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Marietta had spent the day playing on her own. It was nice being on her own. Sometimes people were scary. Though Marietta did miss Sofia. Now that she was prepping to go to things like court she didn’t have time to spend with her friend. She was too busy talking with older people so now she was left behind with only her sisters, Adre, and Eli. But it was fine, Marietta was only a little hurt. But she was really good at playing by herself.
Marietta had been running around all day, picking flowers and playing Dryads. But it was late afternoon and she was getting hungry, so she thought it best that she should go home. That was until she saw another person. This person didn’t look Greek at all! Come to think of it, Eli did mention that he had a tutor from Egypt now. Maybe that was him! Marietta didn’t see Egyptians too often. She knew a little about them from her own tutors, but her tutors were Greek!
How exciting! The child thought to herself. A real Egyptian! They were interesting people from what Marietta could tell. They believed in different gods, which was admittedly really weird. But also they spoke a different language and lived in a place where sand was everywhere. Did this man ever see grass before coming to Greece? And what do Egyptians eat? If it’s so hot there do their crops always die off? Isn’t that called a famine? Is that why Egyptians look so skinny in the drawings?
This was so cool! Despite Marietta’s fear of talking to people, which as time went on was getting worse and worse, she still ran over to the stranger. She tugged on his chiton to get his attention. “Are you Eli’s new tutor?” She asked wide-eyed. “You are, aren’t you? You’re exactly how Eli described you! Oh, oh excuse me. Lord Elias.”
She let go of his chiton and took a step back. She was being far too excitable, which was also fairly rare for the child. She was usually on her best behavior always. But she couldn’t just pass up a chance to talk to someone different! He might have some cool stories! Or he might know why they worship the wrong gods. Her tutor didn’t have an answer to that question, no matter how many times she asked. He just said it was a good question and that he would look it up and get back to her. But he never did. Marietta felt a little lied to.
“You’re from Egypt right?” She asked with amazement. “That’s really cool, sir! Can I ask questions? My tutor doesn’t know a lot about Egypt. He keeps saying he’ll find out the answer but then he never does.”
In her excitement, she realized that she was being horribly impolite! Her mom would be terribly upset if she heard the way Marietta was talking. (And bewildered by her going up to a random adult, so maybe that will cancel each other out.) “I’m sorry, sir. I’m Marietta of Antonis. I’m Eli’s friend!”
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This character is currently a work in progress.
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Marietta had spent the day playing on her own. It was nice being on her own. Sometimes people were scary. Though Marietta did miss Sofia. Now that she was prepping to go to things like court she didn’t have time to spend with her friend. She was too busy talking with older people so now she was left behind with only her sisters, Adre, and Eli. But it was fine, Marietta was only a little hurt. But she was really good at playing by herself.
Marietta had been running around all day, picking flowers and playing Dryads. But it was late afternoon and she was getting hungry, so she thought it best that she should go home. That was until she saw another person. This person didn’t look Greek at all! Come to think of it, Eli did mention that he had a tutor from Egypt now. Maybe that was him! Marietta didn’t see Egyptians too often. She knew a little about them from her own tutors, but her tutors were Greek!
How exciting! The child thought to herself. A real Egyptian! They were interesting people from what Marietta could tell. They believed in different gods, which was admittedly really weird. But also they spoke a different language and lived in a place where sand was everywhere. Did this man ever see grass before coming to Greece? And what do Egyptians eat? If it’s so hot there do their crops always die off? Isn’t that called a famine? Is that why Egyptians look so skinny in the drawings?
This was so cool! Despite Marietta’s fear of talking to people, which as time went on was getting worse and worse, she still ran over to the stranger. She tugged on his chiton to get his attention. “Are you Eli’s new tutor?” She asked wide-eyed. “You are, aren’t you? You’re exactly how Eli described you! Oh, oh excuse me. Lord Elias.”
She let go of his chiton and took a step back. She was being far too excitable, which was also fairly rare for the child. She was usually on her best behavior always. But she couldn’t just pass up a chance to talk to someone different! He might have some cool stories! Or he might know why they worship the wrong gods. Her tutor didn’t have an answer to that question, no matter how many times she asked. He just said it was a good question and that he would look it up and get back to her. But he never did. Marietta felt a little lied to.
“You’re from Egypt right?” She asked with amazement. “That’s really cool, sir! Can I ask questions? My tutor doesn’t know a lot about Egypt. He keeps saying he’ll find out the answer but then he never does.”
In her excitement, she realized that she was being horribly impolite! Her mom would be terribly upset if she heard the way Marietta was talking. (And bewildered by her going up to a random adult, so maybe that will cancel each other out.) “I’m sorry, sir. I’m Marietta of Antonis. I’m Eli’s friend!”
Marietta had spent the day playing on her own. It was nice being on her own. Sometimes people were scary. Though Marietta did miss Sofia. Now that she was prepping to go to things like court she didn’t have time to spend with her friend. She was too busy talking with older people so now she was left behind with only her sisters, Adre, and Eli. But it was fine, Marietta was only a little hurt. But she was really good at playing by herself.
Marietta had been running around all day, picking flowers and playing Dryads. But it was late afternoon and she was getting hungry, so she thought it best that she should go home. That was until she saw another person. This person didn’t look Greek at all! Come to think of it, Eli did mention that he had a tutor from Egypt now. Maybe that was him! Marietta didn’t see Egyptians too often. She knew a little about them from her own tutors, but her tutors were Greek!
How exciting! The child thought to herself. A real Egyptian! They were interesting people from what Marietta could tell. They believed in different gods, which was admittedly really weird. But also they spoke a different language and lived in a place where sand was everywhere. Did this man ever see grass before coming to Greece? And what do Egyptians eat? If it’s so hot there do their crops always die off? Isn’t that called a famine? Is that why Egyptians look so skinny in the drawings?
