After a trying week back at the Temple, with her supervisor recommending that she begin a program of psychological therapy and everyone eying her as if she was going to explode any minute, and a backlog of work this high to catch up on, it's something of a relief for Buran to be able to get away from it all and go see Aski Medes as she planned. So on her day off, she's made her way to a quiet little brownstone tenement just off of the Bazaar proper, sandwiched between seven other similar buildings, and knocked on the door…

"Eh? Who's that?" It is a very old Rath'ani who answers the door, his robes rather tatty with obvious wear holes on the elbows. "oh! Technopriestess. A pleasure, do come in! I was just about to make some tea and have some toast."

Buran nods politely to Aski, looking a little hesitant to intrude. "Good afternoon. I met you in the Bazaar, sir, a few weeks ago. You asked me many questions. I hope it's not an intrusion to ask some of you? That is, if it isn't too much trouble."

"Oh, not at all," Aski Medes says as he shuffles in little tufted slippers to the kitchen nook, where he pours some tea from a gurgling pot. "Do shut the door behind you, won't you, dear Buran? Now, do you like sugar in your tea? Or perhaps ginanan seeds?"

The door closes with a quiet click behind the Sphynx. Her eyes glance around the room before their gaze settles upon the teapot. "Sugar, please," she says.

Aski takes an irregularly curved sheet of white sugar crystals and snaps off a section of it, then drops that into Buran's cup. His own tea he takes with both a pinch of sugar and a few ginanan seeds that tint his tea greenish. He shuffles to a chair and offers Buran her cup, then sits down heavily himself.

Buran waits for the sugar to dissolve somewhat before sipping. "Are you all right, sir?"

The Rath'ani sips his tea quietly amidst a cloud of dust that slowly settles to the ground. "Oh, well enough, well enough, Technopriestess. It's been a tiresome task, attempting to solicit further grants for my studies but I've been successful to some small degree, so I have enough to keep body and soul together." He chuckles. "But I should have no body if it were not for your aid of some time ago, Technopriestess. I owe you a great deal, that I only wish I could repay in true wealth, not in the gleanings of knowledge from bugs and strange creatures."

A few moments of silence pass while Buran sips her tea again. "What would I do with great wealth?" she asks. "I'm happy where I am, and I don't think that having ten thousand shekels would make a difference. Nor would I feel right if you were to pay me for what I did." Another sip. "No, I need your knowlege today. I came in the hope that what you know of bugs and strange creatures can help me to understand some things that have happened to me recently."

Aski Medes looks up curiously from his tea. "Oh! Well in that case, how may I help you, dear Buran?"

"Before I explain, may I ask you to keep what I tell you in confidence?" Buran asks.

The Rath'ani nods. "I'm an old raccoon," he says cheerfully. "But not so old that I can't remember what's privileged and what's not."

Buran looks relieved. "Thank you," she says. A few sips of tea later, she inquires, "Have you heard any stories in your travels, anything at all, of a 'goddess of life' or a goddess of death and decay?"

"Oh yes. There are hundreds of legends about goddesses of life and death," Aski says, looking reminiscent. "Both on this world and those that the few Exiles I have interviewed have known. For instance, the Aelfins believe in three goddesses who spin new life, weave them into a tapestry, and cut the threads when a life is done and no longer plays a part in their art. The Eeee believe in a Lady of the Night who takes those whose time is done… "

Aski adds parenthetically, "That is, of course distinct from their beliefs in their Sabaoth, the ever-living ruler. It's an interesting ramification of legends crossing over into the modern world… "

Buran nods. "I wish I had the time to learn about them all, sir," she says ruefully. "It sounds fascinating. Is there anything about gods and goddesses who live with us, who take the form of – " She pauses to think, sipping tea. " – an avatar, I believe the term is. One of us."

Aski pauses just as he was about to take another sip of tea. "I nearly begin to think that you do not mean that in a theoretical sense, dear Technopriestess. Perhaps, if you were to tell me about your reasons for asking, I would be able to provide more useful information."

The Templar in blue sighs lightly. "You have a point. I apologize. I can't say that I wish it were an academic question, but I can say that it is a rather strange story I'm about to tell you. And I'm sure you will see why I want your confidence, for the moment." She pauses for several minutes, collecting her thoughts.

Aski nods, and drinks his tea quietly as well.

