Nexus
"You're looking remarkably well this morning. The way I heard it, you drank several burly men under the table yesterday." Jian Wei manages to burden this relatively innocuous sentence with enough disapproval to make any teetotaler proud. We walk through the busy streets of town, to my offices in the Cinnabar district. It's been a while since I rode south, and found the most exciting post ever, and while I'm back in town, I want to see how business has been in my absence.
"Look, I know you don't believe me, but it was necessary. Do you know anything about that crazy death cultist that shows up in town sometimes?" Jian Wei is exactly the kind of person to know something like this. He keeps his ear to the ground, and he hears all kinds of things that people won't tell me.
He walks beside me quietly, considering, or perhaps just uncomfortable discussing death cultists in the middle of a busy thoroughfare. We arrive at the inauspicious storefront that houses my ambitions lately, and he ushers me inside, glancing both ways before coming inside himself and shutting the door firmly.
"Why are you being so needlessly mysterious? We're hardly the only ones talking about ol' what's his name." I really don’t understand why all of my conversations with Jian Wei seem to be so ominous.
"That's exactly what I'm worried about.” He began. “I don't want to concern you, but there's something decidedly unnatural about this. Two days ago, the apostate has a healthy following, and today he's universally hated? I've been watching him, he's- well, he was one of the more interesting people in Nexus. But people that followed him yesterday are burning their black robes this morning. Wait. I can tell by your face that you know something. And before I forget, what does this have to do with the excesses of last night?"
"Nameless Ravine. He's one of my circle. He came into town the other day, and has already ousted the apostate. It is very, very dangerous to read anything Nameless writes; on paper, he's as persuasive as I am. And he's been posting letters all over this city. This whole thing got started when Nameless met up with the apostate yesterday afternoon, and they had a war of words. I stood back in the crowd, because, honestly? Religious debate is not really something I do. But if things get ugly...I stand with my circle. And I wanted to prevent the effusion of blood, if possible. This is Nameless, after all.
“So the apostate starts telling us all to despair, and he put some kind of power behind his words, not enough to affect me or Nameless, but everyone else in the crowd- I saw people start to wander off, and I could almost see death at their side. Before everyone could go home and slit their wrists, I used my powers of persuasion."
It seems that I finally know something he doesn’t. "What did you tell them?" he asked.
"Um...'Nexus is awesome, let's all get drunk!'? It seemed a good idea at the time, as it got innocent bystanders out of the way. Just remember: Liquor saves lives." I said, very seriously. “You seem unconvinced."
"You’re telling me that late night revelry saved the peasants of Nexus? I’m not buying it. Actually, I had no idea you were that kind of girl." Only Jian Wei could say this without even a trace of flirtation.
"Look, I needed a drink by then.” I replied. “I mean, why was the apostate even here yesterday? I shouldn't really let things like that happen in my town. Luckily one of my circle has the resolve to do what I never have thought to."
"It's Nexus. What do you expect?" he shrugged.
"See, that's exactly what I'm talking about!” I cried. “Nexus doesn't have to be the dregs of society; it just chooses to be. But imagine what this place could be." I waited to see if he had any idea what I was talking about. The blank stare was answer enough.
"Nexus is a crossroads of civilization.” I continued. “What if that brought together the best parts of every culture, instead of just the worst things? This city has something that no other place has. Think of it. Nexus is shadowed by the image of what it could be. This town could shine like a diamond. Hmmm…."
“Oh, gods no.” Jian Wei sighed. “You’ve got an idea.”
