Knock unbidden on the door ((Schön))

[losthunter]

The evening on which Schön and Hunter had agreed upon a TV marathon to watch 'Twilight Zone' episodes had come very quickly, even though it had been a couple of days since the Spring Fair and the last time they had spoken.

Hunter had a lot of artwork to keep himself occupied in the time between the two events. There were a couple of sketches in his notepad from the evening of the Spring Fair that he had wanted to get on canvas. Some are watercolors. Some are color pencils. Some are using the rose petals, soaked in paint. In all aspects, he had been busy.

During the day, before Schön would arrive at the apartment, Hunter had been quite busy finishing a charcoal piece depicting an elderly couple sharing an intimate, and touching moment. He wrapped that up right before he was expecting Schön, so had to jump in the bathroom quickly to get cleaned and dressed for the evening.

Then he went into the kitchen to bring out the snacks that he had prepared for the evening. There are delights such as cranberry pretzel clusters, brownie batter popcorn, assorted chocolate-dipped fruit (bananas, kiwis and strawberries), and a cheese platter. For a wine choice, Hunter had selected a Wild Vines strawberry white zinfandel.

With everything else in place, Hunter does one more walk-through of his apartment, to make sure everything is prepared for his guest.

Comments

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"Very close attention," Schön answers. "Much of my business is in finding doorways to worlds that have something in abundance which will be wanted somewhere else. Another part is in finding people the door to where they want to go--whether that somewhere is home, or some other clime."

[losthunter]

"I imagine that it is often the case, that where people want to go, is not what they imagined. It is more where they are needed." Hunter speaks from personal experience.

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"My own experience is that where people want to go and where they need to go sometimes differ. Sometimes, they find where they need without knowing they need it, but they more often ask after places they want to go."

[losthunter]

"It is strange... with all the possible outcomes that the Nexus offers, I am sure that the opportunity was there that we could have met earlier, when I first came into the Nexus."

"But in the same context," Hunter turns to look at Schön, his hand moving to gently touch the other man's shoulder. "I know that I would have not been ready to have someone like you in my life."

"I was just so angry when I first arrived. Scared. Uncertain. I pushed people away, instead of accepting their friendships."

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"I am hardly one to sneer at happy chance--and the chance to meet your best face first is certainly one of those," Schön answers with a smile. "Friendship is a precious thing--I'm glad to have yours, and to have you accept mine."

[losthunter]

"So what show is next on our watching agenda?"

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"Oh, I think I'll let this one speak for itself," he answers, queuing up the next.

He wonders if Hunter's world had Will Shatner, and if Hunter will recognize him from any of his other roles.

[losthunter]

Another movie being cued is a good distraction for Hunter. It can be somewhat of a complicated situation when you are spending time with someone you like, especially when there is a bit of a crush involved. And he values his friendship with Schön very much. He is still trying to figure out the social cues.

While watching the show, Hunter straightens slightly, recognized Shatner for the actor he is. He can tell that this role was made before what made Shatner famous in his world (Star Trek). And finds some of the similarities quite interesting, that even in the show itself, Shatner has to deal with a strange 'alien' creature bent on destroying the plane.

In the end, he finds quite interesting that Shatner's character is viewed as crazy -- even though he was telling the truth the whole time.

"Wow..."

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

Schön, too, is trying to thread the social labyrinth. He'd prefer not to break Hunter's heart, either by commission or omission, but sleeves are such perilous places to wear the fragile things. Nor is he oblivious to the effect he has on people. It's a delicate balance to seek.

"How many speakers of truth have been called mad by the masses who simply wanted them to be wrong?"

[losthunter]

"It makes you wonder how long the characters had been 'locked-away', before the truth was discovered." Hunter moves fluidly off the couch for the moment. He pours himself a little more wine. And brings the bottle back to the coffee table in case Schön wants more too.

"And how many people are out there... who are still thought mad."

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"In the world from which I come," Schön offers, with an air not unlike admission, "there is magic fine as gossamer, delicate as a dream, that can only be seen by those who believe--and which can be destroyed by the doubts of those whose faith is strictly limited to what they can touch."

[losthunter]

"I assume that you are one of those people who support that magic. And the believers." Hunter smiles softly.

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"Support?" He gives a slight shake of his head, for such a phrase vastly understates his connection to it. "I am made of such magic. Outside the protection of the Nexus, a dull conformist is acute poison, and could scrub my very soul from the cosmos." It's a solemn admission to make, and a sobering reminder, for all his style and power, of his fragility.

