fandomhigh | Library, Monday [8/30]

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Library, Monday [8/30]

Several days back in Fandom with nothing in particular to do already had Gabrielle a little (okay, a lot) antsy, so she was more than eager to get back to work at the library for her first shift. This did involve a quick walk around and good look at the stacks to make sure nothing had changed on her too much since she'd been gone (two months or six, whichever way you looked at it, was a long time) before she threw herself into the task of reshelving and straightening up with a slightly manic kind of energy.

In between rounds of that, she could be found at the collections desk, fresh parchment and a newly-cut quill from that last stop back in Athens spread out in front of her; she had a lot to write about.

Starting with the easier adventures -- she was hoping to work her way up to that big one. This was still a satisfying demand on her creative energies, though, so the aide at the desk this morning was a cheerful one. That was an auspicious start to the semester, right?

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Elphaba did not have a class today, as odd as that seemed. A school with days where she didn't need to attend any lecture seemed almost lazy too her.

Therefore, she would go about making sure she learned something of her own research. The library being the choice place to embark upon this effort, she arrived late morning after having had breakfast. She wore another simple black dress (it was about the only color that didn't clash with her skin) and her glasses, and smiled a little when she took in the size of the place and the seemingly numerous tomes and books.

After drinking in the atmosphere a moment, she strode up to the desk and folded her hands neatly.

"Excuse me," she said, not sheepish at all. "I was hoping I could be directed to some detailed books on the subject of Animals."

Gabrielle wondered, for a moment, if there was some kind of special importance about the way the girl with the green skin (that got a raised eyebrow, but only briefly, thank you, year in Fandom) said the word 'animals,' then decided maybe she was reading too much into it.

Maybe.

"That would be the --" She had to consult her Dewey Decimal cheat sheet; it'd been a while. "The 500s section. 590s, specifically. Any particular kind of animals?"

No, Gabrielle. Not animals. There's a difference.

There was a bit of significance, a way to distinguish the Animals that you could speak with and the animals you could not. Though it was a subtle difference when spoken, really.

"The 500s," Elphaba said, looking over at the books. "Are the shelves numbered? Perhaps there is a map?"

Elphaba was not familiar with the Dewey Decimal system.

Gabrielle, had she been from a world that made sense, shouldn't have been familiar with it either.

Don't ask.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, looking sheepish. "Oh, yes, sorry, sorry!"

She pointed to the nearest shelves and explained, "There are numbers on the ends of the shelves, see? That'll tell you the section you're going to, and then --" She picked up a book she hadn't reshelved yet (it had looked interesting) and indicated the numbers on the spine. "They're filed by subject. Just follow along the numbers on the books until you get to the right section."

Wanting to make it sound like an adventure of sorts she offered, perhaps a little too brightly, "It's sort of like a map! Think of it as . . . as the books showing you the way!"

Elphaba nodded, following along with Gabrielle's explanation. Her enthusiasm, however, was not infectious as much as it was slightly disturbing.

"Thank you," she did say, politely. "I don't suppose I can learn your name so I can thank you properly?"

. . . well, slightly disturbing, yes.

"Here to help," Gabrielle said, still with the slightly disturbing level of enthusiasm. "So you're welcome. Gabrielle, by the way. If you need me to come with you to look . . . ?"

"I would be grateful," Elphaba said. "Just to make sure I don't get lost. I'd hate to end up reading the books on hair care instead." It was a poor attempt at a joke. She'd not really had much opportunity to joke, really. "My name is Elphaba. I suppose it is obvious, but I am new to the school."

Gabrielle couldn't judge; she'd made too many awful attempts at jokes herself. What she did do was hop up out of her chair and around the collections desk, moving somewhat briskly toward the appropriate section of the library.

"I wasn't sure," she said honestly. "I was away for half the summer. You could have come in that term, but! One way or another, you're new to me. How's Fandom so far for you?"

"I must admit that it has treated me quite well," Elphaba said, following Gabrielle and matching her pace. "Far exceeding my wildest hopes, in fact. I did not know what to think when my father told me I was going to be sent away to school." Other than he wanted to get rid of her. "But so far almost everyone has been quite kind."

"That's good to hear," Gabrielle told her with typical optimistic honesty. "I hope you'll like it here. If you don't mind -- why did your father decide to send you away to school?"

Not exactly wanting to speak ill of her father the governor to a near-stranger, Elphaba went with the reason he'd said, not the reason Elphaba believed was in his heart. "He hoped that I would fit in better at this school than back in Oz," she said. She glanced through the titles in the section Gabrielle had led her to.

"Lions, tigers, and bears," she said, amazed at the plethora of books. "Oh my."

That was probably a smart move; Gabrielle could be incredibly, er, persistent when she was feeling sympathetic.

"That's exactly how I sounded the first time I saw this place," she remarked, smiling. "Seeing this many books all in one place is amazing, isn't it?"

"They're all so colorful," Elphaba said. "And the pages so neatly bound."

She started pulling book after book from the shelf, anything with an interesting title. "How many may I check out from the library?" she asked, a pile already six-high in her arms.

"I know. We only have scrolls where I come from, and they're so unwieldy after a while." Gabrielle grinned and spread her hands. "And you can check out as many as you want, but you can only have them out for two weeks. Oh, Zeus, are you going to need a hand with those?"

"I should be able to manage," Elphaba said. "I'm just going to take them back to my room. I'll have to resist the urge to take more than I can carry."

She paused, and tilted her head. "Zeus?" she asked, the name unfamiliar.

"The father of the gods," Gabrielle explained. "In my part of my world, anyhow."

She ran a finger affectionately down the spine of one of the books. "I know the feeling. Every time I come in, I want to take half of the shelves home with me."

"It's good to know my free days won't be wasted," Elphaba said. "Thank you so much for your help, Gabrielle." It was unfamiliar, thanking people so much. She almost had trouble with the words.

"I think there's more to read and learn about in this building alone than there are free days in the year," Gabrielle mused vaguely, off in her own world for the moment.

She did give Elphaba a warm smile, though. "Don't mention it, honestly. I'm happy to help."

"I need to take these to be checked out, then," Elphaba said, arms full of various books. She'd be reading for days, and loving every minute. "I shall go with you back to the desk?"

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Library, Monday [8/30]

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