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]

[ Harold's clever reply is a droll, ] That is what motivated me at your age, so I suppose I can't say anything.

[ That treason charge sure came from boredom and a friend telling him about a cool thing, and then it disrupted his whole life irrevocably. Harold would never have become the hacker and surveillance genius he is without that history of pure curiosity, though.

This line of conversation also conveniently lets him escape getting too specific about his present motives. ]

[levelshift]

[Okay, he may have been expecting some scolding or something, not that. Surprised and finding it kind of funny, Accelerator lets out a rare (and squeaky) bark of laughter.]

Hah! If that's the case, I would've liked to see you back then!

[Tiny baby nerd Harold, committing felonies out of boredom, that's amazing.]

[aimsforknees]

[ It's a little surprising to hear Harold say that. He knew it was the right choice to let Harold handle that part of the conversation, but he hadn't expected that reply. It's hard, if not impossible, to imagine a Harold without the rigid morals that keep them both in line. Sure, they bend the rules here and there for the sake of doing the numbers, but Harold is nothing if not careful and exact.

He thinks he likes this Harold better. The Harold that keeps him in line, keeps him from making bad choices. That expects so much of him. It can be hard, at times, to live up to those expectations, but he has found himself able to rise to the occasion again and again. It feels good, knowing that he can trust Harold's guidance.

But there's a good thread between Accelerator and Harold here. A connection he doesn't share, unless he wants to bring up the fact that he joined the Army instead of going to jail. Which, he doesn't. It was so long ago, and he doesn't want to take a trip down memory lane. It's too easy to get mired there, too easy to fall into a bad mood. He can just let Accelerator and Harold carry out their conversation. ]

wrapping this up?

[ornithologist]

[ Harold is used to carrying the conversation on John's behalf at times -- especially with techies -- and thinks nothing of it. In a dry tone: ] I assure you I'm capable of far more interesting feats now, I'm just less likely to publicize them.

[ Less likely to get caught, is what he really means.

A moment later he snaps the lid of his laptop closed and starts unplugging the connection cables. ]

All set. Thank you for the assistance, Accelerator.