[GP / EP] Welcome to the Madonna Inn Expanded Public Library

[st_opsummoningme]

Freedom from her bonds had given Illyana more than freedom of movement. It had returned to her the use of her magik and her ability to teleport. These abilities had, in turn, allowed her to finish making ready the library for public use. It was less about collecting books and media from around the premises (and some from Limbo, or donated collections harvested from the Otherworlds) and arranging shelving and seating, most of which had been relatively easily done. It was more a matter of laying the appropriate wards, and negotiating the finer points of the old-fashioned catalog and check-out system, which included odd donated items such as sporting equipment and electronic devices available for rental. Xavin's espresso machine counter necessitated a mini-bar refrigerator, glass-domed cake stands for assorted pastries brought in from the kitchen, and various cafe sundries.

Repurposed from what had been the 'Garden Room,' the library space with its high wooden ceilings, chandeliers, and landscape murals over busy floral carpet still looked somewhat like a touristy banquet hall, yet the area was now also highly saturated with layered magic. The hodgepodge collection of random books and so on were fiercely protected by these magics. When needed and as possible, worn volumes had been restored. The books could not be damaged nor marred from here on out, at least not by coffee spills nor page-tearing or inconsiderate attempts at margin notation. Nor would they leave the boundaries of the library area without proper dispensation, simply stopping mid-air and dropping should the attempt be made at the threshold. Ask at the Desk for Assistance With These Items, prompted the signs on several glass display cases featuring certain perhaps unsettling curiosities within - books in arcane languages, skulls from indeterminate creatures, and artifacts such as a green glowing cube suspended on a chain. At said desk, a gleaming service bell sat waiting, should the staff be needed and not clearly present.

Illyana finished affixing the large engraved plaque to the wall beside the double-doors, and then returned to attend the newly opened library with little fanfare:

Madonna Inn Expanded Public Library

Established ~01.25.2018 Earthly Gregorian Calendar

Open All Hours

Volunteer Staff on Duty as Schedules Allow

Classes & Tutoring for Most Subjects Available Upon Request

Donations Encouraged

Disruptive Patrons Will Be Zealously Evicted

Comments

Illyana Rasputin - OTA

[st_opsummoningme]

It was a crude jumble of materials, but Illyana could at least take pride in assuring that their learning resources were now collected, cataloged and protected to the best of their present ability. It was not unlike her extensive library in Limbo in that regard, and fitting that she had selected a number of those volumes to transplant here. (The demonic primer grimoires were less likely to be useful than fundamental textbooks to the majority of the residents, but you never knew.) If they were damned to be imprisoned here, they would at least have the opportunity to improve themselves, to sharpen their minds and skills into such edged weapons as would cleave their oppressors into many pieces should the inter-planar chains ever slide loose from around them to reveal all.

So it was that Illyana looked nearly, unusually pleased as she shelved the last few tomes that Sam had provided her. Yes, if one looked at just the right moment as she stalked through the stacks, she could actually be seen to smile. At least until she turned and narrowed her eyes at the person having caught her out at it.

Re: Illyana Rasputin - OTA

[st_eelyourself]

Piotr had never been someone who could be considered 'scholarly' but that did not mean that he did not enjoy learning. With the attention his art had paid to the other worlds, the library's resources from the same locations peeked his interest.

When he entered and saw his sister Ilyanna working he remembered their conversation at the Inn's defense meeting. Rather than keeping his distance, he approached. His steps, however, faltered slightly when he saw that she was no longer in chains. His face remained still as a deep-seeded panic, accompanied by pain and anger, boiled up in the pit of his stomach but he smothered it immediately. He had no right to expect anything from her. Even if the realization that she could have died and he would have missed another opportunity to say goodbye was...well...it made him miss Logan and his ability to remove the heart from his chest.

"Hello."

Re: Illyana Rasputin - OTA

[st_rikingblueeyes]

Corbie had met that stare before and hadn't died, and this one wasn't half as intense.

She had been debating with herself for the past five days and now had half a mind to do something that was entirely mad. Illyana scared her. But Kitty adored her and had made the effort to free her, so... Corbie wouldn't jump to conclusions without knowing her some.

"This is the best thing," she said. It wasn't what she meant to say, but when it popped out she had no desire to take it back.

Re: Illyana Rasputin - OTA

[st_igmatized]

It was not the Obi Library, but it made her think of the Library all the same. It was the magic that the room was practically saturated with. And all right, perhaps the head librarian who would not be taking anybody's shit probably as well.

