Story time with the librarian

[thewindsinger]

"Hello everyone!' The green one smiled and clasped their front feet together, "welcome to the hopefully soon-to-be-maybe-often afternoon read! Now, I have absolutely no idea what sort of stores you all like, so if you all could find a hopefully readable tale for us, we can begin by voting upon which adventure to read first!" they looked at the gathered beings sitting before them in a semi-circle. They frowned when none of them moved. "Well go on, don't be so shy, the books won't eat you," the green one urged, "well, at least I think they won't." their brow furrowed slightly.

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[starmap]

The astronomer, not part of the semi-circle, snakes into view from one of the countless aisles. "Surely you," he says, his voice devoid of challenge, "who are tasked with the keeping of such a marvelous bastion of knowledge, who are so privileged to be the guide to others in these hallowed aisles, would know where among these treasures to find an even greater treasure – a book in a familiar tongue?"

[thewindsinger]

The green one's cheeks gained a slight rosy tone. "Well, you see," they said, "I thought that part of the fun of these reads would be that we all chose together. I have found my book, and you are welcome to go hunting for a tale of your choosing if you wish."

[starmap]

"That might be a greater challenge than you expect, my dear librarian." To demonstrate, he goes back toward the aisle from which he entered, and selects a book at random. He opens it and turns it toward the librarian. "It is beautiful, and likely contains arcane knowledge beyond what we can imagine, but we cannot read it." He puts it back, picks out the next book on the shelf, and does the same. "This one, as well." He places it back on its shelf, careful to handle it with the utmost respect. "You will find that such will be your experience for hours, if you do not know exactly where to look."

[thewindsinger]

The green one's cheeks become even redder as they turn away from the astronomer."I suppose you are right," they mumble, "this may be harder than I assumed. I will take this into consideration and perhaps find a tale before I schedule these reads." Embarrassed, the librarian slinks away to another aisle to search for a readable story.

[starmap]

The astronomer is not concerned about the librarian's ability to find a readable book – they are a librarian, after all – but given his own inability to find anything but star charts, he's interested in hopefully learning more about whatever the book's topic is. So, he follows them into the aisle.

When he catches up with them, he says, "Would you mind if I accompanied you on your search, fellow scholar? Two great minds are better than one."

[thewindsinger]

"That would be most welcome!" The librarian smiles brightly, a light appearing in their eyes, "Now, what sort of tale do you think we should be searching for? A romance? A play? A grand adventure? Or perhaps something that will strike terror into our hearts?" they tick off the different genres upon green claws while roaming the aisle, one eye searching for a readable title.

[starmap]

He smiles at their enthusiasm. It's always good to see another excited about the possibility of knowledge, especially when it's contained in the marvelous gem that is literature. "Regrettably, I am not familiar with your group of bright, eager pupils, so I cannot imagine what they would want. I can only say that if we come upon a book of science or the stars, I would like to have it in my possession. Such a book is what I have been searching for here." While he speaks, he scans the other side of the aisle for possibilities.

[thewindsinger]

The green one frowns ever so slightly. "Actually, I am not so sure myself as to what my pupils will prefer," they admit, "but while I ponder this perhaps I can help you find your own book you require for whatever it is that you are studying."

[starmap]

"That would be most appreciated," he says with a smile, though he offers no indication as to what he is studying. He stops and picks out a book. It's not one he can read, but he opens it anyway. The words seem to dance upon the page, but focusing on a word – or what seems to be a word – holds it still. "Being a caretaker of this place must be exceptional. Just look at all of these books, all of this information! I am quite envious."

[thewindsinger]

The green one looks down at their long toes and tries not to look pleased. "It is a privilege to work here," they nod, "and you are welcome to the tomes any time you wish, if it is allowed." they too pick a book from a shelf--it is filled with paintings of forests and trees and clouds and bright blue skies. Each one shimmers and dances as though made from magic--which they probably are--and seem to breathe.

[starmap]

"I do hope that offer is retroactive as well, as I have taken the liberty of collecting whichever star charts I could find – I could not help myself! The detail in all of the celestial charts and maps I have discovered is simply incredible." In a quick movement, he snaps the book shut. After an inspection of its cover, it goes back on the shelf. He passes the librarian in the aisle and returns to looking at the spines of books.

[thewindsinger]

The green one peers at the book the astronomer had been studying, and finding that they cannot read it either, puts their own book back and says, "If you could please inform me before you remove the charts from the library that would be most appreciated. They are very rare and delicate and I would surely be punished if any were to go missing or be damage." they peer closely at the spine of a book, and lo and behold, it is able to be read. "aha!" the green one exclaims, "I have found a book in a tongue that I can decipher. It is called...A History of Telescopes and Their Uses. Oh dear, it seems we must search a little more if we are to find a tale, else we will be stuck with boring history books."

[starmap]

He's about to argue about who would punish them – though he would call it debate – when the exclamation comes. As soon as he hears the title of the book, he snatches it out of the librarian's hands. "I am more than happy to relieve you of this 'boring history book,' as you so crudely put it. This is a tome of unparalleled value, both because of its understandability and its contents."

[thewindsinger]

The green one laughs as the book is snatched from their hands. "Well," they chuckle, "it seems that at least one of us has been pleased! I had momentarily forgotten your fixation on such tomes otherwise I would have not 'so crudely put it' and instead offered it to you." the librarian made note to set aside similar tomes for the astronomer's next visit to the library.

[starmap]

"I do appreciate the sentiment," he says, already starting to flip through the pages. Even when skimming, there's so much information in here; so much information he didn't know. It makes him feel fulfilled to encounter the unknown and become familiar with it in turn.

The astronomer remembers the librarian next to him, and he shuts the book. "Ah, yes, we were searching for a tale?"

[thewindsinger]

"Indeed we were," the librarian nods at the astronomer, "and I think I have an idea of where we could begin our search." They gracefully rise to hover a few feet above the floor, and glide towards a section of shelves that hold books with colorful spines of many hues of the rainbow.

[starmap]

Also gifted with the ability of flight, the astronomer follows suit. When he arrives at their destination, he turns towards the librarian. "These books are quite vibrant in hue," he says, reaching out to gently run his claws along the spines of several of them. "I do believe they remind me of something I have witnessed, though I seem to be drawing a hefty blank."

[thewindsinger]

The green one's expression turns sad. "I have that same feeling when I come to this place," they say softly, "it's like I am suddenly missing a small part of my consciousness and being. Ah well, I'm sure we will find our tale here in this place!" They begin to hum and pull out many titles, trying to see if they are legible.

[starmap]

He almost laughs at the way the librarian seems to jump between solemnity and joviality. How curious! He sets aside the thought and joins them in looking through books, one after the other. "I do wonder how this library is organized. Which wing contains which books, and such. I suppose it would be easier to discern were all but a few of the books legible, yes?"

[thewindsinger]

"I have started to recognize them by whatever color their spines are. The more colorful they are, the higher chance the have of being legible. The more somber the cover, the less likely." They peer at the words upon the spine of a novel and pull it out. "Ah!" they exclaim happily, "I have found one! The Hunters Three. It seems that this will be sutible until I can find some time to set aside some other legible tales." They then pause for a moment and study the illustration upon the cover more closely. "Just checking for any hidden enchantments," they explain, "you never know with the books in here."