Scene #9249: A Library At Night

Owner	Pose
Audrey Basque	It's late. Too late for house calls, and certainly, definitely, too late for a library visit. It's merciful the Library is not just an ordinary library, then, and that Audrey knew Angela couldn't leave it, meaning there wasn't really any chance of missing her or not getting a response. It's a knock on the door, or maybe a doorbell if Angela has one installed that works. Audrey waits for an answer, because a proper lady would never be caught just barging in, even though... what she's doing right now is, by all accounts, barging in. Just the slightly more polite form, and out of desperation, she allowed herself this one slip up. When Angela lets her in, Audrey looks... tired, to say the least. She's already staying up late studying, pulling off double duty between school and Concord orientation and learning about the Multiverse and these kinds of outings. Her hair is a bit messy from the run through the Corridors, tumbling out of a closet and then hours of wandering around the City half-lost, but she's since rebuttoned her blazer and at least straightened the uniform out. "I am... immensely sorry for this intrusion. I got lost, and I did not know where else to go, so..." That's a terrible hello, and an even worse first-meeting hello. She finally gets to see Angela and it's like this. She looks more and more uncomfortable by the second.
Angela	It is late, but Angela doesn't sleep. And it's when it's late at night that Angela is at her most melancholic. There's nobody to bother or harass or talk to and that just means there is a very long period where she just has to lie around and read, or think, or do nothing, or eat some snacks--but her appetite isn't very big no matter how she tries to manage it--and so she's trying to get better at various skills she couldn't practice before, like cooking and baking and-- --The fog. The fog makes it very difficult to approach the Library just on foot as it also acts as a barrier keeping possible invaders out. At first it might seem like Audrey might have difficulty getting in--or it might just be impossible for her!--but in true young adult novel fashion, the barrier fades away moments after this realization hits. Lucky! Angela is there in the lobby when Audrey enters. She is holding a book under one arm, and something chocolatey hidden under a napkin in the other (it is a chocolate chip cookie). She is an unnaturally pale woman with gold eyes that look just like Petra's and pale blue hair that she has kept long and draping across her shoulders. She quirks her head at Audrey as she explains the situation, like a curious bird, and then... "Audrey. It is lovely to see you. Please come in and have this baked good. I am endeavouring to not be bluntly Kukuru about it but you caught me while I was experimenting. ... I do not usually get company this late at night." At least not anymore. The forcefield reasserts itself once Audrey is completely inside and Angela offers her the mysterious chocolate chip cookie. "I do not know if The City will become much nicer during the day but it should be easier to get around. If you'd like, you can test out one of the new guest rooms. I do not know if I can trust the former Agents in being honest with me about their quality." She dips her head. "A pleasure to properly meet you, Audrey. As you know I am Angela." The lobby is lit by hanging pendant lamps, is filled with tall book shelves, and the fog that came in with Audrey is dissipitating away quickly. Winding staircases lead upward--and there is an Elevator nearby as well. Soft jazz is playing through the speakers, trying to lend to a cozy comfortable atmosphere. "I should apologize to you. For The City. It is quite a disqueting place, I know, I fear I have done damage to some people simply by allowing them to visit."
Audrey Basque	"Y... no, it's alright, really, it's..." It's not. Her voice is shaking. This is a sheltered princess of a young woman who has, essentially, never experienced misery or poverty or regular people living conditions until now. And she just spent two or three hours walking through a ravaged city with no power, looters, thugs, vigilantes and the occasional blood stain. She is not okay!! Not at all. "I apologize. Really. For imposing, like this, and... for not being hungry right now." She still ends up with the cookie in her hands, almost subconsciously. Something to hold and distract her from... well, everything. "I had meant to return home after the incident with the Black Silence, but in the course of that, Petra had displaced us away from our original position and... I didn't have a map, or... know where the Warpgate was." Spending the night... doesn't sound that bad. "I have class in the morning. I shouldn't..." It's performative, at this point. There's not a lot left to learn, and she'll graduate by the year's end or just about. She could miss class and it wouldn't have any impact on anything except maybe her reputation. "This isn't really how I wanted to meet you. This place is really nice." The jazz helps soothe her, at least.
