Welcome to Gaia! ::

Cosine sat in the comfort of her room in the hotel. It was safer to sit on the floor than risk the possibly rotten furniture so she rested on a pile of cushions and sipped some of the tea that Isra had given her. She had enjoyed her time in Baadris, even more her time with Lisana. It felt good to have another godly friend outside of the Underworld family.

Still, it was better to be home. Especially now that they had a chance to save it, to protect as they were supposed to. She made a few notes on her battered note pad. Placed the tally of lotuses brought back with the growing numbers of gods that were offering their devotion to Harmodius. She hoped that he would see how much they loved him, no matter what face he showed.

Outside the sound of something smashing made her jump, there were shouts, followed by more breaking and crashing. She took a deep breath and focused her green eyes on the numbers. If their plans did not work then she did not know what they would do. Give up? It was not a favourable solution but when you had exhausted all hope, what else was there to do.

She took a deep breath and stood, the noise seemed to be drifting into the distance and so she made her way to the ash covered window. If the coast was clear then she would venture up the the Pantheon. See if she could find news of her family.

The day of the dead. It did not sound like much of a celebration. Even more so as Nergal was organising it. Though, there were so many of them now, the dead. She could feel the numbers constantly rising. Maybe a festival was a good way to celebrate and lay them to rest.. Ishum’s note sounded more promising, but still … fun?

She noted the day and date in her book and turned back towards the door. It was then that she saw it, the tiny shrine so subtle and tucked away. A woman knelt before it, a mortal. In her hand she held a picture of flowers. A child’s picture that seemed to have been scrawled in make up, shades of pinks and reds on an old towel.

The woman herself was thin, bones, times were hard and she had a feeling the gods had it much easier than most. There was something familiar about this woman though. Cosine studied her for a moment and smiled as she realised who it was.
“Jessica?” She stepped closer and the woman looked up, turning and smiling in recognition. She looked older than her years, worn and tired.
“Cosine.” She placed the towel on the alter and stood slowly, as if such a small movement took a world of effort. “You look well. I see you found Baadris okay.” She gestured to the lotus petals that lay at random intervals around the pantheon.

Cosine nodded and peered at the shrine as discretely as she could. There were little plastic toys, photos and old candles placed in jars.
“Yes, thanks to your help. We managed to save a good many people. I am glad you took my advice and came here. Is your family safe and well?”

“Yes, we are all well. The god of Love is letting us shelter in his rooms until we can find somewhere else.”
“That is good.” She flicked her eyes back to the shrine. “What is this?” she asked.

Jessica ran her fingers through her curly hair and followed Cosine’s gaze to the shrine.
“It’s an alter, for All Souls. To the children we lost.” Her lips formed a grim smile.
“All souls?”
“When the souls of the dead return to us.”
Cosine raised an eyebrow and glanced back to the notice board.
“The day of the dead.” She mused.
“In some cultures, yes. You have spoken to Nergal?”
Cosine shook her head.
“No, though there is a notice, for a festival. I was curious, death does not seem much fun.”

Jessica gave a low laugh and nodded.
“No, no it does not. Though this is more a celebration of life, of those now lost who touched our lives. I told Nergal that some cultures hold parades, bright coloured dances and parties. They welcome the dead with a two day festival. Enjoy their time. Will you go?”

Well, okay that sounded like it would be fun. Just what people needed.
“I might, yes.” She nodded and smiled warmly. It might be a good opportunity for her to hunt down Nergal, Echo and Ankou. Ankou, she hoped he was well after his expedition. She hoped they were all well.

“Nergal is well.”
“Yes, as far as I could tell. Quite the proud father.”
Cosine smiled at this picture. It seemed the last thing that Nergal, Lord of the Underworld would want people to imagine him as.
“Good. I am glad. I will not keep you, I just wanted to make sure that you and your family are well.”

“Thank you.” She smiled warmly. “When we have a home again you will have to stop by.”
“Yes, I would like that very much.” The goddess hesitated for a moment then added. “If you need any help at all. I’m staying at the Inn, not far from the pantheon.”
“Okay. We will stop by. You take care. We need all the gods we can get.” She grinned and gave an awkward little wave.
Cosine nodded in return and stepped away, leaving Jessica to her silent prayers.

She walked slowly back to the inn. Not to enjoy the view of course. It was still the week of hell and demons lurked in the shadows. She walked with confidence, thinking happy thoughts and hoped that basking in the light would keep the darkness away.

Once safely inside she climbed the stairs to the room she was sharing with isra and her family. They were not there. Cosine guessed that they must be attending a meeting, or a tribal ritual of some kind. Zeta and Zero must have gone with them as they to were nowhere to be seen. She would make the most of this time alone.

Her belongings were piled in one corner on some blankets that made up the bed. She kicked off her shoes, dumped her bag in the floor and flopped next to it. The day of the dead. She was not sure if she had ever been to a festival before. She mused as she upended her bag onto the carpeted floor. Her notebook fell out, a spare pen, her abacus, bangles, a package and the charm Harmodius had given her. She reached for it, picking it up and turning it over in her hands. It was a cute little thing, she had completely forgotten that she had it.
“Phirren.” She said the name aloud and held it up to the light. A charm, well, they needed all the help they could get. She tucked it back into her bag. She would need to find some way to carry it. Maybe she could attach it to her hair charm.

