The streets of Lómëdor were lit by the numerous lanterns and flickering lights set upon posts along the streets, showing a different side to the city. Night time had long since settled upon the land, and the pale moon now rested upon its perch up above the mortal world, the sky glittered with tiny stars, each one having its own special purpose for being there. Kiera had left her room at the Wilwarin out of restlesness, but had found no comfort in the usual gathering of patrons and bards down in the main room. A quick return to her rented quarters yielded a light shawl, which now draped over her shoulders, rustling slightly in the evening breeze as she made her way toward the library. Of course, the route taken to get there had been the longest one possible, so that she would be gifted with the chance to enjoy the slight chill that settled in with nightfall. Few others were out roaming the streets, which at least took away the nervous edge she sometimes felt at being out in such a city as Lómëdor.

Tiny prickles spread across her skin, though they did not come in response to the chill in the air, but rather as a sign that something was once again causing her to summon her arcane energies, though it was not being done on a concious level. This was what had been disturbing as of late, the fact that for years such energy had simply rested in a dormant state within her, and now it seemed to come in a rush without a single thought. What worried her more, was the fact that said energy simply seemed to build, bringing her to a state where she could no longer concentrate or even sit still. Far too often, she found herself expending said energy through the casting of a spell with little to no effect, such as a spell of light or illumination. This was cause for worry though, as she feared the day would come when her ability to contain and control her magic just might be strained, and she'd not be able to settle it with the casting of such a mundane spell.

This, of course, was what had brought her out into the night, and to the steps of the Parmamar Library. In fact, even as she approached the library, she found herself summoning a tiny globe of light, a physical representation of the energies that had caused her earlier restless feelings. Climbing the steps, she made a silent prayer that she might be gifted with a bit of knowledge to aid her in her search for control. Once inside, she found herself surrounded by only peace, quiet and a large array of books, a sign that this night would definitely be a long one. Blue eyes slid over the titles of each of the books, her steps falling steadily upon the floor of the library, echoing about a bit before each one fell into silence. She was rather unsure as to whether a book would give the answers she needed, yet she hoped that there just might be one that would at least give her enough of a hint as to where to look further.

Reaching out, she nearly collected one book, but something in that title just didn't seem to appeal to the sort of knowledge she was seeking, and so the search continued down along that same row. Further down, about two dozen books later, her eyes came upon a jet black, leather bound book with Magic, in Theory written in fine gold lettering upon its spine. She collected this book, then went in search of a place where she could settle in to do some reading, the night still young, in her eyes. It wasn't long before Kiera was sitting with the book under the light of a flickering lamp, eyes hurrying along the pages so that she might soak up what the writer had to say. In fact, she had become so deeply involved in her reading, that she hadn't bothered any longer to listen for any other sounds which might fill the air of the large library.

::The effects of eventide on the city of Lómëdor are astounding.:: The black clad Lómenrainë ruminated casually, not for the first time. He moved through streets nearly devoid of inhabitants, his steps echoing sharply off the dirty cobblestones. Well perhaps empty wasn’t a fair estimate, it was more that they did a better job of not being noticed than the common citizen. A touch of wind disheveled his usually dormant hair, causing it to obscure his vision from time to time. He reached up absently to brush a few strands away. There were no lights in this part of the city, candles and torches were not something the common folk could not afford. On a night like this however, such sources were not needed. Lómenrainë looked towards the heavens, a pale yet almost full moon provided all the light one needed to navigate successfully through the cramped alleys. It had been a long night, though a productive one. ::It is going to get even longer yet:: He thought resolutely.

Lómenrainë moved towards the center of the city, unchallenged by the denizens of the night. It was here he noticed the change of station between where he had been, and where he was headed. Torches lined the walls as if their light provided some arcane protection. He speculated it had something to do with a subconscious comfort, something he never bothered with personally. He stepped onto the main street winding his way carefully around a couple talking softly, their eyes locked onto one another oblivious to the world. Lómenrainë nodded to a patrolling guard as he reached a lightly trafficked intersection. It was then he saw the woman, an elf, wrapped lightly in a translucent shawl. He had seen elves before of course but there was something about this one, he couldn’t quite put his finger on what distinguished her from perhaps the other dozen inhabiting this street. Curiosity overcame caution as he followed at what he deemed a safe distance, cutting off a side street and back to the main periodically to avoid suspicion.

