The Sky Garden; [Open]

"Uhh." Cassima sort of snickered by Jack's remark, although she felt bad soon after because she didn't want to make fun of her new friend Liseran, who took offence at Jack's teasing. Cassima quickly blushed in embarrassment over the situation she helped caused. "She's right, I am sorry for upsetting you miss, you are only trying to help us and were repaying you by making fun of your garb. It's nice if I do say so myself." Cassima wanted to get back on Liseran's good books if she wasn't already on it already and so she quietly listened to the woman who provided her information regarding the sections of the library.

When Liseran mentioned alchemy and restoration, her eyes fluttered in anticipation. She was excited to learn one of those kinds of sub magic when she possibly starts her learning at this academy. She looked down at the first level. "I see, so the books that will help get me started will be on the first level." Cassima moved her eyes down back to the stairs. She looked back at Liseran when she mentioned how this building was supposedly haunted.

"Haunted? How strange. I only heard mentions of bounded spirits before, but I'm unsure if such things are possible." Cassima looked around the current balcony floor the trio were standing on, trying to see if she would see something spooky happen on this floor if it's possible. "It's sad, this library looks very interesting and beautiful too." Cassima lamented to Liseran and Jack.

"Okay, okay, sorry," Jack laugh, raising both of his arms up in surrender. "Although it's nice seeing you act your age missy. You're kinda cute all flustered like that."

He crossed his arms behind his head as he followed along.

"Haunted? That's a new one," Jack mused thoughtfully. "Is there a story behind that missy?"

Upon Jack's remark, Liseran's bright red hue returned. The book in her hand was trembling and she was this close to smacking the idiot with it. She refrained, however, and responded.

"I was already acting my age," Liseran said with puffed cheeks. "I'm not a child, you know! I'm a grown adult!"

Honestly, this man was going to be the death of her. She decided to ignore him before he decided to listen to Cassima. In any case, both of them seemed interested in learning more about why this place had been given such a bad reputation. Liseran sighed. She motioned for them to follow her as she continued walking up the flights of stairs. Thoughtfully, she pinched her chin as she spoke.

"Well, that's a little complicated to explain," she said. "Have any of you ever heard of faire or fairies? Well, they're this magical creatures in children's stories that are more or less just a symbolic representation of Incantii. They often show themselves as beautiful, enchanted, and benevolent, and can grant wishes. Granted, in order to gain your wish, you have to give your soul in exchange. It's a pretty blatant comparison, really. You'd think they would just talk about Incantii in stories, but historians suggest that in the olden days they wanted to shelter children from learning about Incantii right away lest they try to hunt them themselves. But I'm getting off topic..."

The three would stop at the next level before Liseran moved onto the next flight of stairs. This didn't seem to be tiring her in the least, suggesting she was used to climbing this high.

"A long time ago, there was a rumor that the noblewoman who had this library built had a daughter. She was beautiful, smart, and had long golden hair and porcelain skin. Why, many would have thought she was a life-sized doll, if she didn't speak. The girl was obsessed with her studies and spent hours and hours on end here, but it was never enough to satiate her knowledge. And so one day, they say, she made a contract with an Incantus, one that did not outwardly manifest, but would absorb itself into one's body and reside in it. She gained all the knowledge she wanted, but at the cost of her becoming a possessed husk: a beautiful creature hungering for souls. They say that if you meet her in the top of the stairs where the gardens are, she'll be waiting, ready to tempt you with her offers in exchange for your very life and Anima."

Liseran stopped and said nothing for a moment, as if in thought. She then turned around and smiled.

"But that's poppycock!" she giggled. "Really, you'd think people as logical as Cartic mage students would not buy into such legends! Now, we're here on the theoreticals level."

She stopped as they reached the end of the staircase. They were somewhere just a level below the garden. Liseran scowled at Jack and crossed her arms.

"You're free to find your book now," she said. "The authors are often categorized by range and then author surnames, stranger."

She then changed her tune when she turned to Cassima, offering another smile.

"Is there anything else you want to ask about this place?" she asked. "Or maybe some kinds of books?"

"Oh, do please tell us the story about this enchanted library and how it got those terrible haunting rumours." Cassima was begging to know about the dark story that had caused this building to earn its reputation to this day. "Fairies? No, I barely heard of them. My old home was often secluded, although judging by your description they sound like a more trust looking edition of the Incantii, which sounds sort of terrifying when you put it into perspective." Cassima shivered, she sure hoped that the fairies were fictional and not real. Finally, the tragic tale of the Noblewoman's daughter was soon being told.

