[ Public Library ] Floors Aren't as Comfortable as They Look

[Amaris]

Cylus 30, Unknown Break

Amaris had long since lost track of time, and the page number they were on. Their dark eyed gaze had rested on a couple seated not that far off from them for however long it had been. Said couple had caught on to the mixed blood staring at them, one of the pair being so bold as to stare back. Of course, by this point it was futile to do such a thing in an attempt to knock the usually polite observer from their stupor as random tidbits of speculations accumulated in their mind. The couple had decided that they’d had enough and rose from their seats as Amaris blinked, wetting their dry eyes.

They failed, however, to recall what time it was. They didn’t have work today, but it seemed that they had still been drawn to take up residence between the shelves of the library for the trial. Their stomach voiced its displeasure at being neglected and their legs protested the long hours passed without being moved. Amaris made a mental note that they would have to do better on keeping themselves feed. Long fingers toyed with the metal tags resting in the hollow of their throat, tips brushing over the engraved words as they attempted to find their place on the page again.

The mixed blood looked up, bleary eyed, a few bits later. They squinted into the area around them, view partially obscured by the tomes that encircled them from their spot on the floor. Maybe they should have considered checking some of these out. But, there was no guarantee that they would be brought back in the same shape they had been. The current companion she had allowed into her home, a hefty calico cat with lazy gold eyes, had a penchant for tearing through important documents. The library books, if Amaris even so much as attempted to keep them away from the feline, would immediately be seen as targets.

They sighed, leaning their head back against the shelf. For now, going through the motions of reading thick volumes of text would have to serve as their teachers in place of studying at the Academy until they raised ample funds to actually attend classes. As the assistant to Mr. Witchburn, their position afforded them some leeway in sneaking into classes. Officially attending would be marvelous. Even then, though, they figured reading would still be a requisite for any course they chose. Another sigh left them as they stretched out their legs--a hazard to anyone who might pass through the aisle--and retreated into the current page of medicine they had been poring over before.

[Faith Augustin]

Faith loved it here. She was considering just how much at home she felt on Scalvoris, in their home and in this library as she made her way from the section with books on the Immortals, to the section on Medicine. She was researching incurable diseases of the brain, she had told Rose the librarian, and specifics of Sev'ryn anatomy. Rose had not batted an eyelid at this, simply suggested that the serious young woman might like to look at the Immortal Moseke, whose link with the Sev'ryn was obvious and who also was an Immortal of healing. Faith had nodded at that and thanked Rose most sincerely. It was a good thought and one that she would be pursuing.

She wanted now, though, to get as much information as she could on the Etzos treatment for "the Rot". She had written to the chap who invented it, she had been pouring over books and as much information as she could find and it had occurred to Faith that she would be well served by trying to find out the spread of the disease; did it flourish more in some places than others, what races caught it and which didn't? That was her next course of action. She was quite determined that she was going to find out every piece of information there was on "the Rot" and, if a cure was possible, she was going to find it.

So, the young human woman didn't notice the woman sitting on the floor with her legs out and Faith, engrossed in what she was doing, literally fell over Amaris' legs. Spilling onto the floor, she landed with a thump amongst the books Amaris had surrounded herself with. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" Faith's immediate reaction was to apologise as she scrambled to get herself upright. The young woman who literally fell over Amaris was short with pale skin and black hair; her eyes were such a pale blue that they seemed silver. "I wasn't looking where I was going, are you alright?"

Faith looked around at the books scattered around on the floor and smiled. "Medicine? Are you studying or working in the field, or just interested?"

[Amaris]

Amaris might not have been knocked from their hyper-focus, if not for the sting of feet colliding with their legs. The woman looked up immediately, but did not move in time to stop the other from falling over. They didn’t have the quickest reflexes, and maybe should have accounted for this by taking up less space. However, folding their legs beneath them tended to cut circulation off and their legs would fall asleep. Essentially, they’d likely have ended up sitting the same they were before just to alleviate the tingling in their limbs.

They winced as the dark-haired woman went down. Their calves protested for a moment as they drew their legs in, crouching to offer a hand. ”The fault is all mine; I shouldn’t have stretched out like that,” they responded, shaking their head. Their voice was light, saturated in concern. The mixed blood offered up a small smile to accentuate their apology, the corners of their lips raised. They hadn’t seen it, but the woman might have hit her head. They paused, though, as a sensation of familiarity hit them as they regarded the woman.

