maskormenacelogs | They say death multiplies by three's

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They say death multiplies by three's

WHO: W DAVID BLAKE and CASSANDRA
WHERE: The College Library
WHEN: idk this next week
WHAT: Academics deep diving into myth lore
WARNINGS: Probably David being his usual gross self

[ The campus library wasn't small, exactly, but it certainly wasn't rich in source texts. That was the first insult -- thankfully, David had spent some time (and a great deal of money that he somehow achieved on a Professor's salary) to purchase his own source texts. Not that he ostensibly needed it -- or so he'd said -- but he suspected Cassandra would appreciate having some sources, wouldn't she? David, three coffees in after his far-too-late night looked the part of the College Professor who had likely been there all night, although he'd only arrived an hour earlier.

And thirty minutes of that had been spent arranging the books haphazardly, spreading pages of notes that he had been working on over time, his messy scrawl trailing off in half-thoughts and half-sentences, and when Cassandra arrived, he'd be hunkered down, looking over two books in particular, one hand spread wide, the other caught on one line, and David -- with earbuds in -- wouldn't even notice Cassandra coming in, unless she announced herself.

He actually did do his real job sometimes, thank you. ]

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[ Cassandra has...not been having a good time of it lately. First the chaotic revelations at the beginning of March, and then that last week? She feels completely at the end of her rope- and a bit rattled, too.

So the offer to do some plain old-fashioned studying seems like a refreshing one. It's been a long time since she approached anything from that perspective, no godhood necessarily attached, and- for all she knows- they might even figure something out, for once. It's always been kind of strange that Professor Blake would end up here, of all people, but she's grateful if it means she can talk to someone outside of the Pantheon's godly messes for once.

She's not quite familiar with the library yet, so it takes her a few minutes to find him. Once she's there she notices he's a bit focused, so she approaches somewhat awkwardly, making a little half-wave with her hand. ] Professor...?

[ David's aware of her the moment she walks in. The alarm that pings through his earbuds makes it clear -- he'd set up a nice little device to watch for her -- but he remained absorbed in his work. At least ostensibly. It wasn't until she waved, that he looked up from his work, his fingers didn't leave the place on one book, but he lifted his other to peel out the earbuds. ]

Oh, Cassandra! [ He smiled, and it was a little tired. ] I'm glad you could make it. I'm afraid I may have been a touch overzealous, and I went ahead and got started. I hope you don't mind.

[ He gestured to one of the other seats. ] I was just correlating... I find it's easier when I look at the texts. How many sources have you read about the Moirae in this world? They're startlingly similar to most of our old texts, although there's less...personal anecdotes and modern sources for much of anything relating to the gods, like there was back home.

[ Cass gladly sits down. She does notice how tired Blake is- there's some things she can pick up, even with how bad she is at social cues- and contemplates whether to ask him about it later. She sees their relationship as mostly professional, so his recent mention that he considered her a friend caught her off guard.

But they're talking mythology, now, so luckily she has a way to jump in without small talk. Much preferred. ]

I've read what I can. But you're right- there's nothing like what we have back at home. It's all just the myths, with nothing backing them up. It feels like we've got half the sources we would have had if the Pantheon existed here. And I don't even know what to focus on, either...

[ She puts a hand against her forehead. This is far more stressful than it should be. ] Have you found anything useful so far? Or are we still trying to find anything we can?

[ He laughed, softly. ] That's the question, isn't it? [ his hand moved back to the book, and he looked between it and Cassandra, before he bit his lip, clearly in thought. ]

There's merit in perhaps us publishing the first sources. People in this world have encountered the fates, yes? There have been some who knew Lachesis in this world and the one previously. It may... be worth our while to hunt those down. [ A pause. ] It's a lot like what we were doing back home. [ In the past tense, in Cassandra's case. ]

But I've had...some luck. Or at least, I think. [ His fingers moved, to indicate the passage. ] This is Pindar -- and there's talk of Lachesis giving a land to a god. I wonder... if there can be a correlation to what she's doing with imports?

I've thought about contacting people who've met Lachesis, too. I know somebody who catalogues the history, and he's never met her, but he knows people who have. Maybe there's something they haven't shared. Or they didn't know to share it. [ It's worth a shot.

She moves the book he's pointed out towards her, slightly. This is all vaguely recognizable- the fact that their world shares so much with this one, and so little with many of the other worlds, really frustrates her. But that's not here nor there right now. ]

It...could be. Back home we could say writing like this was inspired by the Pantheon, though, at least in a derivative sense. Here, who knows what they're all inspired by? The Moirai are the only ones we know exist here in the first place, and apparently they're not even from this world.

