#earthrunes

And so the tour starts to make its way to the library...

Coradel does point out some of the artwork and tapestries as they go. She's clearly proud of her collection.

Some of the art work has a more morbid tone, exquisite, but morbid

He admires the art, especially if any happens to feature horses, which... knowing Coradel, some probably does? And she may catch him eyeing her own form in a discrete way - is he checking her out?

There is one with four horses, each horse resembling a season. Autumn has a lead

That one he does pause to admire specifically. "Much of your art seems to tend towards the... somber." He observes. "Lovely.. evocative.. but not what I may have expected of a seelie hold?"

If she notices his attention to her form, she doesn't comment. She does smile at the question. "Oh, I don't much mind my unseelie side, Baron. And why not celebrate all that we are? However, specifically regarding the art, I have the great luck of having a marvelous artist as part of my hold, one Sir Earl DeBuke. Have you heard of him?"

He might have if he follows the art scene. If not? Well.. he might have heard the name DeBuke as a farmhold soemwhere..lots of trolls. Much corn

He gives it a moment of thought. Then, a regretful shake of his head, not recognizing the name. "I haven't had a new piece commissioned in some time, but I do find his work...." He trails off. " It suits my taste. I would appreciate his card, if he is available for commissions."

"Lovely. I'm delighted to get him connected with people who can appreciate his style. I'll see if you can meet him while you're here. Ah, now...here's the library. Hopefully our librarian or her assistant will be here. Oh, both are sluagh, so please be courteous of your volume." She taps lightly at the library door and pushes it open.

He nods, and follows her in.

The library is dim, but not dark.

Something SWOOPS past the Ailil's head and lands on Coradel's shoulder.

"Life is a mirror: if you frown at it, it frowns back; if you smile, it returns the greeting." quoth the little dragon.

He is a bit startled, but notices the movement in the air and manages to merely step back a pace, rather than duck or give an unmanly squeak of surprise, perhaps to the sluagh's disappointment. "Lady, I did not know that my House sigil was already represented here." Amused as he admires the tiny dragon. "And it speaks. Delightful. Is it a true understanding, or merely parroting?" Intrigued.

"Ah, I neglected to mention Bronte, and she's fixing that oversight. Bronte, say hello to Baron Aidenn, if you would?"

"I will let you be the judge, Baron."

"The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery." Bronte quips. Cheeky thing.

She tilts her head, studying him. “Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo, a star shines on the hour of our meeting.”

A smile. "And it seems our librarian is, in fact, here. Hello, Miss Zara."

"Ah, I have been spotted. Lady." A hand on her chest and a bow. A touch of a smile as Bronte shows off.

Coradel nods slowly in return for the bow, then turns to the Baron. "Baron Aidenn ap Ailil of SilverWolf, may I present the librarian of EarthRunes, Miss Zara. Zara, the Baron has a need for a text, and I hope you might help him."

"Aye? I may help swiftly or slowly, as the request presents. In that spirit - your books have arrived."

His eyes flick open wide, and now he is truly entranced. He gives her a bow worthy of a knight. "Nai laurë lantuva parmastanna lúmissen tengwiesto..." A pause, and he adds, "I am sorry, there are not many truly... complimentary terms for wyrms amongst Tolkein's writing. An oversight, I am sure."

Depending on whether she truly understand Tolkien's elvish or merely remembers words, the wee dragon may take a moment to undestand.. but if she pieces it together, or speaks fluently, it comes out to... roughly, 'may a golden light fall on your book at the times of your reading'.

And then he realizes he almost missed the quiet introduction from the sluagh, so entranced was he by the chimera. "Lady Librarian, a pleasure. I fear I do not know what text I may seek, or even if it exists, but I am looking more for information that I hope to find?"

A sigh from Bronte, and then a bow very much like her lady's.

"Oh! Lovely, thank you. I will have to look at them later, I think."

"Aye?" Zara inquires.

"Please do not take this as a slight upon your discretion, but may I ask for your circumspection with dispersal of the information I would share?" His tone, politely quiet for the sluagh's ears.

A slight lift of an eyebrow. "Discretion is a service I provide, aye."

"If you wish me to step away, I can do so."

"And does this service come at a specific cost?" Offering, "Aside from joy of learning the secret itself?" It seems he may have known a sluagh in the past. And to Coradel, he adds, "I would not presume to evict you from your own grounds."

"As a fellow equestrian, these details may come of some interest to you. Though, if duty calls you away, I would certainly hope that the Lady Librarian would keep you within her confidance. I would not request secrecy above thy own liege, after all."

Zara smiles.

"The joy is fair - and, of course, remembrance of the value of a still tongue."

An easy nod, and she listens to the exchange.

Aiden lifts a small satchel from one shoulder, and looks about to see if there is a handy table or place to lay out materials for display.

"If I may, I don't wish to disturb any system you have in place."

There are several in the library - and yes, one conveniently nearby.

"Aye, so - this will be meet." A gesture at the appropriate space.

Coradel, meanwhile, gives Bronte a small scritch above her eye ridges.

He brings out a small stack of materials - a few books of varying age, one with the leather crackling delightfully - it may need restoration, but for now, he takes care to not tear. A small stack of notes - and a few scrolls, that have a hint to them - Zara's keen senses may detect something that smells spicy - exotic - and the writing on it is delicate ink swirls, swoops and dots.

Bronte trills "To eer is human, but it feels divine"

Zara has delicate hands, to rival any waifish sidhe, and she handles the fragile materials with a deft care.

A soft laugh at Bronte, and she scritches a bit more closely to...well, what approximates 'ears' on the little beast.

"There," she whispers to the bookwyrm. "Go see what he brought. I know you wish to."

And Bronte launches

to go perch on Zara and see

The starring book is a story of a woman's travels amongst the Bedouin tribes in the late 1800's. It includes a delicate, tissue-thin fold-out sections with maps, and illustrations of horses.

Other books are encyclopedia - newer, modern but still quality, and a sheaf of papers that prove to be printouts in glossy color of old illustrations, coins, and artwork. The theme that quickly comes to Zara is that of horses - or more specifically, a particular breed of horses, once though a myth, and then for many hundreds of years strictly guarded and hidden away.

He quietly remarks, "The Akhel-Teke, one of the veritable kings of horses."

"Ohh..."