Closed [Sliver] The wolverine in the library

[Coren]

5th of winter For as long as coren had been working in the library, it had been a slow going business, the mayority of the vantha didn't care for the many multitudes of stories and other types of knowledge packed away in this building. Their culture had always stressed the oral part, and many people rather learned something from somebody else and preferred a story was told by a storyteller who weaved the entire story for them then to use their own minds to imagine up the images and sounds of what the books told them. This really brought out a dual feeling in the mage, on one side it made sure that he was paid for a job that didn't require him to come in contact with a lot of people, wasn't very taxing aside from the few times he had to reshelve books and clean the library. On the other side, seeing such a collection of books just collecting dust really irked him. Such a vast amount of knowledge and it was just ignored. Still at this time coren was taking advantage of the silence to catch up on some sleep. Leaning back in his chair, his hood down to keep the light that filtered in the library through the windows and happily snoozing away. His dreams soothing and peacefull.

[Sliver]

She had said it before and she'd say it again. Books were not fun. The very idea of a library irked her on an intellectual level, and she purposefully avoided the place for no apparent reason. So when she was tasked with retrieving a few historical tomes to bring back to the barracks on an errand run, she had made sure to stick up her nose and whine about, making her opinion known. Known or not she still ran the trip, commencing a light jog to go over to...Stories in the Snow? What kind of a petching name was that anyway? If she was going to do this at least it could be quick and easy, done with before the dust on the books settled into her skin. At least she could hope. She entered the doorway in a manner that might have suggested suspecting an ambush. A fearful caution only fitting an injured rabbit seemed to possess the Kelvic as she stepped within and slowly, cautiously approached the front desk. There she saw the attendant was sleeping, clearly summarizing the interest held in the- wait, wasn't that...? "Coren?" Somehow this realization didn't startle her. A mage in a library was like a fish in the ocean, but still, a bit of a smile crossed her lips even in this uncomfortable environment. "Am I surprised to see you." Sarcasm wasn't an emotion animals need portray in the wild, yet the snarky wolverine seemed to pull it off without much of a hitch, suggesting some practice.

[Coren]

The sleeping Coren stirred as the fact somebody had called his name mage it into his sleep addled mind. His mind instantly took it as if felix himself had once more caught him asleep on the job and did the only logical action, kicking his body into overdrive. Coren shot from sleep to something approaching full awareness in a scant few moments. Blinking once in confusion as he didn't see felix but instead sliver. “Ah, well hello Sliver, didn't see you come in obviously.” Coren greeted the kelvic. Ignoring the sarcasm out of the woman. He wasn't awake enough yet to work with witty comebacks yet. He barely was good at those when he was completely awake. “Didn't takeyou for somebody who used books of any kind really. How can I help you?” Coren deadpanned in his all to familiar monotone voice.

[Sliver]

The Kelvic, who certainly had a reputation to uphold, sniffed in disdain. "You'd be right, I am not the kind of Kelvic to use books." She leaned against the deck, glancing back, yet clearly not actually absorbing any of the scenery. She didn't mind buildings, yet this one seemed to close in on her from all sides like a cage, and she had barely been in the place a chime yet was already feeling restless. "I came here for a couple history tomes on Avanthal...they have a boring name and its the first and second volumes...The Accounts of the Elders or some shyke like that." She struggled, but remembered the names. She had been informed that they were copies of copies, but didn't much care how original a book she was never going to read nor so much glance at was.

[Coren]

Coren couldn't help but to chortle at slivers behavior before he grabbed the ledger, checking for the name in there. No point in letting Sliver search the history section if they where loaned out. Luckely, or from her standpoint unfortunately, the books weren't listed as loaned out. “Well,They aren't loaned out so you can find the two books in the history section of the library shouldn't be to hard to find. Each section has the subject written on top of their shelf.” Coren stood up from behind his desk. “Still, I'll show you the way. You don't look like as if you want to linger then is absolutely necessary in the library anyway.” Coren assumed and began to lead the way the library. Motioning to Sliver to follow him. After just a short moment they arrived at the history section and he began scanning the books on the shelves. The history section was one of the larger sections, so he gave sliver a glance. “Give me a hand with looking for the books will you?”

