[PRP] Lots and lots of note-taking (Gale + Saya)

[revenant aria]

Saya sat one of the library chairs, her legs curled up against her chest with stacks of books scattered around her. Books roamed the table space and the chair next to her, several open, others half-open and resting as bookmarks for other semi-closed books. One hand tapped in an erratic beat against another book's spine as she read through one, eyebrows furrowing as she tried to mentally highlight the important parts.

Important parts, she wrote in her little book of notes to remember.

"Zzzzzz"

Her weapon was bored out of his mind and had deigned to take a nap. He had offered to teach but to put it simply, Prompto's teaching style lacked details. Saya liked details. It had been hard to find an in-between of the two and hence, the library won out. What better place than the library?  

[kuropeco]

<< Are you ever going to sleep? >>

Sleep?

<< Yes, sleep. You know, that thing where you close your eyes and have dreams? >>

I know what it means, idiot - but it's the middle of the afternoon.

<< And considering you didn't sleep at all last night, my question is still quite valid. >>

I'm ignoring you now.

This conversation (or argument, as it was) continued for the entire time Gale was walking across the Deus Ex grounds towards the main building, his hands slipped into the pockets of his white coat, scarf trailing behind him. He didn't really want to spend his afternoon enclosed inside of a stuffy room, but there was always more research to be done, and when Caelius got back - if he ever did - Gale was not going to be found sitting on his hands and doing nothing.

When he stepped into the library, the rows upon rows of books and notebooks lining the walls, Gale idly made his way down the line, his eyes tracing the sweep of the letters on the spines. He selected a few, stuck them in his arms, and turned to find a table to sit at.

<< Over there. >>

Hmm?

<< One of the newbies. >>

Gale swiveled his head around. Sure enough, sitting in one of the library chairs, her knees drawn up against her chest, was a long haired young woman with a look of great concentration on her face. Slowly Gale shifted, debating internally, and then, with a small sigh, stepped towards her.

"Good afternoon," he said. "You're...Saya, aren't you?"

Random Artist

 

[revenant aria]

Saya hadn't been expecting anyone to approach, a book resting on her folded knees. Her finger marked the book as a bookmark, temporarily closing it as a voice startled the daylights out of her.

She visibly jumped, the shake of her consciousness causing Prompto to briefly open an eye (figuratively, she would guess,) his drowsy alertness brushing through her scattered mind. Oh god, this was so confusing to get used to, herself, Prompto and someone else all at once.

"Good afternoon!" She chirped, automatically, the book now clutched to her chest as she stood to bow slightly to her senior. "Y-Yes. I'm Saya." She straightened, her sash lifting from the ground. She recalled him from her awakening-- Gale, he had introduced himself as. It wasn't hard to recall, considering he was one of the few whose introductions that Saya had managed to catch. Unfortunately, the female could hardly step forward, with stacks of books littered around her feet as well.

Why was he here--

Oh no, she was being selfish and hogging all the books and he probably needed to read them. She had just been so absorbed, she forgot the most important concept called etiquette. Another mistake on her part.

"I'm sorry, I'll put away the books. I didn't mean to take them all." She said with a resigned apologetic note, wondering how she could possibly make so many mistakes.

kuromeez

 

[kuropeco]

Gale took a slightly taken aback step backwards, his brows lifting.

Great, I scared her. Just what I needed.

<< At least you didn't do anything stupid like you usually do. >> remarked Jinhai, in a clearly amused tone of voice. Gale could almost see the dragon unfurling in his mind, stretching his wings, eyes flashing like sapphires.

Thanks for your support.

<< Always. >>

"I, er, sorry," said Gale apologetically, absently tapping a finger on one of the books he held in his arms. "I didn't mean to startle you. You just looked as though you were a bit, er...confused about all of this, and I was just wondering if you were holding up all right..."

He trailed off, seeing as how a flustered Saya was now apologizing herself for...a reason that had not even crossed Gale's mind.

"Er, no," he said quickly, waving a hand. "No, you're fine, don't worry about it. I was just...checking in. My apologies."

Could I be any more awkward?

<< Yes. >>

Thanks.

<< Anytime. >>

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[revenant aria]

"Oh. You were checking in?" Saya felt really bad now-- He looked uncomfortable. And it was because she misunderstood. Putting her book down, Saya tried to decide the nearest course of action that would smooth things over. Honesty, perhaps?

Not that Saya was anything else.

Her words tumbled out in a hesitant rush, her finger running idly across the spine of the book in her arms, sorting out the mess of thoughts. "Well, you're right. The information overload is confusing," Saya confessed, a small sigh escaping her. In fear of sounding whiny to the upper hunter, Saya straightened and grasped half-heartedly at a smile. "The training looks intimidating but I'm sure practice makes perfect." Practice had better work, in Saya's case.

"Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure I've got the divisions down, along with an idea of what they're supposed to do."

A vague idea. There was only so much one could detract from text without experience.

"I-Is there any common sense things that I should pick up beforehand?"

Like not bothering the division leaders. Their approach wasn't exactly the warmest reception-- Saya had only heard rumors but nobody had really elaborated.

kuromeez

 

[kuropeco]

Gale had a feeling he had stuck his foot in his mouth. She was looking very confused, and then a little concerned, and Gale was mentally putting his hand up to his face and feeling altogether very stupid. Jinhai, of course, was amused, but Gale was just ignoring him.

