214/Sunday Ponderings

Sunday Ponderings
Date of Scene:	01 March 2020
Location:	Saint Patrick's Cathedral
Synopsis:	A mass about wisdom and a discussion about science
Cast of Characters:	Michael Hannigan, Bobbi Morse, Shuri, Peter Parker

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Michael Hannigan has posed:
There's something to be said about the first mass of what could be loosely termed 'the day'. It's pitch black dark when you get in. The only people in there are those who opted to come in here over the night to stay warm and the few early risers.

There's a set system in play. Those sleeping over have moved over to the right most and left most pews, leaving the center seats for those actively participating in the mass. While the homily is still kind of long, the collection and communion portions are extremely fast. When you only have a handful of persons actually recieving the body and blood of christ, it's quick. With the church resorting to disposable cups for the communion drink to cut back on the spread of illness, even quicker.

Mike is one of those taking advantage of the lighter numbers. It's not because of security concerns relating to threats directed towards Nick Drago. No, that's one reason why public appearances are done under a stage name and why he tries to look much more different when performing. Nope. He's quite taken to using this time slot because of the effect of the daylight greeting you when you come back out. The world is dark, have mass, the world is light again. How cool is that?

Also he has sleep issues. He's already awake so might as well.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
There's a certain blond here. Mostly since she's come to cleanse her soul and pray for...something. Forgiveness, really. She needs it in her line of work. Bobbi Morse is sat in a pew, head down, eyes closed, and hands together. She's here, dressed casually with her suit under a t-shirt, jeans and a coat really. She did sleep and got up an hour ago, it wasn't that bad of a journey from the Triskelion to here. Sure, she could pray in the complex. But. She wants to get out of there for a moment. Or a morning, really. Plus, there's something beautiful about this cathedral.

Settling more into the pew, Bobbi sighs a little before getting comfortable again. Bobbi's not hard to miss really. Instead, she's dressed down for church. Jeans, t-shirt, jacket, boots and yes, her orange lensed sunglasses.

She's also got her staves if anyone starts trouble, though....here, in this beautiful place, it'd be a travesty

Shuri has posed:
For her part, Shuri is not here for reasons that most come here for. No, she just heard of the beauty of this place and she wished to appreciate it. Now, she has ditched her bodyguard/assistant and has come here alone. She is not worried, after all, she can take care of herself. She walks in, smiling at the sight of this place, walking along the pews as she comes in, frowning a little at the peoeple who are here sleeping. Not for reasons that have to do with not wanting to see them here. No, she is glad they have found warmth. She is instead sad that they need to find it. There are no homeless in Wakanda, everyone has something. It's quite sad to her to find people like this in other parts of the world.

Either way, she does not directly approach anyone right away, she instead slips to the side to look at a particular piece of stained glass that catches her eye.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
The priest, dressed in white robes and a green lifts his hands up.


"Lord Jesus, you have made known to us the things of the Kingdom today.
Show us how to apply what we have learned in this service to our daily lives.
Help us to make wise choices throughout the week for the glory of your name.
May we be able to sift through all that we have learned so that we can walk in your ways.
Father, give us wisdom that leads to love and faith.
In Jesus' name, we believe and pray, Amen."

"The mass is ended, go in peace."

As the priest goes through his closing prayer and dismissal, there is an added emphasis to certain words as he looks pointedly to the congregation. Wise Choices. Wisdom. Love. Peace. It seems that in this time, the priest feels a need to remind people of these traits in particular before they head out.

There's a slight cough as the processional lines up and makes their way off of the altar, vanishing behind one door. Upon the priest's departure, there is the slow collection of personal belongings from the pews and the quiet process of departure.

There's no effort made to wake those who are sleeping. There is an established acceptance of them being there and they are left alone to rest.

Mike lingers in his seat, closing his eyes as he takes a deep breath.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi looks up as the priest departs with a nod. It's over, time for her to get up and head out. Or...no. No. Time for her to look around. Up on her feet, Bobbi nods looking over the inside of the building with a nod. She steps out from the pew and gives the sleeping drunks a sympathetic nod. She genuinely feels sorry for them, honestly.Mostly since,well...she understands it. She makes a note to talk to somebody about them. Ah the joys of being SHIELD. She's not an evil heartless monster, honestly.

Going past the drunks, she's found herself gazing at the same stained glass piece as Shuri, Bobbi silently marveling at the art in the glass. "It's so beautiful" she says gently. No sass. Honest appreciation.

