Landing – Library
Inside this vast chamber are many tall shelves filled with scrolls and hides. Being the main library and research facility of the Landing Craft Hall, there is usually someone inside the room at any hour of the day.
In the corner of the room, is a table with two research computer terminals. Here, the card catolog of the library is on line and much of the knowledge saved from AIVAS can be accessed through these computers. The waiting list is long for their use and they always seem to have someone at them, typing away on the keyboards.
Sunny and clear, the day outside could be called lovely, if a bit windy. Inside, it's relatively cool, with the scent of old books and hides hanging thick on the air. The library at Landing is quiet today, as it usually is, with silent researchers drifting through the shelves. The soft rustles of paper can be heard, along with the tap-tap of those currently typing at the computer terminals. Seated near the computers, but not actually working at them, is Eledri, the young man wearing his characteristic frown. On the table before him is a shoulder bag, the strap dangling down over the edge as he rummages through it, forehead lined with irritation. "Where is it.." he's mumbling under his breath, one hand adjusting his glasses to sit higher on the bridge of his nose and leaning back in his chair with a slight huff.
Into the austere and historic place wanders one lone rider with a Xanadu knot, denoting her a member of Nova wing on the shoulder of her flight jacket, which has been shed and draped over her arm upon dismounting here at Landing. Summertime in the Southern Continent - it's just too hot windy or not, to wear when not aloft. Having been directed to the library, Thea hesitates in the door, wide eyes taking it all in. The pale green of her eyes is awed as her gaze lifts and travels from shelf to shelf to shelf… where to start? Another step or two into the room and she casts her glance around, first to those at the terminals then settles upon Eledri. She recognizes him though it has been quite awhile and thus it is his direction she heads to address him with a faint smile, "Hello." Keeping her voice low in regard to those researching, "Eledri, yes?" A nod to the room in general. "Can you tell me who is in charge here?"
Running a hand through his hair, Eledri eyes the shoulder bag, as if willing it to do something. The bag, of course, remains sitting on the table. His hair is tied back in a loose runnertail, and his journeyman's knot is perched on the shoulder of his own shirt. The garment is long-sleeved, made out of light fabric, and buttoned neatly at the cuffs. He's wearing a vest with the symbol of the computercraft embroidered on it, but with the warm weather, he has no need of a jacket. Eledri doesn't immediately spot Thea, though his expression hardly improves when he does. He's a frowny one, he is. The young man does give the goldrider a nod in acknowledgement of his name, and polite-sounding, "Hello," his own voice quiet in consideration for those working. Glancing around at the shelves, he answers, "Senior Journeyman Farris has the desk today.." lips pressing together briefly, "but it looks like stepped out for a minute." That, or he's off somewhere helping someone else. Straightening a little, Eledri offers, "If you need help looking for something, I can show you how to use the card catalogue," indicating the closest computer terminal.
Thea is well used to the varying moods and quirks of people, both riders and crafters alike, so Eledri's frown doesn't phase her at all. At the mention of Farris, although she doesn't know what the man looks like, her eyes do a brief circuit of the room as well. When her gaze returns to Eledri he's indicating the computer terminal, which is blinked at in ill-concealed dismay. "Card.. catalogue?" She swallows, shifting on her feet uncomfortably. But if that's the way they do it… Uncertainly, she steps towards it, flickering a bit of a nervous glance at the machine to the shelves and back to the computer. "Well… sure? That is if you don't mind." Now might be the best time to tell him that the computer he tried to help her learn how to use did little more than collect dust on her desk so, "You should know that I didn't keep Hal, so I'm -still- not very good at this stuff." An understatement, that.
