Member
BlazingBark
rabidbacon
swift
Chronic
FaithfulMuse
Noctis
Master EffeX
Carlyle
(A collab between me and @Xaltwind)
With her orders given, Kath would begin to make her way to Charme's domain, almost skipping along as she made her way to the almost empty room that held the entrance to the Wishing Well. "Let's see... it was... faun's horns," she said, reaching up to yank on the statue's cornucopia. "Mermaid fin," she followed the statue's form until she was behind it, before twisting the fish woman's appendage. "And then... harpy, harpy, harpy... harpy wings, that's right." Finally, the dragonoid took the avian woman's wings and stretched them apart. Her great memory would be awarded with the sound of a click as the mechanisms within began to stir. Taking a seat upon the edge of the dry fountain, she would wait for the great elevator to complete it's descent into the Wishing Well.
Upon reaching the bottom, Kath pushed herself off the edge and landed gracefully. She would take a moment to brush off her dress of any dirt or dust that may have clung to it during her ride, before glancing up to watch the fountain ascend again. It was only after it had disappeared from sight that she turned back around to proceed to the next area. There before her sat the black door, it's gold trim in particular highlighting it from the blank walls that surrounded it. She knew a simple unlocking spell would do the trick in opening it, but the librarian was in no rush and she always enjoyed the occasional brain teaser, so she placed her hands behind her back and waited for it to tell its question.
Kath would then hear, within her head rather than through her ears, the voice. The voice sounded like that of both a man and a woman, speaking in perfect synchronization, without any lag or differing pronunciation, speed or the like. A perfect unison, though both voices sounded hollow and dry, empty and without feeling or spirit, cold. It asked the Dragonoid a single question, with a slight echoey tone.
"What name had the God of Hubris?" It asked uncaringly.
Unless Rodias had told her the answer, or unless Kath was familiar with ancient Greek mythology, she would not easily be able to guess the correct answer. Furthemore, she only had one shot at this, otherwise the Wishing Well's safety measures would activate, and Kath would have to either leave through the now raised fountain-elevator that she came down with, or get through the black door via other means.
“Hybris,” Kath would say aloud with a smile. While waiting for the door to inevitably grant her access after her answer, she would continue to give even more information than necessary. “Though she would be a goddess, not a god. Her name is where we derive the word ‘hubris’ from. She was also the offspring of Nyx and Erebus, the goddess of night and the god of dark, respectively. Very edgy parents.”
However, instead of opening, she would watch the door shift from black to red, revealing her answer to be incorrect. “What? But-” she began to say before the room began to fill with mudmen. “Oh, how annoying,” she’d say with humph as they began to approach.
Pulling out her Grimoire of the Beyond, she began to recite a spell from its many pages, pointing her fingers at the red door. “Open Greater Lock!” she called out, hoping that her incorrect answer hadn’t locked her out completely. All the while eyeing the ever approaching mudmen. She would prefer to not have them dirty her clothes.
The door did not change color, and as the slowly rising, and now shuffling, mudmen approached with schlorping noises, it seemed momentarily that Kath was going to have to endure a mud-bath. However, as soon as her spell struck the door, it glimmered for a bit and then swung open without a sound. This, of course, didn't stop the mudmen from their advance, but at least the Dragonoid could now move inside the Well and - hopefully - avoid a sticky situation.
Kath would begin to run toward the door, doing her best to twist and turn around the ever approaching hoard of mud. One in particular would slosh right into her path, trying its best to form a barrier of sludge. Only wanting to clear it from her path, the librarian would use a fairly low level fireball to blow it away, before charging through the door to safety. She thought she had enough distance that it wouldn’t get on her. She was wrong.
It was only a few spots, but with how light her clothing was, they might as well have been beacons in the night sky. “Ohhh,” she said, before licking her finger and trying to rub away the small bit of mud that had managed to get on her. As she did her best to clean herself up, she continued to make her way to the center of Charme’s domain.
Once through the small corridor that led from the Black Door into the alchemic workshop proper, Kath would be greeted by the same sight as Rodias had been upon his last departure. It was the Laboratory, though unlike when Rodias had left earlier, it was now abuzz with sound and motion. Alembics and retorts bubbled, fizzed and boiled with various liquids, a cauldron full of what looked like nuclear waste was bubbling over in a corner, the tesla coil-like machine was charging itself up with electricity and sparked and popped at random. The slab where the mangled mutant corpse had been earlier was now clear though, not a trace of it remained.
Charme herself was sitting at a stone desk, legs crossed and scribbling in a red notebook. She seemed very focused, so much so that she had either not heard Kath's approach, or was simply ignoring it in order to focus on her work. The pen danced with swift and precise movements and Charme's stare was unbroken, it didn't seem like she was even blinking as she penned down the words into her little book.
“Dr. Frankenstein would find himself quite at home here,” Kath would say as she took in her surroundings. This was the first time she had seen the Wishing Well with her own eyes and it was quite impressive, reminding her of the many gothic horror and science fiction she had in her library.
Approaching Charme, she would attempt to gain the Homunculus’ attention by clearing her throat. If that didn’t work though, she would stand by and wait for her to finish her work.
As soon as Kath got within eye-shot of the book that Charme was scribbling in though, the alchemist swiftly put her pen down and shut the book close. She sat up straight, in the rather comfortable-looking office chair she was seated in, and turned her head to Kath, a quizzical look upon her face. As she craned her head slightly thought, and looked past the librarian back towards the Black Door, which was now slowly fading from red back to its original color, an amused smirk crawl across the silver-haired beauty's face and she once more looked back to Kath.
"Well now, kitten." She said with a tinge of glee. "Had a little trouble with the door, did we?"
Kath’s cheeks changed to a light shade of pink as Charme seemed to notice the trouble she had run into on her way there. “I think I took the door’s question far too literally,” the librarian admitted, staring down at her feet with a sheepish look on her face.
The homunculus chuckled lightly, before motioning with her arm and hand towards the activated elevator that Rodias had previously re-connected to the rest of the Chateau. Charme raised an eyebrow playfully and smiled her practiced smile as she gestured towards it.
