Open RP: The Ever-Helpful Librarian
((Since Michael does need to meet some people... Here he is!))
Since Hogwarts was the type of school that saw teaching as more or less optional, while some of its students were of the studying kind, the library was a frequently frequented place. Michael wished he had the time to assist each and every student personally, but his... other line of work ( Read more... )
Since Hogwarts was the type of school that saw teaching as more or less optional, while some of its students were of the studying kind, the library was a frequently frequented place. Michael wished he had the time to assist each and every student personally, but his... other line of work ( Read more... )
"It's the principle of the thing. I worked hard for that car." Alice sighed, and then put it from her mind. Yes, there were more important things to focus on, here, though her minor annoyance over the lack of Porsche (or rather, the lack of Edward even remembering why he owed her one in the first place) was filed in the back of her mind as a detail she could focus on later.
She brightened considerably at the vision that followed shortly after Jasper's not-decision, which was apparently decisive enough for her to pick up on anyway, and her hand brushed lightly against his, giving him a a little squeeze. "Oh, thank you, Jazz, that will look absolutely perfect by the dresser!" Seers. Can never shop for 'em.
The book was examined with interest. Look at that, a spell for adding frills... A useful thing to know indeed. Alice smiled as she turned the pages, taking in each illustration and written charm with superhuman swiftness.
"This seems like a lot of fun," she remarked. "Hm... I can't really understand why the author thought the world needed a spell to turn silk into corduroy, though" And the topic for discussion changed back again. "I wonder if there are any books on time in the Restricted Section," mused Alice. "Perhaps we ought to look there instead."
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"You little monster," he murmured affectionately; it was a term of endearment. He smiled and lifted her hand to lightly kiss her fingers. "I wonder if there's a spell to prevent you from knowing everything I'll do like that." Although even if there was (and there surely had to be something), his resolve to use it would steadily crumble under the force of all the pouting Alice was likely to do.
Not that he really minded indulging his wife, of course.
"I was under the impression the Restricted Section required some kind of form or permission to access." Which wouldn't normally pose a problem for either of them, but, Michael was not exactly a regular librarian. Trying to sneak past an archangel would be an interesting challenge. And then there was the more obvious solution: "Maybe Michael would let us go back there? It isn't as though we have nefarious purposes in mind." But his calculating smile said otherwise. He was interested in finding something truly unique and diabolical to spring on Emmett the next time they sparred, and what better place to look for that than in the Restricted Section?
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Alice nodded. "A permission slip signed by a teacher. We could always fake one, but I'm sure he'd know. So I think just simply asking would be preferable." She couldn't help grinning at his smile. It was his scheming smile. The one that said that despite his words, nefarious purposes were certainly abounding. Alice lightly and teasingly tapped her index finger against his lips. "Not bad, but I'd go for a little less devious, and a little more angelic if I wanted to sway the librarian..." She laughed very softly. "We are very well-behaved and honorable students, aren't we?" Well, most of the time.
She got out of her chair, and caught a trace of Michael's strangely invigorating scent of lilacs, open skies and... electricity? It sure smelled rather similar, but it was not quite right, still. Such a large vocabulary, and still Alice couldn't place this... It didn't much matter what he smelled like, though, she was just using it to find out where he was.
"I'll go and find Michael. He can't do anything worse than turn us down, after all. But you behave. Think clean thoughts." Not that Alice was sure if Michael could read minds, but it certainly felt like it, sometimes.
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He pretended to bite at her finger before she got up. "Mm, you're right, of course." And he carefully schooled his expression into a practised polite smile, the kind he generally reserved for use on figures of authority, specifically suspicious college professors. It would definitely help if he could use his talent on Michael, but he didn't think it a very good idea to try to dupe an archangel of all people.
"I'll be thinking very hard about bleach," he promised, opening one of the books to look through while he waited. That sudden, inexplicable thrill of pleasure Alice just felt? Obviously wasn't Jasper.
