Day 27: Library

[not_rly_fai]

Libraries, he'd found, were rarely as dull as people made them out to be.  Though he felt no magic in these tomes, they were still full of useful information.  Maybe some of them could tell him a little bit more about this world he'd landed himself in.

For that matter, why hadn't he run into any of the others yet?  They'd all been fairly close

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[byname_bynature]

(Unknowingly waiting for Jack Horner I MEAN, John Trick!)

"Are you sure you don't want to go back to the Sun Room Sean? Maybe rest your arm a bit?"

"Oh no, I'm fine Nurse Hedgerow,"

"Well then... Could I at least get you a book that's appropriate for your age level?"

Artemis smiled up from his copy of Socratic Dialogues. "No, thank you. I'm quite content with this one." He had Alice in Wonderland to read for later--so what was this woman complaining about? Eventually she left him alone.

Ah... peace and quiet. How wonderful. No one to talk to, no meetings to attend, just time to himself.

[i_slay_giants]

(DAMN STRAIGHT YOU'RE WAITING FOR Jack Horner JOHN TRICK, BOY!)

Jack wondered if perhaps it would be a good time to try and pimp out his stories again. True, only a few had seemed interested in them on the bulletin board, but the patients were REQUIRED to be in the library, which meant they were also required to read something, didn't it? And what better to read than ye olde tales of adventure and heroism? Even the slower witted amongst the Mundys could manage; there had to be a children's version somewhere.

Walking past Artemis, the Fable was struck by how very...smarmy he looked for someone his age. A quick glance at the book he was reading-"Socratic Dialogues"- confirmed Jack's suspicions that this kid was undoubtedly one of those know-it-all punks that had an opinion on everything and LOVED to share, if only to hear themselves talk. Kinda like the jerk on the bulletin board

[byname_bynature]

Artemis looked up, mildly curious. A tall, scruffy-looking man with blonde hair was towering over him and, from the looks of it, he didn't seem too happy.

But what could he do to Artemis in a library? Honestly. So he smiled pleasantly at the man and set his book down on its spine. "Ironic for you to be in a library, isn't it?"

[i_slay_giants]

Jack smiled sarcastically sweet at Artemis. "And where is it that you get all your information, HMMMM?"

He grabbed the teen by the collar, smirking sardonically the whole time. "Give me one reason not to wail on you here and now. And no, sedation would be a WELCOME interlude to my pain, so that doesn't count."

[byname_bynature]

Artemis' eyes widened--he hadn't banked on this. If he recalled correctly, Jack was the type to do things without thinking them through. But now that he was being assaulted by said fairy-tale character, he silently wished he'd paid more attention to those comic books instead of figuring out early on that they contained no pertinent information and discarding them.

But that wasn't the point right now--the point was that Jack was going to beat him senseless if he didn't come up with something fast. Something. Anything. Damn, he never worked well under pressure!

"Farfarello, Haku and his associates, plus the entire Arts and Crafts division," Artemis said with a scowl. "Overwhelming evidence--even you should be able to figure out the best course of action from all that."

Of course, Jack didn't need to know that all of those people would probably just laugh and tell him to walk it off. He swallowed hard, trying to keep the look of confidence in his eye.

[i_slay_giants]

The Fable snorted. "I only recognize ONE of those names, pal. And we're not exactly on the best terms right now, if you know what I mean."

Still, the Fable released him and shoved him away, as if reasserting that had he felt like it, he very much so could have hurt the boy. "However, Haku's offered me a gift, though I don't know what it is because some asshole keeps tearing down our communications. But I'd watch your step if I were you, point-dexter."

[byname_bynature]

Artemis rubbed his neck where the collar of his shirt had dug into his flesh, glaring at Jack. "So crude..." the boy muttered under his breath, picking up his book again and glancing around the room. No one had seen that...

"I fail to see why Mr. Horner," Artemis said plainly, turning a page in his book, "Beating a fourteen-year-old boy can hardly add anything to one's resume. And I'm certain that Farfarello would have something to say about it. He's the tall, white-haired man with scars all over his body. Perhaps you've seen him. He's a sociopath, so many of the nurses are keeping a close watch on him. He doesn't like it when people attack me for no reason."

