A New Customer

-MANHATTAN PUBLIC LIBRARY-

Another quiet day at the library. Gloria knew she should hope for a more bustling workplace - it'd mean more people were reading - but she loved the quiet and solitude so much, she didn't mind.

She thought again of her plans for the summer. Ariel and her friend Penny were going to be signing on as summer help, leaving Gloria free to travel to the ZFS King of Beasts again. Just like last year, her presence there was to help watch over her family, but this time she'd be ensuring the safety of her parents, not her sisters... although she'd heard Dirk was planning on returning to the ZFS as well, and nowadays, wherever Dirk went, Josephine tended to follow.

It wasn't that Gloria didn't trust Ariel and her buddy to keep the library running smoothly, it was just... being a librarian here was a job for someone who was laid back, calm, and able to sit on their rear for extended periods. Ariel... was not that sort of person. She couldn't get the image out of her head of Ariel wandering off to do something or other, and Penny running around with books all over the floor. And her hair was on fire, somehow.

Gloria stopped her musings as she suddenly had the distinct feeling that she was no longer alone. She thought she'd heard the door, but couldn't be sure. She turned her head to look at the entrance. Sure enough, someone was there - but not anyone Gloria knew.

"Hello. Can I help you?"

Something about this girl's demeanor seemed... off. She stood there, with the oddest smile on her face, slowly looking around. She didn't seem to respond to Gloria or even acknowledge she was there.

"Um... hello?"

Finally she noticed Gloria. "Oh. Sorry. Hi." The girl had an odd, quiet voice, as if every sentence was a secret. It was a library, sure, but still. "I'm looking for books on a certain subject..."

"What subject did you have in mind? We've got something for everyone here."

"The occult. Show me your books on the occult."

"Occult? As in, paranormal phenomena?"

"Yes."

Gloria led the girl along. Going by the Dewey Decimal System, books on aliens, cryptozoology, and other paranormal and occult subjects were found right at the start of the library's nonfiction section.

"Here we are. We have a fair selection, though I think it could use a bit of filling out."

"This will do. Thank you."

The girl moved in front of Gloria to peruse the shelf. She was wearing a dark purple outfit that seemed too large for her, and moved as if wading through fog. Gloria watched a moment more, and once she was satisfied that the girl was placated, she returned to her desk.

---

It was nearly an hour later when Gloria was startled out of her daydreaming by the strange girl appearing in front of her desk with an armload of books.

"I'd like these." she said.

"This is your first time here, right? You'll need a library card before you can check anything out."

"Okay."

Gloria slid her a form and a pen. The girl filled it out quickly and returned it.

"Thank you..." Gloria looked at the form. "...Viola." She began stamping the books.

"They're true, you know."

"Hm?"

"The books. They're true."

"Well, we do have them in the nonfiction section, so-"

"I mean, they may not be giving the whole truth, but there's no doubt what they speak of is real." Viola said breathlessly. "There's a universe out there, one we don't understand, one that we'll never understand, but we try. We try because we have to try, and if we don't we'll go mad."

"Um-"

"But if we try too hard, we might just find out something we weren't supposed to know. And that will make us go mad, too."

"...I see."

"But it's okay." Viola laid a hand on Gloria's shoulder, making the summoner flinch. If Viola noticed, she didn't show it. "It's okay, because I'll do the deep digging. I'll find out the truth, so other people don't have to."

"But then wouldn't you 'go mad'?"

"That's the best part," Viola said giddily as she gathered her things. She stood up straight, her books in her arms, and began to walk away. Gloria had resigned herself to not knowing what "the best part" was when Viola looked over her shoulder at her.

"I already am."