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 Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 10:33 pm
After spending a good six months away in the remote ranch lands of her fathers estate, Suri came back to Destiny City feeling that everything was both much too big and much too small. For instance, she felt immeasurably frail and petite as she climbed the great stone steps leading to the Destiny City library, the high colonnades feeling impossibly lofty and distant, and yet, once she entered the esteemed halls she felt cramped by line after line of dust-covered shelves, barely wide enough apart to walk a quarter-horse through. The sheer number of people also unnerved her, rustling about in their heavy winter layers and whispering in shrill tones all around her. Seriously, had no one defined library etiquette to them as a child? It was supposed to be quiet! To be fair, the post-school crowd of children had already headed home for dinner, and by normal standards it was a pretty slow day. Even so, compared to the still of a dry Southern night with not so much as a soft wind to blow through the grasses, it was practically mayhem.
Protectively, Suri clutched at a small gift bag in her dainty gloved hands, and as she bobbed and weaved through the various shelves in a familiar pattern she glanced down to make sure the green and white tissue paper was aligned just so, that neither one of the colors was too overpowering in regards to the other. She stopped mid-stride to adjust an errant corner, then continued her quick strides towards the center of the library, towards the familiar help desk that hopefully had a familiar face. She could only assume that Anthony Darrow had woken up from the mysterious disease--after all, his name hadn't shown up in the obituaries--but there was still a nagging pang of fear that maybe she had somehow missed his name despite checking well over a dozen times, that perhaps he had slipped away while she was gone and no one had bothered to call and tell her.
But what was she supposed to say if she did find him? 'I'm sorry I left town while I thought you were dying, here's some expensive coffee'? Never mind that the coffee was expensive (a tropical blend, at that!), or that she'd spent nearly twenty minutes tying the silver bow that wrapped around the grounds: it was a weak consolation prize at best for her actions. What if he didn't drink coffee? The sudden jarring thought was enough to stop her mid-stride, but after shaking her head, she continued to press forward, her pace perhaps a tad quicker and more anxious than before. When she reached the help desk, she glanced around quickly, and the thought occurred to her that she could simply leave the measly gift at the counter and he would find it eventually, without her having to so much as make eye contact. Even so, her worries continued to nag at her to the extent that if she imagined she didn't confirm he was alive and well now, then in some alternate universe he would simply exist to be. It was a crazed notion, yes, but spending half a year in the country can give even the blandest of people a brilliant imagination.
Glancing around furtively, she adjusted the sky blue scarf that draped around her shoulders and lightly tapped against the 'help' bell, part of her hoping that Anthony Darrow would answer her call, and part of her hoping he wouldn't.
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Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 11:02 pm
Anthony Darrow was, as always, at work. He wasn't, however, at the front desk, where he usually took up residence. Instead, he was shelving up on the second floor, and since he was short on help the desk was empty. He had put out a little sign by the bell to say he would be 'back in five', but it wasn't the most sturdy of little things, and had fallen off toward the inside of the counter, so no one that needed to see it, those on the side of the patrons, would be able to.
He was just stepping out of the elevator, pushing a cart with one hand while holding his cane, which in turn was holding the elevator open, in the other. He managed to get himself out without too much trouble, though the doors got impatient and he almost said something to them when they tried to close on him. He heard the bell at the desk ding, though, and instinctively moved a bit faster.
He hobbled over toward the desk, some of the books he had brought back down after finding them on tables and such slipping around. He needed to count them on the computer for being used 'in house', for the records. One fell off the cart and he had to stop to pick it up before he could reach the desk, just making whoever was in need of a librarian's help wait longer.
A poor show from him, he thought guiltily.
Shoving the cart into the back once he got behind the desk, he finally looked to the desk to see a surprisingly familiar face standing there. He blinked in surprise.
"Oh! Suri! Hello!" he said, a smile spreading across his face immediately as he moved over to the counter, leaning on it instead of his new (the old one had been broken) cane.
