World Tree MUSH

    Most classes have ended for the day at the Columbia University of Applied Witchcraft, in Manhattan, New York, on the world of Pandemonium. It is a world of elves, somewhere at the turn of the century into the year 1900. Though technology and the arcane have managed to evolve hand in hand, leading to steampunk cars and magically powered carts well before their time. Though the sight of a large black hole dominates the skies southwards, blotting out a chunk of the city's skyline.
    Tonight's hunt begins on the steps of the prestigious university's entrance. Holly Winn has likely spread word that she's on the hunt for any information she can find about the witch, Salome, and what better place than to investigate the witch in red than her old college?

Holly invited everyone she could think of to help her gather more information about Salome. Rue didn't seem intent on telling her much so she's trying to think of other ways to gather information. She's still a relatively new student though and a human to boot so people weren't too open to her. She had already gather a reputation for her spell failures. A fair number of them were surprised that she was even admitted to Columbia and on a scholarship no less.

    Luke is not the kind to refuse anyone asking him for help, even if he doesn't quite know much about Holly, she asked for help, she got it!. The fact it involved visiting a witchcraft university miiiiight have made him a bit more eager to accept said request. 
    As usual, the boy was not alone, but at least he managed to convince his larger pokemon to remain in their pokeballs, so next to him is a small pandalike creature wearing a costume of some sort!, people familiar with that sort of thing might notice it is a Jiangshi costume (chinese chi vampire), complete with some kind of spell tag, and a close view might show the small guy had red eyes, and fangs poking from the upper jaw. The pair were trying to find Holly for now, hoping to get some idea of where to ask.

Funnily interesting fact: while the rest of her world generally did not like witches, the Belmonts and to another extent, the Speakers actually knew better. Sure there were some absolutely dark arts types but most witches weren't even witches! Just spellcasters. Some with prayer, some with other arts. Like the ones her mother taught her to control. 

Frankly though, Sonia's interests not withstanding, she practically made a beeline for the library. Part of it to see how they saw magic in general besides you know. Things about Salome. Mostly the curses and applications of how they were applied to something else. Like those bullet things. Yes. And for once, she's actually ... not cloaked? So she just looks well-armed. 

    Rebellion tucked in a guitar case, Dante's here to visit. ANd totally not break stuff. "Hey you." He greets Holly, tracking her down pretty easily with a wave of his hands. "Haven't gotten into any scraps yet, right? Good. Better keep it that way." He says, glancing around curiously. "We find anything yet?" He asks her in passing.

"This is the second time I've done an investigation," remarks Emily Nyx, standing behind Holly. She's taken the form of an auburn-haired woman in her 30s with glowing purple eyes, dressed in a midnight-blue business dress and generally looking much less ostentatious than usual.

Her smile falters. "Of course, that one was mostly just me asking leading questions an incident, which was already resolved in and of itself ..." She glances in Sonia's direction. "... the Simone incident, I mean ..." She looks back at Holly, and her smug and faintly amused smile starts to return. "... so, how about I just follow your lead?"

She grins at Dante. "Well, this is sort of in the aftermath of a scrap with Salome." She holds out one fist for a fist-bump. "Hey, you."

    "Usually in my case, they tend to be more just 'me smash monster, me look good, me win, rawr!'" Dante quips, the latter bit done in his best caveman tone. He also fistbumps with Emily with a cheerful grin.

"Well, I'm not throwing up anymore which is a plus." Holly smiles at Dante and everyone else who's gathered. "Wow, a ghost panda and a voodoo doll!" Luke's pokemon certainly get her attention. "I've tried asking people about Salome but most don't seem to want to get involved with her. I guess this is what she meant about bieng scary. "It looks like Sonia's already gone inside!"