Angela	"Well that is why it's in a napkin." Angela frowns, now seriously concerned she's being very bluntly Kukuru about it. Has all of Kukuru's summonings of foodstuffs given her the wrong impression even despite her resilience to it? Lord, she hopes not. The Black Silence sounds like a 'Color' name, there's a lot of news coming in from The City lately but as she's not involved it is becoming a bit tricky to keep track of which is which. Maybe it's just becuase of the little bit of hair sticking up, but she's getting a lot of Hod vibes right now. It's probably not fair to Audrey to be getting Hod vibes like RIGHT NOW so she pushes them out of her head. She's a peer of Lilian's--surely, even Lilian needed some time to adjust to the Multiverse. THis is normal. "I understand, this is an awful City and everyone tells me how difficult it is to simply get around. I should have a map of the District that is mostly accurate." She makes her way to the stairs. "...If you choose to leave early because of your classes, you may, but I do suggest taking some time to rest regardless." Angela looks over her shoulder. "The incident with the Black Silence? ... I am afraid I do not know the details if you mean something that happened today. But there's no need to spend your time here filling me in. We used to have a Warpgate here but it was destroyed during the facility's ascent. ... And you are not imposing." She adds. "I'd wanted to meet you anyway, this is just earlier than anticipated."
Audrey Basque	She didn't know? Audrey bites her lip. She is the worst person to possibly fill her in, she only has... it's a percentage value less than one, of the entire story. It's scraps, it's things she overheard and that people there shouted without context, a lot of important sounding names and... "I... thank you." Sounds like she'll rest here. She tells herself, only for five minutes, but her body has very different intentions. She's not fit, and hours of walking, coming on the tail end of running through the Corridors... She follows Angela to the stairs, because where else would she go? She mulls over what happened, trying to piece the story together. "It's a... Fixer, that is the word, yes? An assassin. He... had a mask. He went after Miss Rook, looking for information about the people responsible for someone's death. His wife, I think. She sounded... very important to him. To a lot of people who were there, too. Petra managed to calm him down," she says, disregarding Lilian's role not out of malice, for a change, but out of being overwhelmed right now. "He left. Hard to say where. He seemed in touch with some of the others there, but not Miss Rook or Petra." She deflates a bit. "That's all I really caught on to. I apologize. I should be able to provide a more detailled recount after I've had some rest." Oddly, no mention of where Petra went. It might be odd that Petra didn't take her back home, even. "A map... would be nice."
Angela	Angela frowns. Audrey hasn't even complimented the jazz. Maybe it needs more pep to it? She's not a musician, she only has access to records that were in the facility at the time of its ascent. A masked assassin and a Color, Angela thinks, who lost his wife. Could be any number of things that happened in The City--did someone frame Trideag? And Petra was there. It must have been distressing to her. She is an albatross around all their necks. ... She should stop thinking like that. "You do not have to report to me, we are both Partners, even if by most tracks I am your senior." Angela tells Audrey. "But I do appreciate hearing news, even if it is terrible, as it is something new to think about." There's another flight of stairs past the Floor of History. The Floor of History has conference tables and wooden chairs, golden light is streaming in from unknown sources. Glass cases hold newspapers and other material from both The City and outside this world, though some of them (from Kukuru) seem a bit juvenile. Angela isn't really sure where else to put the books and magazines she's been gifted during her time as Secretary. "Do not worry, there's merely nine more floors to go until we reach the guest rooms." ... "What is your school like? That you and the Dame Commander went to? I always feel I know precious little about that world and I've actually sent Agents to visit--and observed it through the screens. I know there are the Antegents of course, and the Blooms..." It hasn't occured to her that Audrey might prefer the elevator but Angela doesn't really get tired going up stairs. "...How is Petra?" She asks.
