Miles
Guts always found spiral staircases to be... Well, that's the thing. They couldn't find a word for it. Pretentious, maybe? Like, at that point, why even use the stairs? Just grab a pillow and slide down the damn thing. Walking around in that many circles made their head hurt, just like it is *Right now!* It was incredible, really, the mental gymnastics this thief put themself through to morally justify walking down a spiral staircase. It reminded them of that book. You know the one, the evil spirals one? 
As they made their way down the steps, very slowly as to control their headache, the book crossed their mind. Maybe *That's* Why this staircase was so off putting. It's evil! Simple. Guts huffs out a sigh, jumping over the last step and landing on the ground safely. The evil has been defeated. They look up, shaking their head to get some stray strands of hair out of their eye. 
The library seemed empty, which... Made sense. The place was definitely modest, but less in the cute way and more in the sad way. They started to wander around the shelves, seeking a book to stow away in their room and collect late fees. Something... Fun. Something they hadn't seen before. This library seemed like the kind to have a strange and obscure art book somewhere. Guts is, of course, nothing but a thief of taste, and needed something to tide them over until one of the books they brought with them intrigued them again.
And then, like an angel from above, they spotted it. It glowed, metaphorically, of course, and they reached up to grab it...
Only to fall short. They were too short to reach the book. 
Guts's arms fall to their sides, limp as they stare at the book, face drooping to a frown of determination. They turn and look down the rows of books, speed walking down a few before finally spotting another person.
"Hey," They loudly whisper, gesturing in a strangely frantic way to someone a bit taller than them, a total stranger, "Hey, uhhhh-" They stand still for a moment, trying to formulate a proper sentence.
"I need help getting a book. Can your powers make me taller or something?"
Glen
Sergio readjusted his left leg from his own other, bouncing it on the floor as he read. He had asked Lucifer for a recommendation for a book the night before, and checked around the library for it. Luckily enough, he was able to find it. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman? He wondered if it was just because of the talk from last night. Sucked it had to end early, the occasional sniffle coming from him indicating why. 
In his dorm, his jacket hangs off of the shower curtain rod, still drip drying from what *He* Thought was going to be a slightly humid night. He still wasn't sure where those clouds came from.

He flips a page, following along with the beat of the music he's listening to with the heel of his bouncing foot. It takes him a moment to realize he's no longer alone, quickly shutting the book's cover and pulling out the earbuds that were plugging his ears, like he was being caught hiding his phone in class. He looks up and quickly studies the stranger in front of him. A bit shorter than him, eyepatch, black and red hair. Metal arm?? Badass.

"Sorry, what was that?" He scratches the back of his head. "I don't have anything spectacular like *That,* Power wise, but I could probably just grab the book for ya." He stands up, his old canvas shoes squeaking as he slides out from his chair. It echoes through the dead silent library. 

"Where's it at?" He looks towards Guts, waiting for their lead.
Miles
Niel Gaiman was the first tipoff. This guy was either gay or a loser (possibly both). They tried not to be judgy with new people, especially in new places like this, but... Is this guy sick too? Guts almost regrets starting this conversation. Didn't libraries usually have stools everywhere? 

Oh well. They might as well just keep this going. They need to make friends outside of the facility's group chat, and who knows? Maybe this stranger and Guts will have something in common. Mentally, they sigh, squinting at the stranger before opening their mouth. 

"I mean, you could, but the shelf is pretty high, like-" Guts huffs, shifting weight between their feet in a fidgety kind of way. "You're *Barely* Taller than me. I think we'd need some extra assistance. But you can surely try!"
They step back, running their still-feeling arm through their hair before gesturing for him to follow. 

"Here, it's this way," They turn away walking back to the shelf, perfectly retracing their steps. Thief instinct. If you don't know where you were, you won't know how to escape.
"Anyway, what's your name? What are you up to this *Fine* Afternoon?" They glance back at their new acquaintance, raising an eyebrow comedically with a silly little grin on their face.
Glen
Sergio scanned the shelves as they walked past.
How did so many books get written anyways? If this was his start to getting into them he's already way too far behind. Hopefully more don't get written out before he keeps reading.
"I mean, I think I got it..." He absentmindedly responds.

Wait. You're walking. C'mon actually say hi.

"Oh.. Hi. I'm Sergio. I was just uh, reading a book another person recommended me?" He shrugs.
As they both step up to the bookshelf... Is this a joke? Its only like 3 or 4 shelves higher than the both of them. Didn't libraries usually have stools everywhere?

