"What do you mean, research?" you ask suspiciously. You wanted to go to college, get a degree, and have a normal, relaxing life, not spend your time dabbling in magic, which as far as you knew, wouldn't pay the bills. Phaunos sighs slightly, a bit disappointed you are not agreeing immediately, but after a moment recovers his equanimity.
"Perhaps it would be best for you to see it for yourself," he states, getting up, and indicating for you to follow. You tail Phaunos down the hall to the other wing of the house, where he stops in front of a rather ornate, heavy door. You wonder if you are being led into some sort of warlock's lair with bubbling cauldrons and various potions like in a storybook. However, as the door opens, you blink against the bright light inside, and once your eyes adjust, look around in wonder. Phaunos enters and you follow, as he seems pleased with your awed reaction. "Your grandfather was very proud of this room."
Lining the walls and covering multiple shelves as well as display tables are books, tablets, scrolls, and all manner of reading materials. The room is fairly large, and two stories high with carefully located windows to let in light without allowing direct sunlight. Your community college library is not anywhere near as impressive. Although at first it is the scale that impresses you, and the amount of items, as you begin to take a more careful look, many of the items appear old, as though they had been retrieved from archeological digs of some sort.
"Well, a guest!" a girlish voice bursts out from a nook to the right of you which you did not see, and you turn only to find speech failing you once again. Lying there comfortably with a book in front of her is a girl...with the head of a human seamlessly blending into the body of a large cat. As you stare, she gets to her feet quite easily and bounds over to you on all four paws. That is when you realize her body is not merely that of a cat. Given her height, and the robust muscular body, you feel sure that the body is that of a young lion...wait, wasn't there something mythological...
"What has one voice, but walks on four legs, then two, then three?" she asks you gleefully as she circles you, but you get the feeling that you are not merely being observed, but being viewed as prey. It is especially disconcerting to see such predatory amber eyes in what appears to be the face of a preteen.
"A...a human..." you answer in spite of yourself, remembering something from English Lit 101. The creature in front of you is a...
"Oh pooh," she pouts, frowning and stopping her circling. "Stupid Oedipus, why did he have to go telling everyone the answer?"
"Enough, Phix. This is not a mere guest, this is the new Mistress of the house," Phaunos rebukes sternly, then turns to you. "May I present to you Phix Shese, the house librarian. As you have probably already guessed, she is what is known as a sphinx. Despite her appearance," he gives Phix, who is grinning like a child, a sharp glance, "she is quite learned, and capable of assisting you in locating any materials needed." Phix tilts her tanned face to the side and giggles.
"Yup, so just let me know what you need," she says jauntily, tossing her dark, curly hair and ignoring Phaunos' glare and slight cough.
"Miss, you'll find the former Master's research on these shelves," Phaunos says, pointing to a row of shelves packed top to bottom with handwritten journals. "The remainder of the library is mainly reference items containing information on various magic folk, be they myths, legends, religious text, or other recordings." You gape at the sheer volume of material.
"I get that you can't use them, but didn't my grandfather, you know, have a computer?" you ask desperately.
"Yes, Miss, he did," Phaunos replies, and you let loose a premature sigh of relief. "However, as few if any of us could access the computer, he stored none of his research on it, since many of us took part in the research and needed access to his studies." Your shoulders sag as you realize what a monumental task awaits you.
"Now then, Miss, as you have seen your grandfather's efforts, will you help us?" Phaunos asks, as he and Phix stare at you.