Closed [Wright Memorial Library] A Lost Note (Erekez)

[Castor Riley]

Castor listened as Erekez answered his first question. "Well, for me... I'm pretty good at memorisation, but I think it was more Lisaelis' whim, because I mentioned I loved books," he laughed, thinking back to his first meeting with the head librarian. Castor took the seat Erekez had indicated, saying a quick "Thank you," and watching as Erekez prepared the things he'd need to note the information down. It seemed reasonable to Castor to keep the note and its related information together like that; judging by the state of the desk, the two could easily become separated or lost. "Oh, not to worry, I've already gotten myself some writing materials. I'm studying Literature and History at the university." He added, by way of explanation, folding the loose page Erekez had provided and putting it in his pocket. He put his mind to the task of writing what he could think of on the back of the note, closing his eyes, and thinking back to the book he'd been copying. Finally, he wrote down, in his practiced, clear writing: Book: An Analysis of 10 Benshiran Wedding Songs Author: Phineas Barks Chapter: The Benshira and Song It wasn't much, but it was all of the information he could reasonably fit on the back of the small note. He made to give the note to Erekez once more. "I have more information to give you, possibly, from the page it fell out of, but I'll mail it to you later. Where are you staying?" He asked the man, hoping he didn't seem to be prying. As Erekez explained his thoughts about the origin of the note, Castor couldn't help but agree. "Yeah, that's a pretty useless thing to ponder on, huh? The only thing that I can imagine being of use would be if we could figure out what kind of person wrote it," he mused aloud. "I wonder if we could find library records that might show who checked the book out last," he added brightly.

[Erekez]

"This job must help out with paying for your course then." Erekez surmised. It would be a useful situation to be in, not working very far from where you were staying. That was assuming that Castor stayed in the University's accommodation for its students. It made sense if he was entitled to a free room. They probably included the price for it in his course, regardless of if he used it or not. Why not save the money he earned than staying in an inn? He has a house of his own? That was a possibility, but Erekez decided to put it all to one side as he watched Castor writing. It was difficult not to notice how tidy his handwriting was. Was this his daily handwriting? Or the one he used for work? A scribe's daily handwriting was usually scruffier than what they used when copying out books. One was quick, the other was professional. A scribe who could write neatly and quickly was a valuable asset to any employer they worked for. "Where I stay is a bit of a tricky question." Erekez replied. "I spend most of my time in a tent, just outside of Zeltiva, when I'm not in the city. I make the occasional visits to an inn, but that's not often enough to have anything sent there. I was a traveller before coming to Zeltiva, sleeping in a tent is something I've gotten used to. If you've got anything you want to pass on to me, just leave it at the front desk. I'll pick it up when I come in." Erekez listened as Castor began his own trail of thoughts, listening in as to pick up on anything that may be of use to his own thoughts. "If the book has been off the shelves since the storm, is the library likely to hold borrowing records from that long ago?"

[Castor Riley]

Castor kept a mental note of Erekez' living arrangements, lifting an eyebrow in surprise. He supposed it was no business of his where anyone lived and Erekez seemed happy enough with the way it was, so who was he to cast judgement. "Very well," he said with a smile, "I'll leave the information for you at the desk." The cryptographer's concerns about whether the records would be kept led Castor down a chain of thoughts that dashed his hopes of such a venture being useful: "Well, I haven't been here long enough to know for sure, but this doesn't feel like the sort of place where they'd just toss that kind of stuff out. They're probably archived, though whether it would be worth the trouble of gaining access to such and actually searching for it -- considering we don't even have a general timeframe to look in -- is something that's probably doubtful at best," he said with a sigh. His curious mind then returned to something Erekez had mentioned before -- something that put a shine in his eyes. "You said you've travelled? Where, if I might ask? The only place I've been since leaving Syliras is Zeltiva, but I've always loved to hear about other places," he said, dreamily. Suddenly, he came to with a start "I hope I'm not being nosey, I can do that sometimes. Curiosity and all" he smiled, apologetically. "I hope I'm not keeping you from your work, or, at least, not annoyingly so," he added, remembering the drawings he'd seen the man poring over when he'd arrived. Thinking of work, he still hadn't actually finished transcribing that book... But he couldn't leave just yet, the man was too interesting. If need be, he'd stay a bit over his shift to account for what time he spent here.