Audrey Basque	You do not have to report to me, we are both Partners, even if by most tracks I am your senior. No, she doesn't, does she? But she wanted to, because she asked, and it's-- just the polite thing? To do? Angela is concerned by matters ongoing in the City too, isn't she? Audrey thinks about that, while steeling herself for an ascent in her state. Her eyes fall on the Floor of History and its golden light, the desks and newspapers. "... oh. I had... meant to bring you books. And since I came here to help with an investigation, I didn't... bring them." She frowns, too, now. She'd let Angela down, she was sure. merely nine more floors "... oh." This is how she dies. "My school?" At least she's distracted. "Nova Heliosanctus is the finest school for Enlightened. To wear its uniform alone is a huge honor. It is... quite nice, though things have been a little odd since Miss Rook..." Since she what? Audrey doesn't finish her thought. And then Angela asks about Petra. "... she seemed unwell. But I think she didn't want to burden me with it, so, I left to avoid making her uncomfortable any further." That was a mistake, wasn't it? "As for the Antegents, to be fair, they have not been a major problem in a very long time. It is more a topic for ushed tones, the kinds spoken by adults who remember the bad times. For the people who live in Urban Centers, they have become a bad memory." That other word, though? "Blooms?"
Angela	''I had... meant to bring you books.'' "I see, you will have to return then. But I will endeavour to find a way that does not necessitate that people travel through this monster of a world to travel here." ''... oh.'' Should she pat Audrey on the head? ... She knows Hod likes it, but this is someone from Lilian's world, a peer of hers, she surely does not want a pat on the head. She'd find it insulting. But she can point out, "We can take the elevator if you prefer." Angela says. "Would you prefer that?" She's still walking towards the next flight though she does slow down a bit. The way Petra describes the situation feels like Petra. "...I just know she appreciates your company and considering the burden I've placed upon her, I appreciate you giving her that company. ... Even if I am a bit jealous ... but in this I will not allow my envy to interfere with what is best for her. She needs time to heal." ...The Antegents HAVEN'T been a problem? If they haven't been a problem why is Lilian still dealing with them? Is she singlehandedly holding them back or something like that? ... Ugh. "...But there are people who live outside those Urban Centers." She recalls and when she asks about the Blooms, Angela is starting to fear she might actually know more about Audrey's world than Audrey does. It kind of makes her feel a little awesome actually. She knew more than she thought! "...My apologies, I thought you had known as a peer of the Dame Commander's, so I will ask that you forget I mentioned." This is a bit of extra precaution--but Angela is a very cautious person and when something like this hasppens it's her assumption that Audrey isn't supposed to know about that and so she's going to use scorched earth tactics to try and cleanse the possibility of issues arising as much as she can. "...May I ask a personal question, Audrey?" Angela asks.
Audrey Basque	"That would be nice," Audrey says to the prospect of travel here being easier, and not requiring going through the City. "And... yes, please," she says, defeated by the stairs. "I apo... I'm sorry. I'm very tired. I would enjoy a complete tour very much when I am not." And she will, definitely, come back with those books. The matter of Petra, she isn't sure how to address. "She does. That's why... I think I need to be more careful. Because of me, Petra has received... some amount of insults, and teasing, from Miss Rook and her entourage, and... well, I cannot help but feel like that is an entirely avoidable situation if I withdraw." It's not the right solution, but it's A solution. "Outside Urban Centers... yes, I suppose that is... I hadn't thought about..." Of course she hadn't. The propaganda is that the war was won, the Urban Centers were safe, and that was that. And then Angela won't respond. She'd asked Petra, before. She also... Oh. I-I'd be executed, probably. "That is... a little bit vexing. It seems everyone knows things about my own world that I am not allowed to. Words and terms even our most in-depth lectures on the functioning of the world do not even include." While they wait for the elevator, Audrey looks back at Angela, a mixture of annoyance and being especially done with today. And tired. And winded. And sad. And... "Y-Yes?"
