savetheearth | CLOSED ☆

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CLOSED ☆

WHO: Colette Brunel (

angelskills) and Banagher Links (

argents).
WHAT: Banagher offered to help Colette organize the books in the tea parlor!
WHEN: 5-12-13, Sunday evening, 7:30ish!
WHERE: Colette's tea parlor.
WHY: Because adorable.

[ It's getting close to 7:30 now. Today, as most Sundays tended to be, was slow, but she didn't mind. The weather was getting so nice that it was hard to not be positive about things! Warm breezes and cooling spring showers, flowers beginning to grow and curl their green fingers out toward the sky. Even the sun was setting later, not wanting to say goodbye to such a lovely day.

And on top of all that, today was the day that Banagher (Bannie) was going to come and help her reorganize the books that lined the shelves in the shop. They desperately needed it - she did her best, but it was hard to keep on top of everything when you worked by yourself for six hours. Customers needed attending and cleaning needed to be done - the books were more often than not put on the back burner. Tonight they'd finally get the attention they so justly deserved with them having been so patiently waiting.

That... and, well, the prospect of seeing Banagher (Bannie) itself was enough to make a genuine smile stick on her face for the whole six hour shift.

The shop was all but deserted now, with empty cups and dirty napkins littering a couple of tables, left by college students getting some work done in the quiet. Finals were right around the corner for everyone. She sings softly to herself as she wipes a few tables down with a cloth, a sweet voice, keeping well and true to the proper notes. Singing and cleaning, a great way to pass the time and get things done in a timely manner. The china clinks as she picks up dirty teacups and pots as she goes, pocketing the occasional tip left on a table or tucked in a stray book. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Arriving at the parlor comes with little incident, unlike a lot of other things going on his life at the moment. His walk down the popular avenue leading up to the university was crisp, and fairly quiet, most of the city's traffic having dwindled off into a sleepy evening rumble. Any stubborn tenseness his nerves tried to hang on to in light of the last week were also close to gone, looming finals and all.

So when he pushes open the tea shop's door, again greeted by the little bell, the smell of sugar and books, it's safe to say that the tiny rest of it doesn't stand a chance. Haro barrels in ahead of him, past his ankles, its mechanical voice belting out an enthusiastic: Hello! Colette! Little cheater. ]

Nicely, Haro! Don't bump into anything! [ ...Like he's scolding a dog. ] Ah, I'm not too early, am I?

[ Ahhhhhh ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh it's so cute!!! It's like a little doggie!! A... little metal doggie that can talk. When she turns at the bell she can't help but to let loose a laugh at the tiny mechanical voice and how Haro simply barges into the parlor. So energetic! She wonders for a second how cute Haro would be in a little sweater (and if she could possibly make him one - a round little sweater? Like a baby snuggie? ) as she heads over to the both of them to greet them, tucking the rag she was using to wipe tables into the pocket of her apron. ]

Hello!! Not at all - your timing is perfect! A couple of customers just finished left a few minutes ago.

[ She drops down onto her knees to say a more proper hello to Haro. ]

Is it okay to touch him?

Sure. I think he likes it, actually. [ Banagher's not sure exactly how, given that Haro wasn't really alive, but somehow he was sentient enough to enjoy company. Coming home from classes and seeing him perched by the windowsill next to his bed actually made him feel a little guilty, hence his impromptu fieldtrip today.

The door swings shut behind him as he steps in after the robot, over the last momentary glow of sunset. ] Do you need help with anything before we get started?

[ She takes Haro into her arms, holding him against her chest with care as she pushes herself up from the ground so she's at the same level as Banagher (Bannie). There's a moment of silence from her as she looks at him standing against the background of glittering glass and light, the setting sun settling down against a blanket of buildings and cutting through edges with the kiss of an orange goodnight. The way the light feathers his hair, such a pretty shade of brown, is momentarily captivating - it's the kind of scene that you'd want to keep in a photo album to look back on when the nights are darker and days bleaker.

Darkness is fast approaching, the sun saying its goodbyes, almost as though it was selecting him personally for one final farewell. It makes her smile, a soft curve of her mouth (a man told her that it was pretty once), and she closes her eyes so she can tuck the image into her mind for another time. He's the kind of boy who deserves to be kissed by the sun out of simple favoritism. ]

Oh, thank you, but everything is pretty much taken care of! I just have to finish clearing a few tables and then we'll be all set.

[ Gently, she runs the tips of her fingers over Haro, somewhat wondrously. How cute, how cute! ]

Make yourself comfortable, okay? Hehe, both of you!

