"Mr. Collins. Sophomore English." A teacher could probably reasonably deal with the situation, if Rudolph really wanted to go bother him. If it had been another student who had the spare book, Siyanda might have made something up about not being allowed to give out patron information, if only to spare some poor soul from being next in line to deal with Rudolph. Unless it was someone ze disliked. Mildly inconveniencing someone ze disliked could certainly get the dopamine flowing, as evidenced by this very situation.
It wasn't entirely immature spite that drove Siyanda today, but there was certainly that childish motivation of "I want it and don't want him to have it". Since Rudolph hadn't made some fuss about needing the book for a class assignment or anything like that, Siyanda could comfortably assume that this was all low stakes. That, combined with the fact that Rudolph was a self-righteous jerk when he had no right to be, and the fact that he'd made himself unpleasant to people whom Siyanda liked much more than him on more than one occasion, was enough. Anyway, ze had completed zir homework for the day, and all ze had to do in the library this afternoon besides this was shelve the rest of the books, so the alternative was essentially busywork and boredom.
"I'll make a note so somebody can get that email sent, anyway." Siyanda located zir pen and then ducked down behind the desk again to grab the pad of sticky notes. Ze paused for a moment, tapping the pen against the pad as ze tried to work out just what to write down. There was really no point in not writing the note out as promised; going out of zir way just to keep Rudolph from getting any copy of what he was looking for was altogether too much extra effort to spend being petty. There was just the matter of what to jot down so that it would actually be intelligible to the librarian when she got back.
Eventually ze settled on Email Mr. Collins (10th grade English) for overdue book - requested by student. "Was there anything else...?"
The Noble Eavesdropper
Tagging Fenris but open to others as well!
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
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MethodicalSlacker
- Posts: 1231
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Collins. Max was knowledgeable of this teacher. During his sophomore year, he recalled, friends of his decried his class as partisan and difficult to stomach without standing up to assault him, or some other hyperbole. It was distasteful. Max himself had never known him, so approaching him directly would be next to impossible barring the existence of some such convoluted yarn to spin. Briefly, he considered raising the stakes by announcing that he needed to borrow the novel for a report, thus pushing the librarian to assist him more readily, but to do so would be to fly in the face of Max's core values and manifesto.
After all, lying is a sin.
"Well," Max said, projecting henceforth both to Siyanda and to Artem, "I suppose I'll have to look elsewhere, then. No, there was nothing else. Just the book."
He adjusted the shoulder-strap of his backpack, pulling it up higher on his back, and checked his phone for the time.
The sight sent a shiver down his spine.
"Goodness," he said, suppressing a shout, "I'm almost late for the drive."
He looked at Siyanda, and regarded zir sympathetically for a moment. Suspicious behavior notwithstanding, an attempt was made to help Max with his problem, and Max was feeling charitable. He had to be because that was, roughly, where he was going next, to pack loaves of bread.
"Thank you for the help."
Thus, he made to walk out the library door, and exited the space as quietly as possible.
[Max Rudolph continued elsewhere.]
After all, lying is a sin.
"Well," Max said, projecting henceforth both to Siyanda and to Artem, "I suppose I'll have to look elsewhere, then. No, there was nothing else. Just the book."
He adjusted the shoulder-strap of his backpack, pulling it up higher on his back, and checked his phone for the time.
The sight sent a shiver down his spine.
"Goodness," he said, suppressing a shout, "I'm almost late for the drive."
He looked at Siyanda, and regarded zir sympathetically for a moment. Suspicious behavior notwithstanding, an attempt was made to help Max with his problem, and Max was feeling charitable. He had to be because that was, roughly, where he was going next, to pack loaves of bread.
"Thank you for the help."
Thus, he made to walk out the library door, and exited the space as quietly as possible.
[Max Rudolph continued elsewhere.]
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The bubble of dramatic tension didn't quite pop until the library door opened and shut with Max on the opposite side. Artem exhaled without ever having noticed that he'd been holding his breath. That was that, then, right? He ought to make a new selection. He felt antsy when he had nothing new onhand to read.
"Thank you," he said warmly, with a nod deep enough to be mistaken for a bow. "I appreciate the help."
