Try Looking Deeper.

Things were bizarre everywhere people went – not like this though. Nothing in the wasteland had even been so pristine. It was unnerving how clean everything was. That was all Six could really focus on for a long while. Eyes skimmed across the words on the spines of books, on the strange shadows that appeared to be ducking out of the way to give her more than enough space to browse.

As much as she wanted to leave, she was also absolutely enamored with the idea she got to explore this. Still, Six was scared to touch anything, like her meddling would cause a great mess or have things toppling over like an badly stacked house of cards.

Bringing it back – like a real old world library. She nodded respectfully before taking a few steps forward, peering down the aisles of bookshelves. Something in her had her feeling watched, but whether it was Odelia or someone else Six wasn’t rightly sure. Maybe it was herself and the pressure she felt from the fact she wanted to read everything in here.

All she knew was during one of her turns into a more sparse set of shelves, a rather nondescript book caught her eye. It wasn’t all that decorated compared to some of the others, but that didn’t mean it had been plain. Something in it’s simple design made it looking surprisingly sleek. Unlike the other books, the ones that she had read the spines of as she ran her fingertips along them, Six hadn’t read this one at all, not until she found Odelia again.

“Have you read this one?”

Odelia was easy to locate from her gentle humming, and the wheeling sound of her cart as she mulled through sections to put books back. The strange dark corners of the library seemed to come closer to her, clinging to the bottom of her sweater and muffling the sound of her shoes on the floor. 

But she turned with a smile, and opened a hand for the book. Once she had it, Odelia bit her lip thoughtfully. “Harmonics Mundi,” she murmured. “Johannes Keppler. That’s... an interesting book to find you. It’s a bit heady, but maybe there’s a reason you picked it, yes? It’s about... harmony in geometrical shapes. The Third Law of Planetary Motion...”  

“History?” Curie was intrigued. While she had stayed in her metaphorical lane and sought out medical texts and science books like it was the only thing keeping her going, she’d hardly batted an eye at history books. The history she’d missed trapped in 81 wasn’t written down, definitely had not been transcribed anywhere, and now she was looking to making a brighter future for the Commonwealth.

“My apologies, if I had known I would run into you, I would ‘ave checked to see if I had any such topics at home.”

The synth blinked. Had that meant to be a compliment, because to Curie it sure sounded like one. Her cheeks flushed and she quickly ducked her head to try and hide it. She was merely being silly, misunderstanding non-synths.

“Both.” She answered truthfully. “But aren’t we all science, to a degree? An amazing tapestry of cells. What about you, Mademoiselle? Are you perhaps a history buff who will keep the Commonwealth from repeating its past mistakes?”

Odelia had a habit of letting her thoughts out before they fully formed into something more socially acceptable than the buzzing in her brain; now wasn’t an exception. She could read an aura of something... inorganic. Something robotic. But she’d be rude to ask further, and instead leave another mystery to mull about later. Instead, she’d smile at the little blush, her cheeks going round.

Yes, she was fully capable of handling herself.  Aiden trusted in that, but he didn’t want to embroil her into any unnecessary danger.  But she seemed confident enough and he respected her too much to undermine that. 

Instead he bowed his head with a sigh.  “Then I would gladly accept your help if you’re offerin’.  Heaven knows I’m completely outta my depth.” Not to mention what he was could be perceived as some sort of threat.   

Yes, he was no where near as unstable as his twin but the same fire still burned in his blood as it did hers.

“It’ll just be a matter of social weight,” Odelia sighed. She was already taking out her phone to send a quick message or two-- not that Russo tended to answer quickly, but it was best that he knew before she made any political moves. “I’ll keep an eye out around the hospital-- when whoever it is shows up, I’ll take care of it.”

Six only watched for a second, not because she was hesitant to follow, but more like it only felt right to. This seemed… important. Different than the other kind of oddities that could be found all across the ruined hellscape that had been at one point America. Six took a deep breath, and followed after Odelia.