[Sliver]

Sliver wondered what gave the mage the impression she was literate as she followed him cautiously through the tall shelves, neck craning this way and that as if expecting the literature to fly off and bodily attack her. When he stopped at what she only assumed could be the history section, asking her to aid him, Sliver snorted. "Won't be of much use I'm afraid, I can't read a single word." There wasn't pride in her voice when she spoke those words, but neither was there shame. She was a wolverine, a scavenger and predator who had no time or reason for books and their ilk, and she wasn't going to feel bad about that. She shrugged a bit to Coren. "Sorry."

[Coren]

As coren heard Sliver say she couldn't read a single letter he suddenly froze mid step. Before slowly turning to stare dumbfounded at Sliver. After a few moments of silence coren found his tongue again. That just wouldn't do. “ Well, I suppose I can probably a few hours out of my time to teach you. Some of my other projects have grounded to a complete halt anyway.” Before Sliver could even protest or otherwise insist that she didn't need to know how to read coren cut her of. “ Nobody has ever complained of being able to do many things. Usually people are in trouble when they don't know how to do something at all. Besides, being unable to read in a world where everybody can read is a major drawback because everybody will assume you can read and act accordingly.” Coren droned before finally letting her speak. It was quite clear coren wouldn't take a no on this offer.

[Sliver]

Sliver instantly jumped to the defensive. No way was she going to stick her nose in some dusty tome and try to decipher those headache inducing symbols, that was all well and good for magic users, but no use to her. She had gotten this far in her life without reading and it hadn't proved to be a problem, there was absolutely no way she was starting now. "Most people know Kelvic don't know how to read, and most people don't expect them too, books are boring and if I need to know what a sign says all I have to do is ask, a Kelvic doesn't need to read." Her arms folded against her chest and she glared at him. It was clear a contest of wills was in order between the two, and she vaguely wondered who would come out on top. She decided to add another argument to the mix. "You can't transform into an animal at all, yet I don't see you trying to learn Morphing or something."

[Coren]

Coren gave sliver a level stare. “That is because I already am already busy with enough other studies in the mystical disciplines at this time. Though you make a point, I don't think it would be a bad idea to study up on it a bit when the opportunity presents itself. ” Coren deadpanned. Puncturing that argument, at least in his mind. “Asides from that though not being able to transform into an animal usually doesn't come up as often as not being able to read. For example, what if I was busy with duties and I couldn't help you find the book. What if the people around you can't be bothered to tell you what a sign reads or there are no people around? What if you want to write something down so you can be sure you won't forget something important. Or what if you just want to write down a few notes on a subject for later. I can keep going with this if you like.” He said in a resolute tone. “Like I said earlier better to know something that you will never use, then to be found wanting. Besides. I just want you to learn how to read and write. I don't expect you to go and stuff your nose in books for the rest of your life. Even I would go completely insane” Coren paused before correcting his sentence. “Well, more then I already am anyway.” Coren wasn't going to yield on this point. It just didn't add up in his mind. Somebody who couldn't read, who wasn't even able to study and absorb knowledge if she wanted to. That was just wrong in his mind.

[Sliver]

She didn't agree with him, not even in the slightest. Her arguments seemed just as valid as his did and the process of learning to read and write seemed like a horrendously boring task. Spending all that time learning this thing that gave her head aches to think about when she could be training, hunting, guarding? She snorted unhappily at the mage as he spoke. She was a stubborn creature, a trait that was woven into the very marrow of her bones, yet she could see that he would not yield on this. Even if she convinced him not to teach her now, he would try again, and gain until she gave in, and the wolverine threw up her hands in defeat. "Alright! Fine, teach me to read and write, I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into, mage." She began walking back through the stacks of shelves towards the front of the library, feet dragging upon the floor at the prospect of learning such a dull subject. Well if they were going to do this they'd need a flat well lit space, so she made her way to the front desk and pulled herself up a chair, elbows sitting upon the counter and hands rubbing her face in perpetration of what was to come.