From the windows (from the windows) to the walls (to the walls)

[arsarcanum]

characters: Sora, Crowley, Matt Murdock, Hana, Midge Maisel, and you!
location: Beacon, with a quick detour to the lake post-freeze.
date/time: January 3rd through the 10th! (And one on the 13th if I can get away with it - Sora wants to go ice skating!)
content: Sora is on his grind! Taking names! Making friends! Paying his dues! Having fun! Trying to work so hard that his existential crisis forgets he's there! (Will match tag format.)
warnings: Warning for low self-esteem and, uh, Catholicism?

[ A: A visit to a new friend. Closed to Hana Song (and maybe the other residents of the cabin?) ]

Day three of the convalescence of Hana Song. Sora's in the cabin again, walking to her door with a paper bag under his arm after giving a brief, polite, completely friendly greeting to her roommates. They're very lucky that they took her in, and even helped find them splints and bandages so her arm and leg would heal straight. (That took a lot of reapplications of the Cure spell! It's sort of strange to think it's been reduced to the same effect as super fancy band-aids and anesthetic.)

He'll knock at the door of her room in the cabin. "Hey, Hana? You awake?"

[ B: Bad Catholic checks out a creepy pagan cathedral. For Matt Murdock, but open otherwise. ]

It's Sunday, so it seems like a perfectly reasonable day to check out the little church he saw on his many, many trips to and from the boat when he first got here. Skyler never really took religion seriously, and only went to Mass when the rest of the family did for Christmas and Easter, and even then he only did it because Arielle wanted to go see the lights and hear the music with everyone, Skyler included. If there's Catholic guilt here, it's only here because Arielle managed to make Skyler feel bad for not pretending to give a fuck.

In a lot of ways, Sora has even less of an attachment to organized religion than Skyler did. After all, he was living proof that the soul did not conclusively go to a heaven or a hell. And even if his existence wasn't conclusive enough, the many times he died in all of his lives and the many ways death and the afterlife has manifested has shifted his perspective of an all powerful God who reigns over heaven by just a bit. A church shouldn't change his perspective on that.

But, again, in a lot of ways, Sora is Skyler, except honest. And if he was being honest with himself, he liked the peace and beauty of a church as much as Ari did. He was just curious to see it, is all.

He shuts the tall door behind him and looks around the atrium, lifting his lantern to see as much of the architecture as he can. No clear dedications on his way in. What a weird place.

"Is this place Anglican," he asks, half to himself and half to the darkness of the pews in front of him. His eyes are now more or less used to the constant, overpowering dark of Beacon, but he still doesn't know if anyone else is in here. No nightvision for him.

[ C: Library. Open. ]

Throughout the week during his stay at the library, Sora will slowly, inevitably, grudgingly take an interest in the books around him. He's really not big on fiction - he's not creative enough to make them interesting - but the non-fiction will capture his interest. Practical books on cooking and first aid grab him first, followed by anything else that seems like it could come in handy in the near future - morse code, music, diy and repairs. (He makes sure to put them back in the reshelving areas, not on the shelves - he's not entirely a caveman, and the Elvira person on the network told him to be careful and clean up after himself and others. Which he does!)

Where do you find him? Wandering around with a book in his hand? Reading at one of the tables? Passed out drooling on one of the tables? Were you interested in something in the fiction section, only to find his cot in the way of your books? Is he in the cot? Who knows! I don't know. It's up to you.

[ D: The Invincible, the Kitchen. For Midge Maisel, but open to anyone who can catch him arriving or leaving. ]

Hey, Midge. Remember that teen who shyly poked his head into the kitchen a few days ago and asked in a very, very slight New Jersey accent if he could use the kitchen just to make some things and leave? The kid who proceeded to come back every day, right after the end of the daily meal, to make something to eat before cleaning up (and he always cleans up - maybe not perfectly, with things in the wrong places, but there are no crumbs or stray utensils left out) and heading out again?

