Seeking Tutors - Barrett

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Finodborn
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Seeking Tutors - Barrett

Post by Finodborn »

As Barrett shut the door of the dormitory complex behind him, he could have the view of a true inhabitant of the Isle for the first time; it is strange how the streets of a town look so different when you're passing through them on your own compared to a guided tour.

The library on the opposite side of the street seemed to know the influx and efflux of a bee hive, with several monks, priests and other members of the clergy running up and down the stairs constantly. The many different colours and design of their robes formed a sharp contrast with the serious look on most of their faces.

For a follower of The Thinker, places like this are a dream, for there is no spot you can turn your eyes to where there isn't something or somebody that looks very interesting. Off course, those who are acquainted with the lore of Aurelius know that knowledge resides in all things and every situation, but there are few places where it actively jumps you like the Oracle's Isle.

The sun was shining brightly, yet the air was quite fresh so one could have a firm walk without sweating too much. In short, everything invited Barrett to start his own exploration of the Isle, it's inhabitants and -most of all- the knowledge that resided there.
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Barrett
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Post by Barrett »

Walking out into the street, Barrett was assailed by a variety of sights and sounds: the buildings, the street itself, the swarming occupants heading to and from the library. Everything had a freshness to it and each person he saw seemed a potential story or adventure. Something waiting to be explored. He took in the sun, the sky, the scents and sounds of his new place of residence.

Unlike the sober look most of the monks wore, the tall red-haired lad who stepped out of the dormitory complex wore a broad smile of delight. Almost, he laughed aloud to see such an array of choices in every direction.
Little use just standing here gaping like a child. First things first. I should make some progress on the writing supplies and the library. Don't want to disturb a busy bee though- might get stung.
The jest brought a slight chuckle from his lips.

Barrett stepped out into the crowd and looked about for someone who seemed not in a hurry and with less concentration evident on their face.
Preferably close to my age. Someone not running errands- or at least who might be taking their time doing so.
"Pardon me and hello. I'm new to the Isle and was wondering if you might be able to point out the right direction towards someplace I might purchase some writing supplies? And is the library always so bustling or does it have some off hours?"
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Post by Finodborn »

It took Barrett a while before he found somebody like he wanted to find. A rather buxom girl, about twenty five yahren old, was sitting on the stairs in a less crowdy spot. Despite her rather young age, one who knew the protocols would see that she already wore the robe of a priestess of Demeia, rather than that of an acolyte.

She was just sitting there, enjoying the sunshine, watching the busy crowd. As Barrett addressed her, she looked up with her green eyes, and she put some of her brown curls behind her ears. "Hello." She gave him a warm smile. "Why, I think the clerks of the library most certainly will be able to work something out with you if you need writing supplies. And as for the crowdiness here, well around tradetide it is usually pretty busy. But it depends a bit."

She looked at him, waiting for possible other questions.
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Barrett
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Post by Barrett »

Barrett recognized the colors of the goddess of union, but not the rank signified by the young woman's robe. Therefore he felt somewhat comfortable- speaking more as an equal than he might have.
He tried to match the joy that her smile radiated with his own more humble version.
"My name is Barrett."
He made a slight bow and offered his hand in the rather straightforward way of his folk.
"My thanks. I had been hesitant to intercept any of the paths of these folk lest I get run down or swept aside by their haste."
He could not think of anything else to say, and he did not want to take up too much of the lady's time.
Well, thank her and get to your work, silly boy!
He stood smiling at her for a moment taking her in so that he might not forget the first resident who had helped him.
"Umm, I should probably get started on my own studies. Of course those studies include learning more about the different faiths and their followers here on the isle- which would include you. And part of my task is to find out who I might seek out for lessons here- which probably you would know more than a bit about.
Perhaps if you have some time later and it would not be too much of an inconvenience you might favor me with a few moments in which to learn more about you and your experiences here. Perhaps over a meal or a stroll about town?"
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Post by Finodborn »

"Well, hello, Barrett." She accepted his hand, clearly not used to this gesture, be it because of her culture or her status. "You are most welcome with your questions... Let me have a guess: you're a follower of Aurelius, no? Well, if you ever have questions about the cult of Demeia, you can find me in her temple most of the time." She gave him directions to reach it.

"However, today I am teaching some of my acolytes, I'm afraid, I was just resting in between duties here for a while." She chuckled with a laugh that came all the way from her belly. Clearly the young woman wasn't used to straight-forward interaction and conversation as Barrett employed.

