LSRO: Chapter 351 - Well In Hand

Okay so it's a little later today than I wanted, but it's still today. So here is another chapter.

There'll be more up tomorrow. I'm really trying to effectively edit these - so it's taking a little longer and I'd say it's not exactly a rough draft anymore. Probably rough+

Is that a thing?

It is now.

~~

Chapter 14

Well in Hand

Quinn’s mood soured. She could feel irritation running through her. She didn’t want to be in a bad mood, but couldn’t seem to help it. Not when they took two steps forward and three steps back consistently. At least, that’s how it seemed. She didn’t know where Hal had gotten to, nor where Milaro and Malakai had ventured off to. Just before she could get super annoyed, Aradie landed on her shoulder again, cooing in her ear.

“At least you’re with me,” she said, scritching the owl’s neck.

Aradie raised an eyebrow and practically purred.

“It’s not that bad. I know we’ve delegated most of the tasks. I just don’t know what Milaro and Mal are doing, and it’s a lack of control I don’t enjoy having over the situation.” She didn’t add that they barely controlled the situation anyway. Considering where they were in the process of restoration and what they still needed to do... 

Maybe it was subconscious or perhaps a part of her, connected to the Library and aware of most things that went on within its walls, but Quinn ended up wandering into the dining area. Walking past the tables, a good half of them filled with groups of colleagues and friends eating and discussing whatever their current topic of interest was, she felt a pang of loss. The whole dining hall reminded her of the university cafeterias back on Earth, and she suddenly missed Hallee and her family. As fractured as her life had been back then, it was still her life. This was one of the first times she truly could give anything but the dire situation in the Library some thought. 

Quinn realized her legs had already carried both her and Aradie through to the main kitchen area when she heard Hal’s boisterous laugh. She blinked, realizing she stood next to Cook’s station and saw Hal, his blood-fire eyes bright as he laughed at something Cook had said.

“Ah, Quinn!” Hal’s voice boomed through the kitchen and made her want to hide. “What took you so long?”

Unamused, she crossed her arms and stared at him. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe destroying some infected books and saving the Library,” she paused and then added, “again.” 

When he realized she didn’t mean it as a joke, his mood sobered slightly. “I apologize. Perhaps I should’ve stayed with you. But you seemed to have Narilin well in hand, and I was quite famished.”

Quinn relented. It wasn’t like there was much he could have done to help the situation anyway. She sighed. “You couldn’t have helped. I don’t think your method of immolation would achieve the same level of destruction as recognized by the Library System. Not for what was necessary.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I’d like to hear about this over some food, if you’re hungry at all.”

“Starving,” she said and glanced at Cook, who’d been uncharacteristically quiet since her arrival. Then again, she rarely came in here with anyone other than Malakai, and Hal had commandeered her first.

Cook looked at her, their eyes taking in her stance, able to read right through her little facade. She had so much nervous energy she was surprised she wasn’t vibrating out of her body. 

“You have not been eating enough. Forgetting meals, even when I have them sent to you, is not acceptable, Librarian.” Cook had never come as close to chastising her as this, and Quinn took it to heart.

“I know, but it’s more of a having time thing. By the time I think of it... it’s already too late or I’ve wandered off somewhere else to do a non-eating thing.”

Cook raised a delicate golem eyebrow, which was to say, their face flickered ever so slightly. 

“Fine,” Quinn said. “I’ll focus more on eating. You know I love food. It’s just been a lot lately.”

Cook’s eyes narrowed, and their gaze did that intense searching thing again. They practically sighed, resigned to their fate. “Fine then. I think I know just what you need. But there is a requirement.”

She’d never heard him sound so serious before. So, she ignored Hal’s inquisitive grin and focused on Cook. “What is it?”

“You will remain here, right next to me.” He indicated the table next to their cooking station that she sometimes ate at, and she was about to answer when he continued. “You will not leave until you have either eaten everything that I give you or I allow you to leave. Is that acceptable?”

Quinn nodded, feeling like a chastised child who wasn’t eating her vegetables. “I get it. I’ll do it. Sorry for worrying you.” And she was because she could tell she had. To be honest, sitting and eating with no interruptions sounded positively heavenly.

“See that you do.” Cook said, a glimmer of a smile gracing their slit of a mouth. “And maybe talk while you wait, get all those concerns out of your head. It is getting crowded in there, and I would assume quite uncomfortable.”

Their tone held a hint of humor in it, and Quinn caved. “Fine.” She motioned to Hal and made a show of sitting down herself.

Cook watched them for several seconds until she’d finally settled in, and only then did they turn away and begin cooking whatever it was Hal had ordered and they had picked for Quinn to eat. 

“Do you often do that with him?” Hal asked, curiosity obviously piqued.

“Them,” she said absently, still watching as Cook began busying themself in earnest. They moved so fluidly, gracefully even, efficiently. 

“Ah, I didn’t realize.” Hal seemed thoughtful for a second. “Is that the case with most of the golems then?”

Quinn shrugged. “Most of them, I think. Or at least, from what I’ve seen. There are so many more golems now than we had at the beginning. I don’t know them all as personally as I did the first twenty, though I do know their names at least. I think they kept giving them names…” She sighed, suddenly feeling sort of overwhelmed by the gravity of everything. “But there’s no excuse. Even if I can’t remember every one of them individually, they are still mine, still the Library’s. That means I’m responsible for their well-being.”

Hall watched her, an unreadable expression in his eyes for several seconds, and then his gaze softened. “It’s difficult for you to be responsible for others when you’re not taking proper care of yourself.”

Quinn winced. “That hurt.”

“That’s truth.” Hal shrugged and looked over at where Cook was well, cooking. He frowned slightly. “You just let them pick what you eat?”

