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Spring in Massachusetts can be a time of chaotic weather for those who have lived long in New England's climes, but there are worse days by far than today. The air is buzzing with the work of bees, and birds are winging lazily overhead. A handful of scattered trees dot the grassy, well-kept landscape in all directions, but buildings rise taller than the majority of the trees in the distance.

Somewhere, a not-very-well-tuned carillon is ringing.

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[sime-channel.livejournal.com]

Suzi? Is already tired of PSD. There are buildings all around her, and green. She hasn't really seen anything else yet because she's trying to avoid throwing up as much as her body wants to throw up.

After longer than she wants to think about she sits up and runs her hands through her hair.

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There aren't many people out on the campus just now. Two of them, young men in the sort of early-in-the-year wear one only sees among freshly-started students, are staring at the young woman. "Miss?" the shorter of the two, with russet-colored hair and glasses, says. "Are you all right, miss?"

[sime-channel.livejournal.com]

Suzi freezes, glances at her hand, and stuffs her arms behind her back, "Yes?" she offers, attempting to look harmless. Suzi is really good at harmless, "Where am I?"

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The russet-haired fellow exchanges glances with his darker companion before looking back to the girl. "On the quad, miss," he says. "We're just down the way from Locksley Hall. Do you need a doctor?"

[sime-channel.livejournal.com]

"No." This is firm. If there is one thing Suzi Darley does not need, it's someone who knows what bodies are supposed to register as, "I need, um. A newspaper?" Please have newspapers!

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"Certainly, miss," says the darker man, who comes forward and hands her a folded newspaper. "This morning's edition."

Of the Arkham Advertiser for May 14th, 1908.

[sime-channel.livejournal.com]

There is no way to take that without showing off her arms. So first she stands up, then she reaches gingerly for the newspaper. "Thank you."

...Suzi doesn't know anyone from Arkham. Or 1908. She squeaks at the date.

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The two men don't quite know what to make of the young woman, or of her... rather peculiar... arms. It isn't polite to comment on someone's peculiarities, though, even if they are quite badly ill. They're just about to withdraw and murmur to each other when Suzi's reaction brings them up short.

"Find somebody you know?" says the russet-haired fellow again.

[sime-channel.livejournal.com]

"No." Suzi admits, "I...don't know how I got here, don't know where here is beyond geographically, don't know anyone here, and, um." that's when she bursts into tears.

At least last time she had Deitmar.

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"Oh dear," murmurs the dark one. "Do you want us to get the police, miss?"

"What's your name?" asks the other, eyes narrowing just a little. It's interest, not disbelief.

[sime-channel.livejournal.com]

"Hajene Suzi Darley ambrov Farris of the House of Farris." When stressed, revert to formality. "I don't know. About the police? I just. I'm very tired of, of, of disappearing and showing up in other places! Can they get me home?"

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Whatever they were expecting, it wasn't that. The young men look at each other and then sharply back at Suzi as 'disappearing' comes up. "Maybe," the darker one says, "but I think you're... probably going to want to speak to Dr. Armitage first. If anyone here knows about appearing and disappearing, it's him."

"He's the head librarian," says the other. "Right this way."

[sime-channel.livejournal.com]

A direction is better than nothing. "Thank you." Suzi says politely, "I appreciate that a lot." and she starts following the two of them and attempting to not look like she's worried they're going to kill and eat her.

The ambient in Arkham isn't a fun place to be.

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No, probably not; for all that the sun is bright this morning and the birds and other living things are well content with their lot in life, there is far too much of the past here. Changeless, it's been called, and legend-haunted; and such hauntings don't lie easy on the brain, whether consciously or unconsciously known.

They pass a few buildings- a scholastic hall, a dorm for upper classmen, the women's dorm- and then pause outside the library as a great black mastiff, all but asleep in his kennel, raises his head and blinks at them. "Easy, Cerberus," murmurs the dark-haired man; his companion digs an elbow into his side. "Watch it!" says the russet. "Dr. Armitage hates it when people call him that."

[sime-channel.livejournal.com]

Suzi blinks back at the dog and continues her current project of Projecting An Air Of Helpless Innocence. She's good at that one, even without manipulating anyone's nager. "Isn't Cerberus the, um. Hell dog? He doesn't look like a hell dog." says the woman who pets werewolves.