Bobbi not sassing is rare. Looking over the glass again, Bobbi looks around with a smile. She's quiet, rare for her.

Shuri has posed:
"Yes, it is." Shuri smiles and looks over to Bobbi, "It is not often I am impressed by the works of others but this is one of those times." She then looks back up at it before looking at all the others, "I believe it is my favorite among those here." Her accent is very obvious, she's definitely not from around here. She looks back at the people still here and then looks to Bobbi, "Is this place often like this? People sleeping and resting here because they have no where else?"

Peter Parker has posed:
"Well, that was a very good sermon."
The elderly lady with the crickety look about her stands up, then bends the knee slightly and waits for the young man with her.
Dr. Lawson was out sick, and she had always wanted to check out this church, even though she was Presbyterian at heart. Her best friend Mabel had been going on and on and on about it, and it had been a good opportunity. A little too much pomp and circumstance for her tastes, but Catholics loved that stuff. The young man steps out as well. "Well, Aunt May, did you want to look around a little more? I could give you some tidbits on the stability of church architecture..."
"Peter, dear boy, you really must look at the ARTISTIC side of things. Not EVERYTHING is science."
"It...kinda is."
"Peter Benjamin PARKER..."
He looked instantly chastened. "Yes, Aunt May. Beauty over science. Gotcha."
"Good boy. Now...my word, that lady is dressed quite ornately. Let's say hello..."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
In the quiet, acoustically perfect room, the question asked by Shuri reaches Mike's ears. Eyes opening, he looks over to the pair talking and stands up, collecting his jacket to walk over, giving a small smile. Honestly with the amount of exhaustion in the man's face, that he's smiling at all is an achievement.

"Good morning, you two." He greets, looking between Shuri and Bobbi. He nods to those sleeping, "You'll likely see them in a lot of churches. Some locations have the sanctuary church programs, and others have open door policies. Better indoors at night."

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi listens, and turns putting herself in the discussion. "Excuse me but science has more uses than art. That doesn't detract from the beauty of art, and art involves science. SO in a way the young man is correct. So" she says, her sass coming back. "Pretty sure you gotta own up to being wrong, old lady" she says

Sass done, she turns back to the artwork and nods to Mike's words. "Indeed. The churches offer a safe place to sleep. Some offer warm meals as well and of course spiritual guidance"

With that she falls silent and just admires the artwork then looks to Shuri. "Forgive me for asking, but your dress is beautiful" she nods.

Shuri has posed:
A look over at Mike and she nods, "I see, it is really too bad." She states simply enough and shakes her head, "There should be more options." She then looks over at Peter Parker and his aunt for a brief moment but then Shuri is turning her gaze to Bobbi. She blinks at her and then she smiles, "You know if you are doing it right, science is a form of art." She shrugs and nods her head, "At least when I do it I find it all to be beautiful. They need not be mutally exclusive." She then looks down at herself and then looks up to Bobbi, "Oh thanks, I definitely enjoy the look though I have a few outfits that fit America better. I felt for going to a cathedral it might be best to put on...what is the saying? My Sunday best?"

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi nods. "Indeed. You did fine" she smiles looking amused then turns to Mike and back to Shuri again. "Good" she says with a look to both. "There should be options. Butt sadly things are cruel like that"

Looking over to Mike again, Bobbi nods, then her attention is on the next piece of stained glass moving to look at it. Bobbi is silently apprecating the science that led to the art.

Peter Parker has posed:
Aunt May smiles wryly to Bobbi. "And I am sure when you ere looking at Munch's 'The Scream,' you were thinking about the scientific content, young lady?"
"Actually, Aunt May, there is something scientifically interesting..." Peter offered, trying to be helpful.
"Peter, dear, I love you dearly, but you can be quite dense." She looked back to Shuri, but she is talking to Bobbi, and opts to not be rude by talking over other people. She does seem to look from Shuri to Peter when Shuri talks about her forays into scientific pursuits.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"But there are other options" Mike responds, "But other options may not necessarily be the best fit for the people who end up here. Everyone is different and their needs are different. Best that can be done is to try and make them comfortable."

Mike glances over to Peter and then to the aunt. He smiles, "Science is but study of how something works. The Arts in itself is a science. You might not think much of it looking at the end result. But there was much trial and error into the creation of it."

Shuri has posed:
"I still fail to see why you are all speaking of these things as separate. Science is the study of things and creates a story about how the world works. Which, in and of itself is art. Art is the creation of something that didn't exist before. Science." She looks to the others before shrugging, "Everything I create is art to me and also science." She shrugs a little, "I'm not sure why it all has to be separate." She then smiles to the group.

