Graded [Crustanton] - Under the Sea

[Elvario]

Victorique Sopheana
​

Mentions: Calliope StarPrincessVal | Phoebe Clockwork_Magic | Simon Seagreen
Languages: Common | <Beastial> | [Terran] | {Sylvan}

She looked around the Eastern Port curiously, as she wondered how much of these goods were 'taken' after being 'lost' by those living above the water, due to the 'legal theft' laws in place here. Probably a fair amount of it was 'stolen' by above-water definitions. To her surprise, they found a rainbow shell just sitting there, out in the open. That was almost too good to be true.

She listened as Calliope managed to play it somewhat safe, not being overly eager to buy it. However, at the same time, Victorique wondered if just saying it looked pretty was a smart move. It made it seem like Calliope had absolutely no idea of its real value, which might in turn make the merchant set-up his own version of it and increase the price. She made sure to keep a sharp eye on him, but before that, she used Ultimate Detective C on the shell itself, to see if it was the 'real' thing and to see if she could learn more from it. Then she'd move on to keep a similar inquisitive eye on the merchant (using the same ability, but at B grade).

Just in case it might end up being needed, she also tried to read his titles. After all, with some luck, she might find some dirt on this merchant that she could use to lower the prices. Victorique wasn't nice enough not to play dirty, after all.

B-Grade CD's (0/3)
Ultimate Detective – Appraisal C, Heightened Senses [Hearing/Sight/Smell/Taste/Balance] B, Insight D, Investigation D, Perception C, Law D, Energised B – Character combines all their applicable senses and knowledge to get to the bottom of a mysteries or to be on high alert for clues, dangers or hints. - Grade B – 3 Post Cooldown.
C-Grade CD's (0/2)
Ultimate Detective – Appraisal C, Heightened Senses [Hearing/Sight/Smell/Taste] C, Insight D, Investigation D, Perception C, Law D, Energised C – Character combines all their applicable senses and knowledge to get to the bottom of a mysteries or to be on high alert for clues, dangers or hints. - Grade C – 2 Post Cooldown.

 

[Clockwork_Magic]

Phoebe Penrose

Interactions: StarPrincessVal (Calliope) | Elvario (Victorique) | Seagreen (Simon)
Languages: Common | [Terran]​

---

As the group left the shop and headed back into the city, two things plagued Phoebe's mind. One was the concept of this 'Internet' thing from Victorique's world that she was going on about. An invention like a book that can display whatever information you want it too? Not only that, but also display video, music, and can contact other people? It sounded like a hodgepodge of television, radio, and telephones, but Phoebe couldn't wrap her head around how all of those could be combined into a single invention. Sounded like magic. Was magic something that existed in Victorique's world too? That'd certainly help explain things if it did.

The second thing on her mind was the sudden change in Simon's demeanor. Back in the apothecary, it looked like Simon was about to do the exercise for himself when his arms suddenly fell to his sides and he gave a slight bow. Was it something she said? Did he remember something that upset him because of that exercise? The pink haired mage couldn't help but feel a little concerned and worried, with her silently taking glances at him from time to time while they walked through the city just to see how he was holding up.

As they went through the port, Phoebe couldn't help but awe at the sheer volume of cargo surrounding them. Perhaps this city isn't as self sufficient as she previously thought when they ate at the tavern. After a few twists and turns, they finally arrived at a merchant who was selling the lobster shell Calliope was after. Once again, Phoebe would mainly stay out of the negotiations due to the language barrier and let Calliope and Victorique get the shell. She looked over to Simon once again before walking up right next to him. "[See anything that catches your eye?]" It wouldn't really be the most fitting time to straight up ask him if anything was bothering him, though it's something that definitely should be asked at some point later, but for now just having a conversation to distract him from whatever his worries seemed the least she could do in this situation.

 

[StarPrincessVal]

Crustanton - Eastern Port
Languages: Common | <Beastial>
​

As Simon [Arcane Check]ed the collection of odd items, a rush of information entered his mind. Most of the stuff was relatively worthless, aside from decorating a mantle. A rusted piece of an old ship here. A white crystal rounded by years in the sea there.

The merchant smiled at Calliope and politely took the shell, turning it to show it's reflective properties. "<It is very beautiful is it not. They come from a species found only in the Continental Lake. They are very rare and extremely valuable. I think for you though, I could let it go for five thousand shells.>"

With the help of [Ultimate Detective], it was easy to understand that the merchant was trying to take advantage of Calliope. He clearly inflated the price to get as much from this tourist as he could. The shell however was the real deal.

