The Western Wing [Training/Private]

[Koto]

"[color=#2980B9 ]The audacity of this place...[/color]"

I stepped forward unto the 4th floor platform, which to the right immediately opened to the library, and to the left led to the next flight of stairs. The white marble appeared to me marvelous; it was evident the delicacy taken to sculpt each slab, perfectly fitted without gaps between them, each step seeming to flow into the next. What was more, the dusky veins which ran through the marble were all in line, running as it seemed toward the floor entrance. Along with the lack of seams, this gave the illusion that the room was carved into the stone, rather than constructed of. In the corners which faced the stairs sat antique lanterns on charcoal dishes, which held weak flames protected from draft by a tan screen; a placating auburn radiated from the lamps, casting over the clean white stone a dim glow, which had the effect of making it seem ancient and preserved. Early on I had wondered of the necessity of such screens, but my many ascents and descents of the different towers of the Bibliotheca Conscientiae had made me aware that there was most definitely air conditioning. Not even the chilly winds found climbing the northern alps kept a man this free of sweat.

Above the entrance way read 'K-G', which were the sections to be found there. Unsure, as a flight of stairs will leave one foggy minded, I peeled open the pamphlet I had brought and referred to the first page's directory. Though originally I had settled on visiting section P, a sense of genius and proceeding ignorance had led me all the way to the West Wing, which was spurred only by the feeling that 'this was the right way'. It was much too late by time I found the pamphlet, for I was so lost I had already seceded my life to living here.

Assuming that the schema would continue as it had, I put my finger to G and began to read up from there, listing off what seemed interesting. "Hmm... Kumogakure history? Eh... Land of Lightning history? Should have been consolidated... Section B sounds intriguing, at least. I think I'll see what topics it has to offer." And so, without any interest to visit 'K-G', I took a left and continued up the staircase, which was utterly barren besides the lanterns.

The next landing concluded the stairs, as there was nowhere higher to go, and thus led directly unto the top floor. A new light enriched the room here, it was dazzling and became argent over the marble, but had no distinct hue - it was rather normal. It took only a moment to find the source, which nearly escaped attention because it subsumed the far off background; a panoramic window gave full view of the verdant horticulture of nature, effortlessly developed over millennia to overgrow the mountain sides and belittle their peaks with trees which grew twice as high. This at once was so beautiful, but could not be meticulously admired from such a distance, for it was wonderful only as knowledge of what it was, that it was a great view, and was not yet the experience of said view. I would make my way over to it in time, but without rush. It would be too insulting to come to know it so immediately and then bury myself in the text of books, so that it became habituated stimuli. Instead I would let it bug me, to eat at my curiosity, and so make that final succumbing, from which I would unreluctantly stamp over to the window, a supremely religious satisfaction.

Allowing myself to dissociate the esctacy which could be achieved, my eyes became caught by some peculiarly red book on a top shelf. Having no particular goal, I voyaged over and found the title "The Times and Trials of Son Makishima - D109.8" printing in gold lettering. " The times and trials... Catchy, but cliche.". Abandoning it, I began to slide down the isle, drumming my fingers across the shelves as I went, tapping a thudding note for each alluring title, but ultimately passing over "The Fame and Fortune of Bado", "Uses and Abuses of Language" by Tomato, and "Upon Contemporary Decadence, a Recourse to Premodern Methodological Conference" by Tetito Kamasuta. The last of which held the greatest appeal, but was forgone for a nearby book reading "Of Suiton and It's Early Practices - D311.5R" by Nozomo the Samurai.

Taking this last book down, I flipped past the table of contents and prologue and began reading from Ch. 1.

Spoiler

WC: 760

 

[Tsuse Ketsurui]

As the first of many expeditions into the various sectors available to Kumogakure's civilians, it only made sense that Tsuse would find himself pacing the one and only library. Since his first footsteps into Kumogakure's gates, much less any other publicly inhabited place, he had been filled with a sense of novelty. He marveled at all there was to take in, the complexity of social interactions, and the odd desires that a community shares among its populace. To be able to witness demand and consumption, the pursuing of dreams, the stewing of doubts... It was nothing like he had imagined back at the coffee farm outside the village where he had spent his long childhood up to this point. And so, once he had been satisfied with his dormitory grounds, and ultimately bored of the younger children who attended, Tsuse realized that his grandfather had prepared him for the true delicacy of a Hidden Village: its vast, perhaps even limitless, knowledge.

