A fine day for horseback riding. ((For i_paladin))

[chiron_survivor]

Adia is full of nervous energy as she waits outside of the Nexus inn for Paladin. She is mostly excited, but it has been a long time since she has ridden a horse. Her riding boots and helmet are long gone, lost along with everything else when Leonis was destroyed. She is wearing her regular boots and jeans, along with a sweater and her heavy wool coat. She didn't bother with a scarf, worried the fluttering might startle or distract the horse. Paladin did say that he was sassy.

Shifting her weight from foot to foot, she pulls out her PINpoint for the hundredth time and checks for messages. The innkeeper was happy enough to play go-between, printing out Adia's electronic messages and transcribing anything that Paladin wanted to write back in return. It's how they were able to plan their get-together. But Adia checks anyway. Plans can change, after all.

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[i_paladin]

"Oh dear," this is after a significant silence once Adia ends her explanation. Is this crazy talk? It sounds crazy, these tiny things inside of her determining how tall she was, the color of her skin, and wilder yet - her sex: which may or not make more sense than some people feeling the Tiefling had been blessed by the gods. At this point, Paladin had believed in what she had said with almost no question at all, but what if all this was just crazy talk?

But even after a few days she had not been wrong or made up anything else. "This is very fascinating," Paladin breathes, unconsciously leaning forward. "I am struggling to believe this is true, it seems so unbelievable. How do you know this to be true?" Her current difficulty doesn't make Paladin hostile but curious, wanting to believe. Adia believed when Paladin spoke about magic and how fantastic was that?

The call to get another plate is almost relieving and she stands. "I think you may know more than I do, regardless! A polar bear? he is friendly? I will have to swing around and see him for myself." Paladin motions back toward where Adia had gone for her first plate, and when they drew close enough pointed at the bowls of green, red, and orange jello some with dollops of whipped cream on top. There it sits, and there Paladin's finger points like a child tattling.


[hey, i'm always down for wild aus! okay that sounds adorable and awesome, i bet she was a lot of fun! also: love that she kind of ended up a social worker!]

[chiron_survivor]

Adia does not seem to be put off by Paladin's skepticism. If anything, she finds it encouraging. It's better to be curious and want more proof than to accept any explanation without questioning it. "We have powerful microscopes and other technology that lets us see genes. All living things, at least where I'm from, are related, so there are long sequences of genes that are the same. You can observe which ones are different and what traits are associated with them. Really, it comes down to observation, just like any other scientific field." She frowns thoughtfully. There must be a way to translate this kind of thing to Paladin's world. "You know how people will breed animals to have certain characteristics? Or plants? It's a little like that, just... faster. Because you're getting at the thing that's responsible for these characteristics, and not just hoping that if you pick two parents with the characteristic you want, the offspring will have it, too."

"He is very friendly. He doesn't act much like a bear, to be honest. He walks around on his hind legs." She turns herself around at Paladin's direction and looks at the bowls of jello. "Oh! That's gelatin. It's very sweet, it's mostly sugar and... collagen, I think. It takes the shape of whatever mold you put it in." It's not her personal favorite -- too little like real food, and she eats enough processed foodstuff these days for it to appeal to her. "They're flavored to taste like fruit... lime, cherry, and orange, based on their colors."

[i_paladin]

Out of everyone who could have come up to her and introduced themselves and started to explain the Nexus, Adia is probably the best suited and most helpful. It's not that the others are bad, or wrong, but Adia speaks in terms that Paladin is familiar with, as soon as she mentions the breeding of animals a light goes on and Paladin gets it. Even in her world breeding for strength, gentleness, or other traits is widely practiced. The Tiefling gives a small noise of delight in understanding. "Yes! Ah, yes, I see now, like when it comes to dogs or horses! Or races, yes? Two Dwarves will not have a human child because Dwarf genes are different in some ways than human genes."

Fun fact: half-elves *technically* aren't the result of an elf and another race mating, but that's what is widely accepted so, that's what everyone goes with.

"You are a very good teacher, Adia," and there is such a note of both awe and appreciation in her voice. "I did not go to school when I was young, that option is not open to my race. There was a Dwarf though who would teach me letters and numbers as I helped him in his bakery, you remind me of him. Except you aren't as surly." Which is nice, Paladin is too old for the gruff school of teaching.

Eyebrows raise and she gives a slight shrug at the description, the colors are certainly enticing: almost enough for her to reach out and take one but Paladin hesitates. "Do you like Jello?"

[chiron_survivor]

Adia finds it easy to empathize with others, and that includes trying to see things from their perspective. She doesn't have much teaching experience, but she's grown accustomed to explaining how things work, especially in the Nexus. And with the biological sciences, she has the combined benefit of knowledge and confidence in what she knows. "Yes, exactly." Which makes her wonder briefly what the DNA of another humanoid race would look like, but it's not like she has a spare electron microscope to find out. "Genes don't determine everything about a living thing, of course. The environment plays a huge role, too. But physical appearance is heavily based on genes."

