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Galway Girl [Closed] - Printable Version

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Galway Girl [Closed] - SolitareLee - 04-11-2017

[Image: kXSo9vU.png]


RE: Galway Girl (Closed) - SolitareLee - 04-11-2017

Bree worked at the library. Normally, two weekdays, 8-12, and a Saturday shift depending on what they needed. She wasn't quite clockwork, but she was becoming a staple, despite only having started at the beginning of that summer, after she'd graduated with her undergrad and become officially eligible for internships.

She was there now, manning the front desk. She wound up doing that more often than not. She was there to learn, ostensibly, but she was also there to be an intern, which meant dealing with reshelving the children's section after a particularly boisterous group had been through, and dully manning the front desk while she worked on her homework.

She still enjoyed it, though. She'd be in a library doing homework anyway, and this way she got class credit and connections. And every now and then, someone interesting wandered in. Although, this was the downtown branch, so it was less 'someone interesting' and more 'someone in a turtleneck, looking shell-shocked and disheveled, asking nervous questions about vampires.'

It was a slow morning now, though, and Bree was just idly getting a head start on an essay outline. Working on two masters at the same time had perhaps not been her brightest idea, but she was two-thirds done with English already. After she knocked her thesis out of the park, she'd be free to focus on her second one. She would be a librarian within two years, or her name wasn't Bridget Corey.

Plus, the only benefit of the irritating ears hidden under her hat was the lack of need to sleep, and she had gotten shockingly good at typing on a tablet keyboard with paws.


RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - ambientmagic - 04-25-2017

Evan strolled into the library, taking a moment to breathe in the atmosphere: paper, of course, and ink, and dust, but there was a certain stillness of spirit that he'd only encountered in libraries or on hallowed ground. There was, of course, spirituality in academia--that's why he was so drawn to universities.

The door beeped at him, signaling the entry of another patron. Nimbly, he stepped aside and further into the library, striding purposefully toward the nonfiction section. To the left, behind the half-wall, through the archway--Wait a second.

That was the university library.

Evan kept strolling straight through the young adult section, circling around past the computers (damn things) and back toward the front desk, as if that's what he'd meant to do all along. After all, why travel in a straight line when a circle will do?

There was a young woman at the front desk. Evan didn't recognize her from the university, but she had the strained look of an established student. He politely tapped on the counter to raise her attention. "May I ask a question?" he inquired. "There are several types of books I'd like to locate."


RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - SolitareLee - 04-25-2017

Bree glanced up briefly when she heard someone enter the library, ears flicking forward under her hat. A normal enough looking patron, kind of shabby but not overly so, and he looked like he knew where he was going. She went back to her work, content with the concept of merely glancing up now and then to make sure he wasn't taking a leak on the books or something similarly ridiculous that nonetheless happened here because this was downtown Valesport.

And then, not a minute later, there was a tap on her desk. She glanced up, a bit surprised to see him standing right in front of her. He was tall, but not so tall as some men she was used to dealing with lately. Had he circled around that quickly?

Maybe he hadn't immediately found what he was looking for? If so, he could have spent more than thirty seconds looking. But well, that was what she was here for, she supposed. She didn't bother trying to smile; she knew she was shit at it. Fortunately librarian-ing was one career that didn't necessitate being able to fake that you liked people or being around them.

"Yes, of course," she said, barely biting back the 'this is a library' that experience told her was considered more bitchy than joking. Also, she just knew she couldn't deliver jokes to save her life. It never worked. "That's what I'm here for," she managed instead, closing her book and shifting it further back on the desk, out of the way.


RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - ambientmagic - 04-25-2017

"That's what I like to hear," Evan said with a smile. Since it was her job, no debt was incurred by accepting her help. Walking that fine line around favors and truths was old hat to him, but it still took careful phrasing.

The librarian herself was interesting. Frowning, like she didn't want him to be there, when libraries were for people. He idly wondered if she was personally offended by his existence, or if it was a more general antipathy towards any kind of people. No matter, he could poke at that once he found his resources.

