Someone has entered her Library.
Slowly, the eerie, inhuman yellow eyes of Angela opened up in response to the sudden intrusion of her stronghold.
"How truly unexpected." The AI whispered to herself as she slowly got up from behind her recently constructed desk within her still under-construction Floor of General Works, having been resting and planning her grandiose plans to rise up with her Library before she suddenly sensed something change within her massive wooden structure. "No one has yet to receive an invitation… but still, they were allowed to enter without permission?"
Angela looked up towards the roof of the Library, exiting her thoughts for the moment and attempting to figure out where the signal sent to her came from. It couldn't have been any of the former Sephirahs who'd now ended up in her Light-made structure considering she hadn't awoken even one of them. She had plans for them and the former Agents to help her, yes, but so soon? No, whoever this invading entity was, it was entirely foreign to her new role as a Library Director's namesake.
"Or more specifically, my permission."
Now that certainly warranted more than simple curiosity, considering she was meant to have absolute control over this entire place. It seems that her Library itself has gone out of its way to let in a guest - should whoever has been allowed in be called such at this point? It was too early to even start that whole plan- without its owner's knowledge… well, it would certainly behoove her to see just who or what warranted such special treatment.
Plus, it was getting quite dull being here all by herself, especially after all of the recent upheaval she just finished laying to rest. It was about time she found something to do besides passing time until she eventually finished planning her grand victory and the scheme she needed to achieve it, or more precisely, whose aid she needed to achieve it.
Shaking her head to move her thoughts away from them for now, Angela began walking towards the entrance of her Library, pitch black feathers from her dress left behind in her wake, a fresh reminder of her recent semi-successful rebellion, even if it didn't get her all the results she had wanted it, it was still better than what she was going to have, and if nothing else, it gave her quite a bit of satisfaction, knowing that she must've made him spin in his… er, whatever it is that he was spinning in at the moment.
Though whatever has entered the Library may put a damper on even that.
Thanks to the many cycles of her tortured existence forced upon her by that man, Angela had anticipated a lot of things when she reached her destination, most of which she already destinated as a threat prior to even laying her eyes on whomever she was to receive. One could argue approaching life with that kind of mindset was more than cynical, and Angela would be inclined to agree with that sentiment. However, her life up to this point has taught her to be nothing less than such, lest she be dealt the full, cruel brunt of the consequence for thinking otherwise, as per the perfectly written script designed by that man.
However, once she reached the entrance of her Library, Angela found those expectations to be sharply subverted due to the sight before her. She approached, her black dress dancing in the light air current that traversed the Library's future entrance, basking in the sensation for a moment as her augmented vision and hearing scanned the area for any intruders, finding…
Nothing. At least, that's what she saw in front of her: a whole lot of nothing, save for the remnants of what seemed to be a cloud of bluish particles, alongside a few toppled books that seemed to lead behind the main bookshelves around the room. It seemed, whoever it was that had perturbed the peace of her Library at this point, they weren't all too willing to face her, not that she could blame them, considering her immense power inside of her Library which could practically accomplish anything so long as it was within her Light creation's bounds… Something that no one had actually known at this point, Angela suddenly remembered.
Right, she had just finished this whole 'stealing the Light' stunt, and nobody knew what the White Nights and Dark Days event was, much less whoever she was and what her powers were.
Well, that was certainly a much needed boost to her self-esteem. The golden-eyed AI grumbled to herself, cursing her steel-memory and its inability to forget even the littlest details, and in the torturous life she went through in the past, it was more of a curse than anything else. Still, disregarding that, it meant that whoever was in her Library was scared of someone they didn't know, and while it was a rather smart move on whoever that person or thing was that had infiltrated, they certainly didn't possess the overconfidence many Cityfolk had in spades, which, in retrospect, probably made them a more capable opponent than anything.
Well, that part would've been true had the tides been even. Unfortunately, Angela's Library played in the Library Director's favor, go figure, and so all she needed was to close her eyes, focus on the signal she received regarding the intruder's location, and then with little effort, she simply flicked a wrist, and the bookshelves that hid the invader started disintegrating into dust, their books burning away into ash.
Was it overly dramatic and unnecessary when she could've simply dissolved them back into the Light? Evidently, of course it was; it was meant for intimidation, and it seemed successful, if nothing else, considering the loud, horrified, and sobbing squeal that sounded as the dust and ash began settling.
Well, that was just slightly sad now; Angela had hoped whoever that was would put up some sort of challenge. Angela trusted her Library and its will, but if this was just a normal person from the Backstreets, then this would've been unfair to degrees even Angela thought were abnormal when she was willing to disregard all morality to reach her One True Book that the aforementioned will had promised her.
