[IC] Out the door we'll dance and sing

Brindell Po, a thick set man of some intensity, rubs his knee. Climbing through the cellar window was not dignified, especially when he banged into the rusty metal scrap.

He jiggles the lock, his pointed, curved dagger set into the apparature, but it doesn't quite fit. "I can't pop this lock. Either of you good with getting these open?" He knows they'll have to switch pairings, which is tricky in the cramped confine.

Merith's parents stood between her and life and thus she had to overcome the parent obstacle. This was no easy task considering the guilt she would carry for the rest of her life, therefore leaving was a big decision. Her parents had been good to her and loved her dearly. But she was terribly bored with her mundane life. A lover of the written word she would devour anything in print that she could get her hands on no matter the subject and therefore was vastly smarter than anyone else in the village, including her parents. This produced an air of arrogance in the young woman which everyone grew tired of. It also didn't help that she loved the forests and preferred trees to people. So one day she packed a sac and left without a word to anyone.

During one of her random wanderings, she learned about a vast and magical library. Now she had a distinct destination and she was determined to find it, and find it she did.

Climbing through the cellar window was easy for her. Unlike Brindell, she was slim and lithe. Her heart was bouncing within her chest though at the thought of so many tomes just waiting for their pages to be lovingly turned.

"Honestly, you are so awkward, Brindell Po. Be careful you don't cut yourself. Here, let me have a go."

Merith attempts to squeeze around Brindell and examine the lock, her fingers tapping her lips as she ponders the situation.

"Hmmm, let me have a think about it. Meanwhile, I want to see these books but I think I have to align this catwalk first without getting dizzy and plummeting into nowhere. Both of you hang tight."

She plays with the dial and tries to equate the movement of the joystick with the changes on the dial as she crouches awkwardly gripping the handrail with her other hand to steady herself.

"By the Glowing Saints!"

Brindell Po evokes his pantheon, a quartet of saints known only as glowing entities, too bright to look at. They respectively judge souls, guide the lost, inspire creativity, and avenge atrocities, although the last one has been a bit of a slacker.

"Whoops! Guess I miscalculated," she says in a rising pitch as she gets flung into the others, the wind getting knocked out of her. She didn't like being wrong and managed a frown despite the possibility of plunging to her death.

Ernesto the Sly, quick of wit and glib of tongue, is last to enter the grand library through that well-used window. He'd been late to the meeting, having to throw the White Widow's agents off his tail. Tonight it had been Jhena, and the limber-limbed assassin seemed to have forgotten their last tryst. Or, perhaps she remembered it. And the fat pouch of coins Ernesto had left with in the middle of the night.

Either way, the handsome, bearded man now hangs one-handed from the gantry, and as he looks up at Merith and Po he smiles. "You look quite fetching in this light m'lady," he offers as he sways, seemingly unconcerned by his precarious position. The light he refers to is magical in nature, a small, glowing crystal that orbits the trio as it baths the area in luminous golden light. Ernesto hates to use the arcane trinket, but he wanted both hands free once inside the library. The better to carry expensive books to buyers at the night markets -- some of these tomes will be worth a fortune!

After the platform is righted, Ernesto is suddenly right there, next to Quilana. His eyebrows are raised as he spies the lock.

"May I?" he asks, cracking and limbering up his fingers.

Since Merith had only recently struck out into the world on her own she hadn't met many men the likes of Ernesto, or truth be told many men at all that she had any dealings with other than a hurried greeting. Pleasing to the eye she found the dangling man's compliment had put her in a bit of a tizzy and that confounded her. But this would be food for thought for another time. Right now she felt overwhelming relief at not dropping into the abyss below.

Cringing at both his knuckle crackling and his proximity as he managed to climb up onto the platform she replied, "Feel free." The words came out more like a squeak though than the sarcastic quip she had intended.

"Give the man some room Po," she said nudging the serious warrior priest as she watched Ernesto, marveling at his magical light and silently willing the man to succeed at breaking the lock.

"Where am I going to go? Here, let me, just, ugh -- okay, try from there!" He clings to the side of the ladder which creaks ominously as he leans away. His foot and knee locked under the far rung are supporting most of his weight.

"It's fine, it's fine," Ernesto says smoothly, sliding in-between his companions. "I have all the room I need, my friends. Now let me look at this... ah! This lock is no trivial thing. A delicate mechanism... and a magickal ward as well! They took great pains to secure this place!"

The man suddenly has lockpicks in his hands, and he busily begins to work on the impressive lock...

...and he busily begins to work on the impressive lock -- which he opens in short order with a click of his tongue and a wink towards Merith!

"Is that the tome we came for? What did I tell you. Good planning and the bravado to dare gets us more than half way."

Merith rolls her eyes at Ernesto, despite his good looks and shrugs at Po.

Who does Ernesto think he is?

When the lock is successfully picked she startles and almost slips off the platform as the chains untwist away. That was entirely unexpected and so too was the tome itself.

"There is a great profit to be had on this book without even looking at the contents!" she exclaims as she watches the chains slither away. "The lock itself is of great value also so let's not forget to take it. Indeed the contents of the book must be mighty powerful to be protected by chains.".

