It was lunch time on Shokushu. Students were quickly leaving their classes to head to either the cafeteria or their dorm rooms to eat while others were left slowly walking to their next class. Kanoe had an hour or two to herself for once and made her way to the library. Much like most colleges, the library was large enough to be its own building with many floors of books and recordings to help assist in any subjects that require further research.

Having a number of poor experiences in the library, Kanoe kept her visits few and far between. She had to come to the library for certain projects and to get the correct text books for a new semester. Beyond that, it was very unlikely that the witch would find anything that would spark her rather specific interests. That did not stop her from trying from time to time though. Reading a regular book was a bit refreshing after reading pages upon pages of magic runes and attempting to translate it all. Generally, Kanoe's focus was finding books on the occult or to find books that may explain more about the island itself.

Finding books on the island has been less than successful and usually led to her waking up without her clothes on with no memory of what had happened. But books on the occult and mythology has occasionally found their way to the shelves of the library. Sometimes it is just fiction or completely inaccurate but Kanoe was thorough enough to at least check out such books and see for herself.

Tracing her finger slowly along the bindings of several books, Kanoe took her time skimming through the many titles in nearly every section and path in the library. Gradually a small pile of books appeared in her arms by the time she was returning to the main desk. Some were obvious red herrings such as books on Wiccan beliefs but she grabbed them anyway along with a few books on mythological creatures and a few about certain occult religions.

The librarian gave her usual look towards Kanoe but otherwise asked no questions. Being a sort of ice queen has given her enough reputation that most common students and staff do not attempt conversation with the raven haired woman. The dark witch was already certain the higher ups on the island knew of her magical ability so there was no harm in trying to find a bit more knowledge in the school's own library.

Once checked out, the witch put the books in her pack and quickly left the building. She would have to hurry to put her books in her room and still make it to her later classes. The witch would have plenty to read tonight.

Now Kanoe might not be aware of this, but she had aquired a stalker from the library. The stalker was not looking for a chance to pounce upon her nubile flesh, unusual for this place. In fact, the stalker did not even know what Kanoe looked like, but had learned of her existence from her history in the library database, and gathered a little more about her from overheard rumours. The stalker was not terribly frightening and intimidating. In fact, the stalker was pretty much the exact opposite. The stalker was not a monster either.

Right now the stalker was outside Kanoe's dorm room, and about to loose her nerve. "Pia, just do it. Remember, you are just volunteer library assistant, just offering some extra service."

There was several reasons why Pia was nervous. One was that she was intruding upon someone's privacy, and she was too well raised to not feel awkward about that. Another was that rumour had it that this Kanoe Shade was supposed to be quite scary. Pia had not quite understood what made her scary, but that did not help at all. Third, Pia's reasons for taking an interest in Kanoe was that she suspected that she might now quite a bit more than herself about the ways of magic, and Pia had to find out if that was true. The problem was, Pia did not want too many to find out about her own research into the same field, so she had to be careful.

Biting her lip, Pia reached out, and knocked on the door.

Beyond rushing home and discarding the books onto the table, the rest of Kanoe's day went uneventfully. She did not know that someone took notice of her choice of literature though she probably would not have cared much if a student knew at this point. The witch attended her class and did her best to not draw any attention to herself for her lover's sake. Despite her lack of interest in others, Kanoe at least ensured she followed the rules of the school to avoid demerits. The last thing she wanted was to be punished by her own lover or worse her lover being punished.

The witch returned to her room and was in the middle of unbuttoning her blouse when she heard a knock at her door. It did not take much to get a general idea of the woman's class schedule. Rarely leaving her room beyond that, Pia had little difficulty finding Kanoe at a good time. Or perhaps for a timid girl, a bad time.

Sighing softly at the sound of an unknown guest, she moved to open the door expecting perhaps one of her apprentices wishing a lesson. Her eyes narrowed slightly at the rather nervous stranger before her. With yet another new guest, Kanoe had to wonder if her apprentices were spreading word about her. But that thought would have to wait till their next lessons. The witch's eyes scanned down the student's body. The glasses and braids gave a rather innocent look but the woman's figure was perfect. Perhaps she will not complain too much about this particular interuption.

