Angela's Pet Snail (Library of Ruina (Project Moon))

[Guardian Box]

Angela entered her room, though calling it such was kinda a misnomer. It was more like a massive, cavernous hall filled to the brim with bookshelves, books and book-related paraphernalia. Just like all the Patron Librarian's would have entire floors to be in charge of once they awoke, so did the Head Librarian have one all for her own use.

"Please give me some space" she said to the only Assistant Librarian that worked on her floor. The cobalt-haired woman, hair so long it was almost touching the ground, threw her an eager salute before going to busy herself with some other tasks in a more distant place. It has been a part of small ritual of sorts between them, a way to signify that Angela wished for some peace and quiet, some time for reflection and relaxation without any disturbances.

The life of a Director of the Library was often enough a stressful one, and having a place to unwind or just exist in quiet contemplation was a helpful way in managing it.

She moved towards her desk, the massive piece of furniture as sturdy and elegant-looking as always. She sat behind it, waited a few more minutes with her eyes closed, and willed the Library to shift.

All around her, bookshelves moved and twisted, encasing her, the desk and an area around in a thick shell of books and shelves. It was her own small sanctuary, a place temporarily removed from the worries of the outside. Anyone who saw it might have likened it to a snail retreating to its shell, and Angela supposed that the comparison wasn't entirely inaccurate.

The sound of a toppling book suddenly startled her, which shouldn't have been possible. She should be alone, there was no one here with her. The only possible exception would be an intruder or, perhaps...

She stood up and walked towards an alcove formed by the bookshelves, from where she had heard the sound. There, at the foot of it, a small pile of books laid on the floor, quivering as if in fear, a pale blue eye visible from between the haphazardly scattered volumes.

"Come on out, I know you are there" Angela demanded, and a small creature retreated deeper into the pile with a meek 'eep' squeaked in a shivering voice "I'm not going to hurt you" she continued much more gently, crouching by the book pile and extending her hand towards the paper heap.

Slowly, ever so gently, she coaxed the creature out of its crude and ineffective shelter. The scared little being hesitantly slid forward, until Angela could take a good look at its body.

It was a small creature the size of a small dog, snail-like in its form. It moved forward using its main body, carrying a colorful shell on its back that Angela idly noted was quite pretty. Its head though was that of a young human woman with short white hair, and she did have two pseudopods jutting out of her torso that served as a crude approximation of arms.

"Hello there little one" Angela said in a gentle tone of voice "I'm Angela, the director of this Library. And who are you?" she asked, even though she knew the answer. Her perfect memory was a curse in that way.

Shivering before her was barely an Abnormality, only called such by the thinnest of margins of technicalities. A failure, in other words, totally useless for the Seed of Light project, or anything else even remotely useful for Lobotomy Corporation, either the Headquarters or any of the branches. So long ago the little thing was sedated, packaged and chucked into a corner of some warehouse to be forgotten forever until her capsule deteriorated and finally failed in the far future, taking the creature into death alongside it. That it somehow found its way out of containment and into her floor of the Library was an unusual enough development to pique Angela's interest in the otherwise useless creature.

"H-hello miss Angela" the thing stammered out, voice quivering and uncertain "Um, Snaust is Snaust"

"Well, nice to meet you Snaust" she replied "And pray tell what are you doing here in my Library?" Angela asked

"Oh! Snaust is really smart, so Snaust thought she will teach Snaust how to read books! It's what all smart people do, and Snaust is smart, so there!" the little creature replied with a nod, suddenly more energetic and confident now that she was talking about how smart she is.

"And how has it been going so far?" Angela asked

"Um, not very well" Snaust admitted, head drooping and voice sad "Snaust is doing her best, but even with how smart Snaust is, Snaust can't figure out what many of the words mean..."

Angela took another look at the sad little creature, thinking deeply. On one hand, there was little use for the thing, it would be nothing more than a distraction. On the other hand, she was not beholden to the cold corporate calculus any more, so perhaps a distraction wouldn't be something entirely unwelcome for her.

"Would you like me to teach you?" she asked, making her choice.

"You would!? Really!? Thank you miss Angela!" Snaust exclaimed jovially, sliding forward to hug her leg with all of her nonexistent strength.

Snaust made a cute 'meep' of terror when Angela effortlessly picked her up and carried the creature in her hands towards the desk. Placing the white haired abnormality on her lap, she opened up a book in front of them and started teaching her letters and words.

Snaust was so engrossed in the first learning experience of her life, she barely paid any attention to the cold hand stroking her soft and fluffy hair.

------

Snaust's Diary:

Was trying to learn how to read books again, when shelves started suddenly moving around! Snaust was so startled Snaust fell down from a bookshelf and made a mess! Thankfully Snaust wasn't hurt, but Snaust got really scared!

Then Miss Angela arrived! At first Snaust thought Miss Angela was really scary, but turns out she's super nice! Miss Angela also gave Snaust this book, it's a very special book that Snaust just needs to think very hard at and words will appear! It's Snaust's greatest treasure!

Miss Angela even started teaching Snaust how to read words properly! At this rate Snaust will be a scholar in no time!

 

[Guardian Box]

Angela relaxed behind her desk, bookshelves already shifting into a protective shell of privacy all around. She sighed loudly, hoping the gesture would trigger some kind of atavistic relief response, but no such luck.

The library was developing along nicely, with new floors opening up and new Patron Librarians taking up their duties at a steady pace. The guests arrived, they fought, they died, and their Light was harvested. Still, it wasn't a stress-free endeavor, so Angela indulged in these few rare moments of peace and relaxation.

She also used these occasions to engage with her pet project.

