[Prime Atheneum] of Engineered Anatomies

[Sybil Malach]

9th of Cylus arc 719, afternoon

This is the time of day when more studious members of the Academy, be it from fully fledged courses, to mandated educations go to affirm lessons taught during lectures. The crowd of the Carnelian dwellers flit through the place, and filling the halls between the shelves. There is little room for proper breathing in some areas, but entirely sparse at others. The distant white noise of murmuring students can be heard beneath the more radical philosophy students beginning to get into more heated debates. They don't last very long among the shelves however, as the staff and students are rather quick to enforce the atmosphere for study. A particularly desperate set of students seem to be fervently studying something of astronomy, exchanging muttering questions and confused looks.

Sibyl is among the more desperate crowd. Though there is nothing absolutely panicking about the Student's demeanor, it's clear that there is a hurried frenzy to at least try and keep the book from being used from anyone else, offering shakes of the head to any requests. It's a primer on Alchemy and Chemistry. Seemingly in an attempt to help mundane men and women understand the concepts they share. Basic concepts. A breath is taken, as Sibyl remains seated at one of the tables, writing down as quickly as possible of any information gleamed from the book. Cliffnotes, important warnings.

Solids, liquids, and gases... The basic forms of chemistry. They are used in alchemy as well, but there are... Different forms for alchemy? Sibyl pauses for a moment. The Student had been assigned to an alchemy class... Without taking a chemistry primer! A light amount of panic was ever-constant, as well a twinge of upset, aimed at just the curriculum in general. Similarities... Ah. Here. Proper handling and cleaning of glass... A breath is taken, but so much of it didn't make sense. The student wasn't good enough at research to find the right books, just making due.

Sibyl is having to self-teach a primer in both, just to understand the basic concepts explained in the class itself.

A flip of the page. A wince coming from Sibyl. Another sigh escaping the lips. Sublimation? I don't... Comes the thought, as a bite on the lower lip hardens. This isn't making sense. Was this the wrong book? Nothing made any sense. The change between elements utterly confusing the Student beyond and reasonable degree. A clearing of the throat, and a half-lidding of the eyes. Sybil taps on the ground with the boot's front. The quill scratching against brittle paper, as Sibyl tries to write down anything of value that makes sense...

The Student sits at a nook that seems largely avoided. Most of the people here aren't requiring this type of reading this early on into the courses. Seats at either side of Sibyl. Practically welcoming any and all interested here. Although, the sight of a cloak clad Student going through papers might be dissuading...

[Armel]

Almost as enthusiastic as a child being given a new toy, Armel is found to be sifting through various bookshelves and stacks left unattended. Placing more and more books into his stack as he navigates to a nearby table. His day having been a cycle of classes and drifting about between free time trying to make sense of a city that seems so foreign.

Slamming down a stack of textbooks seemingly various topics on the table, taking a seat opposite of the stranger with little to no regard for their presence. The books seem to be a mixture of mathematics, alchemy, and various engineering concepts that don't seem to have any coherency between one another.

Once Armel finally sits down, he begins to read through and eventually pulls out a stack of papers that seem to have already been written upon, only to continue with more writing upon them with a quill splashed with a bit of ink from a previous use. After a brief moment, Armel looks up at the individual across from them and more specifically at the book they're looking within. A brief moment occurs of the individual looking between the book they currently have open and the book across as if they're realizing something important.

Speaking with an unmistakable Biqaj accent, "Excuse me, but... does that book happen to have a section about Crystalization and salt purification steps?" The awkward individual says to the nearby student without taking his eyes of his own text.

[Sybil Malach]

"I don't know what that is." Sibyl says to the newly arrived Biqaj. A blank look of confusion crossing the face.

Sibyl had never seen a Biqaj in person before. There were stories of the elvish eye-changers roaming the seas without the protection from any Immortals, but seeing one in person... Was quite the rarity, especially for here. A slow tilt of the head, as the thought churns. The accent was a clear tell that this man was a foreigner. And Sibyl didn't know any other languages other than common. After all, there was little time learning how to be a polyglot, when the end of the Student's semester was quickly arriving. The only thing Sibyl truly knew of the man now sitting directly across the table, is that he was not from here.

Looking down at the book specifically, the Student seemed to ponder the man's question. A blank look is given to the book, "I don't know. I am to learn the fundamentals of this... Nonsense, but I hardly know the basic chemistry from which it is derived." Sibyl speaks, seemingly speaking in fluent Common, and settling on the language as the medium for communication.

