Impish Study

The Library has gone up much faster than Estelle thought it would, to be honest. The main structure is finished at this point, with all the resources and effort the Alliance has poured in. And now, with everything so close to finished, groups of Landers and Adventurers are helping sort things out. Bookshelves are being erected, leaving the building filled with the sound of hammers on nails, the grunt of people lifting things into place... and a voice calling with directions now and then.

The room, for the moment, is lit with a mix of candle-lanterns and Merek's chemical models, giving everyone the light they need to work... and glinting off the high windows, the stained glass filled with beautiful, natural scenes from across Eastel, ringed in chains. At the heart of the main room is a pair of staircases, sweeping up and around a statue of the Beautiful One. The hood of her robe obscures her features, but her warm, wide smile is evident. Her arms, chains wrapped around them, hold things; the right, outstretched, bares an open book, while the left curls in, cradling a cornucopia.

It's a straight shot down the central floor to it, passed the reception desk of the entry hall, and the vixen is standing above it. Her tails swish behind her, as her silver gaze tracks here and there to see the progress in chairs, tables, desks, and shelves being shuffled where they need to be... Easy to find, especially if you follow her calls for this minor adjustment or that one, hand gesturing with a folded fan when heads pop up to look at her.

    Katherine Tanzer has come to see Estelle and try to get away from the annoyances that plague her. She also needed the break from trying to compile everything that both the star-gazing vixen and the messanger nightmare have helped her compile regarding a very interesting man.

As she arrives at the library, her eyes gaze over the construction. Her hooves walk gently across the newly made floor and her staff tapping the ground as well.

    It is not long that Katherine sees Estelle and smiles, "Estelle! My dear! You are doing some fantastic work!" She says as she quick steps, but never misses a beat with her sashay way of walking.

    Merek would begin to bring in and work with the first lanterns today to assist, which means they are nice and placed up. While he does that, he begins lamplighting each of them, taking the time to check on the flame, then he nods while he thinks about it. He does notice that Katherine and Estelle are about, nodding.

It takes a moment for the words to register, before the vixen glances over to their source. "Katherine!" gets called back with a nod and a smile, silver eyes giving her a once-over to make sure she's in good health. "Thank you again for the support the other night." The fox moves to lean on the banister, looking down over the aisles and shelves of the lower floor. "What ails you tonight?"

The new focus doesn't prevent her from keeping tabs on the general flow of things, though, and she taps her folded fan against the railing a moment, before calling out; "Group four! That shelf is a bit too far to your left; measure the gap between it and the one beside it again, and get it into alignment." And, a moment later; "Merek, could you move that lamp's bracket down this way... a half a foot or so, before you light it? It's not quite lined up with the one across the way."

    The exotic imp spots Merek, her tail lowers, and there is a visible annoyed look on her face, as her demonic tail flicks hard to one side to the other. Katherine does 'ahem' as she tries to force herself to recompose.

Her attention moves over to Estelle, as she shifts her weight a little. The staff being kept close to her as she speaks. "I just wish to see you, be sure that you are doing well." She admits with a gentle hand gesture. "I also have not had the chance to see the work being done here till this very moment."

"It will be a beautiful library and one that I am sure will hold for many generations to come." Her glowing eyes look over to Estelle once more. "A marvelous achievement."

    Merek takes a look to Katherine, and lifts up a brow. "What's your problem?" he asks, then he does as Estelle asks, beginning to move that lamp, while he nods a bit, then he begins to light it. "Alright, that will work," he notes.

The reaction to Merek gets a questioning glance, but the fox also just shakes her head. She can think of reasons for it, even if the one for this evening isn't known to her. And, with his question, she's likely to find out sooner than later. So she considers the lamp's new position, to the one across the way... and just nods, letting her gaze roam through the room once more.

"I was running on fumes for a bit, I'll admit. I didn't sleep well that night, or into the next day. Jazz and Pela decided to help, though." Estelle explains, on how she'd been doing. "As for the library... Yes. It will be wonderful, I think. Might need to get some people from the Hunter's Guild and the Alliance to keep a guard on it, make sure no one walks out with books, but... I think it will be a boon, as an open source of knowledge."

"... Might have to train some librarians, though. Getting the books all organized is going to an undertaking of its own."

    Katherine glances over at Merek, she doesn't answer his question, seeming to give him the cold shoulder instead as she taps the butt of her staff on the ground. Though as some of the runes glow-- they stop. Was she thinking of doing something? Was it going to be mundane? Cruel? Who knows what is going on in the imp woman's mind.

What does come is a deep inhale, before a slow exhale. A forceful calm in the tempest of what is going on in Katherine's mind that she does not speak openly. "I am glad that others came in to support you as well, Estelle. You had many of us worried for you and I must admit," She shifts once more, her hand gently moving aside her hair. "There... is a small part of me that is envious of the respect you carry."

"So many look up to you. So many respect the very ground you walk and the words you say. Even I find myself smitten by them at times, including just by your presence alone." The imp says motioning to her.

    Then her fingers curl back gently. "In some ways, I wonder when history closes our books... Who will be remembered and who shalt be forgotten. I hope, within these walls, truely, that you will forever be remembered, Estelle."

    Merek looks then to Katherine, and just watches the woman a moment, listening to her words to Estelle. "If you've got any kind of problem, say it. Don't treat people like that in public like they're nothing and then play pretend like it wasn't anything." He then takes a look to Estelle, "You are wonderful, and it's nice to see the progress you make."

