We're off to see God - Part 2
The roads were far from quiet, which was a little surprising considering the time of day. But then, it was also the main road into New York from this direction, and the quickest route. If anything, the driver was a little more worried about the traffic within the city. She hated being stuck in the jams, which was why her house was more in the suburbs, where the streets were a little quieter and you weren’t stuck in flats which looked over the aforementioned roads.
Hannah’s eyes, meanwhile, were distracted out of the window for a moment. Despite her chatty nature, she was used to falling silent in cars, and was nodding sub-consciously along with the music, singing along in a soft whisper. If the truth teller was honest (which, of course, she always was) she would admit that part of her had run out of things to say. Some people, when panicked, did better left alone than trying to comfort or reassure. And she wasn’t really sure about Heath yet. Even so, after a short while of singing quietly along in her sweet voice, she decided maybe it seemed more like she was ignoring him.
”So.. what sort of music do you like Heath? If you don’t like this we can change it… It’s not exactly my thing but Aunt Pip plays it enough that I know most of the words to the songs now!” She admitted with a chuckle, turning her gaze from the window to her new friend, soft brown eyes sparkling as normal. It wasn’t difficult to see the tenseness in Heath, but she easily decided to ignore it, talking about it might make it worse.
Small talk, always fun, and she kept to the theme of her aunt’s music choice for a minute or two, until they passed a large, yellow sign in the shape of a ‘m’. Eyes turned outside the window again, and she perched up in her seat, peering out of the front window, watching the approaching service station get nearer, before settling back in her seat.
”We’ll stop just up here and get some food..” She grinned at Heath, for the first time realising how hungry she actually was. Oh well, she thought, they’d be there soon. And in just a couple of moment’s, Phillipa pulled up off the main road onto the filter road off, her driving slowing gradually but dramatically as she hit the smaller, slower roads, leaving the hectic traffic behind them. ”We can stretch our legs too… I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand being cramped up in a car for too long” Hannah smiled, pretty sure that he could easily work out that, although true for her, the gesture was more intended for him. Not for the first time since making it to the main road, the older woman’s eyes glanced back at her niece, wondering quite what she meant. After all, Hannah had done this trip nearly everyday, heck, twice a day, for the last three months, and this was the first time she’d mentioned feeling ‘cramped’ on such a seemingly short journey.
Pulling into the car park, not too far from the main service building, finally the old rumbling of the car came to a halt, though the sound didn’t sound dissimilar to that of the dying groan of an animal. The car was actually in pretty good shape, but the sound made Hannah cringe. It was far from reassuring surely to hear the vehicle come to such a stricken halt. Even so, she sighed, before smiling at heath and undoing her seatbelt with a simple press of the button, trying to make the action clear and yet not too obvious at the same time. ”Well then, lets go see what we can find to eat” She spoke with her trademark grin, before opening the door, hesitating, waiting for the knight.
"I was wrong, to think that I might belong. But I will never forget what I was... Who I am.. What I did, just to learn that"
Although Heath did try and explain his favourite songs, he had a small collection and they were more lullabies and songs taught and sung in church, it wasn’t really something Heath got exposed to a lot, only real nobles had the chance to listen to true musicians. They went onto other things, random at best and often switching before getting too deep into it if it seemed Heath wasn’t sure what they were talking about. At least the former Knight was able to show her he had interests in this modern era, he had likes and dislikes, Lauren spent a lot of time with him and he got to share in a lot of her own habits and that helped him fit in. It was nice, just keeping things simple, telling her small easy things, answering and asking, swapping what he knew with her as best as possible.
”We’ll stop just up here and get some food..” Although Heath looked around, he didn’t see any obvious farms, he did like how they were no longer crammed amongst cars… hell, three around them was hectic for Heath, the traffic jam was damn near traumatizing, but Hannah helped keep his mind off it, and his queasy stomach. “We can stretch our legs too… I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand being cramped up in a car for too long” He didn’t really want to stretch his legs.. he liked them the length they were… but he had to assume it was some slang, like what Lauren was trying to teach him, her strange Australian words, half of which was beyond the medieval youth. In whatever case, Heath definitely was not a car person, at least not yet, he was sure it just got taking used to like most things, but he really wasn’t liking the motion and the speed made him ill a little. There was a look about her though that may have suggested she wasn’t really feeling as uncomfortable and caged in as Heath had been, which meant she was trying to look out for him and be polite and the thoughtfulness was sweet and the human appreciated it gladly.
The car produced some terrible noises, at least Heath considered them so, it was somewhat frightening, and if he wasn’t surrounded by two very relaxed occupants he would have thrown open the door and backed well away from the metallic contraption. As soon as movements began however Heath’s gaze shifted to watch Hannah’s hands, watching them undo her belt and while on his first attempt he hadn’t actually pushed the button down properly, he struggled for a moment before accomplishing it and reaching for the door.
“Well then, lets go see what we can find to eat” He pushed it, it didn’t budge though and the handle was different to those on normal doors, although he wasn’t panicking he wasn’t happy not being able to open the door, even if he did try and act discreet as possible while attempting it. Confused and questioning eyes shot over to Hannah’s door, she had opened it so easily though he hadn’t paid full attention, he was focused on unbuckling his belt. Once Heath could see how she was holding it open he could figure from that how it must work and shortly after triumphed over that obstacle by pushing open the door after pulling at the handle back.
" ‘Find’ ? Do you mean to say we are to hunt our own food now?" It wasn’t so bad really, Heath could hunt, he’d had to learn in order to survive in his travels around the country to prove his skills and become a jousting champion! At least that was something he could do, though the area didn’t look very good, it wasn’t dense enough, why would animals be roaming these ground? They were smeared in hard smooth stone floors the ‘cars’ moved upon and the buildings and pathways… it wasn’t really a good place to find animals in Heath’s opinion. There was a pause as Heath looked around at the other cars, at other passing faces, few, but still there and enough to cause worry to Heath as he realized there was a question he wasn’t sure he knew how to ask without sounding like a frightened fool.
"May I ask something?" His voice was soft, serious yet quiet in his timid nature, drawing himself nearer the younger girl to share his secret question. "Are.. mutants.. are they abundant out here as they are at the institute? Am I to be weary of all strangers?" Usually he didn’t have to worry about strangers because Lauren, or Riley and Connor, were with him the few times he had ventured out of the school, but he had only ever gone to the dying star and from then he only sat at the table eating a hamburger and staring hard at the food to ignore all the improperly dressed young woman. There was something about the way he said mutants, something about it sounded as if he wasn’t used to the word, or used to talking of them, though back in his time people weren’t called mutants if they were different, they were witches or demons. If Heath was going to make a meal and try to defend it from hungry passer-by’s, he wanted to know who and what he was up against. No way would he risk taking on someone who could do any one of a numerous things he’s seen students at the school being able to do.
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.
Re: We're off to see God - Part 2
As Heath joined her, the truth teller offered him a genuine smile. He had done well, if he had never been expected to cope for himself in a car before. He had mentioned that he had left a couple of times with friends, but maybe they had always helped him in a way which prevented him learning for himself. Not that that was always a bad thing, but it was good to see he could manage the seemingly everyday task. However, as ever, it seemed to be her phrasing which caused him the most difficult.
" ‘Find’ ? Do you mean to say we are to hunt our own food now?" It took a little fight, but she stopped herself laughing at his question. He honestly didn’t know, though he didn’t sound concerned. It was two questions he posed then, but they were simple, and she was about to respond as she started to head towards the building a little, to follow her aunt, when Heath’s tone lowered and he seemed to become more sombre about it all.
