the novelty of having another harbinger in the house of daena is both equally exciting and agitating, for the scholars of the akademiya. childe receives glances, is skittered around by fearful students and, particulary, given the roundabout over the matter at hand: the presence of the acting grand sage- who seems to be nowhere in sight, at the moment.
personally, al haitham finds the anxious squawking unnecessary: if the presence of tartaglia becomes a problem, he'll be handled accordingly. it's pointless to get oneself eaten alive by fear, counterproductive, even- plus, the harbinger seems to be behaving: if he wanted to bring chaos forth, he would have undoubtedly already done so. just as his assistant is done speaking about his absence, as if summoned, the not-scribe seems to pop out of thin air, with an impressive stack of books precariously swaying in his arms and pretending that everyone else is thin air, as far as it concerns him.
only when he's picked out a couple more books, drowning out the stuttering squeaks of his helper, it's when he aknowledges not him- but childe. ' oh, it's you again. ' he doesn't sound the least surprised.
but, this time, he eyes the ginger up and down, lost in thought for a moment. ' since you insist in trying to hang out, do me a favor. ' and before the poor man can protest, half of the books are piled neatly into his arms, and fire-ringed eyes are immediately back on the shelves, looking for something else.
' you're pretty muscular. surely you can handle carrying a few more tomes? '
tartaglia, for today, will be a magnificent book holder.
The allure of orbiting the Acting Grand Sage's presence lies in understanding what type of person he truly is. Childe watches from afar at first, keenly taking in the crumbs of information the mere act of standing there, in a library of all places, provides.
House of Daena, the name replays in his mind as if meant to be picked apart — a place of revelations, connection to the divine, Sumeru's divinity. Is enlightnement sacred, pure enough in this land to be bestowed even upon a delinquent such as himself?
‘ Pleased to see you too, ʼ Childe quips, tempted to curl his mouth upwards. In the end, he doesn't smile, but holds an amused look over the scholar with the same conviction he, now, holds the books thrown into his arms.
This is new; odd, but new. The Snezhnayan laughs, partly incredulous at the little concession he's been given. Somehow, even someone who's spent but a few days in the city can see it's characteristic of the other. ‘ Acting Grand Sage, Scribe, hero and librarian. You've got quite the resume. ʼ
