Handling Fate with a Librarian

In an often empty street in Caelum, One might come across a dusty looking building with an old, antique looking sign with the words Lee’s Library and Archival Center posted along the top of the doorframe. While modest and as small looking as the other shops in the district; Its true self shows through when you finally step through- in which it opens up to a Massive Library, Ornate in Appearance and very cluttered- yet still retaining an orderly appearance. This is just the entrance of course, and from there one can see the rather large first floor, almost as large as a quarter of Caelum spanning throughout, with a clean, beautiful looking theme to the base of it, it seems to look almost like a normal library should.
 
Comfortably lit and yet tied around with various Magitech look objects and lights, it gives off a peaceful, and secure air to it- in which it is; the guards there are heavily lethal to the point of maximum power, an expensive security if the librarian within wasn’t so handy with Magitech himself. With lower area lowered and themed in various themes, along with the shelf’s (as numerous as they were- every theme correlated to whatever the area specialized in) the areas filled with comfortable chairs, couches and computer like objects, people can often be seen just resting there, content to rest in the day- something the librarian doesn’t mind at all; he lets people stay as often as they want (often because he forgets they’re there.)
 
In this middle of it all on a highly raised platform, surrounded by computers, many towers of books of all types and colors is the Librarian himself, his head often looking towards the many documents and books that litter his own massive looking desk. Although young, he never seems to be surprised about anything and shows an almost knowing air around him at all times. Always helpful, he contains the knowledge of all five floors with varying memory- although he has a lot of information; it takes him a little bit to remember where exactly everything is. While lazy, he did believe in order- every area and place of the library is ordered around both for the maximum privacy as well as accessibility.  (And although every place was in an area, those areas were also split into areas, with generals being seen on signs above where you might find something: “Fiction”, “Non Fiction”, etc…)
 
The reason for the highly elevated platform is the fact that behind his desk is a metal, and surprisingly out of place looking Magitech elevator, to which when the Librarian inputs a few keys, to which it goes down nearly five floors, each the size of the first floor- a quarter of Caelum; the first three floors nearly the same of the first floor, and while the same, each floor has notable differences, both in technology and in theme- some become darker, raunchier, some of the more graphically detailed autobiographies and histories are found here: as well as some things that the librarian doesn’t want the public to see. The Guards here are programmed to be much stricter and much more lethal than the ones on the first floor. It isn’t uncommon to find dangerous spells, magic grimoires or spell-books from other worlds on the lower floors, and although they don’t necessarily work on Radix, doesn’t mean they can’t be used elsewhere.
 
The next two floors are the actual archives, and the generator room. The Archive’s is where the themes pretty much stop, becoming a brightly lit, incredibly advanced looking room as big as the rest of the room, but capable of holding MUCH more information than all of the rest of the floors combined- becoming the most advanced, dangerous and well-guarded secret that the Librarian has- and although he wishes it to remain a secret, he has different plans in place in case everyone starts knowing about it- such as upgrading and updating every guard to be deadly to snoopers. While it’s not off limits, only people who have express permission and remain in his company can go with him, as he is the only person can work the technology in the entire floor. Besides having the second most lethal guards in the floor (programmed to kill all who aren’t with Lee) It has extreme if not uncannily large banks of information of even other worlds- entire histories of worlds, up and including their destruction, information on powerful artifacts and when they were last seen, everything can be found here.
 
And the final room is the Generator floor, and the soft heartbeat that got stronger every floor you went down finally becomes a thundering sound, in which you can see large, multicolored and incredibly advanced generators can be seen- still able to be worked on, as he lets the staff of Caelum’s Generator Core work on it as well. While not full of information, it is the most protected floor of the building, and the most lethal guards can be found here- programmed to kill anyone who didn’t shut off the systems while they worked on it- (meaning Lee himself could be killed if he went down there if he didn’t turn everything off from the datapad on the elevator first.)
 
And that is the main building. Besides that, there are several teleporters that are connected to different libraries in Radix- Essentially a system of them with his at the center (as he has the most information) as well as a large, two story house on the first floor tucked away from view- It allows both Lee himself and five other people to live rather comfortably, with several working bathrooms and a large, spacey kitchen. The reason for the level of detail and size is simply because only wealthy people live in Caelum, and Lee is damn near the wealthiest.
 