"My name is Alamrith, by the way, Barrett," she said as she stood up, removing some dust from her legs. I have to go now. But make sure to pay me a visit in the future. She gave him a friendly wink, and off she went.

"Could you please be so kind as to search a less obstructive location to stand, young man?!" grumbled a stern looking old man bumping in to him, clearly in a hurry. Before Barrett could even respond, the man had already passed by, leaving Barrett with a view on his back and his fluffy white hair.
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Barrett
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Post by Barrett »

The young woman's return of his greeting was slightly hesitant. Was she awkward from unfamiliarity or was there some amusement hidden there?
Barrett meticulously committed her directions to the temple to his mental map and was caught slightly off guard by her next statement.
Teaching... duties? You fool! You've approached a priestess as if she were.. Oh!
His cheeks and arms took on a rosy hue just as the priestess shocked him by laughing.

At least she has taken no offense. In fact, that healthy a laugh would be right at home back at the tavern.
Dismay turned to relief. To offer an apology would be to deny the lady's warm regard, so Barrett merely stood and nodded, trying not to look too ruffled. He acknowledged Alamrith's wink with a wave.

Before he could shout a proper thanks, he was jostled by one of the many older folks passing by.
"Beg pardon, sir."
He tried to make sure the impact did not knock him into anyone else's path. This made him laugh aloud at the thought of a chain reaction of similar small collisions bringing the entire area to a halt.
The observation of people moving in such a pattern returned his thought to the pattern of lights from earlier.
So and so, master Thinker, smaller patterns and smaller lights to be comprehended first.

Barrett headed into the library with only a slight blush to his face, still wearing a grin.
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Post by Finodborn »

After walking up the freestone stairs, and passing through the huge door -nearly a gate- Barrett entered the income hall. The part of the hall preserved for visitors wasn't that big, unlike the big polished marble desk in front of him, and the space behind it. There, numerous clerks were writing, looking up in obscure registers, directing priests to the right racks and getting books for those lower in rank themselves. Only clergy of high status was allowed to go trough the little door in the nicely crafted ebony fence on his left that separated the hall from the actual library. On his right, there was an open door leading to the reading chambers and private studies.

Although there were many people in search of literature at this our of the day, there was no real queue, which was a sign of the great efficiency the clerks and librarians worked with.

Hence, Barrett didn't have to wait long before one of the clerks was ready to help him. The man looked half asleep, and he had a very nagging way of speaking. "Good day, how may I be of service?" he said, though not really wholeheartedly.
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Barrett
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Post by Barrett »

The newcomer marveled at the size of the entrance doors. He was careful not to linger too long lest he cause any more unfortunate collisions. The library- even the small bit of it that Barrett could see- was daunting. He spent one or two flickers standing and staring, mouth agape. Then he pulled himself together, closed his mouth and set it into a firm neutral-if-friendly smile and set out for the clerks' desk.

Access to the library itself was obviously reserved for those high in rank. For now, Barrett considered that a relief as it would likely take him hours if not days to find anything on his own in this huge collection. Later it would probably make him impatient.

"Good day to you, sir. My name is Barrett and I am seeking some writing supplies so that I may take notes on my lessons. I also need to do some reading on general theology of the Isles and the prominent sects, as well as anything you may have specific to followers of Aurelius. Also, since this is my first time here, a rundown of the library's rules and policies for newcomers would be welcome."

He tried to convey a bit of confidence in his words, so as not to appear completely helpless. Nor did he wish to appear so confident as to be disrespectful. It was more of an attempt to show the clerk that Barrett appreciated any help given and would take any advice seriously; that, above all, he respected the clerk's time and experience.
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Post by Finodborn »

"Oh yes, m'lady of the pool has been here some burns ago, she asked us to put aside some descent writing equipment. It has been paid for." The clerk delved up a little wooden box. It contained several sheets of fine parchment, as well as draft pages made out of linen. Except for that, it contained a big pot of king's blue ink and a big supple goose feather with a nice point. He put it on the marble desk and pushed it to Barrett.

