Book Wurmples
Featuring Pendro 'Reaching Mind' Malis, Cassandra 'Peacekeeper' and Tavhir 'Restless' Eldren.
As tended to be the case whenever he was left to his own devices, Pendro Malis gravitated towards the nearest library almost as soon as he was given the chance. The library section of the Vaults just so happened to be his target at the moment; in this case it had not only embedded its reputation in his mind, but was hardly easy to miss what with it being in the foundations of the very much visible White Citadel.
It wasn't, however, as much of an exercise in window-shopping and dismissal of the masses of text he'd already read as were his usual trips to the library. The Metang was here for something rather specific: after an uneasily casual affirmative from Ambrose, he was granted access to some arguably sensitive documents written in the 'older than the old' language. It wasn't so much the documents as the language itself; that was the truly interesting thing for Pendro, and with the history behind it, a simple language barrier could potentially be the key behind many of the world's problems - notably, of course, Thrace and the Crimson Crusade.
Placing the cloth-wrapped tomes gingerly down onto one of the many desks available in the Vaults' library section, Pendro could barely contain his absorption. Softly, carefully, he prepared himself to unlock the secrets of a time long past...
As Pendro prepared himself, Cassandra, meanwhile, had wandered in herself, looking up in awe at the vast collection of books the Vaults had to offer.
"I could get lost in here," she said to herself, slowly walking down the aisles, her feet clicking softly against the glass floor. She traced her hand over each row of books, visually scanning over the spines and reading the titles. In her days at the ECUL, she had only come to the Vaults for study, and while studying could be fun on it's own, she had longed for a day where she could explore the entirety of the collection on her own volition. They had little time for leisure, but she figured she could at least sneak in one good book before things progressed on the war front.
As she wandered, she saw the familiar white sheen of Pendro, the Metang situated at a desk with books already in hand and ready. "Pendro in a library. I guess I really shouldn't be surprised," she said with a friendly grin.
"GAAAH- goodness, Xerneas preserve me, not sure I'll ever get used to, erm... general and perfectly calm social greetings- anyway, hello!" Pendro tapped very lightly on the books on his desk. "Don't, uh- be, erm, those books are old, so, uh, careful and caution and all of those generally relatable things. Sorry, er- hi!"
Cassandra gave a small laugh; Pendro's nervousness never ceased to amuse her. "Isn't this place amazing?" she asked, turning to look at the plethora of shelves, each lined with hundreds of books of all kinds. "When this is all over, I'm going to take a vacation right here, just me and these books!" She smiled, before turning back to Pendro, taking notice of the books he had on the desk. "Old books? What are they about?"
Pendro laughed anxiously. "Probably, erm... something old. Can't say for certain. Haven't opened them yet, probably won't understand them for a while even when I do- it's, erm... possibly important. Might not be, but, uh, might be yet; worth a try, I suppose... regardless, they can probably wait for a little bit. Probably more relevant things for now. Maybe- uh, something."
"I see," Cassandra said, not quite sure what Pendro meant. She was interested in the books he had, considering she herself couldn't read the cover in whatever language it was in. "More relevant things? Like what?"
"Mmmmmrrrrrmm..." Pendro murmured in obvious discomfort. "It's... egh, I should probably be, erm-" The Metang glanced around for nearby 'mon, and finding none, turned his attention back to the Lilligant. "Right, I... okay, please, please don't take this the wrong way, but I- am... am I your friend, Cassandra?"
"I... what?" Cassandra looked at him, puzzled. "Of course you are, what kind of question is that?" The Lilligant frowned slightly, not understanding where he was going with this. "We're both Gold Tribe. You're my brother, and I'm your sister in this. That makes you my friend."
The Metang shook his head. "Nope, no, no, no, no, no no no no- forget the Gold Tribe, please, I- just imagine it isn't a thing, and answer the question again... I'm really sorry, I am, but please just do this..."
Cassandra grew worried, placing a hand on Pendro's arm. "I
am your friend, Pendro. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Oh, heavens above..." Pendro sighed deeply with relief. "I- thank you, really- I'm just... I'm really sorry I had to ask that, I just... I had to. I couldn't, I, erm... I'm not even sure what I couldn't," He closed his eyes briefly before shaking his head. "That, erm... when you said before, back in Amoon- that if... if Dareon fell, there'd be nothing left to fight for, I just-" He sighed again. "I'm sorry, I should have just... something else."
"Pendro, I'm confused," Cassandra replied, pulling up a chair and sitting at the desk with the Metang. "What's the matter? Speak your mind; don't be afraid of offending me."
