(Nexus II) Twist's Group

[Twist]

A mischievous look sparkled on her face as she caught Matthew's eye, "I am never one to shy away from being the spotlight of so many, but you are not wrong. And so many good things come after hello."

And stepping back from the group, she created a space, a divide.

She wasn't worried about being one to leave. She was sure at least one would follow.

[Hector]

Hector follows, padding across the space in his bare feet. A childish smile creases his face until he gets closer; then the lop-sided grin fades, muting into something that is more somber, more reflective, and much more curious.

"It is true. So much can come of a hello. I guess you know my name. What may I call you?"

He tensed slightly and found his head tilting slightly to one side. Small talk was for the Herd and there was no Herd here tonight; and he had no idea who or what was in front of him.

You could see the flash of excitement behind his intense eyes.

[Twist]

Of all of the group to follow Twist was surprised to see that it was Hector who was the first. Although, his entire being seemed to scream go so maybe it shouldn't have been surprising. Twist watched his approach with ... interest. Not that type of interest, but the interplay of emotions, of sheer variation of expressions that crossed his face was ... fascinating.

Amongst the Kindred such revelations were rare, and if they occurred it was often calculated. His did not seem so. Either that or he was a very good actor.

And so she smiled, his curiosity rewarded with a showing of her own at him, "Hector right? You may call me Myah." She could listen when she wanted to.

"I am glad we agree. Especially here," a delicate hand lifted to indicate their surroundings. Or maybe the peoplebeings that surrounded them. "What do you seek after a hello?" Dark eyes sparkled with the question even as a petite frame leaned in for the answer.

[Mhairi Ankaa]

Continued from Nexus II...

Her Louboutins take her towards the vampiric beauty, and the shoeless man(?), she takes in their dichotomy. Sleek, immaculate, dead beauty surrounded in gold, and someone living, breathing, wild with life. Rented tux, and bare feet.

"Myah," she greets once more, "And, Hector...was it?" when she was distant in her freak out over Sera living her own life, and Mhairi being a shitty friend, she hadn't heard if they'd pulled away from the throng for a conversation between the two of them, or if there was space for another.

[Hector]

Hector's lips quirk and he almost lets out his hopes and desires from this excursion.

Instead, he smiles again and runs his tongue over his gums while he frames an answer.

"Lets say I'm looking for a little understanding. I want to know who else is out there. Maybe we can be friends."

His words sounded innocent and naive; the way he had stalked across the room in his bare feet, coupled with those intense eyes, implied something potentially quite different.

He turns his head when the quiet woman with the mesmerising eyes joins them. As she speaks, revealing her connection to Myah, his head snaps back and forth between the two of them.

"Yeah. Thats me, Hector. Trying to understand what is outside my own little world. So here we have Hector, Myah... and..."

He left a space for Mhairi Ankaa to speak. The pause also allowed him to take control of his breath and not impulsively blurt anything else out.

At least Emily was over at the bar and Tiny appeared to be caught up in the remaining group. They couldn't laugh at his lack of social graces... Yet.

The Alpha Forsaken. About to get eaten alive by a Kindred and a Fey creature.

[James Turner]

Continued from Nexus II...

James had followed Mhairi over with silent footfalls. It was natural for him to balance and distribute the weight of his steps, it didn’t even get any thought. Luckily his anxiety hadn’t turned him into a frozen statue yet, but he kept that all bottled in to be vomited up later. He’d sensed and shift the ebb and flow of mood, feeling the cold undercurrent that followed them. It was hard for him not to. Myah and Hector, taken and filed.

He’d say Myah was unlike anything he’d seen before but he himself was a monster, a creature stretched and pulled, his very soul reshaped into something else. Add on top of that what the hedge took in turn. Though he was curious what she was and WHY she was. She reminded him of the Fairest, elegant, graceful, beautiful and able to command a room with a word.

Hector was something else all together and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. There was a vibrant, intensity there; add on top of that his appearance and it pulled at James’ curiosity as well. This place was dangerous for him, there were many secrets here but they all came with a price. One must never forget the price.

“Hope I’m not intruding.” He offered with a smile as he stood between Hector and Mhairi, Mhairi was a Changeling but they’d just met. He had to remind himself he technically didn’t have any friends here and that he’d have to keep eyes on his own back. That was all he said though, letting the others converse while he listened.

[Twist]

Something inside of Twist eased as Mhairi joined them. She wasn't inclined to self doubt, but Asa was ... well, Asa. Pivoting in place, offering a silent opening for Mhairi to slide into.