Narratively this was the obvious part for them to acknowledge the obvious. Ze had the book, he knew ze had the book, he was pretty sure ze knew he knew ze had the book, and they'd address that, one of them would make a joke about it, they'd laugh. Maybe the plot thread would continue, maybe it wouldn't. Did ze know he knew, though? Maybe that was a silly thing to assume, and he'd look like an ass for mentioning it. Probably it was smarter to walk away now, unresolved threads and all.
"I, ah..."
Another complicating factor was that talking was hard, and talking to people he didn't know was harder, and talking to someone he didn't know who looked like that was perhaps the hardest thing of all.
"If, maybe... you could let me know, how you like it? I mean, if it wouldn't be too much of a bother, or anything, I just like to talk about... books. Sometimes."
Yes, very smooth. Well done. He would wish that he would die on the spot if Dolly wouldn't just summon his spirit back anyway and then he'd have to deal with this as a ghost and that might be even more awkward.
"Thank you," he said warmly, with a nod deep enough to be mistaken for a bow. "I appreciate the help."
Narratively this was the obvious part for them to acknowledge the obvious. Ze had the book, he knew ze had the book, he was pretty sure ze knew he knew ze had the book, and they'd address that, one of them would make a joke about it, they'd laugh. Maybe the plot thread would continue, maybe it wouldn't. Did ze know he knew, though? Maybe that was a silly thing to assume, and he'd look like an ass for mentioning it. Probably it was smarter to walk away now, unresolved threads and all.
"I, ah..."
Another complicating factor was that talking was hard, and talking to people he didn't know was harder, and talking to someone he didn't know who looked like that was perhaps the hardest thing of all.
"If, maybe... you could let me know, how you like it? I mean, if it wouldn't be too much of a bother, or anything, I just like to talk about... books. Sometimes."
Yes, very smooth. Well done. He would wish that he would die on the spot if Dolly wouldn't just summon his spirit back anyway and then he'd have to deal with this as a ghost and that might be even more awkward.
"Well, Fenris, the King of Gossip. We meet again."
Mm. Anticlimax.
Siyanda felt oddly disappointed that Rudolph just... let things go and walked out like a reasonable person. Maybe ze had wanted a fight. Or maybe ze was just projecting a bit. Either or.
Ze turned zir chair to better face Artem when he spoke. Ze was a little surprised that Artem had caught the act; he either had sharp eyes, or he'd been standing around longer than Siyanda had thought. Probably best not to mention to him that ze had been fully prepared to drag him under the bus with zem if Rudolph had decided to make a fuss about the book.
"Do you need it for something?" Siyanda wasn't completely unreasonable; if either of the two of them had insisted on needing it for an assignment or something, ze probably would have given up the game and turned it over. Probably. Mildly inconveniencing others for five minutes of catharsis wasn't worth all the potential trouble if you ended up jeopardizing someone's grade.
Anyway, Siyanda kept up with the class rankings, and ze was higher than both of them. It wasn't like there was competition to tempt zem there.
Siyanda felt oddly disappointed that Rudolph just... let things go and walked out like a reasonable person. Maybe ze had wanted a fight. Or maybe ze was just projecting a bit. Either or.
Ze turned zir chair to better face Artem when he spoke. Ze was a little surprised that Artem had caught the act; he either had sharp eyes, or he'd been standing around longer than Siyanda had thought. Probably best not to mention to him that ze had been fully prepared to drag him under the bus with zem if Rudolph had decided to make a fuss about the book.
"Do you need it for something?" Siyanda wasn't completely unreasonable; if either of the two of them had insisted on needing it for an assignment or something, ze probably would have given up the game and turned it over. Probably. Mildly inconveniencing others for five minutes of catharsis wasn't worth all the potential trouble if you ended up jeopardizing someone's grade.
Anyway, Siyanda kept up with the class rankings, and ze was higher than both of them. It wasn't like there was competition to tempt zem there.
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
"Er... no."
Siyanda still had zir business demeanor on, which was very much fair of zir, considering ze was literally at work, and Artem probably should leave zir alone and go find something else to read. This was both an inconvenient time and place for him to suddenly feel confident enough to socialize with someone unprompted, and the correct course of action was probably to apologize for wasting so much of zir time (not that he could really be blamed for that, but Max certainly hadn't apologized, and it seemed like someone should) and then probably never find the courage to talk to zir again.
