Slatnemele High

Yeah, WOW. ;DD I read all of that. It was good.

^_^ And thanks for joining!
I listened to Lata intently, even though I hadn't a clue what she was on about. It was as if she talked in riddles. I sighed, and gulped down the glass of water that was on the table next to my plate. I sighed again, relieved, when Lata stated that Aoibheann would be training me. Lata wasn't bad, but I didn't want to end up training with a girl as experimental and 'playful' as her. Aoibheann was fine at the moment.


Suddenly I felt that sensation again. The sensation to draw. I quickly got up, and said, "If you would excuse me, I need to do something. I'll be right back though." I quickly hitched my bag onto my shoulder and left the room. I went a bit down the corridor, then took out a pen and another fresh sheet of paper. I leaned the paper against the wall, and put the pen to my paper. I immediately started drawing. It was more detailed and longer. Well, it only lasted two minutes.


When it was done, I stared in horror at the paper. On the right was a drawing of Aoibheann, swift and accurate, and on the left, another weird symbol. I gulped. Folding the paper, I slipped it into my pocket, and walked back to Aoibheann's room. I stood in the doorway, and said, "Aoibheann, if you could come here for a second please?" I looked directly at her.
 
(( *sighs* (_ _|||) ))


Jessica watched Crystal leave and then come back.


"Crystal are you alright?"
 
I nodded my head at her, and when no one was looking I mouthed at her: I drew something again. I gave her a distressed look and sighed.
 
Thanks for the welcome, I'm hoping my regular posts won't be quite as long as my intro...


As Alistair read through the library's catalogue, he noticed with some distress the poor state in which the previous librarian had left the place. Many of the old volumes were either in the wrong places or had been left stacked up in piles along corridors and in back rooms. Many classical works by the great Elementalists had been removed from public view and locked away, their existences only known to the last incumbent of his role.


"What was that fellow thinking of?", Alistair mused as he unlocked yet another reading room to discover another stack of books essential to learning the arts of Elementalism.


It was looking more and more like he needed to have a discussion with Robert about this. Had the school curriculum changed so radically in the few years he had been away? Or was there some greater scheme at play, enacted through the library's lack of appropriate reading material? Or maybe the prior librarian was an utter incompetent and Alistair was reading too many mystery novels. He laughed to himself and returned to the library issues desk in time to see a kitchen worker depositing his pot of tea and sandwiches at the desk.


"Make sure to bring it all back once you've finished.", the man grumbled as he made his way out of the library, waving his hand to indicate the tea set.


"Of course, thank you.", Alistair replied.


His stomach suddenly growled. Perhaps the overpriced coffee and biscuits I bought on the motorway were only just enough to keep me going, he thought to himself.


He sat down and poured out the tea, ignoring the jug of milk and the solitary sugar lump he'd so generously been granted and drank the tea black. The beef sandwich was just that: two slices of unbuttered bread with two wafer thin slices of beef dropped between. He considered this a moment and decided that he would make it his mission to ensure that he was never late for a meal again.
 
This was getting strange. Aoibheann looked at her cousins and at Lata then nodded her head. "Sure, just a minute." She excused herself, got up and walked to the door to see what had gotten Crystal in such a dither. If she had another one of those weird interferences again...
 
I waited for Aoibheann to come out then handed her the piece of paper, my hand shaking. "The drawing came again... It's another a symbol... and... a drawing of you."
 
Aoibheann took the sheet of paper and regarded it intently. "Well, it appears as if someone or something has some artistic ability. We might want to take this to the library and see if we can't figure out what this can mean. I can show you how to shield there just as well as anywhere else."


She turned to the others who were still in the room. "If you were interested, we're headed for the library, I think this is starting to get serious."


Grabbing the girl's arm, she ushered the pink-haired girl through the hallways to the library. She opened the doors only to find a man she'd never seen before standing before a very poor lunch.
 
