[R] Give Back to Your Local Librar... ian (Ainsley/Tony)

[Appeal]

Ainsley hadn't had the chance to go to the library since she had gotten back from camp but today was the day! She had packed up her back and headed towards the library with a smile on her face and Octavian Oswald in her arms. She walked fast, excited to get there and find Mr. Darrow. She had a special surprise for him and she couldn't wait to show him. She'd even brought something for Dogby! She had a bead bracelet she had made at camp for Mr. Darrow and a matching scarf for Dogby.

The walk to the library was fairly quick and when she finally got to the library she took a moment to admire the outside as well. It was taken care of and the steps were fun to skip over as she walked up them and then down before going up one final time. She walked over to the door and after softly pushing the doors open and stepping inside she immediately went on a search for the librarian and dog.

 

[Lithiasaur]

Dogby was being her usual self, which meant surprising Tony with sudden bursts of behavior that did not match her 'usual'. Which was odd, because these bursts were a part of her usual set of behaviors.

So how he kept getting surprised by the young dog was anyone's guess.

At the moment he was trying to convince her to not only come out from under one of the tables in a reading nook, but also to drop the stapler she had decided was her new toy and run off with. She could barely lift it from the floor, what with its size and her short legs. But she had managed to drag it with her and now she was hiding.

Tony was on his knees, glad for a relatively quiet day at the library, trying to coax her out from under the table with soft words and promises of treats and pats.

She wasn't buying it, wagging her stump of a tail at him and staring with her big eyes. He didn't hear the door open nearby, his back to it, but even if he had been angled better he still wouldn't have been able to see her enter.  

[Appeal]

Where could a librarian be if he wasn't at his desk? The search for the librarian and the corgi began shortly after the child entered and exactly after she found the front desk without them. It took a minute but finally Ainsley had found the rear end of the librarian sticking out from under a table in a reading nook. What would the librarian be doing under a table? There was only one solution and it was most likely small and furry. She giggled, and carefully walked over toward Mr. Darrow. She didn't say anything, and instead she kneeled down on the floor near the table and peeked her own head under.

"Dogby!" She announced as she seen the corgi with a stapler, giving a smile at Mr. Darrow as she looked towards him for a moment.

 

[Lithiasaur]

Dogby let out an enthusiastic yip, dropping the stapler and bouncing over to Ainsley, her short little feet flying ahead of her as she bounded to her young friend. She wagged her stump of a tail furiously, back feet sliding and wobbling over the floor.

For the librarian's part, he was startled by the sudden appearance of the girl and jumped a bit, banging his head on the top off the table but laughing it off immediately, even as he rubbed his head ruefully. Tony sighed, grabbing the abandoned and forgotten stapler before crawling out from under the table. He smiled when he saw Ainsley, chuckling.

"Thank you for getting her out from under there!" He laughed, though he doubted she had meant to. Or maybe she had, as she did have a very good way with Dogby. The corgi responded to her easily, maybe moreso than she did her own owner.

He liked to think it was just Dogby using her cute for evil once again.

"How have you been, Ainsley?" Tony asked, sitting at the table for a moment. Dogby continued to bounce around Ainsley's chair, trying to climb up onto her but unable to with Dogby's short legs. "I haven't seen you around the library in the last few... oh, that's right, you went to camp, didn't you?"  

[Appeal]

Ainsley let out a small squeal when the puppy came bounding over towards her, wagging that adorable stump of a tail furiously. The corgi was just so cute, always giving Mr. Darrow a run for his money. She smiled at the librarian, looking between him and the little corgi with a giggle. Her eyes fell on Mr. Darrow for more than a moment, hoping the top of his head was okay. He hadn't hit it too hard, right? She would feel awfully guilty if she had been the cause of his injury. He was smiling though, and even laughing! Everything hit bells for A-OK.

"You're welcome!" She replied, taking a gander at the stapler that Mr. Darrow had picked up off the floor. She looked at him, lingering for a moment before nuzzling her face against the puppy. "You been causing mischief again! Was your bone good?"