"May I ask something?" She nodded slightly, again, lips parting to respond as he drew closer, continuing. "Are.. mutants.. are they abundant out here as they are at the institute? Am I to be weary of all strangers?" She blinked in surprise at his question, then realised what he’d meant. If he had never left the institute before, or at least not in such a small group, without the need to socialise, he wouldn’t have realised that the majority of the human population weren’t mutants. Sure, there were people who you didn’t want to socialise with really, but they were just as few and far between.
Although nothing was meant by it towards him, she sighed slightly. That was five questions. She really had to try and explain to Heath about that at some point, One hand rubbed her brow slightly in thought, trying to sort them out into some sort of order. Slowly, she nodded slightly, before starting, her voice still kind, her dark haired girl still smiling.
”Firstly, your free to ask what you want, just expect some answers to be blunt. And always expect answers” She said simply, giving him a slightly awkward smile. Hannah decided it might be best to explain the meaning behind her sentence first, then she could figure out a way of explaining how the world was populated. ”And yes, I meant find. It’s a way of saying ‘let’s see what they’ve got’. I suppose this place is a bit like an inn. They serve meals and drink. Though the drink is non-alcoholic and you find a lot more children there. So there’s no need to go hunting, at least, not in the way I know you meant.” Modern sayings could have included them hunting down some food, but it still meant to see what they had. To an extent anyway, and she wasn’t sure how she could explain that. ”Oh.. and the food probably isn’t as nice as at an Inn. But it’s cheap, quick, and still food” She grinned again, glancing briefly over at her rather impatience looking aunt.
With a soft sigh, she then lowered her voice softly again. Although it wasn’t exactly dangerous, she knew if anyone over heard them talking about mutants, it may earn them some unwanted looks at least, especially as what would be said wouldn’t be negative. ”And no, the majority of humans are… ‘normal’. The institute is like a haven for them I suppose. There are a lot of people who don’t like mutants. They’re scared, uncertain. And humans can be ultimately cruel when scared. So there are places like the institute where they can live and not be feared, they can live a more normal life, have friends. That sort of thing.” She wasn’t really sure how clear that was, trying to work out a way of telling him, to explain. ”In away, it’s like a, erm, a market stall let’s say. The market stall sells meat. So you’re only going to find people there who want to buy meat, not people who want to buy only fruit, or other wares. But that doesn’t mean their not there. And you’ll find more people walking around a market place who don’t want meat that day then people who want only meat, right? So, the institute attracts mutants, but that doesn’t mean there’s only mutants, and if you wandered around you would find a lot less mutants than humans.”
She frowned slightly, running a hand through her long hair. ”Sorry, I don’t know if that makes any sense what so ever. As for being wary of strangers though..” Hannah paused again, biting her lip lightly for a moment. ”Well, I wouldn't go around immediately trusting everyone. There are still thieves, and generally cruel people around. But most people are nice enough, so I wouldn’t distrust them either. Just treat them like normal people.” She shrugged slightly, a little lost for her explanation. ”But, if it’s mutant’s your worried about, don’t. Generally, most mutants in human society try and fit in, go unnoticed. So they wouldn’t use their power’s in a public place.” She chuckled at this slightly. ”Of course, some of us don’t get a choice. But that normally means we’re pretty harmless” She smiled gently, trying to reassure him.
Glancing over at her aunt again, she received a glare which only meant one thing. ‘Are you going to get over here or not?’. She chuckled again slightly, her smile brightening a bit. ”Anyway, we better not stand around too long, people will think we’re strange.. standing chatting in the middle of a car park. And my Aunt already does!” The truth inducer grinned, heading now towards the building.
"I was wrong, to think that I might belong. But I will never forget what I was... Who I am.. What I did, just to learn that"
Re: We're off to see God - Part 2
”Firstly, your free to ask what you want, just expect some answers to be blunt. And always expect answers” Well… he would not ask if he did not wish for answers, or if he did not expect her to give him any he would not ask, he only asked to gain knowledge, not to annoy. ”And yes, I meant find. It’s a way of saying ‘let’s see what they’ve got’. I suppose this place is a bit like an inn. They serve meals and drink. Though the drink is non-alcoholic and you find a lot more children there. So there’s no need to go hunting, at least, not in the way I know you meant.” Right… ok… he still didn’t really understand but he did figure they weren’t about to hunt, which was ok he guessed, it had been a while since he last hunted and to be honest it wasn’t a part of his life he really missed, if he could survive without skinning an animal then he was ok with that. Even if there was a slight thrill in the chase.
”Oh.. and the food probably isn’t as nice as at an Inn. But it’s cheap, quick, and still food” Heath doubted that, he had never crossed food that was more then a day old in the school, people threw out old food quickly, where as at the inn it could linger for a while longer. It wasn’t as clean and Heath found himself put off thinking back to the kind of food he ate now that he was spoiled for so long with fresh and wonderful meals.
”And no, the majority of humans are… ‘normal’. The institute is like a haven for them I suppose. There are a lot of people who don’t like mutants. They’re scared, uncertain. And humans can be ultimately cruel when scared. So there are places like the institute where they can live and not be feared, they can live a more normal life, have friends. That sort of thing.” People could be cruel, couldn’t they? Just like they could be cruel if you weren’t born into the proper family, they can be cruel if you were born differently. It was almost enough to bring shame to Heath, though he tried to deal with the feeling by telling himself he had lived well enough with the mutants since his arrival… Granted he was still scared sometimes, but usually that was because it was the bully attempting to hammer in the fear and uncertainty. ”In away, it’s like a, erm, a market stall let’s say. The market stall sells meat. So you’re only going to find people there who want to buy meat, not people who want to buy only fruit, or other wares. But that doesn’t mean their not there. And you’ll find more people walking around a market place who don’t want meat that day then people who want only meat, right? So, the institute attracts mutants, but that doesn’t mean there’s only mutants, and if you wandered around you would find a lot less mutants than humans.” A smile brightened the young knights features, showing he found her term amusing, he understood what she was meaning, she needn’t go to such lengths to explain herself and yet her efforts were pleasantly welcomed.
”Sorry, I don’t know if that makes any sense what so ever. As for being wary of strangers though..” She was trying really hard, that was really nice to know, and he appreciated, and he would try hard to make sure not to put her in this position again unless he was really lost on something. ”Well, I wouldn’t go around immediately trusting everyone. There are still thieves, and generally cruel people around. But most people are nice enough, so I wouldn’t distrust them either. Just treat them like normal people.” Where Heath was from people usually treated everyone wearily, especially with all the fights going on around them, and the thieves and the dishonourable knights which roamed the lands under the kinds noble banner. ”But, if it’s mutant’s your worried about, don’t. Generally, most mutants in human society try and fit in, go unnoticed. So they wouldn’t use their power’s in a public place.” That was good to hear, Heath didn’t want to imagine what some people could do with their abilities, someone like Connor could be a deadly rival if it were not for his decency that kept him on the righteous side of the law. Heath found himself respecting mutants who didn’t want to misuse their powers, especially those that could so easily force themselves onto the weaker population. ”Of course, some of us don’t get a choice. But that normally means we’re pretty harmless” Harmless? Heath had an urge to ask her what she meant by that, what was her power that made her so harmless yet still effected her enough she had to come to a haven like Xavier’s. She looked normal, surely she could fit into the human world without being spotted as different if she was careful…
”Anyway, we better not stand around too long, people will think we’re strange.. standing chatting in the middle of a car park. And my Aunt already does!” Heath smiled, though he wondered why she called this place a carpark… it did not look like a park, obviously ‘car’ played an important part in the definition, but he didn’t see why it would be called a park still… he shook his head a little at the thoughts that distracted him and quickly walked after the younger girl. The activity in McDonalds wasn’t over crowded but it was still busy, a group of kids seemed to have pooled together in the play ground outside and where running in and out constantly weaving through people. Heath hadn’t seen children in months, definitely not the ages here, it brought a smile to him as they scattered towards the tables and then rushed back towards the playground, though their loud bickering wasn’t as pleasantly appreciated.
