dot.
A man and woman stand at the doors to the inn. He looks up at the sign above the door of a bear standing on its hind legs with claws extended in front of it in the midst of pawing the air. "This must be the white bear then," he says, "It won't be the sort we're used to but at least there will be something to eat here." He opens the door for them and walks into the inn. Out of the weather he pulls down the hood of his cape, revealing his elven features, blonde hair, blue eyes and of course the distinctive ears and fine facial structure. His dark green cape and traveling clothes look well kept but several years old and worn.
Sitting in a secluded corner of the Great Library, a girl clad in a faded green vest, undershirt, arm-length bandages, leggings & brown boots peeks out from behind a small stack of books. Her black hair is tied back in a ponytail, and her storm-grey eyes have dark circles beneath them, as if she hasn't been getting enough sleep.
She looks over to the Great Library's entrance. Standing out from the small crowd of scholars and students clad in robes stands a (rather handsome-looking, she noticed) half-orc, his spear & armor giving him the bearing of someone who appears to be in the wrong place.
"Is he a scholar too?" The girl says to herself.
She looks back at her book. The subject matter would be dry & boring to anyone else: it's a treatise on magic and how everyone who can use it must serve the Empire for the greater good. She scoffs. More Imperial propaganda. They really must be getting desperate for mages if they're putting recruitment ads in textbooks now.
She blinks. Once, twice. She starts nodding off. She rests her arm on the textbook's pages, her head following suit. Her cheek rests on her arm.
Well, at least it's good for something... Is her last thought before her eyes close.
Rowan scans the room as he walks in, holding a stack of books and several artifacts, hoping to work while enjoying a pint and a meal. He frequents this bar often and knows the regulars. He notices the elves and the half orc, but thinks nothing of it. This inn sees many traveling elf scholars, and he assumes the half orc is someone's body guard.
He sets his books down at the end of the bar and motions to the barkeep for the usual. He then walks to his usual table, or at least tries to. Two women sit there. The taller one he recognizes as Tassira. They have spoken but a few times in the Library, but he does not know much about her. He doesn't know the name of the other, but he has noticed the peculiar behavior of following Tassira, often without her noticing.
He moves to an empty table,placing his stack of books readjusting his new Researchers robes, having recently graduated and finding a job as A Researcher of the Library.
He moves his blonde braid from his back to his front as he opens the first book on the stack, a book on Thessalonian Magic. He quickly becomes absorbed into his work, filling the table with open books.
Tassira is jolted from her impending nap by Tio's remark. A small string of saliva runs from a corner of her mouth to the bandage on her arm. She shakes her head, trying to clear the fatigue from her eyes. She's not very successful.
"Treason?! Wait-wha--?" She sputters. She takes a few breaths before calming down.
...you're in the Great Library. Not Imperial soil. The worst they'll do is fine you.
She looks over at Tio. She didn't really know why Tio followed her everywhere, but she really couldn't care. She was one of the few friends Tassira had; she could forgive a few quirks... such as following her around without her noticing nine times out of ten.
"Hey, it could be worse..." Tassira says, rubbing her eyes. "...someone else might use this as tissue paper." She pauses. "Which, honestly, would be a more productive use of this thing anyway." She closes the textbook and pushes it away from her.
She takes another look around, spying Rowan at another table, his nose buried in yet another book on magic. One on Thassilonian magic, in fact. Read that one. One of my favorites, in fact!
She looks back to Tio, gesturing to the books around their table. "Find any you liked?" She asks with a smile.
Even Tassira couldn't miss Tio's sarcasm.
"Alright, alright. This place isn't exactly to your taste." She admits, getting up from the table. She stretches her legs a bit, then looks back to Tio.
"Did you have somewhere else in mind you wanted to go?" Maybe some fresh air will do me some good...
Tassira shrugs, then returns to her seat.
"I thought the Empire would've put some thought into what they'd do with their mages if they got them, other than use them to blow things up. Apparently, I was wrong." She says with a slight chuckle.
She gestures to the title of the book she put aside--On the Importance of Magic and Those Who Wield It. Evidently, it was penned by a sycophant looking for funding instead of an actual researcher.
She blinks several times, finally shaking her fatigue off. This wasn't the Great Library: it was the White Bear Inn. The inn was certainly ATTACHED to the library, but you'd have to go down a couple of hallways to get there.
"...wow. I think I was more asleep than I thought." She says, glancing around the pub. Aside from Rowan & the half-orc, a pair of elves catch her eye. One still has her hood up, and the other (a blonde, blue-eyed fellow) was busy looking for an available table.
