X-MEN EAST 1ST
Attached to the X-Men Center 1st, the easternmost section of the first floor's hallway is practically a mirror-image of the West Hall, though from here one can access the X-Men Media Room, go study in the X-Men Library or hang out in the X-Men Den. Tucked around the corner by a large bay window is also an elevator with a single destination: The expansive underground X-Men Garage.
X-Men Time
Monday, May 25th
Atsila walked out of the library, a torn page in his hand that he was slowly setting ablaze, burning at a crawling pace on his palm. He walked slowly towards the center hall, waiting for Coral to appear behind him.
Coral appeared scant seconds later, hugging the damaged book to her chest. "Atsila! The books in the library are for everyone! If you want to burn paper, you should get some of your own!" As mom-cliche as it sounded, the fish-girl really did look more disappointed than angry as she chastised the fire entity. "I'll buy you some tomorrow if you want, but you can't destroy things you don't own."
"Why not?"
Atsila asked. "No one else looks at the broken books. If they're just sitting there, why can't I burn them? I've been good all day long, I only burned one thing." He didn't sound defensive or whiny, more like a child who just wanted his toy. A rather pathetic child, but a child nonetheless.
"Well, some older books are kept even when they are damaged because they are rare or valuable. There could have only been a small amount printed or this one could have been signed by someone or have study notes,"
Coral held up the book so Atsila could see the cover, as though there was something miraculous about it, "or it could have been passed down to someone by a loved one and has a lot of really special memories attached. You can't really tell how valuable something is when it's not your own."
Now
Atsila was looking at her like she was crazy. "Valuable? You humans are really strange, putting so much value in objects." The page in his hand finished burning and he turned away from the book being thrust in his direction, not caring to look at the temptation any longer. "I simply do not understand it at all."
"Hm...Do you understand buying things? If you buy something, you own it. If I buy something, I own it. If I buy something and give it to you--and I do not call it 'borrowing' or ask that it be returned--then it is yours. You may burn what is yours. Does that sound fair?"
Coral hugged the book to herself again and blinked at Atsila, hoping he understood what she was saying.
"Buying? Borrowing?" These were new concepts to
Atsila. He looked over at Coral and tilted his head. She was so full of information that he wanted to know, and that was a great thing since she was also his only real friend. "I understand owning. The shell owned the things in that room but I'm not supposed to burn them because they might still have use."
"Yes! And the book might be useful to someone, even if it is just to help them remember something that happened a long time ago,"
Coral hugged the book a little tighter. "If you want to burn paper, please just let me know and I'll try to get you some."
"I don't
want to burn paper,"
Atsila said, his voice sounding far too reasonable. "It just has a quicker burn time and therefore is less dangerous than other things I might be able to start on fire." And there was his mixed up motive for starting the book on fire. Coral was a water creature and Atsila reasoned that she understood that being away from their elements could cause them harm. Atsila did try to go without burning anything for a day, afterwards he felt like his head was trying to rip open.
"Oh...Then you should have lots and lots of paper."
Coral nodded to herself, understanding at least that he did not want to cause more harm than necessary. "There should be a storage of printer paper somewhere...It
's a school after all! You can just take a couple of packets for now and I'll buy replacements!"
"Printer paper?" Atsila asked. "If they will allow it." He didn't know what she meant by printer paper, but if it kept people from getting too upset at him, he would do it. It also meant that he might have a supply of paper to burn that was his. That would be good too. "Where is the paper?" He momentarily forgot where they were headed to in his haste to go find the printer paper she had mentioned.
"Well...printer paper belongs with printers...So it should be in the room with all the computers!" Coral grinned and gestured to the X-Men Media Room. "C'mon! I bet they have a lot of extra packets of it in there!"
ACCESSIBLE AREAS
X-Men Center 1st
X-Men Media Room
X-Men Library
X-Men Den
X-Men Garage (Via Elevator)
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