If Ashkii thought it was going to be a productive day in the Academy library, then she was quite wrong with that assumption. She had spent the better part of the afternoon in a secluded corner, several books spread out on the table she was sitting at. The books themselves were rather old, the leather bindings worn with age. She had a notebook in front of her with some notes taken, but they weren't nearly as long as she would have liked them to be. Ashkii sighed and sat back in her chair, rubbing her tired eyes with exasperation. This wasn't going nearly as well as she had hoped it would, but at least she had been allowed into the library.
She had thought, when the idea had first come to her, that she might not be allowed in, seeing as she wasn't a student at the academy. Her school days were long behind her. But after she had made her plight known to the librarian, the woman had taken pity on her and led Ashkii to a corner of the library and began bringing back several books that Ashkii might would find some answers in. After leaving them on the table, the librarian went back to her desk, assuring Ashkii that she would be around should the tigress need anything. Hours had passed, and Ashkii had not gotten any closer to finding the answers that she sought.
Those answers lay within the books about immortality, a subject that Ashkii quickly found to be quite opinionated. Immortality meant something different to each other, other than the obvious boon of an eternal life. But what did it mean to Ashkii? It meant that she would have to watch her parents die, the last of her family clan. It meant that she would have to give her first child to the witch who had cast the infernal spell, and who stood to gain the most from the bargain. SHe knew her parents had done it out of concern for their line and love for their daughter, but Ashkii still couldn't see the wisdom in the decision. They were all paying a huge, personal price, so what did they really gain? A daughter left to try and rebuild their clan, she thought rather bitterly, golden eyes narrowed in anger as she looked at the old tomes. It would be stupid to assume that she could outlive the witch that had cursed her, because what witch grants immortality to others but not to her own self first? No, Ashkii would not outlive her.......so what could she do?
A snarl build up within her, one that she couldn't release in the quite of the library. The tension that she was building was palpable though, and with an effort, she forced herself to try and relax. She realized that her hands had balled into fists, and she slowly uncurled her fingers, placing her hands flat on the table. It wouldn't do to let her anger get the better of her, to let her instincts give in. A library certainly wasn't the place to let a tiger roam free after all. Instead, she slid forward in her chair again, making an effort to slide a book towards her to flip through it. There just had to be some answers somewhere.
@Kyros
She had thought, when the idea had first come to her, that she might not be allowed in, seeing as she wasn't a student at the academy. Her school days were long behind her. But after she had made her plight known to the librarian, the woman had taken pity on her and led Ashkii to a corner of the library and began bringing back several books that Ashkii might would find some answers in. After leaving them on the table, the librarian went back to her desk, assuring Ashkii that she would be around should the tigress need anything. Hours had passed, and Ashkii had not gotten any closer to finding the answers that she sought.
Those answers lay within the books about immortality, a subject that Ashkii quickly found to be quite opinionated. Immortality meant something different to each other, other than the obvious boon of an eternal life. But what did it mean to Ashkii? It meant that she would have to watch her parents die, the last of her family clan. It meant that she would have to give her first child to the witch who had cast the infernal spell, and who stood to gain the most from the bargain. SHe knew her parents had done it out of concern for their line and love for their daughter, but Ashkii still couldn't see the wisdom in the decision. They were all paying a huge, personal price, so what did they really gain? A daughter left to try and rebuild their clan, she thought rather bitterly, golden eyes narrowed in anger as she looked at the old tomes. It would be stupid to assume that she could outlive the witch that had cursed her, because what witch grants immortality to others but not to her own self first? No, Ashkii would not outlive her.......so what could she do?
A snarl build up within her, one that she couldn't release in the quite of the library. The tension that she was building was palpable though, and with an effort, she forced herself to try and relax. She realized that her hands had balled into fists, and she slowly uncurled her fingers, placing her hands flat on the table. It wouldn't do to let her anger get the better of her, to let her instincts give in. A library certainly wasn't the place to let a tiger roam free after all. Instead, she slid forward in her chair again, making an effort to slide a book towards her to flip through it. There just had to be some answers somewhere.
@Kyros