What is in a Red Book Anyhow

Log Info

• Title: What is in a Red Book Anyhow
• Emitter: Slixvah
• Characters: Slixvah, Schara
• Place: Lower Trades
• Time: April 2nd, 2023
• Summary: Slixvah (in her usual not-being-herself-self) runs into Schara who's buying a ton of a particular book. Slix helps translate some, and the two friends catch up by reading said book.

Lower Trades, Morning.

Spring was beginning to come back in full swing. Lack of snow on the ground for the first time in a while, and it was easy to go without jacket or cover. Though, low hanging fog and mist clings to the cobble road.

A lightly dressed figure, a pale eldanar woman in a bright red shirt with a black skirt hums along to herself with a basket in hand, idly perusing the stalls and buildings. She parts long red hair to see better into a shop, curious, her basket already having a few purchased items.

Spring had sprung, at least for the time being. There was the possibility of it returning, but that was a problem for another day, and a warning to not plant most crops just quite yet.

Schara was out in the trades district as well, Not currently armored and looking through a large book stall outside one of the businesses. There was a slightly unstable tower next to them of dark red books, while the elf took a look at some of the other tomes on offer.

The eldanar woman perks as she spies a seemingly familiar individual perusing books. They amble over to the shop, still humming a soft tune as she pretends to peruse.

A moment later, she gets to Schara, then looks down, and up at the book stack. "I... must say, it takes some courage to willingly purchase such a large quantity of... questionable reading material," she giggles.

Schara looks up from one of the tomes she was looking at, and she sets it aside for a moment before giving a small shrug. "Well, they're not very well written for the most part, but they're kind of interesting even if they don't make too much sense a lot of the time. They're just books though, I wouldn't feel bad buying any books."

The woman raises an amused brow. "So I take it you enjoy this kind of literature? I don't know how you do so if they're not making sense to you. It's pretty straightforward, to be completely honest."

"I'm not sure if I do, to be honest, I guess some of the adventures they go on are pretty interesting, and the characters all seem interesting, if a bit hard to follow, but it's how nothing in the books is written in a straightforward fashion." The elf replies, picking up another one of the books. "But I figured I should get some copies to read and understand them better."

The woman giggles. "Well, that's half the fun, you know? If they just wrote it all straightforward, then it'd be less romantic and spicy!"

She peers at the stack, carefully kneeling down and smoothing her skirt out. There's a long pause, and she looks up at the elf. "... you... really don't know what these books are, huh?"

"But what they're trying to say makes no sense half the time. Maybe some of them have romantic moments, but I don't know how the physical presence of spice would be implied." The elf shrugs again, with a small sigh. "No, I don't know what sets these books apart. Everyone seems awkward around them, though."

The woman stares at Schara with bright blue eyes. "Schara, sweetie," the lightly accented tone dropping to a familiar silky smooth timbre. "If it was anyone else, I'd let 'em figure it out, but you're you, and knowing you, you won't get it until someone tells ya."

She gestures to the books. "Tha Crimson Pen is fan fiction about famous adventurers that you and I know, writing them rather salacious and sometimes lewd or incredibly inappropriate fashion. Most of the words in their are innuendos for, well-" she flatly mentions, "-usually sexual intercourse."

Schara blinks, tilts her head, and sighs. "Slixvah, it is good to see you, really, but please make yourself better known, so I am not attempting to explain my actions to an unknown person." The elf huffs. "I am glad to see you of course, but I don't wish to tell some random passerby why I am buying these books."

"Yes, someone told me they're real people with the names changed but, ah."

The elf coughs, and shakes their head once. "I thought well, it wasn't that. Partly misunderstanding the text and intent of the writing, and perhaps willful ignorance."

Not-Slix grins wide at Schara sighing. "But that's part of th' fun, hon!" she coos, stepping up to Schara and giving them an unprompted hug. "Good ta see ya sugar."