[losthunter]

Hunter takes a moment to let the statement fully sit in his mind, so he can appreciate Schön's role in his world. In a way, the admission makes sense to Hunter. He had thought there was something unique about Schön.

"I would not want to see that happen." He speaks softly.

"It must be so difficult. Even in the Nexus, to find people who aren't conformists." Hunter also knows that many people walk such strict paths, as if they are frightened of leaving the well-known trail.

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"Nor I," Schön agrees quietly.

The slight change of subject allows him to relax and return to a more normal speaking tone. "It grows easier, the longer someone stays in the Nexus. People who can't handle a worldview broader than they already have tend to leave, and quickly. Thus, most of those who stay are, on some level, willing to accept the possibility of more than they know. The longer they stay, the more open they become. It's impossible to stay in the Nexus for too long without acknowledging the existence of magic, conflicting realities, and the rest."

[losthunter]

"If there is one thing I can say about myself, my eyes were opened to the possibilities and power of magic long before I entered the Nexus. But even now, there are so many new wonders to explore."

"It is exciting. The possibilities."

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"I'm glad to hear it," Schön notes. "Although there is a certain bitter irony--those who first thought it would be best for humanity to shun magic did so precisely because they were aware of the power and possibilities."

[losthunter]

"It is a sad truth that there are people who would misuse magic, because of its power and possibilities."

Hunter reflect on what Schön mused earlier, about the possibility of him having some magical abilities. In a way, he is a little scared about it. But more nervous that he might not know how to handle any abilities he might have.

"I have felt only a small portion of magical power, when it was used on me. And it was painful."

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"Magic can be painful, yes," Schön admits, "but so can many things, whether good or bad. Growth is famous for the pain it inflicts, for instance, and what could be more natural than maturation?"

[losthunter]

"Oh don't get me wrong.... I also have seen the good of magic too." Hunter clarifies. "I hope to explore more of the magical opportunities, that are available to me."

"What is our next show?"

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"I've no doubt you shall," Schön agrees.

"Next? Ah, next. Next is a story that I think may touch rather close to home." With no more warning than that, he starts the tale of a woman, her face bandaged, as doctors explain to her that they've tried everything in their power to correct her deformity.

[losthunter]

Schön is quite right in his assessment again. Once the TV show is complete, it appears that Hunter is deeply affected by what he had seen.

He really feels for what the woman had experienced, being perceived 'ugly' by those around her. Trying so hard to fit in.

"It's..." He pauses, trying to put his feelings into the right words. "It's too bad that the initial bond between the doctor and the woman didn't have the strength to carry them through the challenges."

"In a way, I don't think the ending really proves the point they trying to make. While the woman was accepted by others who looked like her... that ending just didn't feel like it had a big impact."

And while Hunter doesn't have so many issues about his own appearance anymore, he is realistic in knowing there would be no one else who looks like him. His only hope for finding love would be from finding someone who accepts him, no matter what they look like.

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"I've always taken it to mean," Schön offers, "that notions of beauty are highly subjective. This story was written in the midst of the Red Scare, when it was every red-blooded American's solemn duty to demonstrate that they were not secret Communist sympathizers by conforming to the established norm as firmly as possible. Consider that word for a moment: sympathizer. A society so xenophobic that merely expressing, even feeling simple sympathy for another human being could be sufficient to excise one from society... that is ugliness." He sighs. "Forgive me, I drifted afield of my point."

After a sip of wine, he makes another stab at his interpretation. "Beauty. Subjective, as I said. To look at a thing which is like oneself and say, 'there is beauty in this,' why that's no challenge at all. It's almost an exercise in ego! But to look at what is different from oneself, different from norms, what exists on its own terms--to find the beauty there is a worthy endeavor."

[losthunter]

"I can't imagine how difficult that time must have been for those people. The writers of this episode must have been pretty brave to try to break the norms." Hunter listens intently to Schön's point.

"In many ways, beauty is still subjective. That was another lesson that I learned from Kendra."

Hunter sips quietly at his wine for a moment. "There is so much beauty in this world. Sometimes, just undiscovered. Hidden from plain sight."

[u_can_have_it_4_a_song]

"Rod Serling was a man of great courage," Schön agrees, "and he drew other brave hearts to him. In one of the most repressive eras, and a world of unmatched fear, his quiet monologues and peculiar tales reminded people that the strange could be wonderful, that knee-jerk reactions were rarely the right ones, and that the wisest thing we could do was question."

"Beauty has always been subjective," he affirms with authority, "and always will be so. I would not be the first to note that the doing of a thing simply because it is difficult has a merit and a nobility all its own."