who stole your heart and the key?

[steelmyself]

In the dark, you taste something sweet and tart on your tongue, almost like apple but not quite: pomegranate juice, out of nowhere. A hint of something metallic accompanies it.

You fall down.

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Comments

Re: THE LIBRARY

[steelmyself]

"You're from outside. You're merely a traveler passing through--not one of my subjects." His eyes narrow. "But if you think to take one of my objects..."

He clutches at the swords hanging off him and looks suspiciously at the books.

Re: THE LIBRARY

[unaffective]

[That's fair. She can't contest it, so she follows his gaze to a bookshelf and goes to examine a book.]

Re: THE LIBRARY

[steelmyself]

It's a beautiful, leatherbound volume labeled in gold filigree: THE MATTER OF FRANCE.

If you open it and try to read, however, there's nothing but gibberish inside.

Re: THE LIBRARY

[unaffective]

[She flips through the pages, but is pretty quick to put it back when she realizes she can't read anything.]

Are you interested in France?

Re: THE LIBRARY

[steelmyself]

"I keep this library for stories of heroes. It doesn't matter whether it's France or Iraq or Japan. I hoard them all."

Re: THE LIBRARY

[unaffective]

I see.

In that case, which would you recommend? I'd like to read some.

Re: THE LIBRARY

[steelmyself]

He makes an impatient noise as he checks another shelf. "They're all important. All heroes...they all mean something."

He pauses. "Except for the fake one, of course."

Re: THE LIBRARY

[unaffective]

A hero that isn't real is hardly a hero.

[She says it like it's obvious.]

Which would that one be?

Re: THE LIBRARY

[steelmyself]

"You know the one." He says it matter-of-factly.

Re: THE LIBRARY

[unaffective]

Do I?

[Well, she thinks on it a little - she probably does.]

Ah. I realize it's unlikely, but - would you have a book about him here?

Re: THE LIBRARY

[steelmyself]

"Hmmm? It's a poorly-written book, but very well..." He walks down the aisle, glancing over the shelves, and finally pulls out a book labeled EMIYA and hands it to you.

It's also all in gibberish, inside.

Re: THE LIBRARY

[unaffective]

[Pointless. More garbage. But maybe she can get some mileage out of it later...]

May I borrow this? I'll be certain to return it.

Re: THE LIBRARY

[steelmyself]

"No!"

He's very emphatic about that.

Re: THE LIBRARY

[unaffective]

Because it belongs to you?

A book regarding an illegitimate hero is similarly illegitimate. It has no place in your library.

Re: THE LIBRARY

[steelmyself]

"Everything here is mine. It doesn't matter whether it's illegitimate or not. You cannot convince the guardian of the library to give up his possessions, so don't even try, mongrel."

Re: THE LIBRARY

[unaffective]

That doesn't seem true. How could you say that for certain if you've yet to be convinced?

Re: THE LIBRARY

[steelmyself]

"My rule over these books--"

ì͢d́͏̵͘e̛͡à̷̷͡͠l̵̀s̷̶̨͜

"--is absolute."

Re: THE LIBRARY

[unaffective]

Would you part with this one under any circumstances? I would be willing to reimburse you for your loss.

Re: THE LIBRARY

[steelmyself]

"Anything you could offer me would be mine already. Except--"

He hesitates, frowning.

Re: THE LIBRARY

[unaffective]

Except?

Re: THE LIBRARY

[steelmyself]

"Something real." He makes a disgusted noise. "Everything here is fake."

Re: THE LIBRARY

[unaffective]

If I told you a story that I knew to be true - would that be to your liking?

Re: THE LIBRARY

[steelmyself]

He regards her coldly for a long moment, and then he nods. "This is all fake, so I suppose I could allow you to have a piece of it in exchange for a truth."

Re: THE LIBRARY

[unaffective]

Of course.

What sort of story would you like to hear?

Re: THE LIBRARY

[steelmyself]

"Anything that's real, of course."