Yup. Same teen. He's toasting a couple of pieces of bread in butter, layering cheese and some slices of turkey he found somewhere on top. It's nothing extraordinarily fancy, and he's just going to pack it up and leave again, but this time, he's making enough for two. He also has a bowl with him, and inside... that's a fruit salad, isn't it? Slices of apple, grapefruit, orange, peach, and a few more fruits rest inside, dotted with blueberries and grapes. Who exactly is he making all of this for? Why is he making it? Why can't he just eat with everyone else??? It is a mystery.

[ E: Armory. Open. ]

On the third day of the blizzard, Sora gathers all of the clothing he can and some snowboots he nabbed from the general store and hikes the miserable 40 minute hike through driving snow to the armory. He makes sure to go there when the regular lessons with Javert aren't going on - as much as he'd love some company, he doesn't want to risk running into anyone else while he tests out his spells, especially if they make him think about who he is and why he's doing any of this. One thing at a time!

He's tacked a piece of paper to wall. On this paper is a list of every spell and ability he can reasonably test without someone else there to help him. Time to do some experimenting.

Why are you out here? What are you doing? It's so cold! There's so much snow! But if you're in the armory for some reason, you'll see a weird kid in the basement at the range, with a giant key in his hands, casting magic spells that send pinpricks of light spinning at the targets at the other end of the range. How curious are you? (And seriously, what are you doing out there right now?)

[ F: Sora has skates and will now sksksksksk across the ice. For Crowley, but open otherwise. ]

Pretty self explanatory. Granted, the skates are VERY beautiful, made of glassy crystal, with a pair of crystal hand-glove-claw things to match, but they seem to be for aesthetics only. Sora will stay near the edge of the water - he doesn't want to risk falling through for several reasons - and he skates with the comfortable motions of someone who doesn't skate professionally but can and does skate for fun.

But indeed, there he go. Sksksksksk across the ice, his lantern bumping at his hip. He could use some company. He will, in fact, wave and skate over if he sees he has an audience. You aren't getting away without a chat, pal. (Unless you're a Riku or Vanitas, in which case he will seriously consider drowning after all.)

Comments

F

[sauntered_downward]

[Crowley, for one, is not impressed by the ice. His first thought is how useful it could be to walk across the ice, to go as far as they could go and just...well, leave. it's just so blastedly cold that he doesn't care about anything else. What can he say? He is a snake. He'll wear the scarf and gloves that the human soldier person gave him and just complain loudly when in doubt. That will work to keep his heart warm, at least.

He looks out into the water and sees a person----one of the newer people. He didn't go to the ferry this time, he didn't meet them as they came off the ship. A new person. Ice skating.

What demonic powers would it take to convince that person to give up their ice skates?]

[arsarcanum]

[ It would actually be a pretty simple maneuver! He'd just have to ask. Really! (There is a clever trick to this, though. Perhaps he should try it.)

Anyway, on his second pass, Sora will notice that little smudge of darkness accompanied by a little glow of lantern light has been there for a bit, so he'll skate over! Cautiously at first, then more quickly once he catches the scent of a new possible friend, or at least someone new to chat with. He slows when he gets to the edge, using the sharp toe of his skate like a pick instead of using a hockey stop to shower this newcomer with ice dust. That's something he may have done in a past life, but not here!

He grins, panting. Despite the past week, it feels good to be out doing something with his body. It was summer when he died, so it's been a while since he's been out skating. ]

Cold out, isn't it? [ It is THE most pedestrian greeting. Sora is not known for his creativity. ]

E

[worthallthis]

Even in the snow, there are still patrols to make. The Soldier can't stay inside, can't stay in one place, can't lock themselves up without wanting to chew off a limb. (Again? Who the fuck knows. Maybe.) So they're trudging through the cold in every layer they own, and two pairs of socks inside their boots, when they spot the familiar form disappearing into the trees.