The clerk moaned as Barrett continued his requests. "Aurelius you say? Are you a follower of his? Have you been to the pool and all- off course you have, m'lady was here." He sighed. "I could have guessed by the look in your eyes. Library statutes force me to lend you passage to every part of the library. Furthermore, we are not supposed to help you find any books at all. Don't ask me why, you're supposed to understand. Hence you and your kind are an exception to the library policies, as only clergy of higher rank is normally allowed to be nosy. So you better not abuse your privileges and pay respect to the other users of the library, and most importantly take care for our books. The books that can be taken out of the library are marked. If you wish to take any, you shall come and have them filled in in your register upon leaving.

The school teacher tone the man rattled with was in fact highly inappropriate for a clerk who was supposed to be helpful, but it did give him an outspoken, colorful -though grey- edge. He waved with his arm to the little door in the fence that separated the counter area from the shelves, more to rid himself from Barret's presence than to be helpful. He mumbled something about "luckily not to many of his kind..." and already turned to his next client without much enthusiasm.
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Post by Barrett »

"Paid for..?"
The young man looked over the wooden box and its contents before carefully taking it from the counter.
As the clerk continued, Barrett's reactions were plainly etched on his face: chagrin, joy, frustration and curiosity warred for dominance. Finally, the boy tugged his mouth into a nice neutral smile and lowered his eyes to think for a moment. He discovered a certain sense of calm.
Expect the unexpected. Indeed, perhaps I shall thrive on this sentiment.
For some reason, it seemed important to display neither surprise nor consternation at having to seek out study materials for himself on even his first trip to the library.

"Yes. Of course."
His tone was only slightly less deferential and the crook of his smile showed definite amusement.
"Just one other question, sir. At what hours is the library open for visitation?"

Having been "dismissed" by the clerk, Barrett stepped through the gate to explore the expanse of the library beyond. Once more he tried to make sure his steps did not place him in the path of those eagerly seeking out their own knowledge. He looked first for an overall pattern. Were there signs? Did certain priests seem drawn to certain areas? He tried to create a neutral internal place from which to attempt to discern external patterns. He wanted to observe rather than anticipate.
No expectations: only see what is there.
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Post by Finodborn »

The clerk gave him a nearly irritated look as he asked his last question. He was however descent enough to respond. "The desk is open from the beginning of morning tide until the beginning of eveningtide. Those who are allowed behind the fence can do so until the beginning of gravetide. Obviously one can't take books from the library during this period, since the register isn't open then. The doors are locked at the beginning of gravetide, so you better be out of here by then."

The space behind the face wasn't crowdy at all. While sauntering between the shelves, Barrett spotted a priest here and there, or the occasional clerk on errand, but one had to be very stupid to bump into other visitors here, save intentionally. After a walk of about fifty paces, Barrett arrived at the central point of the big square shaped room.

There, he found a pair of big staircases, one ascending, one descending. From the point Barrett was standing, it was hard to see how many floors there were, but he could tell there were at least two levels up and one down. In other words, the library was huge, and it would take an enormous number of people to make this place look even a bit crowdy.

The system of categorisation was hence difficult to discover. All volumes on this floor seemed to be about theology, and had a numerical code. Beside the staircases, there were several big cupboards with little drawers. There was a register for subjects, one for titles and one for authors.
Last edited by Finodborn on Wed Jun 09, 2004 8:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Barrett
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Post by Barrett »

Barrett stood in awe of the size of the place.
All these books.
He sighed, a mixture of pleasure and resignation. Here was knowledge for the taking if he could find that which he sought. He was tempted to just wander into the shelves and pick a random book. Instead, he set himself the task of understanding the reference filing system. It seemed fairly straightforward. He tried to look up Theology- Seven Isles- general, Aurelius, and Oracle's Isle up by subject to see if he could track down any useful texts. He compared the information in the registers by subject, author and title.
On a whim, he checked the "author" section to see if his uncle had contributed anything to the library.

Then he went forth into the stacks to seek out the handful of register entries he had picked. In each section, he stopped to look at the other books in the area to see if anything looked to be of particular interest.
As he walked through the library in search of books, he kept himself open to whatever else might reveal itself. Paintings, tapestries, carpet and other decor. He also kept an eye out for any interesting people who might be about- careful not to disturb them, of course.
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Post by Finodborn »

The task at hand was plain daunting: Theology- Seven Isles- general had it's own drawer, filled with entries of perhaps a thousand books, perhaps more. Oracle's Isle had about an equal number of entries. Aurelius was apparently a subject that did know boundaries. There was a reference to "The Pantheion of the Seven Isles," an old book by a sister Barrett hadn't ever heard of. It did sound like a classic standard, however. Apart from that, there were some cross-references, mostly books about Grandfather Kennis, some on Illuminatus.

