[R] Whats So Great About This Place? [ Ridley / Kyndall ]

[chirigami]

Ridley didn't go to the library often. In fact, as much as she could remember, this was probably her first time in the building at all. It wasn't that she was a stranger to books or anything, even though she frankly didn't read that often. It was just that her family usually purchased any book they ever needed, not wanting to have to have a date in which to have to return it and really, with three kids the fines for destruction of the paper would be hefty in itself; even if Max and Conner were supposed to be old enough to know better.

And there was the internet, it was faster to get information that way. But Ridley had passed the building so many times and it was too hot, even for her, to go play in the park that she had decided to finally go inside and see why others were often going in and out.

And she wasn't sure if she should be impressed really. It had just as many books as a book store, it seemed as large as any book store but it didn't seem to have as many people. And the books, they smelled rather old and funny instead of new and crisp like in a store. Ridley stared transfixed as she stood still in the entrance of the large building. Her eyes glanced around a few times before she took another daring step further in.  

[ZaiaFantasy]

Kyndall spent a surprising amount of time in the library and that was even before she developed a crush on the librarian there. But that wasn't why she came, not really. She wasn't a stalker or anything. He wasn't even back at the library yet. She was just there to get a book on Frankenstein's monster for Iouri's party.

She noticed the little girl when she came in, pausing by the front door. With the wide eyes and the questioning look it was easy to see the library was not as much of a second home for her as it was for herself. She was determined to change that if she could. She moved from the shelf where she was and went toward her. She smiled at her and leaned down to get eye level with the girl.

"You look lost. My name is Kyndall. Can I help you find something?"

She knew where just about everything was. Maybe the staff could have helped her better but Kyndall was free and noticed her first. She read to children here, sometimes, and knew the children's section by heart. She knew the adult sections, too, having to ask Tony where things were too many times to name.

One of these days she'd convince Tony of the merits of the Dewey Decimal system. Someday.

For now she had other things to think of besides how the books were categorized. She had a child in front of her that needed to be educated on how great the library could be! She was a big fan of reading and liked passing that on to others.

 

[chirigami]

Before she could even get that far, a green haired woman was in front of her. Eye level and everything, greeting her in a sweet tone and manner. And even from that it never crossed Ridley's mind that this woman didn't even work here; from television she knew librarians didn't wear uniforms like at the book store, so anyone of the people here could be staff.

But, she had still been a little startled with how quickly she had been found. The library had that going for it, super fast helper people; usually her mom had to access a computer to find the location of a book or if they had it. (Though, hey, out of the corner of her eye she could totally see a computer!)

"I'm Ridley!" She replied, loudly and happily as she clasped her hands behind her back. "And I have no idea, I've never been to a library," she explained, a little too proudly to be honest, "what's good here? Are there neat books here you can't find in a store?"  

[ZaiaFantasy]

"Well, hello Ridley!"

She beamed at the girl's enthusiasm. Nothing like impressionable minds. She estimated the little girl to be in the fourth or fifth grade. There were plenty of books for children her age that she could show her. They’d probably have them in stores but part of the allure of the library was the smell of old books. It was a heavy scent and one she enjoyed. Cheesy, yes, but it smelled like knowledge.

“My name is Kyndall. Can I show you around?”

She took the little girl’s hand and moved her into the building proper, showing her the check out counter and the different sections, explaining the little girl could take out whatever she wanted to for two full weeks or return them anytime to get out a few more. There were a lot of people in the library today and Kyn was glad. It was far easier to show someone that they wanted to be somewhere when they could see others wanted to be there, too.

She showed her the computers in the middle and explained that, as well, that she could get online and look at websites for a while if she wanted to as long as she had a library card.

She saved the children’s section for last – preteen books in their own section against the wall. They were somewhat thicker than a children’s book, less illustration.

“This is your section, I think, Ridley. Do you have a library card?”  

[chirigami]

"You already told me your name," Ridley replied while being lead by the hand. She made no protest when the green haired lady had taken her hand and took her deeper into the library.

As Kyndall explained the sections and a bit of the ins and outs - and even the computers - Ridley listened in unnatural silence. Her orange eyes peered around at the different things she was being shown and making comparisons to that of other places she had been before; really it didn't seem any different... it seemed more quiet though and Ridley wasn't sure she liked that. That and deeper in, the smell seemed to be heavier.

"That sucks that you have to pay for a book you don't get to keep," Ridley innocently commented when she was lead to the children's section. Curiously, she went to the shelf that were for kids her age and began looking at some of the titles. A few of them seemed familiar enough, some her family already owned and some she had seen on the book report lists.

Her little fingers pulled out a book that seemed to have an interesting title. It was called The Witches and seemed to have a cartoon drawing of a very thin and weirdly drawn woman in black with people looking at her. The cover didn't seem to interesting, but she all the same began to flip through the book. "I've never been to a library," she repeated to Kyndall while she read a few pages in a random spot of the book, "so I don't think I have a card..."  

[ZaiaFantasy]

"So I did."