"I told that oaf to have you use the elevator... After all, my front door isn't designed to let just anyone in. Now look what happened, you've got muck and grime on you for no good reason." Charme said - having noticed the specks and stains on Kath's attire - and finally rose from her seat, though not before opening a drawer on her desk and quickly sliding the red notebook she'd been workin on into it, and then shutting it. "Would you like me to get rid of those stains before we get down to business, honey? I suppose you could ask the tuxedo-bones to launder your clothes but..." She paused and shrugged.
".. Seems a bit roundabout when I could just get rid of the dirt here and now." Charme offered, before adding. "Would you like somewhere to sit? Or some refreshments? It's not every day I get a cute little kitten come visit me." The woman offered, being surprisingly generous for being Charme... No, anyone who knew her would pick up on that the reclusive hermit wasn't acting quite right... Too bad most nobody in the Chateau, apart from the now gone Lords and Ladies of Bandersnatchers, did actually know anything about her.
“Oh, if you could that would be very kind. I don’t particularly enjoy looking so filthy,” Kath replied, obviously not used to having even a speck of dirt on her clothes. She could possibly have a single strand of hair sticking up on end and would probably refer to her appearance as disheveled and unorganized.
With Kath’s infrequent interactions with Charme, she wouldn’t pick up on the woman’s magnanimous demeanor for now, instead smiling to the usually more reserved homunculus and replying, “Yes, a cup of tea would be absolutely delightful.” It felt strange to be referred to as a kitten, but she supposed it wasn’t too inaccurate. After all, she didn’t much act like one would usually expect from a mighty dragon.
Rising from her lavish chair, Charme leisurely strolled over to stand close to Kath. Raising a hand, she materialized a small, irregularly shaped box from within her own hammer-space inventory. The carton looked odd, bright red and white in color, with exaggeratedly cartoonish text written on one side that said 'Stain-A-Way'. In YGGDRASIL, this item was a low-tier alchemic recipe, used on things with 'Dirty' or 'Grimy' denotations, to make them more valuable when vendored off to shops. Opening a small compartment on one of the thing’s sides, the homunculus gently shook the box, causing small white grains of powder to gently drop out and into Kath.
Almost at once, any remaining mud dried up in an instant, and crumbled off without any further need to do anything. The stains that were left seemed to just fizzle and fade out, until they were all but gone and none could tell that they'd ever been there to begin with. After Charme inspected Kath, from most all angles except for maybe directly underneath her skirt, and nodded contently that all signs of muck and dirt had been successfully removed.
"Well then, let's go somewhere a bit more relaxing, yes?" She said, returning her detergent to the ether-space it had come from. "This place isn't exactly fit for some girl-talk." Charme added, with a playful wink.
As she had done with Rodias before, she straightened her posture, took a breath and focused her blue eyes on nothing in particular. Then she spoke the words.
"Lounge."
Just as before, all the furniture, all the alchemic instruments, the walls, the floor, the ceiling and everything except for Kath and Charme, turned to grainy, flickering dots of white, black and grey, like the static on a TV with no channels. Kath would also be subjected to the rotating and swirling feeling of being in a far-too-quickly-spinning amusement park's teacup, as the form of the Wishing Well changed at the command of its mistress. The ordeal only lasted for a few seconds though.
Then, as if nothing had happened, Kath found herself in a completely different environment. Gone were the cauldron, alembics, retorts and Frankenstein-esque laboratory, replaced instead by a much more pleasant area. Dark blue panelled walls, dark wood floors, a large square carpet, a lit open fireplace over by one of the far walls, a luxurious looking leather couch, accompanied by three leather arm chairs, which a black-framed glass table stood in between. The soft orbs of light that usually floated about in the Well dimmed in intensity, giving the area a murky, but relaxing atmosphere. Kath would also notice that, upon the aforementioned table, was a small silver tea set, a decanter with what looked to be some kind of lemonade or perhaps a citrus-based energy drink? Along with a small plate of what most assuredly were biscuits. It seemed Charme had prepared for this visit... Or perhaps this room was always like this, in case of visitors? It was impossible to know without asking.
In addition to this though, there was also a large, rectangular and upright aquarium, which was illuminated by small magic crystals. Common goldfish swam around lazily inside. There was also a black, grand piano off in one corner, with a set of sheet music placed above the keys. It all seemed very fancy, but then again Charme was the resident 'entertainer' for the lords and ladies of Bandersnatch, despite the grumblings of her creator, so in a sense this sort of layout was to be perhaps expected of her.
Moving over to one of the armchairs, Charme sat down, with a soft squeak from the leather, and crossed her legs. Leaning slightly forward, she poured a cup of tea for Kath in one of the two empty cups, and then some for herself. Sitting back up, she patted the armrest of her chair as she looked back over to the Dragonoid.
"C'mon then, sweetie. We've got a lot to talk about, and not much time to do so I'm afraid."
After the dirt and mud had left her clothes and Kath had graciously thanked Charme for her help, she would have the pleasure to see with her own eyes just how the homunculus’ domain shifted and changed to meet its masters needs. It was quite the sight. “Wow, so that’s what it looks like,” she said. Of course, her library somewhat changed as well, but not nearly on this scale with it being confined only to the countless shelves that made up The Athenaeum of Historia, and it was always while no one was looking. There was really no comparison.
Back to the new room itself though, the librarian was practically smiling ear to ear as she saw the new theme the room took. This was absolutely perfect. Everything looked so nice and quaint. If not for the fact that she would lose her easy access to her books and her desire to not intrude upon Charme’s home, she could easily see herself making this place her new private reading room. Any thoughts of ghoulish mudmen or macabre laboratories had completely left her mind as she marveled at the lounge.
Happy to accept the invitation, Kath would sit upon the cushion next to Charme after reaching down to make sure her dress didn’t become ruffled as she did so. “Yes, you’re quite right,” she said, picking up the teacup made for her and bringing it to her mouth. She took a moment to relish in its scent before tipping it back and bringing the warm liquid to her lips, daintily sipping it.
Placing her cup back down on its saucer, she asked, “So where do you think we should begin?”
