The Librarians

Nickel stared blankly at the professor for a moment, trying to discern if she were serious. Her husband worked for the government, so there was a slim chance she meant what she said.

'How could she possibly know…there's no way…' The enigmatic librarian pushed away the thought. 

His mouth twisted with amusement. "Ah, so you are another fan who has come in search of my autograph! I am afraid I will have to charge you for it. Cannot be giving Unorganized Laundry merchandise away for free." 

"Congratulations to you and Ren, I mean Izayoi_Nii, on your resounding victory! I had expected a lot more people to be around after you were crowned champions yesterday."

Although Noble had been unable to watch most of their battles during the tournament, she had seen the fearsome duo fight before. It was no surprise to her that they had won. 

"We had a large crowd this morning, but Ren chased them off." Nickel scoffed. "Only a few were brave enough to stick around and pretend to read."

The handsome young man cut his eyes toward two of the library's guests. The ladies ducked back behind two books and began to gossip quietly. 

"A library is for reading, not for signing autographs," Ren said without looking away from her text. The mysterious keeper of books always seemed to be listening even while reading. 

"I think you should be enjoying your victory, Ren," Noble countered. "We need some light in these dark times. I am sure the library would not begrudge you having some adoring fans around to keep the old books company." 

"See, Noble gets it." Nickel had obviously had a similar conversation with his battlemate before. Clearly, he had lost. 

"A library is sacred." Ren would not yield. 

"I respect both your logic and your fighting skills," Noble held up her hands in surrender. 

"At least I am unbeatable on the battlefield," Nickel said with a glance at Ren. "And I plan to keep it that way."

"Oh? Are you retiring at such a young age?" Noble crossed her arms, clearly amused. 

Nickel pursed his lips. "No! I am already looking forward to the next tournament. Only a fool rests on his past victories." 

"That's true," Ren agreed, turning the page of the book without glancing up.

Nickel lowered his voice to a whisper. "I am already thinking about recruiting a third member." 

"I am happy the way things are," Ren snorted. "Why change what works?" 

"Because you are either growing or dying. I would rather be growing, wouldn't you?" The duelist known as Unorganized Laundry waited for his counterpart's response, but it seemed he had gained a point. 

"Did you have someone in mind?" Noble tried to keep her face neutral. 'It isn't good to fish for flattery,' she reminded herself. 

"I did, actually," Nickel smirked. He paused for dramatic effect until Noble could take it no longer.

"Care to tell me who?" She looked at her nails nonchalantly. 

But Awakened Nickel saw the slight twitch in her eye and the subtle change in her breathing. The professor was very interested indeed. Nic's extra wide field of vision provided by his Aspect told him that Ren had stopped reading and looked up from the book. He had both their undivided attention. 

Nickel clicked his tongue. "Well…it is of course nothing official, but the guy goes by the name of Lowph. He is exceptionally fast and I think he would be a good compliment to our existing skills."

Noble narrowed her gaze, both suspicious and secretly disappointed. "I suppose your interest in Lowph has nothing to do with the fact that he made Mongrel bleed."

Nickel rubbed his chin. "Lowph is talented. I want only the best for my team."

"Your team?" Ren raised both eyebrows. The book snapped shut. 

"Our team, Ren." Nickel corrected himself. "Nothing but the best for our team."

The professor chuckled softly. "If you want the best, I'm surprised you didn't ask Mongrel himself to join you…"

"Maybe I should," Nickel shrugged. "But that seems unfair to everyone else. He is probably the only one who could remotely put up a challenge for us. Even then it wouldn't be much of one."

Shaking her head, Noble patted her bun. "Getting overly confident, aren't you? You know what they say about pride." 

The professor saw Ren's expression change slightly. Of course, Ren knew the saying. The mysterious Awakened seemed to know just about everything. 

Ren's aspect allowed for the intake and retention of information on a staggering scale. If there was a proverb or adage, Ren knew it and could repeat it in the blink of an eye. 

"Name one group who put up any resistance to us in the last tournament…" Nickel challenged, crossing his arms.

Noble knew she could not. They had obliterated the competition. "Perhaps a new group…" 'Why am I having this conversation? Just let it go!' But there was a stubborn streak in her– "A new group might surprise you." 

"Unless the new group includes someone like Queen Bee or Mongrel, I'm not interested in your wild speculation." Nickel waved his hand in the air flippantly. 

"Oh?" Noble smiled innocently. 

Seeing something in the way her mouth turned upward, Nickel furrowed his brow. "Wait, have you heard something? Is one of them forming a group?" 

"I don't think Mongrel is the type to form a group." Noble shook her finger with conviction. 

Nickel grunted. "Bee then? Ugh, I knew it! That Queen gets dethroned and already she is eyeing a new title." 

"I never said that…" But Noble knew she didn't have to. The idea was already in Nickel's head. "You really shouldn't listen to rumors, Nic." 

"We will have to up our training," the observant Awakened said to the other librarian. 

Ren nodded. "That seems reasonable." The crossed-legged librarian looked at Noble with curious eyes. "You said you came to the library to interrogate Nickel? Was that a joke?"

"Oh that, not really…I do have questions. I am looking for information…on memories." Noble missed the rain of sparks forming under the help desk in Nickel's hands before he relaxed and dismissed the Memory.

The handsome librarian leaned back casually in his chair. "What can we help you find, professor?" 

"Do you have any books or research on Memories that are missing key information in the runes?" 

"Many," Ren answered easily. "7,692 books that address missing runes and more than ten times that when it comes to articles. I haven't looked today on that particular topic so I cannot give you an accurate number just now." 

Ren's aspect [Knowledge Keeper] allowed the Awakened to collect and process more information in a day than a mundane human could in a lifetime. Her thirst for knowledge was insatiable, and the library was a perfect place for any Awakened to constantly fill their receptive mind with information. 

"I need to narrow that down a bit," Noble bit her lip. "How about texts on Memories with no known type or rank?" 

Ren's eyes shut for a moment. "Memories with no known rank or type are exceedingly rare. Of those that have been reported, most have proved to be a misunderstanding on the part of the wielder. When the Spell first descended on the world…" 

"Yes, that sounds like it might be helpful," Noble cut off the librarian before the entire passage was quoted from memory. The professor preferred to read it for herself. 

Shrugging, Ren wrote down the location of the book as well as two others. "I can set up a station with articles if you like." 

"Thanks, Ren, I would really appreciate that." Noble dipped her head.

"I'll take you to the books," Nickel stood and motioned for the professor to follow. Together they snaked through the shelves past the general reading material to the more specialized area.

Nickel cleared his throat. "Where did you hear the rumor about Queen Bee?" he asked.

The professor smiled. She had gotten into his head. "Rumor, what rumor? I didn't say I had heard any rumor." 

"You implied it, Noble. I may not be Ren, but I can remember what happened a few minutes ago." The charismatic librarian pulled out a book off of the shelf and peeked through to the next aisle, startling the amorous couple residing there. "Go find another place to make out. This is a library, not a club." 

He replaced the book and shook his head. His eyes rolled upward in disgust. 

"Wow, that was annoying. I could hear their kissing almost as soon as we left the help desk." 

Nickel's hypersensitivity allowed him to see every twitch, blink, or hint of movement in battle. The powerful Aspect was invaluable in a duel as it allowed him to predict the moves of his opponent. But it also meant he could hear and often see things that he wished he hadn't. 

Ren's vast store of knowledge of combat techniques and Nickel's uncanny ability to sense the opponent's movement almost before they made it was a fearsome combination. The two were almost unstoppable. Almost.

"Now, where did you say that you heard the rumor about Queen Bee?" The librarian slowed his pace. His silent movements were eerie even for Noble, who hadn't had her own feet touch the floor in almost two decades. 

"I didn't hear any rumor," she answered in a sing-song lilt. 

"But you know something. I can see it in the way you are trying not to smile. Every muscle in your face is tense because you are struggling so much." 

"I hate it when you do that, Nickel. I had no idea you were so afraid of Queen Bee." 

"Psh, I am not." The younger Awakened waved away the comment. "I just like to be the first to know things, that's all." 

"If you say so," Noble pressed her lips together. Of course, she had no intention of joining the group competition now or any time in the future. To do that Noble would have to find a partner or cohort, and that would most likely mean revealing her identity on accident or on purpose. It wasn't worth the risk. 

Finally, they reached the designated section and Nickel gathered the books on the list. He handed them to the professor with a scowl. "Let the Bee come. She doesn't know who she is messing with." 

'You'd be surprised…' 

Fortunately, she didn't have to answer. The librarian had already disappeared without a trace.