Closed Spark of Interest (Leila)

When working in a library, you tend to find people looking for knowledge.

(This is a thread from Mizahar's fantasy roleplay forums. Why don't you register today? This message is not shown when you are logged in. Come roleplay with us, it's fun!)

Center of scholarly knowledge and shipwrighting, Zeltiva is a port city unlike any other in Mizahar. [Lore]

Spark of Interest (Leila)

Postby Erekez on March 13th, 2013, 5:54 pm

20th Day of Spring, 513 AV

Wright Memorial Library was busy with students, all trying to find specific books for their own course. It seemed that the workload had already been thrown at them at the beginning of the new season, and the more determined students had decided to get it done sooner rather than later. It was an impressive resolve to have, but inevitably brushed aside soon after starting on the basis of enough time. Still, the intentions were there, even if the motivation wasn't.

Erekez returned to his workstation. There had been many students that had asked if he could help them find a specific text. Some of those students had found a new journal or book in their hands that Erekez had previously worked on. He did not believe in special treatment for the most part, but Erekez did believe on getting the best out of what is available to you. It just so happened that students who had asked for help probably got better material.

As he sat down, Erekez returned to looking at the journal he had picked up today. It was taking longer than usual. The hardest part of any code was trying to find the key to break it. Normally, it just required to notice patterns within the text you were reading for shifts. In other, slightly more complicated ones that Erekez could do, a word had been used as the key, taking each character's position in the alphabet as the number to shift by.

This journal wasn't like the others though. Each new page had a new key, so Erekez was reduced to finding the new key on every page. The codes were very simple, but that had been covered up by the repeated changing of the key, which was practically written at the top of each page.

What the writer had done was list a few words at the top of each page, seemingly random in their selection, but there was always one word that connected all the words at the top. That was the key, and it had been made into a puzzle. Very clever.

Erekez looked back at the list of words at the top of this page: Sand, Blowing, Spy, Worker
Erekez
Player
 
Posts: 157
Words: 157973
Joined roleplay: January 16th, 2013, 2:46 pm
Location: Zeltiva
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets

Spark of Interest (Leila)

Postby Leila on March 13th, 2013, 7:35 pm

Leila felt lost as she wandered down the expansive rows of books on top of books among more books between even more books. She wasn't even sure what she was looking for in all honesty. She wanted to do some research on what plants and herbs were safe for dogs to eat, and maybe some history or breeding and care information on the Falivan Elk Dog. She was determined to discover the absolute perfect meal for her best friend. Unfortunately, she wasn't sure if she should look in the section for herbalism, animal husbandry, medicine, or cooking. And the library wasn't exactly her friend. She had no idea how rows and shelves were sorted, and some of the students and scholars she asked weren't really much help. One even muttered under his breath "...upid mongrel lovin bitc..." which just furthered her frustration. A lot of people from the University usually looked down on her because she wasn't formally educated like them, but that didn't make her stupid. If there was one good thing about her mother, it was that she was intelligent, and made sure her daughter had some brains between her ears.

Letting loose a sound that was somewhere between an annoyed growl and an exasperated sigh, she turned into an aisle one of the students had mentioned, amongst a hundred others, and dropped her pack on a table. He said right side of the row... sixth shelf up, near the middle of the shelves. She looked up the stack, and determined that she'd have to get a ladder. She found it at the end of the aisle, a sign on it that had something on it originally, but had been marked out and replaced by words she didn't understand.

"GR QRW XVH WKLU ODGGHU, EURNHQ, GDQJHURXV!"

Beneath that, in someone else's hand writing was, "That's not very nice, and it's a Three Left Shift."

Leila ignored it, and as she sturggled to move the heavy ladder over to her desired shelf, the sign fell off, and floated down, and landed right in front of a man with midlength dark hair and a healthy amount of scars. She leaned the ladder against the shelf, and stepped up on it. It creaked loudly, making Leila a little nervous. The ladder was old, but it was big enough, and she small enough, that nothing bad could happen, right? She slow continue the climb, the ladder's creaks growing louder and louder, and slowly shifted into become cracks. She was almost there, taking a step onto a rung with a large crack through it. As she put her weight on it, SNAP, and her leg fell through the hole. She yelped loudly, lost her balance, now only holding onto the ladder by one hand. She managed to yank her leg free of the hole, only to throw her balance in the opposite direction. Her grip was lost, her feet left the ladder, as she began the fall to the awfully hard floor of the library.
I'm accepting threads only for Summer 513 AV or Flashbacks with Leila. If you'd like to thread, PM me with a date and a basic idea of what you'd like to do! Thanks!
Image
User avatar
Leila
Player
 
Posts: 259
Words: 173018
Joined roleplay: March 11th, 2013, 8:24 pm
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Journal
Plotnotes

Spark of Interest (Leila)

Postby Erekez on March 14th, 2013, 12:15 am

Erekez looked down at the sound of paper sliding across the floor. A small scrap piece had landed close to his feet. Bending down to pick it up, Erekez looked around for anyone who was looking for it. It didn't seem that anyone was in a hurry to retrieve it. Perhaps it had slipped out from between the pages of a rushing student's book.

