Nexus Spring Market Fair

[varnished_truths]

Seemingly overnight, one of the grassy areas edging the Forum has been taken over by a spring market and fair. Part state fair, part craft fair, part Renaissance faire, there are attractions for all comers. Tents and booths of every size, shape, and color are lined up more or less tidily, sometimes with wide avenues between them and sometimes with paths skinny enough to crowd a single person. Goods and treats from the far-flung corners of infinity are on display. The general organization has magic and alchemical goods grouped together and slightly separated from the other tents; arts and crafts fill the area around it. Goods such as clothes and jewelry, plants, and vintage and antique items are in the back. Food is front and center, between the entrance and the rides. This is perhaps not an ideal placement.

To one side is a brightly-lit collection of rides and games familiar to anyone who's been to a state fair. A ferris wheel, flying swings, and all manner of reasons to regret that last funnel cake are blaring tinny music and sporting blinking lights. Remember: rides first, then eat. Classic games that test strength, agility, and luck offer plush prizes sure to delight anyone until the fur rubs off. There are also some animal rides near the exit.

In the back of the roughly-fenced-in area are the exhibits. There's a petting zoo with creatures mundane and more exotic, all promised to be tame; practical demonstrations of new magical and technological wonders; a juried art show; and a stage hosting a variety of performers changing on the hour.

((This is an open event. If your character wants to have a booth selling wares or food, set one up. If your character wants to perform or provide other services, go for it! Please note what sort of service you're providing, if any, in the subject line of your top-level comment. Basically, just run with it and have fun!

I offer pictoral inspiration and ask that any pictures used in comments not be more than 300 px tall (and it looks better if you can keep it about the same height as your text). Code to have your text wrap around your picture below.))

<img src="blah.png" height="300" style="border: 0pt none; float:left; padding-right:10px; padding-bottom:10px">

Comments

[thepizzalord]

A large kiosk of potions is a great way to draw a wizard's attention. Though he's dressed from neck to toe in futuristic black armor, the well-worn leather duster over top of it speaks to less technologically-advanced origins, as does a handcarved staff topped with runes that he carries in his gloved left hand. A silver sword is strapped to his back, and the compact pistol on his hip is just as futuristic as his hardshell armor.

Harry Dresden stops in front of the kiosk and raises an eyebrow at the signs. "Y'know, if I didn't know better, I'd be surprised you could get away with selling mystery potions without some kinda regulations on that. Talk about schmuck bait."

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

((How much magic is Harry able to perceive, or see through? I understand from cultural osmosis that he's had some dealings with the fae in some of his books, but I'm not up on the details.))

"The Nexus is surprisingly regulation-light," the thin man points out. "As you are aware. May I interest you in something, sir, or are you here to gawk at the brave and curious?"

[thepizzalord]

((He does have a thing called the Sight that lets him see people and things as they truly are, but he has to use it on purpose and whatever he Sees is burned into his memory forever (memory never fades, ever, so seeing something traumatic can literally break his mind) so he doesn't use it unless he has to.))

"Mostly curious to see who's been dumb enough to drink unlabeled potions that they didn't brew themselves," Harry admits. "Any takers so far?"

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

((Good to know. If he doesn't have the Sight up, then Schön looks as he appears in his icons--a well-dressed man with an odd resemblance to David Bowie. There's some feeling of magic about him, as he has a few spells and magic items active upon his person, but nothing that tries to act on the people around him.))

"None yet, but the day is young. One never knows--one of these might be quite beneficial; a philter of youth restored, or the like. I'm quite certain I had one of those put by at some point."

[thepizzalord]

((So noted!))

"Those are overrated anyway. I can't even begin to count the number of times I've been asked to make those for someone. Almost as much as love potions," he says, rolling his eyes a little. It's pretty clear he won't make those, either.

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"Love potions," he echoes, his voice positively dripping with disdain. "Tsk. There certainly won't be any of those, unless somethings spoiled."

[thepizzalord]

Harry chuckles a little. "Well they are on clearance, and I'm assuming you didn't taste-test 'em."

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"Sir, I assure you," the thin man answers, in tones of offended dignity, "the only potions of uncertain veracity on offer are those that have been labeled as such." Narrowing his eyes a little, he adds, "unless you have some basis for your insinuations, I would discourage you from taking them any further."

