Wing City Library

Once Russian gathered a good stack of mecha books, he began to head back to the counter. "And everything is good, got books to inspire me, got my old book in my hands, and best thing is that no one is trying to kill me...If this doesn't not deserve a drink I don't know what does." Russian smiled to himself as he bragged a flask from under his uniform and drank from it before putting it away.

A drink always tasted better when you were in a good mood! Soon he arrived to the counter to...what was he supposed to do at libraries? Was it buy the book or rent it? Maybe both? He can just always confirm it with the librarian.

The Jinhai offered to what its mind indeed saw as the librarian the plastic card and the attendant paper. However in a Jinhai's mind used to the habits of mages the idea of a librarian was one literally a part to the library. The card proved to be a library card belonging to a young citizen of wing city and the paper did indeed say 'A "happy book mister dark man'. The child, presumably, had forgotten a closing quote. The pattern of plastic cards wrapped with written-on paper indeed what the Jinhai's chest was festooned with.

The Jinhai replied simply, "A humankind manifesting flesh we could not acquire assemble them requested to read. These are the requests not in the Almanac."

It extracted another paper and card sticking out its chest of an older fellow wanting a philosophical book and read it, "The Republic"

It looked at the state of some of the books as any library had its problems with patrons abusing materials, "We will repair any literature before providing them to humankind."

Though it hadn't a need for the head to look where it was going three spark-eyes pivoted around the head to look at shelving. The Jinhai voiced concerns of Almanac's interaction, "Do you carry the Almanac for this place, Librarian? We can inscribe the loci of Myrkul's Vein to trade instances of grimoire."

Lolanthe took the card and paper gently, smiling. "Thank you, I will get these books for you." She said sweetly and headed for the computer. Shockingly they had both of them in. Memorizing the dewy numbers she headed off, running her hands over the books and she went find the first one in the kid section of the building. Sighing she wish she could figure out how to get more kids in here. It was hard enough just getting the adults, but kids were almost impossible.

She turned around and headed upstairs where she found the other. It had been used quite a bit, but it should do. Making her way back down she checked the books and handed them to the person/robot before her.

Jinhai moving made the barest scuffs across wood floors as it moved as booted feet seemed to make contact with the ground then stopped entirely as if weightless. Its eyes darted to and fro reading tome names unbound from any sort of biological fixative limiting either depth or structure. The body bent and stretched over the top of the computer until the hood was upside down over top the monitor. It read with its eyes shortly flipped upside down committing the entire screen into the almanac. It didn't bother to bend up first before swirling in place to follow Lolanthe while reconstituting its shape. Its soft arhythmic thumping from long bent knee strides might be disconcerting to many as Jinhai left to catch up with Lolanthe.

Its voice was ever moderated but worn away as if over dunes from the foot of the stairs, "The computer is your node for this place? We are aware of them, now, but we find them inefficient. The lesser of Myrkul's Vein will come soon. They can build one for you, humankind."

It took the book running a glowing finger over a few bits of wear around the edges. Maintenance didn't take much effort or psimass and it kept these source artifacts from deteriorating outside an almanac. The book wasn't put under its cloak so much as pressed to the surface then dropped in with a fluid ripple. The wrapped library cards bobbed in place like flotsam.

Dennison sits on one of the reading chairs in civilian attire. He has chosen that today shall be dedicated to statistics books regarding criminology. Of course, he just ended up reading old Zorro novelisations. He has a deep fascination with the character, and wishes to learn whether or not the masked vigilante ever existed. Trying to convince himself this was just as valuable as reading the criminology books, he couldn't help but notice the little commotion with the librarian.

Huh.

It wasn't exactly the most incredible thing he'd seen in Wing City, but it was usual that the library would remain rather uneventful. This meant that the hooded being held a very disconcerting presence. It very obviously wasn't human. Then it did the thing with the book, and Dennison couldn't help but close his book and approach the entity.

He spoke quietly and casually.

"If you break it you gotta pay for it."

