15315/Can take the girl out of Uni...

Can take the girl out of Uni...
Date of Scene:	05 July 2023
Location:	Ballroom - Wayne Manor
Synopsis:	Talia and Alfred come upon Phoebe studying A Whole Lotta Spooky in the ballroom. Take a walk in the garden.
Cast of Characters:	Phoebe Beacon, Talia al Ghul, Alfred Pennyworth

---

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    As the saying really doesn't go, you can take the student out of University, can't take the University out of student. Partially because Phoebe does actually enjoy studying, which once upon a time made her an excellent apprentice to someone else.

    Currently she's taken up a corner of the ballroom, away from the windows along the wall that provide light, and was sitting in a pair of pajama pants and a tank top that shows her shoulder scars and the burned-in, now inert array on her left bicep from the battle of New York with the Angels, her white wrist circlet that glows, dully, and her feet with bamboo tabi socks.

    Idu, the desher-iwiw, has his forty-five pound self splutted out on the tile.

    All around her Phoebe has books open. some from the University library. Some from the Wayne library. Some from her own library, written on lambskin parchment and bound tightly into books. She has at least four notebooks and a sketchbook open, and is currently holding a pen in her mouth while she ties back her hair.

    Which is currently a very pretty dusky pink color.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia al Ghul is walking along through Stately Wayne Manor and looking about with her hands in her pockets. She's wearing a set of jeans and a t-shirt that look like they came from a thirft store - or someone's old closet at th Manor that hadn't been touched in well over a decade and lost, forgotten. She would glance over at Phoebe and give a nod. "Greetings, how are you and Idu doing?" She would offer and go to approach the two.
    A hand going in a gesture to palm a treat over for Idu, but a glance over at Phoebe for permission first. "And how fares your studying?" She would inquire, not bothering to look over at what Phoebe was reading - that was the girl's business and if she wanted to have assistance, then she could ask for it. "And I'm not interrupting you, am I?" Also ready to take that as a nudge to depart.

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
"Wouldn't the study be more comfortable, Miss Phoebe?" Alfred's voice interjects from the doorway, he having just done a doubletake on walking past, and backed himself up a step. The faintest hint of a frown touches his face at Talia's presence, but as she's been behaving herself thus far, he banishes any negative thoughts behind a veil of professional politeness and gives her a slight nod of acknowledgement.

He frowns for real, however, at the lighting situation, and steps into the room to draw further open the heavy curtains that clothe the windows. "Honestly," he mutters, "You'd think some people were trying to go blind."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I can't go blind. Probably. Kind of like how I never caught Bruce's flu." Phoebe says absently as she looks over a lot of middle Egyptian text.

    Idu sniffs at the treat, and gives The Eyes. Phoebe won't mind, honest. She's terribly distracted anyway! Idu lifts his nose and nudges at Talia's hand for treats, curled-over tail giving a wag. It's obvious the dog hasn't been fed in DAYS (since this morning before he and Phoebe went on a run) and is STARVING (for attention because he's an attention hound).

    "It's... a bit rough. There was a lot of information that got lost in the Nile from the library at the village, trying to fill in the gaps isn't going really smoothly." she admits.

    "And there wasn't enough room in the study for all the books I'm comparing. Don't worry Alfred, I'll clean up after I'm done in--" she pauses, and reaches down to check her phone, clicking past the lock screen with a dark, curly-haired young man and her leaning against a mean looking muscle car.

    "... oh. Uh. I probably should have a break anyway."

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia al Ghul would glance over at Alfred, "Ah, hello Alfred." SHe would bow her head. "And please, no formalities. I'm just a guest here, not part of the extended household. I appreciate your hospitality, but there is no need to grant me a formal title that I have not earned yet by trust." Her trying to put it over in a turn of phrase that would hopefully be within Alfred's sense of etiquette. She might be a guest here, but in her own mind she had done far from earning any sort of formal places or ties to it. So for her having such a reference would demean it's purpose.
    Then she goes to lean down and give Idu the treat. She goes to reach down to give the small dog a few scritches behind the ears and underneath the muzzle before standing up. "I hope that all finds you well today." Glancing at the phone and smiling lightly. "I might suggest setting an alarm on it to ensure that you take some time off in between things. It's too easy to be caught up."

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
Alfred has doubts about Phoebe's claim, given that the study is literally full of books already and some of those currently on the floor probably came from there, but he gave up trying to comprehend the thought patterns of young people somewhere around the second Robin. So he just shrugs and ties the curtain back so that a bright shaft of light falls into the room.