    Heading to the library... Gets Sonia some VERY funny looks.
    First off, she is niether student, nor alumni. Secondly... She is human. There are stares, there are whispers and utterances. Top it all off, the woman looks armed.
    Needless to say, not a single person gets in Sonia's way as she makes for the library, where the receptionist glances up from her desk.
    Silver hair tied back in a bun, thick coke bottle glasses, and frumpy librarian outfit aside, the woman is an utterly ancient elf, age and wrinkles actually showing on her features in a rare show of just how venerable she is, compared to the fresh-faced youngsters all over the campus.
    "Can I help you?" She asks with an authoritative air.
    For everyone still out front, the campus is dying down, with most students wandering to their dorms or off grounds, but it's a little bit of a bustle at the moment as professors wander from their classrooms to their offices.

    The boy chuckles a bit, "I'll admit on my world... a lot of troubles are solved finding the bad guy to beat up too, or the wild animal causing trouble." he says, overhearing Dante's explanation, and reaching to pet Pangshi that seems to casuallly float up to receive said pettings. "It's just Pangshi here." he chuckles, ruffling the bear who then approaches Holly, anyone sensitive to... supernatural things might notice the panda seems some sort of ghost creature!. "So we should follow Sonia?" he asks, "I admit I haven't been to an university before, magical or normal."

Emily reaches over as if to ruffle Holly's hair, then stops because it wouldn't work due to her hat, and then she ruffles Pangshi uncertainly instead. "Following Sonia doesn't sound like a bad idea," she says, in an almost authoritative tone of voice herself.

If she were to be honest with anyone, least of all herself, she'd probably admit that this is primarily because of gratitude for helping revive her in the aforementioned scrap. But she's not even at the point where she can easily hide it from anyone.

She pauses. "Unless anyone else has any better suggestions?" she adds.

Huh. That... actually worked better than expected. It's not that she was intending to be rude to Emily, Holly, Dante or Luke--huh, she doesn't know him? But people who were there at Holly's invitation. Sonia was just very no nonsense about things, and figured out here, why uh. Why not just be as you are? Whip at her side, leotard armor, thigh high leather boots. You know, typical Belmont fare. 

The book she had in her hand, she snaps shut--it appeared to be some kind of primer on basic magical theory as it was taught here, at least. "Ah. Yes. I apologize," Sonia begins, giving all due respect in that Romanian accent of hers. Even though Sonia is young, and people could think she was young, she speaks with careful evenness for the venerable woman opposite her. "There was a woman who myself and some friends of mine encountered. I wonder if the name 'Salome' might be one you know? Her magic, her curses are things that even if she did not specifically learn here, are things I and others seeking information on, including information about her." 

She cants her head slightly, looking towards where the others she left in her wake were. She should apologize to Emily a bit directly, alone with Holly, come to think of it. Dante, she doesn't have an opinion on fully. Yet. Not to mention Luke Gray, though the ghost creature of his is something she's already making note of with her spiritual sense.

    Dante shrugs, deciding to follow Sonia's lead. In his defense, he could've thought of worse people to follow behind. Appealing views aside, the Devil Hunter will remain focused on searching the library. "Hey, we were just poking around for info about this place. Local history and stuff, y'know?" He offers to the librarian. Sonia luckily takes the words out of his mouth, though he's unsure how to go about this himself without being direct over it.

    "We're...acquaintances of hers." Absolutely airtight alibi there, Dante.

I guess that would be a good place to start as any! Maybe the haunted tomes know something!" Holly pets the panda as well eagerly. "They started following me around the last time I was in the library. She tends to have a habit of attracting ghosts no matter where she goes.

"Just don't go opening random books again. The librarian seemed to get upset when you did that," Servis reminds her.
"Well, how I'm supposed to read them without opening them? If they're so dangerous they shouldn't be out in the open!" She leads the way towards the library.

