Chapter Text
“Iuh expectu dhis tuu be finishdo by za end ovu za weeku”
the words bounce around inside of my head as I follow the map Naomi provided me at the start of the day to the school library.
‘I know Mr. Tsuki can seem rather demanding with his work, but I promise he’s one of the nicest teachers in the school!’
the words were meant to be reassuring, but I can only help but grimace as I arrive at the doors of the library, I mean, who drops a book report on the week after winter break? Only to explain it away with some vague samurai bullshit about “resharpehn youruu blade beforah waru” I just hope I can get some 200-ish page book and CliffsNotes it in time for that concert to start, I'd hate to miss out on some free pizza.
I trade in my map for my phone and start searching up summaries for highschool-level books online as I step into the library, crusty air and sour aura welcoming me into a Pointdexter's sanctuary away from the world of stereotypical jocks looking to shove them into lockers and steal their lunch money
I briefly look up from my phone to survey the area, it’s actually a pretty nice place, I'm assuming it’s only like this not because of funding or any upkeep but the fact that it’s pindrop quiet in here on account of there being no sign of intelligent life anywhere, with the only hint of a lifeform being a backpack, notebook and a still-open computer sitting on a table at the far end of the library near a window, with nobody at it, simply a track left behind by some nerd looking for a new novel to read.
A Snootcord notification comes through on my phone, causing a faint vibration and drawing my attention to the alert that the bait I had posted in a server about some shit Isekai had been bitten, hook line and sinker, but before I can bask in my victory over the mentally impaired, a purple set of heels come into my peripherals, and a dormant flight-or-fight response slowly creeps into my body, no doubt a leftover trait from my ancestors for when we were hunted by saurian species around the globe.
My eyes slowly climb the figure, a deep blue dress with minimal decorations, pink scales, greyed hair with piercing yellow eyes and devilish horns, about my height but somehow storing a thousand times the hate as the grinch himself.
She cuts me off before I even open my mouth “phones. on. silent" each word is spoken at a low volume, but effortlessly pierce through me and kill any hopes of argumentation, I wordlessly turn the silent function of my phone on and slide it back in my
pocket.
“uh, I'm um..sorr-” she cuts me off again: “do you have a library card”, she speaks with a softer tone, but still demands authority as she takes my silence for a ‘no’ and she beckons me to follow her to a small desk in the corner of the library.
‘did she really hear me from all the way over-’
“yes, i did, tell me your name” the Ceratosaurus woman says as she sits down at an office chair, sliding up to an old computer, damn mumbling, i need to get a handle on that or this librarian may actually kill me if her hearing is that good.
“name”
I quickly get pulled back into my current situation and spit out “Anon Y. Mous” as fast as I can.
The librarian clacks away on her keyboard, filling the quiet library with the thumps and thacks of the decades old keyboard, it only takes a few seconds before a card printer machine located slightly to the right of the computer to whirr to life, and I stand awkwardly waiting for the device to spit out my card.
I sit in a staring contest with the Ceratosaurus for what feels like an eternity, with nothing but the pained whirrs of a machine that barely gets used to accompany me, and eventually, the old device shoots out my card with a pained *THRK*, the librarian takes a hold of it, scanning over the card to check for any impurities before handing it over to me.
“uhhh, thank you Mrs....?”
“MISS. Roberts”
I have to physically bite my lip to restrain the response i had been saving up for this exact situation, not realizing that any woman that this scenario would be applicable too would likely rip me to shreds with their decades of built-up hag rage.
Ms. Roberts stares me down for a few more seconds, turning her attention to a book that she picks up and begins reading, causing a massive flood of relief to flow throw me, threatening the structural integrity of my legs. I stiffly turn and march away from Ms. Roberts desk, with a librarian like that, you’d never need a resource officer to guard all these old dusty books, not that anyone would be interested enough to steal them anyways.
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10~ MINUTES LATER
I feel like a zombie endlessly mulling around the seemingly infinite expanse of bookshelves this library has, sifting through categories and books like I've been delt a Sisyphean punishment by raptor Jesus for all the blasphemy I've put out on the internet over the years, how anyone could possibly enjoy this mind-melting torture is beyond me, I've seen genres from ‘Norwegian Fantasy Romance’ to ‘midwestern kung-fu fighting’, most of these categories remind me of the boards I would troll, especially the ‘Mindful environmentalist poetry’ section, I would put up triple doubles if that was a forum I could shitpost on.
