Sable receives an email early into the studying.

Inkfox,

I forwarded this to a Watcher buddy and a summer court admin and they basically just said "?" so w/e it is it's not high security level trouble. Tell you more if I hear more.

J

Sable looks up from her notes and checks her email. Oh, huh, J got back to her. That's good to know.

Hey Coptillery,

Thanks for checking on that. I'm sure that'll put my roomie more at ease. Hope you're having a good day, and keep in touch.

—S

She stretches, back popping cartoonishly.

"Well, that's a good time for a pause. J just emailed me back, and I've got some good notes."

She slides her phone across the table to Bys, still on the conversation.

"...Reassuring, I guess. I don't know the names of anyone who was chasing me.

I've been skimming biographicals and stuff. A lot are kind of, um, touristy - not by actual demons, accounts of summoners or people who visited Hell or people who are just kind of evil, or seem kind of obviously exaggerated - but there's an interesting one here."

Sable nods. "Yeah, I had a lot of chaff to sift through first too," she gestures at the books piled in front of her. "I found some good material in the end though. Here, take a look at my notes."

She slides a notebook across to Bys.

Hell

• Hell itself is opposed to flourishing and happiness
• Hell is organized around worship of living deity Hespatia
• Hespatia is "ontologically impossible" to oppose within Hell
• Demons reportedly want out, generally
• Lilin descend from infernal defectors
• Soul trade is a significant fraction of economy
• Multiple regions, structured around the Void, basically a drain at the bottom of the multiverse

Demons

• Many types, each oriented around a particular sin
• Simpler ones have basic means of costing the summoner and the world
• More complex ones can be bargained with more usefully, but with higher risk
• Generally appear to be most useful where the negative consequence is part of the point, or at least doesn't detract too much

A few more pages follow, breaking down documented uses of different types of demons.

She reads them over. "...The Void is creepy as fuck," she concludes. "...The same general trends there as I'm seeing in this one biography - Lilin have demon heritage, some of them don't want to be this way but incentives are incentives and you... Become evil or perish. Here, this-" 

Perhaps it was a fit of teenage rebellion against the rules and strictures, the rotten heart of 'God' claiming to be right and just, but I did practice Consortation. If they were to accuse me of consorting with demons anyway, better to actually indulge in the 'crime'. It is there that I first learned that not all demons are the same. Many are simple folk with simple wants, trod under the systems of power just the same. At least in Hell there is a chance to ascend, while no modern office drone ever truly has a shot at becoming the CEO. Though of course such an ascension requires both immense strength and embodying evil, as fits the cunning designs...

[...]

...We all work with the materials we are given. We are all shaped by the experiences of our lives. Poverty leads to crime - this is a well-established sociological fact. Does this mean we should be prejudiced against the poor? No. I would argue that we demons, too, deserve a chance to become our better selves. Many would not take it, fearing a trap in the unknown, knowing the painful barbs and chains of threats and punishments keeping them in line, thinking themselves wise for avoiding such pathetic weakness, perhaps even soberly considering and concluding that they truly are Demons. Even those who try will stumble along their path, as I have. But for all the distaste I have for the Catholic church, the teachings of mercy and compassion are worthy.

"Biography of an old Lilin, centuries old, who did a lot of Consortation and made an unspecified deal that included spending a century in Hell. I'm not sure I trust it to be totally true. I mean... It feels kind of like - bait? Try to redeem a demon, they deserve compassion. Hahaha, you wasted lots of effort for no real gain!"

"That's fascinating," she says as she reads. "I think there's definitely a chance of bait, but I think there's some room for safe exploration, if we're careful. Stick to things that are still useful even if the current demon isn't redeemable, et cetera."

"I am... Reserved. And cautious. And suspicious. People said so all the time. So I might be pulling too far in the other direction.

...I kind of want to talk to an imp. Not like I'm going to summon in a library, though."

Sable laughs quietly and nods. "Yeah, probably not. Anything else you wanna look into here, before we head out?"

"You took good notes. Did you find a, um, reference? Lists of names or specifications for diagrams?"

"Oh, right, forgot those." She rustles through her notebook to a different page, and shows off several copied diagrams. "Best source I have on these is Bourne's Modern Standards in Consortation, might wanna see about checking that out."

She passes a thick book to Bys.

"Yeah, I'll be responsible with it."

She reshelves most of the books, except a couple She can't remember the place of confidently enough. Those and Modern Standards get carried to the front.

Sable reshelves some books as well, then follows Bys up to the librarian's desk.

"Made your selections?", she asks without looking up from her book.

"We took notes. Most of these I just don't want to put in the wrong place by mistake. I'd like to check this one out, though." She taps the book in question with one finger. "Do we need to get library cards here, what are the policies?"

She hands each of them a form, listing Covenant-bound consequences, including a flu that gets worse the longer one keeps a book past its due date.

"Hm. Stern." 

She begins thoroughly reading it.

"You getting anything?" She asks Sable.

"Oooh, I forgot, yeah, I want to get books on Runes and Portals." She takes a look about herself. "Oh, but I don't have a bag. Um."

She looks down for a moment, then back up. "Guess I'm coming back later?"

Abyssia holds out her messenger bag silently.

(O contract, what are the penalties for accidental loss or damage to the books?)

Sable grins and then turns to the librarian, "Do you have a recommendation for introductory and intermediate books on Portals, and introductory on Runes?"

The librarian looks Sable up and down for a moment, sighs, grabs two books from the returns cart, sets them on the counter. "For Portals, you'll want volumes one and two of Wibbly Wobbly, by Dr. Daniela Tenant, which conveniently were just returned earlier today. For Runes, start with Micaela's First Symbology, OL 31923, third floor, east wing, fifth stack, two shelves up from the bottom."

She sets the three books to the side and gives them a stern look.

"Go."

(The contract, meanwhile, reports that for a lost book, the flu will continue until a fine of fifty to five hundred kisses is paid, depending on the book. Extreme measures are authorized in the cases of rare tomes.)

"Eep, thank you," and she scurries off to the elevator.

-She lets Sable intercept her bag, and continues reading the contract. It's not that long and mostly gives her time to wonder worriedly about not fitting in, so hopefully Sable's quick. Librarians appreciate quiet, right?

Librarians do appreciate quiet, yes.

Sable is back very quickly, thanks to the surprisingly detailed directions, and sets the book on the counter, along with the contract, which she signs.

"Read it in the elevator."