been waiting for the glory ((open, nexus_crossings))

[tryingitall]

Balthazar's vessel was an artist. Not a famous one, certainly not a wealthy one, but one of those sorts who cannot help but do what he does. Every now and again, he searches the Nexus' galleries and museums on the off-chance there is some world where the man succeeded and earned the recognition the angel feels he was due.

The human soul is within him, still, sleeping, waiting for a well-earned Heavenly reward. He'd wake it up to see if he found his work somewhere.

No such luck today, but the angel has found a sculpture he admires and bought it for one of his safehouses back in his own world. It will be shipped later in the week, and for now he's taking a break, sipping a margarita on the patio of a Tex-Mex restaurant that bears the sign 'Nacho Mama's' in bright pink neon.

He's not interested in the food, but a really good margarita is nothing to be missed. This is his third, and the staff is starting to look deeply concerned by the volume of tequila he has consumed this afternoon.

"It's all right," he tells the waitress as she comes by to check on him, and there is no hint he's even tipsy. "I'm just very fond of lime."

"You, um, must have a high tolerance," she says. "The bartender keeps asking me if he should cut you off."

"Oh, I see. Tell him I could clear out every bit of liquor in the place and still keep my feet. It takes real work to get an angel drunk."

"That explains it," she says weakly, and leaves him be, although it really doesn't explain it, because since when do angels get drunk??

The Nexus is rough on people, ontologically.

Comments

[outpostcook]

"That's true," says the cook, setting down his empty glass. "I know, I know. Anything can happen here. I oughta be used to that by now."

Kinner's a bit more showy than he usually is, mostly because of the Hawaiian shirt he's wearing. He's not usually one for bright colors, but he made an exception for today, since he's out on the town.

"Well, I don't think I've met you before, sir. It's a pleasure. I'm a regular here, not by choice, mind, so I reckon you'll probably see a lot of me."

[tryingitall]

"When you say a regular, do you mean in the Nexus, or at this establishment in particular?" Balthazar asks with a little smirk. "Because if there's something in the tequila that draws people compulsively, I'd like to know before it's too late."

It's probably already too late, if that were the case. He's been here several times before.

"I'm Balthazar, by the way. Please to make your acquaintance."

[outpostcook]

Kinner smirks back. "Both. I'm a regular here in the Nexus, 'cause I died back in my home world. As for why, well...it's kind of a long story that involves Antarctica, aliens, and cows. I'm a regular 'round most of the dining establishments. I'm a cook. It pays to keep an eye on the competition."

That's why he does it. Really. It doesn't have to do with the fact that today Kinner felt like getting drunk.

"Don't think there's anything funny in the tequila." Kinner offers Balthazar a hand. "Pleasure to meet you, too. This is actually my third time here in Nacho Mama's. Not my first time trying Mexican food, either. Little more showy than I'm used to, though."

[tryingitall]

"I'm sorry you died," he says mildly, in much the same way a person would say 'sorry you have a sore throat'. Death is just a transition, after all, for anyone with a soul. "I hope it wasn't too painful."

He shakes hands, careful not to do any damage with his celestial strength. "I've had their tacos, as well. It's hard to get a bad taco anywhere, but theirs are quite good, I think."

[outpostcook]

Kinner shrugs - death isn't a sore throat for him, but things could've been a lot worse for him than winding up in the Nexus for the rest of eternity. At least here he's alive, which he likes, and he's found things to do with his time, so he isn't bored.

"Can't say it was pleasant, for me, at least. At least the Thing had the decency to put me to sleep first before it set to work, though I think it would've spoiled its lunch if I was still alive and struggling when it digested me."

[tryingitall]

Balthazar could tell Kinner all about how Heaven works on his world. It's very pleasant for the souls, of course, sending eternity reliving their best memories from their own lives. It's not precisely equitable, though, given how some people have better memories than others. On the whole, the chance to change things for yourself, like you have in the Nexus, may be a better deal.

But then, Heaven may be different where Kinner comes from, too. Balthazar can only assume he'd merit an eternal reward; that's courteous and he senses no corruption in his soul.

"It could have been worse, then. Some monsters find the terror and pain of their prey a kind of seasoning. But perhaps we should talk of nicer things? Tell me your favorite fish recipe, since you've got a place. What wine goes with seafood? Usually a white, isn't it?"

[outpostcook]

Kinner was raised a religious man, though his faith was shaken by the war and then by the Thing - what kind of good God, he had asked himself, would create and unleash a creature that lived through stealing and feeding on the bodies and minds of living things? The Thing was no demon, he knew that as much as they all did, but the implications were too much to imagine.

He has his share of good memories - but his last memory from his world, of Kinner struggling in the Thing's tentacles as it forced him to look into its eyes, was of pure horror. He's never been able to forget the creature wordlessly commanding him to be quiet.

"There's things that don't kill to eat in the Nexus, but humans are one of them, so we have little room to talk about that. I'm not sure if the Thing only killed us for meat. To answer your question, white wine is best with fish, though I have a taste for beer. As for the fish themselves, I'll admit to a taste for salmon, freshly caught from the Wilds."