God, she missed Sugar Cream.

Sunny spent some time browsing the collection--including the interesting and openly magical parts of it--and very briefly considered adding her personal books. But she couldn't do that. Isong, perhaps. But not the others. Not her connections to home.

She didn't flinch as the other woman's eyes narrowed at her. She even smiled in a way that was only slightly defiance. "Hello. Are you looking for volunteers?"

Re: Illyana Rasputin - OTA

[st_upidgravity]

Just like being back at home, fucking up in front of Batman. Steph smiled sunnily in reflexive self-defense and held up a bag. "I brought you donations."

Illyana & Vex

[st_ubby]

Mages and archivists could be so jealous when it came to their books, but Vex had never let that or a grumpy face stop her. Especially when she'd seen a grin seconds before. She met the narrowed gaze calmly. "You'll know the collection better than anyone at this point. I'm looking for information on demons. Specifically rakshasas and shadow or other vengeance demons, but more general sources work as well."

Re: Illyana Rasputin - OTA

[st_andingtall]

"Love what you've done with the place." Sam quirked a quick smile at Illyana. She was a hard person to read, but he thought she liked him well enough. Or she liked that he brought her books and such.

He didn't have anything new today, but he'd given her the last of his intake a few days ago. Hopefully it would carry over for a few more days' grace.

Re: Illyana Rasputin - OTA

[st_illfleshandblood]

Jackson wasn't much of a library mouse. His personality was ill-suited for places of quiet and concentration. While he could spend hours focused entirely on one task, one riddle, or one book, he generally preferred to do it somewhere he wouldn't be disturbed, and so libraries were too public for him. But that was why you could check books out, of course, and he was very glad for the addition to the meager offerings of the Inn. Grateful, even. Impressed, definitely.

He brought his hand to his hat in an easy greeting when he found himself faced with the woman responsible for it all, or so he'd heard. "Word is we've got you to thank for all this, Miss."

Re: Illyana Rasputin - OTA

[st_arkintern]

"Uh, hi," Peter manages to squeak out, waving a hand weakly. The librarian-person looked pretty content until he arrived and Peter can't help but hope that it wasn't his intrusion that provoked that particular response.

"Do you -- uh. Do you work here?" Was that even the right thing to ask? Does anyone work anywhere at the Inn officially? Peter's not entirely sure. "I'm just. I'm looking for a book. A science book."

Abby (OTA)

[st_ereoscopic]

She'd been curious, which wasn't an unusual occurrence for her. When hadn't Abby been curious? When she'd heard about the Garden Room being repurposed for a library, she couldn't resist checking it out. She'd spent an inordinate amount of time among the books, but when she went to check out the electronic devices she let out a little squee. Then immediately slapped her hand over her mouth with a whispered sorry to the patrons that she might have disturbed.

Her eyes danced with glee as she checked out the old school gameboy and sat in an empty chair near the cafe/food area, she began to play The Legend of Zelda - Link's Awakening. It had been a really long time since she'd played the game and it brought back happy memories.

Re: Abby (OTA)

[st_opsummoningme]

The pig-tailed woman in all black had been playing her game device for some five minutes with the cheery electronic beeping going before she was approached by the blonde that seemed to be managing the materials at the moment.

"Strictly speaking, music and other noise is not entirely prohibited within the library. There are exceptions and allowances. However," Illyana deposited a pair of clunky used headphones onto the surface of the table, "if you intend to listen to that noise at an elevated volume for a prolonged period of time, the expectation is that you will be considerate of the patrons around you."

Adrian (OTA)

[st_paladin]

Perhaps the theory was correct that the reason people were at the Inn was because they needed a break. Time to reflect. As his fingers trailed over the spines of a few books, he thought of his mother and her love of knowledge. The thought brought a pang of sorrow but he pushed it aside. He was determined to honor his mother by learning more of humankind as she would have wished.

He noticed the sign that spoke of tutoring. He had hundreds of years to learn but he needed to start somewhere. He rang the small bell to learn what subjects were available.

Re: Adrian (OTA)

[st_hotflashes]

Off to the side, nearby, there was a tumbling of books as a few scattered to the ground. Liz stood there looking a little mortified as she looked around and offered an apology before she sheepishly crouched to collect the various books on science that she had been collecting.

Re: Adrian (OTA)

[st_opsummoningme]

The desk had been left unattended. The blonde that had been prowling the space like a dragon in her lair earlier had been completely absent from the room.

