[center][hr]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/zIWaQqx.png[/img] 	[img]https://i.imgur.com/o5q3SaQ.png[/img][/center]
[hr][right][code]13 Mourningdove Lane[/code][/right]
The Archivist confirmed in no uncertain terms that they were stuck with the fate of mages; ‘til death do us part. It should have been a horrific realisation that they were marked ones leaving trails for a never-ending string of hunters to follow. And yet, Rowan found herself trying to stifle a sigh of relief. She had no idea how to approach the subject with Bea, who had bravely stood up for her. In spite of everything, she wanted to keep her powers. There was a purpose in the new frontier that rose above her fears, even if it did nothing to settle them.

A habit from busy college crunch times came to mind. To settle the nerves, Rowan needed a plan. Something to action that could make definitive progress against her problem. Did that translate well to being hunted by a global organisation? Hell if she knew, but it was something and who really knew the right way to combat the shadow government anyway? It was time to assess what she had in her ‘corner’. Luckily, the Archivist had just finished mentioning finances and the group’s access to a pool of monetary support.

[color=00a651]“Take care of? A college girl with crippling student debt suddenly starts taking private boat rides. That's a real kind of magic the hunters can follow,”[/color] Rowan quipped toward Bea but then went to address the Archivist directly. [color=00a651]“I appreciate the help, but we need to be cautious with that money, and I guess that extends to how much equipment we can buy. Unless you have a spare lab lying around, of course.”[/color]

[hr]
[color=00a651]“Fuck,”[/color] Rowan offered in uncharacteristically short commentary. The video didn’t offer any additional fears to the girl; she had been assuming it was the worst-case scenario anyway, but it was a confirmation of them and a reminder that the distance between this group and their hunters was short and rapidly shrinking. Ravensmere called them cosplayers, but those guns looked plenty lethal enough.

But now she was immersed in another grand and endless resource to draw from: the study. Instead of discussing the video, Rowan felt herself drawn to explore its bountiful shelves. She didn’t speak up as she roamed away but spared a parting look at Bea to check she was holding up alright.

She looked for tomes on alchemy and herbalism. To make her power fully effective, she needed to know what she was making and what those could do. It was best to start with a baseline of knowledge from those who came before, so she could build upon it with her own work. At first, she was slow and thorough, but sped up a little as she saw others having the same idea. At one point, she just managed to snatch a promising book away before Mason’s hands of disintegration were able to get at them. She gave him an awkward, close-lipped smile of politeness as an apology.

In the focused pursuit of knowledge, the fears of new faces and new enemies could be set to a less present part of her mind. Her only goal and worry was the one she forced into the forefront. She got up onto a ladder to inspect some of the higher shelves and bring down anything that looked interesting. [color=00a651]“People aren’t the only thing who have become magical, the whole world has had an awakening. They have their work cut out for them if they want to put it all back in the bottle.”[/color] She spoke into the shelves, but loud enough for Ravensmere to hear. [color=00a651]“No doubt your old organisation has a beast hunting division. Is there a weed-pulling division we need to be aware of?”[/color]

Rowan turned around on the ladder and looked back at the group with an oddly excited smile. [color=00a651]“Is there anyone who knows the wilderness?”[/color] Her eyes caught the potential murderer cat man; it ran through her mind that he could be the wilderness expert. She looked around more as if to say ‘anyone else?’

[hr]