and run on Light. Hopefully the anti-violence field will insulate Harrow if there’s any adverse effects to poking it. Blaze has never observed such things before. She just figures ‘on the armor’ is exactly where you’d want a stranger prodding you.

When he learns it's only her armor he politely shakes his head and returns his hand to his side. He's only touching the real deal, apparently. "It ain't weird for a person made of metal to wear metal?" He grunts, and quickly follows up with, "Well, I guess meat-folks wear leather, and that's skin."

"Is it weird for you, bein' around humans knowin' that they created you? What's it like to be a metal person in a meat-person world? I better not hear they don't treat you right. I guess on some worlds, humans are even racist against other humans. Go figure, huh?"

The only hacking Harrow does is with axes, and I don't think the TV would appreciate that haha

but if he's not the super hacking cyber-genius, who is?

Doing the not-suspicious thing: Running from the authorities

Running confuses the grudge-bot, it's a legitimate strategy

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Add one cup Destiny, one cup Warcraft, beat until unrecognizable

For best results add liberal amounts of fudge

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Ye Olde Roboknight http://i.imgur.com/1PrRKCc.jpg