9088/The Best Way To Find Yourself

The Best Way To Find Yourself
Date of Scene:	14 December 2021
Location:	St. Nicholas Shelter and Educational Center
Synopsis:	-is to lose yourself in the service of others. Mike and Roland talk while cleaning the dining hall tables at the St Nicholas shelter
Cast of Characters:	Michael Hannigan, Roland Livingston

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Michael Hannigan has posed:
As the colder months beset New York, the amount of persons taking shelter at the St. Nicholas Shelter and Educational Center has increased. The added number of bodies in the building does help a little as the combined body heat reduces the need to have the necessary temperature setting up as high to maintain comfort for the occupants.

But with increased bodies, there is an increased demand for food which makes the large dining hall's dimensions more so justified. Time ticks by, the evening grows old and soon the symphony of utensils upon dishes dies away and is instead replaced with the sound of childish chatter as some of the younger residents are gathered around the piano, Two of them are trying their hand at playing Jingle Bells while others are coloring away on photocopied coloring book sheets.

Mike glances out to the scenery, giving a slight smile. He walks along the tables, collecting the stray plates that didn't make it to the dirty dish bin. Due to the nature of the activity today, his hair is pulled back and his clothes are switched back the tune of Goodwill's finest.

Roland Livingston has posed:
Roland is out and about helping folks at St. Nick's. He'd previously been serving up stew and was now on cleanup duty, out helping Michael to collect plates and silverware. The rich kid has a rather relaxed look on his face as he works, making sure everything gets to where it needs to be. "Working these sorts of places is a nice way to spend some of my free time," he calls out to the other man who's cleaning stuff up.

"You're right, though, this place could hold quite a few more people if we wanted to arrange a holiday get together," says Livingston as he carries a bunch of plates over to the tray they go on for washing. "It's good to know that these folks have good food and a warm place to stay."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike looks over towards Roland, nodding. "I think this place was a bit more fortunate with the amount of open space to work with." Mike responds, "Although This place has more of a dorm type quality to it with the sleeping arrangements. So I suspect Hope House has an advantage there for residents who may require more specialized living arrangements."

He grabs another plate off the table, moving to return it back to the bin. "They're located close enough together that an alliance of sorts between the two could benefit the both of them. Have the strengths of both places benefit more people. Maybe have volunteers that adjust where they report to help based off of need for that day to cut down on short staffing."

He strolls back towards another table, glancing over towards Roland, "You know, I know you are part of the school, but I don't think I've ever learned what subject you teach." Then again, Mike's got an odd position with the school. Knowing that hasn't been necessary to do his job.

Roland Livingston has posed:
"You should definitely consult with the people in charge over there, see if you can't arrange a good working relationship," Roland says, continuing to clean up. "We'll just make sure to have plenty of food bars on hand at both places in case someone with a unique metabolism needs to eat more often."

Then he laughs, "I teach history. History and theory of magic, mostly. It's oriented towards people who, like myself, study the arcane but don't practice it. At least one of the kids called it Defense Against the Dark Arts, but it's much more dry than that. I don't think a proper defense against evil magic class would go over well since one of my usual tactics is to sneak up on the evil wizard or what have you and render them unconscious before they can do anything."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"That'd be perfect." Mike agrees, "I'll try to bring up the topic but in the end it'll be up to either of them to have the dialogue. If they don't want it, we can't force it."

He listens to the description fo the classes being offered. The history one doesn't get much reaction but when Theory of Magic is brought up a brow arches. "Theory of magic?" He repeats, "I didn't realize the school would offer that." The dishes clink together as Mike adds to his stack. "I generally thought that to be an independent study sort of thing. Just ... Books are back there, don't touch the tomes to the left and you'll be fine."

Roland Livingston has posed:
"It's an optional class," Roland laughs. "I look at magic a lot like I look at science. It's good to have a basic understanding. But, like science, magic can be easily abused by the wrong sorts of people. One of the reasons I never started practicing is because I worry that I'd become dependent on it for everyday life." Then he shrugs, "The students enjoy it, though. It's interesting to learn about the arcane aspects of our world."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"That is a legitimate concern." Mike admits, turning to walk back over to the bin to deposit another batch of plates. He gives a glimpse to the tables and upon seeing them clear of plates, he moves over to grab a marked spray bottle of cleaner and one of the cleaning cloths. Stepping over, he starts to spray down one table,. "Good that you have the option." He murmurs, looking to a bubble of cleaner that dies away as it expands beyond the tension strength of the fluid it was made of. "At the very least it sounds like the course could be taken as a form of cultural study."

