*The resident Owlin busies himself with re-checking the order of all his books. Dutifully making sure everything is alphabetical order. While also adding some new books to the shelves. Donations from… somewhere.*
*And Ori, having wanted to catch up on magic studies, has come to the library. He looks around in awe at the collection of books, scrolls and all the stationary supplies. His presence doesn’t go unnoticed.*
“I see you finally decided to enter my library.” *The wispy voice of Baracus sounds from above. He sits perched, as he normally is, on top of a bookshelf. Staring down inquisitively at Ori.* “Hmm… we haven’t had many humans in our fold. Interesting to see another.” *Leaning forward, he lightly flaps his wings and glides down to the floor.*
*Mouth agape, Ori stares in amazement. Gawking like a child who has just seen their first rainbow.* “I-I— ahem —I’m Orimesh. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Baracus.” *Naturally he holds out his hand for a shake. But the Owlin only looks at it then proceeds in the conversation. Causing the extender of the greeting to awkwardly lower his hand.*
“I know. Word gets around. And what mouths don’t speak, minds can sometimes whisper.” *Hands in his sleeves, Baracus walks over to a table. Where a decanter of wine sits. Seems he was enjoying its flavours while he was organising.* “You came for knowledge. But what about?” *His talons take the half empty glass of wine tenderly. And he sips and savours it while Ori answers.*
*The cryptic words caress Ori’s curious mind.* “How do you mean? Oh, and yes, I came to see if there are any books on… erm… Necromancy?” *His voice is meek and anxious. Baracus’s standoff-ish personality is a bit uninviting as it is. But to add onto it he’s always been shy talking about his interests. Tedious business.*
*Setting his drink down, and returning his hand to his sleeves, he points down the aisle and to the ‘N’ section.* “Down there is where you should look.” *Taking a seat he begins writing in his book. About the human, about today’s reorganisation and so on. Leaving Ori to his own devices.*
*Bashfully muttering a thanks, Ori makes his way to the pointed out spot. Running his fingers appreciatively over the spines of other tomes as he passes them. Finally finding the ‘N’ category. Where he starts looking for anything on Necromancy.*
Ori’s fingers trace the spines of the neatly organized books, his awe growing with each title. As he reaches the ‘N’ section, he scans the shelves with anticipation, hoping to find something substantial on his forbidden topic of choice. With a keen eye, he spots an older tome nestled between volumes on “Natural Curses” and “Noteworthy Familiars.”
The book is titled **“Essence and Beyond: An Exploration of Life, Death, and the Art of Necromancy.”** Its cover is a deep, muted black with faded silver lettering, giving it a foreboding but scholarly appearance. Embossed on the front is a subtle sigil—an intricate design of intertwined skulls and vines, symbolizing the delicate balance between life and death.
As Ori pulls the book from the shelf, the weight of its worn leather binding fills his hands, and he feels a thrill at the discovery. Flipping through the pages, he finds detailed diagrams of skeletal structures, descriptions of rituals, and discussions on the ethics and philosophy of necromancy. This book explores not just spells, but the essence of necromancy itself, describing both responsible and dangerous practices.
“How intriguing…” *He comments. Flipping through the old pages, delicately. Reading the words; mind drinking in the knowledge. Eventually he takes the book back the front area. Where Baracus still sits. Scribbling away.*
“I’d like to borrow this one, please.” *He holds up the dark tome, as if he were showing a parent a frog, or a bug that he’d caught.*
*Pushing his spectacles further up his beak, the owl looks up from his work. Nodding in approval. Then he smiles at the title. Seeming to be pleased that Ori found what he was looking for.* “Ahh, Essence and Beyond… I’ve glimpsed at its pages, but never really *read* it. And yes,” *he waves his hand, and a smaller book levitates over and sets itself gently into his palm.* “You may borrow it. Just sign your name here.”
*Passing the booklet to Ori, and a quill, the human’s name is written, along with the date. Thanking Baracus on his way out, Ori has a slight skip in his step. He’s been dreaming of finally learning more about his favourite type of magic since he was twenty-one.*
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