38th Fall 516
______
______
When Phira accepted the job to clean up the library she was feeling like stepping out of her comfort zone. She thought, "I should really get out and do new things." At the time she had forgotten how much she detested reading. It wasn't that she hated the words, or the stories, or the knowledge in the books, she hated reading. She was terrible at it and she had very little patience for her own inabilities. Still though it seemed like an easy enough job to do for some coin, and even though the library itself was deemed rather useless by Sunberthians she would do a good job. Plus there were those supposed cursed slabs, but she wasn't really superstitious. She was, however, cautious of proven danger.
Making her way through the streets making sure to steer clear of any shady looking people. Which was hard to do in Sunberth where everyone was shady looking, but there was a particular type of shady that she avoided heading upwards towards Stumble Alley. The kind of shady she was talking about was the kind that was far too interested in her; so interested that they followed her. She had heard things about the Daggerhands and another off the radar gang fighting over this area of the city and she didn't want to get caught up in that sort of mess.
She had to have walked up and down the street looking for the building that was hidden in plain sight. For her it was new news that a library existed at all. Why would there be a library here of all places? The only thing people read around the city were the posts that were pinned to various job boards, which were in themselves simply written. Which begged to be questioned, what kind of books were in there? What sorts of things did the old miners that once lived here read? Or where they the ones that did the writing? Surly there was a tome or two that was written by a miner or one of their family in there.
She stood outside The Majestic, a rather obnoxiously named bar if she did say so herself. Never having been around here it was hard to navigate. Noticing that she was getting suspicious and mean looking stares from many a person, especially those 'shady' people she had wanted to avoid. She was about to give up and go back home when she looked to the building right next to the bar. It was right in front of her! She must have passed it a million and two times walking up and down the street. She blew a mixed sigh of relief and irritation, and got over there as quickly as she possibly could.
The building was two stories and worn out just like every other building in this old city. It was no wonder it was over looked by her. She was expecting something a bit more...grand if that was the word for it. Back in Zeltiva one could spot the Wright Memorial Library from a mile away. She had no idea what she expected in this city. She stood outside of it and knocked unsure of if she could just enter or not. It wasn't like a tavern or a store...hell she wasn't sure what she thought this place was. There couldn't be that many books here. Right? She opened the door slightly, "Hello!?" she said loudly before opening the door further and stepping in.
The place was a mess! Books and papers all over the place, entire book cases toppled over, the curtains were ripped and the tables and chairs were strewn about haphazardly. The place was indeed of needing a good cleaning, but it was more magnificent than any other building she had been in while in Sunberth. It was so unlike any other place in the City. The little clean up that had happened she could imagine how grand (in Sunberth terms) this place could be. Books piled high on bookcases and on tables, and the book cases lined the walls from top to bottom, on each floor. Again the question of what kind of books were in here crossed her mind.
She stepped further in to the first table, curiously looking around for any signs of life before pulling a book off the top one of stacks that littered the table, "D-Dan-gur-o-us Ani-mals: Oon-der-gr-oond Edi-ton.. she tried to read.
"Well that doesn't sound right." she thought as she put the book back on the stack. She took a few more steps over debris, and around furniture, and tried to read the titles of a few more books before she got to the staircase. Obviously she took one step too far and was met with a sword to her throat.
"State your business!" a woman hissed in her ear.
She held up her hands to show her that she didn't have a weapon herself, as stupid as that was. She didn't carry a weapon on her at all, which she had always hated. She was lucky in this city so far, and she knew it was just a matter of time before that luck turned sour. It was just even if she did have one she wouldn't know how to use it.
She slowly turned around and eyed her assailant carefully. She was a broad woman with black hair and a very rough expression. Somehow she knew that the woman had very few happy expressions to show, but that didn't stop her from smiling any way. She wasn't stupid, she knew that her looks got her by more than talent did, so she didn't see why it wouldn't work now. "I'm Phira. I came to help clean the place." she said looking into the woman's eye and not at her sword.
The woman looked at her intensely, as if to read her mind, then lowered her sword slowly, although she felt that if she made a single misstep she would be met with it again in a blink of an eye. "Well come on. Remmy is wait'n for ya." the woman said gruffly and began walking towards the back just as careful to avoid stepping on the books as she was.
She couldn't help but breath in deeply and let out a large sigh of relief before she followed. She wondered if that was why people never came to the place. If visitors were met with a sword upon entry then why would they come here? But if that were true than how come the place was broken into and vandalized so bad?
They made their way through the sea of books and in the very back was another woman, sitting in a chair, book open and glasses on. She didn't seem to notice that they were there, looking more satisfied with the words on the page, than anything else.
She stood quiet behind the large woman, and the large woman stood quiet as well, almost respectfully. It wasn't until a minute or so passed by that the large woman began to tap her foot irately. It seemed like disturbing this woman while reading was a bad thing to do. If the sword wielder wasn't going to tread on that line, then she better be careful not to either.
