xp_logs | Matt and Sooraya: Backdated

Sooraya bumps into Matt and ends up making lunch for the two of them. They talk about being blind, how much spices should be used in food and their respective faiths.

“Thanks for helping me out!” Sooraya said as she closed the door of the one the smaller classrooms on the ground floor, balancing various books in her arms. Not quite watching where she was going, she wanted to start down the hallway so she could put her books away and get some lunch, but she bumped into someone heading in the opposite direction. “Oh, I am sorry… Are you alright?”

"I'm fine," Matt assured her, he was a little banged maybe, but definitely not bruised or broken. He hadn't been paying as much attention as he should have been, he had heard her there, but hadn't expected her to move quite so quickly or turn like she had. "You okay?" he used his cane to nudge around slightly to see if she had dropped anything. He wasn't sure who the girl was, not someone he had met at least, but that didn't much mean anything.

“I am okay. The books managed to stay put, luckily…” Suddenly her eyes widened slightly, having caught sight of this cane and quickly realizing the implications. “I don’t think we have met before, have we? I am Sooraya.” Sooraya hesitated, not quite sure if she should offer her hand or not. Still, she shifted the books to one arm, so she had an hand free if he offered one.

"Matt Murdock," Matt stuck his hand out to shake hers. It was a little trick if you were blind, always offer your hand first so that they have to take it instead of either looking like a fool trying to find theirs or worse, missing that they had offered it in the first place, "Sooraya? You're on the journals, right? The one who doesn't want to get married yet?" They had spoken a little. Matt sometimes had trouble following the journals, but he made sure to check it once a week at least.

Sooraya quickly reached out to grab his hand, giving it a firm shake. “I am that Sooraya, yes. And the other thing is also correct.” Sooraya scratched her head, before speaking very hesitantly: “Can I… I don’t know… help you with something? I have never met someone who is blind, but I was going to kitchen to make some lunch… I don’t know…” She shrugged before realizing he couldn’t see that. “Uhm…”

At least she was honest in her uncertainty and didn't assume he needed help crossing the street or something equally ridiculous. Plus, they were inside and there were no streets on the school property anyways. Driveways, yes, but not streets. "I was actually headed that way," Matt replied easily, giving her a smile, "but I'm good, really. I don't even need my cane really inside here, especially with my powers, but it's more habit than anything. And leaving it around is a bad habit I don't want to get into," not if he wanted to find it again without a massive hunt.

“I see…” Sooraya hesitated, then deciding to simply extend the offer. “I can walk with you that way… Actually, I can make both of us lunch if you want…” She quickly shifted the books back to both arms. “Not that I mean that you can’t do it yourself… I enjoy cooking and I would have offered anyone the same thing…”

"I never say no to anyone cooking," Matt replied with an easy laugh as he headed that way again, "I can make a mean box of mac and cheese or a killer peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but otherwise, I'm not much of a cook," then again, neither had his dad. He hadn't been significantly better even when he could see. "And company is always good for eating. Aids digestion."

Sooraya laughed at that. “Is there anything specific you’d like me to make?” she asked as she started into the direction of the kitchen.

He shrugged, cane arcing gently in front of him as he walked, making sure the path was clear. His powers rarely informed him of things in front of his feet because that was not where the sounds were located and therefore, the cane was helpful as a precaution. "Whatever you want. I'm not - " Matt paused, "Okay, I'm picky. I don't like spicy foods or anything too...anything. I like stuff bland, I guess."

“Hmm… Let me think for a moment.” Sooraya pondered the question for a moment. “There should be some plain rice left. What if I fry that up with some meat and vegetables? I can add some spice for myself later…” She paused in her step, before adding. “If you don’t mind eating halal meat, that is?”

"That sounds fine," Matt agreed, "What's halal meat? Does it taste funny or something?"

“No.” Sooraya had to laugh a bit at that. “It is meat that is slaughtered according the Islamic law. Some people have problem with that. Reasons differ... Some people don't like it is killed in Allah's name, others say the animal suffers more this way.” She entered the kitchen and directly headed to the fridge, pulling out vegetable and a container of rice. “Have a seat."