Alistair looked up as the library doors erupted open to reveal a group of teenagers. He cocked an eyebrow at the wild assortment of hairstyles, fashions and ages. It appeared as if almost every year group was represented here. They seemed intent on something, the eldest girl, a forceful-looking Fire Weaver by the flickering light in her eyes, clutched a sheet of cheap A4 paper in her hand and a younger girl with violently pink hair and... could it be? sea-blue eyes? Her?


He rose to his feet from behind the desk and scooped his pathetic sandwich into the waste bin. It would go into a mulch pile later, he would make sure. The earth would benefit where he had not. He stepped around the desk and approached the group, arms out, palms open in a non-confrontational manner. It would not be polite to meet these students in anything but a helpful manner and, Alistair knew, he was not the best in most social situations, so starting on the right foot would be important.


"Greetings, uhhm, all of you and welcome to the library. I apologise for the mess, I'm just in the process of reorganising the catalogue. I'm afraid there are quite a few books that aren't on the shelves at the moment, so if you can't find what you're looking for, I'm on hand to be of assistance.", he said, his soft Scottish accent carrying across the large room and flowing around and past them like the gentle sighing of autumn leaves in the breeze. He fixed them with eyes the colour found in the very heart of uncut emeralds and smiled politely.
 
Aoibheann paused long enough to appreciate the handsome face and the voice, oh that beautiful Scottish voice! But she slapped herself awake, he looked too much like her brother and fantasising about something who looks like him would just be plain weird.


"You must be the new research student I heard was coming, although I had assumed you'd be here next week. I'm Aoibheann of the House of the Rising Pheonix. With me are my cousins, Katy, a Water Walker of the same house and my cousin James Hammersmith, an Earth Warden who is of a different house. Here also are Jessica, a Spirit Talker of no house and Crystal, the subject of our current concerns, who is a Dragon of Wisdom, also of no house of any recogniztion. We are here to look for any books on Ogham Script as well as the signs of someone being controlled by an foreign entity."
 
I sighed as Aoibheann dragged me to the library, taken aback. She'd been really calm when she'd seen herself on a piece of paper. Not in the least bit alarmed. I gasped as I walked into the library. It was quite big. Me likey. I flinched slightly as the librarian looked over me with a hint of recognition or... interest. He was looking straight at my eyes. I sighed. Had he realised straight away that I was a dragon?


My gaze sweeped over the library. There were books of many sizes, small, medium, big. There were mossy green books, and sea navy, as well as royal red. And then I looked over at the scrolls, that looked so ancient they might as well disintegrate.


I nodded along as Aoibheann explained our situation. Oh, please. I willed in my head. Let there be something on Ogram script. It's a big library, there should be something.
 
Alistair nodded thoughtfully as he was introduced to each of the motley assortment and his eyes glimmered hungrily as he beheld this 'Crystal'. Finally, my research has taken an affirmative step forward. But first things first.


"A pleasure to meet you all, I'm sure. Ogham, you say, the ancient script of the Fair Ones? Why would you be interested in that, pray tell? And 'controlled by a foreign entity'? Possession? Conscription? Soul-binding? There are many, many means by which a being may take control of another, each has differences in the manner, purpose, potency and supernal appearance. I'm afraid you'd have to be more specific than 'controlled'."


Alistair was about to point toward the 'Ancient Languages' section then remembered something.


"Come to think of it, the Ancient Languages section is quite light on the languages of the Mythic Races. But I think I know where a goodly number of the books can be found."


He turned and started off toward one of the large reading rooms at the back of the library, then paused and turned back, "Will you come, or shall you stay here and wait?"
 
"No, we'll come." She handed him the sheet of paper. "But this is what I mean by control, this is the third time today she's produced something like this, all three times has been a different rune, something or someone caused her to draw this. Only this time, whoever encouraged her, if you will, also caused her draw me with it. I know Irish, can understand a bit of the Scottish and even the dead language of the Cornish but I can't read Ogham Script."
 
Wasn't it Ogram Script?

