[The touch, however small is comforting. He is a stranger, yes, and perhaps even a dangerous one but for a moment that simple gesture centres her and drags her mind back from the shadow. She glances at Set for less than a heartbeat, the smallest smile tugging at the corners of her mouth before Thoth speaks and drags her attention back to him.]
Perhaps it is so. I am glad you have no monsters. I have never known a life without them. Even the centuries of safety that Melian gave us all, we knew the shadow lingered in the lands above us. We were safe, but never fully at peace.
[Set doesn't smile back. He rarely smiles and he doesn't know what she smiled for. Making certain she doesn't fall seems the smallest of things he could do. Last thing anybody needed was some foreign being killing themselves from falling on the floor and hitting their head.
Thoth notices the interaction and filed that away in case they need it. Or he needs it.]
Chaotic, indeed. Since the light of Ra graces us all then you are safe here. Set is a favorite of his. Play nice with his great grandson and it should be good.
[Set rolls his eyes.] That old man just says things. Don't listen to Thoth. I am not a favorite. I have never been.
[A grandson not being loved by his grandfather is a notion beyond her ken, even though she supposes it could happen and these people already seem so foreign… but still.]
I have every intention of treating you both with the same goodness and kindness I would share with my own people. That we are safe only makes that easier.
And if that is so, I have some experience in not being favoured. I was just one of hundreds of elves, special only to my parents. You are not alone. [Congrats, you’re going to be her new friend, Set.]
[Thoth laughs, quietly and politely.] Would you listen to that, Lord Set?
[Set simply sighs. He could tell her she doesn't know because he'd killed his mother when he was born and his father hated. That he had only ever been special to one and he was gone and...
They're chaotic thoughts that enter his mind but he doesn't voice them. Thoth looks at him, as if seeing if he will. But when Set stays quiet, Thoth figures he will have to be the one to talk.]
Lord Set will show you where you can stay. [Set opens his mouth to argue, saying this should be Thoth's job but Thoth cuts him off before he can even try.] Diplomacy, your highness. Lord Osiris did have a knack for it. [He bows and it's a mockery, Set knows, but he can always be shut up when he is told his brother's name. When he is told Osiris could do this and he could. It's why he should be here.
But he is not.
So Set nods and motions for Mithiel to follow him.] Come with me.
[It doesn’t take a politician or a mind reader to know there is more going on beneath the surface than she may ever be privy to. Mithiel ignores the uneasy feeling in the back of her mind, the one that wonders what trouble has befallen her this time, what will happen? Will she drown in sand instead of brackish waters?
She’s not sure it matters. She’s not sure anything matters when the slate can be so easily wiped clean as if nothing that had lived there or known a place was worth saving. Perhaps, even, this is her punishment for being one of the Moriquendi who did not want to quit Middle-Earth and sail for fairer lands.
Offering Thoth a genuine but small smile.] Thank you for your guidance, Thoth. I will be happy to speak to you of my people when you wish.
[Mithiel then turns toward Set, following him. Her smile is still kind, though worry tugs at her features as she comfortably sets her pace to walk beside him but just half a step behind as she has no idea where they might be going. Just as her footprints had left no impression upon the sand, her feet are silent as she walks over the smooth floor.]
Your kingdom is surrounded by the sea of sand in which we met? [She doesn’t know what else to speak to him about and the silence has an uncomfortable quality to it.]
[Thoth can see the worry that is with her. For someone like him, he can notice things like that. But as for Set? He does not notice. While he knows she cannot be comfortable here, for who would in her situation, he doesn't know what he could possibly do or say.
It seems she wants to keep up conversation and he could sigh. But he does not.]
Yes. [but he does not say anything else. Anything uncomfortable she feels, he will not make better.]
[So helpful. Though in truth she imagines any conversation she might have with her own King who once still lived would hardly be more productive. She truly wasn’t important, no more than most elves. She was just a lone sinda with a particular knack for what the humans called “magic” that involved plants and trees. There were hundreds like her. Maybe thousands if you counted all elvenhomes and not just the ancient and now lost Doriath.
