It was hard to get out of bed again. I still don’t have any goals for these last days of ritual, and to be honest, I was finding it very hard to adult today after a very long and painful evening.
Something something perseverance something.
I left the rutile quartz in the storage bag this time. The book looked empty with just the small amber nugget and the thin written label, but it also felt just right, just the same.
“So I know we don’t have the time to get into the dedication and use of the ring, but might as well let me know what style of ring to keep an eye out for as I go. I’d rather not be scrambling for a something suitable on an impossible timescale when there is the nontrivial possibility of coming across the ring at any given time.”
[Patient Caller] answered with a series of vague generalities. Must be pleasing to look at, but not extravagant or gaudy. Must be of personal cost but not so much that I can’t afford it without placing myself in debt. I asked him if his other jeweled and chunky rings met his requirements. He answered that some of his other rings were marks of obligations, and others were marks of his vanity. But the signet ring was something personal between us, much like the name I was given.
His hard requirement for the ring is that it be gold only, with no jewel or other material set in it. He left open the possibility for the ring to be carved as a true signet ring, or if the ring would be suitable as obtained.
He broke the silence that followed by asking if I was going to Mass tonight, and if so, would tonight be my final night as planned.
It will be and it is. I have conquered several fears (and feel stupid for having them even though the reasons how they developed are written in the scars on my body) and have challenged some falsehoods I had believed were fact. Without a sense of community with the other parishioners, I have no further requirements to continue. I asked if he wanted me to pray for him or his servant, [Mud] at my final attendance. He smiled and said that was not necessary at this time. I heard the implication clearly, but said nothing.
We sat silently for a few more minutes before I admitted I had nothing more to say or request. In a strange fit of politeness, I asked him if he had anything to say before being given license to depart.
«You are stronger than you believe, and more resilient than you have been lied to. When this obligation ends, so does our meeting at this table. I look forward to meeting you in [different circumstances].»
Quietly I gave him the Apophenia Invitation followed by the License to Depart. I can’t let this week end so somberly. I’m going to have to come up with something absolutely stupid to ask him for tomorrow.
Total ritual time: 28 minutes.