Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

The Nobles Library (PuzzlePieces & I)

D

DarkRiffs

Star
Joined
Jan 9, 2009
His fingers scratched his hair as he strode downstairs with a candle in hand, heading into his study to poke around.He'd heard a loud noise that had startled him and had decided to check for burglars, though It'd be difficult in the massive rows of books.Sighing he strode to the large chair by the hearth in the middle of the study and sat down, grabbing the pipe off the arm chair and filling it with the exotic herb he'd acquired in his travels."Well, if there was one here, they're long gone now" he stated, lighting his pipe and inhaling deeply, relaxing into the fabric as he exhaled the thick purple smoke into the air.His eyes glanced hazed across all his books before he noted one on the floor."Ah, that explains the noise" he stated, standing up and striding over to pick it up.

As he shuffled along his foot caught on the length of his robe and sent him into a slide, landing on his rump with a groan."Ungh, my back!" he croaked.
 
During the night, a young girl had stole in. She hid herself in the shadows now, one of the large books clutched to her chest. She couldn't help herself. She loved books, couldn't get enough of them even if she had read the same one a million times, you always catch something you didn't before. She was just a teenager and she was a little timid, well very timid. She had heard that he had a large collection of books and wanted to see for herself, though she ended up breaking in and causing a ruckus. She lived with an older man in town who she did chores for in exchange for a place to stay.

She was just feet away from where the book was on the ground and was trying to do her best to keep quiet as he searched. When he sat down she thought she was safe, but as he neared she got nervous. However, seeing him slip and fall did not help out her situation either as she let out a small airy giggle.
 
He paused when he heard the giggle, slowly getting up and gazing in her direction."Alright, you can come out now...you've blown your cover" he called out, grunting as he rested his hand on his lower back, sore from tripping and landing flat on his backside."I don't plan on turning you over to the authorities so long as you turn over any stolen goods" he stated.
 
Slowly the girl came out of the shadows, large book held to her chest. Long dark gold curls framed her face and fell over her shoulders and down her back. Bright green eyes looked up at him, looking somewhat scared as if she felt she might get punished. She was about five feet tall and she wore a long grey-purple dress that stopped a few inches past her knees and a few inches above her old boots. She had to be 15, maybe 16.

She swallowed hard. "I....I am sorry...." she said looking down. "I....I just like books and I don't have any of my own," she added looking back up at him.
 
He stared at the young girl, letting his eyes wander over her.He stood about 5'8 so he was quite a bit taller.His eyes wandered over her cute face and lush form before he smiled.He chuckled a little and sighed as he spoke "Well, I'm not one to scorn a curious mind" he stated."However had you asked I likely would've let you in" he stated with a wink."Come, take a seat" he offered, gesturing to one of the chairs."You're in no trouble, well, one one condition that is" he finished.
 
She followed him over the the chairs. She still looked as if she felt that she was in huge trouble. She sat down, still holding the book though she placed in her lap. "I'm really sorry, I am," she said looking up at him. "What is this one condition that you speak of? I don't mind if it's doing chores. I'm good at chores, and taken care of things," she said sounding hopeful that the condition wasn't going to be a punishment.
 
A smile brimmed his face as he chuckled."You aren't in trouble, so long as you come to study regularly amongst my tomes" he stated, re-lighting his pipe and taking a deep breath of the thick skunky haze."As a scholar and intellectual I can't well scold a blossoming mind, I prefer to cradle and enrich them" he stated."If you come back at least once a week for a whole day to study, then you're off the hook" he finished, placing his feet back on the footstool.
 
She beamed at him, her worried frown turning into a bright grin. "Do you really mean it? I can come back here and read and study all I want?" she asked. She seemed excited. She remembered the book in her lap and blinked. She lifted her hand and as she did the book rose and she guided it back to it's appropriate spot on the shelf before looking back to him and smiling brightly again. The girl was a mage, or atleast she was trying to become one.
 
He chuckled a tad and gazed over her."Hmm, a blossoming practitioner of magic hmm?" he cooed."Very strange attire for a blossoming mage" he stated with a chuckle."There's something about you though, I can't quite put my finger on it, but there is indeed something different about you" he stated, not meaning to scrutinize, it was just his nature.He shook his head a little and smiled."Come, I'll fix you a glass of tea, you're welcome to spend the night too if you like".
 
She actually blushed a little and bit her lip. She hoped that he couldn't tell what she really was, only thought that she was as she looked. She gave him a small smile and moved to get up. "Tea would be nice, but I wouldn't want to impose on you like that. I can make it home to..." She trailed off with the boom of thunder and the sudden pattering of rain on the windows.
 
He gazed at the window and chuckled."Seems fate has other plans, come" he stated, placing a hand on her lower back and ushering her along towards the kitchen, pulling out a chair for her as he set a large iron kettle on the stove and grabbed two large porcelain mugs, placing the tea leaves in the bottom for when the water was ready."So tell me little one, what's your name, where are you from?" he asked.
 
She sat down and folded her hands in her lap, looking up at him. "They call me Rune," she said with a smile. "And I'm from the Elf City, Ledora, just past the mountains to the north," She looked down at her hands. "Elders kicked me out because I wasn't like the rest of the children. I've been living in this city for the past...hmm....three years now," she said said looking up at him.
 
