Bibliophiles Unite!

[Zero]

"You could be great." Someone with a gift very, very few people had - so few that he had never met someone with such a gift - thought she wasn't extraordinary? Keiran shook his head slightly, not really able to wrap his mind around it, but he supposed she simply didn't have a lot of self-confidence.

"I find you interesting. You are competent, polite, and have a very rare, unique gift. Honestly the help I have offered seems rather minuscule a thing." After all, it wasn't difficult to suggest that someone with such a gift should seek further magical instruction at highly esteemed institutions, and no more difficult to point out financial means available to help her enter said institution.

[DragonSong]

"Well, I'm grateful all the same," Lyssa murmured with a small smile, nodding at him and almost dipping into a sort of curtsy.

She stared at him for a moment, running over what he'd said in her mind, the possibilities. Then she realized what she was doing and gave a quick shake of her head. "Oh, um- forgive me, I think I've lost track of time. I- I really should be getting back to the front desk..."

[Zero]

"You are most welcome." Keiran flashed her a rather dazzling and charming smile, giving a slight bow in return to the sort of curtsy.

Giving a soft sigh, Keiran took an almost regretful look around the room full of forbidden books, knowing they shouldn't stay any longer than they already had. Well, these tomes were considered off-limits anyway. Perhaps it was best they didn't have time to continue poking about.

"There is nothing to forgive, of course we should leave here. I would hate to have you in trouble on my account." He made a sweeping gesture with his arm to the door. "Ladies first."

[DragonSong]

"Oh no, don't worry about that," Lyssa hastened to assure him. Blushing though she didn't know why, she nodded and moved past him to open the door, peering around a moment before she slipped out.

"If..." She turned to face him and smiled a bit. "If you'd like, I  could put in a request for you to actually have permission to come back here. As long as you want, hours."

[Zero]

Keiran followed gracefully out of the room, already thinking of what to study in place of sea serpents since they had not found anything, not that they had actually spent a great deal of time looking. It had been so easy to get caught up in conversation with her.

"Oh? Would that be too much trouble? I am not sure if they will give permission just for some research for sea serpents. I can always study another creature." Or he could focus on something other than mythical beasts for a time. Keiran was free to pursue whatever caught his interest, his family could afford to send him to Kia's Garden for as long as he still wished to be there.

[DragonSong]

"It's no trouble at all," Lyssa assured him quickly, eyes positively sparkling. "In fact, I welcome the change. I much as I enjoy working here, it can become a little too...routine, after a while."

She led him down the stairs and back to the front desk, practically bouncing with excitement now. "I'll see what else I can find about sea serpents when I get off this evening, but I'll also ask about getting you a pass to look at the restricted resources."

[Zero]

"Well when you become a student you can really vary your routines." Keiran purposely said it in a way that suggested that it was something inevitable, and honestly, given Lyssa's gift in his mind her attending a college was just what should happen. It should have already happened, but better late than never.

He stood before the desk, smiling faintly at her excitement. "Thank you so much, you have truly gone above and beyond your duty to assist me with my studies, Lyssa. I appreciate it very much."

[DragonSong]

"You're welcome." Her cheeks and the tips of her ears darkened with a blush as she hesitated by the front counter. "It was my pleasure, truly.

She shifted from foot to foot, then offered a smile and a hopeful, "Will I see you tomorrow then?"

[Zero]

Keiran regarded the young, blushing woman with his smile increasing by just a fraction. She had blushed more than once when speaking with him, but the young lord seemed to remain oblivious to the darkened cheeks and ear tips.

"If you are not tired of my visits, then yes. Should I come in the morning or evening? I can plan my day accordingly in either case." Other than his studies he couldn't think of anything pressing he needed to pay attention to.

[DragonSong]

"I don't think I'll ever grow tired of your visits, Mister- Keiran." She stumbled over using his given name, but her tone was utterly sincere, eyes shining a bit. "I believe the evening would be more convenient, if it's really no trouble for you."

[Zero]

"Then I will come tomorrow evening to see about permission to study in the restricted sections." Keiran could find dozens of excuses to visit the public library now that he found such enjoyment in these little adventures away from the school grounds.

Flashing another of his smiles, Keiran bowed slightly to her again. "Have a lovely evening, Lyssa. I will see you tomorrow."

[DragonSong]

She nodded her head to him, smiling but a little confused by how flustered he could make her with a smile and a kind word.

