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xp_logsTopaz attempts to sneak into the library, only to be caught by Alani.
The sound of the library door opening made Alani look up from behind the main desk, but it didn't seem like anyone had actually entered. It wasn't like the library doors opened themselves, right? Furrowing her brows, she closed her textbook and stood. "Hello? Is anyone there? Can I help you?"
"If you're the ghost of one of my living relatives, I'm gonna be pissed." With that, she made her way towards the entrance. Something moved at the corner of her vision, and she spun around, fists half raised, before she dropped them and grinned widely. "Topaz! What are you doing here? Er, not that you can't be here, I just thought you might want a little staycation instead of coming back to a job."
Topaz had frozen when Alani had caught her, then slowly relaxed as she realized Alani had apparently not been told about her bedrest orders. Okay, they weren't really orders, just... a suggestion. And it was more "don't do any heavy lifting" than "stay in your suite and be squished by your cat all day." And she needed to move around a little at least, right? And the library wasn't strenuous as long as she didn't move books. Much.
"Er, yeah. Staycations are overrated. Thought I'd..." She waved a hand around. "Check in."
"'Course," Alani agreed readily. Well that did sound like an important step for the head librarian who had been eaten by a portal before getting spat out. "Well, luckily nothing big happened here, the usual checking out and in, and finding books and shelving books, and pretending like I can read. Ya know, everything you must have been missing." Thinking about it, she walked Topaz back to the front desk with her, before pulling up the recent activity to show.
"Honestly, not a whole lot. You will probably notice that I am not nearly on your librarian level, so our shelving got a teeny tiny bit behind, but I'm working on that." She glared at the current reshelve cart she'd been working on while simultaneously studying. "Pretty sure the library hates me, but that's neither here nor there."
"So I don't have to worry about any coups?" Topaz asked dryly.
"If you're getting coup'd, it's not from me." Alani snorted, trying to cover up a laugh as she thought better of telling Topaz about what the lucksnap had done to the place. "I'm surprised the books themselves didn't coup me without you here to stop them, honestly. So I'm not about to ruin what cred I have with them. Hmmm, so anything in particular you wanna check on and I can help with? Or is this something you gotta do on your own?"
She was so helpfully earnest. Topaz sighed. She felt bad sneaking around when someone wasn't actively giving her the Look. "Okay, honestly? I'm not really supposed to be..." She waved a hand. "I mean I'm sure no one will kill me for walking, but I can't actually do any work which is annoying. I just needed to get out of my room."
Alani thought back to what she remembered reading over in the past few days. "Managerial work can be like that, ya know." That had been more of a thought she hadn't meant to say aloud, but with it in the universe she flashed a toothy grin. "I know you weren't in good shape when you got back, and I'm not a doctor so I won't sully that noble profession, but if you want to be in the library I would not stop you. I think you know your body best to not push yourself. Obviously you don't even have to work. Whatdya think?"
"Sounds brilliant," Topaz said honestly, casting a look around. She had missed the library. "I heard about the luck... snap open thing." She started toward the desk, still just taking things in. "Anything happen here?"
At that, Alani made a sound somewhere between a high-pitched whine and a groan. Then she carefully collected herself, looking from Topaz to the books as she began to tap the counter. "So... I can't lie, which is a lot harder than you might think, because I hate worrying people," she began slowly before clearing her throat. "All the fiction and, like, specialized books flew off the shelves and refused to shut. Also there's a new-old blonde guy? He was all 'why are you making library rules, you're not Topaz,' — like fuck you sir, I already know — and I thought a portal to blonde men opened because the mansion has so many, but that wasn't it at all. But we got it all sorted in the end."
"Barton." Topaz rolled her eyes. "They forgot to teach manners at spy school, apparently. I'll remind him other people are allowed to make rules next time I see him." Which wouldn't be for a long time at this rate, considering he was refusing to leave the church and she was refusing to go down there. "Fiction and specialized, huh? Some sort of symbol there I'm sure."
"And me without my spy classes," Alani sighed a little, trying to remember what Arthur had actually said but coming up blank. "They were trying to open the door to Avalon, if I understood correctly, which then snapped back? Fi and Arthur got, like, luck... drunk? It sounded like a whacky and wild time, if I'm being honest."
Topaz grimaced. "Yeah, that sounds.... like something I'm glad I missed. I've had enough library disasters to last a lifetime."
"Don't you worry, dear, I'm glad to take a library disaster or two off your hands." Alani smiled, easier this time and with a level more close to her natural cheer. "But I'm really glad you're back, honest."
