The white marbled tile on the floor was pristine, the columns were painted white with gold an silver leaf on the capstones, arches rose above them looking as though they were weightless in the air. Murals were painted inside each vault of arches, what they depicted, I wasn't sure.

The smell of roast beef, and grilled chicken filled my nose. I was almost glad I hadn't eaten yet tonight.

I took my first step into the room, and the cacophony of conversation died. I felt anger, but I knew it wasn't mine.

"May I speak through you?" I heard their Highest One ask. I simply nodded, and felt myself move. I approached a young man, and felt my arm lift to point at him.

"This man does not belong in these halls. Nor do his kin. No descendant of his family to the seventh generation may enter these halls. Remove him. NOW!"

"I am sorry for the burden on you for that." I hear him say, as I watch the man being drug from the room.

"I apologize for disturbing your meal. Please relax, and enjoy what remains." I say, as I sit at the table the guard led me to.

"What was that?" I ask the guard.

"That was possession. Only a High Oracle, is ever given the honor. It does not happen for trivial things. Highest One generally leaves things be; letting us learn from our mistakes. A punishment of seven generations is rare. The only punishment considered more severe is called Fifth End. All relatves, including illegitimate children, and their descendents out to fifth cousins, five times removed are executed."

"That seems excessive." I reply.

"Only a High Oracle under possession, or an Avatar, my order it. It is reserved for atheists who gain high positions in the temple."

"So I just went from an Oracle, to a High Oracle, because of that?"

"Yes, although this is officially your second time being possessed. The first one was left out of our reports in order to keep you safe."

"Great. More crap to worry about. Does anything change now?" A Ruben on a platter, with a side of coleslaw in a bowl is set down in front of me, and the cook walks away.

"Heads of state will not ignore your invitation. Mostly because they fear public backlash if they do. A painter will add your visage to the arches in the sanctuary, and the quarters you are now in will be maintained as long as this temple exists. And your dorm room at MSU will probably become a pilgrimage site. Plus a few other minor things your Oracle Knights will talk to you about when they come up."

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"So a lot." I sigh as I spoon more coleslaw into my mouth. "Are there any guards there? I'd like to warn my suitemates, if I can."

"Your ability to move at will is not well known. I would request you to dye your hair if you choose to travel alone, as we are unable to prohibit your movements. Should I contact Initiate Alicia to expect you?"

Ah, he gave me an out. "You know what, visiting about 9am central time sounds great. Think we can swing that?"

"Yes. Your schedule is up to you."

"Have I gotten any invitations since I went home?"

"Two. One from the chief Justice of Virginia, and one from the mayor of Norfolk."

"Do you think I should visit either of them?" I ask, letting him know that I trust his judgement,

The first bite of this Ruben is perfection, I have to remind myself to stay in the moment.

"I can not recommend visiting, especially since your 'new' status will be in the Saturday morning bulletins. Sending either of them an invitation now would also not look good." He pauses for a moment as I take another bite, "Honestly, unless Highest One tells you to invite someone, I would recommend against it."

"I like this guy. I'll give him some advice, through you." I see the guard stiffen as I am given a list of things to tell him.

"Why did you stiffen up?" I ask.

"When Highest One talks to you, your irises become violet."

"Oh. I was told to tell you a few things." His eyes get wide. "First, he said he likes you, so he has four things he wants you to do.." The guard stands straighter, something I hadn't thought possible. "The first thing is to conduct an interview by stone of Dawn., I have an impression you know who this is?" He nods. "I wasn't told what it's about, I don't want to pry. The second task is to talk to a realtor, and buy the house at 596 Walnut Avenue, here in Norfolk." He nods and writes the address down. " I was told to tell you to offer 30,000 sight unseen, and 50,000 if they fix any issues the home inspection catches. Third, I've been told to tell you to end things with Ariel, she is cheating on you, and only sees you as a legged wallet." He nods. "The last one, is for you to use your vacation time. He said to put in the request on Tuesday, for 32 days starting the day after Christmas. You are to visit Japan for 14 days, not counting your arrival day, and then travel to one other place of your choice, and enjoy yourself, the extra days are for travel time."

"But what about you?"

I smile at him, "I'll know when I get told, you need some fun in your life." I pop the last remnants of the Ruben in my mouth, and smile at him.

"A High Oracle, who isn't even an adult yet." He shakes his head while looking at the ceiling.

I take my dirty dishes to the window I've seen everyone else take theirs, and a man states I could have left them on the table. So I raise my voice a bit to be heard over the nearest conversations.

"Its about respect. I enjoyed the food, so I should respect your kitchen enough to do this much. To expect you to both serve, and collect, the dishes would be the same as saying either your food, or your kitchen, doesn't deserve my respect. Now if this were formal, and there were dedicated people to collect the dishes, then it becomes something else. I enjoyed the food, keep up the good work."

I then left to return to my rooms.

"You are going to create a stir with that comment, and whoever made that Ruben will get a raise."

"Good. Cooks work hard enough as it is. They deserve to be respected too. Nobody should walk on someone else, just because they fell in the rain."

I was bathed, notified that a copy of the datacube had been put in the public archives, and the original was ready to go to Paula. Then sent to bed.

That really was a good Ruben.