so good night unto you all - LIBRARY RETURN

[libraryassistants]

Who: The Editors, one and all
What: The fight is over, the pieces remain... and the Editors head back 'home'
When: Dawn of the Final Day Sunrise after the attack
Where: Leaving Montica, back to the Library
Content warnings: Please make sure to put CW in headers!

By the time morning comes around again, the fires are beginning to die down, thanks to the many efforts of the citizenry to keep them under control. The rebel vampires too have been largely dealt with. These two seemingly insurmountable obstacles were only possible thanks to a combination of factors: the Umbra not being as blind to their human servants as their opposition would have thought, defectors from the Orlocks who were able to counter-act some of their magic, the following Amalia gathered and deployed from Laurelthirst, some suspicious (though welcome) help from suspiciously new arrivals, and of course, House Guildulf throwing their own into the fray to ally with the vampires for this confrontation.

A unity the likes of which Montica has never truly seen.

As the sun rises, there are few left who are able to fight at all; the rebels are beaten, and even the forces built up by both the vampires and werewolves are exhausted or diminished, leaving no one able to take advantage. Citizens of both sides flee indoors, and the remaining rebels are forced to vanish into the woods once more, weakened and unable to strike again any time soon. But there are still repairs to be done, physically and otherwise. Will this unity last beyond tonight? Will young love and youthful hope prevail? Those are the questions that settle over a weary Montica, as light pours into the city once more.

And then, the world begins to fade, static taking over the senses, as the Editors return to the Library.

Welcome back, Editors

It looks much the same as they left it, though the makings of a masquerade are no longer arranged as finely, a few scorch marks here and there, and for some reason there’s some amazing optical illusions on the floor panelling that makes them look like actual manhole covers. Alas, no sewers lay beneath. It may still take Actors a bit of time to shake off the old-new memories, and for some reason the fluorescent lighting seems harsher on the skin than it has any right too. Good thing that the stacks cast long shadows.

The customary tea cart is set up in the Lobby again, and it seems some improvements have been made. The coffee still isn’t strong, but’s far more drinkable than it has been, and there’s an added decaf option now! The tea has still been overstepped, and the stale cookies have been replaced by scones that are hard as rocks, but clearly someone’s getting the message that there are improvements needed. Clearly the tea cart was the place to start.

If someone for some reason doesn’t want stale scones, there’s also a child sized food truck in the lobby, with a sign out front boasting a variety of tamales, including: black beans and cheese, birria, chicken, fire scorpion, man suffering to death via battle wound, and beef. Upon approach, what look like fuzzy puppets pop up to… take your order? They don’t say much, or rather, they make a single noise over and over that seems to be them communicating, but the tamales are good. Just… don’t try to look in the truck. They’ll screech, vanish, and then no tamales for you.

Meanwhile, the bulletin board has a cheerful sign decorated with colorful blocks, declaring: “Join us in the Children’s Area for Lego Club!” Upon locating the room in question, Editors will discover boxes among boxes of legos of various shapes and sizes. There are some ‘how to’ guides for various builds (including a ‘research space ship’ and a ‘vampire’s castle’), but also plenty of encouragement for people to make their own creations! Unlike normal creations, these will actually stick around for a while after they’re finished, and there’s a nice little table where people can display and share what they’ve made.

The Assistants, it seems, are nowhere to be seen: the ‘back in 5’ sign is still in place at the help desk. Still, even without their ‘helpful’ guidance, some facets of the Library may come more easily to some in the aftermath of Montica’s troubles.

[Due to the resolution of the Story, any skills tagged Archivist in the skill tree cost one less skill point (minimum of 1) until the next Story. This can stack with a normal Archivist bonus!]

Comments

Nara'a Sunvara | OTA

[aetherweaver]

Return

Nero is exhausted - and then suddenly he's no longer Nero. Nara'a is suddenly back in the library, and for a bit he just stands there, getting used to his body again.

He feels rather than hears a bunch of grumbling from inside his soul - between all three of his 'roommates' he's not surprised that they've got a lot to complain about. He can practically hear Ardbert swearing in surprise and displeasure - and he can feel Fray practically staring at him.

Meanwhile his voidsent is just hungry. He'll... he'll get to everything in a minute.


Kitchen

Nara'a needs food, but more than anything else he needs a distraction. The kitchen is full of the sounds and smells of cooking - stuffed cabbage, pies, omelets, soups - if you come in he'll shove food at you.

"Eat." That's all he says before he goes back to cooking.

