It's finally happened! My mentor has deigned to give me my first real solo assignment as an Apprentice of the Great Library! I can hardly believe I'm really going!
I found my way into the Library a while ago through my dreams. Making it back was more difficult. And even then, once I was back in the Library, I hardly knew how to navigate it. I was lost for much of my first week here, and had run out of provisions when my Librarian found me. I felt hunted by things I couldn't quite see until she taught me how to take care of myself here. Blanche has been kind to me.
I've made a home here with her, as her Apprentice. We mostly stick to our far reaches of the Library, so I haven't encountered very many of the patrons or inhabitants. I do suspect Blanche is keeping some secrets or hiding some bit of knowledge from me. Maybe it's out of fear; she seems to be quite upset at the idea of being left without an Apprentice again, though I haven't figured out why. It doesn't seem like having me here has given her any more prestige than she already had. And surely I'm more worthwhile as an Apprentice by running errands. Maybe she was just lonely.
During my time with Blanche, I have encountered some of the creature denizens of the stacks, including a cattacoon I've taken in. Blanche tells me his proper name is One Who Seeks Among the Shadows; I've taken to calling him Shadow. Blanche mostly calls him a menace. Menace or not, I do feel safer and more sure-footed with him at my side.
As to how Blanche knows his name, she says a Librarian can communicate with the Library. It is, after all, sentient. It whispered to me in my dreams.
I've been compelled to learn all I can since.
Blanche gave me this small journal to make a record of my time as an Apprentice. One day, it might grace the shelves of the Great Library. For now, it is as much my companion in my adventures as Shadow and Blanche.
My first assignment is to be a small location-and-collection assignment. And I am excited, but I’d be lying if I said I’m not also nervous. I’m due to set out from the Library Office tomorrow.
The Office is no less impressive than any other part of the Library. I’d been used to thinking of modern circulation desks and offices; a few computers with all the information in the system available with a few keystrokes. Not so within the Great Library! I’m not sure how the magic would interact with technology, anyway, though my phone does get signal and even Wi-Fi in the more highly-trafficked areas of the Library. I’m glad to still be able to contact my mom.
Technology aside, I’m also glad I’m old enough to remember card catalogs and how to use them, which gives me an advantage in the Office. The sheer size of the catalog is astounding! I’m sure I could just as easily get lost among the cards as I can out in the slippery areas of the Stacks. But where the Stacks are ever-shifting, the cards in the Office remain tidy and organized. While in the Office, they seem to automatically update when the Library changes, and given the strident warnings from Blanche to always keep my call slip with me, I suspect the same magic will keep the slip updated in case the Library shifts as I search, though hopefully it won’t come to that.
Shadow seems to know we’re going to head out tomorrow; he’s been unusually interested in my pack, and been demanding cuddles more than he typically does. Maybe he’s worried I’ll leave him behind. I’d hardly be a decent Apprentice if I left my Familiar behind, so he really shouldn’t be worried.
I don’t think he’s keen on spending time alone with Blanche; I’d describe their relationship as adversarial if she didn’t bring such a dads-and-the-pets-they-didn’t-want energy to the whole thing. As thought she might fool us into not noticing the pantry stocked with his favorite snacks.
As for my Librarian herself, she’s been mostly the same as always, although I have caught her double-checking my pack on a couple of occasions when she thought I wasn’t paying attention. I still can’t tell if she’s worried about my well-being alone or if she’s also worried about being alone again or without an Apprentice. I hope I do her proud, and that she isn’t too lonely while I’m gone. At any rate, I should get some rest before I leave in the morning.
