Broken Troll Whiskers!

[Glenda Davies]

[OOC: January Thread Roulette.]

Young ladies don’t cry - it renders their cheeks blotchy and eyes red-, but she felt on the inevitable verge of tears after a most trying incident. Unsure who to go to or where to seek help, she was en route to one of her mental oases – the school’s library. In there, she could lose herself in books, in the wonderful flights of fantasy, in the pools and oceans of knowledge. Maybe there she’d find an answer to her worldly problem.

Catching an errant tear with a handkerchief she pulled from her sleeve, Glenda tried to keep her steps from looking too hurried or upset. She didn’t want to appear outwardly distressed. Of course, she felt like she was doing a botched job of this as well; it would be like her to lose herself in public. The school’s robes were heavy and warm, sparing her from being chilled from the excessive drafts and somewhat hiding her larger than polite strides. Soon enough, though, she stepped into the library. She bit down on her lower lip hard, trying not to lose herself to the relief that inundated her, lending -what she knew as- false security. Surely the answer she sought would be within one of these bounded books. Hopefully. Surely. Maybe.

After half an hour of sifting through some of the shelves, she had a small stack of books to look through. They ranged from The History of Wands by Gregorvich Beggenvich to Famous Wands Through the Ages by Alistair Fronody. She didn’t think these would help her, but it was a nice start otherwise. Caring her load to a desk, she set them down. The task she had before her was nearly overwhelming and she felt the stirrings of tightness in her chest as she worried herself into nearly a fit. She sat down on the chair accompanying the desk, trying to take a breath but feeling as if there wasn’t enough to pull into her squished body.

A thin crack of despair widened as the initial confidence and relief she’d felt at surmounting this task began to cave in on her. She rested her arms on her table and hid her face, pressing her hot forehead to her forearms in hopes to calm down the panic that had grabbed her by the throat.

  

[Velda Aesalon]

Velda’s mind had begun to wonder. Generally speaking she tried to keep her attention on the library from the moment she set foot in it at exactly ten minutes to seven each morning, opening the forbidding doors to students who were either eager to get to their studies, or else had forgotten a piece of homework, to the moment she locked the door soundly behind her at ten o’clock at night. She would sleep in there given half the chance but given that some of the books had their own after dark alarming system she didn’t fancy the idea of being disturbed in the middle of the night by a scream. She could calm them with a touch of course but they were rather like getting up in the night for a screaming baby and she certainly didn’t wish to endure that again.

She had never really liked her children. She loved them of course, but she’d be a liar if she pretended to like any of them. Victor was the best of the bunch and only because he hadn’t embarrassed her by marrying the daughter of a known slut, or become a known slut.

But she couldn’t stop thinking about Ezekial at the moment. She had barely been there when Maud had nearly died of consumption two years ago and now her youngest son had the same thing and she had barely lifted a finger to so much as write him a letter. She didn’t labour under the impression that her children especially wanted her around them, and Ezekial’s wife certainly couldn’t cope with having a respectable woman in her midst it seemed, but surely he would want her at the moment? She had nursed him when he was sick before and-

She gritted her teeth and rolled her eyes at the noise. She had been trying to ignore it but could do so no longer. Getting to her feet she crossed to where a student she identified as being Glenda Davies seemed to overcome by a fit of palpitations. Well, this would certainly never do!

“Goodness me girl, what is wrong with you? This library is for learning, not sniffling.”

  

[Glenda Davies]

She’d almost forgotten that anyone else would be in the library; for all that she’d seen anyone, she’d nearly thought herself alone in the world. So when the librarian’s voice cut through her silent misery, Glenda nearly jumped out of her skin. Her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly open until she remembered the state of her face and ducked her head down. Unfortunately her hair was pulled back, but the shadows and poor lighting in this portion of the library might do her a favor.

She shook her head in response to the librarian’s question. The entire experience was mortifying. Being caught in such a vulnerable state, she immediately wanted to flee. She wouldn’t let herself get in trouble for it though, so she reached out, swiping the books off of the table into her arms. All but one book made it safely in her grip. Given her clumsy tendencies, it was a wonder that she’d caught most of them. Wand Assembly: A How-To dropped on the floor, standing like a tent with its binding up.

Further embarrassed, Glenda quickly snatched it up and hurried away to go put up the books on their respective shelves.

  

[Velda Aesalon]

Velda rolled her eyes at the gawping – honestly, it was as though some of these students didn’t realise there was a custodian of the library sometimes! – and spared a brief moment as she always did on these occasion to wish she wasn’t so surrounded by youthful angst. The mistakes of her own youth had been great and she’d had plenty to be miserable about but she didn’t remember ever being so determined to inflict her misery upon everyone else! She had made a point of raising her children not to mutely shake their heads as well and Velda, once again, resigned herself to the fact that next to nobody seemed to have any manners anymore.

“For goodness sake,” she hissed under her breath and waved her wand sharply towards where the girl had fumblingly scurried. The books shot from Miss Davies’ arms towards the correct shelves and even with the speed Velda returned them magically they slid in gently as though even her magic was afraid of igniting her ire.

“Come with me.” She ordered before marching back to her desk and opening the door behind it with the keys she kept attached to her waist. She rarely brought students into her private office but sometimes, when they were determined to destroy everything in their wake, it was the safest place. “Sit.”

  

[Glenda Davies]

She gasped as the books flew from her arms with no warning. Initially she thought that she had lost her grip on them and fought it until she realized that they weren’t falling, but flying. Glancing back, she reddened when the librarian had her wand out and was putting the books back. The gentle care bespoke of the librarian’s care about her job.

“Come with me.” It left no room for argument.

Glenda followed morosely, the day just kept getting better and better it seemed. She waited for the door to open and saw the private accommodations. The decorations lent character and gave more insight to the woman’s preferences than her face did. All Glenda knew was that she didn’t much care for children despite working with them for her living.

“Sit.” Another order. Glenda took a seat, smoothing her robes down as she sat as was appropriate. She swallowed at and worried about the trouble she’d gotten herself into. She had enough manners to not speak until spoken to now. The lady was clearly irked and it intimidated the younger girl. Unable to meet her gaze, she fixed her eyes on some bauble on her desk, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  

[Velda Aesalon]

Velda stared at the girl with agitated curiousity. She knew most of the students by sight and she certainly knew this one and to her memory Glenda Davies had never been anything but benign, almost pleasant. She was polite and never seemed to be interested in causing calamity as some students were - and generally speaking she was blessedly quiet, however, today something seemed to have made her cause an unprecedented ruckus in the library and Velda, though she usually did her best to have as little interaction with students as possible, was suddenly determined to get to the bottom of it.

It could be a test of sorts for her, she reasoned. If she could find out why Miss Davies was so upset and perhaps even stop her from sniffling somehow then she might be worthy of tending to her sick son. Otherwise, she was hopeless and it was probably in his best interest to never see her again.

She steeled her back and observed the girl, suddenly feeling rather awkward.

"Well? Dare one ask what the matter is?"