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 Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 9:30 am
Azzo nodded, "Grams is very anti-technology to a point. So it's hard to learn when you get minimal face time with a computer."
He smiled back, "Please, call me Azzo, Mr. Crowley was my Grandfather." He said with a soft smile. "Oh it's fine, I'm sure if he's got something out it'll be here most likely."
He paused when she offered to help him figure out the system, he smiled, "that'd be awesome! Then I wouldn't feel so silly having to ask Mr. Darrow or some of the other staff for help finding things."
He smiled a bit sheepishly. He hated having to ask people when it was probably pretty straight foreword to find what he needed. "And I'm sure, if I need anything else I'll find out when I get to that point sadly. Thank you again, though, Jada. I hope you have nice day." He smiled softly before looking back at the books. This was going to take a while, despite the list size.
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 10:25 am
Jada winced. "That's unfortunate." Not being experienced with technology was a considerable handicap in the modern world. "You should really take some classes." she told him; Bit her lip, thinking over his options. "I think they have some free ones after-hours at some of the schools, just for basics." Not that she really cared. That was up to his 'Gram'. In her opinion, though, a child needed every advantage, especially with the job markets and most job requirements. If you didn't know technology, what jobs were open aside from manual labor?
Then again, the boy looked like a child. "Well then, next time that you are here, if I am free, please grab me. It won't take more than five or ten minutes. As I said, it is point and click. You don't even need to know the name or author of a book." She nodded to him.
"I'll definitely be enjoying the rest of my day." she agreed. "Good luck finding your book." She moved for the elevator, not solid enough on her own two feet at the moment to worry about taking the stairs, or how elevators were for lazy people and the handicapped (in her opinion). Slowly, she made her way back to the circulation desk, face white as a sheet as she stumbled into the chair behind the librarian's desk.
Tony wasn't there, and thank god, no one else was either. She reached into her pocket, pulling out the small painkiller that she'd been instructed to take. It had been 6 hours, she decided as she looked at the clock. Or close enough. The pill was popped, and she picked up the desk phone, calling her favorite taxi service.
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 9:06 pm
Touche.
Tony had to admit she was correct: if it was really as good as system as he so adamantly believed, and so often defended, it probably wouldn't confuse so many people so regularly. The very idea of re-cataloging everything just to shift from the Library of Congress to something like the Dewey Decimal system, however, made his stomach do a front flip disapprovingly.
Not taking offense to her saying she never wanted to come back to the place she had gotten lost in and had vexed her so thoroughly, now, he imagined, always tied to bad memories of this paper, he nodded slowly. Offering her a smile, it was a good change of pace to see her light up once they reached the books and he had found them all for her.
That was a preferable attitude for her, thanking him and looking almost happy now that she had the books she could use, which reminded Tony why he liked his job so much. It wasn't something he could put into words, like a cheesy idea of 'I like helping people' or something like that. It was just this place. These interactions. He loved his job.
Maybe he was just strange.
"Good!" he said, patting her on the shoulder. Or making to but then stopping just short. Smiling, he led the way back down to the desk so they could get her sorted and on her way. She had lost enough of her morning here, and he was feeling very guilty about it.
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 9:39 pm
She might have frowned at Tony if he had patted her shoulder, but since he seemed to stop mid-action, she could only raise a brow at the librarian. He wasn't so bad, once he had gotten her what she wanted. There were a few rare moments in life when Delphine appeared to be an agreeable person, and now was one of them. Once she got home, she'd likely shove the books into a corner and turn to them a day or two before her paper was due. She felt like she did better when she put things off to the very end - what student didn't?
She followed Tony back down to the desk, the elevator ride once again being relatively quiet. The books were a little heavy in her arms, but she was glad just to have found them so she could leave this wretched maze. When they reached Tony's desk, she set her books down with a soft 'thunk'. At least she hadn't abused her books as much as Ray Gordon had. They would survive the trip to her house and back with minimal damage.
"When do you expect them back?" she asked casually. She would be done with them in about a week or so, but when she actually got the books back was more unknown. Delphine was more likely to forget about them, or remember on a random day and have her brother run them back to the library for her.
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 10:05 pm
Tony asked her for her library card once they were at the desk, so he could check the books out to her properly. While he was waiting, he desensitized and stamped them, though he managed to miss one of them as far as passing it through the desensitizer went. They wouldn't know that, however, until she was about to leave.
