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 Posted: Sat May 14, 2011 5:14 pm
As far as Zac was concerned, it was just another trip to the library, a little extra circular reading, a few books for fun, and a lot more to try and pound facts into his head. The better he did on tests the better school he could get into. The better grades the better chances of scholarship...
Likewise choices like Psychology, Historical Warfare... well they weren't exactly for 'pleasure' they were research of a different kind.
He dropped the books carefully onto the library counter and started to fish for his library card with a soft hum.
"Just these today please..." He said glancing for the friendly Corgi from before, he rather thought to give her more ear scratches while his books got checked out.
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Posted: Sat May 14, 2011 5:27 pm
Dogby was sitting on the counter, having climbed up from sitting on Tony's lap. It was too far down to jump, so she padded around on the counter and sat down at the edge, right in front of Zac, next to his books. She wagged her stump of a tail and looked at him with her big brown eyes, making soft sounds of excitement in an effort to get him to pet her.
Tony looked up from whatever it was he was typing. Entering some information into the computer, it seemed. He offered Zac a smile, different than the one he gave people he didn't know. It was easier to interact with people who came to the library regularly, and even more so when he considered them his friend.
Since Zac was Ever's friend, he was Tony's friend. He waited for the card, looking at the book titles before scanning the card in and giving it back.
"Oh, it looks like you still have a couple books checked out. They've got a week left, so there's no problem, I just thought I'd let you know. Sometimes people forget." He didn't notice the book titles right away, of the ones already checked out. The screen had the titles and the call number.
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Posted: Sat May 14, 2011 5:36 pm
"...what?" He blinked... "No I don't the last one I rented was "History of the British Empire" and I dropped that off two days ago, I was waiting for 'Aberrant Psychology" and "Reading People" to be returned before I got anything else." he tapped the books in his stack on the counter.
"...Maybe I did forget, what are they called?" He said blinking and frowning and started petting the enthusiastic dog.
He was so sure he hadn't forgotten any though, he was ALWAYS careful with his books, yes he tended to take out piles but he hadn't had a late fee since that one time that he'd lost his back pack in middle school.
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Posted: Sat May 14, 2011 5:49 pm
The librarian looked at Zac with a doubtful expression. He didn't remember the boy ever having trouble remembering his books at any time, and there was no current record of any fines. But he always had a little leeway for younger people, as he assumed they were students with studying woes, and some times things got a bit busy.
Books got lost or forgotten in the shuffle, it was common.
Looking at the screen, this idea seemed to be a little less plausible when he saw what the book was called and, more importantly, what section it was from. Call numbers were just letters and numbers to most people, but Tony had worked their long enough to know which letters went to what sections.
This one was from the romance area.
"Ah... well... it seems to be called Tin Star... it's. Ah. A romance?" He tried not to look Zac in the eye, while Dogby, oblivious to anything awkward, nuzzled the younger man's hand excitedly.
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Posted: Sat May 14, 2011 5:59 pm
A very...long...silence. "...I don't -read- romance... I am not a GIRL." He said standing slowly and leaving the poor dog mid 'petting'.
He placed his hands -very- carefully on the counter. "...Does it say what day they were taken out?" He said in ever so careful and even tones. EXCRUCIATINGLY polite which said he suspected 'Someone' of 'Something'...and he was already formulating an excuse for their rental... and a -long- talk.
"If you don't mind..."
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Posted: Sat May 14, 2011 6:09 pm
Tony cleared his throat and lifted his hands helplessly. He turned the screen so Zac could see it. There were a few romance books taken out under his name, or rather a few books with strange titles that all came from the same section, with similar call numbers, so Tony knew they were all the same kinds of books. Books he didn't let anyone under 18 check out, certainly.
There were four titles looking back at Zac, and Tony not looking at either him or the screen. The one he had mentioned, Tin Star, was first, and then there was Going Deep, Flesh to Flesh and Jolly Roger.
All about the same kind of thing, and Tony was trying very hard not to turn bright red, or draw any conclusions about Zac from the list.
"They... ah... were taken out a few days ago... they're on shorter rental times because... uh."