This was so cool! Despite Marietta’s fear of talking to people, which as time went on was getting worse and worse, she still ran over to the stranger. She tugged on his chiton to get his attention. “Are you Eli’s new tutor?” She asked wide-eyed. “You are, aren’t you? You’re exactly how Eli described you! Oh, oh excuse me. Lord Elias.”
She let go of his chiton and took a step back. She was being far too excitable, which was also fairly rare for the child. She was usually on her best behavior always. But she couldn’t just pass up a chance to talk to someone different! He might have some cool stories! Or he might know why they worship the wrong gods. Her tutor didn’t have an answer to that question, no matter how many times she asked. He just said it was a good question and that he would look it up and get back to her. But he never did. Marietta felt a little lied to.
“You’re from Egypt right?” She asked with amazement. “That’s really cool, sir! Can I ask questions? My tutor doesn’t know a lot about Egypt. He keeps saying he’ll find out the answer but then he never does.”
In her excitement, she realized that she was being horribly impolite! Her mom would be terribly upset if she heard the way Marietta was talking. (And bewildered by her going up to a random adult, so maybe that will cancel each other out.) “I’m sorry, sir. I’m Marietta of Antonis. I’m Eli’s friend!”
Zander found himself with a few precious moments between private tutoring sessions, and as such he made his way to one of his favorite spots at an intersections of Inner Circle streets.
Shaded by a large fruit tree and quartered by marvelously carved marble benches, it had been placed there likely as a small meeting place within the neighborhood. More than once as he walked these streets, he had seen beautiful noblewomen resting beneath the shade, their handmaidens adjusting the elegant golden or amber braids that had fallen loose from their pins, or sampling the golden fruit that ripened in the sun.
Usually, the scholar would simply dip his head to them politely and keep on his way. Despite the accolades and respected reputation that he had formed, he was still an Egyptian - worth just a few stares and whispers until he had passed and they moved on to the topics that fascinated women of a certain social standing.
At that moment, though, the space stood empty. The cooler temperatures seemed to have driven most of the Inner Circle residents inside. Few passed him as they usually did. So, he took advantage of that moment to step beneath the branches of the tree, noting the speckles of sunlight that danced across some of the fallen leaves.
Zander took a moment to lift the leather band of his satchel from over his shoulder with a slight sense of relief - until the seam that connected it to the pouch properly finally relieved itself of duty and separated completely. His hand scrambled almost comically to keep the pouch from dumping all of the parchments across the cobbled stones. Sighing in relief, he examined the offending strap, his scowl deepening a moment as his lips nearly formed a soft curse.
The bag was old, a gift from a colleague as he achieved his position as a junior lecturer within the University. It had served its time and had been aging quite terribly for the past several years or so. Retirement would serve it well, but that meant he would need to purchase another in the days to come in order to keep his students' work safe from the sudden rains.
Midway through the motion of moving to sit, he felt a tug at his chiton, and he looked over his shoulder, brows raising and pressing curious lines across his forehead towards the band at his hairline. As he set the satchel on the bench, he straightened and turned to her, nearly answering her question twice before the young noble girl managed to answer it before he could speak. Instead, a huff of a laugh escaped his nose and he could not help but smile.
"I am," he finally affirmed, dipping into a short bow as she took a step back to allow for it, he supposed. "Master Zander, with the Scholeío. A pleasure, Lady...?"
It seemed that her questions were far more important than introductions. Many other tutors would scowl at such things, but always an oddity, Zander found it more amusing and endearing than anything. He loved it when children wanted to actually ask questions - those were his favorite types of students, the curious ones, as opposed to the ones who would rather hit him while playing soldier than use a stylus for it's intended purpose.
It was the same, as well, when it came to those who asked him about his origins. While it annoyed him to no end when full grown adults asked him if he was Egyptian, and usually resulted in a sharp, sarcastic remark that often set a poor tone for a new friendship. That was fine, though - if they were stupid enough to ask that question then they lacked the intelligence to enjoy his company.
Children, like this girl, almost always asked questions with pure intentions and curiosity.
"Ah, we tutors do that a lot, don't we?" He laughed, shifting to sit down at the furthest end of the marble bench and gesturing for her to sit at the corner of the adjacent one. His eyes immediately scanned around the nearly-bare streets. He could practically hear the tittering of scandalized women from the windows.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Marietta," he greeted, properly, with a smile. "Now, let me see....yes, I am Lord Elias' tutor, yes, I am of Egypt originally, though I have lived here since I was nearly your age, and yes, you may ask as a many questions as you like until...."
The scholar glanced down and pointed at the shadow of the tree as it stretched across the cobblestones, "Until the shadow reaches the corner of that home, then I must go answer other questions."
...for coin.
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This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
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Zander found himself with a few precious moments between private tutoring sessions, and as such he made his way to one of his favorite spots at an intersections of Inner Circle streets.
Shaded by a large fruit tree and quartered by marvelously carved marble benches, it had been placed there likely as a small meeting place within the neighborhood. More than once as he walked these streets, he had seen beautiful noblewomen resting beneath the shade, their handmaidens adjusting the elegant golden or amber braids that had fallen loose from their pins, or sampling the golden fruit that ripened in the sun.
Usually, the scholar would simply dip his head to them politely and keep on his way. Despite the accolades and respected reputation that he had formed, he was still an Egyptian - worth just a few stares and whispers until he had passed and they moved on to the topics that fascinated women of a certain social standing.
At that moment, though, the space stood empty. The cooler temperatures seemed to have driven most of the Inner Circle residents inside. Few passed him as they usually did. So, he took advantage of that moment to step beneath the branches of the tree, noting the speckles of sunlight that danced across some of the fallen leaves.
Zander took a moment to lift the leather band of his satchel from over his shoulder with a slight sense of relief - until the seam that connected it to the pouch properly finally relieved itself of duty and separated completely. His hand scrambled almost comically to keep the pouch from dumping all of the parchments across the cobbled stones. Sighing in relief, he examined the offending strap, his scowl deepening a moment as his lips nearly formed a soft curse.