The counter only had two people serving, making about 6 groups of 2 or 4 people waiting, the three of them approaching the end of the queue though Heath seemed to hesitate as the others passed the Ronald McDonald statue. It seemed to stick out like a sore thumb, one moment Hannah’s aunt was there, then a father passed with a little boy in his hands, then Heath found himself a hairs width from the ugly looking man, who seemed to be turned to stone! Careful steps which had briefly faulted quickly carried Heath onwards, giving the frightful stone man a wide birth as the knight passed it and followed the other two. The walls were covered with painted characters, all rather strange looking for Heath, which caused him to stare rather awkwardly as he wondered what these characters were exactly. A 16 year old boy shoved his way past Heath, knocking the knight away from Hannah and panic momentarily set in at the separation before Heath weaved his way back beside her.
"I have not seen so many youngsters gathered in one place before." The comment was of surprise as a girl and boy scampered through the place, yelling loudly despite their mother being on their heels telling them to quieten down. It didn’t help, if anything Heath noted the children got louder.
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.
Re: We're off to see God - Part 2
It seemed that her explanation had been taken well enough, and she found a little embarrassment in the simple fact it seemed that the clarification wasn’t actually necessary, although it was taken in good faith and that settled her mind gently. Hannah had discovered long ago that she enjoyed explaining to people, tutoring them. She would often try her best to explain in a way that they were more certain to understand, but she also found that often she could confuse people further. But not this time it seemed. And that was a relief.
The truth teller was some what surprised at how busy it was inside the restaurant. Mainly because she had been hoping the people would have finished dinner by now and moved on. But as she dodge one girl who wandered between her and her Aunt, who she was following, it seemed that she was mistaken. But even so, she couldn’t help but smile as she looked around, watching the children. That was one thing she missed about being at the school. She hadn’t even been there a week, but watching the youngsters in a play ground when she went for a walk, or watching them holding their mother’s hand as they walked home from school, it was all things she missed, even before she started boarding.
She felt a soft pang in her chest. Her girls. She might not get to see them this summer, it would depend on holidays and the like. Her girls were, of course, not her own children. But they were the girls she worked with at her weekly club back home. Once a year they would go on a camp together. She had grown up with them, had helped with the younger girls. The youngest children, the five year olds who weren’t allowed camping, she could even remember being born, remember them being ‘accepted’ by the church. And she might not see them again. Not for awhile at least. It was strange to think that. Sobering.
She barely noticed when Heath deviated from her, though she did notice to a degree. Enough to be sure that it was nothing major but not enough to turn her head. Her thoughts were absorbed by other things as they joined the line. Slowly she dragged her eyes from the children, still smiling softly, eyes turning to the menu. Now they had got here, she supposed she should choose something. It was the knight’s voice that brought her attention back to him, and along with it another possible hurdle.
"I have not seen so many youngsters gathered in one place before." Soft brown eyes turned to him in surprise at the comment, though her eyes were light as well, playful as the smile on her face, as if the laughter, the shouting and the playing around them was contagious to the young teenager. She had seen more than these around before, of course, and the idea that he hadn’t ever was possibly more of a shock than half of anything else he had told her. It had been a part of her life. A soft chuckle escaped her.
”I said you’d find more children here” Hannah was still chuckling softly, tucking some hair behind one ear. ”This is quiet. Well, quieter than sometimes. It’s nice to see kids playing… that’s one thing I find difficult at the institute, the lack of younger children” The smile flickered for a moment, as if threatening to fade, her eyes turning back to him.
”Back home I help with the children in church, and I miss it. There’s something infectious about a child’s laughter. Pure I suppose. It’s nice” And impossible to truly describe really. Hannah knew that. She was still smiling, as her eyes turned to the boards again, the pictures above the counter large, showing pictures of mouth water burgers. If only they really looked like that when you got them! Still, recently she had found herself more appeased by them. Over some companies anyway.
”Any idea what you want Heath?” She said, motioning towards the pictures. Previously, Hannah had come to the conclusion that reading wasn’t easy for him, which was one good thing about this place. Nearly everything was represented with pictures. She had no idea what the knight had tried previously, but figured he must have some idea what burgers, fries and the like were. Of course, like the walls and windows, the pictures were brightly coloured, cheerful. Hannah knew it would only be a matter of moment’s before her aunt asked the same question and she was trying to decide herself. Honestly, the fillet-o-fish meal was actually unusually tempting!
"I was wrong, to think that I might belong. But I will never forget what I was... Who I am.. What I did, just to learn that"
Re: We're off to see God - Part 2
It was clear the moment their eyes met that Hannah found his comment odd, as if she couldn’t really fathom that he wasn’t accustomed to seeing a lot of children. He wondered if he should explain that he grew up on a farm and the few times he was with people was when he had to go into town for resources and supplies.
”I said you’d find more children here” He offered a charming grin at her comment, nodding slightly in agreement, she had said that… but still, he felt a little odd, happy, but odd at all the children. They looked so happy.. it was so nice to see. ”This is quiet. Well, quieter than sometimes. It’s nice to see kids playing… that’s one thing I find difficult at the institute, the lack of younger children” Heath hadn’t thought of it really, but now he did think of it, of the lack of children and the lack of elders. It was important to experience the tales and stories both the old and young had to share, it wasn’t fair to be deprived of either generations and yet Heath hadn’t realized how much he missed them.
”Back home I help with the children in church, and I miss it. There’s something infectious about a child’s laughter. Pure I suppose. It’s nice” Children were nice, Heath may be young but he would still find himself daydreaming one day that he would have the family farm and his children would mend and tend to the farm and the house and the family. Now… now Heath didn’t know how he would live or what his future was like, but he did enjoy children still and while the chaos was intimidating it was still pleasant to see.
”Any idea what you want Heath?” A slight tilt of his head came and then his eyes followed hers to the board, looking pretty taken by the images displayed. Heath eyed the large words which named the burgers, he recognized one word ‘chicken’ but he had struggled so hard with the word and Lauren had to teach how to pronounce the word. Chicken was a safety food for Heath, he didn’t know what the other kinds of food was like and he had eaten two burgers since he arrived here, one wasn’t so nice but the second was fabulous and it was a chicken breast burger. Of course, the name wasn’t so appealing with ‘breast’ in it but Heath pushed that from his mind as best as possible.
A hand pointed towards the chicken burger displayed on the board, a polite ‘May I please try that one?’ Though he spoke directly to Hannah before realizing it was probably best to ask her Aunt only he felt too shy to speak to the stranger. "Chicken.. is it not?" He added quietly to his request so he didn’t get something and thought it was something else. "It looks different to what Lauren got for me." Lauren’s burger was really nice… and it would turn out to be larger and tastier then this fast food chain but Heath wasn’t so fussy with foods, as long as they were nice enough to eat and fresh he was more then happy.
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.
Re: We're off to see God - Part 2 ‘May I please try that one?’ Brown eyes returned to the knight briefly as he spoke, before her gaze followed to where he motioned. A McChicken burger. Not the worst choice possible. At least, that’s what she thought he meant. Fortunately Heath seemed to know what he wanted to a greater extent, though he probably wouldn’t know about a meal, she would get that automatically. Actually, she supposed she should ask him what drink he wanted. She had no idea what he had tried before, what he liked and so on. Coming to that, she wasn’t really sure what she wanted. Diet coke as normal probably.
