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 Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 10:29 pm
Psychology manuals, plays, novels, history textbooks - it was a day off, and what better way to spend it than studying? Aila had claimed one of the tables in the library and had accumulated a pile of books that, from the floor, was almost as tall as she. Granted, the little thief wasn't very tall, but it was a considerable stack nonetheless. A fresh notebook lay before her open to the first crisp page, and her hand hovered over it, ink pen very nearly dripping at the opportunity to record the notes she was about to take.
And so she set to work, diligently taking in every word she read and rephrasing the highlights in language she would be able to retain more easily. Hours later she leaned back suddenly, stretched her stiff arms -
"Ah-!"
- and knocked over the books gathered at her side, reaching out in futility to catch them as they clattered to the ground.
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Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 10:39 pm
Imogen had been spending her spare time innocently enough, browsing through the stacks for some reference material for something she was writing, when she came upon a section of shelves that was occupied by a short teal haired woman who seemed wrapped up in her work. Annoyed that she was blocking the path so, the woman muttered something about inconsiderate road hogs as she scanned the shelves for the book she was looking for. She had the reference number and title written down on a scrap of paper, and she looked at it once or twice before she finally found it on a shelf above her head.
Unlike the other woman, Imogen was not short, and yet this book was still taking a bit of stretching on her part. As she stood on tip toe and reached for it, she heard a small sound of alarm from the woman hiding behind the stack of books. Turning quickly, Imogen saw the impressive tower of books falling towards her. She was close enough that there was nothing she could do though, and the weight of the books against her further threw her off balance, sending her tumbling back onto her butt.
"Ow!" she cried as tailbone hit hard, unforgiving outdoor/indoor carpet. A second later, the book she had been reaching for, loosened and pulled forward in it's place by her hand just before she fell, decided that just then would be a great time to fall and land smack on her head.
"Dammit!" the brunette cursed, brown eyes tearing up slightly from the pain as she looked up for the source of her pain.
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Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 10:52 pm
Aila could only watch helplessly at the chaos that unfolded as a result of her inattentiveness. Watch helplessly and hope the unfortunate passerby wasn't some vengeful elite. As the metaphorical dust cleared, she stood from her seat and crouched beside the young woman, removing the books that might have obstructed her standing and stacking them in much shorter piles behind her.
"My most sincere apologies," she said, one hand seizing the book that had found its way to the stranger's face and the other offering to help said stranger up. "Are you injured?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 11:04 pm
Eyes pinched shut in pain, Imogen waved off the other girl's attentions and pushed herself to her feet on her own power. Putting out a hand to grab a shelf as she straightened, her head pounding, her hand found something softer instead, but she ignored that for the time being and waited for the sharp pains to recede somewhat. When they did, she sighed a little and opened her brown eyes, realizing that she hadn't been holding a shelf, but had grabbed the other girl's shoulder instead. She was short, so Imogen could hardly be blamed for making the mistake. She had no business being short enough to be mistaken for a bookshelf, she thought irrationally to herself through her new born headache.
"I'm fine." the woman said, sounding much put upon as she hastily released the other girl's shoulder. Realizing that she was holding the book that she had been trying to get before she had been taken unawares by a menacing stack of books.
"Don't you know better than to stack books so high?" She asked coldly, her dark eyes sharp now as they seemed to try to burn a hole through Aila's cranium.
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Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 11:29 pm
Aila physically restrained herself from stepping back away from the woman's hand as she took hold of her shoulder - she at least owed her the support to stand, even if she had denied her previous offer of assistance. When her unexpected company had steadied herself, the girl raised the book slightly, holding it gingerly between both hands in offering.
"I felt they would be easier to reach if I stacked them in such a manner," she validated, regretting little about her actions. Her assumptions, after all, had been correct, and it had proved much simpler and swifter a task to select new books from the pile than it would have been had she divided them into smaller towers. "Nonetheless, I apologize."
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Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 12:07 am
"Hnn, easier to find, but rather a lot more painful when they land on you." Was the sardonic reply as Imogen reached out and took the book from the other girl. She held it in fine boned hands and looked it over for marks...or blood. The crack on her head had been enough that it wouldn't have surprised her a bit to find any. Still, the book proved to be in fine condition.
The book in question was one on architecture of the previous century. An odd choice, perhaps, to the outside observer, but just what she had been looking for.
Turning her brown eyes to the now much smaller, and much more numerous, piles of books blocking the floor, Imogen raised her eyebrow and asked "Just what are you doing with so many books out on the floor at once anyways?"
She wasn't particularly interested in the subject so much as in why it was this woman appeared to be set on booby trapping the library with her ridiculous stacks of books, big or small.
