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 Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 11:47 am
It was nice to be at work.
True enough, Tony had not actually gone anywhere recently. He had been there at his desk, in the back room, on the floors. he had been going through the motions of work, and he had been getting his job done. But, for many reasons, his mind hadn't been there. Checked out, as it were.
He'd had a lot to think about. He still did, but his mood had improved for it. Following the harrowing adventures he endured recently, and the strange happenings that came before, he found himself reminded of what he was here for. In a way, it had been good for him, though he was loathe to need to have people he cared about in danger before he realized just how well his duel lives fit him.
He needed the library to balance him out. It was his place for peace, for a safe, quiet day in contrast to his busy, dangerous nights. He was sitting at the desk at the moment, reminding himself of this importance while he muddled through over due book notices on the computer, which all needed to be printed and mailed.
Yes, this was what he liked and needed to do, to stay happy.
It was easier to think of the library as a whole, and not its tasks individually. This part, for example, and most paperwork, were not his favorite things to do with his time. He didn't like being stuck at the desk: he would rather be helping the patrons that visited, or just out shelving books.
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 12:31 am
Prideful. If there was one word to describe Gwendolyn Caspian at this very moment, it was simply that. She was never the scholarly type and most of her time doing 'heavy research' consisted of her either searching Wikipedia or asking her sister, or her mom, if they had the long distance hours to spare that month. She never really remained in a library for too long, and especially not one as big as this one. The one back at home, though much smaller, was still a mystery to her, as she only really knew where the kids section was. Once again, she found herself peering around the library for help, despite her prideful self. She normally didn't seek out help, though she hadn't gotten really far on her own, and now she needed the help. She could pinpoint that her topic of research, Tsui and the rest of the White Tiger constellations, was Chinese, but she wasn't sure where to find those books, and all of the computers were taken. So, that meant only one thing. To swallow her pride and go talk to the man that sat at the desk, and there she stood, at the front of his desk, and without fear, she announced herself to him, just now taking in his features now that she was at a close distance from him. "Excuse me, sir... I'd hate to be a bother, but I need help finding something." 'Mostly, my focus as a senshi, but I'm not sure if you can help me with that, Mr. Civilian Man.'
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 11:29 am
Tony jumped, looking up to see the young woman standing in front of the desk. He hadn't seen her approach, as he tried to do when he was focusing away from the counter, so her standing there gave him a start.
The dog that was curled in his lap looked up, yawning sleepily.
Ever since he had found Dogby after her running away he kept her with him. He couldn't trust his son with her, that much was clear: it was Nathan that had let her off the leash, and who had not gone after her after a bus scared her and made her run off.
No, Tony was going to keep his precious dog with him as much as he could now. She had been coming to the library for some time before all that, anyway, so she was basically the library dog. She was a small, puppy-like Corgi, her ears floppy and she sported a green collar.
She was made entirely of love, and her harrowing ordeal had not changed that. When she saw Gwen she got up, climbing with some difficulty due to her short legs from Tony's lap onto the desk. She yipped excitedly, wagging her stump of a tail. Tony knew she was just seeking pets, and didn't stop her.
"Ah, sorry. She's safe. What are you trying to find?" He smiled, always eager to help. That was what he was paid for after all.
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 5:45 pm
On the contrary, Gwen loved animals of all shape and sizes, and it was obvious in her reaction. Her golden eyes lit up the moment she noticed the small Corgi in his lap, and she refrained from petting the dog until she was certain that he would allowed her to. She held out her hand for the dog to sniff, not meaning to be rude to the library employee but too enamored by the adorable little dog at the moment. "She's absolutely adorable! What's her name?" She snuck in a pat on the head before pulling away, realizing that she had gotten completely off track, though not necessarily regretting it. She chuckled but at herself, for allowing a cute little dog to distract her from her mission. "I mean, that's not what I'm looking for, but she's still cute. I was looking for some more in depth books about Chinese mythology or astrology about tigers. Namely, the star constellation of Tsui, or maybe Baihu, the White Tiger."
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Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:59 am
Dogby bounded happily over the counter to nuzzle her little head into Gwen's hand, not wasting any time trying to sniff it of see if it was safe. Clearly, it was: it always was. The library was somewhere that she didn't have to be afraid. She didn't much like the outside any more.
Which was fine by Tony: he didn't like her going outside. It made walks complicated though.
"Her name is Dogby. She's a very sweet girl: I don't think she even knows how to growl, let alone bite."
It wasn't an exaggeration, either.
Tony was used to falling to the sidelines whenever Dogby made her appearance. She liked stealing the spotlight, and he let her. It wasn't like he needed cuddles.
Tony always felt his interest perk when he heard someone asking about the stars. Maybe he was too wrapped up in that world now: he couldn't help but like it. He had memorized where to take people, even more so than any other section. Whether it was because of news reports on TV or personal run in with Senshi, Tony felt it was for the good of their reputation and for people to understand them. It would help them be accepted.
"I can show you where to look! Just follow me. Dogby, do you want to come?" Dogby whined when it looked like they were leaving, so Tony picked her up.
