abandoned movie theater

@⌖ sᴀᴍ ᴋɪsᴢᴋᴀ “You were right when you said God made me with mortal wants, which is endlessly frustrating given I’m not supposed to give into them, and I’m wrought with guilt when I do. It’s gotten- better, in the little over a hundred years I’ve had my position. I used to beat myself up endlessly every time I gave into those whims. Now I just- I don’t go out of my way to seek it but if it comes, I enjoy it. I couldn’t tell you why She tests me this way, maybe it’s to test my loyalty to Her. She knows that I’m loyal to Her, though. I’d like to think I’ve made that clear.” Ariana tucked one leg beneath herself, the other hanging over her ankle. “A blanket. A nice, cozy blanket to use when the weather turns chilly. I’m making a top.”

@⌖ ᴀʀɪᴀɴᴀ ɢʀᴀɴᴅᴇ "That makes me wonder, what their parameters are for procuring angels. I can definitely see you having a pure soul, but it also plays into a personal argument of mine. That everyone has mortal - arguably, carnal - desires. Why are angels tested like mankind? Makes me wonder." Whether it was Southern boy babble or true inquiry, Sam asked with confidence that relayed fidelity in the fact that he'd thoroughly mulled over these thoughts before. I mean, what intelligent being has not? And who better to ask than an angel them self? Not to mention the environment was soothing; whether it be the frolicking lights flickering before them or the relaxing notion of knitting it was deeply satisfying in ways Sam would never admit aloud. He found excitement when he got things right, and determination to fix mistakes wherever he went wrong. "Wait, what am I aiming for? I need a vision. Scarf? Shawl? Give me something to work with." Avidly watching her, Sam's keen eye helped in devolving her technique and utilizing it as his own while he completed the chain in tandem with her.

@⌖ sᴀᴍ ᴋɪsᴢᴋᴀ “Hell for the right people is paradise. I, unfortunately, am not the target demographic so it wouldn’t be all that fun for me. The times I’ve had to stay for any extended period of time- i.e. my last time I slipped up- i always find myself getting into trouble.” The lights around them dimmed slightly so with another dainty wave of her hand, the bursts of natural light brightened once more, like little mini suns filling the abandoned movie house. She didn’t know why she liked it in there so much, it was just cozy and warm and quiet. Somewhere she could be alone, or alone together with her person. She watched as he mimicked her movements, and she nodded her head in excitement, “yes! Just like that, you’re doing great. Now just keep doing that same motion to build up your chain. I’ll go slow so you can watch me.” She turned in her seat to completely face him, slowly working her chain up.

@⌖ ᴀʀɪᴀɴᴀ ɢʀᴀɴᴅᴇ "See, when you introduce it as strip club I feel like I should act surprised. But that actually seems like a very 'you' thing to do. Put some on the line to look over those you care about." The acceptance of the suddenly-materialized knitting supplies came wordlessly as Ariana impressively relayed yet another interesting tale. If Sam could, he'd sit like a boy by the fire and listen to these types of tales all day. It felt special, to have a sort of 'inside glimpse' into the life of a literal heaven-bound being. Or would the right word be ethereal? An entity who exists on multiple planes of existence. "Is Hell that bad? After all the dumb religious mistakes mortal have made, Hell sounds a lot nicer than Heaven. I'd love you to prove me wrong. Otherwise, I might be booking a cruise down to Tartarus instead of Valhalla." Right as she did, Sam mirrored her posture as the angel straightened up and entered 'teacher mode,' to which after the slightest chuckle was made by Sam, he immediately payed a focused attention to her nimble digits. At the step by step process, he'd managed to complete the first with some ease, his head tossing back and forth between her fingers and his, comparing and contrasting. "Like this?" He's not exactly how he did what he did, but he memorized the movements of her fingertips in order to copy the same ministrations himself.

@⌖ sᴀᴍ ᴋɪsᴢᴋᴀ It was funny that ariana was so adamant about her modesty. Even if she wore revealing dresses, she still tried to tug the skirts down a bit. “You know I worked in a strip club at one point?” She asked, lifting a hand delicately to conjure two bundles of yarn and two crochet hooks. She handed the blue crochet hook and white yarn to Sam, whilst keeping the matching purple hook and yarn for herself, “one poor soul I was looking after worked there and it was the only way I could get close to her and make sure she was safe. It wasn’t the club I was trying to protect her from, but her home life. It was risky revealing myself after a while, but at the end it was worth it. I didn’t actually dance, I was a waitress, but oh my, I’ve never been ogled like that before nor since.” She laughed softly to herself at the memory, “lots of opportunities for experiences that aren’t granted in Heaven, or Hell for that matter honestly. If I were to fall, I’d have my wings ripped off from me and be damned to serve in Hell for eternity. So im trying my best to stay on Her good side.” She sat up slightly, taking the yarn, “Okay, im gonna show you how to make a simple chain.” She held her yarn up, instructing him to make a slip knot first. Once completed with a smile of approval, she showed him next how to hook the slip knot around the top of the crochet hook before taking the yarn and pulling it around the hook, making one little link in the chain. “See? Your turn.”

