...a person’s mind is their most precious weapon.

She removes her spectacles from the bridge of her nose as she turns to properly regard them—now with a much softer gaze—allowing them to hang loosely on a chain about their neck. "Truly nothing that need worry you Ser, though I do appreciate the concern. I simply have a propensity toward becoming engrossed with my work; in this case, pondering the possibility of a new filing system." A small smile graces her lips.

“Yes…well, I am Messer Etienne. I have of late found myself caught up in strange business which has left me…unsettled. You may find this odd coming from a knight, but since I was young, I’ve taken a degree of solace in stories of chivalry, adventure, and romance.”

He blushed a bit, boyishly, despite the gray in his hair and beard.

Her brow furrows in hearing they've been disquieted as of late, but her expression morphs into a warm smile as they continue. "I can assure you there's no wrong way to enjoy a story, Messer Etienne!"

She starts off down an aisle between the vast shelves, motioning for them to follow. The librarian is muttering to herself as they weave. "Now then, you'll have read of Lancelot and Perceval..."

After a moment, they gesture toward a shelf to the pair's left. "Most of my chivalric romances will be here, though there are a few shelved alongside the histories due to their age." They shift their weight from one foot to the other, internally debating whether they should ask. Unsurprisingly, the side of Inquiry wins out in the end. "Perhaps it's no business of mine," she murmurs, fidgeting absently with the delicate chain around her neck, "but you asked of me the same, and after I'd scolded you as if you were a child no less—" She cuts the thought short. Rambling again.

She said those names as if they were a commonplace! Could something more of my past be here?

He smiled broadly, “One of my favorites. I would love to reacquaint myself with it.”

As for my troubles, let me read for a while and collect my thoughts. I’ve met a number of odd folk and seen things I’d thought impossible ever since I traveled to Bloodhaven.”

He looked at Saphron, noted her hair and ears, Speaking of odd folk. Striking, though.

“You seem quite knowledgeable, and I need knowledge. I will call on you at your desk later.”

She nods in understanding. She can relate to the need to take a moment to gather one's thoughts before speaking them aloud.

"Do take your time. I take pride in my knowledge of the texts in these walls. I'll be here should you need anything."

He examined the images. The armor looked old and outdated, so the illumination was decades, perhaps a century old.

He considered. The journey to Bloodhaven had been simple until it hadn’t. When Jalon saved him from the poisoning, it was as if a veil fell from his eyes. Things, events, even people who he’d seen as perfectly ordinary weren’t. The librarian for instance.

She blinks up at Messer Etienne as he makes his presence known. "Maps? I happen to have quite a few just here." She underlines something on the page before standing to round the desk. "I assume you'd prefer the more recently charted ones," she steps toward the nearest shelf to the pair, "but I do also have several outdated examples, tied with red string to denote their inaccuracy."

She removes her spectacles from the bridge of her nose as she turns to properly regard them—now with a much softer gaze—allowing them to hang loosely on a chain about their neck. "Truly nothing that need worry you Ser, though I do appreciate the concern. I simply have a propensity toward becoming engrossed with my work; in this case, pondering the possibility of a new filing system." A small smile graces her lips.

“Yes…well, I am Messer Etienne. I have of late found myself caught up in strange business which has left me…unsettled. You may find this odd coming from a knight, but since I was young, I’ve taken a degree of solace in stories of chivalry, adventure, and romance.”

He blushed a bit, boyishly, despite the gray in his hair and beard.

Her brow furrows in hearing they've been disquieted as of late, but her expression morphs into a warm smile as they continue. "I can assure you there's no wrong way to enjoy a story, Messer Etienne!"

She starts off down an aisle between the vast shelves, motioning for them to follow. The librarian is muttering to herself as they weave. "Now then, you'll have read of Lancelot and Perceval..."

After a moment, they gesture toward a shelf to the pair's left. "Most of my chivalric romances will be here, though there are a few shelved alongside the histories due to their age." They shift their weight from one foot to the other, internally debating whether they should ask. Unsurprisingly, the side of Inquiry wins out in the end. "Perhaps it's no business of mine," she murmurs, fidgeting absently with the delicate chain around her neck, "but you asked of me the same, and after I'd scolded you as if you were a child no less—" She cuts the thought short. Rambling again.

