• Graded • Amidst Notes and Papers and More Notes

[Kori'än]

17th of Ymiden, 721 - Library

"There you... go," Tallash huffed, dropping the pile she was carrying on top of a table at one of the corners of the library, one of the notes flying off the table due to the resulting huff of air and floating towards the floor. Kori'än and Tallash watched it for a silent moment before he finally sighed and reached down to pick it up, eyeing the assortment of loose papers, notes scribbled on ripped pieces of parchments and two thick notebooks with multiple folded sheets shoved inside of them with a frown. He wasn't exactly keen on organizing this particular mess, but he supposed he had to work on something, and trying his hand at research first seemed like the best option. If he truly hated it, then he could always quit. This didn't stop him from hoping he could assist someone more organized on their research. "Oh, wait!" The loud exclamation almost made him jump as the blond woman reached inside the pockets of her robes, picking up another handful of crumpled paper notes. Kori'än felt a sudden sharp pain at the back of his eyes. "That's it. Probably."

"Probably," he repeated on a flat tone, and it was easy to notice Tallash's pale cheeks get coloured with red.

"Well, yes, probably!" Tallash's voice went up a notch, before she quickly brought it down again, looking around them. "First rule of research ― there's always room for new information."

"I know that," Kori'än growled, keeping his voice low and crossing his arms as he narrowed his eyes to the woman. He hated this need of hers to state things as 'rules', always rubbing on his face what he didn't know. He had lost count of how many 'first rules' research had.

"Do you?" Her self-assured tone grated on his nerves, and Kori'än gritted his teeth to keep himself from snapping at her. He needed ― no, he wanted the job, and, as much as he found Tallash to be insufferable, she was his superior. And she supposedly did have something to teach him. If she ever got around to it instead of flaunting her knowledge, this would hopefully be worth the pain. After he kept glaring at her in silence for a couple of bits, Tellash's shoulders sagged, and she cleared her throat. "Yes, right... So, hmn," she cleared her throat again, and it was evident how nervous she was. "Right. Your job. I need you to organize all my notes, and follow up on some research. So, basically, make a list with all the medicinal plants I've mentioned in my annotations, then put every information together. After it's all organized, I need you to fact-check things and mark what's conflicting information, what's correct, and what you can't find anywhere. Some of the notes are about rumours and sighing, but I haven't followed up on them, so they might not be true, but if they are―" Tallash shrugged. "Well, you got the gist. Ask Rose― Miss Lefluer for help with the research part, ok? I will... I will see you later."

Before the woman could leave, though, Kori'än spoke up, frown turning from annoyed to slightly confused. "You aren't going to, you know, give me any tips or teach me anything?" He didn't add that was pretty much the only reason he wanted to help with research that he knew next to nothing about because the other was so secretive about it.

"Oh, right..." Tallash stopped dead in her tracks, looking around once again as if trying to find someone to push this responsibility on. Much like she was pushing the organization of her notes on Kori'än. He lept the comment to himself, though. The woman sighed, though, pulling a chair and sitting on the desk, looking at the mess of notes before saying. "So... What you need to do is organize this all―"

"You have told me that already," Kori'än interrupted, not keen on hearing what he was supposed to be doing for the fifth time, without any new information.

"Well, what do you want from me, then?" Tallash threw her hands in the air, frustration clear in her voice, and Kori'än sighed, sitting down as well.

"If you don't want to share anything, then don't," he breathed out, more to himself than to her, but his voice was clear enough for the other to pick up and glare at him. He decided against adding fuel to this particular fire, though, and took in a deep breath, trying to focus more on the task than on his annoyance. "I have to organize all your information. What I'm thinking of doing is going through everything and noting every plant in a list, then going through it a second time and transcribing all the information, and then..." He frowned. This didn't sound very efficient. "Then transcribing it all once again, once I know every bit of information so that it's all in one single place..." he trailed off, a bit unsure.

Tallash blinked and shook her head. "This will take longer than needed. Why don't you first number every page and notes? You can use a letter for each type of support ― 'n' for notes, 'b' for notebooks, 'p' for parchments, and so on. So the first note would be N1, then the second, N2, and so on. This way, when you're going through everything, you can write the name of the plant followed by the page you found it on, making a list of all the instances where said plant appears. Do you follow?"

Kori'än opened his mouth, ready to snap at her that he wasn't stupid so yes, he was 'following', but quickly shut his mouth again. She was finally offering some actual help, and he didn't want to ruin it. So, instead, he gave her a sharp nod.

"Then I suggest you see which plants in your list are the same, only under a different name. This will take a while, but Rose can help you find botany and medicine books that may help with that. And then..." she trailed off, bit her lip, and seemed to think for a moment. "Well, I think that'll take up all your time today, and maybe a couple of days more, so, once you're finished with that bit, you come to find me, alright?"

