❒ library

@ᴛᴀʙɪᴛʜᴀ ᴍᴏʀɴɪɴɢɢᴏᴏᴅᵈᵉᵐⁱᵍᵒᵈ "A few weeks," Haneul repeated, nodding somewhat solemnly as he returned his attention to the computer, inputting the rest of the books that she had requested. "Unless they're able to find it quickly. It's not a problem of how they send it over, so much as it's how poorly they run their establishment. No organization what-so-ever." The thought itself even served to get slightly on the fox's nerves. He couldn't stand disorganization, least of all in a place such as a library. How could anyone expect to find and learn anything if it was all buried together in one giant, unmanageable heap?

"Good luck," he then said, though at this point he was only half-listening to Tabitha. Not to be rude, but out of habit, his focus entirely centered on placing her orders so they would arrive as soon as possible. As she walked away he called out, lightly teasing in the deadpan way he had become accustomed to with her, "And don't lose a finger." And then she was out of sight.

For the next ten or so minutes Haneul finished researching the rest of the books on Tabitha's list. Some of them he had placed orders for, while the others he knew were here at the institute, and it was only a matter of finding them. One of them was even nearby, enough that Haneul made the short journey from the front desk to the aisle it was located in. He figured that once he found it he might as well seek out Tabitha to let her know, so she would have another book to read as he searched for the rest of them. He stopped near the middle of the aisle, pulling a small, deep purple book from the shelf and continuing on his way.

Stretching his magic for just a moment he quickly determined which section of the library Tabitha was in and made his way towards her in no real hurry. "Here," he said upon entering the next aisle. "I thought you might want to read this while I find the rest of them." Haneul spotted her on one of the ladders, which seemed to wobble precariously as she reached for a book high atop the shelf. He quickened his pace, sensing that something was about to fall. "Tabitha-!"

[] oh god sry if this my brain is scrambled like fried eggs rn bc it's so hot today @~@

@sᴀ ʜᴀɴᴇᴜʟʸᵒᵏᵃⁱ "A few weeks?" Tabitha surprised herself with the intensity of the whine behind her complaint. But of course, it wasn't Haneul's fault that the order would take so long. The flow of the library scene was not always fast paced, which meant having to agonize over less interesting volumes until the ones she pined for were delivered. And she was lucky enough to have the other man to get some of the things she wanted delivered, considered there were quite a few... Questionable and... Nippy tomes. Some almost worse than the enchanted one he'd recently dealt with. With a sigh, and a flash of light blue hair exposed her exhaustion and woes against her will for the uncountable time in her life span.

"Back when I was a student, there was a rumour that a book had nipped the tip of a student's finger off. I quite believe it after being able to explore the finger aisles of your establishment," she teased, plucking a volume off the return rack that a student had brought back. After through the yellowed pages, I tuck it back, having already read it a few times before. "Well, while you work on that... I'm gonna go hunt down my other books." As tempting as it was to sit there and watch Haneul complete the same application form he'd done for her hundreds of times before... There was reading calling to her.

Tabby traipsed away from the desk, holding her back up slip of titles that she had kept tucked away for herself, knowing more or less where to find what she sought. The first book she found two aisles in, categorized under "The Fae". "The Things the Seelie See" by Arnalada Emerla. Further down, in the next aisle, she found the next book for her faerie research. It wasn't until she reached the sixth row on the far right column that she found her challenge. The author she needed was on a higher shelf, which meant summoning the ladder. Before her thought even finished, the wooden ladder was rolling over, powered by charms established throughout the many years the school had been running.

"Thank you ladder," Tabitha chuckled, chucking off her heels so she could more easily climb atop. All the way up until she perched precariously at the top, stretching her fingers all the way out. "Bollocks... Why is this so hard?" she mutters under her breath.

@ᴋʏʟᴇ ʟᴜxʷᵃʳˡᵒᶜᵏ Haneul does not see the fire being extinguised and relit, but he does smell it. All fire burns differently, and is especially apparent between fire that is natural and fire that is created by magic, at least to a yokai with heightened senses. So based on the hint of magic in the air, it's someone with an affinity for fire in the restricted section of the library, surrounded by all manner of flammable books, scrolls and papers. Haneul is only partially relieved by the thought that whoever it is most likely bears no intentions of setting the library alight. The main goal for anyone breaking into the library is usually information, so to burn it down would be going against such a thing.

