Battle Hymn of the Republic

When Drysi finally awoke the next morning it was to the muted chattering. She would find that despite sleeping through the night sitting at a desk she wasn’t terribly uncomfortable; not well rested, but at least not achey. The book she had found had been pulled aside and closed at some point during the night, but was otherwise left nearby. The light in the library seemed warmer than it was last night, almost as though daylight filled the subterranean archive; which when thought about made the cool muted white light last night seem almost lunar. Also at some point Gideon had made it to her, carried by Dez the snake would reveal. A check of her phone revealed the time to be half past eight in the morning.

The chattering came from a number of druids wearing casual clothes that had sat themselves at a nearby table, a stack of books near each of them; a few of them draping blue hemmed robes over their chairs. It seemed even on a Saturday there were sages in the library. Closer to her own set, at the next desk over in fact, sat Ruarc. The Irishman seemed to be idli reading a book with a rather colorful cover, its style giving it away to Drysi as a fantasy novel, and a glimpse showing the title to be The Maze With No Walls.

The frustration was as bitter as the cotton feeling in Drysi's mouth. She wasted the whole night and now she probably only had enough time to gather her things and report to her Chief. After hearing Gideon's report, she sat in silence, seething at the loss. The snake, in turn, watched her in similar silence. He could feel what she was going through. He slithered over to her, coiling down into her lap. After spending a few minutes biting her lip, Drysi began to stroke the snake's scales.

The sheer energy generated by the burning desire to flip the table and scream expletives powered her legs to stand. She scooped Gideon on to her shoulders, and grabbed the book she had failed to read. Her things gathered, she walked over to Ruarc.

It occurred to her that the seething was not powered by pointless frustration, but embarrassment. She had boasted that she was going to find the solution in the books, and she hadn't managed to get through the one.

”I… I slept through the night," Drysi mewled, her eyes downcast, "I didn't… I didn't accomplish anything…"

Squinting at the book for a brief moment Ruarc eventually shook his head slightly before looking up at Drysi. With a muffled snap he closed the book and sat it down in front of him. On the cover was a fairly standard looking Young Adult Novel protagonist standing on an empty plain of stone as an ominous pair of shadowy eyes looked down from above.

“I disagree,” Ruarc responded. He looked rested, and in his typical manner as though he had already had a productive morning. “You didn’t read that book, and trust me when I say you aren’t missing anything. If your fatigue hadn’t caught up to you, that book would have put you to sleep instead. Leave it to Hallenforth to make theoretical rune compounding boring.”

"I was trying to find resources for the rune I'm looking for. Sometimes, looking through something obtuse helps you find the source for the one thing you need information for."

To her dismay, Ruarc seemed to be right, the book in itself was a thick account. It was double columned and read like a raw research paper cut loose on the public. Even Drysi struggled to skim any information from the page she opened it on.

Snap. The book shut in her hands and she sat down at the desk with Ruarc. She wiped the back of her hand over her face feeling the unwashed, oily texture. There was a rumbling in her stomach, her head ached a bit, and she felt a fierce anxiety starting to take her over.

"I… Master, what do I do?" Drysi's hands began to wring over the hem of her robe, "I… I wasted s'much time… I spent s'much time trying to learn what the chain did, that I put nothin' to figurin' out what it was."

Her fingers sank into the depths of her long, golden hair, "If I hadn't dallied at dinner, I'd have somethin' to show."

Ruarc positioned his chair to face Drysi, and then crossed his legs and folded his arms as he considered Drysi and her situation. Part of him wondered if he should say nothing and have this be a part of the lesson, but that seemed harsh. He simply needed to not offer any advice on the artifact, but advising his apprentice was still in his interest; Mastrogiacomo be damned. Now to just be sure he was advising her well.

“Many times when I’m working, Keeper work not school work, I’m only able to examine things for a short time. The rest I need to intuit, and work based on my best judgment,” the Irishman began. “So, work a bit like a Keeper. From everything you’ve found out about the chain, everything you’ve observed about it, everything you’ve seen similar things do. Consider, and act with certainty in your call. When you feel confident, collect everything you need, grab a bite to eat, and then we’ll head back down to the Chief.”

Ruarc was right, Drysi would not have time to solidify her assessment with research, perhaps she never did. If this were something truly important, she would not be able to bargain for more time. At this moment, the chain was what Drysi thought it was, what her notes thought they were.

"You're right."

The apprentice was on her feet.

"You're right."

Suddenly, the despondence was gone, and Drysi was back.

"I am a Keeper's apprentice. The 3rd Circle's ways aren't the only way to come to an answer. This isn't a research project, it's an investigation, and I've got more than enough clues!"

Drysi scooped up the book, and nearly spun around to run it back to the shelves, before rounding on Ruarc again. "Food. Breakfast. I can review m'notes while I eat. Will you be down there with me when I make m'call?"

“You can put your book in the Return box, and it will handle replacing everything,” Ruarc said quickly before Drysi darted off again. Mentally he congratulated himself on giving successful advice. “And of course, if you want me down there, then I’ll be down there.”

