[Flashback] Study & Logic (Penny)

Loken studies at the library.

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Considered one of the most mysterious cities in Mizahar, Alvadas is called The City of Illusions. It is the home of Ionu and the notorious Inverted. This city sits on one of the main crossroads through The Region of Kalea.

[Flashback] Study & Logic (Penny)

Postby Loken on November 16th, 2017, 9:34 am

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Spring 31st, 506 A.V.
Afternoon, 13th bell.

Loken stood before the event horizon of a surface of water that everyone in Alvadas had to cross before entering The Sunken Conundrum. Loken stood with his hands crossed as he lifted on to softly stroke at his chin. The very concept of an illusion defied all logic. "In and of itself, there has to be some pattern that led to its existence." It was a musing statement that verbally expressed as a tool to perpetuate his his line of thought. He reached out with the same hand he had been stroking his chin with to brush his fingertips along the surface of the illusory water.

"It feels real." He then set his backpack down to retrieve his water skin from it. He then started to experiment with it by pouring some water into one of his palms to take the sensation of water to memory, then pressed his dry hand against the Illusion. They both felt exactly the same. As he held his waterskin up, he stared at the liquid container. "Is it possible to use this building as a water source?" He reached out in attempt to fill up his waterskin, but stopped once he noticed the head librarian standing one foot away from him on the other side of the waters edge.

"Mr Loken, I'm not going to tell you again. Given your studious nature, I understand that you are a curious man. However, please refrain from trying to do... that."

Hinrane Morcer said absently while trying to both point at his waterskin with one hand as her other precariously juggled a stack of seven books. Loken retracted the waterskin then stored it back into his backpack. "As you wish, Miss Morcer." Loken smiled at the librarian as she took a few steps back to allow him entrance. The Ano Cultist crossed the threshold into the building, then had to take a moment to reacclimate himself to the buoyancy of the water and feeling of weightlessness that enveloped him.

"As always, I'm an hear to study alone. But should you see a young girl named Penny, can you please direct her to me. I am acting as her tutor." The Head Librarian gave him a polite nod, clearly giving him her own sign of approval in regards to helping develop a new generation of readers. That was when Loken started to notice the sensation of breathing naturally transition from his nose to the gills along his rib cage.

"Education above all, Mister Loken. Do you require any assistance in regards towards finding study material today?" Loken had a vague idea about what he wanted to study, but took a moment to contemplate a verity of topics. "I wish to understand how 'The Body' works. If you could point me to books relating to medicine, anatomy, building strength. Likewise, ways to make medicine out of plants."

At the mention of anatomy, Miss Morcer handed him one of the books that she was holding. "As it so happens, I have a book detailing the anatomy of 'Man' right here." She then motioned her head towards the back of the library. "You will find various other scrolls and books relating to various medical topics in that area." Loken opened book in his hand to glace at the first page, then turned to where she had directed. "Thank you. Should you require aid, feel free to call upon me."

In a strange twist of roles, Loken offered the Head Librarian his aid as a sign of respect. He then gave her a small nod of his head, which she returned before she elegantly swimming away. "Study well, Mister Loken. She said over her shoulder as she vanished around a bookshelf.

Since Loken decided to learn about the human body, he glanced down at his own body, looking over where his black leather armor protected. He then opened and closed his free hand as he tried to understand the science behind swimming. He kicked up off of the ground to send himself up halfway between the floor and the ceiling. He then looked at the ground to see himself sinking back down. "Obviously, weight in water causes one to sink."

Loken started to have memories of when the teachers at The Librum of Ahnatep would shock him away from his slumber when he was a young student, he send him and various other groups of children to sit within the small ramshackle rafts tied to the deadly rock along the base of the Librum. Loken remembered that he had no clue how to swim and was saved by other students when ever he fell into the ocean. It was all a test to lean to sleep peacefully on the rafts, which was not an easy thing to do after nearly drowning. But he managed to do it.