"Are you there, Snaust?" she asked out loud, already knowing exactly where the skittish creature was hiding. There weren't many nervously quivering piles of books with a poorly concealed snail's shell sticking out of them around, after all.

"Um, hello Miss Angela" the creature eventually spoke as it emerged from under the pile "Snaust was just reading the way Miss Angela showed Snaust, but then all the bookshelves started moving and Snaust fell again and-" it rambled on, sounding quite embarrassed, and Angela couldn't quite hide her smile.

"It's okay, take it easy" Angela told the little creature "Why don't you come over here and we'll read something together?" the snail-like being visibly perked up and started sliding towards her at a hastened pace

"Snaust would love that Miss Angela!" Snaust said, before moving forwards at a speed that was a rapid sprint for the creature, but a slow walk for anyone else. It arrived at the foot of her seat, and made to climb up onto the desk, before hesitating "Um, could Miss Angela help Snaust up?" it asked

"What's the matter?" Angela questioned back "You should have no problem climbing up the desk by yourself"

"Snaust knows that!" it sounded almost offended "Snaust knows all things Snaust knows after all!" I proclaimed with pride, as if stating some profound wisdom, before visibly deflating "It's just... Snaust likes it when Miss Angela holds Snaust close when we read..."

"I see" Angela replied, doing nothing for a few moments, making the little creature nervously quiver in uncertainty and fear of rejection "Very well then" she finally relented and picked the little thing up, eliciting a squee of happiness in response before placing it on her lap.

"What are we going to be reading today, Miss Angela?" It asked with an excited look in her eyes.

"How about we continue where we left off?" the director proposed, and her bookish companion nodded eagerly in response.

Soon this area of the library was filled with sounds of Snaust's slow enunciation as she struggled through the novel, Angela helping out with some of the harder words and correcting some mistakes every now and again. Time flew peacefully as both of them sunk into a pleasant and relaxed peacefulness.

All the time, she slowly stroked the small creature's soft and fluffy hair, her own fears and worries melting away in the presence of the simplistic creature's earnest efforts.

------

Snaust's Diary

Snaust is making great progress in becoming a scholar! Snaust almost can read by herself now! Miss Angela was a big help of course, and she's very warm and kind to Snaust! She's also very smart! Sometimes Snaust thinks Miss Angela might be even almost as smart as Snaust is!

Snaust really likes reading together with Miss Angela. Snaust never had a friend, or anyone really, especially not in the Cold Place. Snaust doesn't remember anything before the Cold Place, but Snaust knows she shouldn't remember in the first place so it's okay.

Snaust really likes it when Miss Angela holds Snaust on her lap and helps Snaust in reading. Snaust doesn't really like Miss Angela messing with Snaust's hair all that much, but Miss Angela seems to really like it, so Snaust allows it.

It's what a good friend would do, this Snaust knows!

 

[Guardian Box]

"Miss Angela! Miss Angela!" the little creature greeted her jovially from a hip-high bookshelf, and Angela smiled in response to its enthusiasm "The bookshelves moved today, but Snaust didn't get scared and didn't fall down!" it proclaimed with obvious pride in its voice.

"Really? That's good to hear. I'm proud of you" Angela replied, and the little creature puffed itself up in satisfaction. "And how about the book? Have you finished reading it?"

"Yep! Snaust is so smart Snaust managed to finish reading a book all on her own!" she confirmed, and Angela had to stifle a chuckle at the little being's enthusiasm. "Snaust will be a scholar and know all the things in no time!"

"Well, this calls for a celebration" Angela said as she picked the little thing up, Snaust eeping cutely in response, before placing it on her desk. She then presented the girl-like snail with a plate of sugary confectioneries "Eat up, it's all for you"

"All of it for Snaust?" she asked, bewildered. Uncertainty warred with her desire for sweet things, before she extended one questing pseudo-pod and grabbed a sugary and sweet chocolate cookie. She nibbled at it for a moment nervously, as if afraid someone would take it away at a moment's notice, before her taste buds recognized that it was indeed sugar hitting her tongue. With speed belying her snail-like nature, she started eagerly devouring the entire platter of sugary confections. "Sho ghood~" she mumbled through a mouth full of sweets and crumbs.

"That's not all though" Angela said once the little creature's appetite was finally satiated "I also got you this" she continued, brandishing the a pair of glasses, lenses removed for Snaust's safety reasons.

"Is that- it can't be-!" Snaust choked out, half in shock half in wonder upon seeing the item.

"Since you managed to read a book all on your own-" Angela said, placing the wire frame of the glasses over Snaust's head "-let this small gift be a symbol for everyone to see how smart you truly are" she continued, not even bending the truth all that much. The little creature was quite quick on the uptake for things she dedicated her efforts towards after all.

"I- Miss Angela-" Snaust tried to speak, struggling for words. Her lower lip wobbled as she held back tears of happiness "Thank you a lot, this really means- I mean- I- waah!" she turned around and hurriedly (for her) scuttled away, aiming for the closest pile of books on the floor to bury herself under in utter embarrassment.

Angela allowed her that little piece of dignity by not commenting on how long the little creature's 'hasty' retreat under the relative safety of a few upturned books took.

-------

Snaust's Diary

Snaust is super mad at Snaust for making a fool of Snaust! And Snaust was doing so good so far!

Snaust finished reading a book all by herself! Miss Angela praised Snaust and gave her really sweet and delicious cookies as a reward, Miss Angela is so nice! She then gave Snaust a pair of glasses, so if Snaust ever meets anyone else they will know right away that Snaust is really smart!

But then Snaust realized that Snaust was a really poor friend. Miss Angela was doing so many nice things for Snaust, giving her nice things and another precious treasure, but Snaust hasn't given Miss Angela anything in return! Stupid selfish Snaust, no wonder no one likes you! I wanted to cry when I realized how poor of a friend I really was. Then I ran and hid and actually cried.

