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Character(s): Christine
Status: Open
Location(s): In libraries in Krimnos and the City of Whatever it's Name is This Week
Date(s) April 1-17
About: Christine's idea led to a research compling mission, and a strange sight in Idan's libraries and bookstores.
Warnings: Only if you don't like reading about metal wasps.

The idea was one she thought probably wasn't feasible, else someone would have thought of it before. But it turns out the project is not only possible, but bigger than she could have imagined. Helping people in the future have access to more knowledge at their fingertips is a noble goal, but she has to admit that she's doing this for herself too. Not only will she hopefully get to use this book in her own lifetime, but she's getting paid for doing the legwork too.

{ krimnos }
She starts in the city of the Tinkers after they test their knowledge-gathering wasps on their own Academy's library first. Then she's set loose with a box containing the metal wasps and sent on her way. The project can be done at her own pace, but she's so excited that she heads to another library in Krimnos straight away.

She can be found sitting at a desk, thumbing through a book and giving someone a look, eyebrows raised. "Please don't swat at my wasps. They aren't going to sting you."

{ city of free peoples, aka freeps }
Her work in Krimnos is far from done. Gathering all the information in all the books will take time, but she wants to move on to other things. After a brief stop at home, she journeys southwest to the city of so much conflict recently, to see if King Ardis' soldiers have been in anymore scraps with werewolves, Defenders, or both and need her healing services. While in the area, she heads into the city to visit a library and sets a box on one of the tables. Opening the lid, the two metal wasps go flying out to scan as many books as they can. A patron looks at the wasps, looks at Christine, and looks at the falcon now sitting on the table before quickly clutching a book to their chest and scurrying to the front desk. Christine sighs and looks at her animas.

"I guess we'll have to get the information out of that particular book next time, hm?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

She raises her brows back, but it's because she realizes they haven't really gotten to know one another yet, despite their trip to Einjar.

"I once owned a shop where I sold my alchemical potions," she says with a bit of a smile. "But that was another life. As for these creatures: I didn't build them; the Tinkers in Krimnos did, based on an idea I had for an invention. They're gathering information for a source book."

"Gathering information for a book?" Daud echoes. It's easier to talk about the tinkering than any (literal) previous lives, so he'll focus his attention on the inventions instead.

"Sounds like quite the project. Is it anything in particular, or just any book?"

"It's the book to end all books. A source book that will one day contain the knowledge inside all other books that can be accessed right then and there, without having to travel between libraries." She sounds quite proud of herself for coming up with the idea. The only downside is it will take a long time to put together.

“An ambitious undertaking,” Daud comments. “What gave you the idea?”

"When we were inside Einjar I was commenting to Alucard that it was a shame he had to do a wide search for information when we returned. I said it'd be easier if a magical book existed that could store all those other books he'd have to search through." It had been a fanciful idea at the time. "He suggested I bring the idea to the Tinkers."

The name Einjar brings a frown to the tiefling's face, but Daud nods.

"Less useful for the information someone may not have written down," he murmurs, stroking a finger along the spine of the book he's browsing. "Though it can point you in the right direction. Was he trying to find out more about Einjar?"

"True, but only in that the information doesn't exist. Think of the time that this will save in seeing the answer simply doesn't exist in a book, rather than go through every book you can get your hands on first, only to see the information isn't there." And with time saved, that can be used on other tasks.

She nods her head. "He was taking notes the whole time."

Can't argue her point there. Daud has certainly spent enough of his time poring through books in vain, much like now. Though he'll avoid holding forth at length about his own library woes in favor of asking her another question.

"I don't suppose he came to any conclusions he cared to share?"

"No. He needed to do more research to understand what he was looking at. That's when the conversation about a source book started. If such a thing existed, it would cut down on the amount of searching he would have to do." Such a creation will benefit many in the long run. It's just a matter of getting all the information she can first. The wasps are doing their best, but even they have their limits. Scanning each book takes a small amount of time, yes, but it isn't instant and that means going through all the books in this library alone will take some time.

It seems a useful tool, sure enough, but as always, the tiefling will reserve judgement on the value of a thing until such time that its worth is proven to them.

"Seems useful, if the Tinkers will let anyone use it once they've learned enough," he comments, watching the metallic insects flit back and forth. He wonders if that's really how it's going to play out in reality, though. The way she described how it works, that doesn't leave much doubt that the person with the greatest advantage is whoever can hold the book and make more wasps... though he's not going to air such a cynical statement out loud.

"You sound doubtful they will," she states, watching him carefully. "It's a risk, I suppose, but I doubt the world would have moved forward at all since our time if everyone hoarded what they had invented."

"Most inventors I've met tend to be the jealous sort. Even if they chose to share the results of their work, I can't imagine they'd be eager to share its workings," Daud pronounces, direly.

"That may be, but we'll see what results from this." It's all she can do, really. Besides, if they hoard her idea, she can always take it to some enterprising sort to see if they can replicate it.