Charme smiled softly back at Kath, taking a sip from her own cup, before gently putting it back down on the saucer with a soft clink. She then proceeded to speak in her typical manner.
"Let's just cut the chase, alright? I never did like beating around the bush." She said bluntly. "I called you here, dear, for three reasons. The first, obviously, is how we're going to go about the whole travelling to and investigating that city our stallion wants us to visit." She said, holding up a hand and a single finger, then raising another. "The second is that I'd like to watch you cast a spell on yourself. To be precise, I'd like you to cast something like [False Life] or [Misinformation]." After which, she raised her third finger. "Finally, and most importantly-" Charme narrowed her eyes and leaned closer to Kath. She was still smiling, but there was something about her eyes that made it clear she wasn't happy. "-I'd like it if you could let me read through all the books with records from when we first arrived in this new, strange world." She said.
Charme leaned back again, reached her raised arm out and gingerly grabbed a biscuit, which she then brought back to her mouth and took a small bite from. Chewing the little crumbly snack, and swallowing, she continued.
"As you're aware, I wasn't exactly present during the initial stages of our.. Heh, relocation." She almost chuckled at the word. "So I've missed out on a great deal of what's been said and done throughout the Chateau. In particular, I'd like to read any logs pertaining to our dear Chapter Keepers and anything involving Rodias." The homunculus stated, flat and bluntly. "It'd be useful for me to catch up on everything that's been going on, don't you think?" She asked, though it was an obviously insincere question. "But each thing in it's own time. It's not like I'd have time to read through all of that right now, so why don't leave that discussion for when we get back home, okay kitten? For now, let's focus on points one and two." The woman then said, smiling warmly with closed eyes, as if the uneasy and somewhat implicative air from before had been all but blown away.
Stallion? A strange name for Rodias in Kath’s opinion, though it wasn’t important enough for her to bring up. So she sat patiently and listened to the three things that Charme wished to discuss with her.
“My dragon form has the ability to fly. It would draw much attention to myself, but if I’m able to travel at night and make sure to land far enough away from the city, my presence should remain mostly undetected. At best, I believe rumors may spread of a dragon flying through the night sky, but unless such creatures are extremely common in this land and we have only been unlucky to not see them ourselves, I believe any witnesses should be dismissed,” she explained. “If you have a better idea though, I’d be happy to hear it.”
Kath would take another sip of her tea before sitting back up and summoning her tome of spells. “As for your second request,” she said before casting False Life with no problem. According to Charme’s eyes, the librarian now looked no stronger than a normal, human girl. Though her horns and tail gave away that her stats were very misleading.
“And finally, your last request. Even if you say it is unimportant compared to the first two, you’ll be happy to know that my library is open to everyone, as long as they tell me they’re taking a book or leave behind a notification for when I return to the Athenaeum. All except for the Forbidden Section, though you’ll know not to go inside when you see it. Most if not all of the records on recent events should be public though, so no need to worry about losing access to such information.”
Charme chuckled slightly when Kath revealed her plan for how to get to the city. It wasn't exactly what Charme had meant or wanted to discuss, but it did bring up something the alchemist had neglected to consider.
"And how would I keep up with you then, dear?" She said in amusement. "Unlike you Chapter Keepers, I wasn't exactly built for huffing long distances or traversing unforgiving terrain. Sure, I can use my coat to fly around a bit, but that's no faster than walking... And I believe Rodias would prefer it if we didn't do anything that drew too much attention., regardless of it being dismissed as a fever-dream or drunken hallucination." The silver-haired woman said, finishing off the remaining bit of her biscuit before going on. "No, I think we should ask the vampires for one or two horses. I can make us a carriage through transmutation, this way we can arrive without having to do needless things like worry about the time of day, or wherever we're seen or not."
Kath nodded in response. While she could have just had Charme ride upon her back for their trip, taking the carriage would draw them much less attention and was most likely the better option. Besides, she always preferred staying in her human form much more than her dragon.
Charme pulled out her slender pipe, but didn't light or fill it. instead, she put it down on the table next to her own tea, before returning to look back at Kath. A sigh escaped her lips.
"Sweetie." She said, eyebrows angled into diagonals and a small frown on her face. "I wanted you to cast the spell when I'd gotten a bit prepared... Copying a spell down onto a scroll requires a bit of prep-work." She stated, revealing her intent as to why she had wanted to see the spell in the first place. "Unlike you, I'm not a very accomplished mage and don't know many spells by heart. However, I can copy spells I see others cast, provided I've got what I need ready..." She trailed off before adding. "... So how long does it last?"
“About thirty minutes I believe, though once we’re inside the city I should be able to reapply it to myself before it dissipates,” the librarian said. “Sorry, the way you said it made it sound like you wanted me to do it now at this very moment.”
After the crickets were done chirping.
The homunculus merely nodded at Kath's response about the books. It seemed that getting a hold of them wouldn't be an issue, and the dragonoid seemed accommodating enough about the entire thing. How fortunate, for Charme had half-expected the librarian to be suspicious or more protective of her collection - but if she was willing to lend her records out, all the better. Still, now wasn't the time to start sifting through what everyone else had been saying and doing up until this point - for now, they'd have to finish their business and then get ready to set off.
“So how long will it take to copy my spell?” she asked, preparing for a long wait if necessary. At least she had some delicious tea to enjoy during her wait if it would be long.
"Not long. Like I said, dear, I just need to be actually prepared." Charme said off-handedly, before pointing to her own eyes, smiling softly. "I'll just need to use one of my own Thaumaturgic spells before you cast your spell, and that should be all it takes." She finished explaining. But, since the two were going to be here for a while, Charme took this opportunity to finish the tea in her own cup, before leaning back in the couch and stretching her arms above her head, making a slight 'mmm'-ing noise as she did - which also caused certain parts of her torso to first rise, and then gently bounce lightly as she relaxed once more. Looking sideways over at Kath, a mischievous grin crawled onto her face.
