[video; open to both courts]

[athousandcurses]

Why... why would anyone do something like this?

[Someone has just found out about the library after returning to Caer Glaem, and judging from the stricken, teary state of her face and hushed voice, Grainne is pretty broken up about the attack. She honestly cannot understand why anyone would deliberately set fire to history.]

Why would you try to destroy something so valuable?

[She shakes her head. How could someone take something like books for granted, even so far as to burn them?]

So many things are lost to the ages that we will never retrieve, never regain, and that is with verbal history and story telling. We do not have "books" in our culture; over the years people have forgotten the histories we have passed down to our children because our history is only retained in memory. If someone is selfish or does not pass down what they know, it can be lost too easily! For everything that has been lost, we will never again know it!

[Don't mind the heartbroken, she just has Very Strong opinions on this.]

Do you not understand how wonderful such things are? How precious it is? Recording history in this way is almost a miracle! Can't you see why the loss of even one scroll is denying not just everyone living now, but those who come after us?

Why would anyone even attempt it...

Comments

video

[demonstrations]

[ As a person who loves books dearly, what happened to the library hits hard for Jinora, too. She'd spent some time in there before the Moon chase happened and intended to read even more. Of course, some of them were lost, but there was still things to read and people to meet. So when she responds it's gentle and kind. ]

It's not all lost.

[athousandcurses]

I am not sure I understand...

[Grainne sets her locket down for a moment to cover her face briefly with a cloth. It helps the teary look a little, but not by much.]

[demonstrations]

It's not lost.

[ She repeats it again, just as softly. She takes a moment to figure out what she wants to say about it. The idea hits close to him for several reasons, and not only because of the books. The Air Nomads were a lost people until some time ago. Or mostly lost, as it were. Grandpa Aang was the last one for a long time and then people started taking it up. Then her dad was born, then her, and all of the others followed.

In some sense she understands the idea of history being lost because of this. Of how difficult it can be and the weight of carrying on traditions that aren't really known. So she shakes her head. ]

Books have never been the only things to pass it on. People won't learn anything if someone doesn't pick it up and read it for themselves. It only takes one person to read it and pass it on. That's what it means.

[athousandcurses]

You are right... even my own words should remind me of that.

[Grainne seems to relax, or maybe settle is a better term.]

If they were never read, they would have no use to exist. I... suppose I feel the difference so keenly because I am unused to it.

[demonstrations]

[ Jinora's quiet for a moment as the older female finishes speaking. She can't imagine a world without books. Ever since she could remember she found solace in them. They were nice to read and she learned a lot-- in just the same way she explored just as much. Times and places she could no longer visit but still wanted to. That was the one charm that books held for her: experiences. Lost ones, new ones, and ones she could find herself.

History was important. But they were all living history. Korra was proof of that. The Avatar cycle being one that was a constant. Every generation had one and with them carried the history of their world. But, just the same, she knew it wasn't only the Avatar that carried on the traditions from the past. They might have progressed, but so did everyone. They built on from what they did before.

It's what it hits close to home and is difficult all at once. She can understand the loss of books-- it hurts to think about all that lost knowledge. But at the same time she knows it's not the end. She has to know. ]

Not only that, but for books to be written someone has to experience them. It's not just the books that are important. Experience is important, too.

[ The small is soft and perhaps a tiny bit sad as she shakes he head. ] No. It's not wrong to feel sad. I like books, too. [ A beat. ] But it's not the books that are the important part. We can learn things again and carry them on.

Things might be lost, but there will always be people to pick it up again.

[ It's said with a firm belief. If there's one thing she knows to be true it is that. When the Air Acolytes followed Grandpa Aang and when he family was born the Air Nation's baton had just passed on from its predecessors. Difficult? Certainly. But it wasn't the end. It's less an ending now then it was before. ]

Text, permaprivate

[gordianknots]

There should be listings of what books were on that shelf - ask the librarian(s), they probably can provide a list. If you can find catalog records of the titles, you can try and find publishers that may still be printing the titles, or else see if any collectors might have the missing material.

video;

[athousandcurses]

Some of these words are unfamiliar to me...