He looked up at Jack, glaring again, "Do you have a valid reason to attack me, other than my outrage at your bulletin post?"

[i_slay_giants]

"Ooh, I'm so afraid," Jack muttered as Artemis described Farfarello. No, he hadn't seen him around and no, he didn't particularly care if he was a sociopath, though it was obvious that was a big deal to this little shit.

In response to his question, Jack smirked. "Maybe I'm a sociopath too. How are you sure I'm not?"

Really, it was simply his annoyance and disinterest in hearing his real name circulated that drove him to torment Artemis, though the boy was giving him an abundance of reasons to hate him the longer he spoke.

[byname_bynature]

Artemis looked up from his book and rolled his eyes, "Of course you're not a sociopath," Artemis said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Sociopaths exhibit anti-social behavior and clear disregard for social norms. They are incapable of soliciting women for sex, they would believe they are entitled to sexual interaction and would take it without asking. If they believed in sex at all.

"Plus, if you were anti-social, you wouldn't be standing here talking to me--you'd be buried in some flippant Steven King novel, or writing dreary poetry," He raised an eyebrow at Jack, "I could go on."

[i_slay_giants]

Jack stared at Artemis for a moment, not saying anything. God damn, was this one overly educated and annoying. Checking to be sure no eyes were currently upon him or the youth, moved to block the employee line of sight, delivering a swift blow to the back of Artemis's head. It wasn't a hard smack by any means- simply one meant to make the other aware of his disapproval.

"Shut up, kid."

[byname_bynature]

"Agh!" Artemis, not expecting the blow and not being very strong to begin with, fell forward into his book, smacking his head on the table. He whipped around to look at the man, hand on his forehead, now outright glaring at Jack.

"You really are the most boorish man I've ever met! Including the goblins and trolls!" He threw in for good measure. "You ask a question, I give you an answer! Would you prefer it if you just talked to me and I said nothing at all?! Freud's mother," Artemis swore, "You really are as much of an arsehole as I've read."

[i_slay_giants]

Well, now. Jack didn't think his tales made him sound THAT bad. Then again, they left up many of the actual details or embellished his accomplishments to make him look better. Not that he would ever admit as much; it made him look better overall. Maybe this kid meant he read between the lines.

"Yeah, sure," Jack scoffed. "I'm sure you've met loads of trolls and goblins. Were they all about half a foot tall with neon colored hair and anatomically barren?"

[byname_bynature]

Artemis scowled again, opened his journal and flipped to a page in his notebook and stood up, pushing it in Jack's face. It had an anatomical drawing of a troll on it, along with a scale.

"Perhaps you like playing with dolls, Horner, but I'd rather not meet up with another one of these, thank you." He sat back down, snapping his journal shut and leaving it on the table. "But if you'd like to meet one, I know the phone number of a very nice female. She has a great personality," He rolled his eyes.

[i_slay_giants]

Huh. Well, it looked trollish enough. But this kid was a mundy, wasn't he?

"Cute," He grinned and demeaned the sketch. "Did you draw that in arts and crafts?"

[byname_bynature]

"No, I was in therapy during that shift. Honestly, is your mind a sieve?" Artemis shot back. "I have better things to do than constantly think about myself, like plan escape. From the way you look, it seems as though all you've been doing is futzing around and getting injured. A-ah!"

Artemis turned a page in his book at an odd angle, the page rebelling and cutting a small but long line into his palm. He cursed as a blue spark zipped up the line, closing it. Artemis internally cursed again and clapped the hand to his chest as soon as he realized what was happening.

"And think what you want about the troll--you probably won't see one in your lifetime. Unless you're planning on digging for a very long time."

[i_slay_giants]

"I'll have you know-" Jack began, intending to inform Artemis that he personally knew a troll, but realized Artemis was...healing?

Unfuckingbelievable. This kid was healing and Jack had NOTHING. Perhaps he was not so mundy afterall. "Neat trick," he said, dryly.