Second Story Bookstore

{I was going to drag you up the stairs with me }

She had been listening so intently - still crouched - that she hardly noticed her legs had fallen asleep. Rei sounded guilty when she asnwered. So did Will.

(no worries still i prob about to go to bed)

Will looked down.

"You sounded like you didn't want me back here before...... but I got nowhere to go. Tosh offered me living space, but the military is after me, and my farm was burned to the ground..... same with the forest and animals......."

Will tried to keep himself from crying.

"I left so that no one would have to suffer the same fate.... especially you or Tosh......"

"Even if you wanted to keep us out of it, we're right in the thick of things," Rei laughed, though it was quite short. "Tosh is a scrapper and I can take care of myself against the military. We'll be fine. Although," she paused, looking hard at the book he carried. "What you plan on doing with that book is another matter entirely. They want you dead because you can use the book. Without the book, they would have no need to kill you."

Rei had a good point. Perhaps I'll do Mr. Hawthorne a favor and have that book disappear.

She started to stand.
Dumb, really.
She still couldn't feel her legs.
So instead, she felt her momentum shift backwards - toward the stairs. In a moment of panic she reached forward and groped for purchase, finding the door handle. The door swung wide open, leaving her hanging over the staircase.

"I would if I could" Replied Will.

"But that book is protected by some weird form of alchemy. If burned or soaked, it will come out just fine. When cut or shredded..... well, the sword breaks and the shredder jams. My grandpa made this book damn invincibl-"

Will then noticed that Dwyrin was at the stairs, and was probably listening the entire time. Will gave her a stare of pure evil. Not that he was evil, more pissed.

Rei looked at the stairs, amused to see Dwyrin standing there. "Of course she would listen," she thought, a crooked smile spreading across her face.

"Come on up here, Dwyrin," she called, swinging her legs off the window sill so they dangled in the air. Quieter, she smiled at Will. "She's not exactly harmless, but she would hardly cause you harm. Who knows? She might even be able to help you out here."

She smiled sheepishly at Zergios glare and Rei's bemused look. Having her balance again, she bent each of her legs a few times and walked into the room.

"So I could help hearing that you're trying to be rid of something," she said. Zergio was still glaring at her and she gave him an unabashed look before continuing. "I know some useful people that are good at that sort of thing."

Will was still holding onto the book.

"Watch this."

Will took out a dagger and stabbed the book. The dagger shattered on contact. Will then brought out some matches, and tried to light the book. It didn't catch fire, or burn. He then poured a cup of water on it. The book wasn't affected. Will even opened the book all the way to ruin the spine of the book. It came out just fine.

Rei's concern turned to amusement as she watched Will demonstrate the book's indestructible nature. "Zergio," she said softly, stifling a chuckle. "I highly doubt she meant that she would destroy it. Am I right?" she asked Dwyrin, still smiling.

Ah, she seems to know me so well, already.

"That's true, of course," she answered Rei. But now that she had actually seen how far the book was capable of going to protect itself, she was very curious to try any and everything. But the book wasn't hers. Yet.

Will sighed and began to decide what to do. This book was the cause of his suffering, and needed to be ridden of, but there was also a reason why not to destroy it. He wondered if he should tell.

Rei watched the two curiously. "You could always just give it to me," she said, turning back so she had her left side to her guests. "I run a bookstore. It would hardly be any difficulty for me to keep a book hidden. You'd be surprised what I have hidden here." She watched for reactions out of the corner of her eye, but did not move. "You can also give the book to Dwyrin and have no idea what happens to it, but you would never have to worry about it again because, well, it's gone."

"Perhaps," she added, thoughts swirling.

Dwyrin glanced sharply at Rei, as she turned away from them both. That was a sign easily read. She looked back to Zergio, and saw that he hadn't noticed the change of her attention.
"She's right, you know. Or you can keep it. And suffer."

Will looked at them, and decided to tell them.

"There is something that was never told about this alchemy. People would refuse to accept it."

Will opened the book, and flipped through it to a certain page. He began to read it.

