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 Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2016 10:05 pm
Libris Filis bookshop sat just beyond the reach of the campus, run by a wily old Imp. Galan had not been able to pack many of his books in his valise when he made the move, and he had intentionally brought a budget to restock his shelves once he settled into his new dorm room.
He'd found this bookshop in particular quite by accident, but it was just the kind he liked: dusty, full of old tomes and relatively empty. There was a sort of mystic energy to these old tucked away shops that Galan adored. The strange light in Below that he was still acclimatizing to added an extra air of glory and mystery to his mood.
What kinds of books would he search for? Definitely an art book of Below's most accomplished artists. A book of fables, ideally. Perhaps a cookbook to experiment with? He would see what jumped off the shelves at him, and go from there.
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Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2016 11:58 pm
 Dreon was browsing the bookcases near the door. He wouldn't have said it was his favorite store, but it came close even if it wasn't too close to Asterion. The shopkeeper left him mostly alone, which worked out for him and most of the customers he'd seen were Academy teachers and other adults.
He heard the door, which in itself was of no interest to him, though being close to it he looked up and noticed a young Goblin, likely from the Academy, enter. He was admittedly a bit surprised by that, and so stared longer than he'd meant to and he wondered if the only reason he hadn't seen Academy students in the store was simply because of the time of day he usually frequented it.
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2016 3:13 am
As it was his first time inside this bookshop, Galan wasn't sure what to expect. When he stepped in through the front door, a bell jingled, announcing to the entire store that he had arrived. Galan hated having attention unduly thrust upon him, and in a reactionary panic, he completely lost his train of thought. He stalled on the threshold, blinking around the shop.
To his dismay, he saw that the bell had done its work. He met the glance of a young man standing before the nearest row of shelves. Galan offered an unsure smile and rushed forward, clutching his satchel close to have something to focus on so he didn't look as awkward as he felt.
He bee-lined for the shelves, but realised the moment he arrived next to the dark green man that he had no idea what section he was in. Feeling increasingly foolish and trying to regain his bearings as swiftly as he could, Galan simply stayed where he was, eyes scanning the titles, hoping that something would jump out at him. He could feel the heat of embarrassment creeping up his cheeks, tinging the normal silvery hue of his skin a darker teal.
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2016 2:58 pm
At first the younger individual's odd behavior puzzled Dreon, but he soon realized that the bell must have startled them. When they continued to act oddly however, it occurred to him that this younger individual was embarrassed or something to the like.
As someone who didn't really like attention himself, he could imagine how mortified they were and while normally he wouldn't speak to someone without a good reason, wouldn't trying to put someone at ease count as a good reason? As much as he liked his quiet time, he hadn't known about this shop when he had been at the Academy himself and knew he would have appreciated it at the time. Let the store be someone else's haven too.
"You're fine." He said as gently as he could, shifting away slightly to give the other some breathing room so he wouldn't feel like Dreon was looming or something. "The bell just gives the owner some idea of how many people are in the shop."
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2016 4:37 pm
"Thanks," Galan replied quietly, hazarding a glance up at the taller man, quite relieved to see he wasn't teasing. "I'll be ready for it next time," Galan added, as if he were bracing himself to face a dreaded foe. The conversation, simple as it was, helped to settle his nerves and he again felt like himself. He blinked at the books before him, finding a string of contemporary fiction titles greeting him. He didn't know the first place to start.
He turned around, appreciatively watching the dust motes dance through the shafts of golden light pouring in from the high windows. The shelves were packed in some semblance of order, but an ignored trolley sat near the front counter with discarded tomes, and here and there haphazard stacks implied too many books to all have a suitable home.
Turning back to the kindly gentleman, Galan leaned in slightly. "Excuse me," he probed gently. "Sorry to bother you... Do you happen to know where the mythology section is?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 3:50 pm
"Mythology? Yeah sure, it's towards the back." Dreon would have just left it at that, but didn't know if they would have the confidence to ask the storekeep if they ended up not being able to find it, and while he knew making assumptions were bad, what did it honestly hurt him to help a potential fellow bookworm?
"Come on, I'll show you." He tucked back the book he'd been looking at to head for the back. "My name's Dreon, by the way. Did you just find the store? I didn't know about it myself until I'd started at Asterion."