And despite the size, and the level of detail that went into the library, the story of how he got it is actually rather short in summary- the city of Caelum and its inhabitants had made an old rundown building rather cheap, in which Lee’s dream of having his own library had pushed him into getting it, and although many believed it was rather stupid to do this, Lee refused to give up on it and had several years of nothing but extensive work and doing things no other librarian should ever do- and as he began to upgrade his building, he began to fill in his knowledge- and in an attempt to be the greatest librarian Radix had ever seen, had gone around pestering EVERYONE in Radix that had stumbled through like he did for extensive amounts of information, from biographies to now irrelevant information like spell books- it had paid off in the end: he got extremely wealthy from the amount of information everyone wanted, and soon was able to upgrade completely and still have massive amounts of money: money large enough able to keep both his sister’s house, as well as the library and his own house- along with anything else he wanted to buy afloat for several years.
 

…A librarian’s work was never easy. Archiving, Organizing, and Making Sure his entire library was updated, both in monthly calibration and the status of things- it was tiring and menial, but extremely necessary. It was things like this that made him want to hire staff- or at the very least an apprentice or two to help him- he had more than enough money to pay them, and being a librarian wasn’t the worst things they could be. Still, his tired, overworked eyes needed a little rest- perhaps he could question anyone if they wanted to join him? Even though his main quest was to reunite with his sister, it was something like that which was needed- if nobody wanted to work for him, he could build something perhaps…but even the drones, guards and secret cameras he had put everywhere were limited in intelligence, and building something like that which could think for itself and wasn’t human was a risky proposition…but then again…so were the killer robots on the fifth floor he had purposely put there. One of those days someone might find him dead because he had suddenly forgotten to shut off the systems and get blasted with every known magical spell and projectile known to Radix and beyond.
 
…But that was beside the point, wasn’t it?
 
Still, he had a good feeling today, and the energy radiating off of that fact had led him to be rather content and awake.

It had only been a day or two since Alexander had been given his apartment, and it had just been he and Yudi there staring at each other. The little dragon was still recovering from the strange ailment that had afflicted her, but Alexander abided by the doctor's word that she would get better. She'd been sleeping since she arrived in the house, still and snoring softly like any other baby would. Today Alexander needed to head out and begin his job hunt. He didn't recall if he had this place gratis for one or two years, but he decided that getting a job now meant he could start saving up for an actual apartment. This one was nice, but it was incredibly basic. Alexander didn't mind that, but he did have an infant dragon to care for.

This day, Alexander had donned some donated clothing he had acquired from a neighbor the day before. They weren't exactly the best fitting, as they'd been tailored for whatever species that creature was, but Alexander appreciated the kindness nonetheless. He'd wouldn't have had a way to get any clothing otherwise, so he embraced these as the best thing available. He wore a red flannel dress shirt with a collar trimmed to be larger (for a thicker neck) and the sleeves flared at the ends. His pants were a little tight at the waist, but otherwise gave him free range of movement. He didn't look too bad he thought, over all. Maybe a little silly, but the clothing didn't do him a total disservice.

His blonde hair bobbed as he walked down the street, his blue eyes examining the buildings and environment carefully. This whole city looked like the ones under Aramayt, stretching and twisting spirals into the sky. The buildings didn't really twist in either case, mind, but as Alexander continued to look up he experienced vertigo for the briefest of moments, locking his eyes back onto the sidewalk and shaking his head free from the awkward sensation. Alexander had to keep his eyes on the prize: today, job hunting. Tomorrow, probably more job hunting. Net week? Maybe even more job hunting. 

As Alexander travelled on the sidewalk, he looked into the street and observed the large variety of vehicles present, grimacing. Hope it's within walking distance...
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It wasn't more than a few hours later that Alexander had crossed into Caelum through a giant elevator, the dizzying heights flying by as the massive lift ascended. It wasn't more thana few minutes after stepping off the marvelous thing that waves of emotion overcome him, letting him tremble lightly. A city in the sky, how about that? It made him miss Aramayt. It was a few minutes' passing that Alexander came across a strange little sign over a quaint little building. Lee's Library, Alexander mouthed the words as he read them, noticing that the street he now stood on was inexplicably quiet. He wasn't exactly sure when he had turned on this street, but as nobody else seemed to have been here, he decided to just examine the building before him. 