"Thanks." She smiles from the praise, although it is tempered by hearing that Paladin wasn't allowed to go to school as a child. That seems incredibly unjust. "You're a quick learner, Paladin. I think it would be much harder for me to adjust if I had been coming from your world."

Jello is certainly very colorful, and probably what has kept it popular for so long. "It's not my favorite. I prefer dessert with a little more substance. You should try it, though, to see if you like it." She gestures to where the hot entrees are. "I'm going to get some of that chicken you had, it looked good. I'll meet you back at the table?"

((Now I am curious, what are half-elves? Also, I forgot to reply last tag, I am also a fan of wild aus. :) ))

[i_paladin]

If Adia ever wants a DNA sample from the Tiefling all she needs to do is ask. That would be a wild fucking trip to see what that would look like. "Interesting, it would take a long time for the environment to influence a person's appearance, yes? Or will a few years do?" This has now given her an interesting perspective on the people she comes in contact with.

The Tiefling practically beams with that compliment, really, Paladin is so very pleased that there is actually kind of a stammering, a verbal blush. "That is very kind of you to say. It is, at sometimes, difficult, but I have this thought that I have seen so many thing that at times defines imagination. It makes it easier to consider ideas different than my own."

Hmmmm.... Reaching out Paladin grabs a cherry jello, that seems safest. "Yes, that sounds like a fine plan, I am unsure of what to taste next but I am sure something will grab my attention. The chicken is very good, moist."


[ah! so, i should have kind of clarified. most people think a half-elf is easily made, right? an elf and a human do that thing mammals do and boom: baby that is of both worlds, but a half-elf is the result of an elf and another race actually beseeching the gods to allow them to conceive. if granted, the baby would be born either man or elf. the half comes from the fact that one of his parents was an elf. that's Tolkien for you. hey! if you're up for it and want me/paladin involved just let me know.]

[chiron_survivor]

Maybe someday, if Adia's world ever finds peace and she still has access to her equipment AND she works up the nerve to ask Paladin. "It depends on what aspect of someone's appearance. For example, someone may have the genes for freckles, but if they stay out of the sun, then they'd never show up. But other environmental effects might take decades, like poor diet leading to stunted growth."

Adia smiles to herself a little, at the tiefling's reaction. She considers Paladin quite bright. Explaining things to her has been a pleasure. "I'm sure that helps. Your world sounds so... mutable. Like anything is possible. That's good preparation for the Nexus."

"Okay. See you there in a bit." She hopes that Paladin waits until Adia is seated to try the jello. She has a feeling that her reaction will be worth seeing. After some time spent at the hot entree section, Adia returns to the table with a little bit of everything. The only dishes she skipped were those slathered in sauce, which reminds her too much of the unpalatable rations on New Caprica, even though rationally she knows they'll taste just as good as anything else.

((ahhh, okay. That makes sense. I've read Tolkien but I never looked too much into that aspect. I'll let you know if I ever go the au route!))

[i_paladin]

A word full of magic and shenanigans makes for easy transitions. When you have owlbears running around it's not so hard to consider human robots or being built by tiny little proteins that you can only see with a special machine.

Jello in hand, Paladin takes another look at what is being offered, maybe a salad wouldn't be such a bad thing to grab, so dark greens get loaded on to a plate along with some veggies and interesting pre-made cold salads that do feature vegetables but also some sort of sauce for flavor. Also: more chicken, because that was super delicious.

The table has been cleared of previous dishes when Paladin sits. "Variety is my favorite thing," the Tiefling tells her lunch companion. "I am so bad at settling with one thing, and why do so when there are so many exciting options out there?" It certainly explains Paladin's 'love' life.

[chiron_survivor]

It looks like Adia's iced tea is refilled, as well. She takes a sip after she sits, then carefully cuts into her chicken. "Do you mean food, or in general?" she asks with a smile. "Believe it or not, I had a hard time settling down when I was younger. I wanted to travel and see all twelve colonies. It's why I took the position on the Chiron. I couldn't resist working in space."

[i_paladin]

"In general," Paladin grins back. "In all things, travel, food, clothing, people, love."

A tilt of her horned head has her considering Adia carefully. "I don't know how easily I believe that, you seem very, steady..." It was a word Paladin searched for but was unsure if that's what she really sought in the end. "But I did not know you when you were young, and time changes us all. What was is it like, working in space?"

