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Realms: Bough Logs

Fifth Movement, Qin's Song, Part One

That same, timeless discontinuity comes, in between the waves of the redcaps attacking. As always, there is a sense of no immediacy when that moment comes; there is grim certainty that the redcaps will still be there when they get back, and that in the meantime nothing will really change.

It is a warm and balmy day in mountainous country. Outside the village, a wide road -- the Imperial Road -- runs from the seat of the Emperor Kangxi, considered one of the greatest of Qin's emperors, south towards the Riverlands. The Court itself is barely half a day's journey north, and here, at the Imperial Observatory, it is, to all appearances, a placid day.

In contrast to other temporary journeys of memory, Norris and Mikal -- Jareth seems to have missed out on this one, or his self in this time period hadn't connected with theirs -- have some remembrance of who they are, and what they were doing. The room they find themselves in is large and octagonal, one of the associated buildings of the Observatory. Norris finds himself at a workbench, its surface littered with fine materials and parts for what seems to be a sextant, designed for taking astronomical measurements. It is clearly work of his own hands, and shows an excellent attention to detail and accuracy. It is, in fact, in some ways superior to the European sextant that is also before him, that he has been studying as well. A craftsman of excellent skill, apparently, crafting the optics and tools that the Observatory's users need so badly.

Mikal for her part is amongst the stacks of books and scrolls, a blend of traditional bamboo rolls and European bound tomes. A woman of learning, obviously, and not some authority as well, to judge by the minister's robes she wears. This particular section of the small ancillary library -- she finds she can read the phonograms easily -- appears to be with regard to the history of the Observatory itself, in particular the Jesuit involvment in actually running the observatory.

A large mastiff is there as well. While clearly a hound of breeding, his attitude surely doesn't show it, as he lies on his back, legs splayed comfortably, tongue lolling, as he naps in the mid-afternoon sun. Raphael seems to have changed only in form and not particularly in mien.

Both representing some of the best of both Europe and Qin, born and raised to the Qing Dynasty and educated by sharp-minded Jesuits, Mikal and Norris grasp where they are and what they are: Well-placed and well-bred Chinese members of the Imerial Observatory, under Kangxi in the dawning years of what the Jesuits and the Europeans call the Eighteenth Century. So much will be happening in the next hundred years....

Mikal runs a slender finger lightly along the scroll cases, locating and withdrawing the one she's searching for. She opens it and starts reading, walking slowly back towards the workbench at which her friend Tsao Ling is settled. She pauses long enough by the lolling mastiff to absently rub her toes along the sun-warmed belly, giving him an affectionate glance as she murmurs, "Indolent!" before going back to the scroll she's reading. "Here, Ling, look: it appears the foreigners were not jesting -- this here really is the best they can do, as far as sextants. See the drawing?" She holds the scroll out so he can see also.

Kai, the mastiff, yawns hugely, seeming to grin at Mikal's -- Ji Shan's -- comment... and then rolls over to continue his nap. One would think that such a well-bred dog would have the kind of boundless energy that could run down whole cavalry squadrons. One would think, anyway.

Norris is in the process of making adjustments to his fine brass device, when Ji Shan speaks up. He puts away his magnifying lens, peering curiously at the scroll. "It is so?" he queries, tugging at his beard. "Tiresome. To assume that they are pre-eminent in all things."

Mikal smiles and shrugs, "It is the nature of the young to assume they are all-knowing, yes? Theirs is indeed a young people, unguided by the Emperor's divine wisdom." She sighs, neatly rolling the scroll back up and sliding it into a sleeve before settling on the edge of the workbench by which Tsao Ling is seated, "Very wise in some ways, and I am grateful for their teachings... but curiously blind in others."

The Jesuits currently run the Imperial Observatory on behalf of the Emperor. As Europeans go, they are actually quite good in their own way -- they adopt Qin customs and dress, they do not treat their fellows at the Observatory in demeaning manners, and they seem quite content to make utterly no comment on the Qin traditions of veneration of the ancestors and the Emperor. A fine example of this mindset comes through the doorway in the form of Brother Niccolo Ricci. He wears rather simple apparel, suitable for he and his bretheren to stand within the Court but not approaching the finery worn by the courtiers. He is somewhat more rotund than both Ling and Shan, though he is reasonably fit. He pauses at the entrance, to give Kai a scritch behind his ears, before stepping in; his usual smile is only half there. "Good morning, Lady Ji, Lord Tsao. All is well this morning with you, I hope?" His grasp of the language is, while not fluency, eminently competent.

