Realistic or Modern Turning the Pages of History

[Botticelli Vampire]

Blaine barely noticed the way Josh ate, or acted. If it were ever out of sorts he couldn't tell. He'd spent all summer with kids and the way they'd acted and ate and generally did anything was like a pack of wild dogs themselves.
He was sure Victoria would text him all the details by tonight, then he could make a decision based on that. But surprisingly Josh didn't seem terribly keen on going to an unauthorized party. Josh as an individual constantly surprised Blaine. He found it most surprising though that Josh wanted to continue to hang out with him, especially in lieu of a party. He'd not expected him to come back after getting food, either. "Oh, uh." he stood up gesturing the way they'd come from earlier. "Lead the way." he'd been deep in thought, likely looking rather distractable. He shook his head a little to clear his mind. He couldn't like Josh after one day, that seemed a little silly. But, he was a very likable guy. He was nice, attractive and attentive. Three traits that seemed impossible for most guys to have at once. It was usually one or the other in Blaine's experience.
"I know you have movie nights over the computer on Saturday so maybe if it's on that day we can just use that as an excuse." he chuckled, fiddling with his phone a bit as they walked back toward the room.
"I mean, I'm all about seeing the State Park but maybe during the day when it's safe and legal." he knew how ominous the woods could be. Especially at night. He'd been a little wary taking the kids at camp to the bathroom past a certain time. So having a party where anything could happen didn't seem too wise. Though he knew he wouldn't be able to keep Victoria from it. She barely listened to her parents. She sure as hell had never taken Blaine's advice when it'd come to anything.
"Maybe you could show me, since you've been there before." he smiled and ran his hand through his blonde hair, pushing it out of his face. It didn't seem like Josh was opposed to being around him this far, so maybe asking for more wouldn't seem too out of place. He had offered to take him to the movies. Which was indicative of him wanting to be friends at least. Blaine found being around Josh a little magnetic. It wasn't just that he was attractive and nice, he just felt safe around him. Like nothing too bad could happen. He was almost glad they'd been put together as room mates now. Maybe he'd be able to sleep well after all. "But, if the party hadn't been under these weird-ass conditions would you have gone? Do you like parties or not really?" he wasn't sure if Josh just refused because it was illegal or because he preferred other ways to entertain himself. "Cause you said if I liked clubbing we could go to Wishes, but you didn't say you liked it."

 

[Pokeking]

Back through the double doors that led back the rooms. They had passed by a few other residents who also appeared to be in "wind down mode". Today had been a long day for many. The many would be looking forward to be going to bed earlier than they might under normal circumstances. Only those blessed with high grade endurance would continue. Josh was one such person. He could go up to about 36 hours and remain alert before drowsiness started to take him down. Regardless, he chose to adhere to a more mundane sleep routine.

They entered the room. Josh tilted his head and scrunched his face in confusion, "Movie night over the computer on Saturday? Huh?" Comprehension then hit him in the face, "Computer time's for chatting by cam with good friends. Movie night's downstairs starting next Saturday with the first Saturday of the month doubling as a birthday party for all those born in that month. I read that August's is next week even though it's not the first Saturday of the month. Mine's October. October 13th. I'm double special because I was born on a Friday."

Josh stooped down to put the cookies in the small fridge, "During the day's just fine and yes, I'd like to show you around. It's nice and peaceful. Lots of walking paths of different lengths. Plenty of birds to see. Other small animals and no predators like wolves." He smiled and thought to himself that it was best that way since there would be no competition. If I ever take leave of my senses and risk going there in the woods to get a bite to eat. He stood back up, "Yes, I would have gone if it was more favorable to go even if it was for a little while."

Josh gripped his shirt and pulled it over his head to reveal his firm defined torso, his tags slightly swaying from the jostle. He had momentarily forgot that he wasn't back home. He looked at Blaine and then as his bare hairless chest. The damage was already done. He just shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes in an oh well way. He opened his drawer to select a pair of bottoms a top to wear for the rest of the night and sleep, "Clubbing's enjoyable. I certainly liked it more than German chocolate cake. Ugh! Don't like anything with coconut. Bleh!" He made a yucky face. He selected a tank that bore a logo which depicted a flexed left arm and the wording Macho 29 in both English and Japanese on the front while the word beLegend was on the back. He slid this over and it hugged his chest. "Little souvenir, one of seven just like it, that I picked up when my parents and I wandered into Macho Cafe when we toured Japan. It was a special restaurant only open for six months. Think Hooters but all the servers are men. I certainly enjoyed myself." A chuckle, "Yes, the food was good too."

