Needless to say, the check-in bins could definitely come second. Though it did hold some interest for him, seeing what kinds of things were still circulating (and finding out that despite working there, there was no way he was going to see every book), it's not really a stand-in for interacting with someone face-to-face. Someone who arguably needed it.

"Familiar," he repeats thoughtfully, taking a little sip of tea. "Was it like a pulse? Not that that's an official name, or anything! But, it's that feeling where... everything inside of you goes all empty for a minute, because you're finding out something else about yourself."

The thing that started with the numbers, and turned into so much more.