Owner	Pose
Xi'an Coy Manh	It is mid-afternoon getting towards evening as the fall rolls on, here in the House of X. No, not in a poetic sense referring to the familial intrigues of the beloved Professor Xavier. Not in the sense of talking about the X-Men at large in some sort of feudal way. No. In this case, the X stands for XI'AN, which is a city in China and also the name of THE LIBRARIAN. Xi'an Coy Manh is wearing a sensible sweater while seated at the circulation desk. A wooden sign on the top, made of pale pine and woodburned with a peculiar golden hue (it's probably someone's power practice project), declares that TODAY is AMNESTY -- RETURN NOW -- NO FINES. The library does not have any classes in it right now, meaning that there are a couple of people slouching at tables and desks to do work or read books, but otherwise peace and serenity reigns. Xi'an herself is assembling some kind of metal object. It would seem to be a model except that it's not a model of a warship or an anime robot or a car or anything. It... might be a space ship? The parts are in a tupperware bin she probably stole from the kitchen, and she's assembling it with a little metal wand, so the origin is unclear.
Dashenka Ivanov	Dashenka can be found sitting at one of the computers staring intently at the keyboard. She was told to go to the library to do some research since she doesn't have a computer of her own and has found, much to her consternation that everything here is in English, except for some Russian language lesson books. So going over to the computer because at the very least she could go to Russian language google and do some search there, only to find that the keyboard itself is in English. And she can't read English at all. If looks could destroy, right now the keyboard would be obliterated. "Chertova der'movaya angliyskaya klaviatura!" she suddenly shouts in an an uncommon display of emotion and she suddenly stands up, knocking the chair over behind her.
Xi'an Coy Manh	Someone leaps to their feet and Xi'an looks up from her little task. She immediately and ruthlessly cheats at life! It's gotten her where she is today! That and the mutant powers. "Moy droog," Xi'an calls, before she raises a hand to tap on her temple. She pauses, recalling something, and then says, "Tebe nravitsya... telepatiya?" Her accent is atrocious and sounds like a total peasant. Nevertheless! Russian! (Klaviatura? does she mean the keyboard? Xi'an wonders.)
Roxxi Smith	Yes, it's October! The very best month of the year if one were to ask this particular redhead. And by red, we do mean red. Her's is currently dyed an unmistakable cherry red of artificial origins. Dressed in a black sweater emblazoned with Jack Skellington, a pair of green shorts, and her chunky boots, the teen makes her way into the library. Muffins hangs dutifully from one of her belt loops.     The Library, at the moment, seems a place of mystery as it's one of the few places still unexplored by Roxxi. She wasn't avoiding it intentionally, but it was far grander than any other library she'd visited before. The mansion in general seemed to have that effect. She was constantly in fear of breaking something. Still, the Library! She stepped in and marveled, beginning towards the mechanical lift, when the crash of Dash's chair landing, drew her attention. Roxxi spun around, seeking the source.
Dashenka Ivanov	Dashenka looks somewhat surprised that somebody here spoke Russian. So many at the school spoke her language that it was kind of relieving that she doesn't have to rely on her terrible English to communicate. Quickly, though, she regains her composure and that impassive mask is slipped on again. <I apologize for my outburst,> she says in Russian, as she picks up the chair, and scoots it back under the computer desk. <I get frustrated when everything is in English and I can only read Russian.> She gestures to the keyboard, <The alphabet makes no sense to me.> She gives Xi'an a curt shake of the head. <No thank you. Telepathy isn't necessary. What I need is a Russian keyboard to do my research.>
Sam Guthrie	Sam Guthrie had made a stop by his local used book store, and the comic shop below his house. So today finds the southern carrying a tote with older books in it, mostly paper backs, and a short box of comic books. He has a backpack slung over one shoulder, as he makes his way into the library. He hears a bit of the clatter on his way in but not much of it. Hearing the last of the conversation. "We might be able to rig something up, at least till we can order something off ebay he offers. That is if Xi'an aint hiding one away somewhere." He smiles walking over to put the tote down on the central desk "I brought you some more books found while I was looking for some for myself."