    Luke can't blame people for not thinking much of him, after all he is just a random kid, except for his pokemon related knowledge and skills. Pangshi seems delighted to be petted and ruffled for sure, the small vampire critter rumbling contently, little tail wagging. "Be careful or he might be hoping for pets all day." he chuckles, while the ghostly creature seems to decide to hang next to Holly for now, waving to the other spirits. 
     Luke waves to Dante, having met him before, and thinking he was awesome. "Yeah, acquaintances!" he joins. He is dressed in rather casual clothes himself, a shirt, a backpack, shorts, shoes, belt with a set of six red and white orbs attached to one side, pretty average, stuff. "So how does one even learn this kind of things?" he asks, always curious about new things really. 
    There is a pause as he hears the warning about books, catching his Pokemon hovering towards a random shelf, "Wait, they are dangerous?" he asks, "Pangshi, don't." he comments, "Let's not start trouble."

    Sonia is the first in the library so she gets answered first, as the aged librarian adjusts her glasses.
    "'Salome' is a fairly common name in the witching world, I've known many, in my thousand years, many of them well versed in the arts of curses and hexes and Bad Juju. You are going to have to be more specific, dearie."
    Then her eyes narrow as Holly and the others make their way into the library.
    "Holly Winn, remember: The forbidden section of the library means precisely that. And no opening the haunted tomes, you have no idea how much trouble my staff had dealing with them after the last time."
    Dante, though, she peers at, brow arched. "Local history? You are niether student nor alumni." She points out, but then something of a knowing smile forms on her features. "... And I am going to assume not one of you is here for simple research." Mused as she snaps her fingers. A card catalogue floats from the shelve behind her and to her desk, and starts to look through it with a feigned disinterest.
    "One learns the magic arts in the same way one learns anything else. Practice and repetition." She answers Luke before glancing back up.
    "Now then. Which Salome are you all here to snoop about?"
    Old librarians. Can't get a thing past them. "If it is the same one I am thinking, you'd have a much better chance learning about her from her professors than in a musty old library."

Emily forces herself not to giggle at Dante's 'acquaintances' comment, but it's hard. She looks at Holly at her byplay with her ghosts, but she decides to trust Holly's judgment as to how the magic in this world works, rather than raising issue.

"Pretty much the same way as it was in my world," she murmurs, in response to the conversation with Luke. "Anyway!" She just grins widely. "It's specifically Salome Highscribe."

Clearing her throat very slightly, Sonia bobs her head once towards Emily and Holly in particular at first, along with Dante and Luke Gray. There's a blink and you'll miss it moment where Pangshi's given a stare, but given some of the weirdness of World Tree and the like, causing a scene here? Very counterintuitive when coupled with already kinda making one.

"One that would use guns and hexes. One that would force other witches to do vile acts by taking their hair. Which, I'm curious about, I must admit. That is, the part about their hair and the connection it has, in detail." Indeed, Emily provides the full name which she had missed in the encounter. She didn't get the full story. She would like it, were she honest. Her eyes harden somewhat, sweeping past the librarian, if only because of the mention of haunted tome. Expanding her magical senses along with the spiritual for any... surprises nearby. 

"But if the professors are where we should begin, then perhaps some of us would be good for speaking with them. Even still, I am curious as to how you and yours wield your magics, nonetheless." 

"The ghosts just want to make some new friends, they get lonely!" Holly'll try not to cause any trouble this time. "We're looking for more information about the onat went to school here. The one dressed in red, mismatched eyes and armed with guns." Hopefully that narrows it down. "And who's magic was used to create the black hole." She quickly adds. "I'm here for research on how to stop her or at least counter her magic." The librarian was wrong.

    Luke rubs his chin at the explanation and considers asking about books for beginners, but he realizes that might be a very dumb idea, plus, with his luck his Fire pokemon might burn the book or something. He just nods to the explanation of the librarian, "Thank you." he offers politely, he learned to be nice with figures of authority!. Pangshi does catch the glare, but all the weird panda does is tilt it's head in confusion, and wave towards Sonia.

