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Roger
- ChangelingSkull: =New Scene= :ChangelingSkull:
Roger walked in through the portal, wearing a tee shirt and jeans. He had sleepless circles under his eyes and moved just a little slower than typical, but still with that inhuman grace.
His masks and mien's hair were both messy like he tried to sleep and didn't clean himself up afterwards.
"Coffee... Please. And An order of every type of meat you have..." he growled, but was trying to be polite before sitting down at the counter.
Artie
Bopping his head along to whatever was playing through one air pod in an ear, Artie strolled into Maddy's. He wasn't really a regular at the diner, but lately he'd been trying to increase his presence. Recently he'd popped up a flyer on the bulletin board so he figured if he became a friendly face... Maybe it'd stir up business at his shop.
So sliding up to the counter he grinned brightly. "Hi. Can I get an ice water and a dozen xiao long bao?"
His gaze panned to the side then and he recognized a winter he'd met during the solstice." Hmm... Hi there. We... Met once right?"
Roger
"Yes!" he gruffed, "t the Solstice, I think. I'm Roger. Winter, Archer."
Artie
"Awesome!" He extends a hand, beneath the Mask his limb is a charcoal scorched sooty black thing with glittering golden nails.
"I'm Artie. Summer page for now. Nice to meet ya. Happy season to you. Are the winters... Up to... Things this year?"
Roger
His gorilla-esque hand returned to shake the Wizened's hand, "Pleasure to meet another Summer. They're always... well ask Lauren... there's a warparty going after a big ol briar wolf soon, I think..."
And then he drank a large pull of the coffee, "hot hot hot... ow..."
Glancing up to Artie again, "We're always doing things. I've heard more than a few sorrows to hold for others."
Artie
When their hands meet, Artie has a firm grip but more notably, his flesh is just south of being to hot to touch.
"Oh yeah. I think I offered to help with that wolf hunt actually. It sounded like a good time." The smith beams. He leans back a little as his water arrives.
"Well yeah. I assume winter is always doing something. I just never know what it is. You guys tend to be all quiet and backgroundy with things. It's nice to be able to trust that you've got our backs. Like that Ylva problem. I figured you guys did that."
Roger
"I don't know who did it. I did bring it up to the Banisher and others..." they blew out some air, "Ugh... my head hurts. Do you know anyone that can help folx like us when things from over There pop up in our mind?"
Artie
The tailor's face takes on one of concern. "Yeah. Of course. Therecs June, little red panda summer. She's a Truebalm. Or uh Petra. I think she's a Joyeaux. Just knock on the Spring door. They've got people for that."
Lowering his voice he continues. "Will it hurt more if I ask what happened?"
Roger
"No.. I ... I was dumb. Beast dumb maybe... I let an Avowed study my differences... and I was fine until they pulled out the magnifying glass. And then... something... I was just... I had to leave."
A hand ran through his very thick fur/hair, "I'm... I haven't had that particular moment."
Artie
Artie's face twists in confusion. "I uhm... Don't know exactly what you mean but I think I get it, " he says looking at his blackened hand.
" It's hard to... See and acknowledge our changes sometimes. All of us are uniquely different and even we don't know every intricate little detail... " He drops his hand as the steamer basket of his dumplings is set in front of him.
" But it's ok to not be ok with how you are, ya know? "
Roger
"I was fine with them looking over things, you know? But it was the glass.. reminded me of some of the changes being done to me. Like ... if you were to wear a jewelwer's loop while fixing something, yeah? The magnifying glass just made me think of other things."
His eyes moved from the blackened hands, and across Artie's other visible differences, "I am happy to be me. By and large. I've moved through the sorrow and I'm to acceptance... most of the time."
Artie
"Mmm. Memory triggers are like that. It's the rather poopy part of the trauma. Things just pop up on their own," he nodd sagely.
"Though I gotta ask: are you really accepting? Or is it just to the point where you're used to it and it just doesn't weigh on your thoughts all the time? Because maybe you're not really okay you're just telling yourself that so that it doesn't hurt."