"An excellent idea, if I may be so bold," he actually agrees with Talia's suggestion, giving her a twitch of a smile. See, he's trying. "In any case," he clears his throat as he looks back at Phoebe on the floor with her mess and her pink hair, "it's cooled down a bit outside, so now would be a good time to stretch one's legs and take some air," he suggests. "I'm sure Idu would appreciate a turn round the garden, wouldn't he?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    YES IDU WOULD. As soon as he eats these snacks that Talia brought him, his tail wagging as she trots over to Alfred and sits politely, looking for snacks and tributes from him as well, large ears pointing up.

    "Oh, no, I meant to have them open. Without sitting on the floor. And the tile in here was cooler for Idu's sake." Phoebe states as she hops to her feet, slips in her socks a moment, rights herself, and then looks to Talia and Alfred.

    "I don't suppose either of you happen to know where a spare set of Ewankh-et-Tesim's Diaries from the Sixteenth Dynasty would be hanging out?" she asks in a joking voice, and she self-conciously reaches down for a shrug to cover her left shoulder, with its burn scarring and discolored skin.

    "Coming with, or are you two going to launch incredibly polite daggers at one another while I walk?"

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia al Ghul would sit over, "Well, then you can always get him a small pillow to lean in and you can put a damp washcloth on it to help him cool down if he needs it." She would go to grab her own large pillow and sit on it on the floor while paying no attention over to the scars. Just giving of all things a gentle nod of approval over at them.
    "I in fact do, but they're nowhere that you could access them nor is it a journey that you would wish to take to procure them. I'm sure there are others in privage collections you could discover with some searching, but I would not know to suggest where." By 'I know where but you wouldn't want to' is likely meaning that it's over in the library of Ras by the way she put it." She would lean back and then as the others went to stretch out and see if they were going anywhere.

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," Alfred feigns innocence, as he dips a hand into his pocket to produce a small milk bone for the dog. He has, he deems, maintained PERFECT professionalism since Talia moved in. "But yes. I've been meaning to check on the hydrangeas anyway, since we instituted the new watering schedule."

With regard to the book, he purses his lips at Talia's remarks. "I'm sure Master Bruce must have some contacts in the rare book collections circle," he muses. "I'll check the rolodex." It's all digitized now, but he still calls it a rolodex for the same reason that a save icon is still a floppy disk.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    " -- actually there's a lot I would do to get my hands on them. Ewankh-et-Tesim is one of my ancestors." Phoebe blinks owlishly, adjusting her glasses. "The originals were lost when my cousin tried to kill me. Well," she holds up one of the tomes "Most of the originals. I'm missing four, six, and thirteen through eighteen. They're written in a specialized form of Doric translated to middle Egyptian and codified so--" she trails off a moment, as if she were considering 'how badly do I want to get my hands on these books'.

    "He was one of the most well-traveled from the villiage I was born in. Kinda want to see if there's some subjects in his books that aren't touched on in the more localized travelogues and -- ah..." she gives a nervous laugh.

    Idu sniffs at the treat, and takes it very lightly from Alfred, then tosses his head back and with a SNAP it's gone. Phoebe goes to one of the doors out, which leads to a little patio for mingling guests and then to the lawn and gardens. She takes off her socks, and bare-foots it into the grass.

    Followed by Idu at full gallop!

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia al Ghul goes to get up in amusement as the group seems to be heading along just as she had been settling down. She doesn't mind as she goes along. "I'd guess that most are in privage collections. Those aren't the type of things thatw ould be in a museum. The're too precvious for that. Any of them on display somewhere would be fakes. Those who have them knwo what they're worth and what secrets they have within. So trading for them will have some sort of a price involved." Not necessarily in a bad way. But just there would likely be an amount of bartering involved and favors exchanged for them. She looks thoughtful over while moving to tap at her arm in casual thought. Mming softly.
    "And I'm just making assumptions on the matter. I'm hardly an expert on those sorts of tomes." Her's are more the mystical types after all - in all the ironies of her not being quite fluent or able to do any sorts of magic on her own that was not misdirection or the very subtle, if existant arts that her father or the League might have passed down.

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
Alfred does not remove his shoes, but he does go so far as to roll up his shirt sleeves, as he doesn't want to get any dirt on his cuffs. "Perhaps a mutual borrowing could be arranged," he suggests. Failing that, they can always just throw money at the problem until it's resolved. "I'll make some inquiries to see if I can find someone who possesses it, first."

