An Adventure in Books (Solo)

[Sira]

An Adventure in Books Timestamp: 45th of Winter, 511 AV Location: The Enclave Sira didn't usually read. In fact she hated reading, although unlike many of her kind Sira actually could read if she had to. She'd had the same education as every other child in Wind Reach, albeit at a much faster rate, and therefore had been taught to read just like everybody else. But that didn't mean Sira enjoyed it. While she loved to hear a good story, trying to focus on all those little words written on paper in somebody else's hand writing just wasn't something she enjoyed. The only reason she was in the enclave, in fact, was to deliver a message. And that was all she planned on doing. Just go in, drop off the message, and get out. And quickly. Things never happened the way she wanted though. When Sira walked into the Enclave everything seemed normal enough. Well, really it was perfectly normal. People were reading, librarians were going about their business, and it was in general quiet and peaceful. If it wasn't for all the books, Sira might have liked it there. She strode in with a purpose, heading straight to the reception desk. The woman working there looked up as Sira approached then quickly lowered her gaze and spoke a soft greeting. "Endal Sira, it's good to see you again. Did you need help with anything?" Good to see me again? I don't remember ever meeting her, Sira thought to herself as she nodded in greeting. Of course she didn't remember that she had in fact met Kirna before over two years ago, nor did she know that the woman never, ever, forgot anything. Not that it really mattered, Sira was just there to deliver a message. "I have a note from the Valintar for Kavisan. Can you see to it that he gets it?" "Of course, my lady, I'll give it to him as soon as he returns." "Good," Sira said with a nod as she turned and started to leave. And she would have left right then and there had she not spotted something that sparked her curiosity. Across the library standing next to one of the shelves was a young boy, a Yasi, staring at the books. That in itself wouldn't have garnered anyone's attention, but Sira's keen eyes were able to spot what others were not. The boy was crying..

[Sira]

Sira wasn't usually one to worry herself over the plight of the Yasi. She had been one herself, not so long ago, and she knew that while it seemed hard it wasn't really that bad. At least they had it better than the dek, right? But for some reason seeing the boy standing next to that shelf crying tugged on the strings of Sira's heart. Maybe it was because she was a mother now, or maybe it was just because the library was an odd place for a little boy to be crying, but Sira couldn't bring herself to just walk away. Slowly she approached the boy, taking her first steps into the library farther than she had ever gone before. Sira had never ventured beyond the entrance to the library, but the boy's tears called to her and she couldn't turn away. Sira passed by shelf after shelf of books, wondering what in the world they might all be, but she didn't stop to look at any of them. Instead she walked right up to the boy who, upon seeing her, wiped the tears from his cheeks and dried his eyes, obviously embarrassed by his situation. "What's the matter? Are you lost?" The boy braved a glance into Sira's golden eyes before quickly turning away. Few could hold her intense gaze, so she wasn't surprised, but that wasn't why he had looked away. "Oh, no. Nothings the matter, miss Endal.." Sira didn't believe it. If nothing was the matter then why was he crying? Whatever it was, the boy was ashamed to admit it, but Sira wasn't going to just let it go. Now she was hooked and she had to know. "Don't worry, you can tell me. You won't get in trouble, I'm a nice Endal. Tell me what's wrong." "Oh.. um.. well, okay.. I'm trying to find this book but.. I don't know how to read." Sira offered him a warm smile, kneeling next to the boy. "Well, lots of people don't know how to read. Maybe reading just isn't your thing. Besides, what does a Yasi need with a book anyway? Don't they bring you books to your classes?" The boy shook his head, "No, it's not for a class. It's for my father. He's a map maker, you see.. and he wan't me to bring him a book on the geography of Kalea.. but I don't know how to read, and if I don't bring him the book he'll know I can't read and he'll be ashamed and he'll beat me."

[Sira]

"Your father is going to beat you because you can't find a book? Well, we'll just have to find it then, wont we?" And then Sira realized.. she had no idea where a book on geography of any region would be, much less Kalea. Now, the sensible thing would have been to just go and ask one of the librarians, but Sira never did the sensible thing. Especially when it meant asking for help. So instead, she pulled out the first book she laid her eyes on. "Okay, this book is called... Ten Things to do with Clay. Hmm... no.. I don't think a geography book is going to be in the same area as one about clay. Okay.. time to go explore!" Sira and the boy wandered up and down the aisle, and even into other sections of the library. In part she was helping the boy, but she was also just exploring a place she had never been before. Sira could not imagine why in the world someone would need so many different books on so many different subjects, and from what she understood, this wasn't even the biggest library in Mizahar! Turning down one aisle Sira pulled out another book. From the cover she immediately knew it wasn't what they were looking for, but she just couldn't resist opening it up. "Passions of a Confused Drykas," she muttered the title under her voice. Flipping the book open her eyes widened as she began to read. I'd never felt anything like it before. My best friend slipped his hands beneath the hem of my pants. I knew it was wrong. We were both men. What was I thinking? But the lust in my loins as his hand grasped beneath the harsh fabric of my pants was something I could not resist. I turned and kissed him passionately.." Sira snapped the book shut, wide eyed, and then looked around cautiously. "I think... I will borrow this one. ...now.. um.. let’s go find you that geography book, right?"