"So, you've got no home?" he said curiously, pouring the boiling water into the cups and letting the tea steep as he brought the mugs over."I don't see how a young girl like you can survive out on the streets alone, especially in a city like this" he stated."You must be either a child prodigy with magic, or more than meets the eye" he stated with a smile.
 
"I'm living with an elderly man who lost his wife recently in exchange for taking care of his house," she said as she leaned back in the chair a little. "I'm actually not very good with magic...yet. I practice a lot though. I can only do little things." she added as she looked down at her hands.
 
He slid the cup of tea across the table to her and smiled."Show me?" he asked with an interested tone, stirring and sipping his own tea."I've never even seen small magic used before in my time, I've only ever read about it" he explained.
 
She actually blushed a little and took the tea. She took a sip from it and put it back down. "It's really nothing special. The most I can do is light a candle, or move things around, and I can make a pen write for me while I'm no where near a piece of paper which actually comes in handy for taking notes. Oh and I can change the color of things too, I can show you that." She put her hand over the teacup and seemed to concentrate for a moment, the color of the cup changing to dark purple before fading into light purple, to dark again and then the two shades of purple swirling together before the color of the up went back to normal. "Just little tricks."
 
He gazed on with utter fascination at her talents."Well that's a lot more than most can do!" he stated with a smirk."I think If you could find a good tutor, you'd excel in leaps and bounds my dear" he stated, swigging his Tea."Are you hungry?, I've got some soup leftover from early if you'd like some" he offered, brushing the hair from his eyes as he leaned on an elbow atop the table."You do fascinate me to no end Rune.It's like a mystery book" he stated.
 
She blushed a little and waved her hand. "No No. I'm good. I ate before I left this evening. I am really sorry about breaking and disturbing you. I know I should have just asked but I didn't know if you'd let me in or not," she said as she kept sipping at the tea. "Thank you, I really appreciate you not just throwing me out and giving me a place to stay for the night.
 
He chuckled and nodded."Well, I'm off to bed, I'll see you in the morning sometime,If there's anything you need don't hesitate to wake me" he stated, standing up and stretching with a yawn before he shuffled along."You can use the bed in the guest room if you like" he stated, crawling out of the kitchen and back up the stairs to his own room.
 
It took a little bit of time of wandering around, but she finally found the guest room and slipped inside, shutting the door before letting her appearance fade. She let out a sigh, she had almost lost concentration five times, she would have been in trouble if she didn't catch it before anything showed. She began to undress, her skin white like bleached bone, her hair short and silvery in color falling just past her jawline in one wave and her eyes white. If anyone found out what she was she would be in trouble, changelings weren't well liked in any society because of how they weed themselves in, switching their children with the child of another, only to be hated and ridiculed once puberty started and the powers set in, taking on the pale appearance.

She brushed through her hair with her fingers and crawled into bed, though it was a whole lot nicer than the one she slept in normally each night. She fell asleep quickly, with the blankets pulled up over her head.
 
Morning rose and the rooster in the neighbors house right beside began to caw, rousing the scholar irritably.With a growl he sat up and rummaged around his drawer, removing the blackpowder pistol inside.He opened the window and took aim before pulling the trigger, silencing the rooster permanently before slamming the window shut.With a sigh he began to change from his sleeping garments, putting on his usual bagged attire, it was always more comfortable studying nude but with someone in the household, a tunic and trousers would suffice.

Grumbling he strode down the stairs, bumping into walls and the like in his semi-awake state, grunting as he slid into the kitchen and flopped down, sitting in the silence to get a grip before starting on Tea.
 
There was the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs as she came down. She wandered into the kitchen, eyes shut. She stood in the doorway, her long blonde hair a curly mess and wearing her under-dress with one of the large pillows hugged to her chest. She blinked at him for a moment, eyes not really showing through her eyelashes, then opened her eyes to look at him with her blue eyes before rubbing one with her hand. "Did someone shoot the rooster?" she asked, sounding still very much asleep herself.
 
"Yeah, I think the folks across the street did" he fibbed as he began to steep two cups of tea."Sleep well?" he asked, bags under his eyes as he yawned.He himself had a rather poor sleep, dreams of white hair and pale skin had filled his head, very vague images and not much to make sense of so he'd stuffed it aside."I'll have breakfast going in a minute or two" he stated as he rummaged around the cupboards for something to put together, though It'd likely be sugared oats again, he didn't have much money to go to market with.
 
She nodded to him and took a seat. "Yes I did, thank you very much. I haven't gotten to sleep in a bed that nice in a long time," she said and rested her chin in her palm. She yawned and closed her eyes again. For just a second she seemed to get a little paler, but quickly shook her hair, skin seeming normal again. "I'll leave shortly, I don't think you want me in your hair all the time," she added.
 
He laughed a bit as he flopped down in the chair across from her."Oh nonsense, I rather enjoy your company.Besides you haven't even glanced through a fraction of my collection yet" he stated with a yawn."I've got a few errands to run but I'll be back.Feel free to help yourself to anything in my home" he stated as he took his mug of tea along with him.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom