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 Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 2:29 pm
Taro Rae Grave heard he comment and agreed, although his head did not nod as he would have done were he not concentrating so completely on weaving around the steadily filling Lounge to the safety of the corridor. When he heard he request he stopped abruptly and smiled at her. There was a nearly mischievous twinkle in his eye, more akin to excitement than to mischief. "Where did you think we were going?" his voice had it's usual soft brush-suede quality, but there was a warmness in it of instant-companionship. "Come on, I'll show you." Grave made his way around the spiral of corridors, gradually heading out and out. Occassionally he caught sight of older students, ones so near to their first Transcendance that his breath nearly caught in his throat to observe them. Now and then he caught sight of half-open doors with mysterious things lurking behind in the shadows, but he did not stop, only slowed from time to time to make sure he could keep the girl near him. He did not want to risk getting seperated from her, and at times he felt he was keeping her close by the warmth of her body more than the contact of her tiny hand in his.
And then, looming before them out of side of the continuous hallway stood a short corridor and at its end a set of absolutely massive black iron doors absolutely wrought from top to bottom with curling images of vines, animals long since extinct: leopards, sea gulls, elephants, elk, martens, and many more that Grave did not recognise. And as these figures intertwined and swirled towards the centre images of alchemical and medical tools were depicted, and plants and flowers used in potions, elements and symbols. and finally at the very center were depicted four glowing beings, without distinct form or shape each surrouned by one of the four Ouroboroses of the Aligmnents. He knew, somewhere inside that these four beings, godly and faceless were the Metatrons. And as he stood staring at them, the massive library doors swung open on silent hinges. There was nothing to do but stare as the grand doors swung open. A small gasp of amazement overcame Arwen and she stepped forward into the library, hand still in Grave's, tugging him gently along behind her. "It's.... it's...." Words could hardly describe what it was. Eden. Paradise. The lost secrets of a thousand worlds waiting to be discovered. "It's wonderful." Arwen smiled at Grave, her whole face lighting up. "It's the most wonderful thing I've ever seen." "I've never been inside the Library until now," Grave whispered back, respect and deferrance keeping his voice low and his steps soft. He moved along side her, like a guardian or an escort, keeping her pace. Within the vaulted corridor great works of art lined either side of the hall, everything from tapestries to statues to hung oil paintings. And at the end of the corridor hung three beacons of light, like will o' the wisps gleaming off in the gloom. The light caught on the ornate details of some form of massive archway that was yet too obscured to make out. Grave glanced sidelong at the other, and marveled at the pale ghostly white of her face amidst the dark shadows that surrounded them. Arwen felt as if she was sharing a delicious secret with her new friend. One hand she twined in his, almost loathe to break contact with him. The other hand, almost of it's own accord, reached out to trail pale fingers over ancient tomes. She felt a tremble skitter down her spine as she gazed at this painting and that sculpture. This was surely a place of greatness. She could almost hear long-forgotten secrets calling out for her. Begging to be discovered. An immense feeling of rightness and belonging overwhelmed her then, and in a rare show of genuine emotion she turned unexpectedly and threw her arms around Grave's neck in a tight little hug. "Thank you" she whispered in his ear as she embraced him. Impossible to tell if she was thanking him for sharing the gift of the library, or for being her friend, or for simply being a kindred spirit. Perhaps all three. Nevertheless, the words were heartfelt. Grave felt his heart leap up into his throat as the girl's slender arms wrapped about his neck and heard her words of thanks whispered into his ear. Grave could feel his cheeks heating a little, and one would have noticed the shade of lavender there deepening in hue for a moment. With nothing coming to mind to respond, all Grave could do was smile warmly and hug her in return. Silently, he moved forward, connected by the warmth of her little hand to her mind and the enthusiasm contained there. As he drew nearer to that vaulted room beyond the corridor Grave could feel his heart racing as if about to discover another world. Arwen could sense that she - that both of them, really - were drawing close to something that would impact both their lives greatly. Deep within her she knew what the library was, in essence. She knew it contained books and she knew she could read those books. She knew that among books was where she longed to be. But the fact remained that she had still never actually seen a library full of books. Indeed, the only books she could ever remember seeing were the empty diaries waiting to be filled by her own hand. And so she followed Grave, her excitement still hovering within her, not entirely sure what awaited them but fully aware that whatever it was, it was already wonderful. Arwen gave the Librarian a quiet, thoughtful smile. It wasn't so much that she was a lousy conversationalist, it was more that she had so many more important things to do than chat. At least, in her opinion. Glancing in the direction Grave had led the other boy off to, she offered Requiem a swift but graceful curtsey, her eyes solemn behind the curtain of her hair. Then without so much as a word, she dissapeared into the stacks. ((sorry sorry! No net access right now, so I'm half-writing myself out of the scene for now. ^^; ))
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Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 9:10 am
At the end of the corridor of artistic wonders, there stood a wide and heavy wooden desk of deep ebony and mahogany paneling. Amidst the clutter of record books, floppies, cds and computer components was nestled a small and squirrelly Empyrean. He was a Stage Three by the look of things, with a small spiraled horn of deep blue on his brow. He had crescent shaped spectacles on the end of his tiny nose and yellow eyes peered intently at some worn old photographs enlarged by the ornate magnifying glass in his hands.
