"Bloodhound," Ember snapped as she strode forward, closing the distao the library, "active defense. Keep priorities."

  "Yes ma'am," came the reply, Bernie following slightly behind her now.

  "Ember! What's going on?" Ravenna demanded, a little flustered at how the sudden shift caught her off-guard, a burst of darkness keepieps steady until she was even with the other woman once more. "You haven't expined anything - what's gotten you so bothered?"

  The healer bared her teeth, the disgust practically radiating off her. Fern had never beeo judge emotions too well, but this woman wore her heart on her sleeve - or at least she did right now. "I wasn't aware your libraria murderers on his property," she snarled, fists ched, "but unless he has a damn good reason for it, I'm going to hold him responsible for what happens, too!"

  Murderer? Who, this womahought, aghast. How does she- "How do you know that?" she voiced, uo keep the nervous shaking out. "She h-hasn't even said anythi..." The woman had barely reacted at all, in fact, save for opening her eyes and turning her head to look at the approag group with an expression that the fallen hero couldn't reize.

  "Everyone who's been taking the drug cocktail long enough for the feralization to take hold has a body t," Ember spat viciously. "The only question is how high. How high is it, you bitch?!" she yelled, causing the woman oeps to jerk back as if shocked. "Hoeople have you crushed under your fug paws?!"

  "Ember, stop!" Ravenna interjected, reag out to grab at her shoulder. "She's not even doing anything, you look like you're out of your mind screaming at her like this!"

  Her hand grasped at air as the healer simply wasn't there, and the dark mage almost stumbled befhting herself, looking absolutely stunned. Fern, too, found herself staring with eyes wide open. How did she move like that without using aher?

  "I asked a question, pup," Ember growled, as if no one else was even around - pletely focused on the woman in front of her, who by this time had stood up and half-stumbled back to the doors, pressed up against them. She was easily a head taller, and almost certainly pag more muscle - though of course the gray longcoat kept anyone from seeing too much of the healer. A she was the oimidated, eyes widening, chest rapidly rising and falling with quid shallow breaths.

  "Please-" The woman's voice was low, soft, and even though it was steady enough, Fern could hear the tension it was marinated in. "Please don't. I don't- want to fight you."

  The healer just stared at her. If looks could kill, the double doors would be painted with blood already.

  "Pathetic," Ember finally spat. "There's not even enough pride left in you to satisfy me with a good scrap. Was it just this nd that made you so soft? Or did you leave your entire spine in the god-beast, you little-"

  "Ravenna!" A man's voice from above - deep and powerful - interrupted the tirade, and Fern looked up to see a shaggy mess of blond hair poking out of a sed-floor window. She hadn't even realized it was there, thanks to the... distra of their initial approach to the library. "I didn't know you were ing, nor that you were bringing such disagreeable pany. Don't go anywhere, I'll be down in a moment."

  He disappeared, and Ember glowered at the woman - but she did, finally, step back a short distanbsp; "Settle, Bernie. There's no fight left in this one," she added, her words absolutely dripping with pt.

  "Aye-aye, boss."

  Now that she wasn't afraid of a bloody frontation - for the moment, anyway - Fern had a ce to take a closer look at the woman, still pressed up against the doors but sliding to one side, presumably so the one marked 'EXIT' could open for the librarian's appearanbsp; She wasn't just tall and muscur; there was a definite beastlio her, a slight point to the tips of her ears - aeeth, when she opened her mouth to breathe - that went a little beyond what could be sidered a normal shape. The way her hair fell around her ned shoulders was a bit remi of some iform pelt, too, moreso than any traditional hairstyle. What did she call it? 'Feralization'? I don't know if I should even ask her about it, if she's already this upset...

  Fortuhe awkward silence didn't st for very long before the exit door opened with a boom and Geoffrey - presumably - emerged, blond hair falling about his shoulders and framing his darkly tanned face, the short robe and loose trousers of sky-blue fabric barely taining his fident strides. He was smiling, remarkably, despite the circumstances. "It really has been too long! You should visit more often, you know."

  "It has indeed, darling," Ravenurhough with a minor note of hesitahat Fern picked up on. "By the look of you, I imagihe sun and the sea have treated you well since we st spoke?"

  "Oh, yes, ihey have! Though - well, I suppose there's no sidestepping the issue at hand, is there?" He turo g the woman still pressing herself ft against the other door. "Go to your room and practice your breathing, princess. I'll sort everything out like I always do."

  She just nodded wordlessly, and pressed the door inward, practically tumbling inside. The door shut behind her with a softer boom, and Geoffrey turned back to face forward. "Now then. Perhaps you'd like to expin why you thought it necessary to harass my... tenant, into a nonverbal state? She usually says something when I order her around like that, you see."

  Ember folded her arms. "Tenant? That's an odd word for a pet murderer. And don't eveend she isn't a pilot."

  The man's eyes widened ever so slightly. "Goodness. Where did you find this one, Ravenna? I've dragged mreeable spes up from the depths, and with siderably less venom ioo."