It wasn't incredibly large, just an average sized-building of brick construction sitting in the middle of a populated city. But it had a draw to it, something Alexander had always found appealing: the premise of a small, local shop dealing in the imparting of knowledge was always interesting to Alexander. In Aramayt, he spent a lot of time in the library reading a variety of things to pass the time, but all of his scrolls and books were old and outdated. They held lots of facts about mythology, but now Alexander needed more. This world called Radix was much different than what he was used to, and so he needed to read up on it. Job hunting could wait, because this information gathering mission was now the most important. It could help him get a job after all, if he actually knew what he was getting into.

Alexander pressed into the doorknob and let the door swing gently open, revealing the Library's interior with a startling departure from reality. The inside of this moderately sized building was massive, absolutely incredibly gigantic. Alexander's mouth fell agape and limp as he wondered inside, staring at the particularly beautiful structure of the interior. And oh, the books! And the papers! And the scrolls! The information gave off a musk of dust and mildew, sweeping into Alexander's nostrils and almost driving him out of the library but instead he pressed forward, the dusty air slapping his bright eyes. He walked ever forward and let his head spin, completely entranced by this enormous archive of knowledge.

...And like that, another person had found their way here. The corners of Lee's mouth turned upwards in a smile- He very much enjoyed those that stumbled in for the first time; and although he doubted it ever got old, especially when The Librarian let them into another level- He always found what they said to him walking in was interesting. Of course, Lee would rather let him look around rather than bother him- everything was ordered and set in places so everything could be found faster.

Lee would soon begin to hum, a small tune, contentment in the tone.

Alexander only took a few more tentative steps into the library, attempting to process the scope of this room he was examining. Everything was so beautiful and neatly arranged. He felt like if he'd just spent some time looking, he'd be able to learn practically anything. However, he stopped short of entering the full room, standing and staring before casting his eyes about the area. He didn't feel comfortable being here alone. Wasn't there a staff, or a librarian? Someone must be running this place. The door was unlocked, after all.

"Can I help you with something, Mister?" Lee's voice resounded through the library, as empty as it seemed today. It wasn't like he was to notice most of which that was happening around him, what with all the things he was currently doing at this moment. Still, he would help the man if he needed anything, although it seemed like he was still rather hesitant about coming into the building. He decided to ease the poor mans fears. "You know, nothing here will hurt you, as long as you don't steal anything. These robots phasers are set to stun, you know." he chuckled, the voice still sounding throughout the library.

"Of course, Floor Five's are rather deadly...if you understand me." If you looked for the origin of the voice, you would have found it by now- if you didn't automatically find him when he first opened his mouth.

For a moment, the source of the voice eluded Alexander as it seemed to come from everywhere. He began to curiously examine the area, his eyes eventually falling on who could only be the librarian himself. Nobody seemed to be around, and he interacted with the books as though he owned them. Maybe Alexander could ask him a few questions and get familiar with his surroundings.

Alexander approached the librarian cautiously, looking to him while pondering what he had said. Thefts? Robots? Alexander knew what the first thing was, but he'd never heard the term "robot" before. Or phasers, for that matter. "Excuse me for barging in like this," Alexander politely beseeched. "I'm new to Radix," he explained, "and I was looking around the city for a job when I found your library. I thought that it might help me learn more about this place, and get educate me enough that I could have a viable profession."

As long as Alexander was calm, he could speak clearly and articulate his thoughts well. While he was distracted for the moment, it had passed and he had control of his mouth again, able to navigate the complexities of his language. "I was wondering if you had any books or other media here that could enlighten me to the ins and outs of the city?"

(Apologies for the wait- and I figure with your episode you want to go this route then? (I was planning on it as well, but i digress))

As he felt the man approach him for what seemed like an eternity, Lee gave a warm smile to the newcomer, happy to see someone else caught in his little Library of Fate. Better yet, he was even a newcomer to radix as well, which pleased him even more- It was rare people bumbled in here so green to Radix.

He looked at the male with a smile. "Welcome to my Library, Friend. And yes, most people do indeed find their way inside my little library, often to find something relevant to...themselves. Perhaps we do have what you need, and possibly a little more?" He told the male, structuring it like a question, but yet still making it seem like a statement. While it wasn't rare to find people in here, most people often do stumble their way in here, of course...but he had an air about him which felt...different. Which Lee was often happy to have.

