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 Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 4:02 pm
He really wasn't sure what the HELL he was going to say when he headed to the Library...how the hell did you defend someone not showing up for work for so long anyhow? All the same, he marched his way up the library steps with a dual purpose today. First off he needed more books, but right after he was going to stay overlong and talk to Tony about his assistant.
He owed him that much at least right? Yanking him around the other night like that... don't pretend it didn't happen... right. A deep breath and he paused on the top step trying to push the thoughts out of his head again to little avail.
Sure... like pretending was easy.
But he had things to do, he steeled himself and opened the doors and headed inside with a list in one hand and an idea 'on' hand for what he must do.
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 4:27 pm
Tony was very worried about his assistant. He seemed to be in that state quite a bit recently. But now it was even worse. Ever hadn't shown up for four days now, at least, and with the time he missed before... the fights he had been getting into...
Tony was more than worried.
On top of that, the new contact number he had gotten for Ever wasn't much use. He called to try and track him down, see if he was okay, as he had said he would do when getting the number but to no avail. He got no response, and was left to wonder what had become of his friend.
Considering Tony had gotten into a fight, albeit a strange one, with one of those evil Negaverse people near the library, he was more than worried that Ever had gotten into yet another fight. He didn't know that a senshi (his own son, no less) really had been what had beaten Ever up the first time, nor that Ever himself was, in fact, the Nega he had punched in the jaw.
Things were complicated, and Tony had no idea. He was just worried. He looked up, drawn from his fretting, when a boy approached the desk with some books. He remembered the face, though with all the patrons that came in and out it was sometimes a struggle to place each one with the right meeting.
"Find everything okay?" He asked dutifully.
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 5:19 pm
"Um...yes thank you.." He said laying the books on the counter and pausing just for a moment before rushing into what he had to say before he lost his nerve. "I um... I actually wanted to talk about your assistant too... if you had a moment." He said, the words a strangely polite rush that tumbled out onto the desk between them, stacking up like his unusual assortment of books.
"If...that's alright." He added as the boldness dropped away.
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 5:44 pm
Tony was about to ask for the boy's library card when he launched into what seemed to be a pre-prepared speech. He looked surprised, particularly when Ever was mentioned.
He felt a surge of concern.
"You know what happened to Ever? He hasn't been in for four days, and I'm very worried," he said, before he could stop himself. He frowned, cleared his throat, then took a breath. "Ah. Well. I mean. Uhm. If you know anything, I would be very grateful."
He rubbed the back of his neck, looking like a man who had lost his puppy. Which he hadn't, as Dogby was sitting at Zac's foot, looking up at him with big, loving eyes. Her large ears were floppy and she yipped at him suddenly to gain his attention. The little corgi wasn't worried about startling him, she was just saying hi.
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 5:47 pm
"W...err... well..." He started to say something only to start at the small bark by his feet. He gazed down into soulful dark eyes, pleading eyes and carefully bent to offer a smell of his hand and an ear rub. Surely it wouldn't be loose if it bit...right?
"Um... He's a... a little afraid to come in... I think." He said and then cursed himself. How the hell could he explain why... without putting Ever in a bad spot.
"Um... something that got said, I... I just kinda came by to ... to try and make sure he hadn't lost his job, I mean he does love the books...and... things."
He trailed off fumbling and realizing he didn't know his target well enough to really know what strings to play.
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 5:59 pm
Tony looked surprised. He had been thinking Ever got himself hurt again, or worse, but it seemed the answer to his disappearing mystery was much different than that. And it made the librarian confused.
"Afraid to... why would he be afraid to come in?" He asked, leaning on the counter and tilting his head to the side as he considered the young man. "What got said? I'm sorry, I'm not really following. I... I don't understand what's wrong with him? And who are you? I've seen you before..."
He searched his memory, but his mind was also distracted trying to think what might have scared Ever away from the library. Dogby wasn't concerned with these things, eagerly licking at Zac's hand as he bent to pet her. She stood up on her stumpy hind legs, her front paws on his leg for added height. It wasn't much, however, considering how small a dog she was.
"Of course he hasn't lost his job. It'll always be here for him, even when he's not here for it," he laughed at that, trying to make a joke to lift the mood. But he was still perplexed and worried, in a different way.
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 6:09 pm
"Just.. something said in passing one evening...." He said hesitantly trying to think of how to fit in something that might be reasonable doubt.
"I... think he thinks your pro senshi...and.. I think they scare him a bit."
There...that worked didn't it?
He scratched the dogs ears distractedly. "I'm sure he'll be glad to hear he still has a job though!" That was with some pushed cheerfulness before he came back to the question of who HE was.
"I um...Zac...Ever um...well we sorta half met here...kind of."
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 6:25 pm
Tony looked surprised.
"I... I never meant to scare him..." he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll remember not to mention them again. I know I can get a little... defensive... God I didn't even think that..." he sighed. He felt like a jerk. Ever had said that he was attacked by a senshi, and Tony hadn't believed him. Did that upset Ever that much? The subject of senshi came up a few times.
