Apr 03 23:11:24 106 PA.
From Chronicles
Kingsdale - Kingsdale City Museum (Library)
The Kingsdale Library is a simply massive affair. It is one of the largest facilities of its kind in North America and continually draws the ire of the Coalition States for that very reason. It is the size of an entire city block and contains row after row and row after row after row of books, data disks and all sorts of information. Literally anything can be found here, from simple recepies on how to make food on up to the plans to Glitter Boy Power Armor. Magical knowledge abounds here too and it is not an exxageration to say that with time, one can find out just about anything. The actual structure of the 'room' is a giant square, with bookshelves reaching from floor to about ten feet. Librarians and other staff scuttle about to help people find things. Of note is the fact that nothing is permitted to leave the library and both electronic and magical wards make sure that this doesn't happen. Within this huge place are all shapes, sizes and colors. From operators pouring over technical manuals to mages studying spells to children researching for a school project. Rumors abound also of a secret sub level where the truly rare books and items are kept. These rumors are true, but unless someone has been invited to the sub-level by a few specific people.... magical wards prevent the entrance from being found.
Late night deep in the annals of the library Tirzah sorts through historical references. But is finding very little. Looking slightly frustrated her sources, pile in read, unread, and of interest. The latter being rather small, the other two pretty even.
Desmond emerges from amid the shelves slowly, carrying a trio of books under one arm, a pocket sized notepad held in his other hand, along with a pencil between his fingers. Dressed more casual now, this one, his armor left behind for more mundane street clothing. As he comes down to the tables where Tirzah has settled, he comes aware of her, though he moves to a table other than her own to settle down his books. A trio of cookbooks by the look of the names along each spine. However, after he settles them down, he considers the young human briefly before he rumbles, "Troubled?" His notebook and pencil go down next, though he remains standing for the moment.
The library is busier than one would imagine at night. A few sleepy-looking streetdwellers warm themselves while pretending to read, while a few young kids sit staring at darkened monitors with wires hanging from behind their ears, twitching occasionally to stimulus one can neither see nor hear. The dark shape of Ahriman is off to the side, towards the media where the lights aren't so bright, with a pair of books and a trio of laminated maps before him.
Tirzah shakes her head, not looking up from her spot to regard Desmond. "Nah I'm just trying to find information to see if others have tried mining around here at all to get an idea of what I'm getting myself into." She explains before putting another text into the read pile and looking up to manage a weak smile at the feline.
"You don't seem the mining sort," Desmond rumbles in response. Contrary to what one might think, his cookbooks are rather unfitting. Mostly pertaining to deserts of various shades, though one does involve various ways to prepare meat. Normal prey animal meat, rather than anything more.. exotic. He shifts the chair near to his books, giving it an angle before he settles his large frame down slowly. "Having no luck, I assume. Otherwise, I suspect you would have a more favorable expression." He picks up one of his books as he assumes, ignoring the brightly colored cover to flip it open and start thumbing through the pages. Considering the various pictured confections."
Pad pad pad. Contrary to the unbroken glide of Ahriman's even gait, one may still make out individual footfalls. He hasn't mastered gravity. Yet. "There are the other sets of local maps," that voice rumbles. The laminated sheets are deposited near Tirzah, before the dark being kneels to scoop at an atlas she'd collected. He looks different here. A little grey. One might better see the strands of hair behind him, the curve of his cheek. Groping for the atlas, the dark one notes, "You do better looking for ancient maps. This region was mined out before the event that savaged this world. Look for new rock formations."
Tirzah nods, looking understanding of seeming out of her class. "I'm stronger than I look, I grew up spending a lot of time in caves. Though in coming here I wanted to experience other things so I didn't touch it. Now people I know have shown interest in seeing the resources the earth around us my still hide. I spurred it of course, but I feel it could work out well..." She stops interrupted and startled by Ahriman's contribution. Blinking she tries to process what he says as it appears to be useful. "Um thanks." She manages after a moment "But uh how?"
