A bleach-white old bat snoozes at the monitor's desk, his spectacles threatening to fall forward off his muzzle. The joints of his wings are swollen with age, to the point where he quite probably can no longer fly. Though, if he could, it would likely be quite useful to reach some of the books in this library.

A lone young-looking coyote, shadowed by the torchlight, pores over an enormous yellowed book that seems ready to crumble to dust at a table far from the entrance to the library. Most of the other students are off practicing their cantrips, or snoozing in their dormitories. Not Jaundice. He's always here…

Envoy slips through the heavy doors, letting in a brief splash of starlight from the courtyard she landed in. { This must be the Library } O o she thinks, as she pads up to the sleeping bat…

*SNAWWWWWWK!* The bat lets out a log-cutter of a snore, before dropping into a low snorfle and quieting again, his chin bouncing on his chest.

Envoy stands before the bat's desk, and wonders how to get his attention. She looks around for a bell or something…

Jaundice reaches across to the top of the book, finger tracing lightly over the faded scratchings. "… it is admitted that no proof exists of this theory, but impressions persist of the existence of a unifying magical property that links the physical mind to the aphysical force given it by Nature… "

As must be the tradition on a myriad of worlds, there is a little bell sitting on the librarian's desk, at one corner, next to a stack of books to be returned to their proper places.

Envoy picks up the bell, and shakes it next to the bat's ear.

The bat snort-chokes, then lets out an ear-piercing, "SKREEEEEEEEEE!" as his eyes shoot open!

Envoy puts the bell back in its corner. "Hello, can you help me?"

Jaundice looks up from the book, startled by something in his peripheral vision. He sees Envoy, and he jumps from his seat. "Ho… " he shouts hushedly. He moves towards the desk, then jumps back as the monitor wakes.

Jaundice tries to pretend he saw nothing, and goes back to his book.

The bat's spectacles promptly fall off his nose, as he fumbles around, trying to find them. "Snafferazzle snarfleblasted earfulhooper dinglebattenn… " he grumbles as he fumbles about.

Envoy blinks. { Perhaps the Eeee don't have sonar. }

The young Hekoye finds himself unable to return to his study at the present. He watches the strange creature at the door from across the room, just barely able to make out her outline.

Envoy waits for the bat to regain his composure, and scans the stacks of books in the meantime.

Jaundice thinks, . o O { Doesn't she know this is supposed to be for students and faculty only? I always thought it was a presumptuous rule, but… } He watches, trying to decide what he should do.

The bat puts his spectacles back on his muzzle, squinting through them at Envoy. "WHAT?!?" he shouts. "YOU SAY YOU WANT WHAT?"

The bat fumbles around on the desk, picking up his hearing horn, which he pops into one large ear.

Envoy speaks into the horn, "I'm looking for books on The First Ones, diagrams of the Temple, computer repair, Sinai biology, and sewing."

Jaundice takes a deep breath, and rises from his chair. . o O { Ancients grant me the courage in this strange land, A'Matu. } He gingerly begins the walk towards the desk.

The bat looks as if he's about to point somewhere, then squints at Envoy some more. "Who are YOU?" he says in a slightly quieter voice. "And how in tarnation did you get in here?"

Envoy blinks three times, and says into the bat's horn, "I'm Envoy. I came in through the door."

Jaundice begins to walk a bit faster. "Psst!" He waves his arm, trying to get the alien's attention.

Envoy turns to look at the young coyote. "Hello," she smiles.

Jaundice smiles slightly back, and quickly closes the gap on sandaled feet. "Let me handle this," he whispers in a voice too soft for the bat to pick up.

The bat looks at Envoy, squinting his eyes even more. "You must have made a wrong turn," he says loudly. "Botched magical experiments don't belong in here. That's down the hall and two doors down and … oh, ask for directions, eh?"

Envoy blinks at the bat, and decides to let the coyote handle it afterall.

The Hekoye clears his throat, and turns to the bat. "I… um… You needn't… " He realizes he's speaking in too low a voice, and raises it. "Sir Fendriggle, You Needn't Worry About This One. I'll Handle This."

Jaundice turns quickly to Envoy…

The bat nods. "Oh! Quite kind of you, lad. A blustery one she is, when she's not so awfully quiet. Yes, yes, thank you kindly. I'm so busy, you know. A whole stack of books to put back… "

Jaundice whispers, "Try not to… er, move around a lot. I've done this before… he doesn't notice half the time when people actually leave or come in."

Mid-sentence, the bat's eyelids droop, then drop, and soon his chin is back on his chest again, snoring softly.

Envoy nods, and stays close to the coyote.

Jaundice motions for Envoy to turn around, as if to lead her away… then blinks at the sound of Fendriggle hitting the desk. "Eh… never mind."

Envoy blinks and shrugs.

