The Library (The Librarian of Alexandria Book 1) by Casey White (ebook reader 8 inch .TXT) 📗

From there, it was all straightforward.  He’d done guest registration so many times it had become something of a ritual - take the cards from the wall.  Hold them out to their visitors, offer a pen.  Watch as they signed their names on the bottom.  Take them back, with a polite thank-you.

Always polite.  Wouldn’t do to ruin their good reputation.  His gaze lingered on Olivia as he took back the card, though, and he sighed.  Something told him that politeness would be pushed to its very limits over the course of this stay.

“Your application said three months, yes?” Owl said, reaching for the stamp from its nook on the wall.

Olivia nodded, clasping her hands in front of her.  “Right.  Yes.”  She smiled up at him, her demeanor entirely different from a few moments before.  “I thought- I wanted to dip my toes in.  But...I’d be so sad if the door was closed to me on my very first trip.”

“Fine,” Owl said, nodding.  “You’ll still have to apply again, you understand.”

When Olivia nodded her understanding, he rolled the stamp across the pad of ink - and pressed it to the sheets in front of him, one box at a time.

Two tiny, red-stained books twinkled back up at him.

“That’s that,” he said, nudging past them to stash the cards and stamp in their places.

When he turned for the door, walking past Will and Olivia, they stood motionless.  Will kept glancing between Olivia and Owl - but Olivia might as well have been carved from stone.  Was it too much for her?  Or is she just trying to be proper?  He snorted.  It’s a little late for that.

Owl’s hand closed about the handle, twisting the latch.  It gave way with a groan, opening to the Library beyond.  A gust of cool, dusty air swirled through the entryway.

Olivia blinked, coming back to herself with the touch of it.  Her eyes darted back to Owl, who chuckled softly.

“Coming?” he said.

- Chapter Thirty-Three -

Owl leaned back, letting the plush depths of the chair swallow him whole.

So far as mornings went, this one wasn’t half bad.  The fire in the hearth was warm, but not overbearing.  The bitter tang of coffee brewing swirled about him, filling the air like a blanket.  On any other morning, he’d have shucked his boots right off and let his toes sink into the carpet.

This wasn’t any other morning, and he wasn’t in a position to do that.  And so he settled for trying to bury himself in the chair, watching the fire crackle.

A door creaked behind him.  He leaned forward far enough to peer around toward the noise.

Olivia stepped from her room, masking a yawn.  One eye cracked open far enough to see him - and she twisted her fingers into a pathetic wave.  “H-Hey,” she croaked, squeezing out the words.  “You’re up early.  Again.  Don’t you ever sleep?”

“I get plenty of rest,” Owl said dryly.  “It’s all in your head, anyway.  If you expect to wake up feeling like a superstar, you will.”

Olivia froze.  “Wait, really?  It’s that simple?”

He leaned back again, folding his arms.  “You probably sleep like shit outside, don’t you?”

“You have no proof of that.”  He heard her crossing the sitting room unsteadily.  “Maybe.”

“Then that’s what you’re expecting,” Owl said.  “Fix your head, woman.”

His innermost thoughts shrieked to life, bellowing that he was being rude - and yet, it’d only been a week since their guests entered, and already Owl had figured out it didn’t seem to matter how he responded to the guildmember.  In fact, Olivia seemed to thrive on the back-and-forth they shared.

Right on cue, he heard her chuckle, followed by a clink of glass against metal.  “Coffee?” she said.

“I’m good.”

The sound of liquid being poured into a mug rose across the sitting room.  “You sure?”

“Yep.”

Another clink.  “I’d have thought someone like you would love coffee.”

Owl bit back a groan.  “Someone like me?”

“The Librarian.  Surrounded by books.”  He heard her chuckle.  “You’re kind of like one of those forever-students, right?  The sort who keep going back for more and more degrees because it’s all they know?”

“Oof,” he said, letting his head roll to the side.  She was leaning against the counter, cradling the mug in her hands.  “I like coffee, you know.  I’m not a kid.”

“So why-”  She stopped, understanding igniting in her eyes.  “Is it the mask?”

“Have you tried drinking through clay?” Owl said dryly.  “Not so easy.”

“Have you tried a straw?” Olivia countered.

Owl stared at Olivia.  She stared back at him.

She broke first, clapping a hand over her mouth to almost-hide the snort that slipped out.  “Sorry,” she said, shaking her head.  “Sorry, sorry.  But seriously-”

“Drink your damn coffee,” Owl said, rolling his eyes.  “I’ll be fine.  You should hurry up and finish before-”

Another creak of wood and hinges.  Both of them turned.  The door beyond Olivia’s was opening. Will slunk out, his hair a mess of snarls.

“Oh,” he said, coming to a stop as he looked up and found Owl and Olivia watching him.  “Uh.  Well.  Good morning.”  His eyes flicked to Olivia.  “Hey.  You mentioned it yesterday, but I was wondering if you could, uh.  If you’d show me where you found the wing with all the-”

“The gallery?” Olivia said, perking up.  “Oh, it’s crazy, Will.  Come on.  I’ll show you.  It’s right-”

“Hold up,” Owl said, his hands folded demurely in his lap.

Olivia froze, one foot already raised.  “Huh?”

“What?” Will said.

Owl waved towards the man, shaking his head.  “Will, you’re good.  Good luck with the day, and if you have any issues that Alexandria isn’t cooperating with you on, just come find me.”  He chuckled.  “She’ll show you that much, I’m pretty sure.”

“Oh,” Will said, and glanced to Olivia - then to the door leading deeper into the Library.  “Uh...okay, I guess.”

“She’ll be along soon enough,” Owl said, and stood with a groan.

“Oh,” Olivia said, deflating.

“She’s got some chores to take of first,” Owl said, easing himself out of his