Nell stood outside the Library doors and took a deep breath trying to calm her nerves. She had been avoiding this place as much as possible lately seeing as the last time she had ventured here she had been attacked quite viciously. Monster attacks were, regrettably, no longer uncommon for Nell but she still tried to steer clear of the places where the worst ones had taken place. She still had nightmares about the creature she encountered in the library and his standing threat to visit her again.

She shuddered and hugged her stomach. "It's okay, Nell." She muttered to herself. "It's daylight this time. He won't be here during the day." She took another breath and then another and then forced herself to go inside. The library was blissfully not deserted this time, though it was notablity less crowded than normal now that finals were over. Still, it seemed the cold weather was keeping quite a few of her fellow students indoor where it was warm.

It made her happy to know she was not alone in the building but her purpose for coming did require some level of secrecy. She avoided the front desk and the reading tables and headed back to the card catalogs. The library did have computerized records of their books but she didn't trust the school not to monitor their searches. She was researching magic and she didn't want the school and, by proxy, the monsters knowing what she was up to. She had only resently become able to use magic and she was determined to find some way to use it to her advantage.

The card catalog is off to one side of the main stacks. Set in drawers it is a very compleat if somewhat archaic record of the books in Shokushu. Nell starts her research looking for books to help her in her study of the occult slowly moving from drawer to drawer flipping thru card after card. Time passes for Nell with out her noticing as she hunts the catalog for potential sources of information. After a bit she notices a strange pattern. While books dealing with stage magic, most types of mythology, and with a new age vibe to them are located in thier propper place (at least according to Dewy and his decimal system) any of the older volumes dealing with the subject of the occult and a few of the older texts related to folklore and mythology have a note on them that they have been moved to one of the side rooms for curration, research and display. In fact there are so many cards marked C.R.D that room 245 must be quite large.

Nell was right to be suspicious of the library's computers, for searchs on certin subjects are closely monitored. However so is the card catalog. Not by the school but by at least one of the monsters, the feline deamon Rajon. All it took was one light touch of Nell's fingers to trigger the observation spell that Rajon placed on any card marked C.R.D. The deamon, who was relaxing after a round of fun with a terrified freshmen back in the stacks, purrs in delight t the vision of young Nell and does not delay making his way towards room 245 via the passages that are availible to monsters in many of the school's buildings. There was no doubt in his mind that Nell would be headed to that room it was too much of a temtation.

Nell frowned slightly at the card catalog. The fact that the books that could be useful to her had all been moved to the same location was more than a little suspicious. She wondered if this was some sort of trap set up by the school to catch students doing forbidden research. But then again, there was nothing in the student handbook to suggest studying magic was forbidden. She had checked. The last thing she wanted was to receive another detention. She looked warily back down at the card she had pulled last. "Curration, research and display... hmmm... I suppose if it was truly forbidden the cards would have stated the book was in a restricted area but the room number is clearly printed... It doesn't say special permission is required..."

Nell really didn't have to take long deciding what she was going to do. She was determined to do whatever was necessary to uptain this knowledge. She had done a lot of embarrassing things to finally unlock the ability to use magic. If she gave up trying to learn how to use her new abilities now then all those efforts would have been wasted. She jotted down the titles of the books she was interested in and headed for room 245. She was actually a little relieved to be leaving the library and its terrifying memories. A short while later she was standing in front of the door to the C.R.D room. She bit her lip nervously and opened the door and peered inside cautiously. "Hello? Is anybody in here?" She asked softly, not sure she wanted to hear a reply. If the room was deserted then she could get her books and sneak off with them to her dormroom to read them in peace.

The room is large softly lit and with the exception of the heating system compleatly silent. The room contains a serries of tall bookcases the majority with glass doors and several heavy dark wood tables and chairs. They are large enough and strong enough to accomidate either several students doing research or several monsters doing students. The cases are full of books, some are open some closed, and other artifacts such as tablets, statues and figurines. As Nell enters the room she is being observed by the raksasha from where he concealed himself up in the shadows around the top of the shelves.

When no reply came, Nell stepped into the room and looked around. It was a nicely kept and well organized room. Nell ran one hand over the dark glossy surface of the tables and smiled to herself. The furnishings in this room reminded her of her father's study back at home and she liked them very much. She meandered around the room for a short while, admiring the the statues and other artifacts on display before finally moving to examine the bookcases.

There were so many books that Nell hardly knew where to start. She browsed through the titles on one shelf and pulled down one that looked promising and started thumbing through it... Then skimming each page and then finally lost herself in reading it, really reading it. She sank to the floor and sat indian style with her back pressed against the bookcase and the large tome resting open in her lap. She was so absorbed in reading her book that she couldn't even take the time to move to a table. She became lost to her study... It had been quite a while since she studied something she was actually interested. She was entralled by it and ignored everything else around her for the time being.

The book Nell choose is one of the few books in English most are in other languages some that she recognize many she does not. As she finds herself lost in the book Rajon takes his time securing the room to insure that he will have all the time with this freshmen that he would want. After that is done he spends quite a bit of time observing his target evaluating her mana as well as her curvy body. 'Hmm apparently she is not a natural someone jump started her ability. I bet she is a wheeler and dealer I wonder what she paid for that. Heh.' He moves about up on the shelves so that he is behind and above her.

