[Wright Library] The Weight of Books (Elem Bree)

[Avari]

Part of Avari wanted to curse when her whispered summoning actually caused Elem to turn up in front of her. She wasn't sure what had possessed her to even remain in this library once she had found what she had really come here for: a book about Yshul. If she'd kept her wits about her, the Konti would have simply turned away and disappeared before the young student came back looking for her. She could have found her way out of this immense cavern of a library eventually, with much less risk of getting caught with a book stuffed down her tunic.

Part of her, though, was sanguine about carrying on a little deception if it meant she could get out of this library with a guide. Besides, she reasoned, if they ever ran into each other again, how would she explain her disappearance? Saying, "Well, I had no luck finding the book" sounded much more plausible than "It was the strangest thing; I somehow got completely lost wandering in the library."

Besides, there wasn't any help for it now. Elem was coming closer and making conversation.

"Blushing? Am I blushing?" she asked, one hand rising to her cheek. "I didn't realize... Well, it was me they were hushing, I'm embarrassed to say. I panicked when you hurried away around the corner and started calling your name. An unforgivable crime in a library, isn't it?"

Why was she talking about crime? Avari hastily tried to divert the conversation, pointing upward at the workmen hammering at the ceiling and walls. "Of course, I was no louder than they are, banging away like that. But I guess I'm a bit easier to shush!"

When Elem came closer and asked if she'd had better fortune finding the book than he did, the Konti promptly shook her head. She felt his eyes on her face and did her best to keep still and not betray any excitement. Lowering her gaze, she gave a small, resigned shrug.

"I couldn't find anything either," she told him in mournful tones, heaving a sigh. "Could be that I just missed it, or maybe someone else checked it out before us."

Feeling the weight of the slender book inside her tunic, Avari half-turned away and started looking for the exits. "Well," she said distractedly in Elem's direction, "thank you for trying to help. I hope I didn't take you too far out of your way. Oh, well. I guess I had better get going and not waste any more of your time."

With that abrupt good-bye, Avari scurried away toward the library's magnificent, if slightly crumbling, front entrance, keeping one hand tucked against her stomach to stabilize the book against her stomach. She hoped Elem wasn't about to pursue her or run behind her asking more questions about Konti Isle or the Lady Rak'keli. As dearly as she enjoyed talking about the Opal Order's Ivaski protectors -- one of the few things in Mura that she genuinely found lovable and adorable -- Avari didn't feel at all confident in her ability to dissemble calmly for very long while carrying stolen goods inside her tunic. She quickened her pace, hoping to look as though she were in too much of a hurry to be bothered.

Unfortunately, the Konti was so intent on hurrying forward that she failed to notice she had just moved under a section of ceiling full of deteriorating plaster and granite. A few workmen had set up ladders along the walls to help restore this section, and one of them shouted a warning when he saw her rush past. She didn't slow down, though, not even when a chunk of granite tumbled loose from the ceiling and came plummeting directly at her.

The small block of granite struck Avari directly on top of her head. Stunned by the blow, Konti wavered and let out a thin cry when she felt the explosion of pain at her temples. The granite dropped onto the ground, and she too fell flat upon the floor.

Her eyelids fluttered. Dizzily, she reached toward her head, feeling for blood. Of all the luck, she thought bitterly. If only the room would stop spinning...

[Elem Bree]

Elem was no master of intrigue, but he couldn't help but find Avari's actions curious, to say the least. She had sent him off to find the book and now she was saying he had hurried off and left her. Her remarks about the other students shushing her seemed very convenient. he couldn't put his finger on it, but something didn't seem right. She pointed out the workers who had been repairing the storm damage in the library. Elem followed the finger briefly, his attention returning to the silver tongued Konti before him.

His confusion moved through his face as his eyebrow arched in an odd manner. She quickly turned and blew him off, scooting off like she might have had a sudden attack of her bladder. Her pace and gait was quick and pushed. Elem followed a little, not to give chase, but more to try to understand what exactly had happened. Since he was not so narrow of focus, he could see the workmen waving. One of the men had lost his balance and nearly slipped off of the scaffolding, catching himself. Unfortunately the scaffolding swung hard into the wall with the weight of his body, knocking a fist sized piece of the ceiling loose. Elem's look of confusion quickly morphed from alarm to concern as he watched it bounce off of Avari's head with a dull sound.