Giving Dogby a good pat on the head, she turned back to Mr. Darrow with a smile.

"That's right, I went to Camp Lakespur! It was really fun! I got to make crafts, dance and I even got to play in the lake with a new friend. I missed the library though so I made you and Dogby a gift while I was there!"

 

[Lithiasaur]

Dogby was so happy to see Ainsley it seemed she was going to explode into a cloud of rainbows and pure happiness. To the dog it had been forever since she last saw her favorite young friend, and she had a whole reservoir of happiness to share now.

She had no concept of this 'mischief' thing.

Tony nodded his head as he listened, Glad that she had a lot of fun at camp. It seemed like the kind of place where she would thrive, and he imagined she had made a few friends and had a lot of new experiences.

"You made us a gift?" he asked, smiling and letting Dogby make herself comfortable with Ainsley. She didn't seem to have any trouble with it, considering she was friendly with everyone. But Ainsley she considered one of her closest friends, almost like an extension of the family.  

[Appeal]

Ainsley nodded proudly to Mr. Darrow when he asked for reaffirmation about the gift she had made. There was a smile on her face when she turned to face him, continuing to adore Dogby with love and attention from her carefully scratching and rubbing fingers while she said, "I did! It's in my bag!"

Immediately Ainsley began to take her backpack off so that she could get the gift for Mr. Darrow and Dogby out to give to them. She did it slowly and carefully so Dogby could continue to be nice and close to her without be startled away. After freeing her arm out of one of the straps, she let it slip down one arm and to the floor beside her so she could turn it onto the front, unzip it and pull out a scarf.

"Here!" She said as she held it in her arms, unfolding the scarf open so that a green bracelet was revealed. She looked at it carefully to make sure it hadn't gotten damaged and then she held it out towards Mr. Darrow. "It's for you. Do you like it?"

 

[Lithiasaur]

It would have taken a lot to scare Dogby off. She didn't have much fear of people, and she knew Ainsley was a really good friend, who she loved, so there was no fear in her movements and Dogby was content to sit on top of her and be in the way. This was why Tony sometimes stepped on her little feet, or bumped her when he didn't realize how close she was.

She liked being close, regardless of what was going on.

Tony looked at the bracelet and smiled brightly, taking it as if it were made of glass and a treasure.

"Thank you, Ainsley," he said jovially, slipping it around his wrist so she could see. He grinned, the green matching his eyes. It might be a strange thing for a librarian to wear, but he was going to keep it on now, and remember to wear it to work.

"I like it very much. And you made this without any help? It's very good! What do you think, Dogby?" He showed it to her, and she licked his hand. He took that as her saying she liked it.  

[Appeal]

To see the bracelet handled so delicately brought great pleasure to the child who had crafted it so lovingly for the older man and to hear him admit that he liked it very much brought it tenfold! She was smiling as she nodded her head, remember the days at camp when she had tediously made the bracelets all by herself. She'd failed several times, but she'd continued throughout the weeks until they were perfect.

"All by myself!" She confirmed.

She just had the scarf left in her hands and gingerly she wrapped it around Dogby's neck, overlaying it with her collar and tying it loosely around it. She looked at it, and then pulled out a small compact mirror from the bag and opened it to Dogby so she could see the scarf. Would she like it?

"What do you think?" She asked Dogby, but looking to Mr. Darrow as well.

 

[Lithiasaur]

"That's amazing! You're very skilled, I really appreciate the gift." He smiled brightly, watching as she put the scarf on Dogby, who sat patiently while she did it.

Dogby was a good dog, Tony decided, watching her as she panted happily up at Ainsley, licking softly at her face when she leaned close in her effort to tie the scarf. The corgi was excitable, certainly, but she was innocent and sweet, and all she wanted was to be loved and give love.

It was a simple existence, but she seemed happy enough and that made Tony smile.

