liburutegia | Welcome Log ⬡ 02

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Welcome Log ⬡ 02

Welcome to The Library!

Welcome, everyone, to the Library! As you wander your way in, wake up at a desk, or descend an elevator, the library's ambiance is, well... the same as it always is. Comforting-but-not. Warm-but-cold. Empty-but-populated. And, as always, there are certain things going on that just might make settling in a little easier.

Information Desk

⬡ Maps

At the Information Desk, there will be a large stack of looseleaf graph paper and a surplus of pencils, to more easily enable anyone who wishes to draw their own map of the library. The pencils will only be able to write on blank paper given to characters by library activities, and not on any of the books.

⬡ Stationery

Next to the graph paper, there will be a stack of blank notebooks and a haphazard pile of pens. The pens will only be able to write in the notebooks, on characters' personal belongings, and on skin.

All three of these items are semi-limited; somehow characters will only be able to make one stack of items as tall as they are once they've been removed from the desk.

Notebooks and pens will be provided in assorted colors in shades of blue, purple, white (and grey) and teal.

Cafe Menu

⬡ Seasonal Menu

⬡ Slow-cooked Mac and Cheese
⬡ Butter Chicken
⬡ Apricot and Brie Stuffed Chicken Breast With Roasted Potatoes
⬡ Rainbow Vegetarian Pad Thai With Peanuts and Basil

⬡ Chocolate Cream Pie
⬡ Classic Cheesecake
⬡ Champagne Cupcakes
⬡ Moscato Cupcakes

⬡ Champagne
⬡ Mulled Wine
⬡ Irish Coffee
⬡ Chestnut Praline Latte

⬡ Usual Menu

The Cafe menu will also showcase more typical cafe fare, from teas and coffees, to standard hot chocolates, to pastries, donuts, and sandwiches.

The Search Bar will also bring up whatever else characters could possibly want.

Sunrise Room

⬡ Seasonal Showings

As always, movies playing at any given time are randomized, but this month there is a higher chance of movies playing with themes of new beginnings.

First Floor Restrooms

⬡ Seasonal Showers

This month, all complimentary toiletries will be either vanilla, blueberry pancake, or cedar scented.

Ocean Floor 4

⬡ Room 4575

Located in room 4575 on Ocean Floor 4 will be a large table with an inordinate amount of self-help books, revolving around themes of "New Year, New You" and "New Year’s Resolution Ideas And How To Achieve Each Of Them." Alongside the books will be a stack of worksheets, asking questions about characters' goals and "resolutions" - all appearing to be photocopied haphazardly from a different book entirely.

It would appear as though the intent was for there to be a somewhat therapeutic book club meeting, focused on improving oneself.

In practice, the room itself somehow has taken on a somewhat oppressive air, as though there's someone staring at you and judging your life choices, even if you're alone in the room.

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(Taking a seat, just sort of flopping himself down casually into the chair and pulling it closer to the table so he can play comfortably. His entire demeanor is easy and relaxed,)

I can't say I prefer one or the other, especially when there are other colors in the world to choose from.

(Black or white. They're both pretty boring on their own, aren't they? He prefers something with more color. Like the gold he wears on his uniform. Or maybe green like his eyes.

He'll start to rearrange the pieces though, pulling the white ones over towards his side,)

Claude.

(And when all of the pieces for both sides are put neatly in their places... he'll make his first move. Moving a pawn. Nothing special.)

When was the last time you played?

A very, very long time ago.

[ years, he thinks, and he was still 'alive' then, under a different name? so technically. season 1.

vidar moves a pawn, as well. nothing crazy. ]

Who taught you how to play?

Edited 2021-01-02 22:12 (UTC)

You make yourself sound ancient.

(Another pawn. This will keep up until he has something that looks like a line of defense on the board. His playstyle isn't aggressive. There are some positions that are stronger than others-- places where moves are limited for the time being but others where pieces are wide open for the taking. Moves that seem harmless for now but will probably come back for him later if he isn't careful! Going behind enemy lines be like that, you know? IDK how to RP chess.)

My teacher. Just the basics, though.

(They never really had much time for games. He's played more games against himself than other people.)

My bad. I'm more old-fashioned than anything, I think.

