Nap In The Stacks

Log Info

• Title: Nap In The Stacks
• Emitter: Schara
• Characters: Schara, Slixvah
• Place: Alexandria Public Library
• Time: October 28th. 2022
• Summary:

Alexandrian city library, late afternoon.

The main library area had cleared out of most of the occupants for the day. Most, but not all, at least. At one of the small desks tucked into a corner between the bookshelves was a elf who at first glance seemed hard at work on something, but upon closer inspection was just face first into a large tome. Her brown hair was tied off into a loose ponytail with a purple ribbon, and they were dressed in a plain gray blouse that went to their wrists, accompanied by a pair of white gloves.

Library time. Research time!

Well, if she could find any books on the subjects she wanted. "Ugh.. not a single instance of.. bleh..." a beribboned egalrin woman complains quietly. Wings tucked in tight behind her to keep from knocking into anything.

Her sky blue gaze slips over the occupants before they settled on- she blinks and tilts her head to the side. Do.. do they have the tome Slix was looking for?

Are they passed out??

A light sigh leaves her, and she smooths her crown feathers back as she slides forward quietly. "... pssst... heeey," she whispers softly on the approach. "Are you awaaaake?"

The elven woman shifts for a moment, blinking awake at the questioning, before faceplanting back into the book in an readjust the pair of glasses that were slipping off their nose. "Oh, yes! I'm awake and taking good care of the library property, so please don't throw me out of the library and ban me." They respond quickly in a light sounding tone. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be a bother or anything." Their freckled face was more than a bit red from embarassment, but they manage to turn and nod. "Oh! Do you work here?" They ask.

The egalrin snickers quietly as they give a bit of space for the elf to recompose themselves. "Methinks you need a bed rather than a book, sugar," she coos, her attention shifting to the book and skimming it briefly. "Tsh, naw, you ain't no prob, don't work here. I'm jus' lookin' fo a book, and I was searchin' high and lo'. You wouldn't happen ta be readin' 'Thaumaturgy: The Link between Known and Naught'?

"A bed? No, I really need to keep reading, that's all." The elf sighs, shaking her head and smoothing back their hair. The tome was in the flowing script of sildanyari, but it was filled with all manner of diagrams of arcane circuits and the like. "I'm glad you don't work here though, I could have gotten in serious trouble if it was that old oruch, she's really scary. You won't tell her, will you?"

"Thaumaturgy, the link between known and naught, no, sorry. This is a copy of the sildanyari version of a Treatise on bioelectical circuits, not that. I could help you look though, maybe? If you promise not to tell the librarian I was asleep here."

Slixvah waves a dismissive hand. "I ain't gonna tell. Pretty sure ya fine as long as ya ain't droolin' on the books," she hums, quirking a brow as she looks at the diagrams. The supplied name makes the other feathered brow join the first. "Well, from my college days, bad sleep means crappy remembering."

She shakes her head, some of the ribbons on her wings shifting. "Naw, if you ain't got it, I ain't gonna find it here, gonna have to find a dif' library. Sides, uh... whuz' all dis, hon?" she inquires, gesturing to the diagrams.

"Thanks I, I didn't drool on it, did I?" The elf asks, spinning around to take a look at the book, and sighing in relief to see that it was drool free. "Yes but, sometimes you have to push through a bit of exhaustion to get things done, that's just how it is."

"I'm sorry they don't have the book you're looking for, I don't know any other libraries save for the semi private ones owned by the guilds, and whatever are fully privately owned."

They blink once, and grin, turning back to the egalrin. "Oh, this? It's really interesting! It's a combination of research from old kulthian tomes combined with various accounts from clerics and chemists. The theory is that essentially, living creatures are capable of creating electrical charges. And these electrical charges are what cause muscles to contract and relax, among so many other things. Pretty cool, right? At least I think so. And just think of all the applications!"

Slix chuckles, crossing her arms and leaning on her back foot. "It's coo', I'll just find a library card ta see what I can check out," she winks. And by library card, Slix means being, well, slick.

A flick of a glance to the grinning face, and a equal smile squints her eyes. "Hmmm. That is interestin'. Tha' does make sense. Electricity makes ya muscles clench and lock up. This just a random find? Or Ya diggin' in deep with dis?"

"A library card? I don't think the other libraries use cards, unless you mean like, guild identification for their use, that might be necessary for some of them." The artificer notes. "You probably can find it, this city has all sorts of resources."

The elf taps her chin with one hand, which is mostly just smacking the gloved hand into the bottom of their face, before they shake their head. "It is interesting! And yes, but, not quite, Slix. The theory is that the electrical charge is what causes the muscles to work on their own, not that the electricity is what makes them work, it's an important distinction. And no, it's not a new find. I've been studying this for years, trying to understand it a lot better. I guess I'm, not sure what digging deep means."

