The weary world rejoices

[toolongdidntrejoice]

WHO: OPEN
WHERE: The Church
WHEN: From today and onto the New Year!
WARNINGS: Kirei.....
SUMMARY: Rejoice, Cityzens! The Church is hosting an event for the holiday season: accepting donations and offering dinner for all those in need during this harsh December! Donate yourself or take part in some free food. You don't have to worship to take part, but you may get a priest breathing down your neck about that.
FORMAT: Whatever you please!


Even in this day and age, certain tired methods of communication remain. A Church flyer is a old tradition and the City has had several passed by hand, or stapled onto walls. They are all advertising open invitations not just for worship but for food on behalf of the City's generous inhabitants -- regardless of beliefs or credo. On top of that, there is a certain tagline which appeals to the City's imPorts:

Be a Hero to one less fortunate than you this holiday season.

It's a sticky, blatant piece of baiting; hamfisted and obvious. Of course, no Church has ever really excelled at subtlety. Guilt is a powerful motivator, especially this time of year. That shows in the turn out: there is quite a few natives already participating, which leads to generous spread.

The Church is welcoming all without distinction -- however, you'll only get to taste wine if you're one of the faithful.

Comments

OPEN, 12/22 and probably scattered nights throughout the week

[glowsferatu]

[ kanaya is no kind of hero, she has and would balk at the title, and her faith is a joke that no one is laughing at. but when it comes to guilt she is very particularly susceptible, especially when it demands her to be useful to others. she has something of a predisposition to serving, all she really needs is an opportunity, but with that little bit of inadequacy if she abstains you will pretty much get her leaping for the hook.

churches themselves have always been a kind of weird place to her. she'll admit she doesn't know much about human religion beyond the stories associated with some major holidays, so there's a bit of curiosity as to how the whole thing works. the only religious person she's really known was a homicidal monster, but that's alternia for you. who's to say how it might be different on earth?

so she takes notes as she goes through the evening, mind the tables and serving the food. she pays attention to how the people interact with each other, looking for anything that might indicate a difference. she pays attention during the services, trying to determine what the whole point is. she couldn't say whether it's just skepticism or the want for something similar, some hope that there really is something these people have that she could be missing, but she's keeping an eye out for it nonetheless.

honestly, it's probably just the guilt. ]

[themisfit]

Ms. Maryam. Good evening. [ Kurt, of course, bought into this whole idea fairly easily. This is a nice thing that's been put together for the holiday season, and he's happy to participate. Kanaya, however... ] You look confused at best, my dear. Are you alright?

[glowsferatu]

Hmm? [ she looks up from the crowd to see the familiar face, realizing she must have stopped in the middle of removing the plastic wrap off a dish that had just come in. ] Oh, uh, sorry Mr. Wagner. I must have been lost in thought, I hope your evening's been well.

[themisfit]

It has, thank you. And yours?

[ He just came over to be well-meaning and nosy, really. ]

[glowsferatu]

Oh, you know, just...helping out. Making myself useful, as it were.

[ she finishes unwrapping the green bean casserole and runs a hand through her hair, trying not to make a slight discomfort so glaring. ] Just came for the food, or do you frequent this area often?

[themisfit]

I thought I would make myself useful, as well. That is all.

[ Because, really, he's a sucker for these sorts of functions. Helping here feels more like moving forward than he's been capable of for months, almost. It keeps his hands and his mind busy. ] It's winter break, you know. I have a lot of time on my hands.

[glowsferatu]

[ well, that's probably better than being the outsider looking in, here mostly because she's not at all resistant to guilt. ]

How do you tend to spend the idle time? I suppose I've never really thought about what you must do outside of a professional context.

[themisfit]

[ Kurt smiles and shrugs at that, gesturing vaguely to their general environment with one arm. ] I mostly do things like this, I'd say. Lots of volunteering and going to church. And movies.

I'm afraid I'm not terribly interesting.

[glowsferatu]

I wouldn't call it boring, necessarily. [ she's much the same way when there's nothing stopping her from it. ] But not exactly self indulgent, I suppose. Most of the time you have for yourself seems to be devoted to others.

[ she frowns as she says it, knowing that it's more than a little hypocritical of her. ]

[withamask]

[ Renee enters the church soon after Kanaya arrives, and she looks around for any sign of her. In her left hand, she carries a gift; in her right, a paper bag filled with canned food. A small donation to help with the evening's feast.

