Thunder rolled across the dark and cloudy sky, the lightening streaking across the sky, lighting up the fields, centering anyone out who was foolish enough to travel. As the lightening and thunder melded into one, the crashes pierced your eardrums and the lights in the usually bustling city of Daath finally blinked, yielding to the raging summer storm.
Sitting in the library of Daath, green eyes glanced over her shoulder, a shudder running down her spine as another boom of thunder sounded. Sighing to herself, she pushed her bangs back as she stood up from the table, picking up a stack of matches as she went – it was really too bad that the Fonon's had started to disappear.
Humming to herself as she opened the box, striking the matches, she tried to ignore the rumbling from the sky. "Figures it would have to be my week to work nights . . ."
Why her parents had decided to move to Daath instead of Sheridan was beyond her. The Cathedral was boring and full of older people and the sudden influx of Oracle Soldiers wanting to catch a glimpse of the erratic Fon Master Anise.
"Sometimes . . . I wonder why we came here," she grumbled, stretching her arms above her head. "Now, what does Wallace have me doing tonight," she mumbled, pulling a folded piece of paper out of her back pocket. She rolled her eyes as she skimmed the page. "Oh – I can't stand that guy! Stella, clean the windows, Stella, continue cataloging the shelves," she mimicked, scowling.
Shrugging, she folded the paper up, returning it to her pocket. Curling her nose slightly as she glanced at the dreary windows, the storm raging on the other side, she shook her head. She's take her chances with Wallace's temper in the morning, she decided, lighting the last candle.
"Maybe . . . there's got to be an interesting book in here somewhere," she mumbled, glancing at the shelves she past by, tossing the match in the garbage. "At least one good book . . . no, not history, philosophy's even worse," she commented to herself, reading the titles as she went.
---
Eventually, the brunette had managed to come across a moderately interesting book, seating herself back down at the table before the large windows, ignoring the outside storm. Lost in her book, she jumped when she heard the library's door creak open. Her green eyes narrowed as the door closed with a low bang, her hands curling up into fists. Pursing her lips together, she let out a sigh as she closed her book, picking it up off the table as she moved.
"Who's there?" she called out, her voice echoing through the empty space. She wanted to shrug it off; it was probably just another Oracle Knight playing a trick on her. "If this is another of your stupid pranks . . ."
She remembered the last time Anise had stopped by . . .
"A joke?" came a calm voice despite the raging storm outside. "I wouldn't think so."
She blinked, raising an eyebrow as she tightened her grip on the book. As if the raging storm wasn't enough, Yulia would have to send her the intimidating Malkuth Colonel to contend with as well. She frowned as she noticed him in the candle light, still dressed in his blue Colonel outfit, his glasses glinting in the dim light, his red eyes narrowed in the darkness.
"Colonel," she said, nodding her head in his direction. "To what do I owe the pleasure tonight? Not too many people would want to venture out of their rooms at night, let alone during this storm."
Jade merely shrugged, picking up a candle holder from the wall. "I merely couldn't sleep," he said, holding the candle closer to the bookshelves to read the titles, turning his back to her. "There was something that has been on my mind lately."
The brunette nodded, taking a couple steps closer to the Necromancer. "I see . . ." she said slowly, shielding the candle with her hand as she brought it closer to the shelves as well, reading the titles. "Fonic Artes? But . . . they're disappearing . . ."
"Slowly," Jade interrupted, glancing over his shoulder at the shorter girl. "Only the stronger artes such as Meteor Storm and Big Bang are no longer functioning. However, I believe there's still enough Fonon's for this."
"Well, what kind of arte is it?" she asked, her footsteps drowned out by the storm outside. "It's got to be pretty interesting if Jade the Necromancer is searching for it."
Jade let out a laugh, shrugging his shoulders. "My, how my reputation gets around," here, she rolled her eyes. "It's an arte from Yulia's time, the last Fon Master informed me of the text here in Daath."
"Hmm, well, I'll leave you to it then," she said, turning on her heel. "If you find that you need anything just let me know; my name's Stella."