Desmond glances towards Ahriman as he nears, his cool eyes fixing on the dark one intently. Studying him. A subtle flare of Desmond's nostrils and upward tilt of his chin the only added action to mingle with that considering observation. "The government, perhaps," Desmond opines. "They might keep their own records not generally offered freely to the public. Or perhaps not. But if there is wealth in the land, one would think they would already be reaping it."
"Obvious and easy places, yes," Ahriman agrees. "But these humans are clever. She may notice something new." His eyes turn up towards Desmond, gaining a faint silvery sheen as he studies the large cat a long moment, though the dark being doesn't say anything. An annoyed glance is spared upwards, and he adds curtly, "Old maps. Triple A. Topographic would be best. Then compare to new maps. Do a survey if need be, look for sharp rock formations. Things that should be eroded if old. Sinkholes could be borite. Any volcanic activity is a plus. Look in river beds for castoff downstream. Use ley lines. They will be the least stable places."
Tirzah looks for her pen and paper to write all of what's being said. But stops as her mind gets back in to gear and looks at the dark being with a mixture of fear curiosity and frustration. "How the hell do you know so much about me?!" She exclaims, clearly agitated at how her neighbor keeps on popping up with this little talks.
Desmond considers Ahriman as he offers up various bits of advice. "It is true, no one is flawless in all things," he rumbles, offering no opinion on the tips. He considers TIrzah after saying as much before he continues, "Though not tonight, I would assume. You seem to be pressing the limits of your endurance. Mental, rather than physical." The question she asks prompts him to turn his attention back to the dark one, a brow raised slightly.
"I know something of looking beneath the earth," Ahriman reveals, as if that explains all. "This planet has odd priorities. The proliferation of Silica means many softer minerals are worthless here. That was once ... useful. Cubic carbon is valuable, yet easy to synthesize and relatively common. That is odd." Ahriman's eyes cast up again, and he takes the new atlas away from Tirzah to retreat back towards the darkened media section. Outside of polite conversational distance at a library, but who says he's polite?
Tirzah tries to take that in as well as she turns to look back at Desmond to see if he might shed any light on the strange fellow. But before she says anything she finds her pen and paper to scrawl down all he said before its gone. Her expression swapping between gratitude and anxiety. ooc hey, you posed early
Desmond looks after Ahriman for a few moments before he turns his attention back to Tirzah. "A curious being. What he says sounds to be.. proper, yet I could not confirm any of it. My talents do not lie with the stones and rocks," he rumbles. "Though I wonder why you think he knows of you. Nothing he said yet sounds very personal." He knows well how to modulate his voice, kept to a lower rumble once the dark one has moved off enough.
The dark being seems content once he's back in the shadows, easing down onto a bench to open the book-sized atlas. Pages turn slowly, glossy aerial shots of lakes and rivers more common than hand-drawn maps of territories. Several shots of ley lines seem to catch his attention; the land beneath shifting subtly as that blue line visibly runs over a river in a series of photos. Or is it the river moving? There's no good landmark.
Tirzah sighs, looking up to Demond. "Well first time we met, he revealed himself to be my neighbor, which I guess is not hard to find out who is beside you. But he did single me out that time, though I did do a minor boast. Said he had questions but never got to asking them. Just invited me back to his place, which was kinda weird at that point. And now suddenly he knows exactly what I'm up to, and is much further along in the research than I?" She gives Desmond a searching look for her own sanity. "Doesn't that seem odd to pile up like that? Its like he's picked me, and is maneuvering me. Normally I'm the one who does the maneuvering."
Desmond considers Tirzah quietly for a few moments after her words. "It is potentially suspect," he rumbles deeply. "Though if you do as he does at times, you may do well to remember how you feel now." His tone still treading that careful line of neutrality. His head turned, looking in the direction the other went. "You may, perhaps, wish to be on your guard. in truth, all should be so to some level, but until something more.. telling shows, there really is little action that is justified in the now." His attention returns to Tirzah then. "Unless you suspect he has trespassed further upon you."
