Gossip on the Grapevine || Alcmene and Nizar

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For as long and tedious as the days could be—and they could be, given that technically sanctums were on the clock 24/7—Nizar often felt a great relief, being at Azar, in is deep, comforting shadows and faceted rainbow glass that had, more than once, distracted him to the point of only just avoiding breaking a priceless piece of décor, thanks to the quick intervention of his watchful flamen.



Though in truth no less distracted, Nizar right now had his more typical duties. As a new attendant, this often included door-duty, welcoming visitors into the cool shade of Azar to their destinations within the sanctum, a quiet respite from the buzz and energy of Valore. He had met much of the congregation this way, from nobility who rarely paid him a glance to regulars who had begun to remember his name, and he in turn. Usually. Mostly. Okay 2 out of 7 times was pretty good for him. In all fairness though, these past few weeks since Isador’s death had left him heavily sleep-deprived with far too many thoughts at night and not enough time in the day to process them.



“Of course, painting with Flamen Moira is down the left hall—ah, be careful, there’s some construction equipment there, we’re moving it out of the way for the evening,” he explained to a passing elderly Aodhian who was terrifically spry for her age but he still gave her a passing worried glance, as if expecting her to keel over at any moment.



He cleared his throat once she was out of earshot, turning back to the open entrance with a long, cathartic sigh, watching another equine enter. “Ah, good evening, we bid you welcome to Azar. Is there anything I can help you with?”

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WC: 296
Post: #1

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Oh. Nizar watched this new visitor and tried to place their face, tried to remember if he’d seen them before, but came up empty. It didn’t matter much, Nizar saw new, strange faces every day, but if they were a regular, the idea of not acknowledging this made the thrill of anxiety shoot up his spine. Though the idea that they were a regular and he just couldn’t remember nagged at him, he decided, yes, he hadn’t seen them before, and worked off of this idea.



“Uh…” he stammered for half of a second, caught off guard, the nervous, wavering smile apparent in his voice. An… interesting way to ask about talking theology that made his poor little neurons short-circuit for a moment, but as a sanctum attendant, this was his duty, and by now, he’d had stranger requests. “Yes! Yes, of course, uhm—this-this way, please.” He offered with a touch of his teke to their shoulder, his dinner-plate hooves announcing his exact location next to them. “I’m, ah, afraid I’m not quite as learned with the other gods as Flamen Moira, but I can give it my best…! If you want to talk to her though, I’m sure I can arrange something, if you’re willing to wait—“ he was running through his usual scripts for comfort, though he was doing his best to be helpful. He liked to be helpful.



“Do you—“ he started, trailing off and starting again. “Would you like someplace to sit? We’ve plenty of cushions, and lots of private rooms, sanctum’s quite empty at the moment. Construction and all.” He let out a pale, nervous chuckle, smiling lopsided. “From the. Dragon... Attack.”

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WC: 280
Post: #2

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Nizar gave a clipped nod, despite having already realized this new equine couldn’t see very well—a force of nervous habit—and led them through the dim hallways glowing with evening rays, painting the floors in a thousand shards of rainbow light. He enjoyed this time of day most, in Azar, when the drum of the city had quieted and the sanctum was at its most beautiful, he believed. “Ah, you needn’t worry about that here, we’re quite open about the other gods at Azar Sanctum. I’m certainly not about to judge who someone prays to—‘m mostly here so my granddad could keep me out of the Crucible,” he admitted, smiling faintly. “Don’t tell the Flamen,” he joked, leading them into one of the rooms empty of other equines, lined in damask rugs and low cushion against the wall surrounding an unlit brazier for keeping the chill off at night.



“Here, there’s plenty of seats on the wall to your left. Do you—are you hungry, do you want anything to eat or drink? Would only take a moment to get. Though, afraid it’s mostly bread, some vegetables, and a light mead we can offer, I think.” He offered; they didn’t usually offer during the day, but only because often there were many people to attend and little time to devote to one person. With only his chores and this equine to worry about, it seemed only proper to ask. “My name is Nizar, by the way, if you do need anything.”

