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[summonere]

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A CURSED BOOK;

[summonere]

[ The writing on the binding of the book squirms restlessly. Was that just the flicker of the lamplight, or something else? ]

[yokeye]

[Toki freezes, the lamp half-way back to its resting place, newly lighted. He stares at the book that he was sure just... moved, kind of. The writing did. Nothing happens after a moment, so he continues his work, leaving the lamp on the hook. As he starts down the ladder, the writing shimmers again, definitely moving. Oh my god. He tilts his head and squints, but he can't read the twisting text.]

Are you watching me?

[Has the Whisper entrusted the books to make sure he's doing his job? He tentatively pokes the spine with a talon.]

[summonere]

[ The writing moves out of the way to avoid being poked, and then slides back into place as he takes his hand away. It expands and contracts like something breathing. ]

[yokeye]

[He is being watched! He's only lit two lamps today in five hours. And they know. He snatches the book from the shelf and descends the latter as quickly as he can with one hand. He has to hide the book, bury it under one of the haphazard piles of them way in the back of the library. It's like a fairy spy camera.]

[summonere]

[ A puff of icy cold air and a swarm of spiders come out of the hole left by the book. Some of the bugs have webs attached to the book's leather binding, and swing out with it. Dangling like little ornaments. The rest follow in a an uneven parade march.]

[yokeye]

[Toki screeches in surprise and drops the book. He's immediately lifting it up again to check for squashed spiders.]

I'm sorry!

[He'll cry if he killed any.]

[summonere]

[ Not dead but dazed, a spider struggles to get up... The others, fearing equal such retribution, decide instead to crawl up Toki's clothes where they cannot be so easily squished. ]

[yokeye]

[He may want to save the spiders and set them free in the garden, but he doesn't want them crawling all over him and looking at him with their creepy, beady little eyes. He screams, attempting to brush them off gently, but panic has set in and the book is forgotten altogether.]

[summonere]

[ As he's flailing, the pages of the book flap open a little bit. And where there was once a book, there is now a person thudding heavily onto the floor. ]

'ch...

[ He's definitely squashing a few of those spiders, good thing they were his to begin with. ]

[yokeye]

[He stops flailing long enough to find the source of the thud, resorting to twitches when he can feel the spiders moving. He knows people get turned into weird things, so a book make sense. In this place.]

W-who are you?

[He's pointedly not looking at the floor in case of dead spiders.]

[summonere]

[ He starts to pick himself up, grumbling stiffly. Most of the spiders begin crawling back to him, to nestle into his clothes and his hair, but a few probably get lost in the folds of Toki's.

As the man gets up, it's more obvious he is another servant of Autumn. Black eyes like a spider, talons like a bird, and the tattooed writing that peeks out from the edges of his rather tattered sweater. ]

I'm the assistant scribe.

[yokeye]

[Toki stares only briefly, as V surprisingly looks a lot like him at this point.]

Okay! I have two questions! One! How do you write with these!?

[He holds up one of his talon hands. Not that he writes, like ever, but how can this guy be an assistant scribe if he can't hold a pen? Do they even use pens? Toki doesn't know.]

And two!... Two... I forgot two, so nevermind!

[summonere]

[ That's the first question that comes to mind? ]

Practice, and I write in runes that require much fewer strokes.

A NOTE;

[redwhaling]

[ At some point during the day, likely when V's in his human form as opposed to the arachnid, he'll either feel something get slipped into a pocket or, lacking that, the note will simply flutter unbidden from a sleeve or, lack even that, a pant leg.

It's Billie's own odd little spell, passing little written notes from afar, and should he read it, it'll certainly be her writing. ]

V — Meet me up on the wall we hung out at before. There's something I need help with.

— B

[ Which probably means the same place they were sitting during Gurges' little flooding fit. ]

[summonere]

[ Fool that he is, he takes this note at face value. He's even still distractedly scribbling something down in his usual way as he comes to join her on the wall. ]

"Hanging out" is very colloquial, you know.

[ Wow, this snooty ass might deserve to be turned into a seal. ]

[redwhaling]

[ She'll have already been there waiting for him on the walkway between the parapets but when he shows up with that greeting, well. ]

Oh, I'm sorry, [ she's definitely not ] should I have written a full-fledged invitation addressed to Young Master V, requesting his presence upon the wall where we once did speak? Maybe sent it to the Whisper for approval first, considering you're literally three?

[ Or something in that range. Close enough. ]

[summonere]

I suppose that depends on the request.

[ He tucks the notebook under his arm, and looks at her expectantly with his thumbs hooked loosely at his pockets. ]

Will I require the guidance of an adult?

[ Cuz he doesn't see any of those here. ]

[redwhaling]

[ Yeah, she's not rising to that bit of bait. ]

Lucky for us, it's juvenile enough that we won't need to worry.

[ Or perhaps that simply places it in the 'children, don't do this at home' section of the universe. Regardless, Billie produces a little charm made of bone out of a pocket. It's similar enough to what she hangs around her cavern that it's no new sight to V, considering his previous visit to Moenbryda's unsanctioned nerd party. ]

I've been testing out storing spells inside of charms like these. I can get them to work but I'm hoping other people can use them, too. [ She holds the charm up. ] Care to give this one a go?

[summonere]

What is it meant to do?

[ He is actually taking her seriously... He likes helping people with their magic, unfortunately. It's nice to think people might come to him for his knowledge and advice. Woops. While not overly expressive, there's interest enough on his face. Bone charms are cool. ]

[redwhaling]

Mirror image spell. [ This woman can lie with the straightest face of all time, no mask required. ] I considered storing the ice weapon one in it but you'd have to have a pretty solid idea of what you want out of that one for it to work.

[ That load of bullshit offered up in explanation, she holds the charm out for him to take. ]

All it needs it a bit of magic to activate. Should kick in right after that.

[ After which he will find his form twisted into a big ol' seal, not spawning fake mirror images of himself as she claimed beforehand. ]

[summonere]

[ He admires the strange little runes carved into the bone, already imagining ways to make them sharper and more refined for a sharper and more refined result. Maybe if he could read them he would known better, but instead he starts to probe them with magic to try to figure it out. Too bad he's already activated it by the time he figures it out.

There is a seal giving her the most sullen of looks. ]

[redwhaling]

[ He could take heart in the fact that she doesn't laugh out loud at him, though the smug amusement she wears is enough to prove that she's just laughing on the inside instead.

She drops into a crouch to put her down on the seal's level. ]

So, is this too "colloquial" for you, too, V?

[summonere]

[ He barks at her, his tail slapping against the stonework irritably. ]

[redwhaling]

Well, well, I think that's a yes.

[ She totally speaks seal (no, she does not). Anyway, she leans back on her heels and makes a show of tapping her chin thoughtfully. ]

Hmm, I'm wondering if I should make you do a few tricks before I show you how to turn back.

[summonere]

[ He waddles around to turn his back on her. He would rather throw himself off this wall. ]