The Library of MotK 47 ~ Magical Librarian Squad 5-1

[Esifex]

Suddenly MORE MINDHAX
except not really


Ruro leaned against the archway separating the History section from the rest of the Library. Part of her wanted to dive in and bury her nose in a good story, but another part of her knew she couldn't afford to right now ? that she needed to resolve this issue with Esi.

Maybe just a little? She drummed her fingers across her chin, contemplating. There was so much good reading to be had in the history of the past ? a lot of speculation on the Dark Ages, all the tales of chivalry from the Renaissance, the founding of the Nation States, the feudal era of Japan, and all that vibrant history of Rome and Greece ? not to mention the rich mythology of each different culture! Oh, it was glorious.

?Hiyo, Ruro. Be ready; Esi's back, and she found Roukan.?

That brought things into perspective for Ruro. There's work to be done, and someone was tampering with her Librarians.

?She came in through the front??

Sakana shook her head. ?No, I've been watching it. Nobody ? not even regular patrons ? had come through since you left the desk. My guess? Through one of the windows, or perhaps a second-floor balcony. Maybe even the battlements.?

?That would be troublesome. We don't have the manpower to guard all the potential entrances. How's Roukan doing, what did Esi take from her??

?Her experience. Not sure how that's going to manifest for Esi, but Roukan has regressed mentally. She was crying because Esi was, well, more or less, bullying her.? Sakana turned and gestured vaguely behind her. ?Note the distinct lack of my other half. Roukan's using it as a security blanket right now.?

Ruro blinked. ?I didn't know you could get away from it.?

?I can't, normally. But if something?s holding it back while I'm going somewhere ? or someone grabs it and drags it through the air ? a considerable amount of distance can be put between me and it.?

?So, would that explain, if for example, someone had taken it from you a ways and then let go of it, it'd come back to you on it's own?? Ruro grinned.

?...where are you going with this? Yes, it finds its way back to me on it's own. We're of one entity.?

?Any idea how much lift it generates??

Sakana hesitated, thinking the situation through, trying to spot the hidden joke at her expense. ?...No, no idea. And no, I won't let you lasso it to the returns desk and attach bundles of books to it while I'm organizing the stacks so you can refill my workload while I'm 'in the field'. That would be like me borrowing your swords to spread butter on toast.?

Ruro's grin turned into a full-fledged smile, and she pointed past Sakana. ?No, that's not what I had in mind. I was thinking more like a mount.?

Sakana frowned as she turned around, then froze. What have I ever done to deserve the punishment and ridicule I get while working here? I thought this was a good thing I was doing, working here.

Roukan, who had apparently stabilized at the size of a young teenager, was gently cruising through the air towards them ? sitting side-saddle atop Sakana's tuna-half. The floating fish didn't seem to have any issues with its current use as a beast of burden ? its face was still blank, mouth gaping in an eternal grin.

Sakana pointed at the tuna. ?You are such a traitor, you know that??

 ?Now, now, Moe-Moe Sakana-tan, it's not healthy to talk to yourself like that.? Ruro nudged her as she stepped by to address Roukan. ?How are you feeling, Roukan? Sakana tells me Esi wasn't very polite to you.?

Roukan nodded and sighed. ?She was kinda mean. Scared me a bunch, but I'm feeling better now. Do you mind if I went and got a snack??

Ruro reached out to ruffle Roukan's hair, but paused halfway, as though trying to fight the temptation.

?Go right ahead. In fact, go wait for me in the Librarian's Lounge.? She slowly withdrew her hand, hesitantly bringing it back to her side, and moving as though she wanted to rest her palm on the hilt of a sword, but didn't currently have any bound to her waist. She finally ? awkwardly ? let her arm hang limp.

?Okay! ♥~? Roukan said as she hopped off Sakana's tuna and turned away, nearly tripping over her now incredibly baggy uniform.

Sakana stepped up behind Ruro and muttered under her breath into Ruro's ear, ?Did she just vocalize a heart in her speech? Is that even possible??

Ruro could only shake her head and shrug, replying with a short sniffle.

?You alright, Ruro??

The Head Librarian reached back and groped around until she grabbed the top of Sakana's sleeve, and tugged it forward slightly before turning to use it as a makeshift tissue.

?You didn't warn me she was adorable!?


No one can resist Loli-Rou

[Alfred F. Jones]

No one can resist Loli-Rou

Nobody would want to!

* Ruroko Littner twirls loli-Rou around~

[Matsuri]

[06:08] <BasaraSakana> It was a thrown ferret to be fair ( ' 3')
[06:09] <@Esi> I'd like to meet the master who trains to defend against Ninja Throwing Ferrets
[06:09] <@Esi> cuz then I could say I met a certifiably crazy person \o/
[06:09] <BasaraSakana> Hime will teach it if she ever has students
[06:09] <BasaraSakana> Just as Ruro will teach her students to always have a ferret handy
[06:09] <BasaraSakana> Can you imagine old Hime talking to a student
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "And now I will tell you the final teaching of our school"
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "Yes, master?"
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "Always...:"
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "Yes?"
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "Always... watch out for the ferret. Always expect it! Never let down your guard! The ferret is everywhere!"
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "...."
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "..."
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> ".... okay?"
[06:10] <Ryuu> cue ferret
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> *ferreted*

:derp:

If I ever become a wandering swordsman, I'm going to travel with a ferret at all times.

Spoiler:

Never mind that Shiren the Wanderer has a talking weasel and therefore beat us all to the punch :<

[Esifex]

Nobody would want to!

* Ruroko Littner twirls loli-Rou around~

You should draw loli-Rou :3

[Iced Fairy]

Some library stories are about saving the library.

Some are about saving the universe.

This one, is about turning in a story for Chaore to write a summary on, then dodging work for the rest of the day.

---

The little fairy yawned and stretched before readjusting the notepaper blanket that covered her.  Her wings twitched a few times as she slowly moved along the boundaries of sleep.  It was nice and warm, and she didn't want to get up.

Several minutes later the alarm clock next to the fairy sang out.  Grumbling the blue haired youkai smacked it to silence its ringing, then peered out of the book fort that was her 'room' in between the shelves of the grand library.

Nothing was on fire, encased in mystical energies, or flooded, and there was a distinct lack of zombies.

So far so good.

The fairy swept her long blue hair back into something resembling a ponytail, then frowned as she adjusted her skirt.  The damn thing was still too short.  She could barely hide 4 paperbacks in it.  She once again reminded herself to look into getting one of those e-readers.  She wasn't sure if they'd work for her, but it would still be nice to have the extra reading material.

For now she grabbed her normal loadout, then stuffed a few random spares into her shirt.  She once again considered getting long sleeves for the additional carrying capacity, but she really couldn't stand how warm they made her.

Finally she picked up the small rubber duck she'd acquired shortly after moving into these lands.  ?Looks like another normal day Mr Bubbles.  You ready for breakfast??  The rubber duck squeaked it's reply (perhaps aided by a good squeeze).  The fairy smiled in response.  ?Alright then, let's see if they have some bacon!?  She grabbed her final book, ?A Hat Full of Sky,? and smiled as it vanished under the invisible hat.  Some rules were made to be broken.

The fairy took to the air, her frosted wings fluttering.

----

"Hey Iced.?

?Oh, hey Erebus,? the 'Iced Fairy,' generally known as Iced, nodded to the kitchen's other occupant.

Erebus was the local library's resident eldritch horror.  Erebus hated yuri with the fires of a thousand suns, drove lesser beings mad, and was one day, when the stars were right, going to fully awake and destroy all life.  Currently, he (she? it?) was having a meal consisting of pancakes and the tears of forsaken children.

All in all he was pretty cool guy.

Iced looked around and grabbed a pan, some dead pig, and a cookbook.  She quickly summoned up an apron, and began transforming the deadly uncooked meats into one of the finest foods known to man.

Not that raw meat could kill her.  Nothing could kill her in the library.  In fact she really didn't need to eat at all.  But bacon was worth taking the time to eat.

After the bacon was cooked to the right crispiness level she grabbed some pasteries and fruits from various places, sat down, and dug in.

After getting through most of the bacon, Iced asked a question that had been on her mind for a while.  ?Hey Erebus, have you ever eaten human??

The eldritch being's tendrils twitched.  ?Yeah, why do you ask??

?What's it taste like??

Erebus thought for a moment.  ?It's like pork, only with more despair.?

?There a difference between raw and cooked human?? Iced asked.

?Don't know.  Never bothered cooking them.?

?Oh.  Okay.  Well thanks for the info.?  The little fairy made a note to try it some time.

?Don't mention it.?  Erebus rose from the table.  ?Well, I gotta head out.  Later.?

?See ya Erebus.?  Iced waved then turned back to her own breakfast.  She had a lot to do today herself after all.

Just as she finished the grapefruit, there was a sudden impact and something small and sharp attached to the back of Iced's head.  The fairy yelped in pain then scrambled to catch her invisible hat.  She sighed in relief then reached to find what had latched on to her.

The weight shifted to her hand and she pulled it forward to find a small winged girl latched to it.  ?Kerigis?? she asked hesitantly.  She was terrible with names, and she'd just started hanging around the Kaleidoscope's social areas, but the gnawing was very distinctive.

?Hi Iced!? the mini Keri replied to her before going back to attempting to eat through her fingers.

 ?Ufufufufufu~  So that's where you went.?  Iced looked up to find Moerin entering the room.  ?You shouldn't run off like that.?

 ?I was bored,? the fury said before flying up and settling on Iced's head.

Iced glanced up then shrugged.  A mini Keri seemed like a good head accessory.  ?How'd she get so small?? the fairy asked Moerin.

?Someone left a strange purple mushroom around her.  Apparently after gnawing on it she shrunk.  I came to force Polaris to find the antidote,? Moerin explained.

?And a few spares of the poison mushroom as well, I imagine,? Iced guessed.

?Indeed~? Moerin said with a wide smile.  ?Kerigis, do you want to stay with the fairy??
 
?Sure!?

?Do I get a say in this?? Iced asked.

