the amount of books scattered about the table has--thankfully, in stanley’s opinion--discouraged anybody from joining them. it’s very easy for him and klaus to descend into their own little world of books and knowledge and a third party would only detract from it. again, in stanley’s ( very humble ) opinion. he likes spending time with klaus; nobody else he’s met around here has quite the same thirst for information, something stanley remembers being a problem in his youth, as well. it means that, more than anybody else, he looks forward to updating klaus on his bird sketches and cataloguing. because nobody else appreciates it with quite as much authenticity. “look,” he’s saying brightly, fingertips skimming his latest sketch with something like adoration, “it’s a lesser spotted woodpecker. i confirmed it a hundred times in my book, can you believe it? it’s one of the rarest birds in britain.” his eyes are glazed with the kind of ardor only bird-collecting has ever really been able to inspire within him. “the sketch doesn’t really do it justice. i saw it this morning, i almost didn’t think it was real with the snow and everything.” ( @roscgvld )