[Kallis]

Kallis had spent the morning at work, as she usually did, and had the afternoon free to herself. She had decided, after much contemplation, to head into the heart of Elysia: the bustling city of New Alexandria. Kallis spent most of her time in the smaller region of Hesia, where she lived, but was becoming tired of the constant musty smell from the stables which resided below her home. As much as she enjoyed her work, some outdoor time sounded incredibly tempting at the moment.

As her recently acquired interest in weapon smithing was something that Kallis wished to develop further, she thought it a promising idea to discover what the Great Library had on offer. Perhaps she could find some instruction manuals or helpful books amongst the libraries many shelves. She was really only learning about the various metals and other materials used to make weapons and their various benefits and disadvantages, and had only constructed a small pocket knife (which she hadn’t tested yet- but wasn’t sure it would actually work). She had limited access to materials due to her meagre pay, however her interest in weaponry and combat styles meant that she was going to try all that she could to eventually dabble in more advanced styles.

Kallis had had to use the portal in order to travel, despite the fact that she had wings. Travelling by air was still somewhat of a challenge to her, but she was slowly improving and small distances were becoming much easier. If she could only get the take-off right.

Now walking through the spacious and magnificent gardens of the library courtyard, Kallis observed the large number of people around her. They were all incredibly diverse, and although the sun would soon be setting, large crowds were still milling around the library and other spots around New Alexandria. Many people would be finishing work for the day, and being a Friday, would most likely be heading out with friends to celebrate the beginning of the weekend. Kallis, however, did not have a close circle of friends with whom she could go out with, and even if she did, she would be more likely to spend her evening at home with a book or practising her sword skills.

Kallis entered the library, observing a large directory at the front of the foyer which outlined the various sections of the many volumes of scrolls and books. She took note of one which stood out to her, titled “War, Weapons and Combat”. She headed towards it, admiring the way that the diminishing sun cast orange-red shadows across the shelves, giving many of the books a glowing appearance. She walked by a large space in the centre of the library, where a number of thick, dark wooden desks stood. Some here had books open, their heads buried within the pages, while others whispered to one another. The whole library seemed to be hushed, and Kallis’s feet pattered softly on the scarlet, plush carpet.

She reached the section, and noticed only one other there, browsing the shelves silently. She began to scour the shelves, where books with titles such as “Overcoming any Opponent” rested. One thick book looked so ancient that the title on the spine was barely readable. Kallis began plucking a few that looked interesting to her off the shelf, tucking them underneath her arm.

[Kiel]

“Wah! Dude, this is so not cool, so not cool, man.”

“Shh!”

Fidgeting in his maroon courier jacket, Kiel hopped from one foot to the other. He hated libraries, man. Like, they were so stuffy, man, it was like being trapped in a pile of straw. And, like, he knew what that felt like 'cause he'd totally fallen into one off the roof of the Taskel farmhouse one time when he was, like, seventy or something. He'd broken an arm, but the thing that haunted him was the suffocating scent of powdery bits floating up his nose.

“Dude, hurry up, man, okay? Like, I only came by 'cause Marty was all, like, "If you don't deliver this package, you're fired, you're fired!", okay? Like, that's the second time today that he's fired me, you know? And, like, what's in there that's so urgent anyway, man?”

The librarian behind the counter was totally ignoring him, except to "Shh!" him every other sentence. “Like, hey, hey, I'm doing you a favour, okay? I'm totally allergic to books, you know?” Well, physically he wasn't, it was just that he hated studying, and his mom made him sit down with the few tea-stained, cracked-leather books that had survived the centuries of being handed down through the Taskel line. Well, like, actually they were from his mom's side of the family so they weren't Taskel books, really, but “Dude, are you done yet?”

“Well, it seems legitimate. How did Martin get hold of this?”

“I dunno, I dunno. I don't even know what it is, hahahahaha.” It was a book, that's all he knew. He wasn't sure how Marty got hold of it, or even why he would. Maybe one of those packages that never got delivered 'cause they couldn't find the recipient, or they were found dead or something. Kiel never really thought about what happened to them, but he wouldn't put it past his boss to make a profit on them, and the look on the librarian's face made him think it was pretty valuable.

But Kiel didn't care about any of that, so with a whine in his voice that disturbed a couple of nearby would-be borrowers and elicited another "Shh!", he begged, “Can I go now?”

