"Phoebe has both shells, currently," Jigano said quietly. "I believe she's keeping them safe for next LongNight." There were other things they might have been used for in the interim, of course, but for now they rested with the Dean of the Medical College and whatever doldrums she was trying to drown in.
It all came back to books being accessible for generations in the Atheneum, a building filled to bursting with tomes and journals in myriad languages where anyone could go to read at any time of day or night in any season. But Oliver seemed obsessed with the idea and the bard had other things on his plate. "It's a noble career," he agreed mildly. "And honestly, a little competition might do Sam some good." The bookmaker had a habit of being a bit scatterbrained and starting multiple projects before finishing one. Perhaps another book vendor in town would help give him focus...
And keep him from doing quite so much of the Voice's bidding with the portals.
Jigano simply nodded as Oliver repeated his words with different phrasing, glad that they had something they agreed on. "I might not have been able to convince my friends yet... but that doesn't mean I've stopped trying," he said, gently. "Even if it seems hopeless I won't give up on them. That's what makes them friends." He smiled crookedly.
"If you could... push from the back... that would be a great help," he grunted, hauling the cart partially by brute force over the lowest portion of some fallen rubble that stretched across what once had been a street.
It would hardly be an easy trip back through the Ruins, but between both of them they would be able to manage it, and they were able to divvy up the contents of the crates between them when they got back to town.
{Finished}
It all came back to books being accessible for generations in the Atheneum, a building filled to bursting with tomes and journals in myriad languages where anyone could go to read at any time of day or night in any season. But Oliver seemed obsessed with the idea and the bard had other things on his plate. "It's a noble career," he agreed mildly. "And honestly, a little competition might do Sam some good." The bookmaker had a habit of being a bit scatterbrained and starting multiple projects before finishing one. Perhaps another book vendor in town would help give him focus...
And keep him from doing quite so much of the Voice's bidding with the portals.
Jigano simply nodded as Oliver repeated his words with different phrasing, glad that they had something they agreed on. "I might not have been able to convince my friends yet... but that doesn't mean I've stopped trying," he said, gently. "Even if it seems hopeless I won't give up on them. That's what makes them friends." He smiled crookedly.
"If you could... push from the back... that would be a great help," he grunted, hauling the cart partially by brute force over the lowest portion of some fallen rubble that stretched across what once had been a street.
It would hardly be an easy trip back through the Ruins, but between both of them they would be able to manage it, and they were able to divvy up the contents of the crates between them when they got back to town.
{Finished}
