xp_logs | Amara and Sooraya: lunch (backdated)

Amara and Sooraya go out for lunch and talk about there future plans...

With a sigh, Sooraya tucked the shabby document into the file. She was glad that she finally was more than halfway through the box with files in Dari that needed to be translated and then summarized. The translating was not difficult and the material was interesting... It was just that that the documents had been through quite a bit before they finally had arrived in New York and the quality and the readability of the paper was not the best at times... Sometimes she had needed to guess and read between the lines from the material surrounding it and if there was something that she hated, it was imprecise work.

She was about to reach for the next document, when she noticed the time. It was almost twelve o'clock and Sooraya decided it was time for lunch. Standing up, she quickly stretched and gathered her purse. Leaving the cubicle she had been assigned, she headed downstairs for a little restaurant that she favored. Suddenly she spotted the curly hair of her fellow co-worker also heading in the direction of the elevator. With a few quick steps she had caught up. "Hey Amara, also heading out for lunch?"

"Hi Sooraya!" Amara said brightly, offering the girl a smile. "Lunch, and then class. Probably with a stop for coffee on the way. Something to keep me awake during Spanish." Now that she was back in class, Amara was lucky to get more than five hours of sleep a night, and so caffeine was a necessary part of her diet. She pressed the button for the elevator, then waited.

"How are you enjoying being back in America?"

“It has been good to see everyone again. I missed them while I was in Attilan. And though I rather had returned under other circumstances, the mansion is feeling like home again after a couple of weeks.” Sooraya replied airily.

“He, would you like to grab lunch together? I know a little restaurant nearby that has great food.” Sooraya paused for a second before adding: “It’s halal though. Bu they also have so great vegetarian falafel…”

"That sounds great," Amara smiled. "I'm always up for trying out new places. Especially if they're near the office. But you'll have to be careful, if you go sharing your secret lunch spots with everyone it'll get overrun."

“Nathan showed it to me. I had lunch there with him and Rachel… It’s a small Afghani place that you really have to know to find. “ Sooraya pushed the button to the lowest floor. “Though they also have a few more generic dishes, like the falafel.”

Amara nodded. "I don't think I've had Afghani food before, but I'm interested in trying it. Sometimes it still amazes me how many different kinds of foods you can find here in New York."

“Then I will show you. Come on…”

When they were outside, Sooraya guided Amara to an building that didn’t scream restaurant on the outside. Inside it was fairly small with only about a dozen tables, of which only three were occupied. When they entered an older woman came from behind a counter, greeting Sooraya by name in Dari. She replied in kind and they were quickly guided to a table.

After they were seated, Sooraya turned towards Amara and asked: “Do you want some tea? And I can ask for a menu or I can order for you?”

"Tea sounds great," Amara smiled. "And you order for me. Whatever you think I should try."

Sooraya smiled back as she considered the options. “Lamb, chicken or beef?” She asked to get a quick opinion.

"Lamb," Amara chose at random. She wasn't particularly picky when it came to food.

“That we can do.” When the elderly woman approached again, Sooraya ordered in a flow of quick Dari. The woman said something back and went to the counter. “We’re having Qorma Nadroo with rice. It’s a kind of lamb stew with onion, yogurt, lotus roots, cilantro and coriander.”

Their hostess returned and she quickly served out the tea, before also adding a large flat bread and three small dishes of chutney to the table. “This is naan with chutney.” Sooraya explained quickly. “Be careful with this one. It can be kinda spicy.” She tore of a piece of the bread and scooped a little of the spicy chutney on it. “How is class going?”

"I love spicy food," Amara replied with a grin, helping herself. She'd be surprised if it was too spicy for her, since she had a tendency to make everything more spicy than strictly necessary. "And it's busy. I'm in my final semester before graduation, so I'm busy working on my honors thesis on top of everything else. But the end is in sight. Unless, of course, I go on to do my Masters. But I'm going to give myself some time off first."

“Planning on visiting back home perhaps? Or are you staying around for a bit?” Sooraya savored the taste for a bit before taking a sip of tea. “And then to think of it that I still have to start the whole journey. Do you have any further plans for when you’re done, except for taking some time off?”

"I might go see my dad. It's been quite awhile." Amara smiled ruefully. "But at this stage, my only plans are to continue to work at Elpis. Maybe even do some field work, if I decide I can cope with the long flights."

“He, it’s a start. Field work would be pretty interesting. Any area’s you would like to focus on? Like Brazil maybe? “ Sooraya helped herself to another piece of naan.

"Maybe! If that's where I'm needed. It could be interesting to see new places as well - there's so much of the world I've never seen before." She popped a piece of naan in her mouth, chewing. "What about you? Have you decided what you want to do about college?"

“That’s still a good question. I have a few things figured out, but not yet everything.” Sooraya put down the naan that she was holding and ticked off. “I hope that I can go to a school that is nearby, where I can do a minor in area studies that covers Afghanistan and that has useful major that isn’t pre-law for when I want to continue with Elpis or a like-minded organization.”

Taking a sip of tea, she paused for a second. “I have applied to Empire State and personally I hope I will be admitted there… It has several classes I want to take and I like the idea that there are more Xavier’s students there.”

"Oh, ESU has a great Near Eastern Studies department," Amara said with a grin. "And really, there's so many different majors you could do, depending on your interest. John's studying political science, I'm double-majoring in Latin American Studies and Anthropology." She shrugged.