[ it's ok i'm struggling as well. vidar is patient, either way. but it's clear he's not a mediocre player; more like someone who has been tested quite often, and therefore, doesn't like to lose. ]

You're lucky to have a teacher spend time with you, either way. Out of all of their other students. [ vidar smiles. ] Were you that special? Or were you some sort of a troublemaker that one needed to keep an eye on?

(Losing is for losers. Likewise, Claude is more than your average player as well. He's actually quite good at board games! The more apparent it becomes that Vidar is a strong player, the more Claude steps up his own game.)

Nah, definitely no one special. (He was treated like any other student! Or well, maybe he was slightly favored... The best lie is one with a little truth mixed with it and he smiles lightly, focusing on the board for a moment before continuing,) And I liked to keep my nose clean.

Of course... I wouldn't be a very good student if I didn't give my teachers some trouble once in a while.

(And he decides to take one of Vidar's pieces. A pawn. His style has been mostly defensive so far but he's going to try to lure Vidar over to his territory now.)

[ how interesting. vidar feels like someone is also testing him, and he smiles at that knowledge. so he gets ready to play a drawn-out game of chess, digging in his defences where they should and making moves that, if claude would let him or wasn't careful, he'd see that he's trying to draw it to a stalemate, just to see what claude would do. ]

What a strange way to define what it is to be a 'good student'.

Certainly you'd be one I'd call interesting, but never good. Then again, I suppose it depends on the situation.

What kind of school did you go to?

Isn't interesting good?

(It sure beats being typical and boring.

He taps at the edge of the table, looking down at the board and thinking. Trying to stall him out then, huh. Like a battle of attrition, trying to hold him off and wear him down until he makes a move. Except this is chess and the only resource he has to worry about is his own time. Well, he can be patient.

Maybe he's quiet because he's thinking of his next move or his answer...)

Now? (He looks up, raising a brow curiously. So he doesn't recognize the uniform he's wearing, huh?) Think of it like... a military school.

(And he makes his next move. Stalling it is, then. He'll see how far they can go.)

... But fancy. You won't find people sharing barracks or regular ol' folks hanging around. You work real hard or pay a lot to get in... or come from somewhere special if you know what I mean.

(From influential families. Children of aristocrats.)

Is it?

[ vidar is just amused by the question. he's comfortable with the silence, whether it's because claude is figuring out his moves or that claude is trying to figure out how best to answer him. vidar is patient, and even if chess isn't really his game, he had to learn it anyway for certain people, for a certain time. certain obsessions need not to make sense.

stalling it is. vidar looks at the board with carefully studied interest, paying attention to his words. he certainly looks young enough to still be attending one. and the background of it is familiar enough, vidar having attended one a lifetime ago, under a different name. a different time. ]

I see.

We have something similar, back in my world. Though not specifically military, it does offer a rather easy method of entry into that kind of work if you have the right connections. Or if you were born in the right planet.

[ another careful move, i write this like i know how to play chess okok bear with me. ] A shame, really. We lose a lot of good people that way.

(Someone's gotta crack and make a move eventually. But for now, Claude is fine with enjoying the conversation!

He doesn't look up at all, opting to focus on the board instead. He can feel that he's being watched (he's always been sensitive to that), and he wonders what Vidar might be thinking. Something something about what kind of student he might be? Or why he'd go to a school like that? It's what he would wonder.

But Vidar says something that does get him to look up, mid-move.)

On the right planet?

(It's one thing for everyone to come from different worlds but for people within those worlds to come from different worlds is just... an extra layer in this inception scenario that he needs to wrap his head around. He's just a fantasy boy. Beings coming from other stars is something reserved for the divine.

And well, Vidar doesn't look like a celestial being. No offense.)

[ wow. he's downright angelic.

vidar leans his chin on his palm as he props an arm on the armrest of his chair, and makes another defensive move after claude's. pretending to threaten his king. ]

There is a lot of animosity between Martians and Earthians. I can't pretend to understand it considering my position, but in my line of work, the Martian branch tends to be viewed as inferior to the Earth branch. Not everything is quite their fault -- Mars just doesn't have the same resources and opportunities Earth has. Earth remains to be where the concentration of power and economy are, among other things.

[ and vidar certainly hasn't helped matters, whether his position as a pilot utterly wrapped up in his own conceit or whether as gaelio bauduin, former seven stars, a lifetime ago when that kind of thing mattered. ]

Of course, changes have recently been implemented to make it more inclusive, but old habits remain. There is, after all, nothing more frustrating than having to give up power to someone who's had it for centuries. In my experience, that only leads to further consolidation, even in the face of progress.