"Uncle, Jacob" was not amongst the authors, nor was "Jacob." Strange enough, there was an entry that was not sorted alphabetically correct. Right in between "Jacno, Hulmarsson," -an unknown Trothgardian who apparently had filled fifty three volumes with the properties of ice- and "Jacoda, Jahamishi," -an alchemist with a reputation of solid lead- there was an entry that read "Hileumrith" without a surname. It sounded Elvish, but it wasn't a word in Barrett's vocabulary.

Hence, going to seek out the handful of register entries he had picked was not an easy job. The book about the Pantheon should be easy to trace, but the rest was simply too much.

The library was in the style of what seemed typical for the Isle: sober yet beautiful. The floor was of the finest quality, and the old polished wood insisted to be walked on bare-footed. The clerk Barrett had met earlier would probably not approve of such behavior, however. There was no real decoration, except for the awe-inspiring carving work on all the massive shelves. At the edge of the room, there were comfy chairs with little writing tables, and there were even some little studies that could be closed off with a door. At least, that was what this level looked like.

All in all, there were quite a few people in the library area, but they were dispersed over such big a space that it didn't appear busy at all. Their different robes suggested they were from many different orders, but Barrett didn't recognize most.
Last edited by Finodborn on Thu Jun 10, 2004 11:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by Barrett »

Barrett's eyes goggled at the mass of listings on theology. He decided to seek out the book on the Pantheon, and perhaps look through the shelves near it to see if any similar books caught his eye. He wanted to have multiple sources - at least two - for comparison. Curiosity made him try to hunt down the "Heleumrith" volume. It had presented itself to him, and at the moment that was as good a reason as any to seek out new material.
And if it is in Elvish I'll just have to puzzle through what I can.

After searching out these few volumes, Barrett decided to take the stairs and get a cursory view of the rest of the library. His plan was to at least find out how many floors there were and whether any of them seemed significantly different. Unless something particular caught his eye, he would return to the first level and set to studying at one of the tables.
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Post by Finodborn »

'The Pantheion of the Seven Isles' was tracked down easily, on the floor Barrett was at current. It was a weighty tome of which several copies were in stock, and several were out of loan. Upon quick scanning, the book appeared to be hand written, probably copied by one of the monks of the Isle or the Abbey of Dort, even the drawings scrupulously carefully taken over. It seemed a descent general introduction to the basic theology.

The "Hileumrith" volume didn't have a storage code; it was just a register card without anything but that word on it.

Barrett discovered the library had five floors, two above and two below. On plus two, most shelves were reserved for scrolls, which were used mostly in older days, and still today for less extensive works. (The older members of clergy who were prone to nostalgia still preferred this form today for works of any lenght, considering the more practical book as modernism.) Plus one and minus one looked quite similar to the entrance floor. Minus two was at least twice as big as the entrance floor, and it featured a separate section behind a rune-incarved rack for occult literature.
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Post by Barrett »

Barrett looked at the Pantheon volumes appreciatively. Thoughtfully he selected several copies to compare the writing and illustrations before choosing one that seemed to suit him.
Perhaps someday I will have the skill to write so fine.

His walk about the library put it into a more practical perspective.
So it is not endless at least. [i/]
He stopped for a while to pull out and admire a couple of the old scrolls. He thought books more practical but something about the scrollwork just seemed more... solid? He wasn't sure where that thought was leading him so he filed it aside for future exploration.
The rune inscriptions on the lower floor intrigued him. He studied them for a bit, but felt that the occult section was not necessarily what he wanted to explore on his first day here.

"Hileumrith."
Barrett spoke the word aloud. His brow furrowed.
[i]Is it a name? A subject? Some kind of placeholder?

He knew he should simply get down to the business of the theology text.
There's plenty of time for that... Hileumrith... perhaps a language text. It sounds elvish. Perhaps it is, perhaps it's something older or simply derived from...
Barrett consulted the register to see if he could track down a book on languages. He had intended to do so in a few days but the strange word hung in his mind.

