T - Harps, Lucca

[Lucca]

Colin smiled easily at Dania's remark. She may have been a bit shy, but at least she was well-spoken. In the Cardinal's mind, that meant she showed true promise. She was a bit down, as well, but that was common for one of her Realm, and nothing many other similar Cards beforehand had been unable to overcome. "It is considered a fairly good collection, though it's nothing on what the Diamonds have." Frustratingly enough, Colin had never gotten the chance to confirm this. Visits to other Courts were generally handled by those a bit higher up the totem pole than he was, despite the fact the Villa knew he would be a wonderful asset to any diplomatic exchange, especially with Vessie's focused training of his peculiar skills.

He led them on a brief perusal of the stacks of books, watching Dania's reactions closely out of the corner of his eyes, before he stopped dead at Joel's question. "I'm sure they merely have other things to attend to at the moment," he said a bit more forcefully than he meant to, though the tone was still polite overall. He shook his head and then turned to give a smile to the child, forcing himself to calm again.

"Shall we get to work? No special instructions, except to be mindful that some of the volumes are very old." He glanced at Dania and made a half nod towards Joel, hoping the implication was clear. He trusted the Rat with such fragile books, but her assistant was still a bit young. Colin drew out a stacks of binders from a desk in the corner of the library, flicking on the light. This was, supposedly, the records of what books they had. However it hadn't been updated and checked for accuracy in forever. That would be part of taking the inventory, as well as letting Dania advise them on any subjects they were bereft of books for...and perhaps the young Corvie could help with that as well.

[Harpsdesire]

"Ah, yes, I would like to see the Diamond court library one day. I've heard that it contains historical works not found anywhere else." Dania said, but she had no plans to find herself in another court any time soon. Even as a Diamond herself, she suspected that the nobles would not approve of a civilian wandering in just to read their books.

During the quick tour, Dania's eyes darted about as she made mental notes about the type, condition and organization of the books. She saw several places on the shelves where books were jammed in tightly, and others that were relatively empty-- a sure sign that some rearranging needed to be done for optimal use of the space available. Both the rat and her corvie assistant were a little taken aback by Colin's forceful response. Dania answered mildly, "I'll be sure to ask them if there are any volumes in need of special attention, or any recent requests for particular subjects when they return." Joel just made a non-committal sound and gave Colin a rather skeptical look before returning to his more haphazard survey of the area.

He was mercifully out of earshot when Colin gave his special directions, as the boy might have been displeased by the implication. He knew that part of the reason Dania had considered him suitable for the job was the handwritten notebook he had with him when they met-- she was impressed by his ability to perform delicate tasks with his heavy feline paws. It would be very useful, she had said, to have an assistant who was capable of taking notes and writing out new catalog cards legibly. It was a skill that he had honed by many hours of dissections and other sensitive experiments, and one he took pride in.

Dania, however, was not offended by the implied mistrust of her young helper. She nodded. She would be the only one to touch rarer works, she assured the cardinal seriously. She was reasonably experienced with the practice of repairing aged vellum and parchment, (although her mastery was not up to the level of her father's), and she had brought along a pair of clean white gloves with which to handle the oldest tomes, lest any oils from bare paws damage them.

When Colin handed her the binders, she again nodded, and waved toward Joel to return. If Colin had any explanations of the documents, it would be best if they both heard them first hand. Dania withdrew a sheet of paper, an ink bottle and a quill, in case the need to take notes should arise. She quickly reached for the newest-looking binder and flipped to the last page. It was dated during the previous Queen's reign. She repressed a sigh. This was going to be a big job. At least it was work she enjoyed and she had a physically strong young man to help with the heavy lifting of books that would undoubtedly be involved.

[Lucca]

Colin tried to put an apology into his look after his harsh tone earlier. Even he was feeling the effects of all the unease around the Court, and hearing someone else actually bring it up straight after the pussy footing most of the nobles (including himself) were doing around the issue...well, it made it all seem like a real problem. At this point, Colin would be just as happy to find that it was all his his head...

The Cardinal briskly and understandably explained the way the binder notes were kept, and also noted that no, their library didn't have a card catelog for some reason. It was just another one of those things that there hadn't yet been adequate time or staff to cover. Then he let them at the books, helping where he could and encouraging where he couldn't. He was actually quite pleased to be proven wrong about how careful Joel was despite his large paws, though if he could play piano with his claws he supposed anything was possible.

After an hour or so into the process, Colin had some tea and snacks delivered so they could take a short break (making sure to keep the food away from the delicate volumes, obviously). "You're coming along very well," he told them happily while pretending he actually liked the flavor of tea. Nasty stuff, but the Cardinal drank it for his reputation. Luckily, Colin had made an art out of subtlety and hiding his reactions to such things. "At this rate, we might even be finished before supper. But if not, don't worry, because the Court has made any accommodations necessary for you to overnight here."