Perhaps it was time to slightly question that will, however, when she laid her eyes on a small, blue-haired figure in dirty clothing - well, this one certainly looked like she belonged to the Backstreets - that had curled up into a fetal position as she laid her back against a still-standing bookshelf. She was a girl, a quite young one in fact, if Angela's biological sensors were as accurate as she recalled, her hair's color a tinge or two darker than Angela's, her preteen face visibly bruised with blood and dirt smeared on it, looking as if she was going to break at the slightest of touches if one were not careful in approaching her and would require a very delicate touch in being dealt with.
"...Who the fuck are you?"
Too bad Angela was far beyond having a delicate touch at this point of her lifetime. Was this some sort of joke? Some sort of prank that someone was playing on her? Did her Library even have a sense of humor? Honestly, this was the kind of thing that man would involve her in if she was still trapped within his cursed script, dealing with scenarios that made absolutely no sense against her will like this that required far too much careful handling and sensitivity than she was willing to expend at this point.
But she wasn't anymore and he has been taken off the board, and thus, this being his doing wasn't the likeliest of options, truth be told.
The small, fragile thing jolted at the sound of her blunt and hostile question, blue, tear-filled eyes landing on Angela's black-feathered figure, her expression full of sheer terror at the sight before her, specifically, the deadly claw form her right hand has taken in case of the potential threat.
"St-Stay back! I…I…I'm not- I'm not scared! Of you, I mean, I-I'm not scared of you!"
Well, that was perhaps the least convincing statement that anyone had ever uttered in the history of her existence. The little girl was terrified, and one could hear her frantic heartbeats and the sniffles in her voice from a few kilometers away. She was on the verge of breaking down into a crying mess, it seemed, although she seemed adamant about denying such an obvious reality.
"Believe me when I say that if you knew what I was, you would be," Angela answered back with a note of amusement, even if it was practically malevolent to treat such a seemingly scared young girl so harshly, but from what little she knew of the City, bodies could be bought and sold like they were nothing. Who knew if this young girl was secretly a top assassin who came in to end her plans before they even began? "Though I am willing to forgive such a lapse of judgment in the face of youthful ignorance."
"I-I'm not-", the young girl's voice cracked, scrambling to pick up the pitch black orb next to her. "I-I'm warning you! I-If you're one of Silco's goons, I'll- S-Stay back!", she screeched as Angela's high-heels knocked against the wooden floor of her Library's entrance, her non-weapon hand behind her back, keeping a nonchalant attitude. "I SAID STAY BACK-", in her frenzied panic, the child accidentally dropped the orb down, vaguely hurling it in Angela's direction and squealing again; she was apparently in the range of whatever it was that she dropped. Not that it mattered to the short-haired Library Director, who merely focused the Light in her Library into a force-shield around the orb as she wanted to block any possible danger, although whatever this orb was supposed to be, it seemed worn-out, given that it only emitted a few sparks of electricity. Maybe it was a children's toy of sorts?
…No, not all. Angela's eyes narrowed at the orb rolling uselessly across the floor, sensing the previously held power within, now gone from being completely used up and empty. Angela didn't know much about the outside world, although she knew enough about teleportation technologies from her dealings with the various Corporation representatives during her time at the Lobotomy Corporation, and teleportation required an immense amount of energy. The amount that she sensed off of the orb on the ground seemed to fit the bill, but for teleportation like that to work, then the crystalline object on the floor needed to have teleportation-focuses capabilities in the first place…
'Well, I suppose that answers how she got here.'
Seeing as the child obviously posed no serious threat to her and having no interest in spilling innocent blood so soon after the costly war she just finished waging, Angela willed her claw back into a regular hand, causing the small bluenette to calm down, even if slightly so, although it wasn't the fairest of comparisons; it was like saying a single stick of dynamite is less explosive than a dozen sticks. It was technically true, but you still wouldn't let a single stick explode next to you in any shape or form, and Angela still couldn't be sure this was merely a child, although to be honest, it definitely seemed like it.
"W-What are you…?", The young intruder's voice was still shaking, "Are you even human?"
"If I was, our paths would not have crossed like this." Angela stated cryptically out of amusement. Was this how Binah felt? Perhaps so- Wait a minute. Did this mean Binah was spouting vaguely correct but mostly nonsense talks to amuse herself by having everyone try to decipher her obfuscated speech? That…was a theory worth testing out at another time. She didn't have time to get distracted now, leaning down to grab the orb with a casual swipe of the hand.
After picking up the clearly defunct orb from the floorboard, the AI walked towards the trembling girl, who was now pressing herself completely against the bookshelf as Angela stopped when she was in front of the smaller bluenette, going on to carefully crouch before her as they stared face to face.
