fandomhigh | Library, Sunday 11/06

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Library, Sunday 11/06

Raven was actually an hour early for her shift that morning, because daylight savings time was confusing. She was actually glad to have an extra hour to clean up because the botany section had decided to sprout flowers. It was actually quite lovely, and the flowers did fill the air with a pleasing scent, but the overgrowth was making it difficult to move through the section and into the next.

After persuading the plants to keep the aisle open, Raven returned to the front desk. She had her laptop open to a Rumor Gal website, but her thoughts were decidedly elsewhere.

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Actually, with a title like that, Jono would have a difficult time figuring out what it didn't cover.

"That would have to be it, I should think," Jono agreed, slipping behind the counter like he belonged there (old habits died hard) to peer over her shoulder. "... Huh. There's a minimum requirement for th'space between walls, so that gremlins don't tangle themselves up in th'wiring. Who knew?"

"That is a very kind consideration given the chaos that those creatures cause," Raven said. It was almost like the island was encouraging the gremlins to make themselves at home. "I would rather they not be within my walls. I do not wish to be under the effects of their venom ever again." Once was decidedly enough.

"Or perhaps it is just resignation that there is no way to truly be rid of them," she decided. "In that case it would be wise to build so as to prevent the problems they may cause."

"Not to mention th'smell," Jono noted.

... Look, having rotting gremlin in your walls probably wasn't terribly good for public health in general. He could be pragmatic about these things if he wanted to be, damn it.

"Either way, I suppose that shouldn't be too much of a worry, I don't think. Th'Boards presumably passed code requirements before I ever came to the island, after all."

Raven wrinkled her nose at the thought of rotting gremlin -- and at the thought of crispy rotting gremlin if it got itself fried when it became tangled. Eww.

"I think we can just make copies of the portions you need, rather than checking out the entire book," Raven said, "for it seems to be quite large and heavy." And taking the time to copy would mean he'd have to stay longer, which was a win in her book.

And that he'd have to come back again later, if he conveniently forgot how to double-click .PDF files!

"That works for me," he decided, nodding a little. "Not that I'd have too much trouble carrying it back with me, considering th'boards is only a few streets down. But, you know, no sense monopolizing the entire thing if all I need is th'bit on wiring, for now."

Yes. That made all kinds of sense!

Raven couldn't push back her chair with Jono behind her, but she could spin it around so she could look up at him. "Very well, I will copy the section on wiring for you," she said with a smile. "Is there anything else you need while you are here?"

"Not so far as books go, really." Jono shrugged, stepping back and edging out from behind the desk again so that she could stand. "I'm not interrupting anything important, am I?"

If he wasn't, he might linger around a while longer. Partly for the company, partly for the nostalgia.

"Not at all," Raven assured him. "I am very glad for the company. It is usually very quiet in here on Sundays as I rarely have visitors. If there are not books to shelve I spend most of my time browsing the web."

She pushed herself up to her feet. "But I purposely requested Sundays as my shift, and I knew that it would likely not be busy at all."

"Oh?"

Huh. Jono always remembered Sundays being fairly busy in here. But then, he'd had Raven in visiting on a regular basis, and Didi before her. Not to mention people like Sherlock, who had stopped in on a few occasions just to try to figure out what made him tick, and Faramir, who'd been trying to learn the Roman alphabet...

Didi and Sherlock weren't around these days, Faramir had probably learned to read by now, and Raven could hardly pay herself any visits. The island had settled some, since he'd left.

"Well then, I might have to keep you company for a while," he decided. "See if we can get th'botany section to settle down before local wildlife starts to see it as an invitation."

Edited 2011-11-06 18:09 (UTC)

"I would like that very much," Raven said, almost shyly. "It reminds me of how I used to visit you each week." Only a few months ago for her, but years for him.

"I had managed to confine the plants to just that section earlier this morning, but I fear it will be not long before they attempt to claim the life science and zoology shelves again," she said. "It looks very pretty, at least."

"It does, at that," Jono agreed, glancing that way. "I suppose we don't really need to start worrying until we hear kookaburras and jaguars inexplicably in the same soundscape."

Usually somewhere in Africa. Because that's just how sound effects worked.

"Kookaburras?" Raven said, repeating the strange word. "What are those? That does not even sound like a real word."

She shifted a little to pick some of the roses climbing the side of her desk, carefully avoiding the thorns. They had little scent, but the coloring was beautiful, and she definitely wanted to bring some back to her room.

