Sylvia Marpole

|| 34 || Librarian at Pride U

[aloha-lilo]

Act Natural / Open

Lilo was prepared for a boring place in boring England-

Okay, maybe that wasn’t entirely true. A little part of her thought it was cool that she was going to get to see somewhere different. But moving here wasn’t visiting on a vacation for sight seeing and pleasure, and she did not want to leave her home. England wasn’t home and it just wouldn’t ever be, ever.

She hated change. Lilo did not want a moment of this change in particular, given the enormity of its size. 

At least, as it would turn out, Swynlake was not so boring. In fact, it turned out Swynlake was sort of crazy. Like, how did anyone even live in this town? Since they’d first flown in a day ago, their Uncle had entertained her and Nani with stories of very very weird, very odd stuff that went down here as they settled in, taking things easy for a day.

But now, it was The Next Day, and that meant Work. Nani had actually had the nerve to wake Lilo up early just to start to unpack their stupid suitcases, and so she kind of wanted to shoot herself in the face. Soon, there would be BOXES. BOXES that they would have to unpack once they arrived here in stupid England, though not nearly enough to be everything from home.

And so, Lilo had taken a walk when they were done and was now currently lying on a park bench, because moving was exhausting sometimes. After a good few minutes, she rolled herself off the bench with a groan, and the sound of footsteps nearing pulled her gaze up.

“Sorry.” Blinking a couple times, she tried to come up with a reason for why she was on the ground like a weirdo. “I was just- doing an experiment. On gravity. And… momentum. The next part is where I roll off the bench really fast and just keep rolling so this doesn’t happen again.”

[sylviaxmarpole]

Sylvia wasn’t on a hurry or being bothered by extreme loads of stress on her shoulders that related to trivial problems. So, it wasn’t really a usual day for her. Instead, the woman was walking outside, because why not?

The truth was that the librarian was a creature of routine, even if it was broken here and there when she accidentally pushed students into persecutions by witch-executing villagers or pirates. All in all, she was also getting used to being persecuted in fictional realms.

Because of that, it felt refreshing to take a walk in the park and admire her surroundings on her day off. Of course she did not expect the reaction of the girl who was laying on a bench as she passed it. And then, she rolled onto the ground, so the woman leaned down to check on her, curious.

“Well, it seems you may have fallen asleep during your experiment,” she commented with a little laugh, before extending her hand. “Let me help you.”

[sylviaxmarpole]

Witchy Business || Maui & Sylvia

[sylviaxmarpole]

mischievousmarvelousmagicalmaui:

Maui’s brain was pretty fast at picking up on a situation. He’d realized almost immediately that Dipper was possessed. He’d figured out Moana was heading to the Underworld before she could descend into its depths without him. 

The librarian spoke so quickly and contradictory that Maui felt as if he’d just been spun around, which left him blinking after the woman…

And then, his brain caught up.

“Wait!” he hissed, catching her arm and tugging her back before she could step out and reveal herself. “If we’re going to do that and I’m not saying we’re going to do that, we need a proper plan. I’m not going to just leave you stranded. Besides, I’ve got a secret weapon.”

He raised his eyebrows and moved his jacket so she could see the hook at attached to his hip. 

Any librarian worth her salt would be able to recognize it.

Sylvia stood wide-eyed. Not only because the hook that was attached to the man’s hip was familiar, but because it made no sense in the current time and age. How did thatend up here?

“Wait, what?! That makes no sense!” she exclaimed, in a rather loud whisper. “That- That fishhook doesn’t belong here. How is it that you have it?!”

Then, she paused, realizing what had happened. “Wait, you had that before?! Then it means... Well, that’s certainly a surprise. You... You can actually use it, can you not? I suppose we can come up with something.”

The woman looked around and then cleared her throat. “Well then, I suppose now it’d be easier for you to break me out of a burning bonfire once I secure the book, would it not?”

[goodreadss]

[sylviaxmarpole]

Witchy Business || Maui & Sylvia

[sylviaxmarpole]

mischievousmarvelousmagicalmaui:

Well, yeah, they weren’t going to point Maui out. He was a guy. 

