Library, Monday [6/28]

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

It was break week, yes, and maybe Gabrielle didn't have to be in the library today but she was, a piece of parchment in Xena's scrawling hand dangling from her fingers as she went about her morning chores. The parchment ended up spread out on the desk in front of her once she was done tidying and reshelving, but the preoccupied look of concern on Gabrielle's face didn't go away then.

Quite the opposite, in fact; she looked even more preoccupied and worried, the longer she read over the letter. And there was a lot of re-reading the letter interspersed with periods where she'd jump up from the desk, spend a few frantic minutes tidying some section of the stacks or checking on the coffee supplies, go back to the letter, then leap up to find something else to do.

And she hadn't even had any of the coffee this morning.

Comments

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

"Disturbing how?" Peter said. "Because right now you're just making me curious. Not curious enough to risk my life, but curious."

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

"Well, not exactly like a minotaur or a sea monster . . . maybe more like some trick of Sisyphus's," Gabrielle mused, not terribly helpfully. "Anyway, you'd need permission from a teacher to get in there. There's some really rare and . . . you had a question, didn't you?"

Yes, Gabrielle. Thanks for finally remembering.

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

"It was actually about the sort of material in there," Peter said. "Whether you thought it'd be worth the hassle to get a permission slip to go exploring."

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

"Some of the stuff in there isn't the kind of stuff you want to just go poking at," Gabrielle cautioned; she loved an adventure as much as anyone, but Special Collections was, well . . . special. "You think the rest of the library has a mind of its own? Ha! Special Collections makes it look like . . . like a regular puppy next to Cerberus."

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

She sure seemed to like her mythological metaphors, Peter thought. But then again, he figured, that was probably the pop culture references of her time.

"So it's not only dangerous, it can bite you twice while still having an extra head to do whatever else it feels like doing," Peter said. "Got it. So better to have a real goal rather than just general research. Good to know."

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

"And did I mention people can get lost in there?" Gabrielle blustered on. "Literally. Someone got thrown in there months ago and we haven't seen him since. Of course, that was sort of the point, but . . ."

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

Peter opened his mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again before finally saying. "The school threw someone in there like it was a prison?"

That was too weird. Just too freaking weird.

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

"That's what I was told. I'm not so sure I like the idea of him being in there with the books, but . . ." Gabrielle frowned. "Well, it seems to have worked so far."

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, the more I hear, the less I want to wander in there," Peter said. "So if your job is to keep people out, you're doing pretty well."

He shook his head. "So how have you been, any way?"

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

Gabrielle sighed. "I'm all right. At least, I have been. But I need to go home for a while, it looks like."

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

"You could always put a few bets on the Trojan war while you're there," Peter said. "Make a killing on the spread."

Oh, Peter.

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

"Too late for that," Gabrielle told him. "I was there at the end of it."

Re: Talk to Gabrielle

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

Peter snapped his fingers, an 'awww shucks' gesture. "Can't win them all, I guess," he said. Then his curiosity got the best of him. "So, did you volunteer to come in today, or are you just that driven to work?"