She digs into her stack of books again. She pulls out a book with the title Magic: a Practical Dissertation on Its Rise and Fall.
She sighs as she looks through the book again. "Right now, I feel like I'm not getting anywhere with these books. I mean, I've read most of them already. At least this one here is new."
I'll be incredibly happy if this isn't more Imperial bull.
Rowan, sitting at an adjacent table, has been watching the pair. He sees the book and overhears her words. He speaks up. "I think you will like that one. Quite an interesting take on the disappearance of magic. Certainly better than that Imperial drivel this is." He holds up a similarly titled book The Empire and the Fall of Magic
Rowan sees, with some amusement, the half orc pull a book off a stack in front of a rather stunned looking first year student. He must think this is the library. A reasonable assumption with all the students and scholars milling about with books. He must see the bar and the food though.
Tassira looks over to Rowan and his book. She gives him a smile of sympathy.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. Hardly any research, mostly speculation, and no shortage of pandering to the Empire's interests." Tassira says. "I noticed they were quick to shift the blame on Tien for the cataclysm." She says, quickly glancing at Tio.
She winces at the word 'cataclysm'. Cataclysm. Synonymous with Apocalypse. Magical Apocalypse. Like my dreamsnightmares.
Taking 10 - 2 = 8
Being generally oblivious to things like tone of voice and body language, he doesn't notice.
He continues on. "Well that one actually claims it was neither sides fault explicitly. She claims that it was the intense use of magic by both sides, clashing against each other, that eventually caused enough primal magic to build up in the atmosphere to unleash the Catyclysm. Too much unbridled power thrown every which way"
Tassira just nods. "Yes. That seems... plausible."
Her eyes have a faraway look in them, as if she's reliving a memory... or a nightmare.
Armies march upon sand-blasted plains. The storm rises. Thunderbolts and lightning. Magic bent and shaped in every way possible.
No room for dissent in a tight formation no room for 'maybe' in a 'yes or no' question no'greenwithenvy'inablackandwhiteworld
The magic builds. Crescendo. Both sides contribute. Say they can't coexist. Cooperating in destroying themselves. Not so different in the end.
The end. Life cannot take any more. Magic rebels sick of being used beingabusedbeing*shaped*
There's a hole. A wound. It's never been treated. And those who have the power to do so cannot. The lesson goes unlearned.
"Both sides destroyed. No winners. Only survivors." Tassira's voice is shaky, and barely above a whisper. She inhales sharply and closes her eyes.
She reopens them. "Sorry. You were saying something?" She asks.
Rowan had continued to talk about the theory behind the manuscript, having moved over to Tassira's and Tio's table, leaving the other table empty but full of open tomes, going on about recorded weather patterns and magical build up, concluding with that though it is definitely plausible, some of her claims were unfounded. He seems oblivious to Tassira drifting off for several moments until she spoke up.
"I'm sorry, was I going on and on again. I apologize"
Tassira refocuses on Rowan. "It's no trouble. I tend to drift off when I haven't been getting enough sleep."
As if to reinforce what she just said, she yawns.
Rowan reaches back and grabs two books from the other table, Of Horrors and Monsters and a rather lengthy tomeA History of Dwarven Finance
"Well I have two solutions for that. This will keep you awake for days, and this will put you right to sleep."
He looks down at he pile of books in front of her.
"So what project is this all for?"
Tassira looks at the books around her. "Oh, these? I got most of these in order to really understand how magic can be used safely."
She points to a smaller pile of books next to Tio. It's a rather messy pile, as if she just tossed them over there and that's how they came to rest. "Those ones are mostly engineering-related stuff, like airships. I've always been fascinated by them; it kind of carries over from my mother."
She blushes and starts twiddling her thumbs as she speaks. "To be honest, I've been using these books to research new ways of helping Imperial citizens. I'm currently brainstorming something with indoor plumbing."
She looks at the books Rowan set down. "I'll certainly take your word for it." She says. She appears to be contemplating stowing them away in the backpack next to her chair, judging from the way her eyes dart from the books to it.
She's too deep in conversation to notice the half-orc (rather noisily) taking a seat at the table next to her.
He doesn't notice her eyeing the books.
"Fascinating!. On all counts! Are you a mage? and what specifically about indoor plumbing?"
He does seem to notice the orc. He gets up to take his books from the table. He doesn't seem to notice that he takes some of the half orcs books, assuming they must all be his.
"Sorry about leaving my books here. I'll clean them up so you can have the table."
The woman in a hood is relieved to see the Inn so empty. She notices some inquiring looks but since Eldrian has removed his hood the place should be alright. When she lowers her hood you see a blonde woman, probably a human, since you cannot see her ears and she doesn't have elven eyes. She is gorgeous, but somehow resembles the elf who's leading her.