"Oh," he had no idea about any of that, "I'm Catholic. We don't eat meat on Friday's during Lent, but uh, that's all I know about that," and it was definitely not Lent right now. Going to the kitchen table, Matt folded his cane up and took a seat. He had gotten one made out of titanium, but he rarely used it for fear of breaking it. Of course, it was titanium, it was nearly impossible to break. That did not stop him from being careful with it though, "So, I guess so long as it tastes okay, then cook away."

At those worlds she headed to her separate little refrigerator where she kept the halal meat and pulled out some chicken. With quick experienced motions, she diced chicken and vegetables and after a moment of consideration, separated her chicken and sprinkled some spices over them. Pulling out two pans, she poured a bit of oil in and soon had both portions of chicken frying. As she worked, she asked: “Maybe it’s very forward of me, but what it like… Being blind, I mean?”

You know, not too many people ever asked him that. Matt turned slightly, following the sound of Sooraya cooking, "It's...different," he allowed, finally. Not really upset with the question, but needing a moment to really think of a good answer, "It's...hard to describe. You miss a lot. I don't just mean TV and stuff, but gestures or body language in a conversation and that can be a problem. People always assume you can't do stuff. Math is incredibly difficult without being able to visualize a graph or geometry and stuff," math was his worst subject now. It had been his best as a kid. "Even with my powers, they allow me to see a little, sort of, I don't get facial expressions and whatnot. I get vague, incomplete outlines, it depends on where the sound is, and then I still have to interpret them and figure out what it means. That's not always so easy. There is a ton of talk a lot about how computers make having a disability so much easier, just push a button or voice software or blink or whatever, but the truth is, even though there are ways to make webpages on the internet text friendly for blind users, very few people ever bother because it's not required. It wouldn't even affect how anyone views the website except for blind people with voice software, but..." Matt trailed off as he realized that he was rambling.

Sooraya listened attentively as she stirred the two meat and vegetable mixes and finally added some rice to each so it could heat up. “I can’t imagine what it must be like…” She finally said when Matt stopped talking. “Does being here at the mansion help… Sorry… I am asking way to many questions…” Sooraya once more stirred both pans, then added a bit more spices to hers. “Are you sure you don’t want any spices on your rice?” She hesitated once more, again deciding to act as much as possible as if was a normal person who could do anything. “Do you think you could get us some plates and cutlery?”

From how she phrased her request, it was clear that she wasn't sure he could. Standing, Matt confidently went straight to the cupboards where the dishes were kept, pulling down two bowls and then getting forks from the drawer, though nothing else. He didn't see the point of setting a table with everything when not all utensils were needed. His first foster home had disagreed with that quite strongly. "I have a computer here and software that I can use to make things easier," he agreed, "And braille books. I was in a group home before this," well, before rehab too, but that didn't count, "and I only had my schoolbooks and bible there. Now I've got a bookshelf. So yeah, it helps. And no spices please. Enhanced senses means enhanced taste buds too. The school doesn't view my being blind as anything different than what any other student might need due to their powers or whatever. The lady who did it at my old school thought acted like it was a horrible imposition to have to retype notes and papers and all that for me into braille. A bother. It means I get more one on one time with my teachers, but the school is so small that doesn't even matter really."

“I understand.” Sooraya quickly put the spices away and first brought over one pan, putting the rice in Matt’s bowl, before getting her meal and taking a seat across the table. “When I first came here, I didn’t speak any English. They were also very helpful to me. All the teachers were very willing to explain things to me again. The other students also helped. One even learned to speak my own language.” She smiled at the memory of Angelica surprising her and she picked up her fork. “I hope you enjoy the rice.”

Sitting back down with his food, Matt very briefly used his fingers to check it out. He was adept at doing so discreetly, since he did it with a lot of things, not just food. It was a good thing he kept his hands clean. "What do they speak in, um...you're from Afghanistan, right? That's probably stupid, but I just assumed it was Arabic," things that were not covered when the news people were discussing things going on there. "You said you were Muslim, right?"

The young Muslim finished chewing and swallowed. “I am from Afghanistan and I am Muslim.” She confirmed with a nod. “And many people think that, but Arabic is not really spoken there. There are several languages spoken there, but the official ones are Dari and Pashto. I speak both, though I have also been learning some Arabic.”

Oh. See, this was why he asked, "Are they like Arabic?" he asked. He had never heard of those languages at all. "Sorry, I just know some Latin phrases and I'm taking Spanish," the Latin came from the church, he had never really studied it. "Your English is really good," accented, but not difficult to understand at all.