She lets the silence settle around them for a few minutes, her expression sorrowful and quiet.]
There seems to be much life here, even if it is an island surrounded by a barren sea.
Hopefully it does not come with great serpents. [She says, almost too quietly to be heard. Morgoth may well have been gone for good but the Host of the Valar had not dragged all of his creations with him and she had seen things in the waters, both the river and the now encroaching sea, that she knew of no name for.]
Perhaps I could irritate you a little longer and you might show me your great river? [Her tone is gentle and teasing, and also plain enough to be clear that she knows she is pushing her luck. Even being here was pushing her luck, though it was no fault of hers that she had slipped between realms somehow.]
No. Thank you for humouring me, I know you do not have to.
[That was the thing about Kings. They tended to do what they wanted, in the end, and damn everyone else who didn’t agree. Mithiel tried to stamp down those feelings. Thingol had been gone half a century but it was his death that lead to all of their doom and she could not help but blame him even though Melian had also left them of her own free will.]
It’s a beautiful palace, despite how alien it feels to her. She isn’t used to being inside stone like this. Yes, Menegroth was in the caves but she had only been there for a century or so. Her family’s home was made out of still living trees that had been gently guided into the shape of rooms, and when she wasn’t there she simply lived in the trees in their natural wildness.
Nonetheless she makes note of everything he shows her and where they all are.
She does pull up when they pass what sounds to her like a room full of people and he says that she can use if she likes. The confusion is plain on her face.] …Use? What is that?
To...lay with. [It's not that he's exactly embarrassed by it but the words are awkward. As awkward as every time they give him some new person he can have sex with because for some reason, people have started rumors he has a beastly sexual appetite.
Hilarious for a god that has never touched another.]
[She is an ancient, old thing and yet it takes a second to connect what he says with what he means. While she was aware humans lay with each other, sometimes out of marriage, it was not the way of the elves.
She wasn’t even sure she could, never mind the implications of being told she can “use” these mortals whose murmuring slowly seems to become louder the more she focuses on them.]
That is not… a thing elves do outside of marriage. [In fact, it was marriage as far as Mithiel was aware. Not that she had tested the waters to see.] In any case, we are not good for mortals in that way. Joinings between us are few. [Beautiful, stubborn Luthien and her mortal Beren for example, both of which Mithiel had seen in the great forest of her birth.]
[The women and the men in the harem wait, as if wondering if they will finally be made of any use. Yet it seems not when Set shrugs and motions for Mithiel to keep following him.]
Your way makes more sense.
[That is probably the nicest thing he will say but the way people have sex and imagine things here are...well, ridiculous. He doesn't get it.] I don't see the point of keeping them but Thoth says since they were gifts, I must keep them.
People cannot be gifted, each belongs only to themselves. [She says sounding more confused than scolding or accusatory.] I feel like your friend is going to be confusing. He was very kind to me but he has that sort of face.
[At least for now she is glad to be away from the people that Set has been “gifted”, it seems like a messy thing to work through and she doubts he will ever be in the mood for it. Mithiel decides she might try to talk to them later, or at least listen in on them and try to determine if they enjoy their circumstances or not.]
Thoth is not my friend. [That should be known, he thinks.] He has served my family since the beginning of it and that is all. But he is useful. And you will interest him. [And that is not necessarily good and he will have to make sure that Thoth has no ulterior motives.]
Ah. [She says quietly. They must be truly not friends, for Mithiel would call may that she had a lesser relationship with friend. Or perhaps it was just how these “gods” thought? She supposes she can bother Thoth about any details that she cannot work out on her own. Her smile is small but warm as she looks at Set and wonders what his life is really like. He seems so withdrawn and she is not sure it is simply because he has to worry or wonder about her showing up in his kingdom, a completely foreign being that as far as he knows could be dangerous or otherwise make his life spin out of control.]
I will always be kind to you both. And to the rest of your house.
[It has not been stated but Set is also the god of foreigners and so he is her patron god as she stays here. It is one reason why those who come to Egypt often worship Set. Though it is still not something he understands, not anything he takes too much dedication to.]