She pulls away, a lopsided smirk on her face. "Well, they are. And it is. You know how you ain't good wit' definitions that ain' what the word means? That's all these books. Most of it is innuendo. Can't be willfully ignorant. It is what it is, and while its super terrible, man is it fun ta rea- OOOH, is that 'Late Night Stories, featuring- *gasp* Nomalet Toltan! Ooooh!"

"It's fun sometimes, yes, but I'm trying not to talk too much about everything going on with strangers." Schara huffs, before rigidly returning the hug. "And I haven't seen you in a while, so I'm kind of uncertain who's talking to me even more than usual."

"No, being willfully ignorant means trying not to see it how it is, and I'm letting my own biased thoughts confuse something that is already a mess." They sigh. "Oh, yes, that was one of the new releases, I think? It's an off-shoot from the 'Temptress of Alexandria' series, from what I saw."

The elf groans and closes her eyes for a moment. "Such as that. I may be bad with innuendos and alternative meanings, but how do I overlook a series that is literally called 'The Temptress of Alexandria'?"

Not-Slix tilts her head. "Biased thoughts, about what?" she asks, curious before nodding with a giggle. "Yes, it is. About a lot of escapades of the man, but its so terribly written. At least the main character is hot without too much over the top description."

She quirks a brow, hand on her hip. Gives the elf a look. "... I dunno, Scha Scha, you tend ta overlook some /pretty/ obvious stuff!" she teases, sticking her tongue out.

"Biased thoughts in the sense that, perhaps I am trying to see it as something it is not?" The elf suggests quietly. "I am sorry, I'd rather not talk about it in the middle of the trades district. I am not entirely comfortable with the subject matter, and I was focused on helping with the work everyone was doing."

"You are right, I do overlook things, it is true." The elf nods. "I should have been able to realize it was you Slixvah, and I have overlooked a lot of things often."

Not Slix holds up a hand. "Totally understand. Though... you /are/ buying said subject matter en masse in the middle of the trades," she teases, but she abates. "But I get it. Sorr', I'm a lil'- well, not a lil' more like a /lotta/- mo' free wit' that stuff."

She shakes her head, giggling. "I have been getting /very/ good at pretending ta not be me. So don't feel ta bad about it. Now, what work are ya doin' where ya reading this stuff in a group? I'm guessin' it ain't a book club considering tha' contents ain't ya speed-"

She stops for a beat, sky blue eyes jumping from books, to Schara, then to the air as she's piecing together information. "... /or/, if its sensitive, ya ain't gotta tell me."

"I am, and I don't mind reading them, they're kind of fun, but it wasn't my reasoning for buying so many. The newer books seem relevant to our work." Schara explains as she sets aside a few more books with the others. "You are very free and open about a lot of things, which seems to be a good thing."

"I will tell you at another time, Slixvah. It is not so sensitive as to not keep you out of the loop, and if you do read as many as you say, your expertise could be helpful, in fact." They add. "Do you have any recommendations? If I am only bothered after the fact with realization, perhaps it is not as bad as initially thought."

Slixvah quirks her head to the side. "Relevant to work, huh? Well, if it ain't too sensitive, I'd love ta hear, but another time, away from the general public, yes?"

She grins, stepping forward to regard the stack, as well as wrap an arm around Schara in a playful side hug as she gestures towards the crimson books. "I am free 'bout a lot of things, and tha's honestly how I like it. But anywho, we're not here ta talk about my bed fellows and disregard of many norms," she giggles, pointing to the stack. "Vastness of Desire is a good one. A bit repetitive, but has some of the better writing and doesn't linger on the acts of doin' it too long. I like the characters in it. It's a lot of fun ta read aloud, makes a good drinking game too wit' friends! Usually they's all bright red from embarrassment."

"Another time, yes. Thank you, that would be really appreciated, Slixvah." The elf smiles back to her friend, returning the hug. "But ah, right. lets not talk too much about that right now."

"I don't mind repetitive books, but that is usually for instructional tomes, where understanding the information is the most important factor."