[Princess derp has no idea what printing is~ sorry, Waver.]

Permatext for him

[gordianknots]

Which ones? I can re-phrase accordingly when I know what needs to be clarified.

[athousandcurses]

[She pauses, taking a careful stock of everything she didn't understand.]

Catalog...

Printing...

Publishers...

And I am unsure what materials mean in this context.

[gordianknots]

Quick definitions first.

1. Catalog - a list of books that a library has, so they can keep track of what they do and don't have.
2. Printing - books aren't always written by hand, some are printed with the use of little metal letters you arrange in the right order, roll ink on, and press the ink to the book page.
3. Publishers - people who print books
4. Materials - catch all for books/printed items (so, maps and the like too.)

Rephrase of the whole thing - ask the librarians for a list of what got destroyed. See if any of the books are still being made now, which means you need to contact the people making them (the printers.)

Better?

[Video-Locked]

[oathshackledbird]

I wish I had an answer for you, Beloved.

[Diarmuid's expression is a mixture of sorrow and anger. He also hates mindless destruction like this, though it doesn't crush him as much as it has crushed her. He figures it's because of the information that the Grail gave him. Books are still new to him, but not as new as they are to her.]

I am sorry we did not think ahead more and leave more people behind to protect this place. There is no excuse for us being so careless.

[athousandcurses]

Why did we go at all? For all the good we have done compared to those who have been here longer, we accomplished so little.

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid shakes his head.]

We might have only done a little, but there is no way of knowing how important that little was. Perhaps we did not 'win' our fights, but we did distract those who we fought so that others on our side could continue their tasks. For all we know, we saved the lives of others who might have run into them or bought those on our side the time they needed to save another.

[athousandcurses]

[Grainne is quiet for a moment, letting the silence go by. Silence is as important as speech, at times.]

I do not wish to stay here.

[oathshackledbird]

Grainne...

[His expression saddens.]

I don't blame you for feeling like that. So much of this must be a shock to you even with the similarities this place holds to our home.

[menelluin]

The fire was put out quickly. Much more was saved than lost and perhaps some of those lost are replaceable.

[athousandcurses]

I know that... but why would anyone wish to destroy something so precious? What will they gain except loss?

[menelluin]

For some, any loss is acceptable so that a secret can be kept.

[athousandcurses]

A secret... That is a terrible way to keep a secret. What could they be hiding?

[menelluin]

For some, destruction is the only way to keep knowledge hidden. I do not know and I do not know if that is why the fire was started. It seems likely.

[video]

[enjoymyatelier]

Some people have absolutely no respect for others' property, I presume, even if it's something completely irreplaceable.

[He looks more vexed than anything, though at least that's in the ballpark of empathy...]

At least it's possible the books that were destroyed weren't one of a kind, though I wouldn't be surprised if they were, either. Perhaps I'll have to discuss it with the librarians...

[athousandcurses]

[Perking up, Grainne takes a moment to process.]

The other man mentioned librarians, too.

[Sorry Waver, she's outing you.]

He also mentioned catalogs and publishers. You would know more about that sort of thing than I would, Lord Kayneth... it could not hurt to try?

[enjoymyatelier]

Well, I'm sure someone else would, yes. Honestly, I'm not certain if they'd have exactly the same system here as we'd have back home, but I imagine it wouldn't be too terribly difficult to learn. Is there any particular time you'd be interested in starting...?

[athousandcurses]

W-what?

[Grainne's startled expression perfectly matches her squeak.]

Me? But I do not know anything about books...

[enjoymyatelier]

...well, if you're a total novice, it may be a bit difficult, but I can't say I mind a challenge. You've got to start somewhere, don't you?