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 Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 5:41 pm
- borrowing Tsu's format -
Location: Durem University Library
Who: Cruzle, peachymint
Status: Ongoing
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Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 5:45 pm
On the third level of Durem University's semi-public library, a table by the window contorted uncertainly beneath the weight of at least a hundred reference texts. The occurrence was far from unusual; the library, its tables and its bookcases had all seen more than their share of desperate students and practice exams. The burden was one the table's oak and bolts could bear.
What might strike the eye as unusual, however, was the presence of but a single individual sitting at that table. Ravi, as he was known, had crossed his legs comfortably, one over the other, reclining just slightly in his chair. His right thumb held open the page of a hardcover while his left hand diligently etched notes onto parchment, half-lidded eyes flicking quickly in either direction as he did so. Currently his attention was broken by a rumbling announcement over the bulding's paging system. The young man sighed, flexing his fingers while he waited for the message to run its course.
The library will be closing in two hours. Please be sure to return all unshelved items to their properly designated station. Thank you.
Like most university libraries, it occupied a considerable area of footage on the campus and upheld numerous floors and basements. Ravi had a tendency to drift below ground when he visited - more scholarly journals, less literature. However, the erudite redhead had a different goal in sight for this particular afternoon. In the past few weeks he had taken a liking to Eastern mythological lore, and a university library seemed like just the place to cultivate said tastes.
Not that I wouldn't have rather done all this hands-on, the scholar, also warlock, mused. But as he shifted his gaze from text to his wristwatch, he recognized that there simply hadn't been the time that day. Perhaps tomorrow he could summon gods and beasts - probably better to have a little information on Eastern cultures first before unintentionally offending something close to all-powerful. He couldn't help but shudder a little upon recalling his first few evocations. Definitely better to know what you're doing before jumping right in...
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Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 5:58 pm
Jae Eun scrambled up to the third level of the library, somewhat panicked.
How could she have forgotten to check out the text on haetaes?! Rushing to the bookshelf, she didn't really notice the groaning table in front of it, nor the huge pile of books. Frantically searching the shelves, she realized something...odd.
Nearly all the books on Eastern lore were gone. Confused, she looked again. The number of students specializing in Eastern lore were well, there were only three. Had one of the other two checked it out? No, wasn't like them. The other two practically lived IN the library.
Worried about her paper, she started muttering to herself.
"I don't get it! It should be here!! Where is it?! There should definately be a text here on haetaes!!!!"
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Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:23 pm
Ravi's focus was again distracted at the sound of a commotion on the stairs. A person was scrambling behind him, sounds of dragging feet and anguished whispers initially passing as disregarded noises. What did the worries of a student mean to a man with a doctorate? Like most scholars of his level, he felt it was almost deserved for the fledgling pupil to struggle with mean-spirited professors and tough deadlines. It was elitism, pure and simple, though some might label it sadism. But beneath the elitism were the practices that created it. Ravi hadn't been unlike the worrying student all that long ago. But because he had with time and practice bettered himself, he believed that anyone with determination was capable of the same.
He couldn't help those who couldn't help themselves. With an exhale he turned his attention back to the volume in his hand until one of the noises behind him caught his attention.
"Haetaes" ...hadn't he just read that a while ago? Ravi glanced at his parchment, but didn't really need to peruse it to be certain. The student was probably looking for the texts he himself had monopolized, yet the redhead had been blind enough to berate (albeit mentally) the poor student about it.
"Excuse me," Ravi said. "Miss," he added, since he had realized the student's gender now that his attention had shifted to her. "If you're looking for material on haetaes... I do believe I have that here... somewhere." But... which book had it been in?
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Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:33 pm
Jae Eun whipped around, surprised by the voice. Was that a man's voice she had heard?! She was pretty sure Ziyi and Ching, the two other Eastern Lore majors, were BOTH female.
What was a red-headed man doing with all the books on Eastern lore in the library on one table?!
"Ah! Do you?!!" Looking at the stack of books, she felt a little daunted. But she was curious. Who was this guy?
"...Are you a new student? I thought there were only three students majoring in East Asian Lore." she asked, as she started scanning the stacks of books for information on haetaes.
"I'm impressed! Not many people know what a haetae is. Most people just know them as Chinese lion-dogs. Your pronounciation was really good too!" she giggled, pulling out a book on old Chinese astronomical beliefs.
