13,500 so long making copies

She started across the room, leave it to go to the stairs and had to smile as she just atomically changed her eyes and made a small light. It was so good to relax. It was nice to have a place to just be, to not have to worry about how she was seen. At home it felt like she was always being judged and falling short. Here few ever knew who she was and none cared. It didn’t matter if they noticed her eyes had changed color or her ears became sharper. Here she was as free as she was in the woods, and it was far safer when she was young and could have seen as easy prey. Young or untrained mages attacked those that would do harm. Being a shifter added a bit of protection, as some hunters were confused and failed to be able to tell as there was a different type of magic involved with just being a shifter that could their readings. Still it was a danger, for some could see and separate it out and no matter what it might seem her parents did care. They did all they could to see she was safe for all they wanted her out of sight and fought about her a lot. Each trying to say her condition was the others fault. Each making it clear that she needed to hide, that she was different and that wasn’t good. That changing shapes was a bad thing, something that meant she was sick and hurt the family. That the condition she had was something to be ashamed of, to be hid and guard against discovery. That had her frowning as she climbed the stairs to the main floor, moving a bit faster trying to get past the hurt.

They did care, too much at times, and so they forbid her to go into the forest alone when she was a child. Made it clear that they were not safe, that it wasn’t good to play there. The room in the house they made for her had been tiny they didn’t realize she needed to run. Just wanted to keep her safe and she was unable to tell them, for words were slow to come. As was normal with those that shifted young she had little control and it was hard to find the right sounds.  Her oldest brother though had seen and knew understood what she couldn’t say. He had been the one to bring her to library and tell her it was fine to play here. Luke wasn’t a shifter or a mage, but he had a friend that was and enlisted his help when she was reluctant to do more than run. She was so scared of herself that she had to be shown that she wasn’t going to turn into a monster.  Words meant little, she read actions better and those told her that the adults raising her were scared of her. They didn’t mean to, but they had made her scared of herself. That fear made it harder to learn control and could have destroyed her. Luke had somehow realized it and had tried to tell her father what was going on, that she needed to meet another shifter. Father who was a mage said it was because of the serviette of her illness, that nothing could be done. Letting her be around another at this stage was asking for more trouble, her contact with the world had to be limited or she would never settle. There was no point in trying to teach her she was too young. Few shifters ever aged enough mentally to be adults. He had no idea just how sharp her ears could be. She might not have known the words then, not on a consciences level, but still they had an impact.

She did not know what went on, but it wasn’t long after that fight that when Luke brought her to the library there was another man waiting, one that had caused her skin to tingle. She had ducked behind Luke, trying to hide as she had been taught to do around strangers. The man had looked upset, Luke just turned and knelt down and said. “Now elfin this is a friend, he is safe. You can trust him.  He is going to help you. It is all right, he is safe.” To make his point he held out his hand and the other took it, then changed so Luke had a red paw in his hand. She had jumped and whimpered a bit, startled for it was a first. She had not seen another that could do that. Luke nodded. “Yes he is like you, you are like him. See you don’t need fear. He will help.” That had started the lessons. She still didn’t think her father knew of them. He hadn’t known Luke was taking her here for a year, and when he found out there had been more yelling. That fight Luke had won, by handing her one of the unkeyed ports, it accepted her and so she had a key and his arguments were pointless. The spell clearly recognized her right and the law was clear once a key was owned the holder had rights for life. She wondered now how many of their fights had been about her. They had always been at heads, she knew that last one hadn’t been over her but likely some leading up to it had been.

She shook her head to clear it, it was easy not to think of him at home, but here he was close, for he had shared her love. It might not have been the same, but he had felt an outcast and so knew the need to have a place to just be. A place that hiding wasn’t needed so had shared this with her. The others didn’t see the Library the same. Not even Seth who loved it as well, he saw only the value of the books, missing the safety that it was as well. She looked at the door and remembered the first time she had used it and went to a class. It had been terrifying, for all Luke and Mat had been with her. To think that now she even freely visited the cafes. Likely her father would be furious if he knew just how many classes she had snuck into. No one seemed to care, but then she had never left the library before she had control over the sifting and the teachers agreed that all mages needed teaching, even a young one. They did know that she was to flawed, Mat had negated to tell them that she was a shifter when arranging those first lessons and no one had asked after them. In fact no one even asked her full name, it had been enough that she had a port. It didn’t matter which family she was descended from. Likely they thought she was from a minor branch of Willtom as that was Mat’s tie.