The hearing horn lands on the desk with a light "cloonk" … the bat snorts and shifts a bit, but he's soon whistle-snoring through his nose again.

Jaundice turns back to Envoy, scritching his head curiously. "What are you doing here? I'm sorry, but I don't think I've seen you before."

Envoy asks, "Is he singing? I've never been here before. I'm looking for some books."

Jaundice tilts his head down to look at Envoy's hands. "You're… not a Guild member. How'd you get this far inside?"

Envoy blinks, "I flew."

The coyote thinks a moment, then shakes his head. "Never mind. Cavul the firemage accidentally blew up part of the guardpost last week and no one noticed."

Envoy says, "I'm sorry I missed it. Can you help me find the books I need?"

Jaundice blinks, then turns to Envoy's side, noticing her wings… which apparently slipped his mind again. "Yes… well, um… " He suddenly becomes aware of himself again, and starts to back away. "G'deve."

Jaundice's ears turn red, imperceptibly in the dim light. "I'm… uh, sorry." He inwardly curses himself, wanting to run, but curious enough to doubt the wisdom of that act.

Envoy follows the retreating coyote. "I'm Envoy. An Exile. This is the Library, isn't it? What's your name?"

Jaundice takes another step backwards, then stops short, more unsure of himself than ever. "A… an Exile. Ah-ha… " He fumbles for the words, but finds none. He wishes more than ever he'd never left the safety of his book.

Envoy says, "Is that your name? Ah Ha?"

Jaundice swallows, and grits his teeth briefly. "No m-ma'am… it's… um, it's Pe'er. Pelniel. I was just… studying here… " He looks forlornly at the book standing untouched on the far table.

Envoy smiles, "Can you help me find the books I need?"

Jaundice blinks. "Books… um, sure. Right… " He glances around briefly, reminding himself of the maddening organization of the arcane tomes in the library's collection, shelves stacked to the ceiling, words upon words of carefully researched data. "Uh… what kind of books?"

Envoy wags her tail back and forth. "Books about the Temple, to start with."

Jaundice thinks, . o O { What did I get myself into? I thought she'd be able to do this herself. }

Envoy waits with an expectant look on her face. All of her attention seems focused onto Pe'er.

Jaundice says, "Th… the Temple?" His tone suddenly becomes a bit more certain. "They don't keep any books about the Temple here. This is … just for the students and researchers to use."

Envoy blinks three times. "Biology then?"

The coyote tilts his head. "A-are you sure you're in the right library, ma'am?"

Envoy blinks. "There are others?"

Jaundice thinks, . o O { Never heard of anyone coming in here looking for books on 'Biology.' }

Envoy gestures to all of the books lining the walls… "What topics do these books cover?"

Jaundice starts to answer Envoy's first question, then falters, blinks, and tries her second. "Ah… well, this is the Collegiate Library of Applied Magics… so… um, it's mostly magic … yeah."

Jaundice gestures vaguely back to his book again. "Like… the one I was just… "

Envoy stares at the coyote blankly for several moments.

Envoy says, "What about the First Ones? Can I learn about them here?"

Jaundice turns back to Envoy, mouth twitching awkwardly. He bows his head and runs a shaky hand over the back of his neck. "I… *gulp* thought you saw the sign n-next to the door outside… "

A voice calls from one of the other archways, leading to an adjoining hall. "Lights out – Time to go to bed, apprentices."

Envoy says, "It said this was the Library. I had not realized that a library would not carry all books on all subjects."

Jaundice holds his hands out, staring at the floor. "I'm s-sorry, ma'am… there are other libraries for that… " His ears perk, and he turns in the direction of the voice. "Oh dear… "

Envoy brightens again. "Where can I find those other libraries?"

A skunk stands in the archway, and smiles in Jaundice's direction. "This means you, too! Can't let you grow roots in here… " The positioning of an interposing shelf is such that he doesn't seem to notice Envoy's presence.

Jaundice bows at the waist to Envoy, and scampers back to his book, slamming it shut with a dusty *FOOM*. He quickly gathers it up, replaces it on its shelf, and runs along, muttering to himself as he passes the skunk monitor at a nervous pace.

The skunk shakes his head, chuckling, then continues down the hall, cane tap-tapping as he goes.

Envoy blinks. Maybe the other person she heard would know. She follows after Jaundice…

The young coyote leaves, mind instinctively recalling and filing away all he remembers from his day of study… and conveniently forgetting all about the strange woman at the librarian's desk…

The skunk has taken a different route, to root out all the nightowls who might be so buried in their studies as to stay up past time.

Envoy stops in the courtyard and frowns. After a few moments, she spreads her wings and flies back to the Bards' Guild dormitory…

Jaundice pads back to his quarters, scarcely a sound made. In the dark hallways, he tries to push back the growing feeling of loneliness that tugs at him, but that he never shows. By morning he'll have forgotten the feeling anyway, along with the route back and from the library.