Following the invisible trail takes him only a few minutes, in which the scent of magic becomes increasingly strong nearest to the Spiritualism and Necromancy aisles. Such topics are dangerous choices for even the most experience of magic users. The texts in these particular sections are typically reserved for academics visiting the institute, and are definitely not meant for regular staff, and especially not students, unless given the proper permissions for access.

As he approaches the mouth of the aisle Haneul can hear scuffling, silence, and then, the flipping of pages.

He quickly makes his way past the final bookshelf and stands in the opening where his detection charm was still being triggered. Haneul quietly mutters the incantation to silence the alarm, and by then the intruder seems to have noticed his presence. They quickly whip around to face the librarian while clutching a book they most certainly should not have their hands on. Haneul snaps his fingers to further light up the hall, candelabras bursting to life from the tops of the shelves. Ah, he recognizes this person. A student, one that Haneul has noticed frequenting the library recently. More frequently than a lot of other students, though he had initially chalked it up to someone with a mere passion for learning. Clearly, that was not the case.

"Mr. Lux," he says flatly, waiting a moment or two longer with the blade in his hand before magicking it away in a flurry of ember-like sparks. The student poses no threat, unless they wish to incur more charges on top of what he already plans to write them up with - trespassing, stealing, illegal use of magic within the library, just to name a few. With his hands now empty Haneul approaches the student and gestures for the book currently cradled in the young man's arms. "Hand it over. Your bag as well." His voice is stern and his gaze leaves no room for Kyle to attempt any petty tricks or further thievery. Of course, Haneul can't necessarily prevent him in the case that the student wishes to try, but watching him directly would obviously land Kyle in much more trouble than he was already in.

It's late enough at night that none of the disciplinary officers and guards are present. Most of the night staff have more generalized watch shifts at night than they do on the day based on the amount of traffic the institute gets. For now, Haneul is the only one that can take action, until he is able to guide Kyle out of the restricted section - hopefully, without issue - and straight to the headmaster's office as soon as possible.

@sᴀ ʜᴀɴᴇᴜʟʸᵒᵏᵃⁱ If he had to be straight about it, Kyle did like to set himself up for a challenge. Surely, he wasn't about to risk the punishment over just that though, the books were his main goal. The warlock was well aware of Haneul's 'fame', but he also spent quite a lot of his time at the library, so it came as no surprise when he did draft up a full plan on how to get to the private section of the books he'd been wanting to get his hands on for a while now. He had everything set out from how to get inside, to how he should make his way around all the while avoiding the librarian, get the books, and be back in his shared dorm room without waking anyone up, all within fifteen quick minutes. He'd revised the encantation to make his steps lighter multiple times, and planned to use his fire quirk for vision, sure his source of light would be quite small, but that also meant it would easily go undetected and it would take him barely a millisecond to extinguish it.

The warlock had definitely been counting on the protection charms. He'd made a map of the whole library space and was meticulously searching every corner for them, using his own potions and charms to try and slip by. It may have worked for the first few probably weaker charms, but as soon as he attempts to trespass into the restricted section, his fate is sealed. Of course he doesn't notice immediately, leaving the door open for an easier exit as he plans to be in and out within the next few minutes, hopefully with his books of interest hidden away in the small bag he'd brought over his shoulder. It is only when he hears the same door slam close that Kyle realizes how he might have greatly underestimated Haneul's abilities, or quite possibly, greatly overestimated his own.

He immediately ceases the fire that he'd been using to light his way and pushes his back against the bookcase behind him in absolute silence. This is surely the only scenario he had not prepared for as he certainly wasn't planning on getting caught. By the time he was surprised by the door, he had managed to make his way through a few of the large bookcases and was currently standing between the Spiritualism and the Necromancy section. In the middle of his panic, he forced himself to think it through, the door was obviously closed and he was pretty sure he heard it lock too. Haneul knew he was here and the yokai was too smart for his own good. He had no way to flee and especially not with the books. Glancing back towards the books, he hurriedly ran his eyes through their spines in an attempt to spot the major one he'd been looking for. Surely he wouldn't be able to take it with him, but the restricted section was huge and he was not hearing any steps, so maybe he'd have enough time to give the seance pages a quick read.