Spoiler: Shell Appraisal

Grade F, Value: 400 Rykes

Spoiler: Merchant Appraisal

Grade F, [Beastfolk] [Fishman] [Merchant]

 

[Elvario]

Victorique Sopheana
​

Mentions: Calliope StarPrincessVal | Phoebe Clockwork_Magic | Simon Seagreen
Languages: Common | <Beastial> | [Terran] | {Sylvan}

This was it. The moment she'd been waiting for! The time to reveal her secret power of being well-prepared. Yes, a smile adorned her lips when the merchant tried to rip-off Calliope. “<Woah, five thousand shells? That's crazy!>” She replied, acting genuinely surprised. Then she turned to Calliope and gave her a quick wink when the merchant wasn't looking. Signalling her to play along. “<The merchant we passed a while back sold them for only a thousand shells. We'd best just find her again, instead of being ripped off by such an outrageous price!>” Technically, she wasn't lying. After all, the apothecary told her they were worth that much. She might not have any in stock, but that wasn't something that Victorique needed to mention. With some [Ultimate Argument] power sprinkled in there, she was hoping to convince this merchant to drop his price to the median range of a thousand shells, or at the very least a lot closer to it. Sadly enough the man was a simple merchant, so lowering the price to below the average was going to be too much to ask.

That said, with her trick played, she turned her attention to the Human male in their company. Phoebe was already asking him about stuff, but Victorique was more curious about something else. “[No offence, but you really have the presence of a soggy sponge. Come on, show some backbone. You've got two pretty girls and one of the best detectives on the continent accompanying you! The least you can do is to straighten your back and look folk in the eyes to show you're glad to be here, before folk think we've kidnapped you or something!]” Whether she was trying to bully or help him was ambiguous at best.

Ultimate Argument – Appraisal C, Heightened Senses [Hearing/Sight/Smell/Taste/Balance] B, Insight D, Perception C, Persuasion D, Law D, Energised B – Character takes in any information they can from someone and uses it when carefully picking their tone of voice and mannerisms to convey their argument in the most persuasive manner, tailored to whatever might suit the person they're trying to convince. - Grade B – 3 Post Cooldown.

 

[Clockwork_Magic]

Phoebe Penrose

Interactions: StarPrincessVal (Calliope) | Elvario (Victorique) | Seagreen (Simon)
Languages: Common | [Terran]​

---

As it sounded like negotiations were getting started between the merchant and Victorique, Simon's eyes seemed to quickly dart to her from the various trinkets the merchant laid out. "[Ah, sorry, didn't mean to startle you.]" She gave a little chuckle after that before tracing Simon's gaze to see what he was looking at, leading her to a lovely looking pearl. Simon then started to speak again but that's when Victorique cut in.

"[You could be a bit easier on him Victorique.]" She then gave him a pat him on the shoulder. "[Don't mind it too much, she means well in the end.]" Hopefully anyways. Victorique didn't seem like the type to act out of malice, after all, she did help in her and Calliope's efforts to recover their lost items back on the Fatte Tunalia. That counts for something in Phoebe's book at the very least. Suddenly, she got an idea to maybe even the playing fields just a bit, a sly smirk forming across her face as she looked between Victorique and Simon. She then took another step closer to Simon, leaning in near Simon's ear and cupping her hand to whisper to him. "[She has a bit of a soft side to her too. If want to see how your Terran reading skills are, I have just the perfect letter you could use to practice.]" She let out an innocent, yet slightly mischievous, sounding giggle as she moved away from Simon's ear.

 

[StarPrincessVal]

Calliope

Mentions: Elvario Clockwork_Magic Seagreen
Language: Common | <Beastial>​

Calliope listened to the merchant, and nodded understandingly. Suddenly, Victorique spoke up beside her and began to talk to the merchant. She stifled her surprise as Victorique winked at her. "<Yes, we could certainly stop by the other vendor on our way back.>" She felt kind of bad for deceiving the merchant, but she knew this was just part of the business etiquette. She had haggled with plenty of customers herself. While she interacted with the merchant, she couldn't help but over hear the conversation between the others. She couldn't understand most of what they saying, but it was obvious the young man was having a difficult time socializing. She hoped it would become easier for him.

 

[StarPrincessVal]

Crustanton - Eastern Port
Languages: Common | <Beastial>
​

The merchant stared between Victorique and Calliope in disbelief. He wanted to argue with the short woman, but something about her presence made it clear he couldn't. [Ultimate Argument] "<You-you can't be serious... one thousands shells? But... I... There's no way I could let it go for that cheap... Two thousand shells and it's yours. Please I can't go any lower than that.>" He wrang his hands together nervously, lucky he couldn't sweat under water.

 

[Elvario]

Victorique Sopheana
​

Mentions: Calliope StarPrincessVal | Phoebe Clockwork_Magic | Simon Seagreen
Languages: Common | <Beastial> | [Terran] | {Sylvan}

She raised an eyebrow at the dude's reaction. She was trying to help him out and the dude suddenly looked like he was wetting the waters around him. How could someone be this much of a train-wreck? Was it some sort of disability? Well, he did straightening his back and kind-off smiled? Yet it didn't take her a full-on detective mode to see just how fake this was. “Well... I guess you're trying?” That was the nicest she could say about his efforts.

That's when Phoebe butted in. However, when Phoebe mentioned the letter, she was on high alert. Her sharp (Heightened Sense B) hearing could easily pick up on the whispers, after all. It's why she was quick to interrupted. “[I swear I'll investigate you and your entire bloodline and publish any sinful or shameful thing that was ever done by anyone with any relation to you and put in the newspapers of ever single country on this entire continent, if you let him read that!]” She blurted out as a panic-induced threat. Having some soggy sack of potatoes like Simon reading her letter would be even more embarrassing than the fact that Phoebe had somehow gotten her hands onto it.

Short after the threat, she figured that she might as well relent a little. The only question was... how? She didn't really know how to be nice to someone like Simon. Well, she could try? “I'm sorry about before, I guess it's fine for you to be like a soggy sponge, as you've somehow survived like that already for a fair while? Like, I guess that's a type of talent, right?” She said, although it was more of a question than a statement at the end. That was her best attempt at trying to 'mend' that and show some goodwill. She wasn't exactly 'nice' by nature, at least not as naturally as the other two seemed to be.

That turned her attention back to the quest at hand. Aiding Calliope at getting that shell. Luckily, the cat played along. Even so, to still pay double the price of their worth? The bloody audacity of this dude. “<I guess, while we're at it, we should also tell the previous merchant that someone's ripping off innocent girls here and that they could quite easily sell their own wares here as well.>” She stated (once again as an Ultimate Argument), attacking both the merchant's business and his reputation.

However, there was a second part. “<Then again, I do have short legs and it would be a fair bit of a walk back. Perhaps, if he'd be willing to let it go for... about 1200 shells? We'd at least save ourselves some time.>” She didn't want to risk out on the chance of buying one altogether, after all. Showing a little bit of a compromise was likely needed. Once more, using Ultimate Argument. The merchant may not be able to sweat under water, but her insight was enough to reveal that she'd gotten the upper-hand on him.

Ultimate Argument – Appraisal C, Heightened Senses [Hearing/Sight/Smell/Taste/Balance] B, Insight D, Perception C, Persuasion D, Law D, Energised B – Character takes in any information they can from someone and uses it when carefully picking their tone of voice and mannerisms to convey their argument in the most persuasive manner, tailored to whatever might suit the person they're trying to convince. - Grade B – 3 Post Cooldown.

 

[Clockwork_Magic]

Phoebe Penrose

Interactions: StarPrincessVal (Calliope) | Elvario (Victorique)
Languages: Common | [Terran]​

---

While it was entertaining to see Victorique in a state of panic over the letter again, that threat was slightly concerning. Phoebe herself didn't really have any skeletons in her closet, but she couldn't say for certain about the rest of her bloodline. Heck, the only relatives she knew of in this world were her parents and even then she didn't know what they did with their lives before she was born, so the possibility of being the daughter of some retired villains gone into hiding type characters wasn't entirely zero. Now, as to handle that response... "[Hmm? What letter could you possibly be referring to? I have plenty of other letters in my bag~.]" Feigning innocence or ignorance at this point for sure wasn't going to work on Victorique, or anyone for that matter given her tone, but she might as well commit to the whole teasing war while she was on the offensive. It makes for a pretty entertaining way to pass the time.