"Tomorrow then." Her lips twitched up a little higher on one side, revealing dimples. "Travel safe."

[Zero]

It probably didn't help her confusion that Keiran seemed unaware of the fact that he flustered her at all. Although what seemed and what was could be different.

He gave a slight dip of his head and one last bright smile before dropping back into a more mild expression as he turned and left the library quietly. With nothing new to study he was free the rest of his day and tomorrow until he returned.

Hopefully once he came back there would be new material for him to research.

Lyssa would find that she had new visitors to the library the following evening. A pair of very well-dressed young women who were obviously very upper class, and only slightly younger than Keiran, came to the library and sat as close to the doors as they could. They barely made an effort to seem like they were actually there to study or read. Instead they spent the afternoon whispering and giggling, eyes darting to the door whenever it opened.

[DragonSong]

Lyssa fell into her routine after Keiran left, though she did stay a few hours after the library was officially closed to talk to the owner and do some of her own research on sea serpents.

In fact, by the time the next evening rolled around, she was bent over an old scroll at her front desk, spectacles perched on the bridge of her nose and fingers drumming against the wood of the desk as she tried to decipher some rather horrid handwriting.

She kept glancing up at the two young women, frowning slightly. They weren't exactly conducive to a studying environment, but they hadn't done anything disruptive enough for her to have to address it yet.

[Zero]

Keiran looked impeccable when he left his rooms that morning, but that was nothing unusual. The younger Fairhall son always took great pains to make sure that his appearance and demeanor was always just right. His every action and moment reflected upon his entire family. It wasn't in his nature to disappoint his House or bring any kind of embarrassment to his name.

By the time he came to the public library it was later in the afternoon. As soon as he swept through the door the two young women jumped to their feet and Keiran had to quickly mask his surprise at seeing them there.

No one he knew frequented the library here. Certainly not these two young women.

Immediately a pleasant expression came to him, even as they approached with their swishing silk skirts. Both girls dropped into curtsies, giving almost breathless greetings of "Lord Keiran".

"What a surprise to see you ladies here. I did not know you came here." His friendly mask hid the fact that he wasn't actually all that happy to see them. It wouldn't do to be rude to young women from wealthy and noble families.

"We don't, but a little birdie told us that you were spending a lot of time here the past few days. Won't you come share our table? We've missed seeing you in the college's library."

"Yes, it is so dull studying when you aren't there to help us focus." The second girl seemed to chirp as a mere backup to the first girl, who was arguably the prettier of the two. She also was from a more prominent family.

"I am always happy to help such lovely young women study, but I must first see if the materials I need are available. Please, excuse me Lady Vanessa and Miss Danielle." Keiran bowed to them both before carefully extracting himself, watching the giggling girls return to their table with a pensive frown before turning and heading for the front desk, a genuine smile pulling at his lips as he focused on the librarian.

"Good evening, Lyssa. I hope your day has been well."

[DragonSong]

When the door opened with its familiar ding Lyssa glanced up hopefully, as she had every time she heard the sound that afternoon. This time though, a smile spread across her face as she caught sight of Keiran.

A smile that froze when the two noisy girls blocked his path. She blinked, then dropped her eyes to her work, doing her best not to listen in as they simpered at "Lord Keiran".

She looked up at him with a small frown, having settled back into attempting to decipher the scroll, but her expression quickly smoothed into a bright smile. "Evening," she chirped, twisting slightly to wave the other librarian on duty over so he could take over the front desk work.

Rolling the scroll back up, she clutched it to her chest and slipped out around to the front of the desk. "So. I have something for you." Eyes glinting, she pulled a small card from her pocket, the words "Special Permission" printed in the owner of the library's rather elegant script, and underneath Lyssa had written "Keiran Fairhall".

"It's good for twenty-four hours," she told him happily. "Charmed, so once the time is up your name disappears. But better than nothing, right?"

[Zero]

Keiran gave a polite nod to the other librarian as he approached, but his real focus was obviously on Lyssa. The young lord's smile brightened as she came around the desk. When she pulled the card out his smile lit up his entire face.

"Better than nothing? This is fantastic. Thank you so much, Lyssa. You have been the most genuinely helpful person I have met in this entire city." There was nothing but sincerity in his voice.