Understanding enough about books, Kyle knows exactly which ones are safe to pick up and which aren't, while also knowing how to safely open some of the dangerous ones, but of course, he still hadn't managed to try it out by himself. Thankfully though, the one he was currently holding was a much older book created by a witch, there was no risk in opening it but you still needed a specific encantation to get the pages to show the scripts. Kyle had a hard time and multiple hours invested into finding the correct charm which seemed to pay off as the black latin letters and drawings started showing up on the yellowish pages. The dim light steaming from his fingertip illuminated the book and he was about to flip through it when he felt someone else's presence, and turning to check his back he was met with the much taller figure of Haneul, the long sword held swiftly in his hand "Oh my god..." He gasped out in surprise, taking a couple of steps back and nearly dropping the book in the process but managing to hold onto it by pulling it against his chest "Mr. Haneul... I'm sure there is no need for all that, I didn't manage to steal anything" He tried to joke nervously, with a quick look down towards the blade which he was almost sure wouldn't be used on him but was nonetheless intimidating.

() definitely do not apologize about timing with me ;-; no rush at all! and its perfect so no worries there either hehe ^^

@ᴛᴀʙɪᴛʜᴀ ᴍᴏʀɴɪɴɢɢᴏᴏᴅᵈᵉᵐⁱᵍᵒᵈ "Well, you fingers should be mostly safe," Haneul says. "I asked one of the other faculty to cast a page-turning charm, so you won't even have to touch it. Though if you did, I think I've scared it enough to keep it from biting anyone for now." His previous smile turns into a bit of a smirk at that, a small one for his own amusement. For Tabitha's sake he ignores her awkwardness and pretends as if it never even happened in the first place. He's hoping that with enough time she'll realize she doesn't need to try so hard around him.

Once he's on the other side of the desk Haneul sits down, turning on the computer and starting to scribble a few notes on the list. "Knowing you, you'll probably finish most of them by the time the last book comes in. This one I know is going to take a few weeks at least." He circles one of the titles and shows it to her. "If I remember correctly it's currently in the Asmedov Library, and they have a terrible cataloguing system." Once the computer boots up Haneul logs in, looking up at Tabitha and resting his chin in his hand as his search application loads. "Hm, good question," he says. "I'm sure there's definitely a few students with the ability to do that, even though the spells on all the books here are pretty strong. I suppose they would just have to be willing to face the consequences for their actions. I've recently starting placing identification charms on the more dangerous books. If they're triggered by someone breaking an enchantment the charm will record an image of the perpetrator on a scroll, along with other identifying information, and is sent straight to my office." He smiles, and it's a sharp thing. "Then, they'll have to deal with me. Or other staff, if they're lucky."

@ᴋʏʟᴇ ʟᴜxʷᵃʳˡᵒᶜᵏ It's not everyday that someone stirs up trouble in Haneul's library. Most of the time students and some staff are too scared to try something, since he has a bit of a reputation for being no-nonsense. Punishment is never cruel, but it is punishment all the same, for those that break the rules. That being said, the same reputation also leads to those who seek to challenge Haneul's authority, or believe that they will be the one to finally weasel their way out of being disciplined. Which is why it is both unsurprising and somewhat expected when one of Haneul's detection charms is set off after hours.

He had been enjoying one of his new books - a riveting account of a Phoenix's life in the Roman Empire - and relaxing in his private library the moment the charm was activated. For a few moments he sat there, closed his eyes and breathed in. Of course, there was never a moment of peace working at the institute. He placed his book on the table and stood up, taking almost no time at all the exit the dimensional space of his private sanctum into the Mystiq Institute Library. The location of the detection charm is easily identifiable, and when he realizes where it is he grimaces.

"Always the restricted section," he says to himself, starting down the aisles and weaving his way further into the library. "There's a reason it's restricted. You'd think they would learn after the last five students were caught." Halfway to his destination Haneul summons his sword, the hilt of the blade gripped comfortably in his hand. A precaution, just in case the intruder is an actual enemy instead of a wayward student. When he turns one final corner he finds the main entrance to the restricted area of the library wide open. "This is ridiculous." he mutters, stalking past the gate and snapping his fingers so it closes, chains and locks rattling as they settle into place, sealing both him and the trespasser together until Haneul feels like releasing them.

He doesn't bother to make his presence known, picking up the pace through the darkening aisles before he can find someone, student or staff, getting themselves hurt for messing with things that they really shouldn't. The last person ended up in the infirmary with three separate bites in their leg from one of the sentient Monster Encyclopedias, and Haneul would really like to not go through the same amount of paperwork involved in that incident ever again.

