Feb 28 20:56:25 106 PA

From Chronicles

Located to the east of the Library is an open garden that extends from the floor, up five stories to the skylight ceiling. The garden is forty feet across with a large, polished marble staircase circling the garden extending up to each floor. The staircase has dark, highly polished mahogany railings on both sides of the ten foot wide staircase. In the center of the garden is a fountain about ten feet across. The fountain depicts ten individuals of varying race and sex who supposedly founded the Kingsdale Library. A book placed on a pedestal is located in the center of the ten statues and spews forth water that flows past the statues feet and into the fountain pool. Marble benches circle the fountain and seem more decorative than functional. Marble paths circle the fountain and garden joining to many pleasant areas to think and enjoy the tranquility of the garden. Flowers seem in constant bloom and the hedges of the garden are said to be the healthiest and most beautiful in Kingsdale. The most striking thing about the central garden is that it is a hanging garden. Plants, flowers, and ferns line the walls extending from floor to ceiling on tiers. During the day sunlight enters the central garden filling the area with light that almost has a magical effect especially at noon when the sun is at its highest.

As the day winds down, the library's garden will be emptying out. The recent troubles have left people being more conservative. The danger in the streets palpable for those with little means of self defense, even with the KDPD out. Thus the gardens will be unusually quiet. Even so, there is life to be found. Tamiril and Raja are easy to find. The later is seated on the ground, staring hard at a book that is small between his big hands. The former seated on a bench behind him, carefully running an ivory comb through the big canine's unruly mane of hair. "Yellow," Tamiril says to him. To which Raja responds in a rough, mangled words, recognizable as Dragonese, though the music of it is lost in his rough voice. Even so, Tamiril nods his head and says, "City." Another mangled word spoken in response.

Caliopa has come here primarily to find a book, instructions on coating weapons in silver. With that found, she seeks the garden for peace, to study it without being disturbed but seeing Tamiril and Raja, that plan leaves her. For a moment she hesitates, aware that he may also be seeking peace. Then need outweights manners and she steps forward, blurting out her greeting, "Evenin'. You got a time?" Her cheeks are flushed, aware she is intruding, and her movements are awkward.

Raja tenses just before Cali speaks, but with a hand on him already, Tamiril presses lightly, quieting the big canine before he might move away from his grooming. "Stone," Tamiril prompts him before looking towards Caliopa. "Come, sit," he directs, nodding towards the side of the bench near to him. "Cali, is it? How have you been?" Asked with an honest interest as Raja rumbles what is close enough to 'stone' in Dragonese whilst Tamril continues to carefully work the comb through his hair. "Water," he prompts gently.

Caliopa gives Raja a wary look, moving around him to the side of the bench indicated. "I'm sorry to bother you. I know you ain't gettin' much of a piece of privacy, 'n' tis needful." She rushes the words out, her cheeks darkening with colour. "This fight. Times past, I'd talk to ...someone else over it. But last fight, he died." She stumbles as she avoids speaking the name. "I ain't a fighter. I know that. Folks died protectin' me before."

"They must have cared for you," Tamiril observes, the talk of peace left to the side. He looks towards her, hands paused. "I am no powerful fighter either. All I have is the favor of my Lord and my faith to protect me. But surely you have talents where you excel. All do. What is it you can do?" And even as he looks towards her he prompts Raja, "Sky." The canine rumbles the word back without pause. This one coming out clearer. Tamiril smiles.

"I make things. I fix machines." Caliopa hesitates before reaching in her pocket, drawing out the precious prototype. "This. Put holy water in it, see." She offers it to the elf. "'n' it weren't they cared, she was protectin' me because she was told to, there was somethin' I had to do." She leaves the grenade in the palm of her hand, and speaks slowly but quickly. "I'm figurin' out how to cover the swords with silver, make them hurt 'n' all. But I'm real scared of this fight. I ain't got a god protectin' me."

Tamiril prompts, "King." Then he pauses the brushing to lay the comb on his lap. As Raja rumbles a response, he reaches out to take the odd little device. It's clear that he isn't too sure what it is, though he seems intrigued. "Holy water, you say? What does it do with it?" He pauses then and smiles at the woman warmly. "I will pray that all who step forth to take up this challenge shall feel my Lord's warm favor on them," he assures her. "But it is the way of the Gods that we must strive on our own and face our fears. Even I only occasionally feel His touch so acutely as I have now." One of his hands extends to touch Cali's lightly. "Fear is natural. You should not think otherwise."

Caliopa lowers her hand, sliding them beneath the backs of her thighs, biting her lower lip for a moment. "It spreads it. It is a grenade, set it off, 'n' we'd all be covered in water. Plain water right this moment, I ain't used holy for the testin'. Didn't seem right." A burst of honesty makes her to add, "Real expensive 'n' all." She lets him touch her hand though, and she lifts her gaze to his face, the fear in her pale face obvious, speaking. "I don't intend to get anyone killed for me. Al, he said you might have need of my use of machines. Reckon I'd make the offer, let you decide."