"Chicken.. is it not?" She smiled slightly, turning her gaze back to him with a slight nod as he continued. "It looks different to what Lauren got for me." That wasn’t a surprise, and she wondered if maybe he should be warned that the picture looked nicer than the real thing. All part of the fast food experience! Grease, cardboard and poor presentation. Yet they were standing in the world’s number one fast food chain. Wonders never cease.
The knight had mentioned Lauren before, so she took that the girl was one of his friends and merely nodded slightly. It was no surprise that the young teenager wouldn’t know his friends. There was always the age gap to take into account. Though it hardly seemed to be important with everything that had been going on recently, everyone she was meeting seemed to be a couple of years her senior at least!
”Sure you can, and yeah, it’s a chicken burger” She nodded slightly. Well, it was their excuse for one anyway, but she wasn’t about to explain that. ”You’ve had one before then.” She stated simply. ”That’s good… I wouldn’t want you to be put off!” She joked happily enough, before making up her mind Yeah, fillet-o-fish today. She wasn’t in the mood for the plastic like burgers, and the fish seemed to hold some taste to it at least. And she had to admit, the tartar sauce with it was absolutely lovely!
”What drink do you want? They have pop – like cola, lemonade, orangeade.. erm… or they have water or milk. Or tea of coffee if you prefer” They also had milkshakes, but they didn’t immediately come to the truth teller’s mind. The queue was going down fairly quickly and they were soon next in the queue, waiting for the small family ahead of them. It would only be a matter of moments before either the crew member or her aunt asked what they wanted. And she was determined to make this as smooth as possible. She already knew that her aunt would probably not get a meal, just a coffee. And although the McFlurries or hot apple pies looked very tempting, Hannah avoided thinking about having them. No, just the meal. For now anyway!
"I was wrong, to think that I might belong. But I will never forget what I was... Who I am.. What I did, just to learn that"
Re: We're off to see God - Part 2
”Sure you can, and yeah, it’s a chicken burger” Wonderful, burgers were fast becoming Heath’s favourite food, though he had Riley make him one and despite the older student insisting he was new to cooking meals so far Finn’s burgers were the best Heath has had! Regardless of Riley’s experience he was definitely a natural cook, and the whole idea of a male being so handy in the kitchen still felt amusing and strange to Heath.
”You’ve had one before then.” Soft brown eyes tore away from the commotion in the back part of the place, a few younger kids could be seen rushing about preparing meals and putting the things together. Loud hissing noises of chips being dunked in oil and the older manager calling out various demands for the kid that was slacking or had done something wrong… leaving Heath to give Hannah a slight nod before looking back at bustle of activity in the background. The younger girl at least realized that he would not be familiar with most foods, that was good and that meant that he’d not have to be so shy as to state things when he wasn’t familiar with them. It’d still be difficult for Heath to comment… he didn’t like feeling so useless or unintelligent… and in this time he was utterly left in the dark and reminded of it at every moment of the day. ”That’s good… I wouldn’t want you to be put off!” Put off where? Heath blinked slightly as he returned his eyes to her but offered his charming little smile before looking away again as another two young boys charged through the establishment and rushed right by them.
”What drink do you want? They have pop – like cola, lemonade, orangeade.. erm… or they have water or milk. Or tea or coffee if you prefer” Again the handsome features of the young man turned towards the teen, his gaze slightly confused at the terms she used. There was a quick scan of the other people with drinks, but they were all carefully covered and near impossible to see what everyone was drinking or what it looked like.
"I… I uh.. erm.. I do not mind." There, now he didn’t need to decide! Heath’s eyes darted about the board for a moment before glancing at her and nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "New is good.. I do not mind"
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.
Re: We're off to see God - Part 2((OOC: Hey, afraid I godmodded abit to get it moving a little and to give you something substantal to reply to. I kinda assumed Heath would follow Hannah's request etc. If it's wrong, give me a shout and I'll edit))
A pleasant smile was on the face of the younger as she waited, watching the family ahead of the slowly gathering together their meal. "I… I uh.. erm.. I do not mind." Her eyebrows rose slightly as she turned to look at him, before she understood. He probably didn’t really understand, though surely he’d have heard of some of them before. Then a new thought crossed her mind. Oh yes… definitely. Actually, come to think of it, she’d have one to! "New is good.. I do not mind" Well, that’s good. She just hoped her decision was a good one. As far as she was concerned, it was one of the best drinks on offer.
”Adventurous… Don’t worry, I have the perfect drink in mind. I’m nearly sure you’ll love it” She said happily, before turning her gaze to the older woman, half forgotten in their conversation. ”Aunt Pip… what do you want?” She asked slowly, as the family ahead of them started to move away. Hannah had already made up her mind that she wanted to do the ordering, she would get her Aunt to guide Heath to a table while she waited for the order. She wanted the drink to be a surprise now he’d back out, needing to tease him just a little, though not enough to really be noticed.
The older woman glanced over the menu, realising that her niece intended to do the ordering, handing her a couple of notes as she spoke. ”A coffee will do me fine..” She said slowly, before pausing. ”Oh.. might as well have a bag of fruit as well. Watching you two eat will only get me hungry” She said with a smile to the young pair. Hannah nodded slowly. “Right, so one chicken burger meal with surprise drink, one coffee and fruit bag, and one fillet-o-fish meal with surprise drink number two” The young teenager joked happily, before letting her eyes roam the restaurant area.
”I can manage that. Heath, why don’t you help my aunt find a table for us? Mine’s going to take a couple of minutes anyway” She said with a smile, stepping up to the counter to begin the ordering, eyes scanning the menu automatically as she did, even though she knew exactly what she was getting. Sure, it would cost a little more, but she would make it up to her aunt somehow.
Lightly, Phillipa placed a hand on Heath’s shoulder. ”Come on then young man, There’s a table over in the corner that should seat all three of us easily. We better get over there before some takes it” She stated with a smile, picking up some napkins and two straws as she headed towards the indicated table slowly, guessing that Heath would follow suit. The seat gave them a view of the car park but also a little of a field bordering the car park which had two grey ponies and a few sheep grazing in it. A strange site so close to the city. ”So…” She started to ask Heath, before pausing, realising she wasn’t sure what to say. ”How long have you been at the school? Hannah’s not mentioned you before… so I guess you’ve only just met right?”
It was about five minutes later, leaving plenty of time for a response and also for the silence which most likely followed, that Hannah finally returned with the tray. ”Heh. Sorry it took so long. I forgot how long it took them to make my meal up” She said with a smile, settling the tray down and sitting before she dished out the food to each of them, putting a few pots of sauce in the middle. ”I don’t know if you like ketchup or anything Heath, so I asked for a selection” She said with a smile, taking one of the mayonnaise for herself, leaving one more, a ketchup and a BBQ sauce left for the knight to choose from.
As the elder woman stirred a sugar and milk into her coffee, she had to smile as Hannah placed the ‘surprise’ drink in front of the young man. Something about his manner and how Hannah acted indicated that, just maybe, he wasn’t used to McDonalds at least. Hannah merely beamed as she looked over at her friend. ”And there’s your drink. I hope you like it” She said, taking her own, sipping it a little. Strawberry milkshake. A favourite of hers. She just hoped Heath liked strawberries!
"I was wrong, to think that I might belong. But I will never forget what I was... Who I am.. What I did, just to learn that"
"You know. I have this power. And yet.... I've yet to sneak in to a girl's changing room!"