Pia would notice Kanoe was still in her uniform minus the shoes and vest. Her blouse was still two thirds unbuttoned causing the tight fabric to part and reveal a black lacy bra holding in check an impressive bust. While Pia had a very natural beauty, Kanoe's was more unnatural due to alterations monsters decided to do to her. Returning her thoughts on the woman's face, the witch merely said one simple word. "Yes?"

As the door opened, Pia was taking a step back from the door. She was quietly hoping no-one was home, so she could just leave a note and go. Thinking about it, Pia decided leaving a note should have been plan A. Then the door opened, making any changes to the plan obsolete.

"Yes?"

"UH.. er.. hi! I apologize for the interruption.."

The woman was quite stunning. She was tall, much taller than Pia, and a striking beauty. She casually displayed her cleavage, showing an impressive expanse of feminine curves, emphasised by a necklace. That she displayed it so freely told Pia that she either did not care what kind of impression her appearance gave, or that she relied upon it to carry the day. More importantly, she appeared to be the kind of person that demanded to be taken seriously.

Pia suddenly felt small and childish. She kind of wished she hadn't chosen a tiny barrette with a butterfly to hold a few of her more unruly strands of hair back, and that she had not chosen to wear socks that stopped just above her knees, and certainly not her cherry red mary janes. Other than that, she appeared pretty neat, vest properly buttoned, tie properly tied.

Pia blushed, eyes downcast. This did not help at all. Sensing she was trying the others patience, she forced herself to look up, and smiled broadly.
"My name is Pia. Pia Marie Hov. I work as a volunteer assistant at the library. You are Kanoe Shade, right?"

"As I said, I apologize for the intrusion.. It is about a couple of books.. Only a minute or two, but if this is a bad time.."
Pia indeed held a couple of books in her arms, against her chest.

Kanoe used to be one to not care much for appearance and certainly did not like flaunting her beauty like some sort of model. But being on this island for a few years now has changed many things. She found a certain swell of pride and ego when other students stared at her body in awe and jealousy. Watching Pia blushing cheeks and lowered gaze only helped solidify the witch's dominance in this exchange. The smaller woman did have the personality to match those innocent features and that only made the student more enticing.

Pia did not keep her waiting too long before getting up enough nerve to actually make a proper introduction. She was not familiar with this student, perhaps one of the many shy students who try to fly under the radar. The mention of working in the library rose some concern but seeing no sash revealed that this girl was not a serious threat to her. That still left the question of why this woman was here. Kanoe was always paranoid of everything being a potential monster or some sort of devious plan from the school itself. Was this woman sent by the staff? She found it doubtful, there were Prefects and Head Girls to do such things. Still, she would have to be cautious and see what this woman was after.

"Very well," Kanoe said finally, opening the door further, "Come in." She took a moment to turn on a few more lights as there were only a few candles lit for illumination in the rather dark room. The books she checked out earlier were still on the table. The witch was a bit curious about the books that were held tightly to Pia's chest. They did not appear to be textbooks for a class.

"Please," she said calmly, "Have a seat. Feel free to set your books on the table if you like. Would you like something to drink, Pia? I had only just returned from class a few short while ago so I do hope you forgive my appearance. I was not expecting a guest at this hour." Kanoe would briefly leave for the kitchen to return with some tea and whatever the other woman wanted if anything. A second cup would be provided in any case should the student change her mind during this supposedly brief visit.

Pia obediently followed. She did as instructed, and placed the books on the table and sat down.

"Uh, I don't mean to take much of your time, so it is not really necessary..". Her voice trailed off. "Yes, please, a cup of tea would be nice, if it is okay for you", she said, her voice a bit steadier. She waited for Kanoe to return, briefly looking over the room. She recognized at least a few of the books on the table.

While waiting for Kanoe to return, Pia ran through the reasons for visiting in her head. She really hoped to find someone who had some practical experience with magic here at the school. Her own research had mostly been done on her own, though trial and error. Mostly error, actually. What little guidance she had received had been at the hands of monsters, mainly by using supernatural powers against her. So Pia hoped she could find someone who shared her interests.
It was just that walking up to random people and saying 'Hello, I am looking for someone who I can speak to about training in magic so I can kick the asses of the monsters that enjoy raping me' seemed like a good way to establish a reputation as a complete loon. It also might attract the attention from monsters and the school authorities, both witch Pia hoped to avoid.