"So, while we wait, sweetie." She said, voice sweet like honey. "Why don't you share some of your juicy doings with me, hm?" Her eyes were aglow with mischief! "Had a steamy rendevouz with our stallion yet? Or perhaps you fancy someone else in our halls? It's alright, nobody here will know, except me." She scooched a bit closer to Kath and leaned forward, smiling - no - grinning at the dragonoid.
While Kath would see Charme’s stretch cause her generous chest to bounce, she would not focus on it, diverting her eyes away so as to not make the homunculus feel embarrassed. Or at least she would expect her to feel embarrassed about such an action. The librarian knew she would if her’s was much more pronounced.
However, while that hadn’t caused her cheeks to suddenly change to a scarlet color, Charme’s next question certainly would. “S-steamy rendezvous? You mean like-” she began to say, though she knew exactly what the alchemist was insinuating. “No, my relationship with our lord and the other members of the chateau is strictly professional,” Kath said, before taking another sip of her tea. “W-why do you ask? Is there anyone here that you might fancy?”
Charme let out a slight 'Mhmhmhm~'--like laugh at the now somewhat hot and bothered librarian, clearly amused by the other woman's more straightlaced and prudish nature. As Kath asked her own question in rebuttal, possibly to try and make Charme feel embarrassed in turn, the homunculus merely tilted her head ever-so-slightly sideways and smiled mischievously, with naughty half-closed eyes.
"Now, I wonder~ Is there anyone I fancy, hmm?" She playfully said while watching Kath try and distract herself by drinking more of the tea. It was cute, in a way. Still, Charme had more tact than to press on and make others feel uncomfortable, and if Kath wasn't willing to share some juicy gossip, that was fine. There'd be ample opportunity to tease and question her while on their trip to the city later anyway. For the next odd minutes or so, the two women merely spoke about trivial matters and things of no concern. When the time came close to Kath's spell wearing off however, Charme put down her tea cup on its saucer again and rose from the couch.
"[Eyes of Plagiarism]." She said, monotonously. A brief pulse of light green energy surrounded the alchemist, before disappearing just as quickly as it had arrived. However, as Charme turned to face Kath, the dragonoid would notice that the homunculus' eyes were no longer blue, but rather a very intense green, and her pupils seemed slightly larger than before. Smiling, the woman spoke in a friendly manner. "There we go, preparations are all complete. You can go ahead and re-cast your spell now, kitten."
“Ah yes, I almost forgot all about that, I was so caught up in our conversation,” Kath admitted, before placing her tea down. Just as before, she summoned her book and read off the spell’s name while her fingers glided through the air to cast it upon herself. Charme would again witness False Life have its usual effect on her guest’s stats, now with her Eyes of Plagiarism ability in effect.
“How was that?” she asked with a smile.
"Perfect, thank you darling." Charme responded, a soft smile on her face. Almost immediately, a quill and parchment materialized out of empty space, most likely from the homunculus' own inventory, and she began to scribble something on it with practiced perfection. Within moments, she was all done and - as a special reward for her little assistant - Charme flipped the scroll around to show it to Kath.
"One [Scroll of False Life]." She was almost looking as if she'd won something. "... And with this, I can duplicate the scroll as many times as needed. You've been a wonderful help, kitten." Charme said, before dismissing both quill and scroll. "However, you never did answer me about my carriage-idea..." She trailed off.
With Charme’s look of victory, Kath couldn’t help but feel the need to clap, as if she had just watched a friend successfully pull something from a claw machine in an arcade. “Always happy to be of service,” she said with a nod.
At the mention of the carriage, Kath smiled and replied, “A carriage ride through the countryside together sounds lovely. I’m sure we’ll still find much to talk about to pass the time as we watch trees and animals roll on by.”
Charme laughed lightly at the almost romantic-sounding description that the librarian had given her idea of riding in a wagon. Still, it would be a far better idea than trying to approach the town with Kath's true form, or travelling by foot - given the relative distance. Charme was an indoor-person after all, and walking around outside, getting blistered feet and sweaty from an intense sun was something she'd prefer to avoid if at all possible. It seemed though, at least for now, that their business had come to a close.
"Very well, I'll see about arranging everything we need." The homunculus off-handedly said. "I'll contact the beast pens and see if I can get a horse from there. If not, I'll just whip something together for this one purpose. Now then, is there anything you need, dear? '' Charme asked, folding both arms underneath her chest and looking at Kath with a raised eyebrow.
“Hmm…” Kath said, placing an index finger on her chin as she tried her best to think back to the past few days. Was there anything she needed from Charme? She couldn’t recall anything. Though perhaps…
“Ah, yes. There is something,” the librarian said with a bright smile. “I must know, what do you use for your tea? This is the most splendid mixture of leaves and herbs I’ve had since the Chateau was brought here.”
Charme would stare at Kath. A look of absolute dumbfoundedness, or perhaps disbelief, plastered on her face. Then she laughed, holding one hand in front of her mouth in a vain attempt to cover it. It seemed the dragonoid had asked something that the alchemist hadn't quite expected. Once she composed herself though, Charme smiled and shook her head.
"It's just your average [Darjeeling Tea]." She replied. "Though I did some of my alchemic know-how to improve it." She replied, giving Kath a knowing smile with one eye closed. It seemed Charme's abilities could be used for more than just brewing tinctures and elixirs. "Now then, sweetie." She added shortly thereafter, gesturing for the now-active Guild elevator over by one of the walls. "I suggest you hurry on back to your library and get things ready. I'll meet you down at the foot of the mountain once I've gotten everything ready, alright?" She said, before quickly adding with an upward-pointing index finger. "Oh, and I'd like to have a look at that cipher for the native alphabet you made."
“I’ll have to come visit more often than, so I can enjoy it more,” Kath said with a smile and a curtsy as she left her seat to make her way to the elevator. “I’ll see you there.” Waving goodbye to Charme, the homunculus would get to see her ascend as the machinery began to awake. “Of course, come by anytime you like. I made several copies,” the librarian’s voice could be heard as distance caused it to begin to fade.
The journey would progress fairly well, their carriage ride together being filled with conversation between the two women of learning. When their talk would occasionally grow into silence, Kath would simply go right back to reading the book she had brought with her for the journey until something caught one or the other’s attention and they struck up another conversation. Noticeably, it wasn’t her cipher that she was reading, though the fact that she was the one that had written it, she probably memorized its contents much better than anyone else who had checked out a copy from The Athenaeum of Historia.
