[Private] An Unlikely Companionship!

The elegant Iserian Imperium, a strange name for a library. Still, it holds the reputation of having the most extensive collection of books known to man. Scholars, bards and practicing Mages find their way here in order to study and sometimes socialize. It was everything you'd expect a library to be: boring. It even came with a terrace for those who'd prefer to escape from the other people and enjoy a good read.

Leo was at his usual spot on the terrace reading a book called "The art of the Bend." He had been stationed in Isera for about 2 months now, hoping to learn new things and further extend his combat as well as his magical and elemental abilites.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his book, resting it on his stomach. Extending his arms behind his head, Leo closed his eyes and began to drift off...

Having just made it to the capital, Chrome's first stop just had to be the closest library. She would take in all the city later on, but she was always interested in knowledge first. Moments into taking the first step, she stood and took the library into her sight. It was much bigger than the library at home, way bigger.

She found the searching device, taking her to elemental techniques and styles. Something to get a better grasp on what powers she started developing.

On the first book, she grabbed "The Wind Art." It was a basic name, but probably had tons of detailed backstory and simple things to start off with. Fortune, as it may have her, came upon, taking several books with her as she fell to the floor, buried in roughly thirty books.

Of course, immediate attention was given to this girl, but the noise carried far.

Hearing all of the commotion, Leo quickly opened his eyes. He let out a long sigh as he sat straight in his chair, removing his hands from the back of his head. His book slid from his stomach and onto his lap. A look of anger was painted on his face. He took the book off of his lap and placed it on the table beside him and stood up. Making his way through the red curtains that seperated the library from the terrace, Leo's look of anger quickly changed into a more relaxed one.

Here he was, thinking that trouble was following him again. Throughout his travels there had always been some sort of unexplainble event in which Leo was forced to interfere in. This wasn't like any of those other cases at all. It was just a bunch of books creating clutter. He smiled as he bent down and swiped away at some books from the top of the pile. As he swiped awway at more books, he began to feel a soft texture. He yanked it upwards softly and examined it.

"White hair?"

"Ow!" a shriek came from under the books. The books started rumbling and tumbled from a central point, where the hair was showing. "Why would you pull my hair?"

Realizing what she had done before even looking at the man next to her, she had a look of surprise, followed by rushed actions to gather all the books carefully in piles, covers facing up. "Look what I've done!" She was all caught up in the moment of ruining her first time here already.

"I'm so sorry!" Leo exclaimed as he moved back from the girl, allowing her to clean up the mess that she had made. He had forgotten of his strength. He stood up and the obvious size differece between the two became noticeable. Leo examined her carefully; her long white hair, her body, and her apparel.

"Well I'll be..." he thought to himself.

He towered over the Elven woman by at least 7 inches.

Leo chuckled to himself as he bent back down and began to help the Elf-woman organize the books. While she rushed, he slowly organized the books, taking time to examine the woman. After he was done organizing he books, he smiled.

"I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot. My name's Leo, yours?"

"Oh, hi there. My name's Chrome," she pushed her frizzy-ish hair back over her hair as if to indicate silently it was due to her hair colour, something rather unnatural for a human. That was what she was, or at least majority, based on her ears alone. They were ever-so pointy, only something that can be seen with keen detail or compared to other humans. But around here? There were mostly Elven, showing off her ears as more human-like.

All while this happened, a bookkeeper came to aid the accident, bending over, noticeably being Elven himself, as his ears were pointy. This picture would come as Chrome brushed back her hair. "Ma'am, can you please not endanger the literature? If it happens again, I will be forced to escort you out for the safety of knowledge."

"I'm so sorry. I'll make sure it won't happen again," she smiled at him, standing up herself finally.

Watching as the bookkeeper left the area, Leo began to make his way back to the terrace. He went through the red curtains and before he fully went through them, he slightly turned his head around and focused on Chrome, gesturing for her to follow him. He then went through the curtains and placed himself back on the seat he was in before all of the commotion. Grabbing the book from the table besides him, Leo opened it up and began to read, waiting for Chrome to join him.

A friend.

After putting all the books back up, she actually had found more books spanning over what she had come to learn recently: Lightning, Fire and Wind. She carried a moderate stack of books after seeing Leo motion to something beyond the red curtain. She brushed herself through, and sat down at his table, putting down the books on the table.

She opened up the wind book without a word and began to scan it before reading it.

"So what brings you here to Alfheim, Chrome?" Leo said without breaking his concentration on his book.

He hadn't held a conversation in what seemed like forever. Hell, his line of work doesn't grant him the time to do any of that really. It's the same thing everyday: Eat, work, sleep, repeat. The reason for him being here though was to find a man who goes by the name of "Locke." He'd gotten a letter about a year ago that piqued his interest, and during that year he's done nothing but work for enough gold to be able to buy his way into Alfheim and make his way to Isera.

It's been two months and still no sign of this "Locke" character. Leo thought it would be in his interest to study and extend his knowledge while in Isera rather than wasting his time. Maybe he'd come sooner or later.

Leo turned to Chrome, closing his book and leaning forward in his chair. He watched her look through the book in her hand.

"Hello," he said waving his hand at the Elf, "I believe I asked you a question."

"Oh, hi Leo." She somehow hear the question, but didn't notice it while being distracted by her book. "I'm here to learn. I'm apparently part Elven, and just found out recently." She said as she closed the book, remembering the exact spot she was act naturally.

"How about you? You seem like you've been here before." She asked back, implying she had just arrived more than what Leo had actually been doing himself.