Cringing, he quickly approached her and knelt by her side. Her eyes were fluttering and she seemed out of sorts. He gently placed his hand under her head, his fingers naturally moving beneath her locks to fell for wetness. Finding none, he could see a lump rising beneath her fine hair. He did not touch it, choosing instead to quickly scan over her body for any twitching which could warn of a brain injury. His eyes traveled to her midsection, seeing the spine of a book half revealed from her breeches.

..e Silken Mask

Profit and ingenuity. And larceny, it appeared. He noticed others approaching and quickly pulled the book free from her waistband, placing it nearby as if she were carrying it in the open. He waved them off politely. "I'm a doctor. It's alright." His eyes turned to her head and his hand gently caressed the tender scalp, his lips moving in praise of Rak'keli. Should the Gift not be enough, he would have to take her to the Infirmary. Judging by her recent deeds, he hoped she would be agreeable to go to his cottage instead.

"Don't move too suddenly. You took a hard hit there. Try to sit up." He placed his hand on the small of her back and scooped up the nearly pilfered book as he waited to see how muddled she was.

[Avari]

"Buuuhhh," Avari groaned, reaching up to rub her bleary eyes. Seeing a brown and white blur moving closer toward her, she turned her face toward it. "What...who...what?"

Slowly, the blurry shape wavered and resolved into three concerned-looking Elem Brees approaching her and kneeling beside her. The Konti blinked dazedly, watching as the three Elems gradually coalesced into one. She felt as though she had had one too many drinks of wine, except for the knot of pain at her hairline that made her grit her teeth. Still trying to get her bearings, Avari only mumbled in surprise as she felt Elem's gentle, impersonal hands supporting her head and feeling through her hair for injuries.

She mumbled a little louder and more sharply, though, when she felt Elem pulling at something at her waist. Avari's eyes widened when she saw him fish out the book she'd just taken from the library and stuffed down her tunic. Belatedly, she reached out to grab the book back or knock it out from his grasp. Before she could stop him, though, Elem had pulled it free and dropped it near her hand, making it seem for all the world as though she had simply dropped it when the chunk of ceiling struck her on the head.

Torn between wanting to say, "Look here, I can explain," and to ask confusedly, "What are you doing?", Avari found herself completely dumbfounded as a result. She couldn't believe he was acting so calm and careless about the book. From his solicitous hands and quiet words, though, Elem seemed to care more about her well-being than the attempt at theft. Healers have the strangest priorities, she thought in bemusement.

Wrinkling her forehead, Avari tried to raise herself into a half-sitting position as the young student had instructed her. As the daze cleared, though, the pain in her head increased.

"Ooh," she murmured, raising a hand to her forehead. "My head...it hurts..."

Not noticing Elem scooping up the book about Yshul in her distraction, Avari patted the floor trying to find it. She didn't dare ask about where the book had gone, though, not with the young student looking directly at her and no doubt wondering what it'd been doing inside her clothes. A feeling of chagrin over her impossible situation settled in. She felt like a fool. She had thought she was being so clever, stealing a book about the goddess of stealing in an attempt to learn more about her and win her favor, and now she was half-lying on the ground with a headache, a chunk of plaster beside her, and no book. She was lucky he hadn't found her set of lock-picks in a cloak pocket.

Confused thoughts plodded through Avari's mind at half their accustomed rate. The best she could do now, the Konti decided, was to get out of here somehow and try again another time. She touched her head again curiously and winced when her forefinger brushed the bump forming under her hair.

"I...I'm okay, I think," she stammered, trying to smile. "Really, I'm fine. But...but..." She glanced up at the ceiling. "Maybe we should get out from here, before another piece of rock falls on our heads."

A thought occurred to her, and she spoke up again. "I...I know...I mean, I have a friend who's a healer. I can go to him, ask him to take care of my head. Do you remember the, uh, the bald fellow who came with me to the Archives Building, the night of the Ball? That's him. I could go to his home in the Bay and ask for his help."

She looked imploringly at Elem, though Avari herself couldn't have said what she was imploring of him. Medical assistance? Silence? Outright collusion?