"I'd like to find... hmmm. Books on phytotherapy, to start with. Supplemental medicine, homeopathic remedies, urban gardening, crystal harmonics, jewelry making, urban legends, superstitions, aromatherapy, fringe science, and what's the new one one of my pupils told me about? Something about oils. That should do to start."

As he listed off each topic, he saw the librarian's eyes get wider and wider. The trick now was to convince her he was just another quack. He smiled charmingly at her. "I've got a terrible back, you see, Miss... Bridget?" He glanced up to confirm her nametag was correct. The tidbit about his back was true, but nothing he learned today could help him there.

"I can write all of those down, if you like," he added helpfully. A small favor, not offered, but instead made available.


RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - SolitareLee - 04-25-2017

She was already considering where in the library she needed to go when he started listing. Then he... just kept going.

Oh lord.

She tried not to look too obviously pained. She was an intern. This was, quite literally, exactly why she was here. To deal with the kind of people that absolutely no one else would want to, like girls covered in glitter and asking scared questions about grotesques, and kind of haphazardly dressed men wandering in off the streets to ask about every goddamn neo-pagan subject he picked out of a drum circle.

It was irritating, particularly because she knew they had good resources on some of those subjects, and she probably shouldn't bother to give him any of them. People who weren't idiots might need them.

"No need," she said, pain kept carefully out of her voice. She'd be lucky if she got him through half of that list. "You said phytotherapy to start with, yes? Supplemental and homeopathic medicine will be nearby."

She walked out from around the desk, already running through the exact shelves in her mind, and which books might be most useful to a fool. This revealed that her blouse was, in fact, a dress; not the most common thing for her to wear. She preferred a skirt and jacket combination, but it was a dull sort of brown-grey, patterned thing, and paired with a thin belt, it practically looked like a blouse and skirt combination anyway. And leggings made sure it was professional. Fast strides carried her across the library; she was certain a man with half a foot on her, who appeared to be 40% leg, could keep up.

In the section still haphazardly contained by the Dewey Decimal system, then, 615... .3 and .8 both, probably, yes. It was a larger section here than it perhaps would be in other libraries.

"Here, you should find books on medicinal herbs. Further down, in that section there, you'll find more on homeopathic and traditional medicines." She smiled, which of course came out looking forced, because it pretty much always did. "I'm afraid it's a bit of a hunt to find anything particularly useful. If you'd care to narrow it down for me, I might be able to help you find what you're looking for." So that they wouldn't be here all day, and she could work on her actual schoolwork.

((I normally hide my reference images in the text but here I'll just hand it to you. :P))


RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - ambientmagic - 04-25-2017

Evan stifled a snort as the librarian walked away. She hadn't even tried to hide her derision. Ah well, he was where he needed to be and she wasn't suspicious or hovering--a win in his book. He'd have to take his time finding the rest of his resources, just to see how high he could drive her blood pressure.

He seated himself on the floor in front of the shelf he wanted and began pulling books, sorting them on sight into "probably useless," "definitely useless," "actually helpful," and "oh shit this might have been written by someone who knows what they're doing." In theory, anyway. Unfortunately, there weren't any books in that final stack. Still, it took a very few minutes before he'd pulled a stack worth going through in more detail, then he frowned at the rest,

Common courtesy at the university library was to return books to the circulation desk to be re-shelved properly. However, at a public library that clearly had a manpower shortage...

Evan carefully deposited his chosen books on the table--no one would bother them--and politely tapped at Miss Bridget's desk. "Does this library keep in-house statistics?" He leaned in just so. "I'd love to re-shelve the books myself but I won't if you need to scan them."

((that outfit is cute af omg))


RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - SolitareLee - 04-25-2017

Bree made certain he wasn't looking at her when she closed her eyes tight and grimaced to contain her dismay as he pulled an entire shelf of books onto the floor and began sorting through them.

She was going to have to re-shelf all of those, after they went through circulation. And she was probably also going to have to scan them all, at circulation, because that was yet another task that inevitably got foisted onto her.

Oh well. This was an internship at a library. This was what she was supposed to be doing.

