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 Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 4:26 pm
Istas was visting the Library today, her school didn't have the book she wanted and well the public library has everything, or so her mother always said.
Istas was walking slowly through the sections of books on the first floor. The children's section was luckily not that hard to find. There was good night bear, the hungry hungry caterpillar... as Istas walked she noticed up on the top was what she was looking for. Why the top shelves always had to be that high was beyond her...
The book she wanted was Pocahontas, so standing on her tiptoes she was trying to reach it. Soft sky-blue almost white curls bouncing as she tried to reach the book. If only there was someone taller. "Why do you have to be on the TOP shelf!?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:25 am
Nate had no idea why Tony insisted he come to the library to 'see if he'd like to work there'. In fact, the boy was absolutely certain that the very last place he would ever want to work was at the library. Yet here he was, with a stupid name tag and everything. Though he had wanted to bum around the front desk, Tony had told him to go and put some books away.
Which resulted in these books ending up in the oddest of places. He put one under a leg of a table, then one diagonally from it, which made the table rock. Some books ended up in the bathrooms, on top of shelves, under them, in window frames, sitting on doorknobs, and many other places that Nate could think up.
He grew bored of that, though, leaving the almost empty cart in the middle of the walkway between aisles as he went back downstairs to see what other trouble he could cause. He slipped into the kid's section and quickly noticed a young girl trying to get a book from a higher shelf.
Grinning, he moved over and reached up to the shelf, though he didn't pick a book.
"Need some help?" he asked, though he had no intention of offering her anything of the sort. Tony, from the desk, could see Nate, and smiled approvingly. It looked like the boy was actually being useful. He had known giving him a job would do him some good.
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:48 am
Istas paused suddenly and drew back when Nate approached her hands clasping behind her back. She seemed to think for a second and then saw the name tag on his vest. So he worked here? A small smile appeared followed by a nod.
"I'm trying to reach that book." She said standing on her tip toes again to point at Pocahontas. "My library doesn't have it." She said softly, her left foot twisting slightly nervously.
"Would you please get it for me?" Her butter yellow eyes glanced up at the older boy and she gave another smile. Mother always said when you couldn't reach something ask someone else to get instead of climbing up on something and risk being hurt.
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 11:23 am
Nate grinned, considering his options. Of course he could get the book for her, but where was the fun in that? He didn't think any one in their right mind would just get the book, right? Just boring people.
Like his dad.
Nodding, Nate took the book off the shelf, then looked down at it. He arched an eyebrow.
"You like Pocahontas, huh? Well, you better take care of the book, or we'll have to charge you for messing it up, you know? And I don't think you'll want to be in that much trouble. It's pretty bad."
He didn't hand her the book yet, though he tried to make his expression nice enough. Glancing at the front desk, he saw Tony was busy with a patron, so he took his chance. He ripping the book down the middle of its spine, breaking it in half and then handing her the two parts.
"Now why did you do that?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 1:23 pm
Istas knew to take good care of the books, "Mommy always makes sure I'm good to the books." She said with a nod as he reached the book. She'd held her hands out for it, but had drew back when he started speaking.
Her eyes died when he ripped the book. She stifled a horror-filled wail as she watched the book. "It didn't do anything to you!" She whined tears wailing up as he gave her the book. She was looking at it in horror.
"And I didn't do it! I-I-I couldn't've ripped it, not like that!" She protested, books weren't that easy to rip, not normally. So obviously he was much stronger than she was which meant backing up was a good idea as tears filled her eyes for the poor massacred book.
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 1:34 pm
Nathan shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head in mock disappointment.
"It was an old book: you could have easily ripped it if you wanted to. That's really mean, ripping a book that's not even yours like that. Now the librarian is going to be mad at you, and not let you check out any more books."
He grinned, knowing he was just being mean, but that was what he did the best. For the hell of it. Of course, the fun stopped when a heavy hand fell on his shoulder. Tony had seen something happening, though he had missed Nate ripping the book. All he knew was a girl was crying, there was a destroyed book, and Nate was involved.
All bad things.
"What's happened here?" he asked, sounding jovial as he stooped down to Istas level. He was leaning on a cane, though he could do this without harming his leg at all. "Are you okay? What happened to your book?"
"She ripped it," Nate said.
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 1:40 pm
Tears were coming down Istas' face. "It wasn't that old!" She protested hugging the book glaring at Nate as she did, she was trying to be tough, maybe he'd leave.
When the older man came over though her tears got worse as if the things Nate said actually meant something. When he piped in again she shook her head. "You're MEAN." She wailed, "He did! I was trying to re-re-reach it." She pointed at the top shelf. Tears still rolling down her cheeks as she tried to look at Tony.
"H-he... I though he was going to be n-nice and help. Instead he r-rippe...." She went into a fit of sniffles and hiccups still crying as she offered Tony the book. "I didn't hurt it..." She squeaked pitifully, he parents would ground her for this if the older man didn't believe her... Oh she didn't want to be grounded!
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 1:49 pm
Tony didn't doubt the girl's story for a moment, doubting she would have been able to rip the book so fast, without Nate stopping her. He took the book, a warm smile on his face as he shook his head slowly.
"Don't cry. We'll fix it, okay? Just ignore him: he is mean," Tony looked up at Nate, a clear look on his face. It said he was not pleased, and Nate would be getting an earful about it later. The younger Darrow just rolled his eyes and offered a shrug.
"It's not my fault kids today are little terrors."
"Come on, Nathan. You need to learn how to fix things like this, anyway. And I'm sure you'd like to give this little girl her book back in one piece, wouldn't you?"