What feels like years passes by as I continue my slog through the catacombs of Volcano High, every time I think I can get a book here that I saw online, I'm just led even deeper into this tomb of literature. Just as I'm about to call it quits and escape my imprisonment, i notice one of the bookshelves start to move out of place and slowly approach me.
Standing there dazed, like a fighter concussed from heavy blows, I watch as the sentient shelf slowly glide its way over to me, i blink once, twice, each time my eyes shutter the bookshelf creeps closer. I reach up to rub my eyes, hoping that it’s merely the eternity of wandering finally catching up to my psyche, and when i peel my hands off my face, I'm met with a stack of books ramming into me.
“oof!”
“agh-!”
two cries of pain echo throughout the library as I fall on my ass for the second time this day, looking up, I see a scattered mess of about a dozen books Infront of me, and raising my head even more, I see a pink and red Parasaur also sitting squarely on the floor, rubbing their hip with their tail and grasping at their face with both hands.
“oh dear...what a mess” the assailed para squeaks out before moving onto their hands and knees and shifting around on the floor, tapping away with their hands looking for something that likely had gone missing from the impact.
I gaze around before my eyes land on a set of thick, circle glasses that rested a few inches away from my hand.
Picking them up, I get up to a squatting position and lean over to offer the dropped glasses back to the Parasaur, who doesn’t seem to notice the action while she continues to sift around for the glasses I held.
*ahem* “are these yours?” I say in a hushed whisper, my presence startling the Parasaur who lets out a high-pitched squeaking noise, their face turning a deep red to match the color that was highlighting their snout.
“i believe they would be” they grab the glasses from me and slide them onto their face, ‘how do dinosaurs even wear glasses?’
The para stops her movements, contemplating something, did I mumble that? They resume whatever checkup routine they do before starting to gather the scattered books.
Not wanting to be a dick, I quickly start gathering books with them, grabbing about 7 of the 12, the para gathering the remaining 5, we both stand up, awkwardly staring at one another, only then do I start to notice the para's character, they were about a head shorter than me wearing a brownish-red sweater with a blue skirt and lighter blue stockings that both worked to covered their legs, and ending in, if I remember from what those fags on that fashion board I baited yesterday correctly, are a pair of black doc martens platformer shoes. And it then begins to dawn on me that the dinosaur I am gawking at like a retard is a girl, and my alarms aren’t even going off, must be the exhaustion from the soul-sucking search I was performing earlier.
Even through her thick glasses, I can see a look of nervousness and pensiveness starting to work onto her face as I continue to stare at, and not wanting to be a creep, I immediately spill my spaghetti everywhere
“duh-uhm-I'm sorry for y’know...do you need any help carrying these uhh, these books...? I didn’t mean to uhm, didn’t mean to ram into you like that” if only that poster on that Polynesian basket weaving forum that I ironically took dating advice from could see me right now.
The para starts to fight her own spaghetti spilling battle, sputtering out various quiet “wells” “uhms” and apologies before settling on a quaint “that would be appreciated”
She stiffly marches past me carrying her share of the books, and I quickly scurry after her as she masterfully weaves through the halls of literature that I had been previously entombed in, and it only takes a moment before we’re out in the libraries reading area, where the laptop, bag and notebook I had seen earlier lay, assumedly belonging to the Parasaur i was now following.
We arrive at the table the Parasaur was stationed at, and we both quietly set our respective stacks of books down on the table, i back away slightly, wondering if i should continue my search for a book to report on or just try to chance it on a chatBCE summary of a book I never read, Tsuki seems like the type of English teacher that would be able to sniff any trace of AI in a writing like a bloodhound, and i'm now starting to miss the tech illiterate ogres that populated Rock Bottom High
"Are you here for Tsuki's book report? You look new to this school and usually students are informed by their seniors about the post-winter break book report before they even step foot in his class, so most students complete the assignment during free time on the break before they even get assigned the task." the para pulls me out of thought with this factoid, having said it with a very professional, rehearsed tone, 'kind of like Naomi'.
The para tilts her head at my apparent mumbling, and I quickly save face by diverting back to her original question: "yes i am"
"Would you like some help? I know a good few books you can choose for the report here"
Not wanting to miss this golden opportunity, considering how masterfully she navigated the crypt that is this library, I nod my head in agreement and make and admittedly try-hard show of gesturing for her to lead the way.
She starts walking towards the bookshelves, clearing her throat and beginning to tell me about the many books i have to choose from.