She glanced over the books he'd selected for himself, then eyed them a bit more closely. He appeared to have managed to pick out all of the least goddamn ridiculous out of them. Hmm. And he'd mentioned 'pupils.' Not exactly a common term to use to refer to students, so maybe not a professor--he didn't look the professor type, anyway--but maybe not as completely stupid as she'd first thought.

"I'm afraid we do," she said, not bothering to try to force a smile this time. "So we'll need to take these to the circulation desk." Might as well get some good usage numbers out of this ordeal. "If you'd like, you can simply leave them on this table, and I'll take them there myself after I've finished assisting you."

She mentally ticked off the other things he'd mentioned. Crystals, aromatherapy... aromatherapy and fringe science, those two would be the next closest, still in the 615 range.

"Aaand... here. Aromatherapy." What would be next? Best save urban legends for last, that was an entire room. Jewelry making, urban gardening, and... crystals, he'd said. Really, without the jewelry making and urban legends, it would almost be a cohesive list for someone who wanted to grow and then create their own home remedies. "If you'd like, I can take the books you've selected to the front desk while you peruse."

She eyed the man again. She didn't much care for his mannerisms; the way he leaned in and down as if to emphasize he was taller than her, or perhaps create a false sense of familiarity. It reminded her of someone she hated. Definitely hated, and nothing else.

He'd better not be a witch. Or trying to be a witch. She had history. She should keep a closer eye on the books he selected for himself.

Hopefully he was just an idiot. Those were much safer.


RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - ambientmagic - 04-26-2017

Evan cheerfully stacked the books he didn't want on another table, casually switching them around a bit as he did so. They were no longer in his stacked order, nor in DDS... instead they were neatly stacked in their Library of Congress catalog order. A subtle distinction, but one that amused him.

Now that he knew where the nonfiction section was he could find his way around just fine--he'd spent more time in libraries than this girl had breathing. Still, Evan thrived under the attention of others, resentful though it may be.

"Ah!" He pounced, pulling book off the shelf very near where Bridget was indicating. "This is the new thing my pupil was telling me about. Essential oils. What a fascinating concept, really--perhaps I could use some of these oils instead of the herbs themselves. It would certainly help with cross-contamination..." He trailed off, plucking a couple more texts from the shelf and adding them to his stack to peruse.

"There's no need to take my books to the front desk yet, Miss. This is just the first step of the selection process, you see--I won't be taking all of these home with me. I'll be here all evening, most likely. What time do you close?"

The wave of pure frustration she tried to tamp down was hilarious.

As he spoke, Evan pulled more books off the shelf, gravitating towards the newest ones. After all, he'd last checked in on this particular field five years or so ago--surely there were no major shifts in correspondences, but it was best to be safe. The last time he went years without checking in, everyone had started believing that violets were sapphic, and his daydream potions had resulted in..well. There's a reason he avoided love potions.

That reminds me. "Do you have any books on flower language or perhaps floral arrangements? Yes, a new book about floral arrangements would be excellent."


RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - SolitareLee - 04-26-2017

She was listening to what he was saying, mostly because she was idly looking for hints at witchdom. Not that she would do anything if he was, mind, it was just... good to know these things. But honestly he still just sounded like an idiot.

She didn't particularly like the idea of this man pestering her every five minutes for the remainder of her shift, but the rest of his news put her to smiling for another reason. "Oh, we stay open until nine pm," she said cheerfully. "I'll only be here four, but I'm sure there will be someone else to help you."

Ha. Not her problem. She didn't have another shift til Tuesday, either.

Of course, she'd probably be spending the next few hours traipsing his books over to the circulation desk every ten minutes, at this rate, and she should probably get a headstart on scanning them... Which was kind of tedious, but it could be interesting to see all the titles, in its own way. Half the time she would up checking out any books that crossed through circulation that she hadn't already read.

