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Nevermore Usher:
The library isn’t all that busy today. A couple students in one corner completely failing to work on their homework, an elderly lady patiently struggling to understand how email works in the computer lab, and a plump Goth, gender pin set to “she/her” today, browsing the DVD section wearing a long black coat.
Asbolus:
As Nevy perused the shelves she found herself joined by a taller gentleman dressed neatly if casually in jeans and a grey t-shirt, a pair of books tucked under one arm. A faint chill accompanied his presence, although one could easily blame it on an errant blast of air from the AC vent nearby, as he gave the medium a polite nod before looking over the titles himself.
Sigrun Ljosdottir:
Sigrun is out and about for professional purposes today. She's wearing a t-shirt for the Last Kingdom on Netflix which features the series logo and the tagline 'Destiny is All' with her name printed over the breast. 'Sigrun Ljosdottir'. Handy. Her backpack is slung over her shoulder, rife with subversive pins and patches and one stuck on plushy of a viking woman with a big stuffed axe. She's sifting through the reference section's files, perusing what books they have that aren't out for general consumption. Card catalogs. Old school!
Nevermore Usher:
As the chill hits Nevy, she shivers and glances around. Her search seems more focused than the usual ‘where’s that breeze coming from’ look - it’s as though she expects to find something, and it isn’t there. She glances at the tall man who just passed. “Chilly, Huh?”
Asbolus:
Asbolus gave Sigrun a polite nod as the Bright One caught his attention then looked towards Nevy at the question, nodding after a moment. When he spoke his British accent came through loud and clear, not dulled a whit by his time in the States. "A bit, yes. Tends to be in here, I've noticed."
Sigrun Ljosdottir:
Sigrun ticks off a salute towards Asbolus when she spots him, offering him a wink and a grin. She goes back to flipping through the cards, stopping at a perhaps interesting listing. She jots its info down on her slip of paper and resumes thumbing through the catalog. She does peep over to check out who the other changeling might be speaking with, with the idle curiosity of a bored gossip.
Nevermore Usher:
Nevy nods and can’t resist a touch of melodrama. “Sometimes it’s as though the grave had reached into my bones,” She says with a shiver that’s, perhaps, somewhat exaggerated.
Asbolus:
He chuckled, not seeming put off by the melodrama in the slightest. "Quite the chill indeed, then..."
Sigrun Ljosdottir:
Sigrun finishes her current block of cards and slides the file drawer closed with a thump. She has her list now, adjusts her bag on her shoulder, and ambles over closer to the chatting pair. Well, how about that, the chill has passed! The heat must have kicked on. "Hey," she greets Asbolus without benefit of offering his name. Perhaps by way of discretion. "Fancy meeting you here. Who's your friend?" A smile if offered to Nevermore, bright and polite. As guileless as a puppy.
Nevermore Usher:
Nevy turns a smile to the woman. “Call me Nevy. I...” Her eyes widen. “Is that your name?” She blinks at the name tag, then grins. “That’s awesome!”
Asbolus:
"Salutations." He gave Sigrun a smile along with the greeting, said smile growing a touch at Nevy's reaction to her name. "Asbolus. Good to meet you Nevy."
Sigrun Ljosdottir:
"Yup," Sigrun states, looking down at her shirt and pointing at said name. "Shame they couldn't get the accents on it, but. That's me!" She shifts her bag on her shoulder and tucks some of her unruly hair behind her ear, "Nice to meet you, Nevy. What brings everyone out to the library? I thought I was the only person this boring."
Nevermore Usher:
Nevy blinks at Asbolus then laughs. “I guess I don’t have to hide “Nevermore” then. Wow!” She looks at Sigrun. “Looking for a movie. I’m hosting a Horror Movie Night this weekend. Need to find something sublime - or ridiculous, either one is great for horror.”
Asbolus:
"A bit of reading, as tends to be the case." He patted the two books under his arm with his free hand, both covering aspects of the theatrical arts if looked at. The reaction to his name earned a small smirk, giving Nevy a nod. "The name does suit you, I will say."
Sigrun Ljosdottir:
"Live your best life, girlfriend," Sigrun states on the topic of the name. Of course, she's named Sigrun Ljosdottir, so it's not like she's in any position to point fingers. "Most of my friends call me Siggi, which I don't mind much." She flashes her notes to Asbolus, "Yeah, I'm raiding their reference section. Looking for some historical records and such. I hate it, though. I'm bad at it and usually just wind up cross-eyed."
Nevermore Usher:
Nevy chuckles, “Yeah, same here. ‘Nevy’ is just shorter to say.”
She looks sympathetic at Sigrun. “I used to hate having to research. These days if I’m working through book research I just tell myself there’s probably a good story in it somewhere, if I dig deep enough.”
Asbolus:
"I've always been fond of it, but then again I like chasing a good lead when I come across it." A Hunterheart enjoying the chase? Perish the thought. "Haven't had to do much proper research since I was at university, though. What sort of records were you looking through?"