[Kallis]

Kallis picked up a book which was decorated with two long swords down either side of the front page, and another on the spine. Interested, she turned it over in her hands before reading the front cover and the small inscription on the back. Suddenly, however, her thoughts were interrupted by a commotion coming from somewhere not far behind her. She heard a man's voice, raised far beyond that of anyone else's in the library. It was met by a few scowling, hushed voices, telling him to be quiet. Kallis snickered, glancing over, attempting to make out who was the source of the noise.

That has to be him, she thought, noticing a dark haired man who looked extremely uncomfortable, displayed by his inability to stand still. She tucked the sword-encrusted book under her arm also, bringing her total up to four. They were beginning to feel heavy. Even though she was strong, each book was bulky and one of them threatened to slip from it's safe place, tucked against Kallis's side.

Just as Kallis began to head towards the main desk, where the dark haired man stood, complaining to another. It was obvious that he was in some kind of hurry. He began to speak again, and Kallis paused to listen. Her eyes glanced over to the librarian, who looked somewhat strained, clearly irritated by the fact that the man was completely ignoring her warnings. Kallis herself was half amused, half annoyed by the way he spoke. Many others in the library were also offering him dirty looks. However, Kallis had no choice but to approach, as she was losing hold of her books.

She left the dim shelf, and walked toward where the man stood, by the librarian. She stood, haughty, behind a tall desk, where a small sign read “Borrowing”. A few others were waiting in line, but most were staring at the scene before them.

“Excuse me,” Kallis said, quietly but audibly. She gestured to her books with difficulty, kind of just shrugging her shoulders to express that the books were heavy. She didn’t gesture to anyone in particular, but mostly to the group, wishing they would get on with things and giving the man a quick, disdainful glance.

[Kiel]

“I'm sorry, I don't have the authority to just buy this, I need to check with my manager.” The librarian eyed him expectantly, as if he was dumb enough to leave the book with her without getting paid for it - like, dude! Marty would kill him and then take the book's value out of his pay check, man, for sers! - but Kiel just looked back like a petulant child. He opened his mouth to argue when someone said "Excuse me", and turned to find a chick loaded down with books.

“Wah! Wah, dude!” Bursting forward to take some of them from her, he chattered at her all the while. “Like, dude, you got wings, man, can't you carry some with those?” He knew she couldn't, because wings weren't designed for that, but the idea struck him as really cool anyway.

Slapping them down on the counter with about as much care as a vegetarian handling raw and bloody meat, he brushed himself off and sneezed. “Wah, why are books always dusty, man, for sers? I hate libraries.”

[Kallis]

Kallis couldn't help but marvel at the way he spoke. There was every possibility that he was older than her in years, even though they appeared the same age, but he spoke like an insufferable teenager. It grated her nerves. However, she gratefully allowed him to take two of the books from her, and she watched him place them roughly on the counter, which made her cringe momentarily. She was now able to re-adjust the other two books, carrying them more carefully by stacking them on top of each other and grasping them with both hands.

She half grimaced, half smiled at his comment regarding her wings. "You know I can't," she said bluntly, in a hushed voice. Although it would definitely be useful at times, Kallis couldn't even fully use her wings for their designed purpose let alone anything else. She stepped forward, placing the last two books down (a lot more carefully) on the borrowing counter.

Getting a better glance at the item that was being scrutinized, and appeared to belong to the man, she saw a large, leather bound book that was obviously worth some value. She wondered how it had fallen into this man's hands. It seemed odd, since he clearly hated books. The librarian gave Kallis a swift, but kind smile, as if to thank her for behaving how one should in a library. She nodded, and waited with her palm atop her stack of books.

"I didn't know you could sell books to the library," she commented in an off-hand sort of way. She recoiled as he sneezed, "Bless you..."

[Kiel]

Kiel did a little dance that was supposed to be a shrug. “Like, I dunno, you know?” he confused the issue, rubbing his nose briskly with the back of a hand. “Like, Marty says "go here", I go here. Marty says "jump here", I jump here. Marty says "die", I... tell jokes, actually, 'cause, like, who the heck's gonna just keel over for that guy, you know? Hahahahahaha, I'm funny.”

The last was said faintly as he trailed off to eye the pile of books the Skotadi had dumped on the counter, cringing back as if they were alive and had giant fangs and claws and were carnivores.

“Wait, like, wait. You're willingly taking out that many books?!”