Xi'an Coy Manh	Shan shifts herself to get upwards, smiling at Dashenka as she seems to follow along with what she's saying. (Is she using telepathy despite already asking?! Well, a little bit of surface reading of intentions is a hard thing to deny, especially when she's literally speaking it out.) "Sure," she says, not too quickly but not slowing... it... down excessively, either. "I think we have one, I just will have to step upstairs. Please wait if you don't - mind -?" This is when Sam comes in, and Shan says, with a clasp of her hands, "How did you know. And oh! Wonderful. Did you get another one of the Haydees?" (A series, originally in French without much English market penetration. Shan is a fan. Say that a few times fast.) "Please, Sam, settle down. Have you had the chance to meet Dashenka? I have tormented her a little with my Russian, already." This is when she gets an eyefull of Roxxi. "Hallo!" she calls. "Please, I have to go upstairs for a moment, but if you are returning books without risk of late fee, well, Sam, I trust you can receive the contraband for a moment, yes?"
Roxxi Smith	Roxxi joins the growing crowd. Or is it more of a gaggle? Whatever the case, she joins them, her expression one of concern. "Hey Dash! Did you fall? You have to stop Dash-en all over the place!" Hopefully, the dad joke translated well. She smiled from ear to ear and offered aid if the much larger teen seemed to require it.      She then took note of the others. For Sam, she waved and smiled brightly. "Hi Sam!" Xi'an's share of the attention was a bit more curious. The redhead slowly shook her head no. "So, I didn't borrow any books..." she said, adding a helpless shrug of her shoulders.
Dashenka Ivanov	Shan is going to find Dashenka's mind a hard one to crack. It's clear that she's had rigorous training to construct mental shields against intrusion, which kind of tracks considering her military demeanor. "I do not mind," she rumbles. Her English accent is just as atrocious as Shan's Russian. She gives Sam and Roxxi a curt nod and the hint of a smile. "Privyet, friends. I did not fall. I stood up too fast," she explains to Roxxi.
Sam Guthrie	Sam Guthrie looks over to Xa'in "I found book 5 but still having trouble with the fourth one." He tells her. He also removes the backpack and sets it on the counter waiting for Xi'an to return. He nods "Roxxi, Dash." He offers in greeting. He does rifle through the box, and pulls out a book from near the bottom. He walks over to Dash "Found this while was there too." He offers her a book with Metro 2033 written in russian on it.
Xi'an Coy Manh	"Oh, is that so," Shan says to Roxxi, raising her eyebrows. "Then you will have to borrow one today. Take a look around, whatever you like - some of the reference books, of course, we must keep here, but you know how it is." Does Roxxi know how it is? It is hard to say. Shan then moves to climb the spiral staircase, which makes an annoying amount of clanking given her foot, but that's life for you once again. To Dash she explains, "It's in the faculty reading room. USB-C, hopefully I remember this right." Soon enough she is briefly outside of the field of view. A door unlocks, portentiously! Then it bangs something. ("gauh," Xi'an groans, gallically.)
Roxxi Smith	Roxxi beams at Sam and Dash as they wait for the return of Xi'an. "I'm glad you're okay Dash!" She didn't seem at all upset that her attempted dad joke fell flat. "This is exciting! What is she getting, a book?" She looks after Xi'an expectantly at the clinks and clangs.
Dashenka Ivanov	Dashenka takes the book and looks it over in her hands curiously. She flips it to the back and reads the little blurb about the post apocalyptic future. "Hrm," she says before giving Sam a quick nod with her head. "I will read this," she concludes. She looks up briefly at the bang before turning her gaze back to Roxxi. "Nyet. Keyboard in Russian."
Sam Guthrie	Sam Guthrie looks over and says "I'm a sci fi fan, and I pick up books for the school, when I find them, saw a russian one, I aint read it, but hope ya like it. ." He looks over to Roxxi "Do you enjoy reading? I am sure there are some books around here you might find interesting and if not. I heard tell Xian keeps a movie suppy hidden somewhere too
Xi'an Coy Manh	"Good news," says Xi'an from the second story, leaning over the railing and holding up -- a keyboard! "Do you want it now or in a minute?" she calls down. (One of the older students looks over, perhaps not expecting this sort of action from the librarian. ("No," Xi'an tells him, "it's not the general rule.") "She needs a keyboard in Cyrillic," Xi'an explains to Roxxi. She mimes as if to toss the keyboard to Dashenka several times more, but this is while she is moving towards the staircase again.
Roxxi Smith	"Oh..." Roxxi echoes with obvious disappointment. A keyboard was much less mysterious than a hidden book. Still, however, it was to help Dash, so that was good! "I hope it helps! " She remarks cheerfully to Dash.      As Sam speaks, Roxxi's attention shifts. "Me? Oh, I just mostly read what they tell us in class to read. I guess I like it okay. I mean, I don't hate it. I hate math." She informs him with a cheeky grin. As Xi'an pops back out, the redhead looks up with obvious confusion. "I thought you needed one in Russian?" She whispers as a quirt aside to Dash.
