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Quill And Parchment Books- Working Hideaway

Posted Sept. 24, 2022, 11:50 p.m. by Karilan Massat (Owner, Quill and Parchment Books) (James Sinclair)

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Quill And Parchment Books- Working Hideaway

Posted by Karilan Massat (Owner, Quill and Parchment Books) in Quill And Parchment Books- Working Hideaway

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Quill And Parchment Books- Working Hideaway
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

They inclined their head and said “Karilan. Karilan Massat. This is my store. Perhaps once your work is done, you would like to take a tour? We have the largest rare books and tomes on Oed. If you fancy yourself a bibliophile, I think it might interest you.”

Massat, Proprietor

Her eyes lit up. “It’s really nice to meet you Karilan and you know what”- her gaze shifted very briefly to her work bag before returning to to Massat-“work isn’t going anywhere and is never done, so how about a tour now?” She had one tiny little mission to accomplish while in the store and getting a sense of what books were carried was a start.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

“Of course. Please follow me.” He led her back out and onto the center of the store. “Here is the general public area. We have a fully stocked kitchen downstairs and some of the best bakers, chefs, and culinary talent in the city. We make everything from scratch… with real ingredients if possible. Our specialty is our scones. My favorite is the mixed berry. Sweet without being overly so.” They nodded and smiled as someone passed and said “Hello Karilan!” and went on their way.

Indicating the bookshelves, they said “All of these are reproductions or new prints of works from all over the galaxy. I have contracted with several printers to make them, so we rarely run out of a title. Anx we encourage people to come and read. I don’t mind if they read an entire book and then put it back on the shelf. As long as people are reading, I feel they are less likely to feel anxious or alone.”

Massat, Owner

“I love that,” she said softly, entirely delighted. Eela began to browse the titles. “I’ve been on the go for so many years and having copious bookshelves was a bad idea on starships, so I made do with PaDDs. Nothing wrong with that at all, but there is something very distinct and special about holding a physical book and smelling the paper and ink that just isn’t comparable.”

“Do you any favourites currently?” Eela asked.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Massat smiled. “My tastes are expanding the longer I am overseeing this shop. My… previous life… didn’t allow for much free time, especially enough to read for pleasure often. But I have found myself recently migrating to some of the philosophies of the galaxy as well as science-fiction… especially those works of the humans from ages past. They had such an odd contrast between hopefulness of the future and fear of change.” He led her through some of the shelves until they came to a spiral staircase. “Upstairs is the rare and first editions. Would you care to look?”

Massat

“Absolutely!” They could come back to the section she was perhaps most interested in, but the special books intrigued her. She followed Karilan up the staircase. “How long have you been on Oed?” she asked, moving up the stairs carefully, and more slowly than she liked. Gone were the days where she could dash up a flight with exceedingly precise skill and speed.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

“A little over a year.” Massat replied as they moved at her speed up the stairs. “Technically I’m on sabbatical from work, but the more I stay here the more I think I will stay here.” and they laughed softly. “Although the way things are going here, I wouldn’t be surprised if my work opens a satellite campus on Oed.”

They reached the top and the floor was simply breathtaking for anyone with a love of books. The second floor was actually the perimeter of the floor, the middle being open to the ground floor and above them a magnificent glass gabled roof. All along each side were dozens and dozens of tall, dark, wooden bookcases; their shelves closed behind glass and protected from the elements and sunlight from the roof. Each shelf was its own archival storage; and at the end of each shelf was a small display registering temperature, humidity, and the like. In front of the bookcases were display pedestals with individual pieces on display under tight protection and security.

“Please, feel free to look around. This is the rare and first edition library. We have works in over a thousand languages and dialects, and some as old as almost a thousand years.” Masaat said with pride.

Masaat, Proprietor


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