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O Brave New World; Tag: Aegis
Topic Started: Nov 19 2010, 12:36 AM (271 Views)
Shola Inkosi
Unregistered

November 9th



The library was one of the few places Shola could confidently go in Sanctuary. Crowds of people were not usually a prospect he was comfortable with. In a library, however, he could escape from all of his troubles and past, no matter how many people were present. Books could transport him anywhere he wanted to go, and they completly grasped his focus.

Though his reading comprehension was still subpar, he could look at pictures or read the dictionary. With the latter, Shola adopted a word of the day ritual. Each morning he would pick out a word he'd never heard of, and try to use it properly through his day. The computers were beyond him, so he usually stayed away from them, save for the online rolodex. When he came here for the first time, a scaly librarian showed him how to use one properly. She looked confused at Shola’s wide-eyed amazement, and thought him touched. But to Shola, the computers represented excitingly new possibilities.

In the (approximate) year since his arrival, Shola kept himself busy by trying to self teach himself anything he could get his hands on. But the journey was proving a difficult one. The utter lack of critical thought made it hard for him to understand most literature, and all mathmatics outside of basic arithmetic. He would stare down at one page for hours, trying to understand, but nothing would come. And while there was progress, the slow pace at which he was learning was proving disheartening. Still, Shola found himself in a library or bookstore at least twice a week. There were just too many new things to pass up, and no amount of frustration would keep him from learning. As a result Shola usually found himself in the history sections. Where he could just lose himself in time.

Currently, he was sifting through a large tome that contained high resolution photographs of Renaissance artwork. The detail and colors were marveling, but Shola couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculous fashions. He snorted at the men in wigs, chuckled at the women’s poofy gowns, and guffawed on sight of the thick rouge that seemed to be painted on everyone’s cheeks. More than once, the scaly librarian had to come over to ask him to keep his voice down. As usual, she was very patronizing about it, now certain that he was slow. Of course, Shola picked up on this. Condescension was something Shola learned to deal with very early on in life, and he was naïve enough to have believed himself rid of it.

Still he wasn’t about to let her glibness ruin his fun. I imagine, this is what it feels like to be a child. He thought to himself. To see a picture book such as this, and know there more out there. More to learn. He was positively giddy with hope. Hope that would be dashed as soon as he closed his books, and stepped back into the real world.
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Jeanette Lacroix
Unregistered

Jeanette loved the scent of old books. There was something captivating in the musky residue that aging tomes diffused, something uplifting and genteel. Thus, naturally, the library was an ideal location in which to relax after a long day in the labs. Well, that and a bar.

Having arrived after work, the glowing mutant moved slowly through the walls of books available at the newly opened Sanctuary library, her appetite whetted by the sheer volume of collections before her. With careful consideration, Jeanette cultivated a small cluster of books in her arms, but would probably read only a few pages from each to facilitate her decision on which ones to borrow. In recent months Jeanette had been gravitating towards the philosophy and history section, but the words and symbolism of human reflection were the last things a tired mind wanted to tackle. No. Sorry Nietzsche ol' boy, but not today.

Besides, the atmosphere of renewal that was so palpable in Sanctuary's atmosphere had infused Jeanette with the desire for something more fanciful, maybe even based in science fiction. The glowing mutant soon found herself blushing slightly with a barely hidden, wicked little grin at the idea of borrowing for herself a couple of adult-orientated romance novels to curl up in bed with later that night. That would be very welcome after an arduous week in a laboratory.

But, instead Jeanette heeded her original compulsion and pulled from the shelf The Once and Future King by T.H.White. Perusing the shelves further, she also plucked from the ranks The Hunchback of Notre Dame and took it into her arms. After collecting a few other novels, the glowing mutant made her way through the desks in an attempt to locate a free one. Today was surprisingly busy, Jeanette mused.

Eventually she gently sat herself down opposite a young looking fellow whom had himself tucked away inside a history book. Though she could barely hear his giggling, Jeanette could see the tell-tale elevations in his cheeks that exposed his inner mirth. In a way, he looked like a junior high school boy that had discovered a book in which the breasts of some women were exposed, and had now carried his little treasure to the back of the library to further marvel at his discovery. How childishly amusing. Then, peering at him for some moments longer, a trace of recognition slithered into Jeanette's mind, her eyes squinting slightly in scrutiny.

She had seen him before: he was one of the trouble-makers from over a week ago. Well, trouble-maker was a pejorative word. More like 'misguided'. Lead astray. Fallen on the wrong side of the tracks, etc. Well...some would think of Jeanette herself as a terrorist, so who was she to judge?

'Is something amusing worth sharing?' Jeanette asked. Her tone was characteristically soft, but firm and well-measured.
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Shola Inkosi
Unregistered

Rather reluctantly, Shola looked up from his book. He figured it was just another visit from a self-involving librarian, coming to rain on his parade. Instead, to his minor shock, it was one of the self-involving Brotherhood members. The iridescent glow she gave off was hard to miss, and he recognized her from the public scuffle with Humboldt. The frivolous mood he was in vanished almost instantly as she nestled into the seat across from him. Obviously he didn’t yet consider the Brotherhood an enemy, but he wasn't stupid enough to call them friends either. And in Shola’s naïve and closed mind, you were either one or the other. The resulting look he gave her was somewhere between contemptuous and hostile, like he’d just sniffed curdled milk, his brown eyes shooting hot daggers.

“No,” he said shortly in a clipped tone that bordered rudeness. Even if he’d wanted to share, a person such at this would only mockingly laugh at Shola. Assuming, like everyone else, that he was slow. Of course, Shola knew nothing of Jeanette other than her ‘job’. However, Shola wielded his judgment much like his telekinetic shielding, keeping all that could hurt him at bay. The implacable gaze continued as he said: “Just reading up on some history. Why, I was not bothering you…was I?” The ice in his tone suggested that there was little else on the planet that Shola care less about, than this woman’s peace.

Had Shola had any foresight, he’d known how precarious his situation was. It wasn’t wise to be so openly aggressive to most of the Brotherhood’s ranks. In some infinitesimal way, however, Shola was testing the luminescent woman. Prodding her into a fight. If she was quick to acquiesce, then Shola would know that she was no different than the others. Blood crazed weapons only to be aimed by Magneto. True, his method of weeding out the crazies wasn’t the most well planned of tactics…but it was, at least, effective.
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