Occasionally you might find him sitting down with what's probably too much food for most people, but he's attacking it with the speed of a starving man. Anyone who comes in will get a glance up from him and a tilt of the head.


Wildcard

He's easily found most anywhere in the library, so it's not hard to find him if anyone wants them. He's not trying to hang near where most people are, but even with how big the library is there's only so many places one can be.

Kitchens

[ohaiyo_isekai]

Hikaru has been giving Nara’a a wide birth for a while, at least until both of them have had some time to, if he will pardon the phrase, let the dust of battle settle.

But they WILL need to speak, and a chance encounter in the kitchens is as good a time as any.

“If you’ll have me,” he says. “I can recommend the tamales, too.”

And then, he sighs. “Hail and well met. Did you keep the shield bracelets and the skill at warding, or did that melt away when you became yourself again, Nara’a?”

[aetherweaver]

Fortunately at the moment he's making a salad, so he can stop and talk. He turns and nods to Hikaru, and takes a deep breath.

"It left, I think. But I have my own warding ability, depending on what sort of position in battle I'm taking."

He really should just leave it at there, given how he's feeling, but - "Are you all right, after all of... that?"

[ohaiyo_isekai]

Hikaru laughs, once, a release of stored tension.

“A sight better than I suspect you and Siobhan are, though that’s absolutely not a ‘yes,’” he says. “Acting was unpleasant enough in my low stakes… thawing of the heart drama. How much worse to be cast as A Starcrossed Lover?”

Carefully using a Levantine shibboleth instead of calling it a coming out drama. He doubts Nara’a will be anything but supportive, but this also aint about Hikaru.

“And so, seriously, no: how are you, after being Lord Nero?”

[aetherweaver]

He looks at the food he's made, then looks at the other man. "Not well." He allows himself a short laugh before leaning against the counter.

"I did not enjoy being someone I am not."

[ohaiyo_isekai]

“No,” he says. “No, I didn’t think you would. And so - would you do me and yourself the favour of reminding ourselves of the ways in which you are most unlike the lord Nero?”

Because in his experience, that was not the part that rankled. It was the ways in which a role was apt. Was revealing.

[aetherweaver]

"For one, I'm not dead." Despite his world's attempts to the contrary on multiple occasions. "For another, I am not having a relationship with your partner."

He starts chopping a tomato. "For a third, I didn't know my father, adoptive or no. Nor do I desire to."

Kitchen

[awreck]

Wreck had ducked into the kitchen because there's one person who probably doesn't want to see him, and they'd be unlikely to run into each other here. He knows that ultimately there aren't many places one can be alone, but even so he's surprised to find Nara'a in the kitchen.

"You're the... type of person who cooks to blow off steam, aren't you?" He doesn't have the energy to even make a vague attempt at being upbeat. Instead, he just looks at all of the food as if in doing so he can will himself to be hungry. "How'd you learn how to cook so much?"

[aetherweaver]

"Sometimes. There's not enough metalworking supplies for me to start going really off the deep end." He stops and looks over at Wreck, letting out a deep sigh. "Please take some... I've made far too much."

As for the question... "I've spent some time with the Culinarian's Guild. They work out of the Bismark, the most well-regarded restaurant in Eorzea. I'm no master, but I've learned enough on top of my lifetime of campfire cooking before that."

[awreck]

He very nearly has to bite his tongue to stop himself from saying it's not his responsibility to deal with the consequences of Nara'a's overcooking. It's not his Nara'a's fault the Library handles editing the Stories this way, and it's certainly not Nara'a's fault for his own foul mood. Besides, even if he's upset, he can still recognize a kind offer.

So, he takes a breath to steady himself before he responds.

"I dunno. Sounds like you might be a master if you can handle cooking multiple dishes at once. I'd probably set this kitchen on fire if I tried the same. Probably why it was typically the Takeout Life for me before I ended up here."

Wreck does take a bite of the food, finding himself more appreciative of its warm than he thought he'd be.

"Thanks, by the way." A beat. "You'd... rather not talk about the Story, right?"

[aetherweaver]

"I... uh." He looks a little sheepish. "... It just made me feel... strange? When I got out? Being someone I wasn't, being in a life that maybe I could have lived if my world was different."

He glances at one of the savory pies he's made. "And to be honest, I'm somewhat... low on aether. And the easiest way to replenish that is with food. Besides, I figure most people will want a hot meal after that."

He doesn't really know if there's anything he can explain or talk about in regards to the story. "I usually had to handle the cooking growing up, considering..." He rubs his thumb along the scar that runs across his nose. "I was useless at hunting in a hunt clan, so I had to make up for it."

