9095/Questions of Faith

Questions of Faith
Date of Scene:	06 September 2019
Location:	Apple Park - Salem Center
Synopsis:	Shannon seeks refuge in music in Apple Park, and a question finds an answer in the god of the oceans.
Cast of Characters:	Nightingale, Poseidon

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Nightingale has posed:
     It was a beautiful afternoon, too beautiful to remain cooped up indoors studying. After leaving a message back at the school to let them know she'd be exploring Salem Center, Shannon packed up her laptop, her mini music keyboard, her old book on mythology, and takes off for Salem Center. She needed to get away from things for a little while. There had been some high points the past few weeks, but more lows than she cared to admit, and it left her needing to clear her head.

     The young mutant spies the expanse of Apple Park from above and smiles somewhat. Here was somewhere she could blend in for a little while, remind herself what she was learning to protect, and maybe just think on things for a little bit. She backwings to a semi-graceful landing and finds an out-of-the-way spot to curl up, under a maple tree that was just beginning to show hints of the change of seasons. She unpacks the laptop bag she'd brought with her, plugging in her keyboard, and begins working on music. It was a soft, sweet piece, at odds with how she felt at the moment. Underneath the light, lilting notes of harp and pan flute, she seemed to be crafting what sounded like... the ocean.

     Her mind wandered a bit as she worked, and she shook her head slightly, glancing down at her hands. She wanted to think that Someone had given her these gifts she bore for a reason, but to reconcile that with the raw hatred she'd witnessed the past several days was... difficult. What kind of God would allow such things to happen? Despite encouragement, it was a hard question to wrestle with. Under her breath, a simple prayer formed, underscored by the notes of her own making, and whispers of the ocean beneath the music. "Why are these gifts given, if they can't do any good when they're needed the most? I know it's impossible to help everyone... but still... why..." She shakes her head, having her doubts at the moment as to whether anyone was listening, and simply returned to her work.

Poseidon has posed:
It is not like people don't pray anymore, now aday. On the contrary, they pray quite a lot, but to the wrong deities or, at least, deities that so far havn't manifested in flesh in the last two millennia. And so it is that any old gods, especially those caring about humans and in dire need of followers, would probably pick up a prayer or something looking like one, and Poseidon happens to be one of those gods.
Sitting on his throne, in his palace under the seas, his mind receives Shannon's voice not only for her, cry of help or at least of question, but also for the association that the girl has with his element. So it is that poseidon stands up, closing his eyes and rearranging his clothes to look like a regular human in jeans and a white shirt. Modifying his shape is child's play with a bit of magic, so that he can look like an average guy in his mid twenties, with sea green eyes and light brown hair. A minute is all it takes then to gather enough energy to teleport, across the oceans, across the world, to appear behind a tree not too far from where Shannon is listening to her music, and there the man stands, circling to lean on the tree, arms crossed. To any careful observer, he definitely wasn't there a moment ago.

Nightingale has posed:
     It's frustrating, to try and capture the rhythm of the seas in the music, to plan every ebb and flow of lightly whooshing sound so that it bears some actual resemblance to nature. Shannon smiles a little bit; was this how the god of the seas must have felt, with the tides at his fingertips? That is, if there was even such a being at all. Though recently, she'd had cause to re-think a few things, and consider that stories could have a grain of truth in them. But that was a little farfetched, wasn't it? Gods just did not walk among mortals.

     She leans back against the maple for a moment, letting her hand rest on the small keyboard next to her, the laptop perched on her lap gone silent for the moment. Distracted by her task as she was, she was no careful observer, but neither does she miss the presence of someone nearby. She just offers a little nod and a smile to be polite, resting her head against the tree behind her and closing her eyes.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon returns the nod with a polite one of his own and a small smile, remaining otherwise perfectly motionless, letting his hears attune to the music that the woman is listening to, the right corner of his lips turning upwards in a slightly more visible smile. He is not into her mind, nor he would want to go there for now, all he does for the moment is observing, trying to make a better idea about who the girl is, and what's the reason for her to have such a crysis of faith to be able to attract the attention of a god.

