Sign Nexus. Sign Area. I Roam Around Around Around

[misslucysleeches]

There's a newcomer to the Nexus today -- a woman in her very early thirties, with bright red hair and a forest-green sweater, sitting on one of the provided couches and looking at travel brochures. She wandered in earlier, and after the obligatory "?!?/can I get back" moment, has decided that she might as well do as the sign asks and ask a question. She spreads out her brochures on a table in front of her and looks up.

"So, random strangers! I'm a wanderer, and I've wandered almost all of the United States. So I think it's time I broke into international travel. Since it's my first time in this regard, I figured I'd at least start out by going to one of the more well-known cities, and see where adventure leads me from there."

She holds up three brochures.

"The question of the day is, then: London, Paris, or Rome?"

Comments

[random_xtras]

"Paris," says the older guy who's sitting on the hood of a sweet sandy coloured GTO Judge and holding a child who is totally wrapped in a comfy looking patchwork quilt. "And I hope that roomie she was talking about is home, because that girl's got a concussion."

[misslucysleeches]

Lucy blinks -- then it clicks that he's probably answering her question from earlier. "Right," she nods, then grimaces. "Oh yikes -- I saw the bruising, but. . ."

be back tomorrow. *issa pooped*

[random_xtras]

"She's concussed." He nods, frowning. "Though she's probably used to taking care of herself in situations like that."

Then he looks back to Lucy. "Major Sam Walker. Looks like I'm next in line to answer your question, but I can fill you in on the Nexus too, if you want."

He looks about sixty, with an air around him that makes him easy to trust. There's a reason the soldiers and airmen on the base he shares the command of are glad to serve under him.

all righty -- about time for me to hit the sack too

[misslucysleeches]

"Yeah," Lucy says, shooting a worried look to where she'd last seen McCrennin. "Hope she'll be all right. . ."

She gives him a little smile. "Lucy Leech, though you might have already heard that. And some more info about where I've ended up would be really appreciated, thank you. I get the feeling I jumped in the deep end without a proper look."

[random_xtras]

"I don't think I have any of the books on hand, but I can tell you where to get them and answer questions for you." He peeks at the face of the sleeping child, and then wraps them in the blanket again and absently cuddles the small form, his expression easy and content.

[misslucysleeches]

"Just telling me where to find the information would be great," Lucy nods. She looks over at the child, smiling a little. "Yours?"

[random_xtras]

"Well, the best place to pick up the pamphlets and the LOL encyclopedia is at the Black Dog. It's a quicker trip than to the Nexus Library, and you just need to ask a waiter or barkeep for it," says Sam. Then his craggy face softens into a proud grin. "Yup. This is my boy, Isaac. He wore himself out working on a tank today."

[misslucysleeches]

"There's a whole encyclopedia?" Lucy says, eyes widening. "How many of these LOL things have there been? . . .No, wait, don't answer that. Thinking about it, it's probably a stupid question."

She blinks a few times. "A tank?"

[random_xtras]

"It's not a stupid question, though I don't know the answer," says Sam. "And yeah, he was helping out in the motor pool. What th... Optimus, don't do that."

This last is directed to a tall, broad shouldered young man who just walked over out of seeming nowhere and bapped him gently on the shoulder with a pocket size hard cover book.

[misslucysleeches]

"I guess I'd have to look at the encyclopedia for answers," Lucy says. She's about to say something about Isaac looking a little young for working on tanks in any capacity when -- hello, new person. She can't help a little smile at this "Optimus's" way of getting attention. She does that to people too sometimes.

[random_xtras]

Optimus seems to be wearing an aura of trustworthiness, and the blue eyes that he turns toward Lucy shine very softly with a rather eldritch light as he smiles in answer to hers. Then he offers the little yellow book, reaching into the pocket of his red fire engine red jacket as he does. "This is the encyclopedia. It doesn't actually cover ever LOL, but more the basic types and the way to avoid or find them. And I've got the other newcomer reference material right here."

[misslucysleeches]

Lucy arches an eyebrow as she accepts the book. "Was expecting it to be bigger. . .guess I'm too used to encyclopedias being like the Britannica ones," she admits, then grins again. "Thank you. You came prepared, didn't you?"

[random_xtras]

"No." Sam snorts laughter. "Not this time he's not. You're making copies on the fly, aren't you, kid?"