Moerin shrugged.  ?Do you have a problem with it??

?Nah, I just want to see if you consider me enough of a threat to actually consider my opinions,? Iced replied.

?Ufufu, you're pretty funny little fairy.?  Moerin patted Iced on the head before petting Kerigis.  ?You two go run off and have fun.  I'll be back later tonight.?

Iced frowned and stamped her foot.  It was probable better for her plans if she wasn't considered a threat, but it was so annoying!  She was the Iced Fairy!  She should be one of the big players!

One day she'd take control of the library and show them all!

But until then she had work to do.

?So wanna go see Chaore?? she asked her new companion.

?Sure thing!? Kerigis said.

 ?Okay, hold on tight!? Iced said as she fluttered her wings then darted towards the front desk.
 
Kerigis folded her own wings and latched on to the fairies head with her arms and teeth as the bookshelves flew by.  They were going on an adventure!

Or errands.  Really, a positive mindset made the two very similar in a world like this.

[Alfred F. Jones]

M-must pet and hug the tiny Iced Fairy. So cuuuuuute. :*

[Kerigis]

People really should be careful about leaving their mushrooms around.

....it looked tasty. ._.

[Polaris]

“Someone left a strange purple mushroom around her.  Apparently after gnawing on it she shrunk.  I came to force Polaris to find the antidote,” Moerin explained.

I don't think I'll be able to find 'antidote for strange purple mushroom that shrinks people who eat it' :ohdear:

There are rumours of a red mushroom that reverses the effect, but that's just crazy talk.

[Dead Princess Sakana]

M-must pet and hug the tiny Iced Fairy. So cuuuuuute. :*

I agree  :*

Also love the depiction of Erebus. The small dialogue was hilarious 

[Solais]

Geez, the Library is starting to get full of Fairies!

[OkashiiKisei]

I don't think I'll be able to find 'antidote for strange purple mushroom that shrinks people who eat it' :ohdear:

There are rumours of a red mushroom that reverses the effect, but that's just crazy talk.

It's true! It has white spots on it! Though do note you need to eat the moving, fat ones with eyes. The regular ones are rather...poisonous...

By the way, I love Ere's depiction in this. :* And how big is IceD supposed to be? Living in the bookshelves would make you pretty small, yet she manages to stuff literary works in her clothes and Keri is even smaller than her...

[Iced Fairy]

By the way, I love Ere's depiction in this. :* And how big is IceD supposed to be? Living in the bookshelves would make you pretty small, yet she manages to stuff literary works in her clothes and Keri is even smaller than her...

Iji Iced is a little bigger then most fairies, but probably still under 1.5 meters.  Her book fort is between 2 different bookshelves, not inside a single shelf which is probably where your confusion comes from.

[Iced Fairy]

And now for the big action scene!

Wait, those are supposed to come at the end of the story?  Whoops.

----

Iced zoomed through several corridors, then suddenly landed on a panel behind a pillar at the second floor landing.  The trap door (one of the few that were still armed) swung open, dropping the fairy and her rider down to the first floor.

This part of the library was well traveled.  While the depths of the strange structure still had uncharted areas, this was where authors left their works to be entered into the massive repository of books.

The 'donation area' wasn't as impressive as one would think for a library as grand as this one.  There was an open area with benches for public readings of the most recent chapters in the various saga's being created, but the room itself was out of the way.  And it was a long ways away from the fireplace and other interesting areas, so many people only stayed long enough to drop off their stories.

Behind that open space was a massive desk where works could be turned in, and as usual, it was covered in stories awaiting summaries and archiving.  Some of the piles had reached the floor.

Most people assumed that the pile sat there until someone realized that it was about to gain sentience and attempt to take over the library.  And that assumption was correct.  However it was usually one person who stopped that from happening.  Someone very few non librarians remembered.

Iced remembered though, at least when she was nearby.  Mainly because it was a very strong story.

Iced knew stories.

?Hello Chaore.  I've got another one for you,? Iced said as she placed her most recent scribblings at the top of the pile.

The semi existent rabbit slowly appeared before the two, eliciting an 'Oooooh' from Kerigis.  The little girl flew over to gnaw on Chaore's bunny ears.

?Oh, thanks Iced,? Chaore said.  ?Is this one of your shorts??

?No, it's a continuation of the long story I wrote,? Iced said.  ?The one with Maribel and Renko.  I figured it'd be best as a trilogy.?

?You just have an obsession with the rule of three don't you?? Chaore said with a sigh.  ?Oh well, your definition of 'long' is half of one of our normal epics so it shouldn't be too bad.?  Now that she was here Chaore looked at the pile with a mild dread, realizing once again she'd be the person most likely to have to read and summarize them all before shelving.  ?You have anything else to add??

?Ah, no.  I need to work on something for Pesco.  Ruro has me on an 'exchange program' or something so I can get my community service done faster,? Iced replied, doing her best to seem incredibly annoyed at the idea.

?Ah, you should probably get back to that then,? Chaore said with a little relief as she started in on the pile.  ?Otherwise she'll take another inch off your skirt or something.?

Iced gulped at that.  It was a good thing she was lying about that program.  She didn't want to lose any more book space.

?Well, I'm off.?  Iced carefully picked up the napping Kerigis off of Chaore's head and replaced the girl on her own head.  Then she started walking further into the library.

?Hm... Should I look for people?  Or go exploring again?? Iced wondered to herself.

After a bit of thought she decided to stay in the known sections of the library.  After all she'd be in trouble if Kerigis got lost in the basement somewhere with the papergators.  Papergators have slow breeding cycles, and Keri could probably decimate their population.

Suddenly there was a fierce squeaking from on top of her head.  Iced jumped then grabbed both of her passengers.  Mr Bubbles looked the same as he always did, but Kerigis was working her jaw.  ?Are you two playing nice?? she asked them pointedly.

?Yeeees,? Keri replied innocently.  Iced turned her glare at Mr Bubbles until he gave a squeak of agreement.

?Good.?  She put the two back and continued flying ahead.

----

As Iced wandered into the children's section she began skipping.  She couldn't help it.  The place was too cheery, except for the Newbery medal section of course.

As she moved happily through the shelves she heard a scribbling.  Very carefully she flew up and peaked into the neighboring aisle.

There, wearing a light pink kimono with an incredibly poofy obi, was the libraries newer residents.  The dragonish youkai Ryuu.  Currently she had her sleeves tied up so she could write in her book, her tail occasionally twitching as she went through each line.

Iced had heard that the book never filled up, no matter how much was written in it.  She'd considered stealing it a few times for herself, but if it's powers were attached to Ryuu it wouldn't be of much use to her.

Still there was fun to be had here.

Iced put Kerigis in front of her and silently indicated the little fury should go to Ryuu's right shoulder.  Keri looked confused, but she simply shrugged and flew down.  Iced silently floated down to Ryuu's left.

Kerigis, realizing she didn't know what the fairy wanted her to do, fell back on her instincts and started gnawing on Ryuu's ear.

?AH!? Ryuu jumped at the sudden bite and batted at Kerigis.  With the dragon youkai's attention distraction Iced quickly grabbed the book and smiled as she read the page.

?Hello, Ryuu!  What's this??

?Eh??  Ryuu finally detached Kerigis and spun towards Iced.  ?Iced?  Why are you here?  Give that back!?

?So, a biiiig Parsee fan eh??

?Hey don't bring up that joke again,? Ryuu protested.  ?It's fine in the outside world but...?

Iced smirked and flipped through the pages.  ?Oh but shouldn't everyone here know the spicy details??  She pulled out a pen, ?Though maybe I should spice it up a little more then you have here.?

?Don't you dare write in my book!? Ryuu said spitting a tiny fireball to stop the theft.

Iced ducked the fireball, giggling as Kerigis orbited her.  She wasn't going to actually mess with another writers works, but she'd gotten the proper response.  ?Ryuu and Parsee sitting in a tree.  K-I-S-S-I-N-G!? she sang as she flitted away down the shelves.

?Stop that!  And give me my book back!? Ryuu cried as she flew after her.

?First comes love, then comes marriagh-? 

Iced's song stopped as she ran straight into someone else.  The book slipped out of her hands, to be quickly scooped up by the annoyed dragon youkai.  Iced looked up to find Esi smirking down at her.   

Esifex.  The annoying girl who'd ruined her plans last time.  The girl who was always smirking.  And who had the music player Iced really really wanted.

Iced pointed at the annoying psychic.  ?YOU!?

?Ja?? Esifex replied as she floated over the fallen fairy to where Ryuu was dusting off her book.

Iced glared at her foe.  ?This time I'm going to take you down!  Are you with me Keri??

Kerigis looked at the two then smiled.  This seemed like fun.  ?Sure!?

?Oh, how are you going to do that?  I can see any technique you think of.? Esifex replied matter of factly.

Ryuu sighed.  ?I see where this is going.  And I'm going to get the worst of it aren't I??  The other parties ignored her.

?Simple.?  Iced reached to the shelf and pulled one of the books out.  ?If I pick a random book, there's no way you can predict my techniques!?

?Oooh.  Scary scary.?

Iced smiled as the book took hold.  ?You should be scared, Esifex!?  The little fairy pulled the cap of the baseball hat that appeared on her to the side.  ?Because today I'm sure to defeat you and gain my Marsh Badge!?

Esifex's smirk only grew wider.  ?Suuure you will.?

?Alright, let's battle!  Mr. Bubbles, I choose you!?  Iced called out as she tossed the rubber duck to the floor with a squeak.

?Ryuu!  I choose you!? Esifex mentally commanded.

?Why am I the pokemon?  I'm totally main character material,? Ryuu stated.  The two once again ignored their victim.

?Mr Bubbles, use counter!? Iced commanded.

Esifex pointed at the duck, ?Ryuu, use fire breath!?

The two 'pokemon' stood there looking at each other.  Ryuu spoke up.  ?There's no way I'm going to stoop to fighting a rubber ducky.?