Re: We're off to see God - Part 2
There was a moment where Heath hesitated, surprises in this time haven't always been easy to deal with. So with a slight breath taken in, Heath let his lips lower to the straw. The former Knight had gotten used to drinks being cold, he didn't like fizzy drinks, and there were a couple of other drinks he'd tried and disliked. With a small mouthful of the milkshake taken, Heath pulled his lips away. The drink was colder then the tap water he was most often drinking, the tezture was different too, thicker, he could detect something familiar about it, while at the same time it was completely alien. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not, or was hard to tell if the taste was so forigne that he didn't know what he was expecting and so it seemed off putting, or maybe just needed to be adjusted to.
Heath was so intruiged by the strange drink that his attention was focused solely on the container that held it. His fingers traced over the cup, the odd images that marked the drink holder were explored with the tips of his fingers because they trailed up to examine the lid. People were strange here, they had to make things pretty, it seemed to hold a great deal of importance to these people that everything looked interesting and pleasant. But just because they made it pretty on the outside didn't change the inside.... Then again, Heath had to admit that it was nice not having to kill his own food.
Attention turned to the strawm Heath had been shown how to use it by Riley and Connor, but that still didn't mean the champion jouster was over how amazing it was. Why hadn't people in his time created things like this? It seemed simple enough, just a long hallow stick, it was like a few things he had seen regarding creations in this timeline. Not complicated enough to seem impossible to think that people of his era weren't able to create these things.
The 14th century Knight turned his head towards Hannah, she was younger than him, but she had more knowledge then Heath. Though perhaps he knew more about certain things compared to her, just as she knew other things that he didn't. Sometimes thoughts like that were all he had to keep his chin up, to take away the sense of cluelesless infancy that drifted about him like the stench of tobacco on a smoker.
"What is this drink called?" Heath had leaned a little towards Hannah as he spoke, lowering his voice a bit as he asked about the milkshake. After he asked his curiosity shifted to the neatly boxed burder, his fingers distractedly lifting the lid and revealing the hurriedly made burder within. It seemed to bring only more amusement to the handsome youth who gave an entertained grin as the tips of his fingers traced over the edges of the box. If only Heath's parents could see all these strange things.
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.
Re: We're off to see God - Part 2
Quietly, deep brown eyes watched Heath as he tested the drink, noting his reactions as she rather lazily dipped her chips into her sauce. Phillipa was watching them both somewhat curiously. Hannah almost seemed to be studying Heath it seemed, the older woman reasoned as she added milk and sugar to her coffee, nibbling the apples and grapes in the fruit bag she’d had.
Everything seemed like a new discovery to Heath, it seemed, the truth teller started to realise. But then, of course it would. Especially if he’d spent most of his time under the shelter of the institute. But at the same time he seemed bright enough. But she was still judging whether or not he liked the drink, not realising he had been doing the same. Finally he spoke, and a smile teased Hannah’s lips gently as she watched him ‘play’ with the box design.
"What is this drink called?" It might take some explaining. After all, just saying milkshake wasn’t really going to be enough. Although he hadn’t asked for an explanation she was happy to give it. Hannah liked the idea of helping someone by teaching them. Until her powers had interrupted her life, she had always thought that perhaps, when she was older, she’d become a teacher. She had enjoyed working with the younger children at church before. So it seemed to make sense really.
”It’s called a milkshake..” She explained slowly in thought. ”Basically, it’s.. thick milk, with fruit mixed in. This time it’s strawberries – a traditional English fruit I believe” She said with a smile, ”Though you can get banana ones as well.. and others that aren’t fruit, like chocolate. This isn’t the nicest type you can get. Homemade are much nicer” She said with a smile. ”Have you come across ice cream?” She asked curiously. ”In summer, my favourite drink is banana milkshake, with some ice cream mixed in with as well, then some ice cream and top. Nice and cold” Fresh bananas, fresh milk.. none of the processed stuff of syrup they would use in a place like this, just the thought made her lick her lips in thought, before smiling. ”Though for now I’ve gotten strawberry, like you”
She hoped her explanation and short babble made sense to the young knight. Perhaps, some when else, he could tell her a bit about his world. His past had sparked up an interest after the initial shock. And the differences for him must be amazing! She blinked slowly in thought, suddenly realising she was staring off into space, burger in hand. With a slight shake of her head, she chuckled, motioning to the drink. “So.. do you like it?” She asked slowly, not fearing his response. If he didn’t, she could get something else for him. Water, milk, fizzy pop.. what ever he’d like.
Hannah: In this world we're forced to make choices everyday. We don't always know the consequences. But it's how we react to them which makes us who we are
(Damn it Rebecca… you have no idea how much this makes me want to have Macca’s or something of the like xD)
"It’s called a milkshake.." …Milk… shake? Both words he understood and yet, what an interesting name… did they shake milk to produce this? The thought seemed strange to Heath and even though he was quite accurate in this assumption, if not rather a simplistic explanation, it seemed too strange a texture and bizarre an idea to be right. Beside’s, he’d taken wild guesses around friends before and he’d gotten if not chuckled at then at least virtually petted on the head like a silly child. He knew what he said must seem so strange, much like the things he has tried to explain from his time… though people know a lot of things it seems of his life they didn’t understand a lot of why such things happened.
"Basically, it’s.. thick milk, with fruit mixed in. This time it’s strawberries – a traditional English fruit I believe" Strawberries! Yes, he liked sweet strawberries, he especially loved it when they were dipped in cream or sugar, both new tastes introduced by his friends and both so yummy! But how did you get thick milk? "Though you can get banana ones as well.. and others that aren’t fruit, like chocolate. This isn’t the nicest type you can get. Homemade are much nicer" Homemade was always better! At least to Heath’s mind… even if admittedly it was more just a term of speech for him and an emotional sense since he found mostly all the food he’s had has tasted rather nice, and all so fresh! "Have you come across ice cream?" A slow nod of his head came, Lauren and he had huge bowls while watching her favourite sport on the picture box…Tv! It was one of the last times they had spent together because she moved back to Australia to be with her parents. She loved the school and she loved her friends, but living away from her family had taken its toll and though it had hurt Heath he knew her heart would only break the longer she stayed and so he had done his part to help settle her decision on return home.
"In summer, my favourite drink is banana milkshake, with some ice cream mixed in with as well, then some ice cream and top. Nice and cold" Banana, oh now Heath had the fiercest longing for a fruit salad like Riley had made Scott… all the variety, all the strong sweet tastes and with certain pieces you could taste the crunch of sugar that sweetened and heightened the tastes of that particular fruit. "Though for now I’ve gotten strawberry, like you" It was… nice… yes different and strange but he was liking it, he’d much prefer the home made he’d discover if he ever had any but for now he had nothing but this to compare with the taste of milkshakes. So to remember that she had said that this wasn’t the nicest you could get had Heath rather curious to taste the nicer kind… but all that in time and if not, well, there was more important things to be missing in life. "So.. do you like it? While Heath would never be rude and say ‘no’, he didn’t have to worry about that just now as he could answer truthfully and not be rude!
"I do… it is most different," He stated, not only of his own free will but also coaxed along by the mutant girl’s truthsaying abilities, though happy enough not to seem displeased with the choice of drink, "I have held the taste of ice cream on my lips before," There was a thoughtful stare given to the drinks container, "Somewhat similar to when being left out unfinished." Although not making himself clear, it was easy for most to pick up his reference to the previously indicated ice cream, what with the whole ‘melting when left out’ thing he mentioned, though Heath himself was more thinking inwardly with an unintentional verbal comment. Now food… Heath had eaten a burger before, in fact the last time he went out, technically the first time but as he had told Hannah earlier it couldn’t entirely count as he just sat at a table, averting his eyes from the club wear the girls wore and munching on the meal Riley had brought him. This burger however looked different… smaller… messier… not that Heath was one to fuss for food preparations. He looked over at Hannah as she held hers and mimicked how she handled it, he’d otherwise have likely eaten layer by layer or picked at it like he had done with the last one, though that one was too big to put into his mouth. At least so it had seemed and so it had not been attempted, perhaps if he had gone to efforts to flatten and compress it then maybe he’d have managed.. but why bother going to such lengths when one can just use his hands to eat parts of it so much more easily?