He made another trip around the library. This time he took careful notes on what catalog values appeared to be shelved where by subject and number where he could find them.
He then commenced to spend some time getting through the basics of the Pantheon book.
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Post by Finodborn »

The runic "cage" around the occult section emitted powerful energies, mostly of protective and shielding nature, though some dark force peered through, raising the hairs on Barrett's neck and arms. There was a monk in white robe seated next to the door, who gave him an estimating look as he drew closer, but seemed to relax as he got on with his business. Perhaps it was wise not to give very young or unexperienced people a warm welcome to that section.

The 'Hileumrith' matter seemed to be stuck in his mind. Just as he'd found the register number for several elven dictionaries, it clicked. Hileumrith - Gi'l Oum Rath - It was the elven phonetical writing for a Dwarvish phrase Jacob had taught him: "Nothing beats a good pint", "Nothing is worth more than a good beer" in a shabby common-translation. It's what he'd say when Barrett or one of his parents would tell him he didn't have to pay for his ale, which he'd always do anyway, without exception counting his money while putting it on the counter: "One banner...and fifteen bannerlings."

It was clearly a message from Uncle Jacob, an inside-thing nobody but Barrett would understand. The question was only what it meant.

The entrance floor contained nothing but books about Theology, apparently. First floor was reserved for fine arts, crafts, building, construction, engineering. Second floor was filled with scrolls, which were about varying subjects. Minus one was for academic works, science and there was a rather extensive section for literature, drama and poems too.
Minus two, finally, was dedicated to everything involving magick, including the occult sections. Barrett noted down the info he required. All registry numbers were of the form 'digit - letter - digit - digit - letter'.

'The Pantheion of the Seven Isles' was a nice book. It contained a lot of basic information about the deities of the Seven Isles, their rituals, their followers, regions of worship etcetera.
Last edited by Finodborn on Sat Jun 12, 2004 10:38 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by Barrett »

Barrett almost laughed when he finally put together the significance of "Hileumrith."
Gi'l Oum Rath! A good pint indeed!
He gave himself a nicely faked clout on the head for not recognizing it sooner.
Perhaps all these books are getting me confused. Probably a good pint is what I need.
Of course, playing with the pronunciation also brought the name Alamrith to mind. Barrett wondered if a priestess would appreciate such an association and decided that it might not make for bad conversation the next time he saw the lady.
Still, there was work to be considered here and now. He set himself to figure if there might be something other than the obvious advice to seek out tavern company. He did some brief figuring to see if the price of a good beer-or anything else from the menu at home- could be made to correspond to some manner of index listing.
One... fifteen... coins for letters?
After giving some time to that exercise and any possible results it produced, Barrett sat for a bit with the Pantheon text. He decided to take it out if that was allowed and give it some more serious time later, in his quarters. He wondered how much time it would take him to find a decent pint on the isle and if that was something that might be left until the next day.
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Post by Finodborn »

Barrett found an entry in the numerical catalogue under "1B 15b". It referred to one of the scrolls on the top level. There was no title.

It took him some time to fetch it. His calfs protested as he did the stairs again. When he arrived at the right shelve, he didn't find the scroll at once, as it was tucked away a bit in the back. It read:

Dear Barrett,

I don't know whether you'll ever read this, but I don't think it's unlikely. You're a talented little rat, and I know you'd like to do come here. If you do read it, it means you've been to the pool, you've been approved, and you've unraveled my little puzzle, which is great. Congratulations!

Whereas I'll be probably filling pints when you read this -who else will take over your duties while you're away?- you're at the start of an amazing adventure. I've made the journey you're about to undertake before, and it has meant a lot to me. And since I've never been half as talented as you are, it will probably be even more fascinating for you.

Do know it is not an easy way you've chosen if you want to follow it properly. You'll have noticed the clerks don't want to help you, as followers of Aurelius should find out matters for themselves when possible, and their view shouldn't be clouded by the perception of other people. But your view is always influenced by the perceptions of others. Therefore, listen very carefully to whatever somebody who wants to convince you has to say, yet always make the content of his or here message your own. That's about the best advice I can give you. Oh- and seek lodgings in the common dormitory. You can learn more by having a little chat with somebody who knows... stuff than by spending hours in this joint.

I shouldn't do this, but hey, you're my little nephew aren't you? If you're ever stuck when it is important to advance, when you're in real trouble or when you need advice on a real priority issue, you can seek help with Hattark Öçal. He should still have a residence on the Isle, and I'm sure you can track him down if necessary. He owes me one. Do not visit this man except when in dire need.

Now stop reading this, you idiot, and get doing something!