"The reason I dropped by..", said Pia when she thought the time was right. "Well, one of the librarians meant to suggest a book to you when you last visited, but did not have it ready. He asked me to drop by with it, seeing that you had borrowed the other books in the series, and that I was going back to my dorm anyway."
This was true, sort of. He had asked, but Pia was the one who had brought it up. The book in question was a part of a popularized series on the occult. Pia had leafed through it, and considered it complete drivel, although written with a certain flair.

"Then I took the liberty of looking you up in the database, and it dawned upon me that you might be more interested in the second one."
The second book was actually not a book from the library, but from Pia's own tiny collection. She had ordered it from the school store, and it had taken her quite some while to track it down, as it had been published in limited numbers. It was a short treatise about European mysticism, and contained the collected fragments of the writings of a nun that had supposedly been burned as a witch. The writings included descriptions of nocturnal visits by incubi, and some rituals she had been taught by them. From Pia's experience, both had a ring of truth to them. If Kanoe was a practitioner, she might think the same thing. If she was just idly curious, she would probably find the first one more entertaining.

She smiled faintly when Pia accepted the tea and threw out the idea of this lasting only a minute or two. With that small pile of books, it would take at least a few minutes to mention their contents briefly. It was only a minor lie that most door to door salesman or those who try to spread religion use to keep the door from slamming into their face. Kanoe did not mind as long as the entire visit does not prove to be a waste of her time.

The witch took a seat across from the nervous woman. The library assistant seemed to be calming down at bit which was good. It would only be troublesome if Pia spent the entire time fumbling for words. The reason for the visit seemed innocent enough though Kanoe thought differently. She had already lumped the staff as against her just like the monsters. The fact the librarian mentioned was a male did not improve her feelings on the matter. Perhaps being raped by so many creatures with cocks made her a bit paranoid of men who show interest in her. Or perhaps she is just being a loon. This island and school can do that to people.

Her eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of being looked up on a database. It was probably just to precheck the book out to save her a trip. She could not help but wonder though. Kanoe moved her attention to the second book Pia mentioned. She doubts the librarians would know anything much less help her in what she was studying. A student on the other hand made the witch curious to see what this woman brought.

She slid the first book aside and picked up the second. It was in english so there was nothing out of the ordinary so far. With her visitor waiting patiently, Kanoe could only flip through some of the pages and skimmed the books contents. It did not hold as much information as any of her tomes and scrolls but the book did have some interesting information. The personal writings of a possible witch could be rather useful as it gave a more detailed overview of certain workings of magic without necessarily speaking about things such as incantations and runes.

The first book she did not even bother opening as she saw the title and author being similar to one of the books she had already checked out. She may flip through it at a later time but this other book seemed a bit more legit. It may not hold any magic spells in it, but reading up on past magic users had its own merits.

Closing the book, Kanoe sets it back on top of the other. "It does seem to be rather interesting," she said calmly, "Does this mean I need to return to the library and check this book out properly? I wonder where you managed to find this. I suppose I should look more carefully the next time I visit."

"Thanks..", Pia replied, smiling shyly as she accepted the cup of tea. She sipped a little as Kanoe spoke.

"Actually..", Pia began. She was smiling a bit more now, as the conversation was moving into familiar territory. Pia did not feel that she had a lot to wave her own banner for, but she had a little pride in her researching skills. "It is my own book, not the library's. It took me some time to find, but I finally found a place to order it from, using the library database. The book itself is a bit dry, but the source material in it is quite interesting.."

Pia caught herself just when she was about to start rambling. Kanoe was probably quite capable of reading it herself, and did not need Pia to give her the reader's digest version right away.
"Uh.. now I was about to get all nerdy. I must confess that my visit was not entirely me just being service minded. You see I, have a bit of an interest in the field, and I am kind of looking for someone who I might share some tip's with, regarding.. uh.. literature."

"Anyway, you can borrow it if you like, and just drop it off when you deliver the other books.", she quickly finished, glancing at the door, wondering if the other student would like her to leave her in peace now.

Well that explained why she never found a book like this when exploring the library. The book itself was rather harmless in the hands of students so being able to order it was probably not too difficult. Still it was an effective use of resources. A pity spellbooks were not something you could exactly order over the internet.

