December Library Catch-All [ OPEN ]

[aimsforknees]

WHO: John, Harold, and anyone who might find themselves at the Library
WHEN: December
WHERE: The Library!
WHAT: The Library is here and open to all! Come borrow books, find a comfy chair to relax in, or snoop around.
NOTES\WARNINGS: Will be added as they come up

The Library is a five-story neoclassical building of terra cotta, brick, and stone. And the inside is, in fact, a library! And rather clean and organized too. There's no dust, no muddy footprints (apart from your own), and all the shelves are organized by Dewey Decimal, subject, and author. All literature is something you might find in a 2010 New York City library: various forms of fiction, children's and teens' sections, history, science, cooking, gardening, the list goes on. There's even small sections of audiobooks on compact disks and of DVDs ranging from old classics to history shows. The first floor has a reading/study room, a comfortable space with deep armchairs and tables with chairs; the fifth floor has some smaller tables clustered under a skylight. Part of the second floor is abruptly closed off by a door with a biometric scanner that denies entry to anyone who isn't John Reese or Harold Finch; the walls surrounding this section are soundproofed, so even a keen listener won't hear anything from inside. Otherwise, it's a perfectly normal library!

Comments

[ornithologist]

Well, he might as well be totally frank about it. Annoying as it is for Accelerator to have looked at his file, it does mean he has room to be a little freer with his honest motives than with most people. He's still naturally extremely reticent, but in this case it's more likely to needle Accelerator than make Harold seem too forthcoming.

Harold raises his eyebrows over his glasses and merely keeps holding the wrapped gift out at him placidly.

"Please don't take this as insulting, but I find the number of young adults here highly alarming. The least I can do is give you a book for Christmas."

[levelshift]

"......................."

Accelerator narrows his eyes. He hasn't come across many adults who give a shit around here, but he supposes one who isn't completely terrible would care there are a lot of unsupervised kids running around here, getting into danger. Not that he counts himself, obviously, but still. This is just Harold being nice.

He hasn't stopped being wary, but he at least takes the gift with his free hand, clicking his tongue. "It used to be worse. There used to be more little kids," he says irritatedly. That isn't pleasant information to relay, but he figures Harold should know in case more show up.

"Am I supposed to open it now?"

[ornithologist]

He supposes he can't be too surprised that Accelerator would ask, like he doesn't know what to do with a gift. Based on what he knows of his background, Harold has dismal expectations for how much he's been treated like a person in the past at all. (He really wishes he knew his actual name...) Being told there used to be 'more little kids' makes him look dismayed, shaking his head, but he doesn't follow up on it so as not to ruin the mood.

Harold decides to be satisfied that Accelerator isn't offended and is accepting the gift. He still feels like he needs to act nonchalant or he'll spook him, like a horse.

"If you'd like. It's really nothing too formal. Though if you do read it, I'd be curious to hear what you think."

Inside the wrapping paper is an old battered library edition of Dune by Frank Herbert. Accelerator had indicated he likes sci fi and adventure stories, and something called light novels that Harold had later realized meant young adult, so he thinks this is a good choice for pushing his reading level a little. Dune has plenty going on in it for a thoughtful reader to chew on, but it's also a high octane action story.

[levelshift]

There's still a healthy degree of suspicion on Accelerator's face, but he doesn't give the gift back. That would be exceptionally rude, even for him. Nope, he's sadly locked into accepting this thing.

It's the first time he can remember getting a Christmas gift. That's a depressing thought.

Scowling, he decides he might as well just get this over with. Leaning against the checkout desk, he lets go of his crutch to give himself both hands to unwrap the gift. As expected, it's a book. Flipping it over, he quickly reads the back of it. It isn't one he's read before, and it seems like it's right up his alley.

"Sounds interesting," he replies slowly, his eyes still on the book. After an awkward beat he glances up. "..... Thanks."

[ornithologist]

Harold dutifully doesn't react with any fanfare to the opening of the gift. Instead he thinks giving an intellectual perspective might get Accelerator thinking about the gift itself, rather than than the fact that he's been given one.

He minutely adjusts his glasses, considering how to put it.

"You're welcome. There's much in Dune I thought you might find interesting. It's a conscientious consideration of humanity in science fiction without hiding behind computers or robots -- and it's also a message about deciding for yourself, rather than trusting heroic figures."

