Have Faith

Religion was complicated. It wasn’t so easy to believe in something not only that you cannot see or hear, but something you have to struggle to feel. Believing in a power that, on the surface, seems like it either has abandoned you or never was real in the first place. As Michael watched a despondent Sophie walk past him, he sought his brain for words to attempt to solace her, but came up short. However, he did walk over to her, and sit down beside her on the steps. “Is it okay if I sit here with you for a little while?” He asked with a soft smile. “I don’t really want to go in there right now, either.”

Originally posted by sproutwings

“Uh, y-yeah.” Sophia stammered, glancing up at Michael. She should have expected him to follow, see if she was alright -- He was a nice person, and had always been nice to her in the past. “Something stopping you or you just making an excuse to see if I’m really alright?” The female asked, though there was a smile on her lips showing she appreciated it if the latter were true. 

“Oh so you fully grew up around it.” John nodded, listening to every word that Sophia had to say. He gave a small shrug at her question. “Honestly, at the time it was for guidance. There was…a lot going on and I didn’t have the answers to anything. I was just reaching for anything that might make sense.” It was nice in a way to have an open discussion like this. There weren’t many people that knew an awful lot about John’s life prior to Lake Grimstone. “Forgiveness before guidance, got it.” He made a mental note. “I know I shouldn’t ask, but what do you need forgiveness for? You don’t strike me as the overly sinful type.”

“You don’t have to do it that way, especially if you don’t fully believe. What’s the point of asking forgiveness of a God that you don’t believe in? It’s perfectly fine to just ask for guidance, and then maybe one day if you feel like He answered you, and the need takes, you can delve into more. Plus, that was just my father’s outlook, not necessarily everyone else’s.” Sophia explained, not wanting to push the male into anything he didn’t want to do, or give him any wrong information. Not that there was really much right and wrong when it came to practising your beliefs in a safe way. “One of the seven deadly sins has it’s grasp on me, I guess. I’m jealous. Have been for a while but especially so in moments like this. I just... I love Point, I like everything it has to offer and the rules suit me just fine. I just wish I could go out and see my family like people in Park can. I guess I’m jealous of those that do.” 

Rhea needed some time away from her office to clear her head of a few things and had decided to take a walk around town. Not really having a specific direction in mind, the love manipulator made her way closer to the Church. Turning her head to look at the couple who was walking across the street, Rhea took a wrong step and in that moment couldn’t escape Sophia’s own misstep. Smiling at herself and at Sophia in front of her, Rhea answered with, “I’m alright, don’t worry about me.” Pausing and searching the blonde’s face, Rhea knew the other wasn’t okay. “That’s okay, we all have days where we “aren’t with it” as you put it.” Looking behind Sophia, she noticed she was coming from the direction of the church and the love manipulator couldn’t help but ask, “Coming from the Church?”

“Uh, yeah. I mean, more like approaching the Church and then deciding against it, but they’re basically the same thing.” Sophia tried to wave it off, swallowing thickly as she tried to avoid eye contact with the other. Honestly, right now the only place she wanted to be was inside that Church, but she didn’t feel like she deserved it. Sophia thought about seeing if any of the computers in the cafe were available so that she could video call her mom to talk it through but at the same time, she was also worried about disappointing her. “You sure you’re alright? I’d hate it if I hurt you.” 

Wentworth Hep his breath for a minute there, thinking the worse. But when she said it was jealousy he let out a sigh “you know getting jealous is what makes us human” he told her. “ I understand why you do, because I do also. It’s almost impossible not to when they get to leave this place.” Wentworth felt the same, he’d loved to take his little girl to Paris but he’d have to let her have those experience with her mum. “ I don’t think you need forgiveness for it honestly. You know I remember a fact that humbled me to a point. The Greek gods, they were pron to fits of jealousy, glutany, warthfulness and they were gods. So I think we can get away with slipping up.”