?Tch...  Too low level.  I guess I need a new strategy.  Mr Bubbles return!?  Iced held up a pokeball and the rubber duck was caught in the light and disappeared.  ?Go, Kerigis!?

?Keri!  Kerigis!? the fury cried cheerfully as she flew in front of Ryuu.  The dragon youkai sighed.

?Ryuu, use tail swipe!? Esifex commanded calmly.

Iced once again pointed dramatically.  ?Kerigis, use Fury Gnaws!?

?Seriously this isn't~ Whaugh!? Ryuu's comment was cut off by Kerigis cheerfully rushing for her face, teeth bared.  Panicking, she spun around to guard her fleshy bits and eyes.  As she did her tail whipped around and smacked Kerigis' tiny form into a shelf.

Kerigis fainted.

Ryuu turned to look at the damage she'd inadvertently caused.  The little fury just looked mildly stunned.  ?Uh, sorry??

?Keri!? Iced cried running to pick up the fallen combatant.  ?Keri hold on.  I promise you, I'll defeat Ryuu, and get the Gold Badge!?

?Didn't you call it the Marsh Badge before?? Ryuu asked.  ?Stick to the Japanese or the English version.  Otherwise the readers will be confused.?

?So, do you forfeit??  Esifex asked.

Iced turned with a face of grim determination.  ?No!  I have to win now, for Keri's sake.?  The little fairy pulled out another ice pokeball and tossed it forward.  ?Charizard, Go!?

Ryuu and Esifex's snide commentary died on their lips as the pokeball burst open, to reveal an actual Charizard.

?Ah, ich verga?, sie kann das ja," Esifex muttered.

Ryuu looked up at the fire psuedo dragon.  ?Isn't deus ex machina supposed to happen for the good guys??

?Alright!  Charizard, use flamethrower!? Iced cried out.

?Run away!?
?Lauft!?

Sadly their escape was foiled by the pokemon simply flying over them and landing in front.  It looked down at Ryuu, opened it's mouth...

...then yawned, grabbed the dragon girl like a stuffed animal and curled up to sleep.

?Oh right.  Ash can never control Charizard.? Esi mused.

?Why do I only get written into comedy pieces?? Ryuu protested.

Iced smirked at the psychic.  ?Come on!  Bring out your next Pokemon so I can smash you.?

?Sorry, I'm out.?  Esifex shrugged. ?You win the Marsh Badge.?

?Alright!  I win!? Iced proclaimed as she tossed her hat into the air.  Then she froze.  ?Wait, that means the fight's over.?

?Ja,? Esi replied.

Iced looked Esifex up and down.  ?And I didn't hit you once.?

Esifex nodded. ?Nope.?

Iced sat there for a few more moments before stomping on the ground in annoyance.  ?Mukiiiiiii!?

?Now, now.  That's really out of character,? came Esifex's mental chiding as the Charizard dissolved into blue motes of light.

Iced snarled, made sure she was cradling Kerigis properly, and jumped into the air.  ?I'll get you next time, you, you, you jerk!?  Then she dashed off into the library depths.

?Looks like team fairy is blasting off again,? Ryuu said as she rearranged her clothes and slipped her book into her sleeves.

Eifex frowned.  ?Isn't that my line??

?I want something out of this bit part, okay?!?

[Dead Princess Sakana]

You have a wonderful way of writing comedy.

Seeing the events at the end, I kinda wonder if little Iced isn't just dreaming all of this  :3

On another note, seeing as this thread is expanding more and more to a world around and inside the library itself, including a lot of non-Librarians, the old title didn't do this justice anymore.
As such, to honor this development, the title of this compilation of works has been changed from "The Librarians of MotK" to the now more fitting "The Library of MotK".

May we bring more live to the world of books with our words~

[Iced Fairy]

And the plot train just keeps being ignored!  Off to new random places.

***

Iced flew off down the twisting corridors.  She made it out of the children's section, over the books on minor magics and through an air duct.

After a few twists and turns she arrived at her destination.  The Arena.

The little fairy took a deep breath as she landed on the sandy grounds in the middle of the miniature marble coliseum.  The stands here were only two or three stories high, but built to shield the onlookers from whatever battle might occur on the field itself.

The construction itself was a strange marvel.  While the pillars and walls were of gold veined marble, and the massive doors of iron, all along the walls were massive tomes.  Each locked and chained to their respective wall or pillar.

Iced looked down to find Kerigis stirring.  The fairy closed her eyes and reached out to the books surrounding her.  It wasn't hard to find a healing spell amongst them to finish reviving her friend.

The shrunken fury shook her head then looked around.  ?Did we win??

?Yeah.  You did great Keri.?  Iced wasn't going to confuse her friend explaining how winning was actually losing in this case.

?Alright!?  Kerigis hopped up into the air, then look around her new surroundings.  ?Ooooh.  Where's this??

?This is the arena!? Iced proclaimed proudly.  ?The center of the library.  Where the writers meet to do battle.  On this field no one can match my powers!?

Kerigis fluttered around a bit, testing the textures of the various walls and books with her teeth.  ?I've never seen here before.?

?Well I'm the only one who knows where it is,? Iced replied proudly.

Keri looked confused.  ?Didn't you say that the writers battled here??

?Um, well, by that I meant I usually did my writing for the writers contest here,? Iced stated.  ?But if we did battle here I'd totally win!?

Kerigis looked suitably impressed.  Then an idea hit her.  ?Wait, how can no one know where it is if people built the library??

Iced smiled, put on some glasses and began sketching as she explained.  ?Ah, that's a fine question!  The answer is that the library is a creature of chaos.  While the outer regions are universal, past there reality is fluid, and each group sees it differently.  That's how a normal human like Ruro can appear in a room that you thought was 7 stories up past a spike maze.?

Kerigis blinked at Iced for a bit before eating the diagram the fairy had draw up.

Iced shrugged.  ?Let's go get ice cream.?

?Hooray!?

****

After acquiring and consuming the ice cream Kerigis curled up in a ball and decided to nap.  Iced made sure the little fury was secure before heading back into the more traveled sections of the grand library.  After a bit of wandering she found herself in the Philosophy section.

Here the books had a heavier feel.  Not oppressive, just weighty.  It was a small section, but useful for someone like her.  She pulled out a mid sized book, found one of the reading areas, arranged Kerigis on her lap, and started in on the book.

Iced wasn't sure how much time passed, but she was almost done with the book when someone entered the area.  She looked up to find Roukan there, several books in her arms with pages of what looked like notes stuffed into them haphazardly.

?Oh, hello Iced,? Rou said.  ?Writing something??

?Doing research,? Iced lied smoothly.  ?How about you?  Same??

?I guess so,? Roukan said.

Iced looked back at her book until she realized Rou was still looking at her.  ?Yes??

Rou looked embarassed, ?Sorry.  I was just wondering how you handle your power.?

Iced grimaced.  Stupid Esi, spilling her power suite.  ?What do you mean??

?Er, well,? Rou searched for the proper words.  ?Isn't it weird having all your personality be based on other people's writing??

Iced frowned and pulled out a few more books from the shelves to think about the question a little more.  ?Well that's kind of an odd thing to say.  If you're saying I'm a pure amalgam of concepts then you're wrong.  There is a core Iced Fairy personality, even if my moods and cognitive abilities are linked to my environment, so I don't really have issues there.?  Iced paused and Rou nodded to show she understood the fairy's speech.  ?If you're wondering what it's like to, at your core, be a story or legend yourself, well isn't that true of you youkai as well??

?What do you mean?? Rou asked.

Iced shook her head.  ?Youkai are creatures of myth and legend.  Ryuu is based one of the many myths of dragon.  Chaore is a more tragic story, one of a person forgotten by reality itself.  Kerigis here is born of the stories of the furies and guardian youkai.  And you I imagine are born of legends of the muses or the Leanhaun Shee,? Iced said.  ?Even humans like Sakura Ruroni can be chained to stories.  For while she can choose her own destiny, youkai and items are drawn to her by fate.?

?True,? Roukan stated.  ?But once we are born we don't change.  I'm not going to start draining the life out of people because people start believing in Leanhaun Shee more.  And none of us will die if people don't know our origins.  Well okay, Chaore would have problems, but that's a unique case.?

Iced nodded.  ?True your lives are less chaotic, but I personally enjoy being able to live multiple stories.  Even if sometimes I get stuck with bad roles, I can always hope for a good one later.?

Roukan frowned and nodded.  ?Still don't you get a little annoyed with your restrictions?  You have to stay near books of some sort or you become an idiot.  You can't access your powers at all unless you're right next to a book.  And given you've been stuck inside the library this long, you're probably foced to revive here when you get killed.?

There was a long silence.

?Rou, do you know why a fairy dies when its true home is destroyed?? Iced asked quietly as she patted Keri's head.

Roukan blinked at the question.  ?Um, because they don't have a magical focus that allows them to exist anymore??

?Hm... That's what most magicians think.  It might even be partially true,? Iced replied.  ?But the real reason is because we can't stand to exist in a world where our true home doesn't exist.  Everything we are comes from that.  Or powers, our weaknesses, our life.?

?Think of our sister reality.  Cirno wouldn't give up the ice on the lake or the ability to freeze things just to be able to drink hot tea.  Luna wouldn't give up the moonlight through the trees or her silence ability for something meaningless like being unaffected by the moon's phases.?  Iced hugged one of the books to her chest and smiled.  ?And I won't give up my connection to stories and books just because of my weaknesses.  Why?  Because our love for these things is our life.  That's what it means to be a fairy.?

?These stories, these shared dreams are my life.  That's why I can emulate the characters contained within these books.  Because I love them.?

Roukan nodded at the fairy's words.  ?I think I understand now.?

The two sat in silence for a bit.

Then Rou coughed.  ?Um, that's right.  Do you think random comedic situations are good to throw out after a dramatic scene??

Iced blinked for a few moments, then shuffled through the books.  After a few seconds she pulled out a cigar.  ?Indeed.  I believe that will help reduce the stress of the readers greatly.?

?You pulled out a book by Freud, didn't you?? Roukan said.

