It's been a long time.

[name_of_thorn]

Walking quietly about the Nexus this evening is a figure that appears to be some sort of elven king, if one were to judge by his elegantly medieval dress, the circlet upon his brow, and his fae grace. Deep blue, runic tattoos cover every inch of skin that shows, from face to neck to hands. Unlike most elves, however, his ears are relatively rounded

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[sarah_branigan]

There's a little girl who is old enough to know better than to gawk at the tattooed man, but stares anyway. He looks like someone from one of her storybooks.

She walks towards him a little, hands tucked into her overall pockets. She shouldn't talk to strangers, but everyone here is a stranger, so...

"You mean how much should you have to give up to help people? I kind of want to be a nurse when I grow up, but my mom says I won't have as much time for my family. I think it's worth it, though." She smiles at the second question. "Is that what this place is? I just got here, so I don't have any memories of it, yet."

[name_of_thorn]

She's only a child, and he smiles slightly and gives her a nod. "Ye have it right. Being a nurse sounds like a noble career. Never been much for any kind of doctoring, myself. This is the Nexus, and as long as ye stay in this area no one can harm ye, but only take food and drink from the kitchen over there." He points it out through the shifting crowds.

[sarah_branigan]

"I want to help people. And you get to see blood and guts. That's pretty neat." This guy seems all right, even though he talks a little funny. She looks in the direction he points. "What happens if you eat food or drink something that doesn't come from there?"

[name_of_thorn]

He looks mildly skeptical over her enthusiasm for gore, but continues to smile weakly. "Strange things can 'appen, like being turned into an animal or another gender or changing your mood. It doesn't always, but it can."

[just_instinct]

Batgirl keeps her distance, but she's incredibly curious about the tattoos and the man's overall appearance. She's not socialized enough to know not to stare, and the skintight mask she's wearing suggests puzzlement as she considers the question.

"Anything." She corrects herself with effort, as if English isn't quite her first language, "...any price." As to the second question, she shrugs her shoulders--hasn't been here long enough for that.

She gestures to her face, and then points at his, wanting to know about the tattoos, but not quite having the eloquence for a verbal question.

[name_of_thorn]

"'S a hard thing to commit too, though, isn't it?" He notes her struggle with speech, but reddens slightly as he realizes the unspoken question. "Um. I didn't do it to meself. My father did."

[just_instinct]

She shakes her head, an emphatic negative. "...it's the only thing." She says softly, "The right thing."

Batgirl pauses, looking sad at the answer, assuming it wasn't a voluntary process, then. "Sorry."

[name_of_thorn]

"The right thing isn't always easy. Not in my experience at least."

He smiles, a little sadly, but the blush is lessening now. "Thankye. It doesn't bother me as much as it used to, but it doesn't like sunlight."

[courtneycrumrin]

Courtney has been busy of late, working on spell bombs for an upcoming event of sorts, but when she takes a brief break to stretch her legs in the Nexus, she immediately takes note of the strange figure. She watches him from a distance for a few minutes, struck by a sense of familiarity, but it is only as she draws closer that she takes in the white hair, facial structure, and the eyes. The tattoos, which she has seen only once before, are also a dead giveaway as to who, precisely, this is. Her eyes get huge and her jaw drops, one hand coming up to stifle the sharp intake of air she makes in response to the revelation.

No answer to his question seems forthcoming. She seems to be unable to speak for the moment.

[name_of_thorn]

The heart-shaped face and elegant cheekbones are more noticeable when not obscured under a layer of blisters. He seems to be regarding the Nexus with an air of calm bemusement, but when he catches a glimpse of her he freezes briefly.

She is so heart-achingly young. He does not look a day over thirty, but as the version she knows looks little older than her yet claims to be in his twenties, there is no telling the age of this one.

He bites his lip very briefly, a habit he thinks he has broken long ago, then approaches her cautiously. "Ah... Nexus?" Thorn meets her eyes with a wary, apologetic smile.

[courtneycrumrin]

"Oh, Thorn..." she says softly after a moment. "Are you...are you my Thorn, or the City's, or an alternate or...? We...should all wear name tags. Or something."

She wants to reach out and hug him, but somehow the strangeness is a firmer barrier than the blisters and scabs ever were. She manages a smile, however, a little weak and awed.

[name_of_thorn]

"...The cit-? Oh. Um, no. I'd say I'm... well that I've come back in time, but with the Nexus ye can never be sure." He smiles weakly, moving slightly closer. He wants to give her a hug, but seems unsure of how it would be taken. He can't be sure precisely how old she is, or what their relationship is in this time. He does catch the look in her eyes, however, and interprets it correctly. "Don't be looking at me like that. 'M still Thorn. I just... keep out of the sun, when I can..." He's aware the circlet and his elegant clothes will demand explanation as well, but this is Courtney, and he trusts her in any time.

[derek_bliss]

"Whatever price paid where you can still look at yourself in the mirror the morning after," Derek responds. Unlike the most recent Nexus influx of...uniqueness...Derek doesn't seemed to have aged at all.

Unless you look in his eyes. There's a certain weariness and calm resignation that he usually doesn't have lurking there.

"I have a lot of good memories of the nexus," he continues, "Most of them having to do with old friends."

[name_of_thorn]

Thorn gives a wry smile and makes a vague gesture to the markings which cover his skin. "As much as I ever could, at least. Yes. It's been personal sacrifice less than harming others, although... that does 'ave a part. I'm not sure it could be helped, though." Derek is familiar to him, but only as someone he's seen around the Nexus over the years.

He nods in response to the second answer. "Likewise, although I seem to 'ave taken a step backwards in time, to when the old friends were newer."

[derek_bliss]

Derel likewise never knew Thorn on a personal level, but he does remember occasional interactions between the man and Courtney. And there are other senses the hunter can rely on to tell him who Thorn is.

"Sometimes you have to do bad in order to do good, or harm in order to heal," Derek shrugs, "It's intermixed."

The hunter pauses, looking around for a moment, as if re-familiarizing himself with the place as well, "Seems to be common these days," he notes.

[name_of_thorn]

Anyone who has ever scrutinized the facial structure beneath the blisters and the intense grey-green eyes might recognize him, and he suspects that pretending he is not himself would be ultimately futile. His younger self will simply have to suffer the consequences.

"I keep 'oping I'm balancing out whatever hurt I've made with good. Somehow it doesn't lessen the guilt, though. But that's probably just mine to deal with."

He gives a nod and a smile of sympathy. "I guess it's an LOL, but that makes me wonder if I'm who I think I am."

[name_of_thorn]

The elven man tilts his head slightly, amused. "Is that a Nexus memory, a riddle, or both?"