Nightingale has posed:
     The music falls silent for a moment, and she opens her eyes. Her attention is once again on the laptop, and she opens a browser window to look at a video of a recent news broadcast. It talks about the recent Sentinel attack--and the loss of a young mutant in the fray. Mention of a memorial is made, but still, a single tear trickles down her face as she listens, and her fingers curl into a fist of frustration and rage. There was definitely a connection there--but what?

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon quietly pushes forward from the tre on which he was leaning, moving a couple of calm steps in the direction of Shannon and stopping a couple of metres away from her, slowly lowering himself to sit on his eels, hands neatly placed on his own knees, his serene green eyes locking on the girl's face. "was he a friend of yours?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shakes her head. "No. I never even knew him. But I was there, at the attack." She's quiet for several long moments, grief and frustration etched into her youthful features. How old could she be? "It was just... too fast. Too brutal. I know there was no way I could've saved him, that shot just blew out most of his back and... god, it was ugly. But still, it hurts, all I could do was close his eyes." She sighs deeply, opening her pale blue eyes to glance at the screen. "At least he won't be forgotten."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon listens quietly, and just as quietly gives a nod of understanding. "sometimes, all we can do, is closing the eyes of the fallen. No matter your powers, you just can't always save them all." he murmurs, shaking his head as if to clear his own thoughts "but yes, at least he will not be forgotten. There were some, human phylosophers, saying that immortality is not only achieved by living for a lot of time, but also by surviving within the memories of the world, because where someone is remembered, then he truly never ceases to exist..." his lips twitch oddly as if he was about to give a small smirk, after all, there are also immortal being who are forgotten.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles faintly and nods, though her eyes are still misty. "Maybe you can't save them all... but it sure doesn't stop you from wishing you could. Or wondering if you'll ever be able to if and when the time comes." She runs her fingers through her hair, glancing skywards. "It makes you wonder what kind of god allows hate like that to even exist. What purpose there would be in such a thing? Is there even anyone out there who cares?"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon tilts his head slightly to the right, peering at the girl "well, gods don't affect the choices of humans, not anymore at the very least. Plus, humans almost all forgot that gods even exist, how are they pretending now that gods will come to their aid when they've been forgotten for centuries?" he asks, his eyes attentively studying the girl's expression "this is a world that humans have shaped, so whatever is in it is their responsibility, now. Inspite of that, though, there are creatures, out there, that care and try to help however they can. It's just, as I was saying, no matter how much power you have, you can't stop them all from dying"

Nightingale has posed:
     "Maybe not... but I couldn't even ease his pain." Out of the top of that bag, an old, well-loved softcover book peeks out, with many a page dog-eared. What part of the cover can be seen bears the image of a winged horse coming out of the sunset, whinneying a challenge to any and all who would oppose its might. Shannon smiles a little bit, sympathetic. "I guess it'd hurt pretty badly, to be forgotten like that. Maybe, if gods even exist, they have a lot of the same questions. Maybe they wonder if anyone cares, too." She shakes her head a little bit and chuckles ruefully, offering her hand. "I'm Shannon. What's your name?"