Okay, that's just dumb. The Soldier scowls into their scarf, and diverts from their patrol to follow. There's no telling what spirits might be out in the snow, and Sora shouldn't be alone on a trek out there in this weather. Just in case, they pull one of their guns, to shadow Sora and get him safe to... wherever the hell he's going.

At least Sora winds up someplace safe. The Soldier makes annoyed noises under their breath, but follows him in, stomping boots free of snow and grumping their way down to the basement after Sora's own snowy foot-prints. "The fuck are you doing down here?" they demand at the sight of the boy setting up their spell-list.

[arsarcanum]

He jumps, juggling the tack he's using to pin the list into the wall before catching it in his still gloved hands. Phew, at least he doesn't have to go feeling around for it in the dark!

He knows that voice though - he likes that voice! A happy bubble of laughter bursts from him as he spots the soldier's lantern, followed by the soldier themselves. "Oh, hey, hi! It's been a while." It's been a little over a week, actually - time sure does fly around here. Still, he remembers their conversation from last time, and considering what's happened since then, he's grateful that they've reappeared. Not that he's about to unload on them! He's just happy that there's someone else who experiences their inner world in a similar way. It's easier knowing that he's not alone in this.

He finishes up setting his list to the wall and points at it, smiling proudly. "Tadah! That's all the spells I know - or, uh, every single one I can remember. Remember what you told me to do last time? I'm finally getting around to it." He looks enormously pleased with himself.

[worthallthis]

"In the middle of a blizzard, all the way out here?" the Soldier exclaims, probably showing more obvious emotion than Sora has seen yet, and that emotion is angry exasperation. With a hint of Brooklyn accent. "You coulda gotten lost in the snow and we wouldn't see you 'till spring. You coulda gotten eaten by spirits. You coulda froze to death!"

Look, you want to be the Soldier's friend, you have to put up with insane over-protectiveness and lectures when you do something stupid. This is officially something stupid.

[arsarcanum]

Sora is a bit cowed. Yes, he knows this was kind of a terrible idea, and yes, he knows there's a fair chance of him freezing into an ice cube on the way back... but that's what the sweaters are for! Five sweaters! He's down to his own sweater - Raider Nation for life - but he'll layer them back on when he goes back out! New Jersey's cold, he knows how this works.

He's about to fire back on that, but hey. Pause. Reeewind. That accent. "Yo, are you from New York?" A beat. Sora's face drops in mock dismay. "Oh no, you're from New York." How does he tell his new friend he's from South Jersey? Oh, the betrayal.

d;

[maisel]

Hiya.

[ For someone that's constantly dressed to the nines, cooks in high heels and perfect makeup and coiffed hair June Cleaver style, Midge has a really strange habit of just sort of teleporting behind people in the kitchen. Only the kitchen and department stores, though, it seems limited to only places where she's in her element. Or she's just very good at navigating those familiar spaces in a quiet and quick fashion, take your pick.

She's seen the guy go in and out, had a few conversations--Midge talks a mile-a-minute with her own New York one, so there's a bit of East Coast solidarity. Him being from New Jersey though... Well. She can't fault the kid for that. ]

Planning on having a picnic with a crush? Need a wicker basket?

[ It's far too cold, but Midge likes the joke anyway as she looks curiously at what the other's making. ] You're not bolting out today like the room's on fire.

[ Oh, shit, that fruit salad looks really good... ]

[arsarcanum]

Holy - ! [ JESUS. He jumps, letting go of the pan's handle on instinct, spatula still gripped in his hand. His strange keyhole eyes search around until they fix on her. Lady, you got some nerve going ninja on him! He can navigate around a kitchen, but he doesn't have her specific brand of domestic sneak-fu.

He likes Mrs. Maisel! She's cool for a New Yorker; she's about as friendly as he is, knows which questions to ask and when. He feels bad for keeping the conversations as short as he does, but he really doesn't like the idea of hanging around public spaces. Not that that's a normal thing for him! He does not at all give off the vibe of some studious shut-in. However, it still stands that he's always left the kitchen without giving his name... no matter how awkward the escapes have been. He's trying to avoid that eventuality.

