001 ☠ The Library ☠ Day 9 & 10 & Probably More

[flightofdeath]

[Kissy Face, as the Mason deems to call him, stalks from the Inner Gardens (his usual hunting ground) to the Library. Yes, stalks, not glides or flies. As he is awakened now, anyone who may view him at this time will be seeing his human form, rather than the Dementor one. Not due to any shame as to what he is, no. Rather, he's very recently remembered something in which he had a form similar to the human one, and he would like to hold onto that memory and the feeling of empowerment that comes with it for as long as he can.

Not only that, but generally his hands are easier to work with when they're not scabbed over and slimy.

When he reaches the Library, he takes a moment to take it in as he never had the mental consciousness to properly do so before. Due to this, he is making his way entirely through it, taking the time to study the books one by one to judge which he finds the text familiar and which he doesn't. Most of the time, he has no idea what the books are saying, but now that he's been pulled from his complacency, perhaps he can learn. The thought alone excites him, and brings a smile to his handsome face.

Other times, there is a tome here or there that he recognizes the text for. To put it simply: he's doing research on this world, on what knowledge is available to him to peruse. Sure, he could've very well read the books before, but he can't remember the details. And as they say, the devil's in the details. (A saying he can't exactly remember but the sentiment he understands all the same.)

He would hope the servants in charge of the library understand, but he doesn't find that he cares too much about what the librarians think of his stint. "Kissy Face" is assured of his own ability to talk them down, or at the very least convince them that he can put his own books back.

One may interrupt this project in any stage they like: assembling books, reading at a table, putting books back. He'll be at this for quite a while, so don't be shy.]

Comments

oh man. oh boy. oh man.

[ovidscholar]

Big Nose patrols his stacks, lantern aloft. He need not, given the conveniences of the Keeper's house, but the flickering light and the heft of metal and glass in hand provide a certain comfort-- a protection against the unknown.

He wanders the stacks like this for hours at a time. It's rare he comes across anyone. The library's geography remains uncertain; he finds himself familiar with an unceasing, impossibly long row of books, and there's more still to wander. He tracks the comings and goings of the Keeper's other servants but he does not approach. He has work-- and if not work, a vested interest in not offending Mason.

So his approach to Kissy Face may seem a little passive: he stands at a distance, lantern held high, squinting vainly at the strange stalking man he hasn't seen before.

He thinks the intruder might have noticed him. He drops his arm and darts shyly behind a shelf.

hehehe why hello there :)

[flightofdeath]

So far, his search has proven futile, but interesting all the same. Engrossed as he is in his project, he pulls the next book out to flip through its pages casually, while at the same time being careful, only to return it the next moment. Another book in the language of the bizarre, another incomprehensible flash of symbols. The Beast isn't frustrated, however, as with a goal like his, he has no need for impatience. Especially not as close to the start of it as he is.

Big Nose is in the right to think that the intruder noticed him. Even though the Keeper keeps his rooms fairly well-lit, another light source isn't exactly the hardest to notice. Not to mention, in a place as quiet as the Library, footsteps aren't the easiest sound to drown out, either. The intruder doesn't make it entirely clear, however, until Big Nose darts behind the shelf. Kissy Face laughs lightly, amused at the Darkling's shyness.

"I won't bite," he offers with a well-mannered smile, and despite the words, he is rather pleased at the fear shown from the other. He turns his head, then, to look at the shelf so Big Nose can get a better look at him, if he dares to peek around.

[ovidscholar]

He bumbles around the corner, dandling his lantern's handle in the crook of his finger like a child with a parent's possession, a thing he's not supposed to have. The walk to Kissy Face waits is a moment too long. It magnifies his embarrassment.

"Hello," he says. Anticlimactic. The theatrical part of him withers. "I thought... perhaps you were a spirit?"

[flightofdeath]

"Not exactly," he admits easily. "Simply a humble servant of the Keeper on a quest for information."

'Humble' being an outright lie. Although he's fairly new to consciousness, he already has a strong sense of self. With a Beast form as terrifying as his is, there's little need for doubt or low self-esteem. On top of that, his mind is strong, as is his determination. He has no need for humility, aside from showing it to the right beings at the right time. The Keeper being one of those, but he's an absentee these days and so really, Kissy Face can do whatever he wants.

[ovidscholar]

"Then I may be of assistance," he says. He stacks books Kissy Face has rejected. "I thought to tell you mind the order here, but I see you're more courteous than some other patrons of the library. There is, however--" he opens a cover "-- a number, here, corresponding to location, and..."

He's excited, now, and he speaks breathlessly before ducking behind a shelf. He returns with a drawer of cards.

"My masterwork. Or the work the master has me do; I don't recall. Here," he says, "there is a title and location."