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Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 12:26 am
Aila had noted that the book was an architecture reference and, regardless of the woman's intentions in studying such a topic, made a mental note to look into the subject herself. It had been quite some time since she had last brushed up on her architecture, and it never hurt to be prepared to infiltrate any style of building.
Moving them to the table, was her sarcastic, unvoiced reply as she gathered as many of the things as she could into her arms and finding places for them that her notes did not already occupy. It would require a bit of arrangement if she wished for the environment to be properly organized, though. "Studies. I have not had a day away from training in some time and wish to catch up on my reading."
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Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 12:41 am
Imogen watched at the other girl started shifting her books to the table. Rather than offering to help (it was, after all, the other girl's mess, and one that had already caused her personal injury), she turned back to the shelf where she had found the book in question to see if any other caught her eye.
Spying a second book a shelf lower on architecture found in the Kanto region, she grabbed it as well and stood, flipping through it to see if it would suit her purposes.
The other girl had continued to speak when Imogen had turned her eyes back to the shelves, but she was forced to look around again. Catching up on some reading? It had been a large stack of books. Just what the heck was she catching up on?
"Oh?" she remarked, raising her scarred eyebrow again, a flash of her skepticism showing through in the simple gesture.
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Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 12:52 am
Aila detected the subtle tone of disbelieving that emerged in her company's voice as a result of the raised eyebrow. "Yes," she affirmed somewhat coldly, setting the last batch down. Rather than one massive, she had managed three stacks of relatively similar heights. "You are studying as well, are you not?" She gestured to the book the woman had drawn off the shelf. "It is not so uncommon a practice."
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Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 12:59 am
"Hnn, true enough." Imogen murmured, turning from the shelf, satisfied with her choices on the subject she had come to look into.
"Though I admit some curiosity as to what subject you are studying that require so many sources be referenced at one time." she remarked as she moved a bit closer, curiosity coloring her voice, and the cynicism dropping out.
She really was curious. After all, it was somewhat odd to have quite that many books out all at once. It wasn't as though the library were going anywhere any time soon. It didn't even close, really, since it was privately owned by team rocket and within their own base.
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Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 1:06 am
The shift in tone did not go unnoticed, and Aila responded in kind, "Mostly psychology. I cross-reference multiple textbooks to make sure I understand properly and apply my learnings to the analysis of characters in dramas and fiction. The history is pleasure reading for the occasional shift in focus." As much as she would have liked to continue her research in the comfort of her own room, she had no room to call her own: The trainee dorms offered little sanctuary for the seriously studious.
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Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 1:43 am
"I see...an interesting course of study." Imogen admitted, only slightly grudgingly. Perhaps she would have to pursue something similar when she was done with her current research for her pet project. A better understanding of people could only help in the development of fictional characters, after all.
She wasn't so much interested in understanding people around her as she was in writing characters that people could relate to, desire, love...yes, psychology would be her next course of study for certain.
"Is there a particular facet of history that attracts you more than others?" she asked, all for polite conversation with someone who had proved that they weren't a complete idiot after all.
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Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 1:56 am
"It is... useful." Her intensive studies had enabled her to master the common vernacular in writing, though she still stumbled in its verbal usage.
"I find myself taken more by recent history than other eras, but I've dabbled in foundations of civilization as well," she explained. "I also read current events when I have the opportunity." It struck her that she was beginning to ramble, and she cut herself off. "I suppose it's odd that I take such interest in such mundane things."
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Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 2:04 pm
Imogen nodded slightly as she listened to the other woman speak. She had done quite a lot of dabbling in history herself, since she enjoyed writing historical fiction, especially historical Romances. An odd preference for such a woman.
"I don't find it strange at all." Imogen said simply as she looked over a few of the books sitting on the other girl's table "Keeping up with current events is important, especially since the base is so far removed from everywhere else. Gathering information is how we rockets formulate our plans and carry our our missions, yes?" she asked with a slight smile.
"Besides," she continued "learning one's history is how you avoid letting it repeat itself."
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Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 4:56 pm
"Indeed. The headquarters building is certainly well-concealed, but it's inconvenient for keeping up with the going-ons of the rest of the world..." Aila had taken to weekly - or monthly, when her schedule became tight - adventures to Camphoreon to gather as many newspapers as she could. The internet was a good resource, but its scope of news was so wide that she was prone to becoming lost in her studies for lengths of time.
The comment about repeating history, though, drew a frown as she considered the implications of those words. Was her ultimate goal not, in essence, the repetition of the past?
"My name is Aila, by the way," she said, realizing she had not done so yet. "I apologize for the delay in my introduction."
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