A Strange Afterlife

[ginger_firebird]

 It had to be impossible. He could feel his skin. A pulse beat under his neck. He stood in front of a store window and regarded his reflection in the glass. Same black leather outfit. Same brown trench-coat. The fabric weight down on him and he rubbed his arms as he tried to figure out what was going on. A wandering spirit had doors to enter and exit when it came to the world of the living, but he'd never achieved something like this. It was alien and wrong and he had no idea where anyone was.

Mantis sighed, marveling quietly at the way his chest rose and fell with his breathing. It didn't matter. He'd keep moving and hope for the best. If this was some punishment for a misstep, he knew exactly who to take it up with.

"Sorrow!" Even his voice carried an echo. Mantis pointed himself into a new direction and began to walk. "What did I do this time, old man?"

Comments

[chiaro_oscuro]

"When you're dealing with beings like the angels and the seasonal spirits, my best advice is to be polite. You never know who you're talking to in a place like this." It's one of the reasons why Ben's learned to watch his tongue. "I'll think about your offer. It's not often I meet someone outside my world with similar powers."

[ginger_firebird]

Angels now. It's a veritable menagerie of things that aren't supposed to exist. The rules are ones he's familiar with, but he's going to need some time to wrap his head completely around what he's wandered into. "I rarely met people in my own world with powers like mine. It seems like it's a rare thing everywhere."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"There are a few more people from mine, but I wasn't aware there were others who had similar powers. That's why you caught my interest." Ben tucks away his own PINpoint. "Our numbers are slowly growing. It's a bit of a relief, honestly - though you startled me a little when I felt you in my head."

[ginger_firebird]

"We can start a group for the resident psychics. No need for fliers and posters when everyone can find out from each other the dates and times for meetings." As much as he jokes, Mantis wouldn't mind seeing something like that come to pass. It's odd and comforting to find kindred spirits.

[chiaro_oscuro]

Ben laughs, but softly, as if he's not used to laughing. "Yes, that would make the matter of deciding where and when to meet easier. I doubt we're the only psychics here. I'm interested to see what use you put your powers to."

[ginger_firebird]

Mantis laughs a little more often than Ben does, but it isn't something he does consistently. Maybe it's a psychic thing. "It can be useful for manual labor. I've moved machines as large as a building in the past and can read minds. Between the two of them, I might pass as a jack of all trades."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"I don't use mine very often, but it does come in useful when I need to grab a tool in a hurry or if it's in a place that's difficult to reach." Ben's a mechanic now, and the Force has its benefits in that line of work. "When you settle down, I'd be willing to come and visit."

[ginger_firebird]

"You repair things. I've never been good for that, but maybe I can learn. Never too old to pick up a new skill." And they'd share the advantage of being able to reach tools easier. "I don't need a lot of space. Decorating is more of a hassle than the space itself."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"It wasn't too late for me, though part of it was repurposing skills I already had. Putting them to a better use." Ben nods when the stranger describes his needs. "I see. My home is modest - I live in an apartment near the industrial area."

[ginger_firebird]

"I was better at finding a way to use machines. It didn't matter the size, I would make it work." Apartment. That's definitely his speed. Mantis nods. "I'll have a look around. If I end up near you, at least there will be no shortage for potential conversation."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"I don't get many visitors," Ben says. He has a few friends, and sometimes he deals with customers at home as well as at work, but in general he keeps to himself and likes it that way. "But I wouldn't mind the occasional visit."

[ginger_firebird]

"I rarely lived anywhere long enough to have visitors." They're well matched in that regard. Mantis increasingly appreciates that this man has clearly been through a great deal. He wants to pry, but it's not something he can pull from Ben after just meeting. "I'll make something for us to eat. It's been a while since I had to."

[chiaro_oscuro]

It's not something I'm used to, either, but I'll do my best to show you the proper hospitality." Ben's had some practice when Rey came to visit him, so he has some idea of how having people over to visit works. "I wouldn't mind trying your food, either. What were you thinking?"

[ginger_firebird]

"The best hospitality is food and drink. I haven't eaten in a while, but I want to do a real mincemeat pie. It's filling and can potentially be healthy as well." He already has aspirations for preserved herbs and jars of fruit. There's much he can do again, but the options swirling through his brain are of simple things. He wants to eat and just...sense things again.

[chiaro_oscuro]

"I could use something filling." Ben eats small meals most of the time, though he's guilty of the occasional burger at Lord of the Fries. Pie would make a good change of pace. "It's one of the good things about being alive, even if it's something very simple. When you come back from the dead, you don't take things for granted."

[ginger_firebird]

Mantis himself hardly ate enough in life, but he at least aimed for nutritionally balanced. Here, there was no thought of that except in passing. Something fatty, flaky, tasty. "I'll get groceries together. A bit of beef and pork, chicken for texture..." He counts off the meats on one hand. "There are many senses that eating used at the same time. It's easy to miss."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"I can't say I'm a good cook, but I could use practice." It's one of many things Ben's trying to learn, and one of the reasons why he's seen lurking in Nexus restaurants and taverns rather than eating at his own home. Even moody introverts have to eat. "But consider me willing to try anything you make. The Nexus is good for trying new things."

[ginger_firebird]

"I got by with what skills I had. The trick is learning to use herbs and spices to make things taste better." A couple of leaves ground into pieces did wonders for improving less than quality meat, although Mantis wouldn't mind eating out a bit more often. "Good. I need a taste tester to make sure that my cooking isn't lethal with lack of practice."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"Well, send me a message once you're set up and I'll see what I can do for you." Ben doesn't usually eat with company, but exceptions happen. "There are some good restaurants here. I'd suggest the Crossroads Cafe - most people find their way over there sooner or later, in my experience. But there's something about eating at home."

[ginger_firebird]

"Crossroads Cafe. That's an appropriate name given how this place seems to work." Mantis looks around a bit and makes a thoughtful noise. "I'll spend days in this place just exploring. No one can accuse this place of being boring."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"It's peaceful, but not boring. Well, peaceful most of the time. " Ben can tolerate peaceful more than boring. He's tired of violence. "Also, they have some delicious pastries. If you want, I can teach you about a few of the sights and what I know about the Nexus."

[ginger_firebird]

"I can handle most of the time." Mantis is likewise getting too old to really get into the fray the way he used to. Not that he can't, though. "Could you? There seems to be a lot going on here, especially with how things shift and change."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"I can teach you about the basics here. The geography, some of the quirks, and the few dangers there are. Everything's got a dark side, this place included." Ben holds up his own copy of the pamphlet. "I had to be told about that myself."

[ginger_firebird]

"I got one of those from a man named Sigma. I'll have to read it fully when I'm ready to sit down. This place is a little too new and disjointed for me to stop moving just yet." There was a lot to explore. He's going to be busy for a while yet.