But that changes! Snaust will be a great scholar one day! Snaust will be a good friend and everyone will know how smart Snaust is! Snaust doesn't have much, but Snaust is smart and Snaust thought about what to do and Snaust had the best idea ever!

Miss Angela also likes to read, so Snaust will write her a book! It will be Snaust's first book out of many, but it will be special because it will be a book from Snaust just for Miss Angela!

Snaust hopes it will be Miss Angela's treasure just like things Miss Angela gives to Snaust are Snaust's precious treasures.

 

[Guardian Box]

"Miss Angela?" a small voice called from down by her desk, and the director took a look down. There, by her desk, was her little companion.

"What is it, Snaust?" she asked.

"Um, would it be okay if Miss Angela could give Snaust some blank paper and a pen?" the timid creature asked.

"I see no problem with that" she answered, earning herself a wide smile from the little snail-like being "What brought it on though? Is the book I've already given you not enough?"

"No! I mean yes! I mean no!" Snaust shook her head in denial, the action too energetic for her, making her eyes spin and head hurt a little.

"There there" Angela cooed as she picked the small being up, and it eeped cutely as it was placed on her lap. She looked into her sparkling blue eyes and stroked her fluffy hair for a moment, enjoying the sensation "So, why do you need paper and a pen so suddenly?"

"Um, Snaust is sorry if Snaust is asking for too much-" the little creature began before Angela denied the building self-depreciating tirade with a gentle boop on her nose.

"It's not a problem at all" Angela assured with a gentle smile.

"Miss Angela is so kind..." the little creature looked up at her with wonder in her eyes "Um, anyways, Snaust really wanted to try writing things on her own. Snaust needs to practice!"

"I understand, can't become a scholar without being practiced at writing" Angela said with a nod of her head.

"Exactly!" Snaust confirmed enthusiastically. "Snaust will become a great scholar and learn all the things!"

Angela thought to herself for a moment, making the cute but nervous creature on her lap squirm adorably. She could just give it what it wanted here and now, but after a moment of consideration she happened upon a much better idea.

"How about once we are done reading for today you go out a bit and take a look around?" Angela suggested "See if there isn't any blank pages or pens lying nearby? You could then take any you find with you"

"Um- I mean-" the skittish being hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with the idea "-Snaust would rather not go out too far..." it finally said.

"I see" Angela replied with a slight frown. This was what she suspected, her little companion was entirely too skittish and afraid of leaving the place she felt safe in. It spent most of it's time in her little alcove where she collected little odds and ends, and her desk was as far out as it ever dared to venture alone. Angela tried to encourage her companion to open up a bit and overcome her fear, but it was a slow process she didn't want to rush. If she wasn't ready yet, she wasn't ready-

"-but if it's for Miss Angela, then Snaust will do it!" the little snail-like creature suddenly said firmly, surprising the Library's Director with its resolve. She smiled in return, internally happy her gentle coaxing has finally worked in getting the little snail out of her metaphorical shell.

------

Snaust's Diary

Snaust went on a super important mission today.

Snaust really wanted to get started on writing her book for Miss Angela, but Snaust had no paper or pens, so Snaust went searching the Library like Miss Angela suggested.

At first Snaust looked around her alcove and the desk Miss Angela usually sat by, but there was only a few blank pages laying around. Snaust still collected them and stuffed them inside her shell to keep them safe. There weren't enough for a book, but it was a start!

Snaust searched around her alcove and Miss Angela's desk several times, but couldn't find much more. Snaust even climbed the tallest bookshelf all of her own to take a look around! Snaust was so scared, the bookshelf was so high and Snaust is very scared of heights since Snaust keeps falling down all the time! Snaust is afraid Snaust's precious beautiful shell will crack if she falls down too hard!

What Snaust saw from top of that shelf made Snaust feel really dizzy and happy and scared! Happy because Snaust saw so many books to read everywhere! Scared because there was so many bookshelves even taller than the one Snaust was on top of! What if Snaust climbed one of those and fell and broke her shell? And Miss Angela didn't like Snaust with an ugly broken shell? Snaust would be devastated!

Snaust thankfully spotted some few blank pages tucked under a book just a shelf over, so Snaust carefully climbed down and scuttled over to gather some. She then found some more and then some more and before Snaust knew it, she had a few dozen only slightly crumpled pages tucked under her shell and couldn't fit any more so she went back to her alcove near Miss Angela's desk.

On her way Snaust found a few bits she could use to bind the paper together, and someone dropped a pencil by Miss Angela's desk! It was probably one of those clumsy Assistants or that lazy servant she sometimes talks about! Snaust hasn't seen anyone besides Miss Angela in a long time so Snaust wouldn't know anything about them. Snaust usually hid when others came around, and so far only Miss Angela ever found Snaust.

Snaust was feeling very lucky that it was only Miss Angela who had found Snaust, someone else might've not been as kind as her.

Snaust was also feeling lucky that Snaust managed to find so many pages and a pencil! Snaust's book will be finished in no time!

------

Roland grumbled as he turned over yet another pile of books, collecting more blank pages into his bag. So far he managed to retrieve a few thousand of blank pages, several dozens of pens, pencils and quills, as well as some paper clips, binders and what felt like half of an office supply store besides.

"Tell me again this isn't just busy work for the sake of busy work" he grumbled towards his companion in misery. The cobalt-haired assistant librarian remained steadfastly silent, not that would stop him from complaining about his boss "First she has us hide away all this crap all over the library, and now we have to collect it all back? What the hell is that woman even thinking?" he continued before sighing heavily.

