[Mari]

((Hello and welcome to In Pursuit of Knowledge! For this mission, we'll be helping Ciel expand her library. To do this, simply have your character find a book of your choice and description and I will have Ciel react to it. The sub-objective is of a similar manner. Other than that, feel free to use this thread to socialize.))

It was a bright and sunny day, or at least that's what the artificial atmosphere seemed to have chosen anyway. Ciel was pushing along a padded shopping cart currently containing her current roommate, the mermaid Seriri, but it would likely later be used for storing books. She lacked the strength to carry Seriri across town with her bare hands, and the carriage was quite convenient for use as transport. On her back, Ciel was sporting a pink backpack with a couple of snacks and some bottled water. She knew Seriri had a good pair of lungs on her, but somehow she just didn't feel right leaving without at least one bottle dedicated to soothing the poor girl should she get dehydrated. She probably dehydrated a bit faster than most, not that Ciel intended to test this theory.

"

Thank you both for coming with me on this errand. There is a clearance sale going on in Rainbow Square's inexplicably dangerous mall shopping district and I thought it might be a good opportunity to salvage some valuable literature before it finds itself lost. I don't have a whole lot of money, but most of what we're buying should be quite cheap. How are you both faring, so far?

"

[Rina]

Ringo was happily humming a tune as she accompanied Ciel for this little errand. She's humming a rather familiar tune to herself, evidently in a good mood. What kind of books could be found in this store? She's going to find out this instant.

"I'm feeling really good about this. Seeing what could be in store for us only sparks my curiosity!"

[Coolshaymin]

"Thanks for bringing me. This is the first time someone has taken me shopping. I don't know much about literature but it sounds fun," Seriri replied from her shopping cart. It was nice to be carried like this rather than lugging herself around. She was of course built for the water so land travel was always harder. Sure, here she has gained the power to use the air to swim but that was extremely tiring so it was best used for survival and in small doses. Ciel was even kind enough to bring water which helped since it was only natural she got thirsty faster outside of water.

She did not know Ringo that well but Ciel seemed to have grown very attached to her in some sense. She guesses that makes her pretty okay then. "I'm good so far," Seriri wondered if there was anything to help her get friends. She spends a lot of time reading though water proof books are getting harder to come by it seems. She does a lot of it when she is alone since the stories distracted her. That is how she learned the Siren's Song so it has been some help.

[Mari]

Ciel quietly mused over the tune Ringo was humming, wondering whether it might hold any significance. Perhaps it was a song from Ringo's homeworld..? She quietly attempted to memorize the melody for later.

"

Me too! We didn't have very much outside literature back in my world. There was an embargo..."

"

Ciel began, trailing off as she realized that her world was probably a very somber talking point for everyone involved in the mission. As much as she knew it would haunt her, perhaps she should leave her world in the past. These girls didn't need to know what she'd gone through. It would probably only serve to distress them.

"

You're very good company, Seriri. Books can contain many things, so I hope you're feeling up to a bit of reading today. That being said, I'm expecting quite a few of these books to be in need of restoration. They should all be paper instead of digital and well worn, which means they'll need to be transcribed as well...

"

Soon, the group would arrive at a store that appeared to be hosting a clearance sale on it's own storefront, bundles of various trinkets laid out in boxes and on foldable tables. It appeared that their business wasn't doing so well, judging by the looks of things. A rather average looking koopa in a plain blue shell stood about the various boxes, looking vaguely like he was supposed to be there. Perhaps he was the one hosting the sale. There were at least eight boxes packed with books, a bit more than the group could conceivably carry even with their carriage.

[Rina]

"An embargo, huh? Must be rough times, I'm assuming. But we shouldn't digress."

And Ringo stopped right there, wanting to get back on track with the search. The books themselves are a bit aged, which is a shame really. Ringo isn't a stranger to e-books, but there's some charm to having pages to flip around. You can't get that with text on a screen. Ringo started with the far left, browsing through the spines of the books. Some of them are hard to make out due to time having worn it away.

"Let's see...[C̨̕͟͞h͟͜a̴̧͟͠n̷̷ņ̸̡́͝e̷̷̛͜l͟ the World], [Ȩ̵̀͘n̷͏̨̕͠d͢҉̶͞ ̷̛̀͠ of E̷̷̸̶t̶̀͟é̴͞r̴̀n̕͢͏͏i̷̴̡͟͠t͝y̵͟]...Goodness, these are barely even readable. Huh? What's this?"

Ringo took out one book that made her curious. It read [Dra̛g͝o͡ns̸ ̡&̶ ̵Sor͢c͞e͜r̨y], and Ringo happened to recognize what it is. It's a manual of a tabletop game Maguro liked to play with the her and Risukuma back in Suzuran Junior High.

But she casually put it back where it belonged, knowing it's irrelevant.

[Coolshaymin]

"Di... gital?" Seriri asked curiously, notably sounding out the words. Sure, being around Ciel has gotten her a bit more used to tech... But it was still very alien to her and she has yet to pick up on all of it. She is used to books being physical copies and was not too familiar with the alternative... Even if she read underwater. Clearly books in her world are waterproof.