Moments after the bell at the desk was rung, a disc of brilliant white light tore open the empty air behind the desk. Illyana stepped through it, and the portal sealed as cleanly as if it never had been immediately behind her. "You rang," she told the thin, pale figure she did not recognize. It was not a question.

Adrian & Kitty

[st_alksthroughwalls]

Yana busy with another patron, there was no one to answer the bell when the white-haired man emerged from the bookshelves. As Kitty had already begun working to pull together a list of course offerings and had been working with Yana to see what was available in the library, she felt comfortable enough with the offerings (and Yana's particularities about them) to ask, "Can I help you?"

OTA

[st_ockandbarrel]

The word of a library opening pulled Percy's attention from his sketching at breakfast and upstairs to the Garden Room. He read the sign and nodded in approval. A good library should be more than merely a repository for books.

He stepped inside, his notebook tucked into a pocket and gravitated immediately toward the locked cases for a closer look.

Re: OTA

[st_opsummoningme]

"The potentially hazardous arcane collection," the woman explained on approach once she'd seen the white-haired figure staring into the display cases. She peered in beside him to look for herself, but conscientiously did not crowd into his personal space. "They are valuable resources to have at our disposal, but they must be handled with care to avoid any painful incidents."

Emma - OTA

[st_ackeddeck]

Emma had always liked libraries. After the kitchen when Sister Thérèse was on cooking duty, surrounded by books to read had been her favorite hiding place at school. And later, wherever she and Sabine traveled, a stop at the best libraries was usually a given. The library at Kinross Castle had been a disorganized maze, with books of every conceivable topic, and it hadn't taken long for Pyro to know to check there as one of the places he was likely to find her, even though he'd never really understood her love for books.

The newly opened library at the inn was none of those places, but it was a library. Emma had spent a little while wandering, perusing the shelves, noting things she might want to check out before she left. For now, though, she was enjoying the quiet atmosphere. She got a coffee and found a comfortable seat, then pulled one of the tarot decks from her bag, shuffled, and laid the cards out in front of her, focusing somewhere beyond the surface of the images to what else they could show her.

Re: Emma - OTA

[st_alksthroughwalls]

Kitty stood and stretched, hands behind her hips to push them forward while arching her back. She rolled her head on her neck and then reached her arms overhead and to either side. She'd been sitting far too long.

Instead of sitting again, immediately, she used the restroom, got a fresh coffee from Xavin, and eventually strolled over to where Emma had seated herself. "Offering readings or just studying them for yourself?"

[st_ellarnavigation]

It was the sound of activity more than anything else that drew Moana upstairs. She paused and puzzled at the sign on the door with the squiggles. Writing, she knew it was called, but what it meant, she had no idea.

She wandered inside, bare feet quiet against the floor, taking in each of the interesting sights. The skulls were fascinating. She couldn't imagine what the creatures they'd once belonged to looked like.

The books she glanced at, but left where they were, with a forlorn look.

[st_hotflashes]

Liz noticed the girl when she entered. She had noticed the barefeet too. There was something about the way the girl looked at the books that caught her attention. She took a step forward. "Do you, um. Are you okay?"

OTA

[st_affandskull]

It was possible that this was a form of heaven. A lovely space, filled with books and interesting things, and for a decided bonus, none of them were treatises or debates on the bathroom habits of any Southern Divine. Or any Divine at all, really. He'd already checked on the status of his time cube (inert as ever, with protections to ensure that even if it didn't remain so, it would be useless to nearly everyone. (Nearly everyone excepted himself and the lovely and intimidating Illyana, of course.) with that duty out of the way, he considered himself free to peruse the offerings.

For the most part, this mean that taking a random volume off the shelves, reading two pages, and putting it back.

Re: OTA

[st_opsummoningme]

"You are a learned man, Dorian," Illyana considered as she engaged him. "What do you make of the library, now that the doors have opened to all?"

OTA (coffee area!)

[st_artliving]

It was only a little cafe area in a much larger space, but Xavin regarded his new domain with satisfaction. The espresso machine was clean and functional, all the supplies he needed were well-organized and close to hand under the counter or in the refrigerator. There were pastries prettily arranged in the glass pastry habitats. And, to top it off, he'd managed to find one of those cloth front-covers with pockets for pens and things - apron, that was the word! - in his favorite shade of purple.

And, since Illyana was certain the books were safe, he could settle with a book (allegedly a mystery, entitled And Then There Were None) while waiting for someone to decide that the cafe beckoned to them, as well.

Re: OTA (coffee area!)