If you are kind to me or not matters very little. As long as you respect me then we will be fine.
[He finally guides her to the bedrooms and shows her where she can stay. It is a large room with a bed. And then unsurprisingly, a servant comes to the room and bows, saying that Thoth had sent her to tend to their visitor. Set is thankful Thoth remembers these things. He turns to Mithiel.] She will help you with any small things you may need. Bigger than that? Ask Thoth and he will help.
Respect tends to come with kindness, your majesty. [If she sounds amused, it’s because she is. If only because sounding concerned every three seconds seemed to be quite useless. They are not friends either, so she doesn’t squeeze his hand as she wanders past him into the bedroom but she does let their shoulders brush together, just a moment of contact, a silent thank you.
It is a beautiful room, but of course they are in a King’s palace. She is examining the craftmanship of an interesting vase when another person comes into the room quiet as a mouse. She blinks. There were, sometimes, servants in Menegroth or apprentices who did things for their masters as payment for studying their craft but she was not the kind of elf who ever had a need for one. Animals were usually her only helpers, them or the trees themselves.
Her smile for the serving girl is warm and bright, putting more effort into some of that elven charm she had but rarely used.] It is good to meet you. [She says to the girl before looking to Set.]
Somehow I doubt I will have to go find Thoth. He is very interested in listening to me babble like a brook.
[Respect comes with kindness? Set wouldn't pretend to know. He's never quite gotten both. And he thinks respect can come without kindness, a simple cold acceptance. But what does he know?
The girl seems to blush at Mithiel's smile and bows her head once more. If you did not behave appropriately in front of Set, it was said he would kill you. Certainly it had happened in the past. She wouldn't take chances. What they didn't know was that while Set did this long ago, nowadays he would simply send them away and say he killed them. It worked to still make him look like the cruel tyrant.]
Thoth will probably seek you out before you seek him. Relax, use the girl for your needs, and I will show you the Nile after I change my clothing. [He was not in his full regalia and so if he would be seen, he needed that.]
[That was cute, even though she could tell the girl was uncomfortable. It could be Set’s doing, but she imagines it is nearly as strange to see such a foreign being as herself here even if she was no Vanya with golden hair and truly glowing skin, nor a Noldor, darker but sharper and hard to escape.]
I will be ready when you are. [She was ready now, she had no intention of letting go of her cloak or clothes and changing unless it was absolutely required. It was all she had of home, and even if she were tossed back into Arda where she belonged it would still be all she had of home. All that was not dragged down into the sea or looted by Dwarves and monsters when Melian abandoned them all.
Though she does not allow the serving girl to fetch her new clothes she does let her get a small platter of food, less because Mithiel was hungry and more because the girl looked like she might vibrate out of her own skin if she were not given a task. So they eat (Mithiel insists she eat with her) and sit and chat, as much as she can get her too. When the serving girl is too uncomfortable with a topic, Mithiel easily switches to another. One may not want to talk about their king but birds and beasts and what lay beyond the walls of the palace were much easier to discuss.
[The servant seems happy to talk though she is very quiet for the beginning. There was only so much she could say and do, considering her position, and she served the gods. She had to be on her best behavior. But Mithiel was easy to talk to and so she began to earnestly discuss what wildlife and plants there were here.
This is what Set happens upon when he comes back, now fully dressed in his royal golden armor fully. He has been decorated and the gold shines. The servant notices Set as she is midway through talking and quickly bows to the ground, eyes never looking up. Set glares for the sake of doing so but says nothing else.]
If you are ready for your visit to the Nile now then come with me.
[Mithiel tries to hide the concern and distaste that burns though her when the girl bows so low. Elves did now bow even to their Kings. It as strange and made her wonder if all of the people here would do the same thing. If they had walked into the Harem before, would all of those people have done the same?
She isn’t sure she wants to know. ]
I am ready. [She says, rising, wishing she could somehow comfort the girl as she steps past her and towards Set. Her clothes still don’t look like they are fit for this climate, especially her shoes with their soft leather and no real soles but she knows they will be fine.]
