[Library] Mutual Benefit (Dieter Heydrich/Asheny/Vallux)

[Vallux]

Vallux waited for a few moments after he heard the voice of the robed one who had been doing a bad job of pretending not to listen to the conversation. He slowly turned around, a trick he had perfected over time, and stared into the man's eyes. He stayed perfectly still for ten seconds or more before speaking. "What business is it of yours how clear the terms are? If the human wishes to learn from me, it can wait until Summer ends to receive its instruction. If it wishes to become a Nuit, I can procure some ichor for it to drink within a few minutes, show it to a soundproofed room, and come back in six hours to either greet a new nuit or retrieve a corpse. Though I know you will both deny thinking it, I am not considering either of you for a new body. I prefer mortuaries for my transferrals, and don't 'case out' potential replacements. Perhaps if you were a little taller, with some more muscle so that I wouldn't look so atrophied once I moved in... Nothing to be done about that, though." Vallux honestly didn't know why he was talking to these humans, it was the most contact with other sentients he'd had in almsot a decade. The last time he'd talked this much had been when he'd replaced his previous body - an Eypherian four-arm he'd used to increase the speed he drew Animation circles - with his current one, a relatively tall and completely bald Izur male, with a few flecks of silver among his flesh, which had not been inhabited long enough before death to gain the characteristic density and coloration of Izur skin, nor the superdense arm. and even that much conversation had only been perfunctory, finished with as quickly as possible. Perhaps he, like others of his race, was beginning to go insane, picking up slivers of memory from the bodies he inhabited. He didn't switch often, so he'd never expected to 'go legion,' as a few Nuit acquaintances called it, but there was always a possibility...

[Ash'eny]

Ash'eny, without bothering to turn around to face the accuser of his new friend, replied with a simple, yet slightly hostile tone of voice. "Exceptionally clear. There is death, or never ending life, those are the only two options." Ash'eny grinned at Vallux, almost giving him a look that said 'I understand what you mean' before finally turning around to face the newcomer, his smile not fading, but shifting into an arrogant smirk. "It is not the life or death that is the point of this conversation though, it is the pursuit of knowledge without the restraining bonds of sleep and hunger. With such a life, one could easily learn all that there was to learn, or invent whatever they'd wish to invent, to explore wherever they'd wish to explore, to meet whoever they'd like to meet. Difficulty would come, of course, as it does for all beings, Nuit or Human or otherwise, just in different forms, new struggles. Unexplored frontiers." Ash'eny caught himself almost preaching out of his own ignorant mouth to the stranger, more out of the wonder of what could be done by a Nuit, that otherwise was unobtainable by others. He did want it, but there were still so many uncertainties. Vallux, Ash'eny noticed, had very little of a personality. Perhaps that had less to do with being a Nuit and more because of his strengthened devotion to his studies, but Ash'eny was afraid to lose something like that. Life too was something he was afraid to risk, yet he felt certain that, assuming the offer remained, he would accept the terms and give himself to the Nuit way or life, or that of the dead. For now, he would study just how he was. The young human turned to face Vallux again, as if looking to him for approval for what he said. Had he stepped too far? Was Vallux going to tell this new person to leave as he once bothered Ash'eny, though he seemed to give up on by now? Perhaps Vallux would ignore him, or maybe this newer face wouldn't bother to continue the discussion, regardless of the outcome, Ash'eny just watched Vallux for something.

[Dieter Heydrich]

A small frown creased his face, a faint look of bemusement apparent to all who cared to see. The look faded swiftly, replaced by a slightly more perplexing expression, a smile, accompanied by a small giggle. "I have not made myself clear?" Dieter raised his hand to his face, giving a small obviously fake slap to his own face, the ever widening smile never faltering "Shame on me." Looking between the two, the robed man made a sweeping bow his head never facing away from the two, eyes widened, "My name is Dieter Stefan Heydrich, one who would like to join in this study group, one who can teach something in return." Coming out of the somewhat exaggerated motion, his right hand suddenly darted out, positively begging to be shook, "And your names are?"

