I, fortunately, was well acquainted with a paca who was robust with information on snekket care, baby or otherwise. unfortunately? everything else.
tentatively placing my nubs along the eggs surface, I weighed the pros and cons of going to rune in the middle of the night. or... 530 AM, I thought to myself, glancing at my clock. the cons heavily outweighed the pros. how is a snekket egg supposed to feel? smooth? hard? soft? was it close to hatching? should I be able to feel something beneath the surface? was it even viable? (do snekket eggs even work like that?)
I picked up the basket. the library was only 10 minutes away at standard speed, maybe 15 with the basket in my nubs, which was probably a fine amount of time for the egg to be cold outside. maybe. I bundled it up securely, just to be safe.
the walk to the library was 15 minutes, just as I had calculated. the weather was nice, I thought to myself, stalling. it couldve been raining or snowing. a tapering set of stairs led to the entrance. the 2 doors on the library were actually a set of 4, a smaller pair my size inlaid into a larger pair nearly 4 times its size. truly marvelous architecture. the detailing of the wood in particular is stunning. if only I could stop shaking and open them! its just the cold, thats all!
"yes, thats right." I mumbled to myself, my wobbling nub gripping the ornate handle. "only the cold. I need to be here... surely rune would understand..."
the door opened silently. I stepped into the darkness of the library.
a soft glow came from rune behind the front desk, bathing his surroundings in a gentle, almost welcoming light. he was leaned over a winged size book, his face almost entirely obscured by the amplified shadow of his head. it seemed as though he hadnt heard me come in, and for a moment I was paused at his unmoving glory, like a handsome photograph, a hellenistic statue.
the door swung shut behind me with a dull thump and snapped me out of it. he spoke in a pleasant tone I hadnt heard him use before.
"here again?"
again? I just got here.
my silence made him look up. I imagine hed have narrowed his eyes at me.
"oh. youre... fletcher." his usual tone had returned.
"um, I..." I swallowed. "I need to know about snekket care. specifically newly hatched."
rune cocked his head at me. he climbed over his desk, his pincers meeting the polished hardwood floor with a sound reminiscent of someone cracking their back.
my core pounded. I could slide under his stomach and hit his exposed core if he attacked me, or if his leg was close enough I could climb onto his back and pull his feelers.
he was right in front of me now. he leaned over, peering into the basket.
"and you have... aquired this...?" rune said, turning to me.
"w- well I, it was on my doorstep." I said, fiddling with my nubs. "just now. surprisingly."
rune uncrouched and turned to retreat to his desk. he gestured for me to follow with his tail, so I picked up the basket and went with him. he climbed back over his desk, not disturbing the still opened book, and reached underneath. he pulled out a woven basket with a lime green bow, a glistening egg nestled safely inside.
"y- the- youre- what?" I stuttered. I glanced between my basket and his. exactly the same. I laughed nervously. the corner of runes mouth twitched upward, but he quickly smothered it, which made me snort.
"when I get my pincers on the paca that did this to me-" he burst out laughing, and so did I, unable to keep it in anymore.
"the same basket! the exact same..." he grabbed the handle of mine and placed it next to his, comparing.
tears pricked my eyes as I giggled, realizing the gravity of the situation. "ah... ah... I cant do this, I cant care for a snekket..." I rubbed my feelers nervously.
"well, you could always-"
"Im gonna stop you right there."
"I was about to suggest something PERFECTLY humane, for your information." he was still grinning from laughter at me, so his words didnt have their usual bite.
"well, what about you?" I carefully wiped my eyes. "you certainly cant care for one either."
"insulting. Ill forgive it, just this once." he licked his lips, contemplating.
"you werent going to eat it, I hope." I said, grimacing.
"I considered it."
I envisioned myself eating it, despite myself.
rune mustve noticed my face. "YOU couldnt though. non magic egg."
I breathed a sigh of relief.
rune shrugged, but he was still grinning. "did you look through yours?"
I hadnt. I took my basket (hopefully it was mine) off his desk and shuffled through the contents. "did you?" I asked him. treats, a plush, and a note, although the note was incomprehensible.
"my claws are, shockingly, too large." he said sarcastically.
"here, Ill look in it for you." I offered, taking his off his desk as well. poking through it, I discovered the exact same contents. I tried to ignore his 'I accept no charity' stare that I could feel piercing me.
"same as mine." I said, holding the plush. "some food, a toy, and a note, but the note just has a pawprint and no words."
"so no clues." he said. he picked his basket back up and slid it back under his desk. I looked at him nervously.
"so ah... what are you planning to do with that?" I found a tag on the plush and opened it, trying to hold it in runes glow.
he hummed at me. "if it helps you sleep at night, I have a friend to offer it to."
"um, and if they decline?"
"awfully nosy, arent you? I might crush it."
I winced at the thought. "what about that humane way you mentioned earlier?"
"pathetic. but its perfectly acceptable to freeze things of this nature, and I can assure you its painless to the egg or otherwise."
while that did make me feel better, I wasnt sure I could do that. the plush tag was within runes glow now, and I made out the printed SACHETS PILLOW FORT label.
rune leaned in. "anything?"
"um, sa- wait. wait." I obscured the tag. "Ill make a deal with you."
rune raised an eyebrow.
"I help you figure out... all this." I gestured to the baskets. "and in return, if you do... get rid of the egg, it has to be nicely."
rune put a pincer to his chin, contemplating.
"and how would having you around help me?" he asked.
I puffed up my chest indignantly. "I happen to be quite good at talking to people. and besides, you love it when people flinch at the sight of you, right? if you were scampering around with an egg and chatting it might... taint your image? or something?"
rune rolled his eyes. "fine. although my reputation is nowhere near at stake to be clear, I just enjoy watching you shake like a leaflet when I stand near you. good for my ego."
figures.
"ok. the plushies from sachets pillow fort, although Ive never been there."
"Ive passed by it. alright, lets head off then." he headed towards the door. I picked up my basket and followed.
"awfully slow arentcha?"
"I have a basket!"
"tch." he grabbed me and placed me on his back, despite my complaints.
I huffed and took hold of one of his spines. "arent you gonna bring yours?"
he turned and sneered at me. "might taint my image."