"Please," she said softly. "I don't want to be any trouble."

[Elem Bree]

She was speaking, which was a good thing, though her eyes seemed to wander a bit. Not surprising, but nevertheless a cause for concern. She sat up as Elem helped her, his eyes watching for any strange behavior. She seemed to be in a significant amount of pain and while the healer longed to reach out to her and relieve it, he thought against it for the moment. It was best to observe her completely rather than overlook something vital in the name of relief.

Her hand seemed to absentmindedly --or not at all-- for the book. It was in Elem's opposite hand now. It was important to speak of her act, but not as important as ensuring that her health was no longer in danger. Avari's faculties were returning quickly, usually with each probing finger to the site of her injury. Pain was an excellent overseer. Her staggered words and pensive glances to the ceiling were certainly justified, but in light of her actions, he was holding a weighty amount of care in his judgments. Was it an act by a thief, found out? General concern? Worse yet, a set up for an even more insidious motive? Whatever the case, Elem would be sure to keep all possibilities on the table.

She began to speak of her bald friend from the Ball. Elem recalled the young man, who he had strangely never seen at the University or at the Infirmary. And yet, he was a healer. His suspicions only mounted with her stories. He stood and placed the book on a nearby table, returning to her side thereafter. Gently taking her by the shoulder, he helped her to stand, seeming to ignore her pleas. "Let's stand here for a moment and make sure you are able to do any visiting first, shall we?"

Once she had found her legs, Elem would slowly walk her toward the entrance of the Library. Under his breath, he muttered, " You sure you don't want trouble? It seems you were actively searching for it."

[Avari]

OOCWith permission from Paragon.

As the young medical student started muttering under his breath while escorting her to the doors, Avari thought she might have a chance to get away, even if her legs still felt a little wobbly beneath her and her head still pounded near the temples. Ignoring whatever he was mumbling to himself, she delicately and cautiously attempted to tug her hand free. Elem's grip on her did not relent, though, and he seemed to studiously ignore every hint she offered about her Charoda healer friend. From the unwavering look in his face, the Konti began to fear he was dragging her to the gaol for her attempt to steal the book on Yshul instead of borrowing it.
Frightened by this possibility, Avari began pulling even harder to get away from Elem, but the bright spring sunlight that poured over both of them as he firmly led her outside lanced painfully at her eyes and intensified her headache. Elem staunchly disregarded her feeble attempts and stalked through the streets like a man who could not be deterred from his objective.

To the Konti's surprise, though, the young student wasn't leading her toward the gaol, but deeper into the University's grounds instead. At first, she feared that he must be turning her over to the University's authorities instead of the city watchmen. Her eyes widened with surprise when Elem turned toward the Infirmary instead.

Equally surprised-looking students and staff members hurried to get out of their way when Elem led her inside. Now that the few first days of storm recovery had passed and people had received treatment for the worst injuries, the infirmary was not quite as crowded as it would have been a few days ago. Still, empty beds were rare and difficult to find, especially for someone who appeared as superficially injured as Avari. After a rapid assessment of the facility, Elem marched her toward an empty chair in a room already occupied by a sleeping patient with heavy bandages swathed around his arm.

"Now," he said to her coolly, the first words he'd addressed directly to her since he'd told her not to sit up or move too quickly in the library, "I don't know what your motives are or what you were planning back in the library. I don't trust you, though, and I doubt you were up to any good."

When she opened her mouth to protest, Elem held up a hand to interrupt her. "However, I am a healer first and foremost, and pledged to the goddess Rak'keli. I swore an oath to Lady Rak'keli never to turn my back on a patient who needs healing, whether they are my friend or my enemy. Thus, I will heal you first and attend to your head, before I ask you any more questions about what you planned to do with that book in the library."

Motioning her to lean against the chair, he told her, "Sit back, and tell me if this hurts."

Obediently, Avari leaned back and winced visibly as he prodded her forehead and the top of her head with the tips of his fingers, checking for any wounds, bruises, bumps, or blood. He was gentle and deft, but her head still ached with every touch. Surely, it must have been the pain that caused her to forget his devotion to the goddess Rak'keli and the fact that the healing goddess asked her followers to share their gift of healing with everyone who needed it, no matter who they were. After a few moments, the examination came to an end, and Elem carefully tied a towel dipped in cold water around her head and instructed her to stay still.