"Uh huh, thanks . . ."
Stella frowned, rolling her eyes as he dismissed her, reading the spines of the books. She'd never understand men.
The same pattern seemed to follow the entire week. The storm had calmed down the next morning, leaving huge puddles all over the city and a slight increase of people visiting the cathedral and wishing to retake the pilgrimage – something Stella had gloomily thought everyone on Auldrant had already done ten times over. She was just glad she didn't have to work at one of the monuments again. Instead, she could just throw a pillow over her head when her parents opened the drapes to the morning sun and escape the religious city to clear her minds in the open fields. One day; she'd get to travel the world.
And, just like clockwork though, at a quarter to one in the morning the library doors would open and the Malkuth Colonel would appear, heading straight for the Fonic Artes section.
Silently, Stella would watch as he came in and headed towards the section along the back wall, starting intently at the books spines. She rolled her eyes as he pulled out numerous books before spreading them all out of the large table by the window, acknowledging her briefly as he past. Shaking her head, she attempted to continue with the chores left to her, but usually, she ended up sneaking glances at him through the bookshelves.
She didn't know what it was about the Colonel that interested her . . .
Then, like always, as the clock chimed off six am, he would close his books, returning them to the shelves. As he'd leave, she'd always notice the same smirk on his features, the Colonel making a small comment of "I suppose I'll have to come back again, how tiresome", the door then closing behind him.
When he was gone, Stella would find herself standing in front of the Fonic Arte section, staring at the books. She wondered idly what he was looking for precisely. If only she wasn't left so many chores to do at night, she'd have time to figure out what the Colonel was searching for so intently. Frowning as she ran her finger over the books' spines, she cringed at the thought of spending her time off wandering around the library.
"This just better be worth it," she grumbled, turning her back on the shelf, fishing the folded note from her pocket. "Now . . . to continue with the stupid inventory . . ."
Who knew Daath could be so repetitively boring.
---
"Stella!" The brunette jumped, lost in her own thoughts. "What're you doing here at this time of day?"
Glancing over her shoulder, she smiled warily as she found the head librarian Wallace staring down at her, looking over his glasses. She hated that look; she figured that she'd only got the job here because her parents were so well liked – and had given a substantial contribution to the cathedral on their arrival.
"I'm looking for a book," she muttered, trailing her fingers across the spines. "I don't have time to look at night."
"As long as you put them back."
Stella rolled her eyes, feeling him staring at the back of her head. "If you're going to stand there; tell me then, which of these books talk about Fonic Artes for Yulia's time. I overheard the late Fon Master Ion speaking –"
"Eavesdropping isn't as acceptable here as it is in Sheridan."
"Yes, right, sure," Stella said, nodding her head in tune with the words. "So, do you know where it is then?"
"There is such knowledge that civilians need not know for the sake of happiness in place of the Score. If it isn't on the shelf, it isn't of any concern to civilians."
"Well then, I guess there's no point me being here this early then . . ." she said with a nod at her own words, turning on her heel. "I'll be back later for my shift," she added, pushing the ornate doors open.
"I guess I know what I'm looking for tonight," she mumbled under her breath as the library doors closed behind her.
Ignoring the Oracle Soldiers that were standing guard outside the large library, she couldn't help but grin as her shoes hit the intricate floor underneath. Lost in her own thoughts, she nodded briefly to the soldiers who stood guard at the Cathedral's doors, opening them as she approached.
As she moved through Daath's busy market square, Stella let out a sigh as she left the hustle and bustle behind, the grassy fields stretching out before her. Unfortunately, beating monsters in the field didn't pay much these days; but when she finally managed to store enough Gald away, she planned to move far away from the large cities. Maybe she'd go back to Sheridan or Keterburg . . . somewhere far away from tourists.
Walking through the travel worn fields, she wished that Aramis Spring was still connected to Yulia City; the ancient city was supposed to be a sight to behold. It was too bad the connection had broken when Auldrant had fallen. Shaking her head as she approached the cave opening, shouldering her small bag after pulling out a small knife she'd received years ago for when she'd travel from Sheridan to the Meggiora Highlands.