She was dying to dig into the book and turn its pages. Something then occurs to her. "Does anyone know the way back? Anyone pay attention to that? Po?"

"I partially pulled books out on the shelves, first one on the third shelf every time we turned. Just watch for those, and turn back the way indicated."

Brindell unhooked his leg and climbed back down the ladder. "You would just jump in and worry about later only when it was too late, Merith."

"Oh, smart Brindle Po! You're right of course! Glad one of us was thinking about that." But Merith probably didn't mean it.

"I'll take the book of course, who better, right?" She snatches the book and lovingly pets the cover. "Well, Ernesto the lockpicker extraordinaire. Looks like you get to drive."

"But wait! What is this? Staring at the book she notices her hands are shaking. "My hands ... and .. and ... it's so heavy! Here Bindle Po. You take it!" Suddenly she was frightened and didn't want the book any longer.

"This book," Ernesto says with a smile as his hand expertly begins to maneuver the catwalk controls, "might not want to be pilfered from this place. Whisper to it, Po. Tell it everything will be all right. That it will soon have a new and very ecstatic owner."

Brindell takes the book and assumes that Merith is just being dramatic. "There, there," he says, patting it. "Don't let the mean lady tell you otherwise, we'll find you a nice home, where you're appreciated." He feels the fool, but keeping his friends satisfied is half of his role.

"Perfect, and everything according to plan!" Ernesto says quietly as the gantry moves, and as they prepare for their escape...

If Merith wasn't so fixated on getting out of the library alive, unharmed, and with the book held by anyone but her until she figured out the inconvenient and frightening vibrating, she would have kicked Brindle Po where it hurt.

"Oh, pretty dragon skin-covered book, I do appreciate you, but from a safe distance."

Brindell looks backward, and tries to recall the path, but its dark. "Did we come back the same way?"

"Don't know Brindle Po. I worry about it when it's too late, remember?"

Merith is delighted to get one up on Po. At least that's how she perceives it.

"Well, not precisely," Ernesto says lightly. "One should never do this, return exactly the way one came. When infiltrating, I mean. It risks running into those who might be on your trail, you see."

Frowning, the man keeps at it. "I'm sure it's... this way."

"Why Ernesto, no one is on my trail. What have you done?"

"Not helpful, Ernesto. Not helpful by half." Po looks around, gently petting the book. "Your call, my friend. Onward by your nose, or backpedal to find the trail."

"Well, the book your pulled from that case -- there? Someone or something has moved it back into position. The librarians here are... fastidious. We aren't backtracking, exactly, but I did mark your pulls, good Po. I suggest we now try a different way out."

"Huh," he says noncomitally, but his hand balls into a fist. He doesn't want to maim any librarians, but he also doesn't want to get caught. Sarapesh justice can be cruel and whimsical, more so than an unexpected punch to the temple.

Merith hungrily eyes the book in Po's possession and at the same time feels stupid for not thinking about leaving a trail. But the circumstances were such that surely a person couldn't be expected to think of those things with the wonder of the place.

"Oh no ... this can't be! I think we are being attacked by a ... a book! Merith squints through the dimness at the edges of Ernesto's light as she tries to make out the details of an apparition that has appeared. "And I believe we are dealing with some kind of ghost. Better hustle out of the way, but don't fall off!"

Po's blade springs to his fist as if bidden.

Ernesto's longknife is in his hands, like it's always been there, as the heavy book plummets...

"Well done Ernesto!" Merith says as she rights herself after almost falling into the abyss below. "What's that?"

Merith looks up toward the sound of snickering but before she can make out more features of what appears to be a ghostly hand she hears another snickering sound from below. Something makes her look back up though. A flash at the side of her eye and then she shrieks.

Look out! I think another book is about to become a weapon."

"Above and below, the librarians close in!" Ernesto says, fending off the plummeting book while still manning the controls, still trying to maneuver them to safety. Suddenly they are climbing, hopefully right past their attacker. "I do not like being used for target practice!" the man says to the librarian on the way by, right before trying to bring the gantry as close to the shelves as possible. "Give them a taste of their own multi-volume medicine!" he calls to the other two with him.

Brindell winces at the heavy crunch to his noggin, grabs a book and is about to toss it. He glances at the title. Melcom's Treatise on the Decline of Celestial Events. "Oh, I've wanted to read this one." He places it back. "Get us down so we can run!", ducking.

Merith ducks and swerves her body to avoid the attack of the books while trying to remain on the catwalk. "Ernesto, please! Keep us steady!"

Looking at both ghostly apparitions above and below she asks, "Who are you? What do you want of us? We only seek knowledge and mean no harm to you or the precious tomes.

"Down?" Ernesto says to Brindell Po, lifting both his eyebrows. "We can most certainly go... down!"

Slamming the controls, the handsome rogue halts their ascent and reverses it -- sending the catwalk plunging towards the ground at top speed. "Hang on, and watch out for falling books!"