“Yes,” Quinn wasn’t sure where this was going.

“Don’t you prefer to know what you’re getting to eat, as in, know that you’ll like it?” Hal spoke carefully, as if unsure of how his words would be received.

“Ah,” Quinn smiled, her own eyes following Cook’s movements now. “That’s just it. I’m about ninety-nine point nine percent certain that anything Cook makes me at any time will be exactly what I want and need.”

Aradie cooed in agreement, but it really sounded like a chuckle.

Hal raised an eyebrow. “Then I probably should have told them to surprise me.”

“Probably. They have a way of knowing exactly what I need when I come here.” She was quiet for a moment, content to sit there and just be for a few minutes while waiting for food. It was difficult to clear her mind and allow herself a moment to relax. Her constant state of flux, especially in the last while since Jasper’s death, left her queasy most of the time. There was a sheer driving force in her, steering her toward at least a mild case of revenge. But then Dronar hadn’t been everything Quinn thought she was. Now she wasn’t sure what to do with that anymore either.

She was about to say so to Hal when Misha popped in front of them. 

Taken aback, Quinn was glad she hadn’t been drinking or eating anything since she didn’t relish choking. “Is everything okay?”

Misha blinked, getting her bearings. “Just one moment, Librarian.”

Quinn watched them with some trepidation. If the golem was glitching again, Quinn was going to scream.

“My apologies. I located you by signature and not location and did not give thought to where I might enter the Library once I warped.” Misha actually sounded contrite. Or at least as regretful as the golem could.

“Perfectly fine.” Quinn said, still studying her supervisory golem just in case.

“I have ordered the production of several more security golems. Our holding cells are currently at maximum capacity.” 

Misha waited, as if expecting a response from Quinn. The Librarian paused, unsure of the expectations. “So... do we send them back to their people? Their countries, worlds, whatever? Or do we deal with them in-house?” Quinn seriously didn’t think it the latter considering they didn’t have any sort of Library judicial system that she was aware of. Not to mention, she had no desire to play judge, jury, and executioner to anyone. Even if they had broken into the Library with nefarious intentions.

Misha’s eyes blinked and flickered in the way Quinn knew meant they were accessing information. “Since we don’t function as a legal system, we have treaties with nearly every planet and system to extradite individuals who violate Library rules and regulations. I cannot contact them for this purpose without your direct authorization.”

Ah, at least that explained why Misha was there. Quinn accessed the system, simply calling up the precise information Misha listed. Sure enough, it was waiting for her to let it through. Even though Quinn only gave it a perfunctory glance before okaying Misha’s contact with those allies, she could see there was no way to enable delegation even though she was the Librarian. Irritating, but oddly secure. She looked up, locking gazes with the waiting golem. “Is that what you needed?”

“Perfect.” A few seconds later, Misha spoke again. “I have completed the notifications. The detainees are comfortable enough. I will monitor them until they are retrieved. I will hand over anyone who remains to Hal when he is ready for them.

Hal just nodded in agreement, and Misha continued. “I have also engaged the dog-ears to help with some repairs in the Library. They can manage simple things. Is there anything else you can think of I might need to address, Librarian?”

Quinn mulled it over and shook her head. It felt like Misha had everything under control. “Thank you for everything.”

Misha blinked. “Of course, Librarian. It is what I do.” And then they warped and were gone.

“I still like that one. Not as friendly as they used to be, but I’m glad we got most of them back, right?” Hal asked, peering at Quinn.

“Yeah. They’re mostly back.” Quinn felt fatigue trying to waylay her, and then suddenly Cook was there.

He placed three plates down in front of her while someone else delivered a hot and steaming meal to Hal that Quinn couldn’t identify. All she knew was that it smelled so spicy her eyes watered. Quinn directed her attention to her food instead.

A bowl containing her utter favorite Hungarian goulash. Next to it on the second plate were two perfect rolls, buttered and with just the right crunch on the outside and fluff on the inside. Quinn couldn’t help it. Her mouth watered a bit. And next to that was a perfect schnitzel. Always one of her favorite things, with a side of spaetzle. The perfect comfort food.

“All of it.” Cook said, crossing their arms and staring down.

She nodded. “All of it.”

They ate in silence, and Quinn felt herself relaxing with every single bite. Cook continued to watch over her, and she could have sword Hal was far too amused for his own good. Her eyes grew heavy, and she realized she had no inkling of the time. When had she last slept? What with the strange kidnapping the Library did right after she’d exerted so much energy to get Ashiron back to full functionality... Since then she hadn’t slept either.

Quinn groaned as she cut the last few bites of schnitzel. Her body ached, her mind felt like it was in overdrive, and now she had warm, filling, delicious food in her belly. “Damn it.” She muttered.

“Is something wrong, Librarian?” Cook asked, and she side-eyed them. They’d known exactly what they were doing.

“I’m so tired.”

Hal guffawed; there was no other word for it. “Of course you are. You’ve barely stopped for days. You, my little egg, need to sleep.”

Cook nodded in agreement.

But there was so much to do. Quinn couldn’t afford to stop long enough to sleep. “I’m a dragon, I should be able to do without sleep...”

Hal polished off the last forkful of food and pondered her for a moment. “You are a dragon, technically. But you’re also, as I constantly try to remind you, a little egg. You are young, you are still growing, and as such, you still need sleep. In about a hundred years, it’ll be different. But right now you owe it to your body, mind, and the Library to make sure you’re operating at peak capacity. If something dire happens, we will come and get you.”

She nodded, suddenly too tired to even think, mumbled a thanks to Cook, and warped upstairs straight to her bed.

~~

OMG SHE GETS TO SLEEP

IKR?!

Much love

KT