Slixvah just softly laughs. "Sure, we'll go with th... at..."

She trails off, eyes half squinting as they dart about the elf's face. Spurred on by her name being used, her beak opens and closes slightly with a quiet 'clack' each time.

She's quiet, repeating the motion with her hand, tapping the bottom of her beak with a hand. The mannerisms, the over explaining... Click. "Scha-Scha...?"

Her eyes sparkle. "Oh my gods you are /adorable/," she coos warmly. "And ya lil liar, ya said ya been messin' wit' this fo' a year!"

The elf seems to freeze up on the spot as she realizes something she said, and they stop, waving one hand a bit floppily in front of them and shaking their head. "N-no, no, I just meant that uh, birds have oil glands that they preen through their feathers that gives them a sheen and makes them look slck, not, ah, there's no explaining that is there." They finish flatly with a long sigh.

"Hey Slivah, sorry for being a giant liar. But not for that last thing, you know? I only had like, a couple books a few years back, and I came here to study artifice, so I've only really been working on things for like, a year?"

Slixvah giggles, her running her talons through the feathers on her head at the mention. "Heh, don't worry 'bout it," she intones. "That ain't what my name means tho'!"

The eglarin crosses her arms, studying the elf for a bit longer, seemingly committing it to memory before finally tearing her face away. "I getcha', I getcha', technicalites and the like." A finger traces one of the circuits on the book. "So, is ya suit powered by this stuff ta make a muscles strong and what not? Or is ya suit directed by ya muscles?" she extrapolates, casting a side glance to Schara.

"Well, I am a bit worried about it, you know?" The artificer sighs, turning back to close the book. "Now you know what I look like, and my name too. Just, please if you can, keep this to yourself, okay? And you're right, Unless I'm mistaken, your name is in Auran, and it's not some tradespeak name like Slick the un-messy or something like that. I should learn Auran some day, I saw a few interesting tomes that might have relevant information. From what I gathered, a lot of egalrin scholars are fascinated with the the function of their wings and phenomenon related to those, so maybe there's something applicable in them? Anyways, I'm getting off topic."

The elf shakes her head again. "No, that's exactly what I was getting at, Slixvah. It's not a power source, but it's like, a signal, I guess? So what I'm trying to do is, take these signals, and translating them into a form that can be used by a mechanical limb, to move it like you would move your arm normally." They explain.

Slix's eyes twinkle in amusement. "Oh don't worry, shug, I won't say a thing ta anyone else," she winks. "People's got they secrets. I gots some myself, I totes understand."

The woman thumbs her beak. "It's a fun language! Lots of whistling! And yep! Did you know tha' feathers collected from an Egalrin's first flight that don't touch the ground are considered good luck?"

A glance to the closed book, then a slow nod to the elf. "Ah, I see, I see. So when ya was shruggin', you were just doin' a little motion, but tha shoulder's over shot it and wore out?"

She looks impressed. "Tha's pretty flippin' clever, hon!"

"Thank you for being so understanding, Slixvah." Schara replies with a small smile. "You seem easy to talk to, so, it's nice for a change, I guess? And don't worry, I won't pry into your secrets, or try to buy you a bunch of alcohol to try to get you to tell me."

"I didn't know that, no, that's interesting though, is that common? I thought that feathers weren't lost that easily, so would that be a rarity to have a feather fall out when flying for the first time? And why can't it touch the ground? Does it become bad luck if that happens?"

A smile that passes suddenly at the question. Schara shakes their head. "Yeah, I still remember how to shrug, so it's just, figuring out what that means, and making the limbs work properly. It was a lot of trial and error. But... no, the arms are working fine for the most part, all the parts are fixed up. I, I don't know if I'm comfortable talking about it at the moment, sorry."

Slixvah grins with her eyes and passes off a wink. "I'm glad I can put ya at ease. Ya nice. But I won't turn down drinks!"

A smirk plays her features. "It's a common thing amongst Egalrin. Ya only get one first flight. And they just lose they luck if hey touch the ground, ain't nothin' mo to it."

She watches a moment overlong, kind eyes lingering. Listening. A bob of the head. "All coo'," she easily assuages, shifting off her back foot and taking a half step towards the stacks. "Ya clever. Doin' good work. Keep at it, hon. I gotsta head off tho', need ta find this book fo' stuff and things."

Slix winks. "Pleasure ta see ya, and pleasure ta see ya."

And with that, she steps off, ribbons trailing behind her and the last thing to disappear behind the shelf.