Angela	Angela nods once and presses the button to call for the elevator. Audrey can hear it approaching. Because of Audrey, Petra received insults and teasing from Rook and her entourage? Angela frowns thoughtfully. Could that be true? Her gut instinct is that Lilian and her entourage would have ended up insulting and teasing Petra regardless. It feels like a key component of their relationship and, indeed, part of what she needs from the Dame Commander. But she knows Petra's been having a rough time of it lately, even in regards to that relationship. Hum. What to do, what to do. "All I know is from the lens of assisting Lilian. I can tell you some about the... 'war' Lobotomy Corp had, since I do have context. I know that is not the same as informing you of your own world..." There is a GLIMMER of sympathy behind those eyes. "...But while I am cautious with my own secrets, I am less cautious than I am with the secrets of others. I understand it is vexing and I apologize for that. I can be overly cautious." She steps into the elevator, making sure Audrey has plenty of space before she hits the second topmost floor. "...I was wondering ... How you managed to get your hair like that?" She points to the double drills. "It looks like it takes considerable effort. I was instructed to keep my hair a certain way since I was young so I do not have much experience styling--at least by my own hands." The elevator rumbles gently as it ascends. "...Petra was fighting for me, and Lilian was fighting for The City. It was a dreadful week, but in the end nobody won, exactly, though I won enough that Lilian counts it as a loss. If I had lost, I would not be here speaking to you but I imagine you wouldn't have any reason to visit this City in the first place." Her gaze dips down at her own hands. "She carries so much on her own to the point that it is her expectation to handle matters as such. I am ... sympathetic to that feeling, even if I have been fortunate in many ways since we joined the Multiverse."
Audrey Basque	"I might like to hear about the war in full, since... Petra talks about it a lot. Some other time, when it's not..." Well, it's quite late. Audrey looks like she might fall over at any given moment, at this point, and is only standing by the miracle that is CONVERSATION. The question about her hair stuns her into becoming awake again, apparently. "The... my... hair?" Blink blink. "I use a curling iron?" Is that... is that not a thing in this world? No, wait... Angela is an AI, isn't she? So... "Um. I can show you when I wake up, tomorrow morning?" Suddenly, that looks like a good excuse to accept spending the night. She's not sure she could make the trek back anymore. "But, it does take a bit of time, yes. You don't... you don't have to make it this... you know." She motions vaguely towards her hair. "There's a lot of ways to curl your hair like this with an iron. You just have to be careful not to burn yourself." Up they go, finally. She hears some of the explanation about the war, and Angela's take on Lilian. Audrey sighs, a bit. "Mm. That's the impression I got tonight. She was... battered. Almost bloody, still. But she still insisted on handling the Black Silence herself. That is... I had never seen her like that. You know, the school photos, and the photo for the news, and... they always get her good side. That was..." Everything BUT her good side. "Still. If I may say so. I am glad you won. You seem important to Petra, and you've been nothing but welcoming despite my showing on your doorstep unannounced in the middle of..." She trails off. Annoyance quickly fades behind some kind of sadness. A huge difference from the wide smile she normally carries, including on that beach when they 'met'.
Angela	Angela is surprisd. Can someone ... DENY wanting immediate exposition? That's incredibly new to her and, thus, strangely charming. She supposes if she's staying the night there IS the morning though there will be a meeting with The Director soon, assuming nothing comes up. Or even if something comes up. ''I use a curling iron?'' "...I know what a curling iron is." Angela says placidly, frowning. "But I was unaware that it could be effective to such an extent." ''Um. I can sho you when I wake up, tommorow morning?'' "That sounds lovely, Audrey. There are closets present with the local uniform if you want to change--I have plenty so feel free to keep one if you want--but I ask that you do not leave the cookie within the closet as it might get forgotten. On the nightstand would be preferable in case you get hungry or so at the very least it can be readily cleaned up if you choose to leave it behind." She is so serious about that cookie. Entering into the local Dormitory, Audrey can see that there are various Agents milling about, though most are in their rooms at this point. They're all wearing similarly patterned uniforms--suits, dress shirts, a tie or ascot--slacks, all of various colors. They glance over to Audrey but only the blonde woman Audrey might recall as Parker waves a hand at her. She sees something in Angela's gaze that gets her to hurry along but not before she says, "I see she's testing baked goods on you too, good luck!" Angela frowns deeply abut opens a door with what looks like a LIbrary card, scanning it first, then offering it to Audrey. "For the future." She says. The room itself is cozy, though it uses a bunkbed system. There's an adjoining bathroom, though it's small, and there is indeed a closet full of the Librarian uniform that everybody is wearing around here. There are windows, and drapes for those windows, numerous drawers, and a small record player with an even smaller number of records set aside besides it. There's a mirror in the bathroom as well as inside the closet. The beds look freshly made. "There are no Librarians presently sharing this room so you may feel free to use either bed, or both if you prefer." ''I am glad you won. You seem important to Petra.'' "Thank you. You care a great deal about her, though I've noticed you mentioned being with her but are now alone." She hesitates before dipping her head. "My apologies. I just noticed. I am ... glad to have won too, though I wish I had a better way to win. I am glad she has you ... Petra is a sister to me. She's spent more time with me than anyone else has, or could. And that was simply so she could help me bear the burden of living here. So ... I appreciate you showing kindness to her when she needs it most." She tilts her head thoughtfully. "...I won't insist any further, but are you sure you don't want to share your burdens before you rest?"
