The Noxian Librarian
Prelude: Journal
The sound of a quill pen scratching across paper moves throughout the halls of the expansive library. A single light flickering on a small writing desk in the corner of the study hall illuminating the surface of the desk and the solo occupant that's slightly hunch over, scribbling away on the paper as she writes. Long flowing dark brown hair pulled back into a loose pony tail to keep it from straying too far into her small face as deep brown eyes continue to stare at the near blank page as she stops to think about what to write. She dipped the quill into the ink bottle and rolled up her sagging long Noxian bordered green sleeves to the elbows before picking it back up again and started writing.
"One might say leading the life of a humble librarian would be an easy one in Valoran, that is assuming I'm located in Demancia or Plitover. But alas, no, I reside on the outskirts of Noxus, two mile out to the Southwest corner of the great city-state. Criminal activity is on the medium side, though nothing ever is close to my library, thanks to the everlasting pacifist spell that's cast at a radius of a 'good' mile out around the building. Get it? Cause nothing harmful can happen inside the spell? Oh fine, I'll skip the humor."
The girl read back the paragraph to herself as she set the quill back into the bottle. She wanted to scratch out the last few lines and rewrite them, then she remembered that's it's a personal journal not one that'll be read in the next six moon cycles. She inhaled and picked up her quill again and continued her scribbling.
"While the library is a good distance from Noxus, it allows scholars and travelers from other cities that wish to seek any books, journals, news paper clipping, or maps without having to go through Noxian guards. I get the occasional honored champions of the League that like to visit as well. Some, like Nasus, likes to sit around and read like he was back on his home world, though, being reminded of how little my collection is isn't the best thing to say to the head librarian, or even some of the Yordles from the Academy of Science and Progess like to take field trips and pop in to look up some of the Revered Inventor's old research notes and various books on engineering. Busy most days, but I enjoy the company that I never have to seek out myself."
Again, looking over the newest addition to the journal entry, she smiled lightly as she place the quill on its side as she stretched out in her seat. A moment of clarity hit her as she realized something she missed. Quickly, she gave the quill a quick dip into the ink and started again.
"Oh, I never really got to introducing myself. I'm Mikki Halsnight, Sixth Generation Head Librarian to the Grand Noxus Library. My mother before me left this place in my capable hands when I was barely hitting my twenties. It's been about four years or so since I took over and everything runs smoothly as it always has. My father, never met him and mother refused to talk about it each time I asked, so I have nothing. My life has and will always be about this building of knowledge so I've long since slept in the small apartment above the library when I'm not busy keeping the shelves in order and dust free. While I'm a Noxian, most don't believe I am due to my kind, caring nature that seems to come with ease, for me anyways."
With a slight nod of her head, she refilled the quill end with ink and kept going with her thoughts.
"As mentioned earlier, I do get to chat with champions and I write down the stories they tell me when they get the chance to visit. Some visit more than others for various reasons, whether it's for small chit chat, use of the books, or simply just needed a place to get away from it all after a hard day on the Field of Justice. Snacks are provided on a daily basis cause I know people get hungry after a day of studying and also allow me to learn new cooking recipes from time to time when I feel adventurous."
Though, the last time she felt adventurous was when she got a copy of Morgana's Sinful Succulence: Do-It-Yourself Cookbook and tried baking one of the Isomalt's Peccable Pecan Pie. Didn't turn out quit as good as she thought it would and had to quickly go to Morgana's bakery and picked up a half dozen to pass out to the library patrons that were waiting for her to finish 'baking' them. The thought drifted as she slowly mulled around another thought that has been plaguing her mind for the past several days and started to write it down.
"Though, lately, thing have started to change around here and the vibe of it won't leave. What's causing this unrest in the back of my mind? I have yet to find out but I'll keep looking till I find the answer. I'd ask Zilean, but he always tells me the answer will come in due time or Nasus perhaps. No, he'd tell me it's just part of my imagination. Maybe, just maybe, Jericho would know. He usually has a good answers to my questions, despite the fact he doesn't answer the more important questions half the time before."
She blinked at what she just wrote for the last two lines. Shaking her head and taking a deep breath which turned into a yawn. Small tired tears formed at the outer edges of her eyes as she looked up at the small clock that pointed to a late hour of two in the morning. Wiping away the salty water from her eyes, she picked up the quill one last time to top off her journal entry.
"Ah, I'm rambling again and it's late. So here's to another night and my first journal entry to document the life of the head librarian, sixth generation." - Mikki Halsnight
Leaving the page open to dry the ink, she leaned back in her seat and took another big yawn as she leaned the chair onto the back two legs slightly before righting herself and the chair. She looked down at her entry and leaned closer to gently blow on the nearly dry ink. After a while of waiting, she closed the journal and fastened the seal on it and took it back up with her to her small apartment above the library, carrying the small candle light with her. The stairs whined around in a tight spiral until she reached the top floor to the library and from there, she walked down to the end of the hall way and opened a door that lead to the final stair case to her home.
The room was about the size of one of the private study rooms in the library, only with the accompaniment of a bed, closet and dresser with mirror and an off shoot room for a small bathroom to the left side of the entrance door. She set the candle and journal on the dresser and pulled her hair free of the hair tie that held most of her hair back and gently tossed it also onto the dresser top. Looking into the mirror, her reflection showed her eyes starting to gain dark circle under her eyes as she rubbed at them with her small hands, one at a time. Her gown was a dark green with the Noxus symbol embroidered onto the back and a small crest version on the top left part of the front while the edges were threaded with a gold embroidery to accent the green in an elegant pattern of swirls. She was fond of the gown, despite it being an hand me down from her mother.
With a single twist on the ball of her right foot, she faced away from the mirror and walked to her bed, blowing out the candle with a small hint of magic before turning in for the night. Tomorrow was going to be another busy day after all.