“Thank you. I practiced a lot.” She had to smile at the compliment. “No, they are from different language families. But Arabic is the language of Islam and I want to be able to read various texts on my own.” Suddenly her eyes widened. “I am sorry… Would you like something to drink? I totally forgot…”

Matt couldn't help but laugh, though it want meant maliciously. "I'm fine, Sooraya, really. " He assured her. "This is really good."

Sooraya had to laugh herself. “Sorry. Hospitality is something that is very important with in my culture and since I invited you to eat… Never mind. Did you have any other things you wanted to ask…”She took a bite and swallowed it before continuing: “I never mind telling anyone about my land or faith.”

"I dunno..." Matt had to think for a moment, then shrugged, "Do you wear a head scarf thing? I think someone mentioned that...maybe it was you?" he never really thought about it or considered it a sign of her beliefs since he couldn't see it. If he couldn't see something like that or it didn't affect him, he didn't really give it any thought. Out of sight, out of mind, fairly literal.

She had to laugh again. “I mentioned it on my journal. And yes, I do wear a headscarf, unless I am just with other women. There is a verse in our holy book, the Quran, that commands us to do that. A Catholic friend in Attilan once told me that some Catholic women also cover their heads... at least when they are in church.“

"Yeah," Matt nodded, "Some do. It's usually like a little lace doily thing though, more of a symbol than a real scarf or anything," not quite the same at all. "Nuns sometimes keep their hair covered. The nuns at the church I used to go to did, but they're nuns. That's different. Not all nuns do anymore though," he remembered those penguin dresses. They were so horrible! The nuns were nice regardless though."

“I have never really understood the whole thing behind nuns though. We don’t have them in Islam.” Sooraya asked. “They say they are married to Jesus? But how can you be married to someone who isn’t there?”

"Nuns..." Matt made a face, "They are married to Jesus. Just because he is not here physically doesn't mean that he isn't here spiritually. They're not the same as priests in the Catholic church because women can't be priests, but they are religious and spiritual and dedicate their lives to serving others. They're more like monks or friars than priests, if that makes any sense. The nuns at my old church work to help the poor," which explained why his father was friendly with one even though he was not a fan of going to church himself. He had insisted that Matt go though. "I go to mass every week if you ever wanted to come see."

“I still find it strange,” Sooraya commented. “But I think I can understand it a little bit. I don’t know what the difference is between monks or priests though. But if they help the poor… That is always good and it is also a very important thing in Islam. “ She paused a moment to consider his offer. “It might be interesting to go to mass with you once. I think I would like to learn a little bit more first… But won’t it look weird if I go with you?”

He shrugged, "I don't see why it would be weird. That you are interested in learning is good. They don't have like...women clergy or whatever if you're Muslim?"

“Generally not. There are a number of scholars or some women who lead prayers when we are only with women. There are one or two women who have led mixed prayers, like Amina Wadud.” Sooraya shrugged. “There is a lot debate around the topic.”

"Oh," Matt paused, unsure what to say now. He did not know a ton about Islam, but he was pretty sure it wasn't very equal towards women in a lot of ways. Neither was Catholicism sometimes, but it was a lot less lopsided, "Well, you are still welcome to come if you want. It's not all that long or anything. Do you go to a mosque or something here?"

“Not yet. I have been intending to look for one where I would feel comfortable, but I haven’t had the time yet. There were more important things to arrange first. But I hope to find one where I can continue the studies I started in Attilan.”

Scooping the last of his lunch onto his fork and using his fingers to help without thinking about what it looked like, Matt finished eating. "That was really good," he assured her, swallowing. He was full and it was perfectly seasoned, or not, for him. Spicy foods were wrong.

She did see him use his fingers, but didn’t comment on it. “I am glad you liked it. I am guessing you have class in not too long?”

Flipping the face off his watch, Matt felt the clock hands there with a finger and nodded, "About 10 minutes. I should get going," he took his used dishes to the sink and rinsed them before putting them in the dishwasher. Drying his hands on his pants, he went back to the table to retrieve his cane, "Thanks for lunch though. It was good. And it was good meeting you, too."

“I enjoyed meeting you too. And I will certainly think about going to Mass one time with you.” She watched as the blind boy left the kitchen and then quickly turned to clean up, rinsing everything and putting it in the dishwasher. After that she collected her books and headed to the library to study.