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 Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 10:56 pm
Harmony wasn't at the library much these days assisting Tony like she used to. She spent a lot of time at Espresso Yourself and had a lot of work to do on her portfolio and preparing for the life of a college student. That meant applying for scholarships and developing her admissions essay. But here she was today helping him behind the counter and sorting his mail.
She got up and picked up some books and walked out into the main library. She was shaking her hips to the tune in her headphones, dancing across the floor to shelf some stray books that hadn't made it back to circulation yet. It saved Tony time at the end of the night and that was the important thing now that her mom was knocked up and he was her stepfather.
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Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:55 pm
Spring was quickly approaching, and that meant one thing. Gardening! Or more specifically the children's gardening class she taught at the community garden she had organized. Sense hadn't been to the public library in a few years, sense she was in high school. Evalia opened the door and took a deep breath, breathing in the familiar smell that seemed to permeate all Libraries, the thick and earthy smell paper and tweed. Though strangely she almost never saw anyone actually wearing a tweed jacket. Feeling both strangely nostalgic and invigorated, Evalia let the door swing close behind her as she walked quietly into the long rows of shelves, laden with their multitude of books.
Normally she haunted the collage library when she was in need of books. But being a place of higher learning, they had a definite lack of children's books. Oh there were plenty of books about children, but nothing tailored to be read by young minds. And that was exactly what she needed. Books for children, on plants and gardening. If she could get enough and glean from them some insight on how to make the class more entertaining to young children, then she might be able to get more of them interested past the allure of socially acceptable reasons to muck around in the dirt.
Rounding a corner of shelves, heading to the direction she knew the children's books were kept, she paused, hearing the oh so faint sound of music, subdued like it was coming from earbud's or headphones. Her pause was just long enough to show a young woman dancing across the library, sticking books back in the shelves as she bounced around. Tilting her head for a moment, she watched the girl, thinking to herself she looked mighty young to be a librarian! Spying one of the books in the girls hands;
Turnips
Chickens of the Dirt
The cover colorfully painted with a whimsical turnip sporting wings and a beak. She recognized it as a book on creative vegetable box gardens for children, and she figured that it, in part, was exactly the sort of thing she was looking for. Slipping forward she put herself in front of the dancing librarian girl and smiled, giving a small wave. " Mind if I take that off of your hand? " She asked, not quite sure if she could be heard over the girls music.
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Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 9:38 pm
It took Harmony a couple of minutes while she was shaking her fanny to a particularly good part of the song to realize that A. someone was there. B. that someone was watching. And C. that someone probably thought by now that she was a lunatic. Or possibly a spazz... Not that she really cared about said opinion, it was more the fact that one had been formed while she didn't even know she was making an impression that bothered her. Harmony liked being active in her opinion influence.
"Oh! Hi!"
She reached a hand up and pushed the headphones back and off her ears to slide down her neck to her shoulders. Something loud and bouncy echoed out of the small speakers between the two girls. She smiled sheepishly and reached down to turn off her ipod. Finally blessed silence, the kind Papa Tony liked, descended. He was forever asking her why she wanted to suffer such dreadful noise and was annoyed when she answered that it was fun and he should lighten up.
But, then, they didn't always have to see eye to eye.
"Can I help you?"
Then Harm realized that she'd already been addressed and had simply missed it over the roar of her dance beat. Well, just fantastic! She nibbled her lower lip nervously and let out a quiet chuckle.
"You wanted something?" She shrugged, kind of embarrassed. "If you asked already I kind of missed it."
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Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 10:00 pm
With a smile, and a almost inaudible chuckle. " Its quite alright, its good to see someone who enjoys music so much. People to often treat music like its something to just be enjoyed on car rides to the grocery store. " Wich always baffled her, considering she rode a Vespa, and so did not listen to the radio while driveing.
And it really did make her very happy to witness someone enjoy music to an extent were they would listen to it in a place that was generally known for its need of silence. She had always thought it silly herself, but then again that need was there exactly for people like her. Easily distractable with minds that tended to wonder when the outside world gave them plenty of prompts.
" I was just offering to take that book off of your hands, its looks like one that I came looking for. Or at least close enough, " acknowledging the colorfull children's book in Harmony's hand with a slight nod of her head that sent the long pearlesent strands of hair sliding over one shoulder.
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Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 11:04 pm
"Thanks."
Harmony was happy to shake her rump pretty much any time she could think or hear a beat. Dancing made her happy and it allowed her to express her happiness. Well, and shaking her groove thing. That was always a good benefit considering that it helped keep her in shape.
