Closed Learning and Yearning [Thomas]

[Celeste Arumen]

50th Day of Summer, 513 AV

Celeste grumbled. She was seated at one of the many tables in the Great Library, head in her hands. It’d been a hopeless task from the start – the Golems could not, would not respond to any of her inquiries and every single book was written in some bizarre language. On a good day, she could get the gist of a simplistic piece of text. But this clearly, was not a good day and further, she was one hundred percent at the mercy of the maggot-heads.

”Petch,” she muttered under her breath. She craved the sunshine of the Testing Grounds, but didn’t dare go out on her own. Not just yet. Instead she was limited to the confines of the blasted Citadel. She could easily go up to Riyana’s lab and the thought had already crossed her mind. Perhaps she would be willing to go out. But Celeste was not one to give up a fight, even against the inanimate. She’d learn something, even if it killed her.

Sighing, she raked an agitated hand through her hair. Perhaps if there was a book in common somewhere, she could begin to learn the wizard’s language. That was how she referred to it, knowing no other name. Maybe Riyana could teach her that, too. But it might be asking too much, to take up every waking minute of the woman’s time. She had other initiates. Celeste just stared dejectedly at the odd piece of literature and exhaled deeply.

”Petching deadies and their stupid books… Petching Citadel and it’s stupid ceiling.” She was still a little girl, after all. ”Petching golems and their… Stupid, ugh! Shyke.”

On top of it all, those benches were colder than ice and harder than stone. But sharply, she turned. Someone was paying attention. Celeste had an acute sense of when she was being watched.

"Can I help you?" She asked primly.

[Thomas Cosa]

Thomas lazily made his way through the ancient aisles, tombs of magical knowledge a hair's width away from outstretched fingers. "Magical detection, magical detection...," he hummed, a small follower golem wheeling at his heels as he glossed over the various titles; discovering that auristics could detect the invisibles chains that had connected the various golems to a control panel had only been the top of the Citadel as far as Thomas was concerned.

What else could this magic find? What else could he see?

"This looks good," he grabbed one of the larger volumes, knowing a larger book probably had a greater chance of answering his own questions -- whatever those were; truth be told, personal magic was a new frontier to the animator and Thomas wasn't even entirely sure what kinds of question he should be asking. "Right, Stranger, back to the tables," he sighed, book underneath his arm.

Walking back through the towering stacks and aisles, Thomas allowed himself a small smile; the library had become a sort of refuge for the pulser. Away from the hustle and bustle of Lab 15, he often sought the silence of the library for a place to think. Not many pulsers often had the chance to visit the library -- most nuits sent golems to collect their books from the library.

And so it was a little bit of a surprise to see someone else; especially someone so young.

"I doubt it," Thomas scoffed, watching the girl with interest; she had moved much too quick for a nuit, but he knew better than to assume on that alone. "Aren't you a little young to be here?"

[Celeste Arumen]

When she turned, it was to a young man with an aristocratic bearing and what seemed to be a sour attitude. ”I didn’t realize there was an age limit.” She held up her hand to highlight that ring which marked as an Apprentice of Sahova. Surprisingly, he was a pulser too – that or newly turned, though he didn’t carry the same stench of rot that other Nuit did. ”If I am unable to assist you, perhaps you can assist me.” Swallowing her pride, she glanced around the room.

”You wouldn’t happen to know of a book here, written in common? I have no knowledge of this bizarre language Wizards use and I’d like to learn.” She looked unashamed. ”If not, perhaps we’re of no use to one another.” Though… She had a few amusements at her disposal. The purple triangle just below her ear seethed with power as it activated and in a heartbeat, the book in front of her shifted to an innocuous bowl of fruit.

”On the other hand, perhaps not.” With just a breath, the book shimmered back to its original form. She turned to study the lines of his face. They could potentially make some sort of exchange - information for information. ”Are you a Wizard here?” She thought humans were exclusively relegated to the Wardens but then, there was a lot she did not know.

He was rather handsome but on the whole, he appeared inexperienced. That was good. Celeste was a lot of things, but naive was not one of them. The conversation could go off in many directions, but only one led to the outcome she wished and that perceived naivety could be helpful in future dealings… Assuming they had any. ”If so, then I’d assume you would be knowledgeable about such a thing.” Flattery was a weak choice, but she knew nothing about him.

One point of interest was the golem trailing after him. If he was not dead, then he had to be an animator, a manipulator of life. That too, would be a valuable skill. But she was far more interested in gaining skills of her own.

[Thomas Cosa]

"There apparently isn't," he countered, holding at his own ring in a show of comradery; or at least an honest attempt at it. Truth be told, Thomas had never been overly fond of children, perhaps even less so of adolescents -- which the red headed girl seemed to be. Terribly awkward and bold in his opinion, not good mix for Sahova.

He shurgged off any worry he might have felt for the girl, consdering he wasn't quite sure she was human; it wasn't exactly like young bodies were strange for the nuit, especially the older ones. A body was a body after all.

