fandomhigh | Library, [05/01]

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Library, [05/01]

Well, this was it. Jonothon's last weekend on the island, his last shift in the library, dutifully pretending that whatever was going on outside was more or less sane.

Which would be going so very well for him, if it wasn't for the way the books had gotten it into their heads (or whatever) to attempt to imitate the Viking-related shenanigans that seemed to be the weekend's running theme, ever since their appearance at graduation.

Jonothon had wrestled to keep the books shelved for a while, before simply giving up, rolling his eyes, and making himself comfortable at his desk with his feet up, playing Ride of the Valkyries on Youtube to keep the hardcover raiders satisfied as they plundered and pillaged the various sections of the library.

If you can't beat them...

The library is open!

[And OCD freeee because I'm feeling lazy today. Hi!]

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//Oh, the humanity.// It was interesting how he managed to make that come out completely flatly, while still striking an overdramatic pose, back of one hand to his forehead and all. //Who else in th'world would want to dance to boy bands with me? Yer a rare breed, Ariel. A rare one indeed.//

"You've got no idea," Ariel said with a bit of a laugh to cover up how much she meant that. "You, on the other hand....you'd be surprised how many people I can get to dance to boy bands with me."

Just ask Bruce.

"Or maybe not too surprised."

//Not terribly,// Jono agreed, shaking his head, a smile crinkling the corners of his eyes just slightly. //Though now I find myself wondering if yer trying to tell me that I'm really not all that special. I'm heartbroken, luv. Simply heartbroken.//

Honest. He was totally crying inside.

George had had a date last night, and it didn't suck. This was more surprising to her than the ... whatever the fuck there was with fucking Vikings and they seemed to be in Scandinavia somewhere, who knew.

She was bored -- okay, maybe she was realizing how little time she had left with her roommate. Either way, she was dropping by the library.

"Hey," she said. "... What's with the music?"

//Th'books insisted,// Jono replied, noting to himself that he was going to miss the days when he could say things like that without looking entirely insane. //They were in th'mood for something... Norse. A German composition about Nordic myth was about th'best that I could do.//

Really. He'd tried.

//What brings you to th'library today, luv?//

"You sound like it," Ariel noted. "Or maybe you would if you didn't already know that I think you're amazing, Jono. I'm really, really, really going to miss you, you know."

That was a lot of 'really's. Jono raised an eyebrow slightly, and then shrugged it off a little.

It was still weird, thinking he'd be missed. Especially a triple-really-lot.

//I'll visit,// he replied. //And I'll write. As often as I can. And you can write back. We'll be like... pen pals, or something. I don't know. I've never really had one of those before.//

"The books talk to you?" George asked.

Why was she still surprised by things like that? It was Fandom.

"So, I, uh." She fidgeted. "You know? I heard that people graduating? They don't have to leave right away. I mean, they can stay all summer, if they feel like it."

Just in case he didn't know that. No reason.

"Neither have I," Ariel said, smiling at the prospect. "Well, there was this one time, I found a message in a bottle, from a little girl, I think, and I wrote back to her, but I'm not sure if she ever really received them, you know? I like to think that maybe she did, though. Hopefully, this way will be much more reciprocal."

//Really, now? They can do that?// Oh, break Jonothon's heart a little more, George. He already knew where this conversation was headed. //You know... I would love to, Sunshine. But there are responsibilities...//

"Oh, right," George covered, with marginal success. "I mean, you know. You have places to go, it's cool, I was just ... letting you know."

Being dead ought to come with super powers. She'd take being a better liar.

//Well, bottles don't generally come with a return address and a guarantee of delivery,// Jono noted, straightening again as the song ended. //So, theoretically, this ought to work better than just tossing a bottle into th'water and hoping th'tide does th'rest. Especially since the Academy isn't really near th'shore.//

//Well... I appreciate you making certain, then,// Jono replied, reaching for a pen and fidgeting with it for a moment before tearing off a sticky note and scribbling something on it. //Do you understand why I'm heading back so soon, George?//

"I ... don't know," she shrugged. "I mean, you don't have to ... justify it to me. Do you want some kind of a ... I dunno. Going-away party?"

Right. Jono was exactly the kind of social butterfly who would love that kind of thing.

//... I already have a ridiculous crown and a diploma, and I nearly had me head carved off by a viking yesterday in order to get it,// Jono noted. //I think I've done about all of th'partying that I can handle, luv.//

Really, he was all partied out.

//... That said, I wouldn't mind spending some time with you before I take off. I'll probably be about for a couple more days, anyhow. I have packing t'do.//

Not as much as he would have needed to do a month ago. Curse his older self for being tidy.

"I like your crown," she said, offering him a quick smile. "I would have voted for you, but I ... kind of ... forgot to vote."

Sorry?

"I can help with the packing," she said. Which, considering her massive laziness, was a grand gesture on her part.

"Then you'd probably have to throw it really hard," Ariel said with a faint smile, a little sad that the song was over so soon. They never seemed long enough. "Where is this Academy, anyway? Anywhere I might have heard of?"

//Massachusetts, if you've ever heard of that,// Jono replied, remembering that Ariel's grasp on the geography of this world seemed... tenuous, at best. //Out in th'middle of bleedin' nowhere, in th'woods. But it's... not really a bad place to be. It's for people who aren't quite... er... right.//

That wasn't exactly the best way to put it.

Really, Jono would have made sad, sad faces if he'd known that George had voted for him. It was better this way.

//Would you? I mean... I know it's a bit of a disaster in there. Not as bad as it was, and I'll probably have to leave some of it behind. What th'hell possessed me to buy three guitars since coming here, anyhow?//

Right. One was a Stratocaster. Another was an acoustic, bought out of spite when the Stratocaster had come to life. And the other had been an ESP that was too damn pretty to say no to.

"Oh," Ariel had to comment with a quirked brow, "and this place is?"

//Just yer run-of-the-mill training ground for freaks and monsters.// Jono's tone was entirely too casual. //And... safe. It's safe, for people like me.//

He shrugged.

//I'm trying not to think too hard about th'fact that I seem to fit in better around here than there.//

"Freaks and monsters," Ariel repeated with a tilt of her head. "Your words, or theirs?"

"Hey, half of that shit is mine," she said. She didn't own nearly as much random crap as he did, but she was not exactly domestic enough to ... well. Clean. Like, ever. And any of the food mess was, by default, hers.

"Do different guitars ... sound different?" she asked. "Or were they just pretty?"

//Depends on the 'they,' I suppose,// Jono replied, shaking his head. //I used to believe it, is th'thing. Looked in the mirror and hated what I was. Tried to push everyone away before they could get a decent look at me, too.//

He turned and made his way back toward the computer. Music. Music was good.

//Before anybody could get hurt.//

//Some sound different,// Jono replied. //Th'shape of them, what they're made of... And there's the obvious difference between acoustic and electric.//

He didn't use his acoustic often, unless he wanted something that he didn't have to haul amps around for.

//... And they were pretty.//

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Library, [05/01]

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