Sometimes Sophia wished that she wasn’t the only sibling with a power. She had three brothers, and none of them had powers, or at least none of them had powers that had manifested yet so she was here on her own. If even one of them were here with her she’d have this sort of thing figured out in an instant. But, she supposed he was right. The issue with the seven deadly sins was that too much of one and it would destroy you, but Sophia was strong enough to not let her jealousy for their freedom get in the way of friendship or her happiness for them. “I guess it’s only really something to ask forgiveness for if you do something horrible because of your jealousy...” She mused allowed, biting down on her lower lip harshly. Maybe she’d see if she could video chat with her mom later at the internet cafe, get her perspective on it. “Thank you, Wentworth, really. It means a lot that you would take time out of your day to help with my little crisis of faith.” She half-teased, knowing it wasn’t quite that but it was still leading to confusion.

“Anytime,” he gave a smile before turning towards the church with her. “Yeah, that’s fine with me. If it makes you feel comfortable then of course.” He gave her shoulder a light squeeze, hoping it was something of a comfort at least and he followed her in. “So if you came a lot with your family, you’re pretty knowledgeable about how all this works right?” He didn’t want to pry but he was genuinely curious. “I’ve had moments when I turned to this for some kind of guidance but I’ve never been sure I did it right.”

“Yeah, my father was the pastor in our little town back home so... I guess I’m pretty knowledgeable about it.” Sophia smiled, especially at the squeeze to her shoulder giving her some comfort. “But there’s no real right or wrong way to do any of it. I mean, what are you wanting from it? Do you want to devote yourself, or do you just want to feel like you’re getting some guidance from some higher power? Either is fine, you don’t have to be completely devote to benefit from Him. You can ask for guidance in your head, speak aloud, speak to the pastor... It’s completely up to you how you do that bit. I was raised a certain way, with my dad. There’s things I follow and things I don’t. I would have to pray for forgiveness before I could pray for guidance. My father taught us forgiveness for your sins is the most important thing. Which I guess right now is what I’m struggling with the most...” 

“It’s fine, I guess I just wasn’t expecting anyone to be here,” Max said with a shrug. Though he probably should have expected at least someone to be there, people from point and park both new people from the other town and he was sure that they wanted to stay in touch. “That’s good to hear,” Max said offering her a smile. “I can’t really complain, I was just on my way to your town to see what it had to offer today.” 

“It has a lot to offer, that’s for sure.” Sophia smiled politely, glad to at least have some company on the journey back to Point. She had gone to see friends, and hadn’t really wanted to leave yet but she had a load of schoolwork that she knew she should get stuck into. It felt like it never ended at the moment, but the school year was almost over thankfully. Not that that meant her coursework stopped, but she had more time to do it when she didn’t have to actually go into college. “Though, I find Park to have some pretty neat stuff.” 

“Yeah, yeah your right.” He agreed, everyone did have to start somewhere, he just didn’t think it’d be this late. “I’ve noticed that to, maybe because everyone’s going through something different with their powers everyone tries harder maybe?” Wenty wasn’t exactly sure but he’d bet he wasn’t to far off . “If you don’t mind me being noise? What exactly did you do so often that you need forgiveness for?”

“Oh, you know, nothing too bad. Just one of the seven deadly sins but like all the time.” Sophia murmured, her hand moving to play with the ends of her hair. “I’m jealous of those that live in Park, I guess. That they can go out and see their family or do what they want. I mean, it’s great for them and I’m happy for them but every single time someone mentions going out there there’s so much jealousy there. And I have to ask for forgiveness every time and I just... Is there much point asking for forgiveness each and every time?” Part of her more wondered if she should even ask for forgiveness, if it was something she needed to ask forgiveness for. Everyone got jealous sometimes, right?

“Most of her names are from her mothers side, like grandmas and stuff. Well if I was on the outside world it would look strange for a thirty four year old to have a kid who looks eighteen. But hey when your in Lake Grimstone the strange becomes the norm.” Wenty found it amusing at how different this place was. “You’d think so, but I haven’t seen any job listings. and I’ve never had a job, so I doubt that’s gonna go in my favour.” But after this conversation he’d definitely have a stronger look into that kind of work. Wentworth laughed at his mistake when it was pointed out “ I know what you mean. But that normally means it’s difficult and the difficult things have to be done if you want to move on. I could go in with you as support and I’ll try not to disrespect the big man.”