They both find an empty table and speak just a little in hushed tones. The waitress comes, but she doesn't want anything right now. "Give me a couple minutes, lady." She looks to the elf to see if he will order anything, then takes a nice look at the place. She is impressed with so many people carrying and reading books in here, something she would never have guessed possible in a tavern, but maybe this is far from what she knows.
"Fascinating!. On all counts! Are you a mage? and what specifically about indoor plumbing?"
Tassira's blush promptly disappears. "Um... well... sort of. I guess."
She whispers. "Please keep your voice down. That's not the sort of thing I want to see spread around."
The subject of her engineering project, on the other hand, elicits a more enthusiastic response from her. "Well, you know how baths are typically filled? I'm currently trying to come up with a way of doing exactly that via other means." She pauses for breath. "It's still in the brainstorming phase so far."
"...We appear to be turning into quite a crowd. Perhaps it would be best to bring the tables together?"
At this point, Tassira finally notices the armored half-orc next to them with his stack of cookbooks. "Oh, if course!"
"He can if he wants to. Do you want to join us?
He continues to close and gather books and put some wands back in a case.
As he does so, he continues, choosing to skate around the topic of her magery, having been told specifically she doesn't want to discuss it.
"Like without magic or a bucket?" "That's quite interesting. With magic on its way out, we will certainly need ways to emulate what gaps they left. I myself am working on a project to figure out how to make wands last longer and make better use out of them for non magic folk. Or assisting on one anyways."
"Apologies. I..I..just assumed they were mine. Most the orcs we get around here are body guards. Please join us.
He separates out the half orcs books and gives them back. Rowan then goes back to the table and says what was posted in last post.
Being unusually insightful for once, he doesn't believe Vigar.
"Since when does a cook carry a longspear and wear armor?"
He smiles at the response. Interesting. Why would he try to lie?
He proffers a hand. It seems unusually worn and calloused for a simple librarian.
"Fair enough. I am Rowan. A Researcher of the Library"
Tassira rises from her seat to greet Vigar.
"I-I'm Tassira. Pleased to meet you." She says shyly.
The blonde woman looks up for a second. She heard them talking about magic a few moments ago and it seems the rumors she heard were true. She now looks at the people chatting, a poker face on her features.
Tassira promptly turns bright red.
She also notices Vigar setting up his spear for any potential ambushers.
She sits back down. She looks like she wants to say something, but her mouth refuses to work with her.
Rowan doesn't notice Vigar's movements as he is too busy watching the pair of elves. The woman seems to be watching them.
Curious. So she isn't an elf. But the features between them are unmistakably related. Half- Elf maybe? And why watch us so intently?
He continues to curiously watch the pair, trying to figure them out as he talks to the group.
The waitress finally arrives with Rowan's meal. Pint of ale, some bread, and some sort of soup.
"So Vigar, what brings you to the Isle of the Great Library?"
Tassira looks where Rowan is looking... at the woman with the elf she saw before.
Is... is she looking at me?
Her eyes start darting everywhere. Looking for others who are looking at her.
Ikvvy looks elsewhere as soon as Rowan is paying attention to her. She just avoids her gaze, but doesn't do anything other than that.
"Oh its nothing. I just noticed the woman over there staring at us. Piqued my interest."
He stops staring and returns to the conversation.
"Well you are in the right place to do so. There is an answer here for nearly every possible question you could ask, and a few impossible ones, somewhere hidden away in a tome."
He accepts the offer and takes a bite of the soup. Quite good.
"A drink. The strongest you've got," he says gruffly. He hadn't been able to taste the drink of his homeland in a long time but it still had no comparison to the stuff humans could make. They were a soft lot humans. He briefly glances about the room, several others with books and words that we wasn't concerned to hear. It was her idea to come here after all. Books. Well he would settle for some peace and quiet while she did what she needed to do. "and some of your vegetable soop. Thanks."
He looks at Ikvvy. "I hope you're right about this place."
She turns to the elf and lowers her voice. "Well, there are no imperial guards, right? Beside, I think I heard them speaking about magic. I think one or more of them are able to use it. Do you think it is a trap?" She takes a quick side glance over the far table.
Tassira turns her eyes back to the soup. Taking a spoon in hand, she tastes it.
Finding it to her taste, she starts greedily slurping it down.
"This--mmh!--is delicious, Vigar! Thank you so much!" She says. She appears to have her voice back after the barrage of compliments from the half-orc cook before.
She's become oblivious to the woman Rowan was staring at. There's more pressing matters to attend to, after all.