"Er," he said. "Well...yes. I mean, you're rather new, and I suppose I just wanted to check in and make sure that you were settling in all right."

A slight pause.

"Which sounds a little awkward when I say it like that," he added, with a slightly rueful quirk of his lips, but once he relaxed a bit, and Saya started speaking, some of the awkwardness seemed to ebb away and Gale was able to stand a bit less stiffly, his fingers idly tugging at the spine of one of the books he held.

"I'm sure it is," he agreed, with a small nod. "I remember when I first got here, I was completely discombobulated. Had no idea what I was doing, and I made a lot of stupid mistakes, but..." He shrugged. "After a bit I realized what I was doing and everything sort of...fell into place."

One of Gale's brows rose at her question and the faintest hint of a smile crossed his face as he replied, a little dryly, "Ah, yes, well...a few things. The first is probably not to get on Caelius' bad side. He's the head of the Death Division, and a big drama queen who likes to be right, so don't argue with him and just do what you're told, and you'll be fine. Be wary of Doc H, head of the Life Division - he's kind of a creep. Clarice, though - she's his assistant - she's nice and she's very capable."

Pushing his bangs away from his face, Gale added, a bit teasingly "And don't mention my height, and you'll be good. What division are you, anyway?"

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[revenant aria]

Saya took Gale's advice with a serious contemplation, pulling a notebook from a pocket to write down the names and advice Gale imparted so nicely. Don't argue with Caelius .. Dr. H was .. queer-- Clarice was nice. She almost didn't realize the male had stopped talking about the staff and started on about himself, briefly, her gaze pulled up slowly to measure Gale's height. He wasn't that short--

"I-I see. I'll take that into mind."

Saya relaxed into a chuckle, his teasing tone lowering her tense shoulders. Males probably did run into more short jokes than short girls like Saya, she guessed. "I'm Moon. D-Do you know how people are there? Like .. how much or that sort?"

Saya wasn't yet sure how big Deus was, only left to guess and question. A frustrating position for anyone to be in, although it would probably only be like that for a short while. But meanwhile, she was worried about the Moon crew. The hunters that greeted them at the awakening seemed lovely so Saya wasn't tremendously worried.  

[kuropeco]

He had confused her with that last statement. Gale, in spite of himself, gave a small laugh.

"I'm only joking," he said, shaking his head and waving his free hand. "There's no need to think hard on that last one. I'm just adding a bit of humour in, since around here there can never be too much."

<< That's rich, coming from the most stoic kid on the island. >>

Shut up, you. Just because I keep quiet doesn't mean she will.

Nodding, Gale took a seat on the edge of the chair opposite Saya, perching the books he held in his arms on his legs and brushing his hair away from his eyes - a gesture he did more than he realized.

"Moon is pretty well rounded," he said. "Your Division Leader isn't...around, from what I know, but the assistant in charge is named Julie. She's a bit, er....well, just don't go near her when she has cookies or is near anything electric. I know Davey is a Moon; he's a really good guy, very capable. Dakota...er, well, never mind about him. There's Ceres and Marcus - Marcus is pretty cool, and Ceres is still relatively new, like you - seems very nice, though. And Ryan is a good guy as well. There are others, of course, but those are the ones I know of the best."

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[revenant aria]

"There does seem to be a rather serious atmosphere going on." Saya tried to cover for her lack of humor, giving Gale an uncertain smile. She listened to him speak, a tiny thought nagging at her mind, tugging in back. What was wrong with Miss Julie and cookies? But the topic seemed so trivial, she hardly felt the need to bring it up. For Saya, it was probably just a manner of burning them to the point of inedible means.

Eventually, Saya wold find out.

"I see. That's a relief." Saya sunk into her chair, the rigidness instantly slipping from her posture as she stretched in her chair. "Well, I suppose that settles that. I'm glad half of it isn't as intimidating as Prompto made it sound."

You'll find out. His casual tone sprinked with a hint of distraction, as if he were sitting back in a chair and idly reading over a paper, echoed through Saya's mind. She probably would, she mused silently. But for now, Gale's reassurances would work very well.

kuromeez

 

[kuropeco]

"Yes, well," said Gale dryly, rolling his eyes. "It's Deus Ex Machina - unfortunately 'serious' doesn't quite even begin to describe what it's like here."

<< Unless you're Bix. >>

"Unless you're Bix."

Absently twisting the ring on his finger, Gale frowned slightly. With Caelius not back, the Headquarters of Deus Ex seemed almost...changed - whether for the good or the bad, he wasn't entirely certain, but at the very least it certainly felt odd. And he could not reassure Saya that she would not even run into him, since he had a feeling the death hunter would be back before long.

"Prompto?" repeated Gale. "I'm assuming that's your weapon, then. How have you been doing with them? Handling things all right on that end?"

Random Artist

 

[revenant aria]

"That's his name. We're doing okay together." Saya answered with a vagueness in her tone, assuming that not all weapons automatically "clicked" with their owners. It was like friendships, right? Some were tense and some were amiable ..

"The telepathy you gain from this relationship is rather jarring though. I can never get used to a second person in my head." Saya admitted to Gale, hearing the snoozing of Prompto in the back of her mind. She seated herself comfortably on the chair, prepared for a long long night of reading ahead of her. Perhaps, Gale was going to read for the night as well?

kuromeez