Library [09/04]

[furnaceface]

By the luck of the draw, it would seem, Jonothon had found himself drafted into a shift in the school library.

This being his first semblance of what most people would refer to as a 'real job,' Jono decided it was important to familiarize himself with the items he could locate in his new workspace. Hole punch, paper clips (the shiny metal kind, not the multicoloured cop-outs coated in plastic), those little gold star stickers...

And then, with that settled, he flopped himself down in a chair and proceeded to get right to work. Mostly, this involved finding out how many paper clips he could stick to the hole punch using only ingenuity and the shiny little gold stars. Hard worker, that Jono.

Comments

[living_endless]

"You might," Didi said, tilting her head so he could put the sticker on the cheek that didn't have the swirl on it. There was such a thing as balance. "People have weirder hobbies. And work was fine. Didn't see Turtle, but I met the Friday girl. Hope. She's funny."

She brushed her fingers across the star. "How's it look?"

[furnaceface]

//It looks...//

Really quite adorable.

//...Shiny, luv,// Jono settled on, a pleasant smirk lurking in the undertones of his voice. //I'd had yer the stapler to see yer reflection in, but it'd leave yer face all askew. Can't have that.//

[living_endless]

"I might start to cry if I had to see my face all askew," Didi said, oh so terribly serious about this as she beamed at him.

"Maybe I should start wearing stickers on my face all the time. They used to do it to cover smallpox scars, did you know that?"

[furnaceface]

//I didn't know that,// Jonothon confessed, though he had his doubts that shiny little gold stars were what did the trick.

And now he was picturing someone completely covered in them anyhow.

//I think I'll blame that on my being two years old when the disease was eradicated.//

[living_endless]

"It was longer ago than that anyhow," Didi said. "This is like ... 18th century Europe. They'd use little black velvet stars and hearts to cover the scars. And then people who didn't have scars started wearing them anyhow to be trendy."

She'd liked the look, but Didi was the stuff-on-her-face type going waaaaaay back.

[furnaceface]

//Covering up nasty scars with something that looks more attractive,// Jonothon mused, directing his gaze toward the ceiling for a moment, thoughtfully. //Now, where in the world have I seen somebody do something like that, before?//

This was a hard one. He'd put a thumb on it in a moment.

[living_endless]

Didi gave him a slightly cross look. "I wasn't even thinking about that."

Was that what was under there? Scars?

[furnaceface]

Well, some of it was scars. Never let it be said that Jonothon Evan Starsmore ever turned up an opportunity to smear his issues all over a conversation.

At least this one time, he eased off of the issues as well because of that look, properly chagrined.

//Sorry, gel, I...// What? What do you say after that? //...Have to wonder how long it'll be before someone around 'ere decides it's trendy and follows suit.//

That was said surprisingly lightly, really. And now he honestly was curious.

[living_endless]

"I could wrap my face up if you really wanted me to," Didi said thoughtfully. She could even make it a trend, if she really wanted to, but that would feel ... mocking, somehow. "Except I wouldn't be able to talk the way you do, so it might be a bad idea."

A pause. "It's still weird for you that people here are okay with it, huh?" She could do the Issues talk. She was having a couple along the same lines.

[furnaceface]

//I'd just as soon be the only one running around with my face hidden,// Jonothon replied, shrugging and shaking his head. //And it is strange, yes. Though there are people who haven't been fine with it, right up front. I'd thought I was going mad. It was almost a sodding relief when I finally met one.//

Almost. Except so, so very not.

[living_endless]

"No one here's told me I'm crazy yet," Didi said. "The guy I was in New York with, the day before I came here? Spent the whole day trying to convince me I had done way too many drugs and come unhinged."

Heh, Sexton. She'd have to look him up, she mused as she considered Jono's story. "What happened?"

[Sorry, I live to edit.]

[furnaceface]

//Should I tell yer I think yer crazy, luv? It might not be entirely believable, mind. I'd be likely to tell myself that I've lost my mind, first.//

He had his moments where he actually wondered on that. He wasn't in pieces with fire coming out of his face. He was in some hospital somewhere, and the meds weren't working. Anything but this.

//I stopped into town the other day. I've got fourteen years of music to catch up on, and I'll be damned if I don't have something to listen to while I'm in my room. The gel in the music store, she smelled fire. Panicked.//

[living_endless]

"I'm talking back to a voice in my head," Didi pointed out. "We'd both pass for totally loco."

As long as she had her ankh on, she knew who she was. But when she took it off -- showering, or sleeping -- she started to wonder. Just for seconds. But. It got fuzzier.

"Poor girl," she added. "Was she okay once you explained it was just you?"

[furnaceface]

They could be totally loco together. It would be a thing. They'd need the matching white jackets, of course. Those were important.

//I... think she was,// Jono replied, his tone wavering a little into the realm of uncertainty. //It was difficult to tell, with her. Everything was a bit upside-down. More I think on it, the more I'm certain my voice didn't help, any.// A pause. //I think she was cross with me, for apologizing and trying to leave. This island doesn't make any bloody sense, Didi.//

[living_endless]

Matching white jackets ... maybe they could carry around paper pill cups?

"Well, what did she want you to do?" Didi wondered. "Stay and keep freaking her out? That doesn't make sense."

[furnaceface]

//It doesn't.// Jonothon shook his head, and then peeled a few more stickers from the sticker sheet, mostly just for the sake of having something to do with his hands. //She showed me where the music I was looking for was kept, as though nothing had happened. We talked about Pearl Jam.//

[living_endless]

"What are they doing these days?" Didi wondered. Because that was clearly what was important. (Or, possibly, because it seemed like a different topic would be good for Jono.) "I liked the music, even if they were kind of angry."

[furnaceface]

//So far as I can tell, they got even more angry because people liked their music, and then they proceeded to attempt to sell people new, different music about how they hated that people bought their music. Presumably so that they could get angry about people liking that, as well.//

Jono had no idea what that was about. He did, however, now own every Pearl Jam CD to date, just because his curiosity had gotten the better of him. He was still uncertain as to whether or not he'd make an effort to dislike the new music. There was a bit of lopsided musician left in him that seemed able to appreciate that manner of thinking.

[living_endless]

"I don't understand that," Didi said thoughtfully. "If I made art, I'd be happy people wanted to see it or hear it or whatever, you know? But I'm so not the tortured genius type."

That was her brother.

[furnaceface]

//I always played in the hope that people would hear,// Jono agreed, considering the sticker on his fingertip, and then offering it to her to do with as she pleased. //Busking, small pubs. The idea was that I'd be noticed, not that people would hate it and refuse to listen.//

[living_endless]

"Yeah, if you really don't want people to listen" -- Didi took the sticker delicately, considered it and decided Jono needed an earring, then gestured to him -- "You can just play in your basement. And turn your head."

[furnaceface]

Jonothon did just that, tilting his head and looking the other way slightly.

//But if yer a garage band, luv, then how in the world are yer supposed to get upset that people like yer music?//

See, you totally needed to be in the public eye, if you wanted people to really understand just how much you hated being in the public eye.

[living_endless]

"See, you're expecting people to admit to wanting what they want." Didi carefully placed the sticker on his earlobe just so, grinning at herself as she did it, and stepped back to survey her work.

"There. Now you look like a rock star."

[furnaceface]

//Well, of course I do, luv. I'm a Starsmore.// Which meant absolutely nothing except that now Jono was obligated to put a hand on his hip and model his 'new look.'

He looked very much like a guy with a sticker on his ear, yes.

[living_endless]

He did, which made Didi giggle and bury her face in her hands.

"Now everyone in school is going to storm the library just to get a sticker all their own."