@⌖ ᴀʀɪᴀɴᴀ ɢʀᴀɴᴅᴇ "It's not you I worry about, dearest angel." Kindly, Sam sets his palm atop hers in a warm, feather-light embrace after she shifted into more modesty herself. The even kinder sentiments expressed fulfilled him in ways he couldn't explain - again, he'd never really thought he'd have a guardian angel. It was more marvelous than Sam was able to admit aloud. So once he withdrew his hand, the man mirrored Ariana's posture and crossed his legs, folding his hands atop his knee in avid engagement. "You probably have more opportunities here, no? I think that's the gift of Earth, and mortal existence. Or in your case, casual immersion in mortal existence. Like knitting, or having a drink with friends." With a fond smile, he extends his elbow in an amicable jab, warm with appreciation that she's here right now, and not in heaven. "I could actually go for some knitting right now. Think you can give me a tutorial ahead of girl's night so I can be more prepared? Last thing I wanna do is fumble my pristine professional image to Mara." The weregrine's tone was laced with sardonic quality as he ushered in another boyish smile.

@⌖ sᴀᴍ ᴋɪsᴢᴋᴀ Ariana watched as Sam swooped out, figuring he was going to get something to wear. She should make a note to start carrying a spare change of clothes with her, even if it was something akin to the poncho he tied around his hips like a skirt. She smiled at him kindly, chuckling softly at his remark, “I saw you when you were being conceptualized in Heaven by my boss, your ness doesn’t bother me.” She back softly, moving to cross her legs and smooth out her skirt slightly, “I like taking care of you as well, just like I like taking care of mara. It gives my existence purpose. But, if I wasn’t watching over either of you, I’d say I’d probably be knitting or, more likely, I’d be in Heaven. Not that I don’t like it there, but I enjoy it here much much more.”

@⌖ ᴀʀɪᴀɴᴀ ɢʀᴀɴᴅᴇ While listening to the resonating voice in his head, projected only by the angel beside him, Sam kept a keen eye on their surroundings even during the glistening spectacle of fairy-dust-adjacent. Even as she cared so tenderly for his broken wing, the slightest nudge reminded the falcon it was still sore. Finding his current state restraining and knowing he'd forgotten a spare fit, the bird held his wing up while he silently noted 'one moment, angel' before taking off in great flight, his wings scooping up the air until he had enough momentum to propel himself out the window and dive-bomb into the nearest strip-mall window. Luckily it was one of those all-servicing convenience stores, and he was able to pluck one of those 'beach ponchos' with a talon and circle back until he was soaring above Ariana once again. Then in a rather elegant transformation, the falcon dives down towards the seating mid-morph in a flurry of feathers that concealed Sam's body once he emerged, bare- and traipsing down her aisle as he flicks the poncho around his waist and ties it at the hip. "It's not you, it's public indecency." With a cheeky chide simper he raises a palm to excuse his actions before taking a humble seat next to the ethereal being. "I love how you dote on me so. But it makes me question what better things you could be doing with your time?" At her next question, he finds himself rolling back that shoulder with a chuckle, no visible winces apparent. "Healing up like a charm, really. Stiff this morning but once I got to work they loosened up."

@⌖ sᴀᴍ ᴋɪsᴢᴋᴀ This was one of those times where Ariana felt comfortable working her way into Sam’s mind. She had to read his thoughts in order to be able to talk to him. She pet his bad wing gingerly, musing that it must’ve healed up significantly if he was already back to flying. “Yeah, I missed you.” She said honestly, tossing up the remaining stardust in her hand like confetti, letting it rain down over them like a million little diamonds. “I wanted to make sure you were okay, I checked on you a few times while you slept. You didn’t move a muscle, honestly I was quite pleased. You needed the rest.” She lifted her hand to pet down the swoop of his beak, “how’s the wing?”

@⌖ ᴀʀɪᴀɴᴀ ɢʀᴀɴᴅᴇ Not even a day or two had passed before the peregrine took to the skies once more; there were borders that needed patrolling and adrenaline that needed to be released. Of course, his left wing was undeniably sore; but it was the perfect reminder that Sam wasn't immortal. So as he banked every turn around his property in hallowed dedication, Sam was unable to quench the thirst for a breezier ride after securing the perimeter. That's how he found himself circulating over the town and its dotted, dilapidated lights, but a few stuck out in particular. These were more like rays of natural light, much unlike the deeply unsettling phosphorescent lighting Myshaven was known for. With practiced precision Sam then propelled himself in a downward spiral, entering through a smashed window and careening down until he spotted his guardian angel. His wingspan easily met five feet, but having hollow bones in his bird-state made him light enough to perch onto Ariana's shoulder in gentle greeting. Not bothering to phase out just yet, his razor-sharp talons grasp her forearm gently as shimmies down onto her hand, unable to speak but tilting his head inquisitively. In his mind, he projected the words, 'Were you looking for me? I felt a draw here.'

@⌖ sᴀᴍ ᴋɪsᴢᴋᴀ On her off time, Ariana loved movies. She loved finding new movies to watch just as much as rewatching old ones. Too bad the only movie theater they had was in disarray, it didn’t even have a working projector anymore. Still, though, she liked to frequent it every now and then to escape reality for a moment. The chairs were still cushiony and the theater itself was nice and dark. She did usually light up the room with her magic though, throwing bursts of white light out to illuminate the dark space. She sat quietly, drawing in the air with stardust when she heard a quiet flapping of wings fill the room. She turned to see where it had come from, only to see a familiar peregrine rest on her shoulder. She grinned softly, leaning over to nudge her cheek against the bird’s, “hi Sammy.” She said softly, holding her hand out so he could perch onto her finger, “you found me.”