She chuckled and took a step back once they got to the children's section to let Ridley take the lead. This was her excursion, after all, and children's books were no longer Kyndall's forte. It figured she'd be a little scattered right now but evidently the girl didn't mind that spasm which was nice. She saw a few books she knew as well among the racks, things that had been around since Harmony was young and some that were around when she was of the age to read them. TV and movie fads came and went. Songs got old and outdated. The written word seemed to be the only thing that lasts.

Sometimes Kyndall felt overwhelmingly old despite being halfway through her 30's.

"You don't have to pay for any books in the library." she corrected softly, letting the girl wander as she wanted to. "Unless you don't bring them back in time and then you have to pay a fine."

Ah, the dilemma. She couldn't actually help Ridley get a library card without her parents being here. Not that it was a hard task. They just needed to sign the paper for it. Still, quick fix and judging by the Roald Dahl book she picked up the girl had good taste. She was very familiar with the works of Roald Dahl from the Big Friendly Giant to James and the Giant Peach. Wonderful sarcastic British sense of humor.

"That's a very good book. Don't worry, your parents can help you get a library card if you can bring them in with you. Mr. Darrow is quite reasonable about such things."  

[chirigami]

Ridley drew her orange eyes back to Kyndall as she continued to explain the process of the library, "Oh? That's pretty cool to let people look at these books for free. The video store totally doesn't let you do that which is weird since its pretty much the same concept, right?" That was another place she didn't frequent, but her brothers had taken her once when they had to borrow a video for a few classes when they knew they wouldn't want to buy it.

Looking back at the book she had picked up, she was hesitant to put it back knowing she couldn't even check it out without a card. "Oh, you have to sign up though?" So, thats how they got you, she realized as she placed the book where she had found it and let her fingers slide across a few of the spines of books.

"Who's Mr. Darrow? Is he the head librarian or something?" Ridley knew enough he couldn't be the owner, libraries were owned by the city after all. "He's nice?" The green haired lady made it seem like he was with that simple statement.  

[ZaiaFantasy]

It was strange watching someone born into the consumer world discovering the simple joy of a lending library. It was strange because she felt a bit sad that someone as young as Ridley seemed already used to being a consumer when things could be so much simpler. Kyndall herself wasn't much of a consumer when she was young. Presents on Christmas and birthdays, rarely any other time. She and Syn made due with what was around, what they had already.

Ah, well, it was time to digress.

She let herself watch a while longer, listening to the girl's thoughts on the matter. It was quite the same concept of a video rental...but just a little different. Still, it was a good comparison. Smart girl.

"It's just a simple matter of bringing your parents in to sign a form. I'm sure Mr. Darrow can help you and show you what you need."

She smiled at Ridley's innocent question. He was nice and she found him appealing. She might have blushed if she hadn't caught herself and forced it back. Instead she simply brought herself down to Ridley's level again and nodded.

"He's the head librarian and he's very agreeable. He's my friend."

Her eyes scanned the library and found him behind the counter as usual. There was no one in line so she got a sparkle of an idea. Better to do this all at once, right?

"Let's go meet him."

She took Ridley over, holding her hand as she guided the girl toward the check out counter. She smiled at him, a little awkwardly as she hadn't spoken to him since telling him off for leaving the hospital against the doctor's orders. She wasn't sure how they'd left things between them.

"Hello, Tony. This is Ridley. This is her first time in a library and I thought she'd like to meet you."  

[Lithiasaur]

Tony was at the desk, with a corgi near him. She was sitting on the front counter, staring up at him with the largest eyes a small dog like her could possibly have. She was up on her back paws, flicking her little front paws hopefully as he held a treat up just above her nose.

"You're a good girl!" he said.

No one was at the counter and Dogby had been particularly well behaved that day, so he was playing with her a little bit. She loved the attention, and he was teaching her new tricks. He wasn't sure if she was learning them, though, or if she was just appeasing him in an effort to get the treat. Maybe that was what passed for learning them, anyway.

He doubted he could ask her to do anything without a treat in his hand, though.

When Kyndall came up and spoke he dropped the biscuit and Dogby gave him a look, then caught it and wiggled away to eat it without it being taken back from her. Not that it ever was, but she just had that habit. Tony smiled at Kyndall and the young girl. He was sitting on a tall chair behind the counter, instead of standing as he usually was.

"Ah, hello Miss Kyndall," he said, then smiled at the girl with her. "And hello Miss Ridley. Welcome to the library!"  

[chirigami]

The pair were off again, it seemed, after the green haired lady had decided to tell Ridley all about the librarian. Kyndall sure was at the library a lot to have that sort of relationship claim with the librarian; though Ridley was the sort fo form friendships even if the people hadn't even talked to her.

She wasn't sure how much she was like the green haired lady at the moment, seeing as how she hadn't had a chance to settle in any one of the locations Ridley was being shown. They had just gotten to her section and they were already off. But at least it was to someone new, and Ridley watched as the figure of a man behind a desk grew closer with each step.