Looking it over, she put it down and kept searching through the book titles.
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Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:47 pm
Ravi watched the student's frantic movements with an aged bemusement that didn't really fit his youthful visage. Sensing this with a self-consciousness he didn't know he had, he leaned forward, sitting up straight and out of his slouched position.
"No," he responded. "Not a student. Just passing through." He looked down to his notes again - he had cited his sources like any researcher should - and spoke without looking up. "It's Korean," he said, "Not Chinese. Two stacks over, I think," he said with a smirk.
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Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:58 pm
"It's Korean, not Chinese."
Jae Eun stopped, and stood up, looking straight at the red-head, an amused grin on her face. He wasn't a student? He couldn't have possibly been that much older than her.
"Really?" she asked sarcastically. She chuckled to herself as she finally found the book.
Brushing off the cover, she looked back at the red-head.
"So what business do you have here in this part of the library?"
Spying a text on how fox spirits were viewed in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cultures, she eagerly reached over. It was one of her favorite texts.
"What exactly are you researching?" she asked, puzzled at the fact that well, he had apparently been reading every book the library had on her major.
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Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 7:13 pm
"My business... well, it's personal." He spoke over his bridged fingers, smirk still intentionally evident on his face. "The information here is public - I merely wished to access it," he said, daring the girl to challenge him. Ravi was used to people arguing with him. It came with the job description. His lifestyle wasn't exactly "choice," according to society's standards.
"Feel free to take that book. I've already taken note of it. Two hours, eh...? I should be done before then. Do you need any more help?"
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Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 7:27 pm
Jae Eun saw the challenge on his face. Grinning back, she pulled out a chair and seated herself.
"Personal. Interesting. Only the most die-hard Asian lorists would even bother coming here. I'm surprised you didn't meet the other two." she sighed.
Her muscles finally stopped tensing as she kept the two books in front of her. She wondered about the fox one though, she had practically memorized it, did she really need to check it out again? If it wasn't for the fact that it was such a rare text, the library would have pretty much given it to her by now. Hearing his inquiry about help, she chose to ignore it. Her paper was done, she had apparently miscopied one of the symbols in a particular researchers name, and needed to cross-check a myth she knew was in that text. Flipping through the book she actually needed, she quickly copied down the correct version of the researcher's name, and then flipped to the myth, pulling out some more notes to compare the two versions.
Pausing, she looked up, resting her chin in the palm of her left hand.
"Any animal you researching in particular?" she asked.
If there was anything Jae Eun embodied, it was curiosity more than anything.
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Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 8:08 pm
As the girl began to study again, Ravi returned to his own texts. He was on a limited schedule, after all, and he didn't want to have to visit the library again tomorrow. The book now in his hand was reference material on Shinto's influence in the history of early Japan. Ravi skimmed it for its facts, but its contents were uninspired. Ravi wasn't here on the mission of a scholar. What interested him on this library trip was the meaning behind the meaning - the occult undertones of everything laid out on the table.
He set the book to the side and reached for another. This volume was thicker, leather-bound, and smelled ancient. It was also quite large, and since he couldn't fit the thing into a single palm, he laid it out in front of himself at the table, shifting his parchment into his hands to make room. It was titled candidly. The letters JAPAN'S MYTHOLOGY spanned the cover's flat and dust-stained surface, faintly touched with a gold-laced paint that still glittered dully as he opened to the first few pages.
He was quickly absorbed with his readings. He was a lover of knowledge, after all, and seemed to have hit the font of it here with this book. He failed to notice the girl looking towards him, and he needed a few long seconds to register that she had even spoken to him.
He glanced upward, making sure to remember where his eyes had last left the page. She... wanted to know what he was researching? He felt a little uncomfortable sharing, though he couldn't quite fathom why. A thought occurred to him, and recognizing its relevance, he pressed a query.
"What's your name?" he asked.
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Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 8:22 pm
Jae Eun grinned a bit as she heard the heavy book fall open on the table. A familiar musty smell rose up from it. Closing her eyes she could almost recognize it. Glancing briefly at the book, she saw that her guess was far from right. As he asked her name, she looked back at him.
"Kim Jae Eun." she paused for a moment.
"It's Korean." she added. "Yours?"
She was still looking at him with a tired, but curious look. What was with this guy? The way he was acting, he only seemed to have a passing interest in Eastern lore...so why was he so caught up in all of this? He wasn't just a nobody either, it was a semi-public library, and she knew that the only people with access to these books were either academic experts, scholars, or 1 of 3 students, none of who were native English speakers.