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5~ MINUTES LATER
I continue to get dragged along by the para, who is still telling me about the wonders of literature or something, I've honestly lost track of what she's been telling me, i'm too focused thinking about how tired my legs feel and looking at the slow swish of her tail as she speaks.
"-and thats why I believe Tsuki would appreciate an analysis of a book that leaves much up to the interpretation of the reader, a short but inspiring tale that could be further expanded on by a student." she drones on, and while i don't really care about the specifics about what she's telling me, I can appreciate the fact that
'She really knows her stuff'
The para stops, her tail picking up in speed and her face darkening in color, she turns around to face me and starts spilling her spaghetti again, i can only pick up various "wells" and "it's nothing major", along with other similar lines through her hushed voice.
The para stops her spillage, frantically looking around until settling on a clock mounted on a wall across the library, "ohwelllookslikeihavetogetgoingnowbyeee!" she stammers out, picking a random book from the shelf next to her and shoving it in my hand before running off.
Left in my confusion, I also look up at the clock, noticing I've been here for 20 minutes and the only thing I have to show for it is a library card and a book about Rome, (I think...)
And while it was mostly and excuse for the para to sperg about nerd shit, the impromptu book lecture did give me an elevated understanding of this libraries floor plan, allowing me to maneuver my way out and over to Ms. Roberts desk, where the Ceratosaurus sits reading the same book she had started when she gave my my library card.
As i approach the desk, the Ceratosaurus shifts her eyes from the book to me, still with that same steely gaze she had when i first drew her attention, I slide my book across her desk with my library card on top of it, Ms. Roberts sets her book aside and begins working on the computer, and only a moment later, the cranky Ceratosaur reached out to me with my spoils.
I grab onto the book, causing her surprisingly strong grip to tighten,
"All books have a return date of 10 days, keeping it longer warrants a $5 fine for every day held past due, if you lose the book you will have to pay for its replacement."
Ms. Roberts loosens her grip on the items, allowing me to slip both into my bag, now i have two cards i need to worry about.
i turn and walk back out to the reading area, looking over to where the para had her laptop, all her supplies and books were gone, except for a lone spiral notebook that lay strewn on one of the seats.
'i guess she forgot' I should hold onto it for her as payback for helping me get a book for the report, if she visits the library often then she should be easy enough to find.
Walking over to the notebook, I pick it up to examine the cover
"Theresa A."
"Room 1238"
That makes it easier, if the map i was provided is still up to date with room numbers, that room should be in between my Science and English classes, it's apart of the dedicated clubrooms section of the school.
But that's all a problem for future Anon; reliable guy he is, handles most of my problems
But now I have a concert to attend to, I don't think they'd start it immediately after school, so I hope i can squeeze in before it starts and get in on some free pizza.
"-an't believe they're still SOO bad!"
"-know right? hehehehehe"
I turn to my right as i exit the library, spotting a blue triceratops with a yellow triceratops and a green and orange dinosaur I can't place a species to, the three girls swing open a set of doors at the end of the hall, exiting the school while continuing their conversation.
Weird, i wonder what they could be talking about? Paying it no mind, I continue on my way, following my map to the school auditorium, passing multiple groups of saurians who are all laughing about something I'm not privy to.
But I recognize the looks on their faces; they're making fun of something, I've had to look at this expression hundreds of times, and while it would obviously look different on saurian faces, it's still the same scummy look I'm accustomed to, it's just now I'm not the subject of their mockery.
I finally wonder up to the auditorium doors, it's oddly silent inside and the door is held open by one of those stage weights they use in theater.
Walking inside, i notice the state of the room; it's dirty, with slices of pizza strewn about on the floor and stage which is being illuminated by a few spotlights, but nobody is occupying them, multiple chairs and tables had been crowded close to the stage, a couple being toppled over.
But the most eye-catching sight is Naser, slouched over a rolling rack with a few boxes of pizza on it, he's buried his face into his hands and his phone is set face-up; illuminating his corner of the room and casting him in an ominous light
If i was a photographer, it would be an amazing picture to take.
Walking over to the downtrodden Ptero, I catch a glimpse of the text conversation he was having on his phone, the recipients name is set as "Fang" followed by a guitar emoji and a pirate hat emoji, the contents of said conversation being a one-sided screaming match with Naser, and this 'Fang' character had using some extremely colorful language, poor guy couldn't even get a response in.