[Harpsdesire]

Dania worked efficiently, and handled the volumes with an almost tender gentleness. She was also pleased with how quickly the work was moving along. In fact, it surprised her that such a large and disorganized collection was falling into place so quickly. Creating a card catalog from scratch, she told Colin, would require at least a few more days, as the sheer number of cards to write would be very large. However, with knowledgeable staff the newly organized binders could suffice to make the information accessible to all. It wasn't an idea system, but it would surely be easier than what they had now.

When Tea arrived, much to Joel's delight, Dania was surprised to note that the Librarians had not yet returned. Time had passed quickly as she worked. Perhaps the library was closed during the inventory, and they had been given the day off? That seemed somewhat counter productive, since they knew the collection better than anyone and their input would have been valuable, but courts were famously inefficient.

Dania cast a critical eye over the stacks of books that surrounded them, and told Colin, "We are making quite a bit of progress, but a place to stay tonight would be welcomed. It seemed likely that there will be loose ends to tie up in the morning, and I would like to prepare a list of suggested titles to freshen up the library." If any older books needed restoration, that would extend her stay a further few days as the natural adhesives used to repair aged binding took some time to dry. Although Dania wasn't entirely thrilled to be staying in the heavy air and imposing architecture of the castle, it was better than trying to finish everything in one day and then having to take a carriage home after dark.

She sipped a cup of tea with more genuine enjoyment, while Joel appeared to be tackling the snacks with a concentration equal to that he gave the task of organizing the shelves. He had been making himself very useful, and running back and forth to locate misfiled items, toting heavy stacks of books and climbing up and down rolling ladders had made him quite hungry. There was a look of contentment on his feline face as he cleaned his plate and licked his lips.

[Lucca]

The fact that they hadn't seen anyone else enter the library all day (other than the servant who brought them the tea) Colin attributed to the fact they'd only been there about an hour and refused to think about it beyond that. He nibbled on a danish, despite not being hungry, for politeness' sake. He nodded to Dania. "That is precisely one of the reasons you were chosen for this task. The Court was hoping you would have some suggestions, since our library has not been updated with new titles in the entire reign of Her Majesty Donalda, as far as the records show." And that was just...odd, really, since as a Villa Donnie was sure to appreciate how important a well-established library was, But then, she'd had a lot to clean up around the Court when she took over it before.

"Dinner will be served at promptly 7 o'clock PM, after which I will escort you to your room for the night," he said, and then blinked. "Ah! But, young sir, if you would like a separate room from Miss Dania, that could also be arranged." He was sure they had another guest room free. Not as if the Court had many guests at the moment. In fact it didn't have many others either, Colin's brain reminded him. He ignored it and sipped his tea.

[Harpsdesire]

Dania was pleased to have her opinions valued by the court, even if it wasn't her own court. "I already have some idea of the subjects that are missing, or could be expanded upon. I will also provide a list of best sellers in fiction and non fiction that are currently in high demand, as well as popular classics which are missing from the collection. Joel will also be recommending materials in the scientific disciplines that are suitable for the average reader or the education of children." Although she didn't really know much about court life, Dania wasn't particularly surprised to find the library badly out of date. It seems most things political were bureaucratic and slow to change, even if change was as simple as buying a couple books that had been written in the last decade. Joel perked up when his name was mentioned, and chimed in cheerfully, "Zoology and astronomy are usually popular with well educated cards... even if they aren't scientifically trained."

Joel felt a little sorry for those who didn't understand the wonders of science. They were missing out on so much! Bringing the nonscientific some books on the topic that were geared to their level of understanding and interest was almost a charitable pursuit, in his mind.

"Seven o'clock." Dania repeated, confirming the time. She was glad she had noticed the large dining area on the way in, so she had some idea of where to go for dinner. The early retiring time Colin suggested seemed a little strange, but also welcome considering how early they had left Torquehelm to make it to the Court of Spades on time. Perhaps the inhabitants of the castle preferred not to have guests wandering around after dinner, when all official business had wound down. That made sense, she thought, Nobles needed time off like anyone else.

When the subject of rooms came up, Dania looked mildly uncomfortable. It wasn't quite proper for her to share a room with a boy entering his teens, but yet Joel was a little young to be forced into his own room alone in a strange place. What if he should be scared in the night?

She was relieved when Joel answered the question himself. "Yes, please. I would appreciate my own room." He smiled a little sheepishly as he asked, "If possible, could it be be reasonably close to Dania's, so I can find her again for work in the morning?" The palace was larger that a dozen typical homes in the capital or Corvistowne, and the boy didn't feel entirely certain of his ability to find his way back to the library on his own. It was a little embarrassing to admit it, but his intense focus on the task at hand sometimes came at the cost of noticing other unrelated but essential matters, such as the layout of the immediate area.

