MnG 8: Lux & Aenigma

[Aenigma]

"I have been, but probably not for reasons as exciting as yours. I'm trying to unravel the ancient mystery of American economics, you see, and while I already have a lot of experience with banking practices and financial strategies, I'm familiar with what works in Canada, not the US, so I've had a lot of reading to do. It's not that hard since there are similarities, but it's still taking time," Lux said, returning Aenigma's smile with a wry grin. It seemed that she wasn't the only one in the Domain who blushed easily.

"So, Aenigma, I don't mind if you'd prefer not to talk about it, but have you seen a peculiar camera come through the 'Museum' lately? The Curator would have brought it in."

Aenigma chuckles a bit at her use of "ancient mystery" to describe American economics. "I haven't dabbled much in the study of economics to be honest, except for the economic systems of ancient Greece and Rome," he says to the Thearch. "Of course that was part of the curriculum when I was pursuing my Masters in Comparative Ancient History." The young Walrock offers her a quick smile and then adds, "so I can relate to spending many sleepless nights at the library."

He takes a sip of tea, raising an eyebrow at her next question. Aenigma shakes his head slightly as he sets the cup down. "I have not, to be perfectly honest," he says in response to Lux's inquiry. "Even though we work at the same place, I haven't gotten much of a chance to talk to the Curator lately." He gives a little nonchalant shrug and then adds, "he's a busy man."

Hmmm. I wonder what the deal is with this camera? Maybe I should pay Jack a visit soon; we need to catch up anyways...

[Lux]

"That makes sense," Lux replied nodding, "I know that his job has a lot of responsibilities, and on top of that he has been doing a lot of 'community service' lately." She took a sip of tea and then smiled. "It was just a passing curiosity. But, in case you're up for another passing curiousity, I have another question for you. If you studied Grecian and Roman economies, did you ever extend your focus to the east, or to the Egyptian economy? Or maybe to Alexandria, more specifically? I know that it was a very strategic place for agrarian trade for much of the Roman empire, but I'm curious how much you know about the city in general."

[Aenigma]

"Well, I wouldn't claim to be an expert on ancient economic systems," says Aenigma in response to her question. "The study of economics is but one piece of the larger puzzle that is the study of ancient civilizations. It definitely helps to answer some rather interesting questions about the rise and fall of different civilizations through the ages though." He pauses for a moment as he takes another sip from his cup.

"My studies weren't limited to just Ancient Greece and Rome. Egypt, the Indus-River civilizations, the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians...to name a few," says the young Warlock to the Thearch with some pride in his voice. "It was quite the intensive program, and it covered a variety of topics. As far as my knowledge of Alexandria goes, well I do know that you are correct about the city being a place of importance to the Roman Empire. As you said, it was its agrarian prowess that was the driving factor behind its annexation, and why Octavian brought the city under direct imperial rule during his reign."

Aenigma offers Lux a quick smile and then takes another sip of tea. "Of course Alexandria's history is older than that. It was one of the most important cities of its time, and quickly became one of the focal points of the Hellenistic world since its foundation by the greatest of Macedonian kings, who the city was named after of course." He lets out a little chuckle and then takes another sip from his cup.

"What I find the most fascinating about the place, is how it was destroyed and rebuilt a few different times," he says as he raises an eyebrow just slightly. "Alexandria went from being one of the major cities in antiquity, to falling prey to a huge economic and cultural decline while it was under Arab rule; the Ottoman Empire to be more specific. The biggest lost was its library of course, but I may be a little biased in my opinion."

The Mystagogue pauses after that and gives Lux an apologetic look, blushing a little. "I'm sorry if I'm boring you...I didn't mean to go on a rant about it," he says to the redhead, hoping that she hadn't already lost interest in the conversation.

[Lux]

"Actually,"she returned enthusiastically, "you're not boring me at all. I've never really had the chance to pick the brain of someone well-schooled on the topic, so this is very refreshing. There's something that's just so...visceral about the city, with how it merged the ancient egyptian world with the hellenistic, and I just find it fascinating. I just feel connected to it, somehow...I've kind of pursued studying it as a side hobby, but I haven't had the chance to really delve into it's history for a long time." She shrugged and took a sip of tea. "What about you? are there any cities that you've ever felt drawn towards during your studies?"