"You mean nader-canoch? The ancient...tongue," he finished, barely managing to his the obvious shock from his face. No magic that he knew of, albeit anything short of alchemy, could actually change one thing into another. And even then, Thomas knew whatever the girl had done wasn't alchemy, or any kind of world magic he knew; the transformation had been far too instantaneous, spontaneous even. No blood had been spilt. No ritual. Nothing.

"No. My title here is Master Apprentice," Thomas corrected the youth, trying his best to recover himself as he made his way towards the seat opposite the girl, "Perhaps a personal magic?" he mused, Stranger trailing behind him as he sat down.

"I know enough," his tone casual, the pulser trying to down play his interest. Naive to the world outside of the Citadel, yes, but not so naive to the wizards of the isle. If she wanted something from him, she better be willing to give up something in return. In Sahova, Thomas knew nothing was ever free.

"Name, please. NAME! NAME!," Stranger beeped, wheeling himself closer to the girl, as if to examine her. Thomas smiled sweetly, "Oh, introductions. You may call me Thomas, and that is Stranger," he paused, considering his next words carefully -- he desperately wanted more information on whatever magics the girl had performed earlier; and while he considered both auristics and passing over the girl's chavi, Thomas deemed them both too obvious, or at least obvious enough that their usage could be detected by someone paying close enough attention.

Instead, he decided, conversation might be his best bet. At least for now.

"So, you're looking for a way to study the ancient tongue?" he asked, propping open his book as dramatically as he could manage, inviting the girl to take a glimpse at the characters foreign to her, but so obviously familiar to him.

[Celeste Arumen]

Celeste chuckled at that selfsame gesture, amber eyes softening in the library’s alchemical glow. ”Nader-canoch?” She echoed, as if tasting the word. ”The ancient tongue.” She looked down at the script and her head involuntarily throbbed. Knowing the name didn’t make it any less daunting. In childish irritation, she felt compelled to stomp; why should she have to learn something so complex, just to keep learning? It was too hard!

Yet, she swallowed her gripes. What else could she do? No time to act like a kid, not when someone was ready to actually help her for once. Potentially. He’d been impressed by the use of Illusionism – most people were, truth be told. Subterfuge was a very powerful tool when applied correctly. Bewildered, he sat opposite her, qualifying the title of ‘wizard’ to ‘apprentice.’

His attempt at blasé made Celeste openly smile. She’d seen this tactic countless times before, in traders and mercenaries the world over. But before they could move forward, the automaton that’d been dogging his steps wheeled aggressively toward her in order to extract a name.

”Celeste,” she supplied. A flicker of annoyance washed over her features before it was dispelled. ”Celeste Arumen.” Patience. The golem was his. ”Nice to meet you Thomas and you too, Stranger.” Which was only half true. Most of Sahova was run by the blasted soulless creatures and it plagued her to no end.

”Yes, I am. I was thinking perhaps we could exchange, if you were of a mind to do so. I know a few things perhaps you do not, much like you’ve just witnessed. If you disclose your secrets, I’ll disclose mine.” There was no arrogance behind the statement. If anything, Celeste seemed exceedingly direct. Now whether she could teach him how to do as she’d done – now, that was a different story.

But that was not what she offered, nor what she said.

”It’s good to meet another pulser, provided you are one.” Better to get that out of the way, too.

[Thomas Cosa]

"CE.LEST.AR.UMEN," the follower strained, wheeling back and forth with each syllable. "He's committing the name to memory," Thomas shrugged, explaining the behavior with a small smile. Stranger had been making strides in his develop, each additional gem increasing the golem's intelligence vastly -- the latest addition, memory, or at least, that's what it seemed liked to Thomas.

Whatever it had added, the recent development in Stranger's intelligence had earned him an assigned gender -- and since his own soul had been the template for the golem's life principal, Thomas decided Stranger was male.

"Bold idea, Celeste," he mused, wondering exactly how many negotiations Celeste had tried to pull off so directly. Perhaps where ever she hailed from, that was how they arranged dealings -- however, Sahova wizards would never be known for being so bold. They would, perhaps, exchange apprentices to exchange information, subtly hint at the possibility of a recommendatip to ensure a favor, hand out empty compliments to their betters, hoping to secure a better position for the next project than a competitor.

"And you're young. What makes you so sure I couldn't find whatever you did somewhere else? What makes you think that information is so inherently valuable to me? Besides, you're only offering one thing. You'd expect me to tutor you in a language, something that would open all of this, " he paused, gesturing to the library, "And a language isn't something so easily learned, of course. Maybe I could teach you the basics, but I would want something more than just that," he shrugged considering.

"Who do you apprentice for?"

[Celeste Arumen]

”Well,” she said, smiling. ”You’re certainly no fool.” That was still yet to be determined, but it would help his ego to think otherwise. ”To the contrary Thomas, my being both young and alive should indicate I offer something others do not, given the Nuit distaste for those things.” She smiled. ”And learning that one thing could require just as much study and dedication. Perhaps an even exchange.”

She tapped her nose thoughtfully. ”I would settle for at least the basics of the language. In return, perhaps you can tell me specifically you’d like to know.” And to his next question, she grinned with her teeth.