The bag was old, a gift from a colleague as he achieved his position as a junior lecturer within the University. It had served its time and had been aging quite terribly for the past several years or so. Retirement would serve it well, but that meant he would need to purchase another in the days to come in order to keep his students' work safe from the sudden rains.
Midway through the motion of moving to sit, he felt a tug at his chiton, and he looked over his shoulder, brows raising and pressing curious lines across his forehead towards the band at his hairline. As he set the satchel on the bench, he straightened and turned to her, nearly answering her question twice before the young noble girl managed to answer it before he could speak. Instead, a huff of a laugh escaped his nose and he could not help but smile.
"I am," he finally affirmed, dipping into a short bow as she took a step back to allow for it, he supposed. "Master Zander, with the Scholeío. A pleasure, Lady...?"
It seemed that her questions were far more important than introductions. Many other tutors would scowl at such things, but always an oddity, Zander found it more amusing and endearing than anything. He loved it when children wanted to actually ask questions - those were his favorite types of students, the curious ones, as opposed to the ones who would rather hit him while playing soldier than use a stylus for it's intended purpose.
It was the same, as well, when it came to those who asked him about his origins. While it annoyed him to no end when full grown adults asked him if he was Egyptian, and usually resulted in a sharp, sarcastic remark that often set a poor tone for a new friendship. That was fine, though - if they were stupid enough to ask that question then they lacked the intelligence to enjoy his company.
Children, like this girl, almost always asked questions with pure intentions and curiosity.
"Ah, we tutors do that a lot, don't we?" He laughed, shifting to sit down at the furthest end of the marble bench and gesturing for her to sit at the corner of the adjacent one. His eyes immediately scanned around the nearly-bare streets. He could practically hear the tittering of scandalized women from the windows.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Marietta," he greeted, properly, with a smile. "Now, let me see....yes, I am Lord Elias' tutor, yes, I am of Egypt originally, though I have lived here since I was nearly your age, and yes, you may ask as a many questions as you like until...."
The scholar glanced down and pointed at the shadow of the tree as it stretched across the cobblestones, "Until the shadow reaches the corner of that home, then I must go answer other questions."
...for coin.
Zander found himself with a few precious moments between private tutoring sessions, and as such he made his way to one of his favorite spots at an intersections of Inner Circle streets.
Shaded by a large fruit tree and quartered by marvelously carved marble benches, it had been placed there likely as a small meeting place within the neighborhood. More than once as he walked these streets, he had seen beautiful noblewomen resting beneath the shade, their handmaidens adjusting the elegant golden or amber braids that had fallen loose from their pins, or sampling the golden fruit that ripened in the sun.
Usually, the scholar would simply dip his head to them politely and keep on his way. Despite the accolades and respected reputation that he had formed, he was still an Egyptian - worth just a few stares and whispers until he had passed and they moved on to the topics that fascinated women of a certain social standing.
At that moment, though, the space stood empty. The cooler temperatures seemed to have driven most of the Inner Circle residents inside. Few passed him as they usually did. So, he took advantage of that moment to step beneath the branches of the tree, noting the speckles of sunlight that danced across some of the fallen leaves.
Zander took a moment to lift the leather band of his satchel from over his shoulder with a slight sense of relief - until the seam that connected it to the pouch properly finally relieved itself of duty and separated completely. His hand scrambled almost comically to keep the pouch from dumping all of the parchments across the cobbled stones. Sighing in relief, he examined the offending strap, his scowl deepening a moment as his lips nearly formed a soft curse.
The bag was old, a gift from a colleague as he achieved his position as a junior lecturer within the University. It had served its time and had been aging quite terribly for the past several years or so. Retirement would serve it well, but that meant he would need to purchase another in the days to come in order to keep his students' work safe from the sudden rains.
Midway through the motion of moving to sit, he felt a tug at his chiton, and he looked over his shoulder, brows raising and pressing curious lines across his forehead towards the band at his hairline. As he set the satchel on the bench, he straightened and turned to her, nearly answering her question twice before the young noble girl managed to answer it before he could speak. Instead, a huff of a laugh escaped his nose and he could not help but smile.
"I am," he finally affirmed, dipping into a short bow as she took a step back to allow for it, he supposed. "Master Zander, with the Scholeío. A pleasure, Lady...?"
It seemed that her questions were far more important than introductions. Many other tutors would scowl at such things, but always an oddity, Zander found it more amusing and endearing than anything. He loved it when children wanted to actually ask questions - those were his favorite types of students, the curious ones, as opposed to the ones who would rather hit him while playing soldier than use a stylus for it's intended purpose.
It was the same, as well, when it came to those who asked him about his origins. While it annoyed him to no end when full grown adults asked him if he was Egyptian, and usually resulted in a sharp, sarcastic remark that often set a poor tone for a new friendship. That was fine, though - if they were stupid enough to ask that question then they lacked the intelligence to enjoy his company.
Children, like this girl, almost always asked questions with pure intentions and curiosity.
"Ah, we tutors do that a lot, don't we?" He laughed, shifting to sit down at the furthest end of the marble bench and gesturing for her to sit at the corner of the adjacent one. His eyes immediately scanned around the nearly-bare streets. He could practically hear the tittering of scandalized women from the windows.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Marietta," he greeted, properly, with a smile. "Now, let me see....yes, I am Lord Elias' tutor, yes, I am of Egypt originally, though I have lived here since I was nearly your age, and yes, you may ask as a many questions as you like until...."
The scholar glanced down and pointed at the shadow of the tree as it stretched across the cobblestones, "Until the shadow reaches the corner of that home, then I must go answer other questions."
...for coin.
Marietta had better ask quickly then! Shadows could go by so fast. And also, she was late for her mom. But her mom would understand. Marietta was learning after all. Marietta happily sat on the corner of the bench and look at the man with a wide smile. This was her moment. She didn’t have to wait for ages for her tutor to come up with answers. For being part of the Scholeio her tutor was really slow with researching answers. But she supposed Egypt wasn’t his specialty.
