Book Break

A timid knock sounded on the door, echoing around the quiet house.  Nothing moved in the quiet though, nothing but a speck of dust floating past in the last ray of sunlight.  The knock sounded again, louder this time, with a firmer touch to the sound.  Suddenly a head lifted itself from the book it was currently engrossed in, looking to the door in surprise. 

“Visitors?  Hm.  I don’t believe I was expecting anybody today, was I?”  Aevus glanced at the calendar hanging on the wall.  “Hm.  No, nothing written there. Unless I’ve forgotten to write it.”  He added to himself with a sigh.  Still, the knock hadn’t been his imagination so he heaved himself to his paws, unfolding long legs with a faint groan.  “Getting old is not getting any easier.”  He muttered in annoyance. 

Shaking his head, he padded to the front door and opened it, peering out.  “Yes?  Can I help you?”  He asked, looking down at the small mothcat on his doorstep.

Noor peered upwards, wishing for the umpteenth time that they weren’t quite so small.  Especially when dealing with tall mothcats…..  “I’m sorry to bother you sir.  I was looking for a book on the history of day light savings time.  It’s not a popular subject so the library unfortunately didn’t have much.  Chive looked but he couldn’t find anything I hadn’t already read before.  Rashid suggested we ask you though.  He said you have quite the collection of books.”  Noor’s eyes drifted past the lanky mothcat, trying to get a glimpse of the famed personal library.

“Rashid, hm?”  Aevus peered at the bumblebun, noticing him for the first time.  “Ah yes, I remember you.  You were looking for the book on the history of bridge trolls.  Did you find it useful?  I found it back in my drop off box last week.” 

Rashid nodded, his wings fluttering eagerly.  “It was really good!  Lots of information!  I truly appreciate you lending it to me.” 

Aevus chuckled and rolled his shoulders in a casual shrug.  “Everyone has the right to knowledge.”

“Agreed.  Which is why I though Noor might find a useful book here.”  Rashid gently reminded the older mothcat. 

“Ah, yes.  You did mention that I suppose.  Well, come on in young one.  Let’s see what we can find for you.”  Aevus turned and led the way inside, gesturing for the pair to follow him.  He moved with the slow and easy pace of someone who knew everything would still be there whether he got there in five seconds or five minutes. 

Noor studied the older mothcat curiously.  For all that they were constantly seeking new things, they had never come to this place before, though Rashid had which was why he’d suggested they come here when Chive didn’t have anything for them.  Though the dark mothcat looked old and forgetful, there was still a glint to his eyes that said his mind wasn’t quite as gone as he acted.  Neither was his body, Noor decided, seeing the muscles rippling beneath his pelt.  He wasn’t so much scrawny as he was lean.  They were willing to bet that if it came down to it, Aevus still had strength in him for whatever was needed. 

Turning their gaze from the old mothcat to the house itself, they could see why Rashid had suggested they come here.  Though the house itself was fairly large, it felt small and cozy, thanks to the bookshelves everywhere.  Nearly every wall had been transformed into a floor to ceiling bookshelf and there were still more free standing ones around the house.  In between all the bookshelves, were large comfy seats, ranging from big soft pillows to padded chairs big enough to curl up in.  The entire house was lit just enough for easy reading but still dim enough to be gentle on the eyes.

Noor’s antennae quivered in delight.  This was a book lover’s dream!  They were really starting to regret not having come here sooner!  There were so many books that they didn’t even know where to start looking.  Who knew what treasures were hiding in this enormous collection?

Aevus though, clearly had some system to the books as he seemed to head straight for one shelf in particular.  “Now, day light savings time….. Hm.  Would I have put that under time?  Or was it under nature?  Or was I feeling contrary and put it under something completely different.  I swear I choose more and more strange categories as I get older.”  He mumbled as he searched the books.  Despite claiming to not know where he had categorized the books, he soon had three good sized books and was bringing them over to Noor.  “Here you go young one.  See if one of these will do for you.”  He set them on a low table in front of a cushion.

Noor padded over, looking at the covers curiously.  Their eyes brightened at the titles.  “Oh these look just wonderful!” 

Aevus smiled in satisfaction.  He loved being able to find the right book for mothcats.  It was a great source of pride for him, to always be able to find a book for someone, no matter what the subject was.  “Good.  If you want to take them home, just sign your name and the title on the list by the front door.  If you want to stay here for awhile though, I’ll get some tea and biscuits.”

Noor gave him a shy smile.  “I’d love a lavender tea if you have any.”  They didn’t feel inclined to rush away from the book haven they’d discovered.  It felt too comfortable here and they hadn’t even sat down yet!

“Of course.  With honey?”  Aevus asked, as if that was the only way to have it. 

Noor giggled a little at his tone and nodded.  “Of course.”  They repeated his words with a smile.

“Good.”  Aevus gave them a small smile.  “And for you sir?”  They turned their dark gaze on Rashid who had followed them quietly, letting Noor get used to the comforting feeling of the house. 

“Black tea for me, if you don’t mind, maybe even with cardamom.  But without honey.  Of course.”  Rashid added the last two words with a faint smirk.

Aevus frowned at the two of them.  “Now you’re just mocking me.  But honey goes well in all kinds of tea.”  He told them with a sniff, turning and walking off.  He muttered about young ones and their teasings under his breath. 

Noor just laughed to themselves, finding a large cushion to curl up on with the first book.  “Is he always like that?”  They asked, shaking their head.

“You get used to it.”  Rashid nodded, chuckling.  “He’s a bit of an odd mothcat, but his library really is amazing.  And for all his oddities, he’s a good cat.  And, I suspect he plays up the old man act.”  He added in a low voice, glancing after the old mothcat. 

“I wondered about that.”  Noor admitted, sighing happily as they sank into the cushion. 

“Wondering about things is how anyone learns things.”  Aevus answered calmly, making them both jump.  For such an old cat, he moved strangely silent, especially in the quiet of the library house.  Ignoring the way both of them had twitched, he set down the tray he carried, placing a mug in front of each of them.  In the middle of the tray was a plate with several small biscuits and other cookies on it.  “Feel free to help yourself but do try to not wreck the books.”  He told them, picking up his own mug to take a drink.

Noor reached for their mug, picking it up and sipping.  They sighed happily as the scent of lavender filled their nose, sending a wave of peace through them.  This was the life, they decided.  A good book, a good drink, and a comfy cushion.

Rashid picked up his drink, holding it close as he moved to examine the shelves, looking for something to read.  Noor was already burying themselves in the books, forgetting that he had tagged along completely.  It didn’t bother the bumblebun though.  Aevus always had something interesting to read and it didn’t take him long before he found a book on the history of Alyconian fairy tales.  He wasn’t sure how Aevus had ended up with such a book but he wasn’t going to waste a perfect opportunity like this. 

Carrying the book and his mug, Rashid plunked himself down in a comfy chair, stretching out on his back.  He grabbed a pillow and used it to prop the book up on his stomach, settling in for a reading break.

Aevus smiled to himself, seeing his guest settled comfortably with their books.  He rose and headed back to the book he’d been reading before being interrupted, remembering to take his tea with him.  Once more the house descended into near silence, with only the occasional flip of a page to break the quiet.  It was peaceful, just the way they all liked it.  No one felt the need to clutter the air with words.  Each was content to make themselves comfortable and read their own book.