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]

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.]

[stefanged]

Depends on what you want to study. I want to study medicine, so... [He sighs.] 12 plus 8 is 20, and then there's residency which is 3 years, so... 23? At bare minimum?

[hearsthesea]

Twenty-three years?

[That's more than she is old, way more. Surely even Will can't have studied that long?]

[stefanged]

Yep. [He sighs, resigning himself to that fate.] 12 years of regular school, then 4 years of undergraduate. 4 more years of medical school - I've completed 2 - and then 3 years of residency.

I've got about five years waiting, should I ever go back home.

[hearsthesea]

[Shirley, for her part, isn't even sure what distinguishes regular school from other kinds. She can recognize demanding tasks when she sees them, though.]

That's complicated! And all of that is just to become a doctor?

[stefanged]

Pretty much. The payoff's worth it, though - I can't think of anything else I'd rather do.

[He loves the Center with all of his heart, and he'll always be involved with faith in some manner. He just doesn't think it'll be as a leadership capacity.]

[hearsthesea]

Well...I'm glad you like it, then. It is important work, after all, and I'm sure you'll help a lot of people with it.

[Shirley feels much the same about her diplomatic work, although she's very much self-educated where that topic is concerned.]

[stefanged]

God willing. We haven't done much of that lately - the helping people part - but you were pretty good at it yourself.

[With all the pieces set up and ready to go, he'll make the first move.]

[hearsthesea]

[Shirley has to consult the directions again to be sure of what she's doing, but places her piece after a moment.]

I wonder when we'll get to do something to help people again. I know that's not why the Atroma bring us places, but it's good when we get to do it.

[stefanged]

You and me both. I can't remember anything since... well, Solrius, but that was something the Fleet started. It was only fair that we finished it too.

[He swallows, avoiding Shirley's gaze as he moves his piece again.]

[hearsthesea]

[You can avoid her, Stefan, but she can still see you.]

You're still troubled by what happened there, aren't you?

[Not that she can blame him. Shirley makes her move and checks her cards and considers a trade of resources, but maybe not just yet.]

[stefanged]

A little, yeah. I want to help no matter where we are, but um. [He swallows.] You saw me back there.

I didn't do nearly as much as I could've.

[hearsthesea]

What would you have done differently?

[Her tone indicates the question is a genuine one, rather than a reassurance. It's not like Shirley was there at the time.]

[stefanged]

I would've pulled you out, for starters, but other than that... I don't know. I was more focused on keeping our friends safe.

[He's answered his own question without realizing it. He made the best-possible choices. He couldn't have prevented the damage. Malevolence was too subtle for any of them to catch.]

[hearsthesea]

[Stefan seems to be finding his own resolution, so Shirley's free to go for the not-so-gentle reminder.]

Too focused to remember me?

[stefanged]

Hey! At least you were safe back there.

[He doesn't know why he's bothering to defend himself. It was the second-dumbest thing he's done since arriving, and Shirley knows what that was.]

[hearsthesea]

I would have preferred not to be.

[But they've already had this debate, and she hopes that Stefan understands she's up for it by now. No use retreading that water right now.]

It's your turn.

[stefanged]

I know. Next time, I promise, I'll bring you with me.

[Though honestly, he sure hopes there won't be such an occasion. He nods, taking his turn without much regard for strategy or a long-term goal. He's in good company, and right now, that matters more than winning or losing.]

[hearsthesea]

[Shirley nods in acknowledgement, and keeps playing as well. She's putting a little more thought into her moves, but it's still all in fun.]

I wonder what it's like to start living on a new planet for real. We've visited a lot of them, but it's not the same.

[stefanged]

You think we'll actually stay at one of them?

[He takes his turn, putting a little more thought so that he doesn't lose this early.]

When Clay talked to Diamond, she said that the end goal was Earth - but I doubt it, at the rate we're going.

[hearsthesea]

Earth...that's where a lot of people are from, right?

[She pauses to consider that. Would that be home for some of the Fleet?]

[stefanged]

Right. We're not from the same points in time, let alone the same countries, but enough of us call it home that it was picked as a final destination.

[For not the first time, Stefan wishes that he hadn't been so focused on reacquiring his Qur'an. He could've gotten some real answers out of her.]

If there's a final destination, anyway.