(Untitled)

[nita_callahan]

The group comes through Nita's door and ends up in Grand Central Station. It's late; no one's around except some guards, somewhere, and probably Rhiow and her team. Nita and her passenger, having energy to spare, handle the translocation spell that gets them into the atrium of the Library itself

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[nita_callahan]

Nita leads the way through the silent library, headed for the Rose Reading Room. It makes sense, she thinks wryly. No better place to hide something than with a bunch of similar somethings.

[oneman_onevote]

Havelock runs a careful hand over the wood, checking the corners - nobody said what size the book was, before shaking his head.

"There's room behind it, but nothing there. Then there's another panel. Should I remove that, too?"

[street_sparrow]

Gavroche approaches them, at that, small and solemn.

"Not yet. Let me look, first?"

[oneman_onevote]

Havelock glances down, assessing Gavroche's weight.

"Very well. Climb onto the chair and reach upwards."

Someone larger? Not possible. With Gavroche, he might be able to do it.

[street_sparrow]

There are benefits to being small and light for your age, yes.

Gavroche obeys quickly.

[oneman_onevote]

Havelock braces his legs harder, then leans back, holding the doorframe with one hand, and joining Gravroche's arms around his neck and shoulders with the other.

"Hold on tight, and brace your legs against the wall if you can," he instructs. "If not, around my waist will be safest."

Wizard, assassin or whatever, hitting the floor from this height at that angle is a very, very bad idea. Havelock remembers that.

The he lifts, pulling them forwards and up using his legs mostly, bringing Gavroche to a height where he can see and just about reach the opened carving. It's a strain, but it can be done.

[street_sparrow]

Gavroche stretches up to reach into the carving, feeling around inside.

[errantry_npcs]

There's a faint sense of power from it as Gavroche's fingers brush by the center of the panel. There, invisible to non-wizardly eyes, is a tag of characters in the Speech, identifying a claudication -- and more importantly, what's in the claudication.

[street_sparrow]

"It's here", he says instantly. "It's... hidden, but it's here, and I can get it out."

Kennis scampers up to squeak in his ear.

[nita_callahan]

"Go for it," Nita calls. "Quickly."

That doesn't look like a great position for Havelock to be in for too much longer.

[oneman_onevote]

Pride, if nothing else, will keep Havelock from dropping Gavroche. But he will probably regret this tomorrow, at the very least.

For the moment, however, he just concentrates on keeping their position stable. The rest is up to the young wizard.

[street_sparrow]

Gavroche nods, reaching for the tag and speaking the words to open the claudication.

And inside it, as he already knew, is the Book.

[nita_callahan]

Nita brightens visibly -- almost literally -- as she comes over to give Gavroche a hand down and accept the Book from him.

The Book: it's large, bound in black leather, and it seems like it should be hard to see in the shadowy room. On the contrary, though, there's light hidden in the darkness of its covers, and everything around it seems a little more real, a little more like itself.

Especially Nita, who looks like she's just seen an old friend.

[emptiedstreets]

Ronan's face floods with undisguised longing as he stares at Nita.

The Spear was never his (or His, for that matter)-- it was always Hers, always-- but even so, he feels the ache of its absence all the more keenly, here in the presence of the Book.

He ducks his head against his shoulder for a breath, two, three--

"Well then," he rumbles at last, lifting his head and crossing his arms across his chest. "Let's effin' get on with it, eh?"

[nita_callahan]

Nita blinks and looks up, nodding. "Yeah, okay."

She leads the way to the center of the room, tucking the Book under one arm. Her other hand reaches into her personal claudication and pulls out a rowan wand Liused helped her prepare a few nights ago.

"Okay," she tells the group. "You should all already have the spell. Filif and Gavroche will be our 'batteries.' Ronan and Kit, you're going to support the gate while Moiraine Sedai and I open it. I'll lay out the circle and everyone can put in their names; I'll do Moiraine's, and I want everyone to double-check that one."

She shoots a wry glance at Havelock. "And you get lookout duty, Havelock. I doubt there'll be any problems, but we won't really be able to communicate while we're opening the gate."

Then, to Moiraine -- "Is your power still okay? Any last-minute adjustments we need to make?"

[oneman_onevote]

Havelock drops down after Gavroche is out of the way, stretching one shoulder above his head before shaking it out absently. Cramping up during a possible fight would be most unwise.

"Certainly," he murmurs, taking a station near the door.