by Leona Jarnefeldt 3rd July 2020, 9:16 pm
-In the guild cafe-
Clad in her white athletic shirt and desert camouflage shorts, Leona did not realize that she had gone barefoot until she was already sitting in the guild cafe and sipping on a cup of coffee. The casual outfit was a different look for the Guild Mistress, who ordinarily wore one of her two more formal-looking outfits just to go to the guild library. That fact was not lost on the cafe staff, who took occasional glances to make sure that they were really seeing what they thought they were seeing. Leona could not help but to be amused by their surprise. She had spent many months cultivating an image of formality befitting her station as Guild Mistress and now she was going barefoot in a t-shirt and shorts like she was at home.
Ordinarily Leona did not dress so casually, but right now she did not care too much about appearances. It was nighttime and no one important was expected to pay a visit. She was also coming off of a time of intense study and was more than a little tired. In between those two factors she did not feel like bothering to dress up just to get a cup of coffee. Leona was sure that no one in the guild hall would be terribly upset by the casual look she was sporting just as long as it did not get too casual.
Leona had just finished her first cup of coffee when she gave some thought about what she wanted to do from here. She set the empty cup down and went over her options. She could either call it a night and go to sleep or she could pick another book from the small collection she had built up from two trips to Capital Crocus.
Part of Leona wanted to go back to her room and go to sleep for the night because reading through 300 pages was taxing, but the other part of her wanted to pick another book to read so that she could keep her momentum going. She was oddly proud of herself for the modest accomplishment of reading a scholarly book that was 1,200 pages long, even if reading said book took a few nights and a lengthy hiatus between readings to finish. Leona was glad that she had bought Ancient Desierto because reading it had helped her learn a little more about the country she was born in and how things got to the way they were. Even the section on the Tri-Council Cities was helpful because as a citizen of a desert village she had never known how the cities came to be, only that they existed. Her mind then turned to the issue of what kind of book she wanted to read.
Leona had three options to choose from and all of them were interesting to her. First, she could learn more about Museria and the Palace of Knowledge. Second, she could learn more about King Saarghon. Third, she could learn more about Sand-Splitter, the famous sword of King Saarghon that was rumored to give its wielder complete control over sand. Which would be a good subject for the Wizard Saint to study first?
Leona gave it some thought and opted to read more about King Saarghon, that farmer turned monarch who had united all of Desierto under his rule and had set an example of kingship for centuries to come. She recalled the incident about the town with the limestone quarry that had been massacred for supposedly withholding limestone for a monument to the king. Most scholars asserted that the massacre was an example of King Saarghon's unchecked ego and abuse of royal power. A few scholars like Dr. Harold Regan asserted that the people of the town were dissidents who seized the chance to extort higher wages from the king and that they were made an example of not for the sake of capricious cruelty, but for a valid reason. Leona was not sure which side was right, but she had two highly recommended books to read that might give her enough information to form her own opinion.
The first was Professor Edgar Thomas' King Saarghon: From Farmer To Monarch. It had come highly recommended by Dr. Anna for its clear and concise writing that was backed by solid research into the subject. The second was Dr. Charles Steinburg's A Balanced View Of King Saarghon. It came recommended by Dr. Anna's student and assistant Melanie, someone Leona had worked with in the exploration of the Lestreki temple some months back. Leona was sure that neither people would lead her astray by suggesting those books, so she felt confident enough to read them and know that she was getting solid information.
Her mind was just about made up when she thought about a couple of other things that she wanted to do.
Leona had wanted to get a computer so that she could work on learning how to use modern technology. She had also wanted to get some bike shorts to wear under her skirt because that part of her wardrobe tended to get damaged one way or another. Both would be safe activities for the Wizard Saint to do while her left shoulder finished mending from the gunshot wound. Obtaining both items could also be accomplished with a trip to Capital Crocus Mall. Lately it felt like she was going to the mall more often than she should, but doing something other than fighting was always appealing to her.
Deciding to postpone reading a book to instead go to the mall tomorrow and pick up a couple of items she needed, Leona paid for her cup of coffee and went to her room to try and go to sleep for the night. Maybe she should have not had coffee before trying to go to sleep, but that oversight was not something she was terribly worried about. If she could not sleep no matter how hard she tried she would just pick a book to read and do something productive with her time. That way Leona would get a start on reading another book to further her efforts to study Desierto and its history.
With that course of action decided upon, Leona left the cafe and started back for her room to try and sleep before planning to go to Capital Crocus mall tomorrow.
[Post Word Count: 1,069]
[Total Word Count: 2,707/2,500]