"Oh? This? Yeah, sure."
She handed Eva the book that she indicated, glancing at the title as she did.
"Never thought of a turnip as a chicken. Pretty sure I like more meat in my chickens."
She wasn't the librarian around here anyway but she knew a thing or two about the building. She'd been helping out here for almost a year now and Tony still hadn't kicked her out and she still hadn't managed to set anything of fire so, all in all, a good fit.
"Kids books are over that way. I'm not a librarian, obviously, but my stepdad Tony is and he's probably at the front with Dogby somewhere. Look for the mutt making everyone melt and you'll find him."
She grinned. "I'm Harmony."
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Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 11:24 pm
" Honestly, I hadent either. But then again, I'm a vegetarian so thinking of my turnips as chickens would pretty much scar me for life, " She said with a laugh, clearly indicating she was joking, " But, I have heard this book has some neat how-tos for turnip lanterns and some other crafty stuff for kids and box gardens, so I think I can overlook the title this one time " Grinning she took the book and cradled it in the crook of her arm.
" You did strike me as a tad young to be the librarian. Nice to meet you Harmony, I'm Evalia, but you can call me Eva." she said with a grin to match Harmony's she glanced towards the front. After a moment her brows furrowed, as if in thought, then shot up, her mouth forming into a little "o" of surprise.
" Tony? You mean Mr. Darrow? Hes your Step-dad? " She wouldn't have even made the connection if it weren't for the perky little pups name catching her attention. It wasn't exactly as common as "Spot" or "Fluffy" that stood out to her. " That would make you a neighbor of mine!! " She suddenly had a look of excitement of hers, always overjoyed to meet her neighbors. And what with the rampant terrorist attacks and the alarmingly amount of high missing persons in the city, the suburbs were slowly become less welcoming and neighborly then they had once had.
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Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 12:54 am
"I'm almost eighteen!" She retorted indignantly. "I don't think you have to be ancient and born in tweed to be a librarian."
Then she thought of her step father.
"I could be wrong though."
When Eva introduced herself Harmony smiled and extended her hand for a shake. When she was recognized by her step father that wasn't entirely comforting. How was he so much more popular than she was? What the hell? She frowned at the thought of that and then shook her head. He was a stick in the mud but there was no way he was more popular than she was!
"I guess we are. I haven't really gotten to know my neighbors."
They hadn't been in the new house long and it kind of seemed like a moot point since she'd be moving closer to the college once she started at DCU in the fall and wouldn't be living at home in the new house. Her mom would keep a room for her, of course, but she wouldn't stay there except maybe on the weekend so she could spend time with her new baby brother or sister.
"It's nice to meet you. So I take it you like gardening?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 1:20 am
At the tone of resentment in her voice, she laughed, quickly covering her mouth with her free hand, embarrassed, as if it had escaped her before her manners had reminded her that it was rude to do so. " Well, if it makes you feel better, I have never actually encountered a Librarian in tweed, much to my disappointment. I did meet one who was quite fond of twill though. " she said with a faint nod of her head, as if recalling the memory of librarians long past.
She reached out her hand, her friendly smile once again slipping over her face as her embarrassment faded. " Oh you should, there are quite a few very nice people in the neighborhood. " She watched the frown flicker across Harmony's face, and her own brows furrowed, wondering what was upsetting her. At the mention of gardening she grinned, peeking down at the book in her arm.
" I truly love it. I'm the house a few down the block from yours with the green house in the back-yard. This book isn't really for me though " She shifted the book a little as she mentioned it ' I organize the community garden in our neighborhood, I think I need to come up with a few new ideas to keep the kids interested. A lot of parents sort of use it as free babysitting after school... Not that I mind really, its just that if you ever get a large group of children in an area with access to large amounts loose dirt and water hoses... well, its just better to keep them occupied. The DCU Library was sorely understocked on the subject, so I figured the community library would be a better place to look."
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Posted: Sat May 11, 2013 12:06 am
"So you go to DCU? I'm heading there in the fall."
Harmony was itching to graduate, all of her free time was being funneled into creating a working portfolio and getting as many scholarships as she possibly could. She had one that would pay for her class fees, which was nice, but there was more to college - books, materials, room and board. She'd be keeping her job at the coffee house - her boss had promised to work around her college schedule as he did with her classes now.
"Anyway, that's pretty cool about the garden. Do you mind if I come by sometime and shoot one of the classes?"