Loken clawed out at the water to pull at it to gain forward momentum, which aided by his kicking legs, rocketed him forward towards his directed destination. It took him a while to find the right books, using his free hand to grasp the bookshelves to guide himself forwards without even touching the ground. As his eyes ran over various topics all starting with the letter 'M', he paused once he found a book titled 'Medicine, the art of caring for the body.' Loken nodded slowly to himself when he read over who authored the book, it simply stated 'by a collective of academic at University of Zeltiva'. The first page of the book listed a series of names of people who worked on it, all sporting the lofty titles of 'professor'.

Now armed with his two books, Loken swam over towards a small study area where he quickly set the books down on a table to ready his study area. He removed the tiger hook sword from the weapons harness on his back to lay it flat on the table. After that, he geometrically lined his open journal up next to the medical book, then above the medical book set the anatomy book. In between his sword and journal rested his quill and in. He then pulled at the chain around his neck to pull free the silver holy symbol from where it hid behind his armor.

As the silver scales of Gnora were revealed, it acted as a sign of ultimate focus as he floated down into a chair to began to reading over the first chapter of the medical book.

Nano WC: 1079
Last edited by Loken on November 16th, 2017, 11:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
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[Flashback] Study & Logic (Penny)

Postby Penny Noor on November 16th, 2017, 11:22 am

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She was excited to see him again. So very very excited. He had told her the time, he had told her the place he would be and now she found herself sprinting down the streets of Alvadas as fast as those little legs would carry her coss… she was late.

Now Penny wasn’t the greatest of runners. She was clumsy and bumped into people on her way, causing more than a few raised eyebrows and angry yells after her as she picked herself up off the floor to run along, paying no attention to the few patrons she angered. She turned from a street that was so very narrow and crooked, filled with squiffy buildings to one that was completely lined with slippery gel and at an almost 45 degree downward angle. She’d slip, landing on her butt and falling all the day down. She no doubt encountered some bruises but at least it quickened her time.

Oh she should have left earlier. She truly should have for the city’s illusions we're not making it easy to find the library. Not easy at all. But mama insisted on the floors to be swept and had no time for the girl’s protests and grumblings.

Once at the bottom of the slippery street Penny would lift herself up to her feet once more, ignoring the pain in her back side. And once again she’d break into a sprint with a stich between her ribs from irregular breathing, putting one foot before another she leaped over the most irregular cobbled she’d ever seen on the next street she entered. And then after was one where right through the middle ran a gutter filled with something that smelled so bad that Penny had to hold her nose with her hand as she sprinted across it. One foot in front of another.

Passing a few more streets Penny finally made it. The Sunken Conundrum stood tall in front of her. On the building’s door step she collapsed, alas ready to take deep, deep breaths as her whole body shook from the strain she just put it though. “Never again.” she breathed to herself and her voice came out groggily, rough and parched as if the girl’s very throat was a desert.

“What’s that miss Penny Noor?” came a familiar voice.

“Mrs Morcer!” Penny’s expression lit up the moment the old woman appeared from beyond the flat wall of water.

She almost instantly jumped to her feet, executing a truly poor curtsy to the librarian before pulling her backpack off her own back and reaching into its depth to produce a small white parcel tied with a white and red striped cotton. She wasted no time before placing it in the woman’s hands. “It’s donuts! Mama made some this morning and I saved two just for you.” she grinned.

Penny was truly fond of the old librarian. Then again she was fond of anyone who loved Ionu as much as she had. It was Hinrane who truly sparked the girl’s reverence for books back so many years ago when she showed Penny the first illuminated manuscript. Eversince the girl was obsessed. She may never have been that neat a writer but she still appreciated good calligraphy. She had a natural eye for a well ragged right edge and kerning and carefully constructed paragraphs but nothing made her heart skip a bit like an illuminated letter written in gold.

Mrs Morcer had many times said that the curiosity with which Penny regarded books would make the girl a good scribe. Penny of course had other ideas.

“You have somebody waiting for you, miss Noor.” said mrs Morcer, graciously taking the sweat treat with a smile of thanks. Penny was used to the woman’s formal demeanor. She assumed the thanks were implied.