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Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 3:58 pm
"Dogby? That's an adorable name..." Gwen gave the dog a tender scratch behind the ears, wanting nothing more than to drop her research all together and just spend the rest of her day showering Dogby with affection. But, her curious mind, the need to discover her constellations and within that, her identity as a Senshi, and the fear of Micah growing jealous finally got her back on track. Well, as well as Tony picking up Dogby and walking away; that was a sure fire way to get her back on track. "I didn't think pets were allowed in the library. I'd bring my own, but people would freak out and he'd probably help himself to all of the books and paper to chew on." Gwen said, following after Tony and growing serious once more, now that there wasn't an animal to distract her from her 'quest'. Speaking of the quest, she couldn't help but ask, not really realizing who she was talking to. "Do you know a lot about stars and constellations, by any chance? You seemed rather excited a moment ago..." It was probably none of her business and she was prepared for him to wave off the question. It was his job to help her, but Gwen couldn't help but pick up that enthusiasm. She needed someone enthusiastic, someone who not only knew what they were doing, but would be eager to help as well. Any bit of help would be welcomed, in Gwen's eyes. "Because I have a lot of questions..."
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 5:52 pm
Dogby would have been very very happy about it. Though she had been absolutely showered with attention and love since she got back home it was still not enough for the tiny dog, and she constantly wanted more. In fact, all the pampering was just spoiling her further, and she was in constant need of tickles and pets and dog treats.
Tony was a sucker, and all too willing to give in to her demands.
She cuddled in his arms, but her eyes were on Gwen. This was her new best friend, and she wanted to spend some time with her. She didn't think being held by Tony would be much of an impediment.
"Well, they are and they aren't. I suppose we sort of adjusted the rules, since I got Dogby. She's become the library's dog, as much as she is mine," he laughed and cuddled the corgi, who yipped excitedly.
The librarian looked at the girl as she spoke.
"Ah, well. I know... enough, I suppose. Seems like there are a lot of projects on space going on now, so I've been able to get more familiar than I had been." He grinned brightly. He had an easy air about him, that made him seem like he was truthful. He didn't like lying, but he couldn't just say he hung out with senshi all the time.
"I'll be glad to answer any questions you have, if I can. I find that's more my duty than my job. My job is to find books. But I'd rather help someone a bit more than that."
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2012 4:37 pm
"How lucky, to have a dog that you can bring to work with you. I can't have a dog... the apartment won't allow it. So, I have a pet rat instead," Gwen babbled on, taking a moment to scratch the adorable little Corgi behind the ears as she didn't have the chance to shower dogs or cats with affection at home. "And most people don't like it when you bring a rodent into their establishment, even if they're completely sanitary and harmless." Not once realizing who she was talking to or just how helpful he would be, she grew serious and got back to business. Her mother and sister would have wanted her to be polite, and wasting a gentleman's time by showering their dog with affection was certainly not the most polite thing to do. "So, for starters, I'm looking for information about a specific constellation. Tsui, a three star constellation in the White Tiger constellation..." She grinned at how silly that sounded. "A constellation within a constellation... constellation-ception? Anyway, I was wondering if you knew any stories, folklore, or any books that would have information about that one in particular. It's for a project..."
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Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 8:43 pm
"Well, you can always come visit Dogby here, if you'd like," he said with a smile. "She would certainly like it, she likes you."
Of course, that was like saying Tony liked breathing, or people liked food. Dogby needed attention like she needed water, and she thrived on almost every kind of it. Any person willing to pat her on the head or scratch her ear, in any degree, was immediately one of her favorite people.
It was simple, being a dog. Tony often wondered if he should be jealous. Then he would remind himself that he didn't have to wear a leash to go poop, and was contented.
"I never had a rat, but I had a hamster. I do miss him," poor little Booder. He had died a couple years ago, though the idea was mind numbing to Tony that so much time had already passed.
Tony really wished he was better with space things. Despite all his time with senshi, and as Camelot, and everything very space oriented in his life he was still... not great with terms and ideas in astronomy. He tried not to blink dumbly at her.
"Well, I can show you were to look, at least, and maybe we can find something of interest," he said hopefully. He explained the astronomy area to her, and walked her to the mythology section next. He showed her the computers, which were often far more clever than he was, as they worked with keywords and partial titles and could often expand or narrow a search with more accuracy than the librarian himself.
He liked to think it was because he couldn't know everything, and a computer could, and not because his job was becoming irrelevant.
