The Archive

“Perhaps this is all a dream! Imagine! Me! In your dreams! I’m flattered! Though, not hugely flattered, as you don’t know my name. That’s unfortunate. Ah well, names in dreams don’t tend to stick anyway, do they?”

“Conversation varies not only from person to person, but from person to animal, person to plant, country to country. I can help you narrow down if you explain to me who it is you want to communicate to.”

“...No. You didn’t ask me very nicely.”

“You may ask. But I may not tell you. And that answer may be good enough for you, or it may not be. You’re not very talented at this whole ‘introductory question’ business, are you?”

“Implying you asked. How can there be an ‘again’ when there was not a ‘first’? Perhaps what you need is a book on basic conversation.”

“For...research.”

The librarian repeated, as if listening to a joke, letting the words wash over him.

“...Right.”

The librarian complied, fetching a book and setting it down on the counter in front of the stranger, eyes half lidded with disinterest.

‘THE GODS AND THEIR DIVINE STORIES’ Translated by Aelius Bronst, 100:Crow

‘THE CALTAN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MEDICINAL DRUGS AND THEIR EFFECTS’ by Larelius Crudanil, 400:Crown.