Panicked threat aside, at least Victorique was trying to be more nice to Simon now. "[See, Simon, she doesn't mean... huh? Simon?]" She looked around the area and there was no trace of Simon anywhere. It was just like he vanished from existence or something. "He was just here... Did you guys see where Simon went?"

 

[StarPrincessVal]

Calliope

Mentions: Elvario Clockwork_Magic
Languages: Common | <Beastial>
​

Calliope watched Victorique work her magic. She was grateful to have her here, confrontation was never Calliope's strong suit, but Victorique seemed to be a natural at it. Suddenly Phoebe's question pulled her back from the negotiations at hand. She looked around curiously, glancing down the lanes they travelled to get her. "I do not see him anywhere, mmhhmm. Perrrhaps he was sicker than I thought, hhmm?" She turned back toward Phoebe. "Do you suppose he will be alright, hhmm? He survived down here on his own once already, mmhhmm." It was a shame that Simon had vanished on them, but she couldn't lose focus so close to obtaining the shell. She turned back to the merchant. "<Twelve Hundred Shells in Rykes and I'll buy it right here, right now. You won't have to hope for another buyer.>"

 

[StarPrincessVal]

Crustanton - Eastern Port
​

The merchant stares confounded between Victorique and Calliope. Finally he relents. "<Fine. Twelve Hundred shells. Now get out of here before you scare away any other possible customers.>" He hands the shell over to Calliope in exchange for the agreed upon price in Rykes. In the distance, a sound like that of a loud horn blowing echoes across the city, and then one of the massive fish vessels departs from the dock, causing a large disturbance through the water, like wind blowing undersea.

 

[Elvario]

Victorique Sopheana
​

Mentions: Calliope StarPrincessVal | Phoebe Clockwork_Magic
Languages: Common | <Beastial> | [Terran] | {Sylvan}

Oh. Come on! That wasn't fair! She was actually trying to be (somewhat) nice here and the dude just vanished on her! That was so unfair! Now she looked even more like she just bullied him off... Tssk. That actually made her want to bully him off. Wait, that's not how that worked, was it? “Perhaps he's just gone to find his adopted fish-parents again?” She offered, recalling how he told them he'd found an elderly couple that took him in.

As for the letter, she decided to twist around Phoebe's words. “[Indeed, you have many letters, none of which I could possible be referring too. After all, such a letter is just as much a rumour as the biography of the Penrose family, detailing every embarrassing or illegal thing they ever did since the surname's first existence, am I right?]” That was her offer, threat and deal all in once.

As she saw the merchant relent on twelve hundred shells, she felt some pride well up. She'd gotten the deal sealed, ha! Take that! “<Pleasure doing business with you, sir~>” She replied, before turning around to Calliope, only to get washed away by a sudden underwater wave. “What the...” Luckily enough she was rather good at moving underwater (Water Speed B) and managed to get back on her feet quickly enough.

However, having been washed upwards, she'd spotted two targets that gave her a great idea. “Say, Calliope...” She started. “I'm pretty sure I got you a 3800 shell discount, that's worth some type of reward, right?” She asked, staring at those ears again. They had been pretty nice to the touch after all. Soft and fluffy.

 

[Clockwork_Magic]

Phoebe Penrose

Interactions: StarPrincessVal (Calliope) | Elvario (Victorique)
Languages: Common | [Terran]​

---

Well then, Victorique certainly wasn't pulling any punches when it came to the letter. "[Well, while I'd love to read a biography of my family and learn more about my ancestors in this world, perhaps we should leave a book like that unpublished and let the manuscript gather dust in some drawers, like a bunch of old crumpled up letters.]" While Phoebe hadn't been privy to much of Victorique's detective skills, she'd seen enough to believe that she would actually be capable of doing that. Threat aside, that part about reading a biography of her ancestors in this world was an entirely genuine sentiment, though maybe not the entire record of sinful and shameful things part.

Going back to the matter of the shell, it seemed like the deal went well. Phoebe had no idea how big of a discount 3800 shells actually is in terms of surface nation currencies, but it sounded like a lot of money was saved just now. Not too long after the deal, a loud horn sound rang out throughout the area accompanied by some sort of wave, causing Phoebe to stumble a bit but managed to remain standing. The pink haired mage had to resist the temptation to tease Victorique on her staring at Calliope's ears while talking about a reward. That's probably the last thing she should do, given that biography threat, instead opting to talk about something else. "I think Simon'll be fine, he survived this long down here after all. I do hope we get to see him another time before we return to the surface, though. Well, shall we get to finding that library then?"