"I think she looks very good," he said, not realizing she was mostly talking to Dogby until he saw the mirror. Dogby was sniffing it, clearly not realizing what it was she was supposed to do with that item. She huffed, sneezing, but she immediately donned her happy smile and yipped eagerly, butting her head against Ainsley.

Tony laughed. "I think she thinks so, too."

He smiled and looked at her again, thankful that she had a good time and that she had been able to learn and do things. And that she had thought about him and Dogby. He would have to do something nice for her now, because she was a sweet girl, and he liked seeing her happy. Maybe Dogby would help him come up with something. Or he could get her a little corgi plushie or something…. He was pondering about that, spacing out a little bit.  

[Appeal]

Although Ainsley was happy that Mr. Darrow and Dogby really enjoyed the gifts she'd given them, a small blush was forming on top of Ainsley's face from it. She wasn't used to getting such thanks from gifts she'd given away, and to hear it so clearly expressed was just a little embarrassing. She was rather flattered they liked them so much though, and at the same time she was very pleased that she'd been able to drawn such a result.

"Thank you," she said softly. "I'm really glad you like them!"

 

[Lithiasaur]

Tony smiled and nodded his head as he looked at the beads again, then at Dogby's scarf. It seemed the dog was rather proud of it, sitting up and showing off her new look with a surprisingly clear happy expression on her face.

Of course, Dogby was always happy when people were around her, particularly Ainsley and Tony. So she really couldn't complain about anything at the moment.

"You're a very sweet girl, Ainsley," Tony said, with a smile. "It's very nice of you to think of other people while you're at camp. I hope you stay this way, and grow with these lessons. But that's a little ahead of you, I think. Uhm," he looked around, trying to think of something to repay her with.

"Would you like one of the books? Whichever one you check out the most, I'll let you keep. You deserve it. And anyway, reading is good for you."

Anyway, he would just pay for the replacement fee. It wasn't like anyone could really tell him off for it at this point. Beyond some old people who never came down from their offices, he pretty much owned this place. If he wanted to give a nice girl a present to encourage her to keep up her good manners, then he would.  

[Appeal]

Ainsley had been smiling and giggling at Dogby who was clearly enjoying her new look when Mr. Darrow mentioned if she would like one of the books. Immediately her eyes practically lit up like the stars in the sky, a definite spark toward the yes yes yes but not a clue on which book did she check out the most? The girl always had a small stack of books that she went home with, rotating what books she read almost weekly. She did have favourites though, ones she took out more regularly. One of the books happened to be a book on castles called Castles And Palaces of Europe. It wasn't hard to find, figuring that she had actually brought it back with her today, intending to return it before the due date that was later this week. One small dig around her backpack and soon the child was holding up the book to him.

"H-how about this one?" She replied meekly. "It's one of my favourites."

 

[Lithiasaur]

Tony felt a warmth in his chest to see Ainsley so happy. He had never been able to be a father, not a proper one as far as he considered it. He had missed the young years in Nathan's life, and by the time the two met, Nate was almost an adult. And certainly not interested in having a father.

Just a place to live.

He watched her as Ainsley pulled the book from her backpack, Dogby toddling around her feet just for the sake of walking. He smiled and felt relaxed, which was rare, he realized, these days. He felt normal, and that was nice.

"That book?" he looked surprised by her choice, but he smiled and nodded his head. Maybe he shouldn't have been confused, considering her fondness for castles and princesses. "It's yours."  

[Appeal]

It was rare for Ainsley to get gift, especially from an older man considering her lack of a father figure in her life, so not only was this a rare occurrence but it was special. Not only because she really loved books, or because she really loved this book, but because Mr. Darrow thought to give it to her. He certainly didn't have to, but he did and it delighted her so.

"Oh thank you," she said to him, hugging the book to her chest. "I promise I'll cherish it!"

She pulled the book away from her chest after a moment and held it out to Dogby so the dog could get a good look. The dog probably seen plenty of books, and this might not be anything special, but the child wanted to share her excitement and Dogby happened to be her special little book buddy.

"Look what Mr. Darrow gave me," she exclaimed, pointing out the big castle on the cover to her.