Josh sat on the bed to take off his socks and shoes, "Sorry for the digression. Anyhow, I've only been clubbing once and just once before. Wasn't too long after I came out." He wiggled his toes, "My teammate David Donner said that I was such a mensch, his wording, that I deserve a cuddlebud, again his wording. So he set me on a date with one of the Track guys by the name of Javier Hurtado. Same grade as us, but I didn't really know anything about him except he loves cats and wants to be a vet." His eyes turned to the drawing of the feline shapeshifter on his bulletin board. "We went out to eat and then went to a club near the Museum District named Neon Fields. Nice guy, but we didn't click. Just different interests. Maybe too similar to Dave in personality." He got up, "Be right back." He headed to the bathroom to exchange his pants for the grey gym shorts that he had taken out. Door closes.

The young man took longer because was doing other things to get ready to go to bed. After brushing his teeth and flushing, he washed his hands and face extremely well. He took the tube of face mask paste and squeezed some of the cream to his fingers before applying it to his face. Clean the hands and exit.

Josh, his face covered with grey clay salve, returned to the room and sat at his desk. He looked back at Blaine, "It'd be nice to give clubbing another go." He turned on his computer and it awoke.

 

[Botticelli Vampire]

Blaine sat on the edge of the bed, and pulled his legs up to be criss-cross once he removed his shoes. He watched Josh move around the room, listening to him answering his questions. But, his voice seemed to muffle a bit and Blaine looked over to notice he was shirtless. They locked eyes for just a second and Blaine couldn't help but smirk and turn away with a little laugh catching at the back of his throat.
"I wouldn't mind giving it a more honest try. I mean, I think I just didn't get a chance to go to any clubs I might like. All my friends were straight and yeah they were supportive but. . . " he sort of half shrugged with one shoulder. "They didn't really think about what I might like to do as well, it was always about them. I guess I didn't realize that until the drive out here." he chuckled quietly, sadly. Realizing he might be killing the mood he looked up and gave Josh a smile. "It's fine, I'm sure I'll make more friends here. I'm not doing to shabby already. I found you the first day. Nevermind that we were shoved together by fate." he waved off the notion they were probably only friends because of their room mate status. He went to the closet and pulled out his own pajamas. The top was for the old RPG 'Vampire the Masquerade.' and was underlined with a red line that looked like dripping blood. He'd played the video game in middle school and liked it enough to buy this when he'd seen it in the mall but he'd never actually played the tabletop game. He chose a pair of dark gray soft looking pants. Not too warm they'd be uncomfortable, he'd subconsciously planned for the Texas weather even if the dorms didn't seem as warm as he thought they'd be. The air conditioning hadn't been mentioned online but it was obvious now they had it in some form or another or he'd be suffering.
He went into the bathroom and returned quickly, changed with his teeth brushed and ready for bed. He didn't plan on sleeping really yet but he wanted to wind down for sure. "Sorry I didn't think you'd want to see my muscles. Way intimidating." he joked, smacking his bicep lightly and playfully before sitting back down. Blaine wasn't scrawny. His planned workouts and time in the woods had given him some muscle mass. It just wasn't as obvious as Josh's. "I think I'd like to go hiking or camping over clubbing any day but yeah - I'll try it again sometime." he smiled, pulling out his phone and tinkering with it a bit. He answered some texts from his mom, checked his email and facebook. After a couple moments of silence he looked up. "Thanks for today." he stretched a little, flopping back onto his pillows. "You made it way easier than I thought it would be here. I was really nervous when I got here but around you it isn't so terrifying every second." he turned over, facing the wall. He looked at all his photos from the summer and smiled softly. "I hope we keep hanging out." he admitted, knowing that there was a slim possibility Josh was only being nice because it seemed in his nature to be.

 

[Pokeking]

Josh looked back, "The guys were awesome. Well, most of them were supportive. Brett was just his classic self. Said it didn't change anything between us. Bros now and forever. He doesn't let anything frazzle him. Dave was cheeky as usual. Said I get to check two boxes now. Trev? He was happy for me and was curious what type of guy I'd go out on a date with because I was the only one on the team to not have never gone out on a date date. He told me to be myself and that I shouldn't have to fit a mold. Be my own gay." A noticeable pause accompanied by a face of disappointment, "To be honest, I think a couple of the other guys appeared to be relieved. One less man to compete with, you know? A lotta girls liked the combination of my boy band face and this athletic physique. Being bilingual was a bonus to them."