He was gonna say that too–and not in a demeaning way, in a “yeah, it sucks because men are kind of top dog all the time” kind of way. But, he didn’t get to say that because next thing he knew, the woman–librarian–was saying that they had fallen into his book.

Which was both dope and – problematic.

“You mean we’re in the middle of the Salem Witch Trials?!” he hissed, keeping his voice low because those villagers could be nearby. 

That was probably bad. Of all the things. 

Though, hey, if they made it out of this–it’d make for a great essay. 

Oh, my god. Did he seriously just have that thought? Was he becoming a nerd?

Not the point. 

He shook his head once. “Well!! Fix it!!” 

“...Here I was hoping it’d be some harmless storybook,” Sylvia responded. It was the first time she was literally thrown back in history, and it was probably the worst place she could’ve been put in. They could’ve been put in.

“I - I can’t fix it,” the librarian admitted, looking away from the student. “Or rather, I can, but I have to... Okay, I need to get the book back. If we do, we can come back. I need to get it back and then get back to you. So, I figure I should turn myself in and then escape somehow. Yes, that’s it.”

With no more, the woman began to slowly stroll out toward the main road, half-tripping over the terribly uncomfortable skirt she was wearing.

[sylviaxmarpole]

Witchy Business || Maui & Sylvia

[sylviaxmarpole]

mischievousmarvelousmagicalmaui:

The librarian grabbed Maui’s shoulder, causing him to lose his concentration. He opened his mouth to ask her what the fuck was going on, but there was a scuffle, and a man wretched the book out of the librarian’s hands. 

Maui’s brow furrowed, mouth still open, as the librarian apologized. 

Librarians were so fucking weird. It was just a book.

Which he would’ve told her, if she hadn’t just turned tail, jumped off the back of the wagon, stumbling in her cumbersome outfit and taking off. Maui blinked after her for a moment, dazed and confused. 

“Hey–hey wait!” he called after her, jumping down into the crowd that was jogging after her. He made his way through to the front, shaking off anyone who tried to grab at him. 

He managed to make a break for it, stronger and healthier than the peasants of the village.

“Hey!” he called again.

“He’s bewitched!” bemoaned some villager behind him. He didn’t pay them any attention, he just continued down the road until he caught up to the librarian (wasn’t too hard), and tugged her down an alley way, still moving to make sure that no one followed.

“What is going on?” he demanded.

As Sylvia was tugged away, she thought it was over. Now she didn’t have a way out, and they were probably going to stab her or burn her somewhere. That wouldn’t be a good end for her. I guess there’s never a good way to find out if you can die for real inside a book, is there?

But it wasn’t them. Instead, it was the student she had accidentally dragged into this mess, who was understandably upset. She looked around and regained her balance before gesturing to the man as she snuck around one of the buildings they were between and taking a seat behind a pile of crates, hopefully staying out of sight.

“Quite frankly, I’m offended by the way they’re treating me - They didn’t even point you out,” the librarian stated out loud, mostly as a way to buy some time while she figured out how to apologize and explain. “It’s - It’s my fault. I’m afraid it seems we’ve entered whatever book you were reading in the library. My apologies.”

[sylviaxmarpole]

Trinkets of Unknown Value || Open

[sylviaxmarpole]

jameshcricket:

Jiminy smiled at her name, trying commit it to memory while he had both her name and face there. Though he couldn’t imagine forgetting this for sometime. Not that that was a bad thing in particular, it was just an odd happen stance that would stick out and make it easier to place her. 

“That’s very kind of you, Ms. Marpole,” he said. “And I would love to take you up on the offer, but,” he touched his free hand to the left side of his suit’s jacket where the letter of recommendation was waiting, “I have something to deliver. But, thank you. Truly. Perhaps another time?” 

“Right, of course,” Sylvia said, with a quick nod. It made sense. After all, people were always going somewhere. Otherwise, they wouldn’t even be outside. It was unusual for people passing by to not be busy, unless they were students waiting for their next class.

“Well, if you ever need anything,” she decided to offer, gesturing at the University, “I’m the librarian, so you’ll know where you can find me.”

