★ According to times before { dreadful, were they not? }, returned they found themselves to their own worlds. Still - different from the former cycles of rebirth and destruction - they retained memories, of thoughts and faces, of the feelings that came with this or that select someone before it was all brushed away by an approach expected { anticipated fervently? }, announced by steps that fall behind him strained and careful; it was like a never-ending chase.
★ Would one want to question why there was no possibility for them to go separate ways? The sentences spoken prior in their encounters inside a lost world, clashing between one another, only bequeathed to rile up more and more - do they still linger? He does know and hopes so, for they had a reason and a means to pursue. If at all one might want to question this encounter yet once again, while in seconds that swim before someone's eyes the closer and closer the boy would come to what he called his Nemesis, the former General would - truly enough - just brush it away with a smile.
★ That was, perchance, the only twitch he offers to a self so long lost and drowned in the maelstrom of thoughts and souls that had endeavoured to tear him apart.
★ " So you found me, Cloud~? What may you want? "
★ Thus question uttered was as seemingly unnecessary as he desires no answer to it anymore as they all know: he would return time and time again. But, calm his whole demeanour was, unmoving in his stance and place to seek solace from the surroundings chilling grandeur. " Fight me? Kill me? Destroy me? Or, perchance--- " Mere inclination given over his shoulder. That was all.
★ " You still have questions left unanswered~ " || @ndeavor ♡~
I just woke up and my mum came in to tell the that the £ is at the lowest it’s ever been and we aren’t in the EU anymore. This is horrible why did England do this
A Taste of The Romantic Genre - Strange Magic Library AU
Dawn just needed assistance in researching something for a project at school. Having put off working on it for weeks—on what, she will not confess—she enlisted her sister’s help. Marianne’s reluctance was definitely understandable, but Dawn thought it was time Marianne got out of the house. Holing herself up after whatever happened with her ex, Roland, her lingering presence at home seemed almost like it was going to take root there forever.
It got to the point Dad was almost begging her to leave, even for five minutes.
Plus, Dawn was tired of Marianne asking her to take books home for her.
“Come on,” Dawn tugged her sister along, skipping slightly. Although, Marianne’s tense posture was making it hard for her bounciness to thrive. “It won’t be that bad. The library’s quiet. It’s almost desolate. All the books you want to read are there, and you can even carry them home yourself!”
Marianne grumbled, shoving her hands into her sleeves, before burying them in her pockets. “I thought I was helping you research something.”
Dawn rolled her eyes, “You are! Sunny could’ve helped me, too, but I was getting worried about you. Come on, I swear you’ll like it. Plus, if anything’s good about the library, I know Roland never goes there. The only things he reads are articles about his own success.”
Marianne’s snorted in surprise. Then she bumped Dawn affectionately with her shoulder and thanked her under her breath. “Maybe I do need this,” she admitted.
Dawn smiled brightly, feeling a bubble of giggles burst from her lips. “Anytime, sis.”
After the legendary break-up, Marianne buried herself in books and in working out. Anything she could’ve done in the comfort of their home really. Dawn knew that her sister wasn’t exactly the social butterfly, but there were times they’d go on movie nights, just the two of them. Sometimes even Sunny tagged along. Sometimes they’d just go out for dinner and talk about everything from life at home, to life at school.
Roland was handsome and charismatic, sure, with every visible quality that a girl would’ve wanted. But when he was dating Marianne... She seemed different, a little bit off. Then after Roland, Marianne closed herself off almost completely. Of course, Marianne was still Dawn’s protective, hovering, concerned sister—but something had changed.
Marianne always loved books. Always. But with the way she was shutting everyone out . . . Probably not a good thing.
In the effort to get Marianne to recover, Dawn took the first step and dragged her sister to the library.
Marianne had never seen it before, not from the inside at least. When they pushed the doors open with the soft jingle of the bell hanging over them, Dawn watched Marianne’s eyes fill with amazement. Dawn tried hard not to grin, relief washing over her as she watched her sister walk in with a dazed expression.
She was happy she made the choice to bring her here.
The first two hours went well. Dawn researched in silence, multicoloured pens sticking out from over her ears. Marianne had almost ravaged the place, piling up book after book at the table they designated as their own, her eyes filling with light as she read summary after summary.
Dawn was distracted for the moment, so when she suddenly heard sharp voices cutting through the air, she was stunned to see at the other side of the library Marianne glaring at a tall man. Seconds stretched as they stared at each other, before the lanky guy broke away first, muttering under his breath as he walked away. Dawn blinked, confused, as she watched Marianne almost stomp her way back to their table. Her eyes were flashing as she jerked her thumb over her shoulder in the guy’s direction, snapping as quietly as she could’ve:
“Who was that guy?”
