Fantasy RPG Forum - Standing Trials

Darius heard Rose's voice before he had even entered the library.

The bearded blond was more familiar with the wide open spaces of the ocean, having spent much more time on the water than in a library, but he was fairly sure that raised voices were frowned upon when people were trying to read or conduct research. That wasn't to say Darius was illiterate, of course. His father had ensured he had enough of an education to be able to read and write well enough, but he was certainly no bibliophile.

That said, he wasn't opposed to honest work, and if it meant he might learn a thing or two from the books in the Scalvoris Town Library in the process, then that surely couldn't be a bad thing.

In truth, he had come because he had nothing else planned that trial, and he'd heard the library needed some help with cataloguing books. It seemed like a simple enough task with no experience required, though he quickly realised that Rose's voice would take some getting used to.

"Oh no, dear, you don't want that book," she was gently admonishing an older gentleman at the desk at a volume too loud for a place of concentration. "His recent works are fine, of course, but his earliest books are where he shines most."

The woman of indeterminate age rushed off to a nearby shelf and produced a book, shoving the one the man had brought to the desk aside, and had stamped the book and taken payment before the poor fellow had gathered his wits to protest. Somewhat speechless, and with book in hand, the man left the library, apparently still uncertain of what had just happened.

Darius, similarly, was somewhat dumbstruck, but Rose's voice cut through his hesitation with ease.

"Yes, dear?" she called out to the seafarer. "How can I help you?"

"Uh...I heard the library might be looking for some help," Darius responded, his deep voice at a level much more suited to a library, "with cataloguing books?"

He hadn't meant to frame it as a question, but that was how it came out, and he half wondered if he should beat a hasty retreat, but the librarian was too swift in her response.

"Ah, yes, of course!" the old woman beamed. "Come with me."

Darius' eyebrows lifted in surprise. The library had to be desperate to take him on without even asking for his name.

Easiest job interview ever!

Darius was led around the counter and into a back room, where a table appeared to be straining under the weight of several large piles of books. Behind one such pile was a bored looking half-biqaj woman. She was staring absentmindedly at the wall, and at no specific part of the wall in particular.

"Lissie, dear," Rose sighed, do try to stay focused, would you?"

The younger woman looked surprised as she straightened in her seat.

"Now, this strapping young man --"

Rose faltered, suddenly realising she hadn't asked for the newcomer's name.

"Darius," the man helpfully offered.

"Darius! Yes, of course," Rose immediately responded, as if she had known the man's name all along and had merely forgotten it. "Darius is here to help with cataloguing our new volumes. Please tell him what to do, dear, and -" her voice suddenly added a tone a exasperation "- try not to interrupt the group at the back."

The bearded blond's cocked eyebrow was met with the kind of glance from Rose that implied she knew him and that he had a reputation for interfering with strangers, and with that, she left the room.

"The Intelligentsia," Lissie whispered.

"I'm sorry?" Darius replied, turning the the apparently-now-awake junior librarian who was attempting to peek into the library from her seated position.

"The group at the back are from The Intelligentsia. You mustn't disturb them. They're very smart. They're researching something - I've no idea what - but it must be important!"

Darius nodded slowly, following Lissie's gaze, which appeared to be focused on a table at the far end of the library with a group of rather dusty old men who were pouring over some rather dusty old books.

"Now," Lissie added, "let me show you what you need to do to catalogue these books."

Darius spent the next few breaks sorting through the piles of books that had hidden Lissie, the removal of each tome revealing a bit more of the junior librarian's bored expression as he found new homes for them among the library's shelves. The half-biqaj blonde was certainly well-informed on the contents of most of the volumes, able to recommend some writings to Darius and steer him away with others, but each time he returned to collect more, she appeared to have lost herself to her own fanciful daydream.

The unlikely librarian's task was fairly simple. He had to mark the name of each book off a long list on a series of parchments, make a mental note of which literary category the book belonged to, and then place the books on the appropriate shelf in alphabetical order, while being careful to avoid the members of the Intelligentsia - and Rose - in the process.

Occasionally, he would have trouble determining the most suitable category for a book - especially when they were written in a language he didn't understand - but Lissie and another library employee called Rafe proved to be decidedly helpful in such scenarios.

The trial was getting late and the sunlight that peeked in through the windows was waning when he saw it. He had his last handful of books to find a home for, but he tripped over something as he made his way along one of the shelves. He was able to catch himself from falling, holding his breath in an attempt to not disturb the Intelligentsia and other members of the public who were trying to read in silence. The item his foot had collided with, however, slide across the floor and banged into the wall with a solid thud - something that was met with admonishing stares from those nearby.

Rather awkwardly, with the flush of embarrassment building in his cheeks, the human attempted to silently apologise, even as he scrounged on the ground for the mysterious item. Eventually, his hands found another book - a surprise, though it probably shouldn't have been, given he was in a library - and he picked it up. It was hastily added to his pile of books, and he set about categorising the others before he looked at it again.

Eventually, with the last book placed into its rightful place, Darius decided to steal a few moments to examine the item that had earned him the ire of other readers.

The Art Of Acrobatics: From Balance Basics To Tumbling And Everything In Between. The words, written in faint gold lettering, looked up at him from the small, hardback volume, as if they were imploring him to read them. A name, Demetria Safora, was lightly embossed on the spine.

Curious, he flipped the book open to a random page, and he found a set of diagrams showing how to do a flip from a standing position, accompanied by a detailed set of instructions. Intrigued, he turned to another, which showed something he was unfamiliar with - something called corde lisse - which showed an acrobat hanging upside down from some kind of rope. By the time he saw the page on wallflips, he realised just how engrossed he was, and he forced himself to return to the back room, lest he be considered a shirker.

Lissie was predictably distracted when he walked in. He placed the book on the otherwise empty table, and sat down opposite her.

"I stumbled across this," he said rather literally, as he began to sift through the nearby pieces of parchment. "I can't find it on the list, though."

Lissie took hold of the book and began to thumb through the pages, a frown forming as she did so.

"It looks instructional, but I don't recognise it. Perhaps it's new."

It was just as she was putting it back onto the table that Rose entered the room, her busybody ears having lured her in.

"What's that, dear?" she asked, not bothering to wait for anyone to respond before she picked up the book herself and began to look ot over. "Ah yes, The Art Of Acrobatics: From Balance Basics To Tumbling And Everything In Between."

She made the announcement with a triumphant tone, as if nobody else had thought to read the title.

"This is a new volume," she continued. "This Demetria Safora is supposed to be a fine acrobat, though you'll never catch me in the peanut gallery watching such drivel, I can assure you!"

She paused, suddenly aware that both Darius and Lissie were looking at her rather awkwardly.

"Anyway, I don't care for self-help books," she declared. "You may have it, if you're so inclined, young man..."

"Darius," the bearded blonde reminded her.

"Yes, Darius, of course," she confirmed, as if she was correcting him, and then she exited the room in the same sort of hurry as when she'd entered it, leaving a stunned Darius to wonder what had just happened.