A thought crosses Sibyl's mind. One that brings a hand to the cloak, pulling the pin from it, as Sibyl gets more comfortable, "I'll let you read through it, if you explain anything you read from it." Comes the offer, with a slow cant of the head. It was quite clear that Sibyl had no idea what was even happening between the pages of the book, let alone the core concepts of anything mystical, "Part of me thinks the author... Imbibed, too much. Even having read other books... This one seems odd. Though perhaps that's just alchemy?"

The Student lets the offers and the comments hang in the air. Chilled marble green eyes stare at the newcomer, as though trying to decipher something. Sibyl simply seems relatively comfortable against the chair, if a bit tired. The marks of long nights is worn on the Student's face, as though this wasn't the first study session of the day.

[Armel]

The strange individual stares at the student before them as they speak, seemingly lost in the words they try to figure out the offer. Seemingly trying to weigh the option of explaining everything he may come across just for what may otherwise be info that could be obtained elsewhere.

"Explaining the entire book would be the outcome of that, and that can take far too long for both of us. Mostly as I make it a habit to not only go through parts I need, but tend to go through... associated principals. It helps greatly with my own personal comprehension." The young man says as he begins to write down something in his papers once more. Once he finishes writing he stands up and looks over to the other book before sitting down as he comes up with a compromise.

"Though you are possibly correct, the author possibly did take in too much information when writing." The Biqaj-sounding man says with a shrug, seemingly misunderstanding what they ment by "Imbibed", "Happens, alchemy is a complex field of study that even the best in the field are still woefully ignorant to the vastness of potential."

Armel speaks up once more as he comes up with an idea of what he could do to help the situation, "You seem to be caught on the basics of alchemy, which is something I can at least help explain. Though, I suppose I should add, I'm by no means an expert... far from it in fact." He says as he closes the book before himself and sets it back onto the stack in an attempt to listen better, or think better.

[Sybil Malach]

For a long moment, Sibyl simply seemed to be at a loss for words to even say in regards to the point made by the Biqaj. Lips knit to the side, as a side sigh is given. A fair point. The two of them would be here all night, covering the first few chapters of the book itself, rather than actually getting anything done. The cloak clad student simply seems to mull over the words offered. A slow nod is given, to the compromise. It's better than noting, and at least the Students would get something out of it, rather than simply not discussing it. Sliding the thick, almost lethal looking book over to the man, Sibyl simply says, "Alright. I think I understand the basic properties in which things can exist... But this is saying things can... Change? Melting, I guess, I understand, but this book says something about... Gasses becoming a solid?" Sibyl says, almost entirely uncertain of what's being said. A cocked eyebrow is given in the direction of Armel, as though the man had some answer that Sibyl didn't. Or perhaps at this point just trying to get confirmation that the right track is being taken.

A long pause, as Sibyl mulls over the words even said. Something about it doesn't seem right to the student. A shake of the head, nonetheless, "At this point, I've pretty much given up on the Professors helping with this. Any help at all, quite honestly, is genuinely welcomed." The Student admits, with a slow shake of the head. A hand is extended, though, as a tilt of the head is given, "Sibyl Malach. I work as a courier for the Academy. Trying to pay my way through into getting a Letter diploma." Comes the explanation and greeting from the cloaked individual. The hand remains offered to the strange man, as the head returns straight from its side quirk.

Men and women seem to not come to this part of the Prime Atheneum often. Perhaps this nook is just buried behind so many shelves, or perhaps this field of study just doesn't have much leverage this time of year. Whatever the case, the murmuring and presence of people all around is omnipresent, but never close enough to actually interrupt the two. It's a bit eerie, in this half-lit place. Almost as though the two students occupied some space between what is normally perceived. Close to the men and women going about their business, but never close enough to interact, or be interacted with. Favorable for studying perhaps, but as the thought enters Sibyl's mind, a somewhat nervous response is given. A shifting of the legs, and slight wandering of the eyes. There was nothing truly wrong here, but it seems that the student simply... Fares poorly, among the silence. It doesn't help that a massive library such as this practically commands a presence of silence in on itself. As though this were its natural domain. A moment is all it takes though, as Sibyl simply... Calms, eyes flicking over to the man, hand still held out in a gesture of greeting. Sibyl's hand is ungloved, and seems quite small, though absolutely not out of proportion with its owner's body.

[Armel]

Armel stares at the book as it gets pushed over, proceeding to open it and skim through a few pages with a strange sort of focus. With each page his attention seems pulled to the book before remembering a few parts about whats going on.