[] ahhhhh-- sorry this is so late ;; u ;; i tried to leave it open-ended !! and also sry if it's too long, totally feel free to respond with as much or as little as you like !!!!

@sᴀ ʜᴀɴᴇᴜʟʸᵒᵏᵃⁱ It was always when Tabby wanted to make a good impression that things seemed to veer off from the way she intended. Through a sigh, she acquiesced to her coworker friend and raised a hand. "You caught me... I do want to check out that book. I've read a lot about that volume in particular. Apparently the pages can bite your fingers even when it's enchanted for reading." The hand she'd held up now wiggles its fingers and she laughs nervously in an attempt to cover up the lameness of it all. Oh god, she needed to move on.

"You know I don't mind waiting for an order. I'll be occupied with the others anyway." As they travelled to the front desk, Tabby was hot on his heels, keeping close until the mahogany counters separated them and she was forced to stay on the opposite side. "Hey, do you think the students would be able to disenchant the magical books? What if the library flew into chaos one day because of some smart and playful kid?"

@ᴛᴀʙɪᴛʜᴀ ᴍᴏʀɴɪɴɢɢᴏᴏᴅᵈᵉᵐⁱᵍᵒᵈ Unfortunately for Tabitha, Haneul was not suffering acute memory loss and did, in fact, see every moment of her almost-crash. The only thing that stopped him from reaching out to help her, was the fact that she managed to upright herself just in time. The wheels of the cart squeaked loudly in the mostly quiet library, and Haneul had to stop himself from laughing. Of course, if it had been anyone else he would have been irritated at their lack of decorum in a sacred space such as the library, but right now he's merely amused.

"Thank you," he says, taking the paper from her outstretched hand and reading over it. "You're the only one I can trust to actually put them back in the correct spot." He mulls over the list of books, recognizing most of the titles, though there are some he's unfamiliar with. "I should have most of these, I might need to order one or two though." Haneul eventually smiles and motions for Tabitha to follow him back to the front desk, leaving behind the empty book cart to be used again later. "And no, thankfully not. I managed to secure the book from the other day- Ah, so it is available if you'd like to read it. No more runaways, at least for now. If you'd like, you can read while I look these up for you."

@sᴀ ʜᴀɴᴇᴜʟʸᵒᵏᵃⁱ There was no escaping her true intentions when it came to the library. And as Haneul popped out of section 9 with his trademark grin, she found herself sheepishly holding up the piece of parchment. Caught red-handed. "Oops... You know it," she laughed quietly. In an attempt to appear nonchalant, she leaned against the nearest surface, finding it to be the rolling-cart used for books needing to be re-shelved, and rolling off with it. One hand clutched the rim while the wheels sped off and she staggered back to an up-right position, hoping Haneul had somehow lost his memory from a brain injury in the past twenty seconds so he couldn't commit her clumsiness to memory.

Moments after her near fall, she jutted the paper out to Haneul. "I've already returned and re-shelved the books I borrowed earlier this week. I'll need your help hunting a few more down. Had any more run-ins with demon books? Should I be on the lookout?"

@ᴛᴀʙɪᴛʜᴀ ᴍᴏʀɴɪɴɢɢᴏᴏᴅᵈᵉᵐⁱᵍᵒᵈ After hours in the library has always been Haneul's favorite time of day, when the rays of light from the setting sun burn golden, and a comfortable quiet settles over the large room. Even with the stray spirits and the occasional student or staff member lingering around, it's as if they all share some secret acknowledgement to follow the rules and not cause a disturbance. Thankfully, there are no stragglers today. It's truly a time where Haneul can relax, content to be alone and read and work at his own leisure. These days, however, the silence doesn't last very long once the institute closes down for the day - and strangely enough, Haneul finds he doesn't mind. He's placing a copy of 'Consulting Spirits' on one of the topmost shelves when the expected voice floats through the aisles. Stranger still, that it is some Haneul is familiar with and actually looks forward to seeing.

"I'm here," he calls, still shelving the last of the books on his cart. "Section 9, Spirits of the Dead." Haneul steps down from the two step ladder he had been using, carefully pushing it flush to the shelves before taking the now empty cart and making his way to the end of the aisle. When he pops out of the end and into the larger main aisle, he offers Tabitha a subdued smile, and his eyes naturally drift to the paper in her hand. "Back for more already?"