“Um, well I tried reading lots of books on Egypt. But we don’t have too many books at my home.” Marietta said glumly. “And I’m too young to go to the university library yet.” Sometimes she’d get her cousins to look up things… well more she’d get them to agree and they’d never do it. But it was progress. “But we have a book on the gods! And it’s really cool! I asked my tutor once if they actually existed, or maybe they were the same gods with different names!” Marietta’s voice dropped to a whisper, “But my tutor got really mad at that question. I got in a lot of trouble. So I haven’t asked again.”
She tilted her head, perking back up. “But some of the gods seemed really similar. Like Isis and Demeter, Ra and Zeus, and Hathor and Aphrodite! Even Sekemet and Ares were super similar. So… I was just wondering if they were different, or if it’s secretly the Greek gods helping Egyptians.” Marietta swung her feet a little bit, and she looked nervous. She didn’t want him to get mad too for her thoughts. It was weird, wasn’t it? “I just thought… it’s mean if the gods only care about the Greeks right? I mean… Egyptians are people too, aren’t they?”
Or were Greeks superior? Marietta didn’t know. But this stranger seemed nice. Elias was so, so lucky. Marietta wanted to convince her dad to hire this man too. It would be fun! Then she wouldn’t have to worry about the sun was and ask all the questions she really wanted to know.
“But maybe I’m wrong. Because all the genders are all mixed up. Like Gaia is a woman here and Geb is a man there… but their names are close too!” Marietta was so confused. She wished her tutor just answered instead of saying that she wasn’t giving the Greek gods the proper respect. She didn’t know how she was being mean to the greek gods. She was just asking questions…
“And what does fertility mean? That’s what… Hathor does right? But is it… like how Demeter does harvest or does it mean babies?” Marietta wrinkled her nose. “Things don’t grow in Egypt do they? My tutor told me there was only sand. You need dirt to make things grow! My mom likes to tease me because apparently when I was four I tried to plant olives on the beach and I cried because they didn’t do anything.” But Marietta was four, you couldn’t blame her!
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Marietta had better ask quickly then! Shadows could go by so fast. And also, she was late for her mom. But her mom would understand. Marietta was learning after all. Marietta happily sat on the corner of the bench and look at the man with a wide smile. This was her moment. She didn’t have to wait for ages for her tutor to come up with answers. For being part of the Scholeio her tutor was really slow with researching answers. But she supposed Egypt wasn’t his specialty.
“Um, well I tried reading lots of books on Egypt. But we don’t have too many books at my home.” Marietta said glumly. “And I’m too young to go to the university library yet.” Sometimes she’d get her cousins to look up things… well more she’d get them to agree and they’d never do it. But it was progress. “But we have a book on the gods! And it’s really cool! I asked my tutor once if they actually existed, or maybe they were the same gods with different names!” Marietta’s voice dropped to a whisper, “But my tutor got really mad at that question. I got in a lot of trouble. So I haven’t asked again.”
She tilted her head, perking back up. “But some of the gods seemed really similar. Like Isis and Demeter, Ra and Zeus, and Hathor and Aphrodite! Even Sekemet and Ares were super similar. So… I was just wondering if they were different, or if it’s secretly the Greek gods helping Egyptians.” Marietta swung her feet a little bit, and she looked nervous. She didn’t want him to get mad too for her thoughts. It was weird, wasn’t it? “I just thought… it’s mean if the gods only care about the Greeks right? I mean… Egyptians are people too, aren’t they?”
Or were Greeks superior? Marietta didn’t know. But this stranger seemed nice. Elias was so, so lucky. Marietta wanted to convince her dad to hire this man too. It would be fun! Then she wouldn’t have to worry about the sun was and ask all the questions she really wanted to know.
“But maybe I’m wrong. Because all the genders are all mixed up. Like Gaia is a woman here and Geb is a man there… but their names are close too!” Marietta was so confused. She wished her tutor just answered instead of saying that she wasn’t giving the Greek gods the proper respect. She didn’t know how she was being mean to the greek gods. She was just asking questions…
“And what does fertility mean? That’s what… Hathor does right? But is it… like how Demeter does harvest or does it mean babies?” Marietta wrinkled her nose. “Things don’t grow in Egypt do they? My tutor told me there was only sand. You need dirt to make things grow! My mom likes to tease me because apparently when I was four I tried to plant olives on the beach and I cried because they didn’t do anything.” But Marietta was four, you couldn’t blame her!
Marietta had better ask quickly then! Shadows could go by so fast. And also, she was late for her mom. But her mom would understand. Marietta was learning after all. Marietta happily sat on the corner of the bench and look at the man with a wide smile. This was her moment. She didn’t have to wait for ages for her tutor to come up with answers. For being part of the Scholeio her tutor was really slow with researching answers. But she supposed Egypt wasn’t his specialty.
“Um, well I tried reading lots of books on Egypt. But we don’t have too many books at my home.” Marietta said glumly. “And I’m too young to go to the university library yet.” Sometimes she’d get her cousins to look up things… well more she’d get them to agree and they’d never do it. But it was progress. “But we have a book on the gods! And it’s really cool! I asked my tutor once if they actually existed, or maybe they were the same gods with different names!” Marietta’s voice dropped to a whisper, “But my tutor got really mad at that question. I got in a lot of trouble. So I haven’t asked again.”
She tilted her head, perking back up. “But some of the gods seemed really similar. Like Isis and Demeter, Ra and Zeus, and Hathor and Aphrodite! Even Sekemet and Ares were super similar. So… I was just wondering if they were different, or if it’s secretly the Greek gods helping Egyptians.” Marietta swung her feet a little bit, and she looked nervous. She didn’t want him to get mad too for her thoughts. It was weird, wasn’t it? “I just thought… it’s mean if the gods only care about the Greeks right? I mean… Egyptians are people too, aren’t they?”
