[PRP] all very scientific (Jordan & Horace & Gloom)

[The Semblance of Unity]

"I... I'm okay. Just startled." Slowly and shakily, Horace began to unfold himself from his position on the floor. "Thought you were a ghost and ghost don't... touch people." He shot an apologetic look at Jordan and mouthed 'sorry'. He felt stupid.

"Why're you in the library?"

prolixity

azuredreams

 

[prolixity]

Jordan suppressed the urge to offer Horace a hand up, since he'd been waved back only moments ago. He nodded slightly in response to the silent apology; he wasn't going to make a big deal out of it. "We're okay," he told Gloom. "It's fine." A small smile. "You finding the books you wanted?"

azuredreams

The Semblance of Unity

 

[azuredreams]

"Gloom is sorry," he responded again, ears still flat to his head, and white eyes peering up at the two of them. Gloom was the very picture of upset marten, complete with tell wrapped around his body. If he could be smaller, he would be.

"Gloom is being taught to read and wanted to get more books to read that are not pictures. There's lots of word books here."

The Semblance of Unity

Prolixity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Learning to read is good, but should you be taking books from here? I mean it's... kinda stealing." He frowned at the little pine marten. Gloom looked so small and upset and Horace felt guilt joined the uncomfortable mix of emotions swirling through him. He pasted on a smile he didn't quite feel yet. "Unless, of course, you can bring them back later."

He paused. "Wait, how are you even going to take books?" Gloom was just, well, kind of small for book carrying. Now that he was looking at Gloom, while decidedly not of this plain, he wasn't really scary. It probably helped that after a panic attack, nothing could really phase him for a short while, an odd short of numbing effect.

azuredreams

prolixity

 

[prolixity]

"We did ask if there was anyone here," Jordan said reassuringly. Gloom looked so crestfallen, not threatening in the least, and Jordan had the distinct impression that the shadow creature had just been trying to play along. "Not your fault we weren't ready for the answer." He glanced sideways to Horace, hoping that his friend wouldn't mind that.

"There are a lot of word books here," he agreed. "Most of them are pretty hard, though." He studied Gloom for a moment. "Is someone helping you?" Being taught to read implied someone teaching, after all. Had Gloom's teacher suggested this library as a good place to borrow books? It was a surreal and faintly comical thought. The shadow marten couldn't exactly walk in during business hours and use a library card. It was very unlikely that Gloom had a student ID to use.

azuredreams

The Semblance of Unity

 

[azuredreams]

Gloom made a rumbling noise in his throat. "Gloom is not stealing books. He can read them in the library, thank you very much."

Horace was officially on the list. Jordan was not and therefore he was infinitely more awesome. "... a Noble is helping Gloom learn to read," he offered, though it was not an exact answer.

"Gloom finished the books he was given and wanted to look at more before he went back for more lessons. Gloom is learning to read to others!"

The Semblance of Unity

gloom watchin' u

Prolixity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Gloom's sulkiness actually made him smile a bit. Jordan's answer was ignored as the attempt to placate Gloom it was. He shrugged. Horace did appreciate that Jordan hadn't tried to touch him; he wondered if he could somehow express that in a non=idiotic way. Probably not. He was used to people continually trying to touch him in an attempt to comfort or calm and boy howdy did it never work.

"Well, you aren't even technically supposed to be here, Gloom." Neither were they. "But I was gonna offer you some of my books at home since I've so many, you know, to keep.... but..." The majority of Horace's books were shitty romance novels (especially historical romance), and he'd had a few years of nothing to do but read.

"What'd you mean, a noble?" The word seemed odd. Horace hoped it was like some kind of ghostly baron.

azuredreams

prolixity

 

[prolixity]

They weren't really supposed to be here either, but Jordan had no idea whether Gloom would know that or not. He suppressed a smile. "I think we're all fans of books here," he commented. "Have you got people to read to?"

Horace had asked what a noble was, so Jordan didn't have to; he listened with interest for the answer.

The Semblance of Unity

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Gloom has permission," he replied archly, even though his voice was definitely still soft and sweet, "but thinks y'two do not." So onto you Horace. Also he had no interest in books from someone who accused him of thievery when he hadn't even got to that point yet.

His tail swished and he disappeared from being at their feet with a scitter of noise. The shadow marten reappeared on an empty spot on a bookshelf, visible now. "Gloom likes books," he spoke to Jordan with a happy chirp, "and has friends he can read to."

Still ... "Nobles are Noble. Like at a Court." It was almost as if he was squinting at the two of them back and forth. "... y'not a player character but he is," he said as he spoke to Horace but then nose pointed at Jordan.

Prolixity

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Oh, yeah? Permission from who?" Horace blinked and Gloom moved, quite quickly. It was vaguely disconcerting.

He opened his mouth to ask more about the noble, then closed it as Gloom continued. A frown crossed his face. "...Okay, then what am I - chump change?" Maybe he was an NPC, he thought - that'd make sense considering the rest of his life.

prolixity

azuredreams

 

[prolixity]

Jordan couldn't help laughing, though he turned it into a cough. Busted. He suspected that Gloom wasn't about to tattle on them, though. "Do you only come out at night?" That would make sense, given that the little creature appeared to be literally made of shadow.

"Like the Court at the ball?" he asked, more seriously, a small concerned line appearing between his eyebrows. He glanced again at Horace, wondering if his friend knew anything about the other things. He didn't think the guy had been at the ball, but they'd all been masked and Jordan had been distracted, so it was very possible he could have been and Jordan had just not seen him. " ... Player character? Like in a game or something?"

That was an unsettling thought. The idea that the whole world could be some kind of unreal simulation wasn't exactly a new one, but it wasn't a comforting one in the least.

The Semblance of Unity

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Y'still sleeping," he told Horace. "Gloom is a non-player character and, yes, like in a game but not. Y'not in a magic box, y'caged."

Glowing eyes flicked between the two of them before he sniffed once more at the air. "Gloom doesn't like light but Gloom can be out during the day." The question about the Court is, rather pointedly, ignored.

Which is probably enough of an answer.

The Semblance of Unity

Prolixity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

He opened his mouth to retort that he didn't feel tired, but then closed it. Clearly, the weird like ferret-y ghost wasn't talking about that type of sleeping. Instead, he looked at Jordan. "The sleeper has awakened-" He wiggled his fingers. "You are the kwisatz haderach." An entirely stupid joke which also revealed that Horace did, in fact, read more than just romance novels. Or that he just watched sci-fi movies.

He glanced at Jordan again, making a note to ask him about the 'court' later. Clearly, Jordan was pulled up into this spooky business more than Hroace had thought. "What do you mean by cage?"

prolixity

azuredreams

 

[prolixity]

"The spice must flow," Jordan replied, straight-faced. Never let it be said that he could resist dumb jokes.

His question about the court was ignored, which probably meant that the answer was yes. So Gloom was somehow involved with that, even if it was only peripherally. "Should we expect to see you around more?" Jordan asked curiously. It was a possibility, if Gloom was going to be lurking around the college campus.

azuredreams

The Semblance of Unity

 

[azuredreams]

If it was possible for Gloom to wrinkle his nose up, he was doing so. "Y'shouldn't poke y'nose into some of this stuff while y'sleeping ..." He looked over to Jordan. "Y'gonna keep him safe if he gets caught?

"Gloom is always around, y'just can't always see Gloom." Which meant, yes, they should probably expect him to be around more.

The Semblance of Unity

Prolixity