[Lucca]

Colin nodded, edges of his beak turned in a small smile as he sipped at his tea. "After the rest of the inventory is taken, I shall require a formal list with all that information," he said, also including Joel in the statement. Suits knew it would be useful, especially with the ages of the Queen's own children, to have some educational books and the like here. Colin wasn't sure why this task hadn't been undertaken years ago, but his guess was it just got buried and forgotten about in all the other piles of work around here. Why, he was only doing it because, in the absence of the Queen, he wanted to find other tasks to busy himself with.

The reason they were retiring then was that Colin thought it would be a rather long day.,.and, to be perfectly honest, the atmosphere of the Court only got worse at night. He didn't really want to be out and about much past that, if he could help it. Besides, seven was still two and a half hours away, and he figured by then they'd all three need a break.

He nodded to Joel. "Very well," he said, standing up and beginning to collect their empty cups and plates back onto the tray. "I'll go arrange that, and you two can get back to inventory. I shall return shortly." He picked up the tray gingerly with his wings, hoping neither of the other two commented that a servant generally would be doing that...apparently the servant that had served them was reluctant to enter the library for some reason, so would probably be waiting in the corridor outside. After that, the Cardinal would see to getting Joel his room.

[Harpsdesire]

"Of course." Dania said graciously, although she still wasn't entirely comfortable with either the atmosphere of the place or the cardinal himself, "I'll make sure you have a copy in hand before we leave." It occurred to her that if he should choose to purchase the books from Paige's, it would add considerably to her parents' income for the month. Still, it wouldn't do to make a bad impression by mentioning such a thing. She would make up the list without regard to the inventory of her father's store, and anything not in ordinary stock there could be ordered if Colin did decide to go through her for the purchases. If not, well it was part of the agreement with the courts that she would leave a stack of discreet business cards behind at the court library's main desk. That alone might drum up a little business from those who visited and were interested in the newly updated collection and improved organization of the library.

As one unused to servants, Dania did not think it at all odd that Colin took the tray himself, although she did try to assist him by placing her own teacup upon it. As for Joel, the lack of servant was another detail among many that he failed to register. It was not that the boy wasn't observant, but that his attention was very selective. At the moment, it was busy transitioning from an intense focus on the food to a deep contemplation of which books he would recommend based on what was already available in the library, and this allowed the small matter of the tray to slip past.

"Thank you!" Joel told Colin brightly, returning from his reverie for a moment, and waved a large green paw to the Jack. Then he rose from his chair and followed Dania back to the binders where she had already recommenced work.

[Lucca]

Colin tried not to find it an ominous sign that the servant he expected wasn't waiting right outside of the library. He also tried not to let it worry him that he didn't see the fellow at all on his way to the kitchen to drop off the tray himself. Nope, not ominous at all. Perhaps the servant had just forgotten, and went on to some other task. That must have been it. Colin found one of the chamber maids and instructed her to prepare the room next to the one made up for their guests as well. She nodded and rushed off with a muttered, "Yes, Your Excellency."

Colin then returned to the library to see how Dania and Joel were doing in their task, and took up his place at the desk again. He felt no need to mention anything of the dissappearing servant (and how silly and melodramatic did it sound to refer to him like that, anyway?); in fact he said nothing at all to them, not wanting to disturb their work.

He idly tapped a pencil on the desk, humming very quietly under his breath (he didn't want to offend anyone's ears...he knew his singing voice wasn't very pleasing) and passed the next few hours in relative peace broken only by when one of the two would come to consult with him on something.

They saw no sign of the missing librarians or any other servants.

[Harpsdesire]

Dania was mildly irritated to realize that the Librarians had, indeed, been given the day off. They would have been very helpful in determining what subjects to focus on, as they would undoubtedly know which books were most popular with those who used the library. However, she was able to prepare the needed list even without their input, and felt fairly satisfied with the results. Joel's portion of the list was also finished in a fairly short span of time, despite being longer than Dania expected. She trimmed a few items from the list, mostly those that seemed to advanced or esoteric for popular consumption. What library really needed that many books on biology, anyhow?

She was pleased with the boy's work, overall, and happy to see that he was careful, methodical and focused on his tasks. Joel himself was happy to be advancing the cause of science, and happier still that a day's work would net him the rare volume he hoped would be key in advancing his research.

After some time of silence in the library broken only by the scratch of her quill pen on parchment, the pad and click of Joel's mismatched feet on hardwood floors and Colin's soft humming, Dania glanced up at the clock. It was nearly seven, and they had made more progress in a single day than she expected. This realization gave her a moment of accomplishment and relaxation even in the heavy air of the palace. She was sure the nobility would be pleased with the results, and consider the quality and efficiency of work well worth the consultant's fee they had offered her. This set her mind at ease considerably, as did the improved organization and condition of the library overall.