 

[StarPrincessVal]

Calliope

Mentions: Elvario Clockwork_Magic
Languages: Common | <Beastial>​

Calliope was fighting every fiber of her being not to jump for joy. This had made the whole trip worth it. She might even be willing to make another trip here someday just to take in the sights. Maybe. Victorique's words of gratitude to the merchant brought her back to reality. "<Oh, yes. Thank you very much. I greatly appreciate doing business with and will pass word of your set up along. Thank you.>" A sudden rush of water lifted Victorique into the air and Calliope was about to reach out for her, when Victorique managed to right herself on her own. As Victorique addressed her, she blushed but then shook it off. She smiled and knelt down tilting her head toward the girl. "Go ahead, mmhhmm." She had grown accustomed to Victorique's brazen attitude, and found it didn't bother her. She had come to appreciate the halfling for who she was. "Thank you for all your help Victorique, mmhhmm."

She stood and turned to Phoebe. "We shall keep an eye out for him, but the city is rather large, mmhhmm. I do hope is he alright, mmhhmm. But, as you said, we should be off to the library now, mmhhmm." Calliope turned back tot he merchant. "<If I could trouble you for one last thing before we go, might you be able to direct us to the library?>"

 

[StarPrincessVal]

Crustanton - City Streets
Languages: Common | <Beastial>
​

The merchant gave the group basic instructions for locating the Library before bidding them farewell. Navigating their way back out of the maze of cargo, the three ended up back on the roads and headed to the City Center. As they got nearer, the style of buildings seemed to grow older and older, until they looked like ancient architecture. It was around this time they located the Library, a massive white stone building with large columns adorning the front of it. The wide stairs that lead up to the entrance of the building were bustling with fishfolk and the occasional land dweller.

 

[Elvario]

Victorique Sopheana
​

Mentions: Calliope StarPrincessVal | Phoebe Clockwork_Magic
Languages: Common | <Beastial> | [Terran] | {Sylvan}

Victorique nodded at Phoebe's statement. “[Exactly, leave it to gather dust, just like a certain crumpled up letter.]” She'd successfully managed to counter the weapon Phoebe employed against her with a weapon of her own. That was good. Now they both had a nuclear option to cancel each-other out with. Another victory was achieved! However, now that nobody else was around that spoke Terran, she could build in an extra fail-safe. “[For what it's worth, I do think your hair is pretty. It fits your eye colour.]” Yes. Confusing your enemy with a sudden compliment was a vital tactic in psychological warfare and she totally didn't want to say that because she genuinely meant it and wanted to be friendlier, but needed an excuse to be honest about it.

On the topic of being honest about things, the smile on Victorique's face grew bigger than the halfling herself was the moment she got the go-ahead from Calliope! Muahaha! So much power! So much fluff! So... soooo fluffy and soft! Yes, these ears were a fine reward for her services indeed. “<Don't worry, with such a purrrrfect reward waiting, I'm always glad to help out~>” She teased the girl a bit in her own languages, as she tried gently cupping one of those soft ears in her hand to maximise contact area. She had to be clever about this, after all, lest she end up unable to make the most of her reward.

She'd almost forgotten why she was hear to begin with, if it wasn't for them bringing up the Library again. Sad to see the ears go out of reach again with Calliope standing upright again, she figured she'd just have to earn the next reward at some point and focus on her actual business here for now. “It seems like the rumours that this place is old enough to have been above water in past are true, this stuff looks ancient... I might really get a good lead on where titles stem from!” She stated, growing more excited at the prospect. She'd even forgotten that this was the longest she'd gone without smoking since arriving in this world.

 

[Clockwork_Magic]

Phoebe Penrose

Interactions: StarPrincessVal (Calliope) | Elvario (Victorique)
Languages: Common | [Terran]​

---

It seems Phoebe and Victorique have come to a more lasting peace deal in this little teasing war. Ah well, it was fun while it lasted, but she certainly didn't want an entire book about her family's long forgotten sins, whatever they may be, to be published. If that happened, she might just have to stage her own disappearance and go back to being Cassidy Fay, getting some colored contacts and dyeing her hair black in addition to the name change.