The Assistant Librarian merely glanced at him for a moment, the seemingly perpetual frown still on her face, and silently went back to work. Roland's further whining was summarily ignored.

 

[Guardian Box]

Angela retreated to her little sanctuary once again. Things had been quite hectic lately, though everything seemed to be under control so far. She sat behind her desk, threw the packet of Chesed's coffee blend onto the surface, dismissed her assistants and surrounded herself with a shell of bookshelves.

The Library was developing quite nicely, and seemingly only gaining momentum. Chesed recently joined the ranks of Patron Librarian's properly, his floor awakening alongside him and ready to receive guests. She appreciated this gift of undoubtedly delicious coffee from him, even though due to her nature she couldn't properly taste it, at least not yet. Still, it was a welcome gesture.

"What's this, Miss Angela?" Snaust asked, curious about the bag. She was getting much more comfortable with going outside out of her small and cramped alcove, but so far that was limited almost exclusively to Angela's desk. Even now, up until this moment the little creature was sitting on its surface quite comfortably, lens-less glasses on her nose as she studiously perused a romance novel.

"This? It's coffee. I got it as a gift-" Angela stopped herself for a moment, then feeling impish she continued with a smile "-for Snaust, from my coworker, Chesed." a little white lie, perhaps, but the reaction of the snail-like girl was worth it.

"A gift... for Snaust?" she said, eyes wide and almost sparkling with wonder, before she shook her head "No, wait, Snaust doesn't know any Chesed. How did Chesed know of Snaust to give something to Snaust? And why?" she asked, and Angela had to remind herself that the creature did poses some measure of intellect after all to even ask these kinds of questions.

"Well, I may have told him about you" she continued with the harmless fabrication "-and he wanted to meet you, but was very busy with work, so he gave you a gift instead" Angela continued.

"Someone... wants to meet Snaust?" she struggled with the concept, finding it hard to believe "Is he as nice as you, Miss Angela?" she eventually asked.

"Probably a lot nicer to be honest" the director of the Library replied.

"Nope. Impossible" Snaust vehemently denied with a firm shake of her head "Miss Angela is the nicest, no doubt about it" she stated firmly, a hand-like pseudopod correcting the position of the glasses on her nose "This Snaust knows."

"If you say so" Angela replied with a smile, patting the creature gently on the head "Want me to brew the coffee for you?"

"Snaust would love it, Miss Angela!"

------

Snaust's Diary

Snaust got another gift today! Snaust learned that Miss Angela told her friend, Mister Chesed about Snaust, and Mister Chesed wanted to meet Snaust but sadly was busy with work but got Snaust a gift instead!

It's almost as if Snaust made another friend! Snaust hopes to meet Mister Chesed soon! Maybe Snaust will then read something to Mister Chesed and he would praise Snaust for her great reading skills and Miss Angela will feel proud of Snaust!

Snaust wasn't that happy with the coffee. It was very bitter, and Snaust hates bitter things. Still, it was a gift for Snaust personally, so Snaust smiled and drank it all anyways! It would have been very rude not to! What if Mister Chesed saw Snaust not liking his gift and got angry and stopped being friends with Snaust? Snaust would crawl back deep into her shell and be very sad!

Snaust also figured out an amazing new thing about Snaust's Diary. If Snaust concentrates and wants it very hard, words will appear on the pages even if Snaust isn't close to the book! But the further Snaust is from the Book, the more strongly Snaust must want the words to appear for it to work. Snaust tried leaving Snaust's Diary in her homely alcove and think at it strongly from Miss Angela's desk, and it worked, but was very difficult and Snaust was very tired after and had to take a long nap to recover and almost missed her reading time with Miss Angela!

 

[Guardian Box]

Snaust was sitting on Miss Angela's desk, taking a short break from reading to munch on some big and juicy strawberries her best (and only) friend brought her, before going away on undoubtedly important Library business. She almost went ahead and asked what was happening that required the Director's attention more and more over time recently, but bit her lip in time. She didn't want to impose on her friend any more than she already did, and there wasn't any doubt in Snaust's mind that once Miss Angela finally solved whatever problem that was troubling her, she'd come back to her and they'll spend some time together. She even prepared a few books she really wanted to read already, but held herself back. She really wanted to read them with Miss Angela, just like they always did.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Snaust instead thought about another thing Miss Angela briefly mentioned every now and again, and that is her no-good servant, Roland. Snaust never met the man, but she figured out she had his measure enough. A mysterious handsome man mysteriously appearing where he shouldn't, only ever alluding to his mysterious past? Snaust knew enough, and her tomes of romantic wisdom were clear as day about what's happening - Roland was a no-good villain, here to steal Miss Angela's pure maidenly heart! To think she had enjoyed reading stories with ruffians like these in them once!

Snaust bit into the next strawberry especially viciously, spraying fruit juice all over her face. She just knew this was Roland's fault too, the villain!

Cleaning the desk and herself up (also the strawberry bowl, it would be rude not to), she then went back to reading the book she started earlier.

Hours went by in silence, only the occasional rustling of a flipped page breaking the dull monotony of Snaust's surroundings.

Once finally finished with her read, Snaust looked up and around for the nth time today, eyes searching for that flash of light blue hair in the distance. Finding nothing again, she heaved a sigh and started the laborious task of tying the heavy tome onto the back of her shell to put it back onto it's proper place on the nearby shelf. Miss Angela told her numerous times she didn't have to do such things, but Snaust thought that Miss Angela has been really busy lately, undoubtedly working really hard on something very important, and so she didn't want to add to that burden by making her clean up after herself as well.