"Uh.. Which one?" He looks up to the higher shelfs, trying to see if he could find the book on vibes alone. "Is it up on the highest shelf there?" He points up, looking to Guts for a response.
Miles
"Sergio?" Guts nods, almost as if to approve of the name. It *Is* Pretty cool, but nothing matches a name like Guts. Thats why they chose it, really. Nothing truly beats it. "Pretty cool!" They turn the corner to where the book was located, and there it is again.
It was a hefty thing, hardback with the slip cover missing, so the shiny text on the spine reflected poorly in the light and made it impossible to read - unless, of course, you were the smartest art thief to live, and you knew exactly what book this was before even squinting hard enough to read the title. 

They raise an arm and point to the thing - *Goya and the Spirit of Enlightenment.* Guts had lose their copy ages in ago in one of the many moves between countries, and had yearned to see another copy, but here it was! In pretty good condition, too! It made their heart flutter in excitement to see the works and their explanations all in color again. It's not like they'd be able to see them in person any time soon, so they might as well take advantage of what they have.
"That one, yeah. I dunno if you can reach it though," They let their arm drop, making their excitement with an air of boredom to their words. Sure, they stole precious art, but they weren't about to act like a nerd in front of a total stranger. What a way to scare someone off.
"I'm sure we can figure something else out without toppling over the shelf. I didn't see any stools anywhere, which is why I asked for help." They rested their hand on their hip, looking from the book - the holy grail - to Sergio.

"I'm Guts, by the way," They state plainly, holding out their metal arm to shake, "You are the first living person I have met here. Congratulations!"
Glen
"Wait really? Are there... Like undead people here?" Sergio asked, taking a quick look around. He's seen Night of the Living Dead enough times to know how they getcha. Gotta keep his guard up at all times now. Don't wanna get bit or something.

Oh. That one wasn't... *That* Far. He reached up as well, lifting his arms into the air, straining just a bit as tipped himself on to his toes, just barely missed it. "Oh wow. Do they have one of those ladders on wheels that that you can go really fast on around here?" He asks, looking past the rows and rows of book, but with the minimal effort coming from him, there was nothing in sight for him.

"Actually I'm gonna climb this book shelf now." He said, not waiting for a response from Guts, and he stuck a foot up onto the 2nd shelf, pushing himself up the bookcase with a protesting creak of the old wood. "Why didn't you try this first?" He looks down towards Guts and.

*Woah. Right, vertigo exists.* He quickly turns back to the shelf, and catches his breath.
He's gotta remember that's an issue, and that he can't embarrass himself in front of this stranger. His life now depended on it. He continues his ascent. For a moment it feels as if the air gets thinner, harder to breath at further altitudes, right? Or... Was it the dust up here? Did anyone take care of these shelves up here? The bunnies that now declared war against his fingers said otherwise.

He finally gets to the shelf, and then pulls his legs forward up into his chest and... Balances, laterally against the shelves. "Okay, can you come jump up and grab it? I should be able to catch you from here." He holds out his hands, ready for a Guts sized catch. 

*This clearly is the most effective way to do this.*
Miles
Guts blinks, taken aback for a second. "N-no? Oh my god, I hope not." They shake their head, not sure how what they said was misinterpreted *That* Badly. They chose to move past it, begging silently in their mind that this wasn't how this whole interaction would go. They can't both be funny and stupid - one of them had to do a thinking, and they weren't about to take up that mantle. 

"I don't think this place has the budget for a ladder that cool. I've only seen those in like... France. Can you really go that fast on them?" Guts had always wanted to try one of those ladders, but they didn't want to get in trouble or fall off the damn thing. This place seems like it would only have the budget for those cheap metal stools with wheels that only worked 40% of the time. They were just surprised that this place had good books to begin with, honestly. "What do you want to do the-"

Climbing the bookshelf. Okay, points for creativity, but Guts preemptively takes a step back, in the event they would have to move out of the way of a falling book. Or a falling shelf. Either one, really! "Well, usually, I'm not one to climb things, just in general, but, you do you, dude! I just want my book." They smile and flash a thumbs-up at Sergio, before their new friend turns back to the shelf. Before they could ask if he was okay, or needed any help, he seemed to get a grip, and then...

Stand on the shelf? Like... Well, the only comparison they could think of was a lizard climbing on the side of its enclosure. What are this guy's powers anyway? Spiderman sticky feet? Not like they had much time to question things, since Sergio suddenly had a *Plan.* Guts really didn't need to think after all!

