[The knee is appreciated, so that she needn't strain her neck. If her manservant were here... but he is not, and she must demand that others come to her level to speak. And what a peculiar man comes this time. Perhaps she would be more alarmed by his appearance if she had not come from the village she had, where the courtyards were decorated with the implements of torture from the witch trials... But after that dark aesthetic, this man is not so intimidating as to not call out to.]

Most interesting indeed. And unfortunate, as well.

[Her own shard is on full display, an oval cut emerald glistening on the back of a hand clear and vulnerable.]

I suppose my predecessors have made plenty of study of the subject, but I must admit... I wish to at least access their work, if it exists. Are you a veteran of this place? I do not suppose you know where a library might be located...