"I just, ah... have a sort of, system?"
This was the sort of stupid digression that no one cared about, and he should absolutely stop talking.
"I keep a list of books I plan to read and I just sort of... pick one out at random, when I finish something. And that happened to be the book that came up today. Weird coincidence that it's in such high demand today, I guess." Despite the voice in his head very loudly telling him to shut up, he found he was actually picking up a modicum of confidence as he went. At least he didn't sound as much like a stuttering dork now. He was still terrified, of course, but at least he was faking it okay. "But it's... uh, it's not set in stone, or anything. I can just pick something else and come back to it."
He managed something like a smile. His hands were shaking, some corner of his brain noticed.
"Have you... read anything interesting lately? I could use a suggestion. Since I don't have my notebook with me, and all."
He still mostly sounded like a stuttering dork, he thought, but maybe he'd make it out of this conversation alive.
Siyanda still had zir business demeanor on, which was very much fair of zir, considering ze was literally at work, and Artem probably should leave zir alone and go find something else to read. This was both an inconvenient time and place for him to suddenly feel confident enough to socialize with someone unprompted, and the correct course of action was probably to apologize for wasting so much of zir time (not that he could really be blamed for that, but Max certainly hadn't apologized, and it seemed like someone should) and then probably never find the courage to talk to zir again.
"I just, ah... have a sort of, system?"
This was the sort of stupid digression that no one cared about, and he should absolutely stop talking.
"I keep a list of books I plan to read and I just sort of... pick one out at random, when I finish something. And that happened to be the book that came up today. Weird coincidence that it's in such high demand today, I guess." Despite the voice in his head very loudly telling him to shut up, he found he was actually picking up a modicum of confidence as he went. At least he didn't sound as much like a stuttering dork now. He was still terrified, of course, but at least he was faking it okay. "But it's... uh, it's not set in stone, or anything. I can just pick something else and come back to it."
He managed something like a smile. His hands were shaking, some corner of his brain noticed.
"Have you... read anything interesting lately? I could use a suggestion. Since I don't have my notebook with me, and all."
He still mostly sounded like a stuttering dork, he thought, but maybe he'd make it out of this conversation alive.
"Well, Fenris, the King of Gossip. We meet again."
Not much of a system, in Siyanda's opinion, but it sounded serviceable. Keeping a list of things ze planned to read or watch sounded helpful in theory; in practice, it would probably just be one more unfinished to-do list stressing zem out.
Recommendations, though... looking at Artem, it was hard not to have vivid flashbacks of the last five trashy vampire romance novels ze had read. Maybe he was into that kind of thing, though. Siyanda had to assume he looked like that on purpose. That wasn't really the kind of thing ze wanted to openly admit to right off the bat, though. You needed more than five minutes of conversation to earn the right to know about the melodrama-laden (and yes, vampire heavy) bookshelf of shame in Siyanda's room.
"Ah, I think..." Fuck, what else had ze read? "...Give me a second." Siyanda closed zir eyes, trying to think. Surely there had to be something of substance in the backlog.
"Do you like... poetry?" Trying to stall for time, ze threw out the first genre that came to mind that didn't belong in the post-Twilight craze bargain bin. The goals of this encounter had abruptly shifted from playing keep away with the book Siyanda wanted to playing keep away with zir embarrassing guilty pleasures.
Recommendations, though... looking at Artem, it was hard not to have vivid flashbacks of the last five trashy vampire romance novels ze had read. Maybe he was into that kind of thing, though. Siyanda had to assume he looked like that on purpose. That wasn't really the kind of thing ze wanted to openly admit to right off the bat, though. You needed more than five minutes of conversation to earn the right to know about the melodrama-laden (and yes, vampire heavy) bookshelf of shame in Siyanda's room.
"Ah, I think..." Fuck, what else had ze read? "...Give me a second." Siyanda closed zir eyes, trying to think. Surely there had to be something of substance in the backlog.
"Do you like... poetry?" Trying to stall for time, ze threw out the first genre that came to mind that didn't belong in the post-Twilight craze bargain bin. The goals of this encounter had abruptly shifted from playing keep away with the book Siyanda wanted to playing keep away with zir embarrassing guilty pleasures.
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
Oh. Uh. That wasn't what he was expecting.