[thepizzalord]

Great, now he's offended the guy. "Didn't mean anything by it. If I ever get back home, I'm going to have a ton of expired potions to throw out. Just reminded me of that, that's all."

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

Casually suggesting someone's goods are of low quality to the point of being dangerous will do that, Harry. The retraction soothes riled nerves somewhat. "Then I shall hope for your neighbors' sake that you discard them carefully."

[thepizzalord]

He was aiming more for 'the quality has degraded simply because they're old, so get rid of them before they're unusable' but the point stands regardless.

"Oh, sure. I figured out a long time ago that pouring random things down the drain is a recipe for disaster. Didn't even have to blow up the apartment to get that one."

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"What a comfort to hear. So many enter this calling without the proper sense of caution, I find. Don't you agree, Mr...?"

[thepizzalord]

"Harry Dresden," Harry says, obliging his mostly unspoken request. "Or Warden, if you really want to use a title."

Throughout their conversation so far, he's rather skillfully avoided direct eye contact, though it's less shady than it sounds. The last thing he wants is to trigger a soulgaze with random strangers.

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

Random strangers probably don't want their souls gazed into, come to that. "Warden Harry Dresden? That sounds terribly official. What do you ward, master Warder, and for whom?"

[thepizzalord]

To his good grace, Harry looks a little sheepish, scratching his head with his free hand. "Well, nobody, at the moment. Back home, the Wardens are kinda like wizard cops, although it wasn't something I joined voluntarily. Right now I'm working for an organization that really likes having ranks to call people though and I didn't want to take one of theirs, so... it's the best I've got."

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"Ah? I see." He nods sagely. "Who, then, are this organization you currently serve?"

[thepizzalord]

"It's a long story. Short version is, they're the only guys actively trying to stop all sentient life in the galaxy from being annihilated by giant robot squid monsters from outer space," Harry says with a straight face. Hey, he's not making it up.

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"Oh?" He doesn't need to feign intrigue at a teaser like that. "I think I must hear the full tale." Walking his fingertips over the tops of some of the bottles on the shelves, he adds, "it could be worth your while, for I do so enjoy stories."

[thepizzalord]

"You sure? We might be here all day." It hasn't escaped his attention that this guy might have something to offer in exchange, but there's no sense in just spilling the beans right off the bat.

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"'Day' is a very subjective term in the Nexus," the thin man points out. "I am quite certain I would like to hear your tale."

[thepizzalord]

Harry shrugs. "Okay, but you might wanna get comfortable."

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

Schön inclines his head, wordlessly indicating that he is adequately comfortable and prompting Harry to begin the tale.

[thepizzalord]

"Okay, so this isn't actually my home universe or whatever," Harry begins. At least, as far as he knows, it's not. "So this is mostly secondhand stuff. But apparently, way back when, someone made these giant eldritch Artificial Intelligence horrors called Reapers to destroy all spacefaring civilization every fifty thousand years. We're still not entirely sure why. But most advanced technology is built on what people thought was Prothean tech, the civilization that was around the last time the Reapers came to call. Turns out it's really Reaper tech, and they leave it around so galactic society develops in a way that makes them easy to take out."

"No one really believes in the Reapers, even though one attacked the Citadel a couple years ago. People would rather stick their heads in the sand and pretend it's a geth creation, something less scary than 'giant unknown Cthulhu critters' anyway. Shepard - that's my commanding officer," and his girlfriend, but never mind that, "is one of the only ones who's been trying to get to the bottom of it since this whole mess started. The Alliance, that's the Earth's space navy, were behind her at first but then the ship blew up and she died officially, and it just was easier to deny the whole thing I guess."

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"That didn't take so long, after all," the thin man points out with a hint of amusement (although he had listened quite attentively during the story itself), "and it seems you have something to ward after all. You said your commander died officially, do I take it that unofficially she yet persists?"

[thepizzalord]

"That's because it's not done," Harry says, also looking a little amused. "Since you're asking questions and all." And he imagines that a lot of what he says will open up even more questions, because it's really hard to tell this in chronological order. It's not like he wanted to make it a history lecture anyway; he's always done better with actual conversation instead of just blathering on about himself.

"She's alive, yeah. After the attack, Cerberus retrieved her body and spent two years rebuilding her. That's the only reason I agreed to work with them in the first place. And, well, now that the Alliance has decided that the Reapers are bullshit, Cerberus is the only group trying to do anything about it."