driftfleet | tenth labyrinth

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tenth labyrinth

Who: Felix Harrowgate
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: SS Starstruck, if you want
When: Today-ish

[While he's spent the last few months ignoring the fleet at large for his own interests, he's finally feeling in the mood to make an address - admittedly, again, for his own interests. Though, not entirely.

Sitting in his room on the Starstruck, Felix turns on the camera and greets it with a tiny wave of his free hand.]

I have two topics I'd like to bring up and I will try to be brief.

The first? Magic. [He lets the word hang, waiting for an invisible audience to take notice.] Many of us are not a stranger to such a thing, I know that for certain. Space seems an incongruous place for it, but at least some of the worlds we have been to have not been bereft of it entirely. The last planet seemed particularly strong in it's influence, but it seems to be that this system is the first where magic has such a strong academic presence. I'm not sure what that means, but the trend interests me.

My point is, I know there are more of you out there to whom this topic would interest. If you would like to talk...my door is open. What's more, if you have for some reason not found your way into the graces of the Spirit faction, I might be able to help you, or anyone else, procure any supplies unique to their establishments. I'd be willing to do so in exchange for a small fee or items better acquired in the other sections. Clothing, jewelry...[A pause, before he adds as a somewhat reluctant afterthought]...ship supplies.

Secondly, the library aboard the Iskaulit has not had any substantial donations for quite some time. Unfortunately I cannot curate the entire collection on my own, as much as I would like to [especially not if he keeps buying clothes and wine, but shhh]. There is plenty to occupy us here, but we all know the time drifting needs to spent elsewhere, and the library catalog is still rather limited.

If you would like to donate any books to the cause, you can find me here on the Starstruck, or you may leave them in the library. Please don't try to shelve them yourselves, I will take care of them as soon as I am able.

Thank you for your time. [A bright parting smile seems a good way to go]

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Well, what section do you think could use the most filling out? Fiction? Non-fiction?

I might be a poor judge of that. My own bias has always been for non-fiction, but most people prefer stories. It isn't, after all, my own private collection.

[He gestures behind him at the small shelf containing a few sparse volumes. Most are stacked flat, though two volumes sit upright at one end, partitioned from the rest by a glowing fishbowl]

That's what this is for.

[Felix sips her tea carefully] Anything at all you would like would be welcome, Wanda. This is for us, and everyone else who might follow.

[Wanda considers for a moment.]

What about reference materials? Perhaps the library could use some logs or photo albums or anything that could help us document and remember who was here, where we have been, things like that.

So much of this Fleet is about the coming and going. I would hate for the important pieces to be forgotten.

Well...the network has much of that stored. [Not that he's entirely sure how to go poking about for answers. It wasn't as easy as turning the pages in the journal had been] But, as our captain pointed out, Atroma could easily tamper with those records if they so desired. I could see the benefit...[Though, just as he'd held his tongue with Peggy, he leaves off the fact that Atroma could tamper with them. He'd seen direct evidence of the ways they could hide that which they truly wanted to conceal, and no amount of physical notes would ever help if they could not break free from the implants.]

What you're talking about...is far more involved that simple archiving. You would have to get the rest of the fleet involved.

[Wanda considers Felix's words for a moment. She then sighs dismissively, looking disappointed.]

I suppose it would be hard to get the entire Fleet's cooperation for something like that...

[Still, her thoughts drift to Vision and his camera... perhaps she can find her own way of documenting things. Even if it ends up just being for herself.]

[He sighs at seeing that look on her face, hating himself from crushing her spark of inspiration]

Rallying people for anything here can be a trial, as I've discovered with my own endeavors. [His first attempt at replicating his magic council, for example, had largely fallen on deaf ears, and he has yet to try again]

You could always start small...see what support you can gather from individuals.

[Wanda gives him a small smile at that, recognizing that he's trying to cheer her back up. She does change the topic slightly though, but more as a gesture to Felix to not worry about any perceived idea crushing. ;)]

If you could have any book from home to put in the library, what would it be?

[She takes a sip of her drink, a gleam of enjoyment in her eyes.]

[He returned her gaze with a thin smile.]

Books from home have a way of following me wherever I go. I already have two...[he gestured towards his private shelf, and the two lone volumes at the end]

But...I wouldn't say no to Berinth the King, if stageplays are allowed. Or perhaps a good treatise on magic using metal, considering there's so much of it around.

Between the two, I think I'd choose the stageplay myself.

[A sly grin on her face. She then eyes the two books on his small, private shelf. She then continues with some light teasing.]

Seems a little unfair for the librarian to be hording books away from everyone else.

Most of what I find most interesting seem to be only interesting to myself.

[His smile doesn't budge at her teasing, though there's something a trace more serious in his eyes.]

You're right. But I can be a very selfish man. And these...are special...

[He considers the shelf for a moment then sits up just enough to pull the two books from the shelf, then carefully places them between he and Wanda.

Books of the books seems rather old. The first is titled Inquiries Into The World's Heart, the edges of the cover worn and marked by dark smudges like ink. The second, Influence Of The Moon On The Energy of Souls, appears slightly smoke damaged.]

