Planet Zar: Nexus

⦿ Arilmin lounges comfortably on a settee, engrossed in a thick book propped against the armrest, while Timotojaius flits between shelves returning books to their proper places and dusting as he goes. It isn't right to let the old tomes appear unloved and in ill-repair. A human girl skips through the aisles and stops at Timotojaius' ladder. She tugs his robes and when he looks down, she offers him a slim book written in Sulther.

⦿ Girl: I'm finished with this one

⦿ Timotojaius accepts the book and pages through it. It's illustrated but narrative heavy, meant for older children. Sulther isn't a language humans from the Old World understand. Or, it's not native to them.

⦿ Timotojaius: You can read this?

⦿ Girl, grinning with pride: Of course! Mama says I'm a really good reader.

⦿ Timotojaius' heart pangs with grief. It's bittersweet that the child is with her mother, so many families get split up. There are dozens of humans residing in the library now, and dozens more across Sultherem, safe within the nation's guarded borders. Amunuku sends ships to collect them when he can, but Timotojaius thinks the old murdon enjoys having humans here. Kept like pets - safe and coddled, but caged none-the-less.

⦿ Timotojaius replaces the book and selects another from the shelf. It's from the Old World, leather-bound and illustrated with messy pen-scrawl black and white images. He hands it to the girl.

⦿ Timotojaius: Can you read this?

⦿ The girl cracks open the book, careful of the spine, delicate with the pages. Timotojaius likes her instantly.

⦿ Girl: Oh, this is mama's language! I can read a bit, she taught me some. Thank-you, Mr. Tim!

⦿ She hugs his leg - the bit that she can reach while he's standing on the ladder - and rushes off, presumably to find her mother. Timotojaius sighs as he watches her go.

⦿ Arilmin: Don't get weepy on us, now

⦿ Timotojaius turns to see Arilmin watching him over the top of his book.

⦿ Timotojaius: They're being born here

⦿ Arilmin: Of course they are. [He marks his place and sets his book down.] The euclides can't import stock from the old world as quickly as they-

⦿ Timotojaius: [wincing] Don't say it

⦿ Arilmin: -eat them. They're being bred here.

⦿ Timotojaius steps down from the ladder and joins Arilmin, who shuffles over on the settee to make room.

⦿ Timotojaius: I don't know why we can't just bring them all to the spaceport and return them to their homes. There are enough of us we could make it through euclides territory without any human losses. We ought to bring them back.

⦿ Arilmin: For some of them, this is their home. That girl doesn't know a whiff about the Old World.

⦿ Timotojaius: They aren't safe here.

⦿ Arilmin: Aren't they? [He pops open his book, revealing pages of war, destruction, famine. A recounting of tails from the Old World]

⦿ Timotojaius snaps the cover shut.

⦿ Timotojaius: The euclides keep them like cattle and we keep them like pets. It's not right.

⦿ Arilmin: It's practical.

⦿ But it's not, Timotojaius thinks, and it's hardly fair for them. If he could, Timotojaius would scoop up all the human residents of the library and lead them to Anygha and its spaceport himself. But he can't. If he were to leave the protective borders of Sultherem the chances of running into a euclides were exponential and Timotojaius couldn't risk that. He'd be duty bound, honor bound, through biological imperative and his creator's command, to attack the euclides. To kill it. And he can't. The thought of drawing lifeblood from another being makes him shiver.

⦿ Arilmin is one of the few who know Timotojaius' secret, the full extent of his pacifism. Arilmin's never judged him for it. Well, no differently than he might judge Timotojaius' choice of evening wear or how he pairs his wine.

⦿ Arilmin: I feel the dramatics coming off you. [he rolls his eyes and picks up his book] Stop that, I'm trying to read.

⦿ Timotojaius prepares to say something but a loud [b]BANG[/b] snatches the words from his mouth. He jumps. Arilmin's wings snap open in surprise.

⦿ Arilmin: If your children are throwing books around-

⦿ Another BANG. Timotojaius and Arilmin watch as a book launches itself from the shelf - seemingly on its own - and wheels across the room to crash noisily on the floor.

⦿ Timotojaius leaps to his feet. Arilmin is slower to rise, but follows him. A chatter of jibberish erupts from the bookshelf. Arilmin and Timotojaius exchange a worried look and rush toward it. Something small and impossibly bright bursts out between the books. Timotojaius and Arilmin stumble backward as a snake-like winged thing dashes passed them.

