Library, Wednesday

[era_two_triangle]

The books themselves seemed to be fairly well-behaved today in the library. It was the Gem who was acting a bit oddly. One minute she'd be following something around curiously, and then, at the drop of a hat, she'd turn on it and start terrorising it with her teeth.

The books were hiding from her, honestly. Which was an interesting feat in a room that was more book than anything else. But the way she was just hunkering behind the desk come early afternoon, ominously bathed in shadows, was just too much for any one library to deal with today. So the books were noping out on this one and not a single person could blame them.

Give her ten minutes and she'd be up on the desk and singing or something.

[OOC: This event is the event that I have always needed in my heart of hearts. Open, OCD-free, and spamming that random icon button for all it's worth today!]

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[somethingwithturquoise]

Summer had found a book that she forgot to return from last time under her bed earlier, so she made it a point to swing by after her workshops to drop it off. With the way her own moods had been shifting, it might have just been better to wait until whatever was going on had passed, but whatever. She was already here.

And gasping upon entering, not necessarily because the scene was so shocking to her, but...well, it actually would seem that she was legitimately shocked, eyes wide, hand to her gasping mouth, as she dropped the book in her surprise. I mean, it was weird that Peridot was behind the desk and those shadows were pretty dramatic, but...that was kind of weird.

"Is, uh, everything okay?" she asked, way more panicked than she really felt.

[era_two_triangle]

Well, wasn't that a stupid question? Peridot looked up from where she was behind the desk, wrinkled her nose, and gave Summer a scoffing sort of look.

"Does it look like everything's okay? The books aren't even on the shelves right now."

Because of you, 'Dot. The books were hiding because of you.

[somethingwithturquoise]

Summer had swooped down to pick up the book she dropped, cradling it close to her chest. She suddenly felt the need to curl up around something, because the sight of angry Peridot and all her empty shelves just made her practically melt.

"You know," she said, after biting her lip and trailing a finger along the edge of her book, "if you needed help putting them all back, I could...definitely....definitely help with that...."

Because shelving books was suddenly incredibly sexy, and she did not even know why, but hot damn, clean-up in aisle library.

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot was once again realizing that she just completely, utterly totally did not understand humans. At all. And the look on her face was saying as much, too.

"Well, I do appreciate the offer," she said, eyeing Summer's lip-chewing, book-fondling ways, "I'm not completely certain what you would do to help."

She wasn't going to eat the books or something, was she? Humans were so weird.

[somethingwithturquoise]

Did Summer suddenly have, like, mega-muscles? It looked like Summer suddenly had mega-muscles. And she was definitely totally pumped up.

"I'll tell you what I'm gonna do," she said, her voice suddenly a bit lower and rougher than two seconds ago. She balled up one hand into a fist and pounded into the palm of her other hand. "I'm gonna take those books, and I'm gonna wrangle them into submission. I'll put 'em in a headlock, a choke slam, and knock out if I have to. I don't know what I'll have to resort to. That's up to the books. But you better believe they're gonna know who's boss."

She felt particularly inclined to beat up anything about Hitler, right-wing conservative religious values, playground bullies, and people who were mean to dogs.

[era_two_triangle]

"That'll--"

Peridot would have said more, but she immediately tripped over her own feet on her way around the desk and mostly just wound up planting her face into the floor.

She was totally graceful like that.

[somethingwithturquoise]

"Peridot?"

Overwhelmed by the sudden fall of her friend, Summer suddenly couldn't stop leaking tears, her mascara running all down her face, as she was overwhelmed with a sense of hopelessness and loss. She should have tried to catch her or something, but she was just so helpless.

"Ohmygod, are you okay? Peridot?"

[era_two_triangle]

Not unlike a cat, Peridot rolled over again, pulled herself to her feet, and gave a sly grin in Summer's direction.

"Absolutely. I meant to do that."

She really hadn't, but she couldn't help but feel proud of that unbelievable faceplant that she just totally rocked right into the floor like a champ.

