Spending Time at Home + Finding Books! [open]

[tacticallyminded]

[A: Library]

Robin wanted to look at the library ever since she arrived, but things proved busy that first week in Aqures Ixen. This Monday morning, though, the tactician finally got over there. The library was a wonder to behold and she realized the great advantage of the place after she arrived: she had never laid eyes on any of these books before. This pleased her to no end. She had, literally, a world of new books to read!

She knew better than to talk to people while she was in the stacks, finding books to read; she picked out a couple of military histories, a general history, a biography of the queen, and a book about the Empire. She also had a book on magic, just to see how it had changed, and finally a novel. The result was a stack of six books that she left the library with that day. If knowledge was power and books were how someone consumed knowledge, she was about to feast on power.

Unfortunately, it didn't work that way.

Before she went home, though, she decided to plot down on a bench; she put her stack of books down next to her, then leaned back, and let out a long sigh. Carrying books was hard and Marc had taken off, to take care of his own business. She could rest for a moment. It was a nice enough day. And, most importantly, she had her books!

House B-12

Living in a house was a fairly new experience for Robin; most of the time that she remembered in Ylisse had been spent on campaign. There were the occasional stopovers at the Shepherds' headquarters, but the lion's share of her nights were spent inside camps. Having a house, with four walls and her own room, was new. Sharing it with her son from the future, in addition to Kenshin and Greg, was also especially new. This afternoon, she decided to spend time in the common area. She had a book -- the novel from the library -- in hand, but it was closed and her bookmark tucked away.

At the moment, Robin was content to sit back on a chair and look out the window, admiring the weather and pleasant day. She smiled, clutching her book, and sipped from the glass of iced tea that she prepared.

She hadn't really been able to enjoy the house much, yet, and she wouldn't have time -- the next couple of days would have her in Esdham, taking the necessary exams and doing the paperwork to finish her enlistment in the military.

Comments

[tacticallyminded]

"Ah, this... this is a map of the area around Aqures Ixen," Robin said. She already had looked at maps of the area -- she took care to do that while in the library -- so she knew a little. She knelt down next to Greg, then pointed at the dot. "This is the city we're in. It shows the neighboring areas and nearby towns and cities, too."

She pointed at Trano Golsaucia, next. "And this is where we were, when we first arrived in Crystallis."

[elephanthead]

He looked over the map following her finger and listening to her explanation. He picked up on things quickly and found it easy to see after it was pointed out. His finger pointed to a thick patch of green just south of Aqures on the map.

"This is the forest then? So Wirt would be there?" Reading a map was one thing but Greg didn't know how to get were he wanted to go without help. Maybe if there had been a way to travel by map, then he could.

Bright eyes looked up at Robin as if expecting his roommate to have all the answers in the world.

[tacticallyminded]

Robin looked down at the map, where the forest was, and she shook her head. She started to realize, then: Greg didn't fully understand what happened. How could he? It was hard enough for an adult. For a child, it had to be baffling. He didn't realize that he left far more than the forest. She swallowed.

"Wirt's..." She hesitated; she hadn't had to explain something like this before. She felt her lack of familiarity with children keenly. If it wouldn't have been weird, she would have asked Morgan how she learned.

"Wirt's forest is very far away," she said, finally. "There isn't a map that shows the way there. All of our homes are far away. Farther than it would be to go across the ocean. We're trying to find a way back and we will, eventually. But..."

She looked back down at that map.

"It could be a long time."

[elephanthead]

"Ain't that the way.." He glanced down at the map and while it accepted her explanation he still wished that he could think of a way to make that time come faster. "Let's think of something then! To go home."

Greg looked up at Robin with a wide smile. "Anything is possible. Maybe we can find someone who knows?"

He stood from the map leaving it on the floor. If it didn't show him the way home he didn't really want to keep it. Plus it belonged to the shop keeper.

[tacticallyminded]

"I've asked around, but it sounds like no one is quite sure," Robin said. "A lot of people are working on it. I'm trying to help, too."

She smiled; it was an attempt to be reassuring. "We'll find out how, eventually." She hoped; she didn't see a reason to tell Greg her fears about their worlds. The way that reality shattered, before they came here... what did that mean?

She glanced down at the map though. "We should put that up," she said. "Someone might step on it."

[elephanthead]

"Oh right." He turned back towards the map he had aid on the floor and clumsily folded it up. He held it up to Robin when he was done with a wide smile.

"I did it!"

Greg was very proud of himself, even if it wasn't perfect.