Eledri is just a barrel 'o grouchy most of the time. It's why they generally keep him stuffed away in the AIVAS Lab, where the only ones he gets to grump at are the computers. But today, it seems, he's out in the library. Thea's dismay is surely noted, the comutercrafter giving a sigh and rising to his feet. Shirt and vest are straightened as he stands, and spectacles adjusted again, the young man saying with a nod, "The catalogue of all the items in the library. It's a numbering system used to indicate which areas contain books and hides of each subject, and where they are kept." His voice slips into a sort of patient-sounding tone - the one he uses to explain computer gibberish to the uninitiated. Apparently, he can act as a librarian too. "I'm not busy at the moment," is said with a shrug, Eledri moving toward the terminal as well. He stops, though, to blink at Thea, "Hal?" brow furrowing in some confusion.
"That sounds very," Confusing? Complex? "practical," Thea notes, but she's not a very good liar, really. "I would have just put up signs or something." He says he's not busy, but she tilts a quizzical look at that bag he was muttering at. "You sure? If you need to finish something, I can wait." Sheepish, her cheeks pinken as she explains, "Oh yeah. That computer you helped me with. We all started calling it Hal because every time I started using it, I'd end up saying, Help…anyone….living?" Her lips curl into a wry grin, "Never did get the hang of it and since D'son's not Weyrleader anymore, I don't send my reports to his computer, so…" Palms rub on her leathered thighs as she squints at the console like she's about to do battle. "Um… what do I do first?"
Eledri snorts quietly, "It's what the ancients used, apparently." He'll not comment on practicality or signs, though it's possible he doesn't quite understand the whole thing himself. "There are some - what are you trying to find?" he shoots that bag an irritated look, reiterating with another shrug, "I wasn't busy doing anything important." His eyebrows descend at the explanation of 'Hal', the computercrafter saying slowly, "You.. named the computer." Thea gets a blank look for a moment, "Okay.." Shaking his head, Eledri says after a second, "I hope the new weyrleader doesn't need any more equipment. The techcrafters always complain that the terminals are hard to build." Having to be put together by hand, and all of that. Getting back to the matter at hand, Eledri tilts his head at the chair in front of the computer, instructing, "Have a seat," while he steps to the side to lean over the keyboard, bringing up something on the screen.
The console gets a blank look. She has to… sit near that thing? The look on Thea's face, like it's going to bite her or something. Gingerly she sits while hastily assuring Eledri, "Oh quite! Computers… they're valuable equipment. It's wrapped up in plastic and safely in the Weyr storage room. I'm not really sure if R'owan uses D'son's old one or not." Apparently, she didn't ask after going back to hand-written notes. "Should I," she cranes her neck to peer up at him, "Have someone come get it?" The tapping of keys recalls her attention back to the screen and her belated answer is given, "Baby books. Simple stories with nice colorful pictures." The cursor could be hypnotic - or terrorizing, or it could be something else entirely, for her voice grows distant, "We had some back at Cold Stone Hold my mother used with Tharen and I. They were… very old."
Eledri leans back after a second, the screen now showing a little box and a steadily blinking cursor. He frowns, noting Thea's expression there. "It's not going to bite you," the computercrafter says wryly, remembering to tack on a more respectful, "…ma'am." It's generally not a good idea to be insulting to weyrwomen, after all. "Extremely valuable," he agrees, though the mention of what's become of the machine has the man furrowing his brows again, "If it's not being used, that's probably a good idea." It can terrify- that is, be put to good use by someone else! Ahem. "Baby books?" his eyebrows rise, sounding clearly surprised there. He was probably expecting some Official Weyr Business or something, though he indicates the keyboard, "Just type in what you're looking for. I don't know where those are kept, but the numbers should indicate the general area." It's a likely bet /he's/ never had to go searching though Landing's archives for children's stories. That last part has him looking at her curiously, though he only nods an, "I.. see."
Thea's eyes remain fixed on the screen, a faint smile wavers on her lips with that assurance. It may not bite, her, but she might bite it! "I'll stop by the Craftmaster Offices on my way out and arrange to have it picked up," she murmurs absently while lifting her hands and extending both index fingers, flexing them experimentally before leaning forward over that keyboard. Taptap go the keys as she slowly picks out b-a-b-y—b-o-o-k-s. Obviously her typing skills are -still- nonexistent. "My twins are almost two turns old," she supplies as she's hunting and pecking out the words. "Time for them to start learning their letters, having stories read to them." Triumphant, she finishes, straightens and drops her hands into her lap. After a few blinks of that cursor there at the end of the word books where nothing happens, she hmms. "Why's it just sitting there?"