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 5:14 pm
Galan perked happily and bobbed a shy little bow. "Thank you very much!" He hurried after the Dryad, trying to keep pace with his longer strides while still looking around and trying to take it all in.
"I just looked it up in the phone directory," Galan explained. "I chose it on merit of its title, honestly. But this is just the kind of bookshop I like."
He watched the green man move, keenly interested in the waver of his leaf-crown and wondering if the breeze tickled them, or if it was like a cat's whiskers helping him to navigate distance and space.
As they moved back into the depths of the shop, the natural light gave way to some yellowy lamps and Galan blinks to accustomize his sight. He still wasn't used to the light in Below, but it seemed to him to have an old-time charm, like lamplight. Still, he worried all this reading and drawing in the dim lighting would ruin his eyes. He wondered if the Nightmares were genetically pre-disposed to lower lighting, which in turn made him wonder if that affected how they saw colour and what impact that might have on their art.
So absorbed in these thoughts, he nearly bumped into Dreon, and swerved to avoid colliding with him and accidentally collided with the corner of a shelf-stack and let out an involuntary noise, a breathy sort of gasp.
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 4:16 pm
Dreon grabbed Galan by impulse to keep him from knocking anything over. "Willow's boughs!" He swore. "Be careful! If you knock a bookcase over, you'll have to pick all the books up!" Not that he knew from personal experience or anything.
Once certain Galan had his balance, he let go of him and sighed, gently smoothing at the leaves in his hair in a self-soothing gesture to calm down. He had to remember that this person was young and jumpy. He might be abrupt, but he tried not to be rude.
"Well anyway, this is the section you wanted. It's listed by race mythos, except the books that have stories from several races.Those are on that shelf there." He pointed at the one next to the one Galan had bumped.
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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 10:36 pm
"Oh, how charming!" Galan murmured in an eager tone. He leaned back to take the shelves in, scanning the sections race by race. "I hardly know where to start..." he added, half-under his breath. And then, because Dreon was such a strapping representation of his race, Galan reached first for a tome of Dryad lore.
As he pulled it off the shelf, the gilded leaves embossed on the leather cover glittered in the low light and Galan smiled, pausing to run his fingers over the texture. Remembering himself, he blinked up at the Dryad and offered another swift bow. "Thank you very much, Dreon."
He stood for a moment, peering up into the shadowy greens of the taller man's face and offered a tentative smile. "Perhaps I can repay you with a portrait? I do need the practise, and though I can't promise anything spectacular, I'd be happy to draw you. If that's not...too presumptuous of me?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 2:27 pm
Dreon had been about to excuse himself and leave Galan to his browsing when he asked him a question and Dreon blinked. "A portrait?" He arched a brow, then shrugged. "Sure, a portrait is fine. I can appreciate art." Though not of an illustrative bent himself, writing proved messy enough for him, he could appreciate those who worked with those mediums and this younger student was just offering to draw him.
"Not now, I'm assuming." He said dryly. "So we'll have to plan a time to get together for that, right?" Other than being clumsy and easily flustered, this goblin was okay he guessed. He wouldn't say he was a 'friend' or even necessarily heading in that direction, but Dreon wasn't going to discount the possibility. He was only in his first year of Asterion, so this goblin wasn't that much younger than him anyway most likely.
He put his hands in his pockets. "Just keep in mind that it's a bookstore, not a library and the storekeep might feel they have to chastise you if you get too comfortable." He smirked crookedly. "Not that I'd know from personal experience or anything."
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Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2016 10:10 pm
"Of... Of course," Galan nodded, wondering if he had perhaps given the Dryad the wrong impression, and making effort to draw himself up to a professional, more confident stance. He wasn't sure if it was working, mind you... "At some later date we can meet for a portrait. I'm a student still, so We can organize something outside of class times. I erm..." He trailed off, pulling his satchel around and fishing for a pen and a piece of paper to scribble out his number. If he left the meeting up to his model, then the green gentleman wouldn't think he was being forward or clingy, right? He offered the scrap of paper with a small smile. "At your convenience, of course."