Tamiril nods, a warmth in his own gaze. "The decision is not yet made.. much there is to discuss. To pray over, but I sense the time nears that all will fall into place." He will attempt to lift her hand and gently to place the prototype into it softly. "We may need you, yes. We may not. If I knew the path before me in such detail, it would be a blessing. But know this, Cali. This device you have made is a great help. Not just to us, but to all who would battle the unliving. Even should you not come with us, you can rest assured that you have given us great aid." Spoken simply, without a hint of hesitation or doubt. "I had plans to consecrate some water. This device.. it is wonderful to know there will be a powerful means to use it." He will release her hand in the end, leaving the grenade in it.

She closes her fingers around the prototype gently. "If you can do that, it'd save me a piece of credits. It took a fair bit to make this one. I'm gonna be makin' as many as I can before then, 'n' them that do go, they can take them." She puts the grenade away, out of harms way. "You tell me if you need me. If needful, I can hold a weapon, I can shoot." The paleness doesn't fade, and the fear is obvious but her voice is steady. "Ain't rightly sure where you are goin' or what we'd be facin'."

"We will be going to another world, Cali," Tamiril tells her. "One like this one.. or so my Lord says. A world that lost to our foe. One of many that have. This force.. it has been active for some time. Many have stood against it. Many have fallen. We go to seek that which will save our world from their touch. That it is to be found there suggests that the people there attempted to use it, but failed.. or were perhaps too late to save themselves." He shakes his head. "This is but guesswork, however. My Lord, as with all Gods, do not give answers that are so clear."

If possible, the little colour in her cheeks fades and her gaze drops to her hands for a moment. She blinks slowly, her forehead wrinkling as she tries to understand it. "We're goin' to fight for someone else's world?" She speaks softly, clearly processing the information. "So them that won there don't come here? Or to take the weapon they ain't figured out... 'n' use it here?" Caliopa shakes her head, trying to clear the puzzlement from her eyes.

Tamiril shakes his head, a hand lifting to touch her shoulder. He spares her no truth, yet he keeps his voice soft and gentle. "The word we go to is already lost. The enemy holds sway with an unbreakable grip.. at least, unbreakable by any force we have to commit. We go in secret, to secure this needed relic." He pauses, considering his words for a moment before he says softly, "Where we go.. it will be a frightening place. Like looking into the dark potential future should we fail. Some have told me of the dreams that you all have had. I had not before, but it seems that a glimpse of where we go, you all have seen. Thus I think you may already know what we will see.. at least in part. Only it will not be a night imagining that one can wake up from, safe in a warm bed."

"Ain't no way of helpin' them folks that are there, then?" She has to ask the question, her gaze lifting to his face. "Them dreams, they ain't of here? They were of there?" Oddly, that brings relief, the fear of her own future removed from her after months of avoiding it. "Awful of me to be relieved." She condemns herself in the next breath, shaking her head. "I'll come, if you have need of me. I can talk to machines, touch things, see what they done in the past, what they do, how to fix what's broken with them." She hesitates before adding, "I can put my mind in them."

"If we fail to turn them back, we will see what lies in store for us," he says lowly. "That much I know. We have little to be relieved for in the now. We can only hope that we get what we require and that it will protect us from the enemy." He smiles at her warmly then and nods his head once. "I thank you for your determination. Try and not worry. It brings such stress and, for the moment, nothing can be done." He pauses, then notes, "Except for make your grenades. And prepare as you might. Be ready.. when the time comes, there will not be more than a few hours to prepare. Activity, I think it will help to take your mind off of things that, for now, cannot be effected."

"If we fail to do that, we've already seen it." Caliopa turns a pale face away from him for a moment, mastering the fear that grips her. She rubs her hand lightly across her stomach, the clenching there discomfortable. "I'll make them, if I got to stay up all night." She turns her face back to him, her jaw tense, the pale face determined. "I ain't good at not worryin' but I've been afraid of this for months, since I saw all them that I love dead, 'n' me dyin'." She tries for a small amount of humour, falling flat. "With cats. I don't even like cats."

Tamiril smiles gently, though there is a sense of seriousness about his expression as well. "There is yet a chance, Cali. Despair is not something we should acknowledge." He lowers his hand and looks her in the eyes. "Work, for it will help to distract. But do not exhaust yourself. We may have need of you.. others may as well. We must all be at readiness for what is to come."

Caliopa's eyes show a brief flash of gratitude at the response to her tiny joke. "Work." She nods firmly, tightening her lips and picking up the books. "If you've need of me, I'm at the garage." She rises, hesitating, uncertain of the correct protocol. In the end, she gives him a bowed head, awkward and graceless but she turns then and rushes towards the door.

"Thank you, Cali. Work.. and rest." The last added with a dash of firmness. The bow of head is returned precisely and his eyes lift and follow her for a few moments. A quiet breath breathed after she is halfway to the exit. He picks up the comb and lifts it, looking to the grooming of his companion slowly. "So many in need, Raja," he murmurs lowly. "Would that I had the breadth of my Lord." A soft concern touching his expression as he looks to the simple activity once more.