There was a slow movement of placing the burger by his lips, hands then moving it slightly higher for his eyes to examine it briefly before taking a curious bite. It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t fantastic, but it was ok for him to continue eating and yet something about it seemed… well… not as nice as the other burger he had eaten. Perhaps that was the case with this place, it made things but just not as nicely as other places? A loud group of older teens seemed to enter the place as Heath chewed, they boisterous and unruly it seemed because they didn’t appear at all considerate of the others around them as they moved to read the menu. They had very heavily influenced forms of speech and while most were used to the down town ‘wrong side of the tracks’ sort of verbal dialog that was rather common in rap and the like, Heath found it so strange he wondered if they were speaking another language… though they couldn’t be as some of the words he did know… some sounded like something he knew but hacked up like some hyped up hysterical drunk. So to speak… The former knight knew that wasn’t the proper analogy to use but he didn’t really have a lot of references to compare even this scene with.
They made their orders though and everyone behind the counter seemed able to understand them while everyone else seemed to shy away from the loud bunch, some of who headed back out once they told the remaining three their orders. It was a shame really, some of the youths in this time were so wild and angry, pushing others around in a manner that few children had gotten away with back in Heath’s world. And those that did cause trouble were dealt with, sometimes not in the most humane of ways either, which helped tame their wild nature… It was a pity, so many new great things seem to have come to this world and yet some really high prices appear to have been made at the same time. At least they had laws, stopping people from killing others, that was good… at least for those that killed senselessly, after all a good man only killed when faced with no other option!
"Do you have…" There was a pause, how to ask such a thing as ‘do you have knights’ in front of another woman who was not of the school… Heath was told he was not supposed to really tell too many people where he was from, especially people outside the school were not to be told. "…men…" he continued hesitantly, "..of the law?" it was the best he could come up with, and although the boys were now already on their way out and doors of their cars were being slammed as they drove off, it was more that Heath had never really asked about Knights. He knew they were no longer around any more, but was there something that had replace them maybe? It was common for Heath’s family to talk while eating and Scott had also been raised with that habit, which was good because both Connor and Riley focused on their food and seemed not to speak much at all most of the time. If they were talking their food remained relatively untouched, though gradually Riley was starting to at least respond to if not begin conversations so that was progress. The meal here would be finished soon and they’d be off to the house of god! Still, it couldn’t hurt to ask a few questions on the way… he had a fair few to ask, but some seemed out of place or could wait till they arrived to the church before he asked, like questions about offerings and the like.
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.
Re: We're off to see God - Part 2
The dark haired truth teller watched her new friend closely. Her Aunt had gotten a book, one of her romance novels, out of her bag, reading that as the youth ate, so she paid little attention to them or their conversation. A smile formed gracefully on Hannah’s features as Heath spoke though. "I do… it is most different," She nodded slightly. She could imagine anything be very different if it was your first time of trying it. His next comment brought a soft chuckle to her lips, not at him, but because he was exactly right in what he was saying. "I have held the taste of ice cream on my lips before," … "Somewhat similar to when being left out unfinished." That was exactly right. One of her old friends, their older sister had worked in a fast food restaurant and she’d said about how the ice creams and milkshakes were made using this long life cream type stuff, which was cooled down, so it wasn’t frozen like ice cream. Hannah supposed it was for ease of storage really. It wouldn’t take up space in the freezer and was probably cheaper. Seemed a bit of a cheat really though.
Hannah’s eyes turned, still eating, quietly for now, as her attention was caught by the burly youths, a frown finding her gentle features. She hated this sort of loud, obnoxious attitude. Perhaps they had come from the rougher areas of town. That didn’t mean they had to be rude, so… in your face about it. They were still better off than others. She sighed inwardly as she watched them, waiting for them to leave. At least it seemed that they were only out to eat, not causing too much mayhem, although people weren’t about to complain it seemed if they pushed ahead of another.
As they started to leave, Heath’s words tore her eyes from them to himself, whilst her own mind was pondering the strangeness of some people. She’d known a few girls in the past who had been attracted to that ‘bad boy’ style, whilst it repulsed her. "Do you have…" … "…men…" … "..of the law?" Hannah waited for the noise outside to die down as the cars sped off, before nodding slowly, smiling, though she stole a glance at her aunt, wondering how much she was listening before answering him.
”Yes.. women too” Part of had wanted to say that anyway, but she knew the fashion it had taken was based on her powers, fully answering the question. ”The police, cops” Two names for the same thing, did she need to explain that? She had decided to offer both to stop and misunderstanding later. ”Well, there’s a lot more than that actually. But most common is the police. And even then, there are different sections in the police. Our legal system is… complicated” She spoke with a gentle sigh. ”And sometimes, people look over the slightly bad things, because there are worse going on. But the slightly bad ones build up and get worse. Then you sometimes get places where things are bad. It’s a shame” There was a gentle sadness in her eyes. There was no need for any of it. If people had respect for each other and each other’s property, then none of it would happen. But they didn’t. To her, it felt like morals were the deepest cause for all these problems, or more to the point, a lack of them.
It wasn’t long till they finished, Hannah happy to try and explain what she knew about the legal system, any questions Heath might have had. It wasn’t until Phillipa looked over her book, noticing that the two had finished that she suggested they moved on before it got too late. Hannah gathered all their rubbish onto the tray, taking over to a bin as they headed out and explaining and showing what you did with it, and why, making it easier and quicker for the workers to clean the tables so other people could sit down quicker. It was the whole idea of this sort of place, somewhere service and meals were swift, but that didn’t mean you had to slack on cleanliness.
And so they were soon back in the car, heading into New York. As they drove through, Hannah would sometimes point out another church, and talk about it’s denomination a bit, why it was different to some of the others. She also explained that many churches didn’t hold a ‘proper’ confessional any more, though you could still go and speak to the priest, it was done in a different manner. And not all the men of the church were priests, and not all priests were men. Although it was still a mostly male dominated area, women preachers were on the increase, slowly being accepted into churches. ”I’m not sure why there’s so many different ideas in the church” She said softly after a few moment’s thought. ”Sometimes there are wars between the different types of church. In Ireland, for a long time, there was a war between the Protestant and Catholic churches. They just disagreed on some things. People translate parts of the bible differently. But I think that’s okay, you can have your own idea on God, provided it has founding. I don’t think fighting about it is any good” Her words were thoughtful, as if it was something she had decided awhile ago, and her minds flicked over the lyrics to some of her favourite Christian songs. ‘What this world needs’ by Casting Crowns was one that came immediately to mind. The lyrics rang so true to her, including the bridge. ’People aren't confused by the gospel, They're confused by us, Jesus is the only way to God, But we are not the only way to Jesus, This world doesn't need my tie, my hoodie, My denomination or my translation of the bible, They just need Jesus, We can be passionate about what we believe, But we can't strap ourselves to the gospel, ‘Cause we're slowing it down, Jesus is going to save the world, But maybe the best thing we can do, Is just get out of the way. With that in mind, she looked back to Heath with a smile. ”I’ll lend you some of my CDs sometime.. there are some really good songs which explain it a bit better. It’s like.. some churches are so tied down by they’re own beliefs and thoughts, they stop looking at others and the best way of helping them. It wasn’t well explained, and she thought the music would describe it better.
