fandomhigh | Library, Sunday 02/19

Library, Sunday 02/19

The past week had been awful, and Raven was very glad it was over. The constant battering of her classmates' pollen-inspired desires had ceased, though with a strange spike of anxiety yesterday that she didn't know the explanation for. And now most of the island was heading off for spring break, and she intended to enjoy a week of peace and solitude.

But first she was going to apologize to the books for the empathic cold shower last week. Because that was so Raven.

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Hayley wasn't sure what to do about still being not herself, and had taken to wandering.

It was weird to step back onto school grounds to go visit the library, but with most of the school seemingly bustling off to a trip, it didn't feel overwhelming for her.

Then she walked over to the main desk with a big grin. "Well there's a face I ain't seen in a long time," she said.

Raven blinked in confusion, both at the words and how they sounded, since it wasn't very Jono-like.

"It has not been that long, has it?" she said. "Well, two weeks I suppose." She'd deliberately avoided seeking Jono out while the island was having fun with the pollen.

"More like a year and a half," Hayley said with a little chuckle. "Last time I saw ya I was getting carted off by the GCPD. What's the matter, you don't..."

She laughed a little harder. "Oh yeah, that's why ya don't recognize me."

Her confuse turned rapidly to alarm. "I do not understand," she said, rising to her feet behind the desk. "You are not Jono?"

"Nope," she said, shaking her head. "I'll give ya three guesses if you want to figure out who I am. Or we could play twenty questions, but I already gave you a really big clue and I hope I'm not that forgettable."

No, the reference to the GCPD had been more than enough once the realization that she wasn't Jono managed to penetrate her head.

"Hayley?" she said. "But why do you look like Jono?"

"For the same reason he looks like me right now," Hayley said, with a little shrug. "Or, well, a grumpier version of me. We just kind of woke up as each other yesterday. Was a pretty... different experience." She still had her smiled, but it had turned a little tentative.

"Radio made it sound like it was more than just us, at least."

"He looks like you." Please hold while Raven tried to wrap her mind around that. Ouch.

"I have not listened to the radio broadcast yet," she said. "I was unaware of what was going on, though it would explain all the anxiety I sensed yesterday. More of Fandom's whimsy, I expect."

She moved around the front of the desk and held open her arms. "Regardless, it is good to see you, Hayley. How have you been?"

"You mean other than waking up as tall, dark and lurky yesterday?" Hayley said with a lopsided grin. "And speaking of that, if he was still, you know, equipped like he is now back in school, daaaaaaaamn you were one lucky girl."

She giggled, an odd thing to come from Jono's body. "But I guess, you know, surviving. I got a job down at the diner, and it's holding me up so far."

Raven turned bright bright red for more than one reason, ducking her head a little as she stepped in to give Hayley a hug. The giggling was weird, and so was hugging her when she was Jono-shapped, and she quickly stepped back.

"So you are back in Fandom to stay?" she said. "That is good to hear. Are things settled for you back home now?"

"Yeah, I am," Hayley said, hugging back. The drastic height difference made this a little strange, but amusingly so. "But most of the reason I'm here is cause I don't like things back home. So they might not be settled, but I ain't worrying about them."

She shrugged while still in the hug. "You do what you gotta do, you know?"

"Of course," Raven said, giving her a smile. "And if there is anything I can do to help you settle in here, or back home, please, just tell me. I will be staying in Fandom this week, so perhaps we can have lunch together when you are yourself once more."

Which would hopefully be soon because, Azar, this was strange.

"Back home is the past," Hayley said. "I'm trying to put that whole, all of it behind me. But lunch would be good. And if you stop in at the diner on Tuesdays, I can promise you that you'll have the best head waitress you can possibly get."

She grinned back at her old friend. "But what gives? I thought all you kids were running off to some place new and exciting today?"

"The spring break trip to Rio, yes," Raven said, shrugging her shoulders a little. "I did not feel up for such a trip, so I opted to remain in Fandom. After the week that we have had here, the peace and quiet will be refreshing."

No over-stimulated hormones. Absolute bliss.

"The week?" Hayley said, not sure what Raven was talking about. "Did somethin' bad happen?"

Yeah, she hadn't noticed too much bad about the week, herself...

"Many people on the island were...stimulated...moreso than usual," Raven said, blushing again. "And with my gifts, I could feel it."

Fortunately, no doors had paid the price this time.