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Posted: Sat May 14, 2011 6:17 pm
"....what...." He hissed... the -look- on his face was between stricken and furious. "Actually...no...no...I don't even want to hear the titles again. I'm going to kill him... I'm going to hang him up by his TOES and... I'm going to kill him... where the HELL is my...damnit...damnit it's at the DORM...I'm going to KILL him."
he fumbled with his book bag trying to find something he could contact Ever with and coming up empty handed.
"WOULD you -please- tell Ever if you see him before I do that I am going to kill him? I'll take over his spot here and help out as an apology but I -didn't rent those!"
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Posted: Sat May 14, 2011 6:30 pm
Tony looked surprised at the reaction. Clearly, something was going on here that he was not privy to. He took a breath, offering a reassuring and totally not judging smile in hopes of calming Zac's anger.
Of course Ever had checked out the books in Zac's name. Why not? But... why? Tony chuckled but stifled it.
"Oh, no, don't kill him. He's just... messing with you, I'm sure. Ah. Here," he hurriedly checked the proper books out to him, de-magnetizing them so they didn't set off the alarms.
He offered the books as a peace treaty.
"I'll make sure he knows to look out for your wrath, definitely. He shouldn't be checking books out in other people's names... certainly not... those books. Ah... not that there's anything wrong with them, or reading them. You know!" For a moment, it sounded like Tony didn't actually believe the situation. Like he thought Zac was reacting out of embarrassment, and was maybe blaming Ever for the whole mess, rather than admit he had checked out those books.
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Posted: Sat May 14, 2011 6:36 pm
"There is -everything- wrong with reading them! Just the -titles- do you see the titles?!? Who writes things like that?"
He gripped the books tight to his chest turning bright crimson in the face. "... he's just doing it to get a reaction... I know it. He so is...I... ... I -really- really- didn't check out those books!" He said going wide eyed realizing that the tone, and words just used heavily implied that he had.
"I didn't...I wouldn't...I... im going to kill him..." He flustered and turned a deeper shade of red looking like he wanted to burry into "A brief history of the world" and never come out again.
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Posted: Sat May 14, 2011 6:46 pm
Tony laughed jovially, nodding his head.
"Yes, I see the titles. Going Deep is particularly... uh... poignant," he cleared his throat, knowing he shouldn't be making those kinds of jokes, lest he get reported and lose his job. Not that he really had to fear it, considering his status, but he still didn't like the idea of offending anyone, with or without threat of losing his job in tow.
Tony offered him a smile, trying to look understanding, but the amusement in his eyes was now very apparent, and he shook his head, trying to shake the laughter away, presumably.
"I'm very sorry! I understand. As long as the books come back, I can take them off your record. Maybe they didn't even leave the library, and it's just some kind of a prank. I mean, if you didn't check them out... uhm... maybe he didn't either."
Or maybe they had walked out, all on their own, the back of his mind said and he tried again not to laugh. Professionalism all the way.
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Posted: Sat May 14, 2011 6:54 pm
"...Ohgod... Don't read them out louddddd" He almost wailed.
He squeezed his eyes shut tight. "...god they better not have left the library if he thinks for one moment I'm ... I... no I'll just figure out what he wants out of this to make them re-appear, it'll be fine...it WILLL be fine...... ohmygod... he so chose those for the titles...I'll kill him."
"He's got them.... you mark my words he's got them or he hid them somewhere." He said adamantly... "I'll...it wasn't me...ok!?" He said heading for the door. Oh my GOD he was going to Kill ever. Tony clearly didn't believe him, probably thought it was the literary equivalent of playboy pictures...bodice rippers. GOD.
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Posted: Sat May 14, 2011 6:59 pm
Tony nodded his head a few too many times, lifting his hands in a defenseless gesture. He wasn't going to try and upset Zac further, despite how funny he found it. It wasn't in him to make someone suffer for amusement's sake.
Still.
"I believe you, don't worry. I'm sure they'll be back in their proper place soon enough. I'm very sorry he ah... did that... to you."
He watched as Zac moved quickly for the door, catching Dogby before she took off after him. Not that she could jump down from the countertop, but he seemed to need a good cuddle and she wanted to follow him for it. Tony stopped her and she nuzzled against him instead.
It was going to be interesting seeing Ever next time at work, that was for sure.
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