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Galway Girl [Closed] - Printable Version

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RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - SolitareLee - 05-14-2017

"I attempted to menace you," Bree said darkly. "It didn't take." She wasn't quite done trying, mind, but she was only human. She had limited options, and despite her propensity for violence, she did have limits, no matter how close she'd come to slapping him a few seconds earlier. "And why in god's name do you have Lipton iced tea in an office full of herbs?" she asked, sounding disgusted. It had both caffeine and artificial sugars. "I don't drink tea, anyway. Tisanes, or 'herbal teas' if you're a heathen." She had strong opinions on the definition of tea.

She didn't sit, preferring to stand, arms crossed. She would forever be taken for rude anyway, given that she was someone who always wore a hat indoors and had never figured out how 'polite' worked in society in general. She wasn't going to start trying to work it out for him. Although she was about to give him a lecture on manners... but she got quickly distracted by him doing... something... to the herbs on his shelves. She was familiar enough with magic-type things that her eyes could still sort of focus on the suddenly generic looking plants, before vaguely sort of sliding off.

"What did you do?" she asked, ears perking up under her hat as she wandered towards the herbs. Her tone had gone quickly from irritation to curiosity. She was somewhat easily distracted around things she knew nothing about. She reached towards one of them, and found herself feeling the one next to it. "I can still smell it, though," she accused.

Her ear twitched, and she turned, frown returning. "As for the book pages, yes. It wasn't an option I was giving you."

RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - ambientmagic - 05-15-2017

"It takes a lot to menace me," Evan said cheerfully. "So far as I now it's only worked once, but you're free to keep trying. I have Lipton iced tea because sometimes people don't trust me enough to drink herbal teas I mix myself." As he spoke, he was actually pulling pinches of herbs from different jars and depositing them into a small teabag. A special mix for Miss Bridget, through she might well turn it down.

A rooibos base for a nice strong flavor, a bit of ginger, and some chai seasoning (carefully kept separate from the black tea). All together, a spicy blend that would compliment her, ah, energetic personality, but without anything too strange or objectionable. Tying off the small bag, he poured hot water into a small mug and dropped it in.

"I have honey, sugar, and some of that artificial stuff if you'd like it sweetened," he said. "As for the plants, I have a little crystal here that's been tied to some of my less common herbs. You treat the crystal with a potion or spell, and the plants react. I activated it just now--you'll notice that you can't clearly see the paperweight either. If never considered needing to block the smell of the plants, however... That's an interesting idea."

Evan scribbled a few notes in shorthand on a sheet of paper--efo romio, iru ngapha--before looking back up at Miss Bridget. "Your tea should be done steeping now. Did you have any other questions?"

RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - SolitareLee - 05-15-2017

"It would be easy if I just let Miss Kumo do it," Bree said with an irritated sigh. She could intimidate anyone. She'd seen her do it to vampires on multiple occasions--she actually suspected the woman might be a vampire herself, or... something. It seemed almost implausible that she'd be human, frankly, just given the way Valesport seemed to work.

The problem with that plan, however, was that it took a lot to get the head librarian interested in something, and she was much more likely to just be displeased with Bree for being tricked and letting the books get damaged in the first place. So.

"And so you offer them Lipton?" she asked with a scowl. "That's just cruel." She turned back to examine the plants, both fascinated and frustrated with her inability to get a good read on what she knew was there. "This can't possibly be alchemy," she accused, reaching out to poke the plant and once again poking the one next to it. It appeared to be quite entertaining to her. "Anyway, pot has a really strong smell. Your office reeks, so who the hell knows if anyone else could smell it, though. Probably werewolves, but it's not like they give a shit. They're werewolves."

She paused, his mention of tea reminding her she was supposed to be threatening him. "Stop distracting me!" she snapped. "I'm damn serious, I want those pages! I am not letting you ruin a dozen rare books because you're a prick who thinks rules doesn't apply to him! If you wanted copies of them, I could have made you scans, you fucking moron. There's no reason for that goddamn behavior."

RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - ambientmagic - 05-15-2017

Evan tapped the crystal, letting the plants clarify again so Bree could poke at the proper ones. "Tuning the crystal to the plants was more spellwork than alchemy, I'll admit, but the treatments to the crystals and the pots of the plants was alchemically based."

"Am I distracting you?" he added. "That's too bad. Tell me, what do you know about the Navajo?"