?May~be,? Iced replied with a smirk.

[Iced Fairy]

And now, the surprisingly thrilling conclusion.

***

After Kerigis awoke the two moved to the mystery/crime section.  They wandered the shelves a while before Keri hopped off Iced head and started looking around on her own.  ?Are you bored Keri?? Iced asked.

?Kinda,? Kerigis replied.

?Wanna play hide and seek?? Iced asked doing her best to hide a grin.

Kerigis spun in place.  ?Sure!?

?Alright!  I'll hide first.  You close your eyes and count to 100 then come look for me!? Iced said

Kerigis nodded her acceptance, then closed her eyes.  ?One, two, three....?

Iced smiled as she took to the skies.  Poor Kerigis.  This was the mystery section.  There were secret passages and smuggling compartments everywhere.  There was no way the little fury could find her hidden here.

Iced giggled as she slid aside the hidden panel for one of the better concealed compartments, then punched in the code for it.  The compartment was small, just big enough for her to stretch out her wings and roll over.  It was kinda cozy, so Iced had slept here a couple of times, when the weather got particularly bad.

The little fairy slipped in and smiled.  Now she had only to wait in comfort.  She closed her eyes and prepared for a quick nap of her own, visions of stories she had yet to write coalescing and fading in her mind.

Just as she was starting to drop off she heard a humming from outside.

'That's strange,' Iced thought to herself.  'Kerigis must have gotten lucky and followed the path.  I'll just have to stay quiet though.'

The humming grew louder as Kerigis moved closer to the hideaway.  Iced worked at keeping her breathing steady and waited for the other girl to move on.

However the humming stopped right outside the compartment.  ?Aha!  Found you!? Kerigis' voice called out.  Iced started at the voice, and held her breath.  Maybe Keri was buffing...

The sounds of someone trying to get a good gnawing position on the door dashed that hope.  Iced gave a deep sigh of defeat and opened the passage before the little fury could cause any damage to woodwork.  ?Alright Keri.  You win.?

?Yay!? Kerigis cheered then gnawed on Iced's skull a bit.  ?So it's my turn to hide now??

?Sure, but first how'd you find me?? Iced asked.

Kerigis shrugged.  ?I'm a fury!?

Iced thought about it for a moment, then shuddered slightly.  She knew that the furies could hunt down those who had broken an oath or challenged the gods.  Apparently Hide and Seek was enough of a challenge to activate that instinct.  At least, that was the best explanation.

Even those who can't die wish to avoid the attention of the kindly ones.

Still Kerigis was happy, so it probably wasn't anything of note.  Iced shook off her worries and closed her eyes.  ?Alright, it's my turn!  One, Two, Three....?

Iced made it through the monotonous count to 100, then opened her eyes.  Unsurprisingly Keri was nowhere to be seen.

Iced tried flying up above the shelf height to see if the girl was anywhere easy to find, but that was fruitless.

Fortunately she had some trump cards nearby.

Iced Grabbed a Sherlock Holmes book and began looking around for clues.  Surely a man of reason could find something!

Five minutes later she stumbled across a flaw in her calculations.  Her deductive prowess required two things.  First, the creature had to follow the laws of nature, something Kerigis was certainly not constrained by.  Secondly there had to be clues to follow, something that a flying creature attempting to hide was not certain to leave!

Perplexed by the issue Iced sat down and considered her options.  She could of course pull out another investigator to work with, but that seemed like admitting defeat.  She could also try searching normally, trusting on her ability to see things that were out of place to aid her in cracking Kerigis' hiding place.  While effective however, that could take some time.

Fortunately chance favored her investigations.  As she looked around she saw a small air vent hanging open.  A close investigation revealed the dust in the area had been recently disturbed, leading to the obvious conclusion that Kerigis had escaped to the upper regions.

Iced smiled and put down the Sherlock Holmes book, before drawing out one of her own special books.  It was time for an adventure!

***

When Iced pulled herself through the opening she found herself in a tower.  It was dark, almost pitch black, save for a few distant lights somewhere above.

Iced looked around casually.  Kerigis was nowhere to be seen.

The fairy began jogging about the bottom of the tower, looking for any sign of her friend, or maybe a light switch.  As she moved to the 9 o'clock position, suddenly a glowing stairway appeared.  Each stair was a platform of light hanging unsupported in the air spiraling around the tower.

Seeing nothing better to do, Iced began to climb.

After several revolutions of the tower she came across a huge stained glass window, standing a full two stories tall.  It was dark, but with the glow from the stairway she could see the blue rose motif that twined through it.  The fairy tried to determine who the figures in the window were, but it was too dark.  The stairs only illuminated the edges.

Shrugging she moved on.

Another two revolutions brought her to a new floor.  Or rather a mystical force barrier that served as a floor.  She was about to move further up when she sensed danger.

The fairy rolled forward as a black shadow claw raked at her from behind.  Iced drew the massive sword from behind her back as the creatures came out.  As they moved away from the shadows that concealed them she realized what they were.  The black unsung.  Characters so poorly written they had no dimensions or depth.  The proto youkai spawned by this were faceless blobs of black ichor that tried to steal others personalities so they could be remembered.

Iced swung her blade to point at one of the creatures.  ?Hey, watch the persona.  It's a rental.?

The creatures ignored her quip and sprang for the little fairy as one.  Iced jumped and somersaulted over the rushed attack, then reversed directions effortlessly and did a rushing stab through the creatures.

From there she executed 8 quick slashes, then another powerful thrust.  The impact bowled over most of the creatures, and left the one remaining in front of her open for a launching upswing that Iced followed.  Six cuts later and she brought the blade down in a massive overhead that slammed the creature down into it's comrades before splattering the lot all over the force barrier.  It would take some time for the creatures to recover.  If they ever did.

Iced smirked, and spun her sword around while putting it behind her back.  ?Stylish.?

She then began to run up the stairs.  It was obvious this was no place for the unprepared.

Fortunately for Iced's heart rate she found Kerigis only a few stories up.  She was surrounded by a flock of red shadow bats.  However she seemed to have the matter somewhat under control.  She grabbed one in each hand and was alternating between taking bites out of the 2d creatures and swinging them like knives at the flock surrounding her.

As Iced approached the little fury pouted.  ?Aw, you found me.?  She swung again at the bats, cutting one in half.  ?You stupid things cut me.  She must have followed the blood.?

Iced considered the matter.  Kerigis would certainly kill the whole flock if left alone, but by then something more dangerous might show up.  It would be best to end this fight quickly.

Kerigis' position made using a sword impractical, so Iced pulled out her twin guns and opened up.  The shadow bats exploded one by one.  Eventually the damage to the flock made the exercise pointless and the creatures gave up and flew away.  As they left Iced dismissed the powers she was borrowing from the manga.  She was a little far away from the libraries core so she didn't want to strain herself.

Kerigis proceeded to quickly eat the two bats she still had, then acquiesced to letting Iced bandage her cuts.  ?I thought here was a perfect hiding place, but there's all these creatures about.  It gets even worse the closer you get to the castle at the top of the tower!?

?A castle?? Iced made a mental note to catalog this place.  ?Hm....  Interesting.?

?Do you want me to take you so we can take a look around?? Kerigis asked hopefully.

Iced looked around at the vast tableau around them.  ?I think... this is someone else's story.  If we go further we'll disturb things.  We should go back for now.?

She began to lead Kerigis back into the main library.

"How'd those things taste anyway?"

"They wouldda gone well with cinnamon."

***

Their adventure past, Iced liberated two mugs of hot chocolate and they moved to the main reading room, where there was a nice fire going.  Iced started alternating between reading a history text, scribbling down story ideas, and watching Kerigis drawing with crayons.  Since Kerigis was currently about as tall as the paper she was working on, drawing on it was a full body exercise for her.

Slowly but surely people began to trickle into the library reading room.  Most didn't actually read much, but the chatter was nice.  Lloyd dropped in, cheerful as usual.  Ryuu and Esi entered, completely oblivious to Iced's glare.  Everyone realized Chaore was there at some point.  Sakura Ruroni showed up with Trance, and took pictures of everyone's legs.  Sakana finally escaped her desk just in time to be caught up in one of Ruro's random schemes.  People arrived and left seemingly at random.

Finally Moerin arrived bearing a strange orange mushroom about the size of a fist.  ?Hello Keri.  I found the cure!?

Polaris stumbled in shortly after.  ?That was terrible.  The turtles....?

Kerigis gnawed on the mushroom and with a strange noise returned to her normal size.  ?Thank you mistress!?

Meorin patted Kerigis on the head.  ?Well we should get back.  It's getting late.?

Kerigis nodded then turned around.  ?Bye Iced.?

?Bye Keri,? Iced said.  She then leaned forward and whispered, ?Hey, if I achieve real ultimate power do you want to switch sides and join with me??

Kerigis shook her head.  ?Sorry, I'm loyal.  But if you try to oppose Moerin and get killed I'll be sure to eat your corpse!?

Iced sighed then reached up and patted Kerigis on the head.  ?Thanks Keri.  See you around.?

?See ya.?

The rest of the night passed uneventfully, as Iced focused mostly on her notes and reading.  Though sometimes she'd poke her head up to see what the conversation was.

After a while the little Iced Fairy got tired, said her farewells, and flitted off back into her little corner of the library.

When she arrived at the familiar shelves, she checked her book fort to make sure it hadn't been disturbed.  Then she squeezed back inside, pulled the newspaper blanket over her and began to let her mind wander.

And soon she was asleep.

[OkashiiKisei]

16 slashes with a huge sword, the last one being a powerful overhead slash from the air? I think Iced picked up a manga about a certain 'SOLDIER'. :3

Though the two guns paired with the sword could also mean Iced picked up a manga about a devil who may cry. :derp:

[Esifex]

SUDDENLY, BOOKS
HUNDREDS OF THEM
oh and an errant telepath


Ruro and Sakana split up, but both remained in the foremost wing of the Library as they searched for Tyltalis. Finding Esi was secondary, and they were staying alert and keeping their eyes peeled for any signs of the errant psyker.