[ Things fall into place a little more deliberately, after that. That farewell warmth, the kind that drenches calm and slow through glass and through skin, should have nestled somewhere between his shoulders. But instead it's curling up along the inside of his ribcage, completely backwards (less farewell, more hello), in what feels like patterns. Faint at first, until she smiles at him, swinging the definition of his own heart right into the limelight. But it's not so much that focus thrumming inside his head that gets him, it's just the sight of her smile, seemingly uninvited by anything corporeal.

(Yet he hopes it doesn't decide to make an exit anytime soon, all the same. She glows, and if he could keep her looking like that through whatever they had to weather, then whatever befell his life after the numbers would have been worth it a thousand times over.)

Suppressing the sudden feel of his pulse in his throat, risen with the warmth he now feels tickle up to the tips of his ears, he smiles back. ]

Alright. [ Moving into the parlor after a moment, he rights a chair as he goes, glancing over the shelves. ] I can still start, actually, so you're not the only one working. Sound good?

Yes! Sounds good to me.

[ She places Haro down on one of the cushy chairs so that he'll be comfortable, but not before giving him one more affectionate pat. ]

Though I have to warn you, you might find some weird things behind the books! Customers sometimes like to leave things in there for us to find.

[ Dirty cups clink as she gathers them together on a tray, sprinkled with crumbs and napkins she wipes off the table and on top. ]

Someone even left a sketch of me stuck in there once. That was weird. But flattering!

[ Considering she hadn't noticed someone staring at her enough to actually sketch her. Artists were really amazing. ]

Really? Well, that makes it kind of like a treasure hunt. Which is more exciting than... an organizing party? Whatever you'd call this!

[ Banagher hefts a small stack of books into his arms from a nearby end table, flipping the topmost over thoughtfully. Haro turns in his seat, eyes blinking twice before he rolls off with a loud thump to follow after Colette. ]

I probably should have warned you too, he's not very good at staying still for long.

[ Leaving the robot to do as he liked, Banagher walks the books over to an empty section of floor, setting them down gingerly. ]

Oh yeah, I was going to ask—do you have a ladder here? Or a stepstool could work. It'll save us from having our arms fall asleep when we're trying to reach the top shelves. I learned that one the hard way, believe me.

[ Ahhh, that's so cute, he's following her! She watches Haro as she brings the tray of dirty cups over to the sink to be washed later. He really is like a little dog! And Colette loves dogs. ]

I see! It'd be a problem if our arms fell asleep while we still needed them. We should have a stepstool -- or something like it -- in the back! I'll go get it.

[ She pushes through the door that leads to the kitchen and scurries around in there a bit before finding a little stool that looks like it can be used. Triumphantly she returns, holding it in her arms. ]

Do you think this would work?

[ Clearly this means they must start stocking up on adorable holiday-themed sweaters. Or cozies. Is that a sweater without arms? Like a mug cozy? A cross between a cup and a dog wasn't too terribly far off the mark...

Waiting for her to return, Banagher glances along the walls to try and think of the best way to start without just ripping the shop apart and going from the ground up. He didn't want to be responsible for keeping her here forever, after all. He knews on his bottom lip a second before glancing over his shoulder at her when the kitchen doors open again. Might as well just go in order. ]

That looks perfect, here. [ He motions to reach for it. ] Is there any way these were kept organized before?

[ She gives the little stool to him when she reaches him, glancing at the shelves of books as he speaks. ]

Hmm...

[ That's a good question. She had always tried to make them alphabetical by genre and author, though she wasn't always the best at that. And Grannie had done it differently back when she took care of the books in the shop - though that was years ago. ]

Usually by genre and author... though I might have messed that up when I was trying to do it by myself. I really should sit down and redo the whole thing one day.

[ She brushes her bangs away from her eyes, idly. ]

At this point they might not be in any order at all.

[ Banagher hums, looking the shelves up and down. ]

One at a time is probably for the best. We could figure out a way to label them after we're done? Like those colored stickers along all the spines, or something. It'd be a lot easier for you everyday too, wouldn't it?

[ Scooting the stool over to the nearest shelf, Banagher hops on top of it to get a look at the topmost shelf. It was funny how people would usually go for the more convenient options, leaving the harder-to-reach selections untouched. ]

Mystery went here?

I never thought of doing that before. That's a great idea!

[ She stands next to him, looking up at him as he checks out the top shelf. ]

Mhm, yeah. I think... we had a separate sections for mystery, romance, history, children's literature, non-fiction, and fiction.

We can definitely change it up though if you think there's a better way to do it. You really know what you're doing!

Oh, no, not at all. I just put the stuff away at the library a lot. A place this size won't take long to figure out, and plus...

[ Laying his fingertips along a couple of books, he tips them out of their spot and takes a teeny plume of dust to his face for the effort. Looks like mystery just wasn't floating many peoples' boats lately.

He sniffs once. ...Then sneezes. ]

I thought it would be fun.

