Day 3

[mirror_mod]

Eventually the group finds themselves in a new part of the city. The stone is cleaner, the air is brighter, and everything seems far better cared for. Whether this is illusion or truth, it’s hard to mistake the trickling sound of a fountain ahead, drawing you into view of a massive open courtyard. Rising out of the middle of it is a tall building with a strangely crooked spire, topped with a globe like a watchful eye.

Closer, it’s easy to read the carved sign above the doorway.

LIBRARY

Perhaps there are answers here.

LOWER STACKS | RESTRICTED SECTION | OBSERVATORY

Comments

LOWER STACKS

[mirror_mod]

It’s dimmer here, but it lacks the malevolent aura of the forest and parts of the city. Rising all around you are cases upon cases of books, reaching far upwards into the zenith of the spire itself and well past your vision. There is a constant staccato of fluttering pages as the books themselves seem to shift and dart about in the air before returning to the stacks. A few butterfly nets lie nearby, in lieu, perhaps, of a catalog.

While you watch, one of the books flits down to a tall pedestal, where a disembodied quill begins to dance over its pages. It’s a decent climb up a ladder to see for sure what it’s writing, if you’re curious.

RESTRICTED SECTION

[mirror_mod]

A spiral staircase leads upwards to a higher floor. The books here seem a little older and far more silent than the busy tomes below. Stretching out far over the dizzying head of the tower, across a narrow bridge to a floating platform, is a single massive volume on a pedestal and surrounded by a gilded cage. Even from here the word on the cover can be read – CAIR PARADISA.

OBSERVATORY

[mirror_mod]

From the upper level there is one last stairway to the top, like some kind of observation tower. A large round window looks out beyond the city. A spyglass stands conveniently nearby, for any that might like to take a look.

[gevurah]

[ A pile of books and still not a damn clue on where to start. The quill is the main attraction for Kate. It must be writing something, so she'll her usual bold steps toward the ladder. She puts a hand on it and gives it a gentle shake to gauge how reliable and stable it will be if she climbs it. ]

It's like out of a children's story. Only creepy.

[persequor]

[ A butterfly net in hand, Arya attempts to snap off its head. ]

All those stories are creepy.

[fredless]

[Fred moves closer, then closer still to the pedestal. The books have drawn her in. There has to be an answer here. She steps closer to the woman by the ladder]


I can hold it steady if you want to try?

[persequor]

[ Arya peeks through the spyglass. Would it let her see the city or just her room? She's still avoiding looking overlong into windows. ]

oh god why you guys I don't even.

[perfectisnteasy]

[CLU doesn't HAVE to breathe, but if he could, he'd stop once he saw this. as it is, he just freezes, staring. that's it. that's the key he's been looking for. what he needs. he turns and .... does the one thing you probably shouldn't do in a library in the middle of a creepy magical world.

he raises his voice]

EVERYONE, COME LOOK AT THIS.

yes lets get all the loud ones together

[honorinflames]

[yeah, that's right where he's headed, jogging over. yelling in a library is the best idea]

What is it? [calling out before he reaches him]

[messin_with_my_zen_thing]

[Flynn strolls up, looking around.] What do you see?

/facepalm

[messin_with_my_zen_thing]

Typically you're supposed to be quiet in libraries. [He chuckles] not that this is a typical library.

[He makes his way in their direction, an amused smile on his face.]

What did you find, CLU?

[cloakand_danger]

[Well, the purpose of the butterfly nets seems clear enough, at least. Yuan grabs one of them, and starts waving it around in the air, trying to catch one of the flying books, apparently under the assumption that these will be more interesting than the books on the shelves.]

[persequor]

[ Arya follows in Flynn's footsteps, looking around him to see what the fuss is about. She had expected more strange creatures or even the doorway they wanted. Instead it's a book. The cage and the reason for its existence interest her more than the tome itself. ]

Does it have a lock?

[demontobeloved]

Well, that's helpful.

[And have one (1) demon wandering rather nonchalantly over to the group.]

Anyone got any ideas?

[persequor]

Why don't you just grab one off the shelves?

[atadiscoverer]

Maybe if we work together?

[Carson approaches Yuan, his own net in his hand.]

Work to corner one of them?

[cloakand_danger]

[He explains as he continues swinging the net] I can find unmoving books anywhere. Flying books, on the other hand, are pretty much nonexistent where I come from, so I'd like a closer look at what makes some of them fly, as opposed to the ones on the shelves. Once I've got one of these, I'll get one from a shelf for comparison.

[persequor]

But they're all moving about.

[cloakand_danger]

Makes sense to me. [He narrows his eyes, and points at a book a little apart from the rest.] That one. You take one side, I'll take the other. Try not to let it get too close to the shelf, we'll lose track of it if it slips in among the others.

[cloakand_danger]

But at different times. And did you see the one that flew down to get written in? It seems like when they fly, it's because they're changing somehow, and I want to see what that means.

[Without climbing a rickety ladder, he doesn't say. He will if he has to, but it seems like asking for trouble.]

[cloakand_danger]

[Hearing the commotion, Yuan joins them.] ...It looks like a trap to me. [Offering them a book presumably full of answers, set aside, emphasized, and clearly labeled? Yuan doesn't like it.] ...But it might be one we can't risk not entering.

[atadiscoverer]

Aye.

[And, so, Carson moves off to the far side and makes to shepherd the book into the space between himself and Yuan.]

[youhavebeenflynned]

[Harry looks around the room. The surrealism of it all causes him to shiver slightly. he does have a bad idea about all of this. Some of the journals catches his interest though and he reaches out for one]

[youhavebeenflynned]

What's the matter, mate? [Strolls up]

[demontobeloved]

If there ever was a more obvious trap. [Cole nods to Yuan.] But Yuan is probably right.

[And he turns to Harry.] Gilded cage, book with "Cair Paradisa" on it. Trap, yes?