X-Men 1st Redemptions

73: X-egesis

[Exegesis: a critical explanation or interpretation of a text or portion of a text, especially of the Bible.]

A pause had gone by while all this was being taken in, and all you could hear was a clock ticking and a breeze outside.

"You shouldn't think that God caused that pain in our lives," Shine added, since she was saying nothing. "God cannot stop it all, but I believe all of us get mercies, even you, Raven. In Kurt...the fact that he has turned out better than he should have... I'm not saying this to judge you. I have made mistakes I am also glad I am not paying for now the way I could have. So I just know.... Suffering is the norm in this world. But mercy is not. It's rare because it's not common or easy. But it's rare like a jewel. The rarity doesn't mean it's not real, it means that it costs a lot of effort to get to where you can see it, sometimes. And people give up. But those who really want happiness and peace will always find it. 'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled' [Matt 5]."

The sort of peace and radiance in Shine's whole expression when she said these things, which she seemed unaware of, was always somewhat mysterious for people who had never experienced it. Mystique was no different.

It reminded her of Kurt also. When he spoke of Gott.

Perhaps for the first time the idea really entered her psyche that these people might really just have access to something she didn't, and couldn't understand. If it was just one of them, you could put it down to them being crazy, but all of them seemed to be like this...when they really believed it...

It freaked her out. But it made her jealous too, in a way.

"I'm sorry, I've gone on too long." Shine interpreted her silence as annoyance. [There's that trauma.]

"No," Mystique surprisingly contradicted her. "It's not that... You just don't talk like anyone I've ever met. I don't understand you."

But she said it without scorn, Shine noted.

"You know...I can't help it," Shine said. "I suppose it's what comes of trying to be like Jesus... You start to sound weird to everyone else. A lot of what He said sounded odd...but it started to make sense after a while. Maybe I'm like that... I mean, that's what my husband tells me anyway. He said that I make more sense the longer he knows me."

"Funny, it's usually the other way around," Mystique said.

"You don't need to tell me I'm lucky," Shine said humorously. "I mean, good looking, nice, smart, and actually is into me? What more can woman ask for? And he does chores."

Mystique rolled her eyes.

"I know you'd rather have the guy who can pay someone else to do chores," Shine said. "But it means more when it's personal... Anyway I never understood why rich people are too good to clean their own house at least a little bit. I mean, you live there."

"Not all of them object to that, shockingly," Mystique said dryly.

"Well, I'd hope not," Shine said. "But anyway...I just realized I never really answered you about why I want to be friends... You know...I have many reasons. But I figure the easiest answer is that I don't want to be enemies with anyone, and apathy is even worse than hatred, so my only options are friendship or better. And as much as that sounds like it has no real preferences involved, it does. There are people it's work to even be not enemies with. It's not work with you." She stood up.

Mystique gazed at her like she was crazy. "I have made it difficult on purpose," she said.

"Oh, you tried," Shine said, like it was funny. "But I just find that entertaining."