His eyes became wistful as Josh continued to reminisce, "I came out a couple of months ago, but most weren't surprised when I told them. When you got a poster of nearly shirtless young men and another of a hottie like this..." he pointed at the small poster of Yutaro, "....hanging above the bed, and you regularly use face care products, it gets people thinking. Thankfully, there's no need for them to keep wondering." He reached for his phone and texted Brett, [Back in the room whenever you are ready.] While he was at it, he downloaded the RayWatch App. He motioned at Blaine with his phone, "Before I forgot about it, I downloaded the RayWatch App. It's the perfect resource for alerts, school news, event notices, weather, so on and so on. You can even access your school email from it. Just plug in your student ID and your email. Bingo."

Josh stared at the Vampire tee that Blaine wore. He didn't mean to but made no further reaction except his face having a deep shade of red from awkwardness. Thankfully, he was soon saved by his appointment.

A cheerful voice and blond haired face on the screen behind him, "Bonne soirée dude." Even though this chat had been planned, Josh was startled since he hadn't anticipated a response so soon. He turned around to meet the face of Brett McPherson so he could reply, "A Konbanwa to you." There was a surprise from him. Same curtained hair, but he now sported a moustache and soul patch. It was so surprising that Josh asked, "Huh? Moustache?" His best friend moved his face side to side, "You like it? An archmage needs facial hair and I thought I'd start with his. Maybe just this." This prompted Josh to say, "Looks good on you. You know, I've been thinking about changing my haircut. Maybe have a mullet or grow out my hair even longer so I can tie it like Toshiro Mifune in Sanjuro." He looked back at Blaine temporarily, "How about that look? Keep the quiff, have a mullet or something longer?"

Josh returned to Brett who asked, "Who are you talking to?" He replied, "Blaine." His former teammate exclaimed puzzeledly, "New roommate?" before leaning closer to his camera and eyes darted back and forth. "Where?" Josh moved the camera until the lens afforded a better view, "Ah! There you are. Bonjour. I'm Brett McPherson the Archmage. Nice to meet you. Don't mind me. I'll be dropping in like this from time to time." Returning to Josh, "How was your day?"

Josh relayed the day's events from waking up to arriving on campus to meeting Blaine to the meeting to now.. Brett replied, "Mine started early too. Practice. Studying and stuff like that. We got our first game soon. We go up against UCLA." Josh asked, "Like your teammates?" Brett nodded, "They're great, but I miss you and Cyclone and even Punchline. Harumph, can you believe he took Lord Goofington to OU. Well it's time for me to get to the astral plane. Bonne nuit Ryo." Josh replied, "Night night."

With the camera having gone dark, Josh turned off his computer which had a logo on the hard drive. It was a clockwise swirl surrounding the letters MCP. He stood up and stretched. He refrained from flexing his arms. He had done that many times in school. Well, when in Rome. No need to do it that here, "Me to. Hiking and camping over clubbing. Yup, let's give it another go." He headed to the bathroom to wash his face. Coming back, "You're welcome and thank you too. I enjoyed today. The unknown can seem frightening at times, but things always sunnier if you have someone by your side."

Josh climbed into bed, "You bet. We'll hang out some more. Some more." He took his phone and set his alarm, "Big day tomorrow. Wake up at 0700 to get ready for church. 0800 Church. Come back and have breakfast. Got that already taken care of; thank you bakery. Then to the grocery store. Go to the gym or go jogging later. Dinnertime some time after that. You're welcome to join me for all the above or some of the above." He snuggled against the pillow as he pulled the Pac-man sheet over his torso. The starfield blanket was draped over the footboard of the bed bed since its services were not required at this time, "Good night Blaine." More snuggling and eventually he was sound asleep.

 

[Botticelli Vampire]

Blaine couldn’t help but cringe a little at the church mention. Of course there had been LGBT churches in California but they were in Texas now and he knew all too well how most church-goers felt about ‘his type’. But he nodded, not knowing if Josh could see or not. He'd make a more audible commitment in the morning if he decided to give it a try. Maybe he would, if it would win him points with Josh. He could sit through anything. Well, as long as Josh wasn’t Catholic that is. He looked over a bit quizzically. He didn’t seem overly religious so he was certain it would be fine. “Night.” he muttered, turning back to the wall and curling up.
It seemed to take awhile to fall asleep, the excitement of a new place and meeting someone he liked kept him awake for longer than he would have liked. But, he felt safe enough in the room to relax and close his eyes. He’d meant it when he said Josh’s presence had been soothing to him.

