Finding the Way|Mentis

[laus]

Laus gazed up at the enormous building in front of him. This is where those who worshiped Thuoth gathered, where they prayed, where they learned. He slowly stepped up past the imposing pillars, taking his time as he took in the area around him. There were great libraries that were the envy of all here, libraries that he intended to look through to the book. As he entered, Laus gave a sweep to his surroundings, looking for someone that could aid him in his search.

[Deleted]

"Welcome, seeker," a low, kindly tone greeted as an older man, about five-ten and pale from too little exposure to sunlight, came into view. Purple robes with gold trim were draped around his body, whispering against the polished tiles on the floor, and his amber eyes were alight with knowledge, a Mind sign directly below the left. "It seems you have come a long way. How may I be of assistance to you?"

[laus]

Laus' eyes spun to see the person that addressed him. A priest of Thuoth, by the looks of him. He reacted as suited one of his position. A bow at the waist, and he responded, "Greetings. Everyone has heard of the wealth of knowledge to be had here, and I could not keep away. I was just now wondering where to start." Laus ran a hand through his hair, not so coincidentally showing the Mind sign that it hid. Maybe the man would be quicker to help one of his own. As he looked up to the priest, he became uncomfortably aware of the height difference. It would probably be like that for most others, besides children. Back in his home, the people knew that he was insecure about his height, so they never bothered him about it. That's what happens when you live with a small group of people. Laus gave an imperceptible sigh at the memory of home, but quickly recovered. He was here, and he had a purpose. Or rather, he was finding a purpose. Remembering that he was not alone with his thoughts, and had left the priest waiting, he continued. "If you could guide me to what I seek, I would appreciate it greatly."

[Deleted]

"What is it you seek?" the priest asked patiently, arranging the scrolls in his right arm.

[laus]

What did he seek? The way the priest said it, it implied more than what was on the surface. It evoked a wave of emotion in Laus, feelings of inadequacy and superiority, of anger and tranquility. When he had asked, he had simply intended on finding the path to some scrolls to peruse. Now though, he was almost shaking with what he felt. Laus took a moment to compose himself, an action almost second nature to him. For now, all that mattered was locating information on how to better himself, how to enhance his powers. "I am after the knowledge that is to be found here. From the scrolls you carry to the filled archives, I wish to learn what this place has to offer. Could you be of help to me in this?"

[Deleted]

"Yes, I can, but I am asking you what kind of subject matter you wish to research first," the priest said, and joked lightly, "I can't read your mind, you know." Smiling a little, he went on. "It is best to have a specific subject in mind before one dives in and confuses themselves. Do you wish to read of the philosophers, or scholars of math? Or is it the history of the world you pursue?"

"Cornelius, don't badger him," a woman with blonde hair and the same purple robes rebuked from behind the man.

The man, Cornelius, turned to the woman, an obvious look of fondness on his face. "I was just trying to spare him a headache, dear."

"Some people don't learn that way," the woman said with a shrug. "If he wants to just dive in, let him." Her fingers brushed her left temple, where her own Sign rested, and Cornelius shrugged with apparent disapproval after something passed between them.

"As you wish, Azelia." He nodded to Laus. "I will take you to the main archive. When you tire, send for me. My home is open to travelers and seekers of knowledge."

Azelia looked a little too smug.

[laus]

Azelia and Cornelius. They seemed nice enough, and they were helping him. That the woman respected his methods made him grateful. "Thank you, both of you." Laus flashed them a smile that shined in the sunlight, possibly causing momentary blindness. Who knew what knowledge was waiting for him in the main archive? Well, probably the two in front of him. No matter, he would soon find out for himself. "No need to waste time, I am anxious enough to reach the archive. Shall we be off?" It was all Laus could do to stop his smile from spreading wider than a peeled banana.

[Deleted]

"Ineffective, highly ineffective. Students thinking the best way to learn is to make one's brain explode," Cornelius muttered to himself as he escorted Laus deeper into the temple, straight back and into a well-lit room that seemed to be filled past chockablock with scrolls, maps and some books. "Please return each article to where you find it when you are finished reading it, and we must ask you not to eat in here; even water is not advised to have, but we can't have researchers fainting from thirst. Enjoy your studies."

