In the City's Old Quarter, a used bookstore stood to one side of a rarely used cobble road. The entire building was old and unassuming. There was not even a named sign, just the word BOOKS laid into the brick above the door. Next to the door was a set of old windows with rusty red curtains pulled closed.
The only thing that stood out was the young assistant that ran out the front door with a parcel bag full of books to deliver. Once the assistant disappeared down the street, heading for the Metro Station, the bookstore became just as dull as it had been before.
In the dullness of the scene, a small black sedan pulled up to the curb in front of the bookstore. From the backseat, someone wearing a heavy black coat and beanie got out of the car. They looked up and down the street for a moment and then leaned back into the car.
"Come back in ninety minutes."
After shutting the door, they watched the car drive off around the corner before heading into the bookstore. No sooner had they entered than the owner of the store called out, "What can I help you with today, Miss Drea?"
At the greeting, the Department Head from Mousion Entertainment took off their heavy coat and hung it by the door. "Please call me Alex, Master Abernathy."
"Then I insist you call me Horace. I am no more a Master than you are a Student. For you have graduated and I, as you can see, am nothing but a humble bookkeeper."
As Alex moved deeper into the bookstore, she found the owner sitting in a comfortable chair near an empty fireplace. An empty, matching chair sat waiting for Alex. He was stroking his gray beard and musing over a tome as dusty as the store itself.
There was no world in which anyone could look at Horace Abernathy and think he was something as mundane as a bookkeeper. His presence was a stark contrast to the dull and dusty bookstore.
"What brings you by, Miss Drea?"
Alex sat down in the chair opposite her former Master, "I need some parts and some advice."
After shutting the tome, the bookstore owner pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. "The list first then, so that we do not get distracted, what is it you are looking to do?"
"I need to build another database."
"What happened to the last one?"
"Nothing. I need another one."
The bookstore owner frowned so deeply it was visible in his beard. "We have spoken at length about the drawbacks of using such tools, yes? I am certain we have."
"We have. Yet… here I am."
"That is why advice is on the menu as well?"
Alex nodded.
"What is the issue? Why do you think you need a second database? There was nothing in the notes you showed me about using multiple databases."
"The first one was made to specification but it is struggling to hold the… user data. My predecessor left notes on how to add concurrent databases to the program and we have the programmers needed to make the changes, we just need to build the second database."
"Have you reached the threshold for the first database?"
"According to my predecessor's notes, no, but the amount of queries that the users are submitting is around a hundred times larger than what was anticipated."
The bookstore owner stroked his beard for a moment before asking, "And you think that is why the first database is failing to hold the experiences?"
"Yes, the database is holding on to too much information. I have a team working on clearing up the cached information but it might take too long. We have to double our current production before the end of the year."
The bookstore owner chuckled. "You are afraid that you'll lose the seat at the table you just clawed your way into? Is that worth the risk of creating a second database?"
Now it was Alex's turn to pause. She looked at the empty fireplace, thinking it was an odd decoration to keep. She could almost hear the ghost of a flame crackling but it was just her imagination. After turning back to the owner, she said, "At this time, I think so."
"So what advice do you seek?"
"What type of database should we build?"
"My recommendation would be for something swift or something light. The current un-typed database might be the reason for the excessive caching of data."
After Alex nodded, the owner of the bookstore continued, "Now that you have more information to work with, you could make something that works with your unique data instead of the theories your predecessor based the first database on."
"I'll take the knowledge for both and make the decision later then."
"Alright. It will take some time to get the parts and manuals together. Would you like to wait here and have tea or I could send my assistant to deliver it later today?"
"No thank you. I will come back the day after tomorrow to pick everything up." Alex stood up from her chair, "If you have an assistant now, why not clean up some of this dust?"
"Ah… The dust is a necessary illusion. After all, who would come to bother a humble bookkeeper in a dusty old shop such as this?" The bookstore owner laughed, "In fact, it's strange that such a young bright light such as yourself found your way here in the first place."
Alex called back as she headed for the door, "A wicker basket can only block out so much light. Eventually, even the moths will take notice."
The bookstore owner chuckled, "Don't forget your coat again!"