Logs:Sibling (in Christ) Rivalry

Sibling (in Christ) Rivalry
Dramatis Personae DJ, Jamie, Polaris
In Absentia	2021-11-07 "You're a lot of things, but I never took you for a hypocrite -- Lorna."
Location <NYC> Manhattan Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Lincoln Square
Unlike most other temples of the Church, this one was converted from an existing building, slick and modern, with a single corner spire supporting the iconic statue of the Angel Moroni. Much of the interior is stark white but comfortably appointed, simple adornments rich with LDS symbolism throughout its five labyrinthine storeys. Besides the temple proper and the chapel, the building provides a variety of spaces for the spiritual, social, and business needs of the stake. The chapel is not yet full, the congregants still filtering in at a leisurely pace, chatting in small knots or just exchanging warm greetings as they pass. Polaris has been intercepted several times on her way in, first by her sponsor, then by one of the bishop's counselors, and then by some friends she made through the philanthropies curious about what the sponsor and the counselor had to tell her. She's kept her composure admirably well, despite the speculative side-eyeing she gets on every Fast Sunday from those dreading her testimony (or looking forward to it, if they find those meetings otherwise dull). Her Sunday best today is modest even by some of the more arbitrary standards of this community: a seafoam green blouse with soft ruffles at the collar, a wide black fabric belt, a leaf green prairie skirt trimmed in silver, and tall black boots with a low, chunky heel. Her vivid green hair is done up in a neat crown braid, and her makeup is soft and neutral with just a touch of shimmery silver. Jamie does not have quite so many dedicated fans, nor does he draw quite as much attention generally, though he's received warmly all the same. He's nicely if plainly dressed, a navy suit over a pressed white dress shirt with a red tie. With his tanned face cleanly shaven, his hair recently cut and neatly groomed, he's the very picture of an upstanding young Mormon. He answers his greetings readily enough, friendly if a little bit shy, and then comes up short when he spots Polaris -- or, more likely, her hair. For a moment he just stands there, his brows furrowed. Then, finally, he squares his admittedly narrow shoulders and catches up to her. "Hi," he says. Then, perhaps thinking this inadequate. "Good morning?" Probably the slight lift of his tone is more uncertainty than any intent to indicate an inquiry. "I didn't know you were -- had -- uh..." He looks around the chapel as though expecting to find the right words written on the walls. The ready smile drops from Polaris's face when she sees Jamie, though she does not actually look dismayed so much as confused. "...Jamie?" Probably the lift in her intonation was not meant as a question, either. Clearly she knows who he is. "Good morning. Are you um, investigating, or..." She lapses into an awkward silence. "Sorry, I just didn't expect to see you and my brain is still. Catching up." Her smile is only a little forced. "It's been a long weekend, and not just cuz of Daylight Savings Time. How are you doing?" Jamie starts fidgeting with the cuffs of his jacket, then stops himself. "Oh, no. I'm -- I converted." He musters an awkward silence of his own. "I'm doing okay, I guess? Living in Riverdale. Trying to stay out of people's way. Looking for a proper job." He glances around them again. "Anyway, you look..." The hesitation is just a bit too long for what follows to sound genuine, though at least he delivers it like a statement instead of a question. "...good." Did you -- come unto Christ?" DJ is also looking more or less Appropriately Upstanding, plain grey suit, neatly tied tie. Rebellious in his beard and mustache, though they're extremely neatly trimmed. He makes his way politely through a gauntlet of warm greetings, enthusiastic questions, stopping with a polite nod by Polaris's side. "Polaris. Brother. Am I -- interrupting?" "Oh! Good, good. Riverdale is...good." Polaris cringes, perhaps at her own word choice, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. "You did?" This comes out sounding probably more incredulous than she intended, and she hastily adds, "I mean, that's go--great! And thanks, you look good. Too." She glances down at the silver CTR ring on her hand, the only one she is wearing today. "I'm...well, yes, but not technically, since I haven't been baptized and--" Her eyes flick to one side, though not at anything in her line of sight. The smile she offers DJ when he actually joins them is considerably less forced. "Hey! No, we were just--oh!" She sucks in a sharp breath, gaze snapping between DJ and Jamie. "Oh gosh. Please don't freak out Jamie there's an explanation for this trust me--" Jamie is absolutely freaking out. If he meant to reply to anything Polaris said, that intention is fully wiped from his mind when he catches sight of DJ. His mouth opens, then closes, then opens again. He takes a step back. "Oh! Oh, you -- you're --" Then his eyes snap to Polaris, then narrow. His words come out low and clipped with fury. "What the hell, why didn't you tell me, why didn't Hive, or literally anyone?!" When he looks back at DJ his tone turns soft and plaintive. "Why didn't you?" DJ's eyes go just slightly wider, startled, at Jamie's reaction, but only for a split second. What passes across his expression next is a kind of resignation; his weight settles back, his hands lifting palms-out towards Jamie in a gesture of surrender. "I'm very sorry, brother," he replies softly. "I know what I look like, but I'm not Dawson. I apologize for any distress my presence here has caused you, though you really oughtn't be taking your anger out on our sweet sister here. It's been -- a long --" He swallows, his eyes lowering, and doesn't finish this sentence. Polaris's expression flips to anger in a flash. She starts to reply, then bites back whatever she was about to