Nerdy was perhaps the last word she would ever use when talking about this subject. Pia seemed rather pleased that Kanoe found the book to her liking. The woman was no doubt searching for others that share her rather specific interests. It was probably unlikely that this student was as lucky as her and having gifted students merely come to her door.

Seeing the woman fidget and glance at the door, she must be eagerly awaiting any response at this point. "I suppose I can do that," Kanoe replied softly, "But, I would need to know how much experience you have in this sort of literature. It would do me no good if I provided you with texts you have already read." She still had to be cautious despite the gesture of good will. The witch did not know anything about Pia beyond working in the library. Things could never be simple when talking about such a topic. It is not like she could just ask this girl if she could cast magic. For now, she will just try to keep the woman from fleeing to the door.

Pia brightened a little. This was good. Ms. Shade seemed interested, and invited Pia to talk more. The question was how much Kanoe knew about the island, and if she just studied magic because of intellectual curiosity, or if she actually used it.

Pia would have guessed the later. Kanoe kind of looked like Pia thought a sorceress should. Beautiful, tall, striking. She guessed she could face up to a demon without looking scared.

"Well, to be honest, I started reading up rather recently. At first mainly demonology, the Keys of Solomon and such. Of course, the Kay branch of into lots of stuff. Now I am looking into various ways of perceiving mana, and perhaps how to use it on a more personal level. The problem is getting good literature, I mean, there is some stuff in the library. But I know they have a lot of stuff in storage. Rare things, originals, usually just available for special research. I am kind of hoping they'll let me snoop around. Thus me volunteering."

Pia had actually snooped around a bit already, even breaking into said storage. She had struck gold, but she was not going to admit to burglary right away, or retell her steamy adventure there. Then an idea appeared.

She took another sip of the tea. If Kanoe had any inkling what she was talking about.. It was a long shot, but it was a tome hardly anyone had heard about.. If Kanoe Shade had even heard about it, she must be good.
"What I am really curious about, is information about something called the Darklight Grimoire, supposedly written by a fallen angel only calling himself Seraph. Angels, demons, a comprehensive theory of the flow of mana.."

EDIT: Spelling, and I forgot half a sentence.

Pia had done well in getting this far. The young student was opening up and revealed questions about mana. The witch admired the woman's willingness to gain such knowledge, even getting involved with the school itself. Perhaps this one would have uses even if there is no real talent or spark for channeling. Kanoe preferred associating with other witches and spell users but from time to time ordinary students have their uses.

But what Pia mentioned next struck Kanoe hard. Her grip tightened on the tea cup as she remembered that evil book. She set the cup down on its dish slowly, taking a deep breath to calm herself as best as possible. The price she paid was high for seeing that book and her body tingled all over as she remembered the pleasures beyond imagining that she was exposed to.

"It is best if you.. stay away from that book," she said coldly, "What you may learn will never be worth the price you will pay." Of course despite saying this, the witch knew how useless it was to resist the book's call. Opening that book already started a tab of debt she owed that angel and has on some occasions found herself in his presence for another 'lesson'. Not wishing to say anymore than necessary unless pressed, Kanoe decided that she has heard enough.

"Seems you are trying to learn magic," Kanoe said finally, "The later you start, the more difficult it is to learn. But assuming you have at least some spark inside you, it is possible to learn magic with proper guidance or alot of luck. I suppose teaching you a little about mana would be an appropriate price for borrowing the book you offered. Ask your questions, Pia and I will answer them as best as I can." Satisfied with what she has heard and seen so far, it was now just a matter of knowing where Pia was in the learning process. The witch was a bit concerned about how this girl knew about the Grimoire and even the owner. She knew that one of her apprentices has met that angel. It would not be surprising if he decided to trick a few more students with promises of power.

Pia was kind of stunned by the reaction of the other woman. She seemed genuinely shook up. It told Pia a lot. The warning, that told her even more. More, it told Pia she had done it all wrong. She had touched upon something, something painful. It had been a cruel thing to do, even if it had been inadvertently. Pia hated her big mouth. She had just not imagined her to react so strongly. She mouthed a 'sorry', without really saying the words out aloud.