Flipping it over, Erekez found that that some joker had encrypted the original message. The note at the bottom only confirmed it, but also showed him that someone else had already figured out the key.

Turning back in his chair, he heard a loud creak accompany it. Strange, that's the first time it's done that. It seems to be getting old. Erekez placed the paper on the desk, quickly writing out the alphabet on the paper, and the three-left shifted alphabet just beneath it. Doing this prevented him from counting three left for each character. Instead, the actual character sat just above the encrypted character.

Scratching his quill across the paper, writing the same characters out at once. Any G became D, U became R and so on until the message began to take its intended form. "DO NOT USE THIS LADDER, BROKEN, DANGEROUS!"

Erekez became aware of the creaking getting louder and louder. What's more, he wasn't moving in his chair. The 'not very nice' comment made sense now.

Looking around himself quickly for the source of the creaking, assuming it was coming from this broken ladder, Erekez sprang from his seat. Why else would a sign suddenly fall in front of him if the object it was attached to hadn't been disturbed?

A resounding snap leapt through the library from a close-by aisle. Erekez wasted no time, following the noise towards whoever was using it. Turning the corner, he saw that someone was already up the ladder before it had decided to break, and she was close to falling.

Erekez sped up, hoping he'd be able to break her fall at the very least, if catching her wasn't completely possible. That fall is going to hurt a lot otherwise.
Erekez
Player
 
Posts: 157
Words: 157973
Joined roleplay: January 16th, 2013, 2:46 pm
Location: Zeltiva
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets

Spark of Interest (Leila)

Postby Leila on March 14th, 2013, 8:39 pm

Leila saw the blur of books and shelves passing, and just knew that this was going to hurt immensely. But when her body finally collided, it wasn't the searing pain of landing on stone, nor the loud crash that would accompany it. It was more of a thud, and much softer. It still hurt as she bounced down whatever she landed on, then landed flat on the cold floor. She just laid there, moaning slightly, as her body quickly started registering injury and pain. "...ow..."

She looked over to see what she landed on, only to realize that it was a who. Panicking worried she may have hurt someone badly, she sat up quickly to check on them, only to have her shoulder send searing pain that made her gasp loudly, and slump back over. She tried moving that arm of her shoulder, and found she couldn't do so. Looking down at it, it looked wrong, out of place or something, and this caused her breathing to quicken, worry heavy on her chest. Gritting through the pain, she looked over at the other person, "Are... are you okay? Oh please please please don't be dead."
I'm accepting threads only for Summer 513 AV or Flashbacks with Leila. If you'd like to thread, PM me with a date and a basic idea of what you'd like to do! Thanks!
Image
User avatar
Leila
Player
 
Posts: 259
Words: 173018
Joined roleplay: March 11th, 2013, 8:24 pm
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Journal
Plotnotes

Spark of Interest (Leila)

Postby Erekez on March 14th, 2013, 10:34 pm

There had been worse situations that Erekez had survived, other than someone falling and landing on top of him, but that didn't mean the impact from her or the floor made him ache any less. It felt like it might be bruising. How deep was something that he couldn't tell before they began to form. Erekez pushed against the floor with both hands, forcing himself upwards and into a sitting position. Shrugging his shoulders and gently moving them, Erekez tried to relieve the aching as much as he could.

He had managed to get underneath the girl in time, but had only had enough time to put his arms out to catch her. Unfortunately, it had left him unbalanced. When he had managed to stop her falling directly on the ground, Erekez lost his footing and fell backwards and to the floor. She'd bounced off him and to the floor anyway, but at least he had absorbed most of the blow.

Turning to the girl, Erekez responded. "I'm fine, I appreciate you asking. And no, Dira has no claims on me just yet." He allowed himself to smile, even if it was a well-practised, forced one. He was being polite, nothing more and nothing less. Erekez's gaze soon fixed itself on the girl's arm, frowning as he noticed it's angle. "Although it seems I should be asking you if you are okay, but it looks as though the evidence speaks for itself."

Erekez lifted himself to his feet, brushing himself off as he stood. "I think that you might need to go to the infirmary to get that checked on before anything further happens to you." It was only his personal opinion. In the end, it was her decision to make if she listened to him or not. It wouldn't affect him one way or the other.