Dashenka Ivanov	Dasha takes the keyboard from Shan with a nod of the head. "Privyet." It's hard to tell from that impassive mask she always wears but there's a hint of gratitude behind those ice blue eyes of hers. "Da," Dasha tells Roxxi, holding up the keyboard so she can see the Cyrillic letters. "Is Russian. Letters are Kirillitsa... er... Cyrillic?" She looks over to Shan and Sam for confirmation that she got the English word correct. "Cyrillic."
Sam Guthrie	Sam Guthrie nods, and says "It should help her out quite a bit. You wanting to keep it in the library or ok with her keeping ahold of it Xi'an?" He will ask and moves to open his backpack and pulls out 2 fast food bags. He opens the first one and pulls out a milkshake, and offers it and the second bag to Xi'an "And a reward for a good deed"
Xi'an Coy Manh	"I think it's completely fair if you want to keep it for now, you have a need," Xi'an says as she reaches the first floor again. She pauses then to blink at Roxxi. "You don't enjoy reading?" she asks - and while she is camping it up just a little bit, she seems genuinely surprised. "If you're not big on fiction or anything, we can find books on all sorts of topics. And of course we're all online so much these--" She is then briefly surprised, floored even, when Sam produces *savory treats*. "Samuel Guthrie," Xi'an says in a lower tone of voice, "you know full well there is no food in the library." A pause. "Of course I am on staff." She reaches forwards to take it, bringing it in and checking the interior, suspiciously. "Ah," she says. "The fry sauce... everything in order, as it should be."
Roxxi Smith	"Neat..." She trails off quietly, as they explain the meaning of Cyrillic. Roxxi reaches out to trace some of the foreign letterings. "I can always help you read if you want Dash. I'm not as smart as everyone else, but I'm more fun!" She says with a laugh and strikes a funny face.      Sam's removal of the takeaway bags gets Roxxi's immediate attention. She sniffs at the air. Was that the sweet siren scent of french fries? "What?" She asks Xi'an, obviously distracted by the food. "Oh, no, reading's okay. I just don't know what I would like outside of class."
Dashenka Ivanov	Dashenka's nose twitches once the bag is opened, catching the scents of the fries, fry sauce, and probably whoever assembled and cooked the fries. "These are French fries, da?" she asks. She wonders why France would make such a thing, to be honest. They're not known for fried foods. When Roxxi's done examining the keyboard she turns to plug it into the computer. "Da," she tells her. "Will need help reading. But first must learn alfavit." The computer recognizes that she plugged in the Cyrillic keyboard but the rest of the UI is still in English. <<Stupid letters are all backwards,>> she mutters in Russian.
Sam Guthrie	Sam Guthrie will walk over and take the mouse and with a few clicks, he has the computer screen translated to Russian for Dash. <That should help> He says in Russian and then to Roxxi, "Sorry I would have brought more, but I know Miss Mahn does not take her breaks half the time when she is working unless someone make sure she does. " He grins and says "Xi'an and I cam to the school at the same time" to Dash he adds, "Xian is why I speak vietnamese, luckily she just had to learn to understand me, not speak like me." He jokes.
Xi'an Coy Manh	"It's interesting when you learn a few," Xi'an says, raising her eyebrows. "It was a relief. I knew very poor English when I first came here." To Roxxi, she says, "Really! Hmm. Well, turn it a different way. What kind of movies or shows do you like?" As she says this, she unfolds the cheeseburger from its wrappings. "As for the fries, I believe they are actually Belgian, but the name does stick." "I can change the language on that terminal for you if you would like," Xi'an tells Dashenka, "but it will be reset at the end of the night, so you would want to learn it yourself. Or if you wish, the Professor could assist you, I suppose; but that is not always as rewarding." Then she bites into the burger.
Roxxi Smith	r     Roxxi's brain makes the cognitive leap. "The Alphabet? Oh, that's easy." She grins reassuringly to the taller teen. She begins to sing The ABCs quietly in the back as the others tinker with the computer.      She grins sheepishly at Sam, as she wraps up her little song. "Oh, It's okay. I already had dinner anyway. Maybe I'll go into town tomorrow for fries. I can always eat." She explained to the Southerner.      As they continue to talk of languages, Roxxi pipes in "Oh, Poor English? That's my first language." She teases, obviously full of the dad jokes tonight.