Correct, and these texts seem to be...separate from the beings that the imports have encountered. Or are they... [ David grimaced. ] There's the added trouble that these ones came from another world? Or at least Lachesis did. How much of what we're reading is her...influence on this world, and how much...actually existed beforehand?

[ It was frustrating, to David, to not know enough. To have a mystery that was far more unsolved than even what the Pantheon was. At least now, he knew so much more about the Pantheon, he practically felt intimately aware of their inner-workings. Unsurprising, considering. ]

How much of this was influence? How much was already here? Did you hear about the...sisters? That arrived here?

You think she could change things retroactively? [ Well, that's a scary thought, something her tone makes clear. But she's also clearly intrigued. ] With the amount of power she has...maybe. That seems like it could be difficult even for her.

But we also don't know what she's capable of. It might be worth looking into.

[ Having tasks at hand is at least something she's used to. She takes out a notebook she brought along to start writing some of these things down; old habits die hard. ] I'm not sure I did hear. Which sisters?

I don't know, I'm theorizing... [ He shrugged, a roll of his shoulder. ]

I mean, she could travel from one universe to another, I'm not quite sure anything is outside of her purview.

But there was talk of...sisters with similar names. They founded each of the cities, but they were from a long, long time ago. It could be conjecture, it could be something like a recurrence that we have, or it could be...a sign that they were here.

[ He waved a hand, almost annoyed. ] It's difficult to tell with so little to work with.

If she's had to hide out like she's apparently doing? She must have some limit. There's no way she's a completely omnipresent force. [ She's falling back on her usual lack of faith for comfort. It's scary to think about being shoved around willy-nilly by anyone or anything, after all. ]

Oh, those. Yeah, I noticed the names of the cities right when I got here. The reference is completely obvious. [ ...To someone with her degree, anyway. ] I don't know if it's a Recurrence. But...it being some sort of sign of the Moirai being here doesn't sound that farfetched.

But Lachesis found this place when she needed to escape the last world, right? It can't be a coincidence, but...I don't want to say it was as simple as "she thought a bunch of the cities had cool names," either. [ Nothing's ever simple any more, after all. ]

I doubt it's a true recurrence, but it's...similar enough, yes? Enough that we could draw a similarity. I just hate to use our world as a basis for this, it might be corrupting the information we're gathering.

But it's so easy to correlate, isn't it? [ He offered her a half-smile. ] Comparative research is great, until you start drawing too many lines.

[ He looked back down at the books. ] But I agree. I don't think this is a coincidence, and I don't think this was nearly that simple. It could be a sign that she...changed this world. Our recurrences are not quite so powerful, but... who knows how powerful the gods of other worlds are.

Sure. There's some similarities. But you're right that making comparisons might be the wrong way to go... [ It's easy, but that doesn't mean it's right. Isn't that what she argues all the time? ] Maybe the other thing I should be asking about is mythologies in other worlds. It seems like people have either heard of the same gods as us or have something completely different. Who knows what the patterns mean there.

[ But all of this is just making her think of a larger issue- the Pantheon's status as divinities. Everyone seems so divided about their opinion...but it occurs to her she should probably know his. ] Well, let's put it this way. Do you think the rest of the Pantheon and I are actual gods? Because I've never thought we are.

[ What an interesting question. David sighed, and shook his head, eyes closed, for a brief moment. ]

I think in the end, we all start as human. [ A beat. ] The Pantheon included. There are powers, yes -- Perhaps you are vessels? Perhaps...you are really gods, and I'm incorrect, but there's something greater than us that...infuses you. Is it divinity? Is it a taste of real godhood? I've always...believed in the pantheon, but...

[ David paused. This was a complicated, messy thing. He knew that gods could be controlled, after all. The head of his own boy in his lab said that they weren't actual gods. He'd cut his head off, slid a knife clean through his neck... but he was still alive. ]

There must be something to all of it, shouldn't it? [ He tipped his head, questioning. ] Inanna is... [ He waved a hand. ] Maybe it's not godhood, but it is as close as mortals like me may ever witness.