[chiron_survivor]

There is probably a better word for what Paladin means, but Adia understands what she's trying to say. "I prefer stability most of the time," she admits. "But not when it came to a place to live. I read about so many different places when I was a child, I wanted to experience them for myself. Including space." She smiles wryly. "Although it's not as exciting as you'd think. On a ship as big as the Chiron, you rarely feel like you're moving. It's like... like working in a sealed building that has an amazing view."

[i_paladin]

There is a wrinkle of nose at the description, Paladin has no concept of what space might be like, no idea that it involves no air and something about no one being able to hear you scream.

"The view sounds appealing but not the other part, being in a sealed building. It sounds like it would be hard to move independently: to do what you want, or go where you want to go. You can get off at ports though, yes?" So maybe that's appealing, a ship has to dock sometimes, right?

Speaking of docking, Paladin picks up her spoon and approaches the jello, carefully, slowly, before diving in and scooping out a bite. The taste isn't bad, but it is very sweet, the texture of it is quite appealing too: it's squishy! "Hmmmmm interesting! It is very sweet, but I think I may like it."

[chiron_survivor]

"It's true, you didn't have a lot of options on where to go. We had an entertainment room and a gym. It wasn't run like a military vessel, though, you could set your own work hours. We had the full run of the ship, except for the captain's deck and the engine room, that was crew only." Her expression grows wistful at Paladin's question. "Yeah... we'd dock at an orbiting refueling station every so often. We were never in deep space, if people wanted to take shore leave, they were never more than a few jumps from the colonies."

She eats some of her chicken, smiling at the way Paladin goes about her first spoonful of jello. "I'm glad you like it. It's funny, isn't it? The way it wiggles."

[i_paladin]

"That must have been very nice, being able to go to the colonies when you wanted to. I have to imagine your transportation is faster than what is normal in my world." It was assume off the word 'jumps.' It just sounds fast, though who knows, it could have been just as fast as a ship on Paladin's home world.

"It is! I was admiring the way it moves." What might be more funny is a demonoid playing with their jello. Paladin carefully pokes the jello with the spoon to get it wiggling, and once it is, she focuses and creates with a bit a magic a spooky 'oooohhhhhh!' ghost moan that appears to come from the wiggling jello.

[chiron_survivor]

"Probably," Adia agrees. "It's millions of miles between any two things in space at a minimum." She hopes that doesn't weird Paladin out. Space is big! "But, anyway, I never felt trapped. Some people do get claustrophobic on ships, though, especially the smaller ones. Or... the opposite. Agoraphobic? It can feel like too much, being surrounded by outer space."

There is thankfully no food in Adia's mouth when Paladin does her little magic trick; she jumps, then bursts into surprised laughter. "That's all the Nexus needs, haunted gelatin." As amusing as it is, Adia will definitely be put off of eating jello for a while.

[i_paladin]

A million miles? That's a very big number, that is something Paladin understands, a million miles between things and they travel that distance? The Tiefling whistles low under her breath and shakes her head slowly. "It is easy to feel overwhelmed in space, I think, it sounds like a very, very big area." It's sort of hard to understand, it's just too immense, but she knows it's a lot.

Looking up she grins broadly, a wide, mischievous smile that is followed up by a giggle. "We could make an immense jello and set it up to make scary noises! How fun would that be?"

[chiron_survivor]

"Overwhelmed, yes. That's a better word for it. Knowing that it was at least several hours travel to get to the nearest colony made several people homesick." Unfortunately, that was now a constant state of being for everyone in her world. "Sometimes I wish I had spent a little more time on Leonis before I left home, but... I mean, I couldn't have known."

Adia is not normally one for practical jokes, but a giant jello making scary noises sounds fairly harmless, and amusing. "That'd be pretty funny. I'm sure there'd be at least a few people who'd try to eat it, anyway."

[i_paladin]

"You couldn't have," Paladin agrees with a serious nod. "It is easy to look back and have regrets, Gods knows I have spent a number of sleepless nights like that. The trick is savoring and loving the things you did do, you did experience." Things that she will probably not be able to do again, depending on the experience that is.

"It is a valid attack," Paladin laughs sitting back in the chair. "I would fight by the side of anyone who saw a spooky jello and decided to go at it with a spoon."

[chiron_survivor]

Adia nods, working through her meal while Paladin speaks. It's sage advice, and something she already does. As shy as she is, she did go out and enjoy life. She has no regrets about that. "I'm lucky to have the Nexus, too. It's not like home, but it's closer to Leonis than what I have on New Caprica."

Adia almost makes a joke about eating your enemy, but realizes the unintentional double entendre before the words leave her mouth. She has a feeling Paladin wouldn't be offended, but Adia is not confidant enough to make such jokes. "How did you get it to make that noise? What sort of spell, I mean?"

