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 Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 11:59 pm
Usually Merric was gun ho about things that he didn't need a how-to book to tell him what to do. However his father had decided that it was going to be his job to fix the kitchen sink, and Merric had no idea where to start. Besides that the problem concisted of a continue leak from the pipes underneath, he had no clue as to what exactly he was doing. So instead of doing the generic male thing of just wacking away at it, he dragged himself to the local bookstore to find something to tell him how to fix it.
So far, he'd not found a single thing. Frustration welled up in him; he still had to fold the laundry and mow the lawn today, on top of band practice that night, and he'd spent the last hour staring and flicking through half a dozen books about plumbing and nothing about how to fix the pipes.
"These books suck..." he muttered in his bassy voice. The blue haired teen ran a hand through the spikey, messy locks, fingers lingering on his earing for a moment before returning to his book.
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 12:12 am
"These books suck."
An aisle away a head snapped up from scanning the page of the book she was reading. Storm-grey eyes narrowed in as they found the speaker. Kathryn's hand paused over the spine of the book before shaking her head. Her first thought that was perhaps the teen had been unlucky in a choice of hair coloring product. Kathryn shrugged briefly at her own mental thought before peering down at the treasure she held. Her voice was full of passion as she gently stroked the cover of the book.
"I can never understand why those who can't find what they need to learn from a book need to insult the book itself. Can it be that you just aren't looking hard enough for what you need to find?"
Reading was only second nature to Kathryn. She'd never had any hardships learning from them. Perhaps now she could impart a little wisdom to the youth.
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 12:23 am
Merric jolted. Apparently he hadn't expected anyone to hear his grumble, nor expected them to actually respond on the matter. His grey eyes snapped to the owner of the voice and he blinked a few times. At first glance he mistook the young woman for someone else, but then realized the grey eyes that mimiced his color (though not the frustration in his) weren't hers and he eased slightly.
Her words however, had been close to something she would have said, and he fingered his earring again for a moment. Merric snapped the book shut, and turned towards her, his T-shirt reading "Moonlight Song".
"I don't read much to begin with, but sometimes it helps." He gave her what smile he could in politeness, though it was small and didn't reach his eyes. Those eyes glanced at his watch and he groaned. Band practice in two hours... with nothing done. Wonderful. He reeally didn't want to tell the band he was going to be late... again.
He turned his attention back to the young woman after a moment. "Ya know where I can find how to fix pipes? Like kitchen sink pipes?" asked Merric.
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 12:49 am
Kathryn watched the reaction her words had caused before she put the book she had been holding back on the shelf where she had pulled it out from before shifting her gaze back to the teen. He'd turned to face her and she glanced at the shirt he wore. Something clicked in the back of her mind about the familiarity of the words but she instead focused on making it just a little easier to converse.
"I tend to read a lot. I'm not really into the how-to books myself though," Kathryn gave a smirk as she retrieved her small carrying bag, "but they can come in handy sometimes."
Kathryn strode over to the space that the teen occupied before casting a swift glance at the title of the book. He might have found an alright book for reference - but skimming pages to find a quick fix wasn't a good solution. She glanced at the discarded books near the youth before sighing. The urge to put them back in their slotted place probably would go over well if he was still browsing.
"The book your holding isn't helping? Have you checked the back index to see if the book deals with kitchen sinks in particular?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 12:58 am
The... index...?
Merric blinked a few times as if the woman had spoken some foreign language. The index? Why would he check the index, the place most other would have started looking to begin with? Why would he do something so incredibly simple and time saving?
He blinked a few more times and groaned. Nope, Merric had not checked the index of all twelve books he had near his person. The need to get this sink job done as fast as humanly possible overshadowed all possible thought of the wonderful index. The teen's cheeks reddened in a show of embarrassment for a moment.
"Oh right... the index. I'd.. forgotten about that..." he said, his normally smooth basey voice quivering slightly in his embarrassment. Smooth Merric, very smooth.
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 1:09 am
Kathryn's amusement at the situation was present. She didn't laugh outright as one might expect. Her grin though had widened a fraction and if you looked into her eyes you could see the merriment in them. How typical that one might overlook the most useful idea in non-fiction books. Kat didn't like to read those kind of books but she knew about indices and how to use them.
Picking up one of the discarded books, Kathryn flipped it over and opened it to the back before casting a sideways glance at the teen. She spoke as she ran her finger down the information on the page.