Reaching Mind exhaled, descending to rest on a chair with his arms flopping over the sides. "I'm just... I just really don't know what I'm even doing with myself any more..." He looked to the floor. "I don't know about the Tribe, it's... it's good, but it's... I don't even know... it's obvious I can't leave now; here's the best place for me at the moment, but it's... I just get the feeling my morals don't quite... line up. I joined because... if I'm honest, I'm not sure I put much thought into it. It was as if it was already decided I'd join. And I thought it'd be an exercise in protecting the innocent- and it is, but it's... it's different. The thought of bending to the whims of a 'mon who essentially killed his way to a position of power, and is so willing to throw away others for his own causes, it's... it's sickening. And it's only my devotion to, well... everyone who deserves my devotion, and not to die at the hand of Yveltal that's, well... that's keeping me going... I don't mean that- I mean, I have hope for Cyrus. I really do, but I just feel... constricted. I'm not the same 'mon who took that oath... well, I am, of course - I'm not pulling a Shadowrend on anyone, but I just... hmm. At some point in the future, I'm going to have to take a long, long while to just... think."
Cassandra sat for a moment in silence. She wasn't used to seeing Pendro open himself up like this, but she was glad he was, for once. The Lilligant couldn't help but give an awkward chuckle. "I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you, but... you sound just like Tavhir. He's told me almost the same thing before."
She paused for a moment, rubbing her hands nervously. She didn't know how to respond to Tavhir, and she certainly didn't know how to respond now. "Listen, I understand how it feels. These past few weeks have made me - and most of us, I feel - begin to really question what we're doing, whom we're serving, and if we've made the right decisions. I joined the Gold Tribe to protect Exathor, protect the Union, and keep peace between the nations." The Lilligant paused, letting out a sigh as she pieced together her thoughts. "I know Dareon wasn't exactly the greatest Emperor Exathor's ever had. Goodness knows Tavhir wasn't particularly thrilled with his rule either... but then again Tavhir isn't particularly thrilled with
anything."
She gave a meek chuckle at her own joke, until she realized she was getting off topic. "But regardless, I think Cyrus has more sense and compassion than his father did. Perhaps we should wait and see how Exathor fares under his leadership in this time of crisis. I... I know that probably doesn't help, but you're a good person, I know it, and I know you being here in the Gold Tribe isn't a mistake."
Pendro was silent for a long time as Cassandra spoke, his contemplative frown growing slowly into a weak smile. Eventually, he took a deep breath and let it out before speaking. "I should probably say something, but I'm not sure my words are working."
Cassandra gave a nod, smiling faintly. "Maybe you should talk to Garland, and let him know of your troubles. You could also talk to Tavhir, see if the two of you can help each other out... though don't be offended if he declines the offer." She gave another small laugh. "He can be a bit of a lone wolf like that." Peacekeeper was about to stand, before turning back to Pendro again. "Well... I was going to go see if I could find a good book here, but if you want me to, I can keep you company while you're here."
"Well, I, erm..." The Metang began, pausing to lift himself slightly from his seat with his arms so as to be at a more reasonable height. "I, uh... I don't mean to be a bother, but it... it would be nice. Although," He paused to laugh lightly before shrugging. "I don't see any reason why you can't do both; with all the time I've spent around books, if I can't help you find a good one, I'm not sure who can."
"Actually," Cassandra noted, reaching for her satchel. "I should probably get to work on that letter for Vennson." She pulled out a pen and paper, placing them neatly on the desk away from Pendro's books before beginning to write. "So, what kind of books were you looking at again?"
The Metang glanced around again, still finding no other 'mon around. Apparently, libraries weren't everyone's cup of tea with the Crimson Crusade going on and a newly crowned Emperor being welcomed.
"Hm, go figure," Pendro murmured, before turning his attention back to Cassandra and his books on the table. "Right, um, these are... well, heh, it, uh, feels a little bit naughty that I've actually managed to get a hold of these - Tempest didn't seem to care much - complications about a previous Wise Master and rarity and preservation and such. Managed to get them from the, erm... 'Forbidden Archive', would you believe it..."
Gingerly, Reaching Mind unwrapped the cloth that still covered most of the books, revealing several tomes that looked just a little bit worse for wear. On the front of them was written a language that neither of the pair could understand, for now. Pendro looked back up at Cassandra with what could only be described as an excited smile.
"Nothing like an interesting new book to get me back in a good mood..." He laughed.
"That's the spirit," Cassandra said with a grin. "So you're on
official business then?"
"Official? Erm... you could say that, but it's hardly as though I wouldn't jump at the opportunity anyway," Distrustful of his metal claws, Pendro carefully opened the book with a psychic grasp. He glanced over the page before nodding. "Hmm... yep. That is, uh, definitely not readable."
Cassandra glanced over the book, squinting slightly, as though it would make a difference. Needless to say, neither Pendro and Cassandra could read the language written. "I'll say," she replied, studying the characters briefly. "What are you meant to do with this?"
The Metang scanned the text, eyes brimming with curiosity. "Translate it, read it, learn the language... use it for, erm, things. Not sure if this'll help against Thrace, but, eh... well, if there's a chance, it's worth a try, right?" He put a claw on his chin. "I could probably do with a few comparison texts from Common Tongue and the Old Language. Shame there aren't any books here. Be right back."