See you soon,
Uncle Jacob
Last edited by Finodborn on Mon Jun 14, 2004 1:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Barrett »

1B 15b ... it had to be more than coincidence. Didn't it?
Come to think of it, Uncle Jacob had, for as far back as Barrett could remember, insisted on paying for what was his for free. And always the same price- no matter the change in the actual price of the beer.

Barrett smiled, even as his muscles protested at yet another trip up the stairs. In truth he did not mind the exercise, but he would have preferred taking it out of doors.
When he reached the shelf area for 1B 15b, there appeared to be nothing there at first. However Barrett's optimism and persistence paid off when the scroll was revealed.
Anyone in the immediate area might have been a bit shocked to see the lanky novice jump up and click his heels in a move plainly taken from some commoners' jig. Still, the lad maintained enough sense of decorum to stifle the shout of joy that threatened to burst from him.

He held the scroll reverently and read the message left to him.
So Uncle Jacob had known! How long ago the scroll was written was something of a mystery, but that it was there at all made Barrett proud. Proud... and a little bit homesick. He stood for a while and memorized every word on the scroll until he could hear the words as if spoken aloud by his uncle. Once he was certain he could recall every phrase and likely vocal inflection, Barrett tucked the scroll back into it's place- careful to give it a little extra push to tuck it out of sight. True it was a message intended only for him, but as it was technically part of the library Barrett decided it would be best to leave it.
At least for now. Don't want anyone to be able to accuse me of stealing a scroll my first day here!

The tall lad nearly danced as he made his way back down the stairs. He made sure to straighten up and assume a respectable posture before returning out into the entry hall to see about filling in his register to borrow the Pantheon text.

OOC: Assuming the pantheon text is marked for such- if not I'll edit that out. ;)
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Post by Finodborn »

OOC: You're right, I should have indicated so. But it is, so no problem!

As he was performing his jittery dance with the little jump in the air that came with it, he gave somebody behind him a soft yet well-aimed kick against the buttocks. As he turned around in a reflex, he found a face with blazing eyes that was very, very near his own face. The eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed into a poisonous look.

"You again?!" exclaimed the man with the fluffy hair that had bumped in on Barrett upon leaving the library earlier that tide. "Get out of my way," he snarled, passing on to one of the nearby shelves. "Tell me what order you belong to! I'm going to complain against your prior about your behavior!"
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Post by Barrett »

At first the exclamation and the discovery of someone so near him startled Barrett. The discovery that it was the same fellow as earlier and the look in the man's eyes disconcerted him. The young man lowered his eyes for a second and took a step back. Then he took a deep breath and willed his nerves under control. Was this man following him or was it merely unfortunate coincidence?

The man's conduct in both instances showed a most uncivil character. Why earlier it had been he who had bumped into Barrett due to his own carelessness. Barrett had been gracious enough to offer apology in that instance. But the older man's reaction seemed quite extreme here.
Not to mention unjust- still best to keep some respect in my dealings with others even if it is not likely to be returned.

"With all due respect, sir, my behavior is only that of a novice humbly seeking information in this great establishment. That I seem to have fallen across your path-"
That particular phrase had been used in olden times to denote supplication to greater powers, at least according to the tales Barrett had learned.
"- thus adding effort to your own tasks is quite unfortunate. Please find it in yourself to forgive a newcomer and mere novice to this place. Perhaps there may come a time when I am better versed in the lore here and may be able to repay you for such kindness."
Barrett took in every detail he could about the man's clothing, appearance, voice and manner. He was attempting to evaluate the man and his motives as well as insure that he could recall every detail for later accounting if needed.
Finodborn
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Post by Finodborn »

"Does seeking information always include kicking innocent weak old men in your order? I wasn't aware that this was an inherent part of common research methodology. And don't use such fancy words when you mean in fact to call me donkey dung, you bad liar."

The man looked a little bewildered. He was not wearing religious garnments, in stead he was wearing a rather loose pair of pants and a wide silk shirt which wouldn't have looked all that silly if they had been in the pirate's duchy. He wore cotton slippers that had really had their best time. These clothes, together with the way he moved -a strange combination of nervousness and stress-, made him come off like somebody who valued free movement highly and didn't care for beauty when it would cost him comfort. He looked pretty old, probably somewhere around fifty five. His hair was plain white, and though it looked as if it hadn't been combed or washed in yahren, it wasn't greasy at all, though it looked a bit exploded. Now that Barrett inspected him more closely, he noticed the man lacked any facial hair and his ears were slightly pointy. He was probably son of a half-elf and a human.