Unfortunately, neither of them had the advantage that Esi did. She was able to mentally sense where everyone was in the Library at all times – and, all the way out through the rest of Mangekyou if she focused, but she wasn't concerned with anything beyond the walls of the Archives right then.

While she had several advantages, Esi didn't have the sheer speed and combat expertise to hold Ruro off, and possessed as she was, she still knew this. She wasn't able to protect her collection from the Head Librarian just yet. With any luck, the aspect of Tyltalis that made her suited for Librarian duty would be the extra edge she needed.

Unfortunately, Ruro was too close to Tylt for Esi to close in and have the time she needed to draw the aspects. So, instead, Esi turned her focus on the books themselves. A Librarian was nothing without a Library, after all.

Ruro and Sakana had repeatedly forgotten that Esi was capable of flight now, and was in turn moving about by staying above the Library bookshelves, where there was only about eight feet of space between their tops and the ceiling. Plenty of room for her to fly without worrying about her robe – now slightly frayed from her excavation of the caverns beside the Library – or her long braid, and the steel ring it ended in, from dragging across anything and making noise.

Somewhere in her memory she recalled another pair of Librarians, but they weren't present. Esi's memory said they hadn't shown up in quite some time to the Library; if that were true, this lack of vigilance meant they'd be poor stock for any Librarian skill-set. Since she'd already culled from Sakura Rurouni, Sakana, Chaore, and Roukanken, and had Esi wholly present and accounted for, Tyltalis was the last Librarian whom she needed to draw from. Since that particular goal was so near, she decided to work on her second collection; the books themselves.

She slipped down between two stacks, landing quietly on the floor. The fiction section; the largest, and arguably, most popular section of the Archives.

Though the eldritch tome that had seized control of Esi had complete access to her memory, her memory was not in fact perfect. Esi held her hand out, and snapped her fingers.

The Librarian Directory dropped into her waiting hand, and she commanded it to flip to the page she was looking for; The Index.

So many books. So many incomplete.

But there were enough finished works for her.


Tylt nearly bumped into Ruro as she exited the aisle she'd been working, lazily pulling the cart behind her. She stopped chewing on her gum as she pushed a 'Sorry, Ruro,' around it, and stopped short.

“There you are. I need you to come with me, okay?” Ruro patiently waited as Tyltalis pulled her earbuds out and paused her music.

“Is something wrong?” She finally asked as she tucked her music player, and hands, into her pockets.

“Something happened to Esi, and she's been possessed. Now she's harvesting personality traits from the Librarians; if I'm not mistaken, you're the last one she hasn't gotten to.”

“I see. Where are we going? Should I bring the cart with me?” Tylt deftly shaped her gum and blew another bubble.

“No, leave it here. We're going to the Librarian's Lounge. Roukan is waiting for us there, and Chaore should be nearby as well. Sakana will meet us there once she gets to the front of the Library and doesn't find you.”

Tylt nodded past Ruro, indicating her acquiescence and inviting the Head Librarian to lead the way. “Care for a piece of gum?”


Roukan was sitting atop one of the tables in the lounge, kicking her feet idly as she munched on a cupcake. No one could recall seeing any cupcakes in the refrigerator, and she never elaborated on where she found it. Still, she seemed content enough to eat it while watching as Chaore and the Head Librarians discussed amongst each other, with Tylt providing silent commentary.

“So, Esi isn't Esi right now, then, is what you're saying. Any idea who she is?” Chaore asked.

“A puppet.” Sakana held her hands over her tuna-half in a pantomime of puppeteer strings, and made it bob in the air slightly. “Ruro thinks she saw something near Esi's head, and since as we all know, Esi is a psychic, that could mean anything.”

“Before all this happened, a book from Erebus came in and was requested for Esi specifically to read and summarize it. Ryuu was the only other patron in the lounge when Esi opened it, and we think that whoever or whatever is possessing Esi used her bodyjacking talent to seize control of Ryuu, as well. I plan on going to question Erebus about this; this is far too subtle for her style. Ordinarily it'd be some kind of eldritch abomination – not a book – if she were going to play a prank of some sort. Sakana and I both checked the lounge, and we couldn't find the book. I think I saw what looked like writing behind Esi, when she attacked us, though I couldn't directly tell. It looked like it was made of fog. I'm no expert on eldritch lore – or eldritch lore-books – but if it were a sentient tome, then I imagine it would want to keep itself near Esi if it's possessing her. For a book to be able to control Esi, much less a Librarian, it'd have to be pretty substantial.”

“Or catch her off-guard.” Roukan didn't even seem to notice that she'd interrupted, instead dabbing a finger into the frosting of her cupcake and sucking on it. Ruro and Sakana glanced over at her.

“How do you mean, Rou?” Sakana asked. Roukan froze and looked around, fingertip still in her mouth, and finally seemed to realize that she'd indeed spoken aloud and gotten everyone's attention. She liberated her finger with a slight pop.

“Well, uh, Esi's a psychic, right? That means she's always got her mind open, like her eyes. Imagine if someone threw a firecracker in front of you without warning you; the flash would hurt your eyes. If they warned you, though, you could close your eyes, and then it wouldn't hurt. Maybe the Evil Book of Stealing Esi knew she was a psychic and was hoping she'd have her mind open, and it could use that link against her.”

Chaore snapped her fingers and pointed at Roukan in one smooth motion, conjuring up a rose and easily tossing it into the now-smaller Librarian's lap. “She's got a point. Has anyone been bodyjacked by Esi recently?”

Ruro shook her head. “She's never tried it on me.”

Sakana sighed, deflated. “Aside from one time where she made me bite into my tuna-half's tail, no, me neither.”

Everyone glanced at Tylt, who had remained silent the entire time, then shook their heads. “Nah, not her style.

“Anyways – if you notice, she doesn't exactly stuff you into a corner of your own mind. You end up switching places with her, but something happens when you get dumped into her head. Maybe it's because she's telepathically already been in our heads, and we haven't had that advantage, so our minds shut down in confusion while she plays around with our bodies, but you can kind of get a feel for her mind and body when she does that before you black out. She's bodyjacked me a few times now, to play around with different bodies. And we've been talking, a while back – how sometimes she'd seem like a different person when reading some of the books here. It's because a lot of the rich tomes, the highly magical ones, she claims have imprints on them, and because of her telepathy... well, she described it as a door. 'And a door, once opened, can be traveled through in either direction.' She'd take that imprint upon herself without realizing it, and her actions and behavior would be influenced by the works she'd just read. Kind of like the Iced Fairy that drops by occasionally, but to a much lesser extent. Roukan may have struck upon something there.” Chaore conjured another rose and sent it coasting through the air to land next to the first one on Roukan's lap.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit anything,” Roukan said, looking apologetic. Chaore blinked at her, and after a moments pause, sniffled lightly.

“Uh, right. Anyways, Ruro, while you go out looking for Erebus, I say Tylt and I go find Solais. If it really is Erebus' work, and it's highly eldritch, then we'll need some nature on our side, to combat it. Sakana and Roukan can stay here to keep an eye out for Esi, and watch the Library, or search for Esi or whatever.”

Ruro nodded. “Good idea. Do it. Tylt will help you find Solais all the faster, no less.”


Tyltalis took to the skies immediately upon leaving the Library, with Chaore's body turning to motes of light, which trailed after Tylt. Ruro left shortly thereafter, pausing only momentarily to change out of her Librarian Uniform and into her combat gear and strapping her actual blades to her back.

As she disappeared into the distance, Sakana sealed the doors to the Library and turned back to face Roukan. The now-smaller Librarian had changed clothes, into something with a matching color motif of the Librarian Uniform, but of an entirely different cut.

Sakana gestured lazily at the outfit. “Drapes nicely, I assume?”

Roukan blinked. “Huh?”

Before Sakana could elaborate, though, Esi was apparently thrown into the ground directly behind Roukan, dropped onto all fours and looking up past both Librarians towards the door. Two sizable squares drifted ominously down in her wake and began levitating unobtrusively on either side of the psyker.

“Roukan!” Sakana dove forward and snatched the girl, pulling her away from Esi's form. “I don't have my harpoon, it'll have to be up to you to fend her off!”

Roukan floundered in her arms, trying to right herself. “What? How?”

Esi looked down at the two and rose to her feet properly, gray robe dropping into place across her shoulders. Her limbs disappeared under the mass of cloth, save for her feet and fingertips. Sakana couldn't stand looking at her eyes – they were still forced open, as wide as they could go.

“Obstructed, blocked, and sealed in. You stand in the path of a Librarian, you delay their work. Remove yourself!”

“Summon up some well-pens, some compasses, extremely sharp pencils, whatever! Launch them at her!” Sakana hissed into Roukan's ear.

“Eh – right, right!” Roukan held her hands out, fingers splayed, and a fine array of pencils blinked into existence, fanning out in front of the Librarians.

Esi spun around in place, throwing her limbs out as she dropped herself, stopping only scant inches off the ground as Roukan launched the pencils with all the force of a shotgun. The pencils passed harmlessly over the supine psyker, embedding themselves with a fine display of sawdust and pencil chips in the bookshelves and reception desk beyond their target.

Roukan threw her hand out, and a pencil case – if pencil cases were to be expected to hold roughly a hundred pencils at once – formed. She grabbed her wrist with her other hand, bracing herself, and the case burst open explosively, spraying its contents down towards Esi.

The telepath had managed to dodge once again, pushing off the ground and holding herself in midair, above the shrapnel as it buried itself nearly a foot deep in the tiled floor. Roukan, however, tracked her up into the air and snapped the pencil case shut in her hands before launching it like a bolt of a rail-gun.

Esi wasn't able to dodge this shot, even with the split-second of forewarning she'd always come to rely on. The case shot into her square in the abdomen, folding her around it and slamming her back into one of the cubes that had accompanied the psyker to the front gate.

The square broke apart into its component parts, and Sakana swore under her breath. She's trying to take the books, now? What the hell for?