"Little Aussie birds that laugh," Jono replied with a shrug. "They use their call for... monkeys or something, presumably, in films with jungles in. No matter where it's really set."

Jono was a wealth of useless information like that.

"... I'm not going to try to copy their call, though."

Just so they were clear on that.

"Birds that laugh like monkeys," Raven said, giving Jono a dubious look. "Are you teasing me?"

Though now it was very tempting to ask him to demonstrate the call. She was curious, she couldn't help it.

"They sort of... hoot a little, is all. They raise one hell of a racket when they get their little heads set on it."

... For all the kookaburras that he'd ever heard in person. Really, now.

"We could probably find an example. I mean, on the internet, or something."

Raven set down her roses and turned back to her laptop, blushing just a tiny bit when opening it up revealed her browser open to a Rumor Gal Charlie/Claire 'shipping site (complete with glittery graphics). She hastily flipped to a search engine and found a youtube video to demonstrate the kookaburra's call.

"That is so very strange!" she giggled. "If I heard that in the library I would not know what to think."

"I'd think I was still in Fandom," Jonothon decided, shrugging. "Something like that in here is really par for th'course."

Really. He'd spent something like two years working in this library. A Kookaburra would be slightly less weird than some of the things he'd seen in here.

Raven frowned a little, closed the laptop again, and turned around, leaning back against the desk. "How are you doing?" she asked softly, watching his face.

"I know it has only been a week since your return, but I hope you are feeling at least a little bit better." Just a little, she could hope for that much.

The fact that he still had his scarf up probably said a fair bit, didn't it?

"I... I've been keeping busy," he replied, his own voice going soft. "Busier, the better. I have half a mind to start wandering around town, just picking up more work all around." No free time meant no time to think. That suited him well enough. "I've spoken to a few people since I came back. Tara, George, Squall. All paid me a visit Tuesday. But other than that..."

A shrug. He'd gone for coffee. He'd been totally baffled when some Irish bloke had sat down at his table. But he hadn't really actively reached out to anyone just yet.

"I am certain Karla will be by soon, but I believe she is away from the island right now," Raven said. "And I would come by every day myself if you would not get tired of me."

She lifted a hand to touch his arm, rubbing it up and down in a comforting gesture. "How are you sleeping?" she asked. She couldn't take away everything he'd gone through, but she could at least make certain he got a good night's sleep.

Jono nearly managed to point out that she wasn't in any danger of driving him mad any time soon, but then she'd asked that question, and he frowned a little.

... A little more.

"I'm... not doing much of that, really," he admitted. "Not that I was ever terribly good at getting rest, granted. But I... I feel it more, now, I suppose."

Guilt. It was guilt that was doing it.

"You do," Raven said. She wasn't sure how the Apocalypse blood might compare to how the psionic fire reduced his need for sleep, but a constant waking mind and the thoughts that might run through it was surely not good for him.

"Please, let me help you," she urged, moving her hand up to try to touch his cheek. "You know I can make certain you have peaceful dreams."

Oh, lord. Those cheeks. To his credit, Jonothon didn't flinch as her hand reached for his face, in spite of... well. He was hardly comfortable with his face at the best of times. Now, with everything that was wrong with him right at the front of his mind all over again, it was hard to ignore the fact that a touch to the cheek meant running her fingers over those trails, like scars, that traced up along the edge of his upper jaw.

"I know, luv." He sighed, relenting and leaning his face against her hand. "And I'm tempted. Ridiculously so. And at th'same time, it feels like... cheating, somehow."

Or like he wasn't punishing himself enough for the things he'd done.

Or something.

She cupped her hand against his face, fingers lightly brushing his check and the line that ran along it. "It is not," she said. "A few hours of peace is not cheating. Your mind might escape to more pleasant times in sleep on its own anyway. I would just be helping you on your way."

She knew how troubled his sleep was even in the best of times, so that escape wasn't entirely likely. But still, it would not be as if she were taking the guilt and sorrow away permanently.

"Just one night?" she pleaded. "The rest will be very good for you."

You and your logic, Raven!

"... Just one night," he agreed, nodding a little. "Because I'm liable to break my hand with a hammer or electrocute myself or something while I'm doing renovations if I don't manage to get some sleep soon. But I'm not going to make a habit of this, Sunshine."

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Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]

Re: Talk to Raven [Library 11/06]