Libraries are for Figuring Things Out

JP with Lorem, Lucian and Cindy

When Elizabeth stepped out of the sitting room she was greeted by Harold. "A message has arrived for you."

Elizabeth opened the envelope, noting it contained something. She handed the note to Harold and then pulled out the necklace and sighed. "It is Miss Lavigne's necklace."

She then opened the note.

Lady Elizabeth Ellington:

We would like a meeting with you. We demand that you come alone. Bring the Grimoire of Artifacts and $50, 000.

The rest of the note dictated time and place. Except, the last line which read. "Failure to abide by these commands and we can no longer guarantee the safety of Miss Lavigne, Doctor Jackal, or Mr. Lavigne."

Elizabeth put the necklace and note back in the envelope. "It is a trap." To Harold agreed

She needed to think but first to see how Lorem was coming along.

Elizabeth entered the library, holding the note and necklace in her pocket, and at first didn't see the Gnome. She went to put the book back and then spotted Lorem on the floor. "Miss Ipsum, how is the task coming along?"

Lorem popped up from behind the desk as Lady Elizabeth entered. She brought the finished maps up with her and placed them on display. They had been marked as requested.

In addition, she had found additional resources and had started making geometric patterns, based on the two maps at her disposal, onto the extra paper. While she was able to find interesting correlations, there was no causality that she could determine between the designs and anything else. It was interesting though that whoever built the structures below and laid out the city planning above had a mathematical precision to their effort.

“Finished.” Lorem reported. The maps were completed as requested. She also held her geometric creation, riddled with attempts at mathematic proofs, for Lady Elizabeth to see as well. “I don’t suppose this means anything to you?”

Just then she saw Vor enter the library. She hadn’t seen the man very much and was quick to curtsey in honor of his presence.

"Very good," Elizabeth saw all the mathematics and shook her head at Lorem's question. " No, I am afraid it doesn't." Elizabeth was just about to ask Lorem to explain when Vor entered.
"Mr. Aster, did you have more to report?" Elizabeth was not sure if he had just come to the library for another reason or had sought her out because he had something else to report.

It took Vor a moment to notice the others presence, but upon the startling revelation he was quick to bow in return. He then moved towards the bookcases, all too eager to busy himself.

"Apologies, my Lady. Ms. Ipsum, if I recall? I am afraid I don't have much else to report, other than Lamaire seeming to be in a bit of a brine pool with his leaders. I had actually come here hoping to find any information on the Eyes I told you of. I hadn't realized how truly lacking I was in my knowledge outside of Europe."

Lorem looked at the map and had to dismiss the notion that it may have meant something more. It was just an interesting pattern applied to the map instead of a meaning. A failed experiment, but a fun one nonetheless.

She was curiously watching Vor, because he mentioned he was looking for a book of eyes?

Elizabeth nodded at Vor, then pointed him to a section in the library, as she walked over to it. "This is the section on magical artifacts. These books," Elizabeth pointed out the ones entitled The Book of Magical Artifacts, The Book of Lost Powerful Artifacts, The magic of India. "All of these have something about the Eye of the Sea. Also, I studied magical artifacts in school so if you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask." Elizabeth paused. "Miss Lorem and myself are trying to narrow down where Miss Lavigne, Mr. Jackal and we do know now Mr. Lavigne are being held." Just so he would know that the Eldren and the gnome would likely be talking.

Elizabeth went back to Lorem but saw her watching Vor. She would wait to see if the engineer asked anything.

Lorem could obviously tell from everything that had happened and was currently taking place, that she was out of the loop of a much bigger happenings. Obviously she knew bits and pieces, those that pertained to her, but there was much more going on than she would have imagined. Her curiosity satisfied having heard Lady Elizabeth’s explanation to Vor, pointed her attention back to the matter at hand. “Based on what is going on, do I need to go back to my workshop and start packing for something on a grandeur scale?”

Vor gathered the books pointed out and began his new studies, rapidly tapping his fingers to try and calm his nerves. Lorem’s question did spark a pressing matter of his own though, prompting him to add on to hers.

“That is another matter. Based on today’s escapades, will there be a chance of Iris and I returning to the temple or will there be some sort of drop off arranged for her?”

Elizabeth was feeling a little off, and sat down before answering anything. She responded to Lorem first. "Miss Ipsum, the next thing will be going through the tunnels to try to find Miss Lavigne, Doctor Jackal and Mr. Lavigne, who is Miss Lavigne's father. I received a note this evening that makes it clear they are all being held by the Children of The Sea. I feel that we will need a small team for that to be able to sneak in and out. If you have equipment that would be useful to that team that would be appreciated. Also, while working in your workshop during the day should be fine, but until we get the security system in place I would feel better if you stayed in the main house in the evening. It is easier to guard everyone under one roof. And I am aware of your security but mages can undo most locks. It's only temporary." Elizabeth then thought for a moment. "Miss Ipsum, did you get your hand cannon and the accessories returned to you?" Elizabeth just realized she didn't know as she had been unconscious.

