oo2 ❚ symphonies for dream chasers ( action )

[steelettos]

who: lina and leonhardt
what: random meet up at the library-turn-vermedi shenanigans outside
where: the university library and then outside
when: late afternoon of the 27th
warnings: none that i know of, i think.

( She can't believe it's taking this long. The end of her shift, that is.

She's spent what felt like fifteen minutes staring at the clock on the wall, only for her to see the hands move twice or thrice. A minute closer to the end of her shift, a minute more until she finally goes home. And yet she feels like time's even slower today, conspiring against her desire for a warm bath and a long nap. She sighs heavily and glances around the hall from behind the circulation desk. Someone's sleeping - or looks like it - in the cornermost cubicle, another lazily sorting through a tower of books.

Another sigh escapes her before she lowers her gaze on the book on her lap, idly flipping the page.

There hasn't been a lot of students lately, what with finals already over and only a handful are still working on their papers. And she almost misses it, the sound of quiet murmurs, of the rustling of pages, of the tapping of keyboards. Almost, but not entirely.

She looks up again at the clock, feeling hungry and tired and dismayed that no one's approached her for the past hour or so. Not even to return or loan books or ask where the SparkNotes for Don Quixote is located. Five minutes more. )

Comments

[eyesofstrength]

[Of course one thing about being a PhD student is that finals doesn't mean the end of studies. No, in Leonhardt's case it is absolute endless research, made even more endless because he's only able to work on it part time with everything else he has going on.

He comes by often enough even if his department does have its own specialized library. He just has a need for some books not found there often enough.

So that brings him here today to return a couple of books he checked out that are due today. He tends to prefer to hand them to the person at the desk directly rather than drop them in the slot. He's only got two to return, and both are rather dull and thick books on physics. He'll go ahead and walk up to the circulation desk and hand them over to Lina.]

Just need to return these two.

[steelettos]

Here, let me. And I'll need your ID too.

( Lina smiles and receives the books, relieved that she's doing something at least. Should help pass the last five minutes of her shift without her obsessing over the movements of the clock's hands.

Glancing briefly at the titles of the books - not really the usual ones college students borrow - she flips them over and effortlessly scans the barcodes at the back. She's seen him a few times in the library though rarely interacted with him, mostly due to the fact that she's often been delegated to catalog duty rather than circulation.

That, and he doesn't look like the normal college student. Post-grad perhaps, she idly thinks. And from what she's seen so far of her uncle's students, they're the ones who work harder in terms of research. )

Not working too hard, I hope?

[eyesofstrength]

[Leonhardt smiles back and reaches into his pocket for his wallet to grab the ID to hand to Lina. Of course now she's going to get his full name of Leonhardt Belgar, though his name is more recognizable for the fact that his father teaches fencing classes here at the university as well. But the ID will definitely give away that he's a post-grad student.]

If I slacked off I'd never finish my PhD work. As it is I still have much to do.

[steelettos]

I guess PhD is like evil. It doesn't take a day off.

( She blinks at the name on the ID before she scans it then hands it back.

The name rings familiar, if only because her uncle has introduced her to him once or twice during her frequent trips to the faculty. How they knew each other however, she'll never figure out. After all, fencing requires precise footwork and her uncle's anything but graceful. She supposes the man may have been harangued by her uncle though for the history of swordsmanship. )

If you don't mind me asking, are you Professor Belgar's son? ( A beat. ) Or Sir Belgar. I'm never sure what or how to call him, really.

[eyesofstrength]

[He'll take his ID back and slip it into his wallet which then goes into one of his pockets.

The question doesn't surprise him. Many people on campus know his father and his father loves to brag about his eldest son's skill, after all. He does chuckle a bit at the Sir Belgar comment, because yeah, his father really is the type who belongs in medieval times as a knight. And yeah, his father definitely is the local expert on the history of not only swordsmanship, but also weapons in general. if he didn't teach fencing, he'd probably be teaching history.]

His oldest son, yes. I'm the one who can beat him in a duel and yet I went and got my masters in robotics of all things. He still wonders where that particular interest came from.