“I guess that’s true. It is a little strange here, when you look at it like that.” Sophia chuckled softly, her shoulders shrugging. “I mean, everyone has to start somewhere, right? Someone will give you a chance, even if it’s not maybe what you want it to be for now. People are a little more understanding in here than in the outside world, I’ve noticed.” She smiled softly, hoping that her words would encourage the man to do whatever it was he wanted to do. “It shouldn’t be difficult, I usually go in there at least twice a week.” The young girl grumbled, sighing at herself. “I guess I’m just struggling to see the point if I’m just going to come back to ask for the same forgiveness over and over again.” 

“Yeah, she’s called Alexa Reagan Camilia Garcia-Frank. The Frank parts me. She’s a miracle baby so she look eighteen, but she’s actually two.” Wentworth always had a warm smile when he talked about his little girl. “She’s in the other town with her mum. “She’s in the other town, so I just want some money for her to spend while outside the towns.” Wenty had to think for a minute. “Well there’s one thing but I can’t do it here, unless this town needs a locksmith.” He shrugged, now wouldn’t be the time to tell others he used to rob banks for a living. Wentworth looked up at the church “what’s stopping you? I thought these things were always open . I’m not religious myself but I don’t normally see them closed.”

“That’s a beautiful name. Oh wow, I bet that’s strange.” Sophia was no where near to the point of having children, she’d never even had a boyfriend, but she could imagine it would be strange to have a child and by the time they were two, they actually looked eighteen. “Oh... That must be hard. I mean, it could? Maybe? There must be some people that deal with the maintenance of the town. They might need a locksmith too. I bet people get locked out of their homes all the time.” At Wentworth’s words she managed to chuckle slightly, before shaking her head, “No, it’s not closed I just can’t seem to walk in there. Like, my brain’s screaming at my legs to move but they won’t, you know?” 

It wasn’t the first time, or the last that Wenty would get knocked into because of his power. He grown used to the line ‘I didn’t see you there.’ “Yeah, I was just thinking bout what job is best for me. I e gotta earn some money for my daughter to spend” he said keep lying it light hearted. “Wentworth, I don’t believe we have. So what were you lost in thought about?”

“Your daughter? How old is she?” Sophia asked, a smile coming to her lips. “Well, what are you good at? And what do you like?” She asked, hoping that perhaps they could make a distraction out of his job search so she could stop focusing on her own issues. “I was just uh-- Trying to go in there,” The young female spoke, pointing back to the Church, “But I don’t think that’s happening today.” 

Michael didnt often come to the church. He wasnt that religious. He wasnt really sure he was religious at all. To which god, he wasnt sure. If there was a god, he didnt know. He didnt really pray to a god particularly, anyhow. Church was just a place to talk, a medium to his dad. And he missed him today. Attempting to gain some meditation, he closed his eyes. And thats when he was nearly knocked over unexpectedly. His eyes opened and he saw Sophia in front of him. “It’s okay, no worries.” He frowned a little tilting his head to the side. “Are /you/ okay?”

Originally posted by yourneighborhoodmess

“Y-Yeah, I’m okay I just think that maybe I’m not going in there today.” She murmured, hugging her arms to her chest as she looked up at Michael. It wasn’t something you’d hear often from Sophia, in fact, she hadn’t really said it to anyone before and it made her feel worse somehow. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I’m just gonna move out the way.” The young blonde sighed, and moved to sit on the steps, head in her hands. 

Oliver didn’t worship really anything, he can’t imagine an ‘all loving god’ that cursed him with this ability. That being said, he would never deter Sophia from her faith. If that’s something she believed in and it made her happy? That was fine with him. It wasn’t hurting anyone. “I mean, if you really want to go but don’t want to go by yourself, you can always call me, you know? I won’t know what’s going on… but I can be there if you’d like?” Oliver felt like a completely different person with the bracelet on, he felt like he could truly be himself. Laughing softly, he nodded. “I’m sure you didn’t hurt me. Did I hurt you?” Honestly, he’d forgotten about the festival. “Oh, I didn’t even think about that. I mean, I’m not doing anything else… did you want to go?” 