The first gaze that Tsuse took at the library's grounds imprinted in him a desire to return until he could no longer read due to physical incapability. He imagined to himself the great pleasure that it might bring him to spend hours tucked away in some corner of such a large and mystifying place. Yet, at this point, he had yet to take the first step inside. Compared to his meager human size, this place was seemingly fit for only the immortals spoken of in ancient plays, or those descendants of God as discussed in various mythological texts whose ultimate claim is truth. Tsuse shook his head momentarily to throw away his splendor and then continued on inside, where he was directed to receive a library card and then sent off with a pamphlet detailing each of the library's subjects and where to find them. The pamphlet was folded in such a manner that it could be unfolded up to four times, revealing an extremely detailed map of the complex and its floors. Immediately, Tsuse sought the index in the rear of the pamphlet and glazed over each content descriptor, wondering if he would be able to find a particular author that he was familiar with through his grandfather's personal collection. Eventually, he settled over B, and began the long trek to the library's second to highest floor.

Glowing braziers sat atop marble obelisks, lighting the way for Tsuse as he traversed both aisle and stair . They were warm as he passed, and complemented the daylight that passed in through windows arced around the rear of each room. They revealed a stunning view of Kumogakure's territory, but at this moment Tsuse's attention was encompassed more by his own thoughts than the beauty of the world outside. He had found something truly impeccable, a place that resembled the word "Home" to him in a way he did not think capable of being experienced. It was a miraculous reminder of human accomplishment. Shijifusu would be proud of the hills climbed. Once an innumerable amount of aisles had been passed, a few stories' worth of climbing completed, and Tsuse's general interest reaching its climax, he finally strode into the second to highest floor.

Here, he made a beeline for the Philosophy section, and followed the numbers until he reached a point with names beginning with the letter he was searching for. Some pacing, glancing about, and anticipation led to the end of Tsuse's search. On the shelf just before him was a suede-bound hardcover print of a title he kept the small backpack he was wearing at this moment, a title he had brought with him from the farm when leaving. Pulling it from the shelf, Tsuse traced a finger over the engraved title, "Senescence and Timelessness". It was written by Keibetsu Suishin, a philosopher of the old world who was rumored to have been one of the legendary sages that vanished after publishing this work. Tsuse's grandfather said that many thinkers of the last few decades disregarded his work as loft, but Tsuse was quite intimate with its contents, and had many special lectures on its contents prepared by his grandfather when he was still alive. Keibetsu's book discusses at length an individual's sense of destiny, the burden which falls upon the self to select the most successful fate among a seemingly infinite number of choices, and many thoughtful realizations and notes on various aspects of life. In great detail, Keibetsu had tried to compress the wisdom he discovered and intuited alone into something digestible by others, even if they would not emerge from it with his exact idea of the universe's function. This, however, was what drew Tsuse to his work. He was interested in the underlying system. The patterns to be noticed in the roots of one's waking experience.

After fondling the cover and allowing the pages to pass before his eyes, he placed the library's copy of the book back on the shelf and proceeded away from section B quite satisfied. There was no point in checking it out if he already owned it, but he was mesmerized by the idea that more copies of it existed, and hoped that he might encounter someone who had a supple understanding of its contents. Although his grandfather knew much about Keibetsu's writing and the book itself, Tsuse had not had the opportunities to flesh out the concepts in a new and refreshing way. To put it simply, outside of a lecture's format and instead general dialogue.

Next up in Tsuse's search for familiar knowledge was the Old World History section. He traced the pamphlet's index once again and discovered that it was on the floor above, which was exciting not only because it was close but because it would reveal the view available to visitors at the library's highest point. Tsuse progressed there, taking his time as not to spoil the surprise too quickly, and stopped at the floor's entrance. He paused then, for a moment, and thought to himself.

So this was the sensation that he wrote about.... The moments in which you feel most happy are the ones you must remember to keep yourself motivated in dire times. And so I must keep this moment close to me, always in my heart, should I lose my way in search of a silly dream.

He took a breath, and then pushed through the doors, basking in the sudden light of the day through the highest windowpanes. Tsuse approached the window, gazing out as far as he was able to make out detail with his naked eye, and then gazed at the horizon line. Far below was indiscriminate vegetation, at the eye level clouds upon clouds. But a mere glance was enough to satiate Tsuse's curiosity of the outside. Instead, he turned back, and walked off towards the section he was seeking. There was another individual there in the library, but that person did not capture Tsuse's attention just yet, as he thumbed over names and numbers until eventually reaching what he was looking for: "The Complete Works of Suishin and Eikoku, presented faithfully by Gen S."

Before settling on this one title, Tsuse decided it would be best to scan the other side of the aisle. As he made his way around with the book in hand, he noticed the stranger who also occupied the hallway of books. Tsuse wasn't familiar with the book he was reading, nor could he catch a glimpse of its title from the end, so he took a few steps forward. As he looked over the books in the aisle, he neared the other individual, and then stopped just a few feet aside to inspect a row of spines for any sign of the words Suishin or Eikoku.

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