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

Shirley | OTA

[hearsthesea]

[For a short time, Shirley can be found in one of the prayer rooms closing her eyes and giving a few silent prayers to Nerifes, as she does every so often at the interfaith center. She doesn't know whether Nerifes can hear her this far from home - in fact she doubts it can - but she considers it an important task all the same. She enjoys it on the Fleet, but there is no place like home.

Once that's done, she's in the lounge for most of the evening and as dinner goes on she starts to check out the board games. Most of them are unfamiliar to her, which isn't surprising. But at the moment she is toying with the teddy bear and reading the instructions of one particular game called Colonists of Sabaan...]

[mistyday]

[Misty comes to pray too, kneeling a respectful distance away from Shirley. When she finishes her own prayers, she waits quietly for the girl to finish. She's seen her around the interfaith center before, but she doesn't know anything about her, and she figures it's important that they all know each other here.

Once it appears that Shirley is done, Misty speaks.]

I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but... I don't believe we've ever been introduced. [She sticks out a hand.] I'm Misty!

[hearsthesea]

[Shirley's a little surprised when Misty talks to her, mostly because it doesn't usually happen when she comes to pray. It's not at all unwelcome, though, especially when she realizes the face is vaguely familiar. Quickly her expression quickly changes to something friendlier, and she gives her own hand to shake.]

It's nice to meet you, Misty. I think I've seen you before, but I don't believe think we've been introduced either. Are you also here for the dinner tonight?

[mistyday]

[Smiling, she nods.]

I've been helping Stefan set up - I'm glad lots of people have come out!

[hearsthesea]

I'm glad, too. I like it here. It's...peaceful, and it's good to be able to share that with people.

[She gestures to the room around them.]

I was gone for a long time, but I used to be on the Fleet before the Iskaulit turned into all this. The difference was amazing, when Stefan first showed me.

[mistyday]

Really? What did it look like then?

[hearsthesea]

It felt...empty. And sad.

[Mostly because of what happened to the Nunnilus aboard.]

But now it feels warm instead. I like it a lot.

[mistyday]

Me too - I think I spend more time here than on my own ship.

[hearsthesea]

That much? That's a lot of time!

[Not a bad life though.]

[mistyday]

Well yeah, between the gardens and the center, there's a lot of work to be done.

[hearsthesea]

That sounds busy! What kind of work are you doing?

[mistyday]

Oh, takin' care of the plants and helpin' Stefan keep the center in order and being here for people if they need it... don't really feel like work, really.

[hearsthesea]

You must really enjoy it, then. It certainly sounds like you're up to a lot, even if it doesn't feel like work.

[No matter how much Shirley believes in what she does, it still registers as work of some kind when she has to go discuss migration logistics with a monarch. Then again, this isn't quite so complicated as politics - or so she hopes!]

lounge!

[stefanged]

[After all's said and done, Stefan can finally find the time to relax. Which means he's sitting right across the table from Shirley as those instructions are being read out loud.]

Huh, so it's a board game based around cooperation? [headtilt.] I don't think I've played this one.

[hearsthesea]

You haven't?

[Shirley looks up at him curiously. She'd have thought Stefan bought the game himself, but maybe not - or maybe he just hasn't had time to check it out yet. Always possible.]

Hm...do you want to try it now? Or is there anything else you need to do?

[stefanged]

Nah. I think Sorey and Eithan would beat me up again if I tried.

[Again, because it might've happened already in plain sight of everyone.]

Let's give it a go. I bought these in one fell swoop, so I haven't gotten around to playing them.

[hearsthesea]

[Well, Shirley's not going to argue with Sorey and Eithan. Stefan could use a break.]

Well, all right. It looks like we have to set up the planet's terrain before we get started. There's a picture here.

[She shows Stefan the instruction sheet she's reading off of, which indeed does include a map clearly labeled "For beginners!"]

[stefanged]

[He sits up straighter, reaching into the box and carefully following the instruction sheet to the letter.]

Oh, good, there's different maps depending on difficulty level... [His smile's an exasperated one.] You could probably play this thing for hours.

[hearsthesea]

Do you want to try? I'm sure Sorey and Eithan would appreciate it.

[She went there.]

[stefanged]

[Shirley has re-acquired the Title of Mean Girl.]

What? No, no, I think we're fine with our current map.

[hearsthesea]

[And she wears the title so well.]

All right, then. Next we have to set it up.

[stefanged]

On it. [He reaches for the pieces, careful to follow those instructions to the letter.] Did they have these kinds of games on the Legacy?

Eithan's world had some pretty weird ones, based on luck and chance rather than skill.

[hearsthesea]

We had games, some of them on flat boards like this one...but none of the ones we had back home looked this complicated. What about you?

[stefanged]

Oh, we had plenty. If you can imagine it, we probably had it for sale.

[He shifts a little to get himself comfortable.]

Can't say I've played a whole lot of them, though. School ate up all my time.

[hearsthesea]

How long do you have to go to school?

[Shirley's never been to a formal one, so talking to Stefan about it makes her a little curious.]