"Now, before we go further, I am Shuri." She nods her head.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi's siding with the sciencey crowd. Holder of a Ph.D and all that. She looks amused. "I'm Bobbi" she says with a nod and a hand to Shuri. "Because that old lady decided to make it an argument. Though let's be honest. Shuri here has the right idea" Bobbi says with a smile. If only she'd said that and defused this beforehand.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike nods gesturing to Shuri as his smile strengthens a bit. "Yep. She said it better." He looks over to her, following the cue with the head nod, figuring the need to cut down on the passing of germs "I'm Mike."

Peter Parker has posed:
The old lady smiles to Shuri, then tilts her head slightly. "My name is May Parker, but my friends call me Aunt May." She favors Bobbi with a pleasant smile. "And an 'Old Lady' is entitled to her opinion."
Peter steps forward before Aunt May can say anything else. "Hi, I'm Peter...but you probably knew that already. We usually don't go to this church, but we made a special trip today on advice from Missus Richards. Just wanted to see what he only saw in pictures before."

Shuri has posed:
A smile and then a laugh and she looks to Bobbi, "It takes two people to make something an argument." She states to Bobbi, "And I saw you arguing quite a bit." She then looks over at Mike briefly before shrugging and looking ot Peter and Aunt May, "Good to meet you, Aunt May. I don't usually go to any church at all but I made an exception to see this place." She gestures, "There's a lot that went into making it this beautiful." She then looks to Aunt May, "Science." And then to Bobbi, "And art."

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi nods. "But we're entitled to disagree" she asides to Aunt May. "Just remember that and we're all good" she nods tapping her nose then looks to the others. "See, the art in the pieces is great. The science to craeate the pieces? Also beautiful" she says finally conceding the point. No desire to get on the wrong side of Aunt May. Older women are nasty at times. Plus she doesn't wanna get smacked with a cane or however Aunt May displays her anger.

Peter Parker has posed:
Aunt May looks mollified, which Peter is very grateful for. As long as she doesn't feel the need to bandy about his accomplishments. "Well, I am willing to concede the point that science does work well with the artistic nature. Peter's work tends to be a bit more utilitarian, though." She looks to Peter. "Although you DID fix the water heater and the A/C unit, and you keep my appliances running the way I like them."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"Funny that," Mike comments, looking to Aunt May, "Utilitarian Art is a thing. Function is prioritzed over aesthetics. But the aesthetics are still there. When he fixes things, are they a mess of wires or do they look about the same afterwards?"

Shuri has posed:
A chuckle as she listens to the conversation and Shuri shakes her head, "This entire conversation is not at all what I expected upon entering a cathedral." She states simply enough, "Science was not something that I assumed would come up." She then looks over at the stained glass window again before looking back to Bobbi a moment and then at Aunt May and then to Mike. Taking all their words before simply adding, "So, you four seem to be locals of this area even if you are at a new church, what would you suggest for a good secret spot for a tourist to visit?"

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi nods. "There's beauty in stark art and science" she offers with a nod to them all. Looking past the glass she nods to Shuri. "No it wasn't what I expected either" she admits with a smile. Looking over to the woman she nods. I"'m local...ish. I work outside the city but I',m here on business at the moment" she says. Which is avague way of saying she's doing secret stuff. Like Secret Squirrel. Less animal though.

Peter Parker has posed:
Aunt May looks thoughtful. "Peter, do you remember that little Italian place?"
"Uncle Sal's? Yeah. Right."
Aunt May smiles warmly to Shuri. "A former enforcer of the Italian mob, opened his own restaurant. Not...five blocks from here. Uncle Sal's Italian Ristorante. Large portions, spectacular Italian food. My friend Sara works in the bookstore next to it, swears the kitchen is spotless. Her brother is a chef there. Low lighting, quiet Italian music from the Big Band era, cozy setting." She has that look of fond remembrance, which lends credence to the telling.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike frowns, "Honestly, I travel a lot for work so when I'm back in town I tend to just keep it to a few places. The Coffee Bean is a go to for me after training but a bit crowded."

He considers what he did on Saturday, frown fading, "They're not really secret spots but- the Central Park Zoo's experiencing a bit of an off season due to the weather so you can probably avoid much of the crowd there today. Snow Leopard's a bit cheeky so if you're into sketchwork I'd suggest picking a different subject. Oh and the garden over at the Art museum in the same area is pretty peaceful as well. If you're adventurous, the red and white hot dog cart on the Northwest side of the park is pretty alright. Avoid the red and yellow one on the Northeast side."