Dawn blinked again, sitting up. “What happened?” She asked, avoiding the question.
“I was looking at a book,” Marianne ground out, “and I heard someone snort—like laugh—and I turn around to see this guy shaking his head in amusement. I ask him what’s funny, and then he says nothing. As if I didn’t hear him—”
“—Marianne,” Dawn interrupted, placing her hands on Marianne’s flailing arms to calm her down as she tried not to burst out laughing. “That was the librarian.”
Of course, leave it to her sister to start a fight with the one person who would be signing out her books for her. Too bad for her, their library hadn’t exactly gotten the self check-outs yet.
Dawn watched her sister’s face blanch.
“What? But—” Marianne stammered.
“—He’s so young?” Dawn tried not to smile as she rested her chin in her palm. “Everyone says the same thing. He started working here a couple months ago.”
Marianne slumped in her chair, stunned. “Oh my God. I just argued with the librarian. It’s going to be so awkward when I sign these out,” she stroked the spine of the topmost book on her pile. Biting her lip, she turned her eyes back to Dawn. “Can you—”
“—No.” Dawn suppressed a yawn, but allowed a smirk. “You haven’t even helped me yet, I’m not going to sign the books out for you.”
Marianne glanced over her shoulder. “When does he get off work? Does someone replace him?”
“He works until the library closes.”
“Oh my God.”
Dawn tried really hard to suppress a laugh, but wound up giggling anyway. The next hour was filled with Marianne mumbling to herself as she found important excerpts for Dawn’s project, while Dawn worked on the project itself. She could tell that Marianne was dreading having to talk to the librarian again, even though their interaction earlier couldn’t have been that bad. Marianne’s spark had just snapped at the librarian without thought, and now she was paying the price.
When it was about time they had to leave for dinner, there was a knot between Marianne’s brows so tightly wound, that Dawn was sure it’d be fixed like that forever.
“Come on,” Dawn said, suppressing a smile, gathering her own books under her arm. “We can’t delay this fated encounter forever.”
Her sister groaned. “If I knew I was going to have to see his face so soon I wouldn’t have called him a personified insect.”
Dawn’s eyes widened. “You called him a what?”
“Okay, here’s the thing,” she sighed. “I—”
“—you know what,” Dawn interrupted, raising her hand. “Don’t explain.”
Marianne laughed at her sister’s pinched expression, but her smile fell away as they approached the check-out desk. It turned into a scowl, embedding deeper into her face as she walked behind Dawn towards the librarian.
Dawn tried not to snicker, carrying a textbook she needed under her arm. Dropping it in front of the lanky guy behind the desk, she allowed him her sunniest smile.
“Good evening, Brodric!”
The man looked over his glasses almost incredulously. Pale scars cross-crossed over his sharp cheekbones and across his pointed chin. His large, aquiline nose propped between his striking blue eyes a pair of metal glasses that almost sat askew as he pulled himself away from the book in his hands. Ebony hair was combed away from his face, but loose, wild strands fell away almost rebelliously to betray his weariness. Even the stubble on his chin revealed that he had had—for the past few days perhaps—some dreary nights.
Brodric Murray’s long, elegant fingers languidly placed the small, leather-bound book face down in front of him as he regarded Dawn and her sister with a scrutinizing eye. A single brow climbed upwards.
As a side note, Dawn recalled briefly crushing on him before. He was a mysterious guy, for sure—and exceptionally tall—but her attraction to him stopped there. He wasn’t really her type.
“Good evenin’, Dawn.” Brodric drawled, reaching forwards and lifting the large textbook with a single hand, turning it over effortlessly as he scanned the code almost sleepily. “Will this be all?”
Dawn tilted her head and grinned. “Oh, nope.” She stepped aside to reveal her sister, whose eyes could not narrow any further.
Dawn watched as Bog’s second eyebrow join the other in momentary ascension. “Hello,” he said.
“Hi,” Marianne forced out through gritted teeth. Silently—and begrudgingly—she lifted the books she picked out and placed them in front of him. A stack of mayhaps fourteen novels swayed before him, and Brodric stuck a hand out and steadied them. His eyes were a little wide.
He grabbed the topmost one. “Quite a selection you have here,” he said under his breath, almost as a side note. Regardless, Marianne still heard him.
“What?” She peered down at him, brown eyes glowering. “You have a comment you want to share? I’m all ears.”
Brodric looked up at her, barely alarmed. He seemed to think to himself, lips pursing slightly. Then, “What kind of books do you like?”
Marianne squinted at him, testing. “Adventure, mostly. Historical fiction.”
He allowed a small, crooked smile. “Do you like romances?”