"But yes, this is a LIBRARY; so you will possibly find something relevant to your search- A History of Radix you say? Hmm..." he trailed off, motioning for the male to follow him as he trailed on towards an aisle marked "Radix" in an old metal frame hanging above the entrance. drawing his finger against the many books, he finally stopped at a rather thick book, dusty brown in appearance. "Ah! Here it is, "The Newcomer's Guide To Radix." Popular book, this one- I do indeed recommend it, you will find whatever you need with this one, geography, history, you name it." He told the male, handing it over to him.

"Of course, no other place has one like it because I was the one who wrote it~" he said happily, content that he could help. He did remember something however, the newcomer had said something about a Job. "Say...you said something about a job, correct?" he asked, waiting for an answer before continuing. "I...am in need of an assistant at this present moment, and I would like to extend an offer. You have a certain...air about you, so I would think you can handle most of the tomes in this library. As for money, I assure you it will be enough, provided you work enough for it; and if you find yourself needing a place to stay- I have a house here, above this place; and a home outside, mine and my sisters. you are welcome to stay whenever you like." He looked at him, somewhat hopefully but he wouldn't dare let it reach his eyes.

"What do you say?" Lee asked him.

Alexander stood by in a very motionless manner, his head following the man that spoke as he peeled through books on top of books. The man spoke very cordially and with intelligent direction as his words seemed to flow from his mouth without hesitance or doubt. He stopped as he grasped a book and announced it's name, drawing a smile from Alexander. The young man extended it towards him, and Alexander gratefully accepted the tome into his grasp. "One of kind, then?" Alexander spoke gently and confidently, still grinning in earnest. He immediately opened it and began thumbing through the pages, the scent of paper or at least, what seemed to very much be paper, filling his nose up and lifting his heart.

Then, the man asked him about a job? Alexander nodded honestly. "Yeah, I have a ward that I must feed, and so much free time that I frankly need to occupy it, lest I go insane." He chuckled at himself before letting it stop, a grim memory undercutting the humor of his words. Lee seemed to continue into his own little tangent, but it was about how he felt Alexander was suitable for the job. What caught Alexander's passing interest was how Lee phrased one of his sentences. "Handle some of the tomes" made it sound as though the books were unruly from time to time which pried itself into Alexander's mind as a curious sentiment, but as the saying went, 'books bring worlds to life'. Maybe he was just referring to questionable material, which was fine with Alexander.

The option was laid bare for consideration, and it didn't sound half-bad. In fact it sounded preferable to most other jobs. It was simple work to be a Librarian's assistant, Alexander assumed. Maybe a lot of paper work and carrying things around, but Alexander also imagined the reading. Alexander used to love to read, and he greatly enjoyed the parchment and books provided for him back home. With everything that had been happening books fell by the wayside, and well maybe... it would be good for him to be able to reclaim something. Alexander had never stopped grinning, and clutching the book with his deformed hand against his ribs and extending the other towards Lee.

"I would be happy to accept your offer," he declared to Lee. "I shouldn't need board for now, I have an apartment in Latonia that they had given me. Although, maybe it would be better for Yudi to be here..." He trailed off, considering whether or not to actually backtrack and accept Lee's offer. He wasn't sure of the procedure for moving out of one of those buildings. Did he give notice, or was it just a pack-up-and-go sort of deal? "I may actually take you up on your offer for room and board, once I get some other things settled," he explained. "I have a... well, I'll call her my child for the sake of I'm her caretaker. But she is an infant still, barely a few days old. Coming to Radix has put her into a deep sleep, but while I hunt for work my neighbor is watching her in my stead."

Lee nodded, a small grin on his face. He had noticed the pause in the man's voice, which mean't his "charge" was a bit more complicated than he felt comfortable to speak- either that or he couldn't find the right words for it. Slipping his hand in his pocket, he gave an extra key to his house; the one outside of the library since that one was easy enough to open. "Alright, move when you wish- This is a library so you should find a book or two on your charge, human or not. " he kept his little grin as he held it out for him to grab.

"As for the Synchronization for this little one, provided she has the correct energy she should be fine. I am...unable to use the latient magics of Radix which means I'm often left using the Magi-tech for it. Which Im pretty well versed in, until it breaks. Then I need assistance." He told him, unsure if it was completely relevant and yet still deciding to tell him regardless. Suddenly, he remembered something. "Ah! I have forgotten to ask a few things- My name's Lee, by the way; `tis better to know that for later interactions, I would believe. As for the questions...What is your name...and are you willing to give me a sentince or two about your life?" Lee asked the male politely.

