IC: EVENT

[bossman]

A TERRIBLE THING IS HAPPENING

reference books detailing myths and legends stolen from libraries...
wikipedia pages wiped clean from the face of the internet...
ancient stained glass windows smashed and destroyed...
historical research centers burnt to the ground...

Someone out there is trying very, very hard to erase all of the possible sources of power and belief of the ancient gods and goddesses. And it hurts. Whilst the powers of the minders are unharmed by the attacks, the gods and goddesses will be certainly feeling the toll: it's now painfully clear that even the simplest of miracles are now becoming almost impossible to perform.

deities, you had better have gifted your minders with some decent blessings! Because now you're going to rely on them more than ever. Someone is out to get you.

Comments

[glossolalia]

[ in all her years serving thoth, amisi has never seen this house so full. miesha has been dispatched to the market, because how can the scant holdings of their kitchen provide enough for a slew of gods and minders?

and in between all her fretting--for it is so much easier to fret about making their guests welcome than it is about what is happening to her diety--she ventures into the library with fresh cups of tea. the cooled cup is removed from his hands, a hot one slipped into place. it is a flawlessly excuted manuever, one that she has perfected in her years as apprentice. it shouldn't disturb.

except... ]

Is there anything more I can do?

[ her tone is fervant, fraught with worry. she knows all of these tomes by heart, courtesy of the gift he'd seen fit to give her. but still, there must be more for her. if there is something left unread, then she should be doing that, shouldn't she? ]

[threetimesgreat]

[ It shouldn't disturb, but he is tired and she speaks. One hand, fingers stained with ink, reaches to curl around her own. Thoth is not the most physical of gods and never has been, but he cares for his apprentices the way he cares for his books. His grip tries for gentle, but it mostly comes off as weak -- the grip of an old man instead of the god who oversees battles between good and evil. ]

I have been thinking.

[ Even his voice sounds wrong. Instead of the warm brown of tea, it is dry papyrus leaves. He seems to realize this, shifting at his desk to pick up the cup of tea with the hand that doesn't have a hold on her to take a sip. ]

You remember the stories. It is much to ask, but you could rewrite them. Recreate what has been destroyed.

[glossolalia]

[ it frightens her, seeing him like this. she tightens her fingers in his, holds on as if to keep him from slipping away. in all the time that she's known him, he has been unchanging, dependable as the constellations. and now he is weakening, withering like the plants by the window when she wasn apprentice and too caught up in the chatter of language to remember to water them. ]

There is nothing that is too much to ask. I would transcribe them a thousand times over.

[ it is putting to good use her gift. she can write them, and miesha can write them again, in other languages if necessary. between the two of them they should be able to manage to recreate the most precious of his texts and perhaps more. ]

[threetimesgreat]

[ He is old, but Thoth has never once felt it before now. She gives him hope, however. There are some who say the gifts he gives are not worth a lifetime of service, but it is always about selecting the right person. If chosen correctly, it is a lifetime of learning. Every written word sits in Thoth's library. Whatever they lose, his apprentices can recreate. ]

We may not have time to rewrite whole books. But the bones of the stories, the names, who we are and what we have done. There is no time for flowery words, not yet.

[ Because she will write to keep them alive. ]

I will write what I can as well.

[ It is good that all they can write for now is the bare essentials, because he doesn't think he can remember all of them. ]

[glossolalia]

[ already her mind is racing, thinking of what to save, what must be written and what can be set aside for a later time. every moment is precious is this, and all she can think is that she hopes they've enough paper to get it all down. oh, she could use a laptop, but the stories she is inscribing deserve ink and paper, the most careful and neat-formed lettering. ]

Perhaps you should rest. Speak with your houseguests while Miesha and I work.

[ she has never had to tell him to rest. it has never been necessary. the words feel strange in her mouth, unfamiliar and disorienting. ]

[threetimesgreat]

[ If they run out of paper, there are the walls, the bookshelves, their own skin. Thoth remembers when writing began, reeds pressing into wet clay tablets that were then baked. He knows how to tell stories with pictures, hieroglyphs that few can now read. ]

I would rather stay here, I think.

[ Whether he is working or not, his desk is his favorite place. Besides, this is where he has collected the most important manuscripts to watch over. ]

[glossolalia]

[ for a few moments, she is silent. then her grip on his hand tightens again, suddenly fierce. ]

I am afraid for you.

[ what if they find nothing? what if this is not remedied and it all fades away? she cannot imagine a world without him and his knowledge, where she could not dwell within the walls of this household and listen to him explain the mysteries of the written world to her. it seems an impossibility that such could come to pass, but... ]

[threetimesgreat]

[ Oh. He forgets, sometimes, how much his minders can care. He grips back before carefully tugging her closer, as a father might his child. ]

As long as there is a balance to keep, I will keep it. As long as you believe, I will be here.

[ Even in a weakened state -- he will still remain. ]

[glossolalia]

[ she goes willingly. it is her duty to be strong and stoic and set the example for the others, for the apprentices and less experienced minders. but when thoth is different, and she doesn't hesitate to let him tug her in. physical affection is a rare thing with him, she knows that. ]

None of us shall falter.

[threetimesgreat]

Good.

[ He is tired, and he lets himself rest his head on her shoulder for a moment. ]

Don't forget to eat and rest yourself.

[glossolalia]

You should sleep as well. And perhaps eat something.

[ tea cannot really be providing him with enough nourishment right now. ]

[threetimesgreat]

I will. Later.

[ He's more worried about the documents in front of him at the moment. ]