#earthrunes

A spider skitters over her hand!

She looks at the spider, and reacts to it far more fondly than she does the word Liam "Well, hello there."

She does not yank her hand away, though she almost twitched a bit, she holds it still against the books so the spider can move on if he or she wishes

August's smooth expression doesn't waiver at the near-reaction of the new Sidhe.

"You are recently through your Dream Dance, then?" gently.

Septa climbs onto the hand, inspecting it.

"Oh you are a curious one, I like that" She says to Septa, "Hopefully not curious about the taste of me." She turns the hand so the spider can inspect the palm line and answers August "Yes, Baron. It was a near thing, I almost didn't make it, but ..yes. I am very grateful to your lady. The Baroness recieved me warmly. "

"I'm glad, and I welcome you as well, Lady Minerva."

"Nothing can dwindle to nothing, as Nature restores one thing from the stuff of another, nor does she allow a birth, without a corresponding death.” Bronte observes from the top of a bookshelf.

Now she IS startled and looks up,"What is.. oh my,pardon, but what manner of dragon are you?" Her eyes light up with delight "Pardon me, Baron, it's a little dragon!"

“No dragon can resist the fascination of riddling talk and of wasting time trying to understand it.”

"She used to be." August agrees, not without humor. "Bronte, will you come say hello?"

"And forgive my ill manners, little one, but as you are curious about me, I am very curious about this dragon" She says to the spider allowing it to escape to a shelf

"Baron, your welcome is warm, but the library is far more alive than I anticipated"

Bronte swoops down - she's grown, but she's still small enough to perch on August's shoulders. "Salutations are greetings," said the voice. "When I say 'salutations,' it's just my fancy way of saying hello or good morning.”

"She quotes books" Minerva says "I ..remember this one from my host"

August nods. "That will happen; I think of those memories as gifts. Bronte is our resident Bookwrym."

“Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit.” A pause. "Oscar Wilde."

"A Bookwyrm" A relieved look "it cannot be such a cold world that has book loving dragons in it. "

Septa marches up - Bronte is not the only chimera who can claim shoulders! What a view!

August holds still as he is used as a perch.

She curls her tail around his throat like a scaly necklace, and claws only very gently prick as she finds balance with her larger form.

"We have quite a few chimerical creatures here at EarthRunes." August informs. "None of them malicious."

"Amazing... are they spies for someone?" She asks as if it's not an unnatural idea

Spies? Septa is shocked... shocked!

"Ahhh.... it's possible they might carry a secret or two to others."

"Humph" She says to Septa "And you seemed so innocent at first."

Minerva moves to Bronte "Bronte, may I stroke your scales?"

Septa harrumphs - who knew a spider could do that?

Bronte, however, stretches out her neck to accept attention.

"I apologize" She says to Septa "But while I don't have secrets yet, when I do get them, I'd like to defend them even as I pry into the secrets of others. I try to be honest about my doublestandards"

In truth,she has secrets, it's just they're secret from HER, and that's..frustrating, but then again, there are bookwyrms! And that takes the edge off. She strokes Bronte's neck "Oh, how marvelous. I feel like I'm running fingers over a masterpiece"

"We are, not metaphorically but in very truth, a Divine work of art"

"Oh Bronte, I wish I had a library of my own in hopes a bookwyrm like you would live there." A realization, and she looks to August "i'm quite envious.. is Bookwrym envy typical?"

Said with an odd selfish and slightly self aware innocence mixed with her envy

"Yes." August observes Bronte with avuncular pride. "Bronte joins us here as the result of a quest; in time, you'll be able to take on such efforts. Who knows what, or who, you will find My Lady?"

“It was good to walk into a library again; it smelled like home.”

"Indeed, thank you, Bronte" She does stop stroking as she doesn't want to take liberties, then looks at the spider "And thank you for not biting me. I don't wish to be envenomed" Then she recalls "Ah, are there any books about names here?"

"I am sure of it. Bronte, can you hold on gently? I need to go to the catalog."

"Thank you. I made a joke to a pooka, I think that was a mistake. He pushed for another name besides Minerva, and when Ijested 'Minerva Regina' he played at it as Regina period. Given that means QUEEN I think it's a bit of an overstep , don't you?"

"I think it could be taken as such." August agrees, carefully walking to the catalog.

"On the other hand, perhaps the pooka was making a prank of sorts?"

August is handed a slender volume, bound in black and silver.

"I'm sure of it, I just worry others will take the joke seriously. Sir Almondine says that they are often jokers and always liars and that one here is court jester. Though vincent wasn't wearing motley"

"Nay, Shalimar wears the motley. Vince is a fool of a different sort." A whisper.

Okay, THIS time she startles

August takes the book, blinks, and smiles at the sluagh.

"Hello." Softly.

"Greetings."

"Greetings" The sidhe leans forward to tilt her head and see who it is "And pardon, I did not realize this library was so occupied. I hope I have not crowded it too much?"