[flightofdeath]

Big Nose has his full attention, now, as he brings out the drawer. Kissy Face has noticed the numbers on the book covers, but hasn't been able to riddle out what they mean until now. He wastes no time in leafing through the cards, studying them to quickly discern how they work. And then, to take the very cover Big Nose looked at and to hunt down its card.

"Most useful," he nods his approval when he finds it, detailing where the book should be. "Might I borrow these for my search? I intend to be here for quite a while, however long it takes to search through what's available. I assure you, I can return these books just the way I found them, especially with the help of these."

SORRY i had my first week of a new job

[ovidscholar]

"You seem to have some sense," he says, and he seems almost to flinch away from his own words. He'd meant to sound friendlier. "But they're my charge, and so I must insist I stay. And help, of course."

Too patronizing, again. He ruffles the corners of the cards with his thumb, and then, blustering--

"If you need it."

SWEET no worries

[flightofdeath]

"I do not need it," he answers easily, though not entirely unfriendly in its delivery. "My search will likely take days, and I wouldn't want to burden you with the task of staying throughout the entirety of it." And he shows a hint of concern for the other man, a seemingly genuine change in tone. "After all, I chose to take this upon myself. I have no intention of dragging another through it alongside me."

[peafowl]

[The peacock twins have been browsing among the stacks, too. They come across Kissy Face while he's reading and after a brief conference, decide to approach him.]

[Blue] Morning, darling! Or, er. Whatever time of day this is. It's a little hard to tell, here.

[flightofdeath]

[Kissy Face glances up easily when the Love Birds approach, and takes a moment to take them in. Matching suits, matching faces, tails... Entertainers, his mind offers simply, as he notes their ostentatious appearances. Meant to catch the eye and hold it, and his vague recollection of this place doesn't seem to supply him with much more than the feeling that seeing one without the other would seem a strange thing indeed.

He isn't happy with his current knowledge of this place, but perhaps these two may help him expand it into something more satisfactory. With that thought, he smiles and returns the blue eyes' greeting.]

Good morning, indeed. I certainly won't object to disregarding that fact for the sake of a greeting, as there are only so many one can use. If you stick with one all of the time, it could get stale.

[peafowl]

[The pink peacock makes a face at Kissy Face's manner of speech, but her twin elbows her in the ribs and makes a face at her.]

[Blue] Don't worry, darling, I'm very creative. But ah, that's besides the point. I -- er, we -- were curious as to what you were reading.

[Pink] And whether you'd found anything, y'know. Interesting or useful. We've had the worst fucking luck finding out anything.

[flightofdeath]

[Don't think he doesn't catch that face, but the exchange is amusing enough. His smile disappears, though he doesn't look any less agreeable aside from that, and instead he quirks an eyebrow at the two of them.]

Have you perused the book selection here already?

[peafowl]

[The twins stop bickering. The blue peacock tries tidying up his mohawk, though there's not much that can be done to it. The pink peacock shrugs.]

[Pink] We've tried. It's, er. Eclectic.

[Blue] It's fragmented and useless and most of it is in languages we don't speak.

[flightofdeath]

It's no coincidence that these books are so plentiful and yet just as easily kept from our understanding. To think of the knowledge within them...

[His hand caresses over the book he holds in front of him.]

The Keeper must have a lot he doesn't want us to know. What he does, however, is the best place to start.

[peafowl]

[Blue] But, ah. Can we really trust all we read, darling? I don't think the Keeper would leave truly dangerous books lying around.

[Pink] That's just being really fucking paranoid. There's no reason he'd go to those lengths, not if he can turn people into chamberpots if he wants to.

[flightofdeath]

Not all that we read, of course. But it might prove useful all the same. The Keeper, at this time, is as mysterious to me - and I assume, to us - as the majority of these books are incomprehensible. Either option is viable, at this point, and I'd rather not leave a single stone unturned.

Since you two are so curious, however, I'll have you know what I'm reading at the moment has yet to prove of any use aside from recreation.

[If they bother to glance down at the words, or the cover, he's reading Cursed Heart, the first in the series.]

[hourglassfigure]

[the hourglass – or Satandir, as the kitchen fire called her, which she's decided she rather likes – is browsing too, although it doesn't seem that she's looking for books, exactly. Every now and then she'll poke one, or slightly tug one out, as if she's expecting it might be the key to opening a hidden door, but she seems as interested in the shelves and the floor and the ceiling as in the books themselves.]

[the glass fairy is hovering a foot off the ground, examining the underside of a shelf, when Kissy Face rounds the corner of that aisle, and she looks over, a little surprised but certainly not bothered. She looks a little curious if anything.]

Are you looking for something? [it's more that she's curious about what he might be looking for than that she thinks she can offer any help, really.]