[ vidar has a wry smile on his face, thinking about how those changes came at a very steep price, his life being one of those used for a foundation of a world based on dreams. when mcgillis had told him his views of a paradise he really ought to have asked him if he saw him living in it. or standing beside him.

but that's neither here nor there. ] We also have space colonies, who tend to be separate enough from the politics between both planets, but the fact of the matter is that power is concentrated on Earth. Anyway, most of them are all the way in Jupiter.

(He doesn't smile. He doesn't really seem to react much at all. He's just a humble student listening to someone else's history.)

Not everywhere has the same resources or opportunities but when one place uses those things to look down on another, that creates resentment. As long as those with power hold onto the old ways and resist, real change can't happen.

(He speaks lightly, like someone who's talking just for the sake of talking, almost. Yet, he's thoughtful, clearly more interested than he's letting on.

He takes the threatening piece-- his first aggressive move of the game. Bringing it over to his side and balances it on its edge with his finger.

There's a lot to take in here. The idea of living on different stars seems pretty fantastic to him, something he'd never really thought about.)

You would think having the whole universe around you would make the differences between people seem insignificant. (Finished fidgeting with the piece, he sets it down flat on the table. ) Instead, the same problems just spread where ever people go, huh...

(It's kind of sad!!!)

[ vidar shrugs. ] It's not impossible to change. But people are creatures of habit and will build systems that will benefit them all the time, regardless of who or what has to be sacrificed in order to get there.

[ and unfortunately, it's easy for him to say this because vidar has always been on the side of power; on the side of gjallarhorn. before his betrayal, after his betrayal, it's all the same to him: the politics of the world don't matter to him so long as he's on the side of power, because his will to live is tied to the existence of one person whom he has to stop.

which makes this library such a strange place to be. so utterly removed from where he is, and having to deal with himself being alive and living where nobody cares whether he was vidar or gaelio bauduin. it's a bizarre to allow himself to choose.

he watches claude make a move, a different one from before, and is all the more thoughtful for it. he doesn't match him but he makes it difficult for him -- this far in the game, where his defences are entrenched, one aggressive move won't be enough to sway him. like a tower, vidar remains steadfast, waiting for claude to pursue. ]

Once people obtain power, they become very predictable. There is nothing good or bad in it. After that, everything is a matter of chance and affinity, and understanding what your limits are.

( Thoughtful. Claude glances across the board, studying Vidar carefully between their next move. He’s smart, Claude thinks. That much has been obvious for a while. From the way he speaks to the way he plays... Hm.

His play style usually isn’t aggressive or direct but when their play is so well matched, someone has to do something different otherwise the game will go on forever. “How long can we keep playing before we grow tired?” That, in itself, is a different sort of challenge. A more revealing challenge though would be...

To pursue. He takes another piece. He’s aiming to whittle down those defenses as much as he can now. Punch a hole through those defenses and advance the rest of his line forward. If he loses a few important pieces then he’ll just have to make sure each one was worth it. )

... You sound like you have a lot of experience.

( He speaks lightly! Admirably. He’s definitely a bright eyed teen looking up to someone more experienced. )

I can’t say I know as much... but lately I’ve been thinking about how interesting it is that people can have the same goals but be willing to make different sacrifices.

What’s enough for one person might not be enough for another and on the other side, what seems necessary might be too much.

[ he won't really respond to the experience bit, because it's true, but the rest of it makes him smile. ] Lately, huh.

[ and that's interesting, being pursued. as a hunter, there is nothing better than the feeling of someone recognizing your worth on the battlefield. it is, in a way, affirming. chess is a poor substitute for battle, but the same kind of sentiments are there, and he allows it. draws claude in deeper into enemy territory, as if to set a trap for him now that he's aggressive, so be careful.

with his play style changing claude will see that vidar is reactive, for the most part; a strange mirror that seems to be created for a particular purpose. what vidar is, and who he is, is something else entirely.

all the same, this seems to be more honest for him: being deceitful on the board, and carefully arranging things for a drawn-out fight but with a hard finish. ]

What do you want?

If you went to that school of yours, despite the difficulties in getting in, I am sure you have something you want to attain.

