Spring, Day 17, 511 AV. Apparently he could pick a lock with just a small piece of wire. He had asked some of the more questionable folks in Zeltiva their advice, and that is what they had told him. They had even been kind enough to supply him with a small piece of copper wire. Just slip it into the lock, twist until you heard a click and the lock would pop right open. Well, Matthew had been twisting the wire back and forth in the lock for about a bell now and he certainly hadn't heard a lock popping open. He was about to give up and just wait it out, but the desire to master the skill was eating away at the back of his mind. Perhaps it would be best to wait until he could have someone show him a live example, though. Even better, maybe he could find a book in the library on it. Did they have some sort of book on such a thing? A few more ticks and Matthew finally admitted defeat, storing the little piece of wire away in his pants pocket. Perhaps the criminals he had consulted about lockpicking had been having some fun on his expense. Surely it wasn't as simple as sticking it in there and turning it around. He nibbled on his lower lip a bit and sighed, leaning his head forward to rest against the front of the wooden door. It creaked open. The student blinked; once, then twice. The door hadn't been locked in the first place. He should have checked that. That should have been his very first step. Closing his eyes, he focused for a moment, finding the book in his head on lockpicking and adding a new entry to it. Make sure the lock is actually engaged. He opened his eyes with a firm nod, pushing open the door a bit more so he could slip in. He'd never make that silly mistake again. ~ There was a small wooden desk that he had assorted his things on. There had been a few books on Spiritism in the library, but nothing substancial in the first floor of the library. He had instead turned to books on Ghosts in Zeltiva, seeing if there were other such occurances that had been recorded. History was an easy topic to find in the University library, so he had his hands full. The young student had spent quite a few bells in the library for several days, mulling over various books. He had read and read, and then he had written. He had brought paper and quill along to take notes, slow and awkward strokes of the pen recording key bits of information. While Oriah had perhaps gained the most valuable piece of information from their first encounter with the Master and his daughter, Matthew had wanted to have more. They were supposed to meet this morning to do a bit of discussion and research, but he had just went ahead and done most of the research himself. He hoped she wouldn't mind. Those notes were what he had spread out on the desk in front of him. While there were rumored ghost sightings here and there, only two locations (besides the second floor of the library) had been mentioned more than once. There was the Maria Satterthwite Cemetery, and then there was the Maiden's Cape. If the Master had once been a Spiritist, perhaps he had visited one of them in the past. Matthew was betting on the second one. It was the older of the two. Of course, it was possible the Master had never touched either one of them. Perhaps the journal would tell more. Matthew shifted a bit in his seat. It was early in the morning, but the student looked as if he had been awake for quite some time. He was perfectly groomed, clean-shaven and pleasant smelling, scents of mint and nuts wafting around his slim figure. He was wearing a button-up vest with a nice shirt underneath, form-fitting like most of his clothes. The sleeves were rolled up just a tad, enough to show off the definition in his forearms. Dark britches hugged lean hips, and glasses sat on the tip of his nose. He peered at his notes a little longer, letitng his blue gaze slide across them slowly. Reading relaxed him. He wished he had enough bells in the day to devote a large portion to the books in the University. The sun peeked through a nearby window. Sun, Yahal. His mind moved to Oriah next, a question that had haunted the back of his mind now coming to the tip of his lips. Yahal was a god of purity, was he not? That made him wonder about some very specific things. He would have to ask Oriah. But the day had started and he was ready to go, so what was the harm in asking her now? He had been waiting at least a bell for the young dancer to wake up. "Oriah, it is time to wake up. We have a busy day ahead of us. As a follower of Yahal, have you ever had sex or masturbated?" He phrased the question right as he turned his head to the side, peering at the sleeping figure huddled under various blankets. Serra had been the one to suggest Matthew head up and wait for her to wake up. There had been quite the smile on her face when she assured Matthew that it would be quite the lovely surprise. The student figured it would be helpful to the whole researching process to start Oriah off in a good mood, so here he was. He faintly wondered if she had clothes on. Would it be polite for them to get those for her? He barely gave her time to answer his first horribly blunt question before asking another. "Are you dressed? If not, should I help you? Where do you store the clothes?" |