If her parents knew she came to the monster invested Spring instead of the small harbour town, they'd never let her leave town limits again . . .
---
The clock chimed twelve o'clock, midnight. Humming to herself, Stella pushed open the ornate library doors, glancing around the brightly lit room. "Hello?" she called, an eyebrow rising slightly. Usually Anita was waiting at the door to leave for the night. "Anita, are you still here?"
"Stella, hello – time's really flown," the blonde called, appearing around one of the towering bookshelves. "Mr. Centennial left this list of chores to get done tonight, I already started it, and the first three are done. Unfortunately . . . there's still about ten left to do."
"That's fine," Stella shrugged, taking the list from her hands, glancing over the lengthy note. "It'll give me something to do tonight; but, go and have a good night, what's left of it anyway."
Anita nodded, waving over her shoulders as she chirped a quick goodbye, disappearing out the ornate doors. Counting to ten in her head, Stella turned on her heel, making her way to the large table situated before the windows. Grinning widely, she dropped the note onto the table, not giving it another look.
"Now, let's hope you're as predictable as I think you are, Wallace."
She figured he'd give her a list of chores after her run in with him early that morning. He wasn't a fan of free time, she decided months' previous. Grabbing one of the chairs around the table, she dragged it across the room, pressing its back against one of the bookshelves. Glancing superstitiously over her shoulder, she climbed up onto the chair, and standing on her tiptoes, moved her hand across the top of the shelf.
"It's . . . got to be . . . got it!" she chirped, a smile appearing on her features as her fingers found the key. "You really need a new hiding spot . . ."
Jumping down from the chair, she left it where it was with a shrug, interested in the key ring clutched in her hand. "Now, which one opens that door . . ." she'd seen Wallace with the key ring before, leading Anise and her guardian Florian to the locked room in back. "I know that book's in there . . ."
Maneuvering her way through the library, she stopped before the beige painted door that seemed to blend in with the walls. Frowning at the key ring in hand, she fumbled with the keys, trying them in the doorknob. By the fifteenth key, Stella couldn't help but grumble as she shoved the key in the knob, turning it.
She paused, blinking as she heard a click.
Pushing her brown hair back, she withdrew the key from the hole, wrapping her fingers around the knob, opening it. A wide grinned appeared on her features as she flicked the light on, rows of bookshelves stretching out before her.
So this is what Jade must have been looking for . . .
Now, all she had to do was wait . . .
Moving her way through the library, she dropped the keys onto the table with the nights' chore list, her plan almost complete. As the clock located beside the windows chimed off quarter to one, she made her way quickly towards the library doors, ignoring the noise her footsteps made as she walked, leaning back against the book shelf as she waited.
As the second ticked by, she couldn't help but fidget impatiently – it'd be just her luck if he didn't come tonight. But, just like clockwork, the library door slowly swung open, making the brunette smile slightly.
"Hello, Jade the Necromancer," despite her calm voice, she flinched slightly as his quick motions caught her off guard. She chided herself slightly, maybe she should have given the Malkuth Colonel some warning . . . "I found what you're looking for."
A frown appeared on her features as he didn't react to her words, merely closing the library door behind him, and crossing his arms over his chest, glanced at her over his glasses. It made her feel like such a child. In that second, however, Stella understood why people were so scared to approach him.
"What did you find?" he asked, cutting into her thoughts.
Shaking her head – she wasn't sure if she liked that tone or not – she pushed herself away from the shelves, stopping before him. "I found the key to access the Fon Master's Study. But," she stressed, cutting him off before he could speak. "In exchange for letting you into the room – something that could cost me my job – I want you to take me with you when you leave here."
If there was one thing her parents' told her, she knew how to drive a good bargain . . .
---
A/n: I'm not usually one for OC based stories, but after reading halfdemon-kai and Kazegami-inkpot's stories, they managed to convince me to write one of my own. So, this was the outcome of that. Thoughts, Suggestions?