Speaking of hair and eye color, Phoebe suddenly received a compliment about her hair and eyes from the halfling detective, catching her a little off guard given the subject matter they were just speaking about. "[Eh? Um, thanks. They're both natural.]" Actually thinking about it a bit more, how exactly did that even work? In her previous world, having natural pink hair and eyes would be impossible. Where exactly did she get these genes from? If Victorique was going to investigate her bloodline as she says, she may just have to tag along to find out. Heck even if Victorique didn’t, she definitely would want to go back to Ryke to start investigating on her own after seeing a bit more of the world. Sounds like a interesting way to spend a short breather from travelling.

That aside, Phoebe silently let out a soft laugh as she watched Victorique pet Calliope's ears again. It would be a lie to say that Phoebe wasn't at all interested in wanting to pet Calliope's ears as well, the way Victorique was petting Calliope's ears did make it seem like they were really soft and fluffy, but she figured she'd restrain herself.

After a while of walking, they eventually caught sight of the library. And what a sight it was! Despite no doubt being ancient, it still stood retaining much of its grandeur, the architectural style invoking memories of ruins from antiquity from her own world. Phoebe nodded after Victorique's excited statement, adding her own thoughts. "I have no doubt you'll find a lead here Victorique, this place looks like its centuries old at least! We could probably also find some books about some ancient arcane stuff or magic in there too!" The excitement within Phoebe grew the more she theorized about how old the library was. She turned to Calliope, letting the bookish nerd side of her take the reigns as she excitedly rambled on. "Isn't this just exciting Calliope? Think of the old texts about ancient histories long forgotten to much of the continent! Reading and imagining what kind of lives people in antiquity lived, the events they lived through, what society was like, it's like we're reliving moments of a forgotten past, don't you think? " Just as she was about to continue rambling, Phoebe realized she's probably talking a little too much and a little too fast. "Ah, sorry! I just get really excited when it comes to books and history." She chuckled awkwardly before continuing. "Is there anything you'd be interested in reading about Calliope?"

 

[StarPrincessVal]

Calliope

Mentions: Elvario Clockwork_Magic
Languages: Common | <Beastial>
​

Calliope struggled to keep her purring to a minimum as Victorique rubbed her head. Even though she knew the girl's intentions were... mostly... innocent and she had given her permission, she still had to maintain her dignity. She was glad they were in such a narrow corridor of cargo containers, less people to witness the exchange. Though she was curious what marine beastfolks opinion on petting was. Did they even have one? She had no desire to touch one of them, but that was a sentiment she felt about most sentient creatures. What an interesting query but one she had no intention of making to any one. She gave Victorique a good half a minute before she stood up. Face still red she smiled at the others. "All right, let's be on our way shall we, hhmm?"

As they stood in front of the library, Calliope gazed in awe at the structure. It was on par with some of the largest buildings in Ryken. There must be centuries of recorded knowledge and events inside. She smiled at Phoebe as she spoke to her. "It is very exciting, mmhhmm. I am curious what knowledge of alchemy and medicine may be contained here, mmhhmm. Surely they have years of research information perrrtaining to the unique ingredients found here and their possible uses, mmhhmm. I had not even thought to visit a library when I made the decision to come here, but it will surely be a useful destination, mmhhmm."

 

[StarPrincessVal]

Crustanton - Library​

Upon entering the library, the three would be presented with exactly how much this library held. A foyer adorned with benches, decorative plants, and a large statue at its center sat encircled by massive cramped bookshelves that reached the ceiling, rows of which extended in every direction. Multiple wooden walkways at varying heights provided access to the materials held within them. At the far end of the foyer was a large desk with several beastfolk aiding patrons in their search for the documents they needed. Much of the furnishings were wood, showing little to no sign of decay despite their being located at the bottom of the continental sea. Several were made of stone and appeared to be in varying states of disrepair, most likely the original fixtures of the building. Signs in beastial located in different places among the bookshelf labyrinth revealed the contents of each section, and appeared to be in somewhat of an order, with new additions and lack of room causing a bit of deviation in the collection. A quick glance att he shelves would show that the medium on which the held information was stored varied wildly from modern leather bound books, to centuries old scrolls, all the way to millennia old tablets of varying material. It seemed finding anything in here would require at least a bit of help.

​

 

[Elvario]

Victorique Sopheana
​

Mentions: Calliope StarPrincessVal | Phoebe Clockwork_Magic
Languages: Common | <Beastial> | [Terran] | {Sylvan}

That was odd. The results of her hybrid psychological warfare were inconclusive. After all, Phoebe's reaction to the sudden compliment was a question and a fact about the origin of hair and eye-colour. That wasn't entirely what was meant to happen. Wait, no, it was a confusion tactic, so the first part worked as intended. Yes, she was still a master at psychological warfare!

