Lost In Translation

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel stared at the screen for a solid three minutes before relenting and looking to his left and out through the glass wall of his office. It was a new record. He'd been looking out every twenty seconds, waiting on Remi's appearance in the library entryway, ready to pop up from behind his desk and rush out to greet the angel and usher him in. He'd begun to annoy himself, so he'd started timing his concentration, forcing his eyes to stay riveted on the screen for as long as he could stand it before looking for the angel's beautiful form. Excitement curled in his stomach like a frantic butterfly.

It was a joke, really. He wasn't even doing anything on his computer. He'd opened Word in preparation and now all he could do was wait for Remi to arrive and start reading out the first book to him.

He'd set up a chair to the right of his, in front of the more open part of his desk, his computer pushed over to the left to give Remi space to read from the Enochian text sitting upon it. It was the shortest of the three books (he guessed). He couldn't even title the Word document because he couldn't read the cover. All he could do was wait. He'd asked Garan to come in tonight to cover the circulation desk, uncertain how demanding the translating would get. He didn't even have to be out to talk to the students he'd seen coming and going.

Instead, he sat in his wheeled computer chair, his knee bouncing with agitation, making plans in his head that were unlikely to ever come to fruition. He'd dressed in a simple grey suit with a blue and grey waffle patterned button up shirt and blue tie. His hair was currently smoothed back with some product in it but he knew from experience that the strands would be loose and arching towards his eyes from him running his fingers through it once he started working. He tended to fiddle with it more when he was reading or typing.

Sam just needed his work partner to turn up and the dishevelment could begin.

[Ehcorn]

Remi hadn’t waited any more patiently than Sam had.

When the sun began to slip beneath the horizon, the angel grinned and leaped from his favorite perch — the highest ledge that overlooked the entirety of his garden and offered some of the best, unobstructed views of the city. He flew across a sky streaked fiery red and orange, periodically wrapping his arms around himself and wishing the sky’s warm appearance meant for a warmer flight. Once he had the means, he’d invest in all the wonderful things that humans had invented to keep heads and fingers and necks away from the biting cold. Until he received his first payment for his translation services, he’d have to suffer through it.

By the time buildings gave way to an extensive forest and it was too dark to see, his phone stopped working. Sam had warned him that he might lose the ability to access his maps this far out from the city, but there was no missing the sprawling academy situated atop a hill and twinkling brightly like stars on a cloudless night. Finding his way inside was equivalently easy. He landed nearby, glamored his wings away, and watched people coming and going through a set of double doors long enough to confirm it was the entrance. Then it was his turn. He crossed the threshold and… didn’t make it much farther than that.

He looked around the entry area with widened eyes; it was roomy, and like the foyer at Sam’s hotel, it had been painted nice, calming colors, but he could already feel an itchy uncomfortableness set up between his shoulders. He pulled on and adjusted the collar of the scarlet red dress shirt he wore beneath his brown herringbone blazer, then slipped his hands into the pockets of his dark denim jeans. If he kept from fidgeting and breathed, maybe it wouldn’t get too bad. Maybe he wouldn’t need to call Sam and tell him to come to find him.

Breathe. He sucked greedily at the air. Alright. Now, exhale. He released it all in a long sigh. 

Despite his best efforts, something of his panic and dismay crawled across his face for everyone to see, and a young mortal with an aura Remi couldn’t place approached him and asked if he needed help. Remi gratefully accepted. His companion insisted on walking him to the library and didn’t leave his side until he pointed towards Sam’s office and Remi nodded confirmation.

"That’s him," he said, smiling at Sam. Every bit of tension in him became water on a duck’s back and slid away. Forgotten.

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel smiled broadly when he saw Remi delivered by someone, thinking he’d asked for directions and paying it no mind. He was too busy hurrying out of his office and around the long curve of the circulation desk to greet him. He looked him over when he reached him, giving an appreciative little whistle.

“Welcome, it’s good to see you. You look great! Very professional,” he complimented, finding it amusing they’d both dressed the part tonight. It was like they were pulling on armour to go into battle, in a way. Look the part, feel the part of... work colleagues? “This way,” he gestured, keeping his hands to himself despite wanting to take Remi’s hand and lead him in.

Once they were in his office, he closed the door (even though it was glass) to seal their conversation inside. He didn’t immediately guide Remi to his desk, though, he watched him anxiously to see if being inside the mostly-glass room would have a negative effect on the angel. “You know, I think I got used to seeing you with your wings last night. You look a little... less without them. Are you feeling okay in here?” he queried, relenting and placing a hand on Remi’s. It was trapped between them, where no one would see.

