13829/Asgardians at the Gates (of the Amazon Library)

Asgardians at the Gates (of the Amazon Library)
Date of Scene:	13 January 2023
Location:	Library - Themysciran Embassy
Synopsis:	Sif comes to the library at the Themysciran library to look for information about Malekith and his Kursed.
Cast of Characters:	Monet St. Croix, Sif

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Monet St. Croix has posed:
M is in the Library of Themyscira. A variety of texts are out in front of her. They're more recent reproductions of Greek texts and scrolls. She's currently making her way through them. The slow process of translating ancient Greek, Themysciran Greek, and the other languages that have flowed through the region over the millenia as she does slow research..
    As if trying to get enough facts together for a history report.

Sif has posed:
The arrival of an Asgardian had been noted upon her arrival, despite Sif choosing not to wear her armor today. In fact, she looked positively American. A red sweater with a pair of black slacks and black boots on her feet. Over the sweater was a jacket though it wasn't really necessary for her since she didn't feel the current temperature was cold. But others did thus she did as well.

After a brief conversation, she was escorted to the library where the door was closed behind her as her escort exited. Leaving her to glance around the room and the occupant within. A nod was given to Monet in acknowledgement.

"Hello. Are you familiar with how they organized things here?" Because she had a very specific thing she was looking for.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would glance over at Sif for a moment, taking a second to identify her from profiles of Asgardians at the Embassy. "Passably. I am not the chief archivist so if you are looking for something very specific or unique I am not the right one to ask." How she hates that adjective. Passably.

"I shall endeavor to do what I can to aid you. What specific text or item might you be looking for?" She goes to push the books that she was reading to the side.

Sif has posed:
"I seek information on the Svartalfar," Sif says, not hemming around or playing games. After the attack on the Spaceport, the is presuming a lot in that she thinks the Themyscirans are fully aware of the threat posed by the Dark Elves. She also knows they likely have some information on the ancient species.

"More specifically Malekith and the Kursed."

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would frown, "Ah. That's somewhat beyond my fluency. I've only read of them in passing.." There's no rela sign of the archivist or one of the Amazons that would be fully fluent in these. "But I'll see what I can do." She goes to sort through the names of the Asgardian realms. Changing the translations in her head from Norse to Themysciran, adjusting for the way the Themyscirans catalogued..
    A hand goes to move a few moments in the air in the sense of someone resolving an issue in thier head and calibrating. "Here." She goes to head through the stacks, voer to things specific to the realm of the Dark Elves.

Sif has posed:
Sif is patient. She waits while Monet works through things. Then when the woman begins leading the way, the Asgardian falls into step to follow her lead. Once there, she begins perusing the titles and pulling out a book here or there. A scroll or two from that pile. "Thank you for your assistance." Then she moves toward a table herself to settle in and start reading. But realizes she has been remiss. "I am Sif. Of Asgard."

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would nod at Sif, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Shield-Maiden." Not quite fluent with the etiquette of the Asgardian Royal Court. Should she refer to Sif as an Aesir or something else? "I am Monet St. Croix. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." Monet goes to search through the texts, moving to pull out those that have the emblems on them she can recognize as Svartelfs. Her search, however, is slow, given the translation of multiple languages and sorting methodologies.

Sif has posed:
There is no response to the name she was given so apparently even if Shield Maiden were incorrect, Sif doesn't have a problem with it. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Monet."

She starts to read through the book but glances up to see Monet still helping find others on the subject. "I did not mean to pull you away from your current studies." She motions toward the books Monet had been looking through upon Sif's arrival. "Or was that more for pleasure?"

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would shake her head, "You are not bothering me. The interruption was minimal. I am.. Attempting to expand my understandings of the language via practical use. Rather than purely conversational, to read texts intended for the majority of the inhabitants of the island to understand." Which is rahter inefficient, but as far as the girl's pride allows, something she's going to do even if by sheer mental brute force. "I take it that the fight against the Svartelves does not go well?" Her pronunciation of the word is identical to the way Sif did, the girl copying the proper intonations.

