Library, Sunday Morning

[one-who-goes.livejournal.com]

The library wasn't officially open today, but Henry had the keys, and he couldn't resist coming in on a Sunday to take a look at his new domain.

Once he'd gotten the doors open and taken a step inside, his jaw hung open until he told himself he was drawing flies and abruptly shut it.

He'd been in some big, nice libraries. He'd worked in one for years. He just hadn't expected to find what bore all the hallmarks of a first-class collection in a high school, even one that based itself in a castle. (And he hadn't even noticed the door marked Special Collections yet. If he had, let alone if he'd gone in unprepared, that jaw might have stayed dropped for good.)

He made up a sign for the front desk -- Librarian is in. Shout if you need help. -- and let himself explore. The outgoing librarian should have left some guidance somewhere, and, if he or she hadn't, he'd have to get to know the collection on his own.

[OOC: For aides, or anyone who wants to visit the library today! OCD-free because it is Sunday, weekend SP disclaimer applies.]

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[one-who-goes.livejournal.com]

Henry let out what seemed to be a long-suffering sigh. They were getting along like a regular house on fire, it was true.

"Have some delicious chocolate sandwich cookies," he told the shelves, putting a few cookies down neatly on the first shelf of the section. (Fiction, Aaron to Alucard). If the cookies crumbled and damaged the books, he really would be cross.

But, given that what had seemed to be a perfectly ordinary volume (The Last Time I Loved by Mrs. H.R.T. Absalom) promptly slid off the top shelf, opened into a pair of wings, and swooped down to scoop up a cookie ... perhaps crumbling shouldn't be his biggest worry.

Henry yelped and jumped back.

[furnaceface]

Jono, meanwhile, was going to continue to stand there with his hands in his pockets. Looking smug, yes.

//Well. It looks like I'm not completely barmy after all,// he mused. He couldn't help it. The smugness was built-in. //Give it another?//

[one-who-goes.livejournal.com]

"Congratulations, you aren't barmy," Henry said tightly. The smugness was annoying, but mostly he was worried his own shock would make him vanish into time at any moment. That was something he'd been hoping to keep as well-buried in Fandom as it was in Chicago -- or at least not do right in front of someone on his first day in the library.

He tossed a handful of cookies deeper into the stacks, like scattering crumbs for geese, and watched as books rose from the stacks and swirled about to claim them, looking for all the world like large, odd, hungry butterflies.

[furnaceface]

Really, if there was anybody on the library staff who wouldn't so much as bat an eye at something like 'the librarian blinks through time,' it was probably Jono.

Jono, who was currently staring upward at the veritable swarm of fluttering books. The smugness had given way to a sort of state of thrall, and this seemed like the perfect time to just gape.

//So. Welcome to Special Collections, then.//

[one-who-goes.livejournal.com]

"Welcome to special collections," Henry agreed, still staring. He and Jono could gape together.

A book swooped closer, buzzing his hairline. Henry stumbled backwards.

"What do you say we get out of here?"

[furnaceface]

Jono was not even remotely prepared to wage war on Special Collections, and so, when a book attempted to land on his head, he found himself quite willing to agree.

//Sounds like a good plan, guvnor,// he decided, taking a few steps back toward the door, himself. //Leave it th'buscuits as a peace offering--// A distraction. //--And leave it to do... whatever it is it does, then?//

[one-who-goes.livejournal.com]

"Brilliant idea." Henry dumped out the last of the cookies, not really caring about crumb damage at this point because dear god a book-butterfly-thing was repeatedly crashing into his upper arm, and beat feet out of Special Collections like the dedicated runner he was.

"So long!" he hollered back over his shoulder -- no, not at Jono, at the book-butterfly-things. "Enjoy the Oreos! See you later!"

[furnaceface]

//Mmhm, what he said!//

Jono wasn't exactly a dedicated runner, no. But when one was being pummelled from all sides by flying books, such things hardly seemed to matter. He was about a half-step behind Henry, and skidding to a stop just to make certain that the door was well and firmly shut behind them.

[one-who-goes.livejournal.com]

Henry was either laughing or out of breath, and most likely both, when he got back into what he would no doubt forever see as the safe part of the library.

"New library rule," he said firmly. "No one goes back in there 'just to see.' Not even me."

Possibly especially not him.