He had checked for Suri following the whole 'Camelot'/coma incident, but there were no records of her being admitted to the hospital, and thus he hadn't been able to find out about her. Though it felt like an eternity since that whole mess, a fresh wave of relief washed over him to see her looking alive and well.
For his own part, he looked slightly battered and a bit tired, but that seemed to be his general state of being. Somewhere behind him, under his desk, a dog began to yip and whine. He blushed and looked back, but then looked at Suri again and chuckled.
"That's my... dog... she doesn't like being tied up. Ah! It's good to see you! How have you been? I've very glad to see you well. I mean, if you're well. Are you well?" He offered her his hand, blushing slightly for babbling. The counter prevented a hug and he wasn't sure if that was appropriate, anyway.
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Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 11:25 pm
Suri wasn't sure if she'd secretly been expecting a choir of angels or some kind of laser show to accompany Tony's entrance, but somehow the simple way he came into view seemed entirely too casual for the anxious way she'd been flitting about. Nevertheless, she froze for a second, dumbstruck by the fact that her worst fears had been all for nothing, and had to pinch herself from under her coat as a reminder that she had, in fact, been addressed. That was good, she thought, at least the comas didn't cause strange amnesia or any other sort of selective memory loss. The soft flush that spread across her face when he spoke her name was surely just a leftover side effect from the weather: after all, it was January, and still exhibiting a good bit of snow outside.
She lifted a hand in passive greeting and opened her mouth to speak, only to find herself interrupted by a series of animal sounds. Her mind went on alert, wondering if some small youma had managed to sneak into the library, but the mention of a dog dissuaded Suri's fears for the second time that day. She had never been much of a dog person herself, they required too much attention for her tastes, but she couldn't help but be curious for the new pet that the librarian owned, and leaned over the counter past him to get a look. Realizing she was once again being addressed, she quickly slid off before even getting sight of the animal, her thoughts all in a whir.
"Yes, yes, I'm well--well, very well, actually--I've been out of the state since summer. Visiting family and all that." Avoiding the strange disease, mostly, but Suri didn't feel particularly keen about adding that detail. "I'd heard--seen, too--that you weren't feeling well last summer, and I just thought--" With a shuffle from under her scarf, she produced the small gift bag, which displayed cartoon-like and colorful palm trees on the side. "--that you might need a little cheering up. It's belated, but family comes first, you see." She lightly placed the bag on the counter, as if eager to let the parcel be free from her grasp. Again came the doubts (What if he doesn't drink coffee? What if he doesn't like the brand?), but Suri did her best to keep them at the back of her mind as she smiled, honestly relieved to see the man up and about as opposed to in a hospital bed.
"It's not much," she added, gesturing to the bag before tucking a stray lock of hair behind one ear, "but...Happy New Year, yes, that'd be appropriate."
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Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 11:50 pm
Tony nodded his head as she spoke, imagining that family was important. Or rather, he knew it was, but beyond Nate he didn't have any to have to worry about visiting or taking care of. Nathan was more than enough, and not in a good way. He was just so vexing and tiring, and it took all of Tony's time and energy to keep things with him sorted.
Mostly, anyway.
"Well, I hope you had a nice trip, at least!" He said jovially, then looked surprised as she took out a present for him. He hadn't even noticed she was holding something. He smiled, looking awkward.
"Ah... well, I am doing much better now. Not in a coma, at the very least, so that must be a step in the right direction, hmm?" He was joking, laughing awkwardly, but it wasn't really because of the conversation. He moved to take the bag, looking at it in wonder. It wasn't that he had never gotten a gift before, but only on his birthday, or Christmas. In the middle of a work day? Not so much. "You didn't have to bring me anything!"
Another yip from the dog behind the desk and, at last, she had managed to free herself from her collar and ran out from behind the desk, then the counter. She stopped short when she saw Suri, wagging her tail. Or where her tail should have been, as she just had a tiny little stump that made her whole backside wiggle. She was a very young corgi puppy, tongue hanging out of her mouth, head seemingly much too big for her stumpy body.
Tony would have chased Dogby, but it seemed she had distracted herself with Suri anyway. Instead, he smiled and shook his head, peeking into the gift to find the coffee.