[st_opsummoningme]

"I would like a hot tea," Illyana decided, her eyes reading the title of Xavin's book as she told him so. "What varieties are in stock behind the bar?"

Maya - OTA

[st_oryinsilence]

Maya had found a book of legends – maybe myth, maybe history, who was she to say? – of a place called Songrun that looked interesting. On her way to the desk to check it out, her attention was drawn by a glowing green cube in one of the glass cases. It was not, a single look quickly assured her, the Cosmic Cube. It was the wrong size and color for that. But so soon after the troubles caused by the Cube, that she still felt was responsible for the rupture in time that had brought her here, much as it had brought Captain America and the rest of the Invaders to twenty-first century New York, curiosity about this cube was understandable.

She saw the sign directing people to the desk for assistance. Maybe she'd ask there when she checked out her book. She wasn't planning on handling the cube or trying to open the case. She pulled a tiny Madonna Inn pink notebook from the pocket of her also tiny and not exactly winter-appropriate jean shorts, and began to draw the cube on its chain, highly detailed with every glimmer and reflection of light. She finished the first drawing and took two steps to the side to start again from a different angle.

Kitty - OTA - arranging instruction

[st_alksthroughwalls]

Inured to Yana's bark and well-able to defend herself in the event of the very unlikely bite, Kitty set herself up at a table near Xavin's coffee counter.

She put several sheets and pens opposite her, for anyone who simply wanted to sign up for instruction, or instructing. The sheets had three columns. One for their name. One for what they would like to learn or teach. And the third for any information they wanted to provide about their previous instruction or knowledge level.

In front of her, she had her own notes, and an obscure architecture treatise on doors and archways. It wouldn't have anything to do with the magical or energetic portals, but Kitty often found analogies useful in thinking about problems and she was still obsessed with the problem of entrances and exits to this place.

When anyone approached, she tried to remember to look up and offer a smile, but sometimes she was too engrossed in her own work.

Kitty & Maya

[st_oryinsilence]

Her own learning style was so different from most people's, Maya wasn't sure how good of a teacher she would be, but if she wanted to learn – and she did – she should offer up what she knew as well, and it would give her something to do other than using the walls of her room as a canvas for art that erased itself each night.

After a glance at the book the woman was studying, she skimmed the sign-up sheets to get an idea what was available. Then on the sheet for those seeking instruction, she wrote:

Maya Lopez | languages (any), fighting styles (any)

On the other sign-up, for teaching, she started much the same way:

Maya Lopez | languages (ASL, PISL, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Danish, Russian, Polish, Greek, Arabic, Japanese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Hindi, Afrikaans), fighting styles (boxing, martial arts - varied, archery, thrown weapons, etc.), dance, gymnastics (artistic and rhythm)

Then she paused, trying to think if there was anything else she could and wanted to offer. She played several musical instruments, but without instruments that would do no one any good.

Snow White - OTA

[st_arkcrowblack]

Snow had made herself even more scarce than usual in the past month. She spent time with Regina, because she didn't want to worry her mama, and with Kash, because she had to check on Socks, and Vex, because Trinket and nursing her new little fox friend, but she avoided coming to meals at times many people would be around.

But a library? That was hard to resist.

She kept to herself, touching each spine of each book as she explored. Someone who had been paying attention would notice she was thinner, losing weight she didn't really have to lose in the first place.

Right now, though, she was almost at peace. The wound was healing, whether she wanted it to or not.

Re: Snow White - OTA

[st_arknaked]

Sitting at a table in the corner was a man who didn't entirely look like someone who would be comfortable in a library. But here he was, thumbing through what he thought might be a book on magic.

He wouldn't mention it to Regina but he wanted to know more about whatever she'd done to restore his heart, even half of it. He knew the Norn, and it couldn't possibly be this easy - not without consequences.

The growl as he read was low, but audible enough to alert someone nearby.

Butters -- OTA

[st_rutsthepolka]

A library. If this had been a thing a year ago, Butters thought, he would have been hermiting in here instead of in his room. He walked wide of the very obviously magical things in the display cases--Bob would have had a field day, and possibly ended up part of the collection--and beelined straight for the fiction section. Oh yeah. Not enough time yet for the library smell to really establish itself, but this was nice.

Re: Butters -- OTA

[st_rangepalette]

Lillith waited until the sorceress was busy to come examine her new library. She had her eyes so firmly on the blonde woman's back that she missed the young man behind her. Since the sorceress knew already what she was and so many did, she had not changed her form but only cast a veil over herself, and her tail ended up rather unfortunately, under his foot.