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Post by Jess on Jun 27, 2017 10:42:14 GMT -5
Bardineta found herself in the library more and more often these days, seeking comfort in the peace, in the perfect order of the coloured spines on the shelves, and more than anything in the hundreds of thousands of words contained in the place. Words that had been written hundreds of seasons before she was born. Words which would continue to be read even hundreds of seasons after she was gone. There was a sense of permanency about the place. A feeling of history which made Bardineta feel far more comfortable than she did in many other places around the Abbey. Oh, she felt safe enough in the lofts or the gardens or the dormitories, but she didn't feel at home there in the way that she did here- and that was odd, since the mouse had not exactly spent the majority of her upbringing around libraries. Timelessness, Bardineta felt strongly, would be her friend. If there was no time for anything to happen in then nothing could change. Bard wasn't against change in the slightest; she just liked to know when it was going to happen rather than having it sneak up behind her whilst she wasn't looking.
With a smile to the librarian, the Abbess walked into the library and made her way straight across to the furthest row of shelves. Ever since she first arrived, Bardineta had been gradually working her way through the stock of the library, and she had made it her personal mission to read everything in the place during her lifetime.
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Django
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Post by Django on Jun 28, 2017 15:43:06 GMT -5
No one really came back to this part of the library. The back. Full of the dustiest books and oldest records. Sometimes Django would see the recorder back here, and he had to hide himself from that really cute squirrel every time. Thankfully, though, that was infrequent enough that he pretty much got this corner to himself. The other squirrel he liked to avoid was the librarian's assistant, who was the cause of his broken tail. Squirrels. Maybe he should just avoid them altogether.
As he settled in with a wide block of wood he'd cut from a fallen branch earlier, he started carving the bark away, wondering what he'd turn this into. Maybe a squirrel, since they were on his mind so much. The last bit of bark was just landing in his lap when he heard footsteps approaching. Crap, probably the recorder again. He stood, causing a micro avalanche of bark chips and saw the Abbess. Oh. Um.
"Hullo, Mother Bardineta," he said automatically. He was used to looking up at other beasts, and the Abbess was no exception. She was even tall for a mouse, and for some reason Jan thought it was quite fitting for her position. He pocketed his knife and held the unfinished block in both paws. "How're you t'day?"
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Post by Jess on Jun 28, 2017 15:56:31 GMT -5
She very seldom saw other beasts hanging around in the back of the library, Bardineta reflected thoughtfully. One would wonder why that was, were it not for the fairly obvious fact that this was the section of the library which held the very oldest of the books and the dustiest of the records- the kinds of papers which were no longer really relevant or interesting to anyone... anyone, that was, except for Bardineta, who just had some kind of an obsession with old things, and the Abbey's recorder, who generally held a similar interest, although that was more of a functional role than the casual interest which Bardineta nurtured.
So, she was more than a little surprised to see another beast in the area, and especially so since he happened to be sitting on the floor- not the kind of thing which she would necessarily expect to find in a library, and that was probably why she nearly fell over the mouse. "Hello, Django." she returned his greeting whilst also attempting to regain her composure. "I'm well, thank you. Nice to see you again- how are you?" The question that she really wanted to ask referred to why exactly he felt it necessary to practice wood carving on the library floor, of all places, but to open with that would be somewhat confrontational.
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Django
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Post by Django on Jun 28, 2017 16:06:24 GMT -5
"I'm well, thank you. Nice to see you again- how are you?"
"M'okay," Jan mumbled. He looked down at the bark bits on the floor. "I'll clean that up." He would. He'd just panicked in the presence of the Abbess. Standing up was... formal, or something. Sister Lyla had told him that. He flipped the short cylinder of wood in his paws.
