#baronyofthesilverwolf

Of course, Thistle knew he was on a project, but may not have seen this ...yet.

Thistle squints, running a calloused thumb along the wood grain - feeling and looking for a seam, a whorl, a hidden depression... she just knows Wudlig hid something, and she is determined to find it.

It takes a moment, more than a moment to be fair.

She expects it to evade casual observation, of course.

Wudlig is... adequate... at his chosen specialty, after all.

Finally, she finds it, Vanity. A tiny impression that in the right light, looks like the symbol of the bannerhouse he works for. Pressing does nothing, but pressing, and a slight twist?

Poke-poke-twist

Click.

The bed slides forward and there's a drop where it was, a tight spiral staircase going down

Citrine zips ahead, golden light leading the way,

A snort, and Thistle follows.

Poor trolls will have a tight squeeze, but nockers fit fine, and to Citrine? It is a cavern of adventure.

And down she goes into.. well, this.

No secret lab? No underground cave? Mmm still, private.

"Ohhh..."

the green chair has a tiny impression in its seat that seems oddly familar

She pokes at a rafter and harrumphs.

"Well, Wudlig, the sluagh's already found this."

Unpossible, the Baroness would have a fit! Of course, what she doesn't know...

that imprint on the seat is... wait, is that Fornax shaped?

"Ah-hah. Fornax?"

Citrine ducks here and there during this, seeing if she can fit in every cranny. In point of fact, she cannot fit EVERY Cranny, and now is stuck between two Encyclopedias.

"Idjit."

The nocker pulls out one of the books, to allow a pathway for escape.

Citrine comes out, falling backwards and gives a sassy back talk to the Encyopedia Britannica. But she's free now

Of Fornax, there is no sign he is currently here, but there are indicators that he's been about. Could it be this has become a lair of sorts?

Not a bad place for a bookwyrm.

"What the furk?" Wudlig's voice can be heard, as he too enters "Oh come on. Already? Even the Baroness doesn't know about this yet. Nto this part anyway"

"Well, I knew there had to be a trick."

Citrine ducks behind Thistle's head as if to say 'she did it'

Wudlig comes down "Well yeah, but do I go poke at your work?"

Ignoring the fact that nockers ALWAYS take a poke at other people's work, one way or another

"Uh, yeah?"

"Oh, furk it then. What do you think? You're the first one to find it" He says proudly. Unaware of any signs of sluagh or bookwyrms

"A bit wonky over there, ain't it?"

Chin-jerk at a section of shelving.

He looks over "What what the furk do you mean? My shelves are works of frickin art. This is artistry at its best, look at that wood, quality, the shape is aesthetic and.. " he blinks, and adjust his goggles/glasses/mask "Huh. Okay, some books shuffled around. Robo Never do that?"

"Citrine just got down here with me."

CHIME! Innocent until proven gilt-tee hee!

Siiigh.

"Oh for... " Wudlig sighs "Well, great. I'm gonna give the Baroness used goods. SOMEONE has been here, or something." He eyes books, "And some new books I didn't put in. The Little Match GIrl? Illustrated Edition. A Turning of the Screw? Magic Under glass? I don't even know that one. Mmmph"

"Fornax found it first."

"You know he can smell books."

"That's not used, that's beta-tested."

"Beta testing.. huh" A thought "Not a bad notion. Fornax does have a sniffer that's not drek, if he found this spot, it speaks well on it doesn't it?"

"Exactly. Bookwyrms don't care for second-rate (*^%&."

"Yeah, they're a bit like us there. " the ugly fellow's lenses gleam "Maybe I should catch Fornax next time he's down here and observe his behavior. See what in the collection really works. I understand there's a University in Ohio that has a bookwyrm that stacks books based on 'keep it forever' all the way down to 'sell this crap and use the money to buy better'"