"Excuse me," Grave began, whispering and rising onto his tiptoes to peer over hte clutter. The Empyrean before them leapt visibly and dropped the magifying glass with a clatter.
"By the Metatrons you scared me!" Grave bowed his head appologetically as the skittish Phlegamtic fumbled with his clothes and papers. "What can I help you with?"
Grave looked to Arwen. He smiled. 'Well,' his smile seemed to say, 'You wanted to see the Library, what would you like to look up?'
Dariyn had never been to the Library before...in fact, he hadn't really been much of anywhere, much less a place so phenomenally mind-engaging as this one was. Progress was slow, as he stopped to gawk at each and every minute detail...and he had to gather the greatest efforts to reign in his impulse to touch. Nooo...touching would be bad.
So entranced, the young male stopped just short of staring with mouth open and eyes wide as saucers...he had a little bit of self-restraint...just a little. Finally nearing the end of the hall, as it had taken him far longer than he deemed necessary to reach said goal, crimson orbs finally pulled their gaze back to where his feet were actually taking him.
A miracle he hadn't run into a wall.
Grave caught sight of someone else in the hallway and glanced over his shoulder to see a bewildered and awestruck Phlegmatic boy. Grave offered him a smile and turned to Arwen. "Talk with Requiem for a bit, I think that boy needs a bit of help finding his way too. I'll be back shortly." Grave smiled and squeezed her hand and turned to the Phlegmatic boy. "Can I help you?" He called out softly, careful to keep his voice quiet.
Oh...someone was talking to him. Dragging his gaze away from the architechture and other articles of interest, he raised a cerulean eyebrow at the dark-haired boy. "Uhm..." Dariyn looked somewhat embarassed at the state of engrossment the other had caught him in. "I suppose you could...I...think..."
He was making a mess of this, he decided ruefully. "I've never been here before...never been much of anyplace here, actually." His voice was quiet, as though afraid someone would call him down if he did otherwise.
Grave smiled and took a few steps forward in his manner of quiet confidence. "No need to be afraid." Grave offered an upturned hand and smiled a small smile. "I'll show you the Library if you'd like."
He smiled as well, obviously relieved by the offer. "Oh...thank you...that would be wonderful. Taking Grave's hand with his own, slender fingers wrapping about the other's palm, Dariyn tilted his head slightly to one side. "I'm Dariyn."
Grave smiled and closed his hand over the other boy's fingers. "My name is Grave. It's good to meet you." Grave turned slightly, and gently leading Dariyn started towards the library proper. Grave nodded and smiled to Requiem as he passed and moved into the main room of the library.
The ceiling vaulted above them into unmeasurable blackness in a series of arches, buttresses, domes and pillars. The low and polished wooden tables glimmered in the light of lamps and lanterns, dully reflecting the surrounding bookshelves. There were innumerable bookshelves of all sizes and shapes, holding leather and cloth-bound books of parchment, velum and paper; smaller shelves held lcds, cds and dvds; another old case near the wall touted a small record collection, and an old turntable sat above the case ready to be played. Magazine racks and medical journals lined the walls and here and there ladders and trolleys with returned books sat scattered about the carpets, things that Requiem had not yet put away.
Grave looked about himself and paused. It took a long moment for him to still the avarice clear in his expression. Never had he seen so many wonderful things...
He nodded, and perhaps might have said more, but was instead distracted as they moved forwards. Hardly realizing that the other was indeed leading him, wide crimson eyes drank in the sights about him. And never before could he remember seeing so many books...so many references...places where information was stored and could be made available to his ready mind. A soft whistle of admiration escaped him, for for the moment, words had fled.
Grave's mind puddled into drooling incohesive mush. This, surely was paradise. Grave's steps into the room trailed off with his thoughts and he stood dumbstruck for several long moments, just breathing in the deep rich scent of leather, ink and binding. Unconsciously he gave Dariyn's hand a squeeze and a huge grin began to unfurl on his face. This was the widest he'd ever grinned, this was the fullest his heart had ever felt, and through it all, as his senses returned one by one, a single word floated in his mind. Bibliophile.
So be it.
Dariyn wasn't much better...simply the task of attempting to fathom the idea that there was this much knowledge at his fingertips...that there was such a vast store of information anywhere, utterly floored him, his lips parting in the sheer wonder of it all.
