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+---- Thread: booked for the weekend (/showthread.php?tid=11392)
booked for the weekend - Lena - 05-25-2025
Lena, despite her love of wisdom, books, and all things scholarly, had somehow managed to miss the Atheneum on her side trips to the Hollowed Grounds. Initially, she might’ve been put off by the notions and particulars of Voice shrines lodged within, but nowadays, with the New God well and wholly out of their wake, the place seemed a whole lot less daunting and enigmatic. Instead of all the rumored presses of nothingness and ruins, it’d clearly been redone in the past few years, leaving her to wander in with the look of absolute astonishment, excitement, and glee all rolled into one.
On a stifled gasp, as she didn’t want to disturb any fellow patrons, she pulled on Zavien’s shirtsleeve, encouraging him to follow (while Mittens hovered nearby, grumbling, tied and tethered on a leash). [say]“Look at this!”[/say] She uttered in ebullience and enthusiasm, pointing to the waterway in the scope of the library.
And then there were the endless stacks and rows of books themselves. In one of those overwhelmed and uncertain on where to start modes, she glanced in between multitudes, then looked upwards towards the signs, indicating a litany of topics confined and contained. [say]“Anything you want to know?”[/say] She arched one brow, before giving an eager and light laugh, tiptoeing by a row that offered naught else by way of description except ‘plants’.
RE: booked for the weekend - Zavien - 05-25-2025
The trip was already worth it. Zavien wasn't sure he'd ever seen Lena this happy, and he watched her more than the surroundings, even as she tugged at his shirt sleeve to draw his attention. He'd spend forever here if he could keep gazing at the brightness in her brown eyes, or the childlike enthusiasm that shone against her cheeks, stretching her smile wide. His eyes only strayed enough to glance at the water, instructing Sol not to sew chaos that might get them removed. The dragon paused in his path to dive into the stream, turning his head so slowly that he might have thought time was warping. But no, it was just a companion caught in his plans for naughty antics.
Sending Sol another stern warning, he turned back to Lena and the question she posed, unable to hide the way her smile affected him. Zavien's face beamed like the Longheat sun, bright and inescapable. His first instinct was battle strategies and means for fighting the Void, but he shoveled those away with a gentle swat, following Lena as she crept through the shelves like a cat on the hunt for knowledge. His voice was a playful hush in the soft trickle of the water. [say]"Can these books tell me the answer to life, the universe, and everything?"[/say] Guessing not, the look in his eyes shimmered with teasing as he added, [say]"Or how to keep a beautiful woman from luring me into a maze of books?"[/say] Like she was some fiend that might steal him away from the world - not that he would mind.
RE: booked for the weekend - Lena - 05-26-2025
[say]“And the answers were just in the Grounds the whole time?” [/say]She laughed, quietly humored, but shaking her head all the while. The Caretaker wouldn’t be surprised if something like that had been tucked away, behind barriers for hundreds of years, and it would be some sort of ironic thing.
But given that it’d been jocular, she rolled her eyes and stepped lightly down one of the many corridors, only glancing over her shoulder again at his compliment, mouth aghast for a second, before turning back over into an ebullient smile, and a mild batting of her eyelashes. [say]“Ah yes, I would be very eager to trap some gentleman with the fine, scholarly benefits of-,”[/say] to which she trailed her hand over the nearest book spine, snatching it out and giggling again, keeping her tone merry but whispered and hushed. [say]“History of Herbs.”[/say]
On second thought, she snagged it and put it under her elbow, while simultaneously tugging Mittens away from a musty looking tome nearby. [say]“I do think there’s a section on weapons nearby,”[/say] figuring he could pick up on new techniques.
RE: booked for the weekend - Zavien - 05-26-2025
He shrugged his shoulders at her question, smirking and wondering similarly if the answers to the world might be hidden in some dusty tome that he wouldn't be able to decipher. But then Lena was looking at him with those fluttering eyes and his heart skipped a beat. Zavien paused for a moment, a distracted smile on his lips as her fingers trailed the spine of the book. Leaning over her shoulder, he did his best to read the words scrawled across the cover as she said them. His lips still quirked up at he whispered teasingly, [say]"I don't know. That'd probably be a useful sedative for your victim."[/say] Not that she'd find it boring, but whether she forced him to struggle through the text or smack him upside the head with it, she could easily have him at her mercy.