"Oh! This is really nice. It must have cost you a bundle!"
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Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 12:11 am
It was one thing for Suri to look past the fact that she wasn't entirely a dog person to take a peek at Tony's new pet. It was another thing to suddenly have the little thing at her ankles, looking up with its large dopey eyes and getting slobber dangerously close to her nice winter boots. In an attempt to be cordial, Suri reached down for the tiny animal and lifted the warm bundle into her coat-covered arms, holding tightly against Dogby until the squirming little pup relaxed in the crook of one elbow. The woman did her best to keep a respectable distance between the dog's face and her own, but in a moment of weakness while she watched Tony open the gift, the puppy scrambled up her scarf and snuck in one long wet puppy kiss. Suri recoiled on instinct, and had it not been for the fact that she was trying to behave in front of Tony she probably would have thrown the animal from her grasp, just to get free of it's disgusting little tongue. Instead, she quickly flailed about restraining the animal again, placing one hand on the thing's back so it wouldn't get any ideas about squirming free again.
"It really wasn't that much." She had put back the Hula Kitty full-size plush in order to keep the coffee within budget. "It wasn't even that big of a deal." They'd made a special trip in Waikiki while celebrating her mother's miraculous recovery, just to ensure that she had the right gift from the islands. "Just a little something." Right then, Dogby tried to make another grand sweep at Suri's cheek, but the woman had a better hold on the puppy this time, petting it both affectionately and closely.
It would seem that their business was mostly at an end with the transaction complete, but Suri couldn't help but think that she wasn't finished speaking. "We could see if Shufflepucks wouldn't mind brewing some for you after you get off of work, catch up and whatnot." She glanced behind him at the considerable lack of staff in the library. "You do get time away from work, right?" Despite the night the two of them had spent at the bar, it was still easier for Suri to imagine that the man simply slept at the library, which while being more convenient for his work schedule, didn't fit in all that well with setting up coffee dates between friends. She could consider herself a friend, right? Esteemed colleagues, even? It wasn't quite the same feel from when she'd been going to University and using the library to fuel her papers: now that she had her degree, she was officially an adult, and they playing field was leveled.
"We can always take a rain check, if you're busy now." Spoken like a true adult: internally, Suri beamed.
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Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 12:21 am
Laughing hard, the librarian watched as Dogby introduced herself in style, falling in love as she was wont to do with anyone willing to pet her. And to pick her up? That meant a deep, ever lasting bond that her little doggy heart could never break. Her kisses were just an effort to tell Suri that they were now best friends forever.
Dogby had a lot of best friends by now, but she was always happy for me. She yipped excitedly and wiggled, thinking that the fact that she wasn't being able to get to Suri for a second lick was just a game. She was good at games, so she wiggled and barked excitedly, licking at Suri's hands and then her coat when she was held close to calm her.
Tony blushed, embarrassed because of how his dog was acting, though he found it adorable and hilarious.
"I'm sorry, she's very... very eager to show her affection. She likes you, clearly! Of course, I've never seen her not like someone, but that's alright," he smiled, watching as Dogby nuzzled against Suri and settled down in her arms, yawning contentedly and deciding that the crook of this new best friend's arm was a great bed.
Tony didn't believe Suri for a moment as she downplayed the gift, and he smiled appreciatively for that. At her invitation he nodded eagerly, then stopped, cleared his throat, and nodded a bit slower.
"That would be nice! I'm off tomorrow, in fact, ah. I mean, or whenever. I do get away from here, sometimes." Of course, on the night of their initial meeting, when he had gotten very, very drunk at the bar with her, he had, in fact, slept here at the library.
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Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 12:52 am
"I can see that," Suri responded, doing her best to laugh as she wiped the spittle from her face. Despite her best efforts, the whole 'over-eager puppy' thing was starting to wear her already-meager patience thin, the shrill yapping and clawing and squirming almost too much to bear. However, just before she gave up all hope and returned the puppy to the ground where it rightfully belonged, the small thing seemed to calm itself in her arms, putting forth a behavior that Suri was better equipped to handle.