In a purring rumbleing voice that seems to come from any direction in the room he says "That is an intresting choce not very useful but nice enought for a dabbeler. There is many beter choices out there, but then they are very dificult."

"I did mean to start with something simple." She replied without thinking about it. Slowly, her gaze lifted from the book to search for the source of the voice. She continued to speak while she did this. "There were just so many books to choose from that I didn't..."

She stopped abruptly when she realized that there was no one there. She hadn't imagined it, had she? She slide the book off her lap and onto the floor then slowly began to rise to her feet. She continued to gaze around the room cautiously, like an animal expecting an attack. "W-who's there? Where are you?"

The purring voice chuckles at the student's reaction, oh yes this girl was going to be a lot of fun and not just in the sack. "Who am I? You can call me Rajon, for now. As for where I am...athro-narthrik bathrain. The strange words call a softly glowing ball of light into exsistance in Rajon's hand. Nell can now see the large feline deamon lounging on the top of two of the tall bookcases. He is whereing a black silk poet shirt and a long green and black brocade vest. He tilts his head as his green eyes calmly observes the girl to see her reaction.

The light drew her eyes upward to the feline vision atop the bookcase and she instantly drew back a step and then stopped. She was a little startled by the monsters appearance but honestly it wasn't as though he was the worst she had seen. She frowned and became instantly determined not to show fear or retreat any further from him. She knew a lot of monsters found that to be a turn on. She bite her lip and regarded him silently for a few moments before finally saying, "The green is a nice touch on the vest but don't you like black on black is a little much?"

The tiger monster laughs "What little one you expect me to wear white after Labor Day? Oh no that would be Tres Terlible. Black is very versitile, it dosen't show stains and it goes with everything, besides it suits this island don't you think?" His head tilts and his eyes are still quite intense. He loves how the student is trying to be a bit bold and defiant. That is not to say he didn't like fear and terror in his prey, just that when he broke the will of the defint ones it was always so sweet.

With a carelss wave of his hand he sends the ball of light floating out into the middle of the room, where it hangs slightly turning in mid air. "Now little one while I would love a long conversation about color in fashion I do not think it is what brought you to the library in the first place, is it?

Nell might have laughed at his Labor Day joke under normal circumstances but she was standing there staring up at some kind of weretiger or the like. Normal didn't quite cover it, especially not on Shokushu. If anything she was doubly weary on this island. She knew what monsters were generally interested in here.

She raised a brow at Rajon's last comment. "What an astute deduction. I must have really won the lottery tonight to meet a monster oon Shokushu who has both cleverness as well as a keen fashion sense." There was a hint of sarcasm to her words mixed in with more than a little bitterness.

The monster grins and ignores Nell's jab "Be glad that I am both cleaver and knowlageable little one, for I can save you quite a bit of time in your quest for power. That book you are reading now while no doubt facinating won't help you a lick when it comes defending your self from monsters in this place." He streches for a moment before locking his gaze back on Nell.

Nelled eyed the tigerman skeptically for a moment then shrugged and bent down to retreive the book from the floor. "You monsters aren't a very loyal lot, I take it? You are the second monster in so many days who has offered to help me better defend myself from your fellows." She stated casually as she brushed imaginary dust off the book's cover before returning it to its place on the shelf. "It is a kind offer but I think I'll pass. That was only the first book I'd looked at and I had picked it sort of randomly. I'm sure if I simply searched a little longer and a bit more seriously I could find a useful book on my own. I see no reason to go making deals with monsters to do something I can do quite easily on my own, especially when monsters tend to charge so much for their assistance."

The deamon smiles and strats to inspect his claws for dirt, he was right about her dealing for her abilities. "I have no doubt that you could find the items that you need, but let me ask you this my little fashionista how is you Ancient Aremaic? Or is Ancient Sanskrit more your speed? Then there are several very useful incantations written in Egyptian and of course Atlantean. Do you wonder why it was that the monster decided to activate your mana for something that he/she or it could of just taken for free anyway? They knew that there was no way that you could learn what you needed to know by your senior year to make use of it so why shouldn't he. I am sure a bright girl has already figured out what this place is haven't you?" He is watching her closely trying to get a feeling of weather or not he should continue down this road of temptation or just drop down and ravage her here and now.

Nell stared at the bookcase in front of her and searched over the titles on the books. She frowned when she saw how few of the titles were in English. She shook her head. That wouldn't have been a problem really. She could learn a second language or found some other translator as long as it was a language like German or Latin even but Rajon was implying something more. "Are you telling me that the only useful books in this room are written in some dead language?" Her chest tightened and she suddenly felt somewhere between screaming a crying. If what he was saying was true then she had been deceived. She had been submissive and obliging on a monster's word that his 'gift' would be useful to her. She clenched her fist at her sides. "If what you are saying is true then it is only hurting your own case."

She lifted her head to glare up at the lounging monster. "Why should I believe you'd really help me? You are inferring that the monster who unlocked my abilies only did so because he knew I wouldn't really be able to use them. So, why should I believe you would be any different?"