The pale-skinned woman had been at the Scholar’s Nook a few trials past. Remembering this made her smile all the more apologetic before Faith spoke again. They blinked, momentarily drawing a blank before glancing at the books around them. ”Oh! Yes, I am. I mean, I am studying it.” Their brows furrowed as they contemplated moving all their books out of the way. They’d already caused one spill; best to avoid causing another. They tucked a stray strand of hair behind their ears, cursing the lack of foresight to bring something to tie their hair up with. Maybe they would chop off their locks once more to not have to deal with it.

”You’re quite the expert, if I recall, right?” It would be a great opportunity for them to connect with Faith, seeing as they believed they could learn quite a bit from the woman.

[Faith Augustin]

As she recovered from the tumble, Faith looked up and realised that the legs she had tripped over belonged to Amaris, the woman she had met in the Scholars' Nook just a few trials ago at the meeting of the Intelligentsia. A wave of her hand dismissed the notion that the blame was entirely Amaris', "Well if I'd been looking where I was going, I'd have noticed the legs wouldn't I?" Faith countered with a smile. "No harm done, so nothing to worry about." Faith moved to the familiar position, for her, of kneeling on the floor, fussing around the books.

Unlike Amaris, Faith was short and had excellent posture. Her back remained very straight and her movements were careful and controlled. Her own long black hair was tied back in a loose braid. "Amaris. I remember, you were at the Scholars' Nook." Faith smiled in recognition and finished putting the books she had spilled back into piles. It was like she had an innate need to make things neat.

"An expert? Oh, not at all." There was no false modesty on Faith's part, simply the truth that she did not consider herself to be such. "I'm studying at the University and work as a doctor. There is a lot that I do not know, certainly." She raised an eyebrow in interest. "Do you know the Order of the Adunih? It is a good place to join for anyone interested in medicine, and a chance to work in the field in a supervised way. I'd recommend it."

Faith gave a slight smile, amusement at herself in her silver eyes, "I'm not on commission from them. I just very strongly believe in their ideals. So, you are studying at the university? Are you enjoying it?" Depending on what level she was studying at, Faith realised she might end up teaching her. What a strange idea.

[Amaris]

Amaris did not think much of themselves as a notable presence in most cases, but knowing that Faith remembered them brought on a hardly noticeable blush. They smiled sheepishly, nodding at the woman’s recollection. It was nice to be remembered. Their interest had already been piqued by the dark-haired woman when they had met previously and that had prompted a cursory interrogation of others, who usually had good things to say. This had made their conviction to befriend the woman more certain. And now the opportunity had fallen right over them. Surely, some immortal was smiling upon them in this moment.

They considered Faith’s response to be humility, which was good, they supposed. Being overconfident could rub some people the wrong way, but this was endearing. ”If not an expert, I would say highly knowledge.” They shrugged, smile not quite so sheepish at this time. They found, though, that there cheeks heated once more. Being secluded for a time meant that their exposure to certain strains of information was limited at best. Even with an arc to explore on their own, apprehension had seized most of their opportunities. ”I do not know much about the order, I’m afraid.”

The mixed blood had drawn a bit of a conclusion about her association with the Order, but the clarification was nice. They blinked, contemplating the idea of checking the Order out. Their interest was in Medicine, although there was a whole lot more to it than that. They weren’t quite so interested in the sentient bipedal organisms around them; there were enough people looking to do that. But it would still be important to learn and any avenue of learning would be good enough for them. Amaris twisted a strand of their hair between their fingers, nodding.

”Immortals know that I need supervision at times,” they joked. While they could sufficiently stave off most distractions, it would be could to be in a pressured and vigilant environment. It would keep said distractions miles away. ”I’ve only just started classes, but I think I quite enjoy it.” There weren’t classes that focused entirely on what they wanted, but it was close enough to work. They could, perhaps in the future, forge the path for others that might follow their interest in flora and fauna ( though maybe not as avidly as they had dug themselves into it ). They shrugged again, smile widening. ”Some professors may not be to my liking, but the subject matter is interesting enough that I don’t focus so much on them rather than what they’re saying.”

[Faith Augustin]

"I've been very lucky, to have been able to study and work in the field," was the extent of Faith's considering herself as expert or knowledgeable. She smiled at Amaris when the very intense young woman indicated that she did not know about the order. That was fine, Faith could help her. "The Order of the Adunih are an order of medics, doctors and surgeons. They exist in most cities in Idalos and offer free healing to any who need it." This aligned very strongly with Faith's own ideals, it must be said. "We also offer training, mentoring, that kind of thing." She gave a grin, then, aware that she sounded like she was trying to sell something; she was not, not at all.