He pauses on stepping onto the grass, to briefly shut his eyes and inhale deeply. There's a nice breeze, carrying the light scent of flowers, and he takes a moment to enjoy it. But don't think he missed the quality of that nervous laugh from Phoebe. "Is there some /specific/ subject you're hoping to find?" he inquires mildly. He opens his eyes, spots a stray stick on the ground, tuts softly and bends to pick it up, then wangs it off across the lawn for Idu to chase.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Idu catches sight of the stick, he freezes, eyeballing Alfred with his desert-sky blue eyes, and then when the stick is thrown, Idu gives chase, almost tumbling over himself as he grabs the stick and at first goes to bring it to Phoebe for inspection, and then bounces over to Alfred and drops it.

    "You never know. I've seen things in museum catalogues that probably shouldn't be in museums." Phoebe replies quietly, aware that she's now again in the position of 'youngest in the room but weirdly an expert'.

    "My ancestors were healers, diviners, demon hunters and exorcists, but they didn't exactly get out much until the late 1800's. Only a few mages went out and investigated occurances far and wide. This particular ancestor was one of them. I was hoping that there was information on some different variety of spiritual possessions and the affect that continued possession has on the soul. Which is even more complex because they divided the soul into three parts, ka, ba and akh, which supposedly only SOME of Khemet had because they could progress to the Afterlife. Big split in ancient religion -- my family were apparently heretics for the assumption everyone could go to the afterlife."

    she rubs the back of her head again. "He was the widest traveled, until my uncle Marius. But if Marius kept a journal, no one mentioned it."

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
Alfred dutifully picks up the stick and gives it another good throw. "All completely out of my wheelhouse, of course, but I can at least try to help you locate the book. Is this purely an academic pursuit, or does your research have some practical focus?" While the dog is busy chasing after the stick, he strolls along toward the flower beds to see how the plants are faring in the unseasonable heat.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe has been cheating with the plants and helped them out a bit. Easy for the healer to heal things with chloraphyl!

    ".. a bit of both?" Phoebe replies dodgily, and then she shrugs.

    "I've been bad luck for everyone who's tried to teach me magic. If they're already dead, there's not a lot that can hurt them." she answers, and then frowns. "There might be some key there, some understanding that can fill in the gaps of my knowledge. Make it easier. There seems to be a lot of stuff in the books that just assume that there's other people who know hat they're talking about around. It's like... trying to understand how to make a consumme, when all you have are Campbell cookbooks with Tomato Soup Cake."

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
Alfred makes a pleasantly surprised hum as he sees how the plants are coming along. "Lovely. Hardly any evidence of wilting at all." He stoops briefly to feel the moisture content of the mulch, then stands and dusts off his hands, looking pleased with himself. Of course he has no idea of Phoebe's intervention, so he attributes the improvement entirely to his new instructions to the gardener.

His nose wrinkles though, as he turns to face her again. "Tomato Soup... Cake," he repeats dubiously. "Well, yes, I believe I understand the analogy. Although, if you bodge up a consomme, at least it's not likely to raise the dead. Er, what class was this for, again?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... oh ah... it's... for my own stuff." Phoebe admits. "The remaining books in my ancestors' library are devoid of any mention of anything like Robbie. And if I'm going to be prepared to fight anything supernatural, I have to know how to do it." Phoebe replies quietly, and she rubs her left shoulder, where that burned in array still stands.

    "Hopefully without destroying parts of me in the process."

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
"That certainly would be preferable," Alfred agrees with a droll little smile. He knows better than to try to pat her on the back, so he offers purely verbal support instead. "Well, you have my word I shall do my best to track down any research materials you need. It wouldn't be the first time, having to locate some obscure occultic text or another. Just promise me you won't be raising any zombies or possessing anyone on the property. You know I prefer to keep things tidy."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Psh, pretty sure Necromancy is almost totally beyond me." Phoebe replies to Alfred, "I'm pretty much the antithesis of it, but you have my solemn word, Alfred. I will not raise the dead on the lawns."

    She purses her lips a moment, a prim little moue.

    "Maybe in the drive way. Easier to spray down." she smiles, and gives a clap of her hand for Idu, who was 'helpfully' digging to the side of one of the beds.

    "Idu! The gardeners do n't need additional help after last time!"