vatheon | There's lots of words containing ass in this log. How many did you find?

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Who: ~~Buttagonist~~ Serph and YOU!
When: ALL DAY ALL NIGHT ANY TIME YOU WANT.
Where: the Grand Library
Style: Starting in action, but I will roll with anything!
Status: OPEN!

[Even though most items in Vatheon are free, it just so happens that a lot of what Serph wants aren't. And they're all very expensive, too, costing him far more Starfish Tokens than what he's amassed. Getting a job is quite a hassle, but he wants the tokens so that's the price he pays.

So Serph had canvassed the entire city, searching for a job that still would keep his mind occupied while he works, which basically meant he had passed on all the shopkeeping jobs. However, when he had found himself in the city's Grand Library, looking down the rows and rows of massive bookshelves, he had thought it was a good opportunity to learn more about non-Junkyard things.

A short conversation with the librarian on staff later, and he has a job organising the collection of books. Except... he actually spends his work time reading a book while he sorts everything else. The collection seems to encompass almost everything, from books of passion -- he quickly stops reading those; their mixed metaphors hurt his head -- to detailed creature biographies to books on the assembly of model planes to 'classics', whatever that means.

However, even if he looks occupied, he's still paying attention to what's around him. If you need any assistance, Serph is more than willing to stop and help you!

... No guarantees on how good he'll be at it, though :T]

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[School? One of the ex-Maribels had mentioned that. Serph returns to organising the books; he's sure Squall won't mind him doing his job while they talk.]

What kind of Tribe is "School"?

[She had sounded desperate in the end. The memories of it hadn't sounded pleasant. He hadn't known how to help her.]

[Nope, he doesn't care at all. He would often be doing something while someone else talked to him.]

School isn't a tribe. It's a place where people go to learn things. It's sort of like a job, except you don't get paid.

[Serph considers that as he looks over where this book is supposed to go. And looks up at the shelf it belongs to. ...Yeah no, he's not going to be able to reach that, even as Varna. ...Not that he would transform just to avoid needing to do a little menial labour.

He'll be ambling over to the ladder and pulling it over, yeah.

He can accept people going to places to learn things. That's why he's at the library, after all. Still, what the ex-Maribel had said bothers him. Even if she isn't alive any more, Serph still wants to know what she'd meant.]

What do people compete over in school?

[An odd line of questioning, perhaps.]

To be the best in the class.

[Granted, when you go to school like his, what they mean by "best" is different from other schools, but the principle as the same.]

The ones who perform the best in school get better opportunities than the ones who don't do as well as them. The pressure can come from different sources - they might be trying to get into another school or a job that has strict requirements on who can join. Children might be expected by their parents to do well or risk disappointing them and losing their approval.

[He doesn't have much experience with that second one because...yeah.]

In a school like the one I went to, you might have a rival you just want to prove you're better than.

[~~To be the very best, like no one ever was.~~

School sounds needlessly complicated to Serph.]

What's it like, having parents?

[It's hard to think of Squall being a child once, but he must've been at some point, right? People are supposed to have parents, are they not? It never occurs to Serph that things might be different for Squall.]

[He supposed he should have expected a question like this sooner or later. Serph doesn't seem to know much about anything that isn't related to the battlefield. The subject of parents is...tricky, to put it lightly. Squall himself isn't even really sure how the issue stands.]

I don't know.

[And Squall realizes that he wants to know what it's like too.]

I was told my mother died giving birth to me. My father is an idiot and I never saw him in person. I didn't even knew he was alive or who he was until my friend told me.

[He never expressed it, but he was always pretty envious of the others, all of them getting adopted while he never was.]

The closest thing I have to parents are Matron and her husband, and I'm not sure if it's the same as having parents.

[They had loved him like he was their own child, that much he knew, but he was an orphan in an orphanage. Kind and loving as they were, they were always preparing for the day they would have to give him up, and the matter only got worse when he started to isolate himself. Nobody ever adopted him, but they still had to say goodbye to him when he was six.]

I can't remember much about the time I was with them. I've had to take care of myself for the past ten years.

[He doesn't know why he's telling Serph all this. He just feels like he can speak freely with him.]

[Serph listens closely to Squall, and... honestly doesn't really understand a lot of what Squall has told him. Or rather, he does, but in such a way that it feels like he's missing the bigger picture. As many things related to his fragmented memories tend to be.

Serph pauses in his labours, the ladder temporarily forgotten.

The only part he understands is the implication that Squall's been alone for ten years. That's... a very long time, to Serph. Twice as long as he can stretch his memory. It must have been very lonely. But Serph's learnt about family from Signless, so...

He walks over to Squall and, if he'll allow it, places a hand on his shoulder. Since Squall probably isn't fluent in Serph silences, he adds a little more.]

You have family here.