Or were Greeks superior? Marietta didn’t know. But this stranger seemed nice. Elias was so, so lucky. Marietta wanted to convince her dad to hire this man too. It would be fun! Then she wouldn’t have to worry about the sun was and ask all the questions she really wanted to know.
“But maybe I’m wrong. Because all the genders are all mixed up. Like Gaia is a woman here and Geb is a man there… but their names are close too!” Marietta was so confused. She wished her tutor just answered instead of saying that she wasn’t giving the Greek gods the proper respect. She didn’t know how she was being mean to the greek gods. She was just asking questions…
“And what does fertility mean? That’s what… Hathor does right? But is it… like how Demeter does harvest or does it mean babies?” Marietta wrinkled her nose. “Things don’t grow in Egypt do they? My tutor told me there was only sand. You need dirt to make things grow! My mom likes to tease me because apparently when I was four I tried to plant olives on the beach and I cried because they didn’t do anything.” But Marietta was four, you couldn’t blame her!
Oh, the wonders of a curious mind. The moment she began speaking he instantly felt sorry for the girl. It would be unlikely that many would come to respect a young woman who would ask questions deeper than the interest of home economics. How old could she have been, ten or eleven? Children, he found, often had moments where they reached beyond their years - not to say that they lost their youth and desire to play. Still, if curiosities like this were cut too short, it would be like cutting short the stems of a plant, never allowing it to grow enough to bloom.
Zander absolutely understood the hesitation that Lady Marietta's tutor had when talking or even considering gods outside of the Greek Pantheon. Many believed it sacrilegious to potentially acknowledge gods beyond the Greek shores. It made sense. The gods and goddesses he knew and worshipped here were far more human in nature than the gods of his homeland - they were highly involved in the lives of mortals, and unpredictably so. Anything could set them off. Entire wars had started and ended because a god or goddess had been offended. No one ever wanted to be responsible for such a thing. So, he did not blame the tutor for stymying such talk...
...but, he was pleased to find that he was not the only one to consider things like this. Even if his new companion was many, many years from being able to fully comprehend such things as theology. So, he could allow for some adjustments, he supposed.
The young noble girl seemed to whip herself up into a flurry of her own questions, and after the first few attempts he made to intercede and answer the questions as they came up, he resigned himself to seeing if she would ever stop in her own line of questioning to wait for an answer - or run out of breath first.
He ended up leaning forward, perching his elbows onto his knees for a second and folding his hands before him. Just when he thought he would get a word in edgewise, as the girl asked about 'fertility' of all things, he began to gesture with a hand, but she continued, and he readjusted to let his chin rest in his perched hand as he watched her go on and on.
Finally, a moment of quiet fell between them, and he let it linger for a second before finally taking his turn to speak.
"You understand why many would not want to talk about such things, don't you?" He asked, raising a brow at her. It might have sounded like a dismissal at first, but his expression was far too soft for that to be the case. "Still, you are right to consider these thoughts, even if you may not ever find an answer spoken aloud by another person, for fear of divine retribution. It is not the sort of thing that you can talk to just anyone about..." It was a slight warning, but then again, having had a foot in both worlds gave him some personal leniency.
"With that being said," he started, the scholarly spark in his eye leading a slight smirk, "You do make some fair points. Very clever of you to note the similarities. As for an answer...or a point of consideration, I would say...."
He huffed a slight breath through his nose and sat upright again, glancing down the way, still thankful that there were not too many others around. There would be at least a touch of forgiveness for the strange company he kept, as he wore his scholars himation stole over his shoulder and pinned with his Scholeio fibulae. If anyone asked, he was simply doing his duty.
"Where I come from looks and feels very different than Athenia," he started, eyes somewhat sightless on the horizon as he painted a picture of his home, Thebes, in his mind. "Imagine gold and orange sands as far as the eye can see, off to the horizon. No hills or trees as you look away from the city. Just a river carving its way across and bringing with it the only touches of color you can see. We do not live off the sea the way you do here, nor do we have mountains full of jewels and stones the way you do here. The land, the people, everything is so strikingly different in every way." He did his best to paint a picture with his words, much as he did when elaborating on the histories he told in the scholeio forums.
"Yet, 'Egyptians are people too', as you said," he replied, mimicking her words to validate her thoughts, "And, long, long before Greece or Egypt knew the other existed, their people wanted for the same things - food, water, love, protection, the sun, safe passage into the afterlife. Poseidon carries Greek ships safely across a sea that the Egyptians rarely use - thus, they do not have a god of the sea the way we have Poseidon. On the same hand, the Nile does not hold importance to the Greeks - for them it is just a river. For the Egyptians, it is the source of life and the waters are important in the passage to the afterlife. So...who is to say that different gods were drawn to different lands to care for the needs of the people who lived there?"
He offered the idea with a large shrug. This was definitively where his thoughts differed than many of his cohorts, and most citizens of either realm. Yet, in his experience, he had seen evidence of the gods presence in both places.
As a person, Zander knew the precarious position he as in - believing in gods of different realms. How could he not, though?
Yet, that was for him personally - and such thoughts could easily get this unwitting young girl into trouble.
"Being from Greece," he added, "The gods of Olympus will show you favor far more than they would ever show me, Lady Marietta, despite any dedication I may offer to them. I am in their realm, and it has been my home all these years, so it would be wrong for me not to respect that. As such, your tutor is right - you must always be very careful not to offend them and to remain pious in their worship. You belong to them."
That was not to say that part of his heart still belonged to the gods of Egypt, but there was no need to add layers and layers onto the conversation beyond this.
Zander watched the girl's expression carefully, thinking back over all that he said. He likely did not answer her questions as thoroughly as she wanted - and pointedly missed out on explaining fertility to the girl at all costs - but he felt that at least some of it she would understand.