"You good?" i say meekly, hoping my poor attempt at consolation would lift Naser out of the spell that he's in.
I see Naser flinch, he lifts his face from his hands, briefly looking at me with an expression of contempt and hatred before realizing it's me, his gaze softens and he lets out a sight, contemplating on what he should say next.
"No...The assholes i invited to the concert showed up just to laugh at my sister and her band..." He's not even trying to play the pronoun game anymore.
Shit, is that what those dodgers were laughing about in the halls? "That sucks man...I know what it's like to be laughed at for something I like doing..." I think it's ok to let a bit of my past slip to Naser, he's been a bro so far, and it sucks to see him so sad, especially since i wasn't there for him when it happened.
"Sorry I wasn't here for the concert man, I was in the library for Tsukis book report assignment..." Naser sighs, shifting his position from leaning forward on the cart to leaning on it with his hip and turning to face me.
"it's cool Anon, this whole thing was just one big shitshow" he says the last part with noticeable distain, we both stand silently, with Naser looking despondently at the ceiling while i awkwardly fidget around.
My eyes drift over the remaining pizza boxes, Naser takes notice of my wandering eyes.
"You can still take some pizza with you 'non, i don't have an appetite anymore..."
I quickly shuffle over to the boxes, I take 3 under my arm, they're still slightly warm and mostly full.
Naser's phone starts to ring, the notification for a call reading "DAD" in all caps followed by a golfclub emoji and a policeman emoji is displayed, Naser's frown deepens and he looks hesitant to answer it.
While Naser procrastinates on picking up the call, I offer my hand to him for a fist-bump
"Thanks for the pizza Naser, and sorry that this all happened to your sisters band; if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here" i know i shouldn't have offered that last part, considering my uncanny ability to fuck over any attempts at socialization I make, but Naser's crestfallen expression looks like it runs deeper than just today; the guy has a lot on his plate after all
Naser looks between me and my fist, a small smile overtakes his beak and he returns my gesture, we're both silent as we part ways, with him staying in the auditorium to talk to his father and me walking out of the auditorium doors.
As I leave, i release a breath I did not know I was holding, decompressing and looking down both ends of the hall that the auditorium is attached to like I was watching for traffic.
But as I scan over to my left, I notice two figures approaching from the side of the hall that I had come in from; Naomi and Principal Spears slowly approaching the auditorium doors, conversing among themselves.
Before I can turn and walk down the hall, I see both bureaucrats recognize me, forcing me to tense back up and walk towards them, hoping they'll ignore me.
But unfortunately, Spears speaks up as I approached,
"There you are Anon, I was wondering if you had been in attendance of the concert that was just recently held." his voice is deeper than i remember, housing a repressed anger within his cadence; once i read on a forum that tigers use a frequency in their roars that can stun prey with fear, if there was a human equivalent, then the tone Spears used right now would match.
"N-no sir, i was in the library finding a book for Tsuki's book report"
Naomi's face goes through a myriad of small changes; signaling confusion, then a realization, and finally a subtle look of disappointment at the news before quickly applying her usual plastic facade.
"Well at least you found a productive use of your time!" she chirps out in a sweet tone
Spears nods in recognition of her statement, "I suppose that would be for the better, the behavior of the students showcased today is extremely disheartening to me as the principal; it's important to recognize that you're not the only person in the world, but unfortunately it seems a large bulk of the student body still has yet to grasp the concept..."
Naomi nods in sympathy to Spears' plight, and both continue on their way to the auditorium, allowing me to quickly make haste out of Volcano High and back to 'Casa de Mous'.
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30~ MINUTES LATER | ANON'S APARTMENT
What a day, first the monochromatic Ptero, then Naomi, then the lunch card, getting a book for Tsuki, the Theresa girl, missing a concert and getting sage advice from the principal, walking away with free pizza at the end of it all.
Before i begin my shitposting, I decide to take some load off of future Anon's shoulders, grabbing a Tupperware container that I had "borrowed" from my father when he sent me away, packing 2 slides of cold pizza inside it and putting it inside my backpack alongside my binder, Theresa's notebook, and the book about Rome (i think...) that I need to write a report on by the time Friday comes
I know i should focus on schoolwork, but thanks to the wonders of modern technology, skimming books and throwing together and acceptable report has never been easier, this is the perfect assignment to procrastinate on, it'll only take me 10 minutes at most, so for now it's time to get some quality shitposting in while the mind juices are still flowing.
CHAPTER 1 END