”I’m both initiate and apprentice to Riyana Sterder, Warden of the Prairie.” Now, that would certainly get his attention. It was highly unusual for initiates to also be apprentices. It meant she might not only inherit that part of the Testing Grounds, but to potentially gain political dominion over a significant aspect of the Citadel.

She continued to smile.

”What of you?” She asked brightly. ”Who do you apprentice for?” It’d tell a lot about him. And what she needed was information. Celeste relaxed in her seat very slightly. Things were still up in the air, but they were rapidly moving in her favor. She’d made some compelling arguments, anyway.

Eek!Sorry it took me so long to get to this!

[Thomas Cosa]

"Riyana?" Thomas echoed, the ends of his lips curling into a knowing smile -- the girl was a Warden. The infamous pulser only group that walked the testing grounds, picking up the messes of the more accomplished wizards. Frankly, Thomas had been excited at the idea, when he first heard of them that it; Cid, however, was only to quick to correct his misdirected idolizations.

The Wardens, for the wizards of the Citadel, were nothing more then garbage men. True, there were the talented among them, yet even they paled against the true masters of the island -- even Riyana, a supposed morphing genius, wasn't truly tolerated among the others. That, though, Thomas guessed had something to do with the various rumors surrounding her.

Rumors, he bet, the little girl knew nothing about -- especially if she so willingly admitted Riyana Sterder as her master.

"Masters Kromby and Filch," he replied, not bothering to explain more. The duo were exceptionally regarded as the finest animator and gadgeteer, besides Mashaen of course, on the isle; if she couldn't place the names, then Thomas would only know exactly how knew she was to the Sahova.

"And you just want a basic grammar class? Nothing more?" Thomas smirked, teasing the child as best he could, trying to remind her in a small way that he was the one in charge of the situation. Still, Celeste was proving more and more intriguing with each answer. She was, obviously, a morpher. On top of that, she was apprenticed to one of the more infamous wardens. Finally, she was a child, and she was alive on Sahova. What secrets could she have stored? She already demonstrated some kind of magic Thomas had never seen - what else did she know?

Perhaps he could figure out.

"I have a better idea -- how about, we exchange questions. They'd have to be specific though, no 'Tell me your life story,' or anything that'll result in any longwinded -- or boring answers," He paused, wetting his lips, "We'll answer each question as truthfully as we can manage. We can even think of it like a game, yes?"

Don't worry about it!It's fine -- real life happens, everyone's got other priorities It's been fun roleplaying with you so far, and I know I can take a while to post sometimes as well. So no worries, and post whenever you can!

[Celeste Arumen]

There was something about narrow of his eyes and that self-assured grin he bore that said: ‘I know something you don’t.’ Which grated her worse perhaps, than the fact he was openly acting as her superior. By rank, they were no greater than one another. Master apprentice, sure, but he was still a pulser, as was she. He thought of himself as great – he was in fact, older and better looking. Maybe even more valuable. But he could not possibly understand the amount of contempt the Nuit bore for them. Both of them. He wouldn’t count himself so lucky if he had.

”Kromby and Filch,” she echoed with a sly grin. ”I see. Though I’ve already ascertained your profession.” She indicated Stranger with a nod of her head. He was clearly an animator. Being a gadgeteer as well was no surprise. But other than producing their beloved golems, this boy was no better off than she was. Worse, among some schools of thought, even. They would treat him well. They would not teach him that he was in fact, expendable. And one day, they might even steal his life.

”Nothing more,” she said lightly with a winning smile. More flies were got with honey as opposed to vinegar. ”Perhaps to a man you like, it isn’t much.” That smile became self-deprecating. Deception was the best bet. This boy would believe anything that thought the best of him.

”Sounds fair,” she said with a curt nod. She was utterly sincere in that, as well. This game would not end well for him, unless he could make quick distinctions. And while he might be able to, he set himself for a full-blown interrogation. ”I promise to answer you honestly, if you do the same. And I agree to your terms, if you agree to mine.”

Perhaps this day was better than she thought it’d be.

[Thomas Cosa]

"Good," he nodded, "Then we'll start with this; where are you from?"

It was an easy enough question, and more importantly, would give to a simple answer. Thomas focused intently on the girl before him, catching the way her body moved with each and every breath. The way her pale skin contrasted so sharply against her blood red hair. Thomas imagined the sharpness of her voice, the cunning and talent he imagined her to have -- the she would have to have had, considering where she was; the Wardens may be the garbage collectors of Sahova, but they were a part of the island nonetheless.

That alone said something.

Slowly, Thomas began to feel the trickle of Djed bubble and rise inside, growing with each passing second, with each breath.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Expand.

His auristics senses burned brightly, showering the immediate area in a rainbow of smells and sounds, a plethora of unrecognizable smells and feelings. With immense focused, he reigned the power around the young girl, a glowing mist surrounding her figure.

He was still new to auristics, but hopefully he could catch a lie. And even if he couldn't, there where other ways to tel if she was lying.