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WC: 253
Post: #3

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“Uh,” Nizar let out a wavering chuckle, all of his mental scripts thrown off course. “Of course, right down to brass tacks, it seems. Nice to meet you, Alcmene. That’s a very lovely name.” The next laugh that came was more genuine and amused. What an interesting character.

He sat next to her with a great sigh, settling in his large mass. “Ah… well, I’m not sure. I’m afraid I’m rather ignorant of the other deities, save for passing knowledge. Granddad never quite raised me to be terribly religious, but we’ve always done our duties to Ignacio. … Hm.” He ran his teke along his fuzzy jawline.

“Suppose I’ve… never really had any problem with them, I think. Some of the congregation might have a heart attack to hear that from a sanctum attendant,” he smiled, eyes flicking to the doorway as if expecting Flamen Moira to poke her head in at any moment. “Considering their importance to other herds, I think I would feel quite terrible, condemning their most important figure… this new one though, a… sixth, you said? I know so little about them, but the idea is… it’s a bit like being told all your life that ships only sail on the ocean, to find out they can fly in the air. It might be true, but it’s so strange and mind-boggling as to be hard to accept.”


He smiled, shrugging. “But, ah... the world is full of strange things we don’t understand though, hm? What with all this… upheaval these days… Wouldn’t be surprised if there were a new deity now. I just wish I knew more about them, they sound fascinating.” He leaned a little closer, a playful, conspiratory tone in his voice. "Maybe it's about time for a new one, yeh?"

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WC: 297
Post: #4

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This was all so much to take in. Nizar listened intently, as he did when discussing Ignacio, or Kaia, or any of the other gods during normal theological discussions. “She’s… everything and nothing?” He mused aloud, combing his teke back through his brown curls. He let out another long exhale. “What a strange idea… but change. I can certainly understand the appeal. Sometimes change is necessary.”

Tilting his head, he wondered, voice bordering on mumbling, “The kirins seem intent on working in Ignacio’s name… I suppose every god might have… less savory attractors, for one reason or another…”

He looked again to the doorway and finding it empty, he asked, “And how did you learn about Digend? Finding books on a new deity isn’t exactly easy,” he smiled, voice light and playful. “Especially if one is… quite enamored with change, and might want to find ways to learn more about it… or how to… be part of it.” He paused a beat, adding quietly, “… Part of change.”

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WC: 168
Post: #5

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Nizar had a gentle voice. He wasn’t great at addressing crowds, creating volume. But to his advantage, he had soft, tenor tones that made for perfectly expressing his sympathy. “I’m sorry… that sounds awful. That’s something no child should go through…” He frowned, and Alcmene couldn’t see it, but his eyes were large and round and boyish, green and clear.



“You don’t have to talk about what happened to you if you don’t want to... I’d hate to stir up old wounds for you. But… thank you though. That was very brave of you to tell me; that wouldn’t be an easy topic for anyone to broach.”



He shuffled his weight, moving to get more comfortable. “What is it about Digend that draws you the most? What do you like most about Digend, over the other gods?”

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WC: 137
Post: #6

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Nizar could understand feeling betrayed by the other gods at times. There had been more than one occasion, on hard nights with his grandfather, both of them still carrying the ghosts of Nizar’s parents, that Nizar rued Ignacio and wondered why he might grace the royal family, bring blessings to others, and not see fit to visit a grieving father who wanted to see his little girl again.



“I’ve heard death and taxes are the only surefire things in the world, but I think you might be the correct one here,” he smiled gently, lifting himself off of the plush cushion. “I hate to cut this short, but if the flamen catches me sitting around for too long, I might get in trouble. But thank you. Really.” He took pause, eyebrows high. “You’ve given me so much to think about. I’m quite humbled.” He thought to offer his teke to help her to stand, but waited, instead, to see if the help was wanted.



“I really enjoyed this conversation… whether Digend or Ignacio’s doing, I’m glad to have gotten the chance to speak with you. You’ve had a hard life... I hope, if you are being tested, that your trials will end soon. I think if anyone deserved it, it’d be you.”

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WC: 212
Post: #7