ES 1 - Someone willing to help

Nell had finally found someone willing to help him with rearranging the old books of the archive. It was a young brown-haired shifter Nell had never met before, which might be the reason he agreed to help. The archive was a mess. Books lay in piles everywhere, new and old mixed together. Some of them were so old the binding barely held the pages together. Nell had desperately tried to keep them arranged by faction, sorted in alphabetical order, but it was nigh impossible. The problem was that many of the books, especially the older ones, contained shifters from all of the factions, added when discovered. When the computers had arrived it was a revolution. It made it so much easier to add and edit information, and to find it. But it had taken Nell decades to try to digitalize all the information in the books. The last couple of years he had spent slowly putting the books back in the shelves where they belonged, for safekeeping. Thing was that even if Nell was tall he wasn’t tall enough to reach the top shelves without a ladder, and he did not want to run up and down that ladder with and armful of books a thousand times. So he started with the lower shelves, saving the top ones for whenever he could get help. But people were busy, lazy or didn’t like him. The years slowly passed and now there were only the top shelfs left. Then suddenly this perky little shifter recruit overheard him complaining about it in the cafeteria yesterday and offered to help. At first Nell was suspicious, no one had ever offered to help him on his own accord before, but the young brunette seemed earnest so he accepted the help. They stuffed books into the bookcases all day, only once did Nell stop to ask if he didn’t have something more important ha was supposed to do. To Nell surprise the young shifter had showed up today as well. Not that he was complaining, it was good to finally get some help. He now balanced a top of the ladder trying to instruct his new aide.
“No, this is a K, not an F” Nell handed back the old worn leather tomb. He had quickly realized his helper was illiterate, something that had proven a bit of a challenge when trying to get him to pick the right books. “F is the one that kind of looks like an E, remember? Look over at the table instead.”
“OK!” Instead of being put down by the mistake his helper quickly scurried over to the table eager to find the right book.  
“Keeping busy I see.” Terra had shown up in the library entrance, casually leaning against the door frame. Nell had no idea how long she had been observing them, he had been to focused on the books.
“Well I got to do something.” he answered while trying to find a less awkward position on the ladder, and then “Thank you.” as he was handed a new book.
“Yes, I have been thinking about your lack of chores and thought that you maybe should take up mentoring.” There was something in her expression that made Nell a bit wary, but he pretended as nothing.
“Pft, you know I would be no good as a mentor.”
“You have done it before.”
“With Rot, yes.” He said while carefully examining the back of the book, trying to determine if he should put in front row or back row of the shelf. “In the end she wasn’t even that interested in shifter society”
“You did a good job nonetheless. And she was thankful for all the help she got.”
“The only reason I mentored her”, he said with acid in his voice “was because no one else wanted. She couldn’t control the smell of dead corpse back then. ‘Hey Nell, you who can smell bad at will, why don’t you take her?’” He decided the book belonged to the back row and reached into the bookcase as he continued. “What did you find me this time? A poop shifter?”
“A fire shifter.”
“A FIRE SHIF… Ow!” Nell had been so shocked that he hit his head in the shelf as he tried to stand up straight. A few lose books from the shelf above had taken the forceful bump as a signal to jump to the floor. Nell sighed.
“You know I don’t get along with fire shifters.” He rubbed his head where the bookshelf had hit him.
“Come on Nell,” Terra tried diplomatically “not all fire shifters are like Reed.”
“Or like Maxine, or Tomas, or…”
“Would you rather have I give him to Reed? Then you certainly will end up with a Reed junior. He will be the one to teach him fire-control anyway.”
“That man is not fit for teaching.” Nell grumbled to himself, loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Nell? Nell?” The young shifter at the bottom of the ladder tried to get his attention. “Books!”
He offered Nell a pile of the top shelf escapees.
“Oh, thanks.” Nell uncrossed his arms and accepted the books. He started putting them back in their places and continued the conversation with Terra.
“What kind of creature is this fire shifter. Must be something odd for you to offer him to me.”
“A wolf.”
“A wolf?!” Nell almost dropped the books again. “For heaven’s sake Terra, you are a wolf! Why don’t you teach him? You know everything about super fluffy group hugs.”
“I have other things I have to do.”
“With your cop buddy Reed I presume.”
“Come on, don’t be like that Nell. You know I will be good for you to have something useful to do.”
“I am doing something useful! Fixing the archive! Now that I finally have someone to help me with the top shelfs.” The young shifter had started to pick up books beginning with K again. Terra gave them both a long calculating look.
“So… how about you mentor that guy instead?”
“What? You offer me to mentor this sunshine cinnamon roll instead of some spoiled fire brat?” Nell said gesturing at the cinnamon roll in question.
“Yes.” Terra answered with a shrug. “Why not.”
“Deal.” Nell said after a very short pause to think.
“Good. See you around boys!” And then she left the room with a humoured smile playing at her lips. Silence settled among the books.
“Ha I’d be stupid not to take a deal like that, don’t you think?” Nell said to his new protégée from atop the ladder.  
“I’m glad you did” Ramsey answered.