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Post by John Bristow on Oct 20, 2008 23:44:37 GMT -5
John nodded with a smile "Abdul al Raje? Yes he was, definitely... odd."
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Post by Herbert von Krolock on Oct 23, 2008 11:43:23 GMT -5
"No, not Raje, al- al-"
He held the book at arms' length and squinted at it.
"Al- Al-hazred, I think."
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Post by John Bristow on Oct 23, 2008 22:25:14 GMT -5
"Oh right, right yes" the name was very familiar, he had read a Al-hazred before, but he wasn't sure if it was the same one "would you mind if I looked at it?"
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Post by Herbert von Krolock on Oct 23, 2008 22:48:15 GMT -5
"It's extremely delicate. Not to mention reeking in..."
He searched his mind for an appropriate word.
"Eldritch...osity. Or similar."
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Post by John Bristow on Oct 23, 2008 23:00:04 GMT -5
"Of course, I wouldn't need to if Mr. Angel was here, he knows these books back and forth and inside and out. But since he isn't I'm afraid just a glance or two is all I need."
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Post by Herbert von Krolock on Oct 23, 2008 23:09:31 GMT -5
"Mr Angel?" he asked, almost suspiciously. That was not Aziraphale's usual alias.
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Post by John Bristow on Oct 23, 2008 23:14:14 GMT -5
"Oh I- well" he looked down and smiled "powers of deduction I'm afraid."
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Post by Herbert von Krolock on Oct 23, 2008 23:28:36 GMT -5
"I see," said Herbert. "Let me fetch you a pair of... gloves."
He moved to set the book down on the one small, cramped reading table provided for the purpose, but as he pulled it away from his own chest, the book clung to him with long, viscous ribbons of black grime of unknown origin. The ooze stretched without breaking, and when he tried to shatter the bonds with his hands, he found that they were coated with the same filth. The front of his shirt was already stained with the stuff as well.
All considerations for the old and valuable book died then. Herbert flung it against the table far more roughly than his bibliophilic instincts would have normally allowed. It made a wet kind of gushing noise and spurted some more of the ooze, but at least the streaks connecting it to Herbert himself pulled too taut to stay connected. They snapped in the middle, and some of the halves flew back to the book and others to the vampire.
Herbert glanced down at his thoroughly muck-covered body and made a disgusted noise.
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Post by John Bristow on Oct 23, 2008 23:32:58 GMT -5
"Well that's disgusting" John said softly he looked at Herbert's shirt "I, could clean that for you, if you'd like, I run a shelter for the less fortunate, I can say I've see worse."
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Post by Herbert von Krolock on Oct 23, 2008 23:54:52 GMT -5
"Don't worry about it," he said darkly.
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Post by John Bristow on Oct 23, 2008 23:57:53 GMT -5
"Are you sure?" He asked kindly, he'd rather not upset the man, like the proprietor, he was obviously not human.
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Post by Herbert von Krolock on Oct 24, 2008 0:10:40 GMT -5
"No, I'm fine," he insisted. "I'd stay away from that book if I were you."
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Post by John Bristow on Oct 24, 2008 0:25:19 GMT -5
"I plan to" he looked down at the disgusting thing and sighed "I guess I'll simply have to try back later, do you know when he'll be in next?"
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Post by Herbert von Krolock on Oct 24, 2008 0:53:25 GMT -5
"I'm not certain- there may be other books, if you'll give me a moment to change," said Herbert, with a slightly self-satisfied grin. This retail business wasn't as hard as people made it out to be, though he rather wished he'd had a bit more warning about the creeping black ooze of possibly cosmically horrific origin that being a bookseller clearly risked.
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Post by John Bristow on Oct 24, 2008 0:56:26 GMT -5
John smiled "Oh well all right, and try some baking soda, usually works for the bad stuff."
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