Bless you!

[ She probably should have warned about possible dust - she doesn't exactly clean up there as often as she should because she's nowhere near tall enough to reach. ]

I'm already having fun. I really like spending time with you.

[ Moving a little, she reaches for a chair to pull over to the bookshelves so she can reach the top shelves as well. Gingerly, she slips off her shoes and steps onto the chair so she can get a good look at what's going on up there too. ]

I kind of feel bad for these books. No one really reads them because they're up so high.

[ He chuckles with a soft "thanks". If he's being honest, he doesn't mind it. No matter how much staff the library had on hand at any given time, there would always be dust, but book dust was kind of special. Libraries, bookstores, places like this... they all smelled like it, and ink, and worn pages. The tea and the little desserts here just made him that much more aware of it.

At her comment, he casts her a sidelong look of surprise, but it eases away into a smile a second later. ]

Me too.

[ Pulling away a few novels with cheesy covers, blue mansions and lonely yellow streetlights, dark streets, shadowy figures and such, he tucks them under his arm and looks at the lower shelves. ]

So let's shuffle them and give them a chance.

Okay!

[ As he takes books from the top, she crouches a little to take books from lower shelves. Carefully she plucks them from place, much less dust at this level, and holds them carefully in her arms as she stands again. When she does she wobbles a little, but manages to right herself before she drops the books or falls off the chair. ]

Whew, here we go. They can trade places!

Careful—I'll take yours first.

[ He didn't precisely see the little bit of a teeter, but better safe than sorry all the way around. Shuffling his own stack, he extends the flat of his arm for her to place the books on. Luckily, he's gotten pretty good at juggling them. ]

We probably won't have to do this for everything. Just the dusty stuff.

[ Carefully, she shifts the books out of her arms and into his. It's impressive how many he can hold without dropping everything - she wasn't nearly as good at keeping things balanced. ]

That sounds fair.

[ She reaches for the stack he had taken from the top shelves. ]

These are so old... we may have to look into getting some more recent books, too. Do you read a lot?

[ Handing them off to her gingerly, he makes short work of the ones she'd traded to him, shelving them in twos. ]

Mm, junior year I read a lot. I haven't had as much time this year, unless it's textbooks. [ Aware of the dangers lurking on the shelf now, he's gentler when going for the next of the top row, holding them away and blowing the dust off the pages before offering them up. ]

The library takes donations, sometimes. Maybe I can bring in the duplicates we get.

Really?

[ She shelves the books on the lower shelf, working a little slower than him, but it doesn't take long to get everything neatly into place. She smiles a little to herself. ]

You're really amazing, you know.

[ Combing the second row, he taps a finger against the spine of a book decorated with a sword and shield and some kind of fancy Irish knot. Looks like fantasy managed to mingle its way in. Out it goes!

...It doesn't manage to keep his attention for long, though. ]

It's nothing. Or... no problem, I mean.

[ She giggles a little, a soft noise from her throat and chest, as she gathers a few more books to move. Once she has enough in her arms she stands again to meet his gaze properly. ]

Thank you.

[ Out of the corner of her eye she notices a slip of paper sticking out from between two books, and as she balances the books she has in one arm she reaches out to pluck the paper from its hiding spot. ]

Oh, look! A surprise.

[ She glances at the page and then giggles. ]

See?

[ And she turns it so he can see -- it's a doodle of a dinosaur flying in space. ]

[ It's such a good sound.

While he'd been glossing over the cover of the rogue fantasy novel he'd found, a procession of royalty and knights in silver snaking across a golden field, his attention quickly falls to the doodle presented to him. Expression softening out from his thought train, he laughs too. ]

You weren't kidding! That's actually pretty good. What's the craziest thing you've found?

[ Stepping down from his perch, he sets the book on the table closest to them. He'd reunite it with the other fantasy books once they got there. ]

The craziest thing I've found...

[ She places a few books on the upper shelves as she thinks. ]

There was one time when I found 200 paper cranes in the shelves. So many! Another time I found a sandwich -- the kind we don't even sell. I'm not sure why that was there? It was really weird!

[ Another laugh, this one a little more breathy. ]

There was a love letter hidden in there once, too. I think they must have given up on it because there was no name on it or anything. But it was very sweet.

[ Helpfully, Haro chimes in from under the table: Not hungry! Not hungry! Yes, that would be an acceptable reason to leave a sandwich behind, he supposes. He also pauses to wonder how long it would take to fold and place 200 paper cranes, and figures the effort might be similar to a love letter with no past, and maybe no future.

But what was it without chance, anyway? ]

Maybe they were trying to leave it up to fate.

[ Banagher climbs back onto the stepstool, offering his hand for the next round of books. ]

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