"Your condition isn't serious," he assured her, "but it is better if you stay still and quiet. You'll recover faster that way. And," here he paused and his brown eyes glinted with irony, "you'll get yourself in less trouble that way too, I'll wager."

Before he could say anything more, however, a young assistant in a white smock hurried into the room. "Elem!" she cried out. "Hurry! We need you in the operating theater right away. Mistress Claira asked for you herself for this patient. He's badly hurt!"

At once, Elem's attention left the Konti and turned fully upon the assistant. "Mistress Claira? I'm coming right away!" he exclaimed, standing up and rushing after the young girl. She beckoned for him to follow her, and the two disappeared from the room before Avari could do more than blink in startlement.

She couldn't say she minded, though. Aside from the soft snoring of the patient in the bed, the room was pleasantly dark and quiet. Avari tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and let the cool towel do its work.

The Konti must have drifted off, for when she opened her eyes next, a new patient had taken the place of the man who had lain in the bed sleeping. This time, it was a woman sitting up in the bed, clasping a rosy infant in her arms and cooing to the child. The towel on Avari's forehead had dried long since, and she snatched it off impatiently, throwing it into a corner. She glanced right and left, looking for Elem, but it seemed he had not returned.

"Excuse me," she said aloud, her voice sounding dry and parched as she turned toward the woman in the bed, "but have you seen the doctor?"

Looking up from her baby, the woman shook her head no.

A grin curled Avari's lips. "Then I suppose it is time for me to go."

Tucking her hand deep into her pockets, she rose from the chair. She stiffened in anticipation of the pounding pain that had assailed her the last time she had exerted herself even a little since the piece of ceiling plaster had struck her head. It seemed the cool towel and some rest had helped a great deal, though, for Avari felt nothing at all. The young student did seem to know his trade, she reflected.

For a moment, Avari hesitated on the threshold, wondering if she should leave some mocking message for Elem Bree. At the last moment, though, she decided against it.

Instead, in the midst of the busy infirmary full of doctors, patients, and students, the Konti strolled out through the doors with no one at all paying any attention to her. Despite the failures of the day, there was a jaunty swagger in her stride as she took to the streets. Avari had not succeeded in stealing the book of Yshul's mysteries from the library today, but every larcenous act required a reconnaissance mission or two for information about the target and its whereabouts. Today, she had scouted the library and knew where the object of her desire lay.

Someday, soon, that book would be hers, and she would learn its secrets and be able to dedicate herself to the goddess Yshul at last.

[Arcane]

Rewards and Treasure! Experience Points +1 Larceny +2 Stealth +1 Seduction +2 Investigation +1 Observation Lores University of Zeltiva: Wright Memorial Library Elem Bree the Healer (Rak'keli Marked) Stealing a book from the University's Library Being Caught Stealing by Elem Bree Location of Behind the Silken Mask Miscellaneous n/a Comments @Elem_Bree: If you want your XP, PM me if you return. Avari, a tiny note on continuity... you described the library earlier as the usual hush being broken by sounds of tools and people, so your descriptions of it being a quiet place, with stern librarians and studying students wouldn't match, would it? Now, I want to justify the low XP for Larceny, as well as to clarify things. Usually, I would award +3 to a Novice or +2 to a Competent in this thread, however at Expert level, a simple larceny operation such as this would be child's play to Avari. I gave +1 on virtue of the good roleplaying and general writing in relation to larceny, but this is more of a once-off thing; do not expect even a +1 in the future. At such a high level of Larceny, Avari needs to execute more difficult and complex larceny operations, such as breaking and entering, and perhaps difficult pickpocketing or even reverse pickpocketing methods, to continue gaining decent XP. Please PM me for further clarifications should this explanation be insufficient.

[Arcane]

Rewards and Treasure! Addendum; re: Elem Bree Experience Points +1 Observation +1 Interrogation Lores Avari's Interest in Yshul Avari's Promise: Info of Mura and Associated Knowledge University of Zeltiva: Wright Memorial Library Avari the Thief Miscellaneous n/a Comments There you go. I'm not sure what else you want, do let me know if there is any specific lore you desire.