Library, Monday [January 11]

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

Her Monomyths class was going to be a challenge this term, so Gabrielle had a copy of the syllabus in one hand as she hurried into the library and straight for the coffeemaker. The syllabus was deposited on the collections desk en route to caffeine, along with a piece of parchment containing a letter from Perdicas. She dialed the strength of the coffee down a bit today, but still put enough sugar into her mug that it might make someone cry if they saw her in the process.

Once she was sufficiently awake, she disappeared into the stacks to find a couple of books that might help her get a better grasp of that class . . . but those would have to take second place to reading the letter. Gabrielle wasn't sure when that priority had shifted, and it was questionable whether she even realized it had.

At any rate, should you come into the library this morning the odds were good you'd find one cheerful but pensive bard at the front desk.

Comments

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

Whereas Gabrielle would even find that kind of postal service, er, service more reliable than sending Joxer running all over the countryside. Not that she'd ever trust him with a rare scroll; no, she'd deliver that herself, but the odds of running into a random warlord's army or a cranky hydra -- er, yes. Carrying on.

"You seem to be settling in nicely. Doesn't it make you nervous, letting the books out into strangers' hands for however long it takes them to get to, er, California?" Wherever that was. She assumed it was at least several days' ride by her reckoning.

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[one-who-goes.livejournal.com]

"Terrified," Henry admitted. "Every single time. The insurance is enough that I could add a wing tot the library if they lose anything or tear a page out, but it's still nervewracking."

And that was without considering hydra or random armies.

"But I guess people in California have a right to look over rare editions of Dickens, the same as we do." He sounded more resigned to than happy about this fact.

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

Well, the hydra had been a fluke. The armies were more a matter of course, but somewhat more avoidable.

"Dickens?" Gabrielle asked curiously. "I haven't gotten around to those works yet. I understand, though. Even if it takes much less time these days to travel so far, it's like you're . . . entrusting something someone put their soul into to the Fates. That's a lot of weight on your shoulders if you love words as much as you and I both seem to do."

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[one-who-goes.livejournal.com]

"That's a poetic way to put it," Henry said thoughtfully. "I think the best I can do is to remember -- it's part of the job. We love them, but we can't keep them. You can't be too precious about it or you'll end up refusing to check books out to anyone who looks like they haven't washed their hands recently."

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

"Bard," Gabrielle reminded him mildly. "It's a little personal for me, but you're right. Stories are meant to be told, and shared, and we can't be everywhere to do the telling. What's the point of putting so much work into the words if no one else gets the benefit? It's a risk, but I think it's a risk worth taking for the greater good."

Yes. She really did talk like this.

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[one-who-goes.livejournal.com]

"Bard," Henry agreed, nodding dutifully. "Right. And probably good at it."

She was, in his eyes, being a bit pretentious, but he wasn't taking that away from somebody who knew Homer personally.

"What are you reading these days, by the way?"

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

Well, she was. In the habit of sounding a bit pretentious, that was, although she wasn't half bad at being a bard either.

"Oh, this?" she asked, with another scathing glance at the cover of The White Goddess. "I thought I'd do a little extra reading for Miss Perrault's class. I may have picked the wrong book; I don't think I like what he has to say about women."

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[one-who-goes.livejournal.com]

"That's one I haven't read," Henry admitted. "He kind of makes up his own goddess, doesn't he?"

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

"I think he's making a lot of things up." Gabrielle had dropped the more flowery turns of phrase in her annoyance. "Not to mention he seems to think the only thing women are good for, in terms of poetry, is inspiration. Personally, I think I'm a little insulted."

She rummaged through the cabinet, making a little more noise than necessary by way of venting her feelings, and surfaced with a box and some packing tape. "I think this ought to be big enough."

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[one-who-goes.livejournal.com]

Henry leaned over, reached past her, and took a roll of bubble wrap as well. "This should do me," he agreed. "Thank you for your help."

He was not touching the feminism debate.

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

Probably a good idea not to get into that with an Amazon who had no verbal brakes.

But, luckily, one with a good disposition, so she dropped that line of thought and just beamed. "What else are we aides for?"

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[one-who-goes.livejournal.com]

Henry grinned back at her as he juggled books, box, tape and bubble wrap. "You keep me from having to do everything on my own?"

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

"I prefer to think of it as sharing the adventure," Gabrielle declared. She couldn't avoid being ridiculously poetic for long. "But technically, yes, that too."