the 21st of spring 514AV
Brandon stood before the heavy doors that guarded the entrance to the Bharani library, not quite sure if he should pass the Shinya standing next to the doorway, hands on their weapon, ready to halt anyone who looked too suspicious to enter the valuable collection the library possessed. The bat had wanted to see what the inside looked like, so he had come here, yet it seemed that his plan was doomed to fail. Or, in other words, it already had. For he recalled that one couldn’t browse through the books stored here if one hadn’t made at least one contribution to the knowledge-possessing building.
A shame, truly a shame. But, how should the guards know that one had or hadn’t had made a contribution? There was no way they could, and so the bat figured he could enter but there was a risk. If they found out, he was toast. He thought so anyway. For one reason or another, he’d grown more uncomfortable under the glances from the guards than he had before. There didn’t seem to be an immediate reason to it, except maybe paranoia. Fear was his constant companion, even when he wasn’t being naughty.
Maybe it was because he felt that even though he hadn’t been caught yet, and hoped he never would be, his criminal ways wouldn’t support him much longer. He was certain the Shinya had their eye on him, following him, recording his every move, gathering evidence so that they could arrest him and strip him from his freedom. Steal that and his dream away from him, his dream to chase the horizon, like Cass had put it into words once. Freedom and his dream couldn’t exist without each other, he couldn’t accomplish his dream if he wasn’t free, and he couldn’t be free if he couldn’t make his dream come true. So, he needed to avoid those looks of suspicion the guards cast onto him, he had to deceive them, make them believe he was the wrong guy to apprehend.
Yet, that would be a hard task, he was hardly someone you could call a model citizen: he stole, he broke in, he ran over roofs and occasionally walked around in the nude. Though he wasn’t sure if the last two things were contrasting with the law. Maybe, maybe not, but who knew for sure? There was no one he could ask except the enforcers of the law themselves, but he wasn’t that curious.
Taking all that into account, would it be wise to go inside and sate his curiosity? Probably not, not at all actually. But he wanted to know, he wanted to see, he wanted to –to what? There was no reason why he should go inside, apart from curiosity, which was known for killing cats. And bats too, should he give in to it. Especially if curiosity had a whole army of magic-wielding vicious guards, who wanted to see nothing more than his person behind jail bars, at its side. No no, this was most definitely a trap, a trap designed to lure him in and wrap his body in chains, floored by dozens of Shinya pouncing on him from every shadowy corner they could find. Nice try, but they wouldn’t succeed this time, now that he knew of their plan there was no way you could make him go in the library.
It had been a close call, he’d almost fallen for it! But the guards at the entrance had been a giveaway, as was the contribution thingy. Why would there be guards stationed at a place he’d never visited before? They stood there as lookouts, scanning the area around the building for him, so that they could sent the men inside a message when he’d entered, and to close the doors behind him, to lock him in. And with no way out, he would be done for, outnumbered by the bastards, outclassed by their skill in battle. The reason that there were so many books in there was to obscure the sweaty smell of the guards hiding, waiting for the prey that would never come. Why would one have to make a contribution before being allowed to enter? Because they wanted to know for sure it was him, if he gave them his name they would be sure he was the one they were looking for, or maybe they didn’t have his name yet and couldn’t arrest him because of that. Well, he wouldn’t give it to them, it was a good thing he’d seen through the schemes before it had been too late. Bran grinned when he turned his back towards the two lookouts and strode away, down the stairs.
c
Brandon stood before the heavy doors that guarded the entrance to the Bharani library, not quite sure if he should pass the Shinya standing next to the doorway, hands on their weapon, ready to halt anyone who looked too suspicious to enter the valuable collection the library possessed. The bat had wanted to see what the inside looked like, so he had come here, yet it seemed that his plan was doomed to fail. Or, in other words, it already had. For he recalled that one couldn’t browse through the books stored here if one hadn’t made at least one contribution to the knowledge-possessing building.
A shame, truly a shame. But, how should the guards know that one had or hadn’t had made a contribution? There was no way they could, and so the bat figured he could enter but there was a risk. If they found out, he was toast. He thought so anyway. For one reason or another, he’d grown more uncomfortable under the glances from the guards than he had before. There didn’t seem to be an immediate reason to it, except maybe paranoia. Fear was his constant companion, even when he wasn’t being naughty.
Maybe it was because he felt that even though he hadn’t been caught yet, and hoped he never would be, his criminal ways wouldn’t support him much longer. He was certain the Shinya had their eye on him, following him, recording his every move, gathering evidence so that they could arrest him and strip him from his freedom. Steal that and his dream away from him, his dream to chase the horizon, like Cass had put it into words once. Freedom and his dream couldn’t exist without each other, he couldn’t accomplish his dream if he wasn’t free, and he couldn’t be free if he couldn’t make his dream come true. So, he needed to avoid those looks of suspicion the guards cast onto him, he had to deceive them, make them believe he was the wrong guy to apprehend.
Yet, that would be a hard task, he was hardly someone you could call a model citizen: he stole, he broke in, he ran over roofs and occasionally walked around in the nude. Though he wasn’t sure if the last two things were contrasting with the law. Maybe, maybe not, but who knew for sure? There was no one he could ask except the enforcers of the law themselves, but he wasn’t that curious.
Taking all that into account, would it be wise to go inside and sate his curiosity? Probably not, not at all actually. But he wanted to know, he wanted to see, he wanted to –to what? There was no reason why he should go inside, apart from curiosity, which was known for killing cats. And bats too, should he give in to it. Especially if curiosity had a whole army of magic-wielding vicious guards, who wanted to see nothing more than his person behind jail bars, at its side. No no, this was most definitely a trap, a trap designed to lure him in and wrap his body in chains, floored by dozens of Shinya pouncing on him from every shadowy corner they could find. Nice try, but they wouldn’t succeed this time, now that he knew of their plan there was no way you could make him go in the library.
It had been a close call, he’d almost fallen for it! But the guards at the entrance had been a giveaway, as was the contribution thingy. Why would there be guards stationed at a place he’d never visited before? They stood there as lookouts, scanning the area around the building for him, so that they could sent the men inside a message when he’d entered, and to close the doors behind him, to lock him in. And with no way out, he would be done for, outnumbered by the bastards, outclassed by their skill in battle. The reason that there were so many books in there was to obscure the sweaty smell of the guards hiding, waiting for the prey that would never come. Why would one have to make a contribution before being allowed to enter? Because they wanted to know for sure it was him, if he gave them his name they would be sure he was the one they were looking for, or maybe they didn’t have his name yet and couldn’t arrest him because of that. Well, he wouldn’t give it to them, it was a good thing he’d seen through the schemes before it had been too late. Bran grinned when he turned his back towards the two lookouts and strode away, down the stairs.
c
Credit goes to Ollic