[Erekez]

Erekez sat quietly, listening to Castor's ideas again. What he said was perfectly reasonable, and there probably was records of who took what. Students were likely to take out books and 'forget' to return them when asked. A system would be needed to ensure that all books found their way back to their shelves in the library, even if it was a simple one. "It never hurts to ask at the front desk. It's a part of their job as much as it is ours. The only difference is they also have to deal with the questions we are unsure of, as well that of visitors. And as for time spent searching, we can do so ourselves, or just leave it. I doubt they'd make it difficult to get two if the archives were needed." The job got dull sometimes, even for those who enjoyed living their lives in between the pages of a book. It was nice to have distractions every now and then. Something to take a mind off of how neat and legible there handwriting was, and to take the eyes away from small and faded text. Asides from the occasional cramps, being a scribe wasn't physically draining, but it was capable of giving anyone a headache if they spent too many stressful hours on it. Castor turned his attention to asking about Erekez about his travels, causing him to sit and think about them for a bit. Whilst it had been true that he had travelled before coming to Zeltiva, he hadn't done so much thinking of it for a while now. Honestly, he had come to like Zeltiva, though he still didn't hold much regards for cities. Inside city walls was usually better than sleeping in a tent with all manners of danger lurking about. "I came from Riverfall, though I first left it with the company of the Drykas. I'd never set foot out of Riverfall before then, so I was happy for the company and the experience outside the city. From there, I've been to Alvadas, Sultros, Lhavit, Nyka to name a few. There were other cities I stopped in to restore supplies, but I didn't stay there long enough for me to call it a visit. I'll probably go back and spend longer at those places after I leave Zeltiva." "And don't worry." Erekez smiled at him, "You're allowed to ask questions. They don't bother me in the slightest."

[Castor Riley]

Castor nodded along to Erekez' suggestion. "Yes, you're right, it doesn't. I'll make a quick enquiry before I leave today," he said. Perhaps something interesting could come of it. When Erekez began answering his question about his travels, Castor unconsciously leaned in with interest, eyes lit up and imagination soaring as he lapped up the new information. Riverfall, Alvadas, Sultros, Lhavit, Nyka... All places that had been far away and somehow unreal, somehow magical to him. And here was someone now that had been to these places, that might tell him what they were like! Castor put forth the effort to restrain himself; as much as the man kept saying that questions were welcome, surely there were only so many that he would answer before Castor's curiosity became annoying. If unconstrained, Castor would have surely asked for details about every single city and its inhabitants, about the journeys between each, about the traditions and the cultures and Eyris knew what else. Their short conversation would become a very long one indeed. However, Castor could not resist asking at least a few of these questions, so he carefully considered which were the most interesting to him. Eventually, he decided to ask about the man's hometown. "You are so widely travelled! And you come from Riverfall?" Castor asked, the same curiosity burning in his eyes as before. Castor had only a vague idea of Riverfall; as in, he knew it existed, and that it was somewhere in Cyphrus, but nothing else. "What was it like there? I have to say, I know little to nothing of cities outside of Sylira," he added, hoping the man might share more than what the phrasing of the question strictly required.

[Abstract]

Grade Awarded!

Castor

Skills

~ Copying - 1
~ Investigation - 1
~

Lores

~ Erekez: Cryptographer
~ Erekez: From Riverfall
~ A Strange, Coded note in a Book

Other

N/A

Notes

Not much to say... but I think I might take this code and try and break it. The 'F' could be an 'A' or an 'I'... hmmm...