She wanted to ask a whole slew of questions, like who else there could be books about, why the librarian cared to keep the books on what Six would politely call a bunch of hogwash. Perhaps to preserve history – most likely that. It seemed prudent to be silent, to observe for now and ask questions later. No doubt she was going to have plenty to ask.

It was like a gradual transition to another world. The hallway Odelia led her through was cleaner, and the room beyond that cleaner still. She opened a door with a key on a ring under her blouse, then oddly enough closed it again, locked it, unlocked it, and opened it yet again before proceeding through.

This room was cleaner still, though dark and gloomy, with tall wooden shelves only just beginning to splinter. They were half stacked with books, separated generously, labeled with hanging papers and placards.  It was a library; a true library.

He wasn’t going to argue there.  She was far more knowledgeable in this arena than him.  He dealt with the living rather than the undead, even with his parents peculiar connections.  But Aiden wasn’t one to involve those who weren’t already in his own problems. 

He had his oaths to keep, yes, but he didn’t expect anybody else to abide by the same. 

“Is it gonna get you into trouble?” 

Odelia’s shrug was notably calm; she was a practical woman who knew her odds, and hopefully it was reassuring enough. “It depends on the kindred in question, really. If they’re of a higher status than me? Maybe. But we shouldn’t forget, I’m not exactly a neonate, and I can hold my own in a territory dispute.”

And she had friends in high places-- most notably the heir to the Princeship. 

The synth smiled brightly at the woman as she gave a gentle shake. She didn’t want to make either of them drop their books. The synth glanced from the woman’s face to the books in the stranger’s arms. It was a relief she didn’t appear to be collecting them just to burn them. Finally, a somewhat kindred spirit. Maybe.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Mademoiselle Morgan,” Curie’s expression brightened tenfold at the mention of books. “The settlement I usually reside in has no more books on the sciences. I am eager to find new material to further my knowledge. What about you? Are you looking for books of a particular genre or topic?” 

“Sciences?” Another moment of staring had Odelia thinking for a moment that should’ve been obvious. She wasn’t sure why, but there was something in the woman’s aura that suggested a technical genius.

Odelia turned back to the shelf she was rummaging through, but spoke over her shoulder. “History, largely. Local history, everything from politics to local legends. But I’m open to whatever books find me first.”

It wasn’t as if there were limitless options here, but compared to what was usually out in the Wasteland it might as well have been. Six couldn’t rightly choose, she thought. Though she’d never really heard of the latter subject.

“Like that Jesus fella?” The question might have sounded a touch ignorant, but she’d never really heard of the subject before, “Somebody gave me some o’ that scripture from his book awhile back. I read ‘em all, but… Does he really fill up a whole section?”

Odelia couldn’t help a little smile. “I have a few books on him, but... no. Not just him.”

She might’ve thought better of it later, but Odelia tended to trust her hunches, the aura she could gather on this woman telling her enough about what to expect. Besides, this place would protect her if it came to it.

“A breach is the last risk I’d like t’contend with.” 

He had been afraid of the conclusion but wasn’t surprised by it.  He didn’t tend to like confrontation if he could help it although he wasn’t afraid to defend if necessary.  Pacifist he might be, defenseless he was not.  

“Not your fault. I owe y’actually.  Y’solved my mystery ailment.  Now I gotta come up with the cure.  I appreciate it.“  He lead the way back to his office.  In his mind he had no choice to leave things as they were.  He was sworn to help any sick or injured person that came to him, for better or worse and he intended on sticking to that oath. 

“I can’t just let things lie the way they are, not when I might be able t’do somethin’ about it.” 

Odelia gave him a pointed look with a nod and a shrug. She didn’t want to lead him, but obviously these things happened all the time. Still, it he cared about this patient, the answer was clear.

“Maybe I could help with that,” Six offered, proud to be able to, “I’ve fixed a thing or two in my time… Ain’t got a lot of experience with restorin’ books, but I’m a pretty quick learner… ‘r at least I’m good at findin’ what you might need.” While she normally spoke in half truths and false pleasantries, this was an entirely sincere offer. If it made things a little bit better, then that was plenty reason enough.