Alexander accepted the key from Artless with a humble smile across his face. "I thank you," he nodded in consideration of the man's nice gesture, and agreed when the man offered knowledge on his charge. "Of course," he replied, "I would hope so..." Alexander found himself fairly impressed by the man's perceptive nature. He seemed to gather from the brief part of the conversation on that subject a good idea of Alexander's standing. Alexander paid him close mind as the librarian explained that he was personally unable to use magic. In truth, Alexander was still wrapping his head around it. Magic was something he was always taught to be a story, and until everything happened with Jericho and Icarus he believed it.

Alexander was curious about the prospect of this "magitech". He was almost pressed to ask about it when he was subverted from doing so. The man introduced himself finally as Lee. Lee the Librarian. Alexander wanted to chuckle at the alliteration in the name of the building lining up so perfectly with owner name and title, but this too was supplanted in dread. A name... and a brief history. The first was easy. Alexander did not attach a whole lot to his name outside of his surface identity, but his history was something he was deliberately trying to escape. Alexander's entire demeanor changed into one of shock and possibly, mild despair. It was hidden well within his eyes, but perceptive as Lee was he was certain to notice.

"I-I-my name is Alexander," he stammered at the beginning but managed to gain control over his words quickly, blurting them out in a rapid manner to match his anxiety. "And I..." he started fast, but stalled. His words started to descend into a much more calculated mania, as he constantly cut himself off at the first utterance in an attempt to find an explanation that was not incriminating. "It's... it's like... I..." He went on like this for a time, trying to say something... true, but not explanatory. He wanted to be honest with Lee but Alexander was mortified with the past, with everything that happened, and now he was wrestling with it upon his own tongue.

Lee gave a small smile, in order to appease the male and quell his fear. "It's quite alright now- since you're working here I suppose that little detail of yourself can wait." He told the male with a slightly knowing expression. While he didn't exactly know what was wrong with the male, he had seen this character type in many different books- pushing them wasn't a good idea as many usually shut down at the time. "Besides, I have to give you a tour!" he told Alexander, a musical note to his voice. "No use in making you work without knowing where everything is, eh?" He grinned at the male, a glint in his eyes. 

"Now, whenever you are ready?" he offered the male, whereas he would move towards the elevator. Of course, there was a choice of postponing it tomorrow; in which Lee wouldn't mind either- He would have the time to get everything ready for his new employee.

Lee managed to reassure Alexander for the time, but his nerves were now wrecked. He wasn't exactly able to recover fully from the experience, but he really didn't mean to offend his host if that was indeed what he had done, and immediately tried to offer something in return for the kindness. "I'm sorry," he pressed, "It's just... it's bad. I want to leave it behind," he extrapolated from his earlier behavior. Yet, Lee simply ignored his odd mannerism and offered him a tour. An offer Alexander humbly accepted. "Yes, of course," he laughed sheepishly. "I'm ready when you are."

Lee nodded as they walked along. "Most pasts are like that. After all, a wise man once said ' there are thing's man was not meant to know.'. I of course, being a librarian can't seem to comprehend that...even though I fully realize Knowledge and Revelation might lead me to my own madness." He smiled to himself, a private joke. "I may be mad already, who knows?" He laughed, leading Alexander to the elevator. 

"Alright...so the first floor has everything anybody needs to know- It's Public, the seating and the books are arranged so to provide privacy and to seat comfortably, and the bots you see every so often- those inhuman looking things if you didn't know they existed-" he whispered to Alexander in a low and hushed voice as if not to provoke their ire...in reality he had just made it as an off-hand comment, but Lee was interested on how the male would react. "Are for protection, and they are the least lethal of the six floors."

He would stop on the metal elevator, considerably sized enough to hold at least a large group of people, which was behind the main desk, which was cleverly hidden like most of the private things on the first floor- those things being the house he often slept in and the elevator itself- "And here is the elevator. This is the first floor. Public Area. Don't need any special permission to come here, although if you want to go to the lower floors you'd normally need my permission. Now that you are an employee here you have access to at least the first five floors- the sixth is the generator." He explained, walking over to a metal panel with six green buttons, each with a number. They looked rather...new, considering the antiquity of the rest of the building.

"Well, if you step here we could continue, if you wish it." Lee said with a smile, Lee's finger hovering over the bright white number two button.