O.o And can I highlight my speech with colour too? Not that I speak much at the moment.. I just didn't want to 'copy' you guys. :) And I'm going to put the timetable to the week in my signature. :) I think it would be quite helpful.
I blushed lightly as Aoibheann showed the librarian the piece of paper. Even though I was being 'controlled' I felt as if I was the source of this whole commotion. I sighed, as we accomponied the librarian to the place he thought we would find what we needed. I looked around, amazed by all the knowledge confined in those four walls. I hadn't been a big fan of reading, but with all these secrets to be unlocked, I wanted to read something from this library. Maybe I could come later or tomorrow lunchtime.


As we walked I sneaked a peek at the time table. Fire, then nature. I couldn't wait for fire. And nature sounded interesting too. Would Aoibheann come to the fire lesson? I hoped she would. She always had so many knowledge and wise words, and I was sure she would have loads to say about her own element fire.
 
"Writing different runes, you say?", Alistair stopped walking and turned back, "I suggest you don't store them together in the same place. And, if you can, store them under cold iron. If it's Ogham the lass is drawing, then that could mean the influence of the Fair Ones and that'll mean Glamour. Dangerous, very dangerous."


He carried on walking, his pace swifter, more hurried. It was almost like watching a rock that had sat on a hilltop suddenly, slowly fall then roll downhill, picking up speed as it went. He reached the reading room in question and flicked on the dusty ceiling light to properly illuminate the room. A virtual mound of leather-bound books were piled haphazard on the desks and the floor.


Alistair set to with a vengeance, sorting and piling books with speed, but surprising dexterity. Most of the books he placed to one side, but a small stack formed beside him, a half dozen books. They were all thick, old-looking things, their covers engraved with the title and author's name.


"Ogham Script: Origins, Meanings and Methodologies


Dr. R. A. McIntyre"


"McIntyre's canon is perhaps the best example of a good primer in the Ogham script. Unlike many other authors, he only describes the formations of the runes, never did he allow even a single rune to be drawn in his works. Other writers, foolish men thought that the Covenant would protect them from the influence of the Fair Ones, but many of them died in mysterious circumstances, disappeared or went slowly mad.", he said, heaving the books up and dumping them in the arms of the young Earth Warden. James' eyes bulged under the weight of the tomes and his knees shook. "Can you not bear the weight of those little books, boy?", Alistair tutted, frowning, "I would have thought as an Earth Warden of your age would have learned how to fortify your body with the earth. Never mind."


He lifted the books easily out of James' hands and carried them over to a nearby table, its surface inlaid with green-stained leather.


"Get a start on these and I'll go find something on the workings of Fair One Glamour. And don't go drawing anything described in those books."


With that stark warning, he strode off in the direction of another part of the library.
 
Oh, great, she got to... read about something that was of not much interest to her. She sighed and sat down, opening up the primer as instructed.


"The most ancient of all writings those that modern humans can no longer read, though scholars have studied. We know some of the meanings left behind such as the language Sanskrit, and even Cuneiform. The Egyptian hyroglyphs are no longer mysteries to the modern scholar and, in the same way, the ancient Mayans' languge has also been cracked. But for the Celts in Ireland, Ogham script was the only form of writing our ancestors understood. Many scholars read the ancient writing though only a few are unaware of the power behind them. The Fair Folk, it is said, gave to the ancient Irish the language and it is said that they continue in its use to this day."


Aoibheann stopped reading aloud. "Well this should be interesting. Why don't you guys pull up a chair and start reading? Looks like we've got a lot of researching to do."
 
Lata had slunk in with the group, keeping herself from getting too annoyed at having to come back in here. Plenty of people had good memories in the library but hers tended to all be rather awful.


Taking a seat on an antique globe, demonstrating one of the most basic of Air Dancer talents, Lata began taking stock of everything. First and foremost, Aoibe. It seemed that her fire wielding friend had focused rather well on this dragon. Lata was still toying with the idea of either fueling that or smothering her. James was being James. Sturdy, down to Earth (ha) and otherwise boring. Katy was horrible and trying to etch herself into everyone.


