GRATIA // PSL

[birdsbirdsbirds]

"The Archive", as people call it, is the single-greatest collection of written information in all of Skeleton City. It is a massive, multi-leveled cylindrical chamber filled with concentric rings of tall, imposing shelves made from wood, metal, and occasionally, the cave walls themselves. Large platforms are suspended on stone bridges above and below the main level, allowing for study spaces and the occasional, separated collection. The space is hushed, as these spaces usually are, with most of the sounds of shuffling feet or conversation reduced to muffled background static between the rows of soft binding and thin parchment. High up in the ceiling is a large, back-lit, stained-glass window, which casts the entire chamber in dim, gently-shifting colors.

Despite all this, it's actually rather boring. There are very few actual books in this library, and most of those are recently-written biographies, historical accounts, philosophical texts, or extremely repetitive business ledgers. The rest of the space is taken up by scrolls, loose files, and what amount to simple index cards. A significant chunk of the Archive is taken up by identification records and police procedural. You could probably look up any recorded crime from any day in the past three decades, but good luck finding simple field guide or a scrap of poetry. The only people who frequent this building are religious scholars, hired detectives, and the spies who actually know how to read.

There are treasures to be found, of course, interesting folk stories or old books that have been lovingly hand-copied by someone onto a six-part series of scrolls, but the effort is not worth the prize for very long. The Archive also has a significant lack of information regarding magic or the existence of monsters, which is why it has taken Robin so long to find anything even remotely relevant to his current plight.

He's still where Tek left him, tucked into a desk near the edge of the room, mostly out-of-sight of the main walking paths but not so hidden away that he couldn't be wandered-upon by another visitor. At this point he's amassed several stacks of old-looking articles, genealogy charts, and weathered journals, and has slowly progressed from sitting like a human to hunching over some written account with his legs crossed and his head propped up by a gloved hand.

He hasn't found the answer he was looking for. He has some ideas, vague scraps of information that he could scrape together into a cover story... But if worse comes to worse, he'll be going up against someone almost as smart as he is, so vague ideas will only buy him time. They won't fix the problem.

The big... dragon-shaped, magic-using, monster-attracting problem.

He's not actually confident on the causality of that last one, but his research into that has not gone much better than his research into a new cover story. He's very wrapped up in his own busy thoughts by the time his aforementioned problem comes looking for him.

Comments

[birdsbirdsbirds]

"Funny, he tells me that a lot..."

His response is light (and equally sardonic) as Tek starts shifting around. He watches him, wondering where he's going, wondering if the dragon is already getting antsy to go on to the next part of their adventure...

But when it becomes clear that he isn't, he's just settling back down and inviting another round of attention, Robin lifts himself up with a bright smile and wastes no time following his friend to the other side of the bed.

The first thing he does is lean down to kiss him, of course.

[heresyandlace]

As Robin follows and meets him there, Tek hums and gives his whole body a lazy, grateful stretch--before finally letting his arms fall again to settle around his partner's shoulders.

He's so comfortable there, somehow still warm and soft from sleep, conforming to Robin and drawing him in. It's as if he has forgotten all about that little bell. He's made of nothing but pure contentment, tempting Robin to stay right there forever, where it's just so nice...

[birdsbirdsbirds]

Robin has not forgotten about their little bell, but he does not particularly care. He is pretty sure that Tek has also not forgotten about it, but he knows that, if anything, he's just going to get a kick out of someone walking in on them while they're busy snuggling up on each other.

So he starts to kiss the other's neck, trailing from jaw to shoulder in a line of comfortable, soft touches... And it's somewhere around him moving to the other side that they hear the telltale sound of their door unlocking and opening, and a (familiar) bored-sounding voice soon follows.

"You rang for room service."

It's the desk clerk from before. His statement probably should have been a question... But it sure doesn't sound like one.

[heresyandlace]

Clerk? What clerk? Tek must not have been able to hear the poor man around the happy little murmur that he purrs into the side of his friend's neck.

If someone is going to acknowledge the clerk, it's not going to be Tek. He's too busy shifting closer and letting his hands wander down the sides of Robin's body...

[birdsbirdsbirds]

"Sir..."

They sound so over it. Maybe he's used to this kind of thing. Maybe years of serving politicians trying to sneak in mistresses and expensive hookers has just deadened him to this kind of thing. Or maybe he just knows Robin. Always a possibility, around here.

Robin finally looks up, grinning lazily, shifting to find some way to prop himself up without actually moving away from Tek.

"Oh, yeah. Hey, we're hoping for food. There's that place around the corner..."

He'll go on to explain exactly what he's looking for and how much of several different kinds of foods he's hoping to get, and the clerk does a very admirable job of nodding and ignoring everything going on around the person talking to him.

[heresyandlace]

Both Robin and the clerk have clearly been through this sort of situation a million times... so Tek can do whatever he wants while the two of them are busy, he figures. He won't really be interrupting anything.

With that thought in mind, he lazily ignores the fact that Robin's attention is divided by another person in the room. Cozying up to every bit of Robin's body that isn't propped up away from him, he happily (and liberally) lets his doting hands wander lower...

[birdsbirdsbirds]

You know, if Robin knew that all it took for some intimate attention was an audience, he might have warmed up to the idea a long time ago. He doesn't care what this guy thinks of them, nor does he care when his voice stumbles at the sudden, handsy distraction.

But he does finish whatever it was he was saying, and the clerk gets paid enough that he does not roll his eyes or make any other disapproving faces in front of them. The man's exit is swift and graceful, with a professional nod on his way out.

Which is good, because Robin laughs almost as soon as the door is closed, deep and mischievous while he continues looming over Tek.

"Are you having fun?"

[heresyandlace]

It's not his fault that Robin is slow to catch on to good ideas. He does make sure to reward him for finally coming around, however. Whatever he can do to encourage these sorts of things in the future--especially when he doesn't have to go find someone else for it. As soon as there is any sort of hitch in Robin's demeanor, he quietly doubles down on his attention until their unwilling audience finally makes his exit.

The clerk is gone and Robin's attention is swinging back down to him, and he can't help but immediately chuckle along. His grin is wide and teasing, almost daring, as Robin looms over him.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

[birdsbirdsbirds]

"Uh huh," he mutters, not sounding even a little bit genuine, "And I suppose no one's ever told you it isn't polite to go grabbing people in public..."

That said, he leans down and starts biting at the other's neck--not very hard, more of mindless gnawing to pretend to express some kind of irritation. Really, it's mostly an excuse to get close to Tek again. He has to do something in response to that teasing grin of his.

[heresyandlace]

"Some very boring people may have mentioned it once or twice..."

And Tek fails at playing along with Robin's mock-irritation by looping his arms around his companion's back and hugging him closer. He wants to be covered by the other as completely as possible--using him like a big, heavy blanket. It could almost be mistaken for a hug if he wasn't so slinking and sly about it.

"...How long do you think it will take for the food to arrive?"

For no reason in particular.

[birdsbirdsbirds]

Well, Robin isn't exactly about to put up a fight, snuggling down against his friend after only the slightest invitation is extended. He's more than happy to drape himself and get comfortable again. He smiles against the other's neck.

"Mm, I don't know. Half-hour. I'm sure he's not in a hurry."

And neither is Robin, apparently.