@sᴀ ʜᴀɴᴇᴜʟʸᵒᵏᵃⁱ Much like any other day after a long, neverending day of teaching, Tabitha found herself roaming to her favourite place in the world. No, not her room... And no, not her office, as much as she loved the cozy space with its enormous collection of candles and the big leather loveseat... Nono, it was neither of those things. The institute's library bested those places by miles. And as she pushed open the large, oak doors that acted as the entry, she was immediately welcomed by the sweet scent of leather bound books and dust. A combination many others could refer to as... Unpleasant. The sentiment wasn't shared with this demigoddess.

And of course, the first person she sought out was the one man that could help her with any book requirement she would need. There was a list today, and Tabitha clutched the small parchment square in her hands, her neat writing scrawling out titles for ancient languages she was pursuing, seeking out the familiar face between the shelves. At this hour, few students remained to study, and most staff were out for the night. Which left her with no qualms as she called out his name and broke one of the golden rules of the library: silence.

"Haneul? Haneul are you still here?"

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[ RANDOM STARTER, OPEN TO ANYONE !! DETAILS IN PROFILE ]

When Haneul returns to the library just after midnight, he stops in his tracks upon sensing /something/ moving within the detection barrier. He places the new set of scrolls that he was going to catalog behind the main desk and pulls out his sword, intending to find the trespasser now wriggling their way through the restricted sections of the library. Thankfully, they’re not inside Haneul’s personal library, but they’re damn near close enough that he quickens his pace through the aisles.

His steps are silent, and as he makes his way towards the back end of the library he can feel the intruder stop in their place. Most likely finding a book or scroll that caught their eye, even though most of them in the restricted area are spelled closed and locked shut. Key word: most. It’s just Haneul’s luck that they’ve managed to find themselves in the section that hasn’t been completely entered into the filing system yet. A mess of media and literature that isn’t organized in the slightest, and is /usually/ cordoned off from prying eyes.

But as he turns the corner and sees yellow-orange light spilling out from one of the aisles, it’s clear that whoever has snuck into the library has made it past the guards and charms set in place. He tsks, this time letting his presence be known as his footsteps click against the tiled floor, “I hope you’re aware that it is well past visiting hours.” he says, vexation prominent in his voice.

Instead of a worded response, there’s a bright burst of light from behind the shelves, and a loud sound, like a yelp and a scream and grunt all wrapped into one before the noise is swallowed up. There’s an audible rush of air and then, silence.

Haneul rushes to the end of the aisle in question, cursing under his breath, because /he is not getting paid enough for this./ He’s expecting to find an errant student, or worse, a snooping staff member (the paperwork that would involve, the thought is already giving him a headache). Instead, he finds something that could possibly be either of those, or a third thing, but is much more amusing than he was expecting. In fact, he can’t help a small laugh at the sight.

“Well now,” his tone has gone from warning to mocking as he sheaths his sword and bends to pick up the tiny intruder by the scruff of its neck before they can escape. The forbidden scroll lying on the floor before him is, of course, a manual for transformation curses, hence the /forbidden/ descriptor. With a flick of Haneul’s wrist the scroll rolls itself closed and shoots off into its case before finally sliding back onto the shelf. Then, still gripping his prey so it can’t escape, the fox spirit turns it to face him and smiles sharply. “Looks like someone was in a place they really shouldn’t be, hm?”

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@ᴅᴜᴀɴ xɪᴀᴏᴡᴇɪᶠᵃᵉ Vesper most definitely noticed the way that Xiaowei seemed to be a little distracted throughout their impromptu tutoring session, but he didn't mind. If he had to repeat things, he would, it was sort of part of his job after all, he was used to it to some degree. But he also hoped that the notes would help her too since that at least meant she had a physical copy to refer to from now on.

He hummed to himself and nodded at her explaining what her current extra curricula activities were. "Understandable. If you ever want to just hop in some time, though, don't be shy," he reassured. After all, there were all sorts of art forms out there and you never truly knew which one would call out to you until you actually tried it out. Vesper enjoyed many forms of art himself, hence why he had been quite enthusiastic about becoming the advisor for the art club.

Secrets? Vesper wasn't the type to hold too manuy secrets close to him. He found that that had a worse effect on his life than a good one. He sometimes did keep unintentional secrets, things he just never was asked about or thought was important until the matter was brought up by someone.

"Hm, I'm not sure if I have secrets, let alone ones worth your time," he chuckled softly. "I feel like you have plenty to ask about me though," he commented with a little lift of his brow. "If we're gonna continue this conversation, how about we head outside to the greenhouse for a bit, hm? You can ask me anything, and we won't have to worry about disturbing anyone else," he suggested. He was sure she'd like the greenhouse better than the library anyway.