In her world shooting was always with a camera, never with a gun. It took her a minute to realize that had another meaning and with children involved it could sound very bad, indeed. She frowned, feeling suddenly very stupid and nervous. She fidgeted as she quickly covered.
"With a camera, I mean. I'm a photographer. Or, I hope to be. That's what I'll be studying at DCU."
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Posted: Fri May 24, 2013 5:18 pm
Eden just blinked. Once.... twice.... her friendly grin still plastered on her face, but her mind racing wondering if she had heard right. Her mind was just starting to fumble over possibilities... horrible possibilities? Was this seemingly nice stranger a psychopath? She wanted to shoot the children? Oh god were was the Libarian? Was that nice gentleman iwth the cane laying behind some bookshelf in the recesses of the library, dead, and this girl just was doing his job as some kind of twisted game? WHAT KIND OF MANIAC MASTERMIND WAS THIS!?!?
All of these thoughts happened in the blink of an eye, and were washed away quite quickly as she explained herself. " Oooh, I know some people in the Art departments there!! You'll just love it. I'm a Science major myself. "And sure, feel free to stop by the gardens any time! People love to go there to take pictures of the flowers and animals and such, and I'm sure the kids wouldn't mind having their pictures taken, though Ill have to double check with the parents. Give me a week or so to make sure its ok with them? "
" You know, there is a section of the gardens that has several large butterfly bushes. I'm not sure what your choice subject matter is for your photography, but in the next few weeks they should become a hot spot for Butterflys and hummingbirds alike, if that's the sort of think you are in to " She added it almost as an after-though, as if she were afraid if she didn't say something now she would forget. And knowing Evalia, that was a likely scenario.
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Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2013 6:53 pm
Harmony smiled and nodded. Nature photographs weren't her specialty but she was known to dabble from time to time in them. Besides, butterflies and hummingbirds were the kinds of things people ate right up! If she wanted to get in good with the nature buffs around campus it wouldn't be a bad idea to stock some shots like Evalia suggested into her repertoire. If she did a street fair they'd probably sell.
Anyway, that made it good advice. "Thanks. I'll do that."
She was looking forward to the the college experience, leaving the nest and being able to do things on her own now. Her mother needed to let go and embrace the new family she was creating. In a way, she was lonely for it. She felt like she was no longer necessary. So it was as sad as it was exciting.
"Um...was there anything else I could find you while I'm at it?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 10:59 pm
Evalia smiled, glad she could offer some information that was actually usefull to the girl. Often times she felt sort of like a used cars salesman. making the same pitch over and over to people who didn't really care or want to hear it unless they really needed something out of her. Granted the garden wasn't a car, and she wasn't trying to sell anything, she just felt it was a beautiful place most people seemed to underestimate.
" Um.... Hm. " The girl thought about it for a moment, tilting her head and shifting the weight of her books to one arm, balancing them on one slender hip. " No, really I think that's it, unless you can think of a way to entertain a gaggle of children. " her eyebrows rose beseechingly. She loved children, but really she had only started dealing with whole herds of them when she had taken up a position in the garden. Before that she had been a high school student, and before THAT she had been a child herself. Not a lot of time to really learn the in's and out's of child interaction. At least outside the bounds of childhood play mates.
" Oh. but wait!! Before I forget " She turned at the waist a little, trying to reach into her purse, having to turn more as trying to unzip it caused it to swing around behind her. She ended up turning in a circle, chasing it untill she got it opened and pulled out a pen ' Let me give you my number so you can get the information about the garden, and Ill let you know a good time to come photograph the children! She said, smiling brightly. She pulled out a little peice of paper, a sticky note post like in the shape up a comically drawn cartoon daisy, and scribbled her number down, the numbers shining in a glittery riot.
Metallic sharpies. So awesome.
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 11:42 pm
"Well, as long as that's it."
Harmony was happy to help but even happier to have something new to do, somewhere else to shoot. She was always open to new ideas and college review boards are suckers for kids. Anything she could do to get ahead was fine by her. She wanted DCU to accept her desperately. But she had a job to do first and since Eva didn't need her she wanted to get back to it. She was about to leave when Evalia stopped her.
"Oh, right." She took a pen and scribbled her own number on one of the bookslips she carried with her. "This is my number but I guess since we're neighbors, at least until fall, so you know where to find me."
She grinned, ever the charming girl, and handed her the paper. Then she started shelving again, easily accessible in case she had another question.
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