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It's a friendly dog, really, and good-natured as big dogs often are. He hasn't got anything to prove, because he knows he's the biggest, most dangerous thing on campus. As Suzi looks his way he wags his tail. "It's more the way he watches over the library, Miss Darley," says the russet fellow. "You couldn't ask for a finer or more dangerous guard animal. His actual name's Napoleon."

"Considering some of the things he guards," the darker one mutters, but goes quiet when his companion glares at him.

[sime-channel.livejournal.com]

"Hi, Napoleon." Suzi says quietly, reaching a hand out to the big dog. She's got no fear, at all, of dogs. She's also using every single trick to deal with Richard that she knows.

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The dog stretches his head upwards and snuffles at the offered hand. Then he licks it once, making a pleased noise.

"He doesn't usually take to strangers that well," comments the russet fellow. "You're lucky he likes you."

[sime-channel.livejournal.com]

"I like canines?" Suzi offers, "And I'm good with them. Mostly? Joy is a good puppy, and Richard puts up with me."

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The dark-haired man smiles. "They sound like good dogs," he says. "Come on, though. Let's find Dr. Armitage."

The building is a massive, three-storied bulwark of gothic architecture, built out of the local granite. Its vast, heavy outer doors open upon a dim, arched lobby. If Suzi looks up, she'll see faded frescoes of unfamiliar figures decorating the ceiling. The walls bear portraits of numerous solemn-looking old men- past figures of merit and importance, both at the University and in the surrounding town. It's unlikely she'll recognize them. The marble busts scattered through the library, perhaps, as for the most part these are the likenesses of great writers and thinkers.

The marble halls of the library are cold, quiet, and drafty, but the central space of this great place is lit by tall, arched windows and a sprawling skylight three stories overhead. It has an almost church-like ambient to it, even with the students making their way through the stacks or studying at this or that desk.

[sime-channel.livejournal.com]

Suzi is not going to correct the idea that Richard is a dog. Ever.

She does watch the architecture, however. It's not like she could get lost, after all, and it's very...library. Scary, horror-movie library and she'd REALLY like Whistler to be here so she could hide behind him. He's not, she's going to follow her guides.

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They'll lead her upwards to the third floor, where the light is brighter but the atmosphere more tense. "Most of the science books are up here," says the russet-haired man. "And the Restricted Section. Dr. Armitage keeps a close eye on that."

"That he does," says a woman's voice- a stout, no-nonsense woman in her fifties, pushing a hefty book cart past. "When he's in, anyway."

The men's faces fall. "He's not here, Mrs. Long?" says one of them.

"Sorry, boys. Dr. Armitage is meeting with the trustees right now. What do you need him for?"

"Well," begins the dark haired one, "this young lady-" The woman turns to consider Suzi. "-was talking about... some very strange things, actually, and we thought..."

He trails off and looks a bit helplessly to Suzi. The russet-haired fellow steps up and says, "She's lost, Mrs. Long, and she said she disappeared and reappeared here somehow."

"Hm," says Mrs. Long, peering closely at Suzi. "Try his assistant, then. I haven't got time for anything funny today."

[sime-channel.livejournal.com]

Suzi's response to Mrs. Long is to peer back at her with much the same expression that a very small mouse has when faced with a very hungry cat. "Thank you." she manages, and taking a step behind the russet-haired gentleman.

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Mrs. Long nods once and sets off with the book cart. "Don't mind her," says the russet fellow. "She's the head reference librarian. She's like that to everyone."

The doors they're heading for are towards the front of the building, on the third floor. Even without people necessarily being present, this place feels creepier than everywhere else they've been to so far- as if something here was not right, not right at all, and only lay lurking in the shadows. It's behind the door marked Restricted Section, but the two men breeze past it and the next door alike, and rap at the third door instead.

"Who's there?" calls a voice that Suzi might possibly recognize.

[sime-channel.livejournal.com]

Voice? No. Not so much. Nager? Yes. "RAY! RAY RAY RAY RAYRAYRAY!" waiting for the door to open? That would be silly. She's going to toss it open and go flinging herself at the owner of the voice.