Esi righted herself before she fell all the way to the ground, ensuring that she landed on her feet properly. A single arm snaked out from under the robe and wrapped itself around her stomach, clutching her side. The scattered books fell to the ground in a heap, some twitching slightly.

Esi lowered herself into another combat stance, and Roukan conjured up an array of compasses, with their needles fully extended.

Before either one could move, however, the door behind Sakana exploded.

Planks of the massive door went flying in every direction, trailing smoke and embers, some still completely aflame. Sakana flinched and threw her arms up to shield her head, fending off angry planks of flaming door.

Before either of them could react, Esi launched herself over them, remaining book-cube trailing behind her in clear defiance of inertia and aerodynamics, and bolted out of sight with a sharp turn once past the smoldering remains of the door.

Sakana lifted off to give chase, but a fierce jet of flame came blasting through the gap, tinged blue in the center. “What the hell?!” Her tuna-half dove back down to the lowermost ruins of the doors for shelter.

Outside the door, Ryuu was standing, hurling a massive jet of flame from her mouth. After only a few seconds of sustained fire, though, she stopped and flared her wings out. Wisps of smoke curled from her lips, and she breathed heavily. Distortions in the air from the heat gave her a warped aura effect.

Roukan peered over the pile of rubble that had fallen straight down when the door lost all intention to stay in one piece. Ryuu spotted her and instinctively spat a whimpy fireball towards her, which petered out of fuel scant feet away from the dragon, and she took off into the air, following in Esi's wake.

“C'mon, Sakana!” Roukan jumped forward, flying up and out the burnt hole – or, trying to, at least. Sakana's iron-tight grip clamped around her ankle.

“Are you mad? Ryuu's never been able to do that – she was never strong enough to sustain such strong blasts of fire – let alone two in a row, with one strong enough to blast through the Library's own door. If she were so compelled, she'd have cooked us where we stand!”

Roukan answered by dropping down slightly and kicking Sakana square in the face. The fisherwoman released her ankle in surprise, and made ready to take off on her own, but Roukan hadn't actually left. She was hovering just outside the door, looking down along the front of the Library.

“I know all that, dummy. I remember how Ryuu used to be. Kind of. I just wanted to see where they're going. And it looks like they're staying close to the Library... c'mon, lets go up to the roof and... I dunno, spy on them or something! I think they're just alongside us.”

Sakana shook her head and resisted the urge to bury her face in her palm. What one lacks in experience, they make up for in enthusiasm, isn't that how the saying goes?

[Sect]

Roukan didn't even seem to notice that she'd interrupted, instead dabbing a finger into the frosting of her cupcake and sucking on it. Ruro and Sakana glanced over at her.

... Chibi Roukan. Sitting on a table with legs swinging freely. Wearing oversized clothing (and possibly a bathing suit underneath, I don't know). Innocently sucking icing off her finger.

... HNNNNNG.

[Alfred F. Jones]

A history has been erased from Patchouli's Scarlet Library, one that some people might still remember.

For those who never got to see that history, this might not make much sense.

For the rest of you, I'm sorry.


Purgatorio

-----

To know history is to know fate.

The past flows into the present and forward into the future, and the future has its roots in the past, nourished or stunted by the present. History is the first two of these. History is the past that flows into the present. And in doing so, it becomes the future, and it is known as fate. The future is determined by the actions of the past and present-- otherwise, it would not be the future.

The actions of the past all intertwine and create history, which branches forth into the future.

But history itself is not that uncomplicated, because while history is the cause of the future, history itself has no one cause for anything.

The stories of man, the rumours on the wind, the voices of those long gone, the songs of the poets-- all of these combine, and form a narrative. This narrative is pulled from the past to the present through tradition. Written down, or spoken aloud around a low, crackling fire at night with the wind howling around the listeners who lean in closer to hear the story.

History is just that, after all. A story. And like the best of stories, it is not always factual. If making things up made the story better, things were made up. And this disturbs those people who want only the facts.

In history, there is no such thing as fact. There is only evidence. The more evidence you have, the more likely that outcome, but there is evidence for all sides-- or none. Some things stretch so far into the past and are shrouded in such mystery that the evidence that someone finds could very well be a complete fiction that was fortunate enough to be confused for truth.

History is where what is true and what is just a good story combine and form a masterpiece.

History is the truth, with the added splashes of myth and story and legend that storytellers of the past saw fit to add, because that made a more intriguing narrative.

What consequences does this have for our concepts of the present and future? Immense. And here it is important to make a certain distinction:

Just because something is not factual does not make it untrue.

The hero's journey for redemption is the best example. The story of a hero who became a villain, who committed terrible atrocities, repented, and goes on a quest for redemption. This story might not have any one basis in reality. But it remains true in our all-too-human history, because history is human-- and there are certain themes in story that appeal to us over the generations.

Just because not every single detail happened, this does not make it a lie.

Thus, when history, and its combination of truth and story, is put into its spot before the present and the future, it branches into them, and story is moved forward into the present, given form. If it was not true before, it is true now. The many stories told in the dark amongst whispering groups and the songs and dances sung to celebrate the rainfall coalesce and meet history, where they merge into it and move forward into the future.

Even a myth may itself have roots in scattered stories, that were brought together and told together, and moved together to become history.

In history, there is never one cause for anything.

------

[Alfred F. Jones]

The story is told of a legendary human swordsman who strode with the tengu in the skies.

The story of a legendary human swordsman who, even after losing honourably, was entrusted with the sword of his opponent as his opponent protected him from those who would erase the history of his honour. Escaping, the swordsman wandered, bearing the honour of two in his swords, and in his scars-- the cross-shaped scar on his back, the mark of that history that would not fade.

But there is a strange part of the story, that stands out to those who hear it. There is also the story of the swordsman's opponent, who had a friend, who entrusted the swordsman with his own blade, and so the swordsman, who became rurouni, bore three blades-- the white Inferno he had had since his youth, the black Paradiso he had been entrusted with by his opponent, and... the red wakizashi, Purgatorio.

The strange part of it is that that wakizashi never shows up in the rest of the legend, leading many to believe that the red wakizashi was never part of that story. It was a story that was originally separate, of unknown origin. Someone heard both stories, and thought it would make a better story if they were combined.

This is how myth and history intersect and intertwine-- even myths have their roots buried deep in mysterious soil. Stories are inextricably based in others, and it is not known if one story caused any other.

In history, there is never one cause for anything.

-----

The last moans of the dying met her ears, and she wanted to open her eyes so that the sounds would not have so much power-- but the images would make up for that.

Their bloodied corpses were still fresh and oozing under the heat of the midday sun.
She stood in the tainted haze of the midday heat, and couldn't open her eyes, not even to clean their blood off of her blade.

She hated every moment of this life that she had.
She didn't remember how this had happened. The memory had been smeared with so much blood that the true origin was illegible, unreadable.
All she knew was that she buried herself in regrets day after day, hating the fate that had led her to this path.

She opened her eyes, and saw the bloodied remnant of someone she had cared deeply for. An arm that had so recently held up a banner in celebration, torn off and lying amongst the bodies, flag still gripped tightly in its hand.

She should have never become a killer in order to become a hero.

It was her job, she knew. It was her job to command the bloody sword of the revolution, to bear the great burden of being the one to take the lives of all those who opposed them.

The revolution, that was supposed to bring a time of peace. A time when no one would have to suffer.
That was right. That had once been her motivation. That word, ?peace?, made something stir inside of her.

Her only wish had been for no one to suffer. That was her only wish.
But to bring about the revolution, she had had to bring suffering. To save people, she killed people.
In chasing her wish, her wish had abandoned her.

Her sword, caked with bits and pieces of those she had cut apart. All for the sake of the revolution. All for the sake of being a hero.

She cursed the fate that had led her to the monster of a hero she had become.

She did not clean off her blade. It stayed as red as the blood it was soaked in.

Once the revolution had been accomplished, she would clean the blade. And once the revolution had been accomplished and the blade cleaned, it would turn red one more time.

Wakizashi were designed for that purpose, after all.

Her red hair, red like blood, moved behind her as she walked forward.

-----

The revolution was at hand. Only a bit more, and she would be free.

The flag of the revolution moved forward  as she cut the path ahead of it clean.

The flag that promised peace and an end to suffering could not give her that peace. Nothing could. Only atonement. And atonement could only be reached if she sank her feet further and further into the mix of blood and mud that stained her sword and her soul.

The sword and the soul that had never wished to bring suffering brought suffering into the world, and just as quickly snuffed it out.

She cursed her desire to be a hero, and raised the blade once more, and again, and again.

-----

The revolution had been achieved.

Suffering had not ended. Not all of it. But her suffering, at least, would soon cease.

She had presented her sword, now clean, to her fellow noble patriots, who bowed to her in respect, but she knew that they would just as soon she disappear. She was a nightmare of the chaos, one who would be a liability for the revolution if the stories of her actions in the shadows were brought to light.
So she knew they would agree to her last request of them, and she sighed with relief at the same time they did.

The purgatory would shine red once more.

She sat in silence, with just the wakizashi before her, its cool silver steel gleaming in the candle's light.
Right now, the revolution had ended. She was no hero. She had always wanted to be a hero.

That blade had given her the ability to be the hero and the villain at the same time. And it presented the same question now.

Would she be a hero? Would she be a villain?

It was a dichotomy. She could only choose one or the other. If she walked out of this room, she would have to choose one or the other. There could be no turning back.
The difference between being a hero and a villain was the difference between black and white.

But something had happened to her during her time as a killer. She had not been a hero, but she had not been a villain, either.
The colour she had seen splashed all over the walls and all over the ground and all over her soul came into her eyes, and...

There was not much. But it was there.
The border between hero and villain was now not so clear.

There was a faint red line in the center, the third option she had earned through sacrifice.

Neither a hero, nor a villain. She would be an atoner. And she would start right here.

The wakizashi cut the dichotomy in two along with her heart, and it shone red in her eyes for the last time.