It took her some time to climb the proper bookshelf, the one she noted Miss Angela taking the book from, the heavy tome tied to the back of her shell making the climb into a precariously challenging experience. Thankfully, she avoided falling down this time, and managed to reach the book's proper resting place. With a satisfied sigh, she pushed the tome into it's spot, patted away at some imaginary dust, and made the journey back into her cozy little alcove. Perhaps it was overconfidence over a job well done that she had fell prey to, because just as she was just about to reach the ground she slipped and fell down with a startled shriek.

"Owie..." Snaust exclaimed, clutching her hurting head and struggling to hold back her tears. Thankfully the hit wasn't so bad, so the only thing truly hurt was her pride and not her shell.

She shimmied back into her cozy alcove, surrounded by some of her most precious of possessions. Her diary, for one, thought she didn't really have the time recently to work on it. Her bag of sweet coffee from Mister Chesed once Miss Angela told him Snaust liked sweet things. It was a precious gift she hoped to enjoy soon, as well as some tea she apparently got from a Miss Binah. She didn't really have a chance to taste either of them yet, since only Miss Angela knew where to get boiled water, and she was too busy recently to stay around and enjoy a drink with her. She also really hoped to finally meet her two friends in person as well, and couldn't help but wonder what they were like outside of the stories Miss Angela told her about them.

There was also a small pile of books there - it was a place only she knew about. What looked on the outside as a just a messy pile of books haphazardly placed on top of another, for Snaust it was a very secret hideout of Fort Bookfort, as she called it silently in the privacy of her own thoughts. There was a secretly hidden entrance under a book file back by the wall and near a another shelf, and one had to be a very clever and sneaky little snail to find it and get inside.

Inside the Bookfort was a tight and cramped space, and Snaust shimmied her way inside, placed one of Miss Angela's handkerchiefs she got as a gift once over her shell like a cozy blanket and lit up one of her scavenged candles, one of her last ones. She thought it was about time to go on another expedition as she was running out of candles as well as paper, and she had to replace her pencil with a pen already. Shimmying around, she dug out some of the papers she kept hidden inside of her shell, the manuscript of her very first real book she started writing. Her precious gift to Miss Angela, once she finally finished it. She had to finish it in secret of course, hence doing it while hidden under a pile of books, it just wouldn't do to spoil the surprise!

Taking her pen in her hands, and placing the page she was working on before her, she started her work. With brow furrowed and concentration deeply etched onto her face, she carefully drew letter after letter onto the slightly crumpled piece of paper. The book had to be perfect, or as close as Snaustily possible with her meager means, so she spared no effort on the task.

 

[Guardian Box]

Snaust was starting to get very, very worried.

Miss Angela hadn't visited in a very long time. There were very strange things happening in the Library. Sounds of fighting reached her sensitive ears every now and again, light sometimes flickered very oddly, and the very shelves themselves sometimes shook. The floor groaned every now and again as if the whole Library was under immense pressure. Snaust had no idea what any of this meant, apart from trouble. Dangerous trouble.

Is this why Miss Angela hadn't come to visit in so long? Was she in trouble herself? Snaust shook her head trying to get rid of such an evil thought, but doubt and worry still lingered in her little heart. What if something happened and Miss Angela was trapped under a fallen bookshelf, waiting for help, but no one would come? It would be up to Snaust to get some rope and build a pulley system to raise the shelf and free Miss Angela. She'd be a hero then! A scholarly hero who used her wits and smarts to save her best friend from peril!

Nodding to herself to psyche herself up, Snaust made a mental note to add a fallen bookshelf subplot to the precious book she was writing. She then went and retrieved what items she could easily carry with her, stuffing the slightly crumpled pages with carefully drawn letters of her book back into the safety of her beautiful shell. She got some sturdy string in lieu of a rope and a few pens as well. She couldn't really think of anything else she could easily carry on her person that would be useful, so she judged her preparations as finished.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm her nerves, Snaust ventured forth. Outside of the safety of the home she made inside her alcove, beyond the outer reaches of Miss Angela's desk, far into the scary unknown of in between the shelves.

She wanted to turn around and return almost immediately. She cringed at every little noise, perceived or heard in truth. She scuttled near the edges and in between book piles, trying to keep herself as hidden as possible. Yet, despite the near paralyzing fear of the unknown that made her vision sway, she nonetheless slowly continued forwards.

She had to be brave, she kept telling herself in the privacy of her own mind. She had to be brave, because somewhere out there, her friend may have needed her.

------

Snaust has never ventured this far out of her comfort zone in her life. The Library was truly massive, even larger than she could've imagined in her dreams.

She was absolutely terrified when she heard footsteps at one point, frozen stiff in terror and almost fainted, but she managed to regain her wits just in time to make her way under an upturned book and curl as deeply inside of her shell as she could. Snaust could still observe a little bit of the outside, but didn't manage to see anyone, not even their shadow. It would appear the person has just walked by, not even coming close to her hiding spot.

The footsteps weren't like those of Miss Angela.

Sighing in relief, Snaust had to reevaluate her options, just a little bit. She wasn't the fastest runner around, she could admit to herself with only a slight tinge of bitterness, nor was she really all that agile and graceful.

But what she had in ample supply, was her smarts. She had to approach the problem of her own safety while she went to the rescue of her friend intelligently. Taking a look around at her surroundings and the items she had on hand, Snaust just had a brilliant idea.

------

If someone were to enter a particular hall of the Library that day and take a lazy glance around, they'd probably spot nothing out of the ordinary. Bookshelves full of books, haphazard piles of books on the floor, loose pages here and there... nothing one couldn't find in just about any other corner of the Library.