Eledri nods, watching patiently while Thea letter-hunts. His own fingers might twitch a bit, but he doesn't make any move to hurry her along; possibly, he really doesn't have any pressing work to do. Or maybe this is part of his job. Being helpful and showing people how to use the computers at Landing. There is a surprised, "Oh," at her explanation of her twins, "I didn't know you had any children." Either that, or he'd heard about it and forgot. There is a quiet sigh once she's finished typing, Eledri leaning forward again to indicate the 'enter' key on the keyboard, "Once you're done typing, just press this, and it should bring you to a list of titles stored here." A brief glance is given to the surrounding shelves, "I'm not sure where they have the children's literature," or even if such a section exists, but he doesn't admit that last part. Instead, he frowns vaguely, gaze puzzling over the various hides and scrolls within view.
Thea ohs softly. "Enter, right. I think I remember that." As well she ought, if she'd kept up with poor abandoned Hal. Her attention shifts with the journeyman's admission and she brightens, nodding while her voice lilts with motherly pride and enthusiasm, "Muireadach," she pronounces it Mur-ah-dah, "and Marella." The young man gets a keen glance, "You have none yet?" Lips curl in a little bit of a teasing grin while ice green eyes sparkle with a bit of devilment. Someone likes to needle. A bit of flicker from the screen catches the periphery of her vision and she peers at the screen. A long list of titles scrolls by, finally ending with the end tally: Not Found. Disappointment causes her to frown and huh softly before her gaze lifts to the shelves then returns to the screen. "Why're there all those titles then, if they aren't here?" Computers. They'll be the death of her yet.
Eledri's mouth twitches up on one side, possibly vague amusement about the enter key. The children's names have his eyebrows rising once more, especially at the first one, "Those are.. interesting names." And then he's going quite pink in the face. There is a flat, unamused, "No," for the question, the young man's posture stiffening slightly. He clears his throat with a renewed frown, instead glancing at the screen, "Hrm… I'm not sure." He's a computercrafter, not a librarian, alas. Eyebrows draw together as he peers at the screen, shaking his head slowly, "You may haveto ask Farris to show you to the area where the books are stored."
Thea positively beams, possibly not catching that little pause in there. "D'had named them," she tells the poor journeyman turning in time to catch his reaction to her question. She studies him for a beat, head tilting to one side, her grin widens and she makes the usual assumption, "You just haven't found the right girl yet, hmm? All in good time." Thankfully she doesn't pursue it or suggest names and offer to fix him up with someone. Instead her attention returns to the screen, which gets a long stare, her finger reaching to touch one of the titles, "Oh, I remember this one! Rain on a Butterfly." Aww, she goes all misty-eyed. She leans back still rather preoccupied, blinks up at Eledri. "Farris… oh yes! I will." Rising slowly, she pushes that chair back in, gives him a sweet smile, "Thanks for your help. I'll just… wander around until he gets back then."
Eyebrows twitch upward, the computercrafter likely having to resist saying something about said names. Eledri grimaces at the mention of finding a the right girl, not commenting on that at all, either. And there goes the frowny-face, though he might at least be relatively relieved she isn't about to suggest someone. That'd be all he needs. Eledri steps back to return to where he'd been sitting, giving Thea a bit of a nod, "When Farris returns, I'll tell him you need assistance." Said so very formal-like. And stiffly. "No problem," another nod as he returns to the bag rummaging, "Good luck in.. finding what you're looking for."
And so Thea begins meandering about, perhaps getting lost in the maze of shelving as she looks at titles until her eyes cross. At least she's doing it quietly? And if, in the course of her wanderings she passes a few pretty girls who look about Eledri's age who thereupon turn and eye the journeyman with soft titters, fluttering lashes and finger wavels, Thea had nothing, absolutely nothing at all to do with it!