Lómenrainë shifted to briefly to othersight, utilizing the ability common to all mageborn. It was here he noticed what drew him towards her. ::Such disorganization!:: his mind exclaimed. He continued to watch, tendrils of power flickered across her skin akin to lightning that never reached for the ground. Such things were dangerous as when it chose to strike it would be deadly and often without warning. The woman summoned a ball of light, which pulsed brightly as the disorganized power sought to escape before settling into the standard mundane glow. The woman turned towards what he recognized as the library climbing the steps to the entryway. It was there the woman seemed to pause before moving under the vaulted archway to the inside. Lómenrainë stood at the bottom of the steps for a long moment. Many thoughts whirled about in his head untamed by the logic he usually organized and categorized the world with. He began to turn away, before hesitating. Lómenrainë took the steps into the library two at a time.

The library was spacious. Domed ceilings were lit majestically through arcane sources, a soft blue light that neither caused undue glare nor caused the eyes to strain when reading. Lómenrainë moved though sections of books, pausing momentarily to glance at a few titles before moving onward. Even at night the library was crowded with students and scholars researching the days project or merely speaking in hushed tones recounting great achievements to one another. The heels of his boots clicked on the marble floors the sound muffled by what he assumed was another spell laid so long ago that it was not discernable to even his sensitivity. He located the woman sitting in a leather overstuffed chair, the lamp beside her flickering to the unanswered call of her power. Lómenrainë shook his head, ::How could she have missed so many signs?:: He strolled over to her, coming up from somewhat behind her chair. He bent over glancing quickly at what she was reading. He reached out with his arm grabbing her shoulder tightly. “What are you doing!” The question rolled from his mouth angrily, his eyes bright with emotion.

“Silly girl, do you not realize what a danger you are?” The book had been, Magic, In Theory

Thavron absently dangled his left hand over the armrest of his chair in order to run his fingers through the soft multicolored feathers of the anima resting beside him. The bird's long body almost completely wrapped around the heavily cushioned leather furniture. Both of its eyes were closed, but it shivered immediately after feeling the brown angel's touch. He retracted the five pale digits to soon bring them to the pages of the open book in the grasp of his other hand. His two legs were idly reclined on a small footstool otherwise used for reaching texts higher than the average person's reach. After turning the page Thavron squinted at the abnormally small letters, eyes straining in order to read with such little light to aid him. Finally he gave up. His attention immediately flicked to a bluish-black shadow immediately to his right. There was movement in that area, and finally the faint starlight cast from a nearby window caught two glassy eyes of a raven. It shifted its weight atop the other armrest, then tossed Thavron an indifferent stare. A corner of his mouth lifted slightly in a half-grin and he muttered a few words under his breath. In a sudden surge of light the bird became completely illuminated, providing enough light to easily substitute a candle or lamp. Thavron contently returned to his reading.

The guardsman was dressed in casual clothing as opposed to armor or his normally formal attire. Two massive wings pressed against the back of the chair and were lightly folded to take up less space. Each feather was dark brown-colored with the traditional markings of a falcon splashed on them. The book Thavron had been reading was bound in a dark blue material with no visible markings or titles upon it. He had only a few pages open, reading with a patient slowness that guaranteed he would remember every detail contained within. It had been several minutes since he had heard any motion from other possible visitors to the library. When he spotted out of the corner of his eye someone pass by him, Thavron didn't bother to look up despite his relative surprise that anyone else would visit the library at this time of night. These were the only free hours Thavron was able to spend. He was either working, traveling or spending the rest of his schedule trying to get as much sleep as possible. The brown angel desired to simply relax for once, even if it meant sacrificing some valuable time for shuteye. It had been months since he had last read something purely for entertainment and not for his job as a member of the Lomedor Guard and partial scribe.

"Kamotse, I will need you to meet me at the city gates tomorrow morning. Korle needs a package transported to Estolad quickly." Thavron commented in a somewhat quiet voice, his focus never turning away from the book in which he had just begun to turn the page of. The bird's eyes lazily opened.
"Mm-hmm." Kamotse replied simply. His voice expressed the complete exhaustion the anima felt. He was asleep almost immediately after. Thavron sighed, pushing away loose strands of black hair that had fallen over his face, finally turning towards the window near his chair. Stars littered the sky over Lomedor, but there was no perfect view of the moon. He peacefully returned to reading. But only a few pages in, more interruptions broke his concentration. There was the harsh echoing of a voice from behind. “What are you doing!” Thavron knew it hadn't been directed at him, but the brown angel was consumed by curiosity. He turned behind him and peered over the back of his chair. Two figures were standing not too far away. Turning back towards his book, he commenced reading once more. “Silly girl, do you not realize what a danger you are?”
"Quiet down!" Thavron snapped at the speaker, annoyed. He flapped his wings as a gesture of frustration, finally resting them in a new, more spread out fashion.

