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

[mistyday]

[Misty's been dancing between groups of people, trying to make sure everyone feels welcome, but she pays special attention to Hawke, knowing this probably isn't his ideal place to be right now.]

Isn't it? Stefan worked real hard on it so I'm glad it's going well.

[She's watching Stefan as they speak. He looks so happy and that makes her happy in turn.]

[wolfehawke]

[He's glad she misses the undercurrent of sarcasm in his tone. Or maybe it isn't actually there when he speaks, but he certainly feels it. The party itself really is alright though so he'll just go with small talk rather than the discomfort over it being a religious thing. Frankly, other than the prayer rooms being accessible (and his boyfriend having vanished into one more than twenty minutes ago), it doesn't have much to do with people's Gods or faith on the surface.]

Is this type of food found where he's from, then? It's delightful.

[Easiest just to talk about the catering.]

[mistyday]

Yeah! Well, he and I are from the same country, but his family originally comes from all the way across the world so we've been learning a lot from each other.

[She beams.]

He's a real good cook.

[wolfehawke]

That's some journey. Tell me, is your world entirely charted?

[That's been a curiosity of his about Earth. So many people here from so many places on that planet means they must have more of it explored than people do of Thedas.]

[mistyday]

Oh yeah, we got GPS and all that. I mean I guess there's probably some places like jungles and tall mountains that haven't been explored but we can still take pictures of them from space so we know they're there.

[wolfehawke]

Pictures from space.

[He has to laugh.]

We don't even have cameras, let alone the ability to head into space. No one knows what half of the world even looks like, or rather no one's ever returned from a journey to find out.

[mistyday]

That's how it used to be for us too. And I mean, I ain't ever been anywhere but my own state so I can't really talk.

[wolfehawke]

Well there's a difference between one person's experience and the breadth of experience of a race of people. I don't think we'd have traveled so much either if it wasn't for three of my family being mages. Most people don't leave their home towns. But sometimes you get people wanting something better or being kicked out of their homes or even just plain wanderlust, and that's when things get explored.

[He thinks on this for a moment.]

'S probably how you Earth humans got to taking pictures from space, right? Someone has an idea for an expedition, some king or other leader bankrolls it because he thinks it means gold for him.

[mistyday]

Basically, yeah.

[She straightens up with some pride.]

Only America - that’s my country - we don’t have a king, we have a president.

[wolfehawke]

A president? I've never heard that. Is that like a Viscount?

[mistyday]

Don't think so, unless a Viscount's elected. See, we have a big vote every four years, all over the country, to pick our leader.

[wolfehawke]

That seems terribly inefficient to have to all agree on a ruler every four years. And what does peasantry care who's on a throne? Their lives are basically the same regardless.

[He folds his arms, thinking.]

And what's to keep a current ruler from making people vote for them at swordpoint? Or how does every village decide on the same person and not just write in their own friends and neighbors that no one else has ever heard of? I thought your America was a fairly large country but I don't see that working for somewhere large.

[mistyday]

Trust me, ain't no way you're gonna miss the election and who's running for president. We got tv and radio and the internet and all of that to let everyone know. And we also elect representatives that go to the capital, so the president can't just do whatever he wants.