Prologue - Curious Anticipation

He stood at the edge of his domain staring off into the direction where his entertainment was about to begin. All around him, blue-white fires burned with enough heat that if there was any hydrogen in the room, it would begin to fuse. The heat didn't bother the stoic being standing right next to the blistering flames; for the fire was his.

Everything in the domain behind him was unequivocally HIS, nothing out of place, everything acted the way it should with nothing out of order. Just the way he liked it.

Unexpectedly another presence presented itself off to the side. He didn't turn to look at the new presence for there were few who would so blazingly enter his domain and stand next to him. Even fewer would then initiate conversation.

"Callum, my friend, it has truly been too long." The intruding presence said to break the peaceful quiet that had once been relaxing.

"Not long enough," He huffed back. "What is it you want Vasariametz." He used his full name for there was no way he was using whatever new pretentious title he was using currently. He couldn't even remember the last one he went by, it's been so long.

"You know you can call me Vas, or if you must, Vasaria." Vasariametz said back trying to add familiarity to where there was none.

Not wanting to play word games with one of the most irksome beings he knew, he repeated the question, "What do you want."

He said it more like a statement than a question but it didn't seem to bother the other god. "Oh nothing much, just a little birdie told me that you got a slot to sponsor one of the tutorials on the new worlds." Vasaria said, "And with custom additions I heard."

He didn't even ask how it was Vasaria heard about it, for he had ways of sniffing out information from places he didn't belong. Even the Allfather himself couldn't figure out how it was Vasariametz did it. This trait being one of the reasons that he found the other being so irritating. It was also the reason that his presence was tolerated inside his own domain. To anger a god when he didn't know how much they knew or didn't know, was the height of folly.

"That wasn't a question." he replied measuring his words wisely.

"Come on, at least give me something. A little hint is all I ask for." Vasaria begged, reminiscent of what a child would do for sweets.

"You will have to wait and see, just like all the rest who have asked." he said.

He didn't want any interference with his newest experiment, especially from the annoyance next to him, and the only way for that to happen was to tell nobody.

"One of these days the games you play with the newly integrated will come back to get you." Vasaria said with an uncommon seriousness.

He wanted to say 'What are those insects going to do,' but he held his tongue. Any information, no matter how unrelated, could be used against him, so instead he grunted noncommittedly.

His latest... experiment was set to begin soon and he didn't wish to miss it. The cost to get specific groups of people wasn't small, add in the cost of adjusting the difficulty and it would beggar even some gods, let alone anyone else. It was something of a social experiment this time, where different sized groups all got put in the same tutorial. He even paid specifically to keep the children from being sent away. It will provide a better incentive.

If everyone worked together in one large group then the tutorial would be a breeze, but if they split up and actively hindered each other then it would be effectively impossible. Thinking of the possibilities made him start to get excited.

He knew a drowning human would sooner pull another down with them than to help push someone else up to safety.

~~ ~~ ~~

Vasariametz saw the subtle smile begin to form on Callum's face and sighed deeply. Callum didn't understand how his actions would have consequences. Just because there haven't been any yet didn't mean that there never would.

The bill always comes due.

Sooner or later the consequences would come, and he didn't think that Callum would be very happy when it did. He heard that Callum spent a significant sum to keep the children from being sent to specialized tutorials. That's just cruel. Not desiring to spend any more time here, he left the grumpy fire god and thought ahead to his upcoming uninvited intrusions... -cough, cough- visits.

I think Artio got a slot this time, but his grove is so far away. I know Yvette has one, maybe she is finally over her grudge with me. Thinking back on that particular memory brought a smile to his face, I mean you show up at the hot springs she was bathing at one time, and she holds it against you for centuries.

The smiling god continued on his journey through the void, wondering how many new gods this integration would grind out.