"Vastness of desire? I should read that, then. I only read a few of them in preparation, and I believe that 'Charned By You' was the nicest. It seemed to focus the most on the characters being happy together and enjoying their lives."

"Drinking and reading books?" The elf wonders with yet another lopsided head. "I did see how red some people got when reading these books, but I won't share any names."

Slix hums, it clear in the hug that she's being a true human at present. "Well, my tastes a bit... heated?" she sheepishly admits, she herself tinting red in the cheeks. "So maybe Vastness of Desire might not be the best for you. Though, 'Charned by You'? That does sound cute. Ain't nothin' wrong wit' feel good books where everythin' is okay."

She looks to Schara, a brow raising as she finally pulls away from the playful hug. "Y... eah? I mean, it's books about people, ya know, doin' each other," she elaborates with a waft of a hand. "There's a lot of emotions wit' that, and most folks get rather embarrassed. Hell, I'm pretty open about it and even I get a tinge embarrassed."

"Heated? There it is again, heated and spicy, I don't know what that has to do with it, unless you were pretending to be someone else and don't find it spicy." The elf shrugs.

"I guess I understand what you mean on that Slixvah, but it's just writing. And while any book can elicit various emotions, they're still writing. "I don't really get why you'd be embarrassed by it though, but maybe I'm not understanding it properly." Schara muses as she dumps out a coin pouch onto the counter and begins shoving some of the money into a pile. "Granted I do not have a healthy relationship to the idea, so maybe the problem lies there."

Not-Slixvah gives a soft sigh and shakes her head. "If you just imagine yaself in the book, in those situations, its why people get flustered 'bout it."

She watches the coin get dumped, and her eyes widen slightly. "I.. figured you were adverse to spending so much coin. But... ah, what ev's."

That bit of information gets her to blink. "Not the best- ah. I'm sorry, hon. I'm here if ya wanna talk 'bout anythin'. Later time tho' considering we in the Trades," she coos.

Schara has partially disconnected.

"What's wrong with that though?" Schara asks with another tilt of their head. "These books aren't too expensive, it's alright. The coin isn't too much, and I need to be able to reference them on my own time for some work. And even if that was the case, I'm usually willing to spend some money on books when it's reasonable."

"Yes, another time. It's easy to talk to you and it's nice to have someone you can trust to state your thoughts and feelings to, but this is a bit public." The elf nods back as she finishes counting, and shoves the remaining coins back into the pouch.

Not-Slixvah shakes her head. "Nothing wrong with it, just... knowin' ya a copper pincher. But anyhow, I hope ya able to figure out what ya need with.. all thi'."

She nods slowly. "I'm glad ya trust me so," she hums. "Would ya like some assistance carrying all this?"

"Well, now that I have a non volatile form of income from working with miss Slatesteel at her smithy, I'm able to better plan my expenses. And as these are partly for work, it feels decent to purchase. " The artificer shrugs again before heading to find the stall owner and pay them. The elf returned shortly, and began to pick up the books. "Well, I was planning to carry this all on my own, and it would be strange to purchase more than I was capable of handling." Schara notes. "Ah, right! my friend Warrick helped me get a job at a smithy, and I'm learning a lot there, while also having it help with my expenses. But the point I was getting at is I don't need your help carrying this, but if you aren't presently occupied with other work or needs, I would be happy for you to walk with me back to the fernwood. I got a room closer to the workshop, so I can be there on time and rested."

Not-Slix perks at that. "You got a job? Nice!" she grins. She patiently waits for their return. "That's good to hear, glad you're making other friends. Can certainly walk wit'cha!"

She waits for Schara to be ready, and she ambles on. "Sounds like you got a pretty sweet gig."

"Yes, I am making friends." Schara smiles back to Slixvah as she walks along, having stowed the books away awkwardly in a large satchel. "I'm still working on asking people to be my friend, due to being unsure of various factors and not thinking to, but I am getting better about it. I should have asked him to be my friend earlier, but that is in the past and I am happy to be their friend now."