[steelettos]

( She giggles quietly at that. She's heard of him, yes, through his father and her uncle though she's not one to pay much attention to the details. From what she's heard however - his skills and abilities and whatnot - she herself didn't expect him to end up in the sciences aisle of the library. )

That's not surprising, I guess. Even my uncle looked disappointed when he first heard about it.

( She pauses, head tilting slightly, as she hears the distant ring of bell from one of the buildings, marking the end of the afternoon classes and her shift. She stands up after it fades, gathering the books in her arms to drop off at the sorting cart. )

Have you ever told him where or how it had happened though?

[eyesofstrength]

[Or at least not to be studying science except in a way that deals with swordsmanship. And then to be in something so high-tech and modern as well. It is indeed weird.]

It is just an interest much like the interest you likely hold for your own major. If one is going to spend as much time as I have in school, it is to be hoped that one is interested in their field of study, after all.

[steelettos]

It's still a surprise nevertheless. I'd imagine you've had this kind of interest in the applied sciences for a while then.

( She looks down at the books she's recently dropped off, fingers lingering a little longer on the covers. In a way, she supposes that that should be the case, having to spend four or more years of one's life on it. At least, for most people. For her though... )

Oh, that's right. I almost forgot. ( She winces, realizing how loud that had sounded, then lowers her voice a little bit. Then again, it isn't as if there's a lot of people left in the hall. She holds out a hand. ) I'm Lina.

[eyesofstrength]

[Interest would be putting it mildly for him. It was definitely to their advantage in many ways that Leonhardt's mother is a nurse.]

More that I feel a need to know how everything works, that's all. It's just a shame that science cannot explain everything, yet at least.

[He'll shake Lina's hand when offered.] A pleasure to meet you, Lina. It would seem I'm at a disadvantage for not knowing as much as I used to about the families of the faculty.

[steelettos]

( She only smiles at that remark, somehow feeling that it just hit home run in terms of her own experiences as of late. If only science could explain everything that's been ongoing so far, then she wouldn't question her sanity like this. )

Oh, no. Not at all. Not a lot of people know that I'm Professor Ren's niece after all.

( Her uncle tries his best to correct that, much to her dismay, starting with the faculty and students in the History department. But she's so far escaped notice and attention, given her apparent monasticism in the university library. )

Anyway - ( She glances at the clock on the wall. ) - I think I've kept you long enough here and away from your research. But it's really nice to meet you as well, Leonhardt.

[eyesofstrength]

[She's not the only one questioning sanity, but it becomes a bit harder to when one has solid evidence of all that stuff being quite real.]

You can shorten it to Leon if you wish. Truly, I'm more amazed you can even pronounce it correctly. But I get the impression I'm also keeping you from departing. Perhaps I should walk you to your car if you have one?

[steelettos]

I've heard more complicated-sounding names.

( What, with having a History professor as an uncle and being Chinese on top of that. She leans over the desk to retrieve her bag, secretly stashed behind several stacks of books. )

I don't have a car, actually. Uncle does but it looks like he's staying over here again at the university tonight. ( She inwardly sighs, wondering if she'll need to come back later or tomorrow to drop off clothes. ) We live nearby anyway so I'll be walking home instead.

( She smiles at him. ) On the other hand, I can walk you to your car, if you like.

[eyesofstrength]

[He debates for a moment, because it's a warm enough day that having a girl walk home, even a short distance wouldn't be very good of him, especially the niece of a friend of his father's.]

I can give you a ride home. If you live nearby it is likely on my way anyhow.

[steelettos]

Ah -

( She bites her lower lip, glances again at the clock though it has nothing at all to do with the time. )

It's okay though. I don't want to impose, especially on Professor - er, Sir Belgar's son.

[eyesofstrength]

It is no imposition when I offered. Call me old fashioned if you want, but I'd rather not see someone walk home on a day like this.

[steelettos]

( She's really terrible at this though she wonders where she's picked up the bad habit of being unable to directly say "no". She thinks it's something she's developed over the years of moving around. )

On a day like this?