And then, as if he'd never interrupted his own train of thought, he darted right back with a quick, “But, like, where else do you think they get those things -” He pointed at the books warily. “- if they don't buy 'em, you know? Nobody does nothing for free, hahahahaha.”

[Kallis]

To be honest, Kallis had no idea what he was saying. She squinted her eyes, trying to follow the movement of his lips as if that would help somewhat. It didn't. She had no idea who Marty was, and if he had explained it she hadn't caught it. She smiled when he did, and gave a short chuckle when he laughed, hoping that that was enough to suffice and that her look of complete bemusement wasn't too painfully obvious. Luckily, she understood his questions, it was just the quick banter that followed which lost her.

"Yes, I do." Kallis said, in a matter of fact tone. There were only four books on the counter, and Kallis probably would have borrowed more had she been able to carry them.

He cut her off, so that she was unable to say more on the subject. Once again, he changed the topic completely, without a breath in between. She shrugged, "seems to me like people would be charitable enough to donate the books, since the library doesn't always make money back on them." She eyed him warily.

A number of people were still looking in their direction, and Kallis realised that their conversation was causing people to scowl at her now, too. Her cheeks blushed in reaction to the embarrassment, and she lowered her head. She slid her books over to the librarian, who began to process them. Kallis already had her details under file with the library, and she presented a small, thick card with her information, which the librarian took and scrutinized.

[Kiel]

“Wahahaahahhahaha!”

Kiel had never laughed so hard in his life. Like, maybe it was just 'cause he was 'Vari or something, but he found the idea of donations totally hilarious. Almost keeled over, he guffawed some more, completely oblivious to the stares and the librarian's furiously repeated "shush, shush!"

When he'd finally regained his breath enough to speak, he breathed, “Do you have any idea how expensive books are, man?” Printing presses were rare and small family-owned businesses, and hand-scribed books were usually one of a kind. But, like, maybe the Great Library at the palace was less strict or had better funding or something. Kiel had never been to the palace so he didn't have a clue what it was like there, although the stories made him think of towering stone structures and glittering gold, and --

“Hey, hey!” Bursting upright as his eyes widened with excitement, he hopped and begged for her to tell him: “Is it true the palace has gigantic statues of Anyeli heroes made out of gold?” Actually, that was just something a kid in the village a day's ride from his family's farm had told him one time, but he'd totally heard others about the statues being hundreds of feet tall, even if they were made out of plain, boring stone. “Man, I wanna see, I wanna see. They let non-Anyeli in, like, right? Take me, take me!”

[Kallis]

Kallis honestly had no idea how much books cost, as she had never ventured to purchase one or owned one to sell. She had only ever borrowed from the library or read the occasional hand-me-down from her parents. Even her parents, though, weren't regular readers and their family often shared information by simple word of mouth. She felt brutally reminded of her upbringing for a moment, and that old tinge of sadness that came from her stomach whenever her thoughts wandered back to that time. She realised she had been silent for a few moments, and brushed those memories aside.

"Heroes made out of gold?" Kallis repeated. She shook her head, she had never seen anything of the sort in the Cloud Palace, although it was a big place and she had by no means seen it all. It was true that there were huge statues in the Cloud Palace, many of which were so tall that it was hard to imagine how they were built at all.

"You don't need me to take you there," Kallis said, trying to think of some excuse so that she didn't have to drag him along with her for the rest of the day. She had seen non-Anyeli in the Cloud Palace, though not often, and mostly just in the great library where public access was granted. Kallis herself hadn't been to the Cloud Palace in some time, since moving to Hesia. Now that she considered the idea, she almost wanted to go. Every time she did, the architecture of the palace awed her, and it was difficult to believe that her race was divided into two after having built such a magnificent structure.

She sighed, "Well, maybe just for a little while..."

[Kiel]

When the Anyelos shook her head, Kiel's shoulders slumped. His drawn-out “Awwwwwww” earned him yet another sharp look but it seemed like the librarian had given up on shushing him. She was only making more noise that way anyway.

The Skotados seemed like she didn't want to have anything to do with him at first, but as the librarian dealt with her books and Kiel stuffed Marty's in his backpack (the dude would just have to come down here himself to negotiate a fee 'cause Kiel didn't have a clue what it was worth), she totally changed her mind and Kiel's excitement bounced right back.

“Like, for real? Hahahahaha, yay, yay! Let's go now, let's go now!” And to show he really meant now right now, he tugged on her wing like it was his mom's skirt and he was a little kid.

((Kiel has left the thread.))