He wasn't his fault, however. The machine was an older part of the library than he was, and though it was serviced every now and then to make sure all it's parts were still connected it was still just puttering along, silently begging to be replaced. In recent times it had been crying out for more attention, not desensitizing what it was supposed to be. Which meant people were setting off the alarm as they passed through to the exit, which was no fun for anyone.
There was another machine at the other computer, but Anthony was a creature of habit and liked this one. Despite it betraying him in an effort to retire.
"Ah, two weeks," he said, nodding his head, "though we might be changing it to three weeks soon. Not that this really affects you at all... at the moment... so, ah. Two weeks." He frowned. Succinct really was beyond him.
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 10:14 pm
Azzo nodded "Yes it is..." He said softly, thinking over what she'd said, "Mmm... more classes, well maybe they'll have some summer ones around. Nothing else I'll probably just buy one and lug in the house and be like 'we have a new thing to learn'." He didn't mind learning new things it was actually starting that was the problem and as long as it wasn't science he should be able to handle it.
If he'd known her thoughts would've probably wondered what made her think he was a child. Being 18 was pretty close to being an adult, maybe a few years shy but still... However, he couldn't read minds, and the questions where left unasked.
He did however nod when she said she'd be enjoying the rest of her day, "That's good, and Thanks again!" He said and gave a wave as she left, if he'd known she'd been feeling bad he probably wouldn't have even let her lead him to the books. Insisted she got some rest or something that he could eventually find them if given enough of a direction to head in.
When she was gone he disappeared into the aisle and started looking at the books on hypnotism, pulling them out, marking his place and looking through them, and replacing them if he wasn't impressed with them or if they weren't what he expected. He continued in this pattern for a while.
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 10:36 pm
"I'll have them back by then, or I should. My paper is due on Wednesday, so yeah, they'll be back." She scooped her books off of the desk's top and into her arms now that Tony had finished ringing them up. Her library card (which looked considerably old and neglected) was stuffed back into her butt pocket without a care. Yes, she certainly wasn't going to linger around and chit-chat. Tony hardly needed more of his time taken up, and Delphine hardly needed to spend the rest of her morning in the library when she could be home sleeping a few extra hours to make up for having to get up so early in the morning to beat the crowd.
"Thanks for the help, maybe I'll see you when I drop these back off when I'm finished with them." It was her 'good bye', and after re-situating the books in her arms, she made towards the exit.
She was so close to freedom...
So... very... close.
BEEP.
Delphine was so startled that she nearly dropped all of her books right there when the machine went off. She took a step back from the door, a bewildered expression upon her face. Why had she ever thought that she was going to make it out of here in a timely manner? Delphine gathered her books against her chest, and then slowly, accusingly turned her head to glare at Tony.
It was clearly Tony's fault that the machine had set off - not the machine itself, no, Tony's, and Delphine was letting him know loud and clear. Was she tapping her foot while waiting for him to get over there? Why yes, she was.
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 10:56 pm
It was nice to get through an interaction and have the ending be much better than the start. She was actually pleasant now that she was happy, on her way out of the library. She had even said goodbye to him, kind of. Which was very nice, he thought. Smiling and nodding a goodbye, he went to clear the computer screen of her account info when he was startled out of his content musing by a grating, reality shattering sound.
It wasn't that loud, but at the moment it could have been a screech announcing the end of the world for the look that came over Tony's face.
Glancing over to the exit, he felt like he had suddenly gotten transported into a horror movie of some kind. And surprise, the innocent, if not a little peeved, school girl was the murderer. Slowly turning her head toward him, eyes, he expected, full of dreadful anger and threatening promise.
"Ah, urm..."
He cleared his throat and moved away from the desk, compelled by her dangerous glare to get closer to her for some inexplicable reason. Maybe because he thought if he didn't she would throw something at him. He offered his hand out and took the books back, using the other machine to make sure they were desensitized.
Carefully he brought them back and offered them to her, wearing a soft smile and his eyebrows high in an attempt at a peaceful resolution.
"Sorry about that. The thing is old and... sometimes it misses a book or two... you... should be okay now?"
Boy, he hoped so.
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Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 7:00 pm
She waited with astounding patience for the librarian to make his way back over to her. Delphine handed him her books again without a word, which was enough to say that she was not happy. She wasn't furious, but rather more irritated than anything else. Just when she had gotten her hopes up, the library struck back for one final blow, for the last laugh. She swore that when she was done with the books, she'd make Damon return them, because she was hardly in the mood to brave the library again. No, after this episode she was determined not to come back for a good while.