Before he knew it his eyes opened and there was a bit of light filtering through the window. He scanned his surroundings taking longer than usual to get his bearings. It was still a very new place after all. He sat up slowly, blinking to sleep from his eyes and waiting for the sleep inertia itself to leave him. He got up, went to his dresser for some clothes. No classes of course but instead a difficult decision to make. Would he go to church with Josh? Josh wasn’t the type to take him somewhere that wouldn’t accept him. So he resolved rather quickly to come along. He dressed nice, but overly stuffy. He wasn’t going to suffer that much for a bunch of people he didn’t know. He opted for dress pants and a light blue long sleeve button up.
He poked around the fridge a bit, hoping to scavenge something from that bakery they’d visited. He hadn’t had a chance to try anything the day before. He knew it was likely the baked goods would be better fresh but Josh seemed to praise them enough he was certain it would be fine even on the second day.
He sat at the edge of his bed, holding his breakfast items and nitpicking at them a bit.

 

[Pokeking]

The history of Josh's family and the Catholic Church went back to the parents of his mother's father, Kentaro Ishida.

One upon a time, the Ishida family lived in San Dimas. Hiroto Ishida had moved to the States as a young man with his friend Masaru Ogawa; they were both from Kanazawa. Masaru migrated because of opportunity and the glamor of life in America. Hiroto was reluctant about moving to a different country and would have remained. However, he cherished his friendship with Masaru and went so that his best friend would not be alone in a strange county all by himself.

Years later, Hiroto and his wife Kaori, formerly Yagami, began their family. First was Kentaro called Kent and 11 years later, Nobuharu who called Nash arrived. Life was simple for them and their Nisei boys, but happy. Hiroto's initial reluctance diminished over the years as he grew fond and adapted to life in America; it was a trait that he and his wife passed down to their sons. That was before the war. Before the nightmare.

The war ruined the Ishida family. Afterwards, it was decided to head east to Texas, land of the Alamo, as was the plan. It was the Church that got the family back on its feet. Eventually, Kent and his younger brother and their parents converted. For a time, they lived in San Antonio before settling in Houston. Meanwhile, Masaru moved back to Japan having become disillusioned. Friendship dies and no more words exchanged between them. For the rest of their lives, Masaru and Hiroto never spoke with each other again.

The years passed and eventually, Nash Ishida moved back to San Antonio to start his own family having married a woman of Irish descent.

Some years later, Tomokazu Nakayama converted when his relationship with Mariko Ishida started to get serious to the point where marriage was a strong possibility. Although they got married in the Catholic faith, they wore traditional Japanese wedding attire. Thus, they raised their son Josh as a Catholic.

For a brief time, Josh was shy about going to going to church. His wolf nature had recently awoken and, thanks to a steady diet of such stories as Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs and other stories where the wolf was the villain, he was afraid that some celestial voice would announce to the congregation that he was a wolf masquerading as a human and thus unworthy of being virtuous. Such was the reasoning of a small child.

Josh had gown up since then and had learned much. He had come to accept that he was man and wolf, both and neither. He certainly was no unholy beast. It was a maxim that carried over to when he came out. He was not about to let others judge if he was good or wicked because of what he was. It was up to him to define himself.

Josh was sound asleep when he somewhat woke up. What brought him out was howling in the night or so he thought. He looked at his phone and saw that it was 3:33am. He dismissed it as the imagination of a mostly asleep mind and headed back to bed. He was also dismissive because it seemed to come from Fletcher State Park and everyone knew that there were no wolves of the ordinary, meaning not his type, kind living there.

His alarm chimed exactly at 0700 as expected. Josh sat up in bed and turned to Blaine, "Ah! You're up before me and having breakfast too. I'm going to wait until I come back or I take it as when we come back." He observed Blaine had gotten nicer clothing out. He saw his roommate picking at the food, "Something on your mind?"

Josh got out black slacks and a burgundy button shirt and dress socks and his black shoes. "Be back in a bit." He went to go shower. About 30 minutes later, he came back and got dressed. Back to us truck and with ten minutes to spare, they arrived at St. Conrad of Constance Catholic Church. Josh got out. Some attendees were very familiar. There was Lance Leitner and his family. Also too were some faces from the kickoff meeting last night.

Josh stepped inside St. Conrad which was a hundred year old church; it was simple and humble. Josh dipped his fingers in holy water and crossed himself. He decided on a pew in the middle on the side.

This morning's celebrant was Father Gordon McTavish. He was a transplant from the Highlands of Scotland having been here in the States for 18 years and pastor here at this parish for the past 12 years. He was a middle-aged man with black hair and trimmed beard.