Ahriman's found a pad and paper, and is sketching out equations. A protractor even finds its way onto one picture, and he mutters to himself, eyeing a boundary line on a drawn map. He lays a sheet of paper over the work, and begins carrying decimal places, only to blink as his eyes grow dark again, that ink leeching over his orbs as he flips the page. Apparently it wasn't important after all.
Tirzah gives Desmond a slight glare at his suggestion to her own behavior. "If they notice they feel like this. If they dont, and its benevolent, what's the harm?" She counters before giving some more thought to Ahriman. "I don't have reason to suspect, but I don't know nearly enough." Then she smirks slyly. "I'll catch up with you later." She says before rising to walk down the isle the darkling went. "Ahriman?" She asks after a bit to see if he'll reveal himself.
"What harm indeed," Desmond rumbles, though his neutral tone doesn't help for interpreting his meaning and he seems to let the topic slip after the words are offered. He simply nods once when she rises, his eyes following her for a few moments before he looks down to his book and starts to consider more of the pictured confections with a seriousness of focus.
The creature sits, perfectly visible, in a shaded area of the media room. Nearby various people watch computer screens playing back video discs, though the lighted boxes don't draw any attention from the being using not even a calculator. A page turns again, and the creature's head rises. The hair behind his head lays flat as his neck tilts back, eyes remaining as dark as the rest of him. The voice rumbles, impossibly low in his normal-sized frame, "Yes?"
Tirzah notices Ahriman just before his reply and summons some courage to walk towards him and ask him. "Ahriman, I want your help." She says, her words almost shocking her as her tone is a little weak, testing. "But you're weirding me out with your methods so far. I know we must be equally odd to you, if not more so. So I will try to be considerate, but will you do the same?" She finds some resolve to give him an intent look at that moment, really trying. "Can you meet me half way?" She asks.
Desmond continues to consider his book for a brief time before he seems to find something positive. Turning fully towards his table, he lays the book out, then lifts the pencil, scrawling carefully on a fresh page in the notepad. While not taking too long in it, he's still a touch unsteady with the writing, which extends out the time it takes for him to copy the recipe in his simple, blocky handwriting. But he continues at it intently without a waver in his firm expression.
The creature peers up, watching Tirzah a long moment. He's still. The motionless of the dead, or a snake; a cold-blooded predator gets that still, but nothing with hot blood in its veins. In the shadows his greatest contrasts are the silver chain and his outline. After a moment's introspection the book before him flips shut with a sharp snap and Ahriman takes two rapid strides towards the redhead, bobbing ever so faintly as he travels. Normal, which is odd for him. He stops there, two paces away, and asks, "What do you want?"
Tirzah almost steps back when Ahriman approaches her but stops. "You seem quite knowledgeable, and resourceful to gathering more. I want those resources, though they may be too much for me to afford." She admits, managing to drive the frailty from her voice. "What do you want?" She asks him in turn with a curious gaze.
Wandering into the library, the redheaded woman pauses briefly just within, then lifts a hand to brush a stray bit of her hair from her face. Her left hand wanders to the swell of her belly, lingering there and remaining. Her brow furrows briefly, and then she steps further inside. Late though it is, she's awake and feeling restless, and Etienne is out checking his trapline as often he does. With a leather satchel resting at her side, she comes to the return counter to return the book that she had been borrowing, a small smile touching at the corners of her lips. Once that small task is taken care of, she steps further inside, considering where to venture for her next literary find.
Desmond continues to scrawl carefully, going from book to pad often to see that each word is copied down precisely. he pauses after a few moments and lifts his head, considering the notes and book from the higher angle before he dips his head again to scrawl further. A low grunt sounds as he deflt flips the pencil, handing the fragile thing well as he rubs out a mistake, resuming his scrawling after he brushes the eraser shavings away with a sweep of his fingers.