“Lately.”

( He repeats casually and makes his next move rather quickly, like he already knew what he was going to do. Chess is all about planning ahead, after all. He has a few scenarios playing out in his head already and it’s easy to make moves or adjust from there.

If this was a real battle, he’d hold onto his pieces much more closely but this is chess and there’s no way to win without a few sacrifices that must happen on the board. For his next move, he sets one of his stronger pieces—- a knight or something similar—- out in the open, free for taking, a controlled attempt to lure Vidar towards him some instead of persisting into Vidar’s territory completely. The alternative would probably be letting the knight run wild in the next turn or two. )

For starters, I didn’t have to work hard at all to get there. All I had to do was show up and say, “Let me in!”
( He lets out a sigh, loud and dramatic. The burdens of being born into a life or privilege! )

In turn, my reasons for being there are the same as anyone else in my position. Meet the right people and gather enough power and influence to “lead and protect Fodlan’s future”.

( Doesn’t that sound grand? And kind of generic... but not completely untrue. )

[ vidar gives a thoughtful hum. ] I remember that kind of optimism, too.

[ especially for someone who didn't have to ask or beg to be let in. generic or not, it's a familiar enough narrative that he'd heard many, many times from soldiers and pilots alike, living and dead. and if vidar's being honest -- if gaelio is being honest -- he believed in the same ideas before, once upon a time. there is room enough for such dreams when you have all the power and time in the world.

and that's all he says on that as he watches the board again. should he take the bait? well, it could be interesting. he follows his lead. ] And for your sake and the kind of person you'd like to be, I hope you have the strength to maintain such a belief, moving forward.

[ because he knows a man who didn't, because he knows a man who did, because he knows too many who's lost their lives to such a dream, following in lock step towards a future unknown like following the pied piper to the stars. vidar is only a little bit cynical, but that is himself in all honesty. ]

When you say it like that, you sound ancient.

(Like some old guy sighing about how naive and bright the youths are. But maybe this is just Claude speaking with all of his youth, too. Something about what Vidar says seems to sit with Claude though.

I hope you have the strength to maintain such a belief...

What an interesting time to bring that up. If he was more impulsive, he'd probably retaliate by snatching an easy piece off the board or something but he instead, refocuses and carries on as planned. His piece taken, he'll use his next moves to try and keep Vidar occupied with that same part of the board for now. A knight piece that comes in and out, threatening to take pieces and retreating. Meanwhile, he tries to advance his pawns forward.)

With or without, the world keeps turning. (He'll have to keep moving forward on his own for now,) ... But I do.

(Have the strength. Maybe not at this very moment but that doesn't mean he's lost it. He just has to wait it out. Get things ready in the mean time.)

You don't have to worry about me.

I'm barely even thirty, you know.

[ kids these days!!!

vidar fends off the knight with his own bishop, and the rest of his pieces start eating the ones that come too close, not allowing claude to have an easy time at all. though one can argue he hasn't really given him any leeway to relax during the game; he plays as he always does, or as much as something is 'natural' to him in the short stint he has decided to take upon the name of vidar for himself.

vidar smiles as he says it, apparently pleased. ]

Now that's interesting. [ the board, or claude saying "but I do." there is, of course, something relieving to hear such certainty from someone who is confident about what they believe in. ]

(He doesn't mind a challenge and judging by the way the corners of his mouth quirks upward every few moves or so, it's clear that he's enjoying himself. He takes what he cans and fends of where he has to and begins to advance from the opposite side of the board. Pincer attack? Something like that.)

And what exactly so interesting?

(He tilts his head just slightly to the side. He's an innocent deer. What on earth could we possibly be talking about?

(He has his guesses but he wants to see what he can get.) )

That you have some rather tenacious teachers.

[ which, vidar thinks, accounts for the differences in how he moves on the board and how he presents himself, though really it's a shot in the dark at the moment.

it can be allowed, he thinks, as a pure hand in an otherwise run-of-the-mill game. there aren't really any stakes involved, and vidar himself knows a little bit about tenacity. he puts the stronger pieces forward, intending to chase on weaker spots in between and pick them from thereon, once he decides to split up his team. ]

Did you enjoy your time in your academy? [ until he was kidnapped here, anyway. ]

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Welcome Log ⬡ 02

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