Once she spots Kanaya, she approaches. ]

Hey.

[glowsferatu]

[ dealing with renee is more in her comfort zone, she can do that way more easily than any of this church stuff. it's straightforward, makes more sense despite how inexplicable it is. all the same, her lips screw up with a raise of her eyebrow as she casts an appraising glance at the gift.

what in the world could she have possibly decided to give her? ] You found everything well enough, I hope.

[withamask]

[ She nods. There was a certain amount of tension she felt due to the knowledge that Kirei Kotomine presided over this church. She doesn't know quite what to make of him yet. ]

Where should I place the food?

[ Renee notes Kanaya's glance at the gift bag, but she makes no comment. ]

[glowsferatu]

[ kirei kotomine is a dude no one really knows what to make of, kanaya's dealings with him have been limited, but he certainly feels...different recently. she's not sure she likes it, but she doesn't know exactly what she dislikes about it.

nonetheless, she holds out a hand to take the paper bag. ]

You can leave it with me, I've been distributing the donations to their appropriate places.

[withamask]

[ She hands over the paper bag. ]

Thanks. I can stay to help serve too.

[glowsferatu]

Well, it's a bit like a "potluck", I think the term is. [ she looks back at the table behind her, all the various dishes laid out across it, most of them the same few types of thing. ] For the most parts, the guests will take their own food from whatever they like, so there's little direct serving to be done. Mostly I've been taking drink orders and cleaning up the tables.

Of course, someone has to mind the dishes as they come in, prepare them to be partaken from. That's the other bit I've been doing.

[withamask]

[ Renee's gaze lands on the table before meeting Kanaya again. She nods. ]

I'll help out with that, then.

[glowsferatu]

Well. Okay. [ she looks slightly uncomfortable. this is her job you're stepping on, here. ] I'll just, uh, take care of these.

[ she lifts the paper bag as she says it, then turns and disappears in one of the back rooms. ]

[toolongdidntrejoice]

How good to see you've attended.

[ Kirei looks pleasant enough as he approaches her, with a smile and his hands folded neatly behind his back. Kanaya is a familiar face, and one he knows is connected to the pair of Servants in the City. It is worthwhile to get to know her. ]

Enjoying yourself?

[glowsferatu]

[ kanaya's not sure how to answer that one, she's not sure her enjoyment is really the point of it. the question could be a trap, she really couldn't say. better to play it safe and skirt around it. ]

Well enough, but it's more important that the attendants are being served, is it not? And I'm here to provide that service.

So, I guess you could say I'm happy enough in that.

[toolongdidntrejoice]

I see.

[ It's a neutral enough response, but there's an unspoken implication behind it, as if he's judging rather than simply acknowledging her reply. ]

Then am I correct to assume you are not usually among the faithful?

[glowsferatu]

That would depend on what I'm expected to be faithful to. For my part, I wouldn't consider myself false.

[ it's an answer that's a bit more sass than ignorance, though she's not quite if judgement is what she's catching in his words. ]

[toolongdidntrejoice]

[ The sass earns a smile and he continues. ] The obvious answer; we are in a house of God.

Not that it is necessary for the occasion, of course. It's simple curiosity.

[ But (obviously) it really isn't just that. ]

[glowsferatu]

God can be...a difficult concept to really understand at times. [ she gives a thoughtful hum. ] Much less worship.

[ her girlfriend is a god, after all. and creation seems like an odd thing to regard someone for, as she'd made a universe herself once, but wouldn't want any attention over it. but separating the concept and the technicality has always been difficult. she remembers talking to john about it this time last year, how he resolves celebrating the birth of a god he considers superior while being a god himself. humans and their godhood hangups. ]

But I should hope that such a confusion would provide no obstacle to my ability to serve, all the same.

[toolongdidntrejoice]

Don't fret; even many who call themselves faithful still struggle to understand.

[ Kirei can, in the objective sense, certainly understand God's lessons -- however, their morals give him no feeling of reward or satisfaction. ]

Certainly not -- but I could help ease that confusion if you'd like.

[glowsferatu]

Well, I suppose it's... [ she pauses ans purses her lips, clasping her hands in front of her stomach but not quite wringing them. he's being polite enough to offer, so she needs to make sure she doesn't word it in a way that could be rude or offensive. ] ...trying to resolve it from an outsider's perspective.

What makes God [ worthy of worship? absolutely not. ] who He is, where He fits in with it all.