"Information," Ahriman replies curtly. His head tilts to the right. "You get a session with me for every session I get with you. A maximum of three one-hour sessions. I can ask you about your burning friend and local topics. You can ask me about geology. Anything further will require renegotiation." That voice of his isn't loud precisely, but like so many deep voices, it travels. Indistinct at a distance, a long speech like that still draws glances from those who can't tell exactly what he said. The dark creature stands in the media section of the library, where the overhead lights are dimmed to allow for better screen watching. A set of books lie behind him, a pad and handwritten notes nearby. He stares down at the dimunitive redhead that is Tirzah, pupilless eyes unblinking in their attention. It seems, for the moment, like the outside world doesn't exist beyond her.
Tirzah considers that, and seems agreeable to those terms for the moment. Looking at him she considers her first question before finding a seat. "Alright then, did you pick me for your intentions for a reason?" She asks him, intent now to get to the bottom of this.
While it's not abook that makes her pause, it is the deep voice which comes from Ahriman. Stopping, her brow furrows a little as her gaze pans across the area, stopping on the combination of Tirzah and the strange man that she doesn't know. Isabeau doesn't approach the pair, instead leaving them to their own business. Her attention shifts away, turning towards the books, and a smile tugs at the corners of her lips. Towards them, then, does she start to make her way, her eyes showing a sparkle within them. The search for knowledge is always something which occupies her time when she's without Etienne.
Desmond finishes up the copying at that point, sitting back again as he lifts the pad. His eyes flicking upward for a moment, only to linger as he catches Isa moving towards the shelves. He considers her quietly for a few moments before his eyes dip to consider his notes. Letting her do her searching unhindered. For now. Scanning the text slowly, his expression lingers in that firm neutrality.
A faint crease crosses Ahriman's face, something looking decidedly like a smirk. No teeth show, mercifully, though a hand sneaks into one pocket to pull out a silver disk. It flips open with a touch at the stem, the inside reading 'Hamilton.' "That is not a geological question," Ahriman rumbles, flipping the cover shut. His eyes raise, scanning the room, to focus on Isabeau. Though not on her, specifically. His head is tracking the distended belly she carries before her. The darkness slips aside, blowing away to reveal a slate grey beneath.
Tirzah nods, holding her intent look as she considers Ahriman. "Is that going to cost more?" She asks, leaning forward to adjust her boots a bit. In that moment she notices Isabeau's pause and Ahriman's notice as well. Momentarily she looks guilty at being caught as is but it quickly passes. Sitting up she decides to sweeten the deal. "You mentioned questions about my fiery friend. For the reasons you've chosen me I'll go further on that, I'll tell you things about the elemental plane you wont find anywhere else."
Humming softly to herself, being sure to be quiet enough so as to not disturb others here in the library, Isabeau searches the shelf. Lifting one of her hands, she lightly trails her fingertips over the shelf and then over the spines of the books. One sticks out, and on that one her finger pauses. Tilting her head slightly to one side, she reads the spine, then one of her eyebrows quirks upwards. Lifting her hand, she pulls the book from the shelf and carries it along with her. The redheaded woman seems oblivious to what attention she may have drawn, and she takes a half step back from the shelf whilst still holding the book. Flipping it open, she leafs through some of the pages, her eyes sparkling with a thread of amusement.
After a few moments of considering his notes, Desmond seems to have what he desires. The book he's scanned is closed and he gathers them back into a small pile before rising up. The notepad and pencil are tucked into his jacket, the books scooped up after as he moves towards the shelves once more. It won't be more than a few moments before he turns into the aisle that Isa has paused in, though his intent as more to move through than linger. But as he nears her, he rumbles deeply, "Isabeau." His eyes dip to consider her state before he asks a beat later, "You are well?"