He does, however, seem kind of bashful as he looks down at the second grilled cheese, then at the fruit salad, then - oh, that is what it looks like, huh? He'll turn a little red. ]

No! I mean, she's nice and all, but we just met. [ He'll turn the burner off and take the pan off the heat. It's nearly done, the pan will toast it the rest of the way and keep it warm as long as this conversation doesn't stretch on too long. ] She came here with a broken arm and a leg, so she's stuck in bed. I dunno, I was thinking she'd want something different.

[maisel]

[ It's sweet. It's good of him to do--he's a good kid, even though she's not completely sure they aren't five or six years apart. Still a kid in her eyes--most people are here, even the ones that are older than her.

She glances at the pan, and then the salad, and her lips press into a thin line, as if she's debating something. ]

You'll need drinks--hot cocoa. I'll show you my Mama's recipe from Paris--she used to make it for me all the time when I was a little girl, won't take long--and when my brother nearly gaged his eye out with an elastic band she made it for him to try to make him feel better while recovering. Or to make him feel guilty while he was recovering since he also broke a vase. I could never figure that one out.

[arsarcanum]

[ Sora's nearing 20, but besides the height and maybe the shoulders, he doesn't really look it. Especially in the face! He's got a baby face going on. He used to be much more embarrassed about it than he is now.

He doesn't consider Midge a mom, per se - he's a bit past the stage where everyone past twenty-one is An Adult - but he does respect that she's the authority figure here! Her personality only bolsters his impression of her as an incredibly well put together human being who is much more of an adult than he almost is. This sudden burst of action only confirms that!

He'll bounce from foot to foot at the speech - this seems like a lot! - but he'll at least attempt to flag her down if he can't match her in wit. ]

If it were my mom and me, it would be both. Also, thanks, but you don't have to! I know you got a lot to do around here, this is just lunch for me and a friend - I mean, I guess it's more like two friends, I'm working on one - but you're the one feeding a bunch of people! [ He doesn't want to be in the way!! ]

A;

[bunny_suit]

Hana has been very fortunate to have made some nice new friends thus far. They may be dead -- and that's still something she's trying to deal with -- but at least everyone she's spoken to so far have been really helpful. It helped to know that even though they stuck here, the others have helped make it more bearable. From her roommates who were so kind to give her a place to stay to one who carried her off of the ferry and even came by to check on her to see if she was okay, she found it was easier to keep her mind off of Busan for the time being.

Hearing his knock, she called out to him, "Yeah, I'm up." she adjusted herself a little bit, setting her tablet to the side, "You know you don't have to check up on me like this, right?" But she did appreciate it even if she said that. Her star lantern was hanging up near her bed.

[arsarcanum]

At the reply, he'll open the door and poke his head in. Hi, Hana! He'll walk in, closing the door behind him, then set his own star lantern down nearby, lighting them both in their little pools of light.

Sora will grin at her, settling in and putting the paper back he has on his lap. "I know I don't have to, but I feel like I'd get bored being stuck in bed," he says. However, he pulls a mock sad face. "To tell the truth, I'm the one who goes crazy if I don't go see people? So if it helps, think about this like you're doing me a favor," he says.

That said, he opens the bag on his lap, rummaging around inside. "How's tablet surfing going?"

[bunny_suit]

Hana couldn't help but chuckle lightly, "You're not wrong about that. I've gotten injured before, but hadn't broken any bones like this. All I can do is wish that it just healed up quickly, but I suppose I don't have a choice in the matter."

She didn't like the idea of being stuck in bed, but she's had a lot of help along the way. She'll just have to grin and bear it. "Well, hopefully when I can walk again, we can help each other out then. I'm not the biggest fan of sitting still like this. I'd rather be rebuilding Tokki," she said with a sigh. She recalls the news always saying she was off celebrating with a fancy dinner with celebrities whenever they had a victory, but the truth of the matter was that she was usually just working on her mech while Dae-hyun gave her crap about glitz and glamour. She missed his company...

