*Gamma was hardly paying attention as he strolls through the empty streets, tossing a shard of ice into the air and catching it back. Soon he catches sight of the duo, and steps back a little, leaning against a nearby pole*

*Synco walks around peacefully, noticing the girl and black humanoid. Upon seeing those two, a male humanoid appears next to Synco.* P-Pathy, who are those..?

*The little girl hides behind her strange friend, who gives her a reassuring pat on the head. He looks at the others with pure white eyes, but says nothing. Could he even say anything? No mouth is visible...*

[Kazuma is sitting at the top of a nearby building in a mostly decent shape. He keeps a big smile on his face as he looks down at everyone.] Oh~! New people, and also Mister Gamma! This is...probably going to get interesting.

*Gamma looks at the little girl and smiles, before looking back at the others, still throwing his ice.* Well, haven't seen any of you four around here. Care to make introductions? Or should I just move on?

U-um... *The little girl looks up at the black humanoid, who nods.* I'm... Alice, and this is Deemo... Do you know where we are, Mister? *She steps out from behind Deemo, but still has a firm grip on his hand.*

*The male taps Synco's shoulder. With a nod, the two white haired beings leave the area..*

*Gamma sighs and puts away the shard, looking at the two indifferently* Yeah, I'm used to this sort of thing. Its kind of hard to explain, but I can give you the important stuff anyways. Wherever you come from, well, I expect this place we like to call the Nexus uses different rules. Think of it as a place where beings from all sorts of backgrounds are able to meet. As such, many of these beings have a different set of rules they work with. *Gamma chuckles and looks around* As for this particular spot, seems to be a ruined city. I've seen a few of them appear. Usually nothing special.

So it's... another world? *Alice looks up at Deemo again* Is there a way out? Deemo and I were supposed to go through a window back home. I don't know why, but it was very important. Although... maybe it's a good thing we found another way out?

A cloaked figure slowly approaches the group, bits of sand falling from her shoulders with every step. They don’t seem to notice the group of people in front of them until they nearly run into them. As the figure finally noticed the group, they step back, and remove the hood of their cloak, revealing the face of a young woman. She has long dark blue hair, the color of her left eye matches, though her right eye is covered with a black eyepatch. She looks a bit dazed and looks at the surroundings and the group in front of her. “Why... are you all gathered in a place like this?” she asked, before pausing to think. “…Where is this?”

*Gamma sighs and shakes his head* Its another world for sure. Sorry to break it to you though. Far as I'm aware there's no way out. *Gamma chuckles* Of course, it seems nothing's set in stone here. I wouldn't be surprised if someone's found out how to leave and just never told me. You may get something asking around. Just be careful doing so.

*Gamma looks back at the cloaked, blue-haired figure and shrugs* Personally, I was looking for a little quiet. Cafes tend to get flooded around here, and the area seemed harmless enough. We seem to be in some kind of abandoned cityscape.

Um, this is called a... Nexus, lady. *Alice clings to Deemo's arm, and the black humanoid tilts his head at the stranger.* And Deemo and I just got here. We're lost like you. *Deemo nods in agreement, but still doesn't speak.*

*Dante enters the area from an alleyway* Ho there!

And this is aaaaaaaaaall the fault of those pesky teenger with their pesky magical powers! This destruction I mean. [Kazuma waves at them from above the building, smiling innocently.] Always precise and to the point, Mister Gamma.

*Gamma sighs, glancing between Dante and Kazuma* Well, there went my last hope for some quiet. I know absolutely nothing about this spot in particular, but there's an awful lot of magic flying around here, so it wouldn't surprise me.

The woman scratches her head as the others explain. "Cafés? So there is civilization nearby. You are not just travelers?" She turned to little girl. "I do not recall saying I was lost. Though... I do not remember a city in this part of the desert. You said the name was Nexus?"

Mhm. Mister Pink Hair said so. And you looked lost 'cause you were all confused. But maybe you're just exploring? *Alice looks more confused the more she speaks.* *Deemo looks up at Kazuma and waves a hand in a signal to "go on" with that explanation*

Yeah, there's civilization near enough. A bit too much of it if you ask me, but no one ever seems to. As for the Nexus... *sigh* I just got through with this explanation. Think of the Nexus as an alternate.... Wherever you came from. It brings together individuals from all sorts of weird backgrounds, so you can't really tell what'll happen. What seems normal for you might be strange to a large group of others, and what's strange to you may seem normal here. Its hard to explain in full of course, but that's everything important about the place. *Gamma sighs and shakes his head* Oh yeah, and apparently I'm the one who gets to explain everything because everyone else is too busy in their own little dramas.

Dante: The Nexus is an alright place, especially if you're like me. I love testing my mettle against strong fighters.

[Kazuma lets himself fall from the building, and just meters away from crashing against the ground he shoots a snake-like chain which he uses to swing for a bit and land safely.] I'm Kazuma by the by. And...I'm not sure of any of your backgrounds, but uh...basically, we deal with magic bs all the time. Gods, demons, guardian angels, and even people who look like animals. You name it, this world probably has it, and if not, it will eventually. [He walks towards the group and places a hand on Gamma's shoulder.] For example, Mister Grumpy Guy here can shoot ice by saying "Ice Age" in the most monotone way possible! And I...well, you saw. Unless you're also blind, in which case...well, I didn't see it coming at all.