@ᴠᴇsᴘᴇʀ ᴘᴀʀᴋʰʸᵇʳⁱᵈ xiaowei’s sighs filled the silent air of the library with affirmations of her wonders and amazement with how fluidly vesper has taught her of the subject course. its anatomical terms explained so concisely that xiaowei has almost related with the desire of having him as her professor.

her mind still drifts off from time to time, however — absorbing in thought if androids do dream of mechanical sheep as per the title of philip ’s famous book or if vesper has actuated his hand both in magic and school with his seemingly unending knowledge of whatever he may find of value or of interest. not that she’s complaining, though.

she isn’t sure how much time has passed. she wouldn’t even have noticed anything out of their bubble if it weren’t for the dust particles that have transpired in her vision, basking in varying shades of unadulterated honey.

his voice rumbles in cessation, the deep staccatos of his breath hitching onto multiple words as she silently listens, desperately trying to get back the attention she’s focused on the dust particles dancing in the golden suspension of the afternoon sunlight. and a few moments later, the professor seems to have finished with his eulogy of anatomical terms (and their history) on ed.

another smile unfolds on xiaowei’s face, she couldn’t help but get flustered with the way vesper has remained professional throughout his mini-lecture of the topic (the topic of which xiaowei is neither familiar nor comfortable to discuss anyone with, much less a male professor!). “heh,” she mumbles as the forsaken feeling of drowsiness comes back in full force in her outstretched arms and back.

as vesper seeks to dispel the atmosphere with his question, xiaowei dishes out an immediate answer, “i don’t really see myself doing well in art, to be honest,” she purses her lips. “i’ve already decided to fill in the position of captain in cheerleading, but i’m still waiting for my application to be accepted. i’ll think about it once i have more time to juggle in my hands.”

her eyes light up with mischief in comparison, fingertips cautiously dallying with the stationary of notes he has carefully compiled for her.

“what about you? are there any secrets you may want to tell me?”

the glimmer on her face is but a gentle reminder that she may be soft in nature, but she seeks to wreak havoc from time to time (gossips are difficult to resist, and her curiosity has rendered the situation unavoidable now that she’s seated with the object of her interest).

@ᴅᴜᴀɴ xɪᴀᴏᴡᴇɪᶠᵃᵉ Vesper was patient with everything that the fae girl wanted to know. Being an interspecies anatomy professor, Vesper did his best in learning about all sorts of species' anatomy, and that included humans. It helped that his body resembled that of a human so much, even though he doubted it functioned anything like one anymore.

The warlocks eyes did venture around her notebook occasionally, looking over the little designs and smiled, wondering if the girl might be interested in joining the art club at the institute. He saved that thought for a later time though and focused on the topic at hand. "I must admit that humans have named such infections in rather strange ways. Some are very self-explanatory, and others are a little less so. You just have to learn the basic premise of each one and why they're named that way."

"In the case of crabs, they're called that because the pubic lice are shaped like crabs, hence why they're called such," he explained. "And even the term std, isn't completely appropriate. They labelled them as diseases for a long time until only somewhat recently when they changed the term to sti instead, to stand for an infection since they're all mostly curable and treatable," he explained. He went on to the other sti's the girl was confused about and took his time to answer her questions patiently.

He did notice that she seemed to stare at him without much thought at moments, but she seemed to snap out of those little dazes well enough to actually pay attenttion. By the time a whole hour and a half had passed by, they had created a much more cohesive set of notes for Xiaowei to refer back on later. "By the way, have you considered joining the art club?" he asked curiously.

@ᴠᴇsᴘᴇʀ ᴘᴀʀᴋʰʸᵇʳⁱᵈ at vesper’s confirmation to help her, xiaowei finds herself incapable to meddle with the smile that has fully unfolded on her face. of course! after all, it'll be a momentary lapse from the misery of having to navigate through the tower of information clasping in between the pages of the massive volumes of books.

and she's been failing to do just that. it’s pretty apparent that her attention lies elsewhere once observation is made on the designs lying around the polished surface of her area starting from the scribbles weighing down her paper airplanes to the chewed-on cap of her ballpoint pen and library books remaining stationary, not once moved from their initial positions.

limbs still buzzing drowsily, xiaowei makes an effort to sweep the area clean of her mess. “sir, i really appreciate the length you will go for me,” she pauses, silently observing to herself that she’s beginning to feel comfortable in his presence despite her previous fear of any interspecies relation. to that, she is grateful for him. “but i really just need any help that will be offered to understand stds…like crabs?”

xiaowei looks up to him in admiration, holding on to the little glances she sends his way. not that any romantic admiration is beginning to bud, it’s just that the professor has started to capture her respect and, sequentially, her curiosity. without any meaning to, her eyes have latched on to the details of his face like the smooth slope of his nose and the lashes thickened by the shadows on his face.

