A/N: A companion piece to the third chapter of Hunger shall be their Teacher
Observation
"Great Leader, Bishop Kallamar has arrived and seeks an audience."
Heket blinked. How unexpected. When she arrived in the entrance hall, Kallamar bowed his head to her in deference. "Sister Heket."
"What brings you to my temple, brother?"
He gulped. "Well, uh…. I uh…" As his gaze roamed the entrance hall, looking anywhere but in her direction, he tapped his fingers together – a nervous habit of his – indicating that he wished to ask a potentially awkward question and hadn't yet worked out how to phrase it in a more sensitive manner.
And suddenly she understood. She stilled his hands. "Relax, brother, I know the way your mind works. In fact, I should've anticipated your interest; This is about my eggs. You wish to observe their development from egg to tadpole, do you not?"
He nodded. "Y-yes, uh… If-if that's all right?"
"I have no objections," she replied. "I assume you would like begin right away?" He nodded again. "Then come with me."
Kallamar waded into the pond and peered at one of the eggs. He gently poked it with a finger in curiosity. "What is this?"
"A transparent jelly that expands on contact with water," she explained. "The black dot you see inside becomes the tadpole."
"I see. I dare not assume you have any idea what it's made of?"
She gave him a wry smile. "You assume correctly, brother."
"May I examine some after they've hatched?"
"You may."
He took some measurements and jotted them down in his notebook. He returned daily to take more, and so observed their development from egg to embryo. "Can they see you?" He asked one day. "Or hear you?"
"Yes, they can, though I could not tell you exactly when this happens. It may be shortly before hatching."
"I wonder if it would be possible to find out," he said, more to himself. "Perhaps if you were to refrain from interacting with them at different stages."
"I would prefer not to have to introduce myself to own children, Kallamar," she replied.
He bowed his head in concession. "Y-yes, of course."
"Kallamar," she said and held up an egg. "It would seem that you're in luck. I noticed this one is not developing like the others."
Kallamar's eyes lit up and he received the egg gladly. "Oh, how fortunate!" He exclaimed, then realised what he'd said. "Uh… th-that is…"
She shook her head and sighed in amusement. "It is fine, Kallamar, it is the way of things. Not all of my eggs become tadpoles and not all of the tadpoles that hatch live past their first or second days of life."
He blinked. "I see…"
She eyed him. "Am I correct in assuming that you are thinking of dissecting one of these tadpoles, brother?" He awkwardly averted his gaze and she smirked. "As I thought. Their bodies are simply disposed of, so I see no reason to deny you the opportunity."
He bowed his head in a mixture of gratitude and relief. "Thank you, sister."
On the twenty-first day the tadpoles began to actively move within the transparent jelly. "Sister! Look!"
She smiled. "I know. It means they are close to hatching."
"How close?"
"Tomorrow," she replied. "They will have hatched overnight, but you will not find them to be very responsive. In fact I prefer to let them rest."
"I need only take measurements from one, sister, and it won't take long."
She hummed in consideration. "Very well. I suppose a brief disturbance is acceptable."
Heket carefully and gently scooped one of the sleeping tadpole into her hands.
"Sister," he breathed as he stared at the tadpole with eyes as wide as dinner plates. "They're so… tiny…"
She smiled down fondly at their sleeping form. "Yes. I know." Then she blinked in realisation. "Oh, of course. You have only seen them when they're older." He nodded wordlessly, without taking his eyes off them. "If you would, brother?" She prompted after a moment of no activity.
"Oh! Yes. Of course." He took his measurements, jotting them down in his notebook, and she gently and carefully placed the tadpole back.
They returned the next day when the tadpoles were now awake. "Mama!" They wiggled their bodies as they tried to swim to her. "Mama! Mama!"
She smiled, holding out and taking into her arms any that could reach her. "Hello, my children."
"So they recognise you on sight," he stated unnecessarily. "How remarkable."
When they tried to take one of the tadpoles' measurements, the tadpole giggled and squirmed in Heket's hands. "Hold still, my child."
"Mama, it tickles!"
"Do your best." So they did, and their measurements were taken.
Over the next few weeks he continued to return daily to collect more data, and they became more accustomed to the process. Heket held a tadpole in her hands as he took their measurements, and the tadpole kept perfectly still until he was done. She tickled their tummy as Kallamar scribbled in his notebook and the tadpole giggled and wiggled their body before swimming away.
"Kallamar," she said, once he had finished taking notes. The tadpoles had now grown big enough to begin crowding the pond with both their size and numbers. "I am afraid this time is the last time you will be able to take their measurements." He blinked in confusion. "Tomorrow I move onto the next stage."
"Next stage?" He repeated. "You mean-?"
She nodded. "Yes, though I do not require your assistance this time."
"I see… I had been wondering what you were intending to do this time… So if not I then…?"
"It is I, brother. I had the answer all along," she replied obliquely for the tadpoles' sake. "It was within my power in fact."
He nodded slowly. "I see…" He stared out across the pond with a peculiar expression.
"Do not tell me you have become attached to them, brother?"
"No… no…" He lowered his voice to explain. "I was just thinking that sickness would've been kinder…"
"I know," she replied. "But for my children, it is not to be."
He recalled their previous attempts and lowered his head in concession. "I suppose not." Then tucked his notebook away inside his robes. "Very well. I shall take my leave." He bowed to her in deference. "Thank you for this opportunity, sister. I look forward to processing the data and writing a report… Should I… send you a copy?"
She inclined her head. "If you'd be so kind, brother."
"Then it shall be done."
A/N: I'm finally starting to get some headcanons for Kallamar together. This is one (or some) of them.