Reaching Mind rose from his seat at the table. He floated to the nearest shelf, picking a random book and flicking through it before placing it over on his desk. After murmuring for a little while about languages and glossaries, he floated to another shelf, flipped through another book and flung it psychically on top of the previous one. He turned back to leave, but stopped to fling another two books across the shelves to a pair of different shelves with a tut and a roll of his eyes.
"Hmm," Pendro noted as he returned to the desk. "Interesting. If I were as good on the battlefield as I am at library management, I might actually be able to do... things. How's, erm- how's the letter, Cass? Cassandra? I don't- is there a preference for that? Sorry."
"Either one works," Cassandra replied, "I know we're Gold Tribe and we have our titles, but using those sounds too... official. Amongst friends, I don't mind if you use my name, or a shortened version of it," she added with a small laugh. She turned her attention back to the letter, her smile fading slightly. "The letter is... well, it's definitely a letter." She frowned at the paper, sighing once as she looked at what she had written so far. "I'm not sure what Cyrus intends with this scheme of his. I mean,
three generals? It has never been done before. I remember in my history lessons, rare times where there have been two generals, but three?" She grimaced, resting her chin on her hand. "I just hope Cyrus knows what he's doing."
"Hmmm," Pendro murmured in agreement. "At least, I suppose, it's better than just having two potential enemies in the only available positions. Seems in the recent weeks, bitter compromises have been becoming something of a staple..." The Metang flipped all three books laid in front of him open, though before he began scanning them, he turned to the Lilligant, scratching the side of his head with a claw. "Erm, you know, seeing as I'm here - probably a missed opportunity if I don't bother asking - uh, do you think there's, um... anyone you, er, might know or, uh, know
of who could, erm - just per- uh, perchance - perhaps help me with my, uh..." He coughed. "Uh... battle problem, erm... thing? I mean, it's perfectly fine if you don't, I don't mean to bother, I'd just really rather not be a, uh... liability?"
"Battle problem?" Cassandra asked, a tad confused. "Oh! Right. I see what you mean." She pondered over the question, tapping her hand on the desk. "Well, I guess it depends on whom you want to talk to. Lenora seems like she'd be able to help with that kind of thing. Garland too, since he's our leader. Other than that... I believe Tavhir had a sort of combat and general tutor in Skyhaven, but I can't remember their name..." She gave an apologetic shrug, returning back to her writing. "Aside from the last one, the other two might be able to help you better than I."
Pendro smiled, chuckling sheepishly. "I recall my last and, erm, first meeting with the Seer didn't turn out particularly well. Thanks for getting me out of that, by the way; I was only digging myself an exponentially bigger hole with every question and answer. Heh, regardless, I think talking with Lenora may well require me to drown my embarrassment with a good helping of tea..."
Cassandra giggled a bit. "Yeah, Seer can be a bit off-putting with her demeanor, I've noticed, but that's just how she is. Seeing her in Amoon, I think she can be really understanding when you get past her exterior." She wrote a few more lines on her paper, tapping on her chin in thought. "Well, maybe Garland could help if you didn't want to talk to Seer, or you could see if my brother could show you what his tutor taught him."
"Right, I'll... well, I'll definitely think about it," The Metang said. "With, erm... with any luck I'll find the courage to actually do something about it some time soon. Thanks for the advice, and thanks for... for understanding. It's a bit..." Pendro cast his eyes downwards. "It's actually getting quite silly with the amount of things I have to be thankful for, when I'm not sure I've really done anything to deserve it or repay it, so - well, if you ever need anything, you know where I'll be. Erm, anywhere with books, books are usually where I am..."
The Lilligant smiled, gently patting the Metang's arm. "Anytime. Gold Tribe or not, we're still friends." She gave Pendro a reassuring smile, before turning back to her paper. "Now then... to finish this letter..."
Before she could finish writing, she heard the sound of metal tapping against the glass floors. She looked up, seeing the familiar form of a Pawniard, arms crossed as he stared at the Lilligant.
"Cassandra," Tavhir said, looking at his sister intently. "I've been looking all over for you. We need to talk."
"Oh?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm finishing up the letter to father. What is it?"
Tavhir looked at Pendro, who gave a meek wave and a barely audible 'Hi'. The Pawniard ignored him, looking back at his sister and shaking his head, "No offense, Pendro, but it's a private matter."
"I see," Cassandra replied, beginning to pack up her things before turning back to Pendro. "I'll be back in a moment."
"Oh, erm, okay," Pendro said. "Have fun! Er, hmm, fun really isn't the right word- sorry..."
"I'll be back later," Cassandra said to Pendro, before turning back to Tavhir.
"Good. Come with me," Tavhir said, almost impatiently, to his sister, the two of them walking off away from any others in the Vaults. Pendro sighed lightly, before returning to his trio of books.