[Najmi] spend our vacation at

[mr_gaeta]

Despite Azimar's assertions otherwise (and Gaeta's own firsthand experience, now), he still wants to learn how to decipher the language he sees around him in occasional signs and charts. Considering the maps they'll soon have on hand, he thinks it doubly important. You can't navigate if you can't read.

So, for the time being, he's taken to the manor library. Gaeta nearly upended a tiny dish of ink as he was pulling down a couple of texts, but caught himself in time; now, he's trying to puzzle over the written language as Kaya taught him. Under his breath, he sounds out each word as carefully as he can, with the halting uncertainty of someone far younger.

Comments

[no_thief]

She looks up at him in some surprise, her brow clearing.

"Did it have hands?"

[mr_gaeta]

"I, ah."

Gaeta blinks, mirroring the surprise and adding a fair bit of puzzlement to it.

"I don't know. I couldn't tell."

[no_thief]

Somehow, all the tension is gone from her posture, and she's smiling. "I bet I know what it was --"

Kaya raises her head and makes a coaxing, beckoning noise, clicking her tongue; it's a sound he's heard her make, once before. Years before, for him.

"Are you here?" she asks the air.

[mr_gaeta]

Gaeta remembers that sound; he can't be sure why she's making it, though, and slants another bemused look her way.

At least, until another movement catches his eye. He turns.

For a while, all he and the tiny, fuzzy -- he isn't even sure what it is, aside from a collection of thin limbs and huge eyes -- stare at each other in equal surprise. The creature blinks, solemnly.

"Um," says Gaeta.

[no_thief]

"I thought so." Kaya's voice is soft, and delighted. "Inkyfaces!"

Yes, plural. There's another one perched on the shelf at the far end of the room, and another peering out from behind a curtain. The name is entirely descriptive; the little creatures are a grayish brown all over, darkening to an inky black on hands, feet, and faces.

The closest one tilts its head close to ninety degrees, and peers at Gaeta from the new angle.

[mr_gaeta]

Gaeta comes within inches of mimicking the gesture, realizes what he's doing, and catches himself.

(The other urge, which is to reach out a hand to the closest one, is considerably easier to suppress.)

"What are they?" he whispers.

[no_thief]

She glances at him in renewed surprise. "You've never heard of inkyfaces?"

[mr_gaeta]

"No," he murmurs. "We, ah. We didn't have anything like them where I'm from."

He lifts a cautious (and still faintly bemused) hand, and gives the inkyface a tiny wave hello.

[no_thief]

The inkyface blinks again, and tilts its head nearly a full one-hundred-eighty in the other direction.

"They like libraries," Kaya tells him. "Or anyplace with a lot of books and paper. And if you leave out saucers of ink for them, they'll drive away mice and insects and things. Some stories say they can even keep out the damp, to keep the books safe."

[mr_gaeta]

" -- Oh." He's beginning to smile, just a little. "I saw once of the saucers earlier. I, ah, didn't know what it was for. Hello," he adds to the inkyface, with the gentleness of someone addressing an unfamiliar pet.

Back to Kaya: "Can they talk?"

[no_thief]

She shakes her head. "They don't, anyway."

The little creature pauses in its intense scrutiny of Gaeta to peer at the inkwell on the desk.

[mr_gaeta]

The inkwell isn't fixed to the desk, and is half-full to boot thanks to the studies of some other person before them.

Carefully, Gaeta extends two fingers to slide it a little closer to the inkyface in offering.

[no_thief]

The inkyface doesn't smile, but its whole face brightens -- and it scurries closer, leans to reach into the inkwell, brings up its two cupped hands full of ink like a man dipping up water from a stream, and laps at it thirstily.

Kaya lets out a tiny breath of delighted laughter, watching.

[mr_gaeta]

It is kind of adorable, and it startles a bigger smile out of Gaeta as he watches.

"How many of them usually stay in one library?" he asks Kaya, low-voiced.

[no_thief]

"I don't know," she murmurs back. "Probably ...

She glances up, and her eyes widen.

"... a lot."

[mr_gaeta]

Gaeta follows her glance. His eyes grow round in turn.

"Holy frak," he says under his breath as dozens more -- maybe scores more -- of inkyfaces blink out at them from between the stacks.

[no_thief]

Kaya covers her mouth with both hands to stifle laughter, but it doesn't hide how her eyes are dancing.

Three or four of the bolder inkyfaces are peering up over the edge of the desk, hoping for their share of the treat.

[mr_gaeta]

"I should've brought enough for everyone!" he whispers to Kaya in mock fear.

(He's close to laughter himself.)

"Here -- " He reaches for the inkwell, trying to coax it away from the first inkyface. "You'll get more soon, let the others have some too -- "

[no_thief]

It turns out to be an unnecessary suggestion; the first is already backing off to let the others take some, licking its long fingers with a pale tongue as it goes.

[mr_gaeta]

Immediately, the inkyfaces at the edge of the desk scoot closer, watching Gaeta hopefully. The boldest one is already stretching out its hands as he pushes the inkwell their way; as soon as it's within reach, it dives for it to eagerly scoop up its own handfuls of ink.

Gaeta presses the tips of his fingers to his mouth, struggling even harder not to laugh.

[no_thief]

Kaya's giggling now.

"They're so cute."

[mr_gaeta]

"Yeah," he says, giving up on trying to mask his laughter any more. "So they're really common around here?"

[no_thief]

She shakes her head. "Only where there are a lot of books in one place. And where somebody's feeding them."

Beat.

Lower: "My old house had some. Not this many."

[mr_gaeta]

"Oh." Softer.

Another inkyface leans over the inkwell a little too far, reaching to scrape the bottom, and topples headfirst into the well.

[no_thief]

Kaya covers her mouth with both hands again, strangling on suppressed laughter.