[flightofdeath]

Multiple somethings, as it is.

[He answers simply, with a slight nod, reaching his hand out to touch a book, to remember his place in searching the bookshelf, before turning to her. Upon seeing her, he smiles, taking in her glassy appearance and the sand inside of her transparent body. The image brings something to mind, as he notices how the sand deposits in the curve of her horns. Rather like an hourglass... A timekeeper, is it? In that moment, he realizes he enjoys riddling out the purpose of his fellow Fae. An interesting mental exercise, to help his awakened consciousness exactly that, awake.

He goes on for her benefit.]

Books that can be understood, I should say. Anything I can read, I will.

WHOAH PARDON MY SLACKIN'

[hourglassfigure]

Anything at all?

[she raises her eyebrows, curious]

Well – what have you found already?

np np you're good

[flightofdeath]

Nothing terribly interesting. A children's book, an Atlas of lands far away, an epic... All things inconsequential when it comes to our situation here.

[He gestures to a nearby table, where he's gathered said books and set them aside.]

[hourglassfigure]

Oh, so you're looking for a way out. [She bobs up a little and sits down on the edge of the table, picking up the children's book curiously – but she can't read it. Hmm. She looks back at him.] Right?

[flightofdeath]

Am I so transparent?

[Though in truth, he's not exactly being subtle. He knows he's being transparent; expects others to figure him out quickly.]

Although, not just that.

[hourglassfigure]

Transparent? [She laughs, raising a glass hand and waggling her fingers.] Not as much as me. What else are you looking for, then? I mean, a way out is pretty ambitious just on its own.

[flightofdeath]

Forgive me for my insensitive choice of words.

[He inclines his head in a sort of miniature bow towards her.]

To put it simply, I'm looking for whatever I can find that will ultimately help me find a way out, or simply further unlock the mysteries of this realm. The more understanding we have of this place, the better off we are.

[hourglassfigure]

[she grins, although she lowers her voice a little, and leans forward, conspiratorially, when she agrees:] Of course! And, really, I think it would be kind of a waste to leave without doing a as much investigating as we can.

[flightofdeath]

Exactly. [He smiles at her.] Would you like to join my investigation?

[hourglassfigure]

[she pulls her feet up onto the table, her knees tucked against her chest]

Do we get code names?

[flightofdeath]

If you insist.

[A bit childish for his tastes, but he doesn't see harm in it.]

[hourglassfigure]

[gives him a little look that implies she finds his obviously disparaging attitude to codenames humorous]

I'll be ... Doctor Jones. [She's not quite sure where that came from, but it feels appropriate. She looks at him thoughtfully.] You can be ... [She taps her chin with a finger. Plink, plink. If he's smart this is where Kissy Face will interject ... but then again it's not really like he can do worse than Kissy Face.]

[flightofdeath]

[He is not going by Kissy Face. Or anything worse than that. Although with his sense of theatricality, he might end up giving himself something fairly ridiculous on his own. (Best not to point it out, though.)

His original thought is to come up with something the causes fear, something akin to Demise or Grim, but then he takes another moment to consider that the point of a codename is to keep anyone not in the Know confused over who's being talked about. That in turns causes him to consider doing the opposite. Angel, perhaps? Or the Saint.

When he scoffs out loud at that thought, he realizes he's been quiet a moment and she's waiting for him to answer her. And so he disregards his previous train of thought entirely.]

Enigma. [It sounds almost right, like he's got the right intent but perhaps it's a different word than what might feel best. In any case, he's content with it.]

[hourglassfigure]

[She nods approvingly!] It's a bit obvious but I think it works. Alright, then, Enigma, you can keep hitting the books and I'll keep on exploring, and we can report back to each other to swap discoveries! [She doesn't sound like she's taking this quite as seriously as she could be.]

[flightofdeath]

[If it causes a problem, Enigma will give her a wake up call to make her get serious. At the current level she's taking it, he's not overly concerned. Seeing as she's the first he's recruited to his search, he's willing to give a bit of lenience for the sake of the investigation.]

Until then, Doctor Jones.

[hourglassfigure]

[she extends her fist for a bump.]

[flightofdeath]

[He stares at it for a second, unsure what she wants from him with a gesture like that. His eyes shift from her fist to her face, obviously expecting something, and he makes a guess.

Lifting a hand, he slowly curls it into a fist of his own, and carefully presses it against hers, still a bit baffled but willing to play along nonetheless.]

[hourglassfigure]

[she laughs, apparently delighted by his confusion and the fact he managed to work it out anyway. bump achieved, she nods to him and hops down from the table.] Later!

[flightofdeath]

[At least he got it right. He doesn't like being confused, not one bit, and so he swallows his distaste for now in order to return to the task at hand.]

Farewell.

[And back to book searching he goes.]