Discussions of Godliness, infidelity & the Worship of the Sun (in Progress)
HERE.
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Sexual Themes, Suggestions
Stephen placed a finger on the rim of his teacup to stop its gentle wobble against its saucer. Although a projection of the Sanctum Sanctorum was currently safely grounded in a corner of Night Vale, the real sanctum remained in New York. This meant the table at which he sat, and everything else in this version of his home was still just slightly impacted by the surroundings of the real sanctum. Sometimes Stephen knew it was raining in New York by the smell near a window, or - as he was experiencing now - that the M line train was pulling into West 4th Station just a little behind schedule.
Hovering to Stephen’s left was the Venetus 0, a collection that contained Homer’s Iliad copied by the same Byzantine scribe responsible for Venetus A, with a few additions that were otherwise lost to time. Keeping the manuscript well out of the way of his teacup, Stephen flipped a page, absorbing more information about the divine intervention that saw the near-end of Troy, all because Paris chose Aphrodite over Hera in a beauty contest.
There was something affectionate, relatable, about the humanity of the greek gods and goddesses that Stephen found endearing. Perhaps that was because, at his weakest, he was known to be as mercurial. Or perhaps he’d come to respect a Parthenon which punished hubris -- as that made his own ill-fated accident and the loss of the fine work of his hands make a little bit more sense.
He felt her, coming up behind him before he saw her, and turned his wrist to float the manuscript to his right so she could get a better look at what he was mulling over with his morning tea. He never kept anything from Hera, except perhaps his feelings for her. As much as he’d grown to care for her in their months together, he couldn’t quite find the words to express the depth of (or define) their relationship. After all, Hera had had epics written about her greatness, how could any of his meekly threaded-together syllables compare.
“I missed you while you slept.” Stephen offered with a half-formed sigh. “So I was reading about you.”