"So... Just jump at the shelf? And you'll catch me?" They laugh, mostly out of nervousness, but nod regardless. "Okay, I'm gonna take your word for it." And they take another step back, inhaling before taking a few steps for a start and then jumping up towards the shelf, arms outstretched towards the book. This was such a bad idea. This was going to end in something breaking. They knew it would, but they did it anyway. They felt that Sergio was trustworthy, even if they'd only known him for 20 minutes now.
Glen
Holy shit they actually did it!
What a fucking weirdo why did they even trust Sergio? It's been... What, 20 minutes?

Sergio reached forward, grabbing onto Gut's metallic arm as they jumped. Unfortunately though, he couldn't *Also* Control other's gravity as well. As they swung into the shelf themself, Sergio was now forced to play tug o' war, with a twink as the rope, against his never ending nemesis; *Earth's Gravity.* He readjusted his grip, finding it more comfortable to hold him by the wrist. This was now a battle against the planet itself and him.

"Okay, just... Lead me to where I need to stand for you to grab it." He grunts. He hasn't had the need to carry so much like this for a while. *Especially sideways.* 

He follows the orders of Guts, and proceeds to slowly sidle across the top of the bookshelf. Huh. Stick it to physics today! Not even holding onto this has pulled it away from the wall. He sniffles again, wishing he could cover his face from the dust that protested towards his and Gut's presence.

"Why this book anyways? What's a Goya?" He asks, looking at the top of the other's head. Right. The grounds past that. Deciding that throwing up from up here in fact, would not look cool, he looks down at the books that stand at his feet. This feels... Wrong. Usually looking down is what gives him such a sick feeling. It's unnatural for it to be the opposite for once. He wondered how this could be upside down. Something to try later, s'pose.
Sergio rolls his shoulders, not even backpacking was *This* Draining. 

Damn. The orbit of the planet's hands.
Miles
Guts gasps, eyes wide as Sergio dangles them by their arm, kind shocked they even got this far. This was... Really cool actually? Their mind whirred trying to figure out how this all worked, almost forgetting they're on a mission. One small step for... Book. They looked up at Sergio with their eye, pure joy radiating from their face as they glance around, trying to figure out where to get their new friend to go. 

"Okay! Step.. Backwards twice? And then... Over to the left. Yeah. Your left, I think?" 

As cool as this was, it was also very scary. This was way cooler than any experiment they went through as a kid though, that's for sure, but at the same time, they *Really* Did not want to fall. They just got here! It would be horrible to embarrass themself this early on, especially in front of someone with such a sick power. They felt odd, not having powers that could be useful like this, but still qualifying as a parahuman. They wondered if there was a word for it before they were pulled out of their thoughts again, eyes now fixated on the book.

"Goya? He was like... Well, he was a painter," They begin to explain, their free arm reaching for the book, "And he made some really interesting stuff, mostly when he got older and started going insane. A lot about human suffering." *Gotcha!* 

Guts grabs the spine of the book, yoinking it out and holding it to their chest to try and avoid pulling Sergio down with it. They look back up at their very helpful acquaintance. "I'll show you some. It's really fascinating!" 

"Anyway, how do we get down?"
Glen
"Well. I usually just... Walk back down to the ground." He says, still staring down at the bookshelf itself. 
"But I guess this time I gotta just- Let you down first? I've never done this before."
He tries retracing steps, getting back to the sides of the bookshelves. This is fine. Just one foot infront of the other. It's fine, his arms aren't getting wobbly. It's fine.

"So... He got popular cause he went crazy? Or because his art improved as his mental health got worse?"
Another step. He readjusts his grip. He was trying to keep the swinging of Guts steady, both to keep them from being dizzy and also for the avoiding of extra muscle strain.
"That seems fucked up." He says, taking one more step.
This... Isn't going terribly so far! The whole arm strain will be annoying later in the morning but for a first time attempt? He was surprised!
He was also surprised as his grip quickly slipped from what he thought, was a perfectly fine hold!
Now, it wasn't like this was a drop that would hurt Guts, but it was the principle of the thing that propelled Sergio to drop with him. He reached to grab at Guts's shirt, pulling himself with them.