Tony was coming back now with her books, and though the man was reassuring her that the problem was fixed, she still did not look thrilled to have to go through the tireless situation. Testily, she thrust the books out in front of her, half-expecting to set the machine off again. Ah, but she was fortunate! An almost blissful quiet reigned, and Delphine smiled to herself with satisfaction.
At least she was smiling, even if it wasn't at Tony. "Yeah... thanks." Delphine sounded a great deal more reluctant to be saying the words now after Tony had put her through that needless trouble. "See ya," and she paused again, wondering if she should say something more. But, no, there was nothing else left to say. There was also no reason to keep the librarian preoccupied further.
That, and, she really didn't want to linger here anymore. Again she gathered her books against her chest, and without further ado abandoned the library for more entertaining things, or at least some goddamn sleep.
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Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 7:46 pm
Tony didn't think she really meant her thanks, but he took it anyway. It was better than her not giving him any kind of acknowledgment, or worse yet, yelling at him for everything. He supposed she had the right: it had been a particularly trouble filled interaction, but really Tony had only been the vessel through which the bad things had happened. The uniting factor that wasn't the cause, but certainly involved enough to get blamed for it.
"Okay, have a good day, Miss," he said, smiled and watching her leave. He sighed, shaking his head, glad she at least had not set off the detector again. He would have gotten a book to the face, he was certain of it, if she had.
Returning to the desk, he noticed Jada waiting by the phone. She looked miserable, he realized, and not very well. White as a sheet. Worry instantly hitting him, he moved to her, concern plastered on his kind face.
"Jada! You look terrible," he flattered, always the charmer, "are you okay? Are you leaving? You should go home. What's the matter?" The questions fell from his mouth nearly on top of each other, and he did nothing to try and control them. He pressed his hand to her forehead gently, not knowing why he was checking for a fever but justifying it with just in case.
"What happened?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 3:53 am
Tony came back, a patron in tow; checked the other girl out and was letting her go. The alarm was set off, and Jada gave a little chuckle at Tony's expense. They had needed to replace that little magnetic... thing... for a while. But Tony clung to it like a lover. Then again, he'd been with that machine a lot longer than anyone else he worked with. Probably. Her head went into her hands, eyes focusing on the desk. She was scheduled to go to the gym next, but was she really up for it? Ah, hell. Tony's voice made her jump, and she beamed up at him. "Yeah, I'm fine." she told him, beaming at him reassuringly. "Have I ever told you how your flattery fills my heart with warmth? I mean, every woman loves knowing she looks as bad as she feels." She was warm, but not badly so. More than likely it was just overexertion.
Her cell phone vibrated on the desk. It was the number for the taxi service. She smiled, looking up into Tony's worried face and clucked her tongue. "I'll be fine, Tony Darling. My shift is over." Thank goodness. "I just took the stairs to the third floor instead of the elevator. I'm on my way to go out and get something in my belly, and then go to the gym. I'll take it easy, but I think I need to do my normal day everywhere." Where had the promise she'd made to Tony to take it easy gone? Apparently it had been made a sacrifice to Jada's ego.
Her lips tightened and her body arched as the muscles tightened in her lower back, rather like a charley horse. Lips thinned, went white. "I'll be fine." she repeated, and pushed herself to her feet. "I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 3:40 pm
Tony did not look placated by her efforts to tell him she was okay. In fact, he looked rather the opposite, more worried than when he had first asked if she was okay. She was not fine, like she said, and just trying to pass for it made him more aware of how sickly she looked. He knew her back caused her a good deal of pain, and it sounded like she hadn't been careful.
Like Tony constantly told her to be.
It was no time for an 'I told you so', however, and he shook his head and pouted at her, "you should have taken the elevator," he said, like that would change the fact that she hadn't, "I don't think you should really go to the gym, if you're in pain. And I can see you are, it's in your face."
Backing up a bit, he let her stand, but he obviously didn't trust her to walk on her own. He walked with her, supporting as much of her weight as possible even if she didn't want him to. He would have picked her up and carried her to the taxi if he thought she wouldn't punch him in the throat for it.
"You don't have to come in tomorrow if you're still feeling ill," he said, once they were outside, looking at her seriously, "If I've told you once, I've told you a million times. You must take it easy."
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Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 7:27 am
He didn't have time to SAY 'I told you so,' but the expression on his face was eloquent. Darling Tony. Like a father, or a brother. It would have been so easy to fall in love with him, if he'd looked at her like he would have been interested even once. As it was, he hadn't. As it was, she'd never crushed on him, either. That was interesting, she reflected.