He wasn't sure what he was expecting. He didn't know Siyanda well enough to be making assumptions about zir; his knowledge extended to "ze works at the library" and "ze's reading The Portrait of Dorian Gray". Well, that wasn't entirely accurate. He spent a lot of time in the library, as much as he could reasonably manage between his myriad extracurriculars, sometimes to study but more often just to read. Siyanda wasn't the only library volunteer, but ze was the only one he'd ever really noticed, because ze was, at least in his opinion, difficult to ignore. They hadn't spoken like this before, but he had noted zir reading selections on the rare occasion the library was quiet enough for zir to get away with slacking off. No poetry that he'd ever noticed, but poetry wasn't exactly light reading, he supposed.
... Was that a creepy observation? He probably shouldn't bring it up.
"I, uh, I can't say I've read a lot of poetry, honestly." Artem momentarily considered answering differently, but he didn't see a good reason to be dishonest. If ze waved him off as a phillistine it would sting, but he'd live. "But if you have any suggestions I can, uh, give it a try?"
He wasn't sure what he was expecting. He didn't know Siyanda well enough to be making assumptions about zir; his knowledge extended to "ze works at the library" and "ze's reading The Portrait of Dorian Gray". Well, that wasn't entirely accurate. He spent a lot of time in the library, as much as he could reasonably manage between his myriad extracurriculars, sometimes to study but more often just to read. Siyanda wasn't the only library volunteer, but ze was the only one he'd ever really noticed, because ze was, at least in his opinion, difficult to ignore. They hadn't spoken like this before, but he had noted zir reading selections on the rare occasion the library was quiet enough for zir to get away with slacking off. No poetry that he'd ever noticed, but poetry wasn't exactly light reading, he supposed.
... Was that a creepy observation? He probably shouldn't bring it up.
"I, uh, I can't say I've read a lot of poetry, honestly." Artem momentarily considered answering differently, but he didn't see a good reason to be dishonest. If ze waved him off as a phillistine it would sting, but he'd live. "But if you have any suggestions I can, uh, give it a try?"
"Well, Fenris, the King of Gossip. We meet again."
Fuck, Siyanda didn't know any poetry. Not beyond what they had to read for English class, at least.
Ze sat with zir hands clasped on the desk for a couple of seconds, mind racing as ze tried to work out how to save this fumble. To be completely honest, most people probably couldn't care less what kind of literary dreck Siyanda indulged in when ze had a moment, and ze didn't care all that much even if they did. Having to admit it out loud, though. Not happening.
"Ah, I was... actually hoping you might have some recommendations if you did." There, good, believable lie. "I've been trying to branch out more. I've mostly been sticking to fantasy lately." And a half-truth.
The moment's reprieve allowed a thought to come to zem, and Siyanda could have sighed with relief, but ze held it in. "The last good thing I read was probably The Bloody Chamber, by Angela Carter. It's an anthology." Siyanda raised zir eyebrows slightly at Artem, trying to gauge his reaction to see if that piqued any interest. Ze really didn't know what he was into. Every genre had its high and low, except for metafiction, which was all low as soon as it started winking at the reader about its own cleverness more than actually being clever.
Ze sat with zir hands clasped on the desk for a couple of seconds, mind racing as ze tried to work out how to save this fumble. To be completely honest, most people probably couldn't care less what kind of literary dreck Siyanda indulged in when ze had a moment, and ze didn't care all that much even if they did. Having to admit it out loud, though. Not happening.
"Ah, I was... actually hoping you might have some recommendations if you did." There, good, believable lie. "I've been trying to branch out more. I've mostly been sticking to fantasy lately." And a half-truth.
The moment's reprieve allowed a thought to come to zem, and Siyanda could have sighed with relief, but ze held it in. "The last good thing I read was probably The Bloody Chamber, by Angela Carter. It's an anthology." Siyanda raised zir eyebrows slightly at Artem, trying to gauge his reaction to see if that piqued any interest. Ze really didn't know what he was into. Every genre had its high and low, except for metafiction, which was all low as soon as it started winking at the reader about its own cleverness more than actually being clever.
