neutrinobunny (![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} neutrinobunny) wrote,@ 2008-02-05 23:14:00 |
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T7th, GNO, Ch 7, Pt 3
This is just a trial to see about posting these in proper formatting.
Since DA won’t allow for as many tags.
I may be a little slower than daily, and I will be posting to DA, but this is an attempt to have T 7th continue in several places.
Neutrino Bunny
Chapter 7—In Which Answers Lead to More Questions Pt. 3
What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
--William Shakespeare
Vlad walked slowly down the stairs to the children’s room. Cheerful in its brightly colored carpet and murals taken from classic children’s literature and dinosaur shaped couches and rocket shaped bookshelves.
How appropriate. Johnny must be thrilled.
He paused at the doorway, looking around the front desk area where the majority of dinosaur shaped couches were placed.
Not a bad idea. The librarians can see the children that way.
But Jasmine and Johnny weren’t there.
Frowning slightly, he stepped inside, noticing the librarians taking notice of him as he did so. He smiled and gave a nod as he walked across the center area.
“May I help you, sir?” The older woman came out from behind the desk.
“Just checking on my grandchildren, ma’am.” He turned up the Masters charm. “I ran up to the archives briefly. They wanted to stay down here, but I don’t see them in the reading area. I’m guessing they went to get some books.” He pointed back at the shelves.
“Well why don’t we see if we can find them?” She smiled at him, but the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.
Oh for the love of Nilla Wafers. Although I suppose it’s good that they try to keep track of who comes in and out. He smiled at her and gestured ahead of them. “Both of them have dark hair. Jasmine is about ten, and Johnny is…five. Yes, that’s right.” He tried to smile reassuringly as she gave him an odd look. “I swear, it just seems like yesterday that they were born.”
This time her eyes did smile. Thank goodness.
They walked around the room together, moving up and down the few aisles fairly quickly. Vlad began to feel slightly alarmed. Where were they? He narrowed his eyes, standing still for a moment, reaching out to see if he could sense Jasmine. He wasn’t really getting anything, but if she wasn’t—
“Sir?”
He came back to himself with a start, noticing the half worried, half wary look that the librarian was giving him. Quickly, he squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry, ma’am.”
“Sir, are you alright?” Concern, with a touch of suspicion.
“I was using one of those…machines upstairs.” He gestured with a hand, the other still pinching his nose. Please buy this. “The ones with old newspaper articles on film…and the—“ He made a spinning motion with his hand. “I overdid it.” Sheepish grin. “It was as much needing a break as anything that I came down here to check up on them. I truly didn’t realize how long I’d been staring at all that blurry text. And these eyes aren’t as young as they used to be.”
Her expression softened again. Thank goodness again. “I don’t suppose we’ve just overlooked them?”
“Well, I suppose we could go around again.”
“Thank you.” He kept smiling until she turned around, and then his face fell slightly. I should have just slipped in here invisibly. For one thing, I could have wandered around without a chaperone, for another, Jasmine would have probably picked up on my presence and at least popped her head up from wherever she’s tucked herself.
“Dr. Mad Scientist!”
Both Vlad and the librarian jumped slightly at the near shout from behind.
“Johnny?” Vlad turned around. “Where did you come from?”
“Dr. Mad—“ The librarian stared at him.
He grinned weakly back. “The boy has a lively imagination.” And a big mouth.
“A wonderful thing.” The librarian smiled and looked down at Johnny. “So…what kind of Mad Scientist is your Grampa?”
Johnny stared at her. “My Grampa’s not a Mad Scientist. He’s a farmer!”
Oh, Butter Biscuits.
The librarian frowned at Johnny. “But you just said—“ She turned to Vlad, the frown deepening. “So you aren’t his Grampa.”
“I’m—“
“Un-mpa Vlad!” Jasmine sort of cough/mumbled out the salutation as came jogging around from the aisle they’d just left. “I thought I heard you! Oh, and you found Johnny!” She looked up at him and beamed. “He got away from me.” She walked up and took Johnny by the hand. “You remember what I said about libraries, Johnny?”
He looked up at her solemnly. “Shush.” He put his finger to his lips.
“Yeah. And…?”
“Stay with you.”
“Good!” She looked up at the two adults. “We thought we heard you, like I said, and then Johnny got away from me, so I had to look for him too. And I think we’ve all spent the last couple minutes chasing each other in circles.” She smiled winningly at the librarian. “I would have just called you, but—“
“Shush!” Johnny put his finger to his lips again and giggled.
“That’s right, Johnny, shush.” She looked up with Vlad. “Did you find everything you needed…Un-mpa?” She barely managed not to wince at the last.
“Unmpa.” The librarian turned her odd look to Jasmine.
Who blinked sweetly at her. “Well, two ‘Grampas’ could be confusing.”
“I…suppose so.”
Bless you, and bless your quick thinking, my dear girl. Vlad closed his eyes with relief. “I’m afraid I still have some work to do.” He sighed. “But I thought we should all have a break. Maybe get lunch?”
“Sounds good!” Jasmine beamed.
“Yay!” Johnny clapped his hands on his mouth. “Shush.”
“Lovely. We’ll just pop up to the archives so I can put the films I need on hold.” He turned to the librarian. “Thank you so much for your help.”
“Of…course.” Her smile, while somewhat confused, was at least genuine again.
The three of them left the children’s room.
“’Un-mpa’?”
Jasmine looked sheepish. “Ellie usually does the talking when stuff like that happens.”
“Ah.” Vlad grinned. “Say no more.”