⦿ Timotojaius: Amunuku's breath, what was that...

⦿ Arilmin: I believe your library has an... infestation

⦿ Timotojaius: One creature doesn't make an infest-

⦿ A second brighter shape explodes from the top shelf with a clatter of children's novels. It hovers a few feet above them and Timotojaius gets a decent look at the thing. It's got far too many eyes and an assortment of feathered wings that are stark against its fur in that they aren't eye-blindingly bright.

⦿ Timotojaius: Arilmin... what are these...

⦿ Arilmin: I have no idea.

⦿ The creature squeals gibberish and Timotojaius gets the sense that it's discussing his character. There's an odd bit of static between his ears and his brain where the nonsense words translate themselves into a vague summation of speech. It wants to take him somewhere? He's not sure. Arilmin puts a hand on his shoulder and moves them both backward from the thing. Timotojaius doesn't get the sense that it's dangerous, but the feeling is alien and chaotic. He doesn't trust it.

⦿ The creature chirps and dashes down the line of books. It grabs something off the shelf - something from the Old World, Timotojaius notes - and begins tearing pages from it.

⦿ Timotojaius yelps in protest and races after it, wrenching himself from Arilmin's grip.

⦿ The creature chitters, grins, and takes off.

⦿ Timotojaius turns back to Arilmin with a pleading look. "Help me!"

⦿Arilmin grumbles but hurries after him. His way is impeded when the first - long and snake-like, glittering a thousand colors in static - whisks itself in front of him and slaps Arilmin's face with its tail feathers. Arilmin guffaws and tries to smack it away, but the creature is quick and agile, outmaneuvering him with alacrity.

⦿ Arilmin: STOP [He infuses his voice with power, turning the single word into a command.]

⦿ The snake-like creature freezes, only its wings remain beating to keep it airborne. It cocks its head quizzically, eyes narrowed as it surveys Arilmin.

⦿ Arilmin - ruffled and feeling slightly insulted - tosses his scarf neatly around his neck and glowers at the creature.

⦿ Arilmin: That was uncalled for. Whatever you are, there are better ways to conduct yourself in a library. I suggest you calm-

⦿ The word "down" turns into a grunt of pain as a book sails over the snake-creature at knocks Arilmin straight between the eyes. A fluffy rainbow darts overhead, hissing and chattering angrily.

⦿ Timotojaius: I'm sorry! So sorry!

⦿ Timotojaius rushes back toward Arilmin in pursuit of the first creature.

⦿ The cacophony of not-quite-speech clarifies itself a little in Timotojaius' brain. He hears the statement: "You're both rather silly!"

⦿ Timotojaius: You can talk!

⦿ Although he's not entirely certain which of the two nuisances spoke, he's aware it was one of them. It "talk" may not be the correct word. He hears the same incomprehensible murmurings before, but a disconnect between the audible and the translatable happens somewhere in his head, and he understands the nonsense. The fluffy rainbow darts between him and Arilmin and taps his companion on the brow. Static-snake unfreezes with a shake and shiver and the pair flit back to the top of the bookcases, staring down at Timotojaius and Arilmin with far too much devilment in their bright faces.

⦿ Timotojaius plants his fists on his hips.

⦿ "We're Glitter," says the slinky one.

⦿ "And Paperweight," adds the fluff.

⦿ Timotojaius: You can't go about destroying books!

⦿ Paperweight cocks his head. "Why not?"

⦿ Arilmin snorts.

⦿ Timotojaius: Because you... you just... can't! [He splutters]

⦿ Arilmin: You're not from here. Where did you come from?

⦿ Glitter: A plaaaaace

⦿ Paperweight: A very good place! Very fun! We wanted to see if you'd be any fun before we brought you there!

⦿ Timotojaius: Brought us....? Brought us wh-

⦿ Arilmin can see precisely where this is going and slaps a hand over Timotojaius' mouth in attempt to stop the inevitable. It doesn't matter. Glitter and Paperweight leap from the shelf, diving toward the pair of Abyss Born with expediency. Arilmin snaps his eyes shut and clutches Timotojaius' elbow. He feels... sparkly. Glittery. Like a limb has fallen asleep but in a pleasant way.

⦿ Then his stomach drops and his feet fall through nothing and any sense of good feeling vanishes.