[YEAH THAT'S RIGHT YOU JUST GOT CANNIDOPTED.]

[At first, Squall has no idea what Serph's doing so the hand takes him by surprise at first and he flinches initially at the touch. But he doesn't move to get away from it or push Serph's hand away.

Family, huh? Was that all there was to it? Just say that you're family and suddenly you are? He knows that there's more to families than flesh and blood.]

You really want someone like me in your family?

[No, really, do you?]

[Serph tilts his head, questioning.

Why wouldn't he want Squall in his family?]

Is there a reason I shouldn't?

I don't know, it's just...

[How many couples had come in to look for a child to adopt and passed right over him? Even when he was the only one left? Far too many.

It was enough to make a little kid think that there was something wrong with him.]

You're the first person who would. Everyone else always said no.

[And so, ten years later, right when he's almost an adult, someone wants to "adopt" him?

It's stupid.

...but a nice kind of stupid.]

[It seems rather strange to Serph that no one would want Squall in their family.

He keeps his hand on Squall's shoulder.]

I'm saying yes.

[Serph hasn't even known him for that long, and yet, he can say in all serious and sincerity that he wouldn't mind accepting Squall into his family?

You're too nice, Serph.]

Then...I guess it's okay.

[~~> Squall joined the party~~ ...maybe, just maybe, Squall will come to like Vatheon instead of being indifferent to it.]

[Don't join the party!! You know what happens to people who join Serph's party.

Well, of course it's okay; he said so! :>b But he's nodding and letting go of Squall's shoulder so he can return to pulling the ladder over. Back to their earlier topic of conversation...]

Did you have a rival in your school?

[Book, get. Climbing that ladder!]

[WELL, while you're doing that, he's going to take a look at some of the shelves. He did come here to find something to read, after all.]

I did.

[He picks out a book, reads the back cover, then replaces it.]

I think he was more into the rivalry than I was.

[A bit of an understatement there.]

[Oh. Well, that isn't so surprising, given Squall's general demeanour.

Serph pauses for a moment, thinking, before shelving the book and climbing back down.]

School sounds different from what I imagined.

My school was...different from most other ones.

[MAYBE IT'S TIME HE ASKED A QUESTION HUH?]

What did you think it was like?

[Serph moves back to his pile of books, skimming the titles and authors and checklist. How best to put it...?]

A Tribe people didn't want to be a part of.

[Mmm, perhaps he should explain further.]

One girl who remembered school. Her memory seemed painful.

[Yes this really explains everything.]

[Squall doesn't really know what Serph means by Tribe, and he suspects that it's not the standard definition of the word. And the thing about a girl "remembering" school was interesting.

But right now, he actually finds what Serph said kind of funny.]

Most people don't enjoy school. Lots of people, especially children, find it boring and feel like there's something more interesting they could be doing with their time.

[He pauses, though, thinking about the girl with the painful memories. Squall's experience was mostly neutral - people mostly left him alone.]

There's other reasons people might not like it, many of them more serious than just boredom. That girl sounds like she had an especially rough time.

[He could think of a few possible reasons: maybe she did poorly and stress got to her. Maybe she was bullied by other students or teachers. It could be one of any number of things, so he wasn't going to assume. Only the girl herself could give the right answer.]

What do you mean when you say Tribe?

[Serph has a hard time imagining how people can be bored in a place of learning. But... then again, they've probably known more than warfare. After all, he has no interest in learning about new ways of killing when he's already known killing all his life.

Ah, this question again.]

Comrades who unite under the banner of a leader. Their original purpose was to conquer the other Tribes, but that's changed.

[There's a tiny hint of fondness in Serph's voice, even though he's piling books in his arms.]

My Tribe are my family.

[And that explains why Serph knows so much about fighting. Squall takes a moment to think about it while selecting another book off the shelf. Here's one he hadn't read before, and he liked this author. Maybe he'll try this one.]

So, does that mean since you've decided I'm part of your family, I'm part of your Tribe now?

[The way people had felt obligated to join him upon the defeat of their leader... that's not something Serph wants to force on people. If they don't want to be a part of his Tribe, then so be it. That's their choice. Junkyard law has no meaning here.

Serph shakes his head and gestures to the streak of orange across his chest with his free hand.]

Only if you wish to be.

[Squall had always wondered about the splash of orange on Serph's chest and if it had some kind of meaning. Serph doesn't have to say anything. Squall understands. Orange is the "banner" of Serph's Tribe.]

I'll think about it.

[Now that he thought about it, he used to wear orange when he was a child, didn't he?.]

[Serph nods; it's Squall's decision, after all. Even if Squall doesn't end up wearing the Embryon's colours, Serph still considers him important. Family. Another word that's given more meaning to his life.

He doesn't have anything to say, so he'll quietly continue to actually doing his job. He's sure Squall won't mind the silence, anyway.]

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