Chapter 9: We Have an Audience
Eventually, Darius became a full member of the Inquisitives. This roughly coincided with the time Orcille joined them. Orcille took a liking to Darius. He liked his rebellious nature and passion for freedom. Darius was excited by Orcille’s arrival. He seemed to add more energy and enthusiasm to the group. The number of members also started to increase. Victor was nervous about the expansion of the group and the attention it might draw.
Orcille felt that Victor acted too cautiously, and this hindered the expansion and effectiveness of the group. Victor could see Orcille’s success, which therefore allowed him to be bolder in his approach to spreading the group’s ideology.
Orcille wanted to make an even bigger statement. He wanted an audience at the House of Divine Knowledge. Victor had always wanted such an audience but was very fearful of the repercussions.
Orcille boldly approached several of the Head Philosophers and asked for an audience at one of their sessions. He was repeatedly turned down until he spoke to Jaffadella. Jaffadella was a Junior Philosopher who taught several classes at the school and occasionally conducted lectures for mass gatherings. She was open to hearing different opinions and believed all ideas had some merit, even if at first they did not appear logical. She believed the Inquisitives should be given the opportunity to explain their philosophy to a broader audience, where they could be questioned and possibly debunked. However, she alone did not have the authority to give them an audience at the House of Divine Knowledge. She needed the backing of a Senior Theologist.
Jaffadella had a good working relationship with Genève, the Deputy Head Theologist. She believed Genève might be willing to support her. After some convincing, Genève acknowledged the merits of Jaffadella’s request, and she chose to support her. Jaffadella immediately contacted Orcille about the good news. Orcille called for an urgent meeting underneath the Industrial Zone Train Station.
The Inquisitives gathered at the Industrial Zone, where Orcille led them to the underground area of the train station. Victor, Denise, Morgan, Darius, and at least eight other members attended.
Darius saw this as an opportunity to make amends with Denise. They had barely spoken for over a year.
Before the meeting started, Darius walked over to Denise. ‘Hey, it’s good to see you. It feels like years since we last spoke,’ remarked Darius.
‘It’s been a hundred and twelve weeks and three days,’ replied Denise with a frown on her face.
‘Oh, wow, okay!’ exclaimed Darius uncomfortably.
Denise started laughing. ‘Actually, I have no idea how long it’s been. Just thought I would mess with your head,’ she joked.
‘I feel relieved you can joke. I’ve felt so scared to say anything to you,’ replied Darius. ‘I betrayed your trust, and my looks have been seriously downgraded,’ he said with a slightly lopsided smile on his face.
‘No doubt, you are freaky hideous, but if it makes you feel any better, your looks have slightly improved,’ said Denise with an awkward smile.
‘I’m getting the feeling that I might be forgiven,’ replied Darius with a glimmer in his eye.
‘Well, you admitted betraying my trust, but instead of apologising, you hinted that I was shallow,’ retorted Denise. ‘It also took you over a year to even progress to this point. So no, not forgiven.’
Morgan approached the two of them and interrupted the conversation. ‘Come on, grab a chair. The meeting is about to start,’ he growled.
The chairs were arranged in a semicircle between several large crates. All the attendees, other than Orcille, took a seat. Orcille stood facing the attendees. He quickly scanned the room to see who had attended. He turned towards Victor, who gave him a slight nod to begin.
‘I would like to thank all of you for attending today’s meeting at such short notice,’ said Orcille. ‘I have an announcement that cannot wait until our next official meeting.’
He paused for a few seconds to read the reaction in the room. He continued, ‘I have been in consistent and frequent contact with philosophers and theologists from the House of Divine Knowledge. I know the response in the past has been negative, but it is important to keep trying. After all, the institute was set up to facilitate debate. The work Victor and many other Inquisitives have pursued has the potential to improve the lives of not only the Sapiens in Adoy but in all regions of Sapey. To my joy, I have now received a positive response from the House of Divine Knowledge. Next week, I will be making a presentation at a full session in front of hundreds of our fellow Sapiens.’
The room fell silent for a few seconds, and then Darius began to applaud. The other members, including Victor, joined in the applause. Denise did not join in. Instead, she gazed at the rest of them. She had a part thoughtful and part concerned look on her face.
After the applause died down, Orcille continued. ‘For this presentation to have an impact, I need as many Sapiens to attend as possible. Tell whoever you know, and get them to tell whoever they know. We need to make an impact. This might be our only chance,’ said Orcille with conviction in his voice.
After the meeting, once the members had left, Denise approached Victor. ‘This is what you have been working towards all these years. Now you are letting Orcille, a dude who just wandered in ten minutes ago, explain the values and principles of our movement,’ blurted Denise at Victor.
‘Orcille has a way with Sapiens. He can win them over in ways I cannot,’ replied Victor.
‘He has put you and the other members under some kind of spell. I don’t trust him,’ argued Denise.
‘I understand your point, but if we are going to make an impact, we need to open up to more Sapiens. Orcille can help us do that. Please give him a chance,’ calmly explained Victor.
‘I really hope you are right. I have a really bad feeling about this and about him,’ responded Denise.
Both Victor and Denise were unaware that Orcille had not left with the others. He had secretly listened to the conversation between the two.
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