She stared at the creature, in mostly amazement, as it followed her. She had seen many things, mostly in books, but this one had to be one of the most interesting ones. It had started talking, this time about her computer. She stared at it while she scanned the card than the book. "Ah yes, my brother insisted we turn over a new leaf and try out this bit of technology. If these, Myrkul's Vein people are generous to grace us with something new we, the library, would be so grateful." She smiled up at the creature and gave it its books. She was in amazement as she watched it put the card and book up. "You are indeed an interesting... life form."

She took note of the man in the chair. She tried not to stare too long, since her brother always says it was rude, but it had been an interesting day filled with some interesting beings. She walked away after bowing to both and sat down back into her chair.

Jinhai turned to the humankind, its four flare-eyes bobbing and weaving independently much like the cards mired at the surface of its 'robe'. It looked around and to the sides creating a new identity in the Almanac. The whole of Jinhai would know the face evermore once this individuality returned to Myrkul to amass new memories there.

It said nothing for that long moment until after the four eyes returned to their square formation, "It is not our purpose to remove anything from the Almanac, Humankind. Only Myrkul's Vein may choose to forget. It will be read and added to the Almanac, as you have been."

An flaring oval eye winked out and the leather-looking gloves parted the sea of dusty motes revealing the open book hovering in its interior. A web of black lace holding the book in place as an eye peered up from its duty reading the book inside Jinhai. As the remainder took a triangular formation on its 'head' the singlet swirling grey eye peered at Lolanthe from the inside of its chest then went back to its duties.

"Myrkul's Vein assures the integrity of your works, Attestor Lolanthe, " Its mouthless dusty face said with chest still open, "and permits no damage. Do you possess scroll vellum suitable for us to inscribe a Loci? The egress point in Wing City permits access."

The book flipped a page in Jinhai's chest as the single eye continued reading.

There was a moment of utter dread as the creature remained silent, but upon hearing its response Dennison's feelings of fear turned to intrigue.

"Almanac, right... Sorry bout that. That Almanac wouldn't happen to hold anything about acoustic levitation or advanced slund engineering, would it?"

Dennison held close to the entity as it asked the librarian for whatever a 'Loci' was. Dennison was reminded about how immensely out of proportion he was with the rest of the universe.The creature was taking the information it observed and saving it to some kind of memory storage, as far as he knew from its vague statements.

He also thought it took itself far too seriously. Dennison would wait patiently for the being to complete its business with the librarian to get back to him if at all.

Lolanthe tilted her head she had no idea what the creature was asking for, but she guessed it meant a paper and pen. Though to be sure she asked it, "Do you mean paper and pen?" She asked as she made her way back down the stairs and behind the desk. Disappearing behind the counter she dug for a pen and paper. It only took her a minute to pop back up and place the sheets of paper and a pen on the counter gently.

"I have these, are these good enough? Maybe I can call up a store and see if they have some scrolls, but honestly I don't think anyone in town has them. Maybe one of the mage schools would have some." She said looking up and tapping a finger on her chin as she though. Though a smile once more appeared on her small pale face.

Leaning to the side she spotted the person behind her mysterious guest, "Hi there! Welcome to Wing City Library, how may I help you?" She asked.

A large man walks in and looks around, then comes up to the desk "Do you have anything on tech engineering?" his voice Is deep and booms across the library. "uhhh... sorry" he wispers. "by the way I'm Vorkens Dormon. Pleasure to meet you."

Dennison felt a little dejected as the librarian hadn't seemed to recognise him as a regular here. I guess it has been a while, he thought.

Opening his mouth to finally introduce himself to her he said,
"Oh, uh, I'm- "
An oaf of a man loudly interrupted (probably presuming she was speaking to him) and took his place at the desk. The sound of his voice was almost more insulting than the words themselves. He apologised for the wrenching noise but hadn't seemed to take notice of himself or the hooded creature. Still, Dennison allowed himself to be put aside and figured it wasn't that important anyway. His focus was on Jinhai.

