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

[stefanged]

Of course He would, but it's not Him I'm worried about.

[Allah(swt) is all-present, all-Knowing, and especially forgiving. It's clear, from Stefan's sigh of relief, that he was more concerned about the people around them.

He'd kept the blessing short and sweet, just in case, but even in a religious sphere, it's hard to cater to everyone's faith.]

[mistyday]

[Misty lifts her chin.]

If anyone has a problem with it they'll have to get through me first.

[stefanged]

Just go easy on 'em. Not everyone has the same relationship with faith that we do.

[He feels like he should probably pull her back, in this hypothetical scenario, but those worry lines have disappeared as he squeezes her hand.]

[mistyday]

Doesn't mean anyone's got the right to be rude about it.

[But she does relax. It is only a hypothetical after all. So far, everyone seems to be getting along just fine.]

[stefanged]

True. It just - it never stopped them back home.

[There's the rub. No matter how comfortable Stefan's grown, no matter how much people support him, he'll always have that nagging feeling in the back of his brain that maybe someone here thinks the worst of him, because his faith is nowhere near the dominant one.

He lets out a small sigh of resignation.]

Thanks. I know I'm worrying over nothing.

[mistyday]

It's not nothing. I know the kind of sh- the kind of things people say about Muslims. I don't blame you for worrying.

[stefanged]

I'm sorry that you do. It's more - over here, people don't even know what a Muslim is, let alone who they worship.

[. . .]

You could say the same about back home, huh?

[mistyday]

Yeah. [Misty ducks her head.] I didn't know much of anything either until I met you.

[stefanged]

Hey, no - it's not your fault American education is the worst. If I hadn't been born Muslim? I wouldn't have known much either.

[mistyday]

And Louisiana ain't exactly got the best record when it comes to racism. I don't know much history but I know enough.

[stefanged]

Neither does Virginia. You know how I said I was really old? I was born in 1848.

[He grew up during the Civil War and watched a whole country tear itself apart. He may not remember much, thanks to his amnesia, but the feelings never let go.]

My dad... Salvatore's dad... he did stuff I don't feel right talking about, but because he did that stuff, I need to do better by me and the people he mistreated.

[mistyday]

[Misty squeezes his hand.]

That's the important part, right? Always aimin' to do better than before.

[stefanged]

I sure hope I am.

[The guilt is rather strong with this one, so he leans forward and intertwines his fingers in hers.]

Thank you. Again, for everything. This couldn't have happened without you.

[mistyday]

Oh I hardly did anything. But you're welcome!

[stefanged]

You're kidding, right? You've done so much. If it weren't for our talks or your help or just... you know, your presence, this place wouldn't be half as amazing.

[mistyday]

But you're the brains behind everything. I'm just glad I can help.

[stefanged]

Nah, I just have the background and the experience. Give it time, and you'll be the brains too.

[mistyday]

I sure hope so.

[She takes a bite of her food and chews thoughtfully for a moment.]

Thank you, by the way, for believing in me so much. One of the best things about being here is that no one treats me like I’m stupid. Not like at home.

[stefanged]

[People said that? They really, truly said that?

Stefan raises both eyebrows, immediately judging whoever might've insulted her. If he ever makes it down there, he knows someone's getting Strong Words.]

Of course I would. You're really smart, it's just... our lives don't always converge. [He gives her a small, helpless shrug.] I went to Princeton. My family believed in learning as much as they could.

I know I have those advantages, but I also know that I was in a position to get them - and anyone who thinks otherwise is? I don't know, kinda blind.

[mistyday]

[Blind. Yes, that describes the coven perfectly. They were all blind, in their own ways. Blinded by power or hate or even hope and justice.]

My daddy did the best he could for me... but at the end of the day, most of the world was just gonna see us as a bunch of hillbillies and swamp rats. It's a trap: if that's all they see, that's all they treat you as, and that's all you think you'll ever be.

[stefanged]

[He wants to deny that. He's living proof that he sees Misty as far more than a swamp rat (even if, tbh, her love for it is more than what he can handle). Instead, he gives her a small, almost defiant smile.]

Makes the Fleet a thousand times more special, right? Everyone's divorced from their home: you learn what people are like, when they don't have those preconceived notions, and you also learn... well, what you're really like too.

[mistyday]

Yeah... to tell the truth, I don't think I've ever been happier than when I've been here. I know not everyone feels that way but... I still think it's been a blessing, for me.

[stefanged]

Of course it is.

[He wants to go home, more than anything. He dreams of cool desert nights and the blazing, burning sun - but he also dreams of a family that had welcomed him with open arms.]

A lot of us left things unfinished, or we left behind families that love us, but despite that... I think we gained a lot too.

[mistyday]

Do you think... do you think maybe we can go someplace else instead, at the end?

[stefanged]

[That's a good question.

Stefan tilts his head, reaching for some food and yet not quite eating it.]

I don't know. I've never thought about it, but I don't see why not. If their technology can pull people from all over, then logically, they can send people all over too.