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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"You'll know you're doing well if you get a reaction that's anything above Illyana is unimpressed." She made a sternly neutral face, if that was a thing, in imitation of Illyana. Emma had managed not entirely unimpressed Illyana once. Well, her cooking had. She wasn't surprised Illyana hadn't admitted Emma had been right in their debate.

"My cousin is friends with a version of her. And my teacher too, but Dani and Illyana being close is common across multiple realities, from what I've seen."

That had been Sunny's impression as well, though some form of confirmation was welcome. "Then I passed with flying colors, and that sounds amazingly complicated."

It was pretty normal back home, at least for people living in Duninnean, especially the castle. Alternate realities, time travelers, different planes. She shrugged. "You can get used to all kinds of things, and we had a lot of complicated at home."

"More things in heaven and earth?" Sunny snorted. "I hate that play, but sounds about right all the same."

"It's not my favorite," not her least favorite either, "but yeah. I imagine it's not much different being around magic."

"It was mostly fairy bullshit in London," Sunny explained, pulling a face. "But yeah, there's a lot of weird."

"Fairies. That sounds dangerous." From some people that might have been facetious, but from Emma it was sincere. She'd liked non-Disneyfied versions of fairy tales even before Sabine found her. And the folklore about fairies was mostly pretty dark.

"My expanded social circle contained a Seelie prince," Sunny admitted, even as her expression soured just thinking of Willy. "He tried to screw with my name at our first meeting. Good times."

Emma grimaced, and then a thought came to her and she laughed. "Some day we're going to have a conversation that doesn't come around to yet another level of weird from our pasts. I just can't see how long before we get to that point."

Sunny laughed as well. "Lots of weird to sort through. Though we could always try to do something normal and watch The Princess Bride or something."

"Something normal? Is that anything like Rodents of Unusual Size?" As in, I don't believe they exist.

"A movie night sounds good, though. Sarah and I used to do that sometimes. Nightlife in Duninnean was mostly going to the mutant night club or getting in a bar fight somewhere the owners and bouncers weren't people you lived with, and we weren't the type to do either."

Sunny snorted. Normal was indeed hard to find, once you'd left it behind. "I haven't had a movie night since last Christmas. Chichi and I did shots every time The Princess and the Frog screwed up voodoo."

Edited 2018-02-09 03:27 (UTC)

Emma flinched before she could stop herself at the mention of voodoo. A lot had happened in the past few months, but it didn't feel that long since they'd gone to New Orleans to rescue Remy who'd gotten tangled up in a bokor's business.

She put it aside, though. Things had turned out okay. "I never saw that one. And I can't really picture a Grimm fairy tale, set in New Orleans, given the Disney treatment. Or I wouldn't want to."

"It's... bizarre," Sunny admitted, debating whether or not she should ask about the flinch and ultimately deciding against it. "But it made for a great drinking game."

"I bet." Emma had never really been the type for drinking games. That usually involved more people or less wallflowering than she liked. "A lot safer than the favorite drinking-based entertainment back home too.

"I've been in one bar fight. That was enough for me." One bar fight, just before the trip to London that ended with her here instead. "More than enough. But it's practically a hobby to a lot of people I know."

Sunny rolled her eyes at herself. "It's not normally my thing, but I needed a distraction from a dumb fight with a guy I was seeing. Bar fights... I think some people I know might be surprised that I don't do that." Sure, she punched more than most girls, but it was usually in defense.

"I can fight, if I have to. Dani and Nina insisted I learn, after we found out there was a bounty out for me and Sabine. But I don't think I'll ever enjoy it." Not the way they did.

"The one bar fight I was in, it actually stopped a dumb fight my boyfriend and I were having." And the closest to a bar fight before then – which had technically started in a bar, but Pyro had invited the others involved to take it outside before she got there and prevented them from putting him in the hospital – it had led to a dumb fight with Pyro after.

"Anyway. Yes. The Princess Bride, a bottle of wine, something snacky. That sounds like an excellent, normal idea."

I know you can, Sunny didn't say. Instead she smiled. "I'll have to insist on your room, since mine is still a racist nightmare."

Jag still hadn't spent a night in their suite, and Emma had almost given up believing he ever would, although things felt a little less awkward after the other day when he helped her in the kitchen. But even if he did move in, he knew and liked Sunny. It wouldn't be a problem. Especially when the alternative was her Safari room.

"Of course my room. And that way we can have a fire too."

"I can have fires in my room," Sunny countered playfully. "They're just more arson than for pleasure."

"There's nothing inherently wrong about the destructive and consuming aspects of fire. Sometimes it's very pleasing." Emma had a lot of feelings about fire, and she'd thought about it more than she'd ever expected, thanks to Pyro.

She gave a short, soft laugh. "When your boyfriend's pyrokinetic, you develop strong opinions about fire."

It took Sunny a second to remember that she didn't mean Jag, but she smiled all the same. "I'd imagine so."

"The two kind of good things about my room here – the fireplace and a ghost. It's not being at home, but at least it's got that little bit that's familiar." She missed the Soul Train. Not as much as she missed Sabine, obviously, although they'd been in her life as long, some of them. And like Pyro, she'd been missing them since before she was brought here.

"Yeah," Sunny murmured. "I'm sure the ghosts are creepy to some, but it definitely beats having that huge room all to myself." And being practically a ghost herself when she wanted to be was delightful to her ethereal roommate.

Emma nodded. It was how she felt too. "I left the big bedroom for Jag, if he ever decides to move in, but that means I've got two beds in my room. We hang out and talk sometimes. She doesn't really remember who she was when she was alive, so she's probably been around a really long time, but she's sweet and... It helps. I'm not used to living so on my own."

Re: Sunny & Emma

st_igmatized - 2018-02-21 03:54 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Sunny & Emma

st_ackeddeck - 2018-02-21 20:41 (UTC) - Expand

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