Audrey Basque	"M-My apologies, I didn't mean to imply--" Audrey's stance shrinks, like she's trying to make herself tiny and forgotten. It's a reflex, not something she controls. "W-Well, a-anyway, I will, show you in the morning, yes. And I'll. Make sure to eat the cookie, of course." Hang on, testing? Audrey gives the most tired wave she can to Parker, but suddenly wonders if what she's holding only happens to look like a cookie. Concern. She's snapped out of her concerned cookie daze by being offered a card. "O-Oh! Thank you. Right, this is... a library, of course I'd need a card." She pockets it, trying to bring a semblance of a smile back to her face. The room is definitely cozier than she expected, but then she didn't know what to expect from rooms in a library. She approaches the lower bed and sits down on it, not needing to inspect the room. She finally feels relaxed enough to take a bite of that cookie, just so she isn't going to bed on a totally empty stomach. "I..." On matters of Petra, care, sisters, and burdens... maybe it's because she's finally relaxing, but Audrey lowers her head a bit. It's a bit sinister, but mostly sad, the way her bangs shadow her eyes. "When I met Petra the first time... I hurt her. I think I hurt her a lot. It was about a year and a half ago, at Miss Rook's graduation. She had... well, she had caused the school a great deal of pain, disrupted classes, and she was... known as a terrorist, essentially. So a group of younger students, including me, we... when we found out she was attending the ceremony..." She doesn't finish the story. "I didn't know back then what kind of person she really was. Under the lashing out, and the unkind words, and the brash actions. That she was hurt, and in pain, and..." Is she crying? Halfway there. But Angela wanted her burdens, so... "I hadn't... seen her again since last week. We shared a ride to a Concord celebration, we apologized to each other. But is it really enough? I see the pain she's subjected to every day since. I think... maybe... Miss Rook is really harmful to her. But she won't admit so." Deep breath. Maybe that was too much.