Her slender hand reached out for the package. She had no idea what it was, only that she had purchased it in Baadris. She turned it over in her hands and began to unwrap it. A pendant on a rope fell out and lay on the floor. It was made of coloured glass with symbols like a stained glass window. She smiled. It had been bought for Ankou. She wondered if she would meet him at the festival. Maybe she should just go and find him. If he wanted to be found.

Why don’t you just ask him?

The voice in her thoughts made her jump. Infinity was perched on the open window, watching.
“Because I don’t know where he is.”
If the crow had been human she might have rolled her eyes.
I bet I could find him.
Cosine gave the bird a look and picked up her notebook. She stared at her notes for a few moments and then began to write.
“You can take him a message.”
Do I look like a pigeon?
“Please Fin, I’ll owe you.” She had already started to write in her neat, precise hand. “I got plenty of shinys in Baadris.”
Infinity gave a caw and bowed her hear.
As if I have a choice.
Cosine smirked and signed her name to the note.
“here.” She said, tearing it out and folding it up. Infinity took the note in her beak without another word and took off into the darkness.

Cosine smiled to herself as she set up her own little corner of Ankou’s rooms. She had claimed a corner of the living room and set up some blankets on the floor where she could speak and a small pile of her belongings. A few books borrowed from the library. Her Baadris dress folded neatly, on it her kokeshi, urn and magatamas lay precisely on top with her bag next to them.

Her Aoide were residing in the inn with Isra and her family. Although they had expressed the desire to be in her service once more, she had insisted that they served her best protecting the family and the tribes people. Not to mention that there really was not the room as Echo’s household and spirits were also residing in the apartments.

She folded her blankets, placed them next to her things and stood. It was time to venture out and make sure she was up to date with things. The world was growing older and there were rumblings of more bad things to come. This peace and silence they felt now, it was the eye, or the calm before a worse storm.

The lobby of the pantheon was bustling as always, people of all colours and creeds milling and talking. Gods among them, some she knew and many she did not. She was pleased to see that they were embracing the idea of gathering and learning from the mortals.

She made a b-line for the notice board, there were new additions since she had last looked.

Illumin, friend of Nergal and Echo. She knew his voice but not his face, she took in his note and nodded. The peace certainly would not last, of that they must all be sure. Penny, a mortal and one of intelligence, Cosine made a mental note to tell Isra and also Jessica of this plan to gather names. They might be of some help.

Her eyes drifted to the next note. One from Tian Yue himself. More information about the ritual. She reached into her small bag for her notebook and knife sharpened pencil, all the while her green eyes following the words that were written.



A cold chill swept over her. Numbers, could that be her or Arc … Arc, where was he even? She did not know. 2 Was her power. Surely not … she re-read once, then twice and made notes of all the steps of the ritual. Her eyes finally returning to her part. She would work with Echo. Strengthen song.

She could do that, she had to do it. For all of them. After a few moments the goddess stepped back and slipped her notebook back in her pocket. She had research to do. The number 2 has power and although she was the goddess of Numbers she was only beginning to understand and re-learn what that meant.

The goddess turned and headed back to the stairs making her way not to the warmth of the spirit guide’s rooms but to the dark depths of the library.

In the days that followed checking the board had become something of an obsession. It was something to do. A way to pass the time. If there were no new updates scrawled on whichever scraps came to hand then she would read over the old ones analysing and trying to picture the gods that had penned them. If she did not know them already. It amused her a little, they were divine beings, in varying stages of rebirth. Yet here they were using a primitive means of communication.
After she and Crys had found Nergal, Cosine took one such trip down the stairs to the noticeboard. It seemed to grow daily. There were posts around it now. Attached to the walls, the wooden surround of the board, informing of new developments. There was a new post, the goddess pulled her rather full notebook from her bag and a pencil from behind her ear and prepared herself to take notes.
She scrawled them in her neat handwriting and left a date, well, not really a date but a number. She had been counting the days since her rebirth, it was the only way she could think of to count the days properly. Perhaps she would devise a calendar for them all to use.
A vaccination. She read on, it was a rather genius idea. If, of course, it worked. She rather hoped that they would have no need to find out. She made a note of the location and the name of the god. Plague, interesting. Though of course not all things were as they seemed, because an influence was perceived negative it did not mean that necessarily was.
Numbers did not think much about whether she should recieve this vaccine or not. She could not think of a reason why she should not and so it seemed like a good thing to do. The notebook was slipped back into its place in her bag, the pencil returned to behind her ear and she made her way up the main stairs. There was the table and behind it who she could only imagine was the god of plague. She smiled a little, exchanged pleasantries and took a seat. Following directions she lay her arm on the table, relaxing it and watching with small facination as the needle pierced her skin and the strange vaccine was pushed into her bloodstream. She had to wonder if such a thing would work on those that were more powerful. Could a needle pierce a fully grown god’s skin? Or even a youth for that matter.
"Thank you." She said, flexing her arm a little as she stood. There, that was easy enough. She stepped away from the table and along the hall back to Ankou's rooms begining to feel a little more hopeful and a lot less tired than she had been in recent weeks. Well, she thought to herself. If it doesn't work it was certainly worth it for the pick me up.