*Gamma casts Kazuma a sideways glare* Friendly reminder that most of the ice spreads onwards from contact with me. In case you thought touching me was a good idea somehow. Now you know. *A few ice crystals begin to form on Kazuma's hand, as though to demonstrate the point*

Demons...? *Alice's grip on Deemo's arm tightens. Deemo gives her a reassuring pat with his free hand.* This place seems scary... But we'll be okay, right, Deemo? *Deemo nods.*

"Exploring?" She looks at the girl for a second before responding. "Yes, I suppose you could say that." She turns towards 'Mister Pink Hair'. "Individuals from all sorts of backgrounds you say? It does not sound any different from any other city or outpost I've been to in recent years." After thinking a moment, she tilts her head and wonders, "...What was it one of you said... Magic...?"

Dante: Magic, tenchology, strength and skill. You'll find it in abundance here.

*Gamma sighs and looks back at Alice* Look, there are plenty of scary things here, but there are just as many self-righteous fools willing to help you out with them. *Gamma laughs for a few moments* Of course, none of them are ever around unless a fight breaks out. But if you need them, they'll probably show up. *Gamma looks back to the girl with the cloak* In a way I guess it is. But well, lets just say these backgrounds are a lot more.... Interesting than most travelers. As far as magic goes, well, *shrugs* It would probably be faster for me to just show you. Those explanations tend to get really, really long-winded otherwise.

[Kazuma tightens his grip on Gamma's shoulder and his face doesn't change at all. He uses his other hand to point at his freezing hand.] See what I mean? It's magic! Although everyone and their mother can do it apparently, so, it's probably not much of a surprise. [Kazuma chuckles before taking his hand off of Gamma's shoulder.]

As they mention 'magic', the woman seems to scoff at the word. "Demons... Magic... Hmph, surely. I would ask that you refrain from using ice for your tricks. Even in such amounts, it's quite the waste of such a valuable resource."

Dante: I choose to rely on my own skills, although I do know magic, it's just not my style.

*Gamma shrugs his shoulders* Hey, you don't have to believe me if you don't want to. But I do have something a bit more.... Convincing. If you care for it. But well, its not like I can make you do anything. Follow your own intuition or whatever.

So... now that the magic's over, where should we go? *Alice finally lets go of Deemo's arm, but stays by his side.* This place is creepy... Maybe one of those "cafés"? I've never- wait, have I been to one? *Try as she might, she can't remember.*

"A café... I could do with some water. I forget how many days it has been..." She shakes some more sand off her cloak. "Such a cruel desert..."

*Gamma sighs and looks around* Well, you're most certainly not going to find a Cafe in this particular spot. I can lead you to Leblanc, one of the most popular ones in the area, if you want. But that place is pretty chaotic to say the least. *Gamma glances over to Alice* Might not be a good spot if you're shy.

Poor girl, she is probably dying. [Kazuma shrugs without much of a care.] Oh well, I guess her name is "Jane Doe" from now on. I couldn't even catche her name.

Well, if Deemo's with me, it should be fine. Besides, it was just me, Deemo, and that masked girl back where we came from. Lots of people is better than being lonely, right? *Deemo slowly nods, looking down at Alice with... fondness? Relief? It's hard to tell, since his only visible facial features are his white eyes.*

"Chaotic... It does sound unpleasant, but I do need something to drink. I emptied my canteen a while ago." As she speaks, she takes off her sand-tattered cloak, and folds it over her arm. Under her cloak, her clothes resemble some sort of military uniform. She is carrying a backpack, and has a canteen and gun holster strapped to her belt. "...and if he was referring to me, my name is Murakami." She stops and closes her eye before continuing. "...Saeko... Murakami."

*Gamma sighs and looks between the group* Very well, Murakami, Deemo, I take it is white-eyes's name, and..... Afraid I never caught yours kid. Not that its too important. You can call me Gamma, at least, that's what I ask people to call me, not like anyone ever listens. Just follow me and I can take you there. Though I probably won't linger, not a fan of crowds. *Gamma motions to the others to follow him as he starts to walk away*

It's nice too meet you, Miss Murakami. *Deemo examines Saeko's uniform cautiously, but he's soon distracted by a tug on his hand* Let's get going! Mister Pink Hair can show us the way!

"Nice to meet you as well, kid. Very well, Gamma, let us get going."

Ah, Miss Saeko Murakami of some kind of military. [Kazuma bows to her with a smile.] I don't know where you'll go from here or if you believe what we just told you...but just look around at the destruction, you might not want to trust in anyone you meet in the near future. [Kazuma chuckles a bit, as he puts both hands inside his pockets as he walks in a different direction to where Gamma is going.] They are dangerous people, you know? Who knows what will happen to you if they see you!