He picks up a dumpling and takes a nibble of the wrapper with his teeth before slurping out the soup. "I think the biggest first step of being Back for all of us is findingour way to Being Ok. The state in which we can function and go about doing things. But the problem with that is that it's easy to just coast. I think truly accepting takes a bit more work so the question you should ask is have you done that work? In here. " A sooty finger taps at his temple.
Roger
He raised a finger to counterpoint... and then lowered it... And then raised it again. IT was rare that Roger was speechless but they were. Trying to process those moments, "I think... I think you have a point."
Artie
Having popped the rest of the dumpling in his mouth, Artie chewed for a bit and swallowed.
"Mhm. I have a lot of time to just kinda ... Think sometimes and I've thought a lot about what happens to us and the different ways we manage. That's why I think the degree to which we vibe with our Courts is the way it is. The Courts are how we each decide to go about dealing with what happened to us right? But the reason there are so many courts is because there is no right answer to how we each get to deal with it."
A sip of water. " So. You're an Archer of Winter. How'd you decide to deal with it? "
Roger
"I was a scout and helldiver for Them. THat means that I'm pretty good at the scouting sand sneaking here, and in the hedge...and other realms. It makes sense that I'd be a scout for Winter. I'm not one to throw myself into the middle of a fight... but ambush predator? Sure."
Artie
The smith nods. "Sounds a little like me. So you do what you did There over Here now. But is it because you're good at it or because you want to to that?"
He plucks up a napkin and starts folding it absently. "For me, I made things over there. Shaped His treasures. But now I still craft and forge but I do it because I like making things. I can Create and They can't and I like rubbing it in their stupid faces. Nothing makes me have to shape things but me deciding I want to help someone."
Roger
"So originally, it's because I was good at it. I was a thief, and a spy for corporations. Made more money than God with it... now? I'm a stage magician, and I like to use my skills to entertain and relieve the sorrow of others. I got my start doing it for children in hospitals. Still do itand a lot more public and paid performances."
Artie
"Oh that sounds cool. I wanna see one of your shows! I always thought magic tricks were neat but I never got around to learning any," the smith replies as he sets down an origami phoenix, its tail and wings ripped pieces of napkin giving it a fluttery, elegant look though too delicate to be moved much.
"But you said you like to get rid of other people's sorrow. What about yours? Aren't you sad that you lost time and the way you look how you feel?"
Roger
"I was, by and large. My soon-to-be-wife is now fifty years old, with my fetch. They adopted kids and ... well now it's just an empty house. It's one of the reasons I travelled the world for so long before settling here..."
He took a drink of his coffee and sighed, "It does still hurt, but I use it as fuel. I use it to chill my heart so others can't use it against me. I use it so that others do not feel that sorrow. It is Mine to use, My Sorrow."
"Do you feel similar for wrath?"
Artie
Artie considers for a long moment as he chews on another dumpling.
"I think I take a weird look at how I handle my wrath. I don't let what happened define me so I'm not always mad about it. I don't want my whole life and mindset trapped under the weight of Them and There. I am more than what was done to me. I'm bigger and better than Them and every cliched petty cruelty they can come up with," his words slip through clinched teeth as the heat of his mantle seems to intensify in a blaze from his passion. "I want to make all of us bigger and better than the paltry little thought and dream they forced us into. People think you can't kill an idea but I bet you can."
Roger
"And I'd be happy to bring Sorrow to them, with teh tools they gave me," he showed his claws and teeth out proudly, "And even more, scout for those like you who can war party."
Artie
Calming down a bit, the searing heat dies down as Artie chuckles. "I do like a good war party. Though I am kind of worried. There hasnct been anything big to rally up against lately. Which means there'll be something huge sooner rather than later. Probably to do with that Dream thing..."
Roger
"G yeah, I don't know what's coming but I'm going on patrols every other day, just in case."
Roger
His phone alarm went off and he sighed, "I'm sorry. It's time for me to go practice for tonight's show. You have a good one, Mister Artie."
He paid for both meals and headed out.
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