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

[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.]