Tony needed to be more wary about what he said. He was getting so gung ho about things, he forgot that not everyone had the same experiences he did with Senshi. For better or worse.
He felt guilty.
"Oh! I remember you," Tony said with sudden realization. "I had to ask you to leave. You were fighting with Ever! That was before he worked here. Ah. Seems you've made up?"
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 6:31 pm
"Well he..." He started to protest WHY they had been fighting and stopped himself. It was, after all... unimportant. "Yeah... we um... yeah we're ok now..." There was a faint blush in his face when he said that and he glanced away, why couldn't he be remembered for his BOOKS rather than a fight.
"I helped him find a place to stay... that's all, um... I... I can talk to him if you want, I think he, um, he might not answer if he knew it was you... just...because."
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 6:38 pm
Tony nodded his head eagerly.
"Please, if you could speak with him I would be in your debt. I didn't mean to make him uncomfortable. I'm an idiot sometimes, I swear." He sighed, looking upset about the situation and with himself. The last thing he wanted to do was drive off a friend, something normal and good, with what he felt was his second life. Dealing with senshi and youma, and all the other strange things that found him.
He noticed the slight blush, but didn't say anything. Dogby, thinking Zac was looking at her, yipped at him eagerly, bouncing up and down on her back feet and using her stumpy front paws to bat at him eagerly for attention. She was an insatiable ear scratch monster.
"Whenever he wants to come back to work, I'll be fine." He smiled. "Ah... do you have your library card?" he asked, sheepish, not forgetting that there was work to do as well.
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 6:44 pm
"Er...yes, here..." he said and fumbled for his wallet and pulled it out of the battered old leather thing. He offered up the card before properly crouching to smile at the dog and rub ears and back. MUCH better than cats... he decided. At least better than cats with stars on their damned heads.
"You are an ear scratching addict aren't you..." he asked the dog and laughed.
"I will um... I'll speak to Ever though, I'll stop by later and um... stuff." He said still rubbing the ears. "Yeah... your a good dog aren't you... mmm..." he tussled her ears.
"Is um... is it hard to take care of um.... her?" He said checking the dog vaguely for gender.
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 7:47 pm
Tony smiled thinly and took the card, though there was still concern clouding his normally warm green eyes. He scanned the card and handed it back, moving to check the books out, de-magnetize them for the security, and stamp them with the return dates.
It was mechanical for him now. He did it mostly without looking. "Well... if you could apologize for me, maybe? I feel terrible..."
He sighed, then looked at his dog as she demanded all the attention in the room, as per usual.
"Oh, I'm sorry about her. That's Dogby. She's an attention fiend. She seems to like you." He smiled at that. It wasn't unusual, of course, for Dogby to like someone, but people liked hearing that she didn't hate them. Not that it wasn't obvious.
"Ah. She can be... energetic... for lack of a better word. She is a very sweet dog though. I don't think I've heard her growl and she's never snapped at anyone. A very good dog." He smiled, clearly under the spell of the adorable puppy. She panted happily, wagging her short tail, and her whole backside, leaning into Zac's hands as he rubbed her ears. She very much approved.
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 7:53 pm
"I'll do that..." He said agreeably as he scratched the dog... she was extremely distracting, and disarming.
"Never had a pet..." He confessed, and then briefly wondered if Ever counted, the thought made him chuckle a little. "Well...they say Dog's are good judges of character..." He grinned, the thought made him feel better even if it was brief.
"Though, I think they react...based on the emotions of their owners too, just from reading I mean." He added glancing up for a moment. "Like if you had a notion that something was scary, they'd pick up on that and act accordingly...but, I don't know if that's just speculation, they say People get feelings too after all."
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 8:21 pm
"Ah.... hmm..." Tony thought about that idea. Dogs reacted similar to their owners, perhaps? He remembered when she was brand new to him, and he had been taking her on a walk when that woman made of snow attacked. Dogby had been scared and shaking the whole time, hiding in a bag and whimpering in such a heartbreakingly pathetic way.
Tony had to wonder if she had picked that up from him.
He smiled, though, chasing the thoughts off and sliding the pile of books towards Zac.
"Thank you for coming in here, and checking in. I'm relieved, at least, to know that Ever wasn't hurt again. That poor kid. You seem like a good friend to him, to come in on his behalf. Take good care of him, okay?" He knew he might be asking a lot of a stranger, but if Zac was Ever's contact for now, then he wanted to make sure his friend was in good hands.
Dogby barked happily, though she seemed to have learned not to bark too loud in the library. She nuzzled against Zac's leg, pressing her head to it and pushing. It was a strange motion, but one of her many ways of showing affection.
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Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 8:27 pm
There was that blush again, "Yeah...good friend." He said and took the books like a shield between himself and the world. Dogby though, he tucked them carefully against himself so he could give her one final pat.
"See you next time ok?" He told her with a pleased grin. Dogs it seemed, broke the 'no affection in public' rule quite to bits.
"Um...Thank you again and ...thank you for letting me visit your dog... I'll tell Ever and... I'll make sure he's ok." He nodded.
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