The sound of the library door opening made Alani look up from behind the main desk, but it didn't seem like anyone had actually entered. It wasn't like the library doors opened themselves, right? Furrowing her brows, she closed her textbook and stood. "Hello? Is anyone there? Can I help you?"
"If you're the ghost of one of my living relatives, I'm gonna be pissed." With that, she made her way towards the entrance. Something moved at the corner of her vision, and she spun around, fists half raised, before she dropped them and grinned widely. "Topaz! What are you doing here? Er, not that you can't be here, I just thought you might want a little staycation instead of coming back to a job."
Topaz had frozen when Alani had caught her, then slowly relaxed as she realized Alani had apparently not been told about her bedrest orders. Okay, they weren't really orders, just... a suggestion. And it was more "don't do any heavy lifting" than "stay in your suite and be squished by your cat all day." And she needed to move around a little at least, right? And the library wasn't strenuous as long as she didn't move books. Much.
"Er, yeah. Staycations are overrated. Thought I'd..." She waved a hand around. "Check in."
"'Course," Alani agreed readily. Well that did sound like an important step for the head librarian who had been eaten by a portal before getting spat out. "Well, luckily nothing big happened here, the usual checking out and in, and finding books and shelving books, and pretending like I can read. Ya know, everything you must have been missing." Thinking about it, she walked Topaz back to the front desk with her, before pulling up the recent activity to show.
"Honestly, not a whole lot. You will probably notice that I am not nearly on your librarian level, so our shelving got a teeny tiny bit behind, but I'm working on that." She glared at the current reshelve cart she'd been working on while simultaneously studying. "Pretty sure the library hates me, but that's neither here nor there."
"So I don't have to worry about any coups?" Topaz asked dryly.
"If you're getting coup'd, it's not from me." Alani snorted, trying to cover up a laugh as she thought better of telling Topaz about what the lucksnap had done to the place. "I'm surprised the books themselves didn't coup me without you here to stop them, honestly. So I'm not about to ruin what cred I have with them. Hmmm, so anything in particular you wanna check on and I can help with? Or is this something you gotta do on your own?"
She was so helpfully earnest. Topaz sighed. She felt bad sneaking around when someone wasn't actively giving her the Look. "Okay, honestly? I'm not really supposed to be..." She waved a hand. "I mean I'm sure no one will kill me for walking, but I can't actually do any work which is annoying. I just needed to get out of my room."
Alani thought back to what she remembered reading over in the past few days. "Managerial work can be like that, ya know." That had been more of a thought she hadn't meant to say aloud, but with it in the universe she flashed a toothy grin. "I know you weren't in good shape when you got back, and I'm not a doctor so I won't sully that noble profession, but if you want to be in the library I would not stop you. I think you know your body best to not push yourself. Obviously you don't even have to work. Whatdya think?"
"Sounds brilliant," Topaz said honestly, casting a look around. She had missed the library. "I heard about the luck... snap open thing." She started toward the desk, still just taking things in. "Anything happen here?"
At that, Alani made a sound somewhere between a high-pitched whine and a groan. Then she carefully collected herself, looking from Topaz to the books as she began to tap the counter. "So... I can't lie, which is a lot harder than you might think, because I hate worrying people," she began slowly before clearing her throat. "All the fiction and, like, specialized books flew off the shelves and refused to shut. Also there's a new-old blonde guy? He was all 'why are you making library rules, you're not Topaz,' — like fuck you sir, I already know — and I thought a portal to blonde men opened because the mansion has so many, but that wasn't it at all. But we got it all sorted in the end."
"Barton." Topaz rolled her eyes. "They forgot to teach manners at spy school, apparently. I'll remind him other people are allowed to make rules next time I see him." Which wouldn't be for a long time at this rate, considering he was refusing to leave the church and she was refusing to go down there. "Fiction and specialized, huh? Some sort of symbol there I'm sure."
"And me without my spy classes," Alani sighed a little, trying to remember what Arthur had actually said but coming up blank. "They were trying to open the door to Avalon, if I understood correctly, which then snapped back? Fi and Arthur got, like, luck... drunk? It sounded like a whacky and wild time, if I'm being honest."
Topaz grimaced. "Yeah, that sounds.... like something I'm glad I missed. I've had enough library disasters to last a lifetime."
"Don't you worry, dear, I'm glad to take a library disaster or two off your hands." Alani smiled, easier this time and with a level more close to her natural cheer. "But I'm really glad you're back, honest."
