He stood at the edge of his domain staring off into the direction where his entertainment would soon take place. All around him, blue-white fires burned with enough heat that if there was any hydrogen in the room, it would already be fusing. The heat didn't bother him, even as he stood right next to the blistering flames, for the fire was his.
Everything in the domain behind him was unequivocally HIS, nothing out of place, everything acted the way it should with nothing out of order. Just the way he liked it. He had crafted it over centuries.
Unexpectedly, another presence came into being off to the side. He didn't turn to look at the new presence for there were few who would so brazenly enter his domain and stand beside him. Even fewer would then initiate conversation.
"Callum, my friend, it has truly been too long." The intruding presence said to break the peaceful quiet that had once been relaxing.
"Not long enough," He huffed back, still looking ahead. "What is it you want Vasariametz." He used the full name of the meddlesome being, for there was no way he was using whatever new pretentious title he was using currently. Callum couldn't even remember the last one he went by it had been so long.
"You know you can call me Vas, or, if you must, Vasaria," The intruder said back trying to add familiarity to where there was none.
Not wanting to play word games with one of the most irksome beings he knew, he repeated the question, "What do you want."
He said it more like a statement than a question. Others would take offense to such directness and impoliteness, but it didn't seem to bother the other god. "Oh nothing much, just a little birdie told me that you got a slot to sponsor one of the tutorials on the new worlds." Vasaria said, "And with custom additions, I heard."
Callum didn't even ask how it was Vasaria had heard about it, for he had various ways of sniffing out information from places he didn't belong. Even the Allfather himself couldn't figure out how it was Vasariametz did it. This exact trait was one of the reasons that Callum found the other being so irritating. It was also the reason that his presence was tolerated inside his own domain. To anger a god when he didn't know how much they knew or didn't know was the height of folly.
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"That wasn't a question," he replied, measuring his words wisely. Any slip of tongue would give away more than he wished, especially considering who he was talking to.
"Come on, at least give me something. A little hint is all I ask for." Vasaria begged, reminiscent of what a child would do for sweets. Unbecoming of someone of his station.
"You will have to wait and see, just like all the rest who have asked," he said, holding steadfast.
He didn't want any interference with his newest experiment, especially from the annoyance next to him, and the only way for that to happen was to tell nobody.
"One of these days the games you play with the newly integrated will come back to get you," Vasaria said with an uncommon seriousness and heaviness. Unlike how he spoke previously.
Callum wanted to say 'What are those insects going to do,' but he stopped himself in time. Any information, no matter how unrelated, could be used against him. Instead, he grunted noncommittedly.
His latest... experiment was set to begin soon and he didn't wish to miss it. The cost to get specific groups of people wasn't small, adding in the cost of adjusting the difficulty and it would beggar even some gods, let alone anyone else. It was something of a social experiment this time, where different sized groups all got put in the same tutorial. He even paid specifically to keep the children from being sent away. It will provide a better incentive.
If everyone worked together in one large group, then the tutorial would be a breeze, but if they split up and actively hindered each other then it would be effectively impossible. Thinking of the possibilities made him start to get excited.
He knew a drowning human would sooner pull another down with them than help push someone else up to safety.
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Vasariametz saw the subtle smile begin to form on Callum's face and sighed deeply. Callum didn't understand how his actions would have consequences. Just because there haven't been any yet didn't mean that there never would.
The bill always comes due.
Sooner or later the consequences would come, and he didn't think that Callum would be very happy when they did. He had heard through the grapevine that Callum spent a significant sum to keep the children from being sent to specialized tutorials.
That's just cruel.
Not desiring to spend any more time here, he left the grumpy fire god and thought ahead to his upcoming unprompted intrusions... -cough, cough- visits.
I think Artio got a slot this time, but his grove is so far away, even if the fruits there are heavenly. I know Yvette has one, maybe she is finally over her grudge with me. Thinking back on that particular memory brought a smile to his face, I mean, you show up at the hot springs she was bathing at one time, and she holds it against you for centuries.
The smiling god continued on his journey through the void, wondering how many new gods this integration would grind out.