The Pursuit Of Knowledge

@Claire

To the point of view of plenty of people who would have passed by the table she was camped out at, Lunette looked like she'd gotten a bit in over her head. The young-seeming woman was leaning forward in her chair, elbows resting on the table and chin resting on her hands as she stared down at the open book before her. Around her was a half-circle of books piled into dangerously high stacks, one accidental nudge away from triggering a catastrophic domino effect that would surely end in the towers becoming an avalanche. Not that she seemed at all aware of the potential danger of being buried as she continued to read her way through her currently-selected tome.

If any had cared to sneak a glance at the titles surrounding her, they would find all variety of subjects. Mathematics and many varieties of sciences were there, as well as all manner of historical texts, and a staggering amount of books on magical theory and spell structure. A book on necromancy, of all things, was tucked at the bottom of one stack, beneath a three-volume set focused on exploring the finer details of shape-changing. In another stack, there was a book dedicated to quantum physics. One would be forgiven for thinking that Lunette was attempting to read the entire library from wall to wall, as it wasn't too far off from the truth.

The thing was, this mountain of knowledge seemed insurmountable to those capable of being plagued by fatigue, eye strain, and boredom, but Lunette was not such a person. While technically able to feel the third of those, reading was a habit of hers that had an iron-clad immunity to it, and the first of them was something that she had only felt three times in her entire life and was unlikely to again in a place so magically potent. As for the second, well, no one could say for certain how her eyes worked, beyond that they did so and had not failed her yet, even with such a binge of printed words challenging them.

In fact, Lunette had a small smile curving her lips as she read, her eyes never tearing from the pages as she turned one and paused to tuck a few strands of white-silver hair behind an ear. Getting close enough would reveal that she was even humming, if quietly, so not to draw the ire of others in the library any more than her having hoarded so many books for herself could already. The tune was a cheerful, bouncing one, though not recognizable to a listening ear; it was a song from Lunette's home, forgotten by many even there over the years of her long life. Truly, the construct looked to be off in her own happy little world at the moment.

At first, Lunette did not respond. In fact, she showed no sign of having heard the question at all. Then, slowly, it registered, and her soft humming came to a stop as she perked up and blinked once, the only blinking she'd done at all since beginning her reading binge. Straightening out her posture, she turned slightly in her chair, empty-looking eyes resting on the source, and tilted her head slightly as she stared at the blonde girl who had addressed her. Brows furrowed--or tried to, as the lack of actual muscle beneath the surface of her skin made the motion look slightly off on the construct's face--in a look of mild confusion.

After a beat of silence and another blink, Lunette glanced back at her towers of books, then looked back at the stranger. Realization dawned. "Oh." Lips moved slightly to show uncannily flawless teeth in a slightly sheepish smile. "I suppose that it does appear that way, does it not? But, no, I am not searching for anything in particular. I am merely a newcomer to the Academy, and have not had the pleasure of access to a library of this size before. I believed that I should take advantage of the opportunity to acquaint myself with topics that I am lacking in knowledge about."

Lunette believed that that was a suitable explanation for her behaviour. She did not mention that she was a newcomer to more than just the Academy and that, as a result, topics in which she lacked knowledge could be described as all of them. No, she would keep that to herself, at least for the moment. Instead, she turned to more properly face the girl, her back straight and hands in her lap like a proper lady, and it was there she noticed the five books that she was carrying.

Curiosity flickered over Lunette's features, then concern. With a sideways glance at her own hoarded books, she asked, "Were there any that you wished to read among these? My apologies if so. I did not intend to hinder the studies of anyone else in my enthusiasm."

The continued conversation delighted Lunette, as she had half-expected the stranger to excuse herself now that the queries of both parties had been answered. She restrained herself from showing said delight too much--leaping out of her seat so that she was also standing up while speaking tended to be a bit alarming to those not aware of how tall she really was, or who heard the very heavy sound of her feet hitting the floor for the first time, and so was clearly not something she should do right now despite the urge--and that was a battle that she knew she was bound to eventually lose.

By now, perhaps some would have picked up something a little odd about the girl, either her brief barely-smile or something in her voice, but any potential awareness on Lunette's part was being thoroughly steamrolled by the joy of, even temporarily, having someone to talk about her studies with."A bit of everything," she answered with a small nod, still managing to look outwardly composed. "I have selected a number of books that I believed would serve as proper introductions to many subjects."

Lunette briefly glanced at the stacks, doing a rapid mental count of them before she added, "Though, I do admit that my current interests do include a large number of books on the topic of magic. I am incapable of generating mana or casting spells, myself, but I find the mechanics behind their construction and use to be a fascinating subject of study." Again, she held back in her explanation, just a little, keeping to herself the fact that much of her studying magic was to compare it to the knowledge she had hoarded over years in home realm.

A pause. A tilt of the head. A small, but hopeful, smile. "Would...you like to join me?" Lunette inquired, gesturing toward the empty chairs at her current table; it was, technically, one meant for multiple people, even if she had managed to dominate much of its surface. "I can make room for your own books," she assured, again holding back the urge to hop to her feet, this time so that she could start picking up and moving the towers she'd built. Patience, Lunette. Wait for an answer, first...