“The pun isn’t translating, hope it isn’t at my expense.” He looks a bit annoyed, though more about the imprecise translation. 

“I’ll bring something for languages first. Might try to learn a bit about yours, too. Language, culture… anatomy.”

Grin. "I'll have to explain it once you know some Notal. More a dig at me, than you. And the best teacher is an eternal student. I'm always willing. To learn."

Yeah he is absolutely bait but he's fun bait, at least on ten seconds of conversation.

Some language books are brought. The most common vernacular is a mix of English, Terran, and Imperial Default. But for serious academic work, the best is either Draconic or Atlantean. Tower Librarian also starts working on Notal, both learning at once by translating back and forth. 

After some time with the primers, he starts an exercise. Writing a sentence in vernacular or draconic and handing it over to be translated into Notal. 

One of the sentences is nonstandard: 

I ask that you do not respond out loud to this message.

She's very sharp. She is absorbing bits of language at a fast, if not Feanorian, rate. And doesn't appear to be trying all that hard. Devoting nearly as much energy to composing flirty lines, though that is also language practice.

She knows Tirran, which appears to be a drifted-off version of English- And that prompts at least five minutes' diversion to multiverse theory and the extinct Imperium, the fuck-

-A flicker of amusement. She scribes a written translation in Notal and adds 'my lips are sealed' and waits to see where he goes with this.

But not too sealed, perhaps. Yes I am still attempting to seduce you in the secret message. It is for political purposes and I explicitly tell you that now. Additionally, because I enjoy it.

The Tower Librarian holds his own in the multiverse diversion; mostly theorizing about who keeps plucking out random young adults from random versions of earth and giving them the power to become kings on other worlds. 

Multiverses are frustrating, she gets worked up to the point of near-shouting and then poofs her tail and ears out all at once and declares the topic Forbidden (For Now).

Buried in the middle of a whole page of translations-

My tongue or lips hardly need seducing. They can be as open or closed as you wish. For the rest, is there some benefit to stating the obvious? It's been an entertaining game so far. I have hopes it will continue. A hint- Modelling kitsunes as a centralized group will fail.

Left unstated, her personal politics or loyalty are a very different question. Implied, we're all chaotic forest creatures and not super sympathetic to Authority.

I just hate the part with the reveal and the betrayal and the shouting. Easier if I state the obvious once, to be sure, even if it seems already understood. Thanks for the hint. 

Tower Librarian will dutifully avoid the multiverse topic, and instead ask about the ears and tail. Is the fur on them the same as the regular hair, or is it just the same color? Are the ears cosmetic or do they enhance hearing?

The thing about Kitsune bodies is that they are almost more magic than reality, sort of similar to the more Warpy magic systems she's read hints of. They're sterile, often have an always-clean power... They can absolutely still die, but there's definitely something not entirely material going on. She is, first, a spirit, secondarily a fox, and tertiarily has a human form. A few kitsunes grow fur all over and have more canine features- Muzzles, digitigrade legs like Weiss's- But it varies by individual. Most of them have human hair, and additionally, furry ears and tail. The fur is structurally different from hair, mostly it's firmer with shorter fibers, and deliciously soft and luxurious. Her ears do hear better than a human's.

Her tail is, depending on your perspective, either the most or least real thing about her, a focus for her illusion and foxfire powers.

It's also very sensitive. Especially at this spot near the base. Would he like to brush it~?

He takes notes on the spiritual bodies explanation. While doing that, he subtly disposes of the translation examples. 

“If forms vary, I’m glad you ended up with this one. Suits my taste in shapes, at least.”

He would like to brush the tail, though very carefully.

Tessa does her best to stretch and pose appealingly. Floating makes it a bit different but she likes a challenge. The tip of her tail curls and brushes affectionately over the Mystery Bait Librarian Who Still Hasn't Given His Name's arm. And she gives a cute little apparently genuine shudder and almost-moan as he brushes the good spot.

"I'm quite happy with it too. You can be rougher, you know? Maybe not next to all these lovely books though..."

Mystery Bait Librarian Who Still Hasn't Given His Name will just grin at the antics. The hand that isn’t occupied by a tail may be wandering. 

“Good idea. Trapdoor at the top there. I like the impressed looks from everyone else in the library, but it’s not fair to distract from their research.”

A perfectly acceptable destination. She'd let them watch, but libraries are near sacred.

The curtains are floor to ceiling, covering most of the window though letting a bit of sunlight in. They’re made of some emerald fabric, with little embroidered floral designs in silver thread. 

Lunchtime. 

Megi, the one identified as shrine attendant, is set to meet with a necromancer* representing the alabaster city underworld. The attaché explains that this is just a first meeting with one of the most default afterlife providers, to get to know each other. There’s to be no expectation of any set agreements today, and no pressure.

”I brought you here a bit early in case of questions beforehand.”

*one who does divinations about the dead

"-Afterlives are a thing that can be provided? Hmm, that's not actually much of a stretch. I think those tended by our rites would join the wheel of reincarnation. Which might complicate things. I can talk to the recently dead, sometimes, if they've got unfinished business and haven't been ushered on by psychopomps especially. Or bring them back with a recent, intact, body, very occasionally."

“Afterlives can and are often provided. Some peoples have their own specific afterlife setup, but many individuals or multi-people communities make deals with a more specialized afterlife provider. Often this is combined with a… will have to borrow a word. [bundle of afterlife and moral coordination and arbitration and music and negotiation with specific divinities and protection from ghosts]. But it is a vague category. Your abilities will likely be useful in collaboration with one or more of these existing groups, though which one remains unknown.”

”Targeted reincarnation is often considered an alternative to psychopomps and underworld realms. If you would rather focus on that, meetings can be aimed there, though most who focus on reincarnation do not use physical mausoleums.”

"Is that a 'religion'? Or is the word 'religion' not an appropriate translation here? There are additional pantheons out there, I take it? Hmm... I wouldn't call the Wheel of Reincarnation targeted. Most people do not retain many memories, though they are recognizably the same in personality and divinations still find them as the same person. The Light Gods don't have much capacity to talk to incarnates but I get the impression it's part of the process of un-cursing the world after the fall of the Imperium and the Demon Wars."

“The word you used is an approximate translation, but some of that territory is also covered by alignment* to the extent that it’s permitted.”

Slight visible concern. “How large scale and immediately pressing is the curse situation? I am sure your gods are trying their best with it, but if the situation is bad enough, there are organizations that could attempt to organize an evacuation. 

*siding either with the Law of the Sky King and or the Dread Serpent Chaos, or something equivalent if from even further off 

There is good in people everywhere, even if it comes with ulterior motives.

"The interior of established states is mostly safe from curses. Once ground is taken, we - the world - appear to be keeping it. It's disturbing old cesspits of resentful magic that's the problem, and people do always want more land to farm, more woods to chop trees in, and so on, so they keep doing it. It is generally understood to be very dangerous, travelling the long roads, living in the marches. They're below replacement after attrition from monsters and cryptids, but people keep moving there anyway, who am I to tell them not to? I'm sure people would appreciate new places to travel to, but it's not a dire emergency... The complication would be accessing our world reliably."

“That sounds like a temporary connection would bring adventurer types, in both directions, but likely not a full relief effort.”

”I am still supposed to find some noosphere delver types to cooperate on a passage, but that’s been listed as lower priority. For now, any questions on the lunch soon?”

"I'd like to hear more about this necromancer. I wouldn't want to offend."