StarCraft Library
Bookshelves line opposite walls, reaching from ceiling to floor. A thick stripe of red runs around the room on the walls where they meet the ceiling, silver eight-pointed stars showing the StarCraft's symbol. A few tables are centered in the room for studying and soft chairs are scattered around for those who aren't at the tables. In one corner, a large chair stands with more chairs in a semi-circle around it, a setup suggesting that classes might be taught there. Another corner boasts a potted plant, bright and green due to the careful work of an apprentice or two.
Cress moves slowly in from the StarCraft Main Hall.
Linora is seated at a table near the back of the room with her chin in her hand, hunched over a large book which she appears to be reading with great interest. She's even sitting still.
Cress shuffles in, not bothering to really lift his feet off the floor. Heading for a bookshelf, he pick out a book, and takes it to a table near the side, not noticing Linora at the back of the room.
Linora turns a page, shifting a bit in her seat to draw a leg up under herself, her brow furrowed lightly in concentration. Oblivious.
Cress tosses the book on the table with a loud 'thump'. He then draws the chair back, pulling it over the floor making a screetching sound. No-ones here this early anyways, are they?
Cress
Standing at only 5'5 this young man's size is not impressive. His blond hair, which has resently been cut short at the back and the front, is the color of wheat, has bleached strands, and he has a light tan from the sun, even if he doesn't spend many hours outside. Narrow gray eyes are framed by light-colored lashes and brows, and his cheekbones are angular as is his chin. His muscles are hardened, from long hours of hard work, done in his previous life as a trader. A scar runs along the right side of his neck and his most obvious feature is a missing inch of his right little finger.
A brand new midnightblue shirt with draw-strings at the V-neck is worn loosely over charcoal-colored trouser, which are hardly new by the look of them. Having been patched in several places these trousers look as if they've been handed down for generations. A shine on his black wherhide boots doesn't hide the fact that these are also hand-downs from someone who's grown out of them. Perched on Cress's shoulder is Dixie. Cress' Pack hangs heavily from Cress's shoulder. Perched on Cress's shoulder is Idoru. Perched on Cress's shoulder is Wintermute.
A knot of intertwined, double corded, single looped red and silver with a small tail, shows that he is a Senior Apprentice to the StarCraft.
Cress is 19 Turns, 1 month, and 1 day old.
Linora blinks as a sharp screetching noise breaks her concentration, and swings her head almost irritably around to find the source... but her annoyed expression is quickly replaced with a bright smile when she sees Cress sitting across the room... even though his back is to her. She moves across the room to sit across from him, setting her own book down in front of herself with an equally loud 'thump'.
Cress blinks in surprise as he sees Lin. "Oh, hi Lin. Didn't know you were here." Book is closed again, and he leans his elbows on the tabletop. "How're you?" Been thinking 'bout yesterday? is his unvoiced question to her.
"Good." Well, that could be taken two ways, now couldn't it? Linora reopens her book, leaning forward on it to rest her chin on folded arms, looking up at Cress with a little smile. "I been studying real hard and stuff." Looking for something to keep her mind off... things. 'Course now that 'things' are staring her in the face, well... She lowers her eyes.
Cress grins lopsidedly, and nods, not really wanting to press the issue, at the moment. "So've you figured out anything interesting for your project?" Just keep with the change of subject. Yup, that be safer at this point in time, right?
Linora looks back up again, relieved at the course of the conversation. Maybe things /can/ be like before. Straightening, she shrugs lightly. "I been looking at lotsa different stuff." Sounds a bit vague, she knows, but it's true all the same. "An' I gotta talk to a couple more journeymen ta see if I can /finally/ pick a mentor and stuff." As soon as the words are out of her mouth she wishes she'd left that part out, sure that Cress will just start asking her if she picked a specialty yet. Hoping to forestall the inevitable, she forges on. "I found lots of kinda obscure constellations ... now I gotta find the stories and stuff so I can start my scroll." And stuff.
Cress hmms, and nods. "It's interesting, thou', dontcha think?" Yeah, right! He'd hated going through the archives, although finding different stories and the contellations to go with 'em, /had/ been interesting. "I liked the one about the travellers and their campfire." For obvious reason, you know?
Linora nods, relief written all over her open face. "I thought it'd be awful," she admits... especially since Cress had so much trouble with it, and he's loads smarter - at least, she thinks he is. "There was a buncha pretty ones about the sea and stuff... sometimes I really kinda miss it."
"The sea, huh?" He'd never seen much to the sea. Just when they'd been travelling the shorelines at times. "I like the smell of the sea," he offers. And he did. Really! But he liked the smell of winter better, and he still misses the north and the snow and the... well, everything about the north.
Linora nods earnestly, her eyes bright. Well, she mighta been half-fish for all the time she spent swimming as a kid at Ista! "Me, too," she says. And the sun, and the sand... "I mean, the lake's nice, but kinda not the same."
"Guess not," Cress says, but he really wouldn't know. After all, he couldn't even swim before Lin taught him. "So you're gonna base your project on one of those sea constellations?"
Linora grins widely. "Prolly. Soon's I decide which one I like the best." No point spending hours doing something boring, is there? She glances down at the book again, but just can't seem to find it more interesting than her company, and her eyes lift again to seek out his.
Cress is glad that she doesn't seem to have trouble with her project, like he'd had. "Well, that's good. I had to look through a lot of hides to find the one about the campfire." But then there were probably more people along the shoreline, than there were travellers, which would probably account for the lack of constellations referring to travellers.
Linora nods. "But ya found it," she reminds him... and he'd finished it, too, hadn't he? She was sure he'd said he had... Her eyes flicker to the knot on his shoulder and widen a bit. She sits straighter and takes a good look at him. "When'd you get promoted?" Didn't she /just/ see him? Hm.
Cress blinks. Promoted? Oh, yeah, that's right he'd been promoted, he'd almost forgotten that, sitting here with Lin. "Yesterday. When I went to talk to Riina. She'd already approved my project." If he's beaming a little it's probably because, he's proud that his project was /actually/ passed for being okay.
Linora smiles broadly, lighting her eyes... that kind of smile hasn't been on her face much lately, and it feels kinda good to have it back. "Really? That's great."
Cress' eyes glitter, and he nods. "Won't be too long till you get promoted either," he says, a statement that he's very sure of is true.
Linora looks a little surprised at that for a moment... then realizes that he's right. There isn't really that much left to do, if she can just get past the specialty thing. A slow smile spreads across her face, but she doesn't dare give words to the hope she feels. Won't be long. "Guess I better get ta work and stuff," she whispers, her eyes not leaving his.
Cress nods, and looks down at the book in front of him. "Yeah, I better get some readin' done too," he says and pulls the book toward him. "I think I'll go to the Vault...." Better that they not be together right now or neither of them would ever get anything done. "So I'll see ya later, okay?"
Linora nods. "Sure." She gives him a smile before turning her attention back to her book. Later's good.
Cress gets up and moves to the door, the book held tightly in his arms. "Well, bye," he says and moves out the door. Better this way, right? But not easy.
Cress moves slowly to the StarCraft Main Hall.