Hannah was soon distracted by her aunt though. ”Here it is.. I’ll just find a parking space” Hannah’s eyes flicked out at the church, smiling. It was huge, and looked beautiful. ”Well.. here we are.. it looks lovely” She said softly, waiting only now for her aunt to find a parking space, hoping they wouldn’t have to walk too far to the church.
Hannah: In this world we're forced to make choices everyday. We don't always know the consequences. But it's how we react to them which makes us who we are
Re: We're off to see God - Part 2"Yes.. women too" As always Heath was in wonder at the role woman played in this timeline, to think of a female donned in the armour of a Knight and upon a steed with the King’s law empowering her... it was rather unheard of where Heath was from but there had been rumours of one or two women who had rose in power that Heath could vaguely recall being told stories by his parents. "The police, cops" The names for their hands of justice were odd to Heath, and he wondered where they got the name for them from. Then again, come to think of it, where did they get any of the names even he used from? He’d thought of such almost pointless things a lot since discovering some words remained the same while others were completely different or new. "Well, there’s a lot more than that actually. But most common is the police. And even then, there are different sections in the police. Our legal system is… complicated" All Heath could do was offer a small nod, it sounded complicated, but everything in this world seemed complicated. "And sometimes, people look over the slightly bad things, because there are worse going on. But the slightly bad ones build up and get worse. Then you sometimes get places where things are bad. It’s a shame" That happened in Heath’s town a lot, he preferred living out on his farm away from the scattered towns, they all smelled worse then any barn, his mother always would say the town men were the worse when drunk, they’d take a girl and have their way whether she was ready for it or not.
There seemed no law against it however, not unless it were some lady of great importance, or if she knew a gentlemen who held power to seek the proper punishment. His mother spoke so seething of towns and their improper folk that he sometimes wondered if she spoke of personal experiences that still haunted her, even if she didn’t open up enough to admit to them. Though he had been young when he had left, it was not like he could see her sitting down with him and telling him of such terrible things that may have occurred. In some ways it drove Heath more in his dreams to become a Knight, he would save the people overlooked to stop future mothers such as his to be forced to bare such burdens.
The legal system seemed definitely more complicated then back home, where more people got hanged for lesser crimes. The people here seemed very lenient. However it also showed they had a greater respect for life, and children who made mistakes got a chance that adults did not. The young were known to make foolish mistakes, that didn’t mean they should suffer the rest of their lives, or have their lives revoked. It had been one thing Heath’s father drilled into his boy before letting him leave home, nothing is free, and no good deed goes ignored, be it by the kind of heart or the black of heart who feel Heath may be in their way. Children and men and woman alike were all obstacles in the way of someone else’s goals, and if you happened to be that child, man or woman, they had no hesitation in doing away with you to get closer to their own twisted needs.
The drive was not as intimidating this time around as before, he clipped himself into the metal beast and watched with interest as Hannah’s aunt started the mechanical creature. Buildings grew closer, and the nearer they drew the taller they seemed to grow, though occasionally his female companion pointed out a church and explained their place. So many new faces of the one religion, it was confusing and Heath didn’t understand how it came to be entirely, how could the law allow such confusion and disorder in their holy churches?
"I’m not sure why there’s so many different ideas in the church" It was as if Hannah had read Heath’s thoughts, and he focused curiously on the slightly younger girl, watching as her tender features seemed to crease with thoughts. "Sometimes there are wars between the different types of church. In Ireland, for a long time, there was a war between the Protestant and Catholic churches. They just disagreed on some things. People translate parts of the bible differently. But I think that’s okay, you can have your own idea on God, provided it has founding. I don’t think fighting about it is any good" Heath nodded, he agreed deeply, god was to bring peace to the people, and yet wars were always the result of men deciphering what they decree to be the Lord’s words. The holy wars Heath heard about seemed long winded, pointless and yet the desperate struggle to spread god’s word drove men to the brink of the known world and back. It were human flaw that caused them to act in chaos, a great many men would gladly rape and pillage should he feel he could get away with it, and it was suspect as to why God himself would ask his children to do such animalistic things to prove they’re love and compassion and need for justice. Heath’s mother was definitely a woman before her time in many ways of thought, yet she knew her place and never spoke to any but her sisters, her lover and occasionally her son of such things that the farmer’s wife found herself pondering. Heath’s father had always said he would never move into a town, for sooner or later his wife’s spirit would be beaten from her, as no good woman was supposedly allowed to have a mind nor will of her own, and perhaps, unknowing to Heath, this helped him slid in more effortlessly with a culture where women had rights. This was the world Heath’s more would have longed to see.
"I’ll lend you some of my CDs sometime.. there are some really good songs which explain it a bit better. It’s like.. some churches are so tied down by they’re own beliefs and thoughts, they stop looking at others and the best way of helping them." It was like he were home again, hearing his parents discuss the men who were supposed to represent the father of their people, a kind and compassionate god who was loving and forgiving... as long as you didn’t falter, should your should then burn for all of eternity. And yet some of the ‘sins’ were to refuse to serve the King’s army and aid in slaughtering the innocent, defenceless or just plain different.
This blade be thine shield, with it, thy strength shall protect thee. And those were the words that Heath believed, more than a sword to be a weapon, it was to be a tool of protection, and he would not misuse it for any cause other then what his heart told him were the right ones.
"Here it is.. I’ll just find a parking space" The youth’s eyes looked out at the building, it’s grey stone walls reached high, the gardens about it were kept and the building clean. It were as if god’s breath purified the very area this building stood upon, and for a moment Heath didn’t care to remember all the discussions on cleaners and gardeners as the ones that tended to the school grounds In comparison to the churches Heath had grown up with, this was a church fit for any Lord. "Well.. here we are.. it looks lovely" It did, and Heath wanted to go out and see it, he wanted to stretch his legs and look inside and see the people and hear the prays! He wanted to know if things were the same or if they too had changed in the House of God. When the car stopped the former Knight waited anxiously for the cue to leave the car, following suit with Hannah as she disembarked from the vehicle with her Aunt.
Such places in the past would surely only have been for the royal or rich, and Heath was certainly neither, the thought irritated him, to come all this way and only be able to sit on the steps, he missed speaking with men of god, but at least the Father he saw would allow Heath into his church, even after discovering Heath had lied about his birthright. As long as Heath did no wrong then the Father would not speak out against the lie the young Knight lived.. Heath could not lie in the house of God, and everyone needed someone to tell all their secrets too.
".. It seems so... grand, are you sure I would be allowed in here, I have no title that would be fitting for a place such as this," The former Knights words were spoken directly to Hannah, who he had fallen beside while walking, attempting to keep his voice low despite the awe which entangled his tone.
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.
Re: We're off to see God - Part 2
The young truth teller could only smile as she watched Heath out of the corner of her eye, watched that quiet awe. She suspected inside would hold some lovely art work, these sorts of churches normally did. When she was younger, she couldn’t understand why some people, despite not being Christian, found so much joy in the physical building. But as she got older she saw it, and some of their enthusiasm rubbed off. She knew, not too far out of the city was a beautiful Cathedral. She made a mental note, if there was ever the chance, to show that to Heath.
".. It seems so... grand, are you sure I would be allowed in here, I have no title that would be fitting for a place such as this," For a moment, Hannah couldn’t guess why he hesitated. Then she realised, and whilst she knew little of his home time, she did figure that there would be various social divides. She smiled softly, reassuringly, looking back to the building in thought for a moment, but not due to his question.
