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]

When they're tragically bad, it means no one's really taught them.

[He lets out a small, wistful huff as he watches,] My ex-girlfriend was that way. She could chop vegetables up and do the prep work, but I couldn't trust her with anything more.

[goldenglasses]

Well, as long as there wasn't that any blood that came with the cutting at least it's something? I have heard of people setting water on fire when it comes to cooking. Not that I've met any like that myself.

[stefanged]

Uhhh... actually, there was one time. [He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck.] She's okay, I promise, but if I'd known, I wouldn't have given her prep duty.

Consider yourself lucky. They're... uh, they're interesting.

[goldenglasses]

Ouch! Well, I promise I won't ruin your dinner by someone finding a finger in their salad. Well, at least not my finger.

[stefanged]

You'd better not. That violates, like, every single health code law in existence.

[He laughs, helping himself to a few pieces of pita bread.]

Also, uh - there are vampires attending. They're not exactly out for blood, but you shouldn't tempt 'em.

[goldenglasses]

Vampires? [He seems more surprised than concerned.] You know, I heard there were vampires in the fleet, but I'm not sure I've met one yet.

[He doesn't seem disturbed by the fact that there are vampires in the fleet. After all, except for that one that had the glitch that happened he hasn't heard of any blood sucking issues.]

[stefanged]

Yeah? [Now he's a little curious...] What would you ever do if you met one?

[goldenglasses]

Well, if it's the stereotype "I want to suck your blood" type that ran at me I'd probably run away crying.

[Unless they were hurting someone then he'd be a bad ass and fight.]

But I haven't really seen anyone like that in the fleet if there really are vampires in the fleet. So, I dunno, say hello? How's it going?

[It's how he hopes to be treated if people found out about him.]

[stefanged]

[At this point, Stefan knows that Vash believes in what he says, and that he really wouldn't out him to everyone on the Fleet.

So he takes a breath, and -]

In that case... [Stefan laughs, reaching for a radish and biting into it,] Hey, Vash. I think it's going rather well.

1/3

[goldenglasses]

Yeah! This salad isn't too bad! But as I said it's pretty hard to mess up a-

2/3

[goldenglasses]

[Wait.]

[goldenglasses]

You? You're a vampire? [Vash looks Stefan up and down once.] Wow, the stereotypes are way off.

[stefanged]

You're telling me. [He grins, baring his vampire teeth for a couple of seconds.] I don't see much point in correcting them either, given that we've also got a couple of vampire hunters roaming around.

[goldenglasses]

Oh. Yeah, that could be a problem. [He didn't think about a vampire hunter being around. Let alone more than one.] Well, don't worry, your secret is safe with me.

But maybe they need to meet some cooler vampires like yourself and they wouldn't be as... uh... hunter-y?

[stefanged]

Maybe, but they've got good reason for hating people like me.

[He still remembers Sascha, and the blood that trailed across the floor on the Iskaulit hallways. As long as vampires thirst for blood, and as long as they can't control that bloodlust? There will always be someone ready to stop them.]

Can't say I blame them. I also can't say I trust the entire Fleet with the truth.

[goldenglasses]

[Vash shrugs.] You're the first vampire I've really met so I don't see why anyone would have any reason to hate people like you. Although if they only know the vampires I've seen in stories or the one that had that glitch awhile back? Maybe?

But I doubt they'd also want someone to judge them from just one other human that they met. Everyone is different after all.

I've heard of some pretty awful humans from Earth, but that doesn't mean I dislike all humans. Vampires, ghosts, and ah... creatures? [He's really not sure what he might find on the fleet after all.] I figure should be the same.

[Vash is careful not to include himself in the group when talking about humans.]

[stefanged]

I suppose so. [Headtilt.] Hey, I don't mean to be rude, but...

Every time you bring up humans, you don't include yourself. What do you call people from Gunsmoke, anyway?

[For all he knows, Gunsmoke has a different name! They could be entirely different species!! Stefan could be impolite for assuming that a human is a human everywhere.]

[goldenglasses]

It's not rude. [Vash grins like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar, but knowing they're too cute to get in too much trouble, as he scratches at his cheek with his finger.

Stefan was one of the first to call him out on his careful wording.] And no, they're called humans on my Planet. It's more because I'm not exactly human. Like, at all in fact.

[stefanged]

Oh.

[In hindsight, that explains a lot of unexplained weirdness. Stefan feels like he should be more surprised. He really should be, but they've both been playing human this whole time.

So he just reaches for another radish.] Well, your secret's safe with me too.

[goldenglasses]

[Vash gives a lazy one shoulder shrug.] Well, I'm not really sure not being human is secret these days for me. More of a how do you bring it up in conversation kind of thing. It's not like I have people who would try a kill first, questions later approach. At least I don't think so...

[Shoot him for his bounty? Yes. For being a Plant he was more likely to be feared and run from or worshiped.

He would leave it at that, but as Stefan was trusting him, Vash decides to try to explain what he is. As hard as that is sometimes.] I haven't found anyone among the fleet who have even heard of what I am. You're from a version of Earth, right?

[stefanged]

Right. My Earth's a little weirder than most people's, but human's still the default.

[He's seen his share of creatures: sentient animals, bugmen, angels, demons, half-ghosts, and of course, vampires and werewolves. That said, he has a sneaking suspicion that he hasn't heard of whatever Vash is.]

Is... is your species unique to Gunsmoke?

[goldenglasses]

And how are the natural resources on your Earth? Have they run out or coming close to it?

And ah, no. Actually myself and humans aren't native to Gunsmoke. We ah, kind of crash landed there.

[Vash sighs and gives Stefan a moment to see if he can put two and two together. Not being native to his home due to some kind of crash on the planet and asking about the health of the Earth.]

[stefanged]

[Oh. Shit.]

After your native planet ran out of resources...? [He's guessing, and he's not sure he's putting the right numbers together, but he's gonna try.] But you're not invaders. I mean, it doesn't sound like you're much for conquering one.

[goldenglasses]

[His math isn't too bad for not having the full equation.]

After the Earth ran out of resources. [It's a gentle correction because Stefan had been really close.] The humans created Plants to try to fix the situation.

Think of them a bit like terraformers. Able to create just about anything humans need to survive, but there was too few of them too late to save the planet.

So, they sent a small fleet out to search for a new home. We weren't intending to invade and in the end we ended up on Gunsmoke because-- [A beat.] Due to an accident. Besides the native wildlife we were at least lucky that there was no native people to think of us as invaders.

If your Earth is healthy then it's unlikely that you might have heard of Plants. I'm not the same type the humans created, but was born from one.

[stefanged]

So you're a Plant, or a descendant of a Plant?

[Stefan mulls on that a little longer, folding his arms and forgetting all about the radish. It doesn't seem so important anymore.]

My Earth's rebuilding. It's not as healthy as it could be, but we were invaded by another species. Correct me if I'm wrong, since I haven't heard of Plants, but that... makes you like a guardian spirit, right?