There's a brief, worried look from the fox, silver gaze flicking between Kat and Merek once more... but she just sighs, briefly, and leaves it. She knows that he'll press as he does, and she'll just save her effort to break things up as necessary.

The rest, though... gets the fox to blush. Her pale cheeks tinting red, ears pulling flat, and tails swishing with a bit more energy. "... You two flatter me, really." The fox deflects. "Surely I don't carry /that/ much respect. I've barely seen half of the people I hear over the chimlink. Shiruba and Yeowang are just kind souls who were responding to someone in distress, like they would for anyone. I'm not that special, and /certainly/ not enough for people to respect where I walk, you flatterer." The imp gets a look, and a fan waved in her direction, for the hyperbole. Merek's more personal comment is taken in stride, with a smile.

"... though I'm sure your name will last too, Katherine. Especially once you get a full grasp on what that staff will let you do. I've got some higher ambitions than the Library, but... I'd be quite content, for this to be my mark on history." Her hands stroke gently along the oak of the banister, before she just settles in against it once more. "Though my name won't be here anywhere, explicitly."

    "It is though. Some part of you will live on it." Katherine explains softly, before she steps up to Estelle, "And that, alone, my dear Estelle, is a cherish thing."

Then she goes to turn away, looking at her own staff. "As for my staff, yes. I have grander plans. I will continue to allow the goddess to guide me and along the way, I will continue to improve." She turns to face Estelle once more, her movements smooth as the dance she is. "I will find means to keep them existing longer. Mayhaps even a means to tie their power not only to my staff, but to a source which they can draw from that I control."

    Her eyes look away, "But first... Small steps, larger ambitions can build up. Take too large of a leap to quickly, one may get swallowed by the power swell."

The imp then moves her fingers gently against her staff. "But, I should be off, though I would love to stay... Those papers will not organize themselves and I am sure what I find further on this man can be a boon for us all." Her lavender eyes peer over at Merek. "... Mayhaps even he..." She then turns and starts to walk away.

    Merek watches Katherine with the words which she speaks. The man manages to keep his will, while he nods a bit, "Apologies." Then he takes a look along that lamp, beginning to work on it, "Alright, this should be..." The man takes a look and will turn the switch, which will mix the components to fuel the flame, while he nods. Then to Estelle, "I am glad you are doing better!"

There's a soft huff, at the continued flattery - though Estelle doesn't pull away, or do more than give Katherine vaguely embarrassed looks over the praise. Still, if the libraries last, if they do well... That would be enough for her, it's true, and be a legacy to reach down through the years. So she forces her ears to unflatten. There isn't much she can do for the blush, though.

"... Mm. Taking it slowly, feeling out the limits, is a wise thing. Though, that does make me wonder... can you prepare an item ahead of time, enchant it to make controlling it easier? Possibly draw power from the mana in the land and air?" Her tone is thoughtful, head and ears canting at the mused thought. "If that could work, animated swords and shields would be a wonderful use of things. A cordon of steel, keeping things awayb from you." Her hands wave airily, as if defining a zone around herself. "Still... Good luck, and take care. You know where to find me for a couple more days, yet."

"And thank you as well, Merek. I only hope that we can find some mention of her elsewhere, with just a name, the color of her eyes, and that she's so powerful. But..." The vixen shakes her head, sighing, and then takes a look around the Library. "For now, I'll keep to this. I've been told I'll be mobbed if I try to divine anything or strain myself for a bit longer, without great need."

    Merek looks then to where Katherine's traveling, then he takes a look to Estelle, "Anyway, if you want to know things, I would look into Hestia. It looks like that woman might know a lot, though she doesn't know anything about the woman we're looking into," he notes, then he takes a drink from the flask with him.

"... Uta reached out to me after, as well. About how she couldn't read the symbols from the Relic telescope, but recognized them as the tongue the Alvs adopted when they arrived in this world from their last." The vixen notes, settling back against the banister. "The problem is finding her again, though. Every time we've met a Traveler - that I know of - it's been because they wanted to be seen." There's a shake of her head, and a sigh.

"... Team 2! Stop laying about. If you're done that section, move onto the next. I know it's late, but another hour and we can have the shelves in place!"

    "Ya, that language of Alv," Merek mentions, while he nods a bit to Estelle, and he thinks about it. "Well, the other information I offered was useful, on Hestia Naming the human people?" he asks, then he begins to assist with the brackets of lamps.

"Like you mentioned over the chimlink, earlier? That is something, yes, though it isn't much we can work with; just an indicator of whether or not something uses Traveler conventions when it comes up." Estelle shakes her head, sighing. "Still, we have more than we did before. And, tomorrow, we're going to have so much material in one place, ready for research..." She trails off, tails swishing behind her, as she looks over it all.

    Merek nods a bit then to Estelle, while he thinks about it, "Well, it's nice to know we have a lot to learn, I think I will be back to trying to adjust these lamps, if that's alright. Then, we will see the completion of the place," he says.

"There's always something to learn." The vixen chides. "But, alright. Thank you for donating them, Merek." Estelle bows her head, at that, eyes closed. "In the morning we'll have to see about organizing and shelving the books, and then this place will be ready... for staff training. But."