-----

[Alfred F. Jones]

Now I hope that magically I will emerge back into life
Even though I'm vanishing now in a hemlock bath of wine
Become a hero swinging my sword in a bloody ancient world
And leave the life here ruined by guilt where they need to thin the herd

When the girl with the red hair and the swords of black and white awoke, she knew something was strange. On her chest, there was a burden there had not been before.

Reaching to grab it, she felt a sheath on her chest. It was not as heavy as her Inferno or her Paradiso. She drew the short blade, and found that it was sharp on both sides.

It wasn't a sword for a rurouni. Inferno and Paradiso had their blades on the wrong side-- they were sakabato. This was a wakizashi with a cutting edge on both sides, to make up for her black-white blades.

But somehow, instinctively, she knew that this sword never wanted to participate in killing again.

The odd one out, the middle route, the precarious bridge that could fall over to one side or the other at any time. The third route that defied the dichotomy.

The Purgatorio it was. This sword was not for killing.

She held it to her chest and accepted the present, and drifted back into sleep.

-----

Ruro sat on the patio of the Library, enjoying the fresh southerly breeze as it moved through her red hair. Next to her, a small blue companion enjoyed an icicle, and tried to keep her hair from becoming messy.

She laughed. “Maybe your hair would be less sticky if you kept it from getting onto your popsicle.”

Iced stuck her tongue out at Ruro, who had already flipped open her book on mythology to a random page to read.

“... hm, that reminds me.”

“Yes?” Ruro asked, looking up.

The small fairy who knew books tilted her head to the side.

“You've seemed... different, somehow, after reading that story to me.”

The rurouni smiled, the kind of smile that came naturally after a lifetime of hiding one's true feelings. “Have I?”

“Y... yes.” Iced furrowed her brow. “Hm. I don't know how to say it.” She paused for a moment, thinking of the words she would use, getting rid of the excess to convey her message more clearly.

“You're a human, yes. But you're not quite human. You're a... a myth, a legend, given human form. A story.” Iced licked her popsicle before it started dripping onto her hand again. “A strong story, and a story that's gotten stronger right in front of me as you read that story.”

Ruro laughed. “I'm just an ordinary human. How can stories create a person?” She turned away, laughing. “They create youkai, not humans.”

“Not if being human was central to the original story.”

Iced knew she had gotten it right when Ruro didn't turn back with a clever comeback, but only turned halfway.

The breeze moved her hair, and it covered her face half in shadow, allowing Iced to see the haunted look in her eyes, the haunted look of a rurouni who had seen too much history in her life to let just anyone know just how, exactly, a human could have the memory of things that happened long enough ago that no one remained alive who could possibly know-- except for her.

But that glimpse into the past was gone when Esi came by.

Ruro, she said telepathically in her head. I was doing some research just now, and I had a question for you.

“Yes?” Ruro said, the eternal smile of a rurouni on her face again.

I have you down as having just three total swords-- your paired swords Inferno and Paradiso, and the Justicia.

The redhead nodded. “Those are all accurate.”

Just one question, though. You have that red wakizashi, don't you? The sword you never use?

“... Purgatorio,” she replied after a moment's hesitation.

Do you want me to put Purgatorio down, then?

“Depends. What will you use it for?”

Fighting, maybe.

Ruro smiled. It was a smaller smile than usual, and Iced noticed a tensing in her hand as she did so.
It was a smile that required effort, not the natural lying smile that came to her face so easily-- so it was real.

“Fighting, yes. Killing, no. Purgatorio isn't made for killing.”

Esi might have noticed what was going through Ruro's head, but she was too excited about the research she was doing for her next project that she didn't pay much attention to the background noise.

All right then, thanks. Esi turned around, and in a flash, she had dipped her head down and bitten off the entire top half of the popsicle in Iced's hand, then fled back into the Library before the small fairy could react.

Ruro laughed at the pout on Iced's face, and put her hand on her shoulders. “Come on, let's go inside and get you another one.”

Iced felt Ruro's hand touch the skin at the base of her neck.

Iced knew stories. And the stories that had created Ruro were strong, indeed.

They were strong with themes that resonated through the ages, and mostly filled with tragedy, but still managed to end with the promise of hope, the possibility of happiness right over the horizon.

“... is something wrong, Iced?” Ruro asked, and it was just then that Iced realized that tears had pooled into her eyes.

“N-nothing,” the fairy lied, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve. “Just...”

Ruro opened her eyes a little wider when Iced reached out and pulled on the hem of her shirt. “What is it?”

“... Purgatory isn't meant to be suffered forever, you know.”

The redhead paused for a moment, looking down at the small fairy who had somehow read her like an open book--
And smiled, her arm tensing as she ruffled Iced's hair.

“No, Purgatory is suffered for a while. But in the end, there's a door that leads to a path out into the light. Thank you for reminding me of that.”

Iced nodded. “Anytime.”

“Hey! Ruro, Iced!” Sakana emerged from around the corner, holding some popsicles by their popsicle sticks between her fingers. “Last few strawberry popsicles, grab them before Chaore does!”

“Ehh?!” Ruro's eyes narrowed-- but she was laughing. “Hold on to those, Sakana, they're mine!”

Iced quickly grabbed on to her capelet, snatching victory, and popsicles, out of the jaws of a rabbit librarian.

-----

The hero's journey of atonement-- the rurouni's journey of atonement for crimes-- still appeals to us today. Why do those kinds of tragedies appeal to us? Comedies make sense. We like to laugh. Tragedies make us cry, and we like them regardless because seeing a hero who is all too human fall makes us feel for them.

It is a meaningful thing to see the dawn of new heroes, and something even more meaningful to see them corrupted by their own failings. This is what history is all about, after all. Death, fear, terror, and that little bit of hope that things will turn out for the best... which they do. Right?

That question keeps us coming back-- and the rurouni's story remains strong. The atoner who, through his heartfelt passion, achieves some redemption for his crimes-- we want to see the atoner succeed because if the atoner succeeds, then redemption for crime is possible. Between living in guilt or dying in guilt, the atoner continues trying to become good again-- and that is something that can be admired.

The purgatorio is not an eternal destination. The purgatorio is suffered, and then left-- and who can say what path will be chosen? What determines the outcome of this kind of history?

In history, there is never one cause for anything.

-----

Iced glanced to her side, and saw Ruro smiling, for real this time, sitting and enjoying the life she had finally earned.

She had thought about the story Ruro was created from, and resolved that one day, when Ruro needed it most, she would tell her about how she had seen her story, and that, despite the tragic parts of tragedies, people kept coming back to them... why?

Because the best tragic hero had a beautiful belief. And even if that belief was far off in the distance, it could be reached, someday.

“The path out of Purgatorio is to strive for happiness. That's how history gets made, after all.”

She raised her popsicle for a toast, and enjoyed the taste to its fullest.


I should probably sleep now, it's 5:40 AM and I need to become sane again.

[Iced Fairy]

You should write more shorts Ruro.  You're good at framing silence.

Hm...  I'm want to say more, but my brain isn't finding the right word set.  I keep shuffling through all my good meta fiction instead.  I has thinking to do.

In any case this hits a whole swath of the 'things I like' (including my ego ^^;).  i'm glad to see it up.

[Jana]

A short piece, told from my (or rather, the character with my name on it's) perspective, of the events that have been covered in the early parts of the library-fic. I am not a creative writer by any means, so I dunno if I'll add anything to the thread after this short is complete... But for now, please enjoy my take on the story so far~

The Outsider Who Looked In

On the ground, the homeless man turned back to the kids sitting around him. Their game had been disrupted by the argument with the girl, so they were looking at the man expectingly.

"Alright, where were we...oh yeah...*ahem*.... You are Reisen Udongein Inaba...."

...Library, huh? Even as she listened to the start of Reisen Quest, there was a look of befuddlement on Jana Coppola's face. It had been a long time since she had frequented Community Fanworks; many of the writers whose works she had enjoyed had either finished their stories or simply vanished from the annals of history. A few had even done both.

As her mentor, the renowned Purvis, talked the game players through the early stages of the game, Jana abruptly stood up, taking him by surprise. "Oh? Is there something wrong, Janiel? Kilga has finally arrived; it would be a shame for you to miss the game."

"I'm afraid I'll have to catch up later... There's just something I need to do." Giving the game master and the other players a curt nod, the magician simply took to the sky without another word.

Landing outside of her home-cum-shop, Jana opened the door and went inside. When she closed it and turned her lights on, she was greeted the familiar sight of her handmade instruments. But instead of doing whatever she normally would, Jana quickly walked tot he back of the store. Behind her counter was not only the workshop where she built her wares, but a flight of stairs leading up to her personal quarters... And down to her magician's laboratory.

Jana grinned as she went down to her lab. Things might get interesting soon.


It had been a few months since natural sunlight had warmed her skin.

As she stepped outside into the spring, Jana could tell that at least a few things had changed, but were mostly the same... For one thing, Sana still lived next door. Waving to her best friend/target of her perverse desires, she called out, "Hi Sana~<3" Sana looked up from watering some small flowers in front of her hat store. "A Jan! You finally came out! Were you hibernating?"

Jana simply smiled and nodded before speaking. "Winter is a bad time for me, you could say. I think I'm going to take a look around; I'm sure I remember there being something that was set to change. Purvis won't be happy that I missed Reisen Quest either-" Sana perked up at the magician's plan. "Oh, then you should totally check out the new library. I don't think you were around for it while you were holed up in there, but the admins split Community Fanworks up into a library and an art gallery. I even submitted a piece of writing to the library myself!" Jana couldn't help but melt inside when she saw Sana's proudly beaming face.

"I'll make sure to take a look then. Thank you Sana~" As she slowly lifted off and started accelerating into the sky, Jana turned in the direction of the former Community Fanworks. Her eyes full of anticipation, she brushed some long hair out of her face and sped off.

I can't get her off my mind... That girl with the blood-red hair...

[Dead Princess Sakana]

Heh, now that is an interesting way to start into the story. Quite unexpected. Wonder where this will go  :3

[Esifex]

Touhous Librarians Are Go

Ruro stopped just outside the nondescript door and took a deep breath.

