Baurus sighed as he prepared a gin and tonic for himself with practiced efficiency. As he did so he lamented, “So much noise, even at this distance. Need anyone be so crass as to pierce the veil at this hour? But it is in his nature and was inevitable.” He walked mechanically towards his sister who continued to dance to the music only they could hear. The music of causality. The practiced symphony of the inevitable. He knew their road and she knew their ending such is as it had always been. And it always would be. He spent little time with Muse during eternity, but she was his favorite sibling. The only one who knew the cast iron nature of reality.
As he watched her dancing like a clockwork doll, she spoke in a lilting tone, “Inevitable and unavoidable, but it is such a beautiful song. To finally be able to enjoy this sensation without a bitter taste on my tongue is-”
*Knock, Knock*
The two froze in their movements, knowing all too well who was at the door. There were few who were unexpected guests in their world, so when they did arrive it could only be them. As Baurus approached the door, the sound of rattling dice in a velvet cup caused his eyes to narrow in annoyance. He opened it with measured fury, “What brings you two, Seer? The situation-”
Practically his twin in facial appearance, Seer’s stance and attire set him aside. A white admiral’s uniform with gold piping, white gloves and white boots. He was smirking as he shook the cup full of dice, a conversation piece he would often do to annoy Baurus. Stepping past his brother, Seer laughed lovingly, “Well, I had to check on my little sister. Besides, you knew we would show up eventually. I love it when someone is willing to gamble everything on their own guts and will.” He walked to the balcony, hearing all they were. “So, what will the roll be, Baurus?”
Lilith entered behind him, her confident and condescending demeanor making her the perfect contrast of her twin, “You are still in such good spirits. A shame. I had hoped to see you quiet and demure again. The reaper to my lady luck. It was so much more fun.” Despite this, she gave a rather tender greeting kiss on each of Muse’s cheeks. She then pulled out a ballpoint pen and poked Baurus in the nose as she locked eyes with a glare, “You are supposed to be my lackey, not the lapdog of some uppity mortal.”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Baurus moved the pen aside and said firmly, “I am doing what my job has always been. To remind the mortals of their own limited nature and perspective. What does it matter in the broad scope of eternity if they are told the path they would inevitably end up walking?”
Seer walked over to Muse, still rolling the dice, every shift of the cubes inside the cup causing changes along the orchestra of chance that only they could see. He laughed softly to her, “You’re having fun. Nice to have free will to walk whatever road you like and see who happens along your road today, huh?”
She nodded and smiled sweetly, “I finally get a chance to see what you keep talking about. Even when all roads have the same conclusion, every time around has its own charm.” He nodded approvingly even as he watched Lilith continue to chew Baurus out for leaving her side.
“You don’t get it! I don’t care what they want or what they were always going to do, I need someone to help me give context to the end I choose for them. There needs to be romance and melodrama and tragedy. If I don’t know what they are going to do, then it all just seems arbitrary and random!”
“Blame Seer for that! He gives the mortals too many delusions of grandeur.”
The two boys locked eyes again and Seer held up the cup he was still shaking tauntingly. “You still haven’t guessed the results.”
“Their destiny is to remain in that cup until you decide to release them.”
Seer huffed, “You are as boring as always. You can feel them. Every bounce and rotation. Just take a single chance in your life. Say anything that actively asserts control over the outcome.” When Baurus continued to glare him down, Seer sighed, “I don’t get it. Lilith hates me because I steal all the attention from her and you hate me because I’m too fun.”
When he put the cup down, he smiled as Muse said, “Three fours and a duck.” He lifted the cup to reveal the 3 dice had rolled as fours and the small rubber duck he had slipped into the cup resting upright and on proper display.
Lilith tucked her pen behind her ear and sighed, “Well, Since we are here now, I can assure you that your little plans, carefully described to protect destiny and fate as you saw it, are moot. I wonder how much fun I can have with the ending of this little game without him ever realizing I found him out.”
Seer nodded, “I admire his guts to gamble like this, but only Destiny favors the bold. Often their fates are not so certain.” He then laughed quietly, “Still, I don’t see this being the end of the road. Too much fire to simply give up once fate has finally found them.”
Muse always knows how your story WILL end and carries the unfortunate knowledge that there is little if nothing that can be done to avoid it. A Pin in your thread.
Baurus believes that our Destiny is limited by our own natures. You can count on a liar to lie, a cheater to cheat, and an honest man to lose his bet. The twine of the thread
Seer believes that no matter where the story ends, our will and determination decides the road we choose to walk can is only as limited as we allow it to be. The knots in the thread.