Leave it to a couple of academics to find their emotional high without so much as touching one of those leather-bound tomes.
"This is...phenomenal..." Finally finding his voice again in nothing but a reverent whisper.
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Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2006 1:08 pm
Grave nodded, and overcoming his reverie swept forward to the nearest bookshelf and began scanning titles. Soon his Academic arms bowed with the weight of a few volumes he'd plucked from the Shelf. The Short Stories of Edgar Allen Poe, The Metamorphoses by Ovid, Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradisio by Dante, Socrates by Plato, Hawkmoon and Corum by Michael Moorcock...
And then he staggered to the nearest wooden table before the weight of the books toppled him.
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Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 3:25 pm
Dariyn would not at all assume that he could manage as many books as Grave had chosen, though he smiled when he saw the other Academic's reading choices. Quite good ones, those. And he in turn chose his selection: The Georgics by Virgil, The Vampire Armand by Anne Rice, and a book of assorted writings by Chaucer.
Joining his companion with infinitely more grace, he grinned over at him, "Have you read any of those before?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 7:57 am
Grave shook his head, glancing with obvious interest at his companion's reading choices. "No, I've read a few poems by Poe before, but not his short stories. The rest are new to me, although these last two," he gestured towards the two by Michael Moorcock, "are two of Requiem's favourites." Grave ran his hand over the covers of the books spread out before him, appraising them, and trying to decide which to devour first.
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Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 9:44 pm
Before long, the blue-haired youngster had his nose buried in The Georgics and had bitten his lip in concentration, crimson eyes shining with the undisguised lusting that a devoted student has for his studies. A book could be just as interesting to him as any one person.
Yes, this is probably what he'd devote himself to until summoned away to do otherwise.
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Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 9:50 pm
As the two students sat at the desk, the Librarian, Requiem, drew near the table, his hooves making soft clops on the floor with each graceful and deliberate step.
"Check out time is drawing to a close...did you boys want to borrow anything?" Requiem asked softly, smiling and his arms folded neatly behind his back.
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Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 9:55 pm
Grave looked up from his copy of Edgar Allan Poe and tried to disguise the heartbroken expression on his face. His time was up already? Goodness, how much time had passed? The evening had gone so quickly, and he'd forgotten to eat! Well, he'd grab some food on his way to his room, and yes he was going to borrow a few books!
Grave looked over the titles before him, "I'll borrow this book of Poe's short stories..." Grave said, inserting a thumb into the pages of Ligeia to keep his spot. He noticed a book on Mudra's lying on the table atop a copy of something on technoequips. "And I'll borrow those two as well." He said, pointing towards the two tomes.
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Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 10:06 pm
There was also a decidedly disappointed expression on Dariyn's face as he dragged his gaze reluctantly from his own bit of reading. Gesturing to the books he had initially picked up and settled himself down with. "I guess I'll take these..." His voice was quieter, as he was simply following Grave's lead...not entirely confident as to how things worked.
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Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 10:11 pm
Requiem grinned and tapped one of his technorings. A telzon assembled and materialized and he turned it on with a beep. He lifted each of the books Grave had selected and scanned them into the handheld, and then typed in Grave's name. Requiem followed the same procedure for Dariyn's three books and then he smiled at them both again. "You can stay and read in here as long as you like...but only those books you've check out will be authorized to leave the library. Whenever you're done with them, come see me again, and I'll check them back in. Happy reading!"
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Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 10:16 pm
Grave smiled and thanked Requiem and gathered his books. He stood up from his chair and stretched. "Dariyn, I'm going to grab a snack from the
dining hall and head back to my room to read... I hope to see you in class tomorrow." Grave spoke softly and smiled kindly.
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Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 10:28 pm
He nodded quickly, enthusiastic, "All right...I think I'll go back to my own room for the moment. I do hope to meet up with you again in classes." Slipping up, he picked his books up carefully, as each were treasure hoards of information.
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Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 10:30 pm
"Ah," Grave started, shifting his own books in his arms. "If you're leaving now too, I'll walk with you a little ways...if that's all right?" Grave made his way around the table and inclined his head towards the exit.
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Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 10:46 pm
There was another immediate inclination of his head in affirmation. "That would be splendid!" He had a warm smile for the other boy, whom he now considered his friend. Dariyn was ready to follow whenever Grave started making his way out.
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Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 11:01 am
Young Antigone was not at all intimidated by the rows upon cases upon walls of books. She was comforted by them. She was excited by them. So many things to learn, so many adventures to go on, so many words to devour... She loved it. She absolutely loved this place, and it was her first time here! She would have to make sure to borrow as many books as they allowed her to, and spend a goodly amount of time imersing herself in new worlds that were actually set on page, rather than rattling about in her head.
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