fandomhigh | Library, Thursday All Day

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Library, Thursday All Day

It was probably fair to guess that Evan was excited to be showing up for his first shift as a library aide, what with the way he'd made absolutely certain his hair was a little bit neater than usual before leaving his room. He was also wearing his fanciest clothing... which mostly consisted of his old Jean Grey School uniform, blazer and necktie and shorts and all. The important thing here was that he looked professional, right? His old school's crest wasn't emblazoned on the front or anything, so it would suffice.

Of course, the blazer and shorts combo meant that not ten minutes into his shift, some of the more recent periodicals were sneaking up to his desk and leaving themselves wide open on any section that prominently featured men's fashion. At first, Evan thought maybe somebody was teasing him and just hiding whenever he was looking, but then he actually caught a magazine in the act of scaling the desk, and he sighed.

"It's not that bad, guys."

The library is open! And the aide is wearing shorts whether the periodicals like it or not!

[Open!]

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"I guess that's fair," Sholeh said with a nod. "Though there are lots of places to work on the island, with the town just a little ways away and all."

She was pretty sure she'd be all kinds of resentful if she'd been denied a job at the library just because some other kid had decided it would be a convenient place to draw a paycheck from.

*On the other hand, perhaps that is how the other person discovers just how wonderful books are,* Zhahar pointed out. *Surely that's worth a missed job opportunity.*

Sholeh didn't really have an answer for Zhahar, so she responded to Evan instead. "I wonder how long it must have taken to amass so many volumes. They must have access to every different Landscape ever. I wonder if they have any books about Tryadnea here."

"Oh, they've probably been collecting books here for decades. Maybe even centuries. It's hard to say, since I don't know how old the school is," Evan mused. "The library might even have its own set of rules, and just kind of regurgitate new books whenever it feels like it. I mean, if they can get it in mind to give me fashion advice, reproducing probably isn't much of a stretch."

... It was pretty sound logic, for Fandom.

"Now I'm picturing books reproducing," Sholeh said with a laugh--and a furious blush for good measure. "The, umm, romance novels would help out a lot, I'm sure. But the science textbooks would just make things awkward."

It would be like every Discovery Channel documentary that Evan's parents had frowned upon him watching! Not... that he was going to say that. At all.

"Awkward, but, um... functional?" Yes. Functional. "The Shakespeare would be there, trying to coach them along with sonnets, I'm sure."

"The cookbooks would all be flipping to romantic dinners and candles, and the music section would only play love songs," Sholeh said, looking around to figure out what other sections there were that could help.

"Tourism would have to give them a backdrop of the world's most romantic cities," Evan added merrily. "I'm sure even the self-help books would have a thing or two to contribute."

"The childcare books would all be getting everything ready," Sholeh added. "And the histories would all start talking about 'back in their day, not every book needed to be involved.'"

"Or how back in their day the whole library was involved," Evan offered, "and you didn't have any of this teen romance section running off and thinking that they could take care of it on their own."

Evan's influences back home had mostly come from senior citizens, yes.

"I wonder what the horror novels are doing," Sholeh said, trying to figure it out. "Maybe they're off on holiday with the mysteries and stuff?"

"I hope that's what they're doing," Evan decided, eyes going a little wider. "There are some books that just shouldn't have a hand in the rearing of impressionable children's storybooks. I think horror is way up there on that list."

The library did not need to go all Children of the Corn on them. Please.

True Crime, too.

Sholeh just nodded a lot. "I bet there are a lot of craft books that will be happy ton watch the little ones and keep all the bad influences away, while they knit and crochet and stuff."

"I wonder if we'd have to get little rocking chairs for those ones?"

... The places that Evan's mind wandered sometimes.

"We probably would," Sholeh said, solemn. "Because rocking chairs are also good for when babies need soothing."

Question was, where would the babies come from?

"Wow," Evan said, looking almost breathlessly around the library. "Is this place way more awesome now that we've started figuring all this stuff out, or is it just me?"

They probably weren't even remotely accurate in their personification of the library's books, granted, but there was definitely a lot of thought being put into this conversation. That had to count for something.

"I didn't think it could get any more amazing," Sholeh said with a delighted laugh. "But I can just imagine them doing something like that, can't you? I bet the no-talking rule would be strictly enforced when the babies were sleeping, hee!"

"Quietest library ever," Evan agreed with a soft laugh. "But I guess in the meantime, I'm going to have to settle for them giving me fashion advice."

"The library is giving you fashion advice?" Sholeh looked down at her dress. "It didn't say anything to me, and I'm dressed stranger than you are, I think?"

"I don't think it likes my shorts," Evan sighed, looking down at his knees. "At least, not with my blazer and necktie. If I knew the library was going to be so opinionated about it, I probably would have just wore slacks, instead."

=He does have knobby knees,= Zeela said. =And a weird face.=

*Hush you,* Zhahar said, ever the sweet one. *I think his outfit it cute.*

::Well, I he's nice and funny and smart, so both of you hush,:: Sholeh said. ::And his face isn't that weird.::

=His lips go up to his ears.=

"I like the way you're dressed," Sholeh told him firmly. "And if anyone doesn't, they can go suck eggs and so there."

That's right, library. You and Zeela both.

Evan was blushing. Just a little, right there.

"... Really?"

Look, getting compliments was still a bit of a novelty for the kid. Especially compliments from pretty girls. Doubly so for ones that weren't teasing.

To be fair, Sholeh probably wouldn't have given him a compliment if Zeela hadn't been pushing. She was still on the pretty shy side herself.

"Yeah," she said, all defiance still. "I do. And you're fun."

So there.

Evan wasn't really sure where the defiance was coming from, but he certainly wasn't complaining!

"Oh," he replied, blinking. "Well... so are you. Fun."

Just be glad you couldn't hear her sisters, Evan. Really. It's probably for the best.

"I--oh." There was almost a mental screech as her brain shifted gears. "Uhh, thanks?"

Less like a question, Sholeh.

The answer to that one was easy enough, at least. Evan's parents had drilled his manners into him since he was tiny.

"You're welcome," he replied, smiling warmly. "And it's true. You wouldn't mind if I were to visit you during your shifts here, would you? I mean... to talk about books, and things? If I'd just be in the way you can tell me, I'd understand!"

Sholeh shook her head. "No, no, I'd like that," she said, smile growing but turning a little shy at the same time. "It's nice to have someone to talk books with. And I know you'll be quiet when the babies are sleeping."

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Library, Thursday All Day

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