She took out her key and unlocked the door to the copy room, then tuned on the overhead light least someone came along and heard the machines running. The light would tell them that there was someone in there far better than her mage light would have. No need to have them thinking there was a ghost in here Smiling she moved to the copiers and set to work. The maps would need the larger printer and would take the longest so those she started first. Glad that the new machines were able to scan the maps so fast, the old one would have taken an hour just to get the images scanned, then to make six copies of each would have taken all night. This one though would have them all done by the time she had copied the rest of the papers. She turned on the screen so she could check the image and make sure it was right without having to stand there, then went over to the smaller copiers and started on the papers, soon lost in the rhythm of it.

The door opened, Idrias looked at the screen and nodded as it was moving along just fine. She then turned and smiled at the person there, thinking it was the security guard, instead it was one of the professors. Odd to see them here, but they were all given a key to the front door so they could get in after hours.

He looked at her and said. “The library closed an hour ago just what are you doing in here? These are not toys, to be used for whims. Show me your authorization for those copies. You hardly look old enough to be a first year. Just who gave you access afterhours? It is not wise for a young lady to hang out in empty buildings.”

Idrias said. “Good evening sir, I am sorry if the light alarmed you. I hope that my presences will not keep you from what brought you here. I assure you that I don’t need watching.  The guards are used to finding me in the halls by know, I thought you were Ray he should be come by soon. I am not a student at all just a gold key holder.” She took it out to show him, thinking that would upset him less than the port. He did seem upset, but that might just be his normal state. The key gave her accesses to the copy room and full rights to use the machines.

He looked at the key then at her and shook his head. “I don’t care that you know a guards name, it is not fit to be run around like you are. Then what else is there but to expect it. None of you have the sense to know what is fitting.” Idrias flinched, wondering how this strange knew she was a shifter. “Fine you have the key to be in here, and the right to make use of the resources of the library. That is not authorization to being running copies.  They are not cheap, nor toys to be used at a whim. Where are the orders? Who is this for? You said you were not even a student so clearly it can’t be class related at all. Therefore you are clearly misusing University property. I told them that those keys were a danger.”

Idrias could keep her eyes on him, she knew she had done nothing wrong but his tone made her feel she had. It took her a bit to find the words, as fear always made it harder to talk. Then to she didn’t want to upset him so was trying to pick her words with care.  “I am sorry you are upset sir, but this key does mean I have permission to be here and use the machines. I assure you that I do not misuse it. Nothing here is not needed all personal copies are paid for, it is all recorded after all. I just come after hours so as to not interfere with the students or staff.” He just shook his head and grunted, scowling a bit as he looked at the screen. “Did you need to use the map printer? I can pause my orders, if so.”

He shook his head. “Waste full mess why would anyone need that many maps of that wasted land. Who would ever be so foolish as to. Honestly lettering this is what comes from giving girls to much freedom.” He stopped over to the other side of the room and started taking papers out of his back, turning on the copier there.

Realized to be dismissed Idrias turned back to her own copies, but tightened her shields. His anger troubled her, for all he had made no move against her. Odd even with him there she still knew she was safe. Just what was that about letting girls have too much freedom? I wonder where he is from. That sounds like a region or region thing, but it isn’t Gramilican I would know if they had a professor visiting. Well no mister, I just need to remember to leave if he is the one teaching. No need to give him reason to be upset. The machine beeped, she looked than shook her head and went to the cupboard after paper, glanced at him but realized that asking if he needed any would just make it worse. She did want to seem to be offering any insult by suggesting he couldn’t get his own, nor put herself in a place of waiting on him. She got the paper and filled the copy then smiled at Ray, as he opened the door.

Ray looked at her then at the professor and frowned a bit, wondering what he had said. Well she was still here so it mustn’t have upset her to much. Still best to let him know she was able to defend herself least he had decide to supervisor her.  He could be a pain that way and Idrias would never tell him to leave. Heck the one time one of the boys got fresh she had apologized to him for hitting him, when he clearly deserved it. She was more upset over defend herself than his actions. I hope Nancy got that fixed. “Glad to see you are here Idrias, Steve was to come with and move a box of books in here, but he seems to have gotten lost. Any chance you have time to get them?”

Idrias looked at the screen then said. “Just as soon as it finishes load this map, just want to make sure it doesn’t try moving a mountain range again. So far it has been about scanning fine, this one is the last. So hopefully that bug has been killed at last.”