She happily nodded at Phoebe's optimism. “Yes! Perhaps I won't just find a lead, but some actual answers as well!” The latter would be even more worthwhile, as this was started to feel like just as much as a wild goose chase as catching the thief had been previously.... She was surprised by how hyped up Phoebe got over books. To Victorique, they were just tools to get a job done. For Phoebe, they seemed to be a fair bit more than that.

As for Calliope, it was as fun petting those ears as it'd be the first time around. The purring only made it more fun. Perhaps she should get a cat? Then she'd be able to pet it whenever. She always wanted a pet in her past life, but couldn't afford it, nor did she have enough time to take care of it. Seeing the ears vanishing from her reach once more, with Calliope standing up, she was a bit disappointed, but alas, such was life. She'd just have to earn the next opportunity, or find an actual pet to pet. Perhaps a dog was better there? Those were more likely to accept petting, from what she recalled. Anyhow, now wasn't the time for it. Or maybe it was? That made her wonder about something. “Say, Calliope, would it be common for a Neko to be a dog-person, or do most beastfolk tend to gravitate towards getting along better with animals they share more traits with?”

As they entered the library, she felt even smaller than she was. “Woooow” she uttered in amazement for a moment. “Surely, surely, there must be some answers here!” She'd head up to the desk with barely contained excitement, only to realise she wasn't able to see over it. Great. Amazing first start. Tssk. She eventually settled for jumping atop the desk, now being able to be eye-to-eye with those working there.

“<Hello~ I was wondering if you could show me any information you might have regarding titles! How they're given, why they're given, who gives them, if there have been any titles outside the norm in the past, anything you have that might teach me more about the mechanisms that govern them will help out! The language doesn't matter, I speak all the major ones!>”

She'd then look over to Phoebe and Calliope. “Before I forget, let me know if you'll need me to translate something for you later.” She didn't care much about reading books on magic or potion ingredients, but helping out a friend would be reason enough to do so.

 

[Clockwork_Magic]

Phoebe Penrose

Interactions: StarPrincessVal (Calliope) | Elvario (Victorique)
Languages: Common | [Terran]​

---

As the trio entered the library, Phoebe couldn't help but be in awe of the sheer amount of literature that sat on the library's shelves. The apparent diversity of the texts present was also something to see, with texts that were written in modern books ranging all the way to literal tablets being present on the walls. Oh yea, they were definitely in the right place to learn about something more on the more archaic side! It seemed that she wasn't the only one that was appreciating the library's interior, as Victorique sounded like she could barely contain her own excitement either. Although that jump up atop what appeared to be the help desk was most likely out of necessity than anything else, the action nonetheless fit the general kid in a candy store attitude that the halfling was currently displaying, to which Phoebe smiled warmly.

After Victorique finished talking to the folk behind the desk in Bestial, probably inquiring about if there were any texts on titles in the library, she then turned back to herself and Calliope. "That would be wonderful, I'd definitely need help reading some old texts on magic, thanks Victorique!"

 

[StarPrincessVal]

Calliope

Mentions: Elvario Clockwork_Magic
Languages: Common | <Beastial>
​

Calliope thought about Victorique's question. Very few of the people in the village she grew up in owned animals. There were quite a few strays that roamed the streets, but she wasn't sure who put food out for each one. "Hmmmmm, I am not actually sure, mmhhmm. I don't believe there are prrreferences among Beastfolk about animals, mmhhmm. Perrrsonally, I am impartial to dogs, and cats make me... uncomfortable, mmhhmm. But, I have a horse which I am rather fond of, mmhhmm." She hoped that had answered Victorique's question.

As they stepped into the library, Calliope's eyes went wide. It was impressive and intimidating at the same time. How they would locate anything in here was beyond her. She looked down to speak with Victorique, only to notice the halfling was gone. The sound of rough Beastial pulled Calliope's eyes upward to the help desk, where Victorique stood accosting one of the attendants with Phoebe nearby. She quickly made her way over to the other two. She caught the end of Victorique's demands, then smiled as she offered to translate for her and Phoebe. "Thank you, Victorique, mmhhmm. That is very kind of you, mmhhmm."