She said those names as if they were a commonplace! Could something more of my past be here?

He smiled broadly, “One of my favorites. I would love to reacquaint myself with it.”

As for my troubles, let me read for a while and collect my thoughts. I’ve met a number of odd folk and seen things I’d thought impossible ever since I traveled to Bloodhaven.”

He looked at Saphron, noted her hair and ears, Speaking of odd folk. Striking, though.

“You seem quite knowledgeable, and I need knowledge. I will call on you at your desk later.”

She nods in understanding. She can relate to the need to take a moment to gather one's thoughts before speaking them aloud.

"Do take your time. I take pride in my knowledge of the texts in these walls. I'll be here should you need anything."

He examined the images. The armor looked old and outdated, so the illumination was decades, perhaps a century old.

He considered. The journey to Bloodhaven had been simple until it hadn’t. When Jalon saved him from the poisoning, it was as if a veil fell from his eyes. Things, events, even people who he’d seen as perfectly ordinary weren’t. The librarian for instance.

She blinks up at Messer Etienne as he makes his presence known. "Maps? I happen to have quite a few just here." She underlines something on the page before standing to round the desk. "I assume you'd prefer the more recently charted ones," she steps toward the nearest shelf to the pair, "but I do also have several outdated examples, tied with red string to denote their inaccuracy."

Chansonnier cordiforme de Montchenu

"Hm?" She raises her eyebrows.

"Oh! Yes well. I was hired to tend the library as a young adult, but when a local elderly Lord died some time later, an aggressive rival house brought a small army to their gates, claiming a generations-old debt.

I wasn't aware this was occurring until the young heir came to my library, looking for something—anything—to change his luck. Some obscure legal clause, he hoped."

"So young and panic-striken was he, I felt I simply had to help. I bid him bring me stacks of his family's ledgers and estate documents which he had admitted he didn’t know how to decipher."

She smiles fondly at the memory, shaking her head. "I don't think I slept for three days, but I found what I was looking for. A footnoted clause from nearly three centuries prior. Undeniably, the rival house actually owed interest on an ancient grain shipment to the young Lord's House!"

"Does it not tire you to have two jobs? I can't imagine that it's not stressful at times to do both." Did Saphron ever take time for herself? Or did they just work themselves to the point of exhaustion like Jalon did?

Jalon's worrying about their workload and the effect it's having on her health. Pot and kettle...

She breathes a sigh. Yes, it does get to be quite tiring at times. Moreso in the first year while she was working to get the estate finances in order; young Andrew had nearly run himself into bankruptcy for not being able to interpret the land deeds.

"I bring his ledgers with me to the library, so I'm often able complete those reviews when the library is quiet. Reordering or repairing the manuscripts doesn't take terribly long most days."

The road comes out to a small park with benches overlooking a pond, and with trees for shade. A few children are running about, playing a game.

"The figures in the book failed to match the coin on hand," she explains. "In this case, someone had simply written a three that looked a bit too like an eight in a separate document, and it had been recorded that way in the ledger. Once i discovered the error, i was able to assure my client they hadn't mistakenly shorted an employee or been overpaid in a trade by someone who'd be sure to come back looking for their coin."

Small mercies.

"Oh, good." Problem solved and mystery put to bed. "It's good they had you to check behind them. Do you do this often?"

"Hm?" She raises her eyebrows.

"Oh! Yes well. I was hired to tend the library as a young adult, but when a local elderly Lord died some time later, an aggressive rival house brought a small army to their gates, claiming a generations-old debt.

I wasn't aware this was occurring until the young heir came to my library, looking for something—anything—to change his luck. Some obscure legal clause, he hoped."

"So young and panic-striken was he, I felt I simply had to help. I bid him bring me stacks of his family's ledgers and estate documents which he had admitted he didn’t know how to decipher."

She smiles fondly at the memory, shaking her head. "I don't think I slept for three days, but I found what I was looking for. A footnoted clause from nearly three centuries prior. Undeniably, the rival house actually owed interest on an ancient grain shipment to the young Lord's House!"

The side street opens up to a broader walkway, lined with young trees. Alder, they think. The afternoon sun dapples the path before them, shades of green and gold dancing on their skin.