"We have a deal, let us not confound it two minutes in," Ahriman speaks, watching Isabeau's belly. His eyes don't deviate. The rest of her may as well be a stroller for all the attention he pays. The dark being turns to sit on his bench, still two paces from where his notepad and atlas lie, eyes yet fixed on that unborn prize. "It is ironic," he muses, having no questions to answer, "that your species has the greatest magical ability when it lacks the capacity for reason. I wonder at what terrible and wondrous things an infant sorcerer could accomplish."
Tirzah frowns at the insult. "Lack the capacity for reason? I am reasoning with you am I not. And while your knowledge of geology is convenient, its not exclusive. In fact I journey to see one who does not only know what you do, he can sense the very minerals as the lie beneath him. So if you want information, your going to have to offer some I wont be getting anyway." She counters. During which his gazes towards Isabeau did not go unnoticed, though from her calm expression its clear she doesn't realize the reason behind them.
Pausing in her leafing through the book, she peruses a recipe for cinnamon rolls, her tongue flitting out to brush over her lips, dampening them. It's as Desmond finds her there that she happens to flip the book closed, almost startling at his voice rumbling her name. She smiles brightly at him, then inclines her head to him. "A good night to you, Desmond," she says warmly, holding the book a little closer. "I am well, thank you. And for yourself and Aimee?" Isabeau asks, tilting her head slightly to one side as she looks up at him.
"We are one and strong," Desmond replies to Isa's query. And he seems content with her response to his own. "It is a bit late to be about. You're sure nothing is amiss or troubling you?" Asked as he glances to the side and notes that he is indeed in the right place. Thus he lifts up his books to start finding their places and putting them away. Books on cooking, of course. Deserts and meat, an odd combination.
"Children," Ahriman corrects. "Science chases away your ability to harness the supernatural. To the child it is all magic, and all perfectly sensible. They are the most adept of all of you." The dark one still isn't watching Tirzah, as he increasingly loses interest. That pocket watch is retrieved once again, and flicked open as he inspects the contents. "I will retrieve my four minutes at a later date," he decides, snapping it shut once again. His gaze follows the belly, finally rising as Isabeau speaks to Desmond. He continues to speak quietly, in that rumbling voice of his. "You know the answer to your question already. Humans are clever, and you are no exception, but I will offer a hint. It is also why you will never be rid of me. When you understand, we will speak again."
Tirzah frowns and remains sitting there for a few minutes. She looks quite frustrated and the continuing cryptic pieces of the puzzle he chooses to tease her with. Oh what she wouldnt give to hold answers he truly wanted, then she could show him. Without those though she'd have to endure him for now she realized as she stood up. "Go then, go be evil and manipulative, and come back to collect another day." She says to him in departure before returning to her findings and notes to collect what she needed.
Isabeau smiles warmly at Desmond, and then she gives a nod to his answer. "That's good to hear," she says softly, her eyes showing a sparkle to them. She blushes a little to his further question of her, and then she faintly shakes her head, looking up at him through the veil of her lashes. "Oh, no... there's nothing amiss, really. It's just that Etienne is out taking care of his traplines for a couple of days, and I just got to feeling a little restless tonight, is all," she comments, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I appreciate your asking, though," she adds, smiling a little more.
"I see," Desmond responds. HIs eyes lift slightly, moving towards Tirzah and the dark one as the latter takes his leave. His eyes lingering for a few moments before he dips his eyes towards Isa again. "It is good to hear so. Restlessness can be troublesome. But this is a proper place to spend such time as you might have it." His head dipped once before he finishes with the last book, sliding it into place firmly. "
"It will come to you," Ahriman notes with a note of certainty. His voice is neutral, as though he takes no pleasure in it. The dark one glides back for his notes, gathering them while leaving the book in its place. Perhaps to retrieve it later. Perhaps just to not replace it. His even strides take him towards the other redhead, poise such that if one didn't see his legs moving he would seem to float over the earth. The well-dressed alien pauses then, considering the belly before asking, "It has a none month gestation period, does it not?"
Collecting her things Tirzah heads out without another word, frustrated beyond reprieve.
