Anonymous Guest asked: prompt: anubis & horus spotted having tea on the back streets of cairo, 2006
I didn't notice them at first. After all, why would I? Two middle-aged gentlemen sitting at the entrance to a dimly-lit alleyway, dressed in the omnipresent thawb and cap, sitting on low stools in front of low fire, a battered tin kettle bubbling away, and a brass teapot stuffed almost to overflowing with mint and, doubtless, tea. One of them had pulled out an incongruously modern looking phone, at best guess. Something more slab-like than the plasticky flip-phone I had stuffed deep into my pocket.
They were completely unremarkable even for this. The clothing, the stools, the tea, the phone (probably some black-market thing that wouldn't be out for another year)... none of these in particular stood out, so it felt surprising to me that they caught my eye. It was crowded enough, though, that I didn't feel conspicuous staring at them for a few minutes.
Nothing happened. Nothing was interesting.
It was only when I gave up and started to turn away that I once more caught sight of what had initially pulled my attention their way. As soon as they slid into my peripheral vision, something...shifted. There was a shimmer of heat-haze, though the day itself wasn't all that warm, and, rather than two middle-aged men, two gods sat in front of some much finer tea ceremony. Instead of brass, the pot was of brilliant silver. Instead of tin, the kettle was of some dark red clay. And instead of two men in white thawbs and caps, a man with the head of a bird sat across from a man with the head of a jackal. Instead of a phone, the jackal-headed man was showing the other a set of scales made of dull bronze.
And then the moment was past. Dizzy, memories slipping from my mind, I stumbled on down the street on my errand.