Light flickered over the pages as fingers carefully turned them one by one, blue eyes sliding over the writing as her mind gathered up every bit of information she could. Her breathing became a steady rhythym of ins and outs as she focused on the writings of a past scholar, the rest of the library had slowly faded off into nothingness. None of it mattered, not the other books, not the possible wanderers of the great library, just what she was reading and the answers it might give. Another page turned, and Kiera moved only to push away a bit of hair that had come between her eyes and the writing. In fact, it was only the hand that suddenly ripped her out of her trance-like state that caused her to realize that she was there in the middle of the large building. “What are you doing!” The voice caused her to blink, eyes quickly going to the face of he who had spoken, unsure of exactly what had caused such an outburst. The voice continued on, even as Kiera looked up, “Silly girl, do you not realize what a danger you are?”

Danger? Of course I know that. She allowed the book to fall flat in her lap as she moved her hands to push herself up from the chair she had been settled into. Her skin prickled as her senses returned fully, either from being shook out of her state of peaceful relaxation so quickly... or, was it the magic? Her mind raced backwards, images flickering within it of the times she'd been threatened in the past, and each time this same reaction had taken hold of her. Somewhere deep within her mind, she fought to keep the magic within in check, knowing she had the spells to do damage, should they burst out of control.

"Quiet down!" Eyes slid away from the face of the first voice, going in search of whomever had made the demand. The arcane energy settled slightly, the tiny hairs at the back of her neck were no longer raised. She dismissed the second voice as being simply another visitor to the library, eyes slowly returning to the one who had called her a danger. Yes, she knew well that there was something uncontrolled about her newfound magic, and she knew well that there was a chance it could do harm, but that was her reason for being here. She forced herself to settle down, bringing her breathes to a nice steady rise and fall again, before she addressed the man who had stepped in to her space. "I was studying, that is what I was doing." She made every attempt to sound confident, when in all ways, she was a bit on the shook up side still. "As for my being dangerous, I realize that as well, which is why I am out here in the middle of the night searching for answers. However, seeing as you recognize what is going on around me, perhaps you have more to say?"

Before there was much of a pause, Kiera looked off in the direction of the second voice, her voice raising slightly to fill the empty space, "My apologies, Sir. I do believe this conversation can be kept in a civil manner." With that spoken, she returned her attention completely to the man who had approached her, blue eyes looking to meet those that looked down upon her. Fingers lifted the book from her lap, allowing it to close as she set it to the small table at the side of the chair.

Disgusting, disgusting, oh absolutely disgusting...but it is so strong, so curious, I must see for myself...

Those were the thoughts running through the shadow elemental's very being as it climbed the steps of the huge Parmamar Library. The stench of light magic was so blatant, so easy to follow, so tempting. The shadow that called itself Gavinian followed the trail into the library, attracted to whatever was emitting the magic like a moth was to a flame. Gavinian was fully cloaked in pitch black robes and wore a mask to hide what was beneath those robes. Pure shadow, and it was curious. Gavinian was only able to hear a snippet of the conversation between a man and a woman, both eleven.

Dangerous? Yet ignorant. A dangerous combination indeed...

Quickly, silently, he moved into the shadows off one of the bookcases, blending in with his native element. The two elves would no doubt feel that something strange went nearby, he was practically leaving a trail of invisible shadow essence as he hid near the bookcase, but at least he was so well hidden.

The rest of the library, and all other beings in there blurred out of Gavinian's perception as he focused all of his attention upon the two conversing elves. Yes, one of them, most likely the woman had an aura of magic around her, but not just any magic, light magic.

Ah, so it was that one that recently left the trail of her magic for me to follow...

Gavinian had no love for creatures of the light, but it certainly didn't want to just kill them either. It would listen to their conversation and then reveal itself when it thought that it had heard enough. It knew what it wanted to do, confuse the elf woman, play with her mind, prey on her uncertainty and doubt, and just generally enjoy watching her fear throughout it all. The shadows too were knowledgeable about their worst enemy, and it would use that knowledge for its own enjoyment.