In all honesty, Suri was the slightest bit disappointed that Tony didn't have the evening off, but she supposed it was for the best anyhow: it would give her time as Zircon, to collect energy and complete her quota for the week. Then no one could begrudge her a nice long chat in a coffee-shop. With a soft smile she nodded, rummaging around in her coat pocket with her free hand to retrieve her cell phone and look at her schedule for the next day. "Tomorrow sounds good. I can doooo...three thirty?" It was a nice, neutral time in the afternoon that would allow her time to look fresh and settle any unfinished business beforehand, as well as allow for the notion that he might have wanted to sleep in on a Tuesday (she'd heard rumors that some people actually lived that way!)
She didn't want to seem too pushy, however, and slid her phone back into her pocket sheepishly. "I'm pretty flexible for the next few weeks while school settles back in, so it's up to you." It was some feat of nepotism that Suri still even had a job, after her six-month-long vacation, though whether she was being helped by her father or her queen, she couldn't say. Either way, she wasn't sponsoring an extra-curricular activity, so she had the opportunity to get out early.
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Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 1:39 am
Tony looked like his day had been significantly brightened by this encounter. And it had: he hadn't been expecting it, and yet here she was, someone he had been worried about, alive and fine, and giving him a gift to boot. He wore his feelings rather obviously on his face.
"Three thirty sounds good to me."
He nodded, making a mental note. And when she was gone, he'd make a physical one by writing it down on a piece of paper, so he didn't forget like the idiot he knew he could be sometimes. That was the last thing he wanted to do, really. It wasn't every day that he got to have a nice day off, talking with a friend. Catching up with her promised to be the most interesting thing he had done, minus youma and senshi related dealings, in a while.
"It'll give me a nice morning to sleep in," he teased, though he didn't know she was thinking about that. And he actually meant it: sleeping in was one of his favorite things to do on a day off.
He moved around the counter so he could collect Dogby, who, it seemed, had tuckered herself out with all her exuberant licking and was now sound asleep against Suri, cuddling in her arm. He smiled thankfully while he carefully took the corgi. Dogby kicked her back feet during the transfer, but nuzzled against Tony once he had her in his arms.
"Thank you for the coffee. And for the opportunity to share it with you tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it."
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Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 5:48 pm
"It's settled, then."
In a motion somewhat uncharacteristic for the young woman, Suri's shoulders slouched and she relaxed in her posture, smiling softly. For once, she wasn't putting forth the cold, militaristic front of Zircon, or the calculating airs of the Crystal lab assistant: she could just be Suri, home from a long vacation and visiting with an old friend from college. Later she would ruminate and ponder what was left of her when she removed the layers of lieutenant and teacher, feeling empty without those bequeathed titles, but for now she simply folded her hands neatly over her knitted scarf, resting comfortably in her black winter boots.
Belatedly, she realized that there lay a moment of awkward silence where she'd simply been watching him, and with a start she jumped back into her more guarded stance, tucking her hair back into her place professionally. "I--I'll see you at Shufflepucks," she added with a nod and a modest blush before turning to leave, the clicks of her heels tapping softly against the library tile all the way up to her exit.
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Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 6:05 pm
Tony smiled at her, nodding his head when the meeting was decided. Meeting? It was more of a date than that, though thinking the d word just made him flustered so he avoided it and all its connotations. Friends meeting up to share some coffee and catch up.
When she seemed to jump from her reverie, he chuckled and said good bye as she moved off.
A dumb smile on his face, he looked at the coffee on the counter and chuckled. It was nice to have a friend, he realized. It was rare that he had the opportunity to just hang out with anyone, and rarer still that it was outside the library. He found himself really looking forward to it, examining the coffee package until Dogby wiggled and yipped, and reminded him he had things to get done around work. He put her back in her collar, tightening it just a little but still worried it was too tight despite being proven time and again that it never was.
He couldn't help but glance at the clock a bit more often than he usually did. It was going to be a long wait for him, considering he had almost a day to go.
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