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Post by Philander Alexander on Jul 2, 2013 12:41:35 GMT -5
[[mostly a thread for Korbin and Phil to get acquainted but I'd love if someone else stumbled in, just to keep activity up around here! <3 Just keep a general post order, Phil->Korbin->???]]
Sunday morning, a day Philander found to be a total waste. Few visited the library because they had enough boredom for a day at church. The thought made his nose wrinkle. That was just story time, the library had all the real information. Filled with plots of intrigue and mystery and... well, lies. Still, what most of those people sitting in pews were hearing made him cringe.
Sure, angels and demons existed. He knew that. He knew all about them. But those people had no evidence. They should be at his library, so that he could prove his dominance over all beings, arcane, divine, and mortal.
Philander was sitting at the main desk located at the center of the first floor, staring at the door. A homeless man had walked out at 6:17 AM. Two teenagers ran up to the second floor at 8:35. As the morning progressed, Phil's index fingers rubbed deeper circles into his temples, as if stirring a pot of boiling water to keep it from overflowing as the temperature gradually increased.
He had read every book, and had already made some corrections through the night. Sleep? For the weak. The library was open 24/7. Even though the nights were filled with boring people finishing up classwork, at least they were good fun to play with a bit. But Sundays. Sundays were the bane of his existence. No one wanted to sit in a library on a Sunday, and that left him writhing.
He closed his eyes and started naming the stars based on their distance from Earth. Exercises could at least keep his mind busy just a few minutes. Indeed, his fingers slowed down, and he leaned back in his chair. "Groombridge 1618, AD Leonis..," he muttered, in attempt to slow the process. He kept his Sight on the door, just in case someone interesting happened to want to know a few star names.
"Hey mister!, he heard behind him. Ignored. "Mister Alex! That one couldn't be ignored. Philander's eyes twitched open, and the left side of his face bunched into a sneer. "What did I say about calling me that?", he yelled. His hands continued to wave around his head in the air, even though he was done speaking. Finally, he controlled himself, and brought two fists down onto the table.
"What star is closest to the earth besides the sun? Oh that's right the answer is you're an idiot! And it's Alpha Centauri," he said, starting off screaming, but ending in a hoarse, out of breath tone. Breathing, right, that thing humans need. His left eye twitched again as he inhaled deeply. With frustration, Philander pushed himself out of the chair, walked up to the nearest bookshelf, and knocked every book off of the middle shelf with one motion of his hand. "FIX IT!" he yelled, letting out the breath. As soon as the intern, Dave, (not that he ever called him that) started fixing the shelf, Philander relaxed and walked back to the desk feeling far better than he did before.
((Korbin can walk in at just about any time during the tirade and Phil wouldn't have noticed until he gets back to his desk. P: )) |
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Post by Korbin Kane on Jul 2, 2013 23:35:36 GMT -5
"I will not ask you again, Mister Julias, your badge."
The man before his desk practically snarled at him. "And I said I didn't do it! You fool. You have no proof!" The officer would slam his hands upon Korbin's very nice and expensive desk, smoldering palms burning the grained wood. Korbin's gentle gaze grew hard as he rose from his comfy old squeaky chair. "You are not the only one who can play with fire, Mister Julias. I would advise you to not destroy my things. Have some decency, surrender your badge, leave my office quietly, and I will not have you arrested." "Or worse." Hazel's quiet voice whispered in the right ear of the man, his form concealed.
The expression upon the man's face was priceless, Korbin filed it away as something to chuckle about later. Now was not the time for laughter. He had a sort of admiration for pyromancers as the closest of natures to himself but not when they abused their gifts and burned their own houses for insurance fraud, blaming arsonists. Arsonists indeed. As much as he truly did not have enough physical evidence against the man to arrest him for arson and fraud, the man had a record already and Korbin had suspected him of destroying incriminating evidence in the past. Not to mention, the man’s anima had become considerably darker of late. It was enough that Korbin was unwilling to risk further embarrassment and dismiss the fellow quietly. At least, he hoped it would be quietly, but the fellow seemed to have other intentions.
”You will regret this.” The threat hanged ominously in the air, but the badge was dropped onto his desk and the once-cop stormed dramatically out of the door, slamming it shut knocking several awards and his ‘diplomas’ to the floor. Korbin muttered quietly, pressing fingers to his temples. This job could really get frustrating sometimes. He needed to relax. His dark brown eyes focus on the badge on his desk. He picks it up, rubbing a thumb over the symbol of the eagle and shield. Staring at the badge, it would burst into flame and be consumed. The ashes were dropped into the trashcan. His gaze then fell on the ever-present stack of papers. They would have to wait. He then looked out of the window. It was a crisp early morning, couldn’t be past 8 yet. And Sunday. The best day in his opinion. The church bells would be ringing soon. Korbin smiled faintly. He would miss going to the catholic church this morning in lieu of something else. He knew the bible better than the Priest anyway.