Elizabeth then turned to Vor, "I assume then your cover went well? She can certainly be dropped off tomorrow but if you go, it would have to be without Sung. I need him as part of the team to go into the tunnels. As I need a mage there and I should refrain from such tasks for the next few days."

Vor nodded in understanding, replying with a resigned sigh.

"It would be best to simply drop her off. I am not in the proper mind to deal with those animals at the moment."

Knowing what he did of the Children, he couldn't think of how Miss Lavigne and the Doctor were being treated.

Lorem understood completely and was inclined to agree with Lady Elizabeth’s ruling. “I will make sure to abide in the main house. I was hoping to have the schematic finished today; however, obviously things came up. They should be ready for your review sometime tomorrow. Speaking of equipment, I think I do have some things which may prove useful.”

She paused briefly to think about her equipment she had loaned out. “No, I haven’t received it yet, but if y’all are going back out you may want to hold onto it? At the least, bring it by the workshop and I will make sure it is tuned, cleaned and restocked?”
"Understood, I will have Harold make the arrangements," Elizabeth responded to Vor.

Elizabeth then focused on Lorem, "Alright, Harold and another servant can escort you to your quarters, in a little while, so you can retrieve what you need for the evening. You may retrieve any equipment for the team tomorrow morning if that is easier. " As for the equipment that was loaned out. "Harold likely knows where it is. He can give it to you at breakfast and you can take it back to your workshop after that."

Lorem nodded and started thinking through a list of things to do once she was escorted back to the workshop. She didn’t have to wait long and she bid both Lady Elizabeth and Vor adieu when it was time.

Before Lorem left to retrieve her items, Elizabeth asked if she would prefer a bedroom on the second floor or a room on the first floor while staying in the main house. The first-floor room would be a smaller sitting room near the back as the only bedroom on the first floor, in the main house, was Cronk's.

Harold arrived soon enough and Elizabeth informed him of everything and asked him about Lorem's equipment that had been lent out. Harold mentioned that the equipment was in Elizabeth's office. Harold got another servant and the two went with Lorem to retrieve her items. Elizabeth gave the Gnome a goodbye greeting back to her.

Elizabeth started going over the maps that Lorem had marked off trying to find anyplace in the tunnels that stood out, as somewhere three hostages might be being held.

Passing by, Vor glanced at the map and halted.

“Are these tunnels near the temple?”

Elizabeth nodded. "Some are." She began pointing out places. "This is where the temple is. The office building. And the masked man, being questioned by Miss Lagrave and Mr. Sung, I believe owns the building that's here. These are the tunnels that connect between the three." The buildings were all in the warehouse district and none was that far from the others, they actually sort of formed a kind of triangle with William's building being the furthest out but across from the office building and the temple forming the point.

Noting the locations, Vor looked near the temple to try and put the knowledge of his “escape” to the test.

“We traveled in the tunnels here for a bit, though the Dr. split off from us early on.”

He traced what he believed their path had been, finding a cross section that matched his memory.

“Do we have any idea what lies in these tunnels? Perhaps the others had already been captured when we split up and that is where Lamaire went?”

"From what I understand, Marcil came here to retrieve the rest of the team, after I was unconscious. Miss Lavigne and Dr. Jackal were kidnapped when the cab they were in was attacked, on the way back to where Miss Lagrave, Cronk and myself were. So, I think that was after but clearly, they had planned it out, so, maybe Lamare knew where they were supposed to go." Elizabeth thought for a moment. "I'll be right back."

She left for only a moment and came back carrying some folders, she opened up one of the folders, turned a few pages, and then put her finger on something, read it, and looked back at the map. She pointed to an area and marked it with a star. "This is where Mr. Sung and Mr. Dumont found Cronk." She then opened another folder and put another star. "This is the tunnel Cronk said he lost Lamare in and here, " Another star. "Is where an automatic door is that leads to the street, according to these reports." Elizabeth then took her finger, tracing a line from that area to where Vor said Lamare split off. "I bet Lamare's lab somewhere in between where you split off and the area Cronk lost him in." Thinking for another moment. "I would think that maybe they are holding Miss Lavigne and Dr. Jackal somewhere Lamare can get to them easily." Though that was just a guess.

Playing the evening's events over, Vor tried putting a timeline together. Had Lamare separated from them because they had already captured the others or was it for some other scheme? Iris had noted it odd that they weren't acting normally. Regardless, that wasn't a lead. His thoughts led to a scenario he wasn't ready to face just yet, but didn't have much choice.

"Perhaps I shall join Iris in returning to the temple. Even without Sung, I should be able to speak with their leaders and possibly find out where they are."

"If you are certain, you will be reasonably safe about asking those questions, then by all means go. Any information would be good." Elizabeth still planned on sending a small team to the tunnels tomorrow morning, to scout them out. "I will get that all arranged in the morning." Elizabeth was tired, as she was certain, most were, but her headache was getting worse. "I am going to leave the maps out, feel free to look them over if you wish and note anything that might be of interest. I believe I need to get some rest.

With that she bid goodnight to Vor and left the library, on her way she left a message for one of the servants or Mr. Sung to wake her when Maseo returned.