interfaith dinner mingle!!

[stefanged]

Who: Interfaith Center regulars & the not-so-regulars (party crashers are welcome too!!)
Broadcast: Nope
Action: Interfaith Center on the Iskaulit
When: Forward-dated to November 4th

[The Interfaith Center sounds far more bustling and busy than usual - and anyone peering inside would quickly figure out that a communal dinner is underway! Take off your shoes and walk in: the lounge has extra tablecloths on the floor as well as buffet tables with non-alcoholic beverages and all sorts of food, including Jordanian cuisine (or the outer space equivalent of Jordanian food).

The board games are out of their hiding nooks; the furniture's arranged for the maximum seating possible; and even the teddy bears donated by Kitty & Winn are out for cuddling, should anyone want them.

The kitchen's bustling with helpers - Stefan's running around at vamp-speed to make sure everything's a) done on time and b) cooked to perfection - but he sure wouldn't mind an extra hand. And if you're still not up for some food? Well, the prayer rooms are open as usual. There's always a quiet moment to be found, even if the laughter's louder and the scent of freshly-baked mansaf's wafting through the long corridors.

Anyone and everyone who's ever been inside the Interfaith Center has been invited (via text message - and Stefan even used the fancy emoji). If you're not particularly faithful or devout? Well, drop by anyways. There's more than enough food to spare.]

Comments

Mikleo | ota

[nerdeology]

[Ordinarily it would be difficult to drag Mikleo away from a natural planet and back into space - especially after being stuck in his room for so long - but the interfaith center is really important to Sorey and Stefan, and he's contributed enough to the place's upkeep to feel an obligation. So here he is.

He can still be kind of low on energy long-term, and there's a lot of food in the area which still bothers him a great deal, so he doesn't wander too close, opting instead to hang out by the seraphim shrine, sitting on a cushion and leaning against it to people-watch. He takes up some of the reading materials available, flipping through curiously, occasionally taking notes. He's not looking for religion but that doesn't mean he can't learn from their teachings. Is he seriously just sitting in a corner reading during a social event?

Yeah, he's kind of crap at parties. He might pop into Sorey here and there if he feels like bothering his vessel, so if you see a weird light poofing in and out of someone, don't concern yourself with that. Unless he interrupts the conversation. He might do that a bit.

He's also curious about some of the board games, since they didn't have much of those back in Elysia, so he's poking at a few of the more puzzle-esque ones, flipping through instruction booklets and moving the pieces about when no one else is using them. For those who can't see seraphim, it might be surprising to see chess pieces mysteriously sliding across the board on their own... care to play a game against an invisible man?]

( as usual, resonance permissions! )

dumb question but would Leliana know that the dragon was him?? gonna assume no for now

[nugqueen]

[Leliana finds herself intrigued by the board games, though they are mostly familiar to her. When she spots someone playing chess, she immediately takes the seat opposite them, albeit... an invisible person???]

Care to play a game?

not dumb at all! not sure either tbh, it wasn't really broadcast but sorey was honest if it came up

[nerdeology]

[Mikleo tilts his head, observing how the woman looks in his direction, but... not quite at him. So she can't see him, then. She looks vaguely familiar, but he can't place her just yet. Maybe he's seen her around on the network?

Either way, he reaches out and slides a pawn into a novice starting position.]

I'd like that.

[He has no idea if she can hear him either, but it's worth a shot. Regardless, he's up for a round. He's inexperienced, but he catches on fast, so hopefully he can make it fun.]

[nugqueen]

[While she isn't so nearly as magically or spiritually inclined as a Mage, being in his presence was a bit like a whisper or having your hair stand on end. You feel something but it isn't quite there so much. She isn't bothered by it, of course. It reminds her of Cole.]

A good start, I think.

[Is she talking to him? Is she talking to herself? It's hard to tell, really. She moves the pawn in front of her King first and then rests her chin in one hand while she watches the board.]

[nerdeology]

[It is hard to tell, and Mikleo is momentarily distracted trying to figure it out before he finally kicks himself back into the game. His turns are slow and thoughtful, probably too cautious, and the lack of experience shows.

In the meantime, he tries again- a more obvious question this time, just to check.]

What's your name? You're familiar.

[deviances]

[ Eithan's curious about all of these games - none of them are familiar to him, but at least some of them seem similar. Like that chess board! He's seen something like it before, just with different pieces, probably different rules... But when he sees Mikleo move a piece, with no one across the board from him, he figures, why not give it a try?

So he steps over with a friendly smile, nods at the board. ]

What's this? Looks more involved than the other ones.

[nerdeology]

[Mikleo looks up to check, and- yep, this guy's acknowledging him. So noted. He gets a nod in return, and an offer of the pamphlet he'd been reading.]

The instructions say it's chess. I'm pretty sure it's a common game, but I've never played it before. You're welcome to join me if you want to try, though.

[deviances]

Why not? We can figure it out together, or somethin'.

[ He takes a seat, immediately picks up a piece - a bishop, actually - and starts looking it over. ]

What's the booklet say is the point? Get your pieces to the other side? Stop the other player somehow? Or somethin' else entirely?