    And then. And then, Emily Nyx says that name.
    "... Highscribe..." The librarian breathes as though the name itself were a curse, meant to be hissed and spat more than said as she plucks a blank card from the roll and scribbles something upon it.
    She slides it forward. It's the title and location of a book in the library.
    'A Treatise on the use of Mathemagics Through Condensed Runes'.
    "This was her magnum opus. "She was a genius in her written works. But her manner left much to be desired."
    A critical eye is cast towards Sonia, before Holly further describes... "Mismatched eyes... Made that damned hole... Yes, yes, that sounds particularly like her."
    Sonia's senses will find the entire library is rife with magic, almost every single tome infused with it or charged in some way. But nothing nasty for the moment leaping out.
    "I imagine you'd best be having a word with Professor Pickingill. ... And perhaps Dean Totekinder... They can be found in their offices around this time."
    As for how magic works, she makes a wide motion to all the books in the library while further answering posited questions: "Conjuration, Abjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy, and Transmutation... There are many different schools of magic, each with their own methods of learning, uses, and applications. Hair is a conduit, a means for a witch to channel power. It is symbolic, and if you take a witch's hair, she is at your beck and call."

    Dante peers over someone's shoulder at the book, "Hoo boy." If he's right about guessing, he's heard this story before more than once; Someone who lost their way searching for powers that were forbidden. "Thanks, ma'am. Wouldn't happen to be willing to give us a route to those offices would you?" He asks the librarian.

"Sounds like I have some reading to do! Well, at least as far as this world goes. I don't think someone cutting my hair is going to do much." Then again not many people would likely want Holly's magic to begin with. "Are there any other known control sources for magic besides hair?" She doesn't think her not using the right shampoo is the problem here.

 "I know the way to the dean's office, but I don't think I've met Professor Pickingill, he's the mathmemagic professor right?" She's not enrolled in that class.

Well, that much was a simple answer at least--in a sense that 'straightforward answer'. The part about witches and their hair, the information getting a brief assent as she considers the next moves. With Dante already interested in having a talk, that absolves her of needing to point that out. 

On the other hand, the reaction from which the librarian actually treats Salome is another matter altogether. Given the sheer, raw contempt she felt, it was enough to not make any thoughts that Salome had any real supporters here still. "Mathematical formula woven into magic?" she wonders aloud. I mean, what else could 'Mathemagics' mean? Still, the critical eye does not go unnoticed from Sonia. "I should explain myself somewhat. I'm a hunter. Vampires, other creatures of the dark. Exorcisms, blessings, sanctifying..." Even as she says this, she is cataloguing the sheer... breadth of magical signatures she's picked up on. Eventually she seems to be blinking her eyes multiple times as though to dismiss what luminescence her senses gave her. Least none in the immediate vicinity were surprises. 

"However, you do not have to worry about me causing trouble." Trouble follows her, she just ends it. Honest. The book she had on such theory is gestured to by her lifting it up with a gauntleted hand. "Once we have looked through her magnum opus, I would like your permission in order to read up on some more, if that is possible." Ever so polite. Besides, she and Holly could probably conduct some proper magical research at some point, she considers. 

    Luke for the most part is situably interested in the library... I mean it's a library, but also magic!. He mostly keeps to himself, trying to eye the titles of nearby tomes and trying to stop his vampire panda from poking at random stuff, going as far as reaching to hold onto it. "If you behave I'll give you some snacks once we get out of the library." he says, trying to bribe the squirmy pokemon.
    He is glad Dante mentions heading to the professors, seems a safe thing to do, "That sounds like a good idea, hopefully they have more info."

"'Something to be desired' is right," she murmurs to herself. "She's even more self-centered than me, and I gotta say that's saying something!" She pauses as a sudden thought strikes her. "... more ... self-centered than me ..." After a moment, though, she shakes her head. "... lost my train of thought, oh well."

She nods in agreement to Luke. "I guess we're in your hands as far as making your way around the campus is concerned, Winn." She grins as she sees Sonia start to head off. "... a seeker of knowledge, nice."

