And the stars look very different today

"I guess you do have a point there Matt. I can't say I have been to the Kitchen, but I know of its reputation. I, uh, I am kind of impartial to Greenwich Village; not that I've been there, but I've seen pictures." Stephen sighed, "New York seems like an interesting place; the contrast a single block can make there..."  

     Matt stopped doing his chin-up as Stephen shared his story; he could hear Stephen’s voice become lower with hesitation, and his heartbeat quicken with every word spoken. Just from that Matt knew that this was a subject in which his roommate did not share often, and he wasn’t going to inquire more about it.

"A lawyer, you uh, say. Do you have any reason for that, or is it just something...?"

     “Why did you stop wanting to be a doctor?,” Matt asked. He didn’t quite understand why Stephen would choose to be a sorcerer over a doctor; Matt was certain it was more beneficial - income wise at least. Following his colleague, Matt went to the bars Stephen occupied before and started working on his chin-ups. 

"I uh, I stopped because of a car accident." As much as Stephen didn't like to reminisce on the past, he felt as though he could trust Matt. "My, hands, after the accident weren't fit for what is, well, required for a doctor. That's, that's the whole reason I went to Tibet in the first place, to get them healed; it's just that I discovered a new calling there. If all my training amounts to what is needed, I'll end up doing a lot more good than if I were just a doctor. That, uhm, being said, I still want to dabble in with a medical degree, or at least try." Stephen stopped speaking, as he had said enough. Nothing he said was wrong or untrue, but it evoked memories of times he did not like to think about; and of a person he was not anymore.

Jubilee shrugged.  ”I’m thinking there are a lot of books that would be of more use as weights or targets,” she agreed, glancing around the room.  ”And I’m not sure if physics and metaphysics actually relate…do they?”

"No, I uh guess not. Physics is what metaphysics isn't I guess. Dualistic in a way I guess..." Stephen trailed off, resurfacing with a question.  "You like the gym? That's always, it's nice. I've been, uh, well, trying to keep up with my old workout routine, but it's hard now. Between meditation and study, it's getting harder and harder for me to, uh, remain motivated."

     “I agree, training and being in a gym has always been part of my life,” Matt said, as he remembered all those times he would sneak into his father’s gym to train.

"Me... well... truth be told, I'd much rather be back in Tibet, learning the mystic arts. I mean, literature and geography are cool, but the others? I remember when I wanted to be a doctor; Doctor Strange... could you believe that? Back then I would have loved all those science and math courses I'm in," Stephen began his round of squats as he continued his conversation.

Scott Summers. I’m uh also fairly new here.

It's a, a pleasure to meet you Scott. [Stephen goes and picks up a dumbbell as he begins his bicep/triceps set]

"Stephen!" Victor called out from across the room "Care to spot me?"

"Sure Victor! I've got you if you get me after, sounds good?" Stephen walks over to the weights as he dries off his sweat from the pull ups.

Jubilee just blinked.  ”Uh, huh…you’re not going to be too upset if I don’t get most of that, right?  I mean I’ve got no problem with the idea of something other than here and now, but I’m very much of the here and now, and the ‘cosmology of the universe’ sounds pretty complex to me.  I’m going to go with you do magic stuff with the help of other powerful beings right now, okay?”  It wasn’t that Jubilee didn’t grasp some of what he was saying, it was just that it didn’t seem to want to organize right in her head.

"Oh, no worries. I can un-understand that metaphysical beings and astral concepts can be, uhm, well, hard to grasp." Stephen chuckled. "Apparently easier for me to grasp than actual physics... I feel like this textbook might, um, find more use in the gym than in the library." Stephen laughed half-heartedly at his joke and abruptly stopped.

     It had been a long time since Matt had gone to the gym, and he was thankful that the facility was empty when he got there. Matt took an unoccupied corner, and started stretching before going into his push-ups. It was a routine he always saw his father doing before every training session, and Matt sort of took it as his own.

Stephen didn't see Matt walk in, but a friendly face is a friendly face. He turned to face him after he finished his set. 

[Scott walked into the gym, duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He was always up for a workout. It wasn’t just a hobby it was a necessity, like breathing. He needed to train to protect those he loved. And besides, working out wasn’t so bad. He saw someone else there, he gave him a slight wave] Mind if I join you?

Uh, sure man. Don't think I've seen you, well I mean I might have seen you around the halls, but we've never really formally met. I'm Stephen, I uh, guess you could say I'm new here. [Stephen finished his set of pull ups and wiped the sweat off his forehead with his towel. Walking over to the boy, he began his to stretch.] 

"Yeah, I’m so not the person to be asking.  I’ve got a passing acquaintance with physics.  Mostly along the lines of ‘what goes up must come down’ type thing."  She shrugged.  "I’m just a freshman, though, so first year of high school and all.  Biology is my science gig this year, and ‘biomes’ is apparently the word for ‘habitats’."  She gave him a quick grin.  “‘Habitats’ I know…thanks to some old Disney stuff.  And don’t get me wrong, I like nature and all, but…" she held up her hand slightly "…city girl here.  No question about it.  City. Girl."

"Ah, that makes sense, being that you um, look younger than me, being a freshman.. or woman. Vishanti you ask about, that is a subject I'm well versed in." Stephen cleared his throat and began his explanation. "Well, the Vishanti are a collection of three Gods; the Blessed Oshtur, the Hoary Hoggoth and Agamotto. Many sorcerer's draw upon their cosmic power from the aether essence that surrounds our material plane of existence. It's one of the first things you learn as a sorcerer, the cosmology of the universe; it's nothing too complex..." Stephen paused, feeling slightly awkward about his trailing explanation. It was simple for him... but he did not know how much of it made sense to her.