"I am very passionate about the Order. My apologies, I sound like I am on commission." Her expression was wry and somewhat self depreciating, but she added, "I would be more than happy to introduce you to Galena. She's the head of the order here and a very lovely person. Only if you're interested, though."

Amaris' discussion on the classes, though, caused another smile to cross Faith's face. "Yes, they're a mixed bag. I have Hamilton-Smith and Carter, both." The two professors of medicine were very, very different indeed. "What are you learning about currently? We are just getting to the point of considering specialisms, fields to work in that kind of thing. How about you?"

[Amaris]

The closest Amaris could ever say they came to working and studying in the field these days were the near-death experiences that came with the invasion of stray animals. They tended to flock to the woman’s small apartment one after the other and made themselves quite at home. Definite hazards to one’s life if not watched carefully; the cats in particular liked to sprawl themselves out in the most random places. Places meant for walking. But this was perhaps not information they would share. They were aware of what some people would say about a person with living arrangements shared with a multitude of animals. But back to the Order. It seemed up their alley, though it was missing a few operative words. They assumed it was focused on people, but they were just bipedal animals, were they not? They nodded as they let this information sink in.

“Really?” The training and mentoring portion did pique their interest. It would be a hands-on way to learn the skills they desired. Maybe they could even take this to supplement classes they couldn’t slip into unnoticed. Gaze down, they weighed their options. Faith was clearly taken with the Order, and that was a good sign. Always good to branch out, as well. They met the dark-haired woman’s gaze with bright eyes. “I would be delighted to meet her.” It had been good for them to stay in Scalvoris. Leaving would have meant missing out on this opportunity.

At the further questioning of classes, Amaris flushed. They were, after all, not completely a registered student. Which meant that a majority of the classes they took were scattered and at random. They often found that classes, as expected, moved on if they missed a trial or two. Not too vexing, but definitely not the greatest situation if they were to advance in any way. They debated whether they could continue the pretense of actually knowing professors by name. Not likely; they had never been a good liar and acting was decidedly not their forte. “I have mostly just been observing classes here and there.” They shrugged, gaze averted for a moment. “Much of what I do learn is scattered.”

[Faith Augustin]

"Yes, of course. The Order is a good resource, as much as it is a means to help people. You join and they give you a first aid kit, which they will keep stocked for you." It saved lives, after all, and that was what they were about. "Also, though, they expect you to help out, volunteer your time. But you get a mentor, helped with your own development and growth, that kind of thing." Faith smiled at Amaris and nodded her head. "Maybe we can meet there, if you feel that you'd like a companion on your first visit, or I can .. well, whatever works best for you." Faith had no wish to be pushy or demanding, but she was very happy to help.

Faith looked at Amaris when she said that all she had done thusfar was observe classes. "I used to live in Rynmere. I wasn't a student there, and I observed two classes." She smiled at Amaris and said, quite honestly, "I have wanted to learn all of my life. I think I was born wanting to learn. It's like a hunger, but in my soul." With a grin at her own dramatic nature, Faith accepted that what she was saying was that she understood that need to learn, even when the practicality of doing so formally was lost to them "I believe that you can go to the student registry and get a list of classes which are happening. If so, it might be worth to do so?"

Faith looked at Amaris and smiled. Then, she leaned across and chose three of the books. "I teach some of the letter level medicine classes, so please ask for those. I would be delighted to see you there as an observer, or a student." She handed her the three books. "Those are the books which the letter students are expected to use. It would make sense to start your study there." In terms of the registry, though, Faith wrote a quick note, asking that Amaris be given access to the information about which classes were to be delivered when, highlighting classes in medicine at letter level as appropriate. She handed that to Amaris and smiled. "Give them that, and they'll give you the information. They know me."

Then, though, she stood up. "Well, I'm sorry, I have to get home. I have some papers to grade and a paper to write. It never stops, does it? I hope to see you in class, Amaris." Of course, what Faith actually did was go to the registry. There, she paid for a season's tuition and bought the three books, leaving them there for Amaris to collect. When Amaris went there and handed over the note, she would be given the three medicine textbooks appropriate for letter level study and a small note.