[Ehcorn]

"I feel a little less without them," Remi admitted with a wan look as he tangled his fingers with Sam’s.

If he’d wanted, he could’ve dropped his glamor and summoned his wings from the half-world they resided in. On his way to the library, he’d spied more than one set of wings, but they’d been of the impish variety, which — as far as he knew — depended more on magic than anatomical structure to keep them aloft. Angels balanced the two. Each of his wings were twice as long as he stood tall, and made navigating enclosed areas difficult at best. Sometimes, a little discomfort was worth avoiding greater pain.

He’d keep his wings hidden until he was ready to fly.

"But otherwise, I’m..." Remi trailed off and took a moment to look around Sam’s office. If the walls had been opaque and if Sam hadn’t been there with him, he would’ve gone to a corner and cowered there until the building fell on his head, but his reality was one where he could stand tall and maintain his dignity.

"You know, I think I’ll be okay as long as you’re here to distract me." He squeezed Sam’s hand and grinned, chasing some of the pallor from his cheeks. "If you’re up to the task."

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel relaxed when Remi grinned at him, as always struck by just how darn pretty he was, with his twinkling eyes and pouty, kissable lips. Sam's responding smile was broad and he didn't drop Remi's hand as he led him across the office towards his desk, sliding in between the chairs and the desk into the one in front of the computer, dragging his companion after him.

"I am absolutely up to the task of distracting you in any way I can," he smirked, releasing Remi's hand so he could get comfortable. Once Remi was beside him, the wheels on their chairs allowing them to slide nice and cosily together, he transferred his hold to the angel's leg. He rubbed his hand along it then squeezed it briefly. "And if I fail, well, hopefully the book's good enough," he chuckled wryly, reaching over to drag the text he'd chosen slightly closer to Remi.

"This is the shortest one," he informed, tilting his head as he looked at it, as if having someone who could actually read the symbols on the ancient, papyrus-bound tome would suddenly help him understand what it was about. "I thought we'd start with it, to get us into the swing of things, but I'm open to negotiations," he grinned, lifting his gaze to meet Remi's eyes. The other two texts were on the vast cupboard/bookshelf that filled the solid wall behind him so he didn't have to look far for alternatives if Remi wasn't happy with his first offering... but that wasn't all he was thinking about just then.

"We can do something else to settle your mind first, if you need," he said mischievously, giving Remi's thigh another squeeze.

[Ehcorn]

He was only able to glance at the book long enough to confirm the title was written in Enochian before Sam's suggestion, paired with a dangerously placed hand, stole his attention. He stared back at him, enthralled by the images that danced through his mind at the vampire’s prompting. Every nerve ending was atingle, ready to launch his arms up and his hands out to help him dig his fingers into Sam’s perfectly styled hair and drag him the short distance to his lips. That would certainly settle his mind. But for how long? If they kissed, he’d want — need — more, and it wouldn’t end until they were undressed and on the desk, writhing against each other.

Remi made a strangled sound at the back of his throat and forced himself to focus on the book and the job at hand. With a sigh, he dragged it closer so he could run his fingers over the familiar glyphs as he read them aloud, first in sing-song Enochian, and then again in English.

"The Travels of Pravuil," Remi said, then puckered his lips in thought. "I swear I've heard that name before. I can’t remember where, but— Well, I suppose we should keep reading, shouldn’t we?" Remi flashed a quick smile at Sam before he carefully lifted the cover. Smaller, densely packed glyphs lined the first two pages, and he scanned them briefly to find his starting point. He traced the words from the upper right-hand corner to the left, opposite what he would’ve been if he’d been reading a Latin-based script.

"'Here are presented the results of inquiry carried out by Pravuil on the Earthly plane.' Definitely an angel's name, then. That's probably why it sounds familiar to me." He settled in closer to the book, crossing his feet beneath his chair at the ankles and resting his forearms on the table as he continued translating. "Where was I? Hm, presented results… Pravuil... Earthly plane. Ah, here we go. 'To the end that neither the discoveries of Angels may be forgotten, nor the works great and marvelous, which have been produced by the learned among the non-Angels.'"

He looked askance at Sam. "Please don't tell me the shortest one is supposed to be the easiest."

Enochian hadn't changed much over the eons, but the book's content and the scribe's archaic way of writing guaranteed a headache by night's end.

