Digital Ink

-GOLDEN SAUCER LIBRARY-

-SOME TIME BEFORE THE MOVE TO KUWAHAWI-

"THAT WAS FREAKING GREAT."

Rachel smacked the mystery novel onto the counter, Gloria looking down at it and then back up at the red-hooded girl. "I'm, uh, glad you enjoyed it."

"Got any more in this series?" Rachel asked, leaning in. "I gotta know what happens next! Is there another big heist? What happened to that other guy? There's so much more this verse could do!"

"Well..." Gloria's eyes shifted and peered diagonally upward as she twiddled her fingers. "I'm afraid that's the last book."

Rachel's jaw dropped. "NO WAY! You're kidding, right? This series was balls-out awesome! It can't be over already!"

"Afraid so. I believe we have a few other books by the same author, though..."

"Eh... I'll go look them up myself."

"Be my guest."

Gloria watched as Rachel approached the card catalog.

And walked right past it, plopping down in her chair and pulling out her smartphone. Gloria gulped nervously and tugged at her robe's collar, and something in the rafters of the library moved.

"Why did you lie?" Yamame asked quietly, dropping slowly out of the shadows while hanging upside-down. "That series has two more books in it."

"Yeah, but... but..."

"HOLY SHIT, GLORIA." Rachel came running back up to the counter, waving her phone around. "There's two more books in that series! You're holding out on me! Gimme."

Gloria slouched, looking defeated. "I can't."

"And why not?"

"Because... well, look more closely." Gloria sighed, gesturing at Rachel's phone. The younger nerd looked at her phone curiously, peering at the details of the page she'd pulled up. A look of understanding dawned on her face. "Ohhhhhh. They're digital only."

Gloria buried her face in her hands. Yamame frowned and dropped to the floor, standing up next to her girlfriend. "Is it really that big a deal?"

"Yes." Gloria huffed. "It's just not the same without a real, physical, wonderful book in your hands, is it?"

Yamame thought about it. "I do like it when I read a 'real' book... it feels better. But you're still overreacting."

Rachel shrugged. "I don't care as long as it's good." She tapped on her phone a couple times and spoke to it. "There's your three bucks, you highway robbers. Book! Now!"

"Look at it this way. It's good for people to read, right? No matter how they do it, they're still reading."

Gloria nodded slowly. "I guess you're right, Yamame."

"Good! All better then? Then let's get over this and have an-"

"Oh boy."

"EXTREME BOOK CLUB!"

Yamame shot out a line of webbing and began swinging from the ceiling while headbanging. Rachel stared for a moment and then joined in, thrashing on an air guitar. Gloria looked back and forth at the two before shrugging and beginning to dance in place.

"YEAH COOKIE"

"Pffffffff-"

Gloria blushed and looked sternly at Rachel - but did not cease her wiggling. "C'mon, Rachel, you've heard her call me that dozens of times by now."

"It hasn't gotten old yet!"

The summoner sighed. These two could be a real handful... but she didn't want either one to vanish from her life.