Glancing down at the shadow stretching across the street, he smirked, "You have time for three questions, I would say. Three short questions, one at a time please."
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Oh, the wonders of a curious mind. The moment she began speaking he instantly felt sorry for the girl. It would be unlikely that many would come to respect a young woman who would ask questions deeper than the interest of home economics. How old could she have been, ten or eleven? Children, he found, often had moments where they reached beyond their years - not to say that they lost their youth and desire to play. Still, if curiosities like this were cut too short, it would be like cutting short the stems of a plant, never allowing it to grow enough to bloom.
Zander absolutely understood the hesitation that Lady Marietta's tutor had when talking or even considering gods outside of the Greek Pantheon. Many believed it sacrilegious to potentially acknowledge gods beyond the Greek shores. It made sense. The gods and goddesses he knew and worshipped here were far more human in nature than the gods of his homeland - they were highly involved in the lives of mortals, and unpredictably so. Anything could set them off. Entire wars had started and ended because a god or goddess had been offended. No one ever wanted to be responsible for such a thing. So, he did not blame the tutor for stymying such talk...
...but, he was pleased to find that he was not the only one to consider things like this. Even if his new companion was many, many years from being able to fully comprehend such things as theology. So, he could allow for some adjustments, he supposed.
The young noble girl seemed to whip herself up into a flurry of her own questions, and after the first few attempts he made to intercede and answer the questions as they came up, he resigned himself to seeing if she would ever stop in her own line of questioning to wait for an answer - or run out of breath first.
He ended up leaning forward, perching his elbows onto his knees for a second and folding his hands before him. Just when he thought he would get a word in edgewise, as the girl asked about 'fertility' of all things, he began to gesture with a hand, but she continued, and he readjusted to let his chin rest in his perched hand as he watched her go on and on.
Finally, a moment of quiet fell between them, and he let it linger for a second before finally taking his turn to speak.
"You understand why many would not want to talk about such things, don't you?" He asked, raising a brow at her. It might have sounded like a dismissal at first, but his expression was far too soft for that to be the case. "Still, you are right to consider these thoughts, even if you may not ever find an answer spoken aloud by another person, for fear of divine retribution. It is not the sort of thing that you can talk to just anyone about..." It was a slight warning, but then again, having had a foot in both worlds gave him some personal leniency.
"With that being said," he started, the scholarly spark in his eye leading a slight smirk, "You do make some fair points. Very clever of you to note the similarities. As for an answer...or a point of consideration, I would say...."
He huffed a slight breath through his nose and sat upright again, glancing down the way, still thankful that there were not too many others around. There would be at least a touch of forgiveness for the strange company he kept, as he wore his scholars himation stole over his shoulder and pinned with his Scholeio fibulae. If anyone asked, he was simply doing his duty.
"Where I come from looks and feels very different than Athenia," he started, eyes somewhat sightless on the horizon as he painted a picture of his home, Thebes, in his mind. "Imagine gold and orange sands as far as the eye can see, off to the horizon. No hills or trees as you look away from the city. Just a river carving its way across and bringing with it the only touches of color you can see. We do not live off the sea the way you do here, nor do we have mountains full of jewels and stones the way you do here. The land, the people, everything is so strikingly different in every way." He did his best to paint a picture with his words, much as he did when elaborating on the histories he told in the scholeio forums.
"Yet, 'Egyptians are people too', as you said," he replied, mimicking her words to validate her thoughts, "And, long, long before Greece or Egypt knew the other existed, their people wanted for the same things - food, water, love, protection, the sun, safe passage into the afterlife. Poseidon carries Greek ships safely across a sea that the Egyptians rarely use - thus, they do not have a god of the sea the way we have Poseidon. On the same hand, the Nile does not hold importance to the Greeks - for them it is just a river. For the Egyptians, it is the source of life and the waters are important in the passage to the afterlife. So...who is to say that different gods were drawn to different lands to care for the needs of the people who lived there?"
He offered the idea with a large shrug. This was definitively where his thoughts differed than many of his cohorts, and most citizens of either realm. Yet, in his experience, he had seen evidence of the gods presence in both places.
As a person, Zander knew the precarious position he as in - believing in gods of different realms. How could he not, though?
Yet, that was for him personally - and such thoughts could easily get this unwitting young girl into trouble.
"Being from Greece," he added, "The gods of Olympus will show you favor far more than they would ever show me, Lady Marietta, despite any dedication I may offer to them. I am in their realm, and it has been my home all these years, so it would be wrong for me not to respect that. As such, your tutor is right - you must always be very careful not to offend them and to remain pious in their worship. You belong to them."
That was not to say that part of his heart still belonged to the gods of Egypt, but there was no need to add layers and layers onto the conversation beyond this.
Zander watched the girl's expression carefully, thinking back over all that he said. He likely did not answer her questions as thoroughly as she wanted - and pointedly missed out on explaining fertility to the girl at all costs - but he felt that at least some of it she would understand.
Glancing down at the shadow stretching across the street, he smirked, "You have time for three questions, I would say. Three short questions, one at a time please."
Oh, the wonders of a curious mind. The moment she began speaking he instantly felt sorry for the girl. It would be unlikely that many would come to respect a young woman who would ask questions deeper than the interest of home economics. How old could she have been, ten or eleven? Children, he found, often had moments where they reached beyond their years - not to say that they lost their youth and desire to play. Still, if curiosities like this were cut too short, it would be like cutting short the stems of a plant, never allowing it to grow enough to bloom.
Zander absolutely understood the hesitation that Lady Marietta's tutor had when talking or even considering gods outside of the Greek Pantheon. Many believed it sacrilegious to potentially acknowledge gods beyond the Greek shores. It made sense. The gods and goddesses he knew and worshipped here were far more human in nature than the gods of his homeland - they were highly involved in the lives of mortals, and unpredictably so. Anything could set them off. Entire wars had started and ended because a god or goddess had been offended. No one ever wanted to be responsible for such a thing. So, he did not blame the tutor for stymying such talk...
