Graystone Universe

Dr. Sarah Chen grew up in San Francisco in a traditional Chinese-American family that valued education, discipline, and excellence. She earned her PhD in Library Science from UC Berkeley at 28, writing her dissertation on community libraries as instruments of social transformation. When she accepted the position of Head Librarian at Graystone Community Library at 30, the building was neglected, underfunded, and barely used. Over five years, she transformed it into a community pillar - securing grants, implementing programs, creating a space where citizens could improve their circumstances through education. Her management style is strict but fair - the library runs with absolute precision under her direction. Staff and patrons alike respect her authority. When the GSD was restructured, Sarah recognized an opportunity. She began discreetly providing information to Sheriff O'Conelly about suspicious patrons using library computers for potentially illegal activities. The library became another source of intelligence in Graystone's transformation. Through this work, she met Sergeant Hana Park and Dr. Lucy Wong. The three Asian women - Korean, Chinese, Chinese-American - bonded over shared heritage, intellectual interests, and something else they didn't discuss openly: their appreciation for control and discipline. They began meeting regularly for dinners, cultural events, book discussions. Sarah discovered that Hana ran the GSD prison with cold precision, and Lucy practiced medical torture with clinical detachment. Sarah revealed her own expertise: caning. Traditional corporal punishment administered with bamboo rod, which she'd learned from studying historical discipline methods across Asian cultures. She practices on a training dummy in her home, maintaining the skill. When Hana mentioned that Officer Anna Johansen - her submissive partner - needed to understand deeper discipline, Sarah offered to demonstrate. Anna experienced Sarah's bamboo rod and now carries healthy respect (and fear) for the librarian. Sarah doesn't advertise this skill. She knows punishment is the GSD's job, not hers. She's not quick to use physical discipline on anyone. But when given the opportunity - when Hana asks for help with particularly stubborn cases, or when someone truly deserves it - Sarah delights in retrieving her bamboo rod and administering precise, measured caning. The intellectual librarian has a hidden side that enjoys inflicting carefully calibrated pain.