Paios had worked as an assistant to Naomh for some time now, and had grown used to the woman's quirks. That did not mean that he was entirely happy with them, especially when for now he was the only one here able to assist her. This all meant today, he was rather overworked.... And being summoned to the library.

"Ah, Paios, there you are. I know you're the only one here for now but you must try to move a little faster."

Naomh was a tall, pale-skinned woman with a few freckles, and fiery red hair. A seer, philosopher, and explorer in polite company, and a witch to those who tried to ensure she did not hear them say it, she hailed from a far off land either called Albion or Ierne... or it was near those lands, she was rather vague about it. Nonetheless she had adapted quickly to some aspects of life in the Hellenic world, but not to others. For instance, her grasp of written Greek was something she freely admitted wasn't very good. Which meant that her assistants had to be ready to confirm or correct how she had read something.

Given two of his colleagues were temporarily chickens and one a guard dog ensuring that the fox that had got to the real chickens wasn't going to get a shot at coming back, he was all that was present with the required skills of reading and speech.

"Sorry, my mistress, but I do have some news, the farmer says he should have some spare chickens available in a week or two.... And a guard dog a short time after that," He gasped.

"Ah, good... Hmm, you seem a little tired there. You are trying your best... Fetch the scrolls from that table, pass me the green one, then sit down," she instructed.

He obeyed, sitting on the floor with the other two scrolls, one in each hand, as she read it.

"Hmmm... I'm not quite sure about what this says. Does it say 'person' or 'man'?"

She held it to him, and he looked up, his turquoise eyes running over the scroll.

"Ah, it says 'man'. 'This scroll's words shall inflict the gorgon's gaze upon any man who...' Um..." he paused, realising he felt a little... stiff.

He tried to continue reading, but found himself feeling his muscles tingling, and a lethargy washing over him. He wanted to close his eyes, but even though his eyelids felt heavy, they didn't seem to want to move at all. He felt a little bit of a chill across his body too, and things seemed to be going somewhat dark....

Naomh sighed as her only (useful) assistant sat there, his bronze-tanned skin and messy black hair freezing into pale rigid marble, those eyes that had read the scroll paling too into the same smooth blankness as the rest of his form. The alabaster statue contrasted with the gold bands on his neck, upper left arm, and right wrist, now the same shade overall as the white of his toga, albeit without the lilac edging. His frozen feet sat in the brown leather of his sandals, and in the rocky grip of his petrified fingers, the two scrolls were held tightly.

"Hmm, I thought it said that, and it would appear the curse protecting it works. Still, there's a counter-spell to it..."

Naomh looked to the two in his hands, held firmly in the stone digits. She looked over her library, the labels all in Greek for the ease of her assistants... but leaving her a little 'confused' at times as to what meant what.

"Hmmmr, I fear that it may take me a little while to figure out if the counter curse scroll is in this library by myself. Assuming it's not in your grasp there. I may have to turn your colleagues back to help. Then again, Hagnon is such a good boy as a guard dog, and Damia and Canace lay such big eggs.... Maybe a new hire. Ah, but they'll need a little training before they can get to work properly. Good help is so hard to find these days...." Naomh mused.

"Well, no choice for it then, I'll need to find a fifth assistant to search first, rather than risk tearing the scrolls. Probably a girl, a second statue won't be much help, not right now. Though it may be useful when Hagnon's services on sentry aren't needed and I host another party, some handsome decor wouldn't go amiss...."

She made to leave the library, but turned to the sitting statue as she reached the door.

"Oh - don't go anywhere, Paios, and do enjoy your little break..."

Paios of course said nothing and heard nothing. He sat there with the scrolls in his hand, the petrified assistant oblivious in stone to the world around him.