“Really?” Sophia questioned, brow almost raised in surprise but she hoped that she’d managed to keep her expression under control. “I mean, not that I don’t appreciate that because that offer is extremely appreciated but I don’t want to force you to be somewhere you don’t want to be. I’ve yet to meet anyone else in this town who actually voluntarily goes to Church.” She chuckled, looking up at the other with a soft smile. “Maybe a bruised ego, but nothing I can’t handle.” Sophia teased, rocking on her heels. “Oh, uh, sure!  I love festivals. There’s just something about the ring toss, carousel's and ferris wheels. Plus, I heard there’s a mechanical bull, and watching people on that is always funny.” 

Ollie hadn’t had a specific destination in mind, he just wanted to walk. Get some fresh air from being cooped up playing video games for too long. He’d noticed Sophia just standing outside the church and he was a little worried. She didn’t seem like the type to avoid such a place, so he assumed something might be wrong. Approaching her, Oliver was just about to speak when she quickly turned and walked straight into him. Holding onto her shoulders so she didn’t fall, Ollie was quick to assure her he was fine. “Yeah, I’m good. No worries. Are you okay?” 

The sight of her friend made her calm down slightly, but no matter what her words were Sophia knew her face would betray her. “Yeah, I’m fine, I just think that maybe Church shouldn’t be on my agenda today.” They were words rarely heard by anyone other than Isabella, but she felt she could trust Ollie to not judge her for her doubts. “I feel like I don’t really deserve to walk through those doors... and it’s not the same going on my own.” Sophia would know her father would tell her she is never alone, that they are always with her and so is the Lord, but being there spiritually and being there physically were two completely separate things. “You’re sure I didn’t hurt you? Were you heading to the festival?”

Joseph was on his way to the festival that Lake Grimstone had put together, he liked this time of year, then again because he was in Park he was always able to roam the place. He was lost in his thoughts thinking about what he was going to do first at the festival when he felt someone crash into him. Joe let out a soft chuckle when she reached for him “no worries, I’m fine. Are you?” He asked offering her a smile. “I get it, I guess I should have paid a little more attention to. Are you heading to the festival? I feel like I should make sure you  get to your destination safe and sound.” 

“I’m alright, just a little sheepish.” Sophia chuckled softly, looking up at the man. She had completely forgotten about the festival, but now that he mentioned it maybe that would be the perfect distraction for her right now. “I wasn’t, because I’d forgotten, but now you mention it I definitely am! Thank you, I appreciate it.” The female grinned, already turning on her heels to head towards the bustle that seemed to lead to the festival. “I always feel like there’s so much to do at festivals, and I just want to do everything like a thousand times. What’s your favourite thing about them?”

John didn’t have much of an answer for that and gave a light shrug, shuffling his feet in place. “I mean, I’m not going to pretend I know how all this,” he tipped his head in the direction of the building next to them, “works exactly but isn’t He supposed to forgive no matter what? Especially if you’re actively trying to not do wrong again?” John did not know what the girls sins had been, but people could always move past them. “I’m just going in to sit. You’re welcome to join me. You don’t have to say anything. Or if you want to sit separate that’s cool too…just give me a nod if you need me?”

Sophia knew John was right, that He would see she was trying her best and her jealousy wasn’t coming from a malicious place. Perhaps she could go in and sit with the other. Before Lake Grimstone, she would always go to Church with her family; her father was the pastor and her mother and brothers would always be by her side. Perhaps it would feel more normal with someone sat next to her. “Thank you, I appreciate that so much.” She smiled graciously, took a deep breath and turned back around to walk into the Church. “I think I’ll sit next to you, if that’s okay? Before coming here, I would always go with my family, you know? Always. It feels strange to sit in Church alone.”