"I am good for reading. It has been a while since I have had the opportunity to. Let's see..." Seriri started as she looked at the books... There was a lot to sort through, that was for sure... Ciel was not kidding about these being worn. How could they have been so ruined in this time...

Hm? There was 5 multi-colored books lined up as if they were part of some series. All of them shared a beginning title to what looks like 5 volumes... Super Luigi Volume 1: The Quest Begins... Super Luigi Volume 2: Allies in Adventure... Super Luigi Volume 3: The Voice of a Princess... Super Luigi Volume 4: The Shards of Truth... and Super Luigi Volume 5: Journey's end...

She knew that Ciel was probably more interested in something Non-Fiction... But what if these were true stories of adventure too? Seriri was compelled by stories of great things like that... Still, she was hesitant to speak up on the 5 volume series that she was curious what this quest was... Regardless, one can notice her staring in hesitant silence at the 'Super Luigi Series'.

[Mari]

Ciel's eyes gravitated to a book with the Hyrulian Royal Symbol on it. It was labeled 'Hyrulian History' and appeared to be in pretty good condition. It had probably been owned by someone who didn't care much for history, hence it's lack of use in spite of it's age. She quickly checked inside the book to make sure she had a good idea of what the book was about before moving and setting it in the carriage next to Seriri. She smiled at the mermaid reassuringly, but followed her gaze for a moment. Oh--Right! Ciel reached in as if to give Seriri a warm hug, but wound up picking the other girl up.

"

Here you go~ Tell me if you find anything you want to keep, alright~?

"

It was obviously difficult for someone as weak as Ciel to carry another person, but she seemed to manage to guide Seriri over to the boxes and set her down before the Super Luigi series. She eased Seriri onto the ground where she could sit and browse before moving to inspect the book Ringo had commented on, leaning in for a better look. ...Dragons & Sorcery, huh? She could really use a better understanding of the elements from these alien worlds. This book could prove invaluable. The scientist picked up the book and began examining it, only to find herself disappointed when she began reading it's contents. This disappointment didn't last long, however, as it was quickly replaced with curiosity. She glanced up to Ringo for a moment, as if seeking a second opinion with her eyes. She continued reading the book for a long moment before closing it.

"

This looks like a game of some sort. I've never seen anything like this. ...I'm going to pick this one up for personal use.

"

Ciel was slightly flustered by her own weakness, but it probably wasn't a big deal to pick up the book. She'd spend more time debating and regretting her choice if she insisted on trying to conserve space anyway. She moved to place the book in the carriage before returning to continue browsing their many options.

[Rina]

Ringo kept browsing through the books, interrupted by Ciel's curiosity about the Dragons and Sorcery manual.

"Oh! I know what that is! It's a tabletop game Maguro, Risukuma, and I played back in my home town. You create a character to your liking, go on a campaign of your choosing, and the roll of a die determines how the events pan out. The rules to the game have been revised several times, so you may need to check which edition that manual is."

Then Ringo shifted her focus back to the book browsing. There were books such as A Study on Photon Technology and Historia of the Magic World. Surprisingly, those two have readable titles. The Photon Technology one made her incredibly curious, carefully leafing through the pages for what the book has to offer.

[Coolshaymin]

Seriri was busy looking at the books and barely noticed Ciel put a book next to her. If only she was close enough to look at it's contents... It would be a little difficult to get out of this cart though... Out of the corner of her eye, she was surprised as Ciel got closer and let out an involuntary yelp of surprise as the girl picked her up and... Sat her down on the ground. Oh, she was helping her to the books. "Thanks..." Seriri apologized quietly as Ciel went over to Ringo.

Seriri picked up the first of the series it looked like and turned it around in her hands... Huh, it was in surprisingly good condition all things considered. Moreso than her books at home must be in... It even seemed to have a summary on the back which was helpful.

'Have you ever experienced a time when no matter how hard you tried, you failed, and the time you spent felt wasted?

If ever you feel such pangs of regret, try to remember this tale... the story of a young man's quest to save a sweet princess.'

... That... Actually sounded pretty accurate and sounded interesting. As she read this, she noticed what Ringo was saying to Ciel...

"A book that lets you be another person for a quest of your own choice for adventure? You can be anyone you would like? I never heard of anything like that either... It does sound interesting though. I would not mind giving that a try," Seriri commented as she moved towards Ciel and Ringo for a closer look... Not really realizing she was still holding the book... Until she looked down.

"Oh, speaking of which... I am interested in the story in this series of books, Ciel... I kind of want to read the whole story... If you don't mind.... I can chip in if you want," Seriri requested before quickly adding in things out of worry.

[Mari]

Ciel took a moment to inspect the book series Seriri had picked out. She wasn't so sure on the educational value, ...but...

"

That won't be necessary, Seriri. They're all very cheap, and I've been thinking of giving you an allowance. Later I'll have to work on installing a terminal at your tank so that you don't have to get out of the water to read.