[laus]

The walk with Cornelius was rather uneventful. It was short, and the only conversation was that which he held with himself. He committed the path to memory so he could find his way out and back. When they reached their destination, Laus was awestruck. There was so much! Too much! A tremor of excitement ran down his spine. He couldn't wait to start. "Thank you again. By the way, my name is Laus." He took one more look around the archive and smiled. "This is...really amazing. I expect I will be here for a nice long time." The smile grew larger at the prospect of staying here for an extended period of time. Laus' green eyes twinkled with his happiness. No, Laus is definitely not normal for getting this excited over a bunch of books.

[Deleted]

Shaking his head, Cornelius said "Good luck, Student Laus." As much as he appreciated a person's eagerness to learn, such a random approach to it irritated him. Things went so much more quickly and smoothly with an actual starting point and an organized plan of how much time to devote to study, where to study and when.

But then, as Azelia had told him, some people learned the hard way.

"I'll have an acolyte bring you an hourglass," Cornelius told the younger Mind, and went on his way. He had to put away the scrolls he held before he went to lunch with his wife. He touched his Sign as he walked. << Dear, you really shouldn't encourage such slapdash habits. >>

<< [acknowledgment] >> Azelia returned. She was not telepathic and could not project her thoughts as well as some Minds, so she let her empathy do the "talking", sending emotions that basically meant "I'm just better at letting people do their own thing than you are."

Cornelius rolled his eyes. << Ineffective. But yes, if the boy wants to confuse himself, let him. >>

An image of their son appeared, reminding the priest he had said basically the same thing to him.

<< Wives. They always have to be right, >> Cornelius sighed mentally.

<< [love/desire/affection] >> Azelia sent back, and broke the connection.

The priest shrugged and found the correct shelf to put the scrolls away.

[laus]

By the time Laus had picked up a scroll at random and taken a seat at a table, the Acolyte that Cornelius had said would come had already left him an hourglass. He gave a mental check of approval at the efficiency of the place. A small shrug of the shoulders, and he flipped the hourglass and started his reading. It looked as if he was beginning was a scroll on the history of the various Forces that influenced the world.


The hourglass emptied for the fourth time and Laus' hand was quick to invert it yet again. A small pile of tomes was building up, and he was running out of space for the more lengthy works that the archive held. Geography, history, tactics, math, seemingly everything under the sun and more. This place was a treasure trove of knowledge! Laus wished nothing more than to spend the rest of his days here. However, a rumbling from his stomach disagreed with that course of action. After a short, silent debate with himself, Laus picked up the mess that he had made and circulated around, putting everything back where he found it. He could come back later, and the books weren't going anywhere. Hmm, the priest had said that his home was open to travelers and seekers of knowledge, both of which applied to him. The fact this his pockets were distinctly empty of any sort of money with which to buy food and drink helped his decision along. He just hoped that the pair wouldn't mind providing that. Laus' brisk steps echoed throughout the quiet of the archives, set on finding the ones that were so helpful before.

[Deleted]

"Laus, is it?" the acolyte who had brought the hourglass inquired, stepping from behind a column. "Priest Cornelius asked me to deliver a message. He said when you got tired or your head hurt, you can find his home." Touching the Sign on his right shoulder, he held out his free hand, indicating his telepathy worked better through physical contact. "I can give you directions."

[laus]

A grin and a nod, and Laus had his palm touching that of the Acolytes. Did he say efficient before? Correction. Very efficient. And he was in luck, the priest was directly offering him, so there was no need for him to be uncomfortable about asking. He brought his other hand to the Mind sign on his forehead and opened himself to the telepathic link, awaiting the directions.

[Deleted]

[[You go straight down the stairs and to the middle of town, where the statue of Thuoth is,]] the acolyte instructed, showing images to accompany the words. [[Turn left at a ninety degree angle, and go past two houses. The third with the purple trim belongs to Priest Cornelius and his family.]] The acolyte released Laus and nodded. "Have a nice dinner," he said aloud, and went to the main archive to see if anything needed to be put away.

[laus]

The directions were imprinted in his mind, he was sure not to forget them. Before the contact was broken, he sent a quick thank you along the link. Actually, it was the emotion of gratitude, as he didn't have enough time to form a sentence since the acolyte moved so swiftly. Either way, the message got across. The acolyte walked away, and Laus turned in the opposite direction. He started down the indicated stairs, taking them carefully so as not to fall. Before he knew it, he was staring at the center of the town and at a statue of Thuoth. It was exactly like the image the acolyte showed him. Laus made the left as instructed and soon found himself outside of Priest Cornelius' house. The purple trim was a nice touch, one of Laus' favorite colors. He made his way up to the house and rapped smartly on the door. He hoped he wasn't intruding on anything important...