Distressing News
(Don't Shoot the Messenger)
Chapter Summary: Thoth is the Egyptian god of writing, magic, wisdom, and the moon. He was one of the most important gods of ancient Egypt
HARDAI
It had been some days after the notice of the Pharaoh's journey arrived, and both Atem and Khaba were trying to come with an excuse for Massika to leave the town with Khaba for some time. So far, only the actual truth would do, especially since for some strange reason, Massika seemed to be getting involved in all sorts of banal activities that were, at least in her eyes, really important for her to complete.
During one of these attempts to remove her from the town Khaba got a rather… interesting visit. A boy that was more on the thin side of things, with hair completely tucked under a white and blue linen headdress, and a self-assured smirk that promised a great deal of trouble.
At first, both Massika and Atem felt wary of this strange boy's presence, though considering he was wearing the robes of the Pharaoh's main group of scribes, they decided that whatever he came to talk about with the High Priest must have been important.
Unfortunately for all the parties involved, Khaba was out of the temple leading the death ceremony of the wife of some rich trader of the city, and as such, the boy was left waiting in the company of the other two.
In the end, curiosity got the better of Massika, who decided that this boy was more interesting than her actual temple chores, so with her sunniest smile on her face, she walked over to where they boy was patiently waiting for Khaba to return.
Once the boy noticed her, he answered her smile with one of his own, though his was equal parts amused and annoyed; by the time she started to talk, or more accurately to interrogate him, the amusement he felt was more than evident on his smiles and his face.
There were some knowing smiles there too, though since Massika was not sure what they were about, she decided to let them slide for the moment.
It took them less than half an hour to be on a first name basis, and were already teasing each other mercilessly as if they had been friends for years and not have met only an hour before.
It was nearing sunset by the time Khaba was able to go back to the temple. He knew that he would only be there for a few hours before he had to go to the Duat to perform his duty as a judge of souls. It was not something he was really looking forward, though the idea of talking for a bit with Thoth made it somewhat bearable.
Just as he was about to open the door to the main room, a pair of familiar voices reached his by the conversation, it seemed they had been chatting for a while…
"Oh for the love of… Seker, please tell me you let that poor boy down gently?"
"Why should I? He was being a pest I needed to get rid of! In fact my dear Massika, you should try it sometime, I'm sure it would help you with one or ten of your 'secret admirers'"
For a moment, Khaba considered to hear more about what they were talking about, but decided against it and instead interrupted their conversation by loudly opening the door.
Seker and Massika were sitting around the table, with a pair of beer glasses near them and some fruit that looked like it was more than halfway to being completely gone. Massika's bracelets and rings were discarded on the other side of the table, and Seker's linen headdress was lying at his feet, a clear sign that their chat was, at least by now, mostly fueled by the beer they had been consuming for quite some time.
It was an amusing image, if a bit terrifying if he thought of the consequences of this encounter.
Khaba decided to make his presence known to the other two by clearing his throat. The reaction was instantaneous and a bit humorous. On one side, the smile Massika gave him was so bright and so happy that it left Khaba a bit lightheaded just by looking at it. On the other side, the unimpressed stare, coupled with the rise of an eyebrow and a sardonic smirk was the only greeting he received from his long time friend.
Khaba decided to pick a glass of beer for himself before joining in their conversation. Turns out it was mostly gossip from people neither of them actually knew, but with the way they were telling the stories, Khaba felt as if all of them knew exactly who were talking about.
Some time, and several beers later, Khaba noticed that Massika was looking a bit tired, and that her speech was turning out a bit slurred, so with a gentle grip and some soft words, he encouraged her to retire to her room to rest.
After a slight pout, and after asking just a bit too loudly if he was going to join her soon, she finally retired for the night.
The amused smile Seker gave him was the only acknowledgement of the rising blush in Khaba's face.
"Well, now that your lovely lady is out, we need to talk". The tone used by Seker while delivering the ominous sentence told Khaba that, whatever they were going to talk about was not something between Priest Khaba and Scribe Seker, but between Anubis and Thoth. Somehow, Khaba knew that he was not going to like whatever his friend had to say.