[Existentially Odd]

The heated look Remi gave him was enough to satisfy Sam's desire for a reaction; he chuckled wryly as the angel's expression spread warmth through him. Knowing Remi was willing but keeping himself in check made Samuel feel better about his own restraint. They were both playing the part tonight. He withdrew his hand from the angel's thigh and it hovered over the keyboard as Remi pulled the text closer to him.

Remi's voice speaking in Enochian was transfixing and his ensuing reading in English wasn't much less lyrical. Sam froze, watching him with his mouth agape as he read the glyphs on the cover. He didn't start typing quickly enough. As Remi opened the book to begin, he realised he was mildly hypnotised by the angel and had to force Remi to backtrack and help him figure out the spelling of 'Pravuil'. He laughed when Remi accused him of picking the most complicated text. "No, but it is the shortest," he warned, chuckling at the angel's expression.

Once Remi began reading in earnest, it took Sam a little while to find his groove but he got there eventually. At first, he wasn't sure whether they should stick with the ancient syntax being offered or interpret it but he quickly decided a direct translation was best, the first time around. He could rewrite an interpretation of it on his own time, after the whole thing was complete. As they progressed, Sam was disappointed to realise that the text wasn't going to be particularly relevant. As a historical snapshot, certainly, but not as a text to bring enlightenment to anyone modern.

It was basically a tour guide for angels.

Pravuil had basically had a gap year and backpacked his way around the Earth, visiting all the modern sights. Well, as 'modern' as one could see around the year eight hundred AD, anyway. What slightly confused both he and Remi was that Pravuil had made a similar trek around the globe about a millennia before, because he often exclaimed about the differences between then and what he was seeing on his current journey, referencing things he'd written in an earlier text. Obviously, Sam didn't have volume one so they were stuck coming into the series without all the contextualisation Pravuil had provided in book one. They did their best.

It took them two and a half hours to complete what might have been considered the first chapter. It was more like the opening section, discussing where Pravuil had landed (which happened to be Greece, they soon figured out). He'd certainly had a lot to say about how run down the buildings had become in the thousand years he'd been absent. Sam found his passive aggressive criticisms of modern peoples' disregard for the classic structures' disintegration quite amusing and he'd laughed over his keyboard more than once.

When Remi told him they'd reached the end of the Greek section, Sam glanced over at him at last. "You look like you need a break," he smiled gently. "We have a refreshments station out in the library," he informed, gesturing beyond his glass door. "There's hot and cold filtered water available, as well as instant coffee or tea. And herrrrrre," he drawled, rolling back from his desk towards the cupboard/bookshelf behind him. He opened one of the cupboard doors to reveal a small bar fridge, inside which he had a few bags of blood and a large fruit platter covered in cling wrap. He'd brought it with him from The Luminary. "Is a snack for you."

He pulled the platter out of the fridge. but didn't roll back to the desk, holding the fruit protectively to his chest as he looked from Remi to the book in his hand. "But you can't eat or drink anywhere near the text," he insisted, his fussy book-lover side rearing its ugly head. Thinking about the text becoming compromised in any way made him feel sick and as much as he liked Remi, he trusted no-one near his precious, unique texts.

[Maxpphire]

His class had finished for the evening and he made his to the library for the night. He didn't plan on staying too long as the stress of the previous night seemed to be a breaking point for his body stress wise and he wanted some rest. Either the medication that Hofflan started him on wasn't working well enough for him or something else was at play. He made a mental note to bring it up with his new doctor to see what could be done about it all given the pain and nausea wasn't exactly fun to deal with. It did however make him forget how warm he felt due to the fever it brought.

If he had not known it was an issue with his immune system then he would have stayed home, but since he knew it wasn't contagious he had come in anyway. He had felt bad that he missed nearly a weeks worth of work back two weeks ago. Sure it wasn't his fault really, but he was still bothered enough by it that he refused to take time off right now. The only reason why he was coming to the library now was because he didn't want to miss his chance at meeting Remi, he honestly wanted to get that dealt with sooner rather than later. It would relive that worry, and he hoped that it wouldn't bring any new ones given what Sam had told him last night.

He was wearing his normal wear of a button down shirt with the top button undone, a black vest that was buttoned up, and black slacks. His hair was braided in one braid either side of his head and where they met, the hair was bright together and pulled upwards. Mostly to keep it away from his neck as he felt warm enough. He figured it would be a quick visit of him being Remi, asking Remi if he'd want to even help him, then possibly exchange numbers, then leave to go rest. He had made his way to Sam's office door and hesitated a moment before he finally knocked. He had no idea the door was glass and even when knocking on it, it was thick enough to sound different compared to knocking on a home or car window.