Sigrun Ljosdottir:
"Looking for regional specific period arms and armor for the colonial period here in Philadelphia. I've got an interview for a period drama, and I've found they tend to go better when I can simply demonstrate I did the leg work beforehand and know minutae the others overlooked. Gives me a leg up. And since it's doing a lot of shooting locally, it's good way to make a little scratch without having to do air travel and all that mess." Sigrun's eyebrows do wind up lifting a bit at Nevy's explanation, "You're an author? How cool!"
Nevermore Usher:
Nevy chuckles at Asbolus. “A veritable Inspector Dupin, Huh?” She blinks at Sigrun. “You work on movies? That’s cool.”
Asbolus:
The Darkling had to pause to mull over the reference, smirking once it clicked and giving a little nod. "One could say so."
"Ah...that does sound interesting. Best of luck with the interview."
Sigrun Ljosdottir:
"Not many movies on the big screen, honestly. Mostly Netflix stuff." She gestures at her shirt indicatively. "Some syndicated shows. Lots of stage productions. You can absolve a great many sins on a sound stage through editing in post production. If you don't sell it the first time on a stage production, you aren't selling it period. So. Weird as it sounds, that's where I get most of my work." Sigrun bounces her bag onto her shoulder a bit, "I'm a fan of Hellraiser. The Hills Have Eyes. Nightmare on Elm Street. Um. The whole Evil Dead series is good for a laugh. 70s and 80s horror is my jam."
Nevermore Usher:
Nevy’s grin widens. “You guys want the details on the horror night? My boss is letting me use the back room of the bookstore I work at. I think he’s hoping to sell more secondhand Stephen King.”
Asbolus:
"How true that is...that and being able to see the reactions of the crowd are some of the best part of live theater, in my opinion." He sounded almost wistful, in a way, although the mood passed just as quickly as it came as he gave Nevy a nod. "Color me curious."
Sigrun Ljosdottir:
"Sounds like a fun date night, honestly. I'd love the details." Sigrun is still holding her paper slip and fishes her pen out of her backpack quickly so as to be able to jot down the particulars.
Nevermore Usher:
Nevy just pulls a couple of half-sheet flyers to give to the pair. "Eeeeexcellent," She says in her best Evil Genius. Then she pulls out a card and proffers it to Sigrun. "And I am an author. And an artist. And a shameless, blatant self-promoter. Who just put out a book of art and poetry. And has rent."
The card is in black with obviously hand-designed gothic text: Nevermore Usher. Artsmith. Wordcarver. Purveyer of the macabre and mysterious. Etsy: XXX. Instagram: YYY. Commissions: ZZZZ@gmail.com
Asbolus:
Asbolus smirked as he took the offered pamphlet, looking it over before neatly folding it and sliding it into his pocket. "What sort of art do you do?"
Sigrun Ljosdottir:
Sigrun takes the card and flyer, which spares her having to write anything down. So she tucks pen and paper into her backpack and looks over both before tucking them away, too. She plucks a card from her own wallet and hands it over. Her headshot, her statistics, and the contact info for both her and her agent. She's in SAG and Equity. OoooOOOoooh. She nods at Asbolus's question, also curious. "Apart from macabre and mysterious, obviously."
Nevermore Usher:
Nevy grins. "Pen and ink work, mostly." She hands Asbolus a card, too - this one flipped upside-down to show the stylized rose sigil that they like to put on things. Then they pull up their Instagram to show off some other artwork. It's mostly pen-and-ink, stylized work, often intertwined with poetry.
Asbolus:
Asbolus glanced over the card as he looked over the screen of Nevy's phone, nodding with approval. "Very nice...never got bit by that particular bug myself, I'll admit, but I've always applauded those who pursue it."
Sigrun Ljosdottir:
"I do handcrafts of various sorts, but I'm not sure I'd call it art," Sigrun admits with a shrug of the shoulders. "I know of some people who are artists, though. I'll mention you to them. There's a lot of artists around, but not a lot of collective artistry that I'm seeing. Apart from the Mural Arts projects and such."
Nevermore Usher:
Nevy lifts an eyebrow. "Yeah? That would be great! I've only met a couple other artists since I came into town, and one of them was just..." She grimaces. "Creepy. And not in the fun way. I'd love to find more of the artistic community." She looks to Asbolus. "Do you work in theater?"
Asbolus:
"Lux is working on something on that front, actually. I can pass your number onto them if you'd like." He nodded to Nevy, pausing briefly at the question. "I did, until other work took me away from it. Wouldn't mind getting back into it some day, though."
Sigrun Ljosdottir:
"Get a headshot and a CV together, and I'll pass it on to my agent if you don't have one. She's real good, especially with the theater jobs. I haven't been to an open audition in like seven years, to put it into perspective." Sigrun then gives Nevy a concerned glance, "Creepy? Who's the broken stair? Name names."
