fandomhigh | Library, Sunday

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Library, Sunday

Being an industrious sort, today Face had set up several displays of books the new kids might find useful, prominent among them were some books on learning to read, a couple of cultural primers, and a stack of YA romance novels.

One of those things was not like the others.

His good deed done, Face was now napping behind the desk.

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Guess which part of that plan was doomed to fail, Cass. Go on, guess.

After being woken by the sound of someone trying to sneak in full armour, Face didn't move, but cracked open his eyelids to watch Cassandra.

He'd made sure that books by the same author as last week's novel were front and centre.

And now you knew why Cassandra was not a rogue, Face!

Unaware that Face had woken, she reached for one of the books at the front. That was it, wasn't it? Yes.

She smiled quietly to herself.

An older and (debatably) wiser Face would tell her that Wraiths had more fun than Rogues any day.

Present-day Face, however, just let himself grin imperceptibly as he waited for just the right moment to react.

Cassandra turned the book over in her hands, taking just a moment to skim her eyes over the summary. She was hoping for some hint as to what became of the star-crossed lovers who had been so terribly parted by their families at the end of the book.

There was none.

She sighed.

And that would be one such right moment.

"Good book?" Face asked, oh-so-very-innocently.

It was the perfect moment, if Face had been hoping to see a tall, stoic warrior woman gasp in surprise, flail, turn on her heel, and nearly knock over the entire display. "You!"

Face didn't laugh. He wanted to, though. "Me," he agreed. Also oh-so-innocently.

"You were asleep!" Cassandra said, accusingly.

... while sounding a little flustered.

Face nodded. "I was." It wasn't his fault you didn't have a stealth tree, Cassandra. "But the sound of a teenager sighing always wakes me. Survival mechanism."

"Ugh," Cassandra said eloquently, and threw her book.

At the desk. Not at Face's face. Face's face was lucky.

Face's face was grateful it didn't have a book bruise to go with the blaster burn.

He promptly checked in last week's book and checked the new one out. Without saying a word. His self-control was masterful.

It really was.

This did not keep Cassandra from walking up to the desk with a suspicious scowl on her face, which didn't leave it throughout the entire procedure.

When he was finished, she grunted.

"Had a good first week?" Face asked. See, he was making conversation like a normal person. Which he could fake being well enough.

"No," said Cassandra, who couldn't fake normal person if she tried.

Which she didn't see the point of. Trying, that was. "I am beginning to believe everyone on this island enjoys vexing one another, especially newcomers."

Ahem, Face.

Guilty. But he did it out of ~~love~~ ~~affection~~ friendliness.

"I'm sure that it seems like that now, but you'll adapt."

"Or perhaps I will be lucky, and they will adapt to me," Cassandra said. "It is just... tiring."

Which she hadn't wanted to admit, but she had been without Byron for a week, and Face had asked.

Probably not, no one was that lucky.

"Like your whole world's turned upside-down and you don't know who to trust?" Face asked, sympathetically.

"My world remains in the same orientation, I assure you," Cassandra said. Regardless of some people's attempts to yell her into complacency and abandoning what she knew to be true. "But, yes, it is hard to determine who is trustworthy. My world is guided by different principles than this one, which leads to strife."

Look, she didn't enjoy having to shout everyone into submission.

She thought of something, and tilted her head. "How long have you been here?"

"Not that long," Face said with a shrug. "Since the end of summer."

"What was it like for you?" Cassandra wondered. "Coming here?"

"It was an adjustment," Face said. "Where I'm from is much more advanced, technology wise. There were people familiar with back home though, that made it easier."

"Unfortunately, there is only one other person from my world here, and he does not make anything easier," Cassandra said wryly.

Sigh, Anders.

"Did you have much trouble adjusting?"

"It wasn't too bad," Face told her. "But I had one of those big, world-turning adjustments a few years back, so compared to that, most anything would be easier."

"The squirrels were a bit of a surprise."

"The squirrels are a pain in the arse," Cassandra said flatly.

Because well, they were.

"If you do not mind me asking, what happened to you?"

"They're fine if you just let them have their rum." Because encouraging alcoholism in squirrels was a brilliant idea.

"Got shot in the face," he said. "By people who were supposedly rescuing me. They didn't really do a good job of it."

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