The Library of Arc would be quiet this morning. It also always seemed to put him at ease. He wasn’t sure what it was about the place, it just always seemed quiet and peaceful. Except for when its notorious Librarian was in a foul mood. Korbin had often avoided the man, not out of spite or anger, but simply because he did not feel like playing his games. He was always there on business, his standing usually kept him from being bothered. He needed to check a reference in one of the law books, cross-check some maps of the city, this and that. Might as well go now. "Hazel. Would you do me a favor and keep an eye on that one? I have a feeling we have not seen the last of him." Hazel’s child-like laughter filled the air before leaving.
Before leaving his office, touching the burned marks upon his desk would repair the damage, leaving the wood smooth and polished redwood. His awards and things were hung back up, extra care taken to make sure everything was level and straight.
The walk to the library was not very far. Korbin was in his standard manner of dress, a black skin tight underarmour shirt, black slacks with a black belt. His badge was on his left hip, the typical 9 mm. in its holster on the other side. Some handcuffs hung off a buckle behind his right hip. He received the occasional look from passer-by, after all, most people knew who he was. But as the station was just a couple blocks down from the Library, he did not have any trouble.
It was nice out this morning, and the temperature was dropping daily. He did not particularly like the cold, but this mildness was perfect for most people to be out, enjoying their days. Korbin’s stylish black highly polished leather shoes clicked down the sidewalk, then up the stairs of the great library. He would walk in just in time to see books flying off of the shelves. It would seem old Philander Alexander was up to his old mischief again. He cleared his throat quietly.
"I thought part of Librarian’s job was to keep the books neatly on the shelves." He spoke with a faint smile on his face, though his voice was of a soft, neutral tone. |
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Post by Philander Alexander on Jul 3, 2013 7:54:45 GMT -5
Phil paused hearing another voice. He looked up, suddenly aware that his Sight had slipped. "Officer, he said, straightening up his posture. Had he broken any laws? No, none that he knew of. Which is all of them, he thought to himself smugly. There weren't many human crimes he could commit in the library, besides well, arson. But he wasn't getting arrested for that. Not in ancient times, and not ever. Phil mirrored the chief's expression.
"And I do. Those books were incredibly out of order before I added to the entropy of the situation, but now my worthless intern can fix them now that he can see there's something wrong with them," he said while rocking back on his heels. He tossed a glance over his shoulder at the intern and Calmed him before he could complain or call the librarian's bluff.
"So what can I help you with this fine morning? I already know everything so there's really no reason to pick up a book," he said with a smile that slowly grew until any human would be in great pain attempting to hold the pose for longer than an instant. A distraction from the monotony of life, a chance to boast his knowledge, and perhaps pick the brain of the chief of police all in the same hour? He could come to like this Sunday. He always seemed to isolate himself in the library, but t hat day there was no escape. For all of the names Phil had thought up for himself, he didn't have any for his library. My dominion makes for a good start, he thought to himself.
"Mister Alexander, sir?" said Dave from behind, snapping Philander out of his happy world, and chasing his smile away"I'm done, sir."
"Good, go upstairs and go check on the other two kind library patrons, would you?" he responded in a calm tone, but his eyes remained smiling at Korbin.
(Kinda short blarg) |
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Post by Korbin Kane on Jul 4, 2013 23:36:04 GMT -5
Korbin’s right eyebrow would lift slightly with mock surprise. “Intern? Wow, Librarians are moving up in the social work order. Don’t call them aides anymore, nope, interns. Good to know. You don’t have something going on in the basement I need to know about, do you?” He still had the same smile on his features, stepping forward a few more steps. He was interested in this fellow, he was someone he had not really paid much attention to, but the more he stood in his presence, the more he had the niggling feeling in the back of his mind that he wasn’t human. It was Korbin’s job to know what he was dealing with, who was residing within his city. Not knowing who was capable of what could be very dangerous for him. Besides that, he was always recruiting new allies, keeping tabs on his enemies. This wasn’t a game he was playing. It was life or death.
He knew most of these gifted people could keep a strong cover about themselves. Korbin couldn’t tell much from checking his anima. Nothing distinctly evil screamed at him. Korbin for one always kept a cloaking shield about himself, masking his spirit. He had no mind to be sensed either. He kept a heartbeat, and he breathed, just because those were pretty obvious to anyone with a sense of smell or hearing. But otherwise he would appear completely human. It was obvious to anyone in the business of knowing, that he wasn’t though. A human in the position he carried would not last very long. Korbin often had attempts on his life. Any criminal in the city would want him dead. They just had a hard time doing it. The more powerful criminals did not bother. Actually killing him would be bad for business, as once the city was lawless, every crook and con would be amuck, dwindling the available money, and that wasn’t good either.
