A librarian's lament [backdated to not long after the Earthquake]

[highliber]

[Action]

The scream was audible from the street. It was the sound of a soul in pain. The sound, perhaps, of a librarian who has just entered her library to check for earthquake damage and seen every damn shelf and book in a huge heap. After the scream of horror finishes, she goes on with an encore performance of a stream of creative cursing about having people fired and whipped and flogged and banished, coming to a climax of "AND IF IT DOESN'T GET PROPERLY SECURED THIS TIME I WILL DO SOMETHING SO POINTLESSLY HIDEOUS TO YOU YOU'LL DIE AS MUCH FROM SURPRISE AS YOU DO FROM THE ACTUAL INJURIES! NOW MOVE!"

Some wild wingulls fly away in alarm with the volume of the last word.

[12 hours later]

Zarvora slowly emerged from the library and set down on the steps by the front door to massage her temples. She felt a migraine coming on, but at least her staff had an organized plan for putting everything back together. This put her personal projects back by weeks, if not months, though. Her Fletchling landed on her head in concern and looked down at her face, and she couldn't help but smile a bit at that as she looked back up. "What do you think, Charles? Did I over do it a bit?"

Comments

[lifeissuffering]

[Ogami is going to cautiously peer in after that outburst]

[highliber]

[Hey look. PILES OF BOOKS EVERYWHERE!

Zarvora's also ordering the library's staff around like she was a general on campaign, and jumping in to help when someone doesn't move fast enough to suit her needs. She's probably too busy to talk to oh shit too late she saw you.]

What are you doing just standing around like that! The governor's inspector will be by in two days for the archive reports and we have NO IDEA where they are! Get your ass in gear!

[lifeissuffering]

[OH GOD HE DOESN'T EVEN WORK HERE HE WAS JUST PASSING THROUGH]

Yes ma'am!

[Salute and to work!]

[highliber]

[What a hard worker. Why can't the rest of them be like that.

How long will you go without asking any questions, though? Because she's not offering a lunch break any time soon.]

[lifeissuffering]

[Sometimes it is unfortunate to be a Guardsman because you don't stop to think about pesky little things like labor regulations]

[highliber]

[Enjoy your twelve hour work day.

Eventually...]

Okay, I don't think we're going to get anything more done today.

You did well, though, and good work should be rewarded.

[At some point, the lobby was supplied with snacks and beer.]

[lifeissuffering]

[Ogami relaxes momentarily, before catching a glimpse of the clock.]

Oh geeze, that was twelve hours!? I gotta get back to the theater!

[highliber]

Theater?

...You're not an employee here?

[lifeissuffering]

Er, no ma'am. Ichiro Ogami, formerly of the Guard, currently under retired General Yoneda of the Union Divine Theater.

[he salutes]

[highliber]

Oh dear, and I've stolen you all day, haven't I?

[lifeissuffering]

It's all right, helping the citizens of Union is important work and making sure the library is repaired is definitely a priority.

[highliber]

I'm glad you think so. I like to think of us as the life line of civilization, but most people just think of us as a museum for books.

Later

[all_onis_are_true]

[Hiroshi was going to the library today. The earthquake had delayed his first real attempt to go outside the city in a while, so he figured he could at least try to put more research in... or that was the plan, until he noted a familiar face sitting at the steps. Oh. She was out today. Great. And it would be rude to ignore her.]

...Good afternoon, Miss Zarvora.

[He bows stiffly. Hey, is that a pokemon with him? An actual pokemon? Huh. Looks like an Axew.]

[highliber]

[She didn't actually look up at him quite yet.]

Hello.

[all_onis_are_true]

[He shoots a look at the library, then back at her.]

Is the library closed today? I had been hoping to work on my studies a little.

[The Axew looks between the two, getting the feeling he's missing something.]

[highliber]

[She actually looked up, stifling a yawn.]

It's closed. The earthquake-

[Pokemon. With this poor kid.]

...made a bit of a mess in there.

You look like you're doing well, though.

[all_onis_are_true]

A pity. I guess that is understandable though.

[At her comment, he blinks, and looks away a little.]

I have... been doing decently enough.

[highliber]

I'm glad. Your situation was unfortunate.

[all_onis_are_true]

[To put it mildly.]

Have expeditions to the Old City been going smoothly as of late?

[highliber]

Probably not with the Earthquakes, but otherwise yes.

[all_onis_are_true]

I see.

*He wants to ask. He wants to know if anybody else has seen anything that might fit what he saw. But somehow, he can't get himself to do it.*

I... will be going on my first trip outside the walls soon.

[highliber]

Oh yes? Good for you.

[No sarcasm.]

What for?

[all_onis_are_true]

[He looks away slightly.]

I've decided to try and become a Pokemon researcher.

[highliber]

An interesting choice.

[Something in her gaze gives the impression that perhaps she underestimated Hiroshi, and she's just now realizing it.]

[all_onis_are_true]

It is a valid and vital line of work. After all, the more we understand about Pokemon, the better our chances are of moving further out, and the safer trainers will be when they go out looking for them.

[And, unspoken and yet perhaps quite loud between the two: And maybe I'll find out what it was that attacked us that night.]

[highliber]

Well.

I wish you all the luck in the world with that.

[all_onis_are_true]

I'm certain you do. Thank you.

[He still doesn't like you very much though.]

[highliber]

[She can live with that.]

[tinytactician]

The logical order of things after a crisis: check on family, check on close friends, check on books. The first isn't doing so well, the second is alarmingly busy, so Armin's really headed to the library to soothe himself. The sight of a deafeated librarian doesn't help much in that area, however.

Regardless, he'll tiptoe over, Ralts in arms, frowning and doing his best to not bleed concerned emotions all over everything -- someone has not the slightest clue as to how to properly regulate his psychic powers.

"...is...everything all right?"

[highliber]

Armin's emotional bleed had precisely zero impact on Zarvora. Almost like she was some kind of psychic black hole. She glanced up as he came near.

"I certainly hope so. The quake hit pretty bad here, and I have had a long day because of it."

[tinytactician]

That makes her his new favorite person, someone he can emote near and not cause or receive headaches from. "I'm sorry. Is anyone injured?"

[highliber]

"Not seriously. Not here. There weren't many people even in the building at the time."

Or ever. The library wasn't a terribly exciting branch of the government.

[tinytactician]

He sighs in relief -- but then, almost immediately: "Are any of the books damaged?"

[highliber]

"There's a whole pile of books that are ruined. We'll make copies of the ones we can but..."

She deflates a bit more than she has already from today.

"It's bad."

[tinytactician]

"...could. Could I help somehow? Do you need...volunteers or money or..."

Armin shrugs a little, helplessly.

[highliber]

"Volunteers" She said firmly, "Would certainly be appreciated."

[tinytactician]

Armin nods very seriously, straightening and looking like he's about to salute. "What do you need me to do?"

[highliber]

"Mainly we need people to help sort books and get them back on shelves."

She gave a kind of wan smile, "Actually this could be a positive boon in disguise. I've been developing a new method for sorting everything, but no one wanted to change the method they're used to. I might be able to use this as an excuse to sneak the new system past them while they're all confused."