fandomhigh | The Library, Wednesday

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The Library, Wednesday

John had gone home long enough to get a good three hours of sleep in, shower, and then gotten back up and come into work.

Real coffee was out, you could ask for tea if you wanted it, and the librarian was in-and-out of Special Collections, bringing out the oldest books and scrolls he could find.

Good luck, Fandom. You were going to need it.

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For your regular browsing.

There was coffee and donuts for the early birds, and stacks-upon-stacks of the oldest magical reference materials John could find.

Have fun, kids.

Yes, he'd ordered pizza. Yes, he'd brought it into the library. It had meat and veggies and shit, yeah? BUT SO HELP YOU IF JOHN CAUGHT YOU EATING AND TURNING THE PAGES OF IRREPLACEABLE MAGICAL TOMES AT THE SAME TIME.

You'll fucking summon something by accident. Wipe your fingers on your trousers, first.

Where he's occasionally napping. Coughing badly, and reaching for fragments of sleep. Setting the hat on fire was a kick to his poor system.

Up early for ALL THE TIME ZONES!

After shattering her mirror, Kathy had gone to bed and slept for almost twelve hours, gotten up to eat anything she could find in several common rooms, and then gone back to sleep for another four.

She still felt awful. Not even her first shower in days could fix that. She still looked awful, too. Too thin, too tired, too much time crying. But she had to do something other than sit in her room and brood over how she'd ruined everything. So she'd made her way into the library, found a nice out-of-the-way nook, and curled up with a stack of books. She wasn't sure she'd find anything useful in a bunch of old Korean books of myths and legends, but at least she could make sure no one else wasted their time worrying about what secrets the books held.

Atton wasn't here to do research this time, either, but he was popping his head in to see if anything new had been discovered since the last time he'd done so.

Also: "So there's a whole bunch of people outside Needful Things who have lost their minds, in case you people didn't know."

PIZZA.

Kathy felt like she shouldn't be all that hungry. Didn't heartbreak usually come with a loss of appetite? But her body apparently had enough of a hunger strike over the past week and the mere scent of pizza had Kathy braving the more populated parts of the library to grab a plate.

Taking the equivalent of half a pizza back to her chair, Kathy settled back into her chair and picked her book back up.

Ugh. Why did it take so long for everyone to switch from hanja to Hangul? For once, Kathy was grateful for her parents' insistence that she and Sarah go to a Korean-style hagwon after their American schools let out. Without it, she wouldn't have been able to plow through this book of...Cautionary Tales for Children.

Right.

...and though I was not allowed into the store, I snuck away from my mother one day, for I heard the stranger's shop was filled with wonders that took away the breath--and the mind. Even to this day as I write this, the treasure I saw haunt my dreams and call to me...

Kathy's pizza fell back on her plate, unheeded. Whatever. She could eat later. Right now, she was scooping the book into her arms and rushing out to where more people were gathered. "Excuse me?" she said. "I think I found something. I think Mr. Gaunt's collecting souls."

Kathy poked her head around the shelves. "Umm, that's because Mr. Gaunt called us for help," she said quietly, not meeting Mr. Rand's eyes.

"Yeah, I was given that impression, somewhere in the middle of all the ranting about how much of a terrible person I am and how much of a saint he is," Atton muttered.

He rubbed the back of his head. "But hey, you made it back here instead of lurking out there trying to beat my skull in. Congratulations."

Yeah, somehow Kathy didn't feel like congratulations were really in order, thanks. She just nodded, intending to retreat back to her corner with her books when she had another idea.

"Umm, who's out there?" she asked. "Maybe if we get a list going of people who we know are under his thrall we can...I don't know. Keep track?" She tucked a luck of hair behind her ear, nervous. "What he's doing makes us sick. If someone who was fighting stops showing up, it might mean that they're really in trouble."

"It's a lot foggy out there, so it's not the easiest to tell," Atton said. He was mulling it over, though. "I tangled with this woman... I think she's a teacher? Heart... something."

Edited 2015-03-25 07:23 (UTC)

"Professor Heartilly?" Kathy asked. "Dark hair? Young, pretty, may or may not have had big, white wings?"

