I've been introduced to a café that isn't quite as... much, as most of the locations here, if you wouldn't mind meeting in person. Some things are more smoothly expressed verbally.
As far as time goes, I do not have a preference.
[ Which feels like the world is ending, if he doesn't make a schedule soon he's going to go nuts.
Also a link to the café's website is attached. It's a nice non-offense place on Level 2. ]
[...look Gray is from a version of America that certainly has computers but we cannot actually say for sure has cell phones. So we're lucky he's figured out texting so far, selfies would be completely beyond him.
Gray will be there early, actually; he's content to wait outside the café for a bit, both for the sake of not missing the person he's here to see and also for the sake of being able to get a feel for the place and the surrounding area. He doesn't believe he has any more reason than usual to be overly cautious (surely Danny would have told him, if that were to be the case) but it's the way things are going to be for now.
...Incidentally and for Mikami's reference, he noticeably doesn't have any traits outwardly showing, either. So either he's not Iris at all or he's having a super mild one, as far as can be discerned.]
[ Mikami meanwhile arrives literally right on time, which he's actually pretty pleased with. He may have completely lost control of his life, but his sense of time is still impeccable.
The café is about as non-garish as is possible in Lunatia and its color-scheme is a little on the muted and darker side, which Mikami deeply appreciates as it does not assault his eyeballs. There is nothing weird about it because Mikami is (in his own opinion) not a weirdo and just wants to have a civilized talk.
He's dressed in a suit that has holographic details, as is custom for Prismatica probably, but that is overall pretty plain. Well-groomed, professional, kind of stern-looking. The usual Mikami experience.
It takes him a moment of looking around to identify whoever here looks most like a priest, because that's the descriptor he's working off... ]
[Gray isn't altogether opposed to the café so much as he is somewhat uncertain of having this conversation in public; he has spent his time in Lunatia meeting with some very strange people, and he's just sort of accepted that he is going to be unable to predict what is going to leave people's mouths at any given point in time and as such he's more in the practice of private meetings.
That, and it's a confidentiality thing, sometimes. But generally it's because no one has any goddamn decorum.
That said, he's not surprised that Mikami looks...well, like that. More or less what he expected, honestly. Gray is dressed as he usually is, with the cross and the frocked coat, so he's a pretty safe assumption. The eyes are a little unsettling, maybe, but you get used to them.]
[ Under normal circumstances the eyes would have freaked Mikami out, but circumstances have moved about six stages past normal weeks ago and now he's all he can think is 'Oh. Huh.' and 'giving him my description might have been fairly useless if he's blind(?)'. ]
I am. It's a pleasure to meet you properly.
[ After their first conversation was... anonymous soul-spilling. Embarrassing. ]
[ We indeed shall!! Mikami decisively moves to seat them at the table furthest away from the center of the room. While he prefers public meeting places overall, he has no actual desire to mingle. Or be seen. Or interact with more people than absolutely necessary.
His order is black coffee because that's the kind of person he is. ]
Do you mind telling me a little about the work you've done here this far? I'm very curious about faith in Lunatia.
[That makes two of us, then; if it's not going to be absurdly strong, there really isn't much point, as far as Gray is concerned. Less the desire for a lack of complications and more a desire for one of the few vices he allows himself.]
Unfortunately, my own reach has not been far here - perhaps to be expected, because I've only just arrived. I work largely out of the hospital here, administering rites and hearing confessions from those who need such services most. I'm currently in the process of obtaining a license for an establishment here, however; I intend to establish a proper church eventually.
Which branch of religion did you observe in your own world?
[ He's figuring it's got to be Christianity, but he's also aware that that has a lot of flavors to it. Not that he's looked into them much deeper than the base differences between protestants and catholics, but he's not opposed to learning should that come up. ]
[...I mean, it's either very much Anime Catholicism, or Angels of Death has some really weird ideas about American Catholics. But it's Catholicism just the same.
He also didn't...start out Catholic, but that's another story, and not one he's particularly willing to tell.]
As well it should be. Faith in one's god is not something that should be decided for the benefit or the placation of others; I find that as long as the belief itself is steadfast and one's actions are aligned with that of their god's decree, then there is little argument to be had about the particulars of worship and how much one chooses to display it.
[ Mikami nods, visibly pleased by the assessment. ]
I have great respect for most of the shrines in my city [ the ones he doesn't respect? they know what they did ] even if my schedule doesn't allow me to participate in services.
The only type of organized worship I find deplorable is that which leans on aesthetics and display of wealth more than genuine expressions of faith and internalizing of the God's teachings.
I assume that such feelings extend likewise to those that would exploit the members of their flock...? Be it financially or otherwise.
[His voice is even, not seeming to pass judgement one way or another; it's not something he discusses openly, but he's had more than his share of experiences with religious institutions that did...interesting things to their congregations in the name of praise and worship.]
[ It doesn't sound like this is even worth being called a question to Mikami. ]
In many ways, abusing faith for one's own pleasure and gain is worth than having no faith at all. I don't have any problems with people who live ethical lives without consciously devoting themselves to the teachings of a deity. They are offering better worship than faulty religious figures ever could.
[He sounds neither pleased nor displeased with this notion; it's just an assessment.]