"So, about that Almanac, right? There any way you could help me out?" His eyes were determined, and hoping the thing would oblige.

The man noticed the man behind that... creature. He gets flustered "Oh I'm sorry that I skipped you.... I guess I did'nt see you" He moves the man infront of himself. "I'm still super sorry!" He says sincerely.

Jinhai needed something more metaphysically responsive to inscribe a locus but the paper would do as structural material. The hooded creature looked down to Lolanthe then quietly took the pen and paper. Less so with his hands than with a crinkle sucking the paper and pen inside them. There the ink, plastic, and paper converted with a sputter of purple light into bonded psimass that they could materialize into structures of like materials. With the amount of destruction and injury going on each Jinhai had more than enough suitable materials on-hand for the remainder of a locus substrate. The material was suitable though Jinhai is otherwise unable to feel appreciative.

Jinhai's voice to Lolanthe was ever unperturbed if carrying the soft Brownian noise of dust therein, "That material is suitable for creating a temporary instance."

The fourth swirl eye returned and took up position in square formation as it looked to Dennison and the other humankind's question, "The Almanac contains several hundred tomes related to psychoacoustics. Most engineering is metadynamics in nature either arcane or channeled Aetherkind. A book on 'advanced sound engineering' exists that primarily deals in elemental transduction. Many are hazardous to humankind as they are arcane in nature. Humankind may choose for humankind. We are still learning about new technology of humankind. We cannot yet categorize it inside the Almanac. We must first create the loci."

Jinhai moved immediately into creating object the taskful creatures they were. Upon a open-faced palm an inky black cloud of fine silt motes emerges. Each creates a spark in that black nebula manifesting pieces of the bonded matter Jinhai consumed. At first little more than scraps of white as it created the backing wrinkled maroon veins spread across the growing page. Then tanned skin appears atop with flurries of red sparks as a sheet of cellulose backed human vellum is slowly constructed. A clear tattoo took shape in one corner as the vellum expanded proclaiming it Imperial Guard. As tides of construction manifested substrate atop the floating matte fog Jinhai began to write the loci from the inside out. The writing had some indefinable pattern at first but rapidly progressed as an iron weight on the tip of the tongue. The pattern itself calling out to another reality through any minds that might wrongly insist familiarity. The ink pulsed and writ inward a dense ink marking that grew in depth as edges of the vellum are reached.

It offered the patterned scroll to Lolanthe. The lines repeated in some dense pattern but the longer a mind stared at it the more likely it was to insist there was some reachable meaning there. As if staring at it tethered down the image of some distant locale if they just leaned over the cliff far enough. Though some minds might simply feel itching spiders behind one's eyeballs the psionic scrollwork that it was. Still, the creations of Jinhai were stable things nonetheless built for the minds of humankind.

"You must define the world to interface the Almanac so the Loci can connect you or seekers to Myrkul's Vein, Attestor Lolanthe, as you are inadequate to contain it entirely or touch its raw patterns. The answers the world is capable of expressing limit the answers and information the Almanac can provide to it.", the Jinhai advised without any stress in its dusty voice.

(I accidentally tagged wrong character so ignore Vorkens Dormon)

Trying not to look him in the eyes, Dennison addressed Dormon quietly and quickly.

"Don't worry about it. I got things to do."

Listening to Jinhai, Dennison found himself lost in translation many times. He was sure the being was relatively new to Earth, or at least lacked the perspective of the average earth dweller. As it altered the scroll with the otherworldly inscription, Dennison felt as though he was wildly out of depth. But if he wanted to get where he wanted to be, he would have to try everything. Dennison spoke thus.

"Lucky for you I'm not concerned with the technology of humankind. The name's Dennison Marker. Put that in your Almanac." Upon saying it, he realised that the creature was probably going to do so anyway. "Uhm... I would like to learn from your Almanac. I would be happy to pay for any information. If that would be possible, I would like to know what it would take and how."

He stood firmly a metres distance from Jinhai, doing his best to maintain a powerful poise. This was something Vox was far greater at.