She took another look around the library real quick. "I think I'm going to walk around and see what I stumble across, mmhhmm. Phoebe, would you like me to help you locate a section before I begin to wander, hhmm?"

 

[StarPrincessVal]

Crustanton - Library
Languages: Common | <Beastfolk>
​

The fishman gives Victorique and incredulous look, or maybe that's just what their face looks like. "<I can help you locate the subjects in question Ma'am, but please, remove yourself from the desk.>" They stand and push their chair under the desk. "<Follow me, please.>" The fishperson leads Victorique down the corridors of shelves, wlking up several wooden ramps to the upper walkways. Finally they stop in front of an section lightly packed with mostly older mediums. "<This is what we have on titles themselves. On the next shelf down, we have our information on the black orbs, though it is also sparse. We have an extensive law collection if you would care to see that.>"

Phoebe is lead to a corner of the library where multiple aged shelves are on the verge of collapsing under the weight of their contents, while even more documents are stacked in piles around their bases. Apparently this entire row and the next two sections are all dedicated to the different types of magic. The documents date back millennia, some of them so old, their almost untranslatable in the current dialect.

Calliope wanders the hall for a bit, looking for any signs that catch her eye, before finally stumbling across a section on botany. There are many new journals that seem like they were made in the last several hundred years, and there are many ancient documents from thousands of years ago, but there is a large gap of material from in-between that is missing. While odd, there is more than enough material present to occupy all of Calliope's time.

The girls spend several hours in their respective departments, before meeting back up and sharing with each other what they found, having Victorique translate some of the more important looking material. Eventually the time for the return trip approaches and they have to return the items, parting only with the knowledge they gained and the notes they took.

 

[StarPrincessVal]

Narrator Recommendations

Phoebe
- Title [Bibliophile] - Character exhibits a great affinity for books and their myriad of contents. They are able to quickly and easily bond with others who share a penchant for books, such as librarians, historians, or book sellers.

-Due to her time dedicated to learning about magic in the library, Phoebe's Intelligence increases to B, her Magic increases to C, and she gains Water Affinity F ( 21 Narrator Bonus Points)

Victorique
- Title [Animal Handler] - Character has displayed a genuine fondness for Beastfolk and is less likely to upset them in conversation.

Calliope
- Title [Follower] - Character is quick to fall into place behind a more assertive companion. Makes leading more difficult for them, but cooperating with those in leadership positions easier.

 

[Novama]

Isekai Hell RP Grade​

Mentions: Clockwork_Magic Elvario Seagreen StarPrincessVal

A nice outing in the fish bowl. Hopefully everyone didn't miss their flippers too much. First rp to properly do some running around in the city, so consider submitting some lore. Some lore for some of the ingredients may be appropriate too. Too bad about the late entry that prematurely dipped. Looks like everyone one pretty much got what they came for and overcame an obstacle on the way. Glad the rp didn't need to be dragged out too much so you can keep your momentum.

Aftermath
Victorique's studies of volumes referring to titles was not much different from the previous dusty tome she read, but the titles within were clearly from another era. The language was difficult to decypher as it was very old form of presumably Terran. Some of the sources of the titles sited refer to a Capatiae loosely translated into the "The Sky Palace of Knowledge" or "Heaven is the Palace of Knowing". Further research into the topic suggests more answers can be found in the sky nation. To visit the sky nation, an rp must be conducted of acquiring a means of going up there.

Rewards

Phoebe - 49pts
optional title acquired [Bibliophile] - Character exhibits a great affinity for books and their myriad of contents. They are able to quickly and easily bond with others who share a penchant for books, such as librarians, historians, or book sellers.
optional rewards [Intelligence B upgrade and Water Affinity F skill] - if the reward is claimed, add 14pts to earned and spent.

Simon - ???pts
If you want your rewards, let me know.

Victorique - 49pts
Mandatory title acquired - [Annoying Pursuer] - "Dearest Victorique, may this message find you grievously wounded. I have seen your determination and your relentless pursuit. I bestow upon you this title. May it serve as a constant reminder that not all quests lead to desired outcomes. There are mysteries in this world that are better left unsolved, pursuits that lead only to more despair. It is my sincere hope that you will turn your formidable intellect to more rewarding endeavors."

Calliope - 57pts
optional title acquired [Follower] - Character is quick to fall into place behind a more assertive companion. Makes leading more difficult for them, but cooperating with those in leadership positions easier.