[Aenigma]

Aenigma can't help but smile at Lux's positive reaction to his rant. He honestly hadn't expected such a response, and it was definitely refreshing to find someone with an interest in scholarly pursuit. The fact that she isn't a Mystagogue makes it even more intriguing, and in a way it also makes the experience more satisfying.

He sips on his tea as he listens to her, nodding every so often. "It certainly does have an interesting history to say the least," he says to the Thearch with a friendly smile. "I may have some books about it in my personal library, in case you ever want to borrow some."

The Mystagogue takes another sip from his tea while he entertains her question. "Well, asides from the obvious choice," he says and offers her a quick wink, "there are so many to choose from, I'm not sure I could just pick one." He lets out a little laugh and then takes another sip of tea. "I have been developing an interest in Jericho lately. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities known to historians, and it even served as Alexander the Great's private state at one point."

[Lux]

"I'll take you up on that, sometime," she replied to Aenigma's offer, while he sipped his tea, and then listened as he responded to her question.

"Interesting. I do know that Jericho has some of the world's earliest architectural monuments, the tower being the obvious one, but I didn't know that Alexander claimed it for himself. Hmm...Well, why do you think Jericho's drawing your attention now? Is it the lure of new knowledge or has something else grabbed your attention?"

[Aenigma]

"Well, archaeologists have unraveled over 20 successive settlements in the city, the oldest dating back to somewhere around 11,000 years ago," says the Mystagogue with some excitement in his voice. "A place that shows evidence of human settlements from that long ago is certainly worth studying." Aenigma smiles and then takes another sip from his cup.

"Also, I've taken some interest in studying a variety of topics in that region," he says to the Thearch. "There is just so much history in the Middle East, it is truly fascinating!"

[Lux]

"There've been so many empires, cultures, and religions that have lived in that part of the world alone, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that it's drawing your attention. It does make me wonder though, with every bit of the ancient world that we unearth, how much has been lost and how much we'll never known. Particularily when you consider the secret histories of the world, and perhaps how much they influenced what we can still find evidence of today," she mused, absently staring into her tea before looking back up at the mage across from her. "Which makes me wonder. Have you ever looked into the 'Mysteries of the Ancient World', like the true age of the Sphinx, considering the 'background' you have, or do you just figure that there's more important things to look into?"

[Aenigma]

Aenigma nods in agreement to Lux's words. "It truly saddens me that so much has been lost," he says as his eyes become a little distant. "All that knowledge, from which we could learn so much...all gone due to looters, wars and ignorance. It's such a pity really." The Mystagogue lets out a little sigh in frustration and then takes another sip from his tea.

However, he snaps out of that state when the Thearch asks him about the older mysteries of the world. "Well, I've certainly looked into some of those," he says as a grin returns to his lips. "I enjoy solving puzzles of all sorts in my spare time, including unresolved mysteries in the history of mankind. Some of the things you find are truly fascinating!" He takes a brief pause for another sip of tea.

"Are you referring to the Great Sphinx of Giza and the questions revolving the time period in which it was built in? Or are you asking about the mythological being commonly known as a sphinx?" asks Aenigma with some curiosity. "Well, I mean both are older than most people think to be honest," he adds as an afterthought.

[Lux]

"I suppose that was a stupid question, when posed to someone who goes by Aenigma," Lux half laughed, shaking her head. "And I was refering to the Sphinx at Giza, which I suppose wasn't that apparent. Sorry. When I was in school I always just assumed that the Sphinx likely held the face of Khufu, and that it was likely built by him, instead of his son Khafre, and that was the little bit of conspiracy that fooled some people, but now I wonder if it relates to something even older. How old is it, in your expert opinion?"

OOC

Feel free to make something up, if you'd like. I thought it would be cool to just look at these things from a mages perspective, but I'm not trying to force you to go do a bunch of research or something like that.