Snowstorms and matchmaking: An early Valentine's post

[shardofwinter]

Winter in the Nexus has been especially present this year. The weather has presented plenty of hardships for the past few months, something which numerous people have bemoaned. It doesn't look set to change, either. If anything, Winter seems to be going stronger than ever. There are no signs of it winding down at all.

Everything seems normal at first, the usual hustle and bustle has the Nexus thrumming now that people have adapted to the cold conditions. Then, rather suddenly, everything kicks into gear. The wind starts to howl, battering people to and fro. Not long after that, the sky becomes thick with snow, making it nearly impossible to see, the biting cold driving people back inside. It soon becomes completely inhospitable to all wandering around outside.

In the hurry to get out of the storm, people end up scurrying to the nearest available shelter. Apartment lobbies, houses, cafés, shops, restaurants, the library... Anywhere and everywhere that offers some shelter. Peculiarly, people seem to end up in pairs as they hide away from the cold. Looks like everyone is going to have to huddle close together. For... warmth... We'll say it's for warmth.

((This is entirely an excuse to shove characters together and force them to spend time with each other. Feel free to have as many threads as you like, trying as many combinations as you like, where ever you like. Brave souls can try and berate Reynard if they really want to.))

Comments

[juststeverogers]

"A-are you sure this is...uhm..." Steve peers around the corner with an uncertain frown. "Why is this place so empty?" He doesn't like the look of this.

Or the smell of this. Or really anything. The cold form outside is seeping in through every gust of wind. It's better than the bus shelter, but surely there's a heater around here somewhere?

[hellburger]

"Eh, everyone probably headed home when the storm hit. There's probably some staff hanging out in the back," he says, half-watching the hologram gyrate. After a minute or two it's clear that she's prerecorded footage, occasionally playing sultry voice clips encouraging her audience to tip or buy a drink.

Speaking of drinks, Miller leans over the bar and shouts another 'hello' before helping himself to a bottle with a label he can actually read. Whiskey.

He takes a hit, winces and offers the bottle to Steve. "Have a nip ...? Didn't catch your name, but I remember running into uh, your body back during the whole swap fiasco."

[juststeverogers]

"Guess so." Steve watches one of the female figures swiveling her hips while she dances in a small circle and finds himself blushing and averting his gaze quickly. Less awkward than if she were real, but still awkward enough that he's not comfortable just standing there staring.

"Steve Rogers." The small man replies easily. He eyes the bottle and then Kaz before accepting it and taking a sip. He doesn't cough or anything at it, but he does pull a face and shake his head. "I don't drink much." Not that it would take much to get him drunk, he's ninety pounds soaking wet.

"Thanks for getting us inside somewhere." It's important to be grateful no matter how weird a place they find themselves in now.

[hellburger]

"Kazuhira Miller. And no problem, buddy. You probably wouldn't have lasted long out there." Neither would Kaz, but he's not going to admit that.

Maybe whatever's powering the holograms will put off a little heat? Can't hurt and hey, it's entertainment. He moves around the tables, pushing chairs to activate the other dancers.

That done, he unbuttons his shirt and peels it off -- the thing is soaked through and not helping him feel any warmer. He's still got an undershirt (equally wet) to keep him decent. He leans over the bar again and pulls out a towel this time, gives it a sniff (clean enough), and runs it through his wet hair.

"Put those groceries down and get cozy. We're probably gonna be here for a while."

[juststeverogers]

Steve thinks to squawk a protest at that comment, but holds it in. He's still cold, if they're being honest here, and his jeans are soaked through making him shiver all the more. His coat has done a good job of keeping his shirt dry, but Steve pulls off his damp gloves and sets the grocery bag down on the floor.

"Here." He pulls the coat off and hands it to Kazhuhira. Having it off makes him shake worse, but this guy is wet all the way through. He needs something to warm up. "It won't fit around you, but you can use it like a blanket or a shawl?"

Without it on, it's easy to see how thin Steve really is. Nothing more than skin and bones, really. The button up he's wearing is big on him--a hand me down from someone built much larger than he.

[hellburger]

Miller furrows his brows, glancing between the offered coat and Steve's painfully frail physique. After a moment's silent deliberation, he tosses the towel aside and accepts the garment, draping it over his shoulders. He figures Steve could use to redeem some masculinity. "Thanks."