[Vallux]

Vallux moved so that both humans were in his field of vision. They were here for the long haul, or at least the human whose name he still didn't know was here for the long haul, and the other one looked to be the generic condescending magus who wanted everything in exchange for a little something. Might as well tell them. "My name is Vallux. This will mean nothing to either of you, I only started using it five years ago. I change names every time I change libraries, but the legend of the Eternal Researcher almost always comes from my presence or that of one of the seven other Nuit I have met over the centuries with the same goal as myself or one with a similar method of completion. I would like to make it clear that this is not a 'study group,' Heydrich, it is my own research passed on to temporary apprentice and my likewise using available resources to learn a discipline faster than I normally could."

[Ash'eny]

For proving himself as a Nuit of little words thus far, Ash'eny was actually surprised, staring at Vallux for several seconds after he gave his small speech about the 'Eternal Researcher' and his name, and even for several seconds afterwards. Ash'eny, though did not respond, had to disagree with the Nuit, the name actually meant a good deal to him, it meant now he knew what he'd prefer to be called at this particular moment, even if he was to change it in a few years (what were the odds the two of them would still be meeting and talking by then? Maybe likely if Ash'eny was a Nuit...). Ash'eny merely shrugged as he turned to face the new comer, and with a smile. "Dieter, nice to meet you. I'm Ash'eny." Ash'eny leaned over the back of his chair, stretching his right hand out, offering it to Dieter to shake. He did, however, take note that he mentioned he had something to offer in return, knowledge, which reminded Ash'eny that he was ignorant in all this mess, he hardly knew how to pronounce alchemy, and what it could do severely confused him. He was, however, extremely intrigued, and was beginning to tire somewhat. Curse these human bodies.

[Dieter Heydrich]

Listening to the one dubbed as Vallux talk nearly drove the robed one to distraction. To him it seemed as if the immortal one was possessed of a horrid, if perhaps deserved, self importance, combined with a knack for unnecessary correction that made Dieter cringe. When the newcomer held out his hand, almost ignoring the hand that was already proffered, the smile left the robed man completely as he glanced from the other's hand to the face that owned it. After several seconds of awkward silence, the man finally took the other's hand, giving it a few shakes before pulling it back to himself. "So, how shall this work? Who will teach what, and who will begin the lessons? The questions were rapid, and not necessarily well thought out. He did not have time for such small talk, preferring to cut through the small talk and get directly to the important bits.

[Vallux]

Vallux raised one eyebrow at Heyderich, an expression of sufferance on his face. The man expected to learn without knowing what it was he would learn. Such a hurrier, and for what would in the end amount to nothing much. They both would want to learn, and he would probably teach them (he realized this with what passed for surprise) when they knew enough to know what they had to learn. "For the moment it will not 'work' at all, since neither of you have any look of an Alchemist about you. I cannot teach either of you anything until you know what Alchemy is and isn't, what you can and cannot do with it, and what its limitations are. Go find a book or scroll on Alchemy, read it, and come back when you know what you do not know. From the ink-stains on your sleeves you are either a Summoner, Glypher, or Animator, and I doubt you are a Glypher since glyphing does not traditionally require one to prick the fingers, and you would not have the small dotted scars on your hand if you did not do that. I have knowledge of Animation enough to suit my purposes at the moment, but if you are a Summoner we could come to an arrangement in regards to payment for my instruction." Having finished with Heyerich, he turned to the human who had identified itself as Ash'eny. "As for you, I doubt you have a grounding in basic magic, so you will probably have to talk with me later about payment. Go and research Alchemy with Heyderich, come back when you both have found the basics." When he finished he turned back to his books, pulled one on Summoning towards him, and started to scan the pages, his hand absent-mindedly sketching out geometric patterns for Summoning circles as he read.

[Leviathan]

Leviathan Intervenes! Sorry Vallux and Dieter, bad news. The location this thread takes place in does not exist in Syliras. Syliras does not have a library. My sincere apologies. I was just recently told by Dusk about the situation, so until Dusk passes judgement and/or makes a decision, this thread is to be frozen. Please don't post here until a suitable solution is presented and used. In the future, I will try to keep a closer eye on these sorts of things in Syliras. Again, I'm sorry I messed up on this and allowed this to go on as long as I did. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to PM me and we can talk about it, but overall, Dusk has the final say.