Once they had made it past the city’s gates, the librarian’s attention would turn to the architecture around her. She was so used to the Chateau that seeing tall, multi-story buildings made of stone and such was almost strange for her, as it did not share the similar designs of the chapters back home.
Upon reaching the bottom, Kath pushed herself off the edge and landed gracefully. She would take a moment to brush off her dress of any dirt or dust that may have clung to it during her ride, before glancing up to watch the fountain ascend again. It was only after it had disappeared from sight that she turned back around to proceed to the next area. There before her sat the black door, it's gold trim in particular highlighting it from the blank walls that surrounded it. She knew a simple unlocking spell would do the trick in opening it, but the librarian was in no rush and she always enjoyed the occasional brain teaser, so she placed her hands behind her back and waited for it to tell its question.
Kath would then hear, within her head rather than through her ears, the voice. The voice sounded like that of both a man and a woman, speaking in perfect synchronization, without any lag or differing pronunciation, speed or the like. A perfect unison, though both voices sounded hollow and dry, empty and without feeling or spirit, cold. It asked the Dragonoid a single question, with a slight echoey tone.
"What name had the God of Hubris?" It asked uncaringly.
Unless Rodias had told her the answer, or unless Kath was familiar with ancient Greek mythology, she would not easily be able to guess the correct answer. Furthemore, she only had one shot at this, otherwise the Wishing Well's safety measures would activate, and Kath would have to either leave through the now raised fountain-elevator that she came down with, or get through the black door via other means.
“Hybris,” Kath would say aloud with a smile. While waiting for the door to inevitably grant her access after her answer, she would continue to give even more information than necessary. “Though she would be a goddess, not a god. Her name is where we derive the word ‘hubris’ from. She was also the offspring of Nyx and Erebus, the goddess of night and the god of dark, respectively. Very edgy parents.”
However, instead of opening, she would watch the door shift from black to red, revealing her answer to be incorrect. “What? But-” she began to say before the room began to fill with mudmen. “Oh, how annoying,” she’d say with humph as they began to approach.
Pulling out her Grimoire of the Beyond, she began to recite a spell from its many pages, pointing her fingers at the red door. “Open Greater Lock!” she called out, hoping that her incorrect answer hadn’t locked her out completely. All the while eyeing the ever approaching mudmen. She would prefer to not have them dirty her clothes.
The door did not change color, and as the slowly rising, and now shuffling, mudmen approached with schlorping noises, it seemed momentarily that Kath was going to have to endure a mud-bath. However, as soon as her spell struck the door, it glimmered for a bit and then swung open without a sound. This, of course, didn't stop the mudmen from their advance, but at least the Dragonoid could now move inside the Well and - hopefully - avoid a sticky situation.
Kath would begin to run toward the door, doing her best to twist and turn around the ever approaching hoard of mud. One in particular would slosh right into her path, trying its best to form a barrier of sludge. Only wanting to clear it from her path, the librarian would use a fairly low level fireball to blow it away, before charging through the door to safety. She thought she had enough distance that it wouldn’t get on her. She was wrong.
It was only a few spots, but with how light her clothing was, they might as well have been beacons in the night sky. “Ohhh,” she said, before licking her finger and trying to rub away the small bit of mud that had managed to get on her. As she did her best to clean herself up, she continued to make her way to the center of Charme’s domain.
Once through the small corridor that led from the Black Door into the alchemic workshop proper, Kath would be greeted by the same sight as Rodias had been upon his last departure. It was the Laboratory, though unlike when Rodias had left earlier, it was now abuzz with sound and motion. Alembics and retorts bubbled, fizzed and boiled with various liquids, a cauldron full of what looked like nuclear waste was bubbling over in a corner, the tesla coil-like machine was charging itself up with electricity and sparked and popped at random. The slab where the mangled mutant corpse had been earlier was now clear though, not a trace of it remained.
Charme herself was sitting at a stone desk, legs crossed and scribbling in a red notebook. She seemed very focused, so much so that she had either not heard Kath's approach, or was simply ignoring it in order to focus on her work. The pen danced with swift and precise movements and Charme's stare was unbroken, it didn't seem like she was even blinking as she penned down the words into her little book.
“Dr. Frankenstein would find himself quite at home here,” Kath would say as she took in her surroundings. This was the first time she had seen the Wishing Well with her own eyes and it was quite impressive, reminding her of the many gothic horror and science fiction she had in her library.
Approaching Charme, she would attempt to gain the Homunculus’ attention by clearing her throat. If that didn’t work though, she would stand by and wait for her to finish her work.
As soon as Kath got within eye-shot of the book that Charme was scribbling in though, the alchemist swiftly put her pen down and shut the book close. She sat up straight, in the rather comfortable-looking office chair she was seated in, and turned her head to Kath, a quizzical look upon her face. As she craned her head slightly thought, and looked past the librarian back towards the Black Door, which was now slowly fading from red back to its original color, an amused smirk crawl across the silver-haired beauty's face and she once more looked back to Kath.
"Well now, kitten." She said with a tinge of glee. "Had a little trouble with the door, did we?"
Kath’s cheeks changed to a light shade of pink as Charme seemed to notice the trouble she had run into on her way there. “I think I took the door’s question far too literally,” the librarian admitted, staring down at her feet with a sheepish look on her face.
The homunculus chuckled lightly, before motioning with her arm and hand towards the activated elevator that Rodias had previously re-connected to the rest of the Chateau. Charme raised an eyebrow playfully and smiled her practiced smile as she gestured towards it.
"I told that oaf to have you use the elevator... After all, my front door isn't designed to let just anyone in. Now look what happened, you've got muck and grime on you for no good reason." Charme said - having noticed the specks and stains on Kath's attire - and finally rose from her seat, though not before opening a drawer on her desk and quickly sliding the red notebook she'd been workin on into it, and then shutting it. "Would you like me to get rid of those stains before we get down to business, honey? I suppose you could ask the tuxedo-bones to launder your clothes but..." She paused and shrugged.