Though, that wasn't the only thing she noticed when they arrived. Her orange eyes darted past Tony for a moment before they settled on him as he sat, her smile still wide as she greeted with a very enthusiastic, "Hi!" Before she turned her gaze behind him again, "what were you doing?" she asked as she rested her arms on the countertop, nearly not tall enough to see over.  

[ZaiaFantasy]

"Well, hello Dogby!"

Kyndall smiled broadly at the Corgi before the little dog took off with her prize. She wasn't very surprised by it, the canine showed a knack for taking off like a shot when she wanted to. She was also glad to see the man sitting for once with his injured leg to think about. Maybe her scolding had done some good after all.

"Ridley probably needs to know what she needs to get a library card. I imagine her parents need to be involved?"

She wasn't sure about the process anymore but that's whats she thought was protocol. How he ran the library might be different. She was ticking off things she wanted to borrow from the library this week: a biography and a few lesser known plays. Maybe another take on Greek mythology in theatre. You know, things most people considered boring.

She couldn't imagine Ridley being boring. She was too precocious. Too bubbly. Kyndall was taken by her the more time they spent together. There were few people Kyndall couldn't actually get along with and only a few where she couldn't get past their personal appearances.

She gave Tony a secret sheepish smile as if to apologize for their last encounter and then turned her attention back to Ridley. She touched the girl's shoulder affectionately.  

[Lithiasaur]

Tony smiled and Dogby hurried over to say hi to the newcomers. She was still on top of the counter, and she could reach them if they stood close. With Ridley trying to see over it, leaning on it, she could lick the girls' arms and face enthusiastically before she had a chance to really know there was a dog coming for her.

A very small, excited, loving dog.

"Oh, Dogby, no!" Tony laughed, catching her by the middle and pulling her back. She wiggled and managed to slip his hands down to her hips, but his hold had her tiny back legs up in the air now. She couldn't get to Ridley or Kyndall, though she was trying to. Her front paws walked and slipped on the counter, not getting anywhere. She looked like an excited doggy wheelbarrow.

"I was just teaching Dogby a trick, though I think she's mostly just teaching me how to give her dog treats whenever she wants them." He chuckled, looking apologetic on the corgi's behalf.

"Well, I usually need a credit card for late fines and things, but I can give you a temporary card? So you can check out books," he was speaking to Ridley, though answering Kyndall's question, "and I can send you home with the papers for your parents to fill in. Or they can call me."  

[chirigami]

How she had missed a dog on the counter could be anyone's guess. Though, the simple explanation of 'Dogby is not a cat so falls under the radar' could be easily used. Or her flinch from Kyndall suddenly touching her shoulder. Ridley's eyes went a little large finally noticing the corgi and she gave a rather unenthusiastic, "oh," when she noticed Mr. Darrow trying to keep the small dog back and controlled. Again, Dogby is not a cat so falls under the radar.

"Dodger doesn't really do tricks either," she contributed with a slight awkward shrug of her shoulders. It was kind of difficult from her half lean/half laying on the counter as she listened to the two adults talk about her options for being an active member of the library community.

"That could be awesome," she replied really to both options at once, smiling all the while. Getting a chance to check out the books now could at least see what was so neat about this place and maybe it if was really awesome her parents would let her come back.  

[ZaiaFantasy]

"There you have it, Ridley. It's easy."

Kyndall was rather happy that this was turning into such a success. The little girl seemed enthusiastic about being in the library and becoming a patron. Hopefully Tony was pleased she was being a sort of library diplomat, showing new people why they should be here.

One thing was certain - while she was around this library would never close due to lack of interest. That was for damn sure.

She laughed at the Corgi and picked her up, scooping the pup onto her back in her arms and using her free hand to scritch the exposed tummy. She knew Dogby liked this particularly. Though, when Ridley mentioned Dodger and showed no enthusiasm for Dogby Kyndall reached her own conclusion.

"Is Dodger your pet? Is it a cat? A hamster? A fish?"

She imagined if Ridley was a dog person she'd have shown more interest in the Corgi. She winked at Tony to join in the conversation while she held Dogby as her blissful captive, missing the animal a bit as she had no pets of her own. She might need to fix that soon as much as she seemed to be falling in love with someone else's.  

[Lithiasaur]

Dogby was not happy with a few things. She didn't want to be kept from the little kid and from Kyndall, as she wanted to get pets from them. She also did not like the way the little girl was not excited to see her, as Ainsley always was. She equated all small people to that standard, and this one was not living up to it.

This made her want to try harder.

Yipping excitedly, she bounced free of Kyndall and Tony, and cantered over the desk, picking up one of her chew toys and bringing it back as an offering to Ridley. That'd do it.

Tony, for his part, smiled and nodded his head.

He moved to get the paperwork, and to get the card started in case that was what Ridley wanted to do next. He poked his head up from under the desk, bent awkwardly to accommodate his damaged leg.

"So I'll just get you to write your name on this card," he offered a paper card, temporary for now but it would be replaced with a real one when her parents sent back the paperwork, "and I'll give you these papers for you to bring home to your parents, alright?" He slid the papers toward her.