"That's sort of sad, but maybe if she waited for a few years she would have gotten the knowledge she would need, instead of making a contract. She could even be still alive to this day." Cassima voiced her mixed opinion on the story to the group, almost like she thought the story was real, she soon reached the next level with Liseran and Jack. "I'm not sure, I mean, did a noblewoman build this library?" She questioned Liseran about how truthful the story was, she soon stood beside Liseran to offer Jack more room to find his book.

"Well, seeing as how I might possibly become a new student here, I would suggest we go back down to the first level so I can look for some beginner spells that I can learn and maybe some more books about brewing. About most of the books I have on carta are related to brewing." Cassima was at least excited that she was going to learn actual spells instead of more information on brewing now at this rate.

"Mmmm, perhaps," Jack mused as he went his way. He traced the spines of the books he passed with two fingers from his wooden arm. "However, fiction tends to be born from fact. It is a fact this library is built by a noble with a daughter, is it not? So what more of that is fact, hm?"

He scanned the books as he talked, looking up and down. "So as a result, they keep only old and obsolete books here, hm?" His wooden finger stopped at a moss green book. He carefully pulled out the tomb, kicking up a cloud of dust. With one hand he turned the cover of the book. It made the loud cracking sound of a nearly new book.

"Hm. Guess it was here afterall," he stated. He snapped the book shut and tucked it in his cloak. He returned to the girls, humming to himself. "Oh? You're trying to enroll in the school huh?"

Jack chimed into the conversation as Cassima exclaimed her intentions. "Hmm. Aren't you on the young side little missy? Are you one of those types that got formal lessons early on?"

"You're both correct. A noblewoman did really have this built," Liseran said with a nod. She paused for a moment and tried to remember the woman's name. "Her name was Eminence Cinq or something like that. A Saoirsian woman who came to Aldmerrow in hopes of donating to the school. I heard she was quite fond of roses and other blooms, hence the desire for a botanical garden upstairs. She did have a daughter, but I think the account of her becoming an Incantus would be a little illogical, don't you think? After all, Esterelf's harsh on even the slightest suspicions of Incantus, and would exterminate them if they knew one resided here."

Her last words seemed to hint the slightest resentment at this fact, but she'd quickly revert back to a smile aimed at Cassima.

"And yes, now that Mr. Barrels-of-Laughs is done with finding his book, I should properly show you where the brewing manuals are," Liseran said, her address to Jack more than sharp in tone, but gentle towards Cassima. Just the past injuries to her made her face burn. "A-anyways, I do believe we should go now and---"

Liseran squeaked upon making a horrible realization. She turned to Cassima apologetically.

"Oh, my, I'm so sorry! I never introduced myself to you or even asked for your name!" she said.

Liseran then made a small formal curtsy, directed away from Jack and towards Cassima.

"My name is Liseran Dormise. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said as if reciting lines from a finishing school. "May I ask your--"

The sound of something shuffling came from upstairs. Liseran's eyes darted to the highest floor where a silhouette moved away from the railings. Something bright gleamed in the sunlight as it caught onto it; something like strands of golden hair.

She looked at Jack.

"Did...you come here accompanied by someone by any chance?" she said as she reached for her bells.

Cassima nodded to Jack before he went to grab the book he needed. "Jack does have a point, what if the story isn't fictional and is in fact, a fact. For all we know the noblewoman's daughter could be watching us now from the top of the stairs, where she's thinking of ways to try and tempt us into becoming her dinner." Cassima didn't want to try and scare Liseran, but the way she talked implied she was trying to be spooky, but since her scare skills are a little...Bad, she's just coming off as being funny instead.

After realising how embarrassing it was to talk that way, Cassima darted her eyes over to Jack. "Yes, if by formal you mean reading books on brewing, then yes. I have also attempted a few of the more, simpler spells, but then I realised I didn't have the right things that were needed back at my old home, so lessons involving attempt magic quickly became a failure. As for my age, i'm currently sixteen years last time I checked, but I feel like i'm mature enough to attend this magical school and some of the students here look like there only a year older then me and are slightly taller given my short height." She then decided to introduce herself properly, as Cassima felt like she hasn't introduced herself properly yet to Jack and Liseran.