"Well, would be better if they had some games here. So far I've only found Sudoku," which wasn't bad, but not what she was looking for, "You spoil me, you know that, right?" But she's not complaining.

[arsarcanum]

Oh! Sora abandons his search in the bag, eyes wide open. "Man, figures - this should have been the first thing I did." He glows green, and if she allows him, he'll cast the daily Cure spell on her. After what he was told by several other residents, he knows that it'll only help a little, but a little every day is apparently supposed to help. Enjoy that minty freshness.

Tokki? That must be the name of her mech. "Do you think you can rebuild your mech here? There's a junkyard here, and Rastus can bring us stuff." He really slipped in that "us", huh. He pauses, thoughtful. "Or, well, I can bring you food and stuff and watch you do it. I'd probably break it."

He hums, trying not to look too pleased with himself. He has a solution for the game thing, but she's going to have to wait on it. Even if it ends up arriving after she gets out of bed...

That last sentence knocks him off his train of thought! Wow, can she read minds? He scratches the back of his head, flushing from embarrassment, then goes back to his bag, hiding his face. "C'mon... Is it that weird?" He pauses, taking out the thing in his bag - an orange! "Maybe it is. We only just met."

C

[withsadness]

[Role reversal! Mary has claimed the fiction-section cot for herself, because clearly this is a free space to be comfortable? She's brought a whole selection of books down, and she's looking quite at home whenever Sora comes back and discovers the treachery.]

[arsarcanum]

[ Noooo, the treachery!! Although, can you be betrayed by someone if you haven't been introduced?

He'll walk the aisle and turn the corner only to find this small girl in his cot. That's a surprise! He thought he'd be alone. But like... that's as cute as hell. That IS his cot and he intends to get it back, but man, to be a child who actually likes books, sitting comfortably reading. He envies her a little. He wishes he could have that much fun here.

Okay, enough lollygagging. He'll walk up the aisle, peeking over the books she's read - anything weird? - and then maaaybe might try to lean over and around her to get the title or the contents of the pages she's currently on. ] What'cha reading?

[withsadness]

I'm reading about...

[Mary starts to answer automatically before she looks up, blinking, and then smiles wide. She turns the book around so he can see, holding it up so he can see the current page.]

A little girl!

[The words in the page talk about goblins coming in to steal the baby, though, so that's nice.]

[arsarcanum]

[ Sora crouches down, keyhole eyes zeroing in on the page. ] I see. Oh man, I hope she sees those two in the window behind her! They're gonna steal the baby!

E.

[rhyses]

[What he's doing there is testing out a gun.

Or, well, theoretically, anyway, except it's so incredibly cold and he is but a skinny beanpole of a man, so the first few seconds of coming into the armory are spent shivering violently. With snow in his hair and all over his coat, it takes him a good chunk of time just to wipe it all off himself.

And then he notices the kid practicing spells. Huh.

Setting his toolkit down, he approaches carefully, curious despite himself.]

Nice weapon.

[arsarcanum]

[ Sora will jump, gripping his keyblade tighter! Whatever spell he was casting will fizzle out at the tip of it. Not for a lack of concentration! He just doesn't want to risk destroying anything he didn't want to destroy in the first place.

He'll turn around and - hey, fellow cybernetics guy! He'll look a little wary, but that will very quickly relax as he waves, letting the keyblade melt away into light and disappear as he walks over. ]

What are you doing out here? You look like you're freezing. [ And he'll hold a hand out, palm up, and summon a tongue of fire in his hand. It may not cast light, but it's still plenty warm. Get you some heat, my dude. ] Here.

[rhyses]

Oh, wow, that's super handy.

[Is it technology? Magic? He honestly doesn't care right now, he's cold and that's warm. Rhys relaxes, holding his hand up, shivering appreciatively.]