"Nope," Leo started as he leaned back in his chair and folded his fingers. "This is my first visit here actually, not so fond of all this fancy Elven stuff, you know? It's not my taste. I can't say no to knowledge though, I love to learn." Leo leaned forward in his chair, "I've been here for about two months now, spent this time reading and practicing, y'know?" His face lit up at the revelation of Chrome being a half-breed, like himself.

"A half breed, eh? I'm one myslef. Not Elven though..." Leo opened his mouth and flashed his teeth, pointing at them while he did so. "You see these? Sharp right?" he closed his mouth. "I'm a Beastman if you couldn't tell. Half man, half beast."

"Fascinating," Chrome responded as she took a ever-so closer glance at his sharp teeth. "I may have meet someone like you before. Similar teeth, but he didn't speak much. Though, I'm curious, what have you been practicing, if you don't mind me asking?"

Chrome was unsure what Leo was talking about with the birds, since she had no idea about Beastmen Lore yet, due to her semi-isolated upbringing. "Oh cool, I'm trying to pick up Earth too. It's been escaping me so far. I tend to learn from the monsters though rather than reading. The actual word knowledge is interesting though, which is why I keep it."

Leo liked the postive vibes he was getting off of Chrome, "I tend to learn things by listening, but I also learn by reading..." he picked up his book, "... and watching" Leo said as he made a gesture with his eyes. "Basically any way you give it to me, I'll be able to asess it and learn. I don't know why, but it's been like that ever since I was a young boy."

"Lucky! It sounds like you were gifted as a genius. I'm similar, but not on par with that kind of learning. Is that an Earth-element book you're reading?" Chrome noticed the title and it reminded her of something, perhaps she had spotted it before in a passing. She did visit a handful of libraries on the way here.

"I wouldn't call myself gifted. It's more along the lines that I don't want to be like anybody else. I can't stand having someone better than me.. I must do better than anybody else."

Leo picked up his book and examined it before turning back to Chrome and nodding slightly. "Yeah, I really don't see any need for it anymore. I've read enough to get th grasp of things."

"Did you pick it up from here?" She asked with the slight possibility of it just coming from out of the library. The library here was really open, not really any code to it, just the common courtesy of people taking and giving books in a grand exchange. She had learned of this while asking for its location. A random tidbit she'd remember for quite some time.

She picked up her fire book this time, scanning it like the other. She was a fast reader, though she wasn't really aware of it yet. This time she made sure to listen to Leo, making her slower, but still faster than normal.

"No, I've had this book with me for about a year now. This is actually the outdated version off the book," Leo laughed as he put his book down on the table beside him and leaned back in his chair, folding his hands once again.
Based on his conversation so far with the Elf-woman, she seemed very out of tune with most of the outside world. It was weird. It wasn't a bad weird, but the good type. He smiled as he looked off into the sky, the light of the sun making his hazel eyes become more noticeable.
Leo had a feeling that something was going to happen, but he didn't know when.
"Hey," he started, "you have any combat skill, Chrome?"

Making it rather far before Leo asked another question, Chrome once again put down the book, memorizing the page. "I've a few run-ins with monsters on the way here, but I'm still rusty as a fighter in general. There was even this little jelly creature. Only Level 1, but still adorable." In this world, monsters were named by power and abilities to rank each of them. This helped decide which ones to watch out for.

Leo never really understood why the people here classified the monsters with levels, he'd have fun naming them on his own. It may be more efficient, but it just sounded so stupid to him. "Sorry for all of the questions, Chrome. I just need to know what I'm working with here." he leaned forward in his chair and faced Chrome, "You see... It's like everywhere I go trouble seems to follow. I don't know why but it does, and, usually I'm the only one who is there to stop that trouble, understand? I have this bubbling feeling here,' he said pointing to his stomach, "The type you get when you're anxious, ya'know?"

"It's alright Leo. If I didn't want you to know, I'd keep silent. As for your troubles, sometimes people are drawn to danger and danger to people likewise. I may be a beginner, but with what I've learned, I'm fairly sure I can hold my own in support." Chrome smiled, telling Leo she'd be there for him if he ever got too deep in a hole. She understood he needed that other feeling of hope, something to know about. It may not be enough to change how he thinks, but it's always nice to realize it later on.

Leo smiled and looked up into the sky. "Thank you Chrome, I appreciate it."

Within a swift motion, the doors of the Iserian Imperium creaked open as a new face stepped forth. Locke had been travelling for the good part of a year now, starting from the Valkyrie Shoreline where the Versetto Clan resided all the way to the Elven Capitol. His journey was one in search of adventure and knowledge, of both past and future. But through his journey, he found nothing but what he already knew. He hoped by contacting a past acquaintance of his father in order to find what he seeks. He decided to go to none other than both his father's student and sworn brother, Leo Stone.

Feeling that the Elves, with their vast lifespans and their tendencies to contain even vaster knowledge, would have the answers he seeks. Thus it lead him here to the Iserian Imperium, in the heart of the Elven Capitol. Approaching the bookkeeper, he knocked twice on the side of a table to gain his attention.

"Excuse me," Locke asked the bookkeeper of the Imperium, "You seem to have quite a lot of knowledge within these walls. I'm looking for all your archives regarding the knowledge of the Versetto Clan, dating from fourteen years ago to all the way back since...for lack of a better date, let's just say since the dawn of creation. Do you have what I seek?"

"Versetto Clan? I do not believe we carry any books for it. Let me check our database." The bookkeeper opened up a technological device, searching for the possibility of this book. Due to the library standards, even if the information existed, there was always a chance it wasn't actually in the library. With no check-out system, there was little chance to know who has what.


Chrome smiled back and opened up her last book on the Electrical arts, reading through this one at the same speed as the last, fast enough to read but slow enough to realize if Leo asked her something again.