“Loken is here!” Penny almost cried out with excitement.

“He is indeed and he asked of me to bring you to him. Shall we, my dear?”

The girl smiled and followed the old librarian. But once the oman passed through the water, Penny was the one to remain on the other side, touching her fingers against the surface. An expression of concern had painted itself upon her face.

“Miss Noor we had been through this a million times.” Hinrane sighed seeming almost annoyed. But in spite of her clearly unamused expression, Penny had not moved an inch. “It is impossible for you to drown here.”

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[Flashback] Study & Logic (Penny)

Postby Penny Noor on November 16th, 2017, 11:30 am

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Penny was scared of water. It was innate. Her father, a sailor and merchant had tried to take her with him on his many expeditions out of Alvadas many times, deeming it important for the girl to see the world as he did, many many times. And she wanted to go with him so badly. She wanted to experience all that he did, see different towns, different people and experience different cultures. Perhaps even eat different food. But there was one massive obstacle that hindered her way. To come with her papa she’d need to first step foot on his boat and that she was not prepared to do. And so the girl remained cooped up with her mother in their family home learning housework instead of ‘adventuring’, missing her papa so very much every time he’d sail away.

“Miss Noor” the librarian called, growing visibly impatient though and though. Even her voice rang of how fedup she was with this ordeal every time Penny came to the library. “Come along now. Or perhaps I shall leave you to ponder for a little more and tell mr Loken of how you’re wasting his time and mine?”

“No, no! Please don’t!” Penny cried in protest. “I just… uh.” she grumbled before closing her eyes and forcing herself to push her hand through the wall of water. OPening her eyes once more she looked at her own limb, fingers outstretched now barring a greenish hue. The feeling of wet against her skin was awful, sending shivers down her spine and her stomach churning.

“Now, now, miss Noor. Do hurry. We don’t have all day.”

Penny remembered Loken’s words. To train her mind she couldn't just give into her fears, right? And the promise of all those books on the other side, how it called to her, beckoned her in. And how did her fear cripple her. Hinrane’s hurrying was the last straw.

The girl braced herself. She inhaled a whole gulp of air and shut her eyes as tightly as she possibly could before lunging her whole body though the water surface. Upon opening her eyes again she was delighted to find out she was still alive. “It’s just an illusion! It’s just an illusion!” she whispered to herself, placing a hand over her chest, trying to sate her quickening pulse. “Just an illusion..”

“Breathe, miss Noor. Do not forget to breathe.”

As her gills opened, much like they had done so many times before, Penny found herself breathing in a way most unnatural to her. He own body felt foreign. “Right.” she mumbled, doing her best to grab a hold of herself.

“Come now. This way.”

Penny followed the librarian trying to touch the floor as much as she could whilst walking through the watery corridors, just one step behind. She’d engage in some idle chatter with the librarian. Friendly thing like how her mama was doing, what her papa had set off to this time which Hinrane was quick to find out he was yet to return from his last voyage. On the way she unpacked one of the donuts and biting into it with a delighted huff. Penny’s mother was truly a good cook.

Alas however they made it to where Loken was buried deep in his studies. And at the first sight of the man Penny’s face lit up, losing the disconcerted expression that was etched into her featured beforehand. “I’m so sorry for being late.” she cried a shushed cry, for in spite of being her own idea of hell this was still a library, as she ran over to him.

“Shall I leave you two to it then? Do give me a shout if you need help finding anything. Good day mr Loken. Good day miss Noor.” said Hirane as she turned her back and idly swam away, stuffing the rest of the donut into her mouth once no one else could see.

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[Flashback] Study & Logic (Penny)

Postby Loken on November 17th, 2017, 8:07 pm

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Loken allowed half of his attention to drift towards Penny when she arrived, his eyes lifting for a moment to then drop back down to the page he was in the process of reading. The only thing that changed in Loken's demeanor was that he began to read aloud in a tone higher than a whisper, but still quiet as to not disturbed others in the library. "All wounds, no matter the size can fall prey to infection. That is why basic wound care should never be overlooked. Here are two basic classifications of wounds based on their thickness: Partial Thickness or Full Thickness." Loken naturally assumed Penny would take a seat at his table or go find herself a book, so continued to read. "A partial thickness would is the clear destruction of the skin from the epidermis to the dermis."