He continued without waiting for a reply. "The Navajo peoples, or at least the members of the tribe I had the fortune to meet, believed that words, the breath of the stories themselves, had power. There were certain tales that should only be told during the winter, for example, or that could only be told to members of the tribe of a certain age. I was allowed to record many of those stories to study while I lived with them, and I followed their same rules to ensure that their customs were kept."

"Eventually, it came time for me to move on. When my studies were complete, I destroyed all copies of the stories I'd written down, because I couldn't guarantee that others who read them would follow the correct customs. What does the average Harvard scholar care about the superstitions of a Native tribe, after all? And because I could not guarantee the safe custodianship of those copies, I destroyed them."

"Do you understand now why I will not return those pages?"

((the article I'm referencing/co-opting))

RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - SolitareLee - 05-15-2017

Bree tilted her head curiously, considering the story. It was an interesting moral conundrum, given her stance on the importance of preserving knowledge and stories. She was quiet for a moment, thinking. It was a trick she was working on, thinking about what she said instead of just blurting it out. It was a work in progress.

"No," she said finally. "Because judging by the contents of these books, there's not actually any such cultural considerations. Radaghast wrote them down. He decided to share them. The books were published, and these are not a single journal, or else I would still have you on that chair." Actually, they just wouldn't have been in common circulation. But also, if he'd gotten a hold of unique books and then defaced them, this would have been a beat-down, not a menacing, scholarship and morals be damned. "I could find other copies. It would take me a long time and be very expensive. I might have to wait for people to die, and I, unlike some people, don't have all the time in the world for that shit." She leaned on his desk with both hands, as if to emphasize her point. "I am not letting you hoard or destroy knowledge because you decided you knew better than anyone else what was or was not to be shared. If you think the knowledge is culturally insensitive or dangerous in some manner, you can take that up with Miss Kumo. I'm an intern; that's above my pay grade. But you're not Radaghast--I assume--and you're not to the owner or originator of that information. You don't get to make that call."

RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - ambientmagic - 05-19-2017

"I'm more qualified to make that call than you are, Miss Bridget," Evan smiled. "You're human, through and through. You may know about magic, about the supernatural elements of Valesport, but they haven't touched your life beyond a spooky story for you to tell at the library. My kind is made of magic, and even someone like me is more experienced in knowing what is dangerous and what is not."

He leaned back in his office chair. "Pages 45 through 62 of Fragrant Flower Mixes for the Home detail a mixture that, if made by someone with even a completely undiscovered spark of magic, will put anyone who breathes it in to sleep. If that person blends those ingredients while angry, or for someone they don't particularly like, or gets the proportions slightly wrong, the sleep becomes irreversible."

"I don't own or originate that information, you're right. But I'm also not leaving it out in the world unchecked."

"Besides," Evan said with a brilliant smile. "That particular mix smells terrible anyway, and I'm not going to tell you where the pages are or give them to you, so it doesn't matter anyway."

RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - SolitareLee - 05-19-2017

Bree stared at the man, dumbfounded. She was briefly speechless, because she was not actually used to people being that tactlessly stupid with her. Jean could be rude; in fact he often was. But his biting comments were accurate.

"Wait," she said, holding up a hand. She was still too astounded to be angry. Thus far. "Wait, wait. Wait. What. Did you say? Magic. Hasn't touched my life?" She blinked, slowly, then leaned her weight down onto her hands, resting on his desk, to peer at him, still looking more confused than anything. "Are you fucking with me, or are you just actually that stupid? Are you the retarded version of a witch?"

She stared at him intently, as if looking for the joke. She was honestly uncertain if he was an idiot or having her on. He'd given her those goddamn flowers, so she'd just assumed he knew. She was getting used to supernatural things just knowing, and had assumed him a witch, to boot. They couldn't always tell, but some of the better, older ones could. But not this condescending prick, apparently.

She shook her head. "We have people who decide what knowledge is too dangerous for the populace. People who aren't you. If you think you have knowledge of danger they don't, you should speak to them about it, not perform random acts of vandalism. All you've done is ensure we have to get another copy of the book for circulation. If you'd speak to the head librarian about it, instead, she might agree with you and not circulate the book. You're doing more harm than good with your little," she waved her hand vaguely, looking slightly disgusted. "I don't know what this is. Pretentious magic act. I mean, you have to be fucking with me, right? Acting like you live and breathe magic, but you can't even tell what I am? You goddamn moron."

RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - ambientmagic - 05-20-2017

"There's no reason to insult me," Evan said mildly. "Unless it makes you feel better, I suppose. I already told you, I'm not a witch at all. I'm an alchemist. As for what you are, you seem to be an entirely human librarian who's honestly a bit rude. You're a lovely singer and a talented climber, and anything else isn't really my business."

He leaned forward, eyes sharpening as he really looked at Bree. "Although now, of course, you're making it my business to find out." He ignored the accusations of vandalism. They were unimportant and technically true, which made them boring.

Now that he looked, really paid attention, Bree had more than just the vague whiff of magic that came off a human who had met someone supernatural around Valesport--even that of someone who'd met one recently. Her aura was staunchly blue--pure human--but there was a thick ribbon of green shooting through it as well. Green meant witchcraft. No wonder she thought he was a witch.

"Hmmmm. I see now that I was wrong about your magical experience," Evan said, blinking his eyes back into normal focus. "Tell me, how long have you been cursed?"

RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - SolitareLee - 05-20-2017

Bree scowled in intense irritation. "I guess that solves that mystery... You're just stupid." She ran a frustrated hand over the back of her head. "And 'alchemists,' so far as I know, aren't," She lifted up her fingers to do mocking air quotes. "Made of magic." She snorted.

"Besides," she added sourly, crossing her arms. "You insulted me first. 'Haven't touched my life' my ass. I've been cursed since birth, if you must know, and if that wasn't 'touched' enough, 'supernatural elements' haven't stopped rubbing up on me since I moved here." Wasn't that the goddamn truth. "And more than the average student attending a university whose faculty is probably like 40% supernatural in some way shape or form," she added with a dour frown. "Tenure really favors the immortal."

She shook her head again, having to remind herself of why she was here. She pointed irritably at the man. "You. Are an idiot, and very annoying." Every time she made a good point, he ignored it and changed the subject. It was more than a little frustrating. "Since I have no way to guarantee you're not going to vandalize more books, I'm making the hold on your account permanent. I'm sure you have all kinds of cute little trinkets to help you get what you want, Mr. Jackson, and what you do with books that actually belong to you is not my problem, but don't try it in my library again. I'll let the head librarian know what you said about Fragrant Flower Mixes for the Home, since you're too incompetent to know how to actually fix these problems on your own," she added with a scowl. "If you'd like to make any cognizant points about the other books you damaged, now is the time."

RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - ambientmagic - 05-20-2017

"Alchemy is what I do, not who I am," Evan responded. "And I did say I was wrong, after all. What's your curse? I showed you mine," and he gestured toward the stone on his desk that blurred his plants, "you show me yours."

"As for the books I allegedly damaged, I paid for the damage when I returned them. Your head librarian was very reasonable about it. Do you have the authority to make that hold permanent, or when I speak to your supervisor will it be immediately removed?"

Evan spread his hands. "I haven't actually broken any of the library's rules, you see. I checked out a book, and it was damaged in my care. I immediately reported the damage and paid for the book in full. Technically, I could have kept the books completely, but the librarian decided they could still be circulated. It was an act of generosity, my allowing them to be so. I essentially donated them."

Ah, rules. So bothersome when they worked against you, so helpful to have on your side. If Bree did try to make his hold permanent, he could get it undone easily--if he needed to.

RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - SolitareLee - 05-20-2017

"Absolutely not," she said with a dark glare. "You've done literally nothing to deserve that sort of trust, or any sort of trust. You've done nothing but the opposite. Why would any sane person tell you anything about themselves, let alone that?"

She hesitated briefly, because he was technically slightly correct. Well, she did have the authority, but she had to explain why to her boss. It was an absolute coin toss as to whether they'd believe her--that she had evidence he did it on purpose and might do it again in the future--or him. She had a lot of sway at the library, being such a large donor and a friend of the library for years... So they would probably come down on her side. But she couldn't be sure.

"You and I both know better," she said pointedly. "And if I tell them so, they will believe me, because they know me, and I don't lie about books." She was less confident than she sounded, but that last bit was true. She didn't. She had morals. "Just stay away from me, and my library, Mr. Jackson. You're a goddamn menace, and I'm already spending too much of my life cleaning up after you."

RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - ambientmagic - 05-20-2017

Well she couldn't just leave. This was the most fun he'd had in days. "I was asking because I have a book on curses I'd like to cross-reference your particular case against," he said, pulling a dusty paperback book off the shelves. It was clearly self-published, the cover art a stock image with clunky writing overlaid on a hideous purple background. "It's a bit old, of course, but if you've been cursed since birth..." He let the thought trail away.

"It's by a very well renowned witch," he added. "Would you be willing to accept this book as collateral? Against any future, ah, indiscretions on my part? It really has been such a long time since I've met someone as interesting as you. I would hate to see you gone so quickly from my life." He half-stood and offered the book to her.

Maybe honesty, however foreign the concept, would be useful for once. There was the bait, and now for the hook... "Of course, if I had time to study your case I might be able to find a way to mitigate its effect. Most curses do have a cure, after all."

RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - SolitareLee - 05-20-2017

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but stayed rooted to the spot, watching the book. It was hideous. And very obviously self-published: the pre-internet version of an e-book with awkward stock art on the front and text in Papyrus.

Self-published books were very hard to find and esoteric, often existing in very few remaining copies. Moreso the older they got. This looked older than her. Her fingers twitched.

"I'm not removing your hold unless you promise not to vandalize anymore books," she said warily, eyes still on the book. The temptation was clear. But she had to protect library books; that was both her job and something akin to her life calling. "...But lend me the book, and I'll believe you if you do. If you break your promise, I keep it." It was far from an even trade, one book she wanted versus the damage he might cause.

Her ears twitched under her hat. She didn't believe him, necessarily. She'd done a lot of studying on that subject herself, and spoken to quite a few witches, and had absolutely no luck. But there was little risk for potential pay-off... maybe. Her eyes narrowed again as they glanced from the book to him. Her doubt was probably written on her face. But she was intrigued, if nothing else. She reached out to take the book. "And as for my curse... another trade. Show me what you are, and I'll show you what I am."

RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - ambientmagic - 05-20-2017

"I solemnly swear I will not enter your library with any more damaged library books," Evan said. He handed her the book readily, waiting as she flipped through it.

After a few moments, she was finished with her initial examination and looked back up at him. "As for what I am..." He turned his back to her and pulled off his sweater. He wasn't wearing an undershirt--there was nothing to impede her view of his back.

It was ruined. What would have been smooth tan skin was instead a rippled, gnarled wasteland. His shoulders, thickly muscled, were covered in raw red scars. The worst of them condensed in two heavy, twisted masses of scar tissue at each of his shoulder blades, though the damage was over his whole back. The smallest scars, further toward his shoulders or the small of his back, had faded to a shiny pink. The thickest ones looked as if they had barely scabbed over, as if the wound was recent.

"This is what I am," he said quietly. "Or at least, I was. With my wings gone, a large amount of my powers are beyond my grasp as well." It had been years since he'd shown his back to anyone without a glamour, but, well. He had a good feeling about this one. And it's not like he couldn't pull away her memory later.

RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - SolitareLee - 05-20-2017

"That was a very specifically worded promise," she said sourly as she took the book. "But under the circumstances, I'll take it. And I'll be keeping this if you damage any more library books on purpose, regardless of whether or not you pay for them. And don't think for a second it will be the only thing I do." She flipped through the book curiously, however, more interested in the contents than how much of a dick he was. As Jean had discovered, she was very easily bought with such things.

The book was good... weird, esoteric, but good. It would make a satisfying read, whether or not it assisted with her actual problem. She glanced back up from it, to see what Mr. Jackson was going to show her. She had not been expecting him to take his shirt off, and jumped backwards when he did. Then let out a distressed cry when she saw what had been done to his back.

"Oh my god," she exclaimed, the distress in her voice almost physically palpable. She reached out vaguely, automatically, though she had no intention of touching--she'd only hurt him--and no ability with which to actually help. "Oh no. I'm... sorry." Not that she'd had anything to do with it, obviously, but still. Just looking at it was causing her intensest stress, more than enough to wash away her fury and irritation. She was very bad at seeing people hurt, and he was very hurt.

She didn't, uh, actually know what he was though. There were a lot of things with wings. "...You're not an angel, though, right?" she asked hesitantly, requesting clarification. She would be so mad if angels were dicks.