Something about this guy seemed a bit odd...maybe it was the hair. She wasn't used to seeing guys with bright red hair. Yeah...maybe that was it. She had been staring at it most of the time anyways.
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Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 4:40 pm
"I'm Ravi," he said, extending his right hand according to custom. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
There, now things seemed to feel a little less strained. Ravi ignored the little signals going off in his mind telling him to distance himself from the girl - Kim, he reminded himself. Ravi wasn't used to talking to people, and those he did keep in contact with had a tendency to drive him up the wall.
He wasn't obligated to talk to the student, but maybe she could offer some perspectives he hadn't thought of yet. Students were always full of ideas.... and as a past professor had once told him, even an Einstein could learn something from a bag of bricks.
He snorted in laughter, but quietly. She seemed a little more lively than a block-filled sack, at least. The look in her eyes was curious and strong-willed, and eyes were the key to the soul. He smiled ever so slightly before speaking again.
"Maybe not an animal," he said, "Not exactly, anyway. Something that could ...serve, for lack of a better word. A familiar. Anything come to mind?"
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Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:19 pm
Jae Eun stood a bit, grasping the man's hand in her own and bowing slightly as she shook it. Sitting back down, the question struck her as EXTREMELY odd.
A familiar. Something that could serve. Well, he was looking at a book on Japanese mythology....
"Hm.....kappa? A little risky, but if you can either trick them into bowing or making a promise, then they'll serve you loyally. They're supposedly really clever though...and ugly."
She paused a bit, and thought some more. "Or maybe tanuki? They're supposedly not that bright...and can do some transformations, but I heard that they supposedly have---well, really big...er.....parts."
Scratching her head, she could only think of one other possibility without having to divulge her personal favorite.
"There's also inugami...they can be pretty loyal, but that involves the actual killing of a dog."
Jae Eun felt a little odd answering such a strange question, but...she was more embarrassed about the fact that, well, the first time she tried to say 'peanut' it had apparently come out the wrong way, and the word 'peanut' and what many thought she had said had pretty much been marked as taboo words by herself.
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Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 10:01 pm
Ravi leaned back in his chair, taking the girl's recommendations to heart. "Hmm... it'd be better not to attract too much attention under the circumstances." His eyes were slightly unfocused, his gaze distant as he thought about his rather "questionable" activities. An egregore could only do so much... for the magnitude of the rituals and summonings he wanted to perform, he'd need something tangible and with a fair amount of power of their own. Something strong, but not too independent or overwhelming. Something born to serve. Something skilled in its duties, but unlike an egregore, alive...
"There is... one creature in particular I was thinking of," he divulged, figuring that informing the student couldn't hurt her (and might, in turn, assist him). "The tengu," he said, articulating each syllable, "perhaps of the karasu or konoha varieties. They were born to serve, so it seems, and can appear as either a crow or a human. Excellent fighters, too," he added, sounding impressed. "Any words?" He quirked an eyebrow at Kim.
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Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 5:51 pm
"Tengu?"
She let the question hang in the air.
"From what I've learned, they're not born to serve. Most of them are priests or samurai who were corrupt or egotistical when they were alive, which is why some of them have such long noses. The karasu type DO serve the konoha tengu, but those are also called yamabushi tengu and they often appear as mountain priests. To some degree, they're still reverred in Japan today, and some people are afraid to risk offending the tengu spirits. If you get on their bad side, it can be a rather bad situation. I've never heard any stories of a tengu serving anyone...the only instance I can think of is the story of how they trained Yoshitsune no Minamoto back in his younger days...but other than that, I can't think of any instance of a tengu serving anyone."
Pausing to catch her breath, she quickly added, "Apart from their unique appearance, they're still well-known for their rumoured fighting abilities. Ninjas were supposedly started by tengu, and I once heard that if you could best a tengu in combat or subdue it with magic, then it would take you under its wing and train you!"
Done, she stretched her arms behind her back. She had been treated to a rather unexpectedly lucky turn of events this evening! Not only had she been given the chance to meet someone new who seemed interested in Asian lore, but Ziyi and Guifei hadn't shown up either! Still curious about why someone would be interested in spirits that could serve, she decided, however, that for once it might be a good idea to hold her tougne.
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