View Flat HTML
View Metadata
Search Post
There's a new high school librarian. The old "high school librarian" was a cash-strapped student aide of sorts; apparently it's hard to keep staff working on the Hell Orifice. His name is Mr. Giles. He is British. And sort of old. And sort of crusty. And when Bella takes out certain books he looks at her with certain scrutiny.
"Is my new librarian a Watcher?" she asks Sherlock the day after Mr. Giles joins the faculty.
+ Show First Post
cross_and_bow
"Hello," he says, looking at her with mild curiosity from behind his glasses.
cross_and_bow
"There's a lot of books like this here," she remarks as he stamps them for her, just this side of audibly. "I don't think my old school had any..."
"Yes, well, this is Sunnydale," he says wryly.
cross_and_bow
"Yeah. It's a weird town. I found these in the nonfiction section. And that thing with that cheerleader yesterday - I heard peculiar rumors. Not to mention all the weird stories my dad tells about stuff he sees at work." (Charlie has been a little more forthcoming about this, lately.)
The persona she is attempting to wear does already know about magic and vampires and the like (by observation and rumor, not by Power visitation), and is trying to find out if Mr. Giles does too.
The persona she is attempting to wear does already know about magic and vampires and the like (by observation and rumor, not by Power visitation), and is trying to find out if Mr. Giles does too.
He pushes his glasses up and gives her a measuring look.
cross_and_bow
"Do you believe in magic?" she blurts. "I think I do - I didn't before I moved here - but I think it might be real, at least some of it, even if I can't make anything in the books work and can't find anyone else who can either -"
He sighs.
"Yes," he says, "unfortunately, I do."
cross_and_bow
"Unfortunately? But - isn't it a good thing? There are healing spells in these books, if nothing else."
(She would like him to determine that she is good-hearted and naive and in need of a decent teacher before she finds an indecent one.)
(She would like him to determine that she is good-hearted and naive and in need of a decent teacher before she finds an indecent one.)
"The occult can be a dangerous subject to learn," he says slowly. "For you and for those around you. But since you live in Sunnydale and you're willing to accept evidence of the supernatural, I should really recommend some other reading."
And he reaches under the counter to pull out a stack of dusty-looking old books with extremely similar cover designs.
And he reaches under the counter to pull out a stack of dusty-looking old books with extremely similar cover designs.
cross_and_bow
Bella takes them eagerly and looks for indices. "Do these have some kind of - introductory material - I haven't been able to get anything to work," she says. "I think I'm missing something very basic."
"Not quite," he says.
The books are not about magic; they are about various species of demon and other supernatural hazards, including vampires.
The books are not about magic; they are about various species of demon and other supernatural hazards, including vampires.
cross_and_bow
She peers at the indices.
"Well," she says. "This explains all the suspicious barbecue fork deaths after sunset much better than drugged gangs who use cooking implements as weapons."
"Well," she says. "This explains all the suspicious barbecue fork deaths after sunset much better than drugged gangs who use cooking implements as weapons."
"Yes," says Mr. Giles. "And my advice would be to focus your attention there first."
cross_and_bow
"I... actually already guessed," Bella says sheepishly. "If you look at my borrowing history... I didn't get these books exactly but I've gotten others that mention vampires and I didn't think it was smart to take chances, given all the funny statistics. I replaced my porch lights with those sunshine bulbs and know not to invite anyone into the house." If he agrees to teach her anything she'll also tell him about covering the town in crosses and her key to the morgue.
...He gives her another of those measuring looks.
"Vampires, I'm afraid, are only the tip of the iceberg."
"Vampires, I'm afraid, are only the tip of the iceberg."
cross_and_bow
"Yeah. My dad and some other cops had a standoff with some folks who had oddly colored blood, a while ago. And Sunnydale has a pretty bad rate of unusual occurrences even when the sun is up. But I haven't found anything so straightfoward about how to deal with those. Have these books got instructions? Stars of David and maple syrup instead of crosses and holy water?" She flips through one of the books, treating the pages gently. "Because otherwise I think it comes back to magic."
"In my experience," he says, "magic has a tendency to hurt more than it helps."
"Let's just say that you're very lucky the worst way you've had a spell go wrong is by not working at all. And that's leaving aside the fact that magic users are specifically targeted by several kinds of demon and, of course, other magic users. And the risk of addiction."
He's sounding crustier by the second.
He's sounding crustier by the second.
cross_and_bow
"Magic is addictive?" Bella asks skeptically. "Literally, or is that a metaphor for it being useful or fun to the point where using it leads to using more by some mechanism that is not, literally, addiction?"
"Magic addiction is fairly rare, but it does happen," he says. "In a very literal, devastating sense."
cross_and_bow
"Oh dear. Thank you for telling me."
(If he were bullshitting her he probably wouldn't have said it was rare, so she's going to take this as likely accurate, and something she needs to find out about before attempting to learn anything.)
"Is there anything else you can tell me besides recommending the books? Are these even..." She looks at the spines. "They're not library books. Can I borrow them anyway?"
(If he were bullshitting her he probably wouldn't have said it was rare, so she's going to take this as likely accurate, and something she needs to find out about before attempting to learn anything.)
"Is there anything else you can tell me besides recommending the books? Are these even..." She looks at the spines. "They're not library books. Can I borrow them anyway?"
"They're mine," he says, "and yes, you can."
cross_and_bow
"Thanks."
This is probably all she's going to get out of Mr. Giles. At least this time. What a pity. (And he knows some magic, too, if he fixed the cheerleader, as seems likely. Frustrating.)
She takes the books. She spends the rest of her study hall reading through the first chapter of one, taking notes, and then she goes to the rest of her classes and hangs out in the library to continue.
This is probably all she's going to get out of Mr. Giles. At least this time. What a pity. (And he knows some magic, too, if he fixed the cheerleader, as seems likely. Frustrating.)
She takes the books. She spends the rest of her study hall reading through the first chapter of one, taking notes, and then she goes to the rest of her classes and hangs out in the library to continue.
Mr. Giles mostly tries to ignore her.
He doesn't do a very good job.
He doesn't do a very good job.