Learning Curve // A My Inner Demons Collection

Judging Book Covers // Chapter 1

SYNOPSIS
For us insiders, the Daemos' shenanigans are quirky and fun, but for an outsider? Read on for a stranger's perspective as they are dragged into the wonderful mess too.

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CHAPTER 1: Guardian of the Archives

Her mind was wandering again.

Sinking into the cushioned office chair behind the front library desk, she was just about ready to fall asleep. But could you blame her? The sleepy air, the peaceful quiet, the boredom... It was the perfect conditions to nod off into bliss.

She yawned. Of course, her lacking wage wouldn't let her doze on the job. Solution? She'll just daydream with her eyes open, staring at... Nothing...

She was staring at something.

She flinched in her seat, blinking back into reality: a tan brunette with a smart sweater vest and curious eyes behind glasses. She sized him up for a moment before suddenly becoming a bit too interested in the clock behind her. How long had she been staring at this guy? He seemed like the nerd type, if she were to judge a book by its cover. She was tempted to just continue ignoring him, but he was standing at the desk and she had a job to keep. She swivelled back around.

"Can... Can I help you?" A start.

"Yes," the man replied too quickly, "You are the guardian of these archives, correct?"

The moment she heard the words "guardian" and "archives" in the same sentence, she knew... She was dealing with a certified nerd.

She shrugged, "That works." It made her job sound cooler than it actually was, she guessed.

"Brilliant. I'd like to know where your magical tomes are." Okay, maybe he wasn't a nerd. A role-player, maybe? Those were two very different audiences. Weird. It was going to be tricky figuring out his preference.

"It depends. Magic of this world or magic of other worlds?"

His eyes widened with wonder, "You know about other worlds?"

"Yeah, like, worlds that people create in their stories and stuff."

"Humans can conjure very realms of existence? That must require tremendous power..." Pretty sure the guy wasn't taking it the right way. He seemed overwhelmed with his furrowed brow and a thinking hand to the chin. The fantasy genre clearly wasn't it.

"Well," she shrugged again, "knowledge is power."

"Some humans extract power from knowledge? Teach me more."

Okay. This other-worldly talk was getting out of hand. But what was more pressing was how he was now leaning over the desk, terribly close to her. She cleared her throat, turned and stood up, "You can teach yourself in the sciences section. I'll take you there."

Shuffling out from behind the desk, she brushed the blush off her ears and led the way. Around the shelves. Past the children's corner. Through the seating area. For some reason, she had a lingering feeling its wasn't just the nerdy role-player watching her from behind.

Then, they made it. Immediately, the brunette tore into the shelf like a homeless man at a buffet.

"Hey! Careful with those books!" She hissed. The guy only slowed down a little.

"My apologies," He sounded sorry enough, but the stack of paperbacks he was somehow balancing on one hand kept on piling until it was taller than her.

"'Apologies' my foot...! You're going to drop them!" She slapped his other hungry hand away from her shelves and swiped the top half of the stack before it could make a mess. She was not going to lose her job because of some overly eager beaver.

Soon they settled at a coffee table where they quietly plonked their towers of books.

"I, uh, did not mean to anger you before. I got too excited," the man was sitting on a loveseat in that tidy, sheepish position that nice kids did in a principal's office.

She was on the opposite ottoman, "It's fine. I just... I get possessive over books. An 'archive guardian' thing, in your words."

He nodded as if what she said made sense. "I swear I won't anger you again."

She got up, remembered how tired she was and sighed, "Just take and read a few at a time, okay? Oh, and no tearing, folding, vandalising, lighting fires or loudness while you're at it...!"

The guy stood up too and it was then she realised how tall he was, "Of course."

"So... Since you have so much books to catch up on, I'll... See you around?" Not looking forward to awkwardly idling for long, she pivoted towards her desk...

"O' Guardian of the Archives?"

This actually made her pause. Instantly responding to that name was a thing now. Warmth tickled her cheeks as she drew out a, "Yes?"

"May I ask why you have no footwear?"

She glanced down at her socks. Socks. Warmth didn't just tickle her cheeks now; they attacked her face. She forgot she took them off when she drifted off earlier. That's why everyone was staring. And here she was convincing herself she was going to get some heartfelt 'thank you' from a cute guy she just met. Quick, think of an excuse. A distraction. Anything.

"W... Whoops, socks to be me, haha..." And now she hated herself.

Lucky for her, she was ignored since he was too busy murmuring to himself, "Is it a practise that enhances magical potential?"

A chance at redemption! "Ah, no, you got me... I tap into the ancient knowledge of my archives by contacting this sacred ground... Wearing shoes stops my flow of power... Woe is me..."

By some miracle, the brunette believed her and... Was now kneeling to her. Okay.

"I, Rhys, offer my utmost gratitude for your generous wisdom, Guardian."

The confused bystanders finally realised they were weirdos and returned to their books. She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or ashamed. Either way, forget anything she thought about the guy--she didn't want to be associated with him anymore. Gracefully gliding across the carpet in her stupid socks, she left behind a puzzled nerdy role-player and blurted out on her way back to refuge, "Okayhavefunreadingbye...!"

She avoided Rhys' line of sight for the rest of her full-time shift.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

Thanks for reading my first ever chapter. Feel free to offer feedback and one-shot suggestions.