[i_paladin]

"How did you find the Nexus? I don't get the impression that this is a place that people search for." Paladin certainly didn't, but at this point she is trying not to view everyone else's experience through her own.

That would have been something if she had, Paladin would have been delightfully shocked. "That is something that Tieflings can do, it's innate magic called Thamaturgy. There are other tricks one can do with it as well, all of them rather spooky in nature. Lights flickering, and changing color, eerie noises, altered appearance. Things like that."

[chiron_survivor]

"I don't think I've met anyone who found the Nexus on purpose. For me, a portal opened on my ship and I stumbled through it without noticing. Once I got my PINpoint, the portal disappeared. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the portals, but I think the more one gets used, the more stable it becomes."

Adia saves the ribald jokes for those she's extremely close with, or when she's drunk. Which is not nearly as often as one would think, given her circumstances. "Do you use this magic for anything in particular?" Other than making jello sound haunted and other parlor tricks.

[i_paladin]

"I should get one of those," Paladin sort of mutters to herself, a reminder of sorts that undoubtedly she will forget until Adia (bless her eternally) brings it up again. "May I ask a rather sensitive question? If you do not wish to answer you do not need to but I am curious: have you ever given some thought to not going back to your world?" Because it would be so easy to stay in this place, to never go back, to enjoy the fresh food and find a place of employment and settle down.

Clearly they need to go out drinking and get into some shenanigans.

"Only to frighten, sometimes for fun, sometimes not. They occasionally work as diversions as well, but most of the time it is to intimidate. That's what the magic was originally given to us for, demonic half people are good for little else," Paladin finishes with a slight, humorless smile.

[chiron_survivor]

She'll keep reminding Paladin, if it seems necessary. She's already met two people who can't return to their own worlds because their portals disappeared. "It really is more useful than relying on a portal, no matter how stable the portal is."

The question doesn't surprise her. She's been asked that many times, usually soon after the other person learns how crappy her current world is. It's a question she asks herself, every time she visits the Nexus. "I've... thought about it, yes. But..." She sighs and picks at the remnants of her chicken. "I can't leave my friends behind. I could bring Maggie here, and Seth and Will and a few others, but there wouldn't be enough time to rescue everyone, and... it'd be too much like giving up." And all the comforts of the Nexus wouldn't take away that shame. "If... If things get really bad, I'll consider it. But for now, I can't leave them."

It doesn't seem fair, that Paladin's inherent magic only works to make people more afraid of her. "It's not like that here, you know. I mean, you might run into some people who are prejudiced against anything remotely demonic, but... everyone is an individual here and should be treated that way. If someone can't figure that out, then it's their loss."

[i_paladin]

"I understand," Adia never gave off the impression that she was someone who walked away, no, she is much too strong for that even under the rule of the Cylons. "You are very brave, Adia, and a good friend. I truly hope it never gets to the point where you have to flee." Being cut off from your home world, even if your home world is a mess is a little like having a limb amputated: it may be necessary but a part of you is still missing and you feel that deeply.

The tight, humorless smile relaxes and the Tiefling gives a slight shrug. "I am used to it, and, for the most part I do not blame them for their fear or hesitancy. You would be wary of any Cylon, yes? Thankfully, I have a village where people trust and accept me, and that feeling is growing, and I have yet to run into such fear here. The Nexus, I have found is a very diverse place and I believe that helps a great deal."

[chiron_survivor]

She doesn't feel very brave, most days. Maybe someone stronger than her would save those she could and rebuild a life in the Nexus, rather than stand around helplessly while the Cylons slowly crush what's left of humanity under their metaphorical boot. But she appreciates being called a good friend, and smiles bashfully in response. "I hope so, too... but it is a comfort knowing that the Nexus is here when I need it. "Maybe not in all the ways she expects, but there for her nonetheless.

The question is rhetorical, her wariness of Cylons, but her mind stumbles over it nonetheless. It'd be more than wariness, if a Cylon set foot in the Nexus. "That's true... although I have made friends with other sentient robots. But I'm glad you have a place back on your world where people accept you, too."

Adia finishes up what's left on her plate. She hasn't skimped on lunch, but she's made sure to make room for dessert, another thing that is in short supply on New Caprica. "Let me know when you're ready to get dessert. Unless you're just having the jello for that."

[i_paladin]

Paladin would empathize with that as well, some days the Tiefling does not feel brave, some days she feels so tired, and some nights all that plagues her dreams are nightmares about battles she has faced and the battles yet to come. It's wearisome to close your eyes and find no rest only more to do.

"Our minds were built to learn, fears are not always unfounded we just need to make sure we don't let them rule us." That's the problem. When fear dictates everything you do.

"Please go," a gentle shooing motion with her hands before picking up her fork. "I am still working here but you should go and get what you please."