[Sira]

Up and down the aisle they went, Sira checking each section for the book they were looking for. It was silly, really, all that paper that could have been used for something more useful. Like a map, or a bathroom item. Or.. something to wipe your face with when you eat. Did people really need books on everything? What ever happened to just talking. Sira paused at once section, pulling out another book. Game Trails of the Unforgiving.. well now, first useful book I've found all day. Not that I need it, I can spot the trails from the sky. But I can see how this one might be useful to an avora, maybe." Sira set the book back on the shelf, it still wasn't what they needed. In the next section she found more useless book. The endal was finally beginning to give up hope. "Don't worry, Miss Endal. It will be okay. Father isn't that bad, really. It only hurts a little when he beats me." Sira frowned. She didn't like the thought of this boy getting beaten by his father. It wasn't that she was against disciplining one's child, Sira fully intended to discipline her own child when necessary, but Sira had taken a liking to the young boy and the thought of him being hit angered her. "No! We will find this petching book if it kills us!" Sira renewed her search with vigor, moving from shelf to shelf pouring over every title until she found what she was looking for. It took another full bell, but finally she found the right section. "Yes! Here it is! The Geography of the Kalea Region. Your father will be so pleased!" The boy took the book, cheering along with Sira, and opened it flipping through the pages. Though he couldn't read, he recognized the various maps and knew that Sira was right. they had found the book they needed. Thanking the woman he was just getting ready to leave when a man appeared at the entrance to the library. "Daniel!? What is taking you so long? Have you been bothering this woman here. I should have known you'd get distracted, as always. You'll be punished for this, boy." "But father," the boy pleaded as the man came up and grabbed his son by the collar of his shirt. "She was just.. she was helping me find it." "Am I supposed to believe that!? Now you're lying to me? Like she doesn't have better things to do than to help you find a book. Don't worry, miss, I'll make sure my boy gets what's coming to him."

[Sira]

Sira watched the interaction between the father and the sun, a hard frown creasing her face as he grabbed the boy’s shirt and accused him of bothering the “woman.” Normally Sira wouldn’t want to interfere with the business of another family, but what she was witnessing was just wrong. Her father hadn’t been around and she didn’t know how fathers and their children usually acted together, but she liked to imagine that if her father had been around he wouldn’t have treated her that way. Sira liked to imagine that had her father been around, he would have treated her with respect and kindness. When the man said that the boy would be punished for bothering her, Sira decided that she had no choice but to interfere.

”You will not be punishing him for that! He wasn’t bothering me at all, I saw him crying and I decided to help.”

The man appeared stunned by Sira’s words, stunned that a woman would talk to him that way and interfere in his business with his son. Sira’s words, however, only made things worse and the man gripped the boy’s shirt even harder and yanked back a bit. He turned his attention away from Sira, his face turning red with anger.

”You were crying!? What were you crying for? I can’t send you on one simple task without you breaking down into tears? How do you expect to grow up and become a man if you start crying every time you are faced with a simple challenge.”

Sira had had enough. The endal stepped forward, giving the man a hard shove to the shoulder to catch his attention. He turned a glared at Sira, fury in his eyes. He looked as if he was about to strike her, but Sira was quicker, and slapped him across the face.

”You will not talk to him that way. I am an Endal, and I swear if I find out you lay a hand on your son after we’re done here I’ll make sure the Valintar recastes you as a dek-washer for the rest of your life. You treat your son with respect! He hasn’t learned to read yet, and he was still willing to try finding your stupid book by himself. He didn’t ask for help, I offered it.”

The man began to stammer, certainly surprised and probably a little afraid that the woman he was dealing with was an endal rather than just some random lady. ”I.. I’m sorry, Endal, I..”

”And another thing. You’re going to take your boy and buy him something sweet for the trouble you’ve put him through. And then you’re going to sit down and talk to him and find out what he really wants to do, because he obviously doesn’t want to follow in your footsteps. I’ll be checking in on you too, so if I find out that you’ve hurt him or done anything wrong, I’ll make good on my thread.”

”Yes… Endal..”

”That’s Endal Sira, and you’d do well to remember that.”

After the man and his son left, Sira wandered around the library for a bit longer. It was mostly just to cool her temper, although she did have one thing in mind. Going back to the place where she picked up the book, “Passions of a Confused Drykas,” she nonchalantly pulled it off the shelf and tucked it under her arm. Sira wasn’t exactly one for reading, but the book might turn out to be an interesting bedtime story for her and Aidara to enjoy. When she walked up to the counter to check it out, she could barely contain her blush. Kirna smiled when she saw which book it was, making a note that Sira was borrowing it, and slid it back to her.

”When you’re done with that one, you should check out, An Akalak on Konti Isle,” the woman whispered, offering Sira a knowing look. Sira nodded and smiled back in return before taking the book and hurrying out of the room, eager to get back to the aerie and show Addy her latest find.

~End

[Phoenix]

Character Name

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	5
Navigation	1
Intimidation	3

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Only losers read
•	Comforting a crying child
•	A nice Endal
•	Never doing the sensible thing
•	Passions of a Confused Drykas
•	Standing up for someone smaller
•	An Akalak on Konti Isle
•	The Enclave: Navigating the shelves

The Order of the Phoenix

Hahahah, I liked this thread! It was short and sweet and gave a good laugh.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.