"Then you could start by learning it, or wait a few days for me to start translating the relevant material."

"I'll start trying to learn it. It seems like it'd be a good idea to get that out of the way quickly, anyway."

She nods. "Should I tell you where to find the relevant books? I apologize for the way I organized the library; I didn't anticipate anyone outside the family would need to use it for anything."

"Yes, please. And it's all right, I'll figure out the system soon enough."

"All right."

She writes down a set of directions to a shelf on the fourth floor and hands the paper to Rivethira.

"Thanks, I'll let you know if I have questions." She turns to go, then stops, and tilts her head thoughtfully. "... Actually. Do you think your father would be willing to help with learning a language?"

So she can avoid wasting Irikaino's time with non-magic stuff, and maybe waste a bit of Lord Tanaikon's time so he can perhaps torture people a fraction less. Somewhat silly when dealing with immortal people whose preparations for actions span centuries, she admits, but. Little things add up. It does mean she would have to actually interact with him, but demonstrably, she could do that just fine.

"He might. I don't think you'll lose anything by asking."

"All right. Good to know. Thanks."

To the books! She has a language to learn. Or, a language to make a lesson plan for learning, and then to learn, with only a vague idea of how to actually learn a language. Eh. She'll be fine. People have been learning languages in worse circumstances, surely.

There are plenty of books about languages. Some are more analytical, describing how the Ansati language split into several dialects, one of which eventually became modern Nathuremi. Others are more straightforward, like this Ansati-Nathuremi dictionary which appears to have been written by Irikaino herself. More than enough to build a curriculum, if that's how Rivethira wants to play this.

Yep, curriculum that makes sense and gives her defined goals instead of vague 'you must make progress' feelings that'll inevitably end up making her feel like she's not doing enough even when she objectively is. Besides, she'll pick up bits and pieces as she's making the lesson plan itself, get an overall idea of something before trying to get all of the specific details of it.

Hours later, her stomach growls, and she remembers that she's only had breakfast. She puts what she can on hold and goes to get food.

The dining hall provides her with another mix of various foods, some recognizable, some not, some delicious, some not.

It will learn her preferences eventually! Until then she can just put up with everything not being precisely how she'd like it. Woe is her, the food is not precisely calibrated to her tastes. Woe.

She's back to the library in record time. Whee, library!

As the sun is setting, a breeze blows into the library and tidily avoids ruffling any papers on its way to Rivethira. It swirls and condenses into Lord Tanaikon, already smiling at her. "Having fun?"

She jumps a little at the entrance, more from surprise than fear. Wind entrances: not a thing she's used to.

"I am, yes," she says, smiling tentatively. "Thank you for the water, by the way, it helped a lot."

"Good, I'm glad."

(He wants to kiss her again. He doesn't, again.)

"Actually, do you think it might be possible for me to get a vial or two of it to keep on hand in case of accidents? I might trip and fall down a flight of stairs and break a leg or something."

He shrugs. "Sure, easy," he says, and dissolves into the wind.

Two minutes later, he's back, holding out a small and very beautiful crystal bottle.

"Oh, with a pretty bottle and everything, thank you."

"You're welcome," he says, grinning.

There it is again, the confusing niceness that does not at all fit with how he casually tortures people.

She smiles back, anyway. "I met and liked your daughter!"

"That's a relief," he says with a wry smile. "Would've been awkward if you hadn't gotten along."

"We probably would have comfortably avoided each other. It wouldn't even have been hard, this is a big library. But I much prefer getting along with her."

Smile. One of the nice sweet happy-that-you're-happy smiles, not one of the thinking-about-kissing kind.

"I offered to help her with the magic situation, but a lot of the necessary books are in Ansati, so. I'm working on learning that."

It looks more like she's cataloging the entire language, what with all of the books and notes, but such is the result of making a lesson plan.

He glances over her books and laughs. "Very thoroughly, it looks like."