Mikal bows courteously to the priest, "Good morning to you also, honorable Ricci. We are quite well. Have you eaten yet?"

Norris grunts! "You, of all people, can appreciate this best. In the West, I hear..." He trails off, when he realizes that they have company. "Honored Brother, we are well." he assures, bowing respectfully. He absently thinks, in his head, that a man of Ricci's size is unlikely to ever forget a meal.

Ricci says, "Ah, I have, yes, thank you!" His expression falls a little. "Forgive me, my friends. I have to admit, all is not well at the moment. I have been informed that the Dominicans are planning to bring their case to Rome itself. They claim that your rites of veneration are religious, and not social and civil as we have tried to argue, and thus should be forbidden to all Christians of Qin."

Norris puts aside his tools, folding his hands into his robe. "And you think there is a clear danger that they might succeed, or you would not be so perturbed, I gather." he says evenly.

Mikal smiles politely, a bit unsure as to what the polite course of conversation would be here. As a non-Christian, she's not really worried about the outcome of the religio-political whining of some tiresome little Dominicans tattling to their Big Father, and while she'd never say so, she thinks the fewer Christian converts there are in Qi, the better.

Ricci sighs a little. "Undoubtedly. Rome is not here, they do not see what we see. The Dominicans, for their part, see only what they want to see, and nothing more. They have no sense of the enormity that is your Middle Kingdom. You have history that is longer than some European nations' histories combined. We bring the Word of Christ, but there is no reason why everything else must be erased, as the Dominicans would have.

"I came in part to let you know, that a Brother Jorge of the Dominicans will be here shortly, examining the Observatory. He will be among the delegation who is to leave for Rome in the coming week." He adds, quietly and parenthetically. "He has been... quite critical of my welcoming, er, non-Christians to work and study here.""

Mikal nods silently, thinking a moment... then politely inquires, "Is this brother of yours in need of competent medical help, honored Ricci?"

Norris looks at his fellow scholar in bemusement, clearly not following her train of thought.

Mikal gracefully turns a hand palm up as she explains to her friend, "If the Dominicans of the Word of Christ cannot comprehend the history of the Middle Kingdom, and does not understand its value in enhancing this pleasant little library, clearly he is out of balance, and may be ill. If his balance is restored, perhaps he will become more reasonable, yes?"

Ricci manages, barely, to stifle a laugh, and he can't quite get rid of his mirth at Mikal's comment. "I've often wondered that myself, Lady Shan. But, no. I fear that there is naught that the surgeons of either Europe or Qin can do for him, lest they learn how to remove Zealotry from such a one as he." His lips quirk ruefully. "He is, in fact, of the type who see such zealotry as a virtue. It would not surprise me to learn that he is of the Inquisition."

Mikal smiles at the Jesuit, quietly pleased that she could give him some amusement. Though she finds his deity incomprehensible insular, she does respect, even somewhat admire, the man's dedication and joy in teaching.

Norris stiffens. He has heard tales of the Inquistion - barbaric tales. "You know this brother of yours better than we, Honorable Ricci. Is there a course of action that you would reccomend?"

Mikal blinks in sudden revulsion at the horrific rush of soul memory she receives at the word "Inquisition." She gasps and sways, putting out a hand to steady herself.

Ricci blinks, moving to steady her. "Lady Shan? Are you well?"

Mikal feels like her lips are numb, but she articulates carefully, "Th... the Inquisition? Are you sure, Brother Ricci?"

Ricci blinks again, then shakes his head. "Forgive me. My saying that I would not be surprised if he were an inquisitor was speculation on my part. Had I known it would affect you so deeply, I would not have spoken of it. I beg your forgiveness."

Mikal straightens up, forgetting her manners enough to actually grab the man's sleeve, "Please, I must know, honorable Ricci! Is he or is he not of the Inquisition?"