Ruarc stood and gave his own book a considering stare, after a moment he grabbed the book and tucked it under his arm. Walking with his apprentice to the front desk he gestured to the Return box that stood sentinel by a nearby column. Made of similar wood to the desk, it was adorned by a rather whimsical carving of a dragon slumbering on a hoard of books. Ruarc however didn’t drop his in the slot, instead taking it to the sage manning the desk and checking it out. Walking upstairs with his apprentice, he split off at the ground floor. The main hall had a number of loitering druids killing time on this weekend morning. Explaining that he had agreed to join Mealla and the Keeper garrison for some extra drills, Ruarc walked across the hall and out to the courtyard.

In the dining hall, Drysi would find a much larger crowd than the previous night. While not raucous, there were plenty of druids who had woken up at a reasonable time and were enjoying breakfast. The smell of fresh coffee and dozens of teas wafted on the air accompanied by the scents of roasted potatoes, meats, and fresh breads and biscuits. A number of plates of full English breakfasts could be seen, as well as many Mediterranean dishes, and even a bagel with cream cheese and lox. With only a small line of other trickling in druids, Drysi wouldn’t need to wait long to be greeted by one of the attendant cooks.

When the apprentice had said farewell to her master, she felt a sudden shift in priorities. In her mind, she still needed to gather her notes from upstairs, and put together some sense of presentation for Mastrogiacomo. Yet, since coming to Carneath she had felt a spirit of whimsy take root in her.

"You still have plenty of time, why do you feel in such a hurry?" asked Gideon.

"There's something I need to see while we're here."

Drysi came up to the line, bouncing on the balls of her feet. With a goal now, she felt her energy coming back, but she was trying not to pendulate into something negative. When it came her turn in line, she opened her mouth to speak, and found herself intimidated again.

Then, she remembered Rodney, and the meal he had made for her. From his smile, to the richness of the meat-pie,, to the warmth of meeting and making new friends, she found her confidence bolstering. She was starting to find that she loved it here.

"Mornin'! Is there somethin' I could eat on the go?" asked Drysi, without even a tremble, "I'm terrible pressed this morning, and I still need to get back to m'room."

It was true, she would not have much time to get up to her room. Drysi wasn't going to miss a chance see the Keepers, and her Master, in action in the courtyard.

The cook tending the counter greeted Drysi with a smile and considered her request dutifully. He appeared young, likely around Brooke’s age, a distinct gap between him and the gruff individuals dutifully manning the kitchen. Last night Drysi had seen the brigade cleaning up after a long day, now she saw the crew in full swing as they prepared for the day. To the side of the window just beyond view the sound of deftly moving knives provided a steady tempo alongside a deep and heavy boom sounded occasionally; someone was working a mighty ball of dough. Near the ovens at the back heat could be seen radiating off of the metal doors, and by a large cauldron a woman with a slight build stood unphased before a massive cauldron; eliciting a witchy vibe, but soon spooned a bit of broth in a small dish by her side. Tasting it, she added some more seasons as she prepared the soup of the day. From the other side of the kitchen Rodney strode along as he made notes on a piece of cardstock he had pulled from his coat’s breast pocket. He then called out instructions to a couple of cooks Drysi couldn’t see, but their affirmatives called from the side stations. He then tucked the card away just as the massive ball of dough flew into view and into Rodney’s ready hands. No sooner had the dough touched his palms than he had it down on another station where he pulled a large metal bowl from underneath, and with a quick twist flipped the bowl over top of the dough to let it proof. All the while this was going on the man tending to Drysi had stepped to the side and prepared a couple of items. One looked like a dome tent of pastry, but smelled savory; likely stuffed with something tasty. The other looked almost like a cross between a donut and a danish.

“One skolebrød, and a Rodney bun for the go,” the young man said, his accent sounding Scandinavian. The bun was wrapped in paper with a few quick motions. The skolebrød though was smoothly slid into a pouch for convenient snacking on the go. On closer inspection Drysi could see it was topped with a glaze that had toasted coconut sprinkled on it, the center had been hollowed out and filled with a rich yellow custard, and had a light dusting of what smelled like cardamom. “Enjoy your food and your day, ma’am.”

Food in hand, Drysi would easily be able to weave back through the hall and up the next flight of stairs to her room.

"We really need to talk to Master Flynn 'bout getting one of these lads at Safeholme."

Drysi's hunger rose with a mighty growl of her stomach, and her desire grew for something more substantial as she stared on at the options available. Realizing that she had been staring and lingering, she swiftly thanked the young man behind the counter and gathered herself to leave. She was already noshing into her skolebrød before she even got to the doorway.

She stopped at the threshold, and looked back at the large dining hall, and wondered if she could convince her Master to extend their stay through lunch.

Time was ticking, and Drysi hurried herself back up to her room. She had managed to put away the skolebrød bybthe time she had gotten up the stairs, and she shoving the Rodney bun in her mouth as she tugged the door open. Her trusty bag was waiting for her on the bed, and the room was still askew from her studies. She tugged out another poison toad treat for Gideon, then some fresh underwear, and her toothbrush, and did her damnedest to keep the three apart.

"Can ya eat on the move?"

Gideon caught the toad as it was swiftly deposited in his mouth.

"I can try. Are you sure you're not in too much a hurry?"

She had already conducted the underwear swap before he could turn back around. Gideon had to hold on tight to his toad as Drysi tucked him back in place. Toothpaste applied to the brush, and her bag over her shoulder, she charged out to get to the courtyard

"Where are you going to spit all that out?"

The apprentice furiously brushed her teeth, bemoaning the lost of flavor from her expedient breakfast.

"First loo I see."