[goodreadss]

[minuty]

[sylviaxmarpole]

Witchy Business || Maui & Sylvia

[sylviaxmarpole]

mischievousmarvelousmagicalmaui:

Maui was–studying. Sort of. Really, he was half sleeping on his book. He had not been sleeping great at all and it was seriously affecting his study time. Not that he was going to do stellar to start with, but it certainly wasn’t helping matters. He was starting to get worried, honestly, because how was he supposed to explain that his grades were less than stellar to the council, who was funding his education?

A demon he helped slay? He wasn’t sure he’d be able to pull that wool over their eyes as easily as some others.

So, studying.

Which was awful–just for the record. His butt hurt from the stupid wooden chair and he was on his third cup of coffee. He was pretty sure his heart was gonna grow wings and take off at this point. Not to mention the lighting in here really was terrible.

He was doing his best to concentrate. Had his headphones in and everything, which meant he wasn’t paying any attention to the librarian working on the shelves above him. He’d chosen his spot at the tables between shelves because they were mostly empty, people preferring the little cubbies tucked in corners. Those made him claustrop–

Suddenly, the woman was falling. Maui barely had time to react more than look up and attempt to scramble out of the way–

They landed with their feet on a rickety cart that groaned under their weight. Maui blinked once, his eyes adjusting to the natural light after hours in the library. Several people were staring wide-eyed at them. Maui stared wide-eyed right back. His hand went to his hip, realizing he was wearing a long coat, beneath which was his hook, concealed from sight.

Good.

When he glanced down he noticed– “What the fuck?! Buckle shoes? What is going o–” he looked towards the librarian but was cut off by a man with a crude, indistinguisable accident.

“WITCH!” he yelled, pointing at them. 

Shit. 

“Witch! Witch! That woman is a witch!” Several people scrambled out of the way, while several more began to warily approach.

“Grab her!” Someone shouted at Maui. He blinked and moved to stand near the side of the wagon that was exposed, so that the villagers couldn’t get towards the librarian. 

“She’s not a witch! It was an accident!” he told them, lifting his foot as someone swiped at his ankle.

Sylvia’s eyes immediately widened as soon as she saw what was happening. Her mind instantly figured out where they were, based on the rather outspoken crowds regarding her magical status.

Frankly, she found it rather offensive that they hadn’t even blinked at the younger man who’d also appeared next to the inoffensive librarian. “I’m not a witch,” she complained out loud, but didn’t see the townspeople’s attitudes change.

The sight of three women in ridiculously colourful outfits and hairstyles behind the crowd suddenly poofing out of there in an obvious magical act that nobody saw because they were too busy accusing Sylvia gave the woman an idea.

She reached for the young man’s shoulder with the intention of telling him to touch her while she removed the bookmark from the book in her hand, but such an action caused one of the men in the front of the crowd to scramble up the wooden cart and lunge for the book, taking it from the ‘witch’.

“Oh no,” Sylvia mumbled, having realized she’d lost their way out. “I’m sorry,” she added, looking at who had previously been just a good old university student.

Then, she looked around in desperation, as another pair of men got onto the cart with the clear intention of grabbing her. Without further ado, she knew she was running out of options, and ran for it - only to trip over the ridiculously uncomfortable shoes and skirt.

[goodreadss]

[minuty]

[sylviaxmarpole]

Trinkets of Unknown Value || Open

[sylviaxmarpole]

jameshcricket:

He nodded and took a step back, holding his hands up. When she presented it Jiminy smiled, feeling grateful and happy for her. It was a terribly unpleasant feeling when something was there one moment and gone the next, one he knew all to well. He didn’t wish it upon anyone so he was happy to have helped her in anyway he could.

“Please, it’s no problem, by any means,” Jiminy insisted as he walked around and attempted to push the grate back into place with the heel of his shoe. It moved, loudly, until it settled back down with a clang. He winced against the sound, but crouched down to untie his tie and pick the broom back up. He sighed, a pointed finish to the task. 

“Oh, dear,” he said suddenly, manuvering the broom and tie into one hand so he could hold a free one out to her as he stepped forwards. “I’m so sorry, I’ve seemed to have forgotten my manners among the excitement. I’m Jiminy. Jiminy Cricket.” 