If they were to take a closer look, however, or if a certain courageous and clever little snail-like creature grew impatient enough, they'd see a small mound of book covers and loose pages tied together every which way with a piece of string, slowly shuffling forward with a sound of rustling pages.

Snaust felt especially proud of her disguise. It took a lot of effort to tie all of the loose papers and covers together and then to her shell, but with a little bit of earnest labor and her own ingenuity, she had managed to accomplish this feat.

Of course, Snaust made a note of the titles of the books she had to sacrifice for her disguise, so they could be repaired later. She will find Miss Angela, help her out in whatever it is she needs help with, apologize for damaging the precious books, maybe then both of them could repair them together-

-footsteps! Snaust momentarily froze once again, before straining her hearing. Loud, quick and heavy, and coming closer-

Quickly curling herself inside her shell, Snaust scarcely dared to breathe, silently cursing her racing heart.

Whoever they were, that person was racing quickly and seemingly straight at her. Snaust curled herself even further, silently praying that her disguise stood its first true trial. She could feel the floor vibrate with every hurried step, her over-stressed nerves making it feel like she was the target of an approaching earthquake.

Was she spotted? Was she in a place she wasn't supposed to be? Was the disguise good enough? Could her bright shell be seen in between the pages after all? She must've made a mistake somewhere. Something clearly wasn't right with her, this always happened because she just wasn't good enough and never tried hard enough. This was why Angela doesn't-

The foot thudded loudly seemingly just outside of her shell, her heart stilled as nostrils picked up on the faint scent of smoke and raw meat, before the loud noise moved away.

The person was leaving. They haven't noticed her and were leaving.

Snaust stayed inside of her shell for a few moments longer, trying to still her racing heart and thoughts, before slowly coming out and taking a nervous look around.

Nothing seemed amiss, so after a few short minutes to psyche herself up, she resumed her journey. She ventured in the direction the racing person went to. If nothing else, something was clearly happening there, and maybe she could at least find some of Miss Angela's friends to help Snaust in the search for her friend.

 

[Guardian Box]

AN: Recommended suitably heroic music ARMORED CORE VI: FIRES OF RUBICON Soundtrack: Steel Haze (Rusted Pride)

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Snaust moved ever onwards, senses sharply on the lookout for any trouble, the disguise tied to the back of her shell heavier than she initially thought. Every few meters conquered put a lot of strain on her tiny body, her stamina depleting much faster than at any other point in her life. She was unused to traveling such a long distance, especially under strain, and yet she continued to endure, reassuring herself that it was worth the effort. That she needed to be brave and any delays to rest for longer than a moment could be catastrophic.

The Library looked to be in a sorry state. There were signs of battle she silently passed, hoping to avoid the attention of whoever it was that spilled that blood and may still be around. The thought that it might've been Miss Angela who was hurt this way... it hurt to even imagine.

She tried to lie to herself, and convince herself that nothing bad could've happened to her friend. That ruffian Roland probably tried to Abscond with Miss Angela's heart again, and it would be up to Snaust to retrieve it from his villainous hands. Yes, that was a good story, one she might even start believing in if she repeated it to herself often enough, instead of imagining that behind the next pile of burning rubble in a pool of her own blood-

No, she refused to believe it. This is not how the stories she's read go. She will find Miss Angela, use her cleverness to help her out, and everything will turn out okay in the end.

Maybe even for Roland, who will admit to whatever dark secret he has and stops trying to be a vile thief of hearts.

------

There was a large pile of books on the bridge before her. A veritable mountain, compared to her tiny body, and there was no going around. It would be an arduous task to climb it, doubly so due to her own exhaustion, but not impossible.

What she worried about were the sounds she was hearing from the other side. There was fighting, people trying to hurt each other, and maybe some voices in the few quieter moments between clashes of metal and other, more esoteric sounds she had no reference for in her experience. She could turn back, try to find another way around the small mountain, or ignore the world again and just curl back into her shell and wait the danger out, hoping for the best...

...she decided that for once, she wanted to be brave.

Steeling her resolve, Snaust started her steady climb, every movement careful but full of determination. She was afraid, deathly so, of making a misstep and falling, of being found out, of a thousand and one different things, big and small. But most of all, she was afraid of being alone again, and that particular fear was much stronger than the others combined, and it spurred her ever onward and upwards against all odds.

------

On the top of the small mountain of books, Snaust was shuddering in exhaustion, her recent adventures draining her body and mind of energy like nothing ever before. She shook her head, chasing away the instincts to just curl up back in her shell and take a nap. Instead, she gazed downwards.

She didn't recognize any of these people. There were two distinct groups squaring against each other, though one of them looked to be in a much worse state. She crawled slightly down the mountain, to hear them better, hoping to recognize at least some of the words spoken. Maybe some of them knew where Miss Angela was...

A fifth person appeared, joining the much more wounded group, and Snaust finally managed to hear them talk, and she finally saw how some of the people Miss Angela sometimes talked about actually looked like.

The new pretty lady was... Miss Binah? She was really pretty, almost as pretty as Miss Angela in fact. She was also Snaust's friend, as the precious gift of a small tin can full of dried leaves back in her alcove clearly attested to.

Her companions... Snaust didn't recognize the red-haired woman immediately, but once she heard her name being mentioned she finally made the connection to another of Miss Angela's librarian friends. Then the man in black must be...

...that's right, the infamous thief of hearts, Roland himself. Snaust bristled at the thought of the vile and unspeakable deeds he undoubtedly wanted to inflict on her poor friends heart, but stopped herself. This was not the time, he was clearly trying to protect Miss Angela's precious Library from these two interlopers, and got hurt in the process. For now, she would graciously forgive him his numerous faults.

