Double Standard

Ah. Back inside the library. The same books from last time comforted her here, in a more comfortable spot among the fiction novels. The smells of vanilla and peppermint, and soft paper against her fingertips, lulled her into a sense of security. While, no, she was not checking out books on her powers... She did manage to addict herself to a particular ghost novel that was... Well, nowhere near accurate, but it was entertaining. At least. It was fairly old, and the spine indicated it had been well-loved. Still - she could understand why.
The whole library, really, had that effect on her - the sense of a well-used, well-loved place. A place where students lived and talked and read and ate. Comfort incarnate.
Except - and this is what had bothered her so much as to return - the fact that she was not living, and of she were to underdevelop her powers... She could seriously hurt Roland, on an emotional scale.
With a sigh of frustration, Aswan leaned back in the rather comfortable beanbag chair and closed her eyes. How was she to discern "typical" ghost behavior, and thus the amount of training needed to keep her like this, if there were to be no other ghosts on this island? Or so it seemed. The ghost girl had only met one other like her - and even then the situations showed many variables, such as age and cause of death.
She was thinking too much. Too emotionally to be logical. Since when was she like this?
If only she could meet another ghost...
@Pallas

Had she been hallucinating that sudden frigidity to the air that seemed rush past her?
With a glance to the right and one to the left, she readjusted herself into a more alert position. Her mind instantly analyzed the cold air around her.
Draft, possibly? No - as far as she could tell, there were no windows nearby, and even if it had been a draft it would not be the temperature that the air had Ben - it was May now, too warm for that degree of coolness to the air.
Perhaps it had been simply an imagination of her mind, already preoccupied with all her problems - among them finding a fellow ghost to compare to.
Aswan leaned back and returned her gaze to the book she had in her hands currently - one of those ghosts stories, where the humans insisted they'd felt a cool breez -
She shut her book abruptly, it making a soft thumping sound. Could it have been she had found another ghost already? After all, logic stated that something needed to have made that cold air.
Her theory was confirmed as the ghost girl rose from her place and heard another person... A girl, it seemed... talking to herself. Perhaps doing research? Aswan could hardly contain herself. She just might have found another ghost!
"Ahem. I think you are in the fiction section of this library." with a soft, mature voice and a knowing smirk.

The sharp look that Aswan gave Mindy was almost shocking. She did NOT take kindly to being called incorrect, nor being called a dullard. How dare she - and here she was, being excited to meet another ghost. Then again.... it would be logical to first assess the situation - but it was no use, her hotheaded temper was taking over her logician's brain. In an equally sharp tone, she argued her side.
"No, I am not a dullard, as you believe, but rather an observer or signs - as you will see, if you tilt your head up just a bit, there is a clearly-marked sign that states that you are indeed in the "fiction" section of the library." With a point of her index finger she had indicated the sign a little ways away from the bookshelf they had met in. Well... it had looked like the fiction sign. She hadn't - and still honestly wasn't - very sure. The words looked blurred now in her eyes. She couldn't be sure... If only this library had clearly labeled their sections.
Aswan calmed herself and sighed. "That being said... they are very childish for titles, even if they are fiction books. As one great author once said, 'There is a little bit of truth in all fiction' - and so too, may be in these books. However, these are... moderately mature," she said, glancing at one of the books in front of her. Something about skimpy women and stupid decisions, ", for younger audiences. And yes, you could argue it is insulting to ghost intelligence, but then, the 'researchers' writing these novels seem not to know much about ghosts, only preliminary information."
"Ahem. So, am I to assume you are a fellow ghost? Since, of course, you are floating in the air. Or does that make me a dullard again?" asked Aswan in a sharp tone. She really, really hated being wrong.

A triumphant (and rather sassy) smile tugged at the ghost girl's lips as she glanced at the sign once more, making out the words now clearly imprinted on the sign, though in such a tiny print Aswan debated bringing up the issue with the librarians. Who in their right minds would print such a minuscule caption on such a sign, one that would be read by all? Ugh.
"if you would stop your utter lack of manners for just a second, I would have explained that I had not seen the caption beforehand, just as you seemed to have," Aswan shot back, all in a cool tone.
A sigh, as she reconsidered the situation. None of her research had indicated this type of situation, so of course she had only minimal clues as to how to react - but it had seemed that, rather distastefully, her hotheaded manner had handled that for her. So much for following the directions of easy communication... Or rather, she thought, no. She had apparently not done enough research. Something to revise for later.
Back to the present. Drawing herself up to her full (rather measly) height, she recomposed herself, and with another nod and the same sharp half-grin, she delivered her reply.
"Hhhh. Well. If you would kindly refrain from demeaning me... It appears you are correct. " At least Aswan was half-right, in her mind, which, she had to admit, made her a little proud. "Allow me to introduce myself professionally." Unless, of course, the fellow ghost would snappily repl -
NO. Enough of these idiotic emotions. They were interfering with her logical mind...
When did she get them, at any rate?
Ahem. "Aswan Gomari, student at Starlight Academy. You are?"

A sharp little chuckle. "The terms "friendly" and "bitch" seem to contradict each other, but I suppose that is just in word choice. Well. As... difficult as our first impressions may have been, i am willing to put that aside in favor of civil interaction." Or, in other words... as close to civil interaction as she could achieve, what with her lack of social skill. The hotheaded side, the one that still held a grudge, piped up, but she squashed it with logical reasoning - surely more hotheadedness would not be a prudent solution to this conflict. Or whatever this seemed to be.
"Ahem. Yes, I do have a few questions. First and foremost - I assume you, like me, are a ghost. Perhaps it is possible to compare data from our forms and decide on a common ground from which to develop, if so. It may be compelling information which might be beneficial to the development of new skills and talents."
Wait... Desmond. The name felt familiar somehow... She shrugged it off. It couldn't be. She didn't really know of a Desmond, she didn't think.