Nevermore Usher:
She blinks and smiles at Asbolus. "You know Lux? I just met them. I love how they use color in their murals." Then she turns to look at Sigrun. "He's a jeweler. He was named... um... Drake, I think?" She shakes her head. "He didn't really do anything to me other than stare at my coat and give me weird vibes, but the vibes he gave me were really weird."
Asbolus:
"May take you up on that." He nodded to Sigrun, giving the Fairest a brief "I'll tell you more later" look before turning his attention back to Nevy. "Small world...I do, yes. They're a good friend of mine."
Sigrun Ljosdottir:
"Lux is cool," Sigrun agrees lightly with a shrug of the shoulders. "Drake, huh? I'll mention the name, I guess. Got to keep our community safe." She seems rather mollified by Nevy's implication it was a passing meeting. Which is a good thing, given she's a six foot tall freight train of a woman.
Nevermore Usher:
Nevy nods. “He might just be neurodivergent and less socialized than me, but...” they grimaces bit. “I’m not planning any small-group outings with him. Just in case.” She glances between the two and smiles. “”If you both know Lux, you probably know Two-face too, right?”
Asbolus:
He briefly mouthed 'two-face' before the reference clicked and he smirked, giving a small nod. "I do, yes."
Sigrun Ljosdottir:
"Not by that name, no." Sigrun's phone sounds the chime of Mario fetching a coin, and she pulls it out to glance at the screen for a moment. She taps out a response and notes, "That's my boyfriend. He wants to talk about equipment, so I should scoot. But it was nice meeting you, Nevermore. And good to see you again, Absolus." She once more hikes her backpack onto her shoulder, preparing to be off.
Nevermore Usher:
“Janus Mearcstapa,” they explain. “I called him two-face once and he laughed, so it stuck.” She grins and offers a hand. “Great to meet you, Sigrun.”
Sigrun Ljosdottir:
"Oh! Mearc! Yes, we've met. Thick as thieves those two." Sigrun beams an approving smile as she slides her phone back into her pants pocket. She's quick to accept the offered hand, shaking it firmly. "Freyja's blessings, Nevy. I hope to bump into you another time." She offers a brief touch to Absolus's arm with a fleeting smile of parting, and then she's off through the stacks to pursue her next appointment.
Asbolus:
"See you around, Sigrun." He smiled at the touch and gave the Fairest a brief salute as she began to head off, then looked back to Nevy. "How do you know Mearcstapa, out of curiosity?"
Nevermore Usher:
“We used to hang out in Chicago. He came to he horror movie nights I threw there, and helped me pick up a couple things about security.”
Asbolus:
"Ah, I see. Never been that far west myself, I'll admit."
Nevermore Usher:
Nevy chuckles. “Sorry, but I never really thought of Chicago as “that far west.” I always figured we’re pretty centrally places, all told.”
Asbolus:
"True, but I've only been here and New York as far as places in the States go, so it's a bit west for me."
Nevermore Usher:
She nods. "All right, I'll give you that."
Asbolus:
"Was he the reason you came to Phiadelphia, or just a happy happenstance?"
Nevermore Usher:
"Not the main reason, but it's easier to move when you know there's a friend there, you know?"
Asbolus:
"Indeed. That's part of why I came here myself; a friend from university needed a hand with something and the place grew on me enough that I decided to stay."
Nevermore Usher:
Nevy nods. "So, what do you do, since you've been out of the theater for a while?"
Asbolus:
"Have feelers out for a few different things at the moment, including possibly looking into a private investigator's license, but nothing definitive just yet."
Nevermore Usher:
Nevy's eyebrows raise and they look sympathetic. "Lose your job recently?"
Asbolus:
"Stepped away intentionally. Toxic work environment, that sort of thing."
Nevermore Usher:
"Ugh. That kind of job is terrible. It's dreadful to feel your soul wasting away in torment and drudgery."
Asbolus:
"Indeed. Was glad I was able to get away from it when I could." He thought a moment, looking Nevy over. "What sort of books does the store that you work at cater to, out of curiosity?"
Nevermore Usher:
"It's a used book store. I think my boss mostly likes 'old' and 'obscure,' but he'll take about anything."
Asbolus:
He nodded quietly. "Will have to come by and check it out, either for the movie night or before then."
Nevermore Usher:
Nevy grins. "Absolutely do. And tell my boss I told you to. Might get a raise out of it if I bring in enough business."
Asbolus:
"Naturally. Have to support local businesses and all that." He replied with a smile.
Nevermore Usher:
Nevy grins. "Your efforts will help save us all from destitution and vagrancy. We thank you, oh brave hero."
Asbolus:
"No hero, just a man who respects the written word." He chuckled, offering Nevy a hand. "I do have some other things to attend to this afternoon, but it truly was a pleasure meeting you. Will see you around."
Nevermore Usher:
"Same." She shakes firmly. "Nice to meet you, Asbo." She hesitates to see how the nickname goes across.
Asbolus:
He simply nods, not minding the nickname in the slightest by all appearances. "Have a good one."
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