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An Archivist's Allergies: Secret Santa for sneezingnonstop~


normandy

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@Sneezingnonstop I got you for Secret Santa! Sorry for the delay, this is my first time writing an extended piece of original fiction and I wanted it to be good! Hope you like it! :)

An Archivist's Allergies

Lera awoke to soft morning sunshine dispersing through the lone window in her sparse cottage. She sat upright, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. It was today that she started at her new job—archivist at the grandiose Oakfall Library. The library is home to a plethora of texts and artifacts, many of which are hundreds, if not thousands of years old. In fact, the library was once the largest in all of Prendale. Having pursued studies in history and literature, Lera saw the library as the best place to apply her talents. Excitedly getting herself ready for the day ahead, she began to make her way to Oakfall.

The library itself defied reality. A massive marble staircase led the way to the library’s entrance, a massive black gate bearing the crest of Oakfall. Having trudged up the stairs, Lera turned around to take in the view behind her. The lush treetops of the city dotted the landscape, with the Elysen River in view behind the city’s main residential area. Lera couldn’t help but let a smile spread across her face. She knew that she belonged here.

She heard a voice behind her.

“You must be the new archivist! Welcome, welcome!”

Lera turned around and froze. Standing behind her was none other than Olman Rennin, one of the library’s main curators. Lera was a huge fan of his history of the Trendinian War, a series of battles that wreaked havoc on Prendale two centuries prior. As a student, Rennin’s depiction of the vicious insurgent Trenden shook Lera to her very core. She noticed that years of deep research seemed to have aged him well.

“Mr. Rennin! Please excuse me for dallying!” Lera felt color rush to her cheeks.

Rennin chuckled. “Nonsense! I’d be lying if I said that the view hasn’t overwhelmed me from time to time.”

Rennin led Lera through the library’s main hall. She was amazed by the sheer volume of the library’s stock. The shelves almost reached the building’s tall ceilings, and were filled to the brim with books of all sizes with vibrant bindings. Lera was then led to a smaller (yet still sizable) room with more shelves. A few wooden tables held stacks of old, very worn texts.

“This is our re-organization area. As the library just completed renovations a few months ago, we came upon a massive collection of old literature in the depths of the building,” Rennin explained. “You and a few others will be tasked to date, categorize and organize these sources for our different exhibitions.”

Lera nodded along. She was beyond excited to get to work.

Once Rennin left, Lera started on the first available stack she could find. It was a thick encyclopedia of sorts, with a worn leather cover. Lera flipped the book open, only to let loose a huge plume of dust. Rennin really wasn’t lying—these books were old. Lera waved a hand to disperse the stuff, coughing a little.

She flipped to the ends of the book, trying to find any evidence of authorship. Just then, her nose twitched. Eyes watering, Lera rubbed at her nose to impede an incoming sneeze.

“Heh…heh…”

She simply couldn’t bear it any longer. The incoming sneeze was too powerful. Ripping her handkerchief from a pocket in her dress, Lera sneezed into the soft cloth.
“HehISHOOO! ISHOOOO! Hah…SHOO!”


Suddenly realizing that she wasn’t the only archivist in the room, Lera blushed behind her handkerchief. She noticed someone to her right rolling their eyes. She blew her nose softly, and stuffed the cloth back into her pocket. It hit Lera then—she could be allergic to the dust in the old book! Lera didn’t remember ever having any allergies, but the dust had set her nose on fire. Trying to ignore the twitching of her now-pinkish nose, Lera hopped back into the old book.

The text itself was fascinating—it contained descriptions and diagrams of plants native to Oakfall. It also contained more dust, leaving a watery-eyed Lera with her breath hitching.

“Hah…hah…”

She scrambled for the handkerchief and held it in front of her face, eyes fluttering shut and mouth agape.

“Hahkishoo!”

Lera pinched the cloth close to her now-red nose trying to minimize the sound of her sneezes, but her nose wasn’t having any of it. The next two sneezes tumbled out of her with a vengeance.

“HuhSHOOO! HuhhHUSHOOO!”

Lera found herself hunched over, lightheaded. She scrubbed furiously at her nose, trying to alleviate the massive tickle. She heard a groan of disapproval. Lera quickly jotted some notes on the encyclopedia and slid it to the other end of the table. The farther away that dust bomb was from her, the better.

The tickle in her nose seemed to subside for the moment, so Lera slipped her handkerchief back into her pocket. As her hand slid into the pocket, another sneeze ripped through Lera’s nose.

“HihHIHSHOOO!”

Lera instinctively sneezed into her free hand, the sneeze not giving her time to utilize the handkerchief. Feeling embarrassed, Lera shuffled over to a nearby shelf, hoping to busy herself after her sneezy display. She slid another book out, only to whip up another batch of dust.

“HuhRISHOOO! HehKTCHIEw!”

Pressing her handkerchief to her face, again, Lera scurried out of the room. Her potent allergies along with her dismay at a  potential wreck of a first day combined to fill her eyes with tears. She desired some fresh air, and found a back door that led to a small garden behind the library. Alone, Lera plopped down on a bench, blowing her nose furiously.

The sound of someone’s throat clearing made her jump. She turned to find a blue-eyed, curly-haired man about her age, whom she recognized as a fellow archivist.

“Mind if I take a seat?”

Lera quickly nodded, brushing her jet-black hair from her face. The man sat down next to her.

“Look, don’t be embarrassed by some allergies. I’m a sufferer as well,” he said. “The flowers blooming in the spring here have incapacitated me from time to time.” Lera chuckled.

The man reached for a vial in the pocket of his cloak.

“My aunt runs an apothecary out east, and I swear by this stuff. A swig of this clears up your nose real quick. I carry it with me everywhere,” he stated as he handed it to Lera.

“Thank y-yuh…” Lera started, then succumbed to the familiar tickle that caused her eyelids to flutter.

“YiiSHOOO! ISHOOO! Ah…ASHEEEW!” Lera let off a triple into the crook of her elbow.

“Thank you. And you are?”

The man blushed a little.

“Forgive me. Name’s Azlan. I’m in my third year at the archives. But I know that you’re Lera Kelden. Your thesis on the Raelen family’s influence on the Senate was outstanding.”

Lera was floored. Someone actually read that thing? And beyond that, they actually enjoyed it?

“I’m glad you liked it! As far as I knew, I thought that thing was collecting as much dust as that damn encyclopedia.”

Azlan laughed. Their eyes met, and Lera felt something she’d never really felt before. She was slightly warm, and her stomach just felt…weird. She realized that she had been staring at Azlan, and her nose tore her apart from the awkward moment with a massive itch.

Lera knew the drill. She took out the handkerchief to catch a bevy of sneezes.

“HehSHIEWW! HuRESHOOO! Hah…hah…HAhSCHIEW!”

Lera stole a glance at Azlan, ashamed of her grossness. Instead of seeing the cringe she was expecting, Azlan’s little half-smile made her heart skip a beat. Azlan stood up, and Lera instantly found herself wishing that he hadn’t.

“Listen, feel better and take some of that potion. I’ll see you inside.”

Azlan walked back into the building. Lera looked down at her heavily used handkerchief and smiled. Dust aside, the library was proving to be a great fit in more ways than one.

***

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This was such a cute and sneezy story!! I enjoyed all of the sneezes and the scenario you put together here with Lera! Thank you so much for writing it @normandy ! :)

 

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Love this story. Imagine Lera's surprise if she took some of the substance in the vial and it turned out to be chhinkni... just a concept  :jump:

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