".. Seems a bit roundabout when I could just get rid of the dirt here and now." Charme offered, before adding. "Would you like somewhere to sit? Or some refreshments? It's not every day I get a cute little kitten come visit me." The woman offered, being surprisingly generous for being Charme... No, anyone who knew her would pick up on that the reclusive hermit wasn't acting quite right... Too bad most nobody in the Chateau, apart from the now gone Lords and Ladies of Bandersnatchers, did actually know anything about her.
“Oh, if you could that would be very kind. I don’t particularly enjoy looking so filthy,” Kath replied, obviously not used to having even a speck of dirt on her clothes. She could possibly have a single strand of hair sticking up on end and would probably refer to her appearance as disheveled and unorganized.
With Kath’s infrequent interactions with Charme, she wouldn’t pick up on the woman’s magnanimous demeanor for now, instead smiling to the usually more reserved homunculus and replying, “Yes, a cup of tea would be absolutely delightful.” It felt strange to be referred to as a kitten, but she supposed it wasn’t too inaccurate. After all, she didn’t much act like one would usually expect from a mighty dragon.
Rising from her lavish chair, Charme leisurely strolled over to stand close to Kath. Raising a hand, she materialized a small, irregularly shaped box from within her own hammer-space inventory. The carton looked odd, bright red and white in color, with exaggeratedly cartoonish text written on one side that said 'Stain-A-Way'. In YGGDRASIL, this item was a low-tier alchemic recipe, used on things with 'Dirty' or 'Grimy' denotations, to make them more valuable when vendored off to shops. Opening a small compartment on one of the thing’s sides, the homunculus gently shook the box, causing small white grains of powder to gently drop out and into Kath.
Almost at once, any remaining mud dried up in an instant, and crumbled off without any further need to do anything. The stains that were left seemed to just fizzle and fade out, until they were all but gone and none could tell that they'd ever been there to begin with. After Charme inspected Kath, from most all angles except for maybe directly underneath her skirt, and nodded contently that all signs of muck and dirt had been successfully removed.
"Well then, let's go somewhere a bit more relaxing, yes?" She said, returning her detergent to the ether-space it had come from. "This place isn't exactly fit for some girl-talk." Charme added, with a playful wink.
As she had done with Rodias before, she straightened her posture, took a breath and focused her blue eyes on nothing in particular. Then she spoke the words.
"Lounge."
Just as before, all the furniture, all the alchemic instruments, the walls, the floor, the ceiling and everything except for Kath and Charme, turned to grainy, flickering dots of white, black and grey, like the static on a TV with no channels. Kath would also be subjected to the rotating and swirling feeling of being in a far-too-quickly-spinning amusement park's teacup, as the form of the Wishing Well changed at the command of its mistress. The ordeal only lasted for a few seconds though.
Then, as if nothing had happened, Kath found herself in a completely different environment. Gone were the cauldron, alembics, retorts and Frankenstein-esque laboratory, replaced instead by a much more pleasant area. Dark blue panelled walls, dark wood floors, a large square carpet, a lit open fireplace over by one of the far walls, a luxurious looking leather couch, accompanied by three leather arm chairs, which a black-framed glass table stood in between. The soft orbs of light that usually floated about in the Well dimmed in intensity, giving the area a murky, but relaxing atmosphere. Kath would also notice that, upon the aforementioned table, was a small silver tea set, a decanter with what looked to be some kind of lemonade or perhaps a citrus-based energy drink? Along with a small plate of what most assuredly were biscuits. It seemed Charme had prepared for this visit... Or perhaps this room was always like this, in case of visitors? It was impossible to know without asking.
In addition to this though, there was also a large, rectangular and upright aquarium, which was illuminated by small magic crystals. Common goldfish swam around lazily inside. There was also a black, grand piano off in one corner, with a set of sheet music placed above the keys. It all seemed very fancy, but then again Charme was the resident 'entertainer' for the lords and ladies of Bandersnatch, despite the grumblings of her creator, so in a sense this sort of layout was to be perhaps expected of her.
Moving over to one of the armchairs, Charme sat down, with a soft squeak from the leather, and crossed her legs. Leaning slightly forward, she poured a cup of tea for Kath in one of the two empty cups, and then some for herself. Sitting back up, she patted the armrest of her chair as she looked back over to the Dragonoid.
"C'mon then, sweetie. We've got a lot to talk about, and not much time to do so I'm afraid."
After the dirt and mud had left her clothes and Kath had graciously thanked Charme for her help, she would have the pleasure to see with her own eyes just how the homunculus’ domain shifted and changed to meet its masters needs. It was quite the sight. “Wow, so that’s what it looks like,” she said. Of course, her library somewhat changed as well, but not nearly on this scale with it being confined only to the countless shelves that made up The Athenaeum of Historia, and it was always while no one was looking. There was really no comparison.
Back to the new room itself though, the librarian was practically smiling ear to ear as she saw the new theme the room took. This was absolutely perfect. Everything looked so nice and quaint. If not for the fact that she would lose her easy access to her books and her desire to not intrude upon Charme’s home, she could easily see herself making this place her new private reading room. Any thoughts of ghoulish mudmen or macabre laboratories had completely left her mind as she marveled at the lounge.
Happy to accept the invitation, Kath would sit upon the cushion next to Charme after reaching down to make sure her dress didn’t become ruffled as she did so. “Yes, you’re quite right,” she said, picking up the teacup made for her and bringing it to her mouth. She took a moment to relish in its scent before tipping it back and bringing the warm liquid to her lips, daintily sipping it.
Placing her cup back down on its saucer, she asked, “So where do you think we should begin?”
Charme smiled softly back at Kath, taking a sip from her own cup, before gently putting it back down on the saucer with a soft clink. She then proceeded to speak in her typical manner.
