[An old, worn book, bound in dark red with yellowed and frayed pages, has curiously been left unattended. The thing looks even older than the very rat who carries it! Inside the cover is a name, faded to almost nothing... but the letters don't quite match to Ginevra's name....

Perhaps one could sneak a look before the protective owner inevitably returns...?

Pages upon pages upon old, old pages, there are all manner of scribblings, from hastily scrawled notes to extensive paragraphs, from quick, simple sketches to highly detailed drawings of... something. Multiple somethings that are difficult to discern... especially those odd little symbols that linger in one's vision, as if they were as bright as the sun.

It seems like the journal goes on like this for a while -- plus those symbols seem able to bring on a headache... -- so it may be best to skip forward to a random page.

Jumping forward, the handwriting seems different, and like it's far more recent than the first half of the book.]

Still no luck finding the books I need to progress my magic studies. It's always frustrating, finding myself at a standstill, but especially now.

At first I scoffed, knowing a vampire was running around. I thought him a dangerous nuisance to be extinguished and nothing more. And yet... I've found myself reconsidering that. Now that I know just how ancient a being he is, I have to wonder what kind of knowledge he holds. Could he know something about the things you've studied? Whether he has the answers to all of my questions, or even the faintest whisper of a lead... he just might be worth talking to.

Overconfident fool that I am, I tried, recently. Crossed over the bridge, wandered so deep into the woods I was doubting I would find my way out even when the sun rose. I would have thought it fruitless... if I hadn't found a burrow. An open burrow. One that looked very, very old from how dried and crumbled the surrounding earth seemed.

For what it's worth, I wasn't stupid enough to just drop down. If I'm going to speak with this fellow, I'm certain he wouldn't appreciate a stranger barging into his home. Part of me wanted to wait, to see if he emerged, or returned from wherever he was, but deep down, I knew I had put myself in enough danger just by crossing the bridge.

My mentor Eyes had to find me, in the end. Tracked me down and brought me home, though not without a deserved chewing-out. I have to admit, I felt... guilty. Not just for endangering myself, but for inadvertently making him put his life at risk to keep my neck unbitten - I know he and that vampire fellow have a rocky history. Make no mistake, I have every intention of going back... but not now. By the gods, I made a promise to be better prepared before I pull that stunt again, and I'm not going to betray his trust a second time.

Please, gods, let me find the tools I need to get on with my pursuits, because sitting around doing nothing is more of a pain in the neck than any vampire bite...

[There are several attempts at writing something, but they're all so furiously scribbled out that it's impossible to make out what they say. Even when the writer seems to have calmed, the handwriting on this page is rough and harsh, like they were in a terribly foul mood when the entry was made.]

I got in a fight today. With that cat at the commerce guild. They stole my journal, and I saw red like they had actually taken you from me. I couldn't even get your journal back; I lost TWICE and had to have the lowlife take pity and give it back of their own volition, so then I had to deal with the physical pain and humiliation. For gods' sake, I needed EYES to help me get the rest of my things back from them and their bestie Sebastian.

Absolutely pathetic.

[More attempts to write something, until the writer gives up and rips the rest of the page out, continuing on the next.]

I know you never wanted me to go through this life alone, and I'm sure that sentiment wouldn't have changed when it turned into... this. But sometimes, I find myself missing the days where I was completely on my own. My mistakes were my own to make, without having to worry about anyone involving themselves in my affairs and putting themselves at undue risk, and I didn't have to rely on anyone to fix my messes. Who knows, with how that fight turned out, with all the disapproving looks that I swear remind me of Father, maybe I'll end up going back to that whether I like it or not.

It would be easier that way.

[There's a couple of blank pages in between, and the writing seems calmer.]

I probably don't mean that. Probably. But gods, I've somehow never felt more like an ineffectual child than I do right now. I don't think Eyes has even reached his 19th year, and he's still more put-together than me. Did something happen to me, or was I always this pathetic and just didn't have people around to get me to realize until now?

I don't know anymore. I'm tired, I'm frustrated, I'm STILL feeling sore and sick from those beatings I took.

I'm going to sleep

[[spoilers for ongoing RP plot!]]

[There are pages upon pages of various writings and sketches. Notes about portals, about Purple and Grey magic, interspersed with drawings of strange portals... and in front of one, stands a familiar-looking female rat that's definitely not Ginevra.]

[After several paragraphs of theories on such things, on the next page, there are drawings of... very strange looking beings, unlike any seen before. The most notable is several attempts at drawing a mouse with jarringly long, spindly legs.]

[Then, after everything... there's a drawing of a tall, strange-looking rabbit, hooves resting on a desk before him, wearing a calm smile that shows intimidating fangs...]

[Finally, on a fresh page, a normal journal entry is written.]

I'm not sure where to start with what's happened recently. I suppose this is what I get for not writing for so long, but I just didn't have it in me until now.

Eyes is still clinging onto clarity. He looks more and more tired every time I see him, but by the gods, he's alive, and he's fighting so hard to stay himself. I can never express how proud I am of him, but... I wish there was more I could do to help him. I suppose all I can do is just be there for him and offer my support in manageable ways.

And... gods.

... I met him, Mother. Him. I knew it was a shot in the dark, but I was not disappointed. He actually had a lead for me! It was so simple, but the most straightforward one I've gotten in so, so long! Whether it will be enough to find you remains to be seen, but I'm glad my ambitions to speak with this fellow weren't all for nothing. That's not even all - he invited me back to speak with him again! I've already met with him twice, and I'm anticipating our next meeting. There's still so much I want to know...

[There's another drawing of the odd rabbit, this time of him leaning over his desk as he writes a letter.]

... there's more I want to say about him. But I need more time to process everything. I just wanted to get something down before it got too overwhelming.

I'll write more another time. Just you wait.