Bookman gives him a look as she speaks and he tries to avoid looking too guilty. It was obvious from the way she spoke that he had said more than he should have, and the old man was most likely going to punish him for that later. But right now, there were more important things to worry about.
They followed after her, Lavi staying far enough away so that he wouldn’t be hit at any point during this entire thing, even going as far as sitting closest to her as Bookman pulled up a chair to sit across from her. His expression was as blank as ever, and Lavi couldn’t even tell what he was thinking.
"Of course." He spoke finally. "You’ve taken the time to come here and request that we talk, the least I could do is listen to what you have to say, Miss Lalonde." Lavi stayed quiet. Right now, there wasn’t much he could say. And he’d much rather wait until things progressed slightly.
She caught the look, but her lips stayed sealed. For the moment, she was more engrossed in analytics than speaking. The way she carries herself presents an air of knowledge and deeply seeded control. Something most people lacked now a days. When Bookman speaks, her smile doesn’t falter. If anything, it seems to grow a fraction, as if she just learned something new. Though she’s not one to spill her secrets to anyone. Those violet orbs carry a sheen of unknown origin and she quietly reaches out to the arm of Lavi’s chair, her fingers curling around it before she pulled him and the object closer to her. A silent way of saying, he’s not to be touched, because she wouldn’t hesitate to maim someone. Her hand returns to the pommel of her rapier and she closes her eyes, simply smiling as she talks.
"Tell me, Bookman, have you ever raised a child? Beyond Lavi, I mean. Have you raised a child for the sake of a child’s well being, and not for the sake of work?" The venom in her tone was discreet, but lethal as she opened her eyes a fraction to gaze at the elder man. "I am a thirty-six year old mother, whom has many traits beyond child care. Trifling with my young will result in a catastrophic agony to which you’ve never felt nor witnessed before in your many years upon this world. It’s merely one of those traits of mine to bring disaster to those who have wronged anyone in my care." Her frame leaned forward and she looked at him with that sweet, gentle, smile. "I’m sure you’re a man of reason, Bookman. And I’m sure there are many things that you know are out of date in your archives.”
The point was being reached and she carefully constructed the argument. “As you should know, traditions are to be upheld, but never forced. Archaic rules that have long been turned over for the sake of better living are not meant for the next generation. If you stick to the same rules for the next dynasty, you’ll find the following generations making the same mistakes and history will repeat itself. Giving the argument “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” wont apply in this case, or any for that matter. Updates are a requirement, you take the knowledge you’ve gained and you apply it. If you don’t, then you’re wasting that knowledge and it serves no purpose but to be recorded and forgotten about.” She pulled herself up from the chair, folding her arms behind her back as she looked to the books that surrounded her.
"You’re an archiver, a recorder, someone who tells the tales of history and makes sure the knowledge is never left to wither away. To be unbiased in writing down the words of history, you’ve seen it fit to exclude all ties of alternative endings. You’ve extinguished the possibility of biased judgement. Except for one." Her eyes turn sharply towards the man, but her smile doesn’t fade. "You’ve broken your own rule, Bookman. Taking in a child, caring for that child, and sharing a parental relationship with that child. Relationships are to be sworn off, so you made it into a work thing. But tell me, if I were to take my sword right now, and direct it towards Lavi.. Would you not move to protect him?"
Her position changed and she leaned down to greet him face to face in a closer proximity. “You’re a man who understands civility and wrath all the same. A storyteller of the finest quality. I always appreciate a man who can record decades of information without so much as a second thought. So, Bookman, will you consider this argument that your rules need a bit of updating? If not all of them, just one. We’re not meant to corner our kids into making decisions that could get them hurt. And that rule does just that. I don’t have to tell you which one it is, you’ve known since the start, haven’t you?” She straightened up, smiling all the same. No doubt she was a scary woman at this point, her argument holding a smoking gun of facts and reasoning. She wasn’t going easy.