[ Hmm. His opinions aren't too far off from hers. She's not willing to flirt with the idea that they are gods the way he is- she certainly feels as if she would know if she was godly. But the idea that there's something greater than them is something she's started to become sure of. Even if she's pissed that whatever cycle or pattern it is has unwillingly sucked her in. ]

It can't be nothing. But if you told me it was all some sort of...destined thing, I wouldn't believe it, either. I mean, the way Ananke acted? If she was supposed to be some sort of immortal pillar of balance for us, she screwed it up massively. That doesn't seem like real godhood. And that's not saying anything about the fact that all of us are going to die.

[ That's a bit of a slip. Does Doctor Blake know about their newfound knowledge of the result of the two-year rule? She's not sure. Well. No taking it back. Speaking of which: ] What were you going to say about Inanna?

[ David took a moment, to look around, as if to make sure they were the only ones sequestered in the library, away from the rest of them. That there was nobody in earshot. He could hardly care if they did, but he knew the effort would go rewarded, to show discretion. ]

Inanna is...able to live as they are. Without their... [ he coughed and gestured from the neck down. ] I think that says, quite clearly, that you all are perhaps more durable than we mortals. I'm curious about the dying thing, many pantheons come to such an abrupt end after turning on each other... I'm not quite certain what will happen here. You all seem to get along a lot better than some accounts of previous pantheons claim. [ A beat. ] Well, other than the last one. They seemed to do so well, by all accounts, up until the very end.

That's the Pantheon I was thinking of. I can't think of a more "abrupt end" than that. I'm not sure if that's better or worse than what we're going through... [ After all, most of that Pantheon got years of peace. But to have them all go at once? Why would that happen? ]

The thing with Inanna is- gods can die. It's happened at home, and here. I just don't know if the difference is in how Ananke does it, or if you just need to... [ She pauses. She could sense his worry about being overheard. She makes a slicing motion across her neck, grimacing. Morbid, but how else could she put it? ] You know. Clearly we can withstand more than most people can, but how? And why do that to Inanna anyway?

[ This topic isn't fun to think about, and it's showing on her face. But it's yet another thing to solve. ]

It has?

[ David paused, and tipped his head. Too easy, too much. Time to scale it back, slow the tempo just a hair. ] I suppose I just assumed... if Inanna was alive, then perhaps Lucifer and Tara also were...

But I wish I knew why they did that to them. I'm not...sure. There must be a reason, yes? [ They were one of four, weren't they? Not that David Blake knew that. ] I wish I knew the reason for why they were beheaded or... what it even means.

[ His brows knitted, and his fingers tapped against the book. ] There have been...whispers, over the years. Nothing concrete, but there are always odd rumors. Perhaps we should lend them more credence than we have previously.

[ She pauses. They've been keeping info close to the chest, but... ] If Persephone and Inanna let you see them when they were like that...I don't think they'd mind if I told you we think Lucifer and Tara are probably in the same situation, too. Hell, Inanna was sure about Luci. They said the two of them were...wherever they were, together. They've got basically no idea what's going on beyond that, and neither do any of us. [ Much to her clear chagrin.

She taps her pen on her notebook. This kind of talk makes her antsy, in some ways. So much going on, but so little that they can piece together...it frustuates her, makes her feel restless. ]

Which rumors are you talking about? Some of the message board conspiracy stuff, or the more serious things?

Oh, much more serious than all of that on the message boards.

[ He paused, and metered it out. How much should he share, how much could he share? How much would give him away, and how much would be just the right amount. He wanted her to question the one who could tell her more -- David's other face. The one she'd been denying for ages, and the one he wanted her to remember was still one of them. ]

I've heard...rumor that there have been disappearances among pantheons. They tend to vanish, never to be heard from again.

It may be possible that there is a purpose for that? Didn't Ananke make that...thing? The monstrosity we were studying?

[ He knew the machine did nothing, of course, but... There was still a reason for all of it, wasn't there? Ananke wouldn't be collecting four heads for nothing. Something... but as long as his son wasn't the fourth head, he could hardly care whether or not the ritual took any of the rest of the Pantheon. He looked down at the book, and grimaced. ] The hardest part of our jobs has always been sorting the conjecture from the truth. I thought having a recurrence would make it easier, but...

I feel as if we're left with more questions than answers.

[ Huh. She's heard these stories, too- but they seemed so foreign as a god in the 2010s. Now, you don't just disappear. ]

You think the disappearing gods could be related to the machine...? [ She pauses. That thing had tantalized her for so long, and then... ] I don't know. I mean, it was made by Woden. Ananke probably wouldn't have had anything like it in the past. But then, we still don't even know what she was using it for.