"Your excellent introduction reminds me Liseran, I haven't introduced myself." Cassima bowed.

"I a---Huh!?" Cassima turned to the top of the stairs and gasped in horror, could the figure actually be. "What if, what we just saw was the noblewoman's daughter? You did say she appears on the top of the stairs right? What if she's going to target us as her new victims?" Cassima looked back to Liseran feeling slightly afraid, as she never dealt with something spooky related before, so this was kind of exciting.

And maybe, if they were to face the daughter and defeat her, thus making this library a non haunted place, maybe Cassima will get enough attention for her to become a student here?

"Can't say I did," he stated, his head craning up as he looked to where they saw the fleeting presence. Before anyone else, he started walking up, walking towards where they saw the oddity. "Young missy, stay back for a bit, hm? It doesn't sound like you got much experience so keep your distance. I'm gonna take a look first, alright?"

Upon Cassima's suggestion that it might have been the fairy from the rumors, her face turned red with exasperation.

"O-of course not!" she protested. The hesitance in her voice suggested a slight nervousness. "If anything, it's probably another student or a trespasser. That said, I should probably survey the scene and--"

Before she could finish, Jack was headed up the stairs. Liseran yelped.

"H-hey, wait! If anyone should go up there, it's me!" she said rushing up after Jack. "You might break something or damage the books! Or the flowers! Errr--young lady, please stay right here. If things go bad, I want you to run down and get far away from here, understand? Take this just in case!"

Liseran dug into her pockets and tossed out a smooth geode at Cassima. It glowed warm with Lei energy.

As Liseran tried to catch up with Jack up the stairs, Jack would make it to the highest floor and be greeted by an elaborate garden. This was, by no means, any backyard flowerbed or floral display. Rather, Jack would be greeted by what almost appeared like a lush forest. Trees, shrubs, bushes, and flowers grew all alike everywhere in ornate pots and beds and barrels and lots, all while sun shone in from the glass dome that served as the ceiling and the walls and supported by beautiful marble arches. The floor itself was a smooth checkered tile, and all around were benches and tables and even fountains and bird baths. At one of the far ends of the garden was a flat portion of stained glass that displayed the image of a girl in a gown with long blonde hair, and surrounded by rose-pink and rose-gold glass that shone its colored rays on a figure in front of it.

It was a little girl turned away with long golden hair that cascaded down into curls hovering only a few inches from the ground. She wore a lavender dress, a bonnet, and cuffs with roses on it. The girl turned around to show a doll-like face with sharp green eyes and an expression of disdain.

"You all sure were noisy down there," the girl said, her voice oddly low and sharp, as if that of an older woman.

From behind Jack were loud steps and the sound of panting. Liseran had hurried up and was now catching her breath.

"I said wait--for--me---!" she said panting and clapping her knees.

In the back of her head, she realized she could have just glyphed her way up. Stupid, stupid, stupid! She was about to glare up at Jack and give him a scolding when she turned and saw the figure in front of them. Almost instantly, Liseran shrieked and jumped on Jack's back like a scared cat leaping towards a tree.

"Aaaaagh!!! It's---it's true! The Golden Fairy IS real!!" she said shakily.

The girl in front of them scowled.

"When they said people were gullible in Aldmerrow, I didn't think they were this gullible."

Cassima became slightly more nervous when Liseran sounded nervous in her tone of voice. She reached down in her pockets to grab something and slowly began to pull out a small dagger for protection, but she was soon told to stay behind for safety and dropped her dagger back into her pocket. "Be careful. I just met you two and I don't think you two deserve getting hurt by someone like that girl." She quickly caught the geode from Liseran and looked at it. "Huh?" Cassima realised that it was a medium that she can use if she gets a mark that she knew about. There were only about two to three marks that she learned from Liliana's books and Cassima sort of had trouble remembering them.

She tried to remember the marks in question, it could take time to remember, but if things go bad for Liseran and Jack, then she couldn't just...Run. She ran long enough and she now wanted to help people.

She failed to help someone before, and she's not going to fail two more times.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She began to think about her past, about a time she was reading her grandmother's books, surely she took multiple notes regarding a few marks that were told in those books...

She just had to remember..."I think, i'm remembering something." Cassima tried to think harder about her past regarding book reading.