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

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

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

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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."

Illyana finished ordering the shelf and turned at her brother's voice. It was progress, in that he had openly approached her when he wanted to engage her rather than spun in wide circles around her at a distance like a rock on a string. But it wasn't comfort, she confirmed as she saw him standing (looming) there. One word was more than enough to tell her he was in some distress.

"Piotr," she acknowledged. "We have a selection of art books available if you'd like to peruse them."

His eyebrow ticked up, interest peaked. "I would." He had not been expecting art books to be among the things gathered. "Are they from this world or the others?"

"There aren't a great many to choose from as of yet," Illyana admitted, leading him several shelves over. "There are one or two from the Otherworlds." Sam Winchester had been quite useful, having mined both worlds for a selection of books when they were accessible.

Piotr followed, reading spines along the way.

"Thank you. I am sure that I will enjoy these very much. They will also be useful for Liz, who has asked me to teach her." Learning art in a vacuum, focusing solely on the act of creation was not nearly as effective as situating the lessons within the study of other artists.

"Is there a book on religions of Songrun?"

Edited 2018-01-26 20:52 (UTC)

His manner had transformed with the simple introduction of a suitable distraction. She marked it mentally, though she didn't address it aloud. She preferred to let him have his happiness if that was a viable option.

Illyana extracted the books from the appropriate shelf as they reached them and handed them to Piotr. "I understand that they were a very religious people. There are more religious texts than artbooks from Songrun. And some illuminated texts that are artistic in their rendering."

"Thank you, I would find those very interesting," He accepted the books and focused on controlling his strength. When he was upset, he could do damage if he wasn't careful. "I have recently finished a painting of a religious festival, but my notes on the diety it honored were incomplete."

"Is that why you're so distraught?" She turned back to face him directly then, giving him an even stare that seemed to ignore their difference in size. "Being silent is hardly the same thing as masking your feelings, and you've always been awful at that."

He had to blink at her for a moment, shocked, "You are literally first person to ever say that." He could think of at least a dozen people who had directly remarked on his seeming lack of emotion.

"I will be fine. I was momentarily overwhelmed by the reality of mortality." After all of the death he'd seen, it was shocking that such a thing could still bother him.

She didn't think that Piotr was as stony as he counted himself, but then, her standards for such scrutiny were high. Perhaps she only truly noticed his moodiness because she was his sister. Perhaps it had to do with her deeper understanding of Russian stoicism than most of the people here could appreciate. Or perhaps it had more to do with herself, who and what she had been made into.

"Most people can be fooled most of the time without a great deal of effort." She tipped a shoulder at him regardless. She had noticed his mood, and it seemed plain enough to her. "However upset you may be at the moment would pale in comparison to having watched me explode in front of you, don't you think?"

"I am not upset that I was not there. I would have only taken up space," He took a moment to look at her. If she could read him as well as she thought, then she would know the truth of his words, "I am upset because if anything had happened then I would not have been able to say goodbye, снежинка."

The word flew from his mouth before he could pull it back. It was the first time he'd said it out loud since she'd arrived. Somehow verbalizing the painfully familiar term of endearment made everything feel more real. In the strange world they now lived in, she was his sister.

It would have been a less painful thing if he'd abruptly slapped her, even considering his size and strength. The resulting flinch was contained to a flicker of tension in her face, around her eyes, gaze sharpening on him to readiness along with the tongue in her mouth. Don't call me that. I'm not your 'snowflake.'

He'd never understood why it was so damning now. And if she explained it until she was out of breath, he still wouldn't feel it in the way she felt it.

Illyana bolstered herself with a forced inhalation and exhalation. "Wouldn't that have been easier?"

Her reaction felt like a knife through the heart. Chastising himself, he vowed to be even more diligent. Such familiarity were clearly not alright.

"It would not," he said, without a shadow of a doubt, "I have already lived through it twice. The shock and weight of unsaid words on top of the grief is...indescribable." He'd tried to talk about it before, with Northstar, and then with Kitty, but it had never come out right.

"Then perhaps you should start speaking your mind, instead of leaving such weighty words unspoken upon your conscience." She raised her eyebrows at him pointedly.

Piotr knew she was right, but that didn't help him form the proper words to say to express that. So instead, he simply nodded.

She waited for a beat. "That was your invitation to speak freely, Piotr."

But she didn't stop and continue to wait as if she expected to drag words from him one by one. She didn't push or prompt him further. He'd never been exactly eloquent, for however big his heart was. She'd made an offer to listen, and it was up to him how to make use of it (or not).

"You surprised me," Illyana said instead, her tone quiet. "When I arrived at your room to introduce myself."

"Thank you. I will do so, but not today." Both because he was still recovering from the shock and it was not appropriate to do in public.

"I surprised you?" He actually managed a small, rumble of a laugh. She had seemed so unfazed compared to him. "In what way?"

"I thought-" Illyana hesitated, considered abandoning what she'd begun to say as foolish and unproductive. But she'd already begun. She split the difference by folding her arms across her chest. "I thought you would try to hug me, and I was surprised when you didn't."

"It did not look like you wanted to be hugged," his brow furrowed, "If I was wrong, then I apologize."

"No, you weren't wrong. I suppose I rarely look as if I want a hug." Which was, of course, by design. But it did make negotiating her relationships more difficult as a result. And this Piotr had lived a very different life than the brother she had left in another time and place.

To say that she was unused to doing the heavy lifting in terms of gestures of sibling affection was such an understatement that it almost made her want to bark with laughter.

He was quiet for a few moments, before looking back to her. "I wanted to hug you but I did not want to do anything that would make you want to leave."

Illyana hummed a quiet note. She understood the reasoning behind his hesitation. "I wonder how the weight of actions not taken compare to those unsaid words."

She turned, then, not knowing that there was any purpose to flogging this particular immobile subject any bloodier for now. And she did have a library to attend. "Don't forget to check out those books at the circulation desk if you intend to take them with you."

“Sister, wait?” His hand twitched as if he wanted to reach out to her. He did not want to continue on the path of their conversation, but that did not mean he wanted her to go. She was alive and here. He should be better at taking advantage of that. “Do you think there would be value in adding my paintings of the other worlds to this collection?”

She glanced back over her shoulder, but she didn't face him in full. She'd unfolded her arms and reset her posture. "They could potentially be instructive. If you wish to donate them, bring them by."

And then she did seem done with him, orienting herself for the desk and leaving him behind.

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

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