"Grandpa. Let me keep a little dignity." Optimus' face pinks slightly, though he's laughing too. "Silver got the pamphlets I had and made a nest for the cats with them."

Sam grins, including Lucy in the humour. "That's what baby sisters are for."

[misslucysleeches]

Lucy snickers. "Oh dear. . .well, at least you had them on you when they'd be most useful?" she offers up. "And I guess so -- never had a baby sister myself, but I've known people with them."

[random_xtras]

"Well, the most useful to Silver." Optimus' grin is boyish with amusement and a bit sheepish. "Grandpa's right, though. I just made these." His hand comes from the jacket pocket, and he offers her two folded pamphlets, one of which will prove itself a list of safe places to eat and shop, while the other bears the title 'Nexus 101'.

"Shhhh," Sam is saying softly in the meantime, as he rubs the back of Isaac's quilt bundle. "You can see Oppy later, buddy. Just finish sleeping for now."

[misslucysleeches]

"Still, useful to somebody!" Lucy accepts the pamphlets with a nod, looking them over. "'Nexus 101,'" she reads on the second. "Okay, yeah, this one's on the definite must-read list."

"Someone trying to cut naptime short?" she asks, chuckling (but quietly, as to not disturb the kid).

[random_xtras]

"He's always ready to visit," says Sam, his affection for the little one that he's holding very clear. "But if he doesn't get his sleep he'll be so tired that he can't even keep his fuel."

Optimus looks at the bundle with concern, but then smiles and turns back to Lucy. "Do you have any more questions?"

[misslucysleeches]

Lucy chuckles -- then blinks in confusion. "His -- fuel?" she parrots, unable to help herself. Odd name for food. . .then again, she's got to remember this place just doesn't open onto regular old Earth.

"Anybody know how big this place is, or is it sort of a case of it's as big as it wants to be?" she asks, curious. "I mean, there's this place--" she points at the sign "--and I've heard of restaurants and a library. . ."

[random_xtras]

"Grandpa and Isaac are Cybertronian," says Optimus. "And when I look at this place I see... Twenty square miles? A little more or less. It changes for some people, but the ones I know usually see the same thing I do. We've got the square here, the park across the street from it. Over this way a few blocks over there'll soon be a hotel on the shores of the weed monster lake, over by the subdivision that never got built. In that direction..." He turns and points the opposite way. "Is the harbour and that chunk of Venice. Between the harbour and here is the Nexus Library, which includes every book ever written. A little closer and to the West is the Nexus mall." He turns again, facing North East. "There's a populated subdivision in that direction, on the other side of the Sanctuary of Primus, and just here to the North is the blanket factory and my mom's doll factory. To the East, along this path between the brownstones and in the huge old warehouse at the end of the path, are the entwife's garden and the Black Dog pub, which is having a live band tomorrow night. To the far West is Blackout's kingdom. You want to avoid it. And over to the far North East is the lost highway. Some people live there, and there are a lot of motor sport events. Between the highway and here is forest with some homes in it."

[misslucysleeches]

Lucy has that mildly-stunned look on her face that most people get when they try to take in a lot of information all at once. She blinks a few times, trying to process the info dump. "Okay. . . I think I have all that. . .maybe. . ." She shakes her head. "It's like -- I'd say it's own country, but it's more like a weird mix between a town and a world. If that makes any sense at all." She's still feeling a little loopy.

[random_xtras]

Optimus looks sheepish as Sam laughs at him. "Well..." His hand suddenly sparkles with red and blue lights, and then holds out another pamphlet as the sparkles die away. "Here's a map."

[misslucysleeches]

Whoa -- Lucy wasn't expecting that either. But it's cool-looking. Now why can't her magic do that? "Thank you," she says with a smile, taking the paper. "I think I know where to go and where not to go, but -- this is appreciated."

[random_xtras]

"Doing my job," says Optimus, then looks at Sam for a moment before quickly shaking his head and looking back to Lucy. "Can we help you with anything else?"

"That band that's playing tomorrow night's not bad, if you can take classic rock," says Sam, his eyes twinkling.

[misslucysleeches]

"Your job to save damsels in not-quite-distress?" Lucy jokes, then leafs through all her various papers. "I think this should cover just about everything I need to know."

"I'm not opposed to classic rock," she says with a smile.

[random_xtras]

"It's to help people." Optimus grins and starts to turn away, but Sam speaks up.

"I can think of one more thing it'd be good for you to know, Miss."