Dashenka Ivanov	Dasha gives Sam a grateful nod. "Spasiba. This will help." When Shan explains about the fries, a bit of confusion slips from underneath the mask. "Then why is it 'French' fries?" So much about this country is so confusing to the poor girl. "How would Professor help?" she asks. "I am in English class and.. er... social studies." She shakes her head, "I have so much to learn." Something about Roxxi's singing breaks something loose in the Russian girl. Like an iceberg breaking off a glacier a memory comes to the surface. One of little Dasha singing her own country's alphabet song along with her mother. Something about the memory breaking through the conditioning the Project has done to her causes her physical pain. Normally she wouldn't flinch at any amount of pain but this one is deep and is rooted to her psyche. "Tch," she exhales in a pained breath, her hand coming to her head, and the other hand reaching out to the chair to stabilize herself. The pain is fleeting though and soon passes, leaving her the memory... the only memory she has of a life before the Project. She feels that her cheeks are wet, and she lifts her hand to wipe away a tear. "I am crying," she says. She didn't even know she /could/ cry.
Sam Guthrie	Sam Guthrie was about to say something but at Dashenka's reaction concern shows on his face "Are you ok?" He puts a hand lightly on her shoulder, and says "Did you somehow hurt yourself?" HE is not sure how she would have and looks to Xi'an to see if she has any ideas.
Xi'an Coy Manh	"I imagine it is because of the first world war," Xi'an says to Dashenka. "There would have been many Americans in the area, and I imagine many Belgians were glad to sell them pommes frites." "The Professor has at times provided us with telepathic instruction in these languages... I believe he thinks that it is a little risky, especially if you are younger," Xi'an says, dipping one (1) french fry into the dipper of sauce and crunching on it. To Roxxi, she continues, "You speak quite well, I think. Anyway, think about it, I am glad to make... recommendations?" The cheeseburger is placed down. Xi'an, who had a credible excuse to walk over without being too forceful (handy! excuses are great!) walks forwards, bearing several napkins quietly in one hand. "Ah," she says. "So you are. It is alright..." The folded napkins are proffered, as she says more quietly, "Do you need a bit of space? No harm, take as long as you like."
Roxxi Smith	Roxxi dazzles a bright smile at Xi'an as the Librarian turns the dad joke into a compliment. "Oh thanks! I was just teasing. I guess really I like adventure movies. Like, The Mummy, or oh! The new Jumanji was funny.. " She thinks a little more, though she really looks like she might be contemplating Grand Theft French Fry when Dash starts to cry. This, was bad. Her face screws as she tucks into the larger teen's side to give a sideways hug, so long as the other young woman seemed so inclined. She kept her peace, and just offered herself as a quiet, physical presence until they better knew how to aid Dash.
Dashenka Ivanov	Dashenka isn't quite sure what to do with herself. She stares, blinking away the tears uncomprehendingly at the offered napkins for a moment before deducing what she is offering them for. She dabs at her cheeks and at her eyes as she answers Sam. "It is a memory. Of before Project. My mother and me... singing alfavit song." She, then, starts to sing in a soft, childlike voice the song, that belies her harsh military exterior. She's silent for a long while as she thinks about this. Roxxi's hug is permitted, but she isn't exactly sure what to do, so she just stands there, awkwardly in thought.
Sam Guthrie	Sam Guthrie nods, and says "Maybe it will be the start of more memories from before the project. It is a good thing a sign your getting past some of their training and more into yourself." He offers.
Xi'an Coy Manh	"Music can do this," Xi'an says. "It is a powerful aid to memory." She waves Roxxi over a little, encouragingly - there, hugs, good. Good. Xi'an is already considering book suggestions but, well, you don't have happy cross talk over the head of a crying person.
Roxxi Smith	Roxxi isn't too sure what to do herself, so she remains, giving hugs. At some point, she's slipped Muffins onto her left hand, though she doesn't seem overly distressed. Not really having a comforting solution outside of the hug, she begins to hum along with Dash. However, the Russian Alfavit song is a bit more complex!
Dashenka Ivanov	Dashenka nods at Sam in agreement, her tears finally stopping. "Da. It is a good thing. I know I have mother, now." She scowls, looking at the damp napkins. <I wonder if she's still alive,> she mutters, in Russian. She looks down to Roxxi who's still clinging to her. Unsure what to do, she reaches down and pats the girl on the head. "Spasiba. I am good now." She turns to the others. "I think I need rest." She gives each a nod of the head and takes her leave to hurry to her room so she can think about this more privately.
Sam Guthrie	Sam Guthrie nods his head and hmms. He makes a bit of a plan and looks over to Xi'an, and says "Will see what Kitty and Doug can scrounge up." He offers not going more into it, but sure Karma knows what he is thinking. They have known one another for quite some time after all.