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Jasper's own brand of cheating earned him a little growl and a delighted shudder from Alice just before she walked off. She would have been lying if she said she didn't enjoy it when he did that, but it was damn distracting when she had to focus on actual conversation with someone. She really, really hoped Michael couldn't read minds, because hers were spinning off into a whole new direction and she would have been quite embarrassed if he picked up on it. No, yes, thinking about bleach, that was a good idea...
Damn you, Jazz. In a good way.
She disappeared between the bookshelves.
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The atmosphere around Jasper was pleasant, but Michael hadn't expected anything else. It reminded him a little of the vibes his students were capable of producing to make humans feel better, yet it felt more... controlled. Angel trainees could only create positive thoughts and elation, but Jasper's gifts were more exact. He was powerful. So was his little wife, who you had to be heartless not to find positively delightful, if not slightly strange.
"How do you do, Jasper," the archangel greeted him, as Alice moved to stand beside her husband. Then he went straight to the point. "As I was explaining to your wife just now, I don't grant access to the Restricted Section without a signed note from a member of the faculty. It is restricted for security reasons. What are you two interested in researching anyway?"
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It helped that he could hear Alice's entire conversation with the librarian, as well as their approach. Those more intimate thoughts were set aside for later, when he might better consider them at length and perhaps share with Alice.
He looked up from the book and returned Michael's greeting with a nod. "Sir."
Members of the faculty. Well, he did already know at least two professors, and could presumably eventually convince either one of them to help with the signed note business... maybe. Jasper probably would have felt very put out if he'd known the entire alphabet gang and all their friends already had access to the Restricted Section, for reasons far more dangerous than anything Jasper and Alice had in mind. They weren't out to wrangle demons, after all.
Still, none of that was Michael's fault. He was only upholding Hogwarts' rules, which Jasper could respect.
"Time," he said in response to Michael's question. "Specifically time anomalies that exist between the wizarding world and other worlds." Briefly, he explained the situation with Bella and Edward being from a different time than himself and Alice, and how Bella and Edward had no recollection at all of the things that had happened after they'd left Hogwarts the first time. "So far we haven't had any luck finding information in the library proper-and not for lack of looking." As Michael himself would know, what with the sheer number of books the vampires were taking out and returning each day. "We were hoping the Restricted Section might produce better results."
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"I see." Michael nodded. "But I doubt you will find what you're looking for in this library." Maybe there would be a few volumes capable of providing clues in the Academy library, but those were rarely allowed to leave Heaven, and besides, there were some things that mankind-and vampirekind-were better off not knowing about. These were the same books that dealt with time-traveling, which the Agency had forbidden for humans until the 25th century. Angels could deal with it, in fact, they rarely got through their day without engaging in it, but if it were to arrive now, at this point in history... There would be dire consequences.
Getting side-tracked now. Michael paused to think for a few seconds.
"Hogwarts appears to exist in a time zone all of its own," he said eventually. "I frequently notice it during my travels. Sometimes it feels like no time at all has passed when I return; sometimes it's been months. There seems to be no way of predicting how anything will turn out here."
Alice frowned at this. Her predictions felt different here, this was true. The visions regarding the rest of the vampire family back in Forks were still crystal clear, thankfully, -no one there was planning on coming here yet-but the rest of this place... Its inhabitants were so varied, that the futures of those she could see appeared foggy, as if she was seeing them through misty glass.
"Unpredictable," she muttered in a register too low for Michael to hear it, mostly to herself. The part of her mind not listening to Michael was deep in thought. Vampires are excellent at multitasking.
He continued, unaware of her comment. "Do you think that Bella and Edward suffered amnesia when they came back here, or did they simply revert back to their former selves?"
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He cast a slightly apprehensive glance toward Alice before looking back to Michael. "No, it doesn't really seem like amnesia. It seems too... perfect, for that. Like they did somehow revert to their former selves." He frowned. "Would you be able to tell for certain if you met them?"