Zavien stood straighter and chuckled, appreciating how well Lena knew him (not that he was hard to figure out). Eyes glittering, he crossed his arms. [say]"As long as they have pictures."[/say] Of stances or weaponry, he wouldn't mind studying them for references. In the silence of the space, he could faintly hear the rustle of Sol's wings as he followed on the top of the shelves, occasionally showering the aisles in fresh dust.
RE: booked for the weekend - Lena - 05-27-2025
[say]“Noted,”[/say] she granted with a smile, as if those means and measures would be its sole purpose, before glancing amidst the other spines. More than a few caught her eye, and before long, she had a neat little pile formed, with everything from modern healing devices to newfound plants, tried and true variants of bandaging, and some new script on proper ointments for animals.
Content with what she’d found already, her gaze meandered back to the signs, gesturing with the books in the direction Zavien would most likely seek. [say]“I’m sure they do,”[/say] though she’d be of the type to have him attempt to read some portions, simply because not doing it meant he remained stagnant on the entire thing, and off she meandered, tomes and Mittens in tow.
Before long, dipping amidst the aisles, she gave a firm whisper. [say]“Over here!”[/say] And while she wouldn’t be intrigued – they’d seen enough of her skills to know it wasn’t in her immediate forte – Zavien would likely find plenty to inspire and intrigue.
RE: booked for the weekend - Zavien - 05-27-2025
Refusing to let Lena carry the growing stack of books on her own, Zavien snagged them from her arms with a teasing grin. [say]"You'll be able to carry more if I hold these, although keep in mind that we still have to get them home."[/say] If they ever made it home. He got the sense it'd be easy to lose her in the rows of shelves, and he wondered if it was normal to be jealous of dusty tomes.
Zavien followed her through the sections, his eyes wandering more to the people and the grand architecture than the words swimming across spines and faded signs. His eyes only turned down again to hear Lena's voice somewhere around the corner, realizing he'd already gotten separated from her in his own distraction. When he rounded the shelf, he found more books that didn't look all that different to him, although he did spot the words 'war' and 'weapons' on a few of the titles.
His eyes perused, picking the first one that caught his eye: a dark green spine with the golden words Magical Weapons. Flipping open the pages, he saw images of various weapons along with big, bold headers that told of offensive, defensive, and miscellaneous features. He nodded his head, humming in approval. [say]"Hmm. This one might come in handy."[/say] And he might actually be able to understand the print of the text.
Without another thought or obvious intention to find another book, Zavien smiled at Lena and stacked Magical Weapons onto the pile of books in his arms. [say]"Were there any other topics you wanted to look at?"[/say]
RE: booked for the weekend - Lena - 05-28-2025
Her brow arched at his offer, then she grinned, thoroughly charmed despite the impending teasing. [say]“How chivalrous of you.”[/say] She half-expected him to hide them, given his predilection towards believing they’d be utilized in acts of slumber, but hastened them off just the same. Perhaps he’d be able to find a nook for them to peruse through while she searched and explored again.
But eventually he seemed to find one he liked, and she grinned, content that there’d be something mutual in the all-consuming library. The inquiry made her smile round into something mischievous though, and her eyes gazed around at the spectacle. [say]“I could spend days in here,”[/say] but then she skipped off, intending to at least dive into the animal section – Mittens rolling its eyes behind her as it was tugged along.