He shifted the Dryad lore book under the crook of his arm and looked around at Dreon's next comment. He caught sight of an ancient beady-eyed Imp behind the counter, his fur bedraggled and sparse in his old age, staring him down as if he were a shop-lifter. Galan cleared his throat and checked the price on the book he held. He did some quick calculations and looked up. "I can afford to get one more... Any suggestions?" He murmured aloud, partly to make conversation with his new acquaintance and partly so the shopkeep might overhear and quit his intent glaring. Galan truly had come intending to buy. He'd never even dream of harming a book or stealing anything. The fact that anyone might so misjudge him nearly hurt his feelings.
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Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2016 2:04 am
The urge to be sarcastic was strong, but Dreon resisted it. This goblin was young and obviously nervous. He had to be nice. Being an arse was why even people he wanted around him didn't want to be around him. It was time to change that, and why not start here? He took the paper offered him and looked at the number, then nodded and folded it up to tuck away.
"I'll give you a call when I know I'll have free time for a while." He promised and then looked over toward the shopkeeper when Galan did and then looked away. "Don't worry about him. He glares at everyone like that." He then considered Galan's question. "Well given you took a book about the lore of my people, why not grab a fae one too since my people and their's are so strongly connected?" He shrugged afterward. "Or maybe a book on Imp myths, to endear yourself to the shopkeeper."
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Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2016 1:19 pm
Whether from his innocence or his wishful thinking, Galan noticed only the helpful, confident presentation of this Dryad and offered a winsome smile. "Fey is a wonderful suggestion. I know very little of their ways as it is." He drew his hand along the shelf, searching for the Fey section, and then, once he had found it, traced his fingertips across the spines until one jumped out at him. He wiggled the second tome from the shelf and plopped it on top of the Dryad Lore in his arms. This cover was simple in appearance, but there was a hint of glimmer to the leather, as it it had been treated in an oilspill. The colours seemed to swim just below the surface in a rippling rainbow. Galan smiled contentedly, admiring the workmanship.
He flipped the book open to peruse a few pages and caught sight of some plate illustrations and that clinched the decision. He closed the book and nodded up to Dreon. "Yes, this will do perfectly. Thank you for all of your help!" He bowed again and bustled to the counter to pay for his selections. He wasn't sure if he ought to leave the gentleman be after that. After all, he had stumbled in upon his own quiet review with the books and he didn't want to further detain the stoic man from his errand. And yet... He didn't feel that he'd had the chance to ask the many questions bubbling below the surface. Perhaps that was why he didn't offer farewells. Perhaps he hoped that the Dryad might permit him to tag along...
As these thoughts rolled through his active mind, he felt overly sensitive to the motions of Dreon at his shelves. Galan's tail flicked in nervous anticipation, expecting he knew not what. He had to focus doubly-hard as the Imp told him his total, and he fumbled in his satchel for his wallet.
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Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2016 4:00 pm
Dreon on the other hand had shifted his attention to other matters, since he figured the young goblin was soon to be leaving and didn't want to seem strange by watching him. He wasn't responsible for the younger's actions so why risk second hand embarrassment? He would probably speak up if the storekeeper decided to give him a hard time, but what were the chances of that happening anyway?
The leaves on his ears trembled as he turned his attention to the bookcases around him while he kept half his attention on the younger. He would need to take a look at his class schedule, then give Galan a call and arrange something. It would probably be on a weekend, that made the most sense. Some time when neither one of them had a heavy homework load. It probably wouldn't be too difficult. He picked up a book to idly look at the cover.
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Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2016 7:37 pm
The Imp seemed to lose some of his rancour when he saw that the youngster was not a shoplifter or a loiterer, but actually had both intent and means to buy the books lovingly cradled in his arms. The balance was settled, and a bag appreciatively declined. Galan managed to squeeze both books into his satchel and was adjusting its strap on his shoulder as he turned away from the counter.
To his surprise, Dreon had not moved back to the shelves at the front of the store. He was now looking through a book in the section Galan himself had purchased from, the very one Dreon had been so kind as to lead him to.
Timidly Galan approached, tilting his head a little to try and read the cover text. So as not to give the impression he was sneaking up on the other, or creepily stalking him, he asked softly,
"Do you like mythology too?"
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