~OOC: My apologies for the delay I had an unexpected absence come up ~

Lómenrainë could see that the woman was clearly startled by his intrusion. He sensed her brief moment of what he would describe as “panic” and wondered again at his own choice of confronting her. ::Any uncontrolled bursts would crush as many shields as my own powers could generate,:: Lómenrainë thought quickly subconsciously taking a half-step backwards.

“I was studying, that is what I was doing." Her response surprised him, as he turned back to face her. Not because of what she said but because of the confidence and quick thinking she had exhibited. ::Must be used to being scolded by strangers,:: he thought sarcastically, raising an eyebrow at her next comment. "As for my being dangerous, I realize that as well, which is why I am out here in the middle of the night searching for answers. However, seeing as you recognize what is going on around me, perhaps you have more to say?”

::Impudent child:: His eyes narrowed while he contemplating simply strangling her and ending this impossible conversation. “Quiet down!” The words flashed across the room. Lómenrainë looked for the speaker for only just a moment before seeing a winged guard at the far end gesture his frustration. He chose simply to ignore the guard for the time being noting his face down for future reference.

Lómenrainë reached out taking hold of her chin in his chill fingers. “Firstly, don’t presume that I am not simply here to kill you,” he said coldly his eyes locking onto hers. “Secondly, why should I help you? Why should I not just wait until you injure someone and end up in the custody of that fine gentlemen over there.” He knew how preposterous that second statement considering that fact that he had come over here. He had felt himself lose the offensive in the conversation, and he needed to get it back.

Oh this is just too rich, far too rich of an opportunity to pass up...

Gavinian's very fiber reverberated with excitement, and so hard was it for it to contain those feelings that a couple of thin shadow tendrils momentarily "leaked" out from the shadow of the bookcase where it was hiding. With sheer force of will Gavinian recalled the shadows back into their original shape. All this took place almost instaneously, and ended just as quickly. Most likely the two elves would not have seen it, the woman was sitting with her back turned to her anyway, and the man seemed quite preoccupied with giving off an intimidating aura to the woman. Already Gavinian knew which one of the elves it hated more. The male one, so egoistical, so arrogant, so distasteful.

Time to test your courage...my playthings...It's only Shadow Play anyway...

Gavinian evoked the minor level of Obtenebration, his art, his passion, it was everything to the shadow elemental. The library was well lit, but the torches in the walls still cast shadows, and if it was shadow it could be manipulated. Perfect. Using that subtle art, the shadows on the women's face rearranged themselves in a rapid order. First her fair face turned completely black, dark as the very abyss itself, except for her eyes, Gavinian couldn't pull off the trick if he had glazed her eyes over. She'd immediatly discover that something was very wrong. Then a fearsome visage of a demon appeared on her face, not only that but its expression conveyed an expression of extreme agony to the man. It was screaming, no shrieking, but the silence of the library was not violated, sounds were out of Gavinian's realm to fabricate, only visual illusions using shadows. Next, the demon's face dissapeared, only to be replaced just as quickly by the very reflection of the man's face, this one crafted in shadow as well. Suddenly, dark gashes appeared all over the shadow reflection and liquid-like shadows poured out of it, obviously symbolizing blood, they flowed down the back of the chair, and dissapeared somewhere below it. The reflection opened its mouth to utter a mournful cry, but as before no sound escaped it. The torches flickered a couple times and the illusions faded.

Just as quickly as the disturbing ordeal began, it ended. The woman should obviously have had no knowledge of what just happened as Gavinian had done nothing to her. It was just using her face as a screen for it to project his illusion onto. The shadows were weightless and substance-less, she should not have been able to feel them either. Gavinian stared in anticipation to see what the man's reaction would be. Shadows just don't change shape, and they certainly don't move around on their own. Quite the frightening experience upon someone that had never seen Obtenebration before.

Thavron normally had little desire to listen in on the conversations of others. There really was no point to it, knowing someone else's problems. He had enough to deal with already. But the argument between the two elves was pretty much the only noise in the entire library, and it rattled his concentration on what he was reading. "I was studying, that is what I was doing." the woman said. Thavron grumbled and looked back at his book, not necessarily reading the neatly-arranged columns of words, but staring them down angrily. "As for my being dangerous, I realize that as well, which is why I am out here in the middle of the night searching for answers. However, seeing as you recognize what is going on around me, perhaps you have more to say?" Thavron's battling of his lack of concentration turned into curiosity. Now he simply wondered what was going on.

“Firstly, don’t presume that I am not simply here to kill you. Secondly, why should I help you? Why should I not just wait until you injure someone and end up in the custody of that fine gentlemen over there.” Thavron's eyes widened at the growing debate, especially toward the inclusion of himself. There was a possibility that the events going on behind him would turn into an all-out fight, and, to his dread, he would then have to mediate. Having to do guard work while not on duty certainly wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world.

The chair rustled from movement as the brown angel kicked the footrest forward. Rising, he immediately closed the book and dropped it on the leather seat. Kamotse hesitantly got up, still disoriented from exhaustion, while the raven took to the skies and landed on Thavron's left shoulder moments later. The guardsman eyed the pair of elves with gold and silver orbs, then finally grasped the handle of Integrity, his spear which was laying against the side of the piece of furniture. "Alright, what's going on here? Why is someone being accused of being dangerous, and why does this argument have to take place here?" he blurted out abruptly, speaking before anyone else could. It was unlike him to get into the middle of something like this. He would have, should have, just gone to a different area of the library where the two elves' voices were muffled. But I can't take the risk of letting someone who's potentially a danger to others go unquestioned.

A strange darkness rested just at the edge of Kiera's senses, as if it were toying with her, though it was seemingly innocent for the time being. Blue eyes darted about in a searching sort of way, though she truly expected to find nothing at all. Her attempts to control the gathering energy were all but reversed, at this point, as her skin prickled in a way that told her the next wave was coming, an obvious reaction to the rising tension of confrontation. “Firstly, don’t presume that I am not simply here to kill you,” those eyes of hers suddenly shifted back to the man before her, “Secondly, why should I help you? Why should I not just wait until you injure someone and end up in the custody of that fine gentlemen over there.” She wanted to look in the direction of the man being mentioned, yet that cold stare had rendered her unable to do so. Settle down, keep your calm, for the best of all. The rush subsided, though it was still right there, energy waiting for the right thoughts, the right words to release it in a flash of light, or a cluster of starburst. Doing so would only bring proof of her dangerous nature, and yes, place her in a cell for holding, where she would most likely be charged with some sort of crime.

Kiera heard movement, something being pushed along the floor of the library a bit, multiple forms moving about. She also felt that darkness, a strange and haunting nothingness that hung in the air, that which was slowly making itself be known, though Kiera still couldn't quite define it. Steps fell, one by one in a steady approach, giving Kiera the assumption that it was the owner of the voice that had demanded silence. She welcomed his arrival, though she found herself still unable to do so in a physical way, as she was held captive by the gaze of the elven male. Stay calm, don't give them reason to make more of a fuss.

"Alright, what's going on here? Why is someone being accused of being dangerous, and why does this argument have to take place here?" Kiera knew the answer, which was because it was true. She had managed to awaken powers that she had not learned to control, she had tapped into energy that went from dormant to raging in what seemed like mere moments of time. Spells were making themselves known to her, old, worn parchment were revealing their long since faded words for her to learn from. She could bring darkness across the moon, stir up enough light to banish the shadows and summon the very stars of the night sky to burst forth from her fingers. The problem was in the control of said magic, and that was what made her dangerous.

Those blue eyes of hers remained forward, not even glancing toward the voice to which she answered, "I do apologize for the disruption. It seems that this stranger here has taken an interest in my studies, in a rather loud sort of way." She gave a slight pause, searching for the right way to continue on with her explaination, finding the strength of will to draw her gaze away from the elven male. Turning toward the angel, she continued, "As for the accusation, it is true. I am merely an apprentice of magic, and yet it flows easily, so I suppose this man fears I could do dangerous things. I have no intentions of doing so." She allowed her eyes to shift once more, returning them to the elf, allowing him to once again hold her within his gaze. Underneath the mask of confidence she attempted to hold her face in, she felt something wrong. The darkness was sliding all about her, lacing itself through the air of the library, violating her in some way that she had not yet discovered. It caused a chill to slide across her skin, though she attempted to brush it off as a nervous reaction to the confrontation. Just your imagination, she told herself.