"M' I in your way?" he asked. He wasn't necessarily blocking a shelf or anything, but she could just want to read in peace without the annoying sounds of wood being carved. Or the murmurs of things he'd heard earlier this morning. He squatted, scraping up the bark bits. He wasn't sure if he was embarrassed or... well, yeah, he was embarrassed. He'd probably get into trouble for creating sawdust in the library, as if it needed more dust back here.
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Post by Jess on Jun 28, 2017 16:16:35 GMT -5
"Good, good." Bardineta murmured vaguely. Even she was not entirely sure whether she was referring to the fact that he was well or his promise to clean up after himself, but she supposed that the statement could apply to both and so she really had no need to specify. The mouse was still not entirely sure why the younger beast was carving wood in the library, of all places, but she supposed that it didn't really matter so long as he was clearing it up anyway.
"No, no, that's all right." she assured him. "I wasn't looking for anything specific. Don't move on my account, please." The greying field mouse looked thoughtfully at the titles which were visible on the nearest shelf, wondering whether there was anything there that might take her fancy, then remembered her company. "So, what have you been doing with yourself lately?"
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Django
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Post by Django on Jun 28, 2017 16:41:44 GMT -5
"No, no, that's all right. I wasn't looking for anything specific. Don't move on my account, please."
Jan put the pawful of bark in his pocket, nodding wordlessly. The Abbess was polite. That was good. He could be polite. He'd been taught his manners by this very abbey, after all. But he figured if he was going to do anything on anyone's account, it should be the Abbess, of all beasts.
"So, what have you been doing with yourself lately?"
"Um," odd question. He didn't know how best to answer that one. Perhaps he could show her. Digging in his abysmal pockets, he pulled out a wooden rose he'd made some days ago, holding it out to her. "Stuff like this." Each thick petal lip had a word carved on it, spiraling into the middle of the flower: Pain and beauty intertwined, love and heartache ever mine.
"Keeps me paws busy," he said. "you can 'ave one, if ya like. I got too many." He blushed a little at having pulled that one from his pocket. Because of course he had. His poems ranged from clever to embarrassing, and he'd shown one of the more embarrassing ones.
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Post by Jess on Jun 28, 2017 16:56:34 GMT -5
The Abbess nodded and watched approvingly as the bark vanished into the mouse's pocket. She could never abide mess, and mess in a library was the sin to end all sins in the rapidly aging field mouse's view. Still, she was glad to see that the younger generations of beasts within the Abbey were still learning to clear up after themselves... Bard stopped herself. Had she really just thought the phrase 'the younger generations'? Good heavens, she was getting old in her mind as well as her body. Time to do something about that... she needed to get out into the sun more often. Do a few more fun things. Spend less time in wandering around by herself in the library. That would be a good idea. Whether it would actually happen or not was another question.
"Oh, that's very good." She was impressed. "Poetry and carving in one. Both very commendable." The mouse was just about to hand it back when he spoke and she paused, paw in mid air. "Really? Are you sure? Well, thank you very much."
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Django
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Post by Django on Jun 29, 2017 9:37:05 GMT -5
"Oh, that's very good. Poetry and carving in one. Both very commendable."
Jan smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. He didn't usually stick around for the compliments on his work because he liked to leave them in the recipient's room with a note. Gift interactions were pleasant, but he was just too anxiety-ridden to present them himself most of them time.
"Really? Are you sure? Well, thank you very much."
"You're welcome," Jan replied. Well, hopefully that one would just go in her desk and never be seen again. That wasn't too bad. Now what did he do? Oh, right, ask her the same thing. "So, um, what've you been up to?" That made it sound like her duties as Abbess were on the same level of importance as wood carving, which felt incredibly rude, but he didn't really know how to phrase the question any other way.
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Post by Jess on Jun 29, 2017 14:22:51 GMT -5
Bardineta returned the other mouse's smile and carefully tucked the carved flower away into a pocket of her voluminous robes. She made a mental note to herself to remember to take it out of the pocket again later; more than once she had put something into her robes only to completely forget that she had done so and then find it seasons later in a rather bad state of repair. Although this piece of wood was rather heavy, so with any luck, she would remember it.