"The sky's the limit, really. You could study international relations, communications, all kinds of things really. That's the joy of working for something like Elpis - there's not one straight path to follow. There's so much variety."

“I know. Unfortunately, that also makes it difficult. I don’t see myself studying law and I talked with Ms. Frost about her MBA, but those classes didn’t really spark my imagination either… I have looked a little at anthropology, but there are so many options there also. What kinds subjects did you take?” Sooraya asked before popping another piece of naan in her mouth.

“"There is, anthropology is a pretty wide discipline. I studied mostly cultural anthropology - which I guess is pretty obviously the study of cultures, but particularly cultural variations." She smiled. "What sort of things are you interested in general? What do you want to do for Elpis when you graduate, why do you want to work there?"

“The reason is very simple. I want to give other mutants the chance that I got when Nathan brought me here… To gain an education, to learn to control their powers and to wield them in a useful way… In area’s like Afghanistan and Pakistan there is nothing like Xavier’s.” Sooraya was interrupted briefly when the elder lady refilled their tea glasses. She also removed the empty naan plate, but quickly returned with two plates, a bowl of rice and another bowl of fragrant lamb stew. Sooraya thanked her and turned back to Amara. “I hope you like it.”

"I'm sure I will," Amara replied, helping herself to some of the food.

"Have you considered studying education?" Amara asked, picking up the thread of their conversation. "You could help teach kids in those areas, and set up programs so they could get to learn those skills."

“I have considered it.” Sooraya replied, first serving Amara a generous portion of stew and rice and then pilling some on her own plate. “But I don’t want to teach myself. I spoke with some teachers in Attilan about that and I believe don’t really have the right qualities for that. But I have considered studying something more like educational policy or something like that. I need to do a little more research into that.”

"That sounds like a good place to start," Amara said brightly. "And you don't have to declare a major straight away - it took me ages to figure out exactly what I wanted to major in, so I took a wide range of subjects until I made a decision. So you could do that as well."

“Hmm…” Sooraya considered that for a few moments, taking a bite and chewing thoughtfully. “That might be a good idea as well. I always had the feeling I was supposed to have picked out my major before starting college. “ She finished another bit before asking: “How does anthropology tie in with your work at Elpis?”

"It doesn't, really," Amara admitted after swallowing a mouthful of food. The stew was delicious, so it took her a couple of moments. She didn't want to rush through eating it. "I suppose it does give some insight and awareness into the different cultures that we deal with, but it's not specifically related. To be honest, my Latin American major will be more useful. On top of learning Spanish, I've done a fair amount of study into the area, particularly the history and political situation."

Sooraya had to swallow her own food before replying. “I can see what you mean. It’s a good thing to keep in mind… Learning another language in college is also something I have considered. Maybe something like Urdu, since that it’s spoken in Pakistan a lot… Especially since I already speak Dari and Pashto…” She put a little more stew and rice on her plate.

“Have you also been learning any other languages? I remember the others studying several languages when we were still in the boathouse… I know Angelo learned Russian and some African language… Hausa, I think… Rahne learned Farsi…”

"Not at the moment," Amara said with a shake of her head. "I'm actually having enough trouble with Spanish as it is. It's close enough to Portuguese - which I'm already fluent in - that it gets confusing. They're similar languages, but not the same." She smiled. "A new language is always helpful, especially in an organization like Elpis. It's probably going to be more helpful than any other particular major - sure, understand the politics and whatnot is great, but when you're working in the field? Being able to communicate is more useful than anything."

“Exactly.” Sooraya nodded. “I picked up a little Portuguese while I was in Attilan, but I didn’t really focus on it. I also learned some Arabic during the Koran studies I took in the mosque. It is the other language I have been considering. Not just because it would be useful across the greater Middle-East, but also because of the fact I would like to read Islamic texts in their original language.”

"That's a perfectly good reason to learn them," Amara replied with a smile. "Sometimes I consider undergoing more study just so I can stay at university and learn more things, just because I want to. There's so much knowledge around to soak up, and there is just not enough time for all of it."

“Ah, now that sounds familiar.” Sooraya shook her head and laughed. “That is also why I find it so difficult to choose. I am afraid to miss out of something.” She regarded the almost empty bowls. “Do you want me to order some more stew and rice?”

"We can study for fun once we leave college, right?" Amara grinned. In response to Sooraya's question she looked at the bowls, realizing she could probably eat another round. But then she looked at her watch, and realized that she probably didn't have time for it. "I would love to, but I should probably leave if I'm going to make it to class on time."

“Ah... too bad… We can always come back though and you can try something else?” Sooraya left the question hanging in the air, while she quickly gathered her things and joined Amara as they headed towards the counter to pay.

Amara nodded. "That sounds great! The food was delicious, I'd love to try more of it." She smiled at the person at the counter, handing over her share of the cost and waited while Sooraya did the same. "It's just such a pity I have to rush off."

“It’s okay. I need to get back to work also. I want to get those documents finished.” Sooraya said as they head out the door. “Do they sell hot chocolate milk where you go for you coffee by any chance?”

"They do," Amara replied. "I'll introduce to the staff. It's a place quite a few of us from Elpis goes, they take pretty good care of us."

“Time to give it a try then…” Sooraya smiled at that as she followed the blonde down the street.