[ She pauses. This is still an interesting route to go down. ] I've heard the stories before. It's just...how much of that is lost historical record? How much of it is just the past being so much less connected than we are now? None of us in this Pantheon could vanish without everyone making a huge fuss about it.

But...after everything with Ananke, I can't say it's not a huge gap in our knowledge, either. [ She pauses. Something clicking together in her head. ] And...with what's happened to Inanna, too.

Didn't they do just that? [ David asked, a hand to his chin, he leaned back in his chair, ostensibly mulling it over. ] We thought they were dead, so they hardly "disappeared", but at the same time...

It calls into question everything we knew about what happened in each Recurrence. Perhaps the machine was something new, or special. With new technology comes new... methods, yes? But maybe there was a similar purpose prior? Or perhaps this was just a wholly new step... [ David shook his head, considering the possibilities.

Even with his own knowledge, there were still gaps. He knew about the heads, and knew there was a ritual, but beyond that...

He needed to figure it out just as well as anyone else. He needed to figure out the purpose, to ensure... That, and he wanted to find a way to fix it all, at the end of this. ]

I wish she was still alive, sometimes. I would have enjoyed the opportunity to speak with her at length. Particularly on this subject, but perhaps...that would have just been more opportunity for misdirection.

[ Cassandra nods. She agrees, but with the same misgivings. ]

I still how much of what Ananke told me was the truth. I don't think everything she told me was a complete lie...but I don't know that, either. Even if it is the truth, she could have just told it to me to lead us in the wrong direction.

And if...what happened with Inanna was her goal the entire time? I'm not sure how the Machine ties into it. Or Minerva, for that matter. [ She's been thinking about this, but hasn't been able to put any of it together. ] But it could explain the disappearances of gods. It would have been a lot easier to cover up a corpse with, uh, part of it missing hundreds of years ago. Although that's assuming she'd always been doing it the same way.

[ And...well, there's another question, for both practical and emotional purposes. ] Which is to say nothing about what happens now that she's gone.

Correct.

It's an interesting thing to think about. Do you think... [ He grimaced. ] What if they've been sitting there, all alone? For god-knows how long?

[ As if David cared, but Cassandra would care, and that's what was important, in this. His lips twitched, as if he were in thought, but his fingers tapped against his book, considering the options. Calculations were quick, as they so often were, but maybe there was a way to lead this...appropriately.

He would have to be careful. ]

It would be easier if she had said something, and without Minerva here to question... and without the machine to puzzle out, or readings to analyze... What are we left with?

Other than worming ourselves into philosophical holes. Which, I might add, I am not opposed to, but I suspect your time is far more valuable than mine.

They...have to be. [ She was never very close to any of the three people they now believe to be heads, but it's still a horrifying thought, something that's clear on her face. ] None of us know about them back home, yet. Or if someone does, they're keeping it a secret for god knows what reason.

Minerva's a little odd, I guess. But she always has been, and I don't know if she knew anything. And I'm not sure how much we can get from asking her- "did you see anything in the Machine while Ananke was trying to sacrifice you on it" probably wouldn't play well with a kid. But who knows. [ Really! Who knows!

She rubs her temples, but only out of frustration with the topic, and not with Blake himself. She appreciates that she has someone to talk to about this mess, at least- it's a drag to keep it all to herself, at times. ] It's fine. You're the one who has classes to teach, not me.

[ Yeah why would anyone know about the heads and keep it to themselves...jerks ]

Please! I've been doing this for... quite some time. You do something long enough, and most of your lesson plans are already written three semesters out, and it's easy to just...change them slightly to adapt to this world. Honestly, thinking about these things is...new. It's different.

[ He paused, and dipped his head. ] That likely makes me sound selfish, I'm sorry. I'm grateful for the opportunity to help, honestly. Anything I can do. [ he tipped his head, then. ]

It's like...having my life's work actually be useful, even if it's only arbitrary and barely connected, here. We can at least...try to put the pieces together, especially since you and some of the rest of the Pantheon seem to be a bit ahead.

They're adaptable even without the Pantheon here? That sounds like it's easier said than done.

Trust me- we're not that ahead. [ What had she really learned since the last time she and Blake talked back home? That Woden was even more of a fuck, and that things have been far more awful than she could have ever imagined? It feels like it's been so long, and she's achieved so little. ]

And...it's good to have some help. You already know that most of the others aren't as interested in actually delving into the research. But somebody has to be doing it, whether the rest of them decide they finally want to be involved or not.

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