...but, he was pleased to find that he was not the only one to consider things like this. Even if his new companion was many, many years from being able to fully comprehend such things as theology. So, he could allow for some adjustments, he supposed.
The young noble girl seemed to whip herself up into a flurry of her own questions, and after the first few attempts he made to intercede and answer the questions as they came up, he resigned himself to seeing if she would ever stop in her own line of questioning to wait for an answer - or run out of breath first.
He ended up leaning forward, perching his elbows onto his knees for a second and folding his hands before him. Just when he thought he would get a word in edgewise, as the girl asked about 'fertility' of all things, he began to gesture with a hand, but she continued, and he readjusted to let his chin rest in his perched hand as he watched her go on and on.
Finally, a moment of quiet fell between them, and he let it linger for a second before finally taking his turn to speak.
"You understand why many would not want to talk about such things, don't you?" He asked, raising a brow at her. It might have sounded like a dismissal at first, but his expression was far too soft for that to be the case. "Still, you are right to consider these thoughts, even if you may not ever find an answer spoken aloud by another person, for fear of divine retribution. It is not the sort of thing that you can talk to just anyone about..." It was a slight warning, but then again, having had a foot in both worlds gave him some personal leniency.
"With that being said," he started, the scholarly spark in his eye leading a slight smirk, "You do make some fair points. Very clever of you to note the similarities. As for an answer...or a point of consideration, I would say...."
He huffed a slight breath through his nose and sat upright again, glancing down the way, still thankful that there were not too many others around. There would be at least a touch of forgiveness for the strange company he kept, as he wore his scholars himation stole over his shoulder and pinned with his Scholeio fibulae. If anyone asked, he was simply doing his duty.
"Where I come from looks and feels very different than Athenia," he started, eyes somewhat sightless on the horizon as he painted a picture of his home, Thebes, in his mind. "Imagine gold and orange sands as far as the eye can see, off to the horizon. No hills or trees as you look away from the city. Just a river carving its way across and bringing with it the only touches of color you can see. We do not live off the sea the way you do here, nor do we have mountains full of jewels and stones the way you do here. The land, the people, everything is so strikingly different in every way." He did his best to paint a picture with his words, much as he did when elaborating on the histories he told in the scholeio forums.
"Yet, 'Egyptians are people too', as you said," he replied, mimicking her words to validate her thoughts, "And, long, long before Greece or Egypt knew the other existed, their people wanted for the same things - food, water, love, protection, the sun, safe passage into the afterlife. Poseidon carries Greek ships safely across a sea that the Egyptians rarely use - thus, they do not have a god of the sea the way we have Poseidon. On the same hand, the Nile does not hold importance to the Greeks - for them it is just a river. For the Egyptians, it is the source of life and the waters are important in the passage to the afterlife. So...who is to say that different gods were drawn to different lands to care for the needs of the people who lived there?"
He offered the idea with a large shrug. This was definitively where his thoughts differed than many of his cohorts, and most citizens of either realm. Yet, in his experience, he had seen evidence of the gods presence in both places.
As a person, Zander knew the precarious position he as in - believing in gods of different realms. How could he not, though?
Yet, that was for him personally - and such thoughts could easily get this unwitting young girl into trouble.
"Being from Greece," he added, "The gods of Olympus will show you favor far more than they would ever show me, Lady Marietta, despite any dedication I may offer to them. I am in their realm, and it has been my home all these years, so it would be wrong for me not to respect that. As such, your tutor is right - you must always be very careful not to offend them and to remain pious in their worship. You belong to them."
That was not to say that part of his heart still belonged to the gods of Egypt, but there was no need to add layers and layers onto the conversation beyond this.
Zander watched the girl's expression carefully, thinking back over all that he said. He likely did not answer her questions as thoroughly as she wanted - and pointedly missed out on explaining fertility to the girl at all costs - but he felt that at least some of it she would understand.
Glancing down at the shadow stretching across the street, he smirked, "You have time for three questions, I would say. Three short questions, one at a time please."
So there really was just sand in Egypt? No hills? No trees? Wow! That must be beautiful. Marietta really wanted to go see. Maybe her father would take her there one day. And one river that carved through Egypt? Was it that Egypt was really tiny or was the river really, really big? The way the man described Egypt was more picturesque than her tutor ever did. Her eyes widen at just the thought, imagining a beach but bigger and golden.
How did they walk? Marietta wondered. The sand gets so hot. Marietta couldn’t take off her shoes when she was on the beach. She’d have to jump around like a maniac and run to shade. But if there were no trees in Egypt, did that mean there was no shade?
But then it was like a tiny explosion that happened in Marietta’s mind. Who is to say that different gods were drawn to different lands to care for the needs of the people who lived there? This was what Marietta was thinking! There were other gods, right! Because the Olympians were the Greek’s, but that didn’t mean other people were godless right? That would be sad and unfair. But it would also be unfair to the Olympians if they had to care for everyone. Right?
But he kept going after that and her eyes widen. She didn’t want to offend the Olympians. She loved them! They were her gods! She prayed to them every night just like her father and mother told her to. She thanked Demeter for her bounty when there were harvest festivals, dedicated her new music to Apollo, prayed to Ares when her Uncle and cousins went to the north for disputes, asked Athena to help her when she was lost in her teachings, and everything a good Greek would do. Marietta would never ever purposefully offend the gods. And if asking these types of questions means hurting their feelings she would be extra careful not to ask these sort of things in the future.
But then he continued and reminded her of the shadow. Oh no! She could only ask three questions? There wasn’t enough time. Marietta had a million questions now. All about the Egyptian gods and Egypt in general! This man was so smart and he had experience most people didn’t have. None of her tutors went to Egypt. And this man was from it.
Marietta looked down and furrowed her eyebrow, deep in thought. Her feet continued to swing back and forth as if still carefree, but her face contrasted this notion. It was deep in thought. Every second mattered. So that means that she only had three questions that could solve every musing in her head. She couldn’t waste this opportunity.