Atton nodded. "Yeah, that one," he said, "She was real insistent on the whole 'protect mr. Gaunt' thing. Otherwise, I saw a couple of students who aren't in my class, one of the Devil's Nest bartenders, and that crazy lady with the weird teeth who keeps propositioning everyone." Beat. "But I'm not sure if she's involved or just being, you know, her."

He shrugged lightly. "Other than that, the only one I know about for sure is Sparkle," he said, "But we're keeping tabs on him."

Edited 2015-03-25 07:33 (UTC)

Navaan was hurt, Atton. The crazy lady with weird teeth? The least you could have gone with was 'the crazy lady with nice tits.' Honestly now.

"Sparkle?!" Kathy said, shocked. "Oh...I-I guess I should have known..."

Really, she should have. But she'd been clinging to the belief that she'd been helping him help a friend, when in reality, she'd been helping him steal for Mr. Gaunt.

"I'm glad someone's got their eye on him. Thanks for telling me."

He was talking to a student! He wasn't going to comment on anybody's tits!

"He's locked in his room, last time I checked," Atton added. ... With a nice pizza smear all over his window. Cough. "Shouldn't be too hard to get to him once we figure out how to do to him... whatever you did to you, I guess."

"A friend pretty much made me realize how terrible I was being," Kathy said, drooping slightly. "And after she left, I shattered the mirror that I'd bought from Mr. Gaunt."

'Bought' with stolen objects.

"It wasn't easy. Even realizing some of what it was making me--what I was choosing to do because of if, I still didn't want to break it. And after I did, I felt even worse. I'm pretty sure this is what mono feels like, if mono was combined with a hangover and both were on steroids."

Atton pulled a face. "Pretty sure Karina's already shaken Sparkle repeatedly. Maybe even stirred," he muttered.

He rubbed his forehead. "Sounds like we've got some leads here, though," he said. "Maybe there's a viable strategy in there somewhere, I don't know. I'm heading out to check on the shop again. I'll be back later to check in, see if there's anything else you guys have figured out."

If they needed a military charge planned, or an elaborate break-in, or a con, he'd be happy to help. Hitting the books, not so much his forté.

"And I've got a list to draw up and more books to read," Kathy agreed with a little nod. "Good luck, sir."

Permission for Kathy to tape up a list of 'these people are definitely in Gaunt's thrall' somewhere?

"Good luck to you, too," Atton said, rolling his shoulders. The electromesh armor was incredibly useful, but it did start to wear on you after a while. "And hey, good job, even if you do feel like poodoo right now."

Positive reinforcement. Teaching!

Atton didn't hit the library again until late into the afternoon. Instead of poking someone for information, though, he found a spot on the floor just out of everyone's way and sat down. Took off the top part of his armor - it was just a chest piece and there was a long-sleeved shirt underneath, hold your horses - and shut his eyes.

A five-minute healing trance wasn't exactly sleep, but it was close enough, right? Right.

Limited permission granted-- The ones she's heard about through word-of-mouth only, if that's okay? So, like, Sparkle and Rinoa, as per the conversations above. People are welcome to add to it anybody that they know for certain have been affected, too, but actually organizing a proper, more thorough list is a plot point after the town meeting that kicks off the Negotiators being sent out to round up the stragglers.

Avoiding Barry's coffee after his caf had run out had had predicable results and now Face was slumped over the open book he'd been reading last night, sound asleep.

At least he wasn't drooling on it.

Karina stopped by the library before heading into town mostly because she wanted to see if anything new had been figured out since the broadcast.

She looked grumpy, but that was mostly Sparkle's fault. Karina wasn't meant to be a caretaker and she hated worrying over him. Ugh.

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The Library, Wednesday

Mod Your Library

Research -- Morning

Research -- Afternoon

The Librarian's Office

OOC

Re: Research -- Morning

Re: Research -- Morning

Re: Research -- Afternoon

Re: Research -- Morning

Re: Research -- Morning

Re: Research -- Morning

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Re: Research -- Morning

Re: Research -- Morning

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Re: Research -- Morning

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Re: OOC

Re: Research -- Morning

Re: Research -- Afternoon

Re: OOC

Re: Research -- Morning

Re: Research -- Morning