Ilvermorny

Layla knew there was one place that would have information on the tower. She had wanted to see the library anyway, to see how it compared to the great library at Hogwarts, so now she had double the reason!

Entering the impressive library, she took a moment to admire the place before moving to locate the librarian.

As soon as he closed the front door was shut they started kissing again. Her tongue fluttered against his, and his hands were deep in the softness of her hair, and it was like time unspooled, carrying them right back to when they were teenagers. He pulled her against him, thinking that he'd never get her close enough, that if he could fold her inside of him, like a mother tucking a baby into her coat, he'd do it. He'd keep her warm, he'd keep her safe, he'd keep her with him, always.

Her eyes were completely glued to the book she was reading before she glanced up in happenstance at the student approaching her space.

She quickly slammed the book down and straightened herself up as Layla approached her desk. "Oh...miss..." Her face was slightly flushed, but otherwise she kept herself composed. "What can I help you with today?"

What was she reading that caused that kinda reaction?

Layla considered asking, but decided her mission was too important!

"I don't think we've properly met. I'm Layla Smith, new transfer student" she smiled at the librarian "I was wondering if you could help me with finding out about something at this school. Either if there's books about it, or perhaps your own knowledge?"

She paused a moment to make sure that was fine before asking "what do you know about the really old tower further out into the woods? Sorry, I'm new and don't really know much about the school, but the tower seems like...super old."

"You may call me Mrs Owens, dear. Pleasure to have you in the country." Cassandra smiles at her, extending her hand in a form of greeting to meet her.

"Hmm..." She gives her thoughts a moment to cool down, before considering the facts. "Offhand, the tower's been there for as long as the school's been there. It was part of the old school building before the first renovation which cut if off from the main building. I don't really know why they abandoned it, unfortunately, but they just did."

She gave a pause. "Though I have no idea why it's called the Thirteenth Tower. It may be just some nickname it received along the way in the past or someone's idea of a scary idea, what with the numerological association of the number itself, usually something involving bad luck. Though in Numerology itself, it's not really associated with bad things, I don't believe. Children just think Friday the 13th and was told it's a bad day, and it sticks with the number. Though I think a further discussion on this subject would be more up the Headmaster's alley."

She turned her head around and looked on. "It's just one of those things our school has, I suppose. Even that maze, really. No one really knows why the founders created it, yet here it is still in operation." Cassandra looks off into the moment, thinking. "Hmm...there may be some books about the school history that could help."

Layla shook the womans hand, smiling.

"So the school used to be bigger, and was made smaller? That's interesting...I also didn't know about its name or that people thought there was something off about it. It does have a weird feeling about it..."

She paused.

"Oh, um, is it off limits to go to? Because if I'd need to talk with the headmaster about it, that makes it sound like it's off limits. If there are any books on the schools history I'd love to read them, I like to read."

Layla took a moment to look around the library before looking back at the librarian.

"Let me know if I can help out as well. I used to help in the library back in Hogwarts."

"It does, but then again, it could just be perfectly natural paranoia. Not everything has a magical touch to it, Miss Smith." Cassandra gave a small chuckle at the comment. She paused then and tried to recall the rules. "They may have originally imposed the building to the school proper when they first built it, if I had to think about it. Though, that definitely changed in the first renovation back in the 1850s. Like they cut it off from the rest of the school."

She acted like she had never thought about it before; it was a very strange to do. "I don't think it's forbidden to go there, but you may want to take some caution: it is a old building, after all. Probably older than the school itself, now that I'm thinking about it."

That's weird...I would have thought everyone had known about it but it's like she's shaking off cobwebs.

Layla made up her mind to see the headmaster about this pretty sharpish.

"Thank you Mrs Owens. It did look extremely old" Layla nodded "where would be the best place in the library to look for the schools history? Are the different areas signposted?"

She doesn't even think twice on the matter. "The school archives, of course. Should be labeled as such along the walls."

"Thank you" Layla turned to look around to see if she could see which way it was "also let me know if I can help with anything in here as well."

"That's very sweet of you, Layla." She smiled and pointed left as if to signal where to go.

Getting there is not difficult. A few turns, following the signs, you'd have to be blind to miss where it is.

Finding what you are looking for, however, is another matter. The school's incredibly long history is on full display in this section, from books with dust having dust on it, to books tattered from centuries of use.

It will be no small task to find what you are looking for.

((Make a History check at a daunting difficulty))

And the task proved a little too much for the new transfer student, as she struggled with the mass volumes of information to find anything.

She peeked out of the section, spying to see if the librarian was free or not. Maybe she could help narrow down where to look in this vast section....

D2 in the library finding history on the 13th tower. History int roll at daunting difficulty: 2eP+1eA+4eD 1 failure, 2 threat

He barely stepped in the library and he was already assaulted by the spectre of boredom

Come on...there is something interesting here...surely

Yawns were restrained

In the meantime, Sylvain gets rewarded for his persistence and patience by witnessing a cute white-haired girl going thru some old dusty books and, not being careful, shook loose a large book and toppled upon her head, knocking her down on the ground.

Not enough to really injure her, thankfully, but the room for Layla suddenly became very bright and shiny.

''HEY! WATCH...''

*THUMB*

''Aw criss...''

A warning came in too late, now he was running to see if the girl had been injured

''Hey, Layla...you okay?''

Layla swayed a little, sitting on the floor stunned. Slowly she caught up with the situation, looking up at the boy.

"Sylvain?"

Then the pain caught up with her, and she held her head in her hands.

"ow! Did...did you throw a book at me?"

Sylvain looked positively insulted

''Why in hell would I throw a book at you?'' he turned around to pick the weapon ''That fell on you from the top shelf on it's own''

"Fell on it's own? The book jumped on me?" Layla sounded slightly disbelieving, but reached for the offending book, to see what it was.

The book itself was a copy of the the history of the school from the 1860s to the 1870s. The book is in somewhat decent shape, especially considering the recent fall it took.

"From 10 years after the renovation..." Layla picked up the book and started flicking through, scanning pages quickly, to see if there was any mention of the tower in it.

It would take some time to really give it a dedicated read, but the book itself does provide a small history of the school, the headmaster of the time was new at the beginning of the school year of the 60s, some notable accomplishments of the school years and the students. Some of it had the Thunderbirds standing next to a dead dragon (artistic rendering, of course, though it still moved).

A amusing note, though, is that there is only one actual photo, set in the 1868 of the entire school. Knowing what you would know, they probably had to stand there for hours on end just to get it right. They are moving around, though. You can only thank your lucky stars that you will never have to go thru such anguish to take a photo that the former students of this school had to experience.

For the tower itself? No real mention of it in here.

Thank god I didn't have to take that picture...I'd hate the school by the end of it!

Finding nothing about the tower she sighed, but then looked up at Sylv who was likely standing there bored while Layla sat on the floor reading.

"Look at this. Your house killed a Dragon in the 1860s" she motioned to the picture and the section next to it.

He looked down at the picture and frowned

''A shame they had too''

"It was a different era" Layla shrugged, getting up and brushing off her robes "where did this book fall from?"

Sylvain looked up to where he saw the thing fall from

''Around there I guess?'' he said, pointing

Layla stood, going up on tiptoes to put the book back where it was. She rubbed her head, wincing a little, before saying "so all I got was a bump on the head and nothing of use. Not a productive morning. Are you coming to help the search? That would be wonderful."