“Sylvia. Sylvia Marpole,” the woman responded, shaking the man’s hand firmly. “It’s really nice to meet you, Jiminy.” She gestured with the necklace. “Once again, thanks for your help. If I can ever do anything for you, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Looking at the newly picked up table and the notes on top, the woman gestured toward it. “Would you like to take a seat...? I can buy you something to drink as thanks, if you’re not in a hurry.”

[minuty]

[minuty]

[sylviaxmarpole]

Witchy Business || Maui & Sylvia

@mischievousmarvelousmagicalmaui

Busy, busy, busy!

Sylvia was very busy! It was because she’d seen a significant drop in activity that week. She wouldn’t admit to it, but the woman had been spending a bit too much time in a particular chapter of Of Love and other Demons, which she’d found to be a wonderful recreation of a colonial latin american town without much problems, since she didn’t have a way to interact with the main conflict of the story, anyway.

Still, staying behind in a little town drinking hot chocolate had its consequences. Her work was behind, as a new batch of books had been brought to the library - result of a generous donation - and she had yet to arrange them in their corresponding bookshelves before her shift was over.

The librarian realized what time it was when she left the book in the afternoon and, as such, decided to hurry up with her duties. She stuck the bookmark into her shirt pocket and walked out of the archives to take care of business.

Things were going well - As well as doing things in a hurry could go. The woman walked with a pile of book in her arms toward the nearest bookshelves, those that were right next to a few reading tables, and climbed up the ladder to start arranging everything. She didn’t pay much attention to the student studying nearby.

As she juggled the books around, Sylvia’s heels slid through the ladder accidentally, and she gasped as a pair of tomes raised in the air with the intention to fall. She reached out with what some would call superhuman reflexes, which for her only happened when it was about valuable books for whatever reason, and sighed with relief.

The relief didn’t last long. As she hung up there, holding the books, the librarian witnessed the way the bookmark slowly slid out of her breast pocket. “Shit,” she mumbled, and looked at the books, then at the sort-of heavy bookmark again. As it finished sliding out, she promptly discarded the books in the air, instead reaching for the magical artifact and, in the process, falling down. Yep, right onto the guy who was studying down below. And on his book.

It took only seconds, but the sight of a multitude of wooden houses and an old-timey market vanished in. Where the promise of a terribly awkward encounter with one of the university students was a second earlier, the woman found a rural view of rolling fields and a stream. It was sort of pretty, in truth.

Looking down, she bore witness to a rather uncomfortable dress wrapped around her body. Not very pretty, either, if you asked her. In her hand was still the unknown book with the bookmark within, so she took a deep breath. Then, she looked to the side, and, well, a young gentleman was there, standing with her, on top of a wooden cart in the middle of a market. Was that the student...? Had she dragged him in accidentally? ...And why was everyone staring at them, anyway?

[minuty]

[sylviaxmarpole]

Trinkets of Unknown Value || Open

[sylviaxmarpole]

jameshcricket:

When he had been making his way around the world there had been more than a few occasions that had turned into a more resourceful person than he had ever previously been. In moments like these he was glad to have suffered through some of those situations if it meant he could help someone because of what he had learned from them. 

Jiminy pulled and moved the grate out of the way just a fraction, but it was all that was needed to create a larger opening to get an arm through. He huffed, shaking his head. He was not as young as he use to be.

“All right,” he said, still a little winded, carefully setting down his half of the broom. He gave the grate another little nudge with his foot making the scraping of metal against pavement filling the air. “Would you like to do the honors or shall I?” 

“It’s only fair that I get it back, is it not?” the woman quickly said, knowing that it wouldn’t feel nice to have someone stick their hand into the drain for her own clumsiness. She quickly got down on her knees and sighed, before sticking her hand in.

Memories of Stephen King’s It filled her head and she shuddered, moving to fetch the necklace as fast as possible and hop on to her heels. “Okay, done!” she quickly exclaimed, holding up the artifact by the chain. She hoped it would be worth it. “I’m sorry about all that. Truly.”