“Shush!” Johnny beamed.
They laughed as they climbed the stairs.
This is just a trial to see about posting these in proper formatting.
Since DA won’t allow for as many tags.
I may be a little slower than daily, and I will be posting to DA, but this is an attempt to have T 7th continue in several places.
Neutrino Bunny
Chapter 7—In Which Answers Lead to More Questions Pt. 3
What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
--William Shakespeare
Vlad walked slowly down the stairs to the children’s room. Cheerful in its brightly colored carpet and murals taken from classic children’s literature and dinosaur shaped couches and rocket shaped bookshelves.
How appropriate. Johnny must be thrilled.
He paused at the doorway, looking around the front desk area where the majority of dinosaur shaped couches were placed.
Not a bad idea. The librarians can see the children that way.
But Jasmine and Johnny weren’t there.
Frowning slightly, he stepped inside, noticing the librarians taking notice of him as he did so. He smiled and gave a nod as he walked across the center area.
“May I help you, sir?” The older woman came out from behind the desk.
“Just checking on my grandchildren, ma’am.” He turned up the Masters charm. “I ran up to the archives briefly. They wanted to stay down here, but I don’t see them in the reading area. I’m guessing they went to get some books.” He pointed back at the shelves.
“Well why don’t we see if we can find them?” She smiled at him, but the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.
Oh for the love of Nilla Wafers. Although I suppose it’s good that they try to keep track of who comes in and out. He smiled at her and gestured ahead of them. “Both of them have dark hair. Jasmine is about ten, and Johnny is…five. Yes, that’s right.” He tried to smile reassuringly as she gave him an odd look. “I swear, it just seems like yesterday that they were born.”
This time her eyes did smile. Thank goodness.
They walked around the room together, moving up and down the few aisles fairly quickly. Vlad began to feel slightly alarmed. Where were they? He narrowed his eyes, standing still for a moment, reaching out to see if he could sense Jasmine. He wasn’t really getting anything, but if she wasn’t—
“Sir?”
He came back to himself with a start, noticing the half worried, half wary look that the librarian was giving him. Quickly, he squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry, ma’am.”
“Sir, are you alright?” Concern, with a touch of suspicion.
“I was using one of those…machines upstairs.” He gestured with a hand, the other still pinching his nose. Please buy this. “The ones with old newspaper articles on film…and the—“ He made a spinning motion with his hand. “I overdid it.” Sheepish grin. “It was as much needing a break as anything that I came down here to check up on them. I truly didn’t realize how long I’d been staring at all that blurry text. And these eyes aren’t as young as they used to be.”
Her expression softened again. Thank goodness again. “I don’t suppose we’ve just overlooked them?”
“Well, I suppose we could go around again.”
“Thank you.” He kept smiling until she turned around, and then his face fell slightly. I should have just slipped in here invisibly. For one thing, I could have wandered around without a chaperone, for another, Jasmine would have probably picked up on my presence and at least popped her head up from wherever she’s tucked herself.
“Dr. Mad Scientist!”
Both Vlad and the librarian jumped slightly at the near shout from behind.
“Johnny?” Vlad turned around. “Where did you come from?”
“Dr. Mad—“ The librarian stared at him.
He grinned weakly back. “The boy has a lively imagination.” And a big mouth.
“A wonderful thing.” The librarian smiled and looked down at Johnny. “So…what kind of Mad Scientist is your Grampa?”
Johnny stared at her. “My Grampa’s not a Mad Scientist. He’s a farmer!”
Oh, Butter Biscuits.
The librarian frowned at Johnny. “But you just said—“ She turned to Vlad, the frown deepening. “So you aren’t his Grampa.”
“I’m—“
“Un-mpa Vlad!” Jasmine sort of cough/mumbled out the salutation as came jogging around from the aisle they’d just left. “I thought I heard you! Oh, and you found Johnny!” She looked up at him and beamed. “He got away from me.” She walked up and took Johnny by the hand. “You remember what I said about libraries, Johnny?”
He looked up at her solemnly. “Shush.” He put his finger to his lips.
“Yeah. And…?”
“Stay with you.”
“Good!” She looked up at the two adults. “We thought we heard you, like I said, and then Johnny got away from me, so I had to look for him too. And I think we’ve all spent the last couple minutes chasing each other in circles.” She smiled winningly at the librarian. “I would have just called you, but—“
“Shush!” Johnny put his finger to his lips again and giggled.
“That’s right, Johnny, shush.” She looked up with Vlad. “Did you find everything you needed…Un-mpa?” She barely managed not to wince at the last.
“Unmpa.” The librarian turned her odd look to Jasmine.
Who blinked sweetly at her. “Well, two ‘Grampas’ could be confusing.”
“I…suppose so.”
Bless you, and bless your quick thinking, my dear girl. Vlad closed his eyes with relief. “I’m afraid I still have some work to do.” He sighed. “But I thought we should all have a break. Maybe get lunch?”
“Sounds good!” Jasmine beamed.
“Yay!” Johnny clapped his hands on his mouth. “Shush.”
“Lovely. We’ll just pop up to the archives so I can put the films I need on hold.” He turned to the librarian. “Thank you so much for your help.”
“Of…course.” Her smile, while somewhat confused, was at least genuine again.
The three of them left the children’s room.
“’Un-mpa’?”
Jasmine looked sheepish. “Ellie usually does the talking when stuff like that happens.”
“Ah.” Vlad grinned. “Say no more.”
“Shush!” Johnny beamed.
They laughed as they climbed the stairs.
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