Welcome to the Library

[werepuppyblack]

Who: Open Post
What: Opening Post
Where: All over the library and its grounds
Warnings: [to be edited if necessary]



Today the Great Library opens its doors to all Patrons, who have come from many of the stories and books all available on the shelves.

For this first visit, Patrons will be restricted to the Library and its grounds.

Fortunate, then, that these are impressive indeed - large gardens set up for all sorts of activities, woods surrounding the area and in the Library itself? Cafes, internet access, and the best weapons in the universe: books.

Do enjoy your first visit to the Library, Patron, and always remember the rules.

The Rules of the Library
1. Patrons cannot read further ahead in their own stories than the time they have arrived from. Any attempt to do so will result in being met with blank pages.This lack of information will also occur if trying to find out spoilers online.

2. Patrons cannot tell other Patrons how their story ends. Any attempt to do so will find the Patron unable to find the words to explain it.

3. All books must be shelved correctly.

4. Do Not Harm the Books

5. Do not interfere with the nature of Narrative Causality

Comments

[knowntohisfriends]

[There's a snort of agreement accompanied by a tilt of his head at the words of who would actually have time. The Dodger rolled his eyes a bit, still smiiling.]

Alright for those blokes who ain't known work.

[He glances over at the thickness, and scoffs]

No way. No one got the patience!

[wellenough]

[Chatting, even with a stranger, is infinitely better than wandering on his own. It isn't quite like being amidst a gaggle of midshipmen and ship's boys, but it's closer--and that's enough to get Henry grinning properly as well.]

Would you carry this around with you? To keep reading?

[knowntohisfriends]

Somethin' that size? Bugger off, got better things to be carrin' wiv me than the likes of that.

[Though he probably could get a decent price for it with the fence he knew. Not Fagin, he never did books, but an associate of his. They were good with books. Still... the size of the thing made the risk not worth the reward. It was too thick to conceal properly, and too thick to be unnoticed if gone missing. He hadn't gained the moniker of Artful without being smart about his line of work.]

[wellenough]

D'you think that means you need to buy a library before you can buy a book like this?

[It seems more respectful than using a book this size to, say, hold up a table.

It just looks like it probably could do a good job of it.]

[knowntohisfriends]

Nah. Means you got to be able to pay others to carry yer stuff for you.

[There's a laugh accompanying it. That being said, he's pretty sure he's seen people employed with the sole purpose of carrying stuff around]

[wellenough]

[It's true, of course. It's even something Henry sees now and then when they come in contact with someone of the proper upper echelon.

It's still impossible not to let out a snort.]

Can you imagine having so much that you'd pay someone for that?

[knowntohisfriends]

[There's a shake of the head]

Must be a grand life, right?

[His tone is very clear: he doesn't think that. He'd rather have the freedom having nothing allows]

[wellenough]

Grand as life in The Castle of Otranto, I'd wager.

[Being in a library inspires literary reference, clearly. Henry doesn't have a terribly deep bench to pull from, but the effort has to count for something.]

[knowntohisfriends]

[The Dodger, on the other hand, has really no literary references. He's not a good reader and he may know plots of some penny dreadfuls but beyond that... Granted, he's never been in a position of conversation that would use such references. It's actually a bit of a new experience, even if it does nothing to the confusion clear on his expression]

The what?

[wellenough]

Otranto. [One shoulder lifts thoughtlessly. It hadn't been such a wildly popular book among his peers--and, to be quite frank, more than half of his peers had no particular talent for reading at all.] Story about a prince who winds up losing everything because he's so hellbent on keeping all his wealth. People die left and right over it.

[As people always did in gothic novels, of course.]

[knowntohisfriends]

Sorry mate, don't reckon I've heard of that one. Which paper's it printed in?

[Most of the stories spread around the den came from the cheap serials printed in the papers after all. Charlie reckoned the Mail had the best ones.]

[wellenough]

Dunno.

[But.]

Bet they've got a bound copy here somewhere.

[Leaning his head back doesn't quite let Henry see all the way to the top of the shelf, after all.]

Not sure it's worth the search.

[knowntohisfriends]

Where would you even begin to look, mate?

[wellenough]

[Scanning the shelves doesn't reveal any particularly recognizable pattern Henry can discern. Still, flags are like that before a body has a code book.]

Sure there's some sort of system here.

[knowntohisfriends]

[The Dodger glances around with a shrug]

If there is, it ain't any I know.

[wellenough]

Probably better things to figure out here than how they store the books, though.

[Most things, really. Getting home just seemed to be at the tippy top of the list.]

[knowntohisfriends]

Probably, yer right there.

[Though knowing the system might help with swiping some volumes...]

[wellenough]

[It doesn't stop him squinting up at the shelves, of course.]

Unless you've already got this whole thing sorted. Why we're here and all.

[knowntohisfriends]

We're here because we're here because?

[He shrugs]

[wellenough]

[There's not a huge amount of leeway to laugh on the ship. It makes a light chuckle now feel all the more freeing.]

D'you not mind it?

[knowntohisfriends]

I mind, just... ain't that bothered right now.

[He's pragmatic. He'll make do wherever he is]

[wellenough]

Not at all?

[Having the chance to be properly bothered feels novel.]

[knowntohisfriends]

Probably not as much as I should be. I'm one of those who adapts, y'know.

[wellenough]

No matter what?

[knowntohisfriends]

Guess I should say in most situations, right?