Then there was the Dragon. Lata bites her lower lip and watches her from the precarious perch on the antique. The girl was weaker than she had been led to believe but if Fae were intervening, poisoning her with glamour. It would make it much harder to do what Lata wanted not to mention all the possible death and loss of souls too.


Finally making a decision, Lata speaks up. " Aoibheann~ first things first. If it is Fae, why not get her some cold iron? I'm sure she's responsible enough to use it. You personally know how the Fair folk react to that stuff. A good temporary measure hmm?"
 
I picked another book off the pile and started to flick through it hopelessly, scanning the pages for anything useful. There was the odd interesting fact about its origination and lines of useless detail. There was nothing on how to translate ogram runes.


I picked another book off the pile, placing the one I had already leafed through to the side, muttering to herself, but loud enough for the others to hear: "That was useless..."


I leafed through the book I had just picked up. It was thinner bit wider, but on the contrary, it was pretty similair to the previous book. It had the same information but nothing helpful. I flipped to the last page, and was just about to close it when I realized that the inside cover was peeling a bit. I smoothed it down, when I felt something under the cover.


I was just about to look into it further, when a voice startled me. I jumped, and fumbled with the book in my hands. " Aoibheann~ first things first. If it is Fae, why not get her some cold iron? I'm sure she's responsible enough to use it. You personally know how the Fair folk react to that stuff. A good temporary measure hmm?"


I sighed. Lata liked to annoy people I could see that. I looked up to see her perching on a globe. I sighed again. I would look at the book's cover later: "Cold Iron?" I questioned. It sounded as if it were out of some werewolf movie or something.
 
Aoibheann looked up from the musty tome she was scanning when Lata broke her concentration. "If it is Fae, why not get her some cold iron? I'm sure she's responsible enough to use it. You personally know how the fair folk react to that stuff. A good temporary measure hmm?"


"Huh."


"Cold iron?" Crystal asked.


"Why didn't I think of that?" She peered at her... friend. It was much harder to pin-point their relationship. Sometimes they were friends, sometimes they were mortal enemies and sometimes they acted like they were complete strangers. Aoibheann never underestimated Lata, she always did things for her own purpose, never revealing that purpose unless it was necessary for her to expose parts of her plan. Just what is she concocting in that head of hers? She would have to see, but later, for now Lata's decided to be an ally and that was always a good thing. "That's a very good suggestion, we could forge bracelets and a necklace to guard the hands and the mind, maybe earrings?"


She turned to the Dragon and smiled calmly. "The Fair Folk, who you probably know as Elves can't bear the touch of cold iron, any iron really. These are not the elves of Tolkein. They're not nice and they are very, very tricky and can't really be trusted. They always have their own agenda and it is always worth your while to guard against them." She looked up at Lata, deciding not to reveal her friend's own heritage. "Some are cruel for cruelty's sake and others just like to play. They are also known as the Fae, though the Fae is more of a general term to include all the Immortal and mythical races. Those include the fairies, the Small Folk, also known as Leprechauns, the elves, sprites, sprits, and all sorts of fun buggers. If their magic is strong enough they can, coerce someone who is a Spirit Talker. By the very nature of being a Dragon, you are one and, since your kind is so rare and you are so woefully under educated, you're easy pickings. If we give you jewellry of cold iron- not steel but iron- then you'll be able to see past their glimmers, their tricks. It should give you some protection from them; they won't want to get anywhere near you."
 
Alistair returned a few minutes later, carrying only three books, compared to the pile he'd picked out previously. At Lata's and Aoibheann's mention of 'the Fae' he scowled at them, tapped the wooden tabletop with his fingertips and placed the books down.


"I took a quick glance at the books regarding the Fair One's use of Glamour and found these ones. This 1720 copy of Whitlow's 'Fairie Magick' is quite old and written in the original text of the time, but he's known for having a good grasp on their use of Glamour. I also found Parvenue's 'Strands of Gossamer', a short, but very technical, treatise focussing on Glamours that affect the minds of the Banal, that'd be you and I and anyone not born within the Fair Folk's domains. Finally, there's Ogilvey's 'Curses, Geasa, Charms and Eidolons'. She's pretty much the acknowledged mistress of recognising external influences and how to counter them with mundane or Elemental means. Is there anything else you need?", he said, casting his emerald gaze across the students, lingering a moment on Crystal.
 
