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When he gets home, Doris is practically waiting for him. She sees the box in his hands and instantly forgets whatever she was going to say.
"Max?" she asks in a quizzical voice. He never brings his work home if he can at all help it. And given the call he made earlier today...
Max, meanwhile dumps the box on the couch. "Hmmm?"
"What's this about Max? You call to tell me we're having a dinner guest on an afternoon's notice, and now you're bringing work home?"
Max smiles gently at his wife. "I'm sorry, I should have warned you that this might happen. I wasn't sure when he'd get here, though. Jack's come from Australia to help me," he says, watching as her eyes widen at the last statement. "Yes," he continues, "it's about that. Hence why we couldn't talk when he came to see me at work."
Doris settles down on the couch and flips open the lid of the box. "So, are you actually going to tell me any details about that?" she asks, looking at, but clearly not understanding what the stuff inside the box is.
"Well, given I expect it is going to come up at dinner, yes."
Doris looks shocked for half a second, her eyes flickering between the door to the kitchen where the tourtière sat, cooking steadily, Max's face and the box of stuff he'd brought back with him.
"Okay," she says after some time.
Doris gets up, heading back to the kitchen to finish up the preparations. Max meanwhile, sets to getting things out of the box and into place for later on. After a little while, he joins her in the kitchen to assist with the preparations. It's comfortable, and the two of them have developed a good routine out over the years.
"Max?" she asks in a quizzical voice. He never brings his work home if he can at all help it. And given the call he made earlier today...
Max, meanwhile dumps the box on the couch. "Hmmm?"
"What's this about Max? You call to tell me we're having a dinner guest on an afternoon's notice, and now you're bringing work home?"
Max smiles gently at his wife. "I'm sorry, I should have warned you that this might happen. I wasn't sure when he'd get here, though. Jack's come from Australia to help me," he says, watching as her eyes widen at the last statement. "Yes," he continues, "it's about that. Hence why we couldn't talk when he came to see me at work."
Doris settles down on the couch and flips open the lid of the box. "So, are you actually going to tell me any details about that?" she asks, looking at, but clearly not understanding what the stuff inside the box is.
"Well, given I expect it is going to come up at dinner, yes."
Doris looks shocked for half a second, her eyes flickering between the door to the kitchen where the tourtière sat, cooking steadily, Max's face and the box of stuff he'd brought back with him.
"Okay," she says after some time.
Doris gets up, heading back to the kitchen to finish up the preparations. Max meanwhile, sets to getting things out of the box and into place for later on. After a little while, he joins her in the kitchen to assist with the preparations. It's comfortable, and the two of them have developed a good routine out over the years.
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Date: 2013-05-04 05:03 pm (UTC)From:"Which then brings us back to the Callimachus text."
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Date: 2013-05-04 05:40 pm (UTC)From:"Indeed. And, while it may bear his name and he may have been the originator of the list, Callimachus was by no means the only person to write the text. His disciples watched and kept track as the wonders fell, through the ages. And they amended the text appropriately, keeping track of the wonder."
"They died off in the 14th century, but nothing in public knowledge has ever come close to describing a find that matches the any section of the capstone since then."
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Date: 2013-05-04 08:52 pm (UTC)From:"The catch?" Jack asks.
Because, you know, there must be a reason not to simply follow the text to it's conclusions and find the capstone.
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Date: 2013-05-04 09:58 pm (UTC)From:Max's mouth quirks into a smile, glad Jack's not just assumed this was going to be easy.
"The catch? The catch is that Callimachus and his followers wrote the most pertinent verses of their scroll in a curious, ancient language. One which has defied translation by those who do not know it for the entirety of modern history. The Word of Thoth. Now, since Callimachus' followers died out in the 14th Century, and with them went the last vestiges of knowledge of Thoth from modern society."
Doris looks between the two men. "So, you have a map in a language you can't translate, and no one alive can translate it either?"
"Not quite. We have a map in a language we can't translate. But, hopefully, there is one person alive who can."
"Who?"
"The Siwan Oracle. A line that extends back beyond 2570BC, through the oracle Alexander met, hopefully to one still alive. One of the consistent descriptions of the Oracle is their possession of a so called sight, which certainly includes the ability to read Thoth without being taught it. I'm not sure what we'll do should we find that the line has been broken, but certainly identifying and locating the current Oracle seems to be our only option at the moment."
Doris gets up from the table. "Well, if we're now past facts, and onto actions to be considered, if you don't mind, I'm going to go to bed."
Max nods his assent. "I think we are."
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Date: 2013-05-04 11:08 pm (UTC)From:Jack, however, holds up a hand.
"Just, a quick recap, check I've gotten the facts right."
"There's a sunspot that's going to bring major disaster in about 15 years. There was a Golden Capstone to the Great Pyramid, which was given to Alexander the Great, who proceeded to split it up into it's subsections (how that works we need to discuss, also putting it back together), He concealed it within some great monuments of his time, which were later considered Wonders of the World by Callimachus of Cyrene. The followers of Callimachus edited and updated his text as time changed where each piece was hidden and they did so in a language none save the Oracle of Siwa can read now. That about right?"
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Date: 2013-05-04 11:38 pm (UTC)From:Max nods. "That's it."
With that concluded, Doris heads off, leaving the two men in peace (so to speak).
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Date: 2013-05-04 11:41 pm (UTC)From:"So, what's our to-do list. Find the Oracle of Siwa, then find the capstone and complete whatever ritual needs doing in Egypt?"
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Date: 2013-05-05 08:23 pm (UTC)From:Max purses his lips, considering.
"Pretty much..."
"I have a few leads on a couple of tangents that I'd like to follow up as well. First, of course, I need to complete this academic year here at Trinity. I can't very well let someone else mark my courses."
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Date: 2013-05-05 08:26 pm (UTC)From:"Of course not. Well, that gives me time to get caught up, brush up on my hieroglyphics, etc."
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Date: 2013-05-05 08:30 pm (UTC)From:Max smiles.
"I'm glad to have you back again, Jack."
Then he looks outside, at the darkness outside. "Say, do you have somewhere to stay in the city?"
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Date: 2013-05-05 08:34 pm (UTC)From:Jack's hesitation in answering is surely answer enough...
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Date: 2013-05-05 08:37 pm (UTC)From:"You can stay here, for tonight, at least. If you must find your own place tomorrow, I can understand, but you're always welcome."
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Date: 2013-05-05 08:40 pm (UTC)From:"Thanks Max. I'll just, kip on the couch, don't bother making up a spare bed, if you've..."
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Date: 2013-05-05 08:41 pm (UTC)From:Max nods, accepting.
"I'll see you tomorrow then."