This isn't his book and there's someone else here who he was talking to.

With his attention returning a few minutes later, he continues with the thought that he had before he started looking through the book, "Well, alchemy is about transmutation, or turning something into something else. Technically chemistry does this as well, but its complexity is... well... lessened I believe. Ice is one case of this process, as well as boiling water. Boiling water is where water becomes a gas, where Ice is where water becomes a solid. Gases becoming a solid, with proper tools, can easily cause this to occur as well." He says as he finds a page to help back up his claim, "The description is a bit to be desired for those who're not versed in the topic, but it does describe the process."

Armel then flips a few pages before writing in a page of his own, presumably due to something he found in the book. He then continues on to a few more pages before speaking once again, "Armel Rossignol, though I'm associated with the academy, I'm merely a student and an inventor. Though, well, secondary part is more of a self-proclaimed title not so much one of merit." He says all of this without taking his eyes off his work.

[Sybil Malach]

Sibyl, for a moment, seems to keep the hand outstretched in an offer of greeting to Armel. After a while, it becomes apparent to the cloak clad student, that perhaps, the man was too absorbed in his research to even really realize the offer. A cough, is given, as Sibyl instead awkwardly retracts the arm, and rests it on the lap. A slow blink is given as Armel speaks. A slow nod is given to the first parts, but once it continues... It becomes more obvious that there's some missing information between the simple acts of the natural sciences, and the more fined tuned realities of the sciences. The gloved hand that was once offered to Armel, now turn to Sybil's head, scratching at the hair, in distant thought, "Right, but how? Certainly there is some easily explained means for something from air to become solid... Or something solid to become from air. ... Ice turns to water before it turns to air, does it not?" Comes the slow tilt of the head, repeating the statements from Armel, seemingly hinting that the student comprehends, or at least accepts, the basic transitory natures of some elements, "For the life of me, it seems that this library seems to keep such knowledge behind tomes that only reference other tomes... I need know only the fundamentals, but it's coming to me that at least... Well. Even the fundamentals of these things are complex. Far more so than the basic chemistry. Which still eludes me, outside of what we just spoke of..."

A slow blink of the eyes are given in the direction of Armel as he introduces himself. A brow cocks upwards, at the introductory title of 'inventor'. It doesn't take the student long to have several questions lined up, but not yet asked. Eyes sweeping over the man, it becomes obvious now that the student is trying to make sense of the man. A slow shake of the head is given, no disbelieving, but simply as though just accepting it, and moving on. At this point, Sibyl didn't care where the knowledge came from, only that the knowledge existed somewhere, "One should be careful with using such a moniker here." Comes the distant warning, as eyes slowly glance away from Armel and the pile of books surrounding him, "The Videnese do not take kindly to technicalities. ... Some may even argue to have you arrested for fraud." Strangely enough, this seems to be said with a light amount of exhausted tone. A gesture of the hand is motioned past the library stacks, "They won't even let me identify as a member of the medicinal courses, in despite of most of my classes taking places in the classrooms, and covering similar topics. ... But I'll have my Letter, soon enough. Hopefully."

Eyes slowly turn to the books at the front of Armel. Blinking, Sbyil simply asks, "At the very least-- If such acts of sublimation, if that's the right word, are too advanced... Where would we begin, before that?" Attention seems to shift, from asking questions at this point, to just listening. The tired bags under Sibyl's eyes at the very least highlight that there's plenty of time to discuss. Perhaps too much time.

[Armel]

Armel keeps shifting from page-to-page, seemingly drifting between listening and getting lost in where ever his mind takes him.

"Well, keep in mind that its the temperature that causes this. Heat something beyond what is considered normal and you can often skip states of being due to the sheer temperature difference." He says as he continues shifting through pages, only to open up one of his nearby textbooks to proceed to write down some more findings. Speaking while he transcribes onto the page, "As for the referencing of other texts, it's often due to the fact that most knowledge doesn't come from books. Often you'll want to discover it first hand, then you'll read in a textbook either the exact process and related ones, or even how you did it wrong. Being wrong can be dangerous, but it takes risks to advance knowledge"

Once this individual questions the title of inventor, he proceeds to tap the side of the textbook pile without really any emotion shown, "If you're implying I've done nothing to merit the title. Which is true except that I've conceptualized simplified locking mechanisms and attempted to work on new variants. Never made them, but inventor doesn't always mean I've created anything, but merely that I've come up with the idea to." He says with some sort of a surefire attitude, then he follows it up with holding up his own pages that seem to be a bunch of barely understandable texts relating to concepts and applications of the aforementioned concepts, "Titles don't mean anything if you've got no proof of it. That's where no one can claim you're a fraud."