Snaust got to thinking, her brain furiously considering the situation. These two ruffians were clearly up to no good, trying to hurt Miss Angela's and Snaust's friends, and damage their home. There just had to be something she could do to help. She was smart, she had read so many books already, there just had to be something she could do, some clever plan or trick she could think of to help out, something-

The fighting below resumed, blades met claws with a titanic clash that shook the earth. Snaust almost lost her footing and fell down as the ground under her trembled, a lone book loosened by the tremors tumbled down the mountain of books she perched on, stopping at the base of the hill.

This... this gave Snaust an idea.

She worked quickly, quicker than she ever did, identifying the specific points she thought particularly weak in the giant book pile. Frantically removing a book here, adding some there, priming the entire thing with few pieces of string she had and tied to some specific volumes important to her plan. Snaust didn't want to brag, but she considered herself somewhat of an expert in construction using books as a building material. She hoped her expertise translated into violent deconstruction just as well.

Her little body trembled as she prepared herself to act. Waves of exhaustion crashed against waves of terror gripping her mind, keeping her awake and ready for now. She waited for the perfect moment, eyes peeled for a break in the fighting she could exploit to help out. To show Miss Angela, and her friends, and the whole world, that even though she was afraid, she would not hide anymore. She would not curl up and hope for the danger to pass, she will fight for what's dear and precious to her, instead of-

-there! The moment arrived. Miss Binah and her group stood a distance from the invaders, whose backs were turned from her small mountain of books.

"All or nothing" Snaust whispered to herself, and pulled her strings.

A book a distance away was dislodged from the hill of books, then another string pulled at another, then the next one yet again. All around Snaust books fell away from their places, tumbling downwards, dislodging and taking more volumes with them on their descent. Soon, the entire top of the mountain was teetering precariously over the crumbling mountainside, before it too soon collapsed. A massive avalanche of books raced downward in a fury of leather bound tomes, ready to sweep the invaders away from the face of the Library. This part of the plan Snaust knew worked perfectly, and she was extremely proud of that fact.

The part where she forgot she was in the middle of the raging avalanche, not so much.

She curled inside of her protective shell as deeply as she could, hoping to survive being a living part of this unforgiving avalanche she started. She tumbled around alongside the falling books, feeling as if either she crashed into a particularly heavy tome, or one such volume crashed against her protective carapace. Each impact hurt a lot, but Snaust grit her teeth and endured, knowing it would only be a few seconds more-

"Ah!" she squealed in pain, as a particularly hard impact broke her shell and drove its broken fragments deep into the sensitive flesh of her insides. "It hurts..." she whined quietly. Thankfully, at least, her downward tumble was finally over.

She emerged from her broken shell and started digging herself out of the small pile of books she was buried under. Each movement hurt, pieces of her broken shell digging uncomfortably into her flesh, drawing more blood out of her. Some of the books she moved to get out were clearly stained crimson of her own life bearing fluid.

Finally reaching the surface, she wanted to cry. Above her stood the man with the weird mask and scary claw for a hand, by his side the woman in black. Both were entirely unharmed. Snaust's lip wobbled, eyes tearing up behind the broken rims of her glasses. All of her effort, her sacrifices, her broken shell hurting her almost as much as the sight of the precious glasses she got as a gift from Miss Angela being broken on her nose... all of it was for nothing. The bad people were still there.

No, she couldn't think like that. She couldn't give up just yet. What would Miss Angela think of her, if she gave up so easily!?

The man with the scary claw stood above her, looking down at her in idle curiosity. Watching what she would do, how she would act. Underestimating her. This Snaust knew would be his downfall!

Marshaling her will, as quickly as she could she scuttled closer to the man's legs. She ignored the pain coursing through her body, she ignored her instincts telling her to curl up inside of her shell and hide away. She crawled close enough to the man she could almost touch his leg, and with a quick movement retrieved her sharpest pencil, and with a mighty yell of "Mean people go away!" she stabbed the man in the leg with all of her strength!

The pencil broke against the man's trousers, dealing no damage.

Snaust looked at the broken writing implement, not really comprehending what just happened. With waning strength, she tried again.

"Stop ruining Miss Angela's Library!" she yelled through hoarse throat. The pencil didn't even break this time, it simply slipped away through her weakening grasp..

"Just go away and leave Snaust and Miss Angela alone..." she finished weakly, only landing weak and ineffectual punches against his shoe now. She darkly thought that at least she got them dirty a bit with her own blood.

"What's this?" distantly, she heard a female voice say. Snaust's heart felt empty.

"Some local vermin" a male voice replied from somewhere far away.

"Dispose of it. We are almost done anyways" the woman replied.

Snaust's world became agony. She screamed as a clawed hand grabbed her, her once beautiful shell offering no resistance, the claw's sharp points biting deeply into her flesh and drawing even more of her precious blood outside where it shouldn't be.

"A-aah!" she screamed out loud as she squirmed and writhed in pain, "It hurts! It hurts so much!" she yelled and prayed for the agony to stop. Her struggles quickly grew weaker, as her strength left her "S-someone help me... Miss Angela, please help me..." she begged for relief finding none. Her gaze chanced upon the black haired female Librarian, the kind lady that gave her the tea she wanted to try out so much but never got a chance "M-Miss Binah... help..." she begged through tears in her eyes, but found no recognition in the other woman's gaze.

"Stop playing around" the female voice from earlier said. The man unceremoniously threw Snaust's broken body over the edge of the bridge, deep into the cold, dark below.

------

Snaust could barely feel any pain anymore as she tumbled down. She didn't even knew what she hit on her violent descent, only idly wondering if she was leaving bright red splotches of her blood with every collision for anyone to find if they looked for her... but why would they? Snaust was just Snaust. Nothing Snaust did ever mattered to anyone.

