"They knew enough Notal to make that banner. I noticed them noticing us notice the cute guy too, he was probably there specifically for that. I dunno what their divination situation is like, so check in with me at least once a day and before any big decisions. Don't take the key out here at all, Weiss."

"Surely we don't have to be so on guard? The point is to relax and make contacts."

"Oh, yeah, enjoy the food, enjoy the guys if they throw guys at you- Obviously, Weiss doesn't have to- Just, you know. Remember that this is a strategy."

"I mean, the guys might not be too happy to be so thrown..." Headshake. "Yeah, it's not like this palace and the Tyrant has total control of the city. We saw that with cold iron shell. People they introduce us to will all be - their people. Reporting to them. Saying things about how great life at the Palace is. So, like..."

"Better to know who's spying on you than wonder? Ahh... I don't like thinking about this stuff."

"Me neither. I guess we'll leave most of the heavy politicking to your big brain, Tessa."

"You give yourself too little credit."

"This place will drive me mad if there's not much to do. I should find someone to talk to. Maybe about art? That seems like a palatial activity."

"I might stick here and weave a better forest illusion, and see what I can see magic-wise."

"Libraaaaaary... I need to learn about all the new things that exist... Okay, sounds like a plan. Talk back in these rooms this evening?"

They break and politely inform whoever is waiting just outside the door of these intentions. Maybe Weiss can get snacks for the room?

Quickly, a tray is brought with so many snacks. Too many snacks. Chunks of miscellaneous substances, grapes and other small fruits, colorful spheres, crunchy discs in various flavors. A second tray of meats can be put together, if the guests are willing to answer several questions about who their morals allow them to eat and under what circumstances.

"......No meat until we understand the situation better," Megi states firmly.

The other two nod fervently.

"Traditionally kitsune will hunt nonperson animals in the wild. It's not a need and I don't think it's urgent at all."

Weiss will poke at the snacks a bit, feeling more for whatever pride or joy has been put into them more than the actual flavor content.

Some of them are essentially built on an assembly line, but others have bits of pride and satisfaction. These are handcrafted artisanal food cubes, no one else could create these specific flavors. 

Somewhere, someone is making a note to keep them away from the areas where people with very different food preferences live. At least, not until they get some answers on the ‘but what about speak with animals spells’ discourse and similar topics.

These fancy ones are acceptable. The rest, she would not like again.

She takes a large purple rock from inside her tail and starts framing a forest scene above it, with a look of focus on her face.

"Liiiiibrrrrraaaaarrrryyy..."

That gets a slight smile from the snackbearer. 

A couple servants are brought to guide the guests who want to go places through the maze of halls. Soon, the library is reached. 

This library is a tower. A very tall cylindrical room with bookshelves covering the walls. Everything in the tower is weightless, a few individuals hover around reading or looking for something. Lights attached to the walls illuminate the whole room. 

The hallway guide points up at one of the hovering individuals. “He’s the one to ask about borrowing a book or getting something translated.”

B O O K S

"Thank you!"

She tumbles around getting used to the floatiness first, then spends a while scrolling titles she can't read (YET) and observing character frequencies and the like. They're probably not in the Eyerarchy's script, but maybe they're similar to some of the words on the monuments they passed! Her tail is wagging quickly.

books, indeed

The librarian, the one pointed out as the guy to go to for translation, occasionally gives Tessa an amused look. He looks very archetypical, tweed vest and round glasses and a tattoo of an eye on each palm.

After a while she'll zhoop up- Slightly tumblingly- Towards him. She ends up kind of sideways and doesn't see the need to correct this. "I'm Tessa- And new here. I'm told you're the librarian?"

He will push against a wall and dodge out of the way, as one does when someone is tumbling at you. Turns out to be unneeded, and he recovers with grace.

“Tower Librarian, that’s me. I’ve been told to expect an academic liaison?”

"Well, that's the fancy name for being a professional-huge-nerd*." She smirks. "The first thing I'd like a look at is language primers."

Tail flicking to stabilize and reorient.

"Maybe weightless maneuvers too... Unless there's tutoring available on the motion of bodies?"

*In Notal this is a pun on 'wizard in a tower'