Finally, Buran speaks. "It started about a fortnight ago. I had a dream, or what I thought was a dream at the time. There were servants there, they said they were mine. They called me the Goddess of Life." The Sphynx sips her tea. "There was another, much like me, who called herself the goddess of Death and Decay. And she said she was my sister. I thought it was a dream, that I'd been working too hard. But no; I've heard that voice again, sometimes in mid-day. And it seems to know – where I am, what I'm doing. It's very strange."

Aski nods. "Go on," he suggests. "Is there anything else you can remember?"

The Technopriestess nods, continuing. "There is. The Temple sent me to a psychiatrist, one who was recommended to me by my physician. He used hypnosis as his method of therapy; I'm sure you're familiar with it. Instead, it brought back what I think are memories… " Buran's voice grows softer as she closes her eyes, calling the images to mind. "Bright light. My parents, I think. A Vartan, and a Khatta, a golden Khatta with spots like mine. She looks like me. They talk in a strange language… I don't know it. The light again… incense. There was a smell of incense, very strong. I couldn't move, but I could hear and see. There were torches, and there was chanting. It was unnerving."

Buran sips, refreshing her throat before going on.

"Intriguing! I've heard of the method but not had the training to apply it to any of the Exiles I've interviewed," Aski Medes says.

Buran relates more of her tale – It's more of a narration, really, than the 'conventional' oral story. "It was a dark night, there were low clouds. The torches reflected from them. And then there was a voice. 'Sister,' it said. 'Awake.' Then I heard a shout. It was me, and yet it wasn't." A tone of puzzlement enters the Sphynx' voice. "It said, 'Do not steal her destiny.' Something, or someone, carried me up into the storm, and I heard a scream from somewhere. I called out for help … and then there was the light again, and the doctor was there. I saw nothing more."

Aski Medes frowns. "You mentioned chanting. Do you remember any of it?"

Buran tries her best to mimic the sounds she heard. "I'm not certain of this, but I heard it when the vision started. I believe it was 'Na mho ram, na mho ram.' It meant nothing to me."

Aski Medes nods. "Have there been other occurrences of these mysterious voices? Or other events that cannot be explained by normal means, Technopriestess?"

"Yes." Buran looks slightly disappointed to discover that her teacup is empty now. "I hear the voice from time to time. It seems to warn me of danger. Tell me, sir, have you heard of something called a 'chiga'?"

The Rath'ani takes Buran's cup and stands up, shuffling to the counter to pour her a fresh serving. "A chiga? Not, I take it, one of the tiny insects which plague the Safar region, tormenting the lives of the big-game hunters who seek to bring down one of their larger creatures."

Buran says, "No. A Naga… with one arm and hand. It's some kind of Naga poltergeist, of sorts, only worse. They say it can only be hurt by thistlebark."

"Indeed! So the name does have its root in a legend after all," Aski Medes says, looking almost a bit satisfied.

It is Buran's turn to look curious. "How is that?"

Aski explains, "There is a certain type of very annoying insect which is found in Safar, related to the bloodwing but of a ground-crawling variety. They call it the 'chiga', though it doesn't appear to have any relation to the Nagai themselves, and thus would not appear entitled to the '-ga' suffix. I had theorized that the name originated from some sort of legend, but thus far… " He shrugs. "Without the legend, what can one say?"

The Rath'ani gives Buran a fresh cup of tea, and sips from his own freshened cup as well. "So then: have you encountered one of the original legends, after all?"

Buran resettles herself in her chair, pausing to stretch her wings a bit. "I saw a chiga, yes. At first, I was afraid; I thought that I would die. Those who were with me certainly believed we were in danger. They tried to destroy it, and failed. I heard the voice – it said that only Life can defeat Death, and that I should accept what I was." A pause, a few sips of tea. The Sphynx shrugs a bit. "The mages who were there were outnumbered. Its minions – bokuru, it called them – were intent on killing us all. So I thought about it, and I attacked it. If I died, I wanted to die doing something." Buran looks directly at Aski. "I destroyed it. I don't know how, but the moment I touched it, it disintegrated."

"So then, these voices, they have given you reason to believe that you are an avatar of a goddess of life?" Aski Medes asks. "Do you think so?"

Buran's reply is slow, careful, and it sounds well thought-out. "I doubted at first. I didn't think it was likely. As a scientist, I'm sure you know the importance of proof, how it's important to be sure of your hypothesis. I thought it was a dream, that my mind saw things that weren't there. But I've seen things, related to that voice, that make me wonder. Dreams don't destroy creatures, do they?" Buran takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "It's possible. There's evidence to support that."

Aski Medes looks at a pad of paper, as if he would dearly like to start taking notes, but resists the urge to do so. "Would you like to be a goddess, Technopriestess?"

Buran can't help but to smile. "I wouldn't know what to do, not in the slightest. I'm no deity; I'm merely a Keeper of the Inner Mysteries of the Temple."

"In many of the tales and stories I've heard," the Rath'ani says with a certain drollness in his voice. "An avatar of a god is called forth in some moment of great need. They accomplish it, and then go on to erect new monuments in service to their god so that their people will know what their god has done for them, and that they will keep faith. Rarely, if ever, are they entitled to return to a quiet, private life. They are meant for more substantial things." He adds another ginanan seed to his tea. "It is part of the nature of avatars."

"Then so be it," Buran replies. "The things or places that I saw … are any of them familiar to you in any way? I had hoped that you would be able to help identify them."

Aski Medes shakes his head. "It is suggestive… But from the few pieces that you have told me, I have not enough to go on." He raises his hand before dismay can show on the Technopriestess's face. "However, I do have a colleague who specializes in scrying magics, who may be able to tell more truly what is in store for you. Her name is Jennendra of the Onyx Eye, and she lives in Half Valley."

Instead of dismay, Buran's expression reflects gratitude – that the old Rath'ani listened to her tale, and that he feels it worthy of further investigation. "Half Valley. I've never been there; where is it?"

"A little north of the Naga Empire, along the shore," the Rath'ani says. "It's a secluded area, sometimes visited by hunters, but for the most part, its people keep to themselves. One reason that Jennendra chose to settle down there; she's retired, and well… " Aski chuckles. "The better your reputation for wisdom in your time, the farther you have to go to keep from being bothered by idle thrill-seekers."

Buran blinks. "What is she… or, rather, was?"

"Ah, in her times, she was a counsel to queens and kings, and an adventurer as well. I met her on a field trip to Lamu, when I was writing a report on the Lacinus that live there," Aski Medes reminisces.

Buran sips her tea and listens.

The Rath'ani shakes his head, coming out of a cloud of memories. "Ah, but any road, Jennandra should be able to tell you some more about your situation. That is, if we can get there. We'll need to hire an airship to take us there… " The Rath'ani starts to look doubtful. "I'm not sure if I'd trust one of those hot-air balloons, and Rephidim was close to Half Valley a while ago but it's moved on somewhat since."

Buran sips at her tea. "Airship travel can be delightful. I'm sure there's a suitable ship to be found… "

Aski Medes looks embarrassed. "The difficulty, dear lit'un, is that I have little or no money by which to charter a trip."

Buran privately reprimands herself for allowing that factor to be forgotten. "I've some saved away," she explains, "that I haven't spent on my little airships. I told myself it'd be useful someday. Surely some of it can be put to use now."

"Hmmm, perhaps so, but private airship charters can be frightfully expensive," the Rath'ani says. "It might be possible to find work on a ship tht would have been going toward the Half Valley area in any case… But could you afford to take so much time away from your work, Buran?"

Buran murmurs quietly, "I'm sure the Temple would say that a few days' leave, or a few weeks', would do me good. They've been concerned about me lately, and I can't blame them, truthfully. Were I in my supervisor's position, I would worry. I will put in a request."

Aski Medes nods. "Very well then, lit'un. I'll have arrangements of my own to make, before I can leave Rephidim for the time this will take, but when you are ready, send me a note, and we'll arrange to meet and depart for Half Valley." He chuckles. "Adventuring again, at my age? Well, perhaps this will be a simple matter after all."

Buran sets the teacup down gently, then rises to go. The Sphynx offers her hand to Aski. "Thank you, sir, for your time. It was very kind of you."

Aski Medes smiles as he stands to take Buran's hand and bow over it. "Promise me, lit'un, that you'll write soon?" His eyes twinkle, despite the dustiness of his surroundings. "You've gotten me quite curious, you see. And I would like to know how this particular tale goes."