Angela	She's definitely getting some Hod vibes here, Angela thinks, but she still refrains from patting her head. She still feels like she's take offense to that. Hodlike isn't Hodentical after all. "It is not a hazardous cookie." Angela says. If Audrey is being sinister, Angela doesn't notice. She can be a bit naive herself in some ways that is obscured by her not being an idiot and being perceptive. But she explicitely is inexperienced in everything BUT facility management. And she's decidedly on new ground these days. Angela has heard this story from Petra, but she hasn't heard the full details. She knows about Petra going to do the terrorism, she knows about the retaliation, she doesn't know who did the milk. And Audrey stops the story before she can intuit who did the milk. "I was at that graduation cermeony." Angela says. "Well, I wasn't ''at'' the ceremony, but Petra was the one who brought me to the ceremony so I could teleconference there to support the Dame Commander who had supported me. She left at some point, I suspect knowingly to her fate, but as you said for all you knew she was a woman with the impertinence to visit a graduation ceremony of a school she had not long prior tried to infiltrate for 'terrorizing'." She does consider being a brat about it but she can't really afford to. Petra needs her right now. She presses her lips firmly together in thought. She obsessive-compulsivey adjusts a lamp on the nightstand so it's not crooked. "An apology is not enough, of course, since an apology is nothing but a signal that you intend to change your ways. But you have been supporting her rather than thrashing her. And I doubt Petra either holds a grudge or wants to be seen as pitiable. My advice is to keep doing what you are doing when you can do it. Whatever she was in the past, she makes for a reliable friend and ally if you put work in and are not careless--and she holds grudges less than people seem to believe." She IS kind of looking forward to the morning, but she stalls just a bit at that last comment. She doesn't seem surprised by it, exactly, it's more arresting in the way a brick wall might be. "...Lilian is the most important person in the world to her, but you are not the first to say so to me. I know a bit on how the situation changed recently, but she has asked me to not make nay moves on her behalf unless Lilian brings it up herself. But people said as much even before that event. They often expect me to intercede, but I am not the boss of their lives. I do not even feel qualified to judge let alone interfere. Especially not when they are suffering due to injuries inflicted upon them because of me." She studies Audrey thoughtfully like she might say something else, but ultimately leaves it at that.
Audrey Basque	The cookie being non-hazardous is fantastic news, and Audrey is starting to munch it a bit between half-stories. She notices Angela adjusting the lamp, and somehow that makes her feel like even more of a burden right there and then. Really, the room was perfect already, and here she is abusing of her host's generosity and ears. "Of course an apology isn't enough," Audrey echoes. And even moreso because it was fake, at first. It was the tactically relevant move. The don't rock the boat solution to finding out Petra was now an ally, and they HAD to behave, or else it might cost her her opportunity. But then they talked, and... Life is odd. "I believe you. That she doesn't hold grudges, kind of. I've seen how she talks to some people, she definitely... remembers things, and holds them up easily. But... for people she respects, it's more like... she thinks she's the burden. At all times. And I think she thinks that way with me too. I don't want her to feel that way, but I don't know how. If anything, I've been the burden, needing all this chaperoning around." A pause, as Audrey looks at the half cookie she has left. "I don't want you to do anything for me, about Miss Rook. Sorry if... that's how it sounded. It's not your place to do, and not my place to ask, I just... wish she would come to understand how bad it looks. And from what I've seen, how bad it's hurting her too." She doesn't mention Petra crashing onto her room's floor and starting to cry. That feels like it would cross a line, even to someone like Angela. "... sorry. Really, for all this. The cookie is good, by the way. Thank you."
Angela	"...I hope she comes to forgive Petra." Angela is willing to say that much at least. She is also wary of what feels like attempts to turn her against Lilian, even if that's mostly thanks to Sarracenia rather than anyone else in the Concord. The cookie ... actually is pretty good! It's not like the best cookie ever, it's a basic chocolate chip cookie, crunchy on the outside soft on the inside, but not TOO crunchy on the outside either. It's not like it's a chips ahoy, there is enough moisture in the center that you can chew through it easily without getting crumbs everywhere. It's a little sweet for those who prefer milder flavoring on their sweets. Angela is working on it. "She remembers. ... And she certainly gives up on people, but she isn't some sort of bully elemental." She shakes her head at the apology again. "The light is on the wall and of course there is a reading light, but I should not keep you up when you need rest. If you need anything, do not hesitate to call and I will come right down." She dips her head once more before heading on her way.
Audrey Basque	I hope she comes to forgive Petra. "I... I don't know if I do." Then what? Petra re-enters the cycle of what seems like abuse, until the next time? And the next, and the next... whatever they have going on, Audrey can't understand, or accept. "But... yes. I wish I'd known, from the start, Petra was this kind of a person. I'd have acted differently." Too late now. And with how the night went, she was concerned about going forward too. Oh, right. Rest. Being able to sit down made her forget her legs were killing her and she had no balance left. "R-Right. Yes. I'm... I don't think thank you is enough for taking me in tonight. Petra said maybe I could help free you from this place. I have some ideas. We'll... talk about it next time. It's the least I can do. Good night, Angela."