"I.. yes.. I do seek to learn about magic.", she started, eyes on the tea cup. "I have made some.. a little progress.. but I think I am hitting a wall. I do not know how to progress, at least without taking undue risks." As if I haven't already.

"I know the basics of summoning and calling some types of entities, but my understanding is flawed.I know how to use manasight, to see the flow of magic. I know a little about how mana moves, the rudimentary theory of manipulating it.. but I know few incantations, at least of practical value. My personal mana is not that strong, but I can amplify it and use it during.. under some conditions. I am trying to progress, but I do not know how.."

Pia looked up from the cup, and into Kanoe's eyes. "But, Ms. Shade.. You do not owe me anything in return for the book. You did not ask for it, and I intended it to be a favour. So we do not need to have this conversation if you do not want to."

"Hmph! Nonsense," she huffed in slight annoyance, "This conversation is why you came here in the first place is it not? The fact you already know summoning shows what sort of risks you have taken just to get to where you are now in your studies. I am done with my classes for today so you best use this time wisely. Perhaps if you prove of use, I may teach you more."

"As for mana, you seems to know quite a bit as is," she continued, "You know how to use sight and already know how to manipulate mana to perform certain spells and rituals. For a beginner, you have progressed rather quickly. Really your progression from here on is dependent on what sort of magic you wish to learn and follow. Some focus on one element while others may spread their focus across many different paths. From there you just have to keep learning more and more difficult spells to increase your power."

"I am willing to help you. But, I will ask that you offer some form of compensation. This favour will be enough for a short lesson but if you wish to learn more from me and perhaps have access to some... literature I have available then, you must provide more." Kanoe sipped her tea for a moment before smiling softly. "The choice is yours, Pia. If you wish to continue, we should see what sort of magic you can cast right now and go from there."

"OK. I understand. That is only fair. We trade favours. But I must be fair.. my skills are limited, and so are my resources. I am good at research, and.. well.. I am good at research. So I might not have anything you need."

Kanoe seemed a bit more to the point, more in charge. Pia did not mind. She had been looking for someone who knew what they were doing, as Pia sure did not.

"As for a focus for my magic.. eh.. I sort of have one. I mean, a potential one. It is hard to explain.. kind of personal. But developing it.." Now Pia was blushing. She was blabbering, but what could she say? According to Seraph, her natural focus was pleasure, hers and others. And that usually meant sex, at least as far as most of the beings stalking this island were concerned. It was not that Pia felt that sex was something to be ashamed of as such, but others did. And either Kanoe would think her a slut, or she would think such talents wasted on someone such as herself. Pia certainly thought so.

Yet she guessed Kanoe would have little patience for her awkwardness. "Maybe I should show you what little I can do, without messing things up. Then, if you think it not a complete waste, we can talk about the rest?"

"I will need to focus my manasight first. It takes me a second or two." Pia took of her glasses and shut her eyes, something she usually did when practising her spirit sight.

"I am certain we will come to some sort of agreement," Kanoe reassured the woman. There were students who had even less to offer and end up offering themselves to her. It was amazing how many beginning mages were willing to submit just for a few lessons. For the dark witch, the payment was worth it. Having some feeling of control over another after being manipulated by monsters for so long was intoxicating. She would happily give little bits of knowledge if it meant keeping her little apprentices close.

She was a bit confused on what Pia was talking about. Whatever it was, it left the young woman flustered and fumbling for words before finally giving up. Until she learned more, the witch had nothing really to say about the vague topic. Eager to move on, Pia moved on to what Kanoe suggested and simply show her some magic. The witch rose to her feet while the student took the time to prepare. Having to use manasight constantly would be a hinderance when fighting monsters but she could not really blame a beginner for such reliance.

"Take your time," she said as she decided to take this moment to finish unbuttoning her blouse. The witch lets her blouse fall to the floor followed by her skirt. Her large mounds were freed when she unclipped her bra, leaving her in just her black thong panties. Kanoe did not care much if she was seen in the nude. Every dorm room had two women in them and she had to change when in the gym locker room infront of others. Besides, she enjoyed being stared at by other women.

She pulled out some long black robes from her closet and slipped it over her pale form. The long v cut revealed much of her impressive cleavage. With her raven black hair, the change in outfit only made her appear even more like a traditional mage or witch. Hopefully the change in appearance would not distract Pia from her current task.