I heard you have very large lizards in it… crocodiles? They sound like small dragons.
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Perhaps it is so. I am glad you have no monsters. I have never known a life without them. Even the centuries of safety that Melian gave us all, we knew the shadow lingered in the lands above us. We were safe, but never fully at peace.
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Thoth notices the interaction and filed that away in case they need it. Or he needs it.]
Chaotic, indeed. Since the light of Ra graces us all then you are safe here. Set is a favorite of his. Play nice with his great grandson and it should be good.
[Set rolls his eyes.] That old man just says things. Don't listen to Thoth. I am not a favorite. I have never been.
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I have every intention of treating you both with the same goodness and kindness I would share with my own people. That we are safe only makes that easier.
And if that is so, I have some experience in not being favoured. I was just one of hundreds of elves, special only to my parents. You are not alone. [Congrats, you’re going to be her new friend, Set.]
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[Set simply sighs. He could tell her she doesn't know because he'd killed his mother when he was born and his father hated. That he had only ever been special to one and he was gone and...
They're chaotic thoughts that enter his mind but he doesn't voice them. Thoth looks at him, as if seeing if he will. But when Set stays quiet, Thoth figures he will have to be the one to talk.]
Lord Set will show you where you can stay. [Set opens his mouth to argue, saying this should be Thoth's job but Thoth cuts him off before he can even try.] Diplomacy, your highness. Lord Osiris did have a knack for it. [He bows and it's a mockery, Set knows, but he can always be shut up when he is told his brother's name. When he is told Osiris could do this and he could. It's why he should be here.
But he is not.
So Set nods and motions for Mithiel to follow him.] Come with me.
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She’s not sure it matters. She’s not sure anything matters when the slate can be so easily wiped clean as if nothing that had lived there or known a place was worth saving. Perhaps, even, this is her punishment for being one of the Moriquendi who did not want to quit Middle-Earth and sail for fairer lands.
Offering Thoth a genuine but small smile.] Thank you for your guidance, Thoth. I will be happy to speak to you of my people when you wish.
[Mithiel then turns toward Set, following him. Her smile is still kind, though worry tugs at her features as she comfortably sets her pace to walk beside him but just half a step behind as she has no idea where they might be going. Just as her footprints had left no impression upon the sand, her feet are silent as she walks over the smooth floor.]
Your kingdom is surrounded by the sea of sand in which we met? [She doesn’t know what else to speak to him about and the silence has an uncomfortable quality to it.]
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It seems she wants to keep up conversation and he could sigh. But he does not.]
Yes. [but he does not say anything else. Anything uncomfortable she feels, he will not make better.]
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She lets the silence settle around them for a few minutes, her expression sorrowful and quiet.]
There seems to be much life here, even if it is an island surrounded by a barren sea.
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[Set is not a good host. He never has been. And honestly, most people don't really want to talk to him.]
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Perhaps I could irritate you a little longer and you might show me your great river? [Her tone is gentle and teasing, and also plain enough to be clear that she knows she is pushing her luck. Even being here was pushing her luck, though it was no fault of hers that she had slipped between realms somehow.]
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Though knowing his luck, she may either run into a crocodile or a hippo. And then what? He sighs.]
I'll show you after I show you to your room. Do you have any other requests you expect me to entertain?
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[That was the thing about Kings. They tended to do what they wanted, in the end, and damn everyone else who didn’t agree. Mithiel tried to stamp down those feelings. Thingol had been gone half a century but it was his death that lead to all of their doom and she could not help but blame him even though Melian had also left them of her own free will.]
I will find my way around the rest, I am sure.
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As they passed through the palace, he showed her things. Mostly just to tell her where things were. The baths, the kitchens, and the like.
When they pass the harem, he tells her, ] I never have use of this. You can if you would like.
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Nonetheless she makes note of everything he shows her and where they all are.
She does pull up when they pass what sounds to her like a room full of people and he says that she can use if she likes. The confusion is plain on her face.] …Use? What is that?
