Once Abdul went on his way, a petit woman wearing a hijab approached Dakota. "Hi, I'm Aishah" she introduced, "are you new to MSA?"
"This is actually my first meeting" Dakota admitted.
"I'm glad you came out. I haven't seen Abdul chat with anyone like that before. Usually he's just flipping through his phone until the meeting starts" Aishah flashed Dakota a thankful smile.
"Funny enough he seemed like the easiest person for me to talk to. He gave me some good tips on keeping weight on"
"Really?" She stifled a giggle, "I'll have to remember to mention my workout routine next time I want to strike up conversation with him" she leaned in like she was telling a secret "you know, I think those muscles might be why the other guys don't initiate with him. They seem a little intimidated".
"I can't blame them" Dakota smiled sympathetically "His body is a blessing that deserves praise. I hope to get that big, if not bigger"
"Well I hope you'll keep coming to our meetings. If people see how friendly Abdul is with you, I'm sure they'll warm up to him too" luckily for Aishah, coming back to MSA would be a requirement for Dakota. "By the way, I never caught your name"
"I'm Hussein" Dakota announced without a second thought, "It's nice to meet you, Aishah"
"Hussein? So, you're Muslim?"
"I have been my whole life"
"I see, I thought you may have just been an ally. I didn't realize you came here because of your faith. I'm sorry about that"
"That's alright" Dakota rubbed his head, wincing a bit in pain "Actually, I did join because of a class I'm in, Cultural Studies. Hussein is a name MSA gave me"
"Either way, I'm glad it brought a man of faith to our organization. Though, Hussein, it's an... interesting choice"
"Why's that? Jamil told me they chose it because it means handsome" Dakota folded his arms, biceps bulging
"Well..." Aishah placed a finger on her chin and looked away briefly, "you certainly are handsome by Western standards. I can see why Jamil got excited about a muscular cornfed blonde. But, as a Muslim organization, I believe it's important that we promote eastern beauty".
"So what do you consider beautiful?"
"The most beautiful thing in a man is devotion to God, of course. But men must also embrace their natural beauty, like facial hair"
"You like men with beards?"
"I don't know why white men shave it off for some air of professionalism. It is a gift from God and part of what makes you a man" Aishah shrugged. The shadow on Dakota's jaw grew thick and full, crawling above his lips and joining with the hair on his chest. It spread through his body, course black hairs erupting from his strong arms and legs. They were just barely visible behind his stretched out sweater. As his beard met with his side burns, the hair on top of his head turned the same raven color.
"I couldn't agree more" Dakota grinned while stroking his chin, taking this to be a compliment towards his own impressive hirsute nature. He decided to flirt back, "what else do you find attractive?"