"I think I noticed by your earlier reaction. The question I'd like to ask is why? They can be helpful and it saves a lot of time and frustration on the reader's behalf."
Abruptly Kathryn silenced herself. This kid probably didn't need any lectures on the greatness of books. The book she held closed and she held out her left hand. It'd just dawned on her that she hadn't introduced herself. "By the way ... I'm Kathryn. Kathryn McAdams. And you are?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 1:34 am
Merric scratched his nose, hiding the reddening of his cheeks. It'd been a rather long time since the teen had been, ah, embarrassed by one of the female sex that wasn't Ilona (who was like a sister to him, so that didn't really count). The hand moved up and buried itself in his hair as he sheepishly chuckled.
"I just wanted to get it done as fast as possible... I have other chores to do and band practice tonight and it just... slipped my mind to look in the index..." he said, still grinning sheepishly. He really needed to stop forgetting things like that. The index was such a normal thing to look for; why he'd forgotten about it?
He noticed the hand and moved the book in his hand to shake it. "Merric Hollinger. Its nice to meet you, Kathryn," he said, this time a genuine smile on his face. He was nothing if not polite with people, especially women. It was just his way.
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 1:54 am
As Merric shook her hand and introduced himself Kathryn tried to recall why the name sounded familiar. She was sure that she hadn't come across Merric before in person. So the feeling of slight recognition was puzzling. To cover up the silence Kathryn gave a smile of her own before chuckling.
"The pleasure's all mine Merric. Rushing around sometimes isn't always the best approach. So I guess that it helps to have a stranger who'll occasionally give good advice nearby. So do you think that you'd be able to find the right book now?"
She was gently teasing Merric at the moment and she had to be careful not to push things too far. She knew the problems it could bring - at least to one like herself. Kathryn instead placed the book she had picked up on the shelf in front of her before realizing why Merric's name was familiar. He'd mentioned a band practice and earlier she'd read "Moonlight Song" on his shirt. Her gaze widened just a little as she put the pieces together. Placing her bag on the floor beside her she tested the weight of the shelf next to her before studying Merric. She'd never seen the band in person but they were well known in Destiny City. Music wasn't her forte but she liked to listen to it.
"Band practice. It sounds like a worthwhile activity. How'd you get stuck with kitchen pipes though?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 1:52 pm
He nodded, flicking through the index now. "Yes, I think I got it now. Thank you, Kathryn," said the teen, not looking at her. He didn't noticed, as his finger moved down the pages of indexing in the back, as the young woman looked him over, and her eyes widening with recognition of who he was. Probably that was for the best; Merric didn't have the time to deal with yet another fan girl.
At her question he sighed and chuckled. "Dad thought it was time I did something... manly for a change around the house." Mostly that was do to the constant look of moping ever present on his face when he was home.. or anywhere for that matter. Not something he was going to tell Kathryn though; he did have some shred of male ego to preserve.
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 6:59 pm
Kathryn watched as Merric flicked through the index of the book he was holding before quietly nodding to herself. She had at least pointed Merric in the right direction and possibly redirected his frustration or even quelled it for the time being. "I'm just glad to have been able to provide a little assistance."
At his response to her other question Kathryn smiled. She had a feeling there might be something left unsaid but she wasn't one to pry that much. Kat gave Merric one more searching look before it was her turn to sigh. She knew that a few chores awaited her when she got back to her place and it was best that she be soon on her way. Kathryn knelt down and picked her bag up from the ground. "It was nice to meet you Merric. I hope you have good luck with those kitchen pipes."
Kathryn moved away from the youth and went back to where she had found the book that had interested her before. She picked it up and skimmed the back before shaking her head. It wasn't the one she wanted after all.
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 8:28 pm
He nodded, blue hair flopping slightly on his head. His eyes found "kitchen sink pipes" in the index and his face broke into a grin. Perfect, now to buy the book and go fix the damn pipes so he could move on with his day. He looked up at her and nodded again, smiling. "A little goes a long way.
"Nice to meet you as well Kathryn. If you ever get the chance, come to Moonlight Song's gigs sometimes. We put on a good show," finished Merric, feeling the need to promote his band in some way. It was so normal from when the band was first starting out, that he just did it all the time without thinking now.
He flicked the book shut and piled the rest against the bookshelf. Muttering softly about this whole idea a waste of time, Merric made his way to the cashier to pay and find his way home.
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