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
Artem frowned at Siyanda's immediate response; it was fair enough if ze disapproved of his taste, but he couldn't help but feel a little guilty for not having a suggestion handy for zir. He should probably broaden his literary horizons. He'd been told by teachers and by various internet articles of the "How To Be A Writer" variety he'd sought out when he was young that reading as much you can from as many genres as you could was key; he'd tried to follow that advice, for a time, but his tastes were fairly specific, and he didn't see much point in forcing himself to read, say, political thrillers when they held no interest. Perhaps that was wrong of him, though. He didn't plan to write poetry ever, but reading some might still be enlightening? Maybe? He didn't relish the prospect, particularly. He could leave that idea on the backburner for now.
Fantasy sounded promising, though, and his frown dissipated quickly when ze made zir own suggestion. Words started tumbling out of his mouth, too quickly for him to have time to feel self-conscious.
"Oh! Yes! I love The Bloody Chamber! I actually read it when I was—I don't know if 12 counts as being a kid, but when I was a kid, I guess. My parents never would have let me, but my brother's real cool, he kinda shaped my taste in stuff growing up, he bought it for me. I had to keep it secret, hid it under my mattress, I kept I think a Harry Potter book in bed with me while I was reading it so I could swap real quick if I heard my parents coming. Not all the stuff I read back then has held up but I've reread it a ton and it's only gotten better as I've gotten older, I think."
He paused, hit with the sudden realization that he'd said probably far too much. Emboldened by Siyanda having not yet told him to shut up or walked off, he continued, a bit more tentatively.
"Er, sorry. Didn't mean to ramble. Which story was your favorite, if you don't mind me asking?"
Fantasy sounded promising, though, and his frown dissipated quickly when ze made zir own suggestion. Words started tumbling out of his mouth, too quickly for him to have time to feel self-conscious.
"Oh! Yes! I love The Bloody Chamber! I actually read it when I was—I don't know if 12 counts as being a kid, but when I was a kid, I guess. My parents never would have let me, but my brother's real cool, he kinda shaped my taste in stuff growing up, he bought it for me. I had to keep it secret, hid it under my mattress, I kept I think a Harry Potter book in bed with me while I was reading it so I could swap real quick if I heard my parents coming. Not all the stuff I read back then has held up but I've reread it a ton and it's only gotten better as I've gotten older, I think."
He paused, hit with the sudden realization that he'd said probably far too much. Emboldened by Siyanda having not yet told him to shut up or walked off, he continued, a bit more tentatively.
"Er, sorry. Didn't mean to ramble. Which story was your favorite, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Well, Fenris, the King of Gossip. We meet again."
Siyanda was taken aback when Artem suddenly threw himself into the conversation with full force where he'd been shrinking before. Ze didn't bother to suppress a fleeting smile when he outright admitted to having hid the book under his mattress like some kind of porn stash. Artem carried himself in a sophisticated way, but when he actually opened his mouth, he was almost like a little kid.
"I'd say "The Tiger Bride" was my favorite, but I didn't necessarily dislike any of the stories. Though the subject matter in some of them was... well, probably in line with the original fairy tales before Disney got hold of them, actually. Still." Siyanda was peripherally aware of the cart of books still waiting to be shelved, abandoned in the stacks in favor of this misadventure, but it wasn't like the shelves were going anywhere. Ze had a double free period on the days ze volunteered in the library for good reason.
"What was yours? Wait, let me guess- "The Lady in the House of Love?" That had the potential to step on some toes, perhaps, but the idea of vampires in connection to Artem was still in zir head. And if he took offense, he didn't seem like the type to express it, anyway.
"I'd say "The Tiger Bride" was my favorite, but I didn't necessarily dislike any of the stories. Though the subject matter in some of them was... well, probably in line with the original fairy tales before Disney got hold of them, actually. Still." Siyanda was peripherally aware of the cart of books still waiting to be shelved, abandoned in the stacks in favor of this misadventure, but it wasn't like the shelves were going anywhere. Ze had a double free period on the days ze volunteered in the library for good reason.
"What was yours? Wait, let me guess- "The Lady in the House of Love?" That had the potential to step on some toes, perhaps, but the idea of vampires in connection to Artem was still in zir head. And if he took offense, he didn't seem like the type to express it, anyway.