To Hector, she offered a smile that bordered on sharp. Not quite flashing fangs because after all ... she wanted to be friends too.

A hand lifted with a grace and fluidity that was at odds with paleness that screamed rigor mortis, "Mhairi." Confidence in the name provided now twice as she introduced the other woman.

"And John," Twist said as James approached to even out the ratio of gender.

"And no, you are not." Yet. The last pale white being she had interacted with at Nexus eventually had become such after all. "We were just finishing hellos and moving on to actually getting to know each other," a coquettish smile was shared with Hector before dark eyes flickered back to James. "Perhaps you would care to start?"

She wanted to know more about the one who screamed predator nearly as loud as a beast, but James actually showed a monster, not to mention the quick interaction between him and Mhairi indicated ... history.

And last one to join being first to have to share was a rule from childhood. Even if childhood had happened more than one lifetime ago.

[Mhairi Ankaa]

Nodding as Myah introduces her to Hector, "Well, twenty questions?" Mhairi offers as a party game, a quick and easy way to get to know one another, without the risk, and with everyone here there is risk from their mysterious proprietors, and from the monsters they are now keeping company.

She knows a Darkling when she sees one, especially the newly crowned Winter King, she might not know Kith on sight, not without more time to interact with him, but he wasn't a Corpse Kith, he didn't have the intrinsic essence that Myah has, though comparing the markers of a Vampire and that of those Durance's have then half in the grave would be interesting. The former Autumn Queen admits, quietly to herself. Unsure if she would be censored within her own mind from those in charge of this meeting point atop the River City.

Looking towards Hector, she sees his bare feet, the obviously rented tux, his wild hair and intense, hungry eyes. She knows Beasts, and their tells, he isn't one. She cannot pierce the Mask, and his shadow is only that of a wild man in a rent tux, not something with fur, or feathers. Faintly she wonders if he knows fire like she knows fire, or if he wanted to see if he could feel the earth under foot, even miles above the ground.

Was he used to being up this high with both feet firmly planted?

Or was she just missing old friends? Being so blatantly reminded of how much she had failed in that regard...

He wasn't of the Lost, but she didn't know what he was either.

[Hector]

Hector grins impishly in response to Twist coquettish look. He follows her gaze to James Turner but stops about half way as Mhairi Ankaa speaks.

"I think twenty questions sounds grand," the wolf says impulsively.

Twenty questions: twenty ways to adapt, confuse, misdirect, and play. Twenty ways to get hints of truth. Twenty chances to shake something more important out from the other beings he ran with this night.

[James Turner]

This was his Durance. This song and dance exactly. They were all standing in a circle, cordial and friendly but which of them had knives up their sleeves? It was his job to suss that out, to determine honesty and intent and then pass that information along to his Keeper. He didn’t have a Keeper now though, he then transitioned that to passing along the information to his Monarch. He didn’t have a Monarch now. He WAS the Monarch, there was no one to pass the buck along to now since it stopped with him. It was entirely up to him to pull and process all that information.

Nexus was dangerous for him. His eyes remained on those speaking, but he couldn’t help but glance at the others gathered, eyes unfocused as he picked up information and filed away. Blue Haired Werewolf, that was interesting. As Twist spoke to him, he focused back on her and gave a small bow at the shoulders as she welcomed him. “Thank you very much.” It was hard to remember he was the Winter Monarch still; a level of formality would be necessary at times.

The porcelain beauty then asked if he wanted to start, his heart hammering, chest muscles clamping around it as his anxiety spiked. That was exactly the opposite of what he wanted to be doing. Thankfully Mhairi and then Hector had saved him from having to find the words to say what he was while not revealing too much. There wasn’t anyone there to tell on him but himself, but it was who we are when no one was watching that determined the strength of one’s character.

“Twenty questions then and as requested I shall begin.” Leave it to a being at least partially fairy to twist and turn words. He took a second, his body going entirely still beyond the soft, subtle rise and fall of his chest before he tilted his head and looked to Tiny and Emily before turning to Hector. Emily was VERY familiar with Hector, Emily was a werewolf. He thinks he had his first question. Best to start with process of elimination.

“Are you a Werewolf?”

As soon as the words left his mouth his clamped heart loosened and kicked into overdrive. Adrenaline filled his system at the direct question, but he HAD to know. Those eyes focused on Hector taking in the measure of the man to see what his response might be. Look at my darling dance on his own, I’m so proud of you James. Just wait until we see each other again…