He had little idea of what the full breadth of Michael's powers might be, so it couldn't hurt to ask. Amnesia was a rather worrying prospect. What if he and Alice were also affected by such a thing and had no way of knowing? At some point in his worrying he'd unconsciously reached for Alice's hand, as much to comfort himself as to comfort her.
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"If their minds had been tangled with by dark influences causing them to forget, I would be able to tell," said Michael. "But I doubt this is the case. Hogwarts is merely chaotic at its worst; I have never known it to be intentionally evil. Amnesia is more common in people coming back from being popcorn," he added with an all-knowing glance at Alice. "They forget who they knew here the last time and have to be reintroduced to Hogwarts."
She froze for a brief second. These were not the most welcomed of news. But she hadn't forgotten Hogwarts, had she? Well, some of the memories were not as clear as her perfect recall would have caused them to be, but... that couldn't mean she had forgotten something important, could it? How would she even know?
"I remember, though," said Alice carefully, not letting go of Jasper's hand. "Both the last time I was here, and what happened to me when I returned to Forks."
The archangel smiled at her, and even though Alice didn't have any kind of sensibility when it came to atmospheres, she could have sworn the room just got a little more... filled with sunshine. She could smell it at the tip of her tongue: the scent of sunlight filtering pale green through trees, taking on the flavors of every leaf on the way down. It was remarkably soothing, and different from how Jasper did it in some indistinguishable way.
"Then I suppose you belong to those who did not forget," he said simply. "That happens too. It still leaves the mystery of Bella and Edward. So let us assume for the time being that they simply reverted. Do you reckon they would have a reason for doing so, or is it more likely to be a completely random occurrence caused by Hogwarts?"
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"They were both happy," he murmured, sounding maybe a tad dazed. Didn't seem happy, but were happy, this he knew, even if Bella's happiness had been very complicated. She and Edward were happy together, that's what mattered. "I can't think of any reason why they would have wanted or chosen to-revert. More likely that it was random. But I could easily be wrong..." He didn't know the inner workings of their minds, after all, only their emotions. Perhaps they'd both decided they needed more time? Before Bella was turned. Before marriage.
"Maybe they did have reasons," he appended. "Reasons we may never know." He gently tightened his hold on Alice's hand for a moment, looking at her with a smile. "But it would be good to know what caused it, either way."
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"The chaotic forces of Hogwarts caused it," said Michael, which was as succinct an answer as he could give. "It's not likely that we will ever find out why. Perhaps things will right themselves eventually, but I doubt there is anything you can do to affect them." He paused. "Hogwarts is a place in-between places, it seems. Not really a part of the normal world. It is somewhere you can pause and allow yourself to do whatever you want, without feeling like you are sacrificing something to do it. Perhaps that is why Bella and Edward have chosen to stay here for as long as they have. They have very little to fear, here, fewer reasons to fret."
Alice was frowning through much of this speech. It was a little... disappointing. At this rate, it would take Bella that much longer to truly be a part of the family, which Alice knew that Bella herself wanted eventually. Her melancholy was not too great though; the visions concerning Bella becoming a vampire were still on the list for Alice's Predictions Most Certain to Come True, and it was not about to change. It would just take longer.
She smiled back at Jasper though, glad that he was there and that she was there, from the same point in time. The two couples could have been separated from their significant other instead, which would have been far worse.
"Of course this is just speculation," concluded Michael. "I cannot claim to know either one of them very well." He did however speak from experience. "In any case there are no books in the Restricted Section that could provide you with any explanations for why this happened. Hogwarts guards its secrets very carefully, it seems."
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"It sounds like we probably don't have to worry about them, at least. That was our main concern, that something was wrong with them that we might be able to correct." He nodded to himself as he absently closed the book he'd been reading. "It may be safer for all of us if we... just let it be, then. Let it sort itself out."
Of course, he fully intended to document this oddity in detail, just for his own enjoyment. He had no intention of ever being published, but if his notes ever proved useful for any others here, he'd be pleased. The woman he'd met in Kusuriyuri's class, Maddie Magellan, might also find them interesting, since it roughly correlated with what she was researching herself.