There were only three people in Arc city who truly knew what he was: Hazel, the Mayor, and the Chaplain of the Way of the Cross Cathedral. Hazel of course, had been with him always. The Mayor knew because the Chief of Police was a crucial position for the safety of the city. It had to be someone he could trust completely, who was incorruptible. The Priest knew because Korbin had spent an inordinate amount of time within the walls of the Church. Of the 7 known Spiritual Gifts, the Chaplain’s gift of Healing was nothing short of miraculous. Someone as faithful and devoted to the Father as he could be trusted deeply enough with at least a few of Korbin’s little secrets. Not to mention, of Discernment he was very good at, able to sense demons and exorcise them. It was only natural that he could read Korbin’s own spirit, and had him figured out after a handful of visits, despite Korbin’s practice of concealment.
These people had their uses, but there was always someone else out there who could be beneficial to him somehow. He just had to be extremely careful of who he trusted. The Mayor was a bit shady, but it was not Korbin’s own neck on the line if he told anyone. Of this librarian, he didn’t feel threatened. If he did he wouldn’t be here. No, right now, he was really just curious. He knew just about all of the supernaturals there were out there. He figured that with a few questions, he could have this one figured out as well. They would just have to be the right questions. Maybe even just rile him up a bit and he would reveal himself on accident. One slip in his cover, one whisper, one hint…and he would know.
“Ah, so, you know everything? Omniscience is a very rare, very powerful…very dangerous gift my friend. Why, you must rival God himself with your understanding. Tell me, do you know what I am thinking right now? No? Of course you don’t, that would be silly!" He chuckled softly, unaware of the irony. |
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Post by Philander Alexander on Jul 7, 2013 21:48:54 GMT -5
Phil sneered slightly at the obvious slight to his intelligence. Well, obvious to someone as smart as himself. "Aids implies he helps me run the library when in actuality he is incredibly useless. Besides, the poor chum thinks he might just need to become a librarian because he's horrendous at everything else he does," he replied evenly. A quick glance to the stairs revealed that the poor boy mentioned was out of earshot and out of damns to give. The first few weeks many a bird was thrown to the little librarian, but Phil put an end to that. The boy had turned into his personal lab rat, he was used to see just what kinds of paradoxes could make a man get clammy, and just how much he could get them to believe through Plants. At this point, Phil was sure Dave thought that aliens didn't exist, life on earth didn't begin until 200 years ago, there was an orange birthmark somewhere on his lower back that he just could never quite see, hence having him believe he was color blind... the list went on.
To be frank the poor kid really had a boss from hell. Never slept, never relaxed, and completely bonkers for details. The library had to be spotless, and so poor Dave made it so, most of the time. Humans are weak creatures. Even though knowledge made them strong, it seemed they hadn't figured out how to not do all those tedious things yet. Eating, sleeping, drinking, such wastes of time. It kept Phil's heart cozy to know he didn't have to do any of those awful things as his immaterial eyes scoured the entire library, feeling as elitist as possible.
Still, Phil's frighteningly cheery demeanor remained, especially as Korbin stepped forward. A challenge, he thought. His fingers twitched with anticipation so strong he simply couldn't hold it in much longer. He thought to perhaps read Korbin's mind or plant a suggestion, but no, that would be too weak. Even without his talents, Phil knew he was far more clever than any other being. He could rely on sheer brainpower alone for this one, like a human doing pushups with one fist. What a useless little trick compared to his own might, even if his ego swelled up larger than a body builder's muscles.
As other spirits went stealthily through civilization, Phil preferred to maintain aloof and superior. Blending in wasn't a concern, because he wanted everyone to know just how amazing he was. Even though he was confident enough not to stoop to begging praise from lowly humans, he was prone to being more helpful than necessary to prove his worth to those with earthly powers in hopes of being able to lick up the scraps. Asking for questions was just a way to assure all of those around him that he was the best, and for a little entertainment.
Phil's eyes closed and he took in a deep breath. The chief's mild jests came to Phil as attacks and doubt. Anger crashed through his head, but he was determined to not give in this time. Not quite yet. Driving away the chief would mean he'd lose his source of entertainment, and there was no way to physically keep the man inside the library. Perhaps if he was farther from the door, he could trap him into believing he was in a labyrinth, but not here. Not now. "Tell me, do you know what I am thinking right now? No?" Phil's hands were clenched into fists that would have broken his thumb were they entirely physical. They snapped open, and Phil exhaled. No, it wasn't enough. He snapped
"Don't you things realize what an awful question that is? Out of all of the secrets of the multiverse you pick something so arbitrary, so self-centered, and yet so pointlessly difficult! Of course I can't quite reach into your mind for something so simple and emotion based as I am sure it is because it always is and if I have to fetch another little sentimentality such as what year someone's grandmother died and carry around that disgusting and useless tidbit, oh I swear to the Grand Consciousness that I will flood every blasted mind in this city with enough useful information to incinerate their brains given that it seems they can never hold on to more than ten interesting ideas in a lifetime! Perhaps then they'll know what it's like to never be able to forget that 267 different surveyed library patrons like the color blue!" he shouted, his face turned red and violently shook up and down, further emphasizing his words. His breath was heavy as he finished, eyes fixed on the floor near the officer.
((phil rants are fun)) |
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