She reappeared seconds later, with three more in tow. [say]“Look at these!”[/say] She animatedly waved the fixtures before him – The Best Way to Handle Dragons (remarkably thin, despite the subject matter, and probably a warning), How to Win over a Luxere and Guide to Dream Birds. Some of the covers were bright, charming, and charismatic – the latter had a particularly ominous vision on the front. [say]“Do you want to sit somewhere and just glance through them?” [/say]
RE: booked for the weekend - Zavien - 05-28-2025
Zavien didn't doubt her words or the fact that they echoed his thoughts, chuckling as she skipped off to a different section. He followed behind slowly, letting her bask in all the opportunities of the space like a child in a candy store. Distracted again - by Sol sweeping a large pile of dust on his head and making him sneeze loudly - he was shaking the remnants from his head when Lena reappeared with more books in tow.
Laughing at her enthusiasm, he nodded his head, unable to deny her anything, let alone such a simple request. [say]"I guess we have a little time to spare."[/say] Not that they had a fixed schedule, but they'd determined to do all the things in the Grounds, and he knew if he let her, Lena would spend their entire trip sequestered in the Atheneum, finding her sustenance in words and knowledge.
He recalled a particularly pretty spot nearby, his eyes glinting as he said, [say]"Come on. I know just the place."[/say] Shifting the books in his arms, Zavien used the bright arching of the roof to guide him, otherwise he might have led them farther into the dark recesses of forgotten tomes. Luckily, they hadn't gotten too far, and he only had to turn a few corners before he led them to a secluded corner where the water disappeared into a wall, trickling softly. An opening in the vaulted ceiling above let in a ray of glittering sunlight that cast a warm glow over a cozy seating area.
A cheeky grin was on his face as he looked to Lena. [say]"What do you think?"[/say]
RE: booked for the weekend - Lena - 05-29-2025
[say]“Just so I can sort through,”[/say] she promised with a wink – because it was a massive amount of books now that she thought about it, and there was only so much time in the day…maybe she’d be able to take notes on the ones she couldn’t savor later.
Following along, with Mittens and tomes in tow, her eyes rounded upon the presented scene – picturesque and glowing, luminescent and beautiful. [say]“Aww, this is lovely,”[/say] the Caretaker whispered again, still struck in awe by the whole place – where there was so much light, ambience, and beauty. She knew it hadn’t always been this way, but the Grounders had done their part to rebuild and convert what had been ruined and marred, into something beautiful and wondrous. [say]“Very good find,”[/say] she nudged at him with her elbow teasingly, since it was the only thing she could utilize at the instant, before settling down into the sunbeams, not unlike a cat, and mustering through her pile.
Hastening a sigh, she glanced at all the works before her – as if disappointed they couldn’t all come to the next venture. [say]“What do you think the limit should be? Five?” [/say]
RE: booked for the weekend - Zavien - 05-30-2025
He bumped his side against her elbow, smiling bright at her approval. [say]"I'm glad you like it."[/say] However, as he saw her get cozy in the sunlight, Zavien wondered again if he was going to lose her to the temptations of the literary space. It didn't stop him for soaking up the light as he settled next to her, content to stay as long as she wished.
Chuckling, he offered forth the books he'd taken from her earlier. [say]"I wouldn't dare limit you,"[/say] he teased. If he had to rent a wagon for the day, he'd do just that, satisfied to see the joy on her face. Shrugging his shoulders, Zavien leaned back, stretching his legs out in front of him and tucking his hands behind his head as he looked up at the dust Sol sent fluttering in the sunrays. [say]"We could always stop by the inn and drop them off if you can't narrow down the choices."[/say]
RE: booked for the weekend - Lena - 05-30-2025
If there weren’t multitudes to do, she might’ve done just that – curled and contorted into this space with Zavien and their companions and books, with nothing else but the literary word and favored company. No Starfall reaches. No demonic void portions. Alas, she knew better, but sometimes it was wonderful to dream before it faded away into something horrendous.
She wouldn’t be able to recall how long they could simply stay like that, her eyes maneuvering over tomes and spines and descriptions, eventually smiling back at him, choices rendered and made. [say]“I think these will do nicely.” [/say]At the suggestion though, she brightened once more, beginning to pick and gather them up. [say]“And then lunch at the Levinsward?”[/say] Unaware, of course, of the harsh realities about to fall further down into their spines.
[FIN]