PSL for Renart

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[His smile is properly open for once, no hint of wariness or concern, in the thrill of discovering another memory that had been lost to him for so long.]

Pretty sure I went with Steve most of the time. He had asthma and he got sick easy, so he didn't do too good in the cold, and so the library was a good place to go.

[aigue]

That makes sense.

[Aw, she's happy for him.]

Do you think you did much reading?

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Yeah. I don't really remember that much, but I'm sure we must've done. It was free entertainment, wasn't it? Can't knock that.

[He's got a lighter step even as they move into the first powdery steps of snow at the base of the mountain. Getting that memory back has put him in a good mood.]

Bet you've been in hundreds of libraries over the years, huh?

[aigue]

[This is turning out to be a nice trip, who knew? Certainly a good distraction from Monty being gone.]

Thousands. Even some in New York. We Fairy Tales even had a special one in London.

[Now that's something she hasn't thought about in a while.]

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Oh, yeah? Is that the one where all your Stories were kept?

[He vaguely remembers her telling him something about that before, but he hadn't imagined that place being in London. Why London, of all places?]

[aigue]

That's right. We realized our Stories were too fragile to be left out in the open, so the Library was created to house them. A few Fairy Tales run it.

[advanced]

But why build it in London?

[Surely there are older or more mystical places in the world.]

[aigue]

I don't know, the idiots who decided they were in charge made that decision.

[She shrugs, not caring too much.]

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I'm guessing it has to be protected so that random members of the public can't just wander in off the street and mess with things?

[Not just a regular library.]

[aigue]

Probably. There are a couple of Fairy Tales who manage it, and humans never go into it.

[It's a very special library.]

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Maybe... maybe if we ever get out of here, you could show it to me?

[Maybe he could be the first human to go inside? Or at least see it from the outside.]

[aigue]

[He gets a surprised look in response.]

You'd want to see my home?

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Sure.

[He looks mildly surprised in return.]

Why wouldn't I?

[aigue]

I don't know. I... suppose I haven't thought about anyone else ever seeing it.

[There's a lot more insinuated there, thanks to the existential horror that was Between. She spent a lot of time thinking her home was gone forever.]

[advanced]

[He doesn't know all that went on in Between and so he doesn't understand her thinking her world was gone, but he does pick up on there being something else behind that.]

Maybe it's something you can start to think about now?

[aigue]

[She smiles a little.]

Maybe. What about your world? Could I see your world?

[advanced]

Not so sure you'd want to.

[It's not a no, just caution rising up.]

It's not a safe place to be seen with me a lot of the time.

[aigue]

Come on now, do you really think that would be a deterrent for me? I'm tough, I'd be fine.

[advanced]

I suppose it might be kinda nice to have someone to go on the run with.

[And she is more durable than most.]

You'd have to hide your ears, though, ain't many fox people where I'm from.

[aigue]

I can do that.

[She looks very pleased he isn't entirely opposed to this idea.]

I've spent over nine hundred years doing that, what's a few more?

[advanced]

I didn’t know you could do that, I’ve never seen you looking like a normal person.

[He doesn’t want to offend her but he is curious, and it’s not like anyone else will see now they’re well on the way to the mountains.]

Show me?

[aigue]

That's a silly request.

[And kind of an awkward one. She can disguise herself, but she doesn't really like doing it. She supposes she can humour him though, one time.]

I didn't bring anything large enough to hide my tail, but if you have a scarf or something I can hide my ears.

[advanced]

Oh.

[Now he just looks awkward, a mild embarrassment breaking through the usual stoic expression on his face.]

Forget it, I thought-- never mind.

[aigue]

[She chuckles in amusement.]

No, no, what did you think? Tell me.

[advanced]

[He frowns, just a little, because this is kind of embarrassing.]

I thought you used magic to make them disappear or something.

[It sounds childish and silly now he's said it out loud. Because if she could do that, then why would her human form have those appendages at all?]