Snaust noticed she wasn't falling down any more. She was laying down on her side in a cold and dark place, or at least she thought it was dark, it may have been just her eyes weren't working anymore.

...no, one eye still worked. She could see a pool of red slowly spreading out from under her. Snaust knew that the red liquid should stay inside of her body if she wanted to live, so she was feeling pretty neutral about it being outside right now.

She heard some fluttering sound nearby, and tiredly turned her eye towards the noise. Ah, the pages from the book she was making as a gift for Miss Angela. They must've gotten dislodged from their safe spot inside of her shell sometimes earlier. Some of them were shredded by the man's claw, others undoubtedly lost never to be found in the fall, different ones stained crimson, the letters she spent so much care in drawing made unreadable by her own blood.

Everything hurt, but most of all her heart.

Snaust imagined she could hear Miss Angela's voice, but knew it to be impossible though. She could barely breathe, barely think. She could almost feel her gentle touch messing with her hair again as she asked...

What did Snaust want, huh? What did Snaust want most in the world? That's an easy question, Miss Angela. Snaust is very smart after all, and Snaust knows all the things Snaust knows.

What Snaust truly wants most in the world...

 

[Guardian Box]

Snaust's Diary

Snaust really wanted to read with Miss Angela again.

 

[Guardian Box]

.
.
.

"See, taste for yourself" Mister Chesed asked his friend, and with graceful ease and great agility Snaust climbed his desk until she was facing the steaming cup full of hot coffee he prepared "I did my best to brew the most delicious cup of coffee, yet she didn't like it at all! Please help me understand why!"

"Hmm, let me see what the problem may be" Snaust replied. Snaust blew air on the steaming drink to cool it enough not to scald her lips since she has read about how temperature works. She then took a small sip, carefully tasting the brew and examining the flavors. Snaust was very kind to her friend, so she didn't grimace at the taste as not to hurt Mister Chesed's feelings. "I now know what the problem is! And that means I can help you solve it!"

"Really?" Mister Chesed replied, relief in his voice "And what is the problem then?"

"It's quite simple, my friend!" Snaust answered, happy to help her friend "It's bitter and not sweet at all! Miss Angela loves sweet things, this Snaust knows because she always feeds Snaust sweet things as well!"

"Could it truly be it?" Mister Chesed replied in wonder, amazed at Snaust's wisdom "Then how could I fix this, to make her like my drink?" he asked.

"It's quite simple!" Snaust said "You may start with adding some sugar to the coffee! It will make it sweet, but that might not be enough by itself though! You could also add some delicious flavors as well to make the drink sweet and delicious and not bitter. Let's try first with some strawberries, Snaust knows that-

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"-well, I will not allow it!" Snaust denied the ruffian, standing in his way, not letting him get closer to Miss Angela.

"As if you could ever hope to stop me." Roland sneered, ignoring Snaust and taking a step forward.

But Roland didn't know that Snaust has foreseen his actions, and prepared accordingly. The step he took entangled his foot in a cleverly hidden piece of string, tripping him up, and making him fall face first onto the floor!

"Oh no!" Roland moaned out loud "I've tripped and made a fool of myself! Now Miss Angela will think I'm clumsy and won't let me steal her heart!"

"Ha! Just as Snaust planned!" Snaust puffed up herself with pride over her clever plan working out perfectly!

"You may have won today with yet another clever trick, Snaust, but this isn't over yet!" Roland yelled as he skulked back, defeated. Snaust had no doubt in her mind he-

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-some effort, but she managed to get the difficult scroll Miss Binah couldn't reach from the top shelf. Snaust was good at climbing and not afraid of heights after all, and she could easily tie the scroll to her shell with fancy knots she read about in a book once, and could easily bring it back to help her friend out.

"Here it is" Snaust said, presenting said difficult scroll to Miss Binah, who gratefully took it from her.

"Thank you very much" she said "That was a very clever and resourceful way you got that difficult scroll down from up there" she praised her friend.

"It was nothing much" Snaust graciously accepted the well-deserved praise "Anyway, why is it called the difficult scroll anyway?" she asked.

"Oh, it's just I've been trying to read it for so long, but it has so many difficult words in it I have trouble understanding them all" Miss Binah replied

"Maybe I could help out?" Snaust offered her help.

"Truly? You could?" the woman asked in turn "But how?"

"Snaust is a great scholar, and knows many long and difficult words as well!" Snaust replied happily "Maybe we could read it together?"

"What a wonderful idea!" Miss Binah said with a smile, which Snaust returned.

Soon they were-

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-like you had a long and tiring day" Miss Angela said to Snaust, patting her beautiful white hair as Snaust sat on her lap.

"A little bit" Snaust allowed "But it was also really fun as well! Snaust loved every second of it!"

"And what did you love about it the most?" Miss Angela asked.

"That Snaust was able to help out her friends, and spend so much time with them!" Snaust replied, squirming in happiness "There are just so many people here and they are all so nice, Snaust loves them all!" Snaust said, before adding "Except for Roland, the villain" Snaust added.

"He's not that bad" Miss Angela said, her inherent kindness blinding her to the truth Snaust knew.

"You are being too nice to him, Miss Angela" Snaust replied "But that's okay. That's why you have Snaust to protect you"

"That's very nice of you" Miss Angela said with a smile, and Snaust smiled back.

They continued talking about their day for a long time after that, but before long they stopped, and started reading yet another new book. Snaust knew all of the words and made no mistakes in pronunciation, and Miss Angela praised Snaust for being so good at reading.

They've been reading a new book together each and every night, and spend the evening together like this, just like they always did.

This, Miss Angela knew, Snaust loved most of all.