11485/Under the stars.

Under the stars.
Date of Scene:	15 May 2020
Location:	Roof Tower - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	they enjoyed the stars and made plans to see each other some more
Cast of Characters:	Firefly (Barrows), Nightingale

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Firefly (Barrows) has posed:
    Josiah had offered Shannon a chance to see the stars and he brings some food and drink so they can enjoy with comfort. As the night sky darkens and reveals the stars, he smiles and waits for the winged girl to arrive, watching the door.

Nightingale has posed:
     Though the season is changing, the night can sometimes still get a little bit chilly. So Shannon makes her way up to the roof tower in her dark blue jeans, her cream tunic sweater--and her floofy sheepdog slippers. It was impossible to resist the chance to do a little stargazing, in an area such as this away from the bright lights of big cities. The stars were spilled across the sky like a million diamonds, with the light of the moon cast everything in a pale, watery silver.

     She turns to smile at Josiah, hugging him and smiling. "Hey you. You weren't kidding, it's a perfect night up here."

Firefly (Barrows) has posed:
    Josiah hugs her back and holds her close. "I thought you would like it." He says as he smiles and offers her a seat. He then looks to her. "I never been much for identifying constellations, but I did enjoy staring up there and wondering what all was there." He says with a big grin as he moves beside her, watching the stars.

Nightingale has posed:
     "A lot of worlds out there. I imagine some beings out there are probably sitting out kind of like we are now, and wondering about us." Shannon cracks a light smile; there seemed to be a very knowing look in her eyes, but she says nothing about it. It's a knowing look, tinged by a moment of grief, quickly pushed aside.

     Her smile returns as she settles back in her seat, her hands behind her head as she looks up at the stars. "I used to have a little toy planetarium when I was real little. Never got good at identifying many constellations, but I had fun with the thing anyways." She turns her head slightly to glance at Josiah. "Did you ever have anything like that?"

Firefly (Barrows) has posed:
    "My family were mostly religious...they didnt care about other planets and such. They cared about spreading the word of god, so they may join them some day." Josiah says as he watches her and he leans over. "Something wrong?" He asks as he watches her, studying her intently.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon hesitates. She'd never spoken of this to many, and yet it was something that would forever leave a mark on her. "I can't say much," she begins. "But an unlikely friend made the ultimate sacrifice to protect a teammate and myself, in a highly unusual situation." She simply turns her gaze back up towards the stars, smiling some. "It's okay, really."

Firefly (Barrows) has posed:
    Josiah nods to her and he looks to the heavens. "Most of the egyptian religion revolved around the star cycles. Ancient norse used them to navigate. For as long as man has existed, they have looked to the stars and desired to see what it was like up there." He says as he moves a hand to hold her hand. "I promise you, your friend is in heaven now, because sacrifice is a virtue that God extols from his children."

Nightingale has posed:
     Squeezing Josiah's hand, Shannon looks at him, with a bit of a smile. "Even if that friend wasn't even human, or mutant... or even of this world?" She leans in against him a little bit, peering upwards at the bands of stars. "It's a nice thought. I hope they did make it."

Firefly (Barrows) has posed:
    "All living things are God's children, wether they are human or not." Josiah says as he squeezes her hand back. "While it is true the bible says we are favored of god's children I believe this was written before the existance of other life was discovered." He says calmly as he looks to the stars. "So how many aliens have you met?"

Nightingale has posed:
     "A couple I'm sure of. And if there are others out there a lot like us, who knows. We all may have met one at some point without ever knowing it." She smiles, looking out among the stars. "Kind of amazing. You read in books like the Bible about humanity being the favored ones, but there's so much more out there. It kind of puts you in awe of Whoever created it all."

Firefly (Barrows) has posed:
    "I already know who created it all, and my love for him hasnt dimmed. It just has grown bigger." Josiah says with a smile. "Too many people think god doesnt exist or is neglectful, because he puts us through suffering. What they dont understand is, through adversity, we tend to do great things, both good and bad."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon nods slowly, thinking back over some of the things she's seen and done. "Sometimes it's small things done with great heart." She grins, gently nudging Josiah in the ribs and chuckling. "I don't think a single one of us here will be going up to glory with a boring tale to tell!"

Firefly (Barrows) has posed:
    Josiah smiles at her. "I studied religions as a young child. So much so that I was even taught pagan religions so I can better understand them and claim that christianity is the better choice. The problem is one should always be christlike, and less christian per say. Christ taught us to not judge, to welcome one another with love and warmth. Too many people are so focused on being superior that they forget the message Christ was trying to spread." He says softly.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon nods slowly at this. "I don't claim to be Christian, or pagan, or anything. I think about all any of us can be really sure of is that it's kind of like the priest from 'Rudy' said." She giggles as she says the line; clearly this is a movie she loves to pieces. " 'There is a God, and I'm not Him.' "

     Her smile is, however, chased by a sigh. "It's a lot of why I want to stay here after graduation. This place, it was started with the dream that mutants and others could someday live together in peace. That's a dream worth working for."

Firefly (Barrows) has posed:
    "Religion is man's belief in something greater then himself. While most Athiests claim to not believe in any god, they are hard pressed to properly explain everything." Josiah says as he smiles. "For example, there exists a larve which can turn it's butt to look like a pit viper, even having a mock strike to sell the facade. Now does this sound like random chance, or maybe god giving his creature a means to survive?" He says as he looks back to the stars. "Most think science defies the divine. To me, they seem to work together. I dont know if god is an alien or a truely divine force, but I do know that that creating force created compassion, and love. God is love." He says softly.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon nods, and leans in for a brief hug. "Then that's somewhere we can definitely agree. Whatever creative force is out there, is love and compassion. Religion might be created by man... but if it helps us express those better parts of ourselves, is that such a bad thing?"

     There is silence for several minutes as the stars and moon continue to shine, giving off their light with only the sound of the night breeze to accompany the display of beauty. "Sounds like we might have a toss-up for the next student movie night," she offers, grinning. "Either 'Rudy', or 'Prince of Egypt'. I wonder which the teachers will go for? My guess would be it'd probably come down to a coin toss."

Firefly (Barrows) has posed:
    Josiah hugs her back and he nods. "I never seen rudy before." He says as he shrugs. "I like the prince of egypt because it was somewhat accurate." He says as he watches the stars. "Course animation lets you be accurate. Minus the singing of course." He says with a smirk as he looks to the woman.

Nightingale has posed:
     "Oh, heck, I like the music! It doesn't hurt that it's a very respectful treatment of the Exodus story, of course, and I really enjoyed how the movie played upon the two brothers as a reflection of the entire saga. It really makes you think, 'What was going through their minds in the actual moment?'. Assuming, of course, that it's factual history." She shrugs and grins a bit sheepishly. "Almost hated tossing that in there, but the tale was written down by man, and man is prone to errors."

     She grins wider still. "Oh my. You've never seen 'Rudy'? That settles which movie's next, then. And it's one of those I'd feel comfortable letting younger students see, too. I'll ask Sam whose approval we need, and we can go from there. It's really one of those 'feel-good' movies, know what I mean? Great soundtrack, too. No singing, but fantastic background music."

Firefly (Barrows) has posed:
    "The bible would have you believe that the world is only a few thousand years old. In truth however, it is much older. I was helping a researcher research the time peroid in which the whole exodus chapter happened. We found no direct records, but we did find something else in the story...The city which the jews supposedly built was made of mudbricks. No egyptian city was ever made in such a way except one. The Pharoah of the time was trying to force the egyptian culture to worship one god, and appearantly this one god ordered him to use mudbricks. It was believed it was the pharoah before Tutankhamen." Josiah explains.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon tilts her head. "The Pharaoh Ankhenaten, right? Tutankhamen's sire? By the by, Tut's name used to be Tutankhaten, but when his father died and his monotheistic religion overthrown, Tut's name was changed to reflect this." She laughs, and shakes her head. "Could get into a huge debate about history versus the movie on this one. Is that something you really want to do right now?"

Firefly (Barrows) has posed:
    Josiah nods. "You seem to know Egyptian history. Even if the bible isnt true, the stories teaches people how to live a good life." Josiah says with a shrug. "Anyway so we are going to Watch Rudy?" He asks curiously as he studies the woman.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon smiles lightly and nods. "I liked the Isis myth in particular, and the story of Demeter in Greek mythology for the same reason. The devotion to their loved ones shown by both is something that I wish more would follow the example of. Like my family did and does for me." She chuckles, turning to peer over at Josiah, studying him in turn. "Sure hope we can. I can't see the teachers saying no to that one for a general student movie night, but even if not, we can watch it on our own if you like sometime."

Firefly (Barrows) has posed:
    Josiah nods. "Well I should probably head to bed. It was nice stargazing with you." He says as he leans over to kiss her cheek and goes to help her up. "So what do you want to do for tomorrow night?" He asks curiously.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon blushes as he plants chaste kiss on her cheek, and smiles. "I don't know. That's half the fun though, being spontaneous sometimes." Her smile remains as she glances over at him. "It really was nice stargazing. That was a great idea... thank you for that."