So, they're falling. Kind of. Sergio had tried seeing if going weightless worked with another person holding on. 
What was supposed to be a space rescue looked more like if a balloon was used to keep someone from falling, though. 
He had spun around them around, being the first to land onto the ground with the force of at least one person falling. A concluding grunt follows the boy as the ground meets back. 
"Sorry about that."
Miles
[ short response incoming bc I'm on thy phone ]

Guts really did mind dangling like this, though, they imagined it would probably hurt more if their metal arm wasn't metal. It was kinda cool, actually, if it weren't for the ever-present threat of falling. They should have found something to cushion them if they *Were* To fall, but who were they to think ahead? 

"You've never done this before?" Okay. Maybe this was a little scary. Guts makes a noise, trying to convey they were impressed, but not sure if that actually came across. Alas, their thoughts are pulled back to Goya, and things settle down mentally.

"His art was kind of already popular, he started with a lot of portraits of politicians, as one does, but then just started painting all the fucked up stuff going on in Spain," They try to keep their thoughts short but clear. The last thing they wanted was to bore Sergio. "When he went insane, his art didn't really improve, honestly it looks worse, but I think that adds to how like... Scary it is?" 
A pause.
"It is kinda fucked up."

Guts swayed a little as Sergio moved, glancing between the floor, the book, and their new friend, unsure if they should be doing anything to try and help. They'd never met other parahumans outside of where they grew up, and had no idea how this whole walking on walls thing even worked— **Oh shit.**

It kinda felt like an action movie, where they knew everything was happening in seconds, but their brain was registering everything so slow it felt like time was still. Sergio grabbed them and flipped them around, and Guts opened their mouth to say something, but only a yelp left their throat, caught totally off guard by this whole.. Everything. 

And then they were on the floor. Guts blinks, and then quickly moves to get off Sergio, gently placing their book on the floor next to them. They look him up and down, making sure nothing looked out of place. 

"Are you okay?!"

[ I HAVE NO IDEA IM ON MY PHONE ]
Glen
Yeah. Okay, floating doesn't work with other people. You still drop to the ground. File that one down and compartmentalize that one.

Speaking of the ground. Sergio's back was slammed dead on it, and breathing is kind of hard right now. Once Guts gets up, he realizes he knocked the wind out of himself. Nothing new. Just calm your nerves and...

Sergio finally gasps in air, sitting back up. "Yeah. I'm alive." He rubs the back of his head. Nothing bleeding or broken, luckily he just might be brusied. 
"Are you okay? Sorry I dropped you there." He looks Guts up and down, making sure his panicked grabbing didn't ruin their shirt.

"Wait... So how effective was his art at showing the problems in spain? And after his mental stuff... Did it add an impact to that?" Just like that, Sergio has brushed over the fall, continuing the conversation from before. 

Looks like Guts couldn't bore him with the story after all.
Miles
[ putting this back in my channel list ]

Guts watches Sergio sit up and gasp for air and their remaining eye widens, concerned for his physical well-being and making no effort to hide it.

"I would *Hope* You're alive??" They aren't sure what to do. Do they check for any injury? Would that be overstepping? This was very hard for them. 

"Oh- uh.. Yeah, I'm fine!!" Sergio kind of did cushion their fall, luckily helping them avoid anything serious. It's not like these shelves were too tall anyway. They really only wanted to make their metal arm didn't smack anything fragile, especially on another person.

They shook their head, making an effort got calm down, a long sigh leaving them before they adjust, sitting more comfortably on the library floor.

"He did a lot of paintings of robberies, prisons, political figures, war, you know, all that," Guts waves their hands as they talk, starting with small movements and gradually getting bigger as they keep explaining. "But his style of sketching and painting is... Well, it's realism, but it's also just *Creepy,* Like, you can see how faces contort when he paints them, you know??" They pause, making sure Sergio wasn't bored before continuing.

"I guess like... His art looked more frantic when he went nuts, so it had a whole other quality to it. It's really neat!!!"
Glen
Okay, good, crisis has been solved, Guts was okay, no bookshelf was knocked over, and the book was secured. Book quest complete! Yippee!

Sergio crosses his legs, nodding along to what Guts was saying. 
Despite what Guts was thinking, this was interesting to him. "...That is pretty freaky. Wait, does that book have some examples? Mind if I take a peek at them with ya?" 
He scoots a little closer before Guts could answer. 

"Also, are they before or after his crazy? What's your favorite one? Do you know if its already in there? Can I see it? Do you play music?" 
Once again, before Guts could answer one question, Sergio was already asking four more, he was like a question hydra.
Miles
This is a solid end I think