    "I am a thousand year old witch. I know your kind when I see them, hunter." The librarian says matter of factly as she goes back to scribbling notes in her ledger. "You, and the half-devil. I can smell you like the predators that you are." She says, motioning her quill at Dante and Sonia.
    "Yes. Yes you do have much reading to do, young miss Winn. Why don't you take that book and see for yourself what you are up against." She says to Holly next, "Blood. Another conduit, though potent, far less symbolic than hair. You can still do much ill to someone with but a drop of their blood." Before she's motioning out the library doors.
    "Professor Pickingill can tell you more about Mathemagics. He was Highscribe's mentor. His office is on the second floor. The dean's office is just across the hall from the library." Stated before she looks over the brim of her glasses at Emily.
    "You have no idea, about that one. You have no idea in the least."

    "You don't look a day over five-hundred." Dante quips back cheekily, "Thanks for the help, ma'am." He offers a salute of sorts before he takes off, headed for the nearest staircase to the second floor without wasting time.

    He's headed right for Pickingill's office, checking the signs until he can get to it. "Yo," He flags somebody down after some effort, "Wouldn't happen to know if Pickingill's in at the moment would you? I gotta talk to him." Yes, the half-devil with obviously holstered weapons has to go see a professor. This isn't gonna look sketchy.

"A thousand? I'll likely be a ghost by then myself, if I haven't moved on." While magic users often live longer, Holly isn't an elf. In fact she might be the youngest witch here. She grabs the copy of the book to read later wondering how much if it'll she understand. She's done plenty of research on magic, it's likely a drop in the bucket compared to how much Salome knows. She decides to head for the Dean's office since there's much lower chance she'll get lost on the way.

A wry smile. "Be that as it may, I did not want to cause any more trouble than I have simply by presence. Nor give the impression I was here to carry out duties in some misbegotten way someone who sees magic and think it must be condemned." A small sigh. "Knowledge must be kept alive, not feared." A distant look, and a momentary contemplation for times long past. It was time to move on to the actual magnum opus of Salomes, though not without getting a few books as well. 

A look to Emily, and she grins. "Yes. My... my mother taught me many things. My family collected knowledge throughout generations, from my ancestor onward." A soft sigh. "I'll stay here at the library. I think all of you may do better to speak with the professor and the dean here." 

Or at least, such being said prior to a splitup. We swear. 

    Luke seems happy to hang out with Dante, if the half demon does not mind, after all he thinks Dante is awesome, plus... getting out of the library before his pokemon decides to check if one of the books with weird auras has pictures on them, might be a good idea. "Mind if I come with you?"

Emily points at the librarian. "I'm fairly certain the idea I have is good enough," she says cheerfully. "I venture you haven't been shot by her for as many unrelated reasons as I have." She pauses, and then lowers her hand and turns down the smugness by a few notches. "Although, given that you're half again as old as I am ... I think I should probably just defer to your judgment, heh ..."

She returns Sonia's grin, and gives her a thumbs-up. For a second, she almost looks like she wants to stay with Sonia, but then she turns and heads out. She looks at Holly, then at Luke and Dante, then shrugs and starts following Holly. Gotta keep the groups balanced! Or something. "If I could just move my dimensional fields around after opening, or if they had communicators or something ..." she murmurs to herself.

    The funny thing about that book. It is an officially published and recognized work of academic writing, peer reviewed and accepted by the library.
    It was penned by Salome herself.
    Meanwhile, in the splitup, several things happen...
    On the second floor, the door to Pickingill's office swings open as Dante and Luke start asking around, and a tall, hostile, elf man with a frightening demeanor and long, sharp, nails steps out.
    "I am in, who wants to know?" He demands pettishly, as though his time was incredibly important.
    The Dean's office, however... The door swings open by itself. As though Holly and Emily had been expected. And seated at the desk is a blonde woman in an impeccable grey suit, hands folded together in front of her as she waits.
    "Holly Winn. Digging where we should not, are we? Then again that is the witchy-way, I suppose."
    This leaves Sonia with a whole library to peruse doesn't it?