"Sweet is good, right? Like how sweet foods are often a treat?" The elf asks. "If that is the case, it is a sweet gig, and while miss Slatesteel is stern, she's fair and I'm learning a lot. And it might help to keep my armor in good condition, so that's another benefit to it. But I have talked a lot about what I have been doing, I haven't been curious enough about you Slixvah, and that's not right. How have you been doing Slixvah, and what have you been up to?"

The Human Slix hums a happy tune along with her hands in her pockets. "I'm glad to hear that," she grins. "Ya definitely deserve more friends."

"Mhmm! Sweet is good! I'm glad this thing might get ya betta armor."

She scratches her head. "Oh ya know, studyin', healin' folk, jumping into collapsing towers on other planes and pulling a bunch of people out, bein' my best self," she rattles off, smiling.

"It might, which would be nice. There are always some improvements I'm considering, but time and funds are always the main concern." Schara nods. "Not important for now, however."

The elf falls into silent listening and contemplation, but even Schara wasn't as dense to ignore remarks such as that. They stop, and tilt their head. "You were on other planes, and jumping off of towers? The latter isn't as surprising given the fact that you can fly, but why were you on another plane, and what were you doing? I would like to hear more, if you can tell me about that. Or you could tell me what being your best self is, I'm curious what that means, as well."

The faux-human has a wide grin. "Ab-so-lutely was! Plane of Air! There was this weird tower that showed up, and they's needed a hand extracting people and going through information. Suddenly, th' portal to another plane was growin' unstable, and someone said the party was stuck in a hallway that was turned on its side! I couldn't jus' stay there, so I tied some rope ta me, and lept right in!"

She groans. "Tha' was so, freakin' scary, Scha-Scha! Wind whippin' everywhere, this HUUUUGE storm below, tearing the tower apart! I flew down ta the group hanging out on an alcove, they loaded on. One slipped off and I caught 'em! Then we hauled ass outta there!"

She fans herself. "Man, even jus' thinkin' 'bout it gets m'blood pumpin'!

Schara listens intently, watching the not-egalrin as she recounted the tale. The elf looked worried throughout, but finally, she nodded somewhat. "You will need to tell me more in detail, I'm having a hard time comprehending what happened there." She notes. "It sounds scary, and dangerous and confusing, and I'm really glad you're alright if that magic was tearing apart a tower, Slixvah. I'm glad you were able to save the people there, as well."

Slixvah gives a cocky grin. "It's super complicated, but I can give diagrams ta explain betta!" she giggles. "But I jus' couldn' stand there doin' nothin'. I was th' safest choice ta do it. Plane of Air? It's a free fall if you fall. I can fly. Besides, I got th' Tapestry ta pluck at, and th' best choice was me."

She smooths her hair back. "I loo' forward ta goin' back. Can learn lot's from that place. Tho', I need ta be there ta make sure th' scholars don't get in over their heads."

"I guess you were the safest choice to do it, and saving those people is important, but it still makes me feel selfish when I'm worried about one of my only friends getting hurt or worse." Shara half huffs, half sighs. "And I feel bad for thinking that."

"Regardless, I'm glad you're okay. If you have any diagrams, I would love to see them. If you go back, just be as careful as you can manage, if possible? Or well, I don't want to get in the way of things you want to learn about, anyways."

The not-Slix giggles. "Thanks fo' worryin' 'bout me, means ya care," she coos, reaching up to pat Schara on the side. "Can totally show ya when you get your out of all that smut you're combing through!"

She brushes off her shirt free of a red feather idly. "Want me to help you read through it? Or would you like uh, some alone time?" she teases.

"Of course I care about you, that's what friends do, I think? I don't know what smut is, but it shouldn't take long." Schara replies, looking a bit confused yet again. "You said they're fun to read together, didn't you? I would appreciate the help understanding them, if you have the time, since you've read a lot of them."

Schara continues down the road, on their way back to the fernwood. "So, when the books were repeatedly referring to a 'manly shaft', did that really mean..."

-End Scene-