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
Artem laughed, brightly, all his social woes at least momentarily forgotten. He supposed that considering his whole look he'd gone and made himself easy to stereotype, but it wasn't as though that impression was incorrect. In middle school, and maybe in his freshman year, people seemed to find his appearance combined with his pervasive silence somewhat intimidating. That wasn't exactly a reputation that had stuck over the years, considering anyone who spoke to him for longer than ten seconds would quickly come to the realization that he was about as intimidating as the average dormouse. But he did have his odd habits and hobbies and preferences, and it made him happy to reflect that. Stereotype or no.
Besides, the short-lived smile on Siyanda's face had brought one to his own, unbidden. He wasn't sure he'd seen ze smile before, and he wanted badly to be the cause of another.
"Is it that obvious?" He grinned. "Honestly, I don't know if I'd still call it my favorite, but it was the one that stuck most with me as a kid, so it's certainly the one that's had the most influence on me. I've, ah, always kind of had a thing for vampires. Surprise, I know." And to his own surprise, he admitted something he didn't expect to. "I feel like probably half my reading list is vampire novels. Not, uh, the most noble of genres, maybe, but even the bad ones can be pretty fun."
Besides, the short-lived smile on Siyanda's face had brought one to his own, unbidden. He wasn't sure he'd seen ze smile before, and he wanted badly to be the cause of another.
"Is it that obvious?" He grinned. "Honestly, I don't know if I'd still call it my favorite, but it was the one that stuck most with me as a kid, so it's certainly the one that's had the most influence on me. I've, ah, always kind of had a thing for vampires. Surprise, I know." And to his own surprise, he admitted something he didn't expect to. "I feel like probably half my reading list is vampire novels. Not, uh, the most noble of genres, maybe, but even the bad ones can be pretty fun."
"Well, Fenris, the King of Gossip. We meet again."
"I'm shocked," Siyanda replied, making no effort to sound so. There was something fun about all of it; it certainly wasn't the originality or the quality of writing that kept zem coming back to the same genres. A lot of it was blatant escapism and wish fulfillment, and to be honest, maybe that was it. Plenty of other genres had power trips and fantasies that everyone happily overlooked.
"We do have some of those here, for better or worse, but I guess you might have already read them." Ze saw Artem in here often enough, and if ze thought about it, he rarely had the same book in hand twice. "Though most of them aren't good, anyway." The blandest and most lukewarm of takes, considering they'd both already admitted as much. Siyanda called it a guilty pleasure for a reason.
"We do have some of those here, for better or worse, but I guess you might have already read them." Ze saw Artem in here often enough, and if ze thought about it, he rarely had the same book in hand twice. "Though most of them aren't good, anyway." The blandest and most lukewarm of takes, considering they'd both already admitted as much. Siyanda called it a guilty pleasure for a reason.
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
"I, ah... I think I went through most of those my freshman year. And then re-upped whenever new ones were added. Not as often as I'd like."
He laughed again, a bit more wryly this time. He was a bit embarrassed, but not half as much as he probably ought to be considering the subject matter, and so long as his face hadn't yet journeyed toward "lobster red" (and he could usually tell when it had) he would remain relatively unbothered. His system hadn't come into play until his sophomore year, when his list of books he wanted to read became truly untenable, and before then he'd just picked whatever first caught his eye off the shelf. So naturally everything that fell into his very specific purview got eaten up rather quickly. He'd had to spend significantly more time at the actual library, which had the advantage of not being so heavily censored. Speaking of.
"Unfortunately it's the sort of genre with a lot of volumes, good or bad, that the school system doesn't deem suitable." He shrugged. "True of a lot of great literature, though. Uh, not saying a lot of this stuff is great literature. Because it's... not."
He paused, realized he'd leaned in a little, straightened suddenly, and tried to keep the not-totally-socially-inept thing he'd gotten this far with going despite having suddenly realized how much of zir time he'd wasted.
"Oh—I'm sorry, god, you're working. I should quit bugging you, I'm sure you had enough of that today with Max—er." Oh no, that was rude. Ze was going to think he was a dick. Quick, change the subject.
"A-anyway—thanks again. Oh, and... I know you've checked out books for me before and all, but just to introduce myself properly." He managed a smile, nervous but still real. "I'm Artem. It's nice to meet you, officially."
