#anywhere

The late hour means moonlight coming through the windows

She plucks a book from the stack, flipping through. Does she... she's sniffing it?

The smell is perhaps the very scent of heaven on earth to a true bibliophile

"Is this typical for her?" Bachdion whispers to Earl.

Earl smiles, "yes, isn't she great?"

She does return.... eventually.

"Oh, this is lovely... I think I smell ghosts."

"A perk for some," Bacdion looks about 'Never saw the appeal o them myself"

"They can be charming company. Good stories."

A nocker girl walks by, about Zara's age. She trreates the books with special care

"Hail." A whisper for the kithain.

"Hey" the girl turns eyes narrowing, then softening JUST a bit "I'm zenobia, who the frell are you?"

She is suprirsingly quiet...for a nocker

"Zara." A bow, hand on her chest.

"And... exploring. I have applied here."

"Me too. Hope I get accepted, this place is.. well, you know, books are the way tech happens, right ? Not that my brother would agree 'print is dead' " A snort "I'll dead his fat head. There's an art to books, the cover's strength, the binding... the material the pages themselves are made of. He oughta knoww, but oh no, mister fancy snubs the family biz.. sorry, I oovershare"

"Your family - they're bookmakers?"

"Seven furking generations worth" The nockeer girl says proudly "The Spinespittle family has been been hip deep in everything from glue to human hair since longer than some countries"

"How wonderful!" Grey lips curve in a smile.

"Yeah, you'd think I'd know enough that I didn't really need a college education to do the crafting, but noooo my folks are like 'you're going to a college if we have to launch you there' so I gave them a 'fine but it better have a great library'"

"My mother and uncle are upholders, mostly - cloth and wood and batting, nu? Uncle Ratchet is a blacksmith, so a bit more traditional... I know not how many generations, though. And I am something of an odd duck in a sea of spirals..."

"The Vassar library is one of the largest... over a million volumes in this one alone, plus the others. There is a rare book collection..."

"Yeah, why I'm here... upholders eh? Hey, Textiles is where your family and mine meet I bet. "

Zenobia looks around "Look at these spines. They don't make some of them like this anymore"

"Aye, likely. Oh, I would love to see your work!"

"They do not." A sniff. "It's disgraceful."

"I know, rite? Was a time folks understood that words were the spirit of a book, but what it was on was the temple it was housed in. No respect any frurking more" Then cautious,"You understand...if I show you some of what we do, I ccan't show you the family secrets? "

"No more than I could betray the Himmelfarbs."

"You know... you're not commercial"

She tilts her head. "Pardon?"

"I mean, like... not mass produced and rushed... you got your head on straight. You know what matters and aren't just trying to get drek out."

"Ah. Thank you, that is a very complimentary thing to say. I believe it would take an true artisan to seek such. So - you are also a prospective, not a student yet? Alas, I cannot ask for the dirt..."

"Yeah," she lowers her voice, "But word is there's a hold around here, Eiluned. Annoying house but at least they tend to appreciate books."

"A hold? Aye, most important... a difficult house. Infuriating in some ways, but... intriguing, too. Secrets. Magic."

"You wanna poke around a moonpie's secretstatsh? give you credit for guts, zara."

A soft chuff. "No fun poking around a Lion's, nu? They're all out there."

"No kidding, those you need to cover up..." She rolls her eyes.

"Ahem," Sir Bachdion says

"Ah, yes. Zenobia... this is Bachdion, a lion himself. And Earl, my artist."

"Huh, artist?" She eyes Earl, "You ever do book covers?"

"Yes," Earl says honestly

Zenobia looks at Zara, "He any good at it?"

"He is much in the vein of Gorey and Bosch, nu? A touch of the macabre. Very talented, but not to everyone's taste..."

"Poor souls. They miss out."

"Huh! Lucky girl, most guys aren't that useful!" she says then al ook to bachdion "What do you do?"

Bachdion smiles "I'm a teacher."

"Huh." She seems surprised a Fiona has an academic bent.

"Aye. Bachdion is... surprising." A faint hint of approval?

"I am flattered. Now, perhaps we should look at the campusbeyond the library?"

The Nocker bookbinder looks at the Satyr and sayss "What for?"