[The look in Felix's eyes certainly gets her attention, and a look of curiosity flashes across her expression. She watches quietly as he reaches over and plucks the two volumes from the shelf. As he lays them out before her, she studies the covers. Each of them were equally intriguing.]

[She makes a motion, reaching out to touch the cover of Inquiries Into The World's Heart, but stops short. She first looks up to Felix, knowing it is far more proper to ask his permission first.]

May I?

[Felix needs, even as a smaller, more possessive impulse inside him almost makes him take it back, his hand flexing as if to reach out and pull that book in particular closer. But he doesn't.]

Go ahead.

[He curls his hand around his cup instead, and watches]

That one, in particular, isn't about the subject - I admit I've hardly read it myself - but who it belonged to.

[Wanda opens it delicately. She can tell from Felix's reaction that it means a lot to him, so she handles its pages very carefully.]

[The characters and symbols on the pages are complete nonsense to her, but that doesn't stop her from admiring them all the same. She doesn't look up, flipping through the pages, as she asks her next question.]

Who it belonged to?

[The text may not be entirely foreign. Many of the words resemble English, if she can read it, though jumbled with French or perhaps Italian words. Even then, the book is somewhat esoteric and dense.]

This copy belonged to Gideon Thraxios. [There's a lot he can say about Gideon and Felix pauses, considering.] I loved him...

[A tiny smile crosses his lips, his eyes dropping to his lap again. It's honest, and after everything, Gideon deserves that much. It still feels strange to admit out loud.]

[Wanda looks up at that. Surprise written plainly on her face. She stops flipping through the pages, and carefully closes the book before placing it back on the bed where Felix had originally placed it.]

Felix, I... I'm sorry. I wouldn't have-- if I had known, I would not have... [She shakes her head. 0 for 2. She tries a third time after taking a moment to make sure she gets the proper words out.] The book has deep sentimental value to you. I do not want to diminish that. Thank you for sharing it with me though. You did not have to.

[He watches her put the book down with a trace of amusement in his eyes. He doesn't reach for it himself, though.]

Wanda...you need not apologize. I think...[He glances at the cover]...I think it diminishes it more to hoard it away and never speak of it.

[She smiles at him. It's full of sympathy but also a warm gratitude that he would share something so personal with her.]

How did you meet? You and Gideon? [She then quickly adds:] If you don't mind sharing, I mean.

[He stares at the book a few more moments, his hands pressed against the side of the cup and absorbing the gentle warmth there]

You might say we met twice. I don't properly recall the first time. I was...not well. [Gideon is one thing, the subject of his period of madness another] But I remember that he was kind and that he listened to me when others would not. I imagine it was in part because he was something of an outsider as I was at the time, being a political refugee from our rivals, the Bastion. But it was also...who he was.

The second time...was after my brother had freed him from prison. [Which is a long story in it's own right. He laughs a bit, awkwardly] Neither was terribly romantic, I'm afraid.

[Wanda listens intently, a small endearing and warm smile on her face. She doesn't need to be a telepath to tell that Felix's feelings for this man are very real and very strong.]

I think it is up to us to decide whether something is romantic or not.

[She gives him a knowing smile and wink. Let's be real, dating Vision meant knowing that the typical gestures of romance were not likely to be found. But then, hadn't that kind of been one of the reasons Wanda had been drawn to him?]

Did he know? About your feelings for him?

At first it was mostly on his side, but we were together for two years. I think that he did. OR, I hope so. I made...[he stopped and let out a sigh. It got easier over time, but it still hurt, like swallowing ice water. Worse, the distance was spoiled by his recent visit home.]...I made mistakes.

[He takes another deep breath, rolling his shoulders as if to shake off the melancholy.]

I had a chance to tell him when he came to to last world in which I was imprisoned, for whatever it was worth.

[Wanda may not understand the exact history of events behind that look on Felix's face, but she can surely emphasize with the emotion itself. She's made plenty of mistakes herself. She'll gently rest a reassuring hand on his shoulder, if he'll allow her to.]

I'm sorry, Felix.

Whatever the circumstances may have been, hearing those words from you had to have meant something to him.

[He doesn't pull away, though like usual there's that slightest trace of tension]

I hope...no, I think...you are right. Gideon and I were always star-crossed. Those kinds of stories were always my favorite, I admit, but they are far less fun to be the central player in...[He doesn't quite have the heart to mention why, right now.]

[Felix lets out a sharp breath] I apologize. You came here to talk and I'm being dreary again. Surely you had something else on your mind?

[Wanda shakes her head, dismissing his concern about being dreary. She gives him a warm, sympathetic smile. She even includes a short, reassuring squeeze of his shoulder before her hand returns to his lap.]

It's perfectly all right, Felix. I asked. I wanted to know. You do not need to apologize to me for how you feel.

[She does take this as an opportunity to change the subject, attempting to move on to something more cheery.]

You said you like plays. Tell me about your favorite one from home.

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