"The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have." she chirped at him. "I could have taken the elevator. I took it coming back down." Mostly because she would have just rolled down the stairs, damn the consequences. "I'm not going to do much. I'll more than likely just try and pick up a hot date and see what goes from there." She hadn't seen Drew more than briefly during the course of her illness, and needed to talk with him about some minor updates to her expected regimen. And she needed to tell him to take it easy on her. Not the normal job of a personal trainer, but Drew was one who appeared to believe in riding her hard and putting her up wet. Jada couldn't take that kind of a workout right now.
"The pain isn't that bad." she said finally. "I have vicodin, and if it gets too bad, I have morphine at home." She'd never told Tony what had happened to her. But to be gone for two weeks, and to still be on morphine? The newspaper article that Carol had passed him had said she'd been attacked by a fire-breathing lizard- or so she'd claimed on drugs- and been saved by a fairy prince. There were almost twenty survivors and a melted subway to back up her crazed story. A prince, the survivors claimed, and a girl who had remained behind.
Jada leaned against Tony without reservation, beaming up into his face. she was lighter than he'd remembered her being, not that she had ever been heavy. But her face was gaunt, and she looked pale, almost skeletal at moments when he saw her from the corner of his eye. She'd lost ten to fifteen pounds at least over the time she was gone. "Thank you." she whispered to him, opening the taxi door. "Look, if I don't come in tomorrow, how am I supposed to get back to being normal?" She said as though it were something important to her. It was. She wanted to be the girl she'd been before her hospitalization. Before her debut.
But going back to being normal wasn't something Jada Chamberlyn would be able to do. It was something beyond the realm of her capabilities- which were considerable, for a girl of her age, but not enough to accomplish what she sought. Going back to being normal for Jada would require sacrifices she wasn't willing to make.
"You know I'm bad at taking it easy, Tony." she smiled up at him at last, weakly, tears springing to her eyes and surprising her. "I'd die if I didn't have something to keep me busy." she was quiet for a moment. "Now more than ever. My parents are getting a divorce." she sat down in the taxi seat.
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Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 10:20 am
Azzo was looking for something no one else could find. No one else probably even knew existed. That one needle, in a very large haystack, two actually. Despite the first not being as large as the second, what he wanted had to be here. If it wasn't it didn't exist.
He was picking up books, flipping through them with the care of someone saving the wrapping paper but the speed of wanting to know what was in the wrapping paper. He made notes of which ones interested him. Grabbing out post-it notes that were cut in strips and brightly colored occasionally marking the ones he saw interesting before placing the book back.
This process was going to take forever. It would be impossible to find what he wanted, he scoffed at unworthy books, only to find more. Very few he actually marked with the colors that said, 'check me out' he was trying to be discrete about it. Hoping no one would pull his tabs out. Just the hypnotism section alone would probably take two good days to cover efficiently.
It was some time after Jada left him there that he'd stopped in his search to read one of the books. Tucked away on the third floor where no one else would likely ever come. It gave Azzo an opportunity to stop and read what he wanted before he moved to search the next, if there was something screaming to be read. Hypnotism books: rather dull to most, to Azzo about as fascinating as working with puppets. He glanced at the time looking at the pocket watch of his grandfathers. Hmm... he'd have to go soon... he had some other stuff to do.
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 10:39 am
Tony didn't argue her when she told him she would be coming in the next day, because she wanted to get back to normal. He had to respect that, he supposed, though he would worry endlessly and make sure she did absolutely nothing to over exert herself this time. If she thought he was overbearing before, she would get a kick out of him tomorrow.
Her revelation about her parents caught him off guard, and he looked at her in surprise. Half expecting a bad joke of some kind, he waited for a moment for her to smile, but she didn't. He reached into the cab, though the driver looked impatient, and gently put his hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Jada. I didn't realize... you know you can always speak with me about these things, and if you need to get away from-"
"Am I driving some place, or what?" The cabbie butt in.
"Y-yes," Tony said, glaring, "Rudely, I'm sure." He looked at Jada again, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly before he moved back from the car, shutting the door and letting the driver get to his job. Apparently he had some quota he wanted to meet, and sentimentality was wasting his time.
Sighing, Tony returned to the library, to the Circulation desk, to finish the rest of his day. All in all, it hadn't really gone as well as he had hoped, a bit difficult and full of new worries. Ah well, such was life.
(OoC:
Participated -
Angelic Cutie17, Kallista
Krysin, Delphine
Codalion, Ray
LP, Azzo
Infinities, Jada
Lithia_Brandon, Anthony)
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