[He's a rambly one, I'm so sorry. Merciful TL;DR at the end]

[salutosinedelectat]

[ When the feed turns on, Aziraphale is sitting at one of the sleep cabins, giving the ICP an uncertain look for a couple of seconds, before he clearly realizes that he, indeed, has turned it on correctly. (Never mind that he has definitely done this before and has had it explained to him even more times.)

He then sits very neatly, spectacles resting over his nose, and smiles very politely.]

Hello. For those that may not known me, I am the- [Slight stumble, but he carries on.] I am Aziraphale, your fellow passenger for the last few months or so.

I'm speaking to you today to present a proposal to anyone who might be so inclined as to help with a little project.

You see, some of you may have remembered when the train lacked any kind of proper space dedicated to literature and the printed word. Indeed, the moment the library car was introduced, it was a rather grand upgrade on what little space we had available before, and I'm sure many of you, like myself, were excited to see just what we would get our hands on.

Well, much to my disappointment - and yours, I'm sure - the space was quite devoid of anywhere near the appropriate number and variety of books it deserved. While the lower floor doe carry certain types of reading material, the upper floor, while rather well prepared, sits rather empty so far.

So, that being said - after some discussion with other fellow passengers, I propose that we take matters into our own hands.

Besides the opportunity to donate your own books you may have purchased yourself - which I certainly understand is quite the sacrifice to make and it is more than understandable that you would hesitate in doing so -, I have prepared some materials for those that may want to contribute their own writings to fill those depressingly empty shelves.

Whether you'd like to give your own account of your own personal experiences, or your own worlds, cultures, perhaps simply tales you're privy to - or even your own retelling of your own folk lore-, everyone is encouraged to pick up a pen and put their own voice to paper.

If you'd rather contribute something else, I would suggest perhaps poetry, or fiction of your own making.

You may find notebooks and writing material on the first floor of the library car, in the far left corner table.

Thank you for your time, and have a wonderful day.

[ A pristine smile, and off goes the feed.]

--

[ TL;DR: Aziraphale was very annoyed that the Nice part of the library appeared on the train empty. To fix that, he's piled notebooks and pens on one of the tables up there and encourages people to write things to add to the sad empty shelves.

EDIT: Regardless of whether your character interacts with Aziraphale or anyone else about this, you CAN donate stuff to the train library, which is neat!]

Comments

[irrationally]

Well, I'm sure it will. Some people here are annoyingly chatty. It's just a matter of getting them to come your way.

[ She may try to gently nudge along some people if she sees the opportunity to do so.. Look, she doesn't want Aziraphale to ever feel bad if not enough people would reply, so she doesn't mind secretly trying to nudge things along if she can. ]

I mean, if I actually liked writing, I'd contribute. But it seems like an awful lot of work to me.

weeps. she's so good

[salutosinedelectat]

Well, annoyingly chatty or not, everyone's story has a place. Perhaps they would work out some of that energy by putting it all to paper.

[ Wouldn't exactly be Shakespeare or Plato, he doesn't think, but it would be something, and published journals and letters are not unheard of. ]

And, well, how would you feel about dictating, then?

she's doing her best for her celestial parents ok!!

[irrationally]

.. dictacting? [ She repeats the word with a hint of surprise in her tone, as if Alice hadn't even thought of it herself.

Though as she starts thinking about it a moment later, she sounds very much apprehensive. ]

I.. don't know. It feels slightly embarrassing. [ It feels kind of annoying to admit that. It feels a little too vulnerable. But she's trying to be honest here. ] I don't even have a story that interesting to tell.

[salutosinedelectat]

[ Aziraphale, apparently, has quite the way of letting people feel safe, when he wants to. Probably something to do with his angelic nature. Ironically, however, he's struggled with being vulnerable himself.

But that's not the current topic at hand. ]

Oh, everyone has a story, dear Alice. Whether we find our own interesting or not, it doesn't mean no one else will.

[ As much as he has a fervor for any kind of literature and the major part of his investment in his project is so that he has reading material to keep himself entertained, he still seems thoroughly earnest in his encouragement. ]

I don't mean to push, of course. But if you ever feel compelled to, you know where to go.

[irrationally]

Yes, I.. I'm sure I'll keep that in mind.

[ She will know where to go. At least that's been firmly established in her mind now, even though Alice still can't help but feel a little awkward about the idea of actually letting him write down her story. ]

Though I don't think I will take you up on it soon. Nothing against you, it's.. more about me. [ And her awkwardness with it all. ]

[salutosinedelectat]

Of course, of course.

[ For what it matters, he doesn't sound disappointed or like he's holding any kind of judgement. Not everyone's comfortable putting word to paper, whether that might be fiction or their innermost thoughts. Both often connected, and the latter one requiring a certain kind of boldness that isn't always accessible to everyone at any time. He has no way of knowing if doing such a thing would benefit her or not, but her hesitation is entirely obvious. As much as he may be curious, and craving something new to read, he would never demand so at the cost of someone else's comfort. ]

Don't you mind, dear Alice. There's nothing to be lost if you don't feel comfortable doing it. But if you ever feel an inkling to do so, even if you keep it all to yourself, I would encourage you to give it a try.

[irrationally]

[ What is it about Aziraphale. Usually Alice would chalk this sort of stuff up to the fact that he's an angel, but apparently angels aren't exactly all sunshine and rainbows where he comes from - or not the happy kind, anyway. So this weird infinite gentleness and patience he seems to show her all the time must come from somewhere specifically within him, instead.

It leaves her quiet for a moment. How does anyone even reply to that? She only knows how to deal with people being rude. ]

Thank you for.. being so considerate.

[ She sounds so awkward. Is that what she's supposed to say? Is she conveying her gratitude for his kindness well enough? ]

[salutosinedelectat]

[ Perhaps there is someone she could ask. Someone who isn't him, so they have enough distance to observe the situation from a different point of view, but close enough to be well aware of the angel's nature. Someone who's witnessed not just his kindness, but more facets of his personality than anyone else ever had the change, or the want, to know.

His smile brightens.]

Oh, of course.

[ He pauses for a moment, then takes one of his notebooks from somewhere away from camera.]

And if you find anyone else who might enjoy this sort of activity, do send them my way.

[irrationally]

I'll remember.

[ Alice nods. Usually she'd just end the feed there, but she feels the need to try and be at least a little bit more polite than that with him. ]

.. see you again some other time.

[ And with that, she does end the broadcast. ]