fandomhighdorms | The roof, Monday at dawn

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The roof, Monday at dawn

Once more, Karal was on the roof to say the Dawn Rites. This time, Altra was by his side and so they were near the edge.

Karal stood, eyes closed, because he didn't use them to see, head tipped back to follow the rising sun. As the rays of the sun spread across the island, he spoke the words of the Dawn Rites, the soft, liquid Karsite carrying over the rooftop.

Yesterday, he had said them in hope; today, he said them in thanks.

[ooc: open roof is open.]

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Shaken, Karal reached out to lay a hand on Altra's back. "That is a terrible thing," he said quietly. "One I cannot even imagine." He was quiet for a moment, turning it over. It was almost impossible for him to envisage so many people an entire planet couldn't support them, but he could accept it. The other, though: "But I don't understand why religion would be abolished. Wouldn't that be the time when people would need their gods the most?"

"I don't know exactly why," Ender replied, shaking his head, "But the fragility of the peace between everyone at the time must have had something to do with it. And most of our religions promoted having more babies, the one thing we couldn't do. Everyone lived in fear back then, because if the Buggers showed up and we couldn't be brilliant at the one right time, we'd all be dead."

"And did the moment of brilliance come at the right time?" he asked, voice quiet, disturbed that they had turned their backs on their gods.

"It did," he said, shifting under the blanket. "No one had expected it. But somehow, out of nowhere, there was a new officer who guided the fleet all the way to the Buggers' home and defeated them once and for all. A hero." He shot Karal a glance. "Everyone was praying then."

Karal was quite certain people had been praying before then; abolishing religion did not abolish faith. "They had a great deal to be thankful for," he said. "The new officer must have been very gifted to have achieved what no one else had been able to do."

"They'd been looking for someone like him for a long time," Ender said, shrugging a little. "A miracle." He fidgeted under his blanket, and his last two words held little conviction. "And then the people finally spread out across the universe, and every family could have a third, a fourth, or a fifth if they wanted."

Again, Karal was silent. This time for a far longer period, as Altra's tail flicked, back and forth, as regular as a metronome. "But," he finally said, choosing his words carefully. "If it was the hero who saved them, how was it a miracle?"

"Because it was impossible. Hence, a miracle." Ender's eyes flicked up at Karal, reflexively; a moment later, he was simply looking Altra straight in the face. "Or at least, that's what our side said. I'm sure the Buggers would have had their own ideas, if any of them had been left alive after we were through with them."

"If it happened, it cannot have been impossible," he said gently. "A miracle isn't doing something that seems impossible. A miracle is the hand of the divine, reaching out to change the world, in small ways or large, because He has been asked." He looked out at Ender, studying him, meeting his eyes through Altra's. "I'm not saying it could not have been a miracle, but," he paused, again weighing his words, "but it sounds to me as if they were searching for a way to explain what the hero accomplished, in a way that made someone other than the hero responsible for his actions."

"A miracle is what the people say it is at the time it happens," he said, with a shake of his head, "People want stories. A lot of the time, they're more convenient than reality. I'm not dismissing your miracle as a fraud, Karal. But there's always more to the story. A dead Bugger is still a dead person, and calling them the enemy just makes it easier on us to kill them."

"As for the last part, I know that better than you could imagine. Karse's enemies were named demons and hellspawn, when they were some of the best, most selfless, people I have ever known." He folded his hands. "But as to the first, I can't agree. I have seen fake miracles, produced by magic, and I don't doubt that technology could ape a miracle as well if not better than magic. But something does not become a miracle because people want it to be a miracle. I can call Altra a dog, but it will not make him any less a Firecat, no matter how desperately I might want him to be. People need stories, and people craft stories out of the inexplicable around them, so that they can understand. When a god or a goddess reaches out and aids us, whether with a lightning bolt or a spring of water or a guiding light, that is a miracle. That and nothing else."

But Ender just shook his head again, loosening his grip on his blanket. "A miracle is a story like any other," he said, "Created for a reason and always by the victor."

Karal considered that, then touched Altra's head. "Then how do you explain Altra?" he asked. "Altra is an avatar of Vkandis Sunlord, sent to me to aid me and guide me, an expression of Vkandis' Will. He is arguably a miracle given physical form." Altra twitched an ear at Karal, but didn't protest. "You can't explain him away as a story."

Ender actually smiled slightly. "But I only know he is because you told me. And you do have a vested interest in convincing me."

Altra snorted. :Oh, very nice,: he grumbled. :Charming.:

Karal hid a smile. "But I don't have a vested interest in convincing you. I hate the idea of people believing that something is a miracle that isn't; I have seen the damage that false miracles presented as true can do. As for convincing you to believe that Vkandis Sunlord exists, and that I have seen Him manifest in the world?" He smiled warmly. "Your lack of belief in Him doesn't hurt me, it doesn't change my faith in any way. My job is not to convince people to believe in Him, it is to help people, no matter what they believe."

"Maybe not," he said, leaving it in the middle. He didn't really feel that Karal was being dishonest, but it wasn't fully true, either. "Or maybe I should get Altra some food as a bribe before he decides to light me on fire."

Karal laughed; he couldn't help it. "Maybe so," he said, and Altra rolled his eyes. "And Vkandis favours people who fetch Sun-priests cups of tea," he added, trying unsuccessfully to keep a straight face.

"I'm not particularly interested in currying Vkandis's favour," he said, "But if a priest wants to get his ass off the roof, we might be able to find some."

Shaking his head and still chuckling, Karal stood and held out a hand to help Ender to his feet. "In that case, I think this priest should make you a cup of tea."

"Good." Ender took Karal's hand, pulling himself up with all the fluidity that came with years of training. "I've been freezing my butt off for the past five hours."

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The roof, Monday at dawn

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