Hanging out with Kaze

[Corn]

Corn stays away from the bad memories Kaze talks about as the cheerfull Arrow with the tragic past mentions them. Corn wouldn't have guessed that a Kaze, that at least in their interactions seemed a cheerful, optimistic guy, would have gone through childhood tragedies. The mysteries man hides are as big as the Supernal Mysteries...

When Kaze brings on the 100 questions Corn, smirks and moves from the unpleasant past.
"Slow down, slow down! There have been some conversations touching the subject, and my sisters knew and thought I would get a yes. Of course, I had the ring ready. I gave it an extra polish using my magic... " woops " ... touch." nice save!
"It was June last year, a few months or so before we moved to Sacramento. I have taken her to a long-weekend escape in the beach. We had a nice time Friday and Saturday with me pampering her. Then Saturday night at dinner I had talked with the hotel staff and they have made sure table with the best view was available - at no extra charge actually. As the sun was setting I brought the discussion, generally, to the future, about the importance of family, how Maria brightens my life etc. etc. The sky was purple, twilight when the maitre showed up in costume, with a bouquet, a waiter was holding a champagne and another one had the box with the ring on a silver disk. As Maria looked at them I was on one knee and all.
I never got to ask the question, actually, I said "Maria, would..." and she said yes, teary eyed. Before I asked. The maitre congratulated us, left the champagne and the people started clapping. She kissed me and... disappear to start calling her friends. For about 15 minutes. My phone lit up before she returned. She called my sisters before I had the chance to.
Kaze, I don't know how things would turn out but I was on the clouds. I didn't care that she was calling people - I've found out that as people grieve in their own way, the celebrate in their own way. She was visibly happy and moved.

Also, my sisters told me that she knew I would propose before I did. She had read the signs before I even found the ring. I thank God - I am religious - for my good luck. "

[Kaze]

Kaze sits back, basking in the euphoria of a successful romance story.

"That's awesome!" He says. "Thanks!"

Then, "Wait, you're religious? Cool. Me too."

[Corn]

"So, after discussing my love story, should we do something about your board-gaming deficiency? " Corn says nodding towards the few board games on the shelf. "Do you want something that requires less mastery and skill and relies more on luck, or something like backgammon that has simple rules but requires experience?"

[Kaze]

Kaze laughs, "Okay, hang on. When is your wedding? I mean, generally? I'm not asking for a date or location or anything." He asks, still obviously fascinated, like Corn is describing his pet unicorn or something!

"Let's go for something skill based and popular?" Kaze says, "If I'm going to learn how to play a game, it should be something I can use to hang out with people, you know? Like something a lot of people play. I don't mind losing, but I'd like to be able to improve, you know?"

"First though, are you okay talking about religion?" Kaze asks. "You're the first person in like two years since I got here to even bring it up!"

"I'm basically an Evangelical Protestant, only I don't evangalize and I skip the politics." Kaze offers. "I believe God can take care of letting people know Himself what they should believe or what they should do without me trying to do it for Him. So yeah, I believe it's between people and God, and I try to just focus on the copious attack surfaces of my own to work on, and don't worry about what other people do or believe unless they ask me. 'Be ready in all seasons to answer if questioned what you believe' and all that, you know?"

"How about you?" He asks.

[Corn]

"To be perfectly honest, I am not deeply religious. I attend church about once per 4 to 6 weeks and I talk to a priest when I have to confess. I am 'mostly' a Catholic, but I know we have too imperfect understanding of the God's Word to fight over which of our imperfect understandings is the least wrong. You and I have seen things that other people won't understand and this highlights how much we don't know about God's creations and the laws that rule this world or other worlds.

I believe in God's plan for us and I don't think we will ever know it or understand it. I don't look down at the people that preach as long as they don't bother me too much. That includes my aunt Veronica that would brand you an apostate for turning your back to the one true belief. She dislikes Protestants more than Muslims, you see. Considers them traitors to the Church instead of misguided people. Also, she dislikes people that think you can get a divorce or that don't do their wedding in church. We will have our marriage in church and she's invited. It took her a bit to get over the fact that I have had ... premarital relationships since college and I believe she prayed a lot for my soul after she was told about it. My parents are also religious, but aunt Veronica, my mother's sister, is much more religious than us. "

[Kaze]

"Oh wow, your aunt sounds a little like my mom, Corn." Kaze says, smiling. "She was really into her religion. I thought I was too, until she died, and then I realized I was kind of surfing off her faith, not so much developing my own."

Kaze shakes his head. "It was just pretty recently I really figured out what it meant to me personally. Now...I'm pretty into it." He says.

He looks around. "So, wow. I honestly was just blown away that you have a fiance and everything." He says. "I guess your plan is just...get married, live here and work? Like...having as normal a life you can?" He asks.

Kaze smiles and stuffs a biscuit into his mouth, chewing it up and finishing it in quick order. "These are good." He says. "Someone can give Guru a run for his money!"

"So, tell me about these 'horror themed board games'." Kaze invites. "Are they like a Ouiji board or something?"

[Corn]

"An Ouiji board is not really a game. I believe it has power and the superstitions about it hold water. I am not sure it is our magic, but I believe other people's magic, fallen magic, can use it. I was talking about games like Arkham Horror, where you and your friends play a group of explorers trying to stop an ancient evil of extreme power from entering the world. Lovecraftian horror game. Another one that I like, with dark humor, is Betrayal at House on the Hill. Where a group of players explore a 'procedurally generated' haunted manor - i.e. you pick different rooms for each playthrough - ... until one of them turns out to be a monster or working for a monster. Then it is all about surviving the monster or killing the traitor. This requires 3 people to play though, and it's better for 4 people. "

About the Ouiji board is a guess from both me and Corn. I have no idea if some tradition or society can actually use them.

[Kaze]

"Huh." Kaze says, shaking his head slightly as Corn describes the difference between the occult too which is Ouiji board and the kind of games he meant, which sound completely unfamiliar to him.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Kaze says, laughing. "But...sure, I'm game, I guess. I mean, you're sure it's better than heading to the park and playing catch with a football or shooting hoops?" He asks? Hey, he's all about expanding his frame of reference, and this sounds like a whole world he's got no frame of reference to at all.

"If you know enough people that are up for that, I would be up for trying it." Sounds like there would be more opportunity to talk and get to know each other during actual the activity, instead of the usual method of going for drinks afterwards to talk with the types of athletic activities he's done for fun in the past.

[Corn]

"We could invite other people next time. We could invite the new girl. Madison may also be interested and she makes her own beer." Corn said as he stood up to get a game from the shelf.
"But for the next few minutes, lets start with something less horror and simpler to learn and play but with an appeal to strategy"
Corn sets down a box with nice hexagonal pieces that depict different insects.
"In 'Hive' you have no board. Pieces are not eliminated. You place and move your pieces with the goal to completely surround the enemy 'queen bee'. Each of the insects has its own rules of movement, like the queen can slide just one step while the grasshopper can fly over other insects. The hive should be connected at all times and each piece must touch at least another one, whether of your color or the opponents color."
Corn spends a minute or two to present the game to Kaze and then brings up the illustrated book that describes the moves allowed for reference.

"Is this something you would be interested to play? It is a good game for two people and it has strategic depth."

[Kaze]

"Okay, sure." Kaze says when Corn talks about inviting other people to play board games. "I would like to meet your fiance sometime, if you're okay with that. I totally understand if you don't want to do that."

He pays attention as Corn explains the game. "Okay...sure. I think I am following you. Kind of like diagramming a play."