I nodded along as Aoibheann told me about the Fae and how cold iron could be used. After her explanation, it seemed less silly. I sighed. Iron jewellery wasn't bad or anything. I mean, maybe it would affect my look but hey, I could start a new trend! I giggled to myself and said, "Aah, okay. That makes sense. Well, cold iron it is then!"


I turned my attention to the librarian who came back with three more books. I sighed. More reading. I didn't loathe reading, but I knew we would find the same old things. Well, hopefully, we would find something useful. I tuned out of the librarian telling Aoibheann in general what the books were named, while I fiddled with the inside cover of the book. I peeled it back, to reveal a cd. It was a normal cd, but a tad bit smaller in size. Like a mini cd. I slowly prised the cd out,and then slipped it into pocket, patting it for safe keeping. I closed the book again, and returned it on the table. "That was no good." I lied. I decided to show Aoibheann the cd later.


I stared at the librarian as he asked if we needed anything else. I honestly didn't know so I waited for Aoibheann too say something. I fidgeted in my seat as the librarian's gaze lingered on me for a second. He had the same glint in his eye as Lata. I sighed. Why was everyone after me? The only person that hadn't meant me any harm at the moment was Aoibheann.
 
Born into the domain of the Fair Folk. Lata flicks her wrist in a delicate motion causing a breeze to hold her hair in place. This prevented her ears from being brought into view. Mostly normal, there was an obvious point to hers, just enough to make most Elementals double take at them.


She wasn't proud of that part of her past. In truth, she hated it. All through her life Lata had brought down the hammer of unabashed racism towards anyone or anything of Fae heritage. Slurs, bias, and even the promotion of stereotypes had all been pushed by her. It was a well known fact that a great deal of the tension between the Fair folk and Elementals had stemmed from Lata's campaigning against them. Most of their community actually had no idea of her father, assuming that her mother had just been as promiscuous as Lata was thought to be.


Perhaps this was why Cold Iron came to her mind so quickly. She could handle the metal but broke out in horrid rashes soon after. It was a common prank to pull on her as a child. One such incident happening the night before her class photo shoot. A jealous and rightfully angry classmate placing the awful metal in and around her pillow. Lata awoke with hives covering her entire body and face, ruining any chance at a normal class photo.


Brought back the the droning of the new librarian, Lata started growing restless. Everyone was just reading and there was no action. Balancing on her toes, she stood atop the globe, gently striding and making it spin.


"All things considered, my dear fellows. Must we keep sitting here in silence? There is plenty that can be done outside the realm of literature and I do think the Dragon may be limited to only so much new information today. We don't want her to become some sort of scroll hoarding spinster"
 
Tomorrow school's starting for me, so I'll still be on rpdom, but I won't be posting as frequently as I normally do. Only in the evenings, in Uk time that is.


I tutted to myself silently as Lata decided to interrupt again. She was spinning on top of the globe she had been sitting on. I sighed. She was so sly, yet childful. I rolled my eyes as she tried to steer us away from what we were doing: "All things considered, my dear fellows. Must we keep sitting here in silence? There is plenty that can be done outside the realm of literature and I do think the Dragon may be limited to only so much new information today. We don't want her to become some sort of scroll hoarding spinster"


I shrugged at Lata. "We aren't just reading. We're researching and looking for something important. I mean, if you're bored you can leave. I don't mind." I said, hoping I hadn't said anything wrong. I said it as kindly as I could. The thing about Lata was you never knew what was going on in her mind. She was so unpredictable. I mean, I knew she wouldn't be sitting there on a globe, bored out of her mind, for no reason.


I continued to read, picking another book off the table. Boy this was going to take long...
 
(( hey pinky. I love ya bunchies but i cant keep up with this rolepay with the scedual that I have now that Im back in school. Sorry but im gonna have to drop this one. :( ))
 
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