The Muse Meets The Ghost

The Being is so much more than any Wanderer; so much less than any Entity.

The Library feels different today.

Muse wanders through the shelves and halls, soft murmurs of a song whispering from her lips as she gives some of the shelves their books back, barely noting how the wood and leather organize themselves without a thought of her own. She hums a little as she finds herself keeping focus on the Libraries around her. Something sits in the air, like a stench that is trying to drag her senses enough to actually take note of it.

Muse frowns, eyes trying to find anything as she turns around and wanders from between the shelves to glance around the barely occupied space.

Nothing focuses on her and she frowns as she notes that she is the only occupant of the current empty Halls. She sighs after a moment, deflating before going back to her work, letting herself fall into the familiar static that her work always brings. The feeling bleeds away as she works with the shelves to restock the books and tomes always coming and going from the Library, almost forgets before the gentle whisper of a presence comes again.

The Assistant freezes when she notes it again, body tensing a little as she tries to strain her senses forward to catch whatever Ghost is haunting her. She almost catches the gentle hint of a presence, lets herself turn around and waits for a beat.

Small Knowledge comes to her head, gentle and considerate as the Library offers a small idea to the anomaly currently unfolding before her.

Wanderers have often commented and thought about the idea that Libraries hold more than just books and words. Many have sworn towards the idea of the simple Ghosts of Memories and Remnants also wander the Halls.

Muse tilts her head as she thinks over the whispered suggestion. She hums with the Knowledge, taking only a second before she turns back to the shelves, the wood moving and adjusting to give over a bigger book to her, deep reds with golden swirls encasing the entirety of the covers. She glances around her before she lets herself drop down between the shelves, hands running over the soft and familiar wear of a beloved book.

“Does… Would anyone like to hear a story?”

She closes her eyes, waits in the silence of the Library and almost begs for some form of an answer that is not included in the courteous reminders of love from the residents of her home. She lets the question stale in the air before she sighs softly, tapping against the book’s cover and debating her next thoughts.

“I would think not, then.”

She almost stands and puts the book away, stops as the gentle whisper comes to her in the silence.

“I would like to hear a story.”

She blinks, instantly turning to the source of the voice, mouth already opening to ask after their secrecy before she is taken aback by the whisper of a soul shifting before her. Made of fog and instability and formed to mimic the gentle reminder of one coming from the Beings of Humanity, a person is only a few feet away from her. She takes them in, notes that the gentle gathering of clouds keeps the form of a Being, even as they move forward, and the steps and motions only barely stutter through the motions. Muse watches as the Ghost comes to settle only a foot or so away, dropping to sit down and cross feet before their form that settles with relaxation. The voice comes again, the whisper more solid now that Muse can focus on the one who is giving her the gentle tones of a long forgotten Existence.

“If you would be so kind?”

Muse stares at the remnants of fog that seem to move with the tinted motions of a mouth, and tries to imagine how a face could be so solidly before her without a single consideration to what the Ghost would even look like. She doesn’t respond until she realizes the silence has come again, the Ghost giving her all of the focus and authority to either confirm or deny the request.

She touches over the cover of the books distractedly, almost refuses the request of the obvious unguided Wanderer. She almost reaches for the Librarian, her Knowledge stuttering without answers as she finally drops her focus from Being to book.

“I am unsure if you would be that interested in such a work.”

The fog moves, Muse glancing up to see the shift before the head settles, cocked to the side in obvious confusion and soft consideration.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

She frowns with the question, opens her mouth to answer before any thought to defense disappears. She blinks, tries to think back through the reasoning that would come with denying the request for Knowledge.

Something in the Library seems to shift, the gentle words coming to her being more curious than wary of the Ghost that sits before her. Muse stares at him for a beat, mind barely noting the Librarian, distracted and further in the depths of the Halls, before she shrugs and smiles.

“I am not sure; you seem like someone who has already heard this one.”

The Ghost shifts through motions, Muse just feeling in her mind that the face is holding a smile as the afternote of a chuckle seems to escape. It even pushes little wisps of steam from the Ghost, and Muse hears the happy noise of the Being fill the space around her as she smiles brightly at the wandering wonder of History.

“A good joke, no?”

The head whispers through a shake before the Being gives her another soft memory of amused laughter.

“Truly. But try me; I do love the older stories.”

Muse only debates for a second, her mind already made up as she settles against a shelf and moves to open the book up in her lap. She gives the Ghost another bright smile before she clears her throat and easily finds the beginning of the Stories she wants to tell the stranger.

“Have you heard the Stories of the Ancient of Chaos and Order?”

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