Nodding in response, Khaba led him to a secluded room where they could talk freely.
In any normal day, it was a common sight to find people sitting around on the beach during the evenings, watching the waves crash leaving the sand with a fine layer of foam that disappeared just as fast as it appeared.
It was somewhat less common to find people once the sun had set, but there were always the odd ones that enjoyed the chilling of the air and the sound the wind makes with the waves.
Night watchers were quite unusual, but not unheard of. What was not in the least a common occurrence was to find someone sitting in the sand at night, absentmindedly hearing the sounds of the waves and the wind while his sight was lost somewhere between the horizon and the stars.
Then again, the night was clear, the moon was bright and the weather was nice, a perfect combination for a walk around the city or a contemplative moment at the beach.
This particular night, the sight one could find if you were to wander over there for any reason was of a young man sitting on the sand. The light breeze of the ocean was slightly moving his long silver tresses that were shining with the moonlight, and even if they sometimes were obscuring his vision, the figure in question didn't really acknowledge it.
He was lost in his thoughts, allowing the sounds of the sea to lull him into some semblance of calm and tranquility, something he so desperately needed after the news that were delivered earlier that day.
He always knew that his love story with Massika was doomed, what with him being a deity and she being mortal. Still, he at least hoped to be able to spend together as much of her mortal life as possible.
He longed to watch her laugh every day of her life, to watch her obsess over dresses and wigs and to make silly dramas because of a new wrinkle. He longed to see her work and see her fight against people who thought they could manipulate her…
He could still make all of those things, but no longer by her side.
Seker's words were clear and left no room for misinterpretations. The high council of the Pharaoh had chosen her as the Pharaoh's next wife. They only needed to manipulate the Pharaoh into agreeing to it for it to be a fact.
And according to their time table, the arrangement of the marriage and subsequent wedding would be taking place once the tour along Kemet was over and they could announce it properly to the citizens.
There were times when Khaba was glad to have an insider to get hold of all the important tidbits of information of the capital city. Now, however, he was torn between being angry at learning about this development and being grateful because now he had time to come to terms with the eventual ending of his relationship with the love of his life.
Khaba came back to the temple just before dawn, with his clothes covered in sand and his hair in complete disarray. He expected to find everybody still asleep, or at least still in their rooms before it was time to get up and start with their activities of the day. What he was not expecting was for Seker to be waiting for him at the same table where they met last night.
He was sipping absentmindedly from a steaming cup, his eyes on the horizon that was slowly changing from the dark blues of the night to the purples and pinks that announced the beginning of a new day. For a moment, Khaba thought that he was just up before the rest of the inhabitants of the temple, but upon seeing that there was a second cup of steaming liquid untouched beside the other one, he knew that his friend had been waiting for him to return at any moment.
"I was worried about you, you know? I wasn't sure what you would do with the information I gave you" Seker said without looking back at Khaba. His voice betrayed no emotion, and his posture was a bit too relaxed to be entirely convincing for one that knew him for as long as Khaba had known him.
"I needed to think and to come to terms with it" Khaba told him while sitting on the chair in front of his friend. He then proceeded to take the steaming cup to take a sip only to discover that it was one of Thot's weird infusions.
"And did you?"
"No, but I don't have a choice in the matter anymore. So I will, eventually"
Silence followed that last statement, neither of them were willing to break it with words. Still, the companionship felt was one gained through centuries of friendship and understanding. Of fighting together the same battles and experiencing life in the same manner.
The sun finally started to appear on the horizon, painting everything its light touched in gold and copper tones. When Seker finally turned around to see his companion, his green eyes reflected the light making them look as ethereal as they were supposed to be while in their godly forms.
"You know I will always be there, don't you?"
A small smile and a quiet "I know" was Khaba's only answer.
NOTES:
In case you missed it:
Seker: Thot / Zoisite