His voice, though speaking harsh words, wasn't really unpleasant of timbre, and had a big grandpa-factor.

"Now what are you looking at, you nitwit? Orgh!" The man resumed his path, grabbed some scrolls -seemingly at random- and he moved in the direction of the staircase, his face all read with frustration.

Only now, Barrett noticed the clerk who had been so helpful earlier, who was watching them bicker. He had a cart with him, full of scrolls that had to be put in the shelves again. It was as if he had transformed into somebody else, though. He looked shy, frightened and hesitating. Apparently he had to address the old man on some issue, but didn't really dare to.

As the grumpy old fellah left Barrett, he finally managed to overcome his fear: "Uhm, father Asran, I errr... noticed that you have more than the allowed number of books in your register... I addressed you about this earlier?" The clerk had seen too late what Asran's state of mind was at the moment, and regretted that mistake now with his whole being. He looked as if he expected to be hit any time now, possibly lethally.

Instead, Asran didn't even give him a verbal spanking. He just gave the clerk a very angry look, which was apparently sufficient to scare him away.

The clerk returned to his cart, wiping the sweat from his forehead. As he spotted Barrett again, he said: "Your kind, all the same!" He had apparently switched back to his normal irritating behavior.
Verum et factum convertuntur.
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Barrett
Priest of Aurelius - Querist
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Post by Barrett »

Weak old man! If you're so weak, why do you expend so much energy terrorizing a novice?
Barrett was rather upset that he had accidentally kicked the fellow, but he was equally upset at being accused of lying.

The man's clothing made little more sense than his behavior, save that it did look like comfortable garb. And he seemed stressed over something. This inclined Barrett to take a more sympathetic view of the old man's behavior. Only, he wondered why someone with such important or stressful business would expend valuable time and energy picking fights with a nobody. Surely he was older, and one hoped in this place, wiser than to waste his attention on such foolishness. Unless... perhaps it was important to this man to maintain an unfriendly reputation? In this light, the man's unkempt appearance lent credence to the thought that he might be distracted by some important business. Or that he at least wanted to appear so.

With amusement, Barrett realized that he was more intrigued by the fellow than anything else. His annoyance had all but vanished. Perhaps it was the man's voice, or Barrett's tendency to respect his elders, but he found he wanted to know more about this strange man. It must have been the smile lurking around his mouth and eyes that caused the man to refer to him as a nitwit.

No nitwit was Barrett, and as the man reached out for scrolls, the youth tried to track the locations from which the scrolls were pulled by logging the older man's movements as a pattern in his mind. Unfortunately, his focus on the scroll shelves allowed the man to walk on without the opportunity for further conversation.

Barrett had noted the clerk's approach out of the corner of his eye. The exchange between the two men was quite interesting to watch. Barrett had to suppress what surely would have been an inappropriate belly laugh.

Barrett completely ignored the clerk. This took little effort as he was concentrating instead on recreating Asran's scrollgathering movements. Once he thought he had a reasonably accurate pattern, he went about the task of performing it, pulling scrolls from the adjacent locations in an attempt to discover what the older man had taken- or at least what subject(s) he might be studying.
Finodborn
Special Branch
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Post by Finodborn »

If Barrett hadn't focused fully on Asran's movements, the man surely would have got away while making the impression he'd just taken those scrolls that were in his direct reach. While fulminating against Barrett, he had in fact made a very careful selection. This was not only proof of the man's ability to divide his attention over several complex tasks, but the motorics he had employed were that of a full-learned pick-pocket, trained as an actor, who dances for a living.

Barrett managed to deduct about three of the serial numbers of the six or seven scrolls the man had taken with him. There was no clear pattern in the numbers, but a bit of looking up in the register resulted in more interesting information. It indicated "Peter Stevens", "René Septvest", and "Everet Stenps" as authors. Anagrams that were rather clumsy and easy to unravel. They could impossibly have another function than to avoid accidental association between them.

The subject index was even stranger: one of the scrolls was about architectural history, "The Styes in Doors Throughout the Ages" more specifically, another was a military strategy work about the reinforcement and destruction of gatehouses, and the last was a play: "The woman nextdoor". Strange at least.
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