    Dante doesn't seem the least bit opposed to Luke tagging along. It's good for the kid, getting experience like this. It's how Dante got to where he is now, anyways. "I got questions for you, bony." He says to Pickingill directly, matching the tall elf's gaze. "We're poking around for details on a Salome Highscribe. You know her, don't you?" Hopefully that name-drop will get this guy to take the visit seriously.

Well. A whole library. To herself. With noone other than maaaybe the librarian possibly bearing witness to what she does or doesn't do. 

Be good, Sonia. Be good. Resist that Belmont hoarder instinct. 

Ahem. 

With a good idea of what she wants to do, and after picking through what appears to be a book regarding runes and their magic, she collects Salome's published book--paper, such as they were--and finds a nice desk to settle in at with slight *ERRRN* of chair against floor. Oops. Ohwell. Yes. Let's go through this book--books, even, and see what she can learn! 

After all, she is not expecting even in a peer reviewed paper for there to be a way to counter just listed; even if she wasn't going to go bad, she knows she wouldn't actually put in all the possible cons. Probably. 

    Luke looks intimidated for a moment, "He reminds me of an old teacher I used to have." he whispers to Dante, "Kind of creepy." he muses, while his pokemon decides to try it's luck and sits on Dante's shoulder, likely reducing the son of Sparda's intimidation factor a bit, if that is allowed. Otherwise, Luke is just happy to get experience, "We will appreciate any information you can share, Mr. Pickingill." he says, trying to be a bit diplomatic.

"Well, someone has to do something about Salome. I'm sure you heard about what happened in Salem." Of course Holly's not the best person to deal with this, but she does have an advantage from being off-world. "Besides, by now you know my magic can be unpredictable." There's times when she doesn't know what it's going to do. "But someone has to do something about the black hole right?"

Emily just smiles cheerfully at the Dean. "For my part, I'm just following my curiosity. On the other hand ..." There's a swirl of silvery-glitter, and she gains a pair of cat-ears on top of her head.

She shrugs at Holly's summation. "I 'unno, the World Tree is pretty big," she says. "If it wasn't for the black hole, she wouldn't even stand out among other bloody-minded mercenaries. And the black hole was an accident, if I understand the way she was talking after the nature preserve incident."

    "Professor." Pickingill snaps. "Or Doctor!" He seems to take offense at simply being a 'mister', in the confines of his own office, and is not afraid to let Luke know it in the least. But then. Then Dante goes and brings up the man's old student, and his demeanor shifts entirely. A moment ago he was the scary one. Bringing up Salome makes him look scared.
    "... Yes. Yes I know of her. I was her 'mentor' in theory, but her calculations make mine look like chicken scratch. I've never met a student so gifted before since I met her, and she was without a doubt the worst of them all."
    MEANWHILE IN THE LIBRARY... Salome's work reads more like a calculus texbook than a magical text. But there are patterns in it that when compared to other works of her contemporaries make sense. Witches cast spells. Witches can condense spells into runic sigils. Mathematic equations and formulae can be used to enact magic. Those formulae can be condensed into similar sigils. It's astoundingly complex no matter how it's looked at. But it's all academic in nature.
    In the dean's office, the woman taps her thumbs together. "I heard about Salem." She admits. Before Dean Totekinder's brow arches.
    "Holly. You are attending this school as an off worlerd, on a rather generous scholarship, considering how unpredictable your magic is. I am simply going to warn you not to do anything to get yourself killed." But then Emily has her attention, cat ears and all..
    "Mn. Firstly, understand that Salome Highscribe was one of the most brilliant witches to ever attend this university. But that she was also one of the most dangerous. That anomaly is the result of her work, but it was not made by her, personally."

    "Mister Doctor, then! Or Doctor Professor." Dante suggests with a grin before his tone grows more serious, dropping the mocking smile. "In any case. We were looking to get a little info on the -why- she's in this game to begin with. Did she ever mention something about her goals to you?" He asks.