"...that was a bad thing?" Hayley said, raising an eyebrow. "I had a pretty fun week. I mean, other than Friday night. What was so bad about it?"

"It is very uncomfortable to have so many powerful emotions around me," Raven said, shaking her head. "It made it hard to concentrate -- and it gave me a headache, shielding it out."

"A headache really would ruin all that, wouldn't it?" Hayley said. She huffed, trying to blow the bangs out of her eyes that... weren't in her eyes, as Jono's hair was quite different. "So you gonna try and take advantage of all that lingering frustration now?" She was teasing, a big grin on her face at the end of her sentence.

Raven turned a little green, and her smile faltered. She caught herself quickly and changed the subject. "So you are working at the diner now?" she said. "I will definitely have to come visit you there then."

"Eesh, sorry, for whatever I said," Hayley said, shying off a bit. "But yeah, Cafe Luke's. I'd be happy to see you whenever. But... I guess I should go find a book or something?"

"It is all right," Raven said, mustering up another hesitant smile. "There is no need to rush off. I am sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable."

"I'm not the one who looked uncomfortable," Hayley said. "I know I'm a little off sometimes, but I know it when I see a bad reaction. I get 'em a lot. But if you don't want to talk about it, that's okay. I know we ain't exactly close any more."

She wasn't exactly close with anyone any more.

"It was not your fault, Hayley," Raven said, drawing in a breath and looking down at the floor. "You would have no way of knowing. My relationship with Jono...it is not entirely the same as it was when you left."

"Oh," Hayley said, rubbing the back of her neck. "I wasn't trying to... I'd ask if you want to talk about it more, but not when I'm like this. That'd just be unfair to you."

"It would be awkward under these circumstances," Raven agreed. To say the least.

"Perhaps later -- when I come see you for lunch?" So long as people were back in their rightful bodies by then. Hopefully it wouldn't last longer than a day or two.

"Deal," Hayley said.

She paused. "You know, I'm not even sure why I came in here in the first place. Not like I ever read. Who uses libraries, any way?"

"Perhaps you unconsciously knew I would be here and would love to see a missed friend," Raven said, her tentative smile growing more warm and genuine.

"Though I am certain I could try to convince you of the worthiness of reading as a pasttime."

"Really, huh?" Hayley said. "Okay, I'll bite. Give me your best sales pitch. Try and get me to read."

She smiled, a mix of defiance and amusement.

"There is always to enrich your mind with knowledge," Raven said, gesturing to the non-fiction portion of the library. "The history of your world or others, or science to learn why things are the way they are, be it stars or plants or even the human mind. Then there are the fiction books, which can allow your mind to escape for a time to a different world and live another life through the actions of another. I have become very fond of some of those books."

[Sorry, I didn't get a notif for this. *kicks LJ*]

"...Well that sure sounded fancy," Hayley said. "Maybe try something less super smart sounding? I ain't that classy of a girl, Raven, you know that."

"Well, what is a topic that interests you?" Raven suggested. "Perhaps I could find something on that you might enjoy reading."

"Well, I dunno... crime books, I guess?" Hayley said. "There's gotta be book about that, right?"

"There are mystery novels, if you would like a fictional account," Raven said thoughtfully. She'd never fancied reading any of them since many revolved around murders.

"But there is also a section on true crimes, which usually detail the crime and how the culprit was eventually found." Another section she'd had no interest in because it was so gruesome.

Hayley thought about that, and decided to stick with fiction. For now.

"Well novels sound more fun," she said. "Wouldn't want to read about real bad people, right?"

The smile meant she thought that was awful. Really.

Raven shuddered a little. "I suppose I can understand the need to study such things, but I find them sad and frightening," she said. "Though I suppose with fictional stories, a sense of justice can be satisfied."

"Yeah, justice," Hayley agreed with a nod. "That's exactly what I'm lookin' for. Nothin' too dark, though, right? I don't want it too... nasty."

Kenzi was bored now that people were gone; and hey, she wanted to practice. So. She appeared back in the stacks, skipping the door entirely, then headed for the front counter.

Sneak ... sneak... sneak ... sneak...!

"Hi Raven!"

Raven jumped, since she hadn't heard Kenzi's approach.

"Anna!" she exclaimed, recognizing the girl from the picnic. "I did not hear you come in."

If she's there.

I am around but prone to fits of unconsciousness. Mmmm, codeine cough syrup.

Your lungs, give them to me.

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Library, Sunday 02/19

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