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Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 10:59 pm
Tony had been extremely helpful, more so than he must have thought, and Gwen had made sure to pull her attention away from the adorable little dog long enough to get all that she could from him. She was completely unaware of his status as a Knight and in truth, she didn't suspect a thing, nor did she fear him putting two and two together to try and expose her 'secret' identity. It was something that just wasn't present on her mind when she brought up the reason for her quest. After all that Tony had showed her, Gwen felt that she might have finally been ready to take on the task by herself, even though that meant bidding farewell to Dogby. However, she figured she wasted enough of this gentlemen's time and she didn't want anyone thinking any ill of him for just helping. The world today was paranoid about older men being so close to younger girls; the thought of that didn't worry her, not as much as running into a youma, or a Negaverse lieutenant, or even not knowing anything about her constellation and past life. "Thanks for all the help," Gwen said, giving Dogby another scratch behind the ears as a parting gift before jumping into her work. She flashed Tony a rare smile, before straightening up and addressing him more formally than she normally would have to an adult, though she had no idea why she felt the need to do that. It just felt natural. "I don't really have a due date on my project, so it'll be ongoing. So, thank you again for helping me, Mister." She trailed off on that last bit, as she didn't catch his name and she was too embarrassed to look at his chest for a name tag. She immediately looked down to Dogby to save face. "I'm sure I'll be coming in here a lot, so next time I'll try to bring a treat for Dogby. Would you like that?" Gwen was certain that she would, but that wasn't going to stop her from asking anyway!
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Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 12:01 am
The magic that protected their identities was a strange and powerful thing, and though Tony now only knew it existed, but depended on it, it did not help him see through it for others. He was as oblivious as she was, and he would remain so.
He had accepted a long time ago, when he had been a civilian and there had been no Knights running around, that not everything was need to know. He was much better at rolling with the punches now, because of it. He learned not to question everything, though he made sure he didn't fall into the mistake of questioning nothing.
There was a balance to everything.
"You're very welcome," he said with a bright, warm smile. Dogby wiggled and yipped, but he held her to him now to make sure she didn't run off and cause trouble here, where people were working. "And my name is Tony. Tony Darrow." Anthony, but no one called him that. "It's a pleasure meeting you, and I'm sure Dogby would adopt you as her new person if you brought her treats."
He laughed, though he didn't put it past the dog to have owners on the side. Dogby tried her best to wiggle her way to Gwen, licking the air hopelessly and hoping her face might get close enough anyway.
"I'll leave you to your work. I'll be at the front desk if you have any more questions." Tony smiled and turned to walk off, not wanting to distract her when she was there to do homework.
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Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2012 10:43 am
'Tony Darrow? Yep, that's easy enough for me to remember. Just got to remember that Dogby lives with Mr. Darrow.' Gwen thought to herself, giving him a nod and introducing herself out of habit though she was certain that he had seen many students in the library and wouldn't likely remember her specifically. Well, at least by name, as she was certain that her hair would be enough to make her face distinguishable in the very least. "I'm Gwendolyn Caspian, but everyone just calls me Gwen. Dogby here can call me Miss Treat Bringer, though, if she'd like." With that, she gave the dog another loving pat on the head, and at the mention of her stealing away the dog, she laughed. "Aw, I couldn't possibly do that. She obviously loves you and I couldn't keep such a cutie at my apartment without the landlord noticing her. I bet she doesn't allow pets because she hasn't found the love of a dog or cat yet and seeing someone else with one makes her jealous!" It was a harmless jab at the landlord's expense, but Gwen was a teenager and therefor did not care. After all, she owed a lot to her landlord as she was never around long enough to see her either transform into her Senshi attire and leave or arrive. Never look a gift horse in the mouth, some people would tell Gwen, and she accepted this truth. She allowed Dogby to lick her hand when she was straining her neck forward, as the feel of dog saliva never bothered Gwen. She'd simply wipe it on her uniform or go wash her hands later; why some people got all grossed out by dog spit was beyond her. "Thanks again for all your help, but I think I got it covered here. I'm sure there's a line of young girls waiting for you at your desk that need your help and I wouldn't want to keep Dogby away from her adoring fans." With that, she gave a wave and stepped back from Tony and Dogby, allowing him to depart at his own leisure. She wished she could have pampered Dogby a little while longer if only to procrastinate the mountain of work ahead of her, but alas, she had a LOT of work to do, and a lot of information about her home constellation and her Senshi namesake to dive into. The work of a Senshi could not be distracted by an adorable dog and her kindly owner. Lithia_Brandon You want us to wrap this baby up?
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Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 11:50 pm
Tony always did his best to remember names and the faces they belonged to, but at this point it was with varying degrees of success.
"Gwen," he smiled, thinking of Guinevere and his collection of Arthurian tales. Not that he needed those books at this point, considering he was living one. He, without any of the mockery that used to accompany the words when other people threw them at him, was Camelot.
He shook off the stray thoughts, laughing at Gwen's comments about her landlady. Tony had no idea, but he imagined it was a possible explanation. He smirked and nodded his head, eyebrows high enough to give him a slighter awkward air, even though he was comfortable and at ease. He couldn't help but be slightly goofy at all times.
Her parting comment got him flustered and he turned red, his expression, and a few inches of his height, falling with a rush of air from his lungs. He nodded and scooted away with Dogby in tow, though she struggled until something else caught her attention and she forgot she was upset.
Tony took her back to the front desk and let her eat some dog food her brought for her. He took up his place at his desk, almost disappointed not to see a line of anyone waiting for his services. The library, most of the time, ran itself. Damn computers. He had other work to do, however, and soon lost himself in that.
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