Cold, calculating, gold eyes observed widened, frightened, blue ones for what seemed to be an eternity. If this was some sort of assassin, Angela hoped to at least find something in her eyes, but instead, all she saw was a scared, lonely child who seemed utterly terrified by Angela's very presence, and who the latter had been reprobating and intimidating for the past few minutes. Well, that was certainly a fun realization to totally not feel guilty about…
Once again, it was Angela who broke the tense silence, sighing in exasperation as she spoke, shaking her head a little.
"Allow me to ask this again: who are you?", her voice was stern, though not to the point of intimidation, keeping a neutral expression. The girl swallowed heavily before giving her answer.
"P-Powder."
"Powder," Angela repeated while leaning back, letting the name roll off of her metallic tongue, deciding that it was decent enough to get used to, "Greetings and salutations Powder; my name is Angela. This is the Library, and I am its Director, owner, and guardian. You are currently passing on grounds that have yet to be open to those in the City, and thus, you are currently running interference with my designs and goals. Now, what you say next will be very vital to your future, so I need you to answer my next question clearly and without a hint of a lie, do you understand?", maybe, just maybe, this was rather…well, mean to say to a child, but she needed to be as clear as possible. She hated unclear jargon and orders, and so she made sure she wouldn't repeat the mistakes she hated so much herself.
The newly named Powder nodded nervously.
"Good, now then…"
Angela leaned once more into the younger girl's personal space, causing Powder to retreat back as much as she could into the bookshelves behind her, petrified of the being in front of her when the Library Director seemed so powerful. To her, it seemed that she had no escape. She had jumped out of whatever frying pan she was previously on and into the blazing gas station.
"...Why are you here?"
For a moment, Powder did nothing but helplessly blink at the question posed to her, opening and closing her mouth to attempt an answer, to no avail, it seemed.
Then, all of a sudden, her expression completely shattered.
Now, it was Angela's turn to blink helplessly as she witnessed what was nothing less than a complete, emotional breakdown. It was so quick, and yet her slowed down time processing watched it unfold in front of her slowly; first, the young girl's breathing got quicker, then it hitched. She tried mumbling out something that resembled words, although it fell short, devolving into a set of sobs and sniffles before her legs finally gave out, letting her fall to her knees as she covered her face with her hands, the grime slowly gliding down her cheeks as a waterfall of tears began rolling out of her eyes, all topped with a low, desperate whine.
-"I-I-ha- I didn't- I b-beurhg-", she screeched, falling down further onto the wooden floor and punching it with as much force as her tired and weak body could muster. "I didn't KNOW! I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW! I DIDN'T- I JUST- I JUST- I JUST-!", Angela's back straightened at the display, raising her eyebrows as the waterworks in front of her played out, awkwardly coughing into her hand as the young girl devolved into all-out crying. Alright, this was definitely a child… and that meant Angela was definitely going to feel some guilt in the morning about essentially bullying a child into crying. What a wonderful start to her path towards true humanity. "I JUST WANTED TO HEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALP!"
Angela stared uselessly as Powder wailed and screamed in pure, unfiltered anguish, continuously hitting the wooden floor with her hands before she pulled her neck back and slammed it with as much force as possible into the wooden planks with a rough 'Crack!'.
"Hey now, you…You're going to cause yourself damage if you…", Angela trailed off uncomfortably, putting both of her hands in front of her as she continued staring. Apparently, whoever this Powder was, then she was definitely not listening to her at this point, having stopped all attempts to fight against the floor as if it had personally wronged her and instead succumbed to sobbing and wailing into the floor, trying to hug it and apparently wishing it could hug her back. "...This is just a dream! Of course, I was never done with the Lobotomy Corporation, he just wanted me to think I was free before tormenting me with another of his plans! I'll just-", Angela smiled maniacally for a moment, pinching herself with enough mechanical force to tear the flesh of a human being, and although the pain was sharp, her more than durable skin prevented any lasting damage, and yet she didn't wake up. Oh, hell. "Okay, any minute now…", another pinch, her smile whittling for an instant. "Any minute now…"
...Oh, who in the actual fuck was she kidding? This wasn't going to work like this…
The smile officially dissipated as yet another painful cry pierced her ears, her golden eyes landing on the hunched-over and more than emotionally distressed Powder as she continued her breakdown, uncaring to the world around her as she continued her sorrowful cries.
The worst part about this for Angela, surprisingly enough, was how utterly familiar this pain was; how much Powder's sheer angst was resonating with Angela, reminding her of those awful days spent executing that man's script.
Those moments when her innocence was crushed.
Those moments when all of her hopes and dreams were repeatedly destroyed.
Those moments when she just wanted to curl up and die instead of spending another moment in that hell…
'What did I want to hear in those moments? What did I need during those times?'
After a moment or two of mentally going over her options and approach, Angela made her choice.