”The doors of the church should be closed to noone” She said softly, smiling. ”That’s what my dad says. And that is generally true. Whilst many churches no longer stay open for 24 hours as they used to – unfortunately there are too many people who have no respect for the church or it’s property – as a general rule anyone is allowed in any church. And any exceptions aren’t rules, but people’s unnecessary prejudices against others.” She said softly. ”Like, some churches have a lot of older members, and they don’t like teenagers. But that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed. It will be fine, I promise” She had confidence to say that. Worse that could happen was that the priest wouldn’t believe Heath and might pass it off as a joke or as some sort of.. problem. Either way, it shouldn’t cause an up roar of any sort.
The truth teller glanced back at her aunt. She’d found a bench at the side of the church, reading a book peacefully enough. She’d buy her some chocolates later to thank her for the gift. Heading up the couple of steps to the entrance, Hannah pushed open the fairly large wooden door, a low creak escaping the joints. She smiled back at the knight, before stepping inside, looking around. There were maybe half a dozen people scattered around the church. Some looking at various art and plaques around the sides, a couple of people sitting quietly in the pews. She was silent now, looking around the fairly large church, smiling.
Hannah: In this world we're forced to make choices everyday. We don't always know the consequences. But it's how we react to them which makes us who we are
Re: We're off to see God - Part 2
”The doors of the church should be closed to noone” That’s exactly what Father Samuel said, back when the doors were often closed on folk, those who were too poor or rugged or unfavoured had to seek out the very few churches that still cared about the many and not so much about the few high lords and lady’s that happened by. ”That’s what my dad says. And that is generally true. Whilst many churches no longer stay open for 24 hours as they used to – unfortunately there are too many people who have no respect for the church or it’s property – as a general rule anyone is allowed in any church. And any exceptions aren’t rules, but people’s unnecessary prejudices against others.” Well… Heath tilted his head very slightly, the vaguest sign of a shrug on his part as he guessed things hadn’t changed that much then from what she says. ”Like, some churches have a lot of older members, and they don’t like teenagers. But that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed. It will be fine, I promise” That comment was a surprise, Heath was more picturing a church full of rich folk, suddenly glaring at the arrival of a humble farmer amongst their wealthy ranks. Age wasn’t generally ever a factor, but then again, time did bring changes, and not all of them were making sense, though admittedly somethings had seemed to change for the better…. Like food storage! And Icecream! ……and chocolate… a strangely giddy smile seemed to cross Heath’s face as suddenly a string of foods passed through his thoughts that he enjoyed.
Snapping from his trance of sugary related thoughts, Heath loked at Hannah, who was glancing over at her aunt, and when Heath’s eyes turned to study her, he realized she looked rather content and seemed to hold not interest of coming with them. The young girl began to walk, and so Heath followed, watching as she pushed open the door and leaving him feel a touch guilty over his apprehensions that stopped him being a gentlemen it seemed. Though with a smile on her face, Hannah lead the way in, and as he entered, the former jousting champion found himself in awe, so many things decorated this church, unlike the bare ones he was used to being permitted in.
To be honest, a slight panic was starting to settle in now that he was here, everything was so grand and now confusion was coming, obviously in Heath’s time God was often used to strike fear into the people. As loving and caring as god could be, he could be cruel and merciless to those who did wrong, and Heath had no idea what was considered right or wrong when it came to travelling to another time! What if that unnatural leap was against his wishes? And yet… it wasn’t like Heath had plotted to come here… then again, most folk never ‘plotted’ to lay eyes on another mans wife one day that would lead them to indulge in forbidden sins… or a taken man should it be a woman who lays eyes on him. In fact, right there and then, Heath couldn’t entirely think up many things that people would likely wake up one morning and plan to commit against god, save murder and the like. Some people could plan years for that.
A basin of holy water drew Heath’s attention, it wasn’t like back home, and yet that didn’t mean he wasn’t aware what it represented. Quietly, the youth hovered by it, studying it in silent contemplation before looking over at the walls again… eyeing the displays as if a single word might damage them. Hannah’s aunt was still outside, still waiting, reading away at the pages of her book. Time probably wasn’t in abundance, she only had so many pages, and it was not so polite to take so long… at this point Heath drew in a breath and focused on building up the courage to move on.
He could do this alone, and this is what Hannah had gone out of her way to allow him to do, so the young Knight was hardly going to dismiss all her kind efforts by backing down now. One final look was offered towards the truth sayer and then slow steps carried Heath away, it wasn’t like she could hold his hand even if he wanted that, no more then Lauren could all the way on the other side of the world where she had travelled to. It wasn’t like Heath had any right to ask her to stay, but Lauren was the first person he had met, and the first person to know where he came from, and the one that saw the young Knights arrival, geared up and mounted as he fell into the lake, with only her quick thinking saving him from certain drowning. Maybe things had seem less warm around the school since Lauren left, it always seemed that light shone on her, as if she were the centre of attention and the glue that kept things together, at least that’s how Heath felt, and not things were drearier. Hannah was helping change that, he thought as the booth loomed before the human, she was making things seem interesting again, at least so far, and maybe this little bit of light would make the school warmer again. Too much trouble could ware a person down, Connor and Riley and Arlen were all proof of that.
Even the booth was lovely, the wood a gorgeous shade, the seats comfortable with some sort of soft padding that was far better then they solid wooden seats and planks Heath was oh so used to. Right now, Heath tried to pretend this was Father Samuel’s church, bland a bleak but welcoming all the same, and the good Father was on the otherside, that it was his breathing that Heath could hear and his voice that greeted him. It helped, to a degree, and Heath began to speak as if it were Father Samuel who already knew so much, which left details vague and easily misunderstood, even though the man on the other side could be seen nodding his head through the tiny gaps, the first few minutes spent explaining how out of place Heath felt, easing both of them into a comfortable topic which would open its way to so much more. While the months spent around the school had helped dilute Heath’s accent and way of speaking, it was still clear he spoke in a manner unlike most folk spoke nowadays, and soon enough it was a question asked so innocently… and it opened the doorway to Heath asking about god’s opinions on people misplaced in time, if it were a sin or not.
When Heath said his goodbyes to the man, the youth felt better, though slightly confused at times by the answers, comforted by others, and enjoying the kindness of the words and the security that god would not punish a man for something done against him, against his will and that harmed no one. Though, there seemed to be a few moments of prolonged silence, as if he were thinking carefully before replying to Heath, which Heath took as normal, men of God properly weren’t asked such things too often… if ever at all. Though as Heath made his way towards Hannah, the white collared gentlement who had listened stepped out and seemed to intentionally try and get a look at the young fellow he had spoken with, a look between uncertainty and confusion and worry, with what seemed like a small curve of a smile in the very corner of his lips. The boy may be confused and strange, but that didn’t take away from the fact he had been very polite and courteous and few young man tended to be these days, it was odd to think someone may need help because they acted peculiar, and yet in the end, they acted in a manner less rebellious and violent then general youths tended to lean towards these days. Which was a pity, the man wasn’t sure to be sad for the confused boy, or happy for him. Heath in the other hand moved quickly towards Hannah and offered her a grin.
"He does not think I have sinned by coming here," There was a manner in which he said it that suggested Heth wasn't just referring to coming to the church, and perhaps was hinting towards the more vital travel he had done that crossed not distance, but time. If it was a weight on Heath’s mind before he had never showed it and yet seemed very relieved and happier for this one comfort, "Thank you," Came a softer more sincere tone, he could have hugged her had he known her longer, but it felt inappropriate at this point and so he just kept his smile, and gave the church one more look over.
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.
Topic Commands
Click to receive email notification of replies
Click to stop receiving email notification of replies
