Arbok

Arbok

Well-known member
The monastery Library. Some called it the heart of the grounds and with good reason too. For armed with knowledge the Knights of Anathaeum could face any challenge. This was not bulwark of simple martial might but the works of great thinkers, philosophers and naturalists were found here. Also the works of poets, novellers and historians. In truth every subject and topic known to the world might be found there at least in some way shape or form. Squires were encouraged to browse among the many ailses and rows to find their own areas of interest and today was one such day given to this task.

"Ohhhh."

Arbok looked about to make sure she was not being observed then went back to the piece of literary fiction that she had found in the Monastery Library. It had a lot of strange stories about pixies and genies and things and also... very intimate illustrations. Hunching as much as her massive frame would let her she tried to make herself appear unnoticeable, which was all but impossible for her considering her being in excess of six foot tall.
She turned the book sideways and looked again.
Her eyes widened.

"Oh, wow!"

This was not exactly what she thought library time was supposed to be but rumors were rumors and tale of the eh, forbidden section of the Monastery Library were hard to ignore for growing minds.
This volume was titled, 2,002 Suldazian Nights and it was VERY illustrated.

Unfortunately her infatuation with the book was interrupted by someone else which was only natural really considering many Squires had allocated reading time then. Doubly unfortunate was that Arbok had no idea that anyone was approaching let alone who they might be.
 
"You'll find the books more your speed over there," Squire Ulrika said, pointing to a back corner. They're labeled by reading level, so stick to the three and under." The tall girl with strawberry blonde hair genially patted Alouette's shoulder. "I'll be over there," she pointed at a section opposite the corner where Alouette would be heading in. "And then we'll check out together, okay?" Ulrika gave her one of her signature grins, lips still pressed together but stretched so vast that her eyes crinkled, making her blue eyes look as dark as brown.

Alouette stood at the library entrance, watching Ulrika's lanky form disappear around a dark wooden shelf with thick books. Every time Ulrika returned from the library, she had a tome for magic, but she would finish at least two to three novels in a week or two. Whenever Lou came back from class, she'd often find her roommate lying in bed, getting through the books faster than she got through her homework. Before it was lights out, Ulrika would read to her whatever part she was on. Lou never got the whole story, but she could piece most of it together.

Just like she could piece the story of her books together by the pictures alone. It was embarrassing to compare her books with Ulrika's, even when she reminded herself that Ulrika had begun learning to read at four. She had fourteen years of experience on Alouette, so of course, she could get through pages and pages without feeling overwhelmed.

The squire sighed, shuffling into the corner that Ulrika recommended. She was going to head straight there, but then she saw the tallest squire in the Monastery. She looked to the left, seeing the corner with only a few shelves of brightly colored books. She knew they would be full of brightly colored pictures and words that were ten times as large as the ones from one of Ulrika's books. Lou looked down at her boots, knocking her toes together before following Arbok.

She had lost sight of her, but it was easy enough to find her.

"Hello, Arbok." Lou whispered, coming around the corner of a shelf.
 
Alouette's voice rattled Arbok out of her mesmerism of the books pages. Her powerful body shook and shivered at the instant and dire knowledge that she had been caught.
Cold sweat decided to form a waterfall down her back as her head snapped up in a vain attempt to look like she was doing anything other than exactly what she was doing.
"Eh... hey Alouette."
Not her, anyone but her. Alouette was possibly the sweetest bean in the whole monastery and Arbok found herself very fond of her so that certainly did not help.
Despite the burning embarrassment she felt in her cheeks Arbok did not bother to try and hide the book. Instead she just closed it and held it to her chest, covering the text with her arms trying to not draw attention to it.
"How um... how are you?"
She almost forgot to keep her voice down in her surprise but in her defence she was not used to feeling embarrassed about anything. Once you've limped through the dormitory covered in mud and leaves and little else after an unexpected solar eclipse then shame kind of lost its bite, most of its bite anyway.
 
Dark brown brows lifted up into her messy bangs that never knew if they wanted to be straight, left, right or frizzy. For a quick moment, Alouette assessed Arbok, studying her face and then looking at the book she protected so seriously with her strong arms. Lou truly couldn’t read, so though she looked at the cover of the book, she had no idea what it could be.

“I’m good,” Alouette said, moreso out of habit than honesty. Today, at least, she didn’t feel awful. She had only daydreamed about Ketyl thrice so far and that was a new record as far as she was concerned. Her green eyes went back to the book, a curious bird-like tilt of her head. “Is that a new story book?” She had rather liked the story of Swan Knight, grateful still for Arbok telling her a story while the two of them sat in the trees at dusk, overlooking the Monastery with silent satisfaction.

@Arbok
 
Looking down at Alouette made Arbok very aware of herself. Her height was one thing but around the shortest squire she felt sometimes like she might knock her over. It was silly, Alouette was as capable as any of them but she could not help it and now as the sweet round face looked at her through that trademark unruly hair Arbok wished she was holding any other book in her hands.
"Good, good."
Arbok replied, she knew Alouette was into stories so of course she would ask about the book.
A bead of sweat began to travel down her back.
"This, uh..."
Arbok was a terrible liar.
"It's uh..."
A really bad liar.
"I was just putting this back, it was uh, misplaced, I think."
Even this small lie felt so bad she regretted it instantly and figured it was better to be damned for the truth so Arbok folded like a leaf and with a sigh handed Alouette the book unable to look her friend in the eye.
"Okay, I heard that there were some, mature books here and I got curious. I found this one. It's got lots of stories and I think the heroine is gonna be killed by her husband but she keeps telling him these eh sexy tales so he keeps putting it off."
She whispered the word sexy as if it would get them into trouble if anyone heard.
"Have a look it's got illustrations, vivid illustrations!"
She had not seen anything like it before unless you counted the rude graffiti sometimes found on the walls of bath houses but those were crude, this stuff was really well done and in colour.

"Just..."
Her hand hesitated to let Alouette have it for a moment as the fear of judgement took her mind briefly.
"... don't think I'm weird, please?"
It must have looked quite the sight. Arbok towering over Alouette but looking so sheepish under her mass of thick braids to hand over the book.

@Alouette D’aureville
 
She took the book, gently holding onto the binding and inspecting the front and sides before opening it to a random page. Her interest had peaked with the mention of possible lewd drawings, and she was curious as to how she would even go about drawing such intimacy. Lou wasn't sure she could, even with her experience. Her eyes had always been closed, or her face was opposite Ketyl's. The random page had an illustration, but one that only raised Lou's brows.

"I'm not sure how comfortable this position would be," Lou said, pursing her lips. "It looks like a lot of work. And sex is already uncomfortable enough as it is." The squire looked up from the page into Arbok's sheepish eyes. "Are you... trying to get some inspiration for your lover?" Ulrika had mentioned to her before about spicing things up because of how quickly men got bored with things. Lou frowned. "Because if you are, I'm not sure tangling your legs in his arms to lift him over your head is the best way to do it."

@Arbok
 
This was worse than Arbok had expected.

Allouette was *cool* with it. Arbok could not help feel a bit foolish at her initial trepidations. She had expected mousiness from the shorter squire but now she realised that it was as silly as others expecting herself to be boisterous.
"Lover? What?"
Her mind went cold, as if it had died suddenly in her skull as her face brightened.
"Hah, uh. No eh no I wasn't..."
She reached her hand up onto the shelf for anything to do as she not so descreetly tried to see if anyone was in earshot. It *looked* clear enough.
"I mean it's not that I don't like, yaknow, people or anything I just haven't..."
It was hard for her to not swallow hard so she took a breath and tried to speak on without making eye contact. The image Alouette had flipped too was pretty advanced by her reckoning.
"Anyway I think I'm a long way from anything like that."
Her smile came a bit easier than she expected it as she pointed to the picture despite how awkward she felt. Again the two were a world of contrasts.

@Alouette D’aureville
 
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