"...Floral arrangements." It wasn't quite a question, but it clearly wanted to be. Her eyes flickered up and to the left as she thought, very briefly. Not plants or herbalism. Arts. Decorative arts. 745. "Yes, they'll be down three rows, 745..." She didn't remember the specific number, to her irritation, because no one ever really asked for books on floral arrangement. Clearly she needed to go over her numbers again. Just because she preferred other systems of organization didn't mean she could get lazy. "Hmm... Would you like me to perhaps write down the numbers for the various subjects you're seeking?" she suggested. That way, she wouldn't have to trail him around. Of course, she wouldn't be there to explain to him the non-Dewey sections, where all the best things were, but that was just too bad, wasn't it?


RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - ambientmagic - 04-27-2017

Only here until four, hmm? Well, that was a shame.

Evan shelved the librarian for now--irritating her could wait, if she would be around for awhile. In the aromatherapy section, he'd struck gold. This particular author was an alchemist, or he'd eat his pestle. Flipping through the book, he could tell at a glance that most of the "recipes" for a good incense mix or diffuser blend were actually potions and charms by another name.

Happily, he set it aside. It was always so much nicer when someone else did most of the work adapting magic to modern means. He'd have to see if this author had done anything else.


Oh. He had a librarian for that, didn't he?

"Miss Bridget? Be a dear and bring me any other books by this author, if you would," he said, lifting it up to her. "And I'd love for you to bring me a couple of those books on floral arrangements." He smiled as charmingly as possible from his place on the floor. "I trust your judgement to find me the best ones you have."

This was much, much easier than looking himself--if, of course, she worked to the best of her clear ability rather than spiting him.

He wiggled a little on the floor while she was gone in celebration. It was so nice to get something done so easily.


RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - SolitareLee - 04-27-2017

Her essay lay untouched as she ran books back to the circulation desk and began scanning them. Fifteen minutes later, she popped back to see if he had more and not only did he, he had a request.

She eyed the book, clicking her tongue against the top of her mouth. Radaghast, Radaghast... Not exactly her field of study; far, far from it in fact, but she was pretty sure they had more by him. She could check it out in the system. It wasn't exactly a common name.

And books on floral arrangement. Their "best" books on floral arrangement, as if that wasn't utterly subjective based on what he needed.

"I'll see what I can do," she said, instead of asking questions, because he gave her a very charming smile and despite the fact his teeth were perfectly normal and not even a little pointed, it pissed her off. Really, he had only himself to blame if her judgement wasn't trustworthy enough.

At least this was a somewhat more interesting task than running books back to the circulation desk... Or so she thought until she looked up Radaghast in the system.

Good lord.

He was all OVER the goddamn place.

She rubbed her forehead with her thumb and index finger. She'd be running around the entire library if he wanted all of them. What kind of man wrote books on aromatherapy, herbalism, geology, biology, anatomy, good lord... the list just kept going.

Ugh. She was going to have to find these books, drop them off, and then wind up carrying off all the ones he didn't even want. Instead of just going ahead and doing that, she printed off a sheet of Radaghast's rather extensive in-library works--as well as the ones available through inter-library loan, because she was nice--to hand off to... What had he said he name was? Had he? Eh. Didn't matter.

Now, what would someone asking about all manner of supernatural-y hoohaw want with floral arrangement? There was design books, how to guides, meanings, autobiography type day-in-the-life stuff... And to be honest, she didn't even really know which ones were objectively 'best' because she hadn't spent a lot of time reading about goddamn flower arranging.

In the end, she just wound up searching for books that had seen a lot of traffic, and googling some shit on her phone, before settling on three books that looked decent, one that was basically a recipe book for flower arrangements, an older sort of beginner's guide, and a dictionary-esque one that focused on flower meanings. It seemed like a good range. Then she went off to hunt them down.

After she'd found them, she made her way back to her demanding little guest, who was still quite at home on the floor by her shelves. And had a new pile of books for her to take to circulation, looked like.

"Here are some books on floral arrangement I hope will be of use," she said, squatting down to set them next to him. The paper she'd printed off was on top; she placed a single finger on it. "Turns out our man Radaghast produced quite a number of books. I thought it prudent to bring you a list so you can select the ones you need."


RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - ambientmagic - 04-27-2017

Evan scanned the books she'd brought and nearly clapped in delight. "You've done better than I expected!" he exclaimed, fanning through the dictionary. "Yes, these are exactly what I need."

Evan looked up at her from his seat on the floor. "You're very good at what you do, Miss Bridget," he said seriously. "Very good indeed."

He put the floral books on the stack with his other "keepers" to be transferred to his table before turning to her list. Hmmm... Old Radaghast had certainly been busy, hadn't he. He wondered if anyone else had noticed the discrepancies in publication dates--the same Donn Radaghast certainly couldn't have books published in both 1922 and 2012. He scanned down the list--anatomy and biology weren't necessarily his wheelhouse, but, well.

"It's always good to expand your horizons isn't it?" he asked rhetorically. He handed the list back to Bridget. "I'll take the lot. Wait. Is there a checkout limit? And are there exceptions for academics?"

Mentally he started running through the herbs in his satchel. He'd just been wandering through downtown Valesport "gathering" some of the plants that grew wild in gardens or in public parks, so he had quite a selection.

Did he have any corn straws? Ah. He'd gotten a spray of kiss-me-quick from a garden nearby; that would do in a pinch, though she'd likely see him giving her a little red flower as a come on and not accept it.

Unfortunately, she'd only feel an accommodating disposition after she already accepted the flower. Always, always with the rules and balances. Mentally, he shrugged. Either he was allowed to take the books or he wasn't.

Doing things legally was usually less trouble in the long run, though.


RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - SolitareLee - 04-27-2017

Bree's cheeks colored slightly at the praise--it was an issue. She was dealing with it, by pretending it didn't happen. It wasn't her fault; it was a good compliment. This was what she wanted to be good at. It wasn't like when a certain someone spent way too long complimenting her legs.

"All of them?" she echoed, surprised. She hadn't expected him to go for the more eclectic ones. Animal anatomy, really? When it looked so much like a pen name? Urgh. There went her next forty-five minutes.

"Yes, fourteen books." She paused, frowning at the mention of academia. Surely he was too old to be a student? Returning education, maybe. He didn't look much like a professor. Well... there were some weird professors on campus; this was Valesport. But she certainly didn't recognize him. "...Yes, if you have a student ID it's twenty-one books and if you have a faculty ID, it's... fifty," she said, sounding slightly pained. "And the return time is six weeks, rather than two... with renewals, of course. Automatic renewals are available through our website, though of course if the book has been requested, it won't be eligible for renewal." She doubted any of these would be requested super soon, but hey, they got weird people in here. Like him.

At least she wasn't still working at the campus library. They didn't even HAVE a limit for how many books faculty could check out.


RE: Galway Girl [Closed] - ambientmagic - 05-05-2017

"All of them!" Evan confirmed cheerfully. "I'm always happy to learn from someone who seems intelligent, and I like the way this Radaghast writes. He reminds me of someone I met once," he added thoughtfully.

That had been ages ago. John had been in linguistics, not anatomy, but that hadn't stopped him from being fascinating to talk to. The old professor had helped him translate some old Gaelic text in a dialect he didn't remember, in exchange for answering some questions about incantations and prophecies and other sorts of magic--not really Evan's field, but he dabbled.

Evan refocused on the books surrounding his bare legs on the floor. He turned one over in his hand as he looked back up at Bree. "Fourteen, twenty-one, and fifty?" he asked. "Are you sure it isn't forty-nine? That would make more sense." Mentally, he started tallying up the books he had waiting, the topics they had yet to cover...

Well, if he was going to play by the rules today he would play by the rules. Mostly. "Also, Miss Bridget, I don't have a library card. I'd like to go ahead and get one today--what do I need?" Hopefully it was one one form of ID--it would be much easier to turn his driver's license into a faculty ID that it would be to create an entirely new one. Illusion was easy. Duplication was harder.

(He didn't drive. He'd never driven. Getting a license had been a matter of charming the poor woman at the DMV to within an inch of her life and then casually strolling out the door. Somehow, he wasn't sure the same tactic would work this time.)