Library, Monday

[intotheout]

Tip came into the library after her workshop, still feeling all sunwarmed and chill. She plopped herself down behind the circulation desk and started idly scrolling through her email.

After about half an hour she started to realize how quiet the stacks were. Suspiciously quiet.

"Do I want to know, Bill?"

Bill gave a little bubbly shrug.

"Yeah. . . . Maybe in a little while."

She wanted to enjoy her chill a little longer, first.

[open!]

Comments

[scoffs_at_tradition]

Shuri came in and smiled widely at Tip. "Hello! I have...several questions. I'm Shuri. I arrived Saturday?"

[intotheout]

"I'm Tip," Tip said, smiling back. "And I've been here three years, so I probably have answers. What's up?"

[scoffs_at_tradition]

"I'm interested in learning more about the multiversal nexus," Shuri said. "How does it manage to send us all back to the correct places again? And if it doesn't, can I go someplace more interesting instead?"

She pulled up her phone for other questions she had. "And what on Earth is a gremlin? And how do squirrels take notes?"

[intotheout]

"Ah, the classics," Tip said, smile turning to a somewhat rueful smirk. "Let's see." She started counting off on her fingers. "In order: 'probably magic', 'totally, so long as you don't mind potentially getting eaten', 'a small green reptile thing that I'm not actually sure is from Earth originally anyway', and 'probably magic' again. We should have books that go into more detail on all of the, like, physics and biology, but um. Fair warning, the books themselves sometimes bite."

[scoffs_at_tradition]

"I've never encountered a sentient book before," Shuri said, "unless you count e-books?"

[intotheout]

"If they get frustrated enough, probably."

That was how she'd ended up with a pet billboard, after all.

[scoffs_at_tradition]

Shuri laughed. "My brother had no idea how strange this place is."

[intotheout]

"No one ever does," Tip said. "Even when you've been here awhile it can still surprise you."

[scoffs_at_tradition]

"I can imagine," Shuri said. "The possibilities are fascinating!"

Nerd.

"You've stayed for a long time, so it can't be that bad."

[intotheout]

Tip snorted. "Let's just say it's still better than living with my mother." She shook her head. "And I spend less time frustrated by other people's blinding stupidity."

The joys of coming from a kids' canon. 99% of adults were aggressively dumb.

[scoffs_at_tradition]

"People are smart here?" Shuri looked excited.

[intotheout]

"Smarter than they are in my universe?" Tip offered. "It's . . . not a high bar. But yeah, we've got at least a few geniuses around here."

[scoffs_at_tradition]

"Oh, good," Shuri said, a little relieved. "I love a challenge."

[intotheout]

"You'll definitely find that here," Tip assured her. "I come from a world that got invaded by aliens twice in a row, and I'm still surprised by some of what this island throws at us."

Name dropping her home's invasion in order to feel out what sort of weird Shuri came from? Nahhhhh. She was totally just making conversation. . . .

[scoffs_at_tradition]

"We've only gotten invaded once, and I'm not sure it even counts," Shuri said. "It was only a few blocks of downtown Manhattan."

[intotheout]

Oh, Tip liked this girl.

"Yeah, that's totally nothing. It would have to be at least the entire city to count as a proper invasion."

[scoffs_at_tradition]

Shuri nodded. "That's practically typical for New York."

[intotheout]

"I've never actually been," Tip admitted. "I mean, I spent a weekend once as a girl who grew up there, but that's not really the same thing."

[scoffs_at_tradition]

"...I'm going to pretend like the last bit made sense," Shuri said, "and confess that I've never been there either. I'm from Wakanda."

[intotheout]

"Cool," Tip said. ". . . I don't know where that is."

And she was reasonably good at geography, for someone who'd attended American public schools K-8th grades.

[scoffs_at_tradition]

"Southeastern Africa," Shuri told her. "Near Uganda. We've been pretty isolated for the last, oh, forever."

[intotheout]

"Cool!" Tip had so many questions. "Is this your first time in the States?" That one was the most tame.

[scoffs_at_tradition]

Shuri nodded. "We stopped in Oakland on our way here but didn't get to Coachella or Disneyland." She rolled her eyes. "Set up an outreach center instead."

[intotheout]

"So you got to see the real America, then," Tip said. "If Disneyland is anything like Happy Mouse Kingdom in my world, it's a creepy empty shell with all the soul cleaned out of it. And Coachella is all white girls trying to be 'exotic'." She rolled her eyes. "Nooo thanks."

[scoffs_at_tradition]

Shuri laughed. "Since I actually am exotic, I was going to make fun of their outfits. It's not like Beyonce would play twice."