Roland Livingston has posed:
"Sure, magic is part of our world, whether people acknowledge it or not," says Roland as he puts up the last of the dishes and goes to grab some spray and a rag to wipe stuff with. As he cleans he continues, "It's a good excuse to tell stories, too. I've been all over the world dealing with monsters and evil sorcerers and recovering mystical artifacts. Some of those encounters are even appropriate to tell kids." There's a laugh. "Can't talk about all of my adventures, though. Gotta keep some of my tales quiet as they're probably not appropriate for the students."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
The rockstar nods, observing the bubbles. "So, you're a regular Indiana Jones." Mike surmises, stepping forward to wipe up the setting suds, determining the rest time to be sufficient. "So, if you were to give a percentage, how much of your stories are student appropriate?"

Roland Livingston has posed:
"I'm less destructive than Indy, usually," Roland says with a laugh, the comparison definitely pleasing to him. "About fifty percent, I'd say. The others involve a bit more violence on my part than I'm happy with the kids knowing about. I've had to slay my share of things that bump in the night, but sometimes they've got human familiars and it's quite hard to know who to put the silver arrowheads through in the heat of battle."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
The cloth pauses in its dance across the tabletop as Mike looks over to Roland. The musician is quiet for a few moments, studying Roland's expression in that time. He glances over to the other side of the dining hall where the children are settled. Clearing his throat, he shakes his head.

Once the table is wiped up, Mike takes the bottle and rag over to the table next to the one Roland's working on. He quietly spritzes the table, looking down to the bubbles forming.

"Have you ever determined wrong?" Mike queries, voice a bit lower in volume.

Roland Livingston has posed:
"I can usually tell who's who," Roland says quietly. "I've had to kill some humans, however, and that weighs heavily. As soon as they put a noncombatant at risk then all bets are off. I won't hesitate if it's someone else needs protection." He rests a little bit as he considers things, "My family's done the magic hunting thing for centuries and at times we ended up on the wrong side of history. I try to view the world through the most modern lens I can so I don't accidentally contribute to something bad."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"Hmm." The smile Mike had on his features earlier is long gone. But considering topic material there is little wonder. Talk of battles. Talk of life loss. And with topics like those there tends to be-

The table is neglected for a few moments as Mike looks right at Roland. "What do you do to cope?"

Roland Livingston has posed:
"What do I do to cope?" Roland asks, caught off guard by the question. "Well, I exercise quite often. Anything from free running to free weights and martial arts. I drink sometimes. Mostly, I just try to make sure that if I do something terrible the alternative to doing it is worse. Makes it more palatable." He chuckles, "I should perhaps hire a psychologist or psychiatrist to talk to, but I've got a lot of time left for doing that sort of thing."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike nods as Roland lists off his coping mechanisms. Frowning to the mention of one. "Keeping active is a good strategy." He replies, "I do that a lot. Although I prefer climbing and the arts."

He chuckles, "I do it so much so that I've ended up making a career of one of them. But-" He sets the cloth onto the table surface, "I'd recommend not putting off the idea of therapy. Don't underestimate the importance of having someone to talk about these things to. Time has a way of flying by without our noticing."

Roland Livingston has posed:
"I do some climbing, too," Roland says with a chuckle. "I've got quite a lot of gear for it, if you'd ever like to go out some time." And then he thinks for a bit, "You're probably right. I'll have to see about getting someone to talk with." As he's about to go on he suddenly pauses and looks down at his wristwatch, "Damn, I'm getting a call from the police. They must want me to take a look at something. If you'll excuse me, I've got to run."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"Hmm. I have to admit I've never done outdoor climbing." Mike replies, "Most of my activity is at places like Rock Wallz." Mike pauses as Roland looks to his watch to determine he's getting a phonecall about helping the police. Like that Roland goes from Indiana Jones to Dick Tracy.

He nods as Roland gives his excuses and looks to the remaining tables. "Alright. There's not much left to do here anyways. Good luck." The musician goes back to cleaning tables.

Roland Livingston has posed:
"Take care," Roland says as he starts heading for the door, taking one last look around to see if there's anything immediate that needs doing. "I consult with various police departments sometimes. Keeps me in the loop with regards to monsters and magic close to home." And then he's off, heading out the door to where he parked his vehicle.