bgsnow

'It must be sharper than any blade, colder than the harshest snowfields, and weightier than any memory.'

'Honestly, I don't know whether I'll be able to bear the stabbing pain in my heart to pick it up.'

'I'm not expecting to write anything with it. Perhaps, more than anything, I wish for it to become the final paragraph in my collection of the days of old.'

Those are the details of the job, and I guarantee you I memorized the whole thing down to the letter.

Really? She was mumbling toward the end there. Are you sure you didn't mishear anything?

Nope.

Anyway, it's been half a month. How do you even remember how quiet she was?

I mean, don't you think it's weird? At first, she said she wanted a fountain pen, and would be fine with whatever design we came up with.

But all that stuff she said at the end... Are you sure that was meant for us, and not herself?

Nope.

—Wait, hold on. It's been half a month?

And we still haven't started on the design?

It's <i>only</i> been half a month. I hadn't sharpened my pencils, and... I was out of mead.

Fair point. Okay, bottoms up.

Bottoms up! —Ugh, dude, what do you think she was asking for, anyway?

Look at her word choice... She probably meant she wants something that's good for fighting, something cold and heavy.

Ohh, then probably some kind of huge ass weapon, made out of metal?

And we need to add something to give it a bit of a fountain pen look.

Just a bit? Let's add that right here, then. It'll look great.

Ooh, I like it! I mean, you just scribbled something on there, but this is a pretty decent blueprint!

So... What is it?

It looks like... a crossbow? What do you think?

Oh yeah, I can see it, now that you mention it. Then I can start designing the structure. I daresay this is gonna be a masterpiece. Even more amazing than anything you've seen in <i>Stranger Things</i>.

Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. And it better be, for a surface-dweller customer to walk away satisfied.

Hear, hear. Bottoms up again!

Well, that's all the work we have for today. Time to celebrate!

'...This is the largest fluorescent mushroom in Zeruertzan history.'

*sigh*... This <i>Legendary Explorer's Zeruertzan History Uncovered</i> doesn't have much useful information.

Seventeen updated cave maps over three years... yet it doesn't go into the upheavals the city has faced, or the ambitions of those in power.

Perhaps I need to look for literature left behind by earlier outsiders, or learn Durish. Only then will I uncover Zeruertza's true history, apart from these suspiciously cheery broken sentences.

...After all, my eyes do not deceive me.

Everyone here is a binge drinker! Every! Last! One!

No... Now that I've escaped that place... I need to put it all behind me.

Perhaps the Durins are the same. Why else would they be drowning their sorrows, if not to bury the memory of some shared trauma?

Until I can understand their pain, this unspoken taboo, I won't ever truly be one of them.

They may act carefree, but I can tell they haven't fully accepted me. I can see the hostility behind their glances.

I mean, why else would there be no updates on my fountain pen after half a month?!

Hello, Avdotya. Is something the matter?

Oh, my apologies. Am I talking too loudly in the library?

After my long, lonesome journey, it's been hard to break the habit of speaking to myself.

Look at this! What did I tell you? They wrote about that nut ice cream eating competition we had in Issue 1201!

Dude, you're holding it upside down. That's Issue 1051. Besides, that's not even you in the picture.

I think you're being relatively quiet, actually.

Anyway, you told me earlier you were afraid of the library's robots since they looked like... uh... military equipment, so I've made sure they won't approach you.

If you're looking for anything specific, just ask me directly.

Thank you.

Really, all I need to know is how these books are sorted. That would help me find what I'm looking for.

Hm... how the books are sorted... I remember there being a book on that.

But I don't remember where it is. Hold on, let me get a ladder.

Shouldn't the sorting system dictate where it is?

Hm, I don't remember that, either.

I mean, 80% of the books here aren't where they're supposed to be anyway, according to the system.

I appreciate your assistance.

But I think I'll take a walk around town. I'm sure that will help me assimilate.

Avdotya, since you love hanging out at the library so much, have you considered writing for Zeruertza?

I'm very curious what surface-dwellers like those in <i>Stranger Things</i> think of our Durin city.

I haven't.

I... Sorry, did I offend you?

It's not you, it's me. This is a problem I must face on my own.

To completely rid myself of my memories of the surface, I refuse to do anything that I used to do up there.

That's a shame. So you're not hoping to be a writer? In that case, you should broaden your horizons somewhere more open.

When you leave, just put anything you pulled off the shelves wherever you want. Also, be careful when you leave through the exit. Lately, we've been getting a lot of drunk Durins racing there.

...Thanks for the warning.

Oh, but I have one more question.

What is it?

How do Durin surnames work?

There aren't any rules. For example, I'm Silvermint. The chief is Eartheart...

So they're all objects or concepts.

(To the Durins, these surnames are nothing unusual, yet I can't help but focus on the meaning behind them.)

...I see. Thank you.

An omnipresent artificial daylight... a city with no winter.

How can I hide the breath of winter enveloping me? How do I avoid hurting the Durins' captious eyes?

If I must abandon my entire past and take refuge under the roof of strangers to avoid banishment or betrayal... All the better.

Here it is...

If I remember correctly, the two craftsmen's hut is around—

—Huh?

A big slide... but there are no stairs leading up...

There's half a trampoline, but no barriers...

What are these things?

Excuse me. Why are all these entertainment facilities left half-finished, and what are they doing here?

Also, wasn't there a craftsman's shop that took commissions here?

Hey! I caught another one!

Caught...? Where are you taking me?!

To the polls, of course!

Oh, look how surprised you are. Have you been living under a rock? How could you have missed this street's renovation contest?!

We're on the third wave of submissions!

And to make it easy for the voters to decide how the street will be rebuilt, they added a new rule this time.

Every contestant must build part of their design, and then—

—the spectators vote for whichever one they want to see completed the most!

How's that? That got you interested, didn't it?

No, not one bit. I just wanted to know where the people who used to be on this street went.

Were they chased away, just like that? Or were they exiled into the caves of Durin, where no daylight will ever reach...

Come on, let's get voting!

*sigh*...

If this is your way of life, who am I to refuse?

But look how tall I am. I literally stand out from the crowd. What will the Durins think of me if my vote ends up in the minority?

Yeah, you sure are tall.

That's why you're the perfect candidate for record keeper! No one here can count votes better than you!

We actually had three record keepers picked out before you, but not one of them came today. My guess is they're all drunk.

Which is why the position is open!