He couldn't sense Nai'a nearby at the moment. Erekez was unsure if she had the day off or was just too far for him to be aware of. Their bond had grown since the ball, but there was still plenty of room to improve it. Even without the mark of Rak'keli though, Erekez knew that Mistress Claira was still a considerable source of knowledge in the medicine field. No doubt she's be able to do something as easily, if not more so, than Nai'a could with her mark. Nai'a's power with her mark is as limited as mine is. Mistress Claira, however, has far less limitations with her expertise.

"Would you like a hand up, at the very least?" Erekez offered his hand out as he spoke. A gentle expression sat across his face, contrasting with his tattered appearance.
Erekez
Player
 
Posts: 157
Words: 157973
Joined roleplay: January 16th, 2013, 2:46 pm
Location: Zeltiva
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets

Spark of Interest (Leila)

Postby Leila on March 17th, 2013, 6:31 pm

An exasperated chuckle escaped her lips as he mused about her injury. This man was certainly interesting, for he was concerned, yet nonchalant, about all of this, quick to act, yet long winded in speech, calm during a crisis, apathetic after it was over. Leila nodded at his offer, slipping her small, delicate hand into his, and allowing him to pull her up, wincing at the slightest jolt that sent blinding pain through her shoulder.

"Thank you once again, and I'd love to go to the infirmary, but I came here looking for some books to research on. If I'm going to be injured, I'm going to at least get what I came for. I don't really know the library really well, but I'm looking for some information on how herbs and plants could affect a Falivan Elk Dog, and perhaps some history on the health and care of that particular breed as well. I'd asked some other students, and that's how I ended up in your particular row. Oh, there I go babbling again, forgetting my manners. My name is Leila, Leila Hughes, and you are?"


Leila looked up at the ladder that had once supported her, seeing a rung splintered and cracked in half, dangling. She hoped her breaking that wouldn't get her in trouble with the library. That would be the last thing she'd need, kicked out of the library, or a fine for the damaged property. She looked down at her shoulder again, the awkward angle making her woozy. She quickly grabbed a chair and sat down, resting on her good arm, a head ache creeping in behind her eyes. She looked down at a piece of paper with a bunch of gibberish upon it, trying to make heads or tails out of it, to hold her focus as she got past her injury. It was the sign she'd ignored that was on the ladder from before, only it was altered, and there was a readable message in it's place. She looked over to the man who'd cushioned her fall, "This gibberish makes sense to you?" as she held up the paper.
I'm accepting threads only for Summer 513 AV or Flashbacks with Leila. If you'd like to thread, PM me with a date and a basic idea of what you'd like to do! Thanks!
Image
User avatar
Leila
Player
 
Posts: 259
Words: 173018
Joined roleplay: March 11th, 2013, 8:24 pm
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Journal
Plotnotes

Spark of Interest (Leila)

Postby Erekez on March 17th, 2013, 10:22 pm

"If you're adamant that you're not going to the infirmary just yet, I'd suggest not focusing on your injury, else you're just going to make it worse for yourself." Erekez had seen her wince as he helped her up, but it was not his place to force her to do anything. Different people had different views. He had always known this fact and always accepted people as they were.

Erekez inclined his head as she offered her own name, Leila Hughes. "A pleasure. I'm Erekez." He had become used to giving out his name to others. He'd learnt that a name was almost useless to enemies if you didn't give any further details that they could work with. Erekez still remained cautious nonetheless.

He watched her as she sat, analysing what he could. She didn't seem built to fight, but sounded like she made up for it twice over from the very specific topics she was searching for in the library. People usually started going into specifics when they had already read the more general material that would cover most questions, but not those that more inquisitive people asked.

Allowing his gaze to wander back over to the ladder, Erekez turned it over onto its side, making sure people understood that it was not to be used, if the broken rung didn't give them that hint. Lisaelis must've been the one who left the note there earlier. She would not be pleased to know that somebody had been messing with information that she had provided to benefit others.

Erekez's attention was called back to Leila as she held up the sign that he had decrypted. He nodded in answer. "That certain level does. It was a very basic encryption that a student must've copied out of a book as a joke. It made it even easier that the key had already been written down for me to work with. Else I wouldn't have been able to reach you in time to soften your landing. I've worked through worse, but there have been more that I haven't been able to do just yet than I have done. Knowledge comes with experience."

It was a cruel joke that wasn't funny. Erekez failed to see the humour in setting someone up to get hurt. Perhaps he had a way of finding out who was responsible for it.