Kori'än nodded, placing his bag on the floor carefully, then picking up his feather pen and ink to start. Tellash stood up, but when she didn't make any further movement to leave, he looked up at her, eyebrow raised. "I know I'm not the most skilled... I mean, I've never had a student before... What I mean is, if you ever need to, you can ask me anything. Don't mess it up because you're too shy or something."

Of course. Kori'än narrowed his eyes at her, lips pressed together, as he fought yet again the need to snap at the woman. He wasn't shy, she was just an awful teacher. At least, when prompted, she could share some useful information. It was... good enough. So he nodded, once again, not trusting his voice to keep calm if he said anything, and Tellash nodded stiffly back, before finally leaving him to do his work.

[Kori'än]

It took longer than he expected ― way longer ― for him to go through the entire pile, painstakingly separating the ripped notes from the parchments and notebooks. Halfway through it, Kori'än actually thought about just giving up on this system, and going with his original plan. However, he knew that this would only waste even more time ― if it was already this time-consuming to just number the pages, he felt dread wash over him at just the thought of how long he would spend to go through this entire thing three times. At least with Tallash's reference system, he would be able to jump straight to the place he wanted after the first comb-through. Still, this knowledge didn't make the process any less boring and mind-numbing, and Kori'än found himself constantly taking breaks and just staring at the ceiling or at random shelves of books, his sight glassing over without really focusing on anything.

This perhaps made the entire thing take longer than it should, but he couldn't really help it. This was more boring than he had predicted, and the brief excitement of being taught something useful had long been washed away. He could only hope that, with time, he could also take part in the fun part of researching, instead of this far-from-exciting organization process. Maybe if Tallash was a bit more organized this wouldn't even be needed, but Kori'än wasn't about to even try to broach this subject with her.

When he finally finished numbering all the pages, his head was pounding, and Kori'än had to fight the urge to just lay down on top of the table and sleep for a little while. Tallash's messy handwriting and even messier organization method ― if it could even be called that ― made the whole deal more strenuous than it had any right to be. Towards the end, when he got to the notebooks, it looked like she had learned how to keep things tidier, with numbered pages and references instead of scribbled notes on the paper margins. Not that it mattered all that much, though ― she had started doing that only at the end of the first notebook, and he had to re-number everything from the beginning anyway.

By the end of the third break, though, Kori'än finally had three organized piles of notes in front of him. A small sight left his lips as he rubbed his neck, leaning back on the chair and glaring once again at the colourful and well-adorned ceiling of the Library. The first day at the job ― second, really, if he counted being introduced to Tallash and listening to her talk at length about responsibilities and her research while still not giving him any useful information about it at all ― and he was already complaining. His mother had raised him better than that.

A faint chuckle died as quickly as it rose, and his throat tightened. The sudden memory wrapped itself around his mind, and for a moment, the ceiling became blurry. Eight years. It had been eight years already. If he could, he would drop everything and run back to her, try his best to know if she was still alive, free her from that horrid place. But, in the end, it was a choice between his brother and her. And now, there was also the girl... Kori'än ran his hand through his hair, eyes focusing back on the notes in front of him. Focus. He had his new responsibilities now, responsibilities he had finally accepted to take. And he needed to find his own path, from now on. That was what she wanted, after all.

Taking a piece of parchment from his bag, along with a bottle of ink and a quill, he grabbed the first note, writing down the names of the plants he could find on it, fighting his urge to cry at the messy handwriting, and the number of the page they were on next to them.

[Kori'än]

It was barely another break before Kori'än had to push himself away from the table before he began ripping paper in frustration. Four breaks. Another four to go before he could finally go home. Technically, he could wrap things up earlier, and leave his future self to deal with the backlog of work, but he knew that was a terrible idea. He'd probably just keep pushing things off until he had too much work to deal with, and... Well, he still wanted to keep his job.

So, instead, he needed something else to do, even if just for a little while. Standing up, Kori'än looked around for the librarian, finding her on the front desk, carefully flipping the pages of a thick book. The older lady wore a strange and large hat with a flower adorning it, and her dress was also quite... flowery. While Kori had noticed people in the city were particularly fond of flowers in their hair, this particular combination seemed too much, and not all that suited for a library. Not that he knew what was suited or not for Scalvoris ― of for any other place, for that matter. He wasn't exactly concerned with fashion. Straightening his back, he approached the desk, fighting against wrinkling his nose at the floral perfume.

"Excuse me," he called, "could I―"

"Oh, my!" The words came out louder than he was expecting, and Kori'än didn't even try to hide the wince. "You're new here, aren't you? I have never seen you around before, and let me tell you, dear, I've seen everyone that comes to the library."