Ricci blinks again. "Lady Shan... I promise you, I do not believe him to be of the Inquisition. While the Domini canes are often found in its ranks, I do not believe the Papal Inquisition has the wherewithal to come all the way to Qin, and the Spanish Inquisition has no dealings at all with missions such as ours; they remain strictly within Espania.

Ricci continues, gently: "Be that as it may, Brother Jorge is quite influential with the Dominicans who have come to Qin, and as far as Church politics go, he has many friends in the Holy See."

Norris blinks at his comrade losing her remarkable poise. "Ji, remember who you are. You have no need to beg anything of any man." he reminds he, attempting to be of reassurance, though he does not reach out to her to give physical comfort. Not in company, at any rate.

Mikal takes a deep breath and straightens, remembering herself and smoothing down her robes. She bows quite correctly, "Forgive me, honorable Ricci, for my ill manners." She thinks, but does not say, to Kai, [Were the Dominican actually of the devil-spawn Inquisitors, it were best we warn the Emperor to root them out ruthlessly, with fire and blood, like an invading army. Never again will we remain silent and attempt to hide from them, I swear!]

Quite unnoticed by Ricci, Kai has both eyes open and alert, though he has not moved from his sleeping-spot. He watches Mikal concernedly.

Mikal smiles at Tsao Ling, her eyes already serene once more, "Thank you, old friend." He knows her well enough, however, that he can tell she's in her mask of courtesy that hides her true feelings.

Mikal turns her dark-eyed gaze to the Jesuit, adding politely, "Was there something you wished of us, honorable Ricci, upon the arrival of this new person?"

Norris seems satisfied, for the moment, before turning his attention back to the Jesuit. "Indeed, Ji...my earlier query stands, Honored Ricci. If he comes here to pass judgement - wrong as he might be to do so - are there actions we might take in order to ward off regrettable actions on his part?"

Ricci shakes his head. "You've nothing to apologize for, Lady Shan. Upsetting you was not my intention this morning, I assure you.

"No, my purpose was to in fact warn you that he was coming. I am certain he would wish to speak with you, as you are the two highest-ranking persons of Qin here at the Observatory, and yet you are not Christians. Which, as I've said many times before, makes not a whit of difference to me -- you are an eminent scholar, Lady Shan; and you an excellent craftsman, Lord Tsao -- but I would be lying if I did not say that Brother Jorge would not be acutely aware of that fact.

"You are your own people; I am but a Jesuit, a teacher and a missionary. I can neither require nor ask anything of you, especially since you are not Christians." He takes in a deep breath, and the bows his head to the two. "But I ask this, as one who has been privileged to know your friendship and tolerance. I ask for your forbearance of Brother Jorge, for the sake of Christianity here in Qin."

Mikal tilts her head thoughtfully, looking up to regard the Jesuit for a long moment. Finally she murmurs quietly, "Honored Ricci... why are you a Christian?"

Norris blinks at Ji. It's as if she asked, 'why are you a barbarian westerner?'.

Shan Ji waits silently, curious as to why such a thoughtful and logical man -- a clear benefit to the Emperor's service -- should ally himself with the often foolishly illogical followers of a distant "pope" in service to a single, disinterested deity.

Ricci studies Shan for a long moment, lips pursed. "If you are asking me," he says easily, "why I do not leave the Jesuits, and instead join the Emperor's service?" He smiles a little. "Then my answer would have to be, right now, that would shatter any hope for a peaceful resolution to the quandry Jorge and his fellows seek to bring before the Pope. I would be held up as a pariah and apostate, and thus be used to cast suspicion upon all the rest of the Society here in Qin.

"Lady Shan, I do not see any conflict with being Christian and serving the Emperor, so there is no reason to renounce one for the other... to me. It is Jorge who cannot fathom the depth and richness of these rites.”

Mikal raises a thoughtful eyebrow as she considers the Jesuit's reply... then she smiles and nods politely to him, "Indeed. Thank you, honored Ricci." There's a glimmer of delighted humor visible in the back of her eyes, for those who know her -- she loves that the priest so often can see through her! He keeps her honest, she supposes... and it looks like there's hope for him still to see the wisdom of following the divine Emperor. There's a certain nobility to his doing his best to protect them also... although she thinks it'd likely be easy enough for the Emperor just to send away the foolish dog-priests who so concern the Jesuit.

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