Sif has posed:
That was a lot but it made sense. To learn more through reading the texts and not just random conversations. And it would introduce more about the history and the way their language had changed in time.

"It does not go at all is the difficulty. Invading their realm is difficult at any time. But even were we to do so, Malekith is a snake who hides in his hole and awaits the opportunity to exit and strike only to slither away again. We must find a way to find him. And learning how he makes his Kursed and a way to undo it would prove very helpful."

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would nod over at Sif, "In that case, I fear that here may not be the best resource. I am not saying that the library is not thorough.. Merely that this is a section where the public can visit. The most thorough texts may be on Themyscira or somewhere more within the Embassy itself." She makes a presumption, accurate or not. It wasn't like the Amazons -thought- anything was vulnerable.

She would muse, "Then if he is a practiced predator and a patient one, then one is best served by facing him on his own grounds. OUtscheme him and defeat him by treachery."

Sif has posed:
And that gained a frown from the Asgardian woman. "You sould like Prince Loki," she muttered. It might be an insult or a compliment. It was often difficult to tell when it came to the god of mischief. Or perhaps it was a little bit of both.

"I prefer to face someone on a field, not slink around in the shadows. That is not in my skill set." Therein lay the rub for Sif.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would nod over at Sif, "Yes. Forgive me, but that is how your enemy operates. He expects you to do one thing.. The issue is that you need to draw him ou tto face him in an open battlefield where he cannot flee. Otherwise he will simply use disposable forces to delay you while he goes to hide. The process will then continue. To force him to engage you in decisive battle, you require him to be outmaneuvered. In a location where he cannot simply flee or abandon his forces to their demise. He wishes to fight from the shadows, you must force him to face you in the light where he cannot flee."

Sif has posed:
"He is skilled in the use of magic. As such, containing him in a single realm--or plain of existence--is their challenge. I simply intend to be there when it happens to put a sword through him."

Sif's words had a hard edge on that last sentence, showing the level of anger she had toward Malekith. After all, the man was responsible for killing one of her best friends.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would nod distantly, "Or lure him to something that is too tempting for him to pickup. Something he will come to personally gather. Simpler for your mages to seal off a readied area than to pursue one and seal it off where you chase him?"

Sif has posed:
Sif gives a decisive nod. "Precisely. We choose the battlefield. But first the mages must have a way to block his escape. If they do not, it will be for naught. But we shall see. As the saying goes in this realm, we should not put the cart before the horse."

Considering her love of equines, that particular phrase amused her on some level. She began to peruse the pages again but glanced back to the door then over to Monet. "If asked, do you think the Themyscirans will allow me to visit their more private stores of knowledge?"

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would glance over at Sif and she would nod. "I am not a tactician, but you are right. One does need the way to anchor a battlefield before they deploy to it. But htey ever so rarely cooperate." She would smile dourly.

"I see no reason why they would not. You are a warrior, honorable, fighting against a magical adversary and you request their aid to face the enemy with knowledge."

Sif has posed:
"I will read through these texts first. Just to be thorough. But then I believe I shall reach out to the Themyscirans and request access. Be it here in more private areas or on their isle."

Sif isn't above asking for help. After all the Themyscirans are worthy allies in battle from all she has heard of them.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would nod, "Of course. I presume that they will do all they can. Speak to both of the Princesses if you can find them. I'm sure they will be more than happy to join in even if they cannot fight htemselves."

Sif has posed:
A few more flips through the books, a glance at a scroll. Then Sif realized this was likely to be not worth the effort and she rose to put away everything she had taken off the shelves. She was careful to put them back where they were taken from, not wanting to mess up their organizing.

"I thank you for your assistance, Ms. St. Croix." She tried to use the Midgardian title though she wasn't sure how they worked really. "I will seek out the Princesses and see if they have more information I might obtain."

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would nod, "I wish you the best of.. VEngeance against Malekith and a reminder as to why he is exiled to the darkest dimension and that he cowers there eternally." Making a point to not say 'luck'. That implies that a warrior's fate was left to things beyond skill and savagery after all.

Helping to put the scrolls and books away, then gliding over towards the table from where she had begun.