“Hate ‘em.”
Brodric waved the book in his hand about, tapping the cover with one finger. “You won’t like this one.”
“Why?” Marianne almost snapped.
“Love square. Main character is courted by three guys, and the plot doesn’t move along very well. She neglects her quest in the end for marriage.”
“Oh,” her expression twisted in disapproval. “The summary doesn’t even mention love.”
Brodric laughed. “That’s how they fool you.”
Marianne grabbed another book from her set and passed it to him, asking, “How ‘bout this one?”
Dawn watched, amazed, as her sister and the librarian got into a fast-paced conversation about the books Marianne had chosen. Brodric whittled down the pile by half, and had added another nine. Luckily the library was nearly deserted, for certainly he would’ve gotten in trouble for being distracted and not attending to the other people in need to borrow books. Luckily for him, there was no line-up, and no one else but Marianne and Dawn standing at his desk. The books piled and piled, and although the conversation could not have lasted for more than ten minutes, the two of them were laughing quietly to themselves, talking about a series they had both indulged in when they were younger.
Dawn did not feel compelled to interrupt, but her phone buzzed, which sounded like an alarm in the silence of the library. Marianne and Brodric, both surprised, turned to her. At their attention, she flushed, a little bewildered at how intense their stares were as she checked her phone.
It was Dad.
Where are you two?
She bit her lip. Apologetic, she looked up at the Brodric and Marianne, feeling as if she was about to tell them the worst news they were ever going to hear.
“Dad wants us home.”
Marianne’s expression fell a little. “Oh.”
Brodric inhaled, as if coming back to reality after having been submerged for hours. He looked down for a second and realized Marianne’s books were scattered about his desk in categories of what to take, and what to leave. Swallowing almost nervously, realizing he had been severely preoccupied, he started scanning away.
“Sorry,” he chuckled, pushing up his glasses. “Got a little ahead of ourselves, didn’t we?”
Marianne blinked, cheeks reddening a little as she pushed her hair behind her ear. “Yeah, I guess.”
When Marianne reached for the books, she paused, brows furrowing as she regarded the looming stack of pages and bindings.
“Oh!” Brodric stood hastily to his feet, fumbling about himself hurriedly. “Need a bag?”
Then Marianne laughed. “Am I shopping here?”
Suddenly as red as a tomato, Brodric stilled and rubbed the back of his neck as he allowed a sheepish smile. “Sorry. But I do have bags ‘ere, in case y’know, I get the enthusiastic reader.”
“Hmm,” Marianne grinned. “Sure, I’ll take a bag.”
So Brodric reached underneath his desk and grabbed a large reusable shopping bog. Then he helped Marianne shove her books inside before—unexpectedly—circling his desk and carrying the bag for her to the door of the library. They continued to chatter as Dawn followed mischievously behind.
“Thanks for all the recommendations,” Marianne said. “I didn’t expect you to have a similar taste in books.”
He smirked. “Not bad for a personified insect, yeah?”
Marianne reddened, before elbowing him. “Sorry about that. I thought you were making fun of me for what I was reading.”
“No, not at all,” he reassured. “Everyone’s got their poison. I just thought yer expression was a little amusin’. It looked like you were tryin’ to burn a hole through the paper.”
As they reached the door, Marianne paused. She turned to the librarian with a quizzical eye and curious smile.
“I forgot to ask for your name,” she admitted quietly, almost like a comment to herself.
He chuckled, smiling crookedly. “My name’s Brodric Murray. But you can call me Bog.”
“It was nice meeting you, Marianne,” he said, before handing her the bag of books. Dawn counted the seconds, and she swore their hands lingered beside each other a moment longer than expected for fresh strangers. “Hope to see you again.”
Marianne smiled, brightening at the notion. “Yeah. yeah. I guess I’ll see you again.”
Dawn tried hard not to smile as she dragged her sister away from the library, humming to herself as she kept her commentary private.
“You better finish those books,” Dawn cooed.
Marianne scoffed, “I barely even started them. Don’t rush me.”
“Well,” Dawn tried to keep her giddiness out of her tone, but it was nearly impossible. “I suggest every time you finish one, you return it immediately after.”
“Like one at a time? Wouldn’t it be easier to just return them all at once?”
“But then” Dawn started, releasing her sister so she could get a head start, “You wouldn’t have an excuse to see Bog more than once, now would you?”
“Dawn!”
Turns out, Dawn didn’t need to get a head start. The weight of the books Marianne was carrying was enough to hold her down, and she wasn’t exactly going to put the books down to chase Dawn either.
Of course. Those books were Marianne’s ticket to see Bog, unless she didn’t mind just talking to him without the books in hand.
