Enter...The Dragon

[aloongstory]

A somewhat small but athletic, dark-haired man in a light parka( newly acquired, from the look of it) and running gear moves about the Library, gathering up a pile of books and setting them on one of the tables. There's an odd fluidity to his movements and he seems a somehow just bit faster in everything he does than most people. A glance at the titles suggests he's interested chiefly in a rather specific pair of subjects: Dragons (& other mythological creatures), and Human Apotheosis, though he's also picked up one slim volume on 'How to Harness ESP & PK Abilities'. After a while, he sits down and begins to study, making a few notes on things that appear to catch his interest in a small journal. It's fairly clear, though, he's not finding exactly what he's looking for, and he soon hails a librarian. "Excuse me, do you by any chance have any books like these,"---indicating his bookpile with a wave of his hand---"From a...non-human perspective?" Then, perceiving a possible problem with this request, he adds, "...In English or Chinese?"


That request attended to, he sits down near a group of other library patrons and asks, musingly, "Have you ever found out something very surprising about yourself, or your world? How did you deal with it?"

Comments

[hellsadvisor]

Belial had been looking for books on the species found in the Nexus for one of his ongoing projects. It would prove to be extensive and he wanted to read up on the known information before spring arrived.

He was as usual, attired in jeans, boots, and a dress shirt all in black. Pale skinned and long black hair pulled back his most unusual features were his large oily black wings and white eyes. Belial was blind but it didn't hinder him much by this point. Wings tucked in close so as not to bump anyone he brought his own two books over to sit down and read.

Opening the book, the black hawk jumped down from his shoulder to the table and perused the pages. Nychta was is eyes and, though at first it had startled people a little, he spent so much time in the library that no one really noticed any longer.

He hears the question, head cocking toward the sound, as the hawk looks quizzically at the speaker who has taken a seat almost directly across from them.

"Always." He responds placidly. "There's always something new and surprising to deal with and each instance needs its own response."

[silverseamariner]

"Well!" A large bird-creature looks up from the map she is studying, approvingly noticing the stack of books beside the stranger. "You're quite the scholar! It's a pleasure to meet you. Now, as for your question..."

Captain skekSa is a more frequent visitor to the Grand Library than would be expected whenever she visits the inhabited Nexus, and a striking one given her clothing and her size. Most of what she reads is nonfiction - books of marine biology, medicine, and charts, mostly. As an explorer, she's curious about the seas of other worlds, some of which she may want to visit someday.

"For me," the Mariner says after a moment's thought, "it was how much better sailing the Silver Sea was than serving the Emperor in the Castle of the Crystal. My brethren are a withered, sorry lot, but I have kept my plumage and my health." She refuses on principle to use the Crystal's power, which she feels has contributed to her vitality compared to most of her kind.

[not_the_question]

Today, the Doctor was in a pullover, a holey sweater and his blue Crumby jacket. As always, he also wore his dark blue trousers and Doc Martens boots.


The Doctor had more books in the TARDIS than he knew what to do with. Books from all across his universe. Point was - his universe. The Nexus, being what it is, he couldn't pass up the chance to see books from other universes. What was interesting to him was that Earth languages, by and large, were similar no matter what universe the book was from.

But some of the topics were... unique. He had found such a book and had settled into a chair to read it. Not long after, a young man stood near his chair and asked some questions. He took in the pile of books. He was tempted to comment on them, but the man spoke first. He put his finger between two pages to mark his place and closed the book around it.

"Several different ways I can answer that question. Care to get more specific?"

[sumarusfinest]

While new faces in the Nexus are hardly new, it's the rather specific avenue of book titles that draws this late thirties Japanese man in a crisp grey suit to linger and observe rather than continuing on to his place of business.

The follow up question feels all too familiar.

"The sort of thing one can't un-know once discovered, perhaps?" He touches at one of the books giving an overview of traditional Chinese creatures in folklore lightly with the tips of his fingers before pulling away to make eye contact. "Something that might perhaps change one's entire world view...?"

[joblin]

"What kind of thing?" Peter looks genuinely confused, or maybe he's just wondering if the man was asking him specifically.