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon summons his smile again, his eyes noticing the book but lingering there for no longer than a couple of seconds. "well, no need to worry about what you wern't able to do, you can't change the past anyways. Make it into a lesson for the future and go on, as difficult as it can be you can." he comments, sighing, and smiling again, almost in amusement "oh, they do, I'm sure they wonder that all the times. After all, look in what state humans are leaving the world! Have you had a look at the oceans recently? Fourty percent water, sixty percent trash and chemical wastes and, you don't even want to know what's in there. I wouldn't be surprised if one of this days the atlanteans came up here and unloaded all of their trash on your doorsteps. I'd have a laugh myself!" he stops, blinking, maybe realizing he's spoken too much probably. "hmm, well, you can call me, P.. Percy, for now" he says, shaking the woman's hand "a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Shannon"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon stifles a laugh at the image, completely nonplussed by hearing mention of the Atlanteans. Her grip is firm yet gentle, and lingers for just a moment. "Likewise, Percy." She rolls her eyes a little bit and chuckles. "Oh heavens, I can't even imagine what they must think of that. If someone trashed my home, I'd be pretty upset." She cracks a little bit of a smile, seeming to be reminiscing for a moment. "Actually met their queen a few weeks ago at a charity event. Well... more in passing. I heard one of her guards coughing and was just making sure they were alright. It got a little awkward, though." She turns a bit red and actually grins. "I think there was a little bit of a cultural misunderstanding. I tried shaking the guard's hand... but they didn't realize they had to let go. So it went on. And on. And on. I didn't want to upset anyone by saying something about it. Poor Mera herself finally had to step in. Definitely awkward, but she was really kind about the whole thing. Seemed like someone it'd be nice to know."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon releases a chuckle when earing about the hand incident, chuckle that then turns into a small laugh "oh, that's something I wanted to see!" he comments, grinning a bit after that "speaking of which, I should have a word with Mera, and with Arthur as well" he adds in a lower voice,straightening his back "yes, atlanteans are nice people if you're nice with them. Generally speaking, living under the rule of be and let them be, so if you don't annoy them, they won't annoy you. If you annoy them, they'll probably obliterate you from the planet and, trust me, they could" he winks "but they won't cause they're nice! Maybe."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Arthur? Who's that?" Something else about that got Shannon's attention, and her eyebrows go up. She'd been lucky enough to meet Mera just in passing, but the way Percy was talking about the Atlanteans, and particularly Mera and this Arthur, well, it almost sounded personal. She peers curiously over at him, but smiles. "The way I figure it, you just try to treat people decently. Doesn't matter their rank, or who or even what they are." She chuckles a little bit, offering something of a lopsided smile. "There's the old adage of being kind to people, because you never know if you're entertaining an angel unawares."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon grins, then explains "the king, yo, ahem, humans know it as Aquaman." he then nods in complete agreement "that's true, and a good principle to follow! Too bad almost noone does that anymore, because kindness is more difficult than, powerthirst, destruction, and all other nasty behaviors humanity seems to have of late."

Nightingale has posed:
     Okay, something was definitely up with Percy. Problem is, Shannon just couldn't quite figure out what it was. Maybe it was just her imagination, but still, she was going to keep an eye on him! She smiles ruefully and inclines her head in agreement, letting out a bit of a sigh. "Yeah, sadly I know what you mean there." She ruffles her wings... yes, her wings... in a bit of a shrug, looking down at her hands. "Small wonder you don't hear about gods among humans like in the old myths. Heck, I'd probably keep my distance, too. Still..." She smiles a little bit. "...if they were real, I can imagine they'd be pretty lonely, living like that."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon turns the smile into a slightly bittersweet one "lonely..." he repeats, then shrugs "na, gods are the most lovely of people, why would you want to keep your distances?" he asks, studying the girl "it's not like they sink ships and blow up buildings, not unless someone deserves it at least..." he adds, almost as an afterthought

Nightingale has posed:
     "Or send storms to throw someone's ship off-course so they take years getting home," Shannon adds to the list. Her brows furrow slightly, and she appears to be deep in thought for a moment. There were dots to be connected here, but what? What was she missing? Not only did Percy seem to talk about the Atlanteans as if it were personal, but it almost sounded like he was fairly familiar with the gods, too. Well... maybe he was just well-versed in mythology. Either way, something in the back of her mind told her to be careful. "I wouldn't want to keep my distance," she says. "But there's no way to know just how much of those old stories are actually true, and how much was added on by men over the centuries."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon hmms thoughtfully "some of those stories are highly exagerated, made to put into mortals the idea that gods are not to be messed with, sort of. Or to throw, them, in a bad light... And well, if you're as smart as people say you are, you won't upset the god of all the oceans before taking a sea voyage, hm? Hardly surprising that you take all those years to go back then! And that, too, is an exagerated story." he explains, evidently referring to a specific event or set of events.
Shrugging slightly he shifts his position a bit, still composed though "an advice I could give is, judge people by what you see and what they are, not by what someone else says of them, especially someone that died before the grandparents of your grandparents were even in the mind of their grandparents."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon chuckles a little bit, smiling somewhat. "Well... yeah. What father wouldn't be upset if their child was attacked?" There was little doubt that the winged teen had a pretty good idea about the specific set of events in question. "Guess that'd either scare some people away, or make them really wary of having anything to do with the gods in general. All they might see is the anger." She glances at Percy, giving him a very thoughtful look. "That's not what I see in it, though."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon nods approvingly "thing is, that back then, there were gods that, to put it bluntly, were complete assholes. As in, gods are superior, mortals as their inferior selves must serve them. And practically speaking that's true, as in, gods are effectively superior at least in a physical and magical sense. But there were also those trying to work in a more, balanced, relationship. I give to you, you give to me, we happily coexist. As in, I make your ships sail safely, you send a prayer or two my way and maybe a sacrifice from time to time, possibly not a human sacrifice, and we get along allright. But then, if you start being disrespectful, if you start messing with things that you shouldn't mess with, then well, one shouldn't really be surprised nor upset if I decide to sink your ship, bury your town, and devastate your area. Next time, you'll maybe, maybe, decide to be a lilbit more careful!"

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon rolls her eyes and laughs a bit. "Maybe that's why I keep coming back to the old myths. The gods were so much more like us than maybe even some of them would've liked to admit. They had hopes and dreams, loves and hates, all the same things we experience here. You just don't hear about that kind of thing anymore." She closes her eyes, casting her memory back a little ways. "I was raised Catholic. Guess it was better than nothing at all, but... there was just no real connection there. So I guess you could say I'm not really much of anything now."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon grins slightly again "plus, in the mortal world, there's no books telling the tale of the god's affairs from their point of view. You won't know about the love stories up in olympus, nor the battles in which mortals didn't take part, you won't know all of this and, for some, it's better that way. All in all yes, gods are just like you, just a little more easy to, well, gain their wrathful attention at times? But that's just because of curses and whatnot! Don't curse my name, I won't destroy you. That's easy, see?" he smiles then, shifting to stand straight on his two feet "well, Shannon, even if you don't go to church every sunday to pray to a single god, apparently you still believe in their existance, and I would encourage you to pursue that path not only for a personal interest. I am afraid, I have to go soon, but have no doubt we will meet again, maybe under different circumstances, and in a different place, hm?" he bows his head, looking at the girl "but know, that gods, or at least some of them, ear your prayers."

Nightingale has posed:
     Okay, that cinched it. Something was definitely up with Percy. But if Shannon's suspicions were correct, then she was definitely going to have to phrase this very carefully. "Or at least one of them, maybe. I wonder who, though." She smiles a bit, closing her laptop and packing up her bag again. "If I knew... I might be willing to write a little bit of music for them. Just to let them know they're not forgotten."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon was almost starting to turn to walk away, but stops on his tracks, turning again to aim a smile at the girl "oh, you know, that song you were listening earlier on your laptop was pretty appropriate." he comments. After a pause, then, he winks and adds "don't throw stuff into the oceans, that'd also be a good point in your favor!" that said, confident she has enough hints to figure it out, he finally turns and starts walking away, walking around a tree and vanishing, to return to his palace!

Nightingale has posed:
     Holy moly. There was just no way. No way could it be possible... could it? Either that was someone who was -really- familiar with the old gods--or, possibly, -was- one of them! And if that was the case... she bursts out laughing, just shaking her head. Sometimes, miracles did happen. Sometimes, one actually did entertain angels--or gods--unawares. "Of all the... Percy, my foot." She grins, and gets to her feet, slinging her bag over her shoulder. There -was- someone who heard, and now she had a pretty good idea of who it was. With that, she takes to the air, strong downstrokes of her wings sending her skywards, and heading for home.