For a few, precious moments, Sonia squints. She scribbles something down, thanks to handy paper and other writing tools. "Is that...?" she half-wonders, half-boggles. There's a familiarity in some sense to it all, because Sonia actually knows of math and other avenues of arcane errata and knowledge to help herself with her own magic. 

She probably could tell you something about speeds of unladen swallows. 

"..." Her eyes blink a few times, drawing her mind back to some of the complexities of the castle's engine, and some of the ways those worked. A look to the book on runes. Fully academic in nature, yes. "But... for every formula to solve something, there's a way to go the other way with it." she murmurs. "Working backwards in the formula." she thoughtfully considers. "Not quite perfect inverses of one another given..." Little murmurings and thoughts to herself. 

Rune magic was its own thing, the compression of magic into tighter formulas made it so much more potent. It does dawn on her why Salome clearly had the power she did, but everything... everything had some measure of solution. Which led her to studying more about the formulas and how they related to magic, and then by that same thread, what about the opposite? Multiplication and division, integration and differentiation. 

"I know, that's why I still feel kind of bad for her and I want to help. Even if I'm not a great witch myself." Holly wants to do something about this at least. "And maybe I can do something since my magic isn't from this world." After all who knows her magic might react. "Still, I don't know how what happened in Salem has to do with stopping it. Unless she plans on hexing it out of existing or something." She knows Salome won't tell her outright.

Emily looks down at herself when the dean mentions how dangerous Salome is. A number of holograms appear over her body diagramming where she's been hit by Salome's bullets before, and two of them include descriptions of curses that landed on her (respectively, one that destroyed her agility, and one simply marked 'pain and nausea'). "Yep."

And then her eyes snap back up to the dean. "Iiiiiiiiinteresting," she says, dispelling the holograms. "So who did make it?"

She hmms. "I don't know if Salem was necessarily related," she says. "We still have only half the story there, and my gut says that dropping curses on a town isn't gonna get her any closer to dispelling the black hole." And then she smiles again. "Still, the possibility is also interesting!"

    Luke certainly feels glad he never had to deal with such a professor, but he apologizes and moves a bit behind Dante, the small pokemon on Dante's shoulder frowning at the tall elf.

    Professor Pickingill regains his composure.
    If looks could kill... If looks could kill, Dante would be dead where he stands. But the professor scowls. "Her sister. She utterly loathed her sister. She wanted to prove who was the better witch. It was always about Mariam."
    Sonia's research will find that each formula has different effects all save for one. Multiplication. Specifically multiplication by three, an act that seems to boost the power and potency of any spell attached to it, regardless of the intent, and there is even a whole chapter devoted to a theory on this 'Rule of Three'.
    Dean Totekinder purses her lips.
    "I don't quite think Salome intends to do that." She says in regards to hexing the calamity. And as she opens her mouth to speak, Emily makes that display. The Dean pauses, dark eyes flitting from screen to screen before they vanish. "Those spells have her signature all over them." She confirms, before breathing a sigh through her teeth.
    "To understand the motivations behind Salome's actions, it is best to understand the rivalry between the Highscribe sisters." She begins to explain.
    "Salome and Mariam were born twins, they both attended thish very university. Where Mariam had everything handed to her on a golden platter, Salome clawed her way up hand over hand. They loathed each other, but in her studies, Salome discovered a formula that she thought would be world changing. She published it before her graduation, over a hundred and fifty years ago. ... But it was Mariam who was selected to enact the ritual behind that formula." She says, turning to motion out of her window at the world-devouring hole in the distance.
    "Which resulted in that which you see today."
    "What Salem has to do with this, I don't know. Only Salome herself knows that. You would have to ask her."

    Dante hates how much this makes perfect sense. He knows this from experience, from Vergil, from how they would constantly fight up until they managed some kind of understanding. Even then, he's not sure if Vergil's entirely genuine or not about that face-turn, but you know what they say; Keep your friends close, and enemies closer.