"Black Nova. This alchemy holds great power. Most nova's spread and cause destruction, but, with the fusion of a white nova, this move causes anything but destruction. With the fusion of both nova's in the attack, life is warped within the sphere. The nova's fusion may seemingly kill, but only lifeforce is exchanged to renew life. With the laws of equivalent exchange in play, in order to return life to something, one must sacrifice that of equivalent power. Regeneration and revival of human life is nearly impossible to achieve, however, the true function of the nova is to revive plant life. All those within the nova lose life force and bodies, because plant life is encouraged to grow. They are used as power to make plants grow, the caster unaffected by the alchemy, unless in the nova alone."

Will gave a straight face to both Rei and Dwyrin.

"The black and white nova's always exchange power to remain balanced, just like Ying and Yang. However, since all the lifeforce is used at once, the people used instantly die, so the returning power can't revive them. Normaly, nova's destroy. White and Black nova's affect nothing, except drain, or give, energy to others. My grandfather spent years researching and perfecting this alchemy. However, only people of certin bloodlines can summon forth those nova's.

Basically, the human's die, while plant life flourish. The war field turned into a massive jungle that day. It was all cut down, or eventually died, but the body's were perfectly preserved. The military don't know this, or why the jungle appeared. However, they want to kill me, because they only see it as a threat."

[Tell me if its too far fetched to actually make sense XD;]

Rei shrugged. "Hardly matters if they can't get their hands on the book," she said, leaning back so her head was against the window sill. She was rather amused by the whole business, even if the seriousness was practically overwhelming.

"Really, plants?"

Whoa

She waved off Zergio's doom and gloomy tone. It's not that she wanted to invalidate him, she just didn't want to set off some sort of panic attack or something. "That is all very interesting of course. But can you summon both?? And, more importantly, what do you plan to do about the book??"

Will closed the book and blinked. He just heard the end of Dwyrins sentence.

"Summon both what?" Will questioned, picking at his ear.

"I think I blacked out there. Or is it whited out? As for the book, it needs to be sealed or something. Won't stop me from being hunted, but they'll back off after being unable to find it, and it never being used. Plus, no one in my line will be cursed by it."

Rei glanced at Dwyrin. She had been somewhat concerned that Will had told her about what the book taught while Dwyrin was around, and now she was more concerned. "The Resistance would probably try to use it."

"Then we hide the book where no one can get it and keep you hidden," she said, smiling, her tone out of place in the serious atmosphere. "I'm pretty sure that can be arranged fairly easily."

"Both nova's, of course," she said to Zergio/Will, then repeated, "Can you summon them??" She kept most of her questions logged away for further thought, lest she seem suspicious. She'd find out eventually. She usually did. But this seemed like a safe one.

"Nova's!? Me!?"

Will jumped up and pointed at Dwyrin, freaking out.

"You think I can summon one nova, let alone two!?"

Will blunk, looking at the book.

"Waaaaait....... I tried destroying this thing, I blank out, then your asking about nova's? What did I do during that time?!"

Rei cocked an eyebrow at Will's reaction. She slid from the window and came up beside the panicked boy. "Nothing," she assured him, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Dwyrin is just trying to learn; she likes to do that. Information is her thing." She cast a sidelong glance at Dwyrin, then focused again on Will.

Is this a trick?? Perhaps he feels like he said too much and is trying to cover himself...

It seemed like Rei was smoothly averting any potential disaster, so she leaned against the wall and kept quiet.

Will was still freaked out by Dwyrins question. He's never done a nova before, nor has the power, so why ask? Well.... she didn't know much about him. Will then wobbled around a little, sleepy.

"Im gonna head to bed....... sorry....."


Will stumbled to his room and closed the door.

[out]

Rei nodded and muttered a good night to Will as he went into his room. "His room," she thought, amused. "He claims to have left this place."

She then focused her attention on Dwyrin. "You scared the poor thing," she said, walking into the kitchen, signaling for her to follow. She grabbed the pot of coffee on the counter and poured two mugs of it, all the while continuing. "He hardly knew how to protect himself from the common pickpocket with I met him. He's been forced to advance in his alchemy, yes, but he's hardly good enough to be able to do something like," - she handed a mug to Dwyrin - "That."