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 Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 11:35 am
Recovered from her bout with pneumonia, Ainsley was happy to be able to go outside again. She didn't look forward to going to school anymore and by the end of the day Ainsley felt exhausted. The teasing wasn't as bad as it had been before she got sick and she tried her best to keep up a poker face as if she didn't care in hopes that they would stop but inside was a whole other story.
Simply escaping the prison that was school was a big relief for the young teenager. Being trapped in her house for weeks, it was the last place she wanted to go. She didn't want to risk staying outside with the temperature dropping while she was in her school uniform, fearing that she might get sick again, so she opted to go to the library instead.
Wide icy blue eyes took in a sight that was different from her bedroom and classroom with a smile. It felt like it had been forever since she was here! Did they move things around? She looked around the usual area but she couldn't find the section of books she was looking for. With a small pout, Ainsley rocked back and forth on her feet as she considered where the books were actually located.
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Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 11:11 am
Anthony Darrow was glad to be at work. It was a strange sort of escape from what he now considered his 'real' life, where before this had been all he knew. He had considered his powered up existence as his secondary life, but that was no longer the case. The war, his efforts as a knight and protector, had become his main focus, his real life, and working at the library was somehow his small escape from reality.
It was strange, how things had turned around.
His hand was still in a cast, but he knew he was healing faster than his doctors anticipated. Even so, they did not seem too surprised by it, and he was, in turn, not surprised by that. There were so many people out there that had the same powers he had, the same magic exposure he had. They could find ways to heal that modern medicine would never understand.
The doctors seemed to be learning to just not ask questions about it. But that was a general rule of thumb for living here in Destiny City.
Tony was walking around the library, checking on patrons and seeing if anyone needed help, with Dogby trotting along beside him. She was not there to help, she was there for cuddles. She let out an excited yip and bounced away from him, running toward Ainsley when she spotted the young girl. Dogby remembered her friends, despite how many she made. This one was different. Tony watched her run off and shook his head, following her and then spotting the source of her excitement.
"Oh! Hello! I haven't seen you here in a little while!"
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Posted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 7:52 pm
The familiar presence of a corgi found Ainsley like a hound found a fox, bringing a small giggle out of the child's lips. Following it was a small cough, her expression mixing with a frown full of concern and a smile. She keeled down to the corgi, holding her hand out to the dog. She missed her! It felt like it had been forever since she'd been to this library, and when Mr. Darrow rounded the corner she felt a little guilty about it.
"Oh, hello Mister... Darrow," she said, her voice drawing out his name with a little hesitation. If he was just any librarian she might not have remembered his name at all but this man had a lot of influence on her younger childhood years in Destiny City.
"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I should have come by more often."
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Posted: Mon Nov 11, 2013 7:56 pm
Dogby ran up to Ainsley, sniffed her hand once and then threw herself against the young girl's legs, cuddling her excitedly and wagging the stump of her tail in her excitement. She was more than happy, having missed Ainsley and she still seemed to remember how good a friend she was. Dogby had a little heart, and she held Ainsley in it, it seemed, as someone she just would not and could not forget.
Tony watched them, smiling softly.
He was glad to see how happy Dogby was, though he was much more happy to see Ainsley herself. He had been a little worried about her, since he had not seen her in some time and now he wondered what had been keeping her away. He hoped things were okay, and that she had been well.
"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm sure you've had better things to do than come to the library," he laughed, waving off her guilt, not blaming her. A lot of people didn't come back to the library for ages, as their lives moved on or they simply forgot. He couldn't blame her for that. "Are you doing well? How are you? You've grown since I've seen you last!"
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Posted: Thu Nov 14, 2013 8:46 pm
Ainsley had been to a library different than this one in her time away and perhaps that is why she felt guilty. This was the library where all her fond memories were, and where Dogby was, and because she had gone away to another library she hadn't seen them. Dogby seemed to have missed her, and a smile of mixed emotion fell across her face as she gently pet the dog.
"The library is filled with much knowledge, where else would one like to go in their spare time?" She replied softly, holding back her cough until the very end. She seemed to take a moment to catch her breath in between petting Dogby and answering Mr. Darrow's questions.
"I've been well," she said softly, not wanting to worry the librarian with the news of her recent bout with pneumonia and hospital stay.
"I'll be thirteen in a few months," she said proudly. "Has time been friendly to you?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 12:10 pm
Tony smiled softly and watched her, sensing that she was not being entirely honest with him. She looked a little tired and he didn't miss her cough, thinking she might have been keeping it from him on purpose. He knew better than to push, though, smiling and nodded his head patiently.
"I'm glad to hear you've been well! Things have been just fine here, I think. My wife and I just had a new baby, a little girl named Sarah. And we have a new corgi puppy, to keep Dogby company, who we have named Gizmo. Both are a little too young for daily trips to the library, but I like to bring them in, sometimes."
Or when Kyndall needed some time off from baby care, he brought Sarah with him to tend to her here. She had a little crib and pen in his office now, which was probably the most use his actual office got, so it worked out for him. Dogby loved sitting with Sarah, and cuddling. She played very gently with the baby, too, as if aware of her age and how delicate she was. Gizmo, too, was very sweet with the baby, and with Dogby. His little family was a very happy one, and he was happy in that.
Of course, his powered life had changed dramatically too, but he of course knew better than to talk about that. Still, it was always on his mind these days, while it was still new.
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Posted: Thu Nov 21, 2013 7:57 pm
Ainsley felt like it had been forever since she had been around and it was clearly on her face in the form of surprise when Mr. Darrow said he had a wife and newborn. When did this happen? Had Sailor Hypnos completely taken over her life? Sure, there were other libraries she had gone to but had it really been that long since she'd seen Mr. Darrow? If she felt guilty before, she felt even more guilty now!
"Congratulations! Oh, I wish I had something to give you," she fussed, wishing she had been around more often. Maybe she could make something for the baby? Maybe if she checked out a sewing book while she was here she could learn how to make a little hat for her since Winter was approaching? It was definitely on the child's mind. It had to be a surprise though!
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Posted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 1:04 am
He smiled and laughed, shaking his head.
"Oh, don't worry! I wouldn't want you to feel obligated, and I'm terrible at accepting gifts, anyway." He was really bad at it, actually, and was terribly awkward and dopey. He was just the type of guy who felt like he needed to repay every kindness, and he felt silly when he had no way of doing that.
He appreciated how kind hearted she was, though, and how concerned she was about others. It was always good to see, and he was warmed by it. He hoped that Sarah grew up to be like her, really, because he would be a lucky man to have a daughter like that.
But he didn't know how to say that out loud without it sounding weird, and he knew he would fail spectacularly, so he just smiled and chuckled.
"It's very exciting... and tiring, but with two babies in the house now," Sarah and the new puppy, of course, "it's been very hectic. Dogby here is a very good caretaker, though. I'll bring Gizmo to the library some time, and you can meet her, too. I'm sure she'll like you as much as Dogby and I do."
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Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2013 3:39 pm
Mr. Darrow said he didn't want her to feel obligated but she still did! She had missed giving him an engagement gift, a wedding gift, a baby shower gift and a congratulations you got a new puppy gift! Was there a card for all of that? Probably not. She could make one! A card only seemed so thoughtful though, and soon Ainsley was toying with the idea of writing him a novel. How fitting would that be?
"Is it really?" She asked, questioning as she pet Dogby softly behind the ears. Ainsley was the baby, and for most of her life the only child. She didn't know how difficult babies could be, and simply knew how cute they were. Maybe there was a book about it? She looked at Mr. Darrow with curiosity. He must have read all of the baby books out there!
"You must be a pro with all the baby books around to learn from!" She said with a bit of excitement. She really did love books. They could teach you anything if you read from them, although in the end they couldn't give you experience. You could read all about how you're suppose to swim but once you get in the water you still just sink. It was one more embarrassing memory Ainsley hadn't needed.
"I hope so! Whatever will I do though? I will have to use both hands!" She said with a laugh.
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Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2014 1:38 pm
Boy, was it ever tiring.
Tony had missed out on being a father the first time around. With Nathan, he had been a young man and he had made a mistake, leaving a woman he had not even known was pregnant behind to raise a baby he had not known about until he was all grown up. How old was Nate when he first came to Destiny City? Seventeen? It was only recently getting to be like they were family, forming a bond between father and son.
But it all looked way easy now, in retrospect, compared to the late hours, the lack of sleep, and the run around of having a new born baby to take care of. It was exhausting, for sure, but Tony could not complain about it more than in a superficial way. He was tired and sometimes a bit fuzzy headed and easily confused, but he was happy and he would not change anything about his life at the moment.
Unless making days longer was on the table. He would do that.
He laughed at her comment about the books and grinned at her, though inside he was wondering how she knew he was reading the What To Expect books on his breaks.
"Well, I'm sure you'll figure out the best method of petting both Dogby and Gizmo. They'll like it, I'm sure. You're one of their favorite people, as you are mine as well." He smiled and Dogby yipped, mostly out of excitement but it almost seemed like she was agreeing. She had funny timing that way, and always seemed to be more aware of things than she should be, for a dog.
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Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 10:47 am
There was a small blush spread across Ainsley's cheeks as Mr. Darrow flattered her so. She had never suspected to be one of his favourite people, nor one of Dogby's. Least of all Gizmo consider she'd never met him but she'd be happy to fill up that spot for another animal too!
"Is that so?" She asked with an embarrassed chuckle. "It seems I have a lot to live up to then! I promise I'll try my best."
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