@ᴅᴜᴀɴ xɪᴀᴏᴡᴇɪᶠᵃᵉ Seeing the girl in such a tired state made Vesper wonder how long she had been in the library for, and exactly how much content she had been able to absorb in that time. She was clearly exchausted and had been evidently napping from how her voice sounded.

He smiled at her at the greeting, not commenting on how tired she sounded since she seemed embarrassed by it enough on her own. Vesper grabbed a chair and sat opposite Xiaowei and gave the pages of the open book in front of the girl a quick scan, "I'm just here doing a little research, but I have some time I can spare," he reassured.

"I see you're looking at STDs," he hummed. "Tell me, what have you learnt and what are you confused about? I know it must be a little hard to understand considering basically all non-humans aren't very prone to contracting them," he hummed. Learning about people who weren't like you was always going to be a challenge, there would always be similarities and differences after all.

Once upon a time, he had been someone who had been prone to such things, but it had been centuries since then. "It's probably been quite overwhelming for you."

@ᴠᴇsᴘᴇʀ ᴘᴀʀᴋʰʸᵇʳⁱᵈ — 2.


if only numbers could move, xiaowei is certain she must have already been smacked. not entirely because of the fact that she's been rudely staring at the clock chime at multiple congruences, watching the little hand move closer and closer to each number. even closely, just a second—bam!

xiaowei rouses herself awake. arms still propped at the expanse of the wooden table, she could only move so much with the numbness echoing through the redness blooming like spider veins on her skin. "heh," she mumbles to herself, a pained smile inching its way on her lips. it is amusing, she finds as her eyes scan through the large volume of books donning the quiet behavior of her lonesome figure. most of its spines splotched with little cracks, the color so gruesome that xiaowei thinks they must have been passed on from one borrower to another.

well, at least they're used, she thinks just as she is using them now (but to no avail). for the past hour or two (actually three), xiaowei has only managed to read over a little more than two pages with no information being retained at all. she's taken up ed as an elective with the idea it'll be easy to get lost into the topics of intertwining limbs and the conception of a baby.

but what she is having a hard time with is the fact that there are stds?! what are stds, anyway??? and anatomical terms? for what, exactly! can't she just brusquely call them in their own brusque terms escaping the lips of a lover?

or not, because she has chosen to take up this elective and she must pass. otherwise, she's going to be stuck for the long haul, and she certainly doesn't appreciate being paired up with rowdy boys teasing one another over the functionality of what the reproductive system has been designed to do.

mourning over her soliloquy, xiaowei has no choice but to lay her head over her numbing arms again. ouch.

a voice hovered by, requiring her attention to move from the certain enjoyment brought about by the polished surface of the table to the person staring back at her.

"hi sir," she grimaces. her voice rumbles deep, evident of the fact that she has only been rousing awake. "um, may i ask what you're here for...and do you have some time to spare?"

her face reflects a gleam of hope.

[post deleted by owner]

@ᴅᴜᴀɴ xɪᴀᴏᴡᴇɪᶠᵃᵉ A new day meant another day for Vesper to be moving about the institute as he taught and researched. He had had only one class that day and since that was over, he decided to spend a good portion of the remainder of the day doing some research - both for work and personal projects. He had been in the library for about an hour, looking through shelves and books, scanning the sections and reprinting sections he wished to annotate later on in his own time.

As he perused through the shelves once more in another section, he noticed a familiar scent. He followed it, only to be faced with a desk with several books laid out in front of none other than the fae girl he had met by the river a number of nights ago. He quickly gave a scan of the book titles the girl had in front of her and quirked a brow.

Not wanting to startle the poor thing too much, he quietly cleared his throat before he took a step forward towards the desk. "Xiaowei? Hi, busy studying?" he asked curiously. He guessed that she must be taking the ed elective since some of these books were a little on the sciencey side.