say and takes a deep breath instead. "I'm sorry." She does not sound particularly sorry. "It didn't occur to me, and it probably didn't occur to anyone else, because he's--" Her sidelong glance at DJ etches a frown onto her brows, and when she continues it's a lot gentler. "--he's been with us for a while, now. I get you're confused and upset. I've been there. But this is hard for him, too, okay? This is DJ." Her voice has levelled out, but she can't quite manage to make it sound like a routine introduction. "DJ, this is Jamie." She starts to reach for him, then pulls her hand back and clasps it with the other. "I can explain it to him, if that helps at all." Jamie's rage stalls for a moment in his abject confusion, then returns stonger, his face flushing red. "You can act like a stranger all you like, but I can feel you!" He whirls on Polaris again. "Didn't occur to you? Explain this to me? You are such a messy --" He snaps his mouth shut. "Do you all think I was born yesterday?" His eyes have gone glassy, but he stubbornly blinks back the tears. "If you choose her over me, fine. It's hardly a surprise. You don't have to play mind games with me." "That -- might be best." DJ agrees with Polaris gratefully. "And -- I really am sorry, but I don't know who you are." His jaw has tightened, his eyes flicking briefly to Polaris -- to the other congregants around them -- and then back to Jamie. He takes a half-step toward Jamie, leaning slightly toward the other man to add, just a little softer, "Your words could be a little more reverent, Brother." "Again, DJ isn't him," Polaris says, very, very evenly. "And Flicker didn't choose me or you, but he did love us both. That's all we get. And that's a lot." She takes another slow breath, and when she resumes speaking she sounds genuinely calm. "This is going to sound crazy, but we've seen crazier things, right? DJ is from a...parallel world. It's similar to this one, but different. So he's kinda like Flicker. He lived a similar life, but a different one. One where he never met you or--" Her brows furrow deeper, again, and for an instant it seems like she might not continue. "--a lot of people Flicker knew, probably. Even if you don't believe me, just look at him, with your actual eyes." She glances around, too. "But if you won't, or can't, then let's talk outside. Yell at me all you want, but not in the house of God." Jamie backs away when DJ moves toward him, as if he expects to be struck. His dark eyes skip between the others, his jaw working. "Parallel world," he echoes. "That doesn't sound crazy, but it does sound like a really outlandish lie. You could have picked something..." He trails off as his eyes settle on DJ's right arm. Then looks down to his right hand. Then to where his left arm should be. "...more believable. How -- did Joshua -- did Rose --" He staggers back another step. "What could you tell me outside to make this less crazy? Or do you just want to beat me up?" DJ bows his head, his cheeks flushing deep as Polaris explains. "Why would we beat you up? We are -- in church, this is not appropriate." He drops his hand to his side, taking a measured half-step backwards. "Trust me, I wish the universe had picked something more believable." He hesitates for just a second before adding, "-- I really am sorry." Polaris raises a hand to scrub at her face, and only catches herself at the last moment before dropping the hand with a faint, frustrated sigh. "I said talk, Jamie, I'm not going to beat you up," she says wearily. "We got a lot of history and we might never get along well, but I'm trying here and I'm pretty sure you are, too--or, at least, you want to try." She spreads her hands before her in gentle entreaty. "Sometimes, life is crazy and you just gotta learn to accept that. Sometimes life is awful, and all you can do is to get through it. But you don't have to do it alone." Though this is ostensibly addressed to Jamie, she glances at DJ on the very last sentence. "We have a strong community here, and in Riverdale, and among us...labrat alumni. If you won't take it from me, that's okay. Just don't write all of us off along with me. And don't write him off." "I didn't think you would beat me up, but is 'meet me outside' not a thing in your parallel world?" Jamie's tone is sharp, but he subsides after he's spoken them. "And I'm not writing you off, but why are you here?" To Polaris, equal parts rueful and indignant, "After how you and Hive welcomed me back, you have the nerve to say I should lean on my 'communities'? To act like you don't hate my guts?" His face twists in anger again, though it's more controlled this time. "You're a lot of things, but I never took you for a hypocrite -- Lorna." "Is context not a thing in this one?" DJ's tone is not; he mostly sounds weary. His voice does sharpen somewhat with the correction, eyes narrowing: "Her name is Polaris." His head shakes, and he takes another step away from Jamie. "You know, it's fine, I didn't ask you not to -- I didn't ask anything from you. You're a brother in Christ and I'm not actually sure we need to know each other any more than that. I hope the rest of meeting is less -- jarring for you." His nod is small as he turns aside. "Look, I'm sorry about that night, but you were being really antagonistic." Polaris sets her jaw tight at the sound of her given name, her pale hazel eyes darken ominously as her pupils dilate, but DJ's correction defuses whatever she was about to launch into. She glances aside at him, not startled exactly, certainly grateful, though there's something else there, too, complicated and fleeting. She takes yet another deep breath and studies Jamie. "That was extremely unnecessary, but I'm gonna give you a pass this once and chalk it up to fasting." She starts to turn away, then hesitates, dropping her gaze. "What we went through together--that wasn't nothing, and his death doesn't cancel that out any more than Aubrey's did. Maybe none of us will ever be whole again in this life, but I'll pray for you. I hope you'll pray for me, too."