A minute of so went by before the woman in the glasses, Remmy she presumed, looked up and snapped her book shut. "A visitor? We don't get very many visitors. Why don't you grab a book and pull up a seat." She said with a welcoming smile.
Making her way through the streets making sure to steer clear of any shady looking people. Which was hard to do in Sunberth where everyone was shady looking, but there was a particular type of shady that she avoided heading upwards towards Stumble Alley. The kind of shady she was talking about was the kind that was far too interested in her; so interested that they followed her. She had heard things about the Daggerhands and another off the radar gang fighting over this area of the city and she didn't want to get caught up in that sort of mess.
She had to have walked up and down the street looking for the building that was hidden in plain sight. For her it was new news that a library existed at all. Why would there be a library here of all places? The only thing people read around the city were the posts that were pinned to various job boards, which were in themselves simply written. Which begged to be questioned, what kind of books were in there? What sorts of things did the old miners that once lived here read? Or where they the ones that did the writing? Surly there was a tome or two that was written by a miner or one of their family in there.
She stood outside The Majestic, a rather obnoxiously named bar if she did say so herself. Never having been around here it was hard to navigate. Noticing that she was getting suspicious and mean looking stares from many a person, especially those 'shady' people she had wanted to avoid. She was about to give up and go back home when she looked to the building right next to the bar. It was right in front of her! She must have passed it a million and two times walking up and down the street. She blew a mixed sigh of relief and irritation, and got over there as quickly as she possibly could.
The building was two stories and worn out just like every other building in this old city. It was no wonder it was over looked by her. She was expecting something a bit more...grand if that was the word for it. Back in Zeltiva one could spot the Wright Memorial Library from a mile away. She had no idea what she expected in this city. She stood outside of it and knocked unsure of if she could just enter or not. It wasn't like a tavern or a store...hell she wasn't sure what she thought this place was. There couldn't be that many books here. Right? She opened the door slightly, "Hello!?" she said loudly before opening the door further and stepping in.
The place was a mess! Books and papers all over the place, entire book cases toppled over, the curtains were ripped and the tables and chairs were strewn about haphazardly. The place was indeed of needing a good cleaning, but it was more magnificent than any other building she had been in while in Sunberth. It was so unlike any other place in the City. The little clean up that had happened she could imagine how grand (in Sunberth terms) this place could be. Books piled high on bookcases and on tables, and the book cases lined the walls from top to bottom, on each floor. Again the question of what kind of books were in here crossed her mind.
She stepped further in to the first table, curiously looking around for any signs of life before pulling a book off the top one of stacks that littered the table, "D-Dan-gur-o-us Ani-mals: Oon-der-gr-oond Edi-ton.. she tried to read.
"Well that doesn't sound right." she thought as she put the book back on the stack. She took a few more steps over debris, and around furniture, and tried to read the titles of a few more books before she got to the staircase. Obviously she took one step too far and was met with a sword to her throat.
"State your business!" a woman hissed in her ear.
She held up her hands to show her that she didn't have a weapon herself, as stupid as that was. She didn't carry a weapon on her at all, which she had always hated. She was lucky in this city so far, and she knew it was just a matter of time before that luck turned sour. It was just even if she did have one she wouldn't know how to use it.
She slowly turned around and eyed her assailant carefully. She was a broad woman with black hair and a very rough expression. Somehow she knew that the woman had very few happy expressions to show, but that didn't stop her from smiling any way. She wasn't stupid, she knew that her looks got her by more than talent did, so she didn't see why it wouldn't work now. "I'm Phira. I came to help clean the place." she said looking into the woman's eye and not at her sword.
The woman looked at her intensely, as if to read her mind, then lowered her sword slowly, although she felt that if she made a single misstep she would be met with it again in a blink of an eye. "Well come on. Remmy is wait'n for ya." the woman said gruffly and began walking towards the back just as careful to avoid stepping on the books as she was.
She couldn't help but breath in deeply and let out a large sigh of relief before she followed. She wondered if that was why people never came to the place. If visitors were met with a sword upon entry then why would they come here? But if that were true than how come the place was broken into and vandalized so bad?
They made their way through the sea of books and in the very back was another woman, sitting in a chair, book open and glasses on. She didn't seem to notice that they were there, looking more satisfied with the words on the page, than anything else.
She stood quiet behind the large woman, and the large woman stood quiet as well, almost respectfully. It wasn't until a minute or so passed by that the large woman began to tap her foot irately. It seemed like disturbing this woman while reading was a bad thing to do. If the sword wielder wasn't going to tread on that line, then she better be careful not to either.
A minute of so went by before the woman in the glasses, Remmy she presumed, looked up and snapped her book shut. "A visitor? We don't get very many visitors. Why don't you grab a book and pull up a seat." She said with a welcoming smile.