It bothered some people to see it or hear about it, and she hadn't meant to cause them discomfort if she went to far in the conversation. Jalon made a note to draw back a little so she didn't make them go white as a sheet again.

"The figures in the book failed to match the coin on hand," she explains. "In this case, someone had simply written a three that looked a bit too like an eight in a separate document, and it had been recorded that way in the ledger. Once i discovered the error, i was able to assure my client they hadn't mistakenly shorted an employee or been overpaid in a trade by someone who'd be sure to come back looking for their coin."

Saphron hadn't realized until now just how much she had been looking forward to Jalon's visit. Vegetables and books to exchange or no, they're glad to see her.

Gesturing again to the books, she continues "I do have others should you have need, but these are the most recently written in my collection on the topics you requested."

"These will be good to start." Jalon carefully tucked them into her satchel and then looked back to Saphron. "When do you get off? Perhaps we could take a walk to let you stretch your legs?"

She adjusted her grip on her bag. Jalon was thankful that this wasn't too much of an imposition, that they were amenable to spending time together. It would be better to be outside a bit where it was quieter and they could chat than being in the alehouse again. Not that she would be opposed to it if that's what Saphron wanted, but Jalon would rather the quiet.

The fresh summer breeze is a welcome thing—filling her lungs and stirring her hair. A trip to the alehouse is well and good on occasion, but they are glad to not have to shout to be heard.

"One farmer came in after almost removing his foot, however. That was a tedious fix." The tendons had to be realigned before Jalon could attach it with healing magic again. Not all of it was cut off, the cut went about halfway through.

The side street opens up to a broader walkway, lined with young trees. Alder, they think. The afternoon sun dapples the path before them, shades of green and gold dancing on their skin.

Saphron glances at the woman over the top of her spectacles, which have slipped slightly down the bridge of her nose.

"Do let me know if I can be of assistance, dear," she calls, finishing her note on the page.

"I'm pleased I could be the deliverer of such glad news!"

She rounds her desk, gesturing with one hand to the aisle that runs down the center of the room between rows of bookshelves as she explains. "I have nonfiction on the right, fiction on the left, and religion there in the back. At the end of each shelf i have a listed which describes the topics that can be found there."

Saphron smiles fondly, watching her among the shelves. They're a voracious reader in their free time as well, it'd good to see someone so thrilled to visit the library.

Crops. Vegetables. Gardens. Her eyes skip ahead, the organization system making itself known and clear. A book of wildflowers and how best to sing to their unique temperaments. As careful as reaching out for a newborn, fingers slip it as gently as can be into her hands.

A task that can easily be put down and resumed, but one that needs to be done all the same. It's as good a time as any.

Shaking her head slightly she continues to move reverently through. The fiction section also had snagged her - eyes hopping from book to book. So many untold stories just waiting to be picked up and read. Glancing down at the two she holds she smiles. There was no rush. First see what information these have and then next trip something more entertaining.

She gestures for the books to be places on the desk, and takes a moment to make a note in several places within the pages of the large ledger, the date and Sierra's name.

"Return is in two weeks time, but if you'd like a little longer as you practice your candle-making do drop by and let me know. So long as I can make a note that a person hasn't simply forgotten to deliver a tome back to me and assuming someone else isn't asking after it, I'm happy to extend the loan."

She makes a new note, this time on a small card of parchment, writing a date two weeks in the future, and slipping it under the front cover of one of the manuscripts.

Saphron hadn't realized until now just how much she had been looking forward to Jalon's visit. Vegetables and books to exchange or no, they're glad to see her.

Gesturing again to the books, she continues "I do have others should you have need, but these are the most recently written in my collection on the topics you requested."

"These will be good to start." Jalon carefully tucked them into her satchel and then looked back to Saphron. "When do you get off? Perhaps we could take a walk to let you stretch your legs?"

She adjusted her grip on her bag. Jalon was thankful that this wasn't too much of an imposition, that they were amenable to spending time together. It would be better to be outside a bit where it was quieter and they could chat than being in the alehouse again. Not that she would be opposed to it if that's what Saphron wanted, but Jalon would rather the quiet.

The fresh summer breeze is a welcome thing—filling her lungs and stirring her hair. A trip to the alehouse is well and good on occasion, but they are glad to not have to shout to be heard.