"Let's just cut the chase, alright? I never did like beating around the bush." She said bluntly. "I called you here, dear, for three reasons. The first, obviously, is how we're going to go about the whole travelling to and investigating that city our stallion wants us to visit." She said, holding up a hand and a single finger, then raising another. "The second is that I'd like to watch you cast a spell on yourself. To be precise, I'd like you to cast something like [False Life] or [Misinformation]." After which, she raised her third finger. "Finally, and most importantly-" Charme narrowed her eyes and leaned closer to Kath. She was still smiling, but there was something about her eyes that made it clear she wasn't happy. "-I'd like it if you could let me read through all the books with records from when we first arrived in this new, strange world." She said.
Charme leaned back again, reached her raised arm out and gingerly grabbed a biscuit, which she then brought back to her mouth and took a small bite from. Chewing the little crumbly snack, and swallowing, she continued.
"As you're aware, I wasn't exactly present during the initial stages of our.. Heh, relocation." She almost chuckled at the word. "So I've missed out on a great deal of what's been said and done throughout the Chateau. In particular, I'd like to read any logs pertaining to our dear Chapter Keepers and anything involving Rodias." The homunculus stated, flat and bluntly. "It'd be useful for me to catch up on everything that's been going on, don't you think?" She asked, though it was an obviously insincere question. "But each thing in it's own time. It's not like I'd have time to read through all of that right now, so why don't leave that discussion for when we get back home, okay kitten? For now, let's focus on points one and two." The woman then said, smiling warmly with closed eyes, as if the uneasy and somewhat implicative air from before had been all but blown away.
Stallion? A strange name for Rodias in Kath’s opinion, though it wasn’t important enough for her to bring up. So she sat patiently and listened to the three things that Charme wished to discuss with her.
“My dragon form has the ability to fly. It would draw much attention to myself, but if I’m able to travel at night and make sure to land far enough away from the city, my presence should remain mostly undetected. At best, I believe rumors may spread of a dragon flying through the night sky, but unless such creatures are extremely common in this land and we have only been unlucky to not see them ourselves, I believe any witnesses should be dismissed,” she explained. “If you have a better idea though, I’d be happy to hear it.”
Kath would take another sip of her tea before sitting back up and summoning her tome of spells. “As for your second request,” she said before casting False Life with no problem. According to Charme’s eyes, the librarian now looked no stronger than a normal, human girl. Though her horns and tail gave away that her stats were very misleading.
“And finally, your last request. Even if you say it is unimportant compared to the first two, you’ll be happy to know that my library is open to everyone, as long as they tell me they’re taking a book or leave behind a notification for when I return to the Athenaeum. All except for the Forbidden Section, though you’ll know not to go inside when you see it. Most if not all of the records on recent events should be public though, so no need to worry about losing access to such information.”
Charme chuckled slightly when Kath revealed her plan for how to get to the city. It wasn't exactly what Charme had meant or wanted to discuss, but it did bring up something the alchemist had neglected to consider.
"And how would I keep up with you then, dear?" She said in amusement. "Unlike you Chapter Keepers, I wasn't exactly built for huffing long distances or traversing unforgiving terrain. Sure, I can use my coat to fly around a bit, but that's no faster than walking... And I believe Rodias would prefer it if we didn't do anything that drew too much attention., regardless of it being dismissed as a fever-dream or drunken hallucination." The silver-haired woman said, finishing off the remaining bit of her biscuit before going on. "No, I think we should ask the vampires for one or two horses. I can make us a carriage through transmutation, this way we can arrive without having to do needless things like worry about the time of day, or wherever we're seen or not."
Kath nodded in response. While she could have just had Charme ride upon her back for their trip, taking the carriage would draw them much less attention and was most likely the better option. Besides, she always preferred staying in her human form much more than her dragon.
Charme pulled out her slender pipe, but didn't light or fill it. instead, she put it down on the table next to her own tea, before returning to look back at Kath. A sigh escaped her lips.
"Sweetie." She said, eyebrows angled into diagonals and a small frown on her face. "I wanted you to cast the spell when I'd gotten a bit prepared... Copying a spell down onto a scroll requires a bit of prep-work." She stated, revealing her intent as to why she had wanted to see the spell in the first place. "Unlike you, I'm not a very accomplished mage and don't know many spells by heart. However, I can copy spells I see others cast, provided I've got what I need ready..." She trailed off before adding. "... So how long does it last?"
“About thirty minutes I believe, though once we’re inside the city I should be able to reapply it to myself before it dissipates,” the librarian said. “Sorry, the way you said it made it sound like you wanted me to do it now at this very moment.”
After the crickets were done chirping.
The homunculus merely nodded at Kath's response about the books. It seemed that getting a hold of them wouldn't be an issue, and the dragonoid seemed accommodating enough about the entire thing. How fortunate, for Charme had half-expected the librarian to be suspicious or more protective of her collection - but if she was willing to lend her records out, all the better. Still, now wasn't the time to start sifting through what everyone else had been saying and doing up until this point - for now, they'd have to finish their business and then get ready to set off.
“So how long will it take to copy my spell?” she asked, preparing for a long wait if necessary. At least she had some delicious tea to enjoy during her wait if it would be long.
"Not long. Like I said, dear, I just need to be actually prepared." Charme said off-handedly, before pointing to her own eyes, smiling softly. "I'll just need to use one of my own Thaumaturgic spells before you cast your spell, and that should be all it takes." She finished explaining. But, since the two were going to be here for a while, Charme took this opportunity to finish the tea in her own cup, before leaning back in the couch and stretching her arms above her head, making a slight 'mmm'-ing noise as she did - which also caused certain parts of her torso to first rise, and then gently bounce lightly as she relaxed once more. Looking sideways over at Kath, a mischievous grin crawled onto her face.
"So, while we wait, sweetie." She said, voice sweet like honey. "Why don't you share some of your juicy doings with me, hm?" Her eyes were aglow with mischief! "Had a steamy rendevouz with our stallion yet? Or perhaps you fancy someone else in our halls? It's alright, nobody here will know, except me." She scooched a bit closer to Kath and leaned forward, smiling - no - grinning at the dragonoid.
While Kath would see Charme’s stretch cause her generous chest to bounce, she would not focus on it, diverting her eyes away so as to not make the homunculus feel embarrassed. Or at least she would expect her to feel embarrassed about such an action. The librarian knew she would if her’s was much more pronounced.