"Thank you very much for your time," he said to Michael. "And for your help. Edward and Bella may be relieved to know all this as well, even if it is only speculation." As he said the latter, his eyes were on Alice. She'd obviously know best how Edward and Bella would feel about the sort-of-news before it was even delivered. He chuckled quietly. "Now we'll have to come up with other things to research. I've been thinking wandless, wordless magic seems like a very interesting skill to work on..."
((Michael can certainly suggest some relevant books on it, too. ;) ))
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Alice's eyes had glazed over slightly. "They'll be alright," she murmured to Jasper, as the vision unfolded before her. "I don't think Bella is ready for an engagement here. They're happy now and will continue to be happy despite what they know." She sighed. "It's a pity. The Great Hall would be such a nice place for the reception." She'd have to find some other party to organize, then. Surely this place could always use parties.
Ah yes, other things to research. Alice still had the matter of his blood-thirst to investigate, which had definitely been at the top of her list despite the time anomaly. She would have to find a teacher for that. Maybe Michael would know.
The archangel returned, holding one thick, leather-bound book titled: So You're Too Lazy to Wave a Wand? Despite its title, the book seemed dry as dust, with tiny printed letters and long, complicated and highly abstract sentences. A real cure for insomnia, this one. Being a vampire would definitely be helpful if one hoped to get through it. Alice looked rather amused.
"You certainly chose a difficult field to study," smiled Michael and handed over the book to Jasper. "But it does contain what you need to know, though it takes an awful lot of time to draw the right conclusions. I can't say it's really my area of expertise, but I'll do my best to answer your questions if there are any," he offered.
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Though it was unlikely to occur in the Great Hall (one would hope), he figured Alice could always help Amaranth plan the orgy he'd agreed to provide the atmosphere for. He did rather hope it would be less of an outright orgy and more of an actual party where bodily fluid exchange would be kept to a minimum. The smell would no doubt bother him after a while, and not in any particularly sexy way. More the homicidal, bloodlust-inducing way, as was par for the course when humans were involved.
Jasper accepted the book with a pleased smile when Michael returned, looking more eager than any sane person ought to at the prospect of reading something so tediously dull. Of course, to him, it would be anything but. "Thank you, for the offer too. I've been picking up the basics of wand-work pretty easily so far. It can't hurt to study more advanced methods in detail before I ever attempt them." Wandless magic would hopefully provide a good challenge without proving completely impossible. He would put it off until he'd mastered some of the more complicated spells using his wand first, which we'll assume he already acquired off-screen at some point.
"Are there any actual books on planning wizarding parties?" he asked with an amused glance at Alice. Between that and the clothing-modifying magic, he hoped she'd be able to enjoy Hogwarts as much as he already was. "Like a compilation of useful spells. Or would we have better luck looking up all the charms and transfiguration spells and such on an individual basis ourselves?"
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"He knows me well," she said with a shrug, and gave Jasper a gentle nudge. "I just think I'll need some spells to replace the technology. Lighting and audio, that kind of thing. I think I can handle the rest."
"Of course." Out of the corner of his eye, Michael had spotted Aziraphale entering the library, and he smiled to himself. Ah. Catching up on old times, then... He had been meaning to look up the other angel and have a chat, but it had just never happened. You know how it is. "I'll be right back."
He left the two vampires and selected a few volumes with basic spells from a nearby shelf, trusting Alice to find what she needed in those. They were very resourceful, both of them. And pleasant enough people, though Jasper's dubious self-control worried him a little. But he seemed capable of restraint, and Michael was a man of faith. He handed over the books to Alice.
"There we go. If there are any questions, I will be happy to provide answers. Now if you'll excuse me," he bowed his head politely, "some others are requiring my help."
"Oh, of course," nodded Alice and smiled. "We're all set for now, aren't we, Jazz?"
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