Saphron hadn't realized until now just how much she had been looking forward to Jalon's visit. Vegetables and books to exchange or no, they're glad to see her.

Gesturing again to the books, she continues "I do have others should you have need, but these are the most recently written in my collection on the topics you requested."

"These will be good to start." Jalon carefully tucked them into her satchel and then looked back to Saphron. "When do you get off? Perhaps we could take a walk to let you stretch your legs?"

Saphron glances at the woman over the top of her spectacles, which have slipped slightly down the bridge of her nose.

"Do let me know if I can be of assistance, dear," she calls, finishing her note on the page.

"I'm pleased I could be the deliverer of such glad news!"

She rounds her desk, gesturing with one hand to the aisle that runs down the center of the room between rows of bookshelves as she explains. "I have nonfiction on the right, fiction on the left, and religion there in the back. At the end of each shelf i have a listed which describes the topics that can be found there."

Saphron smiles fondly, watching her among the shelves. They're a voracious reader in their free time as well, it'd good to see someone so thrilled to visit the library.

Crops. Vegetables. Gardens. Her eyes skip ahead, the organization system making itself known and clear. A book of wildflowers and how best to sing to their unique temperaments. As careful as reaching out for a newborn, fingers slip it as gently as can be into her hands.

A task that can easily be put down and resumed, but one that needs to be done all the same. It's as good a time as any.

Shaking her head slightly she continues to move reverently through. The fiction section also had snagged her - eyes hopping from book to book. So many untold stories just waiting to be picked up and read. Glancing down at the two she holds she smiles. There was no rush. First see what information these have and then next trip something more entertaining.

She gestures for the books to be places on the desk, and takes a moment to make a note in several places within the pages of the large ledger, the date and Sierra's name.

"Return is in two weeks time, but if you'd like a little longer as you practice your candle-making do drop by and let me know. So long as I can make a note that a person hasn't simply forgotten to deliver a tome back to me and assuming someone else isn't asking after it, I'm happy to extend the loan."

She makes a new note, this time on a small card of parchment, writing a date two weeks in the future, and slipping it under the front cover of one of the manuscripts.

Saphron glances at the woman over the top of her spectacles, which have slipped slightly down the bridge of her nose.

"Do let me know if I can be of assistance, dear," she calls, finishing her note on the page.

"I'm pleased I could be the deliverer of such glad news!"

She rounds her desk, gesturing with one hand to the aisle that runs down the center of the room between rows of bookshelves as she explains. "I have nonfiction on the right, fiction on the left, and religion there in the back. At the end of each shelf i have a listed which describes the topics that can be found there."

Saphron smiles fondly, watching her among the shelves. They're a voracious reader in their free time as well, it'd good to see someone so thrilled to visit the library.

Crops. Vegetables. Gardens. Her eyes skip ahead, the organization system making itself known and clear. A book of wildflowers and how best to sing to their unique temperaments. As careful as reaching out for a newborn, fingers slip it as gently as can be into her hands.

A task that can easily be put down and resumed, but one that needs to be done all the same. It's as good a time as any.

Saphron glances at the woman over the top of her spectacles, which have slipped slightly down the bridge of her nose.

"Do let me know if I can be of assistance, dear," she calls, finishing her note on the page.

"I'm pleased I could be the deliverer of such glad news!"

She rounds her desk, gesturing with one hand to the aisle that runs down the center of the room between rows of bookshelves as she explains. "I have nonfiction on the right, fiction on the left, and religion there in the back. At the end of each shelf i have a listed which describes the topics that can be found there."

Saphron smiles fondly, watching her among the shelves. They're a voracious reader in their free time as well, it'd good to see someone so thrilled to visit the library.

Saphron glances at the woman over the top of her spectacles, which have slipped slightly down the bridge of her nose.

"Do let me know if I can be of assistance, dear," she calls, finishing her note on the page.

"I'm pleased I could be the deliverer of such glad news!"

She rounds her desk, gesturing with one hand to the aisle that runs down the center of the room between rows of bookshelves as she explains. "I have nonfiction on the right, fiction on the left, and religion there in the back. At the end of each shelf i have a listed which describes the topics that can be found there."