"Not really."
Another glare from Tony, and Nate relented. Tony looked back at Istas, smiling again. "Come on to the front desk, and you can watch him put it back together for you, okay? No harm done now, don't cry." He didn't know if she would calm down until the book was fixed, but he had something at the front desk that might help. Kids cried all the time, so it was a good idea to keep stickers or candy or other little gifts at the front counter to cheer them up with.
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 1:57 pm
Istas seemed to be calming down a little as she watched Tony take the book. She sniffled and nodded at the mention of fixing it. "O-okay." She said softly keeping Close to Tony and as far away from Nate as possible.
She sniffled again when Nate was calling her a little terror and that he didn't really want to give her the book in one piece. Tears still rolling down her puffy cheeks. She tugged softly at Tony's jacket. "W-why's he so mean?" She asked softly in between hiccups, glancing at Nate like she was afraid of him.
She was wiping at her eyes with the back of her sleeve from her school uniform. Though she couldn't stop the tears from coming when she looked at the book again, though she managed not to actually wail about it.
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 2:16 pm
"Because he likes to be. But he'll learn, don't worry. You won't have to deal with him doing anything like this again." He saw she was still very upset about the book, so when they reached the front counter he let her come behind it and then found her a little stuffed doll, a hamster of all things, and offered it to her.
"Here you are. He'll keep you company while Nathan patches up your book for you, okay? He needed a good home, anyway, and I think you should be able to take care of him, hm?"
He smiled, not wanting he to feel so sad. It wasn't very easy, seeing kids upset, and he knew he would spoil his child rotten, if he had been able to raise one. Of course, the only one he had was already grown up by the time they met, so that wasn't helpful. Something told Tony that Nate would not cry, and if he did he would not be pacified by a plushie.
After giving her the toy, Tony went to show Nate how to put the book back together, which was mostly just a job for good, old fashioned tape. Nate did so reluctantly, and it was a bit crooked, but at his father's urging he had to walk back over to Istas and offer her the book.
"Sorry," he mumbled, barely audible and certainly not sincere.
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Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 3:35 pm
Istas followed curiously as she was let behind the counter. Taking the Hamster and clinging to him. "His daddy should give him a spanking." She said softly, "That's what my daddy does anything I do something bad." Well that and grounding, obviously she wasn't spanked hard enough to actually hurt more than a sting but still.
She placed her head on the hamster's watching Tony and Nate. When Nate brought her the book back her brows furrowed as he apologized. She knew he didn't mean it, since he could barely say it. However he did at least fix the book. She juggled the book and the plush hamster before grabbing Nate in a hug.
"Thank you~" She said with a smile, her better yellow eyes looking up at him still puffy from all the crying. She looked back at Tony, holding the book up. "Can I check it out please?"
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Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2010 10:23 am
At that Tony actually laughed fairly hard, just trying to imagine catching Nate and trying to discipline him the 'old fashioned way'. Good thing for Nate that he was too old, and both stronger and faster than his father. On top of that, Tony didn't really believe in spanking as punishment for misbehaving children, so it was doubtful he would have done anything of the sort even if he had been there for Nate's younger years.
He watched as Nate half-heartedly returned the rather sloppily fixed book. At least it would hold together. He grinned though, when Nate got himself trapped in a hug.
Nate didn't quite know what to do. He struggled, not wanting to be hugged, and he fled away from her when he was free. Little kids were so weird! Why was she hugging him after he had made her bawl? He had no idea, and he shook his head in frustration. He would have to stick to picking on older people: at least they were easier to read and predict.
He let Tony handle checking the book out, not wanting to have anything else to do with working at the library.
"Of course!" Tony said, taking the book again and going to the computer. "Do you have a library card?"
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Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2010 11:30 am
Istas watched Tony laugh at the idea. She tilted her head but didn't say anything. It at least worked in making Istas behave, because the other consequence was mama....
When Nate struggled to get free she let him go and waved watching him retreat. In a way it was probably like pay back, she wiggled and looked back at tony. "Oh!"
She pulled out a small card from her jacket, "It's mommy's but it'll work right?" She asked curiously looking at Tony holding it up.
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Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 11:34 am
Tony nodded.
"Yes, your mom's card will work, thank you," he said, taking the card and scanning it in, then checking the book out to her. Kids checked out books on their parents account all the time, and Tony generally assumed they had permission. If they didn't, and the book came back late or not at all, Tony usually was willing to work something out.
Kids would be kids, after all.
"Here you are," Tony said, handing her the book and smiling. "You've got three weeks with it."
Nate watched, sighing, though he wasn't interested in learning anything more about how the library worked, how to check out books, or how to treat patrons. All he wanted to do was go home, bum around. Maybe go out and kill some youma or something. Anything would be more fun than this.
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Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 1:12 pm
Istas watched as Tony checked out the book the Hamster still cuddled in one arm. She blinked, "Wow three whole weeks!?"
Looking at Tony when he handed the book to her, "That's a lot longer than what my school allows them out for!" She grinned Putting the book behind the hamster and shoving the card back into her sweater pocket.
She grinned, "I'll get back before then." She said with a nod. As she looked at the poorly taped up book.
She paused, "What'll happen to the book after I turn it back in?" She asked curiously thinking they probably wouldn't want to check it out to very many people when it looked like this.
She glanced over to where Nate was watching, If he wasn't so mean I'd ask him to read it to me... Istas frowned slightly as she waited butter yellow eyes back on Tony in a curious fashion.
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