[awreck]

Wreck nods, understanding the sentiment of the possibility of an entirely other life that might have happened. Unfortunately, that's exactly why he doesn't want to talk about it, at least with regards to himself.

"Useless, huh?" Wreck looks Nara'a over, remembering the snippets he'd shared of himself from back home. How he really was a hero with powers of his own that no one else could take away from him on a whim. "I somehow find that doubtful, but if it's really true I guess we all start somewhere."

He sighs softly before he can stop himself. "And besides, what good is a carcass without someone to cleanly strip the meat of it and cook it up? We all have our talents, so they say. Glad you didn't die, though, since I can only assume the prey you were hunting was equivalent to some end game video game boss."

[aetherweaver]

He laughs a little bit despite himself. "Well, now I'm much more useful, but I still can't hit anything with a bow other than the ground or occasionally a tree. And hunting with bows was the preferred method in my clan. As for the preparing of the game, that did fall to me."

Wreck gets a bit of a smile. "At the time though it was just local wild game. Later in my career I would slay monsters and gods, but not when I was young. Instead I was cooking the meat and attempting to channel aether. I blew my eyebrows off the first time I tried and I'm lucky I didn't burn myself. I thought I'd end up a middling thaumaturge at best, and then... well. Many things happened."

Kitchen

[grandparty]

Kinjiro doesn't know this guy, but anyone who would shove an omelet at him is probably a good person. "Oh, hey, thanks! I just got here." He takes the omelet gratefully. "And as luck would have it, eggs are my favorite!" This has saved him so much trouble for the time being, and his enthusiasm is genuine.

[aetherweaver]

"Oh, good. I can make you more if you want. I just..." He takes a deep breath, trying to figure out how to put this to a stranger. "The last Story was rough."

[grandparty]

"Oh, I'll definitely take more." He can boil his own eggs and do a couple other basic things with eggs, but he is not a good cook by any means and free food is always welcome.

But at the second thing Nara'a says, Kinjiro tilts his head quizzically. "Story?" he asks curiously. He is so very new here.

[aetherweaver]

"... Ah. You're new. Yes, Story. We occasionally get pulled into a Story and have to draw it to a conclusion. And we sometimes do not remember who we were while we are inside it, as if we were characters in a play." Movie? This person probably knows recorded media, based on his clothing.

[grandparty]

Kinjiro is in fact quite familiar with recorded media, and his brow furrows a bit at the description he's given. "At any point in the procedure," he says, "does a strange creature ever jump out and declare itself to be Story No. 1 or something to that effect?"

It's a valid question.

[aetherweaver]

"Um." ... Huh. "No? I mean, I've dealt with book-based monsters before, but nothing like that."

Kitchen

[keytarheroine]

Claire enters the kitchen.

Claire sees who's in the kitchen.

Claire, who is presently emblazoned pretty purpure, debates exiting the kitchens. Stage left, as it were.

[aetherweaver]

His ears twitch and turn towards Claire.

"... At least take some food with you. Please." He can't have all of this food go to waste.

[keytarheroine]

"I - okay," she says, meekly.

Claire takes a deep breath, and looks at what's on offer.

"Ah... I don't think I caught your actual name," she says. "I'm... Claire. Ryland."

[aetherweaver]

There's eggs, pie, and soup. Somewhat of a random assortment, but he's cooking whatever's on hand.

"Nara'a. Nara'a Sunvara." His tail flicks behind him. "I... ah. It was a little rough coming back to myself."

[keytarheroine]

"I'll bet," she says, on a nervous laughing jag. "I - maidensong, thanks to Jadis, Ryefield had a whole album of Magica Riot's best in iambic pentameter. I'm trying to keep the real versions separate in my head and. That's the least troubling part."

Claire will have some soup, stirring it up and looking into her bowl.

"People told me about it," she said. "I thought 'oh, how bad could this be, I won a war, I can handle this.' I could not handle it. I - I'm sorry, you probably - went through worse," she murmurs.

[aetherweaver]

He goes quiet for a few moments. "A war, huh?" He... knows how that goes. "War or no, battle sticks with you. Comparing 'better' or 'worse' isn't helpful in my opinion. Even if you've killed a thousand people or beasts, it's if you stop being affected that you have problems."

His eyes blink slowly, ears twitching. "My experiences with blood-drinking creatures has on the whole not been positive, but that's not really what's bothering me. I don't fully know what is bothering me... maybe it's the loss of agency."