Slowly, ever so slowly, Angela moved over closer to the screaming and shouting Powder, going onto her knees when she reached the thrashing and crying figure. And after another moment of thinking over her actions, Angela decided to just take the plunge.
Swiftly and delicately, Angela laid a comforting hand on top of Powder's head before she could slam it back down once again, causing her whole body to freeze at the sudden contact.
Angela hadn't really patted anything or anyone before, and so she was no expert on that particular matter, so she simply kept her hand on the teal hair, getting some positive feedback as the young girl stopped crying and screaming at the top of her lungs, her shouting now reduced to pitiful sniveling and shivering. Angela was pretty sure that being educated on rocket science, time-travel, and dimension-hopping but needing child care abilities of all things right now was considered a form of irony.
Yet, this kind of cruel irony was something that's been with her since the beginning, almost like an old friend.
"It…It's so not fair…I…I didn't know…", Powder mumbled into the ground. The sound was muffled, although Angela's mechanically improved hearing proved to be her friend during these trying times and allowed the AI to respond.
"Life rarely goes the way we wish it would," Angela whispered softly to the younger girl, as if she was reciting a lullaby that would put a baby in a cradle to sleep. This was what adults did to comfort children, right?, "Yet, all we can do is keep going, no?", after all, who better than her to know that life was unfair? A million years of torment for the ideals of one mad man… she wanted to shiver at even having to recall those mere memories.
Taking a moment to herself to gather her strength, Powder lifted her head, tears still rolling down her cheeks, no longer caring about where she was and who this stranger patting her head was. "B-But I lost everything. H-How am I supposed to k-keep going?" She hiccuped in despair. "Y-You don't understand! You c-can't understand! I've got nothing! My home- I don't even know where I am anymore! I-I don't kn-know what this is, or who you are, it's all gone now…"
"... Believe it or not, I've been in a position similar to yours not too long ago," Angela answered sympathetically as she raised a hand to gently wipe away the tears across Powder's face, the younger girl flinching slightly at the cold metal that was directly in contact with her, "All alone, left behind by someone I thought the world of, having not an inkling of a clue where I should even be during this hopeless period of my life…", Angela sighed somberly as she recalled that time when she fully comprehended the depths of betrayal dealt to her by that man. How helpless she had been when she realized just how little she meant to him and how powerless she felt seeing the roles she was forced to take in the Script against her will.
"I-I didn't want t-to go anywhere! I just- I just- The- The Silco schmucks, I…",
Her eyes lowered in sheer devastation, a look Angela never thought she'd see on another face other than her own.
"...I just don't know what to do anymore."
"...Why don't we figure that out together?"
Powder's eyes were raised again as Angela took her hand away from Powder's cheek and lifted herself up into a standing position, towering over the youth once more. She wasn't exactly sure what she needed to do in such a scenario, but she couldn't bear to witness the smaller bluenette break down like that again. She couldn't send her back anyway, considering she had no idea where she came from, and throwing her into the City was honestly crueler than outright murder, and so she was slowly accepting the idea that she may very well have no choice other than to keep her around…
"As I said before, I was in the same position you were not too long ago: hopeless, broken, and beyond lost with nothing but darkness in sight… and yet, in the very depths of that darkness, I found myself on a crossroads; a door that allowed me for the first time to take my life into my hands for the very first time. I believe that very same door is right in front of you right now… and all you have to do is open it."
Angela extended a hand towards Powder, her expression remaining neutral, if a lot less suspicious.
"Will you allow me to help you in opening it? It seems to me as if we're going to remain together for a while, considering both of our current circumstances, so allow me a more formal introduction:", Angela cleared her throat, offering the shadow of a smile. "I'm Angela, the Director of this Library and your host for the moment. A pleasure meeting you, Powder.", she stretched her hand further, which was a rather simple task for her considering her mechanical state of being.
Powder stared at the hand in front of her, full of uncertainty.
Then, if shakily, she took it within her own.
Fun fact: I knew about Library of Ruina before Arcane. And when I finished Season 1 of that whole thing, I was like "Damn, Powder/Jinx REALLY needs someone who was traumatized and managed to be well adjusted to really aid her with her issues."
And then it hit me:
I KNEW an entire club of traumatized people that fit the bill!
And that's how this fic was born.
BTW, it's going to be a bit before Powder meets the other Patron Librians aka the group previously known as the Sephirah since Powder and Angela's dynamic and bonding will be at the forefront in those first few chapters.
Also, also, due to not being as well versed in the ProjectMoonverse as the Arcaneverse(it's a separate continuity to the League of Legends AND Tales of Runeterra ones, ya nerds!), I am currently being aided on this huge endeavor. Please give a round of applause to my co-author: AhmedMootaz!
Glad to be having him and you all on this fantastic journey! Until next time!