“Okay!” Marietta said, lighting up. “I got it! First question. Egypt has something different than a king right? It’s like a king but it isn’t? My tutor called it a funny thing. But anyway. My tutor said it’s not real, but your king says they’re a god? I guess… if it’s not real and the Egyptians are wrong, then why do they believe that it’s real? They can’t do magic right? He can’t turn into animals or anything, right?” Marietta tilted her head. If she walked up and shouted that she was a god, the real gods would get mad. And no one would believe her. But in Egypt, a person can do that and be a king? “What stops someone else claiming they’re a real god and taking the crown? It seems silly.”
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
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So there really was just sand in Egypt? No hills? No trees? Wow! That must be beautiful. Marietta really wanted to go see. Maybe her father would take her there one day. And one river that carved through Egypt? Was it that Egypt was really tiny or was the river really, really big? The way the man described Egypt was more picturesque than her tutor ever did. Her eyes widen at just the thought, imagining a beach but bigger and golden.
How did they walk? Marietta wondered. The sand gets so hot. Marietta couldn’t take off her shoes when she was on the beach. She’d have to jump around like a maniac and run to shade. But if there were no trees in Egypt, did that mean there was no shade?
But then it was like a tiny explosion that happened in Marietta’s mind. Who is to say that different gods were drawn to different lands to care for the needs of the people who lived there? This was what Marietta was thinking! There were other gods, right! Because the Olympians were the Greek’s, but that didn’t mean other people were godless right? That would be sad and unfair. But it would also be unfair to the Olympians if they had to care for everyone. Right?
But he kept going after that and her eyes widen. She didn’t want to offend the Olympians. She loved them! They were her gods! She prayed to them every night just like her father and mother told her to. She thanked Demeter for her bounty when there were harvest festivals, dedicated her new music to Apollo, prayed to Ares when her Uncle and cousins went to the north for disputes, asked Athena to help her when she was lost in her teachings, and everything a good Greek would do. Marietta would never ever purposefully offend the gods. And if asking these types of questions means hurting their feelings she would be extra careful not to ask these sort of things in the future.
But then he continued and reminded her of the shadow. Oh no! She could only ask three questions? There wasn’t enough time. Marietta had a million questions now. All about the Egyptian gods and Egypt in general! This man was so smart and he had experience most people didn’t have. None of her tutors went to Egypt. And this man was from it.
Marietta looked down and furrowed her eyebrow, deep in thought. Her feet continued to swing back and forth as if still carefree, but her face contrasted this notion. It was deep in thought. Every second mattered. So that means that she only had three questions that could solve every musing in her head. She couldn’t waste this opportunity.
“Okay!” Marietta said, lighting up. “I got it! First question. Egypt has something different than a king right? It’s like a king but it isn’t? My tutor called it a funny thing. But anyway. My tutor said it’s not real, but your king says they’re a god? I guess… if it’s not real and the Egyptians are wrong, then why do they believe that it’s real? They can’t do magic right? He can’t turn into animals or anything, right?” Marietta tilted her head. If she walked up and shouted that she was a god, the real gods would get mad. And no one would believe her. But in Egypt, a person can do that and be a king? “What stops someone else claiming they’re a real god and taking the crown? It seems silly.”
So there really was just sand in Egypt? No hills? No trees? Wow! That must be beautiful. Marietta really wanted to go see. Maybe her father would take her there one day. And one river that carved through Egypt? Was it that Egypt was really tiny or was the river really, really big? The way the man described Egypt was more picturesque than her tutor ever did. Her eyes widen at just the thought, imagining a beach but bigger and golden.
How did they walk? Marietta wondered. The sand gets so hot. Marietta couldn’t take off her shoes when she was on the beach. She’d have to jump around like a maniac and run to shade. But if there were no trees in Egypt, did that mean there was no shade?
But then it was like a tiny explosion that happened in Marietta’s mind. Who is to say that different gods were drawn to different lands to care for the needs of the people who lived there? This was what Marietta was thinking! There were other gods, right! Because the Olympians were the Greek’s, but that didn’t mean other people were godless right? That would be sad and unfair. But it would also be unfair to the Olympians if they had to care for everyone. Right?
But he kept going after that and her eyes widen. She didn’t want to offend the Olympians. She loved them! They were her gods! She prayed to them every night just like her father and mother told her to. She thanked Demeter for her bounty when there were harvest festivals, dedicated her new music to Apollo, prayed to Ares when her Uncle and cousins went to the north for disputes, asked Athena to help her when she was lost in her teachings, and everything a good Greek would do. Marietta would never ever purposefully offend the gods. And if asking these types of questions means hurting their feelings she would be extra careful not to ask these sort of things in the future.
But then he continued and reminded her of the shadow. Oh no! She could only ask three questions? There wasn’t enough time. Marietta had a million questions now. All about the Egyptian gods and Egypt in general! This man was so smart and he had experience most people didn’t have. None of her tutors went to Egypt. And this man was from it.
Marietta looked down and furrowed her eyebrow, deep in thought. Her feet continued to swing back and forth as if still carefree, but her face contrasted this notion. It was deep in thought. Every second mattered. So that means that she only had three questions that could solve every musing in her head. She couldn’t waste this opportunity.
“Okay!” Marietta said, lighting up. “I got it! First question. Egypt has something different than a king right? It’s like a king but it isn’t? My tutor called it a funny thing. But anyway. My tutor said it’s not real, but your king says they’re a god? I guess… if it’s not real and the Egyptians are wrong, then why do they believe that it’s real? They can’t do magic right? He can’t turn into animals or anything, right?” Marietta tilted her head. If she walked up and shouted that she was a god, the real gods would get mad. And no one would believe her. But in Egypt, a person can do that and be a king? “What stops someone else claiming they’re a real god and taking the crown? It seems silly.”