Young Writers Society

((TRUE))

His eyes flickered back to Gaius. "I'd merely agreed to meet Marcella here after speaking to Sera, sir," he explained, clasping his hands behind his back, fingers around his wrist. Something to do with his hands other than fidget.

Marcella looked up warily.

"And why was that?" Gaius glanced between them. She couldn't be interested already, could she? They'd known each other all of two hours. "What could you possibly find to interest you in the library?"

"Books, my lord." He didn't mean it sarcastically, in spite of how the answer might've sounded, and there was nothing in his demeanor or tone to imply any sass. Gaius asked, he answered. That was all. He might've not said anything, but he'd already let the cat out of the bag with Marcella, so it only seemed a matter of time before Gaius found out regardless.

"You can read, then?" Gaius glanced at Marcella again. It was possible she meant to teach Cornyx. As much as Gaius loved to preach that the common folk ought to read, he wasn't too keen on the idea of Cornyx delving into his books for information. Perhaps a compromise could be reached.

"To an extent, sir."

Another half-lie. He could, of course, read, but he was quite proficient at it. He couldn't count the hours he'd spent with a book in hand while behind bars, or even when he was free and still in the system.

"What books were you interested in?" Gaius rose, leaning on his cane for support. He was still weaker than he would have liked, mostly due to his reluctance to eat at this point. "We have a large array of subjects."

Everything that could help him blend in, but Gaius wasn't about to make that particular venture easy.

"I'm not particular, sir." Which wasn't quite true, either, but it'd suffice. He'd always had a strong preference for poetry and nonfiction, but he'd read most anything that was handed to him.

"That's a wise answer," Gaius replied with a vague smile. "It's always best to have a broad interest. Come, let's find you something of interest." Nothing of use, of course. He wanted this boy as honest as possible.

Gaius limped off into one of the shelves, scanning the familiar spines for something for Cornyx to read. Something regarding one of the other Realms...perhaps a history of the Eastern war.

((It's honestly cracking me up a little watching Cornyx's plans get foiled here))
((he was so hopeful for a hot second there and now he's just stuck playing along))

Bullshit. He had serious doubts about being able to get ahold of anything useful with Gaius standing there, but he was in it now. He followed Gaius, eyes tracing the room for any alternative entrances. If he was going to sneak in, doing it through the front door was a tricky business.

(Gaius is very good at screwing up plans and lives. As he has proven time and time again to Tomhas.)

There were two doors on the left and right walls, not as large as the other pair but still of decent size. Gaius rested a finger on a title he'd enjoyed in his youth. It covered a lineage of the Eastern monarchs.

((poor tomhas))

He made a mental note to himself to figure out where those doors led. Whether or not he could access them was a different question entirely, but going through the hallway with Gaius' office was asking for trouble.

"Do you enjoy history, Cornyx?" he asked, pulling out the book. He glanced over his shoulder at the younger man, raising an eyebrow quizzically. "The Eastern Realm is chock full of it."

Sure, if it was Northern, but there was no getting out of this one.

"Yes, sir. Quite."

His words were somewhat bland but, then again, they often were. He wasn't a particularly emotional speaker and most of his words were short and to the point, even if they were punctuated by a stutter, and he'd no true desire to play along any further than he had to.

"I think you might find this interesting, then." Gaius offered him the book, watching his reaction carefully. He had no doubt the boy was looking for something on the Northern Realm. What an intriguing person he'd found. Sashka had given him a blessing by leading him to this young fellow.

"Thank you, sir. I'm c-c-certain that I will enjoy it."

He took it, not meeting Gaius' gaze as per his usual. Stealing and hiding books was nothing new to him--he'd been up to such things since he was a child--but getting around the lord would be harder than getting around the one who'd raised him.

No matter. He'd work something out. He had to.