At the nearby table the young women were watching the two of them, apparently torn between wishing to simply gawk at Keiran and now scowling at Lyssa, whom they had barely even been aware existed prior to Keiran speaking with her.

Vanessa, a willowy beauty with pouty lips and silver hair, frowned before whining in a petulant voice. "Lord Keiran, stop wasting good manners on the help and come study with us."

"Good manners are never wasted, Lady Vanessa." Keiran's lips had immediately twitched into a frown upon hearing the woman's voice. Honestly he'd half wished he could simply forget the two girls were there. Thankfully he was facing away from them when his expression had slipped. His typical pleasant demeanor returned immediately. "I am afraid that we will be unable to study together, ladies. I will be in the restricted section, as I have been granted special permission."

"Restricted section? Oh Lord Keiran you're so funny. We'll come with you." They both rose from the table, oblivious to the fact that someone could even tell them no to what they wanted.

[DragonSong]

Lyssa positively beamed at him, flushing at his praise but quite clearly genuinely thrilled with how pleased he was. "I like helping, think nothing of it. No trouble for a fellow bibliophile," she murmured.

Then the two noisy girls were speaking again and she dropped her head, not wanting to really look at them though she wasn't sure why. She stiffened a bit at being referred to as "the help" and frowned at the floor, but didn't say anything.

When the girls decided to invite themselves along, however, her head snapped up. Adjusting her spectacles, she said in a quiet but firm voice, "I'm afraid that's not an option, Miss. You see, K- Lord Keiran has special permission to visit the restricted section, and that is only for a day, and only under the condition that he is accompanied by someone to supervise."

[Zero]

"Miss?" Vanessa fumed, going slightly red with indignation, both at some perceived insult to her station and the idea that a librarian, some lowly working class girl, had just told her no. "Do you know who I am? Who my father is? I am Lady Vanessa of House Slorian, and if I want to go to this restricted section then I will! My father will buy this entire building and dismiss you if I tell him to! If I want -"

"Lady Vanessa." Keiran's expression was still that mildly pleasant neutral mask, and his tone was silky sweet. She immediately stopped speaking, turning to Keiran with doe eyes, obviously expecting him to be on her side. "I think you should leave. Now."

Vanessa was visibly taken aback, sputtering lightly before turning her scowl on him. "How dare you! My father will hear about this insult."

"I imagine he will. Tonight I will be writing him a letter describing at length your very unladylike and rude behavior. I will also be writing a letter to my father explaining in no uncertain terms that should your father approach him with the intention of discussing a marital arrangement between you and myself, that the answer is no." His mild smile and honeyed voice didn't change in the slightest. "Then I will write a letter to my brother informing him that should your father have the poor judgement to try to make a match with him that, while beautiful outwardly, you are quite unpleasant in all other aspects."

Both girls were staring at him, their faces pale and eyes huge. "You will never be a lady of Fairhall, and you have none but yourself to blame. If I ever hear you insult or threaten Miss Lyssa again I will personally see that you are expelled from Kia's Garden. Now return to the academy and do not ever come to this place again."

The thoroughly jilted lady seemed to struggle with the idea of being ordered out, but she raised her chin defiantly and glared at him. "This is a huge mistake. I would have been an excellent match for your family. Especially for you! A second son getting a lady like me? You would have been lucky to have me. Now you never will. Your father will not be pleased that our families will no longer be able to have friendly dealings."

"My father will not mourn the loss. If you can call it a loss." Keiran simply said, his smile widening a fraction.

Both girls glared at him as they stormed out of the library, trying to make it seem as if leaving had been their idea to begin with. As soon as they were gone he sighed heavily, expression becoming apologetic and unhappy. "My sincerest apologies, Lyssa. You should never have had to be exposed to their hateful and venomous attitudes."

[DragonSong]

Lyssa could do little more than stare, wide eyed, during the whole exchange. The lady's threat to have her dismissed made her pale, teal skin suddenly seafoam green and she swallowed thickly, eyes huge behind her glasses.

she sort of cowered away from the two women- but she was utterly shocked when Keiran stood up for her. Lips parted slightly, she blinked at him in quiet surprise.

Which was the expression he was met with when he turned his attention to her again, pale, wide-eyed, almost gasping. she shook her head quickly and stammered out, "D-don't apologize, it wasn't your fault."

Lyssa lapsed into silence, still sort of staring at him. she didn't quite know how to react to what had just happened.