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MIS:65: Hard Times

Synopsis

Belial, Micah, and Theo explain to Keegan about the Library's budget issues.

Author Notes

A tad more Library worldbuilding and some Theo backstory. Let's get into it.

To sum up, Redge has mentioned in the past that most students pay a pretty hefty tuition to be able to learn/work/live at the Grand Arcane Library. Those are the students in Dragon Hall. But the Pages are primarily consisted of stray kids - often homeless, or at least from less fortunate backgrounds. These are the kids this story follows, and they live in this dorm, Golem Hall.

Despite Redge's best efforts, though, the Library Board itself isn't keen on taking in students that aren't helping fund the place. Hence why there's sixteen available bedrooms in Golem Hall, and only now as of today, are half of those rooms occupied. Even in another world, greed is a terrible and prominent force. Redge does the best he can to help less fortunate kids, but even as the Master Librarian, it would seem it's still an uphill battle for him every time.

(I wonder what he must've had to say or do that allowed Chiaki and Keegan to be the first new Pages admitted in a year...)

And let's talk a bit about Theo too. That line that his family "has fallen on hard times" comes up again. Whatever happened, it's apparently bad enough that he's eligible as a Page. By now it's an unspecified amount of time since said "hard times" (at least a year, as he'd have to be here longer than Micah, at least), but he still has utmost faith this situation is only temporary for him.

But it gets more even curious when Belial adds "what his father did", which Theo objects too. There's a lot to unpack, especially when combined with previous information that his parents seemingly don't want him to learn magic. Just what is going on in this kid's family!?

Transcript

Spooning offers aside, I’m actually surprised we don’t share rooms. I didn’t get the impression the GA was putting a lot of money into this.
The way Ol' Redge described it, it sounds like kind of a miracle we’re all here in the first place.
More or less, actually.
Yeah, if there were more Pages, I’m sure we would be sharing rooms.
But since I moved in last year, it’s just been the six of us the whole time. Then you and Chiaki came along.
And even with you two, there’s still eight more vacant rooms before we’d actually have to double up.
They're just not making any money off the Page Program, so there's no incentive for the GA to keep enrolling strays like us. It's really just Redge fighting so hard to help as many of us as he can. But it's an uphill battle, and we're just the lucky ones.
Mhm...
Incidentally, there is another dormitory in the GA called Dragon Hall. It’s really nice and well-furnished because all of the students come from noble families who are paying for them to be here. But there are so many more of them that they do have to share rooms.
Might be the only reason I prefer being over here.
The only reason? Thanks, Theo. We all love you too.
Sorry. I mean... Well, you know what I mean. Of course I like you all, but I am a noble myself.
And yet you’re here with us strays. That’s sweet of you.
Well, I mean, my family's fallen on some hard times.
Oh, right. Verity mentioned that too.
So then you're here because you're not really a noble anymore.
Thank you! I’ve been saying that for months.
We’re gonna get it all back! I’m telling you. We’ll be back where we belong before you know it!
Once again, Theo, it’s okay that you lost your estate. No one here is judging you for what your father did.
But you need to stop acting like “you deserve more than the rest of us just because you used to come from nobility.” Especially when you’re currently as much a stray as anyone else here.
Don’t talk about my father that way! He’s a great man!
That’s your takeaway, huh?
Hello? Anyone here?
Sounds like Nagisa’s back. I should let her know what’s going on.
Can’t listen to you two fight about this again, anyway...
Bring popcorn when you come back!

Links and References

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