The medical book had no details of what the epidermis and dermis meant, so he opened up the book on human anatomy. It took him a chime as he flipped through its pages, but managed to find the chapter near the front of the book that talked about the traits of the skin. "The skin is the largest and most visible organ of the human body. In total, it makes up to about fifteen to twenty percent of an individuals body weight. The skin is composed of two layers: The epidermis and dermis. He moved his hand from the anatomy book to set his finger to the page of the medical book, then dragged it along the page until he found the spot he left off on. "A full Thickness is the destruction of the subcutaneous layer or deeper."

It was now clear that Loken had gotten used to reading the two books in tandem as he moved one hand from one to the other. "The subcutaneous area of the body lays below the skin, which consists of various connective tissues and stores approximately fifty percent of a humans body's fat."

When he did finally manage to look up at Penny, he used his free hand to pick up his quill and set the tip to ink. He rolled it in between his index finger in thumb to shake excess ink from the tip. "As you can see, I'm in the process of learning about the human body and its treatment. What have you decided to study today?" As he looked at her, Loken could not help but find find her faces natural resting expression to be different from the last time he had seen her. "Why are you doing that with your face?"

He lifted the quill to point its small feathered end towards her, pointing out that her eyes were slightly widened eyes with her eyebrows positioned diagonally upward. Loken had no reason to think that she was afraid of something, so was confused given that she also seemed like she was the type to love a library.

The Ano Cultist then set the quill to his journal then started to write down notes on what he had read. Given his nature as a consummate professional, he made sure to keep his hand as still as possible, only setting the tip to the page when he knew it would not be a wasted stroke. It meant that he was a very slow note taker, but he enjoyed writing as a tool to etch the information into his memory.

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[Flashback] Study & Logic (Penny)

Postby Penny Noor on November 29th, 2017, 10:47 am

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Alas she was finally reunited with her new friend. And how very fond of him she was. The sight of Loken did ease the flashes of regret spiralling up and down her back in painful aches but none the less they were still there and the weird gills were still on her and she wished for nothing more than to tear her own skin off.

With her cheeks inflated full of air she still desperately held onto, as if it was the most precious heirloom of her bipedal past, Penny performed what must have only been a display of the most disjointed, awkward swim-walk any eyes had ever seen. Her hand zoomed in front of her and spread to the sides, forcing water to pass between her fingers. Her body arched forward. But her feet still tried to walk, not quite understanding that underwater one does not walk. The end result was eerily similar to a drowning pup whom had not yet grasped complete consciousness of how to move all limbs at once.

And thus, armed with this swim-walk hybrid of her’s Penny wiggled closer towards her comrade and peered over his shoulder.

"...Why are you doing that with your face?"

“Doing what?” she asked without realising that by opening her mouth she would release the very last of familiar air she held onto so dearly. And seeing the bubbles rise from her pink petal lips she panicked. Her face turned even paler than she already was. Her little hands reached for the bubbles as if to catch them and shove them back in her mouth to replace the water that was now tickling her throat. Every bit of her body screamed to get the hell out.

Alas she settled however and came back to her wits. She still had the gills… she wasn’t going to die. “I hate this place” she muttered trying to get her mind off of the fact she was surrounded by water. This was impossible but she might as well try. And so peering over his shoulder she read the words on the open pages out in a hushed tone.

Penny’s eyes grew bored of the book quickly and looked around for something more apt to her tastes instead. “Hmmm… I’m not sure. I was so focused on getting all my chores out of the way that I forgot to figure out what I wanted to read about. Figured… something would jump out at me. I forgot about all the water. All the damned water. Why by the grace of Ionu could they not move all the books to a dryer place. Ugh..”
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