fandomhigh | Interactive Religion [Tuesday, January 29]

Once again the students met in the Danger Room. The temperature had been cranked up to desert levels of heat, which was convenient since they were in the desert.

"Welcome to Egypt," Biff said with a grin. "Half of you will get to be the oppressed Hebrews, doomed to slavery because of your belief in one god. The other half of you will be Egyptians, very busy building up the greatest civilization in the world at the time, worshiping multiple gods, and oppressing the Hebrews."

He clasped his hands behind his back and paced. "This is one of the pivotal moments in Jewish history. Moses--" he pointed to Seely, "has been asking Pharaoh--" he pointed at Karal, "to let his people go. But the Lord had hardened Pharaoh's heart, as the Lord sometimes does, and despite multiple plagues: rivers turning to blood, lice, flies, diseased animals, locusts, boils, rain of fire, blocking out the sun for three full days, and frogs, the Pharaoh wouldn't let the Lord's chosen people go."

He snorted. "Despite what some angels might have told me, I don't think a rain of barbecued pork would've really changed things. The Lord could've dropped sides of cattle from the sky and Pharaoh wouldn't have budged. Finally, the Lord threatened to kill all of the first born sons, from Pharaoh's on down. He would spare--'pass over'--those doors that had lamb's blood on them."

"And that was enough to get Pharaoh to break. He said 'out you go' to Moses and the Hebrews weren't about to stick around to have him change his mind, so they started hauling themselves, their asses, their kids, and their matzo--flatbread because there wasn't time for dough to rise--and starting heading for the Red Sea."

He pointed at the rig of buckets in a path down the center of the desert. "Since actually drowning you all would be discouraged, we won't be using the real Red Sea. Moses, pick out your Hebrews, each of you grab a donkey--" there were real donkeys, yeah, "and start crossing through the miraculously dry Red Sea." He grinned. "The Lord made a wall of water on one side and on the other, so the Hebrews could pass through the sea unharmed because of course Pharaoh changed his mind. A nation of free labor was walking away!"

He pointed at Karal. "Pharaoh, you give 'em a fifteen minute head start, then take your charioteers--" he handed each of them a pair of coconut halves, "--and go chasing after them."

Pharaoh and the charioteers would be getting a good dousing. Biff was looking forward to it.

"Okay, go!"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

And now she was staring at the ~~lovely bunch of~~ coconuts. "That's--that makes no sense."

Still, she decided to try again. "Can't we just get new slaves?"

Karal stared at her. "I don't think we should have any slaves at all!" he pointed out, then deliberately dropped his coconuts into the sand. They itched. "The sooner we follow, the sooner this can be over."

"I'm method acting," she explained, "and I still don't understand why we're going after them. Do you not have enough to do?"

"Oh, glory, I don't know. Apparently I'm deeply stupid," he said after a moment's thought. "Or I hate my first-born son, or I've been drinking." He stared at the sand and the buckets and nodded. "Drinking, definitely."

"And here I thought that the worst thing that happened when you grew up with too much sand was that you ended up like Gavin and Luke," she whispered, giggling.

Karal shook his head and started to chuckle. "We'd best not stay out here for long, or we still might."

"Oh, horrors. We can't have that."

"I'm going to tell Gavin you said that," he teased, and started trudging towards the buckets of water.

"Tattletale," she teased, falling into step slightly behind him.

"Yes," he said and grinned at her unrepentantly. At least if he had to journey through the desert he had good company.

"I'm telling Altra," she retorted.

:Telling Altra what?: The Firecat appeared from nowhere, looking thinner than he usually did, his fur a bit dull. :What are you wearing on your head?:

Karal just sighed. "I'm the Pharoah, and this is my frightening hat."

She reached down to stroke Altra. "That your sidekick is a thoroughly reluctant tyrant, mostly."

He purred and arched into her hand. :I could have told you that.:

"Altra, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be sleeping."

I was bored.:

"Oh, Vkandis help us," Karal said, eyes wide. "The end of the world can't be far behind."

"Why are you supposed to be sleeping?" She asked, still scratching and stroking the 'cat.

"Also, wasn't that the point of the story?"

"I think you're right," he told Inara, then looked pointedly at Altra. "He's supposed to be sleeping because he's still recovering from Sunday night."

Altra snorted and twined around Inara's legs. :I'm fine.:

"What happened Sunday night?" One day she'd remember to listen to the radio regularly. "You do look a bit like you could use a vacation, Altra."

Altra and Karal exchanged a look, then both glanced back at her. "I was helping Dean and his family, as was Altra." He had no desire to worry her, even if part of him was longing to tell her everything, how frightened he'd been, how awed when he'd felt the presence of Vkandis. "It was harder than we'd expected."

"Then what are you both doing here?" She demanded sternly, if under her breath. "You should be resting."

"I'm fine," he assured her, maybe hiding his hands behind his back. "Altra was far more worn out than I, and I'm TA for this class. I have a responsibility to be here."

"And no responsibility to yourself and your own well-being?" Her look encompassed both Karal and Altra. "You both need a keeper."

Karal moreso than Altra, naturally.

Interactive Religion [Tuesday, January 29]

Re: Cross the Red Sea! Egyptians!

Re: Cross the Red Sea! Egyptians!

Re: Cross the Red Sea! Egyptians!

Re: Cross the Red Sea! Egyptians!

Re: Cross the Red Sea! Egyptians!

Re: Cross the Red Sea! Egyptians!

Re: Cross the Red Sea! Egyptians!

Re: Cross the Red Sea! Egyptians!

Re: Cross the Red Sea! Egyptians!

Re: Cross the Red Sea! Egyptians!

Re: Cross the Red Sea! Egyptians!

Re: Cross the Red Sea! Egyptians!

Re: Cross the Red Sea! Egyptians!

Re: Cross the Red Sea! Egyptians!

Re: Cross the Red Sea! Egyptians!

Re: Cross the Red Sea! Egyptians!

Re: Cross the Red Sea! Egyptians!

Re: Cross the Red Sea! Egyptians!

Re: Cross the Red Sea! Egyptians!

Re: Cross the Red Sea! Egyptians!

Re: Cross the Red Sea! Egyptians!