Thanks. I was getting pretty stir-crazy. Thought I'd, I don't know, test out this one weapon or something, and then . . . make my way to the library? It's kind of hard to keep yourself occupied around here.

What about you? What was that, some kind of blade?

[arsarcanum]

[ Sora will rub his nose with his free hand, trying not to look too pleased. Magic is indeed useful, and he likes being able to help.

He'll turn up the juice a little. It's a very small flame compared to what he's used to casting, so he can afford to keep this going for a few minutes. ]

Huh. Maybe we can walk back together? I was headed to the library after this.

[ Sora will nod. This guy really has a knack of hitting the nail on the head. ] That was my keyblade! It does a lot of things. I wanted to be alone to test a few of them. [ 40 minutes through driving snow level alone, apparently... But he'll shake his head. ] But I'm glad that I'm not actually all the way alone. It was getting weird, being by myself. You must have been pretty bored, though. Getting here in this weather's kind of a walk.

HI IM NOT DEAD PROMISE

[catholicisms]

There is, in fact, someone there. His lantern gives him away more than anything — prone at a pew to whisper the same prayers he does every time he ends up in the church. So far the basement scientist creature hasn't bothered him, so this place seems as good as any to try and keep up the practice.

Even though it's feeling a little hollow these days. Without a priest, it's hard to feel much in the way of guidance. Trying blindly for redemption in deafening silence has not inspired a lot of confidence, and yet the habits are too ingrained in him to stop all the same. If God could hear him, as always, he's being super tightmouthed about everything. It's not anything new, it just feels more exhausting in Beacon without any other support to his faith.

Matt thumbs a bead on his rosary, mildly considering just ignoring the voice and the echoing footsteps and keeping at his hail marys. Then the same song that's been drumming in his head off and on for weeks starts muttering in his subconscious again and he forgets where he was. Which makes it easier to just give it up entirely.

"I'm not sure what faith it's supposed to be, but I'm fairly certain it isn't Christian." As much as a blind guy can tell anything, but there's not a lot of religious imagery to suggest it. There's a good chance he wasn't being spoken to, but Matt answers all the same. "But a church is a church, if that's what you're looking for."

HI NOT DEAD I'M DAD (also please take your time i do not mind!!)

[arsarcanum]

Sora jumps! Sure, this place is lit by candles, and he did notice someone else doing the rosary farther up the front, lit by their lantern, but he had shut up nearly as soon as he noticed. The imaginary little sister he constantly has in the back of his head would kill him under the weight of some kind of guilt, Catholic or otherwise, if he interrupted someone doing their thing in a church. So he'd simply moseyed his way up to the front, lantern up high to catch as much of the detailwork on the arches as he could, and hadn't even noticed the other guy stop or turn to him.

"Oh, uh." Sora coughs. There's a pattern to this, right? "Peace be with you? Wait, does that count if this place isn't Christian?" He isn't sure if some random church attending Beaconite would have the answers to that, but his brain to mouth filter has always been a bit lacking. (Psst, Matt, he's been living in the library for the past five days. He probably smells like books.)

[catholicisms]

"The Lord be with you, usually." Still, knowing the response is absolutely a step ahead of most residents of Beacon. Beyond Scully, Matthew hasn't found much in the way of fellow catholics. It's a fellowship he misses, even though he wasn't exactly close friends with any of the parishioners of Clinton. Mostly he just talked to his priest...

Either way, Sora doesn't have to feel too bad. Matt doesn't feel affronted or interrupted. While talking to somebody casually is about the most anti-catholic thing one could possibly do, Beacon is a place with a lot of new faces and a lot of questions. Many harder to answer than others. He's probably not the authority on how to use a church of a different religion, but he can share his own insight, for what it is worth. "A church is just a space. You can commune with God anywhere -- having a space like this is more of a comfort than a necessity."

Can we give him points for not quoting his own biblical namesake here? Because let's be real, he could have.