[Ehcorn]

When the fruit platter first made an appearance, Remi straightened from his slumped position and smiled brightly. He hadn't considered bringing anything aside from himself to work, but Sam had. He'd known he'd be peckish this far into the night and made sure to have something ready for him. Wonderful, thoughtful Sam, who... Refused to hand the snack over until he'd carefully closed the book and no, he couldn't put it there, he needed to put it over there, on the far side of the desk. Remi pulled a face but stood and held the book suspended on the other side of Sam's keyboard, glancing back at the vampire to confirm he had the right spot before he set it down.

And here he'd thought it was just his mentor who was particular about his tomes and scrolls and ancient codexes. To be fair to the vampire, though, Sam at least trusted him to eat in the same room he kept his texts. Vretil wouldn't have. He would've made him eat outside, and then he would've been forced to wash thoroughly before he came back to read anything.

Sam's fussiness seemed downright reasonable in comparison.

"Thank you, I'm starving," he said, moving over to Sam to accept the proffered platter. It took everything in him not to devour everything where he stood, but he managed to wait until he sank back into his chair and placed the platter in his lap before he removed the plastic wrap. Which fruit would he introduce to his stomach first? He'd just lifted a cluster of deep purple grapes when a knock at Sam's door made him look up.

He recognized the part angel, part human man from the carnival without having to look at his aura, but that didn't mean he rushed to answer the knock. It wasn't his office, after all.

Remi looked expectantly at Sam and popped a grape into his mouth.

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel was startled by the knock. He looked up to see Dreki at his door and a very annoyed Garan standing a short distance away, glaring over his shoulder at the trespassing angel - who'd apparently felt it was his right to stroll around the circulation desk into the restricted area behind to knock on the Head Librarian's door.

As Sam looked towards the shifter, Garan must have felt Sam looking at him because he made eye contact and threw his arms up in the air, gesturing at Dreki in a 'Who the heck does this guy think he is??' kind of way. Sam closed his eyes and nodded in a manner he hoped told his coworker his distress was acknowledged but that it was alright Dreki had barged through. Garan huffed and turned back to talking to the person on the other side of the desk that must have been the reason he'd been too distracted to stop Dreki's march on the internal office in the first place.

His door did kind of line up with a break in the desk - and the partition that dropped down to close it off was currently folded back onto the counter - so he supposed Dreki's blindness may have tricked him into thinking he could access the restricted area freely. Or something. With a grim expression on his face, Sam got up, tucked his chair back in beside Remi and circled around the angel and his desk. He rested a familiar hand on Remi's shoulder as he passed, then paused on the other side to rescue one of the two chairs in front of it from its cargo of a stack of books (by piling it onto the already-burdened chair beside it) so Dreki would have somewhere to sit. He headed for the door wearing a polite smile.

"Evening, Dreki. Please, come in," Sam greeted, deciding he'd wait for a more tactful time to tell the blond that he'd broken Library protocol and antagonised one of his staff. "There's a chair there, in front of my desk, please sit. Remi, you remember Dreki from the other night?" Sam prompted as Dreki passed him and Sam shut the door behind him. The library wasn't exactly a noisy place but there was enough going on out that there that Sam still appreciated the sound dampening effect of the door being closed. He certainly didn't want anyone hearing their conversation, either.

"You've got impeccable timing, Dreki. We were just taking a break," Sam marvelled as he headed back to his seat beside Remi. He watched Dreki as he went, to be sure that he had no trouble finding his way to the four-legged chair set up exactly opposite Remi at his huge wooden desk. He didn't look right and the amount of heat coming off him was above that of a normal mortal temperature, which had Sam frowning. Was he sick? It had always baffled him that Dreki could have his DNA spliced with that of an angel and not manage to garner their healing properties.

[Maxpphire]

"Thank you," he spoke to Sam after being told to come in and sit down, he was going to ask if this was an ok time to come by but hadn't had the chance to with how fast Sam managed to just instantly come in and take a seat. He was able to find the chair without issue, being able to see its outline fairly clearly and sat down in it. His outward expression seemed to be somewhere in the more neutral to happy range, with a professional edge to it, however if Remi could read emotions in ones aura, Dreki's was very much lined with a heavy layer of depression. He hid it well on the outside. He had given Remi a small wave, when Sam had introduced him.