A beat, before he adds, "Or you can read it as a coming of age action adventure story, and it's quite enjoyable that way."

[levelshift]

Harold's approach is at least taking some of the pressure off of having to accept a gift. Actually, it does a great job of it, because his reasoning of deciding for yourself rather than trusting heroic figures causes an expression to overtake Accelerator's face.

He looks startled, opening his mouth before abruptly closing it.

Hold up, there wasn't anything in his file about that Level 0. There wasn't even mention of the Level 6 Shift Project outside of him being convicted of the murders. So... it's just a coincidence that he's completely nailed the issue Kamijou Touma had to punch out of him when they were in Russia, right? Right??? Rationally, he knows it's totally nuts that Harold would know Kamijou, let alone know what his opinions on the other boy are.

He can't believe this. He really can't.

"................ Right," he says slowly, unable to help himself. "You... haven't heard of an idiot named Kamijou Touma, have you?"

[ornithologist]

Harold actually takes a second to think through his memory archives before responding, blinking a couple times, but then says, "No, I haven't."

Apparently something he'd said hit home harder than he'd expected. Harold knows he's fairly good at reading people, largely because he typically gets to validate all of his assumptions by hacking their records and seeing what was right or wrong -- being able to determine correctness of assumptions is a key part of learning, machine and organic -- but he doesn't know Accelerator well enough to guess at what part had struck home.

"Dune is a seminal series," he offers. "This is the first volume. Much of what you've read in science fiction has been influenced by it, and that's no coincidence. It strikes a nerve with many people."

[levelshift]

At Harold's answer, Accelerator visibly relaxes. It's okay, it's just an unfortunate coincidence. That Level 0 is complicated, and he doesn't want to explain him. He isn't even sure where he would start.

Turning his attention back to the book, he turns it over in his hands. Sounds like it's pretty important. "I'm guessing the library has the rest of the series?" He asks, because if it's as important as Harold is saying then chances are high he's going to read through the entire series.

[ornithologist]

"Yes, of course," Harold agrees immediately. He's still curious, still wondering, but Accelerator really had been far more respectful of his privacy than he'd had to be, so Harold doesn't take this chance to pry.

"Herbert wrote the first six volumes himself, what's often considered the true Dune sequence. I'd concern yourself with those. The rest were continued by his son after his death."

Of which there's another ten or twenty volumes, which Harold hasn't gotten all the way through himself. Too many other things to read when he does have the time.

[levelshift]

Harold choosing not to pry doesn't go unnoticed, and Accelerator appreciates it. That Level 0 is complicated, way too complicated, and talking about the book, even if the whole gift thing is awkward, is a lot easier.

"Six books to start with, huh? That's not so bad," he mutters thoughtfully. Dune is hefty, but he's a fast reader. Incredibly fast. "It's not like there's anything to do in between those fucking missions, and I guess reading would be more productive than sleeping. How many books did his kid write?"

He may as well read the entire series if it isn't total garbage.

[ornithologist]

Harold lifts his eyebrows at this casual response, indicating Accelerator thinks six weighty volumes aren't so bad. Clearly he should be stepping up his book recommendations. 'Light novels' indeed.

"There's at least a dozen more," he informs him, privately amused. "And if you need other things to keep you occupied, I'm sure I can come up with something."

Gathering electronic parts from the junkyard for him, if nothing else. It's not a task he could delegate to just anyone, and he trusts Accelerator's ability to pick them out in good enough working order.

[levelshift]

A dozen, huh? Accelerator perks up a little at that information. Even if he reads slowly he's sure he's going to chew through the first six novels in no time, so as long as they aren't completely terrible, having a dozen more will definitely give him something to do. If only for a small while.

He gives a small nod, affirming that this is indeed a good gift. The possibility of having more things to do doesn't sound so bad either, and he answers readily, "That'd be fine, as long as you're not thinking about some pointless bullshit."

Harold doesn't seem like the kind of person to send him on unnecessary errands though, so he doubts that will be an issue.

[ornithologist]

"Finish the books first," he says dryly, not wanting to immediately jump to underage labor, "and I'll see what I can think of."

This seems a natural place to end the conversation, which had honestly gone as well as Harold could've expected. He's satisfied with it. He steps away from the circulation desk in clear indication to leave.

"Happy holidays."