[nerdeology]

The goal appears to be capturing the king.

[He gives the tallest piece a little tap from behind the line of pawns.]

Every single piece can move differently, and many of them are limited by direction rather than a single space... it's pretty complicated, actually. See for yourself.

[He offers the page out to give him an idea of what the pieces all do.]

[castrationfist]

[So, remember Caster? Because she remembers you, though she's instead leaning over Mikleo to check out the seraphim shrine.]

Eh, how interesting... Are you the one enshrined here?

[nerdeology]

[Mikleo glances up as he notices the shadow over him, quirking a brow. Oh, hey, he knows you too.]

Not exactly, it's more of a symbolic gesture. My vessel's over there.

[He gestures towards wherever Sorey is mingling.]

[castrationfist]

[She looks, peering out, before she realizes what he's gesturing to..i.]

... Your holy vessel is a man?

[nerdeology]

"Holy"? That's a laugh.

[He kind of is, technically, but like Mikleo's going to agree with that.]

But yes, he's human.

[bythewaves]

[ He slips over later, just checking to make sure Mikleo is alright, watching him play with the puzzles ]

You are looking a little better, my friend.

[nerdeology]

[Mikleo glances up with a calm smile, definitely looking more relaxed than he's been for some time.]

Feeling it, too. It took longer than I'd like, but I can't say that I'm ungrateful.

[bythewaves]

[ Maglor settles nearby ]

It brings me joy to know that you do better. Have you found something of interest?

[nerdeology]

There are games here I've never tried before, and a few of them are pretty thought-provoking.

[He's taking it slightly easier on the current one- which is just a jigsaw puzzle, albeit a difficult one. Most of the pieces look alike, and he's set the box aside to hide the pattern and make it even harder.

Suffice to say, he likes the challenge.]

[mistyday]

[Misty doesn't notice Mikleo, not right away. There's a... fuzziness, almost, about him that makes it easy to glance past him. At first it's more that she can feel him, rather than see him. She's not quite sure what to make of him - he's not human, that's for sure, but then, a lot of people here aren't.

He's currently fiddling with one of the puzzle games so she takes a seat next to him and watches his progress for a moment.]

What are you playing?

[nerdeology]

[Mikleo doesn't speak up right away, focused on what he's doing- namely, setting out multiple piles of cards in an arrangement he'd memorized from the instructions on the table beside them. He didn't want to lose count responding, and he's almost done anyway, so as soon as the pile's down he looks up briefly before peering back at the instructions. So many people with resonance at this event... well, he shouldn't be surprised. It is a spiritually-focused place.]

"Spider", apparently, though I don't know what this arrangement has to do with spiders.

[mistyday]

Never heard of it.

[She waits patiently for him to finish reading the instructions.]

How do you play?

[nerdeology]

You're supposed to get all of the cards stacked in order, king to ace, by moving them across the piles in descending order. I image it's meant to teach the player how to utilize one's resources.

[Or, you know, just be fun. Who knows.]

[monolike]

[Despite bringing a book Mikleo is surprisingly popular at this thing, and Sorey is kind of giddy over it. That's hands down the best thing about being trapped in a spaceship against your will: everybody can see his beautiful friend and admire him alongside Sorey. Excellent.

Once Mikleo seems to have a few free moments, Sorey finds his way over and plops right down beside him without any preamble.] Hey, so you know that thing I said I was gonna do?

I did it.

[nerdeology]

[Mikleo frowns tightly, his expression making it clear that he's withholding his initial reaction. He knows what Sorey means immediately, and that's the reason for holding his tongue- Sorey had told him, and they'd already bickered over it. Even if he'd ultimately agreed not to put up more of a fight, he's not happy. Trusting the Atroma to modify the augment when he already loathes that it exists in the first place? It seems ludicrous. But Sorey's logic is sound enough that he can't argue against every single point, and it's more of a personal preference than anything else.

...Okay, so his protectiveness is playing a factor. He can't do much about that, though.

Regardless, after he's wrestled with it for a long moment, he lets his body dissolve into light and be absorbed into Sorey's, searching through his soul carefully, checking for even the slightest change. He figures it's going to be a physical difference rather than spiritual, but after everything that's happened, he can't not make sure.]

"Well? How does it feel?"

[monolike]

[Sorey glances around to see if anybody needs an explanation for why Mikleo just dissolved into his body, but nobody's paying them any attention, already split off into their own discussion groups. He takes a deep breath and relaxes his body as much as possible, hands rested easily on his knees, legs crossed and back comfortably straight.

Something feels...off. And it feels like a familiar kind of off.]

I don't feel any different. No extra knowledge or anything. I didn't pick something that would be obvious though, so we'll have to test it to see if it took.

[nerdeology]

[Mikleo doesn't dwell in him long- just enough to determine that there isn't a difference, popping out again to return to his spot a few moments later. It doesn't feel weird, or wrong, or anything like that. It just feels like Sorey, same as before.

He's not sure if that should be more or less reassuring, but for the moment he's relieved.]

So you decided on... the power to grow plants, was it? Why that one?