"Oh good, I was going to ask at the door if this time was a good time to stop by but you ushered me in before I could even ask," he spoke with a smile, "So how goes the translating work?" He asked, starting off with some small talk, not sure if Sam even talked to Remi about him, but didn't want to just jump right into it. The frown he noticed on Sam's face worried him a bit, he wondered if it wasn't actually a good time, or he should have just straight up asked, or even hurry to get out and leave them alone. He felt a bit awkward, given what Sam talked to him about last night, the fact that Remi was of course on the same side of the desk as Sam. He wasn't sure how to proceed from here.

[Ehcorn]

Remi continued piling grapes into his mouth and chewing mechanically as Sam invited his guest in and set him up in a chair that made him the tip of their triangle. Sam's introduction and Dreki's greeting came at a moment he was unable to speak, so he lifted his chin upwards in acknowledgment. Of course he remembered the man. He was, and still remained, baffled by his existence. Remi opened his inner eye briefly and frowned. The swirling white and golds that belonged to an angel and the duller tones of a human shouldn’t have mingled together in his aura, but they did. He wished he’d been able to talk to his mentor about the creature before he’d encountered him again. Vretil would’ve known what to make of him.

When he finally finished the last of his grapes, Remi discarded the bit of vine that’d joined the cluster together and wiped his forefinger and thumb on the side of his jeans. His eyes narrowed as he further inspected Dreki. At the carnival, they’d only spoken briefly, and it’d been dark enough that he hadn’t realized something was wrong with his eyes. Their cloudiness made him think Dreki was blind, though he’d navigated well enough to the chair Sam had pulled out for him, and he’d looked directly at each of them as they’d spoken or been spoken of.

Odd.

He prepared to insist that Dreki explain himself the same way he’d demanded to know why his aura was muddled and wrong, but his question about their progress translating Sam’s texts made him stop short. Although his relationship with time was complicated, he'd agreed to work with Sam recently enough that he was surprised Dreki already knew about it.

"The scribe was fond of flowery, overcomplicated prose, but it’s not terrible. It’s only given me a small headache," he said, shaking off his confusion in exchange for an amicable smile. "I’m not sure it’s everything Sam hoped it’d be, though." He bumped his leg into Sam's and chuckled, then grabbed another piece of fruit, this one a section of watermelon that hadn’t fared as well as the grapes; it was mushy, but still tasted marvelous.

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel laughed along with Remi, grinning wryly at him as he nudged his leg in return. His knee remained resting against Remi's below the desk as he commented. "You could say that again!"

He turned to look at Dreki, the wattage of his smile sobering slightly. "If I came from the Heavenly Plane and needed to know my way around old town Greece, I'd definitely want this text in my pocket," he joked, rolling his eyes. He glanced at Remi, momentarily watching his mouth as he chewed.

"Remi, Dreki has some questions for you," he prompted, trying to encourage the two angels into discourse.

[Maxpphire]

He let out a small chuckle with his exhale in regards to what their first translation project seemed to be about. It didn't seem to be terribly interesting given both of their reactions. Seemed like quite the boring book, but figured that not all the books they had would be exciting. Then Sam brought up the reason as to why he was there.

"Ah yes," Dreki started, taking a moment to think where to begin as it seem that Sam gave Remi no warning of this, "I guess the best way to sum this up, is I'd like to be your student." He said able to condense most things down to a single sentence. "I'm only part angel, I have a very mortal background given how I started life that way. I want to better learn how to use what abilities I do have and maybe more about angel culture and even the language if you're willing to go that far." He wanted to explain his goal for it, so maybe Remi could understand better what he'd be expecting at the very least, and what more he'd like to learn beyond that. He was a huge learner, already knew several languages, and knew he'd be up to task to learn whatever Remi was willing to teach, if that was anything at all.

"Would you be willing to teach me?" he asked, "I can offer money, a place to stay, teaching you more about mortal life, or if there is another price you have, please name it." He knew that such a thing wouldn't come free, he couldn't expect it to. Nox had since disappeared thus freeing up his spare room again, he worked a full time teaching job on top of the class he teaches at the Academy and could very well pay Remi a living wage for this. Also having grown up as human, he could teach quite a bit himself, although he knew his knowledge did have weird gaps. He was very booksmart but was still getting his footing when it came to dealing with people one on one, as well as some other odd life nuances, he still had yet to grasp. He still could offer Remi what he knew in that regards at the very least.

[Ehcorn]

Remi finished his watermelon but didn’t retrieve another piece of fruit from the platter. He peered skeptically at Dreki. "How does that work, anyway? How are you part angel?"

It was about time he figured out what he was dealing with.