"Maybe slow down, Ernesto, I think we're out of range!" Brindell says, holding onto the railing while trying to keep his knees bent to absorb the sudden impact he expects.

Merith grabs the railing as best as she can while dodging flying books and looking below, wondering what might be at the bottom which is rushing up to greet them too quickly. It doesn't help that the light Ernesto made is not illuminating the area well enough to see what awaits, and why aren't any of these shifty creatures answering her fair questions?

Ernesto slows the platform's descent so that it matches the speed of the floating crystal that's providing them light, then he peers over the side, and around. "This place is considerably larger than it appeared on the outside..." he says aloud, looking for some way out. Another mobile platform, windows, skylights, a door where none should be -- anything.

Brindell clutches the Dragon Skin Tome, and keeps an eye out.

"Gahhh! A ghost stole the book and reshelved it. There, now above us!" Brindell looks about trying to keep an eye on the spot as they descend past it. "Back up, there Ernesto."

Oh I've really had enough of this dizzying ride. "Hellooooooooo. Helloooo! Who are you and what do you want apart from making us dizzy?"

"This book," Ernesto says as he switches direction again, "does not wish to leave its home here!" As they close in on the tome again, he cuffs Po on the back. "Hang onto it this time, yes!?"

"This place is topsy turvy. But if we look at it like that, like maybe it's a circle, then perhaps it makes sense."

Merith was throwing out a wild idea and why not. They had to think logically and none of the apparitions would answer her. Maybe this was a little bit of sport for bored ghosts. Then she had a thought.

"Any of you do anything bad that deserves punishment? Are we being punished for some foul misdeed of the past?'

"Misdeeds... I wonder who exactly is responsible for those!" he says with no little snark.

Ernesto gets a faraway look in his eyes for a moment, and the ghost of a smirk touches his lips -- then he catches sight of the incoming books.

"Look out!"

Brindell reveals his holy sigil, an amulet with four eyes on it conjoined at the center. "Let me try one more time, and this time, I'll clutch it tight." He grabs the tome, and tries to wrestle it from the shelf. "I'm. Signing. You. OUT!"

Ouch!" Merith rubs her bruised noggin but it doesn't stop her from snarkily answering Po.

"Me? Misdeeds? I am as pure as the driven snow, unlike you I am sure!"

"Thanks for the warning, Ernesto. It was a little too late but I am alright." It was just her ego that was bruised really. She watches the Po struggle with the book. Part of her wants him to win the battle. The other part wants him to fail.

"Ernesto, can you take this thing sideways ... and slowly!" Merith looks at Brindell and the book, glad to see that threat end and dying to see inside its cover. Not literally of course.

"Yes. Can you direct us to find the signout desk?" He holds the book tight.

Merith nods happily. She is grateful that there is hope of some progress in some direction somewhere.

Ernesto shrugs at his companions and indeed guides the platform towards the librarian.

"Keep a lookout for... other means of egress," he says quietly.

It may be snoring, but Brindell Po is looking for the exit out. He hushes the librarian, "Quiet, it's a library. We'll wait."

"To leave!" Merith responds. If she was on a stable surface she'd be tapping a foot impatiently.

"Brindle give him the book! If we have no book to sign out we can leave. Kindly tell us the way out now....please?"

A little further from the conversation as he mans the controls of the amazing platform, Ernesto leans closer to try and have a look at the sign-out book. "Blood?!" he says. "Why we'd be happy to. Do you have some handy for such purposes? We're rather fond of our own, and... well, Master Mag -- we need it!"

Po knows he's caught between a hard place and a "Run!" he shouts, and bolts away from the demon librarian while holding the book.

Po, stops after a step realizing he'll just plummet, or float away. "Fine. Give me that athame or whatever you want me to sign with."

"You're really going to use your blood, Po? Oookaay. I won't stop you."

Better him than me, she thinks as she watches the craziness unfold before her.

Po grabs the scalpel, cuts his left pinky pad, and then uses it to sign the metal tablet.
Brin... P...

"Yeah, yeah, hold on." He licks his finger like wetting the knib of a quill. It's hard to write with the pinky of your off hand. In blood.
Brin... P... purple DRAgon tomE

"No Brindle!"

But her cry was too late. Now they were into the thing and they may never escape.

"Do you... think that was wise?" Ernesto asks Po softly as they wait for Gus to 'show them the way out.'

Turning to the monstrous check-out clerk, the man narrows his already often narrowed eyes. It's a practiced look. "So how long is this... on loan for? And what happens if my friend here is late returning this book?"

Brin holds three book and looks about. "Steep price. I best not lose it. Or ... black hells. If we give the book away, I'm done for then."

"Yes, you best not. Can we go now? This place gives me the creeps."" As much as Merith loved books, she wasn't sure she loved them that much.

Brin follows the trapped ghostly erstwhile delinquent book borrower to the exit, clutching his tome as if it were his soul.

Merith takes the key and places it in the palm of her hand. The ornately designed shank with several key wards points in the direction of the Panjandra mansion.

"It says that way." Merith points ahead in the same direction as the key.