"Would you mind if I could hold that for a second please?"
Erekez
Player
 
Posts: 157
Words: 157973
Joined roleplay: January 16th, 2013, 2:46 pm
Location: Zeltiva
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets

Spark of Interest (Leila)

Postby Leila on March 21st, 2013, 3:35 pm

Leila handed the interesting man the sheet he requested, wondering what he could still want with it now that he'd figured out whatever it was on there. She then took in a deep breath, and slowly stood up, biting her lower lip to fight through the pain in her shoulder. She walked over to the shelf, looking through the book titles, "I guess I'll have to figure out how to do that sort of thing. So I don't fall off any more ladders," she jested.

She found several books on different breeds of dogs, but not her own Falivan Elkie. Sighing loudly, she moved down the line, hoping to find general information on feeding dogs, but there was no luck for the poor auburn girl. She was about to give up, turning to the man, when a book title caught her eyes, What Happens When Your Best Friend Gets into Your Vegetable Patch: A Farmer's Woes. The title was a bit excessive, but it was the closest thing to what she could find. She pulled the book out with her good arm, set it on the table and gently slumped into the chair.

"So what are you doing with that paper now?"
I'm accepting threads only for Summer 513 AV or Flashbacks with Leila. If you'd like to thread, PM me with a date and a basic idea of what you'd like to do! Thanks!
Image
User avatar
Leila
Player
 
Posts: 259
Words: 173018
Joined roleplay: March 11th, 2013, 8:24 pm
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Journal
Plotnotes

Spark of Interest (Leila)

Postby Erekez on March 21st, 2013, 8:20 pm

"Thank you." He took the paper out of Leila's hand as she offered it to him. Ereke watched as she struggled to get up and out of the chair with her arm. He was unsure if it was dedication or recklessness that prevented her from going straight to the infirmary. The books weren't going anywhere and health took priority over knowledge. Even Eyris accepted that. She must really care to find out about this breed of dog. Is she preparing to get one, or reading up on a friend she already has?

"Cryptography is a useful skill to have if you can find the appropriate applications for it, or even if you just want a challenge sometimes." He had learnt to keep his own secrets away from prying eyes. Unfortunately, leaving an original, unencrypted copy alongside the beginnings of encryption had not been a good idea. The skill had still proven to be a useful one though, irrespective of its initial intentions for use.

Turning back to the paper he held, Erekez used Lykata to search the contributions on it. All he got was three names and one was Lisaelis. That was no help. Alicia Taron and Corin Kalgor That didn't help much with deciding who had done what to the note, only that those two had touched it. One could've made the encryption and the other write down the key. That was all reliant that no one else had touched the sign other than the three, else there was the possibility that Lykata hadn't shown him the name of the prankster. He'd have to take the note to Lisaelis.

Leila's question brought him back from his thoughts. He hadn't noticed that she had already found a book and returned to her seat. "Trying to find out who encrypted this message." Erekez pulled the glove off his right hand, revealing Lykata to Leila. "Unfortunately, I'm not having much luck."
Erekez
Player
 
Posts: 157
Words: 157973
Joined roleplay: January 16th, 2013, 2:46 pm
Location: Zeltiva
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets

Spark of Interest (Leila)

Postby Leila on March 30th, 2013, 4:22 pm

Leila listened intently as the man vaguely talked of encryption. But while mildly interesting, he'd avoided any details of the supposed craft. She turned back to her book as he appeared to be studying the paper further. She scanned through the index, her finger flowing down the page, her lips mouthing the words aloud. "Drinks... Beans... Meats... Fish... Nuts... Vegetables page eighty-six." She quickly leafed through the pages to the section marked Vegetables.

"Dogs of any kind should never consume any of the following, for most are poisonous and severely harmful.

Grapes, Raisins, and Wine - Small amounts can be extremely poisonous and could kill a dog in less than a day.

Onions, Garlic, and Chives - small amounts, cooked and raw, can harm a dog, poisoning may last days before death.

Tomato Plant leaves, stems, and green tomatoes - mildly poisonous, can take a large amount. Stem is the most dangerous, with green tomatoes presenting very little danger.

Raw Potatoes - Dangerous to both animals and humans in moderate amounts. Poison neutralized by cooking.

Wild Mushrooms - Many different species of mushroom are harmful in varying amounts to dogs. Best to avoid them all together. "


After reading this information, happy to have found something on the matter, she looked up at her companion as he removed his glove. There was a symbol there, made up of a couple of rings and bars. Leila didn't recognize it, but was slightly entranced by the marking. Not recognizing his conversational cue, "What's that mark mean?"
I'm accepting threads only for Summer 513 AV or Flashbacks with Leila. If you'd like to thread, PM me with a date and a basic idea of what you'd like to do! Thanks!
Image
User avatar
Leila
Player
 
Posts: 259
Words: 173018
Joined roleplay: March 11th, 2013, 8:24 pm
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Journal
Plotnotes

Next

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests