text | ota

[wingfic]

[This telepathic message is not signed, and appears in your field of vision without preamble, although the rhythm of the words is slow, almost sullen.]

Hey.

What power did they give you?

Did you have magic before you came here?

Comments

[decipheringeye]

What else would you use it for? I own a book store, so even if I wasn't interested in reading lots of different kinds of books, it would be useful for figuring out which ones are extra valuable.

[wingfic]

[There's a pause.]

Do you live in a really big city or something?

[decipheringeye]

[HMM. It's hard to say when you've only ever lived in or visited one settlement, but based on what she's heard of the outside world...]

Speaking objectively, I don't think it's that big... the city here is bigger.

[wingfic]

But you have a whole store just for books?

[decipheringeye]

Where else would people get them?

[wingfic]

How should I know? Wherever scholars [and nerds like Tristan] usually get books, I guess.

[decipheringeye]

Well, there's a lot of demand for books, so whether or not it's weird to have a book store, I get plenty of business.

[wingfic]

That's weird.

[decipheringeye]

What's weird about people being interested in books?

[wingfic]

Lots of things. How many people can even read?

[decipheringeye]

[Kosuzu quietly re-evaluates her guesses about this person's world.]

Everyone can, except for maybe fairies. They learn it in school when they're kids.

[wingfic]

You don't have to say it like that.

[Never mind that she's not exactly being the nicest herself. After a moment:]

You have fairies too?

[decipheringeye]

Yeah. If you leave the village, you have to be careful, or they'll pull some kind of weird prank on you.