However, while that hadn’t caused her cheeks to suddenly change to a scarlet color, Charme’s next question certainly would. “S-steamy rendezvous? You mean like-” she began to say, though she knew exactly what the alchemist was insinuating. “No, my relationship with our lord and the other members of the chateau is strictly professional,” Kath said, before taking another sip of her tea. “W-why do you ask? Is there anyone here that you might fancy?”
Charme let out a slight 'Mhmhmhm~'--like laugh at the now somewhat hot and bothered librarian, clearly amused by the other woman's more straightlaced and prudish nature. As Kath asked her own question in rebuttal, possibly to try and make Charme feel embarrassed in turn, the homunculus merely tilted her head ever-so-slightly sideways and smiled mischievously, with naughty half-closed eyes.
"Now, I wonder~ Is there anyone I fancy, hmm?" She playfully said while watching Kath try and distract herself by drinking more of the tea. It was cute, in a way. Still, Charme had more tact than to press on and make others feel uncomfortable, and if Kath wasn't willing to share some juicy gossip, that was fine. There'd be ample opportunity to tease and question her while on their trip to the city later anyway. For the next odd minutes or so, the two women merely spoke about trivial matters and things of no concern. When the time came close to Kath's spell wearing off however, Charme put down her tea cup on its saucer again and rose from the couch.
"[Eyes of Plagiarism]." She said, monotonously. A brief pulse of light green energy surrounded the alchemist, before disappearing just as quickly as it had arrived. However, as Charme turned to face Kath, the dragonoid would notice that the homunculus' eyes were no longer blue, but rather a very intense green, and her pupils seemed slightly larger than before. Smiling, the woman spoke in a friendly manner. "There we go, preparations are all complete. You can go ahead and re-cast your spell now, kitten."
“Ah yes, I almost forgot all about that, I was so caught up in our conversation,” Kath admitted, before placing her tea down. Just as before, she summoned her book and read off the spell’s name while her fingers glided through the air to cast it upon herself. Charme would again witness False Life have its usual effect on her guest’s stats, now with her Eyes of Plagiarism ability in effect.
“How was that?” she asked with a smile.
"Perfect, thank you darling." Charme responded, a soft smile on her face. Almost immediately, a quill and parchment materialized out of empty space, most likely from the homunculus' own inventory, and she began to scribble something on it with practiced perfection. Within moments, she was all done and - as a special reward for her little assistant - Charme flipped the scroll around to show it to Kath.
"One [Scroll of False Life]." She was almost looking as if she'd won something. "... And with this, I can duplicate the scroll as many times as needed. You've been a wonderful help, kitten." Charme said, before dismissing both quill and scroll. "However, you never did answer me about my carriage-idea..." She trailed off.
With Charme’s look of victory, Kath couldn’t help but feel the need to clap, as if she had just watched a friend successfully pull something from a claw machine in an arcade. “Always happy to be of service,” she said with a nod.
At the mention of the carriage, Kath smiled and replied, “A carriage ride through the countryside together sounds lovely. I’m sure we’ll still find much to talk about to pass the time as we watch trees and animals roll on by.”
Charme laughed lightly at the almost romantic-sounding description that the librarian had given her idea of riding in a wagon. Still, it would be a far better idea than trying to approach the town with Kath's true form, or travelling by foot - given the relative distance. Charme was an indoor-person after all, and walking around outside, getting blistered feet and sweaty from an intense sun was something she'd prefer to avoid if at all possible. It seemed though, at least for now, that their business had come to a close.
"Very well, I'll see about arranging everything we need." The homunculus off-handedly said. "I'll contact the beast pens and see if I can get a horse from there. If not, I'll just whip something together for this one purpose. Now then, is there anything you need, dear? '' Charme asked, folding both arms underneath her chest and looking at Kath with a raised eyebrow.
“Hmm…” Kath said, placing an index finger on her chin as she tried her best to think back to the past few days. Was there anything she needed from Charme? She couldn’t recall anything. Though perhaps…
“Ah, yes. There is something,” the librarian said with a bright smile. “I must know, what do you use for your tea? This is the most splendid mixture of leaves and herbs I’ve had since the Chateau was brought here.”
Charme would stare at Kath. A look of absolute dumbfoundedness, or perhaps disbelief, plastered on her face. Then she laughed, holding one hand in front of her mouth in a vain attempt to cover it. It seemed the dragonoid had asked something that the alchemist hadn't quite expected. Once she composed herself though, Charme smiled and shook her head.
"It's just your average [Darjeeling Tea]." She replied. "Though I did some of my alchemic know-how to improve it." She replied, giving Kath a knowing smile with one eye closed. It seemed Charme's abilities could be used for more than just brewing tinctures and elixirs. "Now then, sweetie." She added shortly thereafter, gesturing for the now-active Guild elevator over by one of the walls. "I suggest you hurry on back to your library and get things ready. I'll meet you down at the foot of the mountain once I've gotten everything ready, alright?" She said, before quickly adding with an upward-pointing index finger. "Oh, and I'd like to have a look at that cipher for the native alphabet you made."
“I’ll have to come visit more often than, so I can enjoy it more,” Kath said with a smile and a curtsy as she left her seat to make her way to the elevator. “I’ll see you there.” Waving goodbye to Charme, the homunculus would get to see her ascend as the machinery began to awake. “Of course, come by anytime you like. I made several copies,” the librarian’s voice could be heard as distance caused it to begin to fade.
The journey would progress fairly well, their carriage ride together being filled with conversation between the two women of learning. When their talk would occasionally grow into silence, Kath would simply go right back to reading the book she had brought with her for the journey until something caught one or the other’s attention and they struck up another conversation. Noticeably, it wasn’t her cipher that she was reading, though the fact that she was the one that had written it, she probably memorized its contents much better than anyone else who had checked out a copy from The Athenaeum of Historia.
Once they had made it past the city’s gates, the librarian’s attention would turn to the architecture around her. She was so used to the Chateau that seeing tall, multi-story buildings made of stone and such was almost strange for her, as it did not share the similar designs of the chapters back home.