He laughed again, a bit more wryly this time. He was a bit embarrassed, but not half as much as he probably ought to be considering the subject matter, and so long as his face hadn't yet journeyed toward "lobster red" (and he could usually tell when it had) he would remain relatively unbothered. His system hadn't come into play until his sophomore year, when his list of books he wanted to read became truly untenable, and before then he'd just picked whatever first caught his eye off the shelf. So naturally everything that fell into his very specific purview got eaten up rather quickly. He'd had to spend significantly more time at the actual library, which had the advantage of not being so heavily censored. Speaking of.
"Unfortunately it's the sort of genre with a lot of volumes, good or bad, that the school system doesn't deem suitable." He shrugged. "True of a lot of great literature, though. Uh, not saying a lot of this stuff is great literature. Because it's... not."
He paused, realized he'd leaned in a little, straightened suddenly, and tried to keep the not-totally-socially-inept thing he'd gotten this far with going despite having suddenly realized how much of zir time he'd wasted.
"Oh—I'm sorry, god, you're working. I should quit bugging you, I'm sure you had enough of that today with Max—er." Oh no, that was rude. Ze was going to think he was a dick. Quick, change the subject.
"A-anyway—thanks again. Oh, and... I know you've checked out books for me before and all, but just to introduce myself properly." He managed a smile, nervous but still real. "I'm Artem. It's nice to meet you, officially."
"Well, Fenris, the King of Gossip. We meet again."
"Siyanda," ze offered. Maybe that was something Artem should have known, or he already knew, or not. Maybe he just had a thing for formality. Siyanda gave his outfit another once-over. Yeah, that scanned.
"And it's fine, don't mention it," ze continued when he apologized and then reminded zem of Rudolph in the same breath. "Seriously, don't. I was going to check the book out and all, but it wasn't officially on hold, and that would just be a whole thing if the librarian found out I was abusing my tyrannical power as a student aide." With that, ze stood. "And you're right. I should get back to work."
Siyanda pushed the chair back in and rounded the desk. Before reaching the shelves again, ze paused and turned back. "I'll let you know how it is. The book, I mean."
Artem was looking a bit red. Was it warm in here? Siyanda found it comfortable, but Artem was wearing a few more layers.
"See you later, Artem."
And with that, ze went back to work.
((Siyanda Nagi continued in Zombies Never Die))
"And it's fine, don't mention it," ze continued when he apologized and then reminded zem of Rudolph in the same breath. "Seriously, don't. I was going to check the book out and all, but it wasn't officially on hold, and that would just be a whole thing if the librarian found out I was abusing my tyrannical power as a student aide." With that, ze stood. "And you're right. I should get back to work."
Siyanda pushed the chair back in and rounded the desk. Before reaching the shelves again, ze paused and turned back. "I'll let you know how it is. The book, I mean."
Artem was looking a bit red. Was it warm in here? Siyanda found it comfortable, but Artem was wearing a few more layers.
"See you later, Artem."
And with that, ze went back to work.
((Siyanda Nagi continued in Zombies Never Die))
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
Siyanda. He'd known that. Or he was fairly certain he'd known that, but not completely, and what an utter disaster it would have been had he left the library confident and then greeted zir at a later date with the wrong name. Best to get confirmation right now, at the expense of zir perhaps thinking he was kind of an overly-formal weirdo. He was kind of an overly-formal weirdo, if he took a step back and looked at himself, though, so that was probably fine. Right? There were worse things to be.
He nodded as ze spoke, accepting that this was the end of their conversation and that he hadn't made a complete ass out of himself but maybe hadn't succeeded in any notable way, either, at least until ze turned and said ze would tell him how the book was. That was... something. A vague opening to speak in the future.
Enough, at least, to think he might have made a friend.
"See you—uh, bye, Siyanda!"
He might have still needed a little practice, though.
>> Artem Fyodorov continued, chronologically, in The Lovers Arcana
He nodded as ze spoke, accepting that this was the end of their conversation and that he hadn't made a complete ass out of himself but maybe hadn't succeeded in any notable way, either, at least until ze turned and said ze would tell him how the book was. That was... something. A vague opening to speak in the future.
Enough, at least, to think he might have made a friend.
"See you—uh, bye, Siyanda!"
He might have still needed a little practice, though.
>> Artem Fyodorov continued, chronologically, in The Lovers Arcana
"Well, Fenris, the King of Gossip. We meet again."