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Hilarious for a god that has never touched another.]
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She wasn’t even sure she could, never mind the implications of being told she can “use” these mortals whose murmuring slowly seems to become louder the more she focuses on them.]
That is not… a thing elves do outside of marriage. [In fact, it was marriage as far as Mithiel was aware. Not that she had tested the waters to see.] In any case, we are not good for mortals in that way. Joinings between us are few. [Beautiful, stubborn Luthien and her mortal Beren for example, both of which Mithiel had seen in the great forest of her birth.]
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Your way makes more sense.
[That is probably the nicest thing he will say but the way people have sex and imagine things here are...well, ridiculous. He doesn't get it.] I don't see the point of keeping them but Thoth says since they were gifts, I must keep them.
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[At least for now she is glad to be away from the people that Set has been “gifted”, it seems like a messy thing to work through and she doubts he will ever be in the mood for it. Mithiel decides she might try to talk to them later, or at least listen in on them and try to determine if they enjoy their circumstances or not.]
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Thoth will stay kind to you.
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I will always be kind to you both. And to the rest of your house.
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If you are kind to me or not matters very little. As long as you respect me then we will be fine.
[He finally guides her to the bedrooms and shows her where she can stay. It is a large room with a bed. And then unsurprisingly, a servant comes to the room and bows, saying that Thoth had sent her to tend to their visitor. Set is thankful Thoth remembers these things. He turns to Mithiel.] She will help you with any small things you may need. Bigger than that? Ask Thoth and he will help.
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It is a beautiful room, but of course they are in a King’s palace. She is examining the craftmanship of an interesting vase when another person comes into the room quiet as a mouse. She blinks. There were, sometimes, servants in Menegroth or apprentices who did things for their masters as payment for studying their craft but she was not the kind of elf who ever had a need for one. Animals were usually her only helpers, them or the trees themselves.
Her smile for the serving girl is warm and bright, putting more effort into some of that elven charm she had but rarely used.] It is good to meet you. [She says to the girl before looking to Set.]
Somehow I doubt I will have to go find Thoth. He is very interested in listening to me babble like a brook.
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The girl seems to blush at Mithiel's smile and bows her head once more. If you did not behave appropriately in front of Set, it was said he would kill you. Certainly it had happened in the past. She wouldn't take chances. What they didn't know was that while Set did this long ago, nowadays he would simply send them away and say he killed them. It worked to still make him look like the cruel tyrant.]
Thoth will probably seek you out before you seek him. Relax, use the girl for your needs, and I will show you the Nile after I change my clothing. [He was not in his full regalia and so if he would be seen, he needed that.]
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I will be ready when you are. [She was ready now, she had no intention of letting go of her cloak or clothes and changing unless it was absolutely required. It was all she had of home, and even if she were tossed back into Arda where she belonged it would still be all she had of home. All that was not dragged down into the sea or looted by Dwarves and monsters when Melian abandoned them all.
Though she does not allow the serving girl to fetch her new clothes she does let her get a small platter of food, less because Mithiel was hungry and more because the girl looked like she might vibrate out of her own skin if she were not given a task. So they eat (Mithiel insists she eat with her) and sit and chat, as much as she can get her too. When the serving girl is too uncomfortable with a topic, Mithiel easily switches to another. One may not want to talk about their king but birds and beasts and what lay beyond the walls of the palace were much easier to discuss.
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This is what Set happens upon when he comes back, now fully dressed in his royal golden armor fully. He has been decorated and the gold shines. The servant notices Set as she is midway through talking and quickly bows to the ground, eyes never looking up. Set glares for the sake of doing so but says nothing else.]
If you are ready for your visit to the Nile now then come with me.
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She isn’t sure she wants to know. ]
I am ready. [She says, rising, wishing she could somehow comfort the girl as she steps past her and towards Set. Her clothes still don’t look like they are fit for this climate, especially her shoes with their soft leather and no real soles but she knows they will be fine.]
I heard you have very large lizards in it… crocodiles? They sound like small dragons.
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