  "At the risk of simplifying too much, I owe her a life-debt for my new partner here," she returned, gesturing to Fern. "Western problems require western solutions, I suppose you could say."

  Geoffrey blinked. "Ahh. I see you've had a lot of ges in your life since we st talked. And you, madam..." His eyes slid back over tard the stone-faced healer. "... well, I won't pretend to uand your story. But if you would kindly refrain from threatening people with death, while you're here at least, I'd greatly appreciate your... restraint."

  "But you do know what she is," Ember pressed, after a moment. Her fiightened around the sleeves of her coat, digging in harshly. "What she's done in that seat."

  He sighed quietly. "Regrettably, yes, I am aware."

  "Then why-"

  "Because," Geoffrey interrupted, "she chose to stop."

  Ember went silent for a long moment. Eventually she hissed out the breath she'd been holding in. "And you're, what, letting her crash on your couch while she tries to be normal again?"

  "Without getting too far into the details of reement - yes, yes I am. Is that satisfactory?"

  The healer closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and then slowly letting it out. Her hands dropped to her sides, slowly. "Fine. I won't try to kill her, and I won't even shout at her."

  "Thank you." He offered a smile. "I wouldn't ask for anything beyond basic civility, like anyone else would expebsp; As I said, I don't know your story - and frankly I think I'd rather not know. But pig fights is probably-"

  "I don't." Ember cut him off. "Need. A lecture, thank you, mister librarian."

  He sighed quietly. "Geoffrey, actually."

  "Ember Grace," she returned - suddenly pcid, as if some switch had been flipped.

  Personally, I think you could use a lecture or two, Fern thought, a little frown wrinkling her forehead.

  The inside of the marine library was absolutely marvelous to behold.

  As the group made their way inside, Geoffrey expined - with the practiced rhythms of a tuide - that the research portions were on the lower floors, closer to the o for practicality's sake. Everything from the entrance level to about halfway down the height of the cliffs served as a repository of knowledge.

  What that meant was that when Fern walked in, her eyes lit up to see the walls covered with bookshelves, absolutely packed full - more knowledge than she could possibly take in, even if she had several lifetimes to make the attempt. The entryway alone was easily the size of Ravenna's personal colle iower! And here, everything was ly beled and referenced, with little colored arrows direg her attention to various paths further inside, where reted topics could be discovered.

  The library held more than just reading materials, too; dispy cases lihe main walkways, carrying artifacts that looked to be from various undersea expeditions. As they walked past, the fallen hero found herself pulled aside by the irresistible gravity of the ly lettered metal ptes describing eae, reading about how and where the a bde or ship's wheel or tea set or other random tri was salvaged from the depths and subsequently preserved. Most of it didn't make seo her, at least not yet; but it set her absolutely salivating (metaphorically) to learn more about it.

  "Fern, darling, don't get lost," Ravenna called from somewhere up ahead.

  "Ah! Sorry, I'll be right there!"

  She rejoihe group in what looked to be the library's tral n, an open shaft surrounded by ring-shaped ptforms on every floor, every one equipped with sturdy-looking guardrails. At the edges of the massive chamber rested even more bookshelves and dispys; to the east a were what looked like extra wings of material, and to the north - at least on this floor - an observation ptform, and underh it a series of beautiful stained-gss windows to let the light in. Briefly, she peeked over the railing, ahe bottom she saw the bookshelves and gss turn to pin solid walls. That must be the research se, Fern mused, though I wonder what it is they're researg? So much to learn, to discover - but also, she didn't want to keep falling behind the group.

  Ravenna just offered her an uanding smile this time when she caught up with them on the observation ptform, which despite the name was really just a baly with some long-distance viewers mounted on it; nothing particurly fancy like the tower's observatory and all its equipment. Yet it made up for that with a breathtaking view of the o all spread out before them, glittering in the sun like a treasure chest full of jewelry. Wide-eyed, Fern cast her gaze back over to the east, seeing Port Finally - all of it at onow. From this higher vantage point, the town spread out for her as if it oower's cartography table. The ships moving around the docks were so much smaller, too; and the sea breeze up here was only faintly fishy-fvored - I bet Ravenna would appreciate that one, she mused with a little smile.

  "I could get lost in here for weeks and be fih it," she remarked, after a moment. "This pce is really... well, it's a lot to take in, that's for certain."

  Geoffrey just chuckled quietly. "I'm gd you're enjoying it! I won't say it's lonely up here, exactly, but guests are something of a rarity. I assure you, your pany is well worth the distra from my studies."

  "And what are you studying these days, darling?" Ravenna purred zily. "Holy, sidering how long you've been here, it's hard to believe you haven't already pletely ed out the sea and all its... sea-crets."

  "Your wordpy is as dire as it ever was," he returned with another quiet ugh. "But rather than tell you - I'm sure your panions would love to see it for themselves. Wouldn't you?"

  Fern nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yes, I absolutely would!"

  Ember just let out a breath as silently as she could manage, keepihoughts inside for now. 'Sea-crets.' What a dreadful woman she is.