Setting down the pages as he pushes back the book toward the fellow student, as well as taking a book from the center of his own pile and puts it onto the top. "Start from the beginning of this text, it handles the concepts of basic alchemy and the real world applications. Should be much easier to follow given it's written for more adept alchemists. This other book is... well it is an alchemy book."

[Sybil Malach]

Accepting the book handed over with no real amount of grace, it's obvious that Sibyl's mind is a bit dulled from a lack of sleep. A slow blink of the eyes are given to Armel's explanation. But it's clear by the tilt of the head, nothing's really answered. A light sigh escapes the lips of the student, before shrugging, "... I think I may have started perhaps... Too complex." Sibyl finally admits. A hand rises, to the side of the students head, and itches. Judging by the perplexed look Sibyl's giving off, it's not too hard to say that the student is utterly bereft of direction in this topic, "Quite honestly." Comes the affirmation, once Sibyl taps a particular word on the book itself, haphazardly opened to its first few pages, "Here it's speaking of... Domains. Not elements. This is practical knowledge, something that I should be able to infer, based on... Existing knowledge." The thought rattles around in the student's brainpan. A hand rises, to pinch at the bridge of the nose, huffing out a soft breath. Not an admission that comes well from a native born Videnese Academy goer. Flipping the outer flap of the book closed, it's handed back, placed at the top of the stacks brought along by Armel.

"Yes. But here, they value practicalities. They care very little for the process in which things are done, only that they are done. Maybe Tinkerer will fit better? For now, at the very least. ... But I won't stop you. I'll simply play ignorant, if anyone asks questions. ... As thanks for helping." Comes the retort from Sibyl. It seems to be more of a critical comment of the organization itself, giving a slow shake of the head, "Which, I understand has its purpose. ... But it can have a very ill thought out implication or two." A shrug of the shoulder, before eyes settle on one of the books at Armel's pile. Sighing, the student reaches over, grasping it by the spine of the binding, "Very well." Eyes returning to Armel, the book is cracked open, "You said that heat, was the common factor in the changes of most things..." Eyes scan at the page, for a moment, as though seeking something out in particular.

A shake of the head, no, it's still not making sense on the basic level. A hand returns to the forehead, "So, the basic forms are... Liquids, solids, and gases. Things, to our understanding, do not often exist outside of this. Mundanely speaking. I do not wish to get into debates on magicks." A slow nod of the head is given, "I can see how heat can turn solids into liquids. Such as can be seen with ice and metals. ... And liquids into vapors..." A slow shake of the head, however, "But can heat truly turn a liquid... Back, into a solid? Or vapors back into a liquid? I've seen steel cool, and I've seen the cold turn water into solid, but... That is not heat. That's cold." A raise of the brow.

The library stacks seem to get quieter, as time slowly marches on. How long have the two been talking? Or is it this specific Break that is drawing students away from this specific part of the library stacks? An almost ethereal sense of surrounding quiet begins to take itself upon the two. Time's arrow stops for none, but overall, there doesn't seem to be anything in particular there to stop either of the two from babbling the night on.

[Armel]

Armel shifts around some of the books in the nearby stack, listening vaguely to the fellow student before himself, watching as they place the book onto the top, bracing the stack as he adjusts it once more to ensure that it doesn't topple over.

"Admitting of the lack of understanding is where you improve off of." He says as he divides the stack into two, grabbing one of the books closest to him and starts going through it as well. After a minute or so, standing up to place it back onto a nearby shelf with seemingly no use for whatever was written within it.

"Cycles." He says as he takes a seat once more, sifting through his papers with a few glances up toward his fellow student, "Heat is the forward motion, while cooling is the reverse. Liquids may heat up to become a gas, but to become a solid you must cool." Armel says with one hand raising toward a nearby window, the frost being noticeable from the inside of the library as well as some icicles, "Here things cool to the point where ice and snow can be noticed. If you applied a fire to it, it would thaw it out to... I suppose something of a liquid. More heat can cause greater change, more cold would also cause a greater change." The young man says with a returning glance back down toward his book.

"Consider briefly that alchemy and chemistry are both nature in motion, all concepts are possible to observe somewhere by your own eyes. Where can some of the advanced concepts be found." He shrugs without so much as a glance upwards, "I'd have no answer to that."