[somethingwithturquoise]

"Oh, good," said Summer, relieved. "Because that looked bad. Like, real bad--"

Anything else Summer might have said was put on hold, as a musical little voice seemed to call her name from above, and suddenly, Tinkles, the fluffy little lamb fairy that existed as a manifestation of Summer's imagination from a mind-manipulating alien parasite, floated down from the ceiling, leaving a sprinkle of stars and rainbows and glitter.

"Suuuummmer," she called, sing-song and giggling, floating down to grab Summer's hand and try to pull her up with her. "Let's go play, Summer!"

"Not now, Tinkles! I have to return this book to Peridot first!"

[giveherahand]

Mara came into the library searching for a book, and looked much more concerned than she normally would when she couldn't find the library person.

"Hello?"

[era_two_triangle]

The library person wouldn't be that difficult to find, fortunately!

Unfortunately that would be because she was leaping out from behind the desk, wielding her limb enhancers and charging a crackling plasma beam to fire off in Mara's direction.

So, probably a great conversation starter, right?

"This'll teach you to do that thing you did, you lumpy, clumpy, clod!"

She was going to be so sad when the limb enhancers went away again.

[giveherahand]

Mara tossed her fabulous, fabulous hair and arched up an eyebrow. "Oh, are you trying to threaten me? That's cute."

[era_two_triangle]

And in reply to that, Peridot lowered her weapon and squinted a little.

"What's so cute about it?"

She hated being called cute, but she kind of had to hear this one out.

[giveherahand]

"Because I've been trained in self-defense since I could walk," she said, still smiling, "and I'm very good at it."

[era_two_triangle]

"Oh."

Well. Peridot had miscalculated gravely, hadn't she? She glanced around quickly, gauging her escape path, and then kind of shrank back a bit when she realized that her escape path was... through Mara, really.

"That would make that cute, yes."

Also, eep.

[giveherahand]

"That's right," Mara said, eyes narrowing. "So maybe don't pull weapons on people."

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot stared at Mara for a moment or two. Or three. Or four.

And then she simply threw her head back and laughed like an absolute maniac.

So, apparently she was feeling slightly less intimidated now?

[studyingfear]

Rufus had not noticed weird shit going on today. Because his mun is an unfun machine and boring.

As far as he was concerned, the first out of the ordinary thing about the day was the odd emptiness of the library.

He raised his eyebrows. Well.

"Peridot?"

She was aggravating, but not usually in the sense of not being where she was supposed to be.

[era_two_triangle]

Surprise! Peridot was right here, popping out from behind the desk! And, for the time being, she had her limb enhancers back!

Which was just perfect for pulling down one eyelid, sticking out her tonghe, and going, "Biiiii!"

Which wasn't exactly a traditional greeting of her people or anything, but it seemed like the thing to do today.

[studyingfear]

...

"Excuse me?" he asked mildly.

Mostly confused. Not yet offended or amused, though he could go either way.

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot's limb enhancers vanished, and all at once she was curling herself up in a ball on the floor.

"Weren't you surprised?"

This was her tiniest voice ever. Look at how sad, Rufus. Look at how sad.

[studyingfear]

Wow, was Peridot talking to the wrong person if she wanted someone to feel sorry for her.

Rufus snorted a laugh. He was beginning to suspect the island's work was at hand, which meant, almost without thinking about it, that he was going to pull out his PHS.

"Vaguely," he said. "What are you doing?"

[era_two_triangle]

"I DON'T KNOW," Peridot exclaimed, shooting to her feet again and running over to Rufus in a panic. "A BUNCH OF WEIRD THINGS KEEP HAPPENING AND I'M NOT SURE WHY."

[studyingfear]

Ah, yes, there was the record button.

Sorry not sorry, Peridot.

"Have you tried researching it?" he asked lightly, ignoring the shouting in favour of being amused. "I could help with that."

Which was a red flag, really, that he was here just to laugh at whatever happened since Rufus rarely offered to help anyone, but... shush.

[era_two_triangle]

"I have tried," Peridot muttered, settling down long enough to turn a side-eye toward the huddling, hiding books. "But they aren't exactly making it easy on me."