Back in the day people had borrowed books – Raul had explained the concept to her once in a dry and drawn out metaphor. The novelty was … kind of neat, in a way. It made Six smile, “Maybe, actually – not quite sure what I’m lookin’ for. I’ll probably take you up on that offer sometime. You got any recommendations?”

Odelia peered down her nose at Six through her glasses-- the offer was intriguing, and fairly unexpected. She had to ruminate on it for a bit, still silently.

“I’ve heard raiders try to disguise themselves on occasion to trick settlers,” Curie looked over the woman once more, “But you do not act like a raider so,” The synth smiled brightly. “Sorry for the poor reception.” 

Curie let out a soft, albeit self-conscious, laugh. “Apologies, sarcasm is sometimes hard for me to catch. And I am a bit surprised to see someone else out so late at night. You do have a weapon to protect yourself with, yes? In case you run into someone dangerous–not that I am dangerous, I do not want to hurt anyone, but–” Curie sighed. “Excuse me, let me start over.” 

She shifted the books to one arm, extending her free hand to the woman to shake. “I’m Curie. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mademoiselle. Sorry if I startled you,” 

Odelia still watched her carefully, hesitantly. Maybe this woman was just more perceptive than most people, or maybe Odelia hadn’t been paying good enough attention to how well she was sneaking. 

She wasn’t armed, at least not armed well-- just a knife, and that was probably foolish, but the librarian had a way of avoiding conflict. 

Aiden grimaced at the news.  Not that he didn’t believe her because he did.  She knew what she was talking about in this case.  It just made things that much harder for him because the cause of his patient’s ‘illness’ was from an outside source that he had no control over.  

“That’s…not the news I really wanted t’hear.” He reached up as if to run his hand through his curl, recalled they were tied back and dropped his hand again.  “Any suggestions on what can be done for her?”  Being in the hospital didn’t protect this girl from a predator; not when so many of them could simply manipulate the minds around them to keep from being seen. 

“Short of personally goin’ out and findin’ this person and havin’ a little chat.  Which, I have t’say, I prefer not t’do.” Vampires didn’t frighten him any, not with his background, but he wasn’t stupid.  They were dangerous and required the caution and respect any hazardous creature required.

The look she gave him at the mention of confronting the other vampire was tense, her teeth over her lip as she stared at him in a silent sentence; it’s probably going to come to that. 

“Well, the alternative is either hiding her, which is begging for a masqurade breach if the other vampire comes looking, or me claiming her for myself, which is going to be a territory dispute.”

The various friendly settlements in the Commonwealth only held so many books that could be considered ‘educational’, and of those that were educational, even fewer still were related to the sciences. It was time for Curie to venture out of her comfort zone and to see if there happened to be any bookstores that hadn’t been completely ransacked as fuel for fires or other projects. 

In the midst of the night, Curie had expected to be by herself, surely no one else was as willing to chase down books this late at night other than herself. But movement was caught in her peripheral vision, and Curie paused, books in both hands as she approached the unknown individual. Some part of the synth recalled advice she’d been given before, at the very least have her weapon ready before approaching a possible threat, but…her beloved laser rifle remained holstered in placed not a hand rested upon it. 

“You’re not a raider, are you, Mademoiselle?” Curie’s tone was laced with surprise and bewilderment, “I only shoot raiders.” 

Odelia stared through her glasses with pursed lips, then opened her arms enough to glance down at herself-- dressed in a skirt and a blouse, with no weapon in sight. The next look she sent was sarcastic. “If I was, I think I wouldn’t be well dressed for the job...”

Six only replied to her gratitude with a courteous smile. That was answer enough. Did it count as stealing if she hadn’t known the place had belonged to somebody? That was a technicality that wasn’t worth voicing. The point was she hadn’t taken anything yet, and it had been a good thing she hadn’t it seemed, even though she badly wanted it to.

It wasn’t worth doing right now. Not when the stranger had been nothing but amiable. Six folded her hands in front of her, clearly visible as a sign of good intentions… not that they’d ever been bad.