"

Ciel smiled reassuringly at Seriri. She'd always been the Team Mom back at the resistance and it showed in the way she attempted to baby the mermaid. In all fairness, she had no idea where Seriri would have gotten the money to pay her back. Could a mermaid hold a job..? She wasn't about to demand Seriri get one, knowing how problematic the lack of legs might be for any hard labour. The scientist momentarily considered giving Seriri a job at the library, but ... Eh. Maybe she'd come back to that. Ciel moved to put the Super Luigi series in the basket. After the entire series had been placed in the basket in proper order, she returned the Dragons & Sorcery book. Ciel popped open the book and began browsing inside of the first few pages, quickly picking up on the general idea of the book and it's edition.

"

Hmmm... It says it's fourth edition. Someone really put a lot of love into crafting this game. ...It looks kind of fun! Maybe even educational, in the right hands. I think I'll pick this up, actually.

"

Ciel then went to put the Dragons & Sorcery book in the cart before returning to pick up several pieces of supplementary material. Along the way she noticed a book with the word mermaid in its title and quietly picked that up as well. "How goes the search, Ringo? I'm hoping we'll find some books on the biologies of the local creatures and citizens. It would be nice to have a compendium of knowledge on all the various strange creatures on Li."

[Rina]

Ringo shut the book, upon hearing what the manual's edition is. Ringo's interest lit up all the more.

"Would you look at that! It's even the same edition Maguro has! I can help walk you through it."

But then Ringo tried to keep the focus on herself.

"Oh, right, a compendium. Let's see..."

Ringo put the book down aside and browsed through the boxes again, looking for something of relevance. After some shuffling, she came across a couple of books that could be of some relevance.

"So there's 'Monstrous Codex', and what seems to be an old field guide to...Pokemon?"

The Pokemon field guide doesn't even look current, but some of the info might still be usable. From the look of the cover, it only covers up to 386 Pokemon. It's definitely dated. As for the Monstrous Codex, the foreword notes that it's a log of monsters that are found in various dungeons, including, but not limited to Yggdrasil Labyrinth.

[Coolshaymin]

"An a-allowance? That sounds nice but I don't even doing anything for the lab..." Seriri stated, apparently not sure how right an allowance she hasn't earned is. "Oh! I did find something like that near the other books I think," Seriri stated before moving back to point at a book with Tatl Log on it. "It says it has a lot of info on various creatures from the Mushroom Kingdom and a few other kingdoms. Also apparently has info on a lot of the inhabitants," Seriri noted as she looked at the table. Apparently it was a book from a University of Goom that had a lot of creatures and citizens in it. Looked very used though and a few pages may be missing from it at a closer look.

[Mari]

"Alright~! Perhaps we can give it a try one night. Ciel would reply, eagerly moving over to observe the books Ringo had picked out. She promptly gave the other a thumbs up of approval.

"

Oooh yes. These compendiums are worth a lot more than they're being sold for. A veritable sea of references. Pick those up for sure.

"

Ciel then moved on to examine Seriri's book, speaking as she gave it a good look through.

"

You really hit a gold mine with this one, and that's alright. You don't have to do anything for the lab~! If you'd like to help though, I could look into setting up a terminal in your tank. I'd need to upgrade it with a water tight casing and install a ground-fault circuit interruptor to make sure it's safe, but that wouldn't be too difficult...

"

Ciel would move to put the book in their cart before returning to begin fingering through another book. This particular book appeared to be a book on Hyrulian lore. Sadly, it was wildly incomplete. This frustrated Ciel, understandably. However, she still decided to buy the book. She'd simply have to file it under research instead of resources.

"

...This book is almost entirely speculation. An entire civilization... wiped out with only two known survivors, neither of which have been seen in years. If I could track down one of these two 'Hyrulians' I might be able to expand our recorded knowledge of the region.

"

[Rina]

Ringo nodded, carefully putting the two into the cart.

"Got it!"

With two references found, Ringo continued seeking out more if they could be found. As she rummaged through the books, there's...a book about the magic of the lost magic world. Magic isn't a concept that Ringo is knowledgeable in, but she's curious. She opened up the book, noticing how old the pages are. The title's nigh illegible too.

"Goodness, this one is ancient. Let's see...O...wani...mo?"

[Coolshaymin]

"If it is not too hard to set up, I would be happy to help. Feels wrong to just be given things for resting in a tank," Seriri replied to Ciel. She definitely seemed both happy and excited to help. The Mermaid went back to shuffling through the things... When she stumbled upon something rough and out of place with the books. That was odd... Doing some slight digging she noticed the source.

A decently large clam like box. Curious, she opened it and a melody played. It appeared to be some kind of sea themed music box. It also themed to went through quite a bit of work to completely waterproof it... Odd, almost like it was meant to be used underwater. The inside of the clam like music box was a pearl that seemed to sparkle almost as if it was real. The pearl seemed to spin while the music played.



"What is this doing here...? It is kind of cute though..."