[tryingitall]

Kinner had best not ask Balthazar for his opinion on God. It's borderline blasphemous, particularly coming from an angel. Dad's not coming back, he told Castiel not long ago. Might as well blow coke and jump on the bed.

"Angels don't even eat," he tells him kindly. "So I'm not sure I'm fit to criticize humanity's bloodier tendencies. In our natural state, we're merely following orders."

He is no longer in his natural state, though, and he's interested in fish with white wine. "Salmon is nice. I like shellfish. Lobster, in particular. I visit Bar Harbor sometimes just for this one particular lobster pound that makes the best low-country boil on the planet."

[outpostcook]

Kinner's agnostic on his better days - he wants to believe in God, but whatever the Nexus is it isn't Heaven. Besides, he's grown more cynical with death. Maybe God doesn't care about him. He wouldn't blow coke and jump on the bed, but he wouldn't mind grabbing some popcorn and watching the show.

"Humans aren't what I'd call nice," he says. "We do a lot of the same things other animals do. We just are a bit smarter about it and come up with grander excuses to make stealing and killing sound better."

"Lobster's good - I have some of those, if you ever want some. Best lobsters in the Nexus." Kinner can't help but boast a little about his wares. "Where's Bar Harbor? Haven't heard of it."

[tryingitall]

The trouble with Balthazar and religion is it's very personal. It's not just faith, it has to do with his actual family, and that stirs up a lot more emotion with him than it does with some other people. And then to avoid that pain, he drinks and looks for fun and acts disaffected and smug as a coping mechanism.

He could be a worse person overall, but he's certainly not what most people would picture when they think of an angel.

"Where I come from, humans aren't exactly top of the food chain, either. There are all sort of monsters there. You probably don't want to hear about that, though."

"Oh, you've never been to Bar Harbor? You sound American. It's in Maine, right up against the ocean. It used to be just a poor fishing town, I think, but in the last few decades it's become a resort area. The spas there are to die for. But yes, delicious lobster, fresh as you can get it. If you want to visit some time, I'd take you there for a few hours."

[outpostcook]

Kinner shrugs when Balthazar mentions monsters. "Probably wouldn't mind, honestly. I mean, there's monsters everywhere. Most of the worlds I've heard about have got them - human and otherwise."

It's why most of the creatures he's heard about in the Nexus weren't much of a shock. There's the very human monsters of Furiosa's world, the shapeshifting terrors of his and Palmer's, and the jealous, Light-starved thieves of Blaze's. All of them are bad in their own ways. At least the Fallen are genuinely desperate and the Thing was a predator by nature. The People Eater and Immortan Joe had no excuse.

"Wouldn't mind stopping by, if you're offering to take me. You're right, I'm American, though I'm from Missouri. Never actually been to Maine, though I knew a couple New Englanders back in Antarctica. Old Bart Caldwell was one. Van Wall was another."

Kinner hasn't seen either of them in a while. Maybe a visit to Maine will jog his memory.

[tryingitall]

"Well, when it comes to that, certain predatory animals can become man-eaters, I suppose. Less so in the modern era, but people used to be terrified of wolves, and not without reason. Nowadays they wear them on their t-shirts."

Which you'd think would be better for the wolves, but maybe not so much.

"I am offering! I'm always looking for something to pass the time. I don't sleep, you see, and I rarely work."

He nods attentively. "I've only been to Missouri once, briefly, to fetch something for Cas. Right in the middle of the river, honestly. Good place to hide an artifact, I suppose, but messy to retrieve."

[outpostcook]

"I don't think anyone will be wearing a Thing on their T-shirts anytime soon." Kinner's wrong, of course, but he's right as far as his world goes. "They aren't pretty creatures, and they aren't endangered the way wolves are. Where I'm from, people shoot them for eating their sheep and cows. Not eating people so much. Same thing happens to coyotes and birds of prey."

Kinner never saw a wolf before he met Harrowheart, who he isn't sure counts.

Harrow's not a gray wolf or red wolf. He's Harrowheart, for better and for worse, and he figures werewolves are their own thing.

He offers a hand to Balthazar, grinning. "Well, let me take you up on that offer. I'd love to visit Maine - I've heard great things about their lobsters, and you make the place sound even better than I imagined."

[tryingitall]

"You know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder," he says. But he's not going to push that point of view to a man who's been devoured by a Thing. Just offering a different perspective.

He takes the handshake with a smile. "Excellent! You won't be sorry. Lobster rolls for lunch, low-country boil for dinner. And blueberry pie. They grow quite a lot of blueberries in Maine."

He prefers his blueberries in cheesecake, for the most part, but a decent pie isn't a thing to be refused, either.

[outpostcook]

"I'm sure Things look just fine to each other." Kinner knows a Thing personally - he'll have to ask Bob about Thing beauty standards. He's pretty sure they don't reproduce the normal way.

Food is a more appealing topic. Kinner's mouth waters as he's hearing about the food on offer. Of course, he likes the idea of lobster rolls, and blueberry pie? Even better! The more he hears, the more excited he is.

"So, when should we set off? I'd want to do it before winter picks up. Just in case we get stuck in the Nexus again."