Come and ask a favor politely, or do I demand her aid because of the nature of the situation?

Is she even home?

After only a moments' deliberation, she decided.

She kicked the door in, causing it to snap free of its latch and swing into the wall, where the handle lodged itself in the masonry. Immediately, she heard something deeper within the house start hissing.

She drew a single blade from her paired set ? the Paradiso ? holding it so the black steel was clearly visible in front of her, and strode in.

As she made it through the antechamber, tentacles began to slither about the corner and anchor themselves to the end of the hallway she was approaching. Shortly after, the main body of Erebus padded into view.

Her current body wasn't even humanoid; some kind of eyeless quadruped with countless tails ? no, those are tentacles, not tails ? and wickedly sharp claws, carelessly gauging deep furrows into the floor.

Ruro pointed the blade at her and glared. ?Erebus! Clean yourself up, you're coming with me, dammit!?

The eyeless head tilted slightly, in confusion, and the tentacles broke themselves free from the walls and turned to look at her, as well.

In the time it took for Ruro to blink ? indeed, between one moment and the next ? Erebus shed the four-legged form and took on a more humanoid appearance. She grinned at the Head Librarian, and the tentacle-tails fanned out around her head and gave her a fang-filled smile, as well.

?Oh? An invitation? For what, pray tell?? the tentacle-tails said in unison. Erebus herself just kept grinning at Ruro as she suppressed a shudder.

?Don't give me that crap. That book you sent in for Esi to read ? tell me how to break its effects.?

The tentacle-tails stopped grinning, and Erebus blinked ? all of her eyes, especially the ones Ruro's mind was desperately trying to tell her weren't there, at once. ?What book??

Ruro lowered Paradiso. ?I hope for your sake that you honestly don't know what I'm talking about. An Eldritch tome has kidnapped Esi's mind and stolen her from the Library. It has, in turn, been attacking the rest of us Librarians via Esi, and stealing parts of our personalities.?

The grin returned to every mouth on Erebus. ?Oh, sounds like fun. No, I really don't know anything about it, but I applaud whoever dug up the grimoire. Very clever use of a psychic. And you want me to come and clean up your mess??

Ruro scoffed. ?Initially I wanted to see if you had anything to do with it. Failing that, I want you along so you can claim it and absorb it when we actually do get it taken care of, so it doesn't harm anyone else.?

Erebus nodded graciously. ?How apt of you to think of me. I'm almost sorry it really isn't my plan; I could've had a lot of fun with it.
?Tell me, have you tried hitting Esi with a fishing boat??


Tylt grabbed Chaore's shoulder, restraining her. Chaore's fist froze in mid-air in response to the touch, with Solais innocently looking up at it.

?That won't help us, Chaore. Solais, are you sure you can't be of any aid??

The fairy nodded. ?From what it sounds like, this is an entirely man-made affair. Despite its Eldritch roots ? if it even is Eldritch ? it was originally written by a human, for a human. Or youkai, in this case. Books don't naturally form, you see, so I won't be able to help.?

Chaore huffed, and pulled her arm free from Tylt's hand. ?You could at least help us if we had to fight Esi. Fairies respawn, and all that.?

?I'm so glad you think highly enough of me to volunteer me for cannon-fodder duty. Now, please leave.? Solais gestured towards the door and bowed her head.

Chaore heaved a sigh, bowed to the greater Faerie, and stomped outside. Tylt offered a quick bow as well before scurrying out behind the bunny-girl before she vented her frustration on any of the various potted plants.

?C'mon, Tylt. Back to the Library, then. Sucks that we can't get Solais to help us out, but then again, we're Librarians. We handle our own.? Chaore didn't wait for a reply before launching off into the air again, heading back towards the Academy, and by extension, the Library. Tylt shrugged to herself, turned her music back on to drown out the sound of the rushing wind, and followed in the bunny's wake.

After the two Librarians left, the Greater Faerie stepped away from the window and smiled to herself.

Reaching under her blouse, she pulled a book out of its hiding place. 'The Laws of Nature and the Servants Who Uphold Them', by the Faery Onmyoji. To anyone less-informed, that would've appeared to be a fairies name. She knew, however, that was a title, not a name ? and since the book was written more or less as an auto-biography, she was able to make ample use of it.

For example, using it as a focus to alter her appearance completely.

She shook her head slightly, as though trying to flick water out of her hair, and her features blurred and shifted. The vibrant green hair faded to a pale blue before darkening slightly, her physical height diminished, she completely lost an entire set of wings, and those that remained lost their organic appearance and became crystalline and translucent.

The gentle smile turned into a cocky grin as she tucked the book back under her shirt, and she strode through the glorified tree-house to the back bedrooms, intent on checking up on her prisoner.

The only thing she found was a stylized robe in a heap on the floor, with several coils of rope atop it and the strip of cloth she'd used as the gag.

The Iced Fairy blinked in shock. She must've found some way to kill herself so she could force her regeneration!

She didn't even get a chance to register that she'd heard the whisper of moving cloth before something slammed into the side of her head, sending her spinning into the doorjamb of the room she was looking into.

Blinking her eyes back into focus, she looked up and winced. Standing before her, wearing a robe that matched the one in a pile next to her, was Solais, looking incredibly pissed at her.

?You must think you're so clever. You made one mistake, though.?

Iced frowned. ?What's that, then??

Solais' namesake sword materialized in her hand. ?You didn't ask me if I wanted in on your little prank, and instead decided to just knock me out. Big mistake. Real big mistake.?

Iced barely flinched in her attempt to scramble away from the greater faerie, but was immediately pinned in place as Solais stabbed the sword through the hem of her skirt and into the ground beneath it.

?I think it's about time we headed to the Library and checked out a few self-help books, wouldn't you say??


Sakana wanted to groan. It was hard enough to convince Roukan to wait until she was able to fetch her harpoon, and now the much more energetic ? and younger ? Librarian was determined to recreate some over-the-top spy story. I'm surprised she didn't dig up a fedora and an trenchcoat from somewhere.

?I tell ya, crime in these parts have gone way up since the Prohibition.? Roukan tried to sound aloof, but a teenager's voice doesn't do 'aloof' without a fair amount of coaxing.

?Do you even know what the Prohibition is?? Sakana bounced the point of her harpoon against the ground ? in fact, the roof of the Library.

Roukan paused to consider the question, tapping her finger on her lip inquisitively. ?Lots of old guys with big guns shooting each other over stupid stuff?? she finally answered.

?...You're exactly right. That can sum up a lot of the worlds' issues. But there hasn't actually been a Prohibition in Mangekyou.?

?Oh, yeah. That's right... well, then... these parts haven't been the same since the Inquisition.?

Sakana stopped fighting the urge to groan and submitted willfully to it. ?What Inquisition??

?The Spanish one??

Patience cannot ordinarily snap ? not in a physical sense. However, Sakana was one of the Head Librarians, and was standing atop the Library itself. Such a position of power is directly linked to the realm it is vested in ? even the lesser Librarians have a link to the Library, as well. However, it takes a special connection to be able to unconsciously warp reality enough to make a physical manifestation of ones' patience to appear and subsequently snap. For example, the connection between Library and Head Librarian.

Ignoring the pieces of patience now littering the roof, Sakana stomped over to the edge of the battlement and glanced over.

?Was?? she hissed. Standing there, in clear defiance of personal memory, was a cave. In what was supposed to be a clearing.

Roukan poked Sakana in the side with her own tuna-half. ?Sorry, Sakana, I no speaky dee Dutch.?

?It's German, not Dutch. Deutsch. Sprechen sie Deutsch. And Esi isn't a Spanish Inquisition, either. She's not even Spanish. She's German, too.?

Roukan sighed and rolled her eyes with more emphasis than necessary to convey a sense of indifference. ?God, whatever. Either way, since this happened, things are different. Duh. That's what I'm trying to say. Do you think Esi and Ryuu are down there??

Sakana squinted and scanned the horizon. Aside from a patch of clouds in the distance, nothing broke the monotony of sky-to-forest landscape. ?No other place to go and keep books. And, like you said, that wasn't here before ? it has to be related. Too much of a coincidence to have just popped up on it's own when Esi started... doing whatever.?

Roukan floated up off the roof and hovered alongside Sakana, just slightly beyond the edge. ?I wonder if their forge is down there, too.?

?Forge? What do you mean??

Roukan blinked in surprise. ?Didn't you see Ryuu? Looked like she was wearing some kind of armor. All spiky and angry lookin'.?

How does armor look angry..?

?Hmm. Come on, let's take a look ? but we're not going in too far without the others. Just a peek, to see how deep it goes, then we go back inside to wait for Ruro to get back. Got it??

Roukan used Sakana's tuna-half as a saber to salute with. ?Yes, ma'am!?

Sakana told herself that it was a 'respectful ma'am', not an 'old lady ma'am' as she vaulted the barrier preventing non-flying persons from stumbling over the edge of the roof and let gravity carry her down.

She stopped herself from slamming into the ground and decided not to touch completely down ? keeping herself flying would make her more agile in case she had to duck a Ryuu-grade flamethrower. Roukan floated gingerly down alongside her, riding the tuna-half side-saddle again.

Just a peek, nothing more. Don't need to be wasting time getting ourselves thrashed ? or fricasseed ? before the others show up and know where we're off to.

Roukan hopped off the tuna and plucked it out of the air, brandishing it as a saber again. ?Onward!? she shouted, and charged into the mouth of the cave.

Sakana's grip on her harpoon tightened enough to make the leather-wrapped handle squeak in her hands.

[FinnKaenbyou]

You're laughing now, but one day there really WILL be a Prohibition! AND an Inquisition! Just you wait! >:<

[Chaore]

Opening a scene up with me nearly punching Solais.

True to fucking form.

[Esifex]

Opening a scene up with me nearly punching Solais.

True to fucking form.

Spoiler:

But that's not really Solais

:ohdear:

[Iced Fairy]

Man.  This multiverses Iji me must be book starved.  Otherwise I would have slept with his mother.