Devotion in and of itself runs a fairly broad spectrum, whether it be to a deity or to one's morals and principles alone. I've always held great respect for those who maintain that devotion, particularly when challenged; it isn't as simple as some would make it out to be. Tests of faith - whether religious or otherwise - are rarely as insurmountable as they seem, and those that grasp that have a strength that deserves recognition.
[ Now this? This is speaking Mikami's language. He always looks stern and attentive, but hearing his own thoughts stated back at him makes him also look alive, a certain passion flaring in his eyes. ]
Exactly. There is much talk of circumstance forcing one to act against their beliefs one way or another, but I have found that many times these explanations are nothing more than excuses for one's own lack of conviction.
Being tested comes with sacrifice and setbacks, that is for sure, but persevering is worth it, even outside of being its own reward.
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divinesight) wrote2020-02-21 08:46 pm
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As far as time goes, I do not have a preference.
[ Which feels like the world is ending, if he doesn't make a schedule soon he's going to go nuts.
Also a link to the café's website is attached. It's a nice non-offense place on Level 2. ]
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I'm a tall Japanese man with glasses, for ease of recognition.
[ He could just send a selfie but he's never taken a selfie in his life and the idea does not actually cross his mind. ]
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Gray will be there early, actually; he's content to wait outside the café for a bit, both for the sake of not missing the person he's here to see and also for the sake of being able to get a feel for the place and the surrounding area. He doesn't believe he has any more reason than usual to be overly cautious (surely Danny would have told him, if that were to be the case) but it's the way things are going to be for now.
...Incidentally and for Mikami's reference, he noticeably doesn't have any traits outwardly showing, either. So either he's not Iris at all or he's having a super mild one, as far as can be discerned.]
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The café is about as non-garish as is possible in Lunatia and its color-scheme is a little on the muted and darker side, which Mikami deeply appreciates as it does not assault his eyeballs. There is nothing weird about it because Mikami is (in his own opinion) not a weirdo and just wants to have a civilized talk.
He's dressed in a suit that has holographic details, as is custom for Prismatica probably, but that is overall pretty plain. Well-groomed, professional, kind of stern-looking. The usual Mikami experience.
It takes him a moment of looking around to identify whoever here looks most like a priest, because that's the descriptor he's working off... ]
Father Gray, I presume?
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That, and it's a confidentiality thing, sometimes. But generally it's because no one has any goddamn decorum.
That said, he's not surprised that Mikami looks...well, like that. More or less what he expected, honestly. Gray is dressed as he usually is, with the cross and the frocked coat, so he's a pretty safe assumption. The eyes are a little unsettling, maybe, but you get used to them.]
Indeed. You would be Mikami, then.
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I am. It's a pleasure to meet you properly.
[ After their first conversation was... anonymous soul-spilling. Embarrassing. ]
Thank you for meeting me on such short notice.
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[Shall we, then?]
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His order is black coffee because that's the kind of person he is. ]
Do you mind telling me a little about the work you've done here this far? I'm very curious about faith in Lunatia.
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Unfortunately, my own reach has not been far here - perhaps to be expected, because I've only just arrived. I work largely out of the hospital here, administering rites and hearing confessions from those who need such services most. I'm currently in the process of obtaining a license for an establishment here, however; I intend to establish a proper church eventually.
[So there's that.]
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[ He's figuring it's got to be Christianity, but he's also aware that that has a lot of flavors to it. Not that he's looked into them much deeper than the base differences between protestants and catholics, but he's not opposed to learning should that come up. ]
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[...I mean, it's either very much Anime Catholicism, or Angels of Death has some really weird ideas about American Catholics. But it's Catholicism just the same.
He also didn't...start out Catholic, but that's another story, and not one he's particularly willing to tell.]
And you, if I may ask...?
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[ He's not sure how well known it would be outside of Asia, so he thinks it best to specify. ]
Though to me faith has always been a private matter more than anything.
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I have great respect for most of the shrines in my city [ the ones he doesn't respect? they know what they did ] even if my schedule doesn't allow me to participate in services.
The only type of organized worship I find deplorable is that which leans on aesthetics and display of wealth more than genuine expressions of faith and internalizing of the God's teachings.
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[His voice is even, not seeming to pass judgement one way or another; it's not something he discusses openly, but he's had more than his share of experiences with religious institutions that did...interesting things to their congregations in the name of praise and worship.]
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[ It doesn't sound like this is even worth being called a question to Mikami. ]
In many ways, abusing faith for one's own pleasure and gain is worth than having no faith at all. I don't have any problems with people who live ethical lives without consciously devoting themselves to the teachings of a deity. They are offering better worship than faulty religious figures ever could.
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[He sounds neither pleased nor displeased with this notion; it's just an assessment.]
Devotion in and of itself runs a fairly broad spectrum, whether it be to a deity or to one's morals and principles alone. I've always held great respect for those who maintain that devotion, particularly when challenged; it isn't as simple as some would make it out to be. Tests of faith - whether religious or otherwise - are rarely as insurmountable as they seem, and those that grasp that have a strength that deserves recognition.
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Exactly. There is much talk of circumstance forcing one to act against their beliefs one way or another, but I have found that many times these explanations are nothing more than excuses for one's own lack of conviction.
Being tested comes with sacrifice and setbacks, that is for sure, but persevering is worth it, even outside of being its own reward.