OPEN THREAD - Some Peace And Quiet

It was one of those occasions where Jian had been given off-duty time earlier than normal. Perhaps the all-clear that day was to blame, but now she was left with how to spend the rest of her free hours. Her usual exercise routine only lasted for so long and there was still time left. The extra hours lead her find herself at Barbel Library. She wasn't much for reading, but flexing the mind wouldn't hurt, right?

The quiet of the room was broken as Jian's footsteps were heard as she entered. One would hardly recognize her as an elite soldier in her more casual attire if it weren't for the black tentacles and seaweed keeping her tentacles tied. Approaching the shelves, she looked over the selection, tapping her cheek as she browsed through the various titles lining the shelf.

Jian's eyes went along the spines of the book before stopping at one in particular. Even if she didn't spend too much time reading books, the name of this author was unfamiliar to her. The title of the book, 'War And Peace' stuck out to her the most. She reached up and grabbed the book to take a better look at it. It was rather old, almost as if it had been neglected for centuries. She opened the cover to find a note reading: "This piece is exceptionally rare. Please handle with care."

She rubbed her neck in thought, wondering what exactly made this book so rare before noticing the publication date. She blinked in surprise as she noted the date to be 1869; more than 12,000 years ago. This must be one of the books written by the humans and anything from their civilization that wasn't fossilized was a one in a million find. Curious as to what the contents of this piece of literature were, she carefully took the book to a nearby seat, taking little heed of the sniper across from her, and sat comfortably, turning the page to begin reading.

The words on the pages caught Jian's attention rather successfully. Octarian literature had it's own spin on things, but the content of this book was as foreign as it was fascinating. She had not gone passed the first few paragraphs and already she had found herself unable to put the book down; an unusual occurrence for someone as physically centered as she.

Her focus was shifted to the octarian that was addressing her. She didn't really notice him initially. She glanced his direction as she replied in an equally plain tone. "Eh...I'll be honest with ya, I'm not much for readin'. It's kinda fascinating, though, ya know? Ya don't really find this sorta thing in books these days."

"Yep...I'm with ya on that one." Jian answered as her eyes slowly drifted back to the page she was on. Any fool could make a post on the internet. It took a sharp mind to write a book that would eventually become a great work. Of course, the Octoling didn't know that the she was holding one such work herself. She carefully turned to the next page to continue.

While she was intrigued by the text, she found it somewhat difficult to comprehend. Many of the historical references made were lost on her. After all, this was dealing with events that happened far, far beyond her time. However, as she pressed onward through the first chapter, she came to realize that humans had about as many wars as Octarians and Inklings did, but what struck her as strange is that they did not appear to be over turf.

Jian hardly noticed the other get up from the seat. She was wrapped up in the book's pages. Her mind was really set on trying to make sense of it all. She got the base concepts, yes, but some of it didn't quite click. Humans seemed to be odd with their reasons for battle. Finishing the chapter, she gently closed the book and sighed. She figured that was enough human literature for one day.

Returning to the shelves, she placed the book exactly where she had found it before and proceeded to browse for another selection. Perhaps more familiar texts would slow the gears turning in her mind down.

Strav is exhausted after his mission in Bluefin Depot. He sighed, and wanted to find somewhere to rest. Going back to the Octarian Academy will result in getting annoyed by junior Octarians. He wanted to get to somewhere quiet where he can be alone.

A library is perfect. Starv is not a bookworm, but he know there and comfy couches for Octarians to rest and read books, and perhaps he should start reading something. Strav seldom read so this is a great opportunity for him to do so.

The door creaked open, and here he in, in Barbel Library. He grabbed a random book and slumped on a couch. He noticed some else is already here.

Am I invading their personal space? Should I leave?