He does a cursory check of the rest of the venue, politely knocking on a few doors before peering inside. Snooping reveals a backstage dressing room for whatever live performances the place hosts, a manager's office, and some restrooms. Still no signs of life.

Satisfied with the recon, Miller resumes rummaging through the bar's amenities -- one of which is a large, metallic urn that radiates warmth. He grabs a cup and presses the lever on the spigot. After some sputtering it spits out the dregs of a dark liquid that smells reminiscent of burnt coffee. But hey, it's warm.

He makes his way back to Steve and offers the beverage. "I think it's coffee? At the very least it might keep your hands warm for a bit."

Miller is content to stick with whiskey -- he takes the bottle and eases back into a leather chair.

[juststeverogers]

"Thanks, Miller."

Steve takes a cursory sip of the liquid and decides he's had worse coffee. And at any rate it helps keep his hands from turning into ice cubes. The same cannot be said for his legs. Steve's taken to pacing in circles in the dimly lit area, trying to keep up activity to stay as warm as he can.

"No one else is here after all?" He asks when the military man has taken a seat.

[hellburger]

"Nope. Just us and the projection ladies." He kicks his feet up on the edge of the table and alternates between watching the hologram and the small man's agitated movements.

"Say, Steve! You happen to know if this place has an emergency broadcast? Something that might get us more info about this storm?"

[juststeverogers]

"Well that's...kind of a relief." This is awkward enough without trying to keep actual strip club ladies warm too. In Steve's mind, at least.

"Hm? No, the phones are dead. And I tried mine but not even Miss Siri can talk to us here." He holds up his own phone with a frown. "I'm afraid we may be stuck here for some time. At...least we won't starve?" He does have food in that bag.

[hellburger]

Miller drapes an arm down and waves a palm at the base of the table-stage-projector. The thing's been running long enough to start generating a little heat. "Hey, I think there's some vents under here for cooling the hologram equipment. Not toasty, but it's better than nothing."

He pats the chair next to him. "Take a load off and tell me about yourself."

[juststeverogers]

"Oh. okay." Steve really doesn't argue because he's been miserable since he took his coat off, but making sure Miller doesn't get hypothermia is slightly more important than his own comfort.

He still tries not to shiver so much when he sits down.

"Not much to tell, to be honest? I'm from New York. December, 1941." Pearl harbor just happened, the US was deploying all over Europe and the Pacific. "Been here since the summer, actually."

[hellburger]

"Pfft. Sounds like there's plenty to tell! That's an exciting time to be alive -- at least if you're an American." He takes another sip of whiskey and sets it on the table between them in case Steve wants to indulge.

"So were you helping out with the war effort, then?" He notably avoids outright asking about the draft, given the other man's stature.

[juststeverogers]

"Was trying to, before I ended up stranded here."Steve has very strong feelings about the draft and even without it being mentioned directly he's still tensing.

He's even going to try that whiskey.

"My best friend made it into the army the night I ended up in the Nexus."

[hellburger]

It's hard for Miller to differentiate between shivering and tensing. Either way, he can put himself in those shoes and doesn't press for details.

He looks pleased when Steve takes the offered alcohol. That'll put hair on his chest. "Hope your friend's putting up a good fight out there. You know which theater he was deployed to?"

[juststeverogers]

"Europe. He's a hell of a shot." Steve's proud that Bucky's out there, but it doesn't change the fact that he isn't. The whiskey makes him shake his head slightly, but he pulls another sip after a moment.

"He'll do good out there." He believes in his childhood friend. Has to. Steve doesn't want to think about the alternative. "What about you?"

[hellburger]

"I was born just after the war wrapped up. It's 1974 where I come from." He leaves out the Japan part for now. "No more World Wars, but the Cold War's still chilly as ever and Vietnam's been a mess."

Miller is momentarily distracted by the dancer's performance of a particularly lewd maneuver. He raises his eyebrows, then turns back to Steve. "I work for a private military out of Central America -- mostly handling the business side of things."

[juststeverogers]

"Cold war..." Steve's heard about that. He flips to the back pages of the pocket note pad he keeps on him and tries to find it. "That's....Russia right? They turned on us after the war." They're allies now, but Steve's aware of how fragile such things can be.

Vietnam though. That's a new one. Steve adds it to his list.

"Private military? So, not country affiliated. You're....mercenaries?"