Shuri has posed:
Taking in all she is told, Shuri nods her head and smiles a little, "I likely only have so long before something causes me to have to return home so I assume a lot of good choices." She nods her head before she considers, "I have not had Italian food, I don't believe. That should be a good expeirence." She then hmms and looks over at Mike before nodding, "All good ideas." her gaze does linger on Bobbi a moment though as she considers, "Interesting. Well, hopefully the business is good." She then turns her gaze back to Peter, "Now if I recall, this all started with you speaking of science. Do you go to school here locally? Do you work in science?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Do I work in science? Hoo boy, what a question. Easy, Parker. Keep it quiet, modest, humble. If she's in the same kind of thing, she's not going to be that impressed.
"Actually, I go to Midtown High. I'm a senior there, and I'm graduating in June..."
"Valedictorian, mind you," Aunt May puts in with a note of pride.
Peter gives her a look of fond exasperation. "In any case, I'm working on a project for this year's science fair. If I make a good showing, I could earn a partial scholarship. I've already been accepted to Empire State University."
Aunt May tilts her head. "Ever heard back from MIT?"
"No, sorry. guess I didn't make the cut there."

He did, with a full scholarship. But that would also mean moving to Boston and leaving Aunt May to fend for herself...
...and to Hell with THAT noise. So he had intercepted the letters from MIT before Aunt May could see them, and they were currently moldering in some landfill.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike looks to the exchange between Peter and Shuri quietly. He doesn't really have anything to interject into this. Sure he goes to a college but that's for vocal coaching, not a degree. As for high school? Well-

Graduation ceremonies for the home schooled are kind of meh.

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Nor does Bobbi. "Reminds me of when I went and graduated from GT and got my biology degree. Then when I got my PH.D" she says. "Graduations are fine if you keep calm and know what you're up to" she says with a knowing look....like she's gonna reveal some juicy secret.

Shuri has posed:
A smile is given to Peter and she nods, "That is very good, Peter. From what I understand, being Valedictorian is an excellent accomplishment. I never went to a normal school, all of my teaching was based on private education." She shrugs, "As such, I did not attend college either." She then looks over at Bobbi, "Honestly, I'd be interested in the graduation ceremonies over here. I imagine they are far safer here and I would not mind knowing what it is like." She glances over to Peter, "I am personally working on a great many projects of my own as I have mostly finished my formal education."

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi nods. "You can't go to university and find out?" she asks. hey, open mouth, insert foot. "I mean, pick something you enjoy, grab a degree in it" she offers quickly and keeps an eye on Shuri out the corner of her eyey. Foot's not fully in mouth after that save.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter looks at Shuri with a note of respect. Accomplishment is accomplishment, and he still has a long way to go. "That's great, Shuri. I'm actually working to get into the Neuroscience program. There's a lot to speak of in that field. Prosthetics, recovery therapy, nanomedicine, gene therapies. Sky's the limit, and maybe not even then."
"And with his smarts, he will do great things," Aunt May put in, smiling with undisguised pride.
Peter blushes slightly. "Well, okay, yeah. But I have to know what's out there, Aunt May."

Bobbi Morse has posed:
Bobbi nods to Shuri and Peter. "Which I get. If my aunt had been like you" she says looking to Aunt May, "I might not have ended up in my career field. You do what you want to" she nods to Peter and smiles gently. "Though I ned to head back to work" she says gently. Or for those not in the know. She's heading out to head to work. For those in the know...they'll know where she's heading. With a wave and a nod, she heads out.

Shuri has posed:
A blink at Bobbi as she leaves and Shuri laughs, "What? Show up, tell the professors how to do their job, and then get kicked out for being better than them?" She rolls her eyes, "I really doubt that'd get me far." She then looks over at Peter and nods, "That is a good direction to go." She nods again, "That is one area where I could stand to brush up a bit. I'm falling slightly behind there, I will admit."

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter nods and is about to speak when Aunt May tugs his shoulder. "Peter, we should get going. I have to bake four pies, still."
"Right. Sorry, Aunt May." He smiles apologetically. "Sorry, we have to go. It was nice to meet you all, though!"

Peter waves as Aunt May nearly drags him towards the entrance to the city. Eight million stories, and this was two of them. Just a couple of normal New Yorkers.