    "Any idea what happened to Mariam?" He asks next.

So far, so good. Learning a lot here. Lots of different possible rules, makes sense and then... she stares at what she's seeing with that 'rule of three'. She actually sits back at first. "Oh. Please. Please *do not* tell me..." Her hand, bereft of a gauntlet since she actually took it off for doing work (so her coat hung somewhat loosely on her shoulders) comes to her face. 

"Rule of Three. That. That's..." That's nearly everything. It's simple, it's elegant. It also makes her think about the fact it was three witches. "Maiden, Mother, Crone," she murmurs, and her mind is racing. Everything her Speaker mother taught her, everything she learned from the family archives, everything kept hidden thanks to the Belmont family legacy. Even in mathematics, the Rule of Three. Triumverates. 

Somewhere, someone stares in the direction of where Sonia because of one perfectly delivered utterance. 

"Fuck." 

Rubbing her face slowly in consideration, she begins to write more and more. And read, more and more. Actually, she stops there, and goes to see if there are additional books--no, she stops herself. Goes to the end of the book after skimming the Rule of Three chapter--references, perfect. Goes to get /those/ books so she can cross-reference what she reads about the theory of Rule of Three. This is important. This needs to be studied.

"I can kind of understand that as well, the rest of my family is talented at magic. But if they were twins how come it was so different for them? Wait, no one's been able to do anything about the black hole for 150 years?!" Holly sounds kind of surprised by that. She figured the entire world would have been swallowed by now if it were that old.

 "Well, I hope Mariam is more willing to talk then Salome because I think she's upset with me now." Holly did interfere with she had planned in Salem.

Emily grins. "Now that is all kinds of interesting!" she says. She taps her chin thoughtfully. In response to Holly's concerns about how upset Salome is, she adds, "Maybe I could talk to her about it while we're having our long-awaited showdown." Wait, what?

She smiles. "In the meantime, Winn, why don't we go gather the others together?" she says. "I feel like this is worth comparing notes over. Just in any of us got any details the others didn't. I know Sonia will need to hear about this."

    "Missing." Pickingill snaps to Dante. "Since she made that goddamned hole in the sky."
    "No." Dean Totekinder replies coolly. "The Anomaly is new. Recent. The formula was never put into action until recently. And that, as you can see, is the result. Slowly eating away at lower Manhattan. And soon all of Pandemonium, if projections are correct.
    Meanwhile, in the library, the old librarian has made her way over to Sonia's desk with a new card from her catalogue.
    "The books you will be wanting will be in these locations."

    Dante...blinks. "Well, _shit._" He says in alarm, "...guess this goes deeper than we expected."

Sonia works. She's appropriated some paper, and for all intents and purposes might be scaring some people. Or drawing them in awe. Who knows. Granted she is already committing so much to memory. A faint sigh, and she nods of the librarian. "Right." Her palm comes back to her face. "Thank you." Off she goes. Books, reading. Rereading. Going between them. She might've gotten ahold of one of those rolling chalkboards or something to map out a few of her thoughts, comparing it. Lay it out. Get the big picture. Figure out potential counters. 

"...Alter it, I wonder." she muses thoughtfully. Wondering if trying to twist the formula at any point. Punch a factor into runemagic, like instead of multiplication by three, what if it was multiple of four? two? Just enough to subvert the natural factor used? Hnn. No, can't be that simple. Shouldn't be that simple. Well. Maybe simple theory? Execution difficult. 

A long sigh as she fell back into her chair and looked over the papers. And one thought came to mind. "... need to get a card." Or have Holly check them out. Yeah. That'll work. 

Off they go!

Emily smiles. "Got it!" she says. "Man, y'know, I could get used to this whole 'investigating' thing!" A pause. "... I should actually try learning how to do it first, though. Maybe I'll ask Dante ... or, no, Sonia would probably be better ..."