"I'm sure," he was quick to answer in a flat tone, trying to hide his discomfort. He hated small talk, but he hated prodding questions even more. He leaned back instinctively as the woman leaned forward over her desk, smiling. Her face was kind and eager, but Kori couldn't bring himself to offer a smile back.

"It isn't like I have all that much to do, other than watch books and people," she laughed, and Kori's eyes jumped from her face to the books behind her, as if they held the answer about what was so damn funny. "My name is Rose Lefluer, but please call me Rose."

"Lefluer, I need―"

"Rose, please! We don't need to be all that formal. You were with dear Adrie, weren't you? Are you a researcher? If you are, I think we will quickly become friends, no need to bother with formalities!"

Kori'än seriously doubted that they would become friends ― mostly because he didn't exactly want any kind of familiarity with anyone ―, and he couldn't phantom as to how Tallash was anything resembling a 'dear', but he also didn't want to discuss something as menial as that. "Fine. Yes. Tallash told me you could help with our research? Finding the books, I mean."

"Of course I could, dear! I'd love that, in fact. With all this University business, the recent interest in Desnind and all that, we have quite an interesting selection. If you want to just tell me your name, dear, place of residence, and if you are registered in the University, I can set your registration up and we can find some books for you."

He gave a stiff nod as he recited the information she had requested, trying his best not to seem too put off by her excited behaviour. Lefluer did seem like a nice person, and it wasn't really her fault that he never wanted to chat.

[Kori'än]

It took a while before the librarian finished writing down all his information, mostly because she stopped constantly to chat about the weather, the latest fashion, the uncommon number of stars in this season, and multiple other things that he had stopped paying attention at ― there was no way he could keep track of the constant subject shift even if he wanted to. In the end, finally, Rose lowered her feather and smiled up at him. "All done! Now, what subjects are you looking for?"

"Right," he perked up, more than ready to get back on track. "Mostly botany, I'd say. I need to see if there are multiple names given to the same plant. Some information on its uses and characteristics would be useful as well."

"Oh, I see!" Rose stood up, motioning for him to follow her as she walked towards a group of shelves. Kori'än was relieved she didn't try to grab his arm or something. "You may find use in some herbalism and basic medicine ones as well. Do you know how library books are organized?"

"... No." Such a small word, and still difficult to admit. He perhaps should know, considering he loved books, but he had mostly bought them, preferring to keep away from public places. Now, that wasn't an option any longer.

"Oh, it's fine, dear, don't worry! I'll explain that to you. See here?" Rose pointed to a small label in one book's spine. "This number represents the subject. You don't need to memorize what each number means, of course, but knowing that, you know that more generic books about the same subject are kept together. And more specific books about the same thing will be together as well. This here is the botany session, over there," Kori'än looked at where she was pointing, "is the medicine one. Take a look around, familiarize yourself with the books. If you look at their table of contents or chapter titles, you may have a general idea of what they tackle and if they will suit your needs! Good luck! And remember, you can always ask for help if you need it!"

With that and a soft pat on his shoulder that wasn't as welcomed as the words, Rose returned to her desk. Kori'än rolled his shoulder, trying to get the feeling of her hand away from his skin, and looked at the various books at display, sighing. Well, time to get to work.

[Doran]

Kori'än:

Knowledge:
Discipline: Not giving in to anger
Research: Planning before execution
Research: Numbering pages for reference
Research: How to cross-reference
Research: How to find books in a library
Research: How to identify a useful book

Loot: -
Lost: -
Wealth: -
Injuries: -
Renown: -
Magic XP: -
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Points: 10

- - -

Comments: I have to admit, I was a bit confused at first. I had no idea who Tallash was, whether she was Kori’än’s friend, someone who was working at library or a member of his family. Things became clearer when I took a look your CS though. Apparently, she’s a University NPC, and Kori’än works for her. Please make a note in the review request the next time you use a University NPC, please!

Once I’d figured out who Tallash was and what Kori’än and she were doing, that thread became quite enjoyable. You have a very detailed writing style which is something that I like. Tallash gave me the impression of being a bit snooty at first. I also wonder why she hired Kori’än to organize her notes. Is she very busy, or just not very good at organizing things?

Either way, she gave him quite the challenging task in my opinion, and I agree with Kori’än. She’s an awful teacher. You conveyed that very well in my opinion!

You definitely made me empathize with Kori’än. I’d get a headache and feel sleepy as well if I had to organize Tallash’ notes. I’m impressed that he kept going and didn’t just give up!

The second half of the thread where Kori’än was talking to Rose was entertaining. You did a good job at playing the NPC in my opinion. That being said, I wonder how Kori’än’s association with Tallash will continue. Tallash’ job seems to be a bit overwhelming to me!

Enjoy your rewards!

P.S.: I would have added “Endurance” to the list of skills used in the review request as Kori’än got a headache.