Work Text:
Rose looks down at the tablet in her hands. The words written on it are in some half-dead language, and she strains her brain to make out any pattern in the placement and usage of the symbols.
The lines were obviously made using a slim, one-pronged utensil – possibly a “chopstick”, which was a type of utensil used before the war, or just a plain stick. The material used for the base, though, is curious - it’s a sort of orange clay, dried and flaky. It leaves a residue on her fingers, and, after letting Casey lick it to test for poisonous materials, Rosa herself tastes it, and it tastes bitter and earthy.
Interesting , she thinks. Perhaps this will be of value to my quest. With this in her head, she pulls her deck box out of her pack, stows it on a card in her captchalogue, then shuffles it into her ‘dex and puts the box back into her pack. Moving onto the next item in the stack of archives, she starts pulling them and stashing them until she’s got a veritable trove of resources for her project. They seem to be in a receipt format with titles at the top, items listed under, and a large paragraph of text beneath the lists. God, things like this must be thousands of years old. Pre-2000s, even. Holy shit.
Casey nudges her, pointing his head down to the ground, where there’s a trail of ants crossing the rocky ground. Ants – another relic. So old, yet so versatile. She nudges the trail with her foot, and the ants quickly switch direction to go around. Chuckling quietly under her breath, she takes Casey from her shoulder and puts him down on the ground, where he quickly consumes ten with a single swipe of his tongue.
Smiling softly, she sits down on the makeshift worktable she had set up and pulls out her tablet to message her work partners.
--antelingualMorningstar [AM] responded to memo--
AM: Hello, dear comrades. I thought it fitting to update you on my newest discoveries.
AM: I have come across some ancient artifacts with inscriptions in a language I haven't seen before.
AM: I believe there may be value in studying them further. I have also collected other resources and information that may be useful for our project.
AM: As you would say, Dave, peace out.
She slings her pack down and pulls the cards out, spreading the tablets on the table.
It’s time to get to work.
Rose has spent the better part of the day sifting through the records, compiling her findings and trying to decipher the ancient symbols on the tablets. As she works, Rose can't shake the feeling that she is on the brink of something big, something that could change the way they understand their world and their place in it. Bracing her hands on the table and leaning back, she takes a large breath and looks down at Casey for reassurance. The Arkinian salamander is still licking at the ants, chasing them and pouncing on them. Rose laughs softly, and turns back to her worktable.
She hasn’t been able to make heads nor tails of the language on the tablets. There are some recurring markings, but she can’t make heads nor tails of the pattern
As she works, she becomes aware of a faint buzzing sound coming from outside. Curious, she sets the tablet down and makes her way towards the source of the noise, Casey slinking along behind her. As she draws closer, she sees that the source of the sound is a small group of bees, buzzing around a nearby bush. Fascinated, she approaches them, watching as they busy themselves with their work.
Before she knows it, she is consumed by the sheer beauty and intricacy of the bees' behavior. She loses herself in their movements, watching as they work together in harmony to create something greater than any of them could accomplish alone. And suddenly, it hits her - this is the key to understanding the tablet, to unlocking the secrets of the past.
She needs to view the symbols on the tablet not as individual markings, but as part of a greater whole. She needs to approach them the way the bees approach their work - with cooperation, collaboration, and a sense of common purpose.
Rose rushes back to the tablet, Casey following close behind. She picks it up again and looks at it with fresh eyes. She sees patterns and connections that she has never noticed before, and slowly, everything falls into place.
She begins to make notes and diagrams, furiously scribbling down her newfound understanding of the ancient writings. And as she works, she knows that she has unlocked something truly special, something that can help her and her partners better understand the world they live in.
Rose continues to work tirelessly until night comes, and she falls asleep where she’s sitting, unknowing of what’s to come with the discoveries she’s made.