She raised and dropped one shoulder in an elegant shrug. "Not a great deal, to be honest." she responded frankly. "Wandering around, getting in the way... the usual sort of thing." The mouse paused. Really, she reflected, she ought to be taking more of an active role, but then things were always difficult at this time of year. Too many memories...
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Django
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Post by Django on Jun 29, 2017 14:59:19 GMT -5
"Not a great deal, to be honest. Wandering around, getting in the way... the usual sort of thing."
Jan tilted his head. How did the Abbess get in the way? She was in charge. If anything, it should be the other way around, where she was worrying about other beasts getting in her way. Huh.
"Well, I know how that feels," he said. "Kind of. I try to, um, stay in places like this. Back here. Out of other beasts' way." He was beginning to think he should find a different place to carve. Up on the ramparts, maybe. Sister Lyla said he needed more time outside, anyway.
"Were you, um, lookin' for a book?" he asked. That was stupid. She was in the library. Of course she was looking for a book. The only beast who didn't look for books in the library was him. "In-in particular? Back here?"
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Post by Jess on Jun 29, 2017 15:10:38 GMT -5
Bardineta nodded and smiled somewhat vaguely in response to the other mouse's acknowledgement. She often felt somewhat unimportant in the business of the Abbey, which was really rather ironic considering that she was supposed to run the place. But that was the point. Her job was to do everything, and since everything was a rather vague job description, she actually found that what she really had to do was closer to nothing than it was to anything. She was more or less the only person in the Abbey who did not know exactly what they were supposed to be doing at any one time of the day. There was only ever one Abbess, after all, and she had never had anyone to point out what she was doing wrong. She was left to muddle through as best she could.
"No book in particular." she responded mildly. "Unless you have any suggestions?"
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Django
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Post by Django on Jun 29, 2017 15:51:46 GMT -5
"No book in particular. Unless you have any suggestions?"
"Um." When was the last time he'd actually read a book? There was one journal he and Sister Lyla had found by some ancient hedgehog who'd also been a woodcarver, and he'd devoured every page. Sister Lyla had given it back to the library when he'd finished, and he had no idea where it would be, who the author was, or if the Abbess would even be interested.
"Well." Maybe honesty was best. "I haven't... read much, lately. Not since I were young... er. Younger. Um. What d'you like to read?"
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Post by Jess on Jul 1, 2017 10:57:57 GMT -5
Bardineta tilted her head slightly in confusion. Hadn't read much? By the look of things, the mouse spent a fair amount of time in here- absolutely surrounded by book- and how he could manage not to read in such circumstances was utterly beyond her. Still, it took all sorts to make a world, and she hadn't gotten to where she was by judging other beasts- quite the reverse. "Nothing in particular- I just read whatever happens to take my fancy at the time." the Abbess responded to the other mouse's question.
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Django
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Post by Django on Jul 2, 2017 17:33:39 GMT -5
"Nothing in particular- I just read whatever happens to take my fancy at the time."
It wasn't like Django disliked reading. He just needed more activity to arrest his focus so he wouldn't be bombarded with words he'd just repeat every few hours. He also didn't have the sharpest imagination, so reading stories was slow going for him, usually. He nodded a reply to the Abbess, clearing his throat in the awkward silence.
"So, um, I guess I'll leave you to it," he mumbled. "I c'n go carve in my room."
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Post by Jess on Jul 5, 2017 14:21:53 GMT -5
Coming to Redwall had been a revelation for the Abbess, all those years ago. Before arriving here, she hadn't actually known that there were such things as libraries. Her original education had been sketchy, at best, but she had had the desire to learn, and so she had educated herself in bits and pieces from all the different books which she could find. Now, she was happy to say, she knew more than enough to get by, and was still learning. Every day, still learning.
"Well, if you're sure." she responded amiably.
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