Dear Amaris,
It is my sincere hope that, one trial, you are in the fortunate position of being able to help someone to realise their potential. When that trial comes, please do so and I will be repaid a hundredfold.

With very best regards,

Faith.

Off Topic

130 gn deducted from ledger for tuition + 3 x books

[Amaris]

They didn’t bother telling Faith that they already had a first aid kit; it was a small detail that really didn’t matter. At that, two would be better than one, anyways. Helping others would be a small price, if any, to pay for the experience they’d get out of being a member of the Order. Excitement hummed through them at the prospect of going with Faith. They had doubts of going on their own. “If it doesn’t interrupt your schedule any,” Amaris said, before interrupting that with, “If I could just get directions, I believe I should be fine.” They wouldn’t cut into Faith’s time like that. She was, after all, busy with things that could be considered far more important than guiding them.

The mixed blood could relate to Faith’s words. Learning was like breathing to them, an urge that remained as a necessity. The urge was a constant companion to their every action. They, though, couldn’t voice this, not so confident in it sounding quite so poetic in their own terms. A smile lit up their face as they listened to the dark haired woman speak. If she could do it, so could they. Or well, they could try. Faith seemed a much more capable person than they, something they ought to emulate. Maybe they could be better by doing so.

They had thought they’d heard of her teaching. Wistfully, they had contemplated sitting in on a few if it were true, but they had assumed that the classes might have been of a higher level than they would be able to comprehend. “Certainly,” they breathed out, wide eyed, “Thank you so much!” As the Faith left, they let out a startled chuckle at the interaction that had just happened. It could have gone so many ways from the moment Amaris had tripped her, but the result had been surprising. After a beat, they figured they should leave as well. Their stomach had begun to remind them of their need for sustenance. They would get something to eat after stopping by the registry. Cleaning up the their makeshift workspace, they headed out.

Amaris had intended to work out a way to pay for the books on their own. They handed the note over at the registry, only to be given the three books free of charge with another note attached. Reading it produced a sensation that they had not felt much before. A rush of numbness followed by a jumble of emotions that brought them near to tears. Perhaps it was that Faith had gone out of her way for them, even with only knowing them through passing interactions. Maybe it was that someone believed in her outside of her family. Their own belief in themselves was fleeting at best, but this...this was enough to rob them of fully coherent thought. They looked up at the desk attendant, their vision was cloudy with tears. They sniffed and offered up an apologetic smile before scurrying off.

[Arlo Creede]

Review: Rewards

Amaris

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 5/5
Structure: 5/5

Knowledge:

Discipline: Time management
Discipline: Scheduling time to meet basic needs
Etiquette: Staring doesn't often yield positive results
Etiquette: Offering an apology as an effective opener for conversation
Logistics: Considering alternate paths to achieve a desired goal
Medicine: General learning helpful to the study of flora and fauna
Observation: Remembering faces

Faith: Remembered as expert healer
Faith: Works as a doctor for the Order of the Adunih
Faith: Wants to help others
Faith: Paid your tuition and purchased your books
Galena: Head of the Order of the Adunih in Scalvoris Town
Order of the Adunih: A good place to learn healing and work with other healers
Order of the Adunih: Medics, doctors and surgeons, Idalos wide

Fame: N/A
Devotion: N/A
Loot: Letter level tuition and 3 books, paid in full by Faith
Magic: These points may not be used for magic
Faith

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 5/5
Structure: 5/5

Knowledge:

Detection: It pays to look where you're going
Discipline: Determination to discover elusive cures
Etiquette: Providing useful information in order to help another
Logistics: Arranging classes and textbooks on behalf of another party
Medicine: Tracking spreading patterns of 'The Rot'
Medicine: Behaviors of 'The Rot' in different geological locations or among various races


Amaris: Studying healing
Amaris: Has learned by observing
Amaris: Recognized from Scholar's Nook
Moseke: Immortal of Healing
Moseke: Creator of the Sev'ryn

Fame: Giving the gift of tuition and books (+3). Helping another person by offering information and guidance. (+1)
Devotion: N/A
Loot: N/A
Losses: Funds for tuition/books
Magic: These points may not be used for magic

Comments: Great little thread guys. I wasn't able to find a lot of knowledge to award, but I really enjoyed the interaction between the two characters, and the observations and inner dialogue of each. Nice story, well done. As always, you know the drill. Any questions or comments, I'm just a PM away. Thanks!