“So I take it you’ve been here for awhile, then,” a pointed avoidance. This woman was certainly smart enough to pick up on it, but Six kept moving forward all the same, “I’m all kinds of shook up to see a place like this – most the time when I find books they’ve been ruined by time, or something ‘r other. I’m sure it don’t get too borin’ with so much readin’ material.”

Odelia knew it was a dodge, but she was about as easily distracted as she was fairly good at gauging people-- this woman was slippery, maybe, but she didn’t seem ready to blow her head off over a pre-war magazine.

Something softened in Odelia’s face then, something almost touched. She didn’t often get praise for doing her work. “I’ve read a lot of them. I’m trying to restore the rest, but-- I don’t have a lot of restoration tools....”

Aiden considered for a long careful moment.  While her occasional visits were largely ignored, something he never asked about, he knew that a visit to see his patient was a different case.  

Still, he could probably make it work without making her go through any extra effort to cover her tracks.  “I’m fairly certain of her answer but give me five t’go through the motions by askin’ if she’ll be willin’ t’have one of my colleagues have a look at her.  If nothin’ else it’ll cover any suspicions that might crop up.”   

Yes, it was late beyond what most people would view normal consulting hours but beyond that, there wasn’t anything strange about it asking for help.   He took himself out of the room but true to his word, wasn’t gone for long. 

“Caught her before her next dose. We’ll see if she’s still awake by the time we get back t’her.”  He led Odelia down a few halls to the room of a brunette.  The steady beep of a heart monitor drowned out the shallow breathing of the girl.  

Odelia seemed to fit in fairly well here in the hospital despite not wearing any scrubs or coat of the staff, although to some looking at her she might have been. Her powers of mental manipulation were subtle; just enough to dampen any memory of her, just enough to impart the idea that she was nothing to worry about. It came in useful in times like these, even though she did technically had the qualifications to be there.

The woman regarded the other in the bed, her chin tilted up for a few moments as she took a deep breath-- subtly checking scent. Only then did Odelia walk up with a reassuring smile and a few words. It was only a few questions, subtle and quiet, and a quick check of her heart. 

Only when the patient started falling asleep did Odelia turn back to Aiden with a thin line of her lips. 

“Feel free.”  Honestly Aiden would take any lead he could from a source he trusted and he trusted Odelia.  Pulling the lab work up he stepped back to let her look it over.  

“Her iron count is low, but not to the point of requirin’ intervention yet.  I’ve been a bit hesitant t’act on it simply because I don’t know what I’m dealin’ with and I’d rather not make things worse by fixin’ something that isn’t broke.”

Odelia stepped close to take hold of the papers, squinting at the numbers. She may not have been the type of medical doctor he was so she wasn’t as versed in reading charts like this, but she figured it out well enough.

Six found it interesting; watching the stranger work on categorizing derelict shelves was fascinating. Her outfit even more so, and Six made a mental note she wanted to wear something like that someday, too. There was something about the strange that enamored Six – why she always ran headlong into the unconventional. It felt like a better fit.

At the question, she grinned, “I suppose the fella who wrote this column ain’t alive to protest anymore… Who are you then?” The magazine was closed, and Six felt the compulsion to put it back where it belonged. Anywhere else and she wouldn’t have bothered, since cleaning in the abandoned buildings no one seemed to inhabit was nothing but a fool’s errand. Here though… here it seemed better to.

“I’m Six. It’s nice to have a little company for the time bein’.”

Who are you? She stopped to regard Six for a few moments, adjusted her glasses, and gave a delicate smile. 

“Odelia Morgan,” she answered softly. There was more to the question than Six posed, she could tell that much. “I’m... taking care of this place. Or I’m trying to.”

Odelia didn’t often venture out of her own territory, but when she did it was to collect books. Thankfully there was an old bookstore not too far, and it was a clear enough night for a little adventure.

She wasn’t expecting another to intrude, though... or to notice her. Usually people didn’t. Odelia had a stack of papers in hand and lifted her light to see another woman.