[OTA] Fancy a Book?

[an_ex_watcher]

If anyone happened to pass by the library, they might notice an interesting change in the building. For one thing, one could now see into the windows.

Wesley hadn't a clue who had been taking care of the library before. Clearly someone had, in a limited capacity, keeping the dust level below lethal, shelves and doors repaired, plumbing working, etc

Comments

[mad_sc1entist]

Walter was on another of his now frequent walks around town when he noticed something he hadn't before. It was a building he had passed a number of times before, but honestly, he hadn't really known what the building was for before today. It had just been there. Today, he's delighted to find out that the mysterious, ill-kept building is actually a library!

"No I have not read a book today!" Walter exclaims, clapping his hands once in excitement as a wide grin spreads across his face. He's enjoyed wandering the town, but he misses learning and teaching. The library would be perfect! They'll even have periodicals so he can look to see who is hiring. Briefly he thinks of working in the library, and though he loves his research, his first love is still science, and with that his experiments.

That realization doesn't quell Walter's excitement though. He's missed his research as well. After all, research and experimentation go hand in hand. With that, Walter rushes up to the main doors, just barely managing to contain himself before he

[an_ex_watcher]

Wesley hears the electronic beep as he finishes shelving the top half of a cart in Historical Memoirs, and brushes dust off his hands before striding round the corner to greet the visitor. With true British cool, he approaches the eccentric-looking elderly man, hands clasped behind his back.

"Good morning, sir. May I assist you with anything?"

[mad_sc1entist]

Walter walks in, looking around at all the books like a kid in a candy store. It feels like it's been far to long since he'd been in a library, doing research. He only stops when he hears someone addressing him.

"Oh my, yes. Are you the one responsible for this? Simply wonderful!" he said, starting to look around in awe again. "I've been wondering why there is no library on the island, as there seemed to be everything else. Simply wonderful!"

He looks around again with a big smile on his face. "Could you, perhaps, point me to the science section?"

[an_ex_watcher]

Despite his usual reserved demeanor, Wesley finds a smile creeping onto his face at the eccentric, bubbling elderly man. "Thank you, sir. You're very kind. I merely cleaned up and am in the process of organizing the chaos I can only assume was left by the previous managers."

At the question, he gestures down a particular aisle. "Books with scientific focus start three rows down on the left, there, though I apologize for the disarray - I've not gotten to that section yet. The periodical archives are past that, the door underneath the painting of the hummingbirds, but I'm afraid I've not even finished dusting in there. It would be a futile endeavor until I clear enough tables and floor space to pull everything out and do a complete re-cataloging."

[mahogany_wand11]

James was slowly becoming accustomed to the island and the fact that the weather was always the same. He was almost begging for a thunderstorm, remembering Quidditch matches back at Hogwarts when the rain was pouring down in bucket loads and the only time he could see anything was when the lightening flashed. As James strolled around town he found himself thinking more about his days at Hogwarts. The mischievous side of him had been brought out of hibernation since being stuck here. He would often play small tricks on Muggles while he was walking around such as make something float around someone's head or tie someone's shoes together to make them trip.

As he turned the corner he noticed a huge banner in the doorway of a building he had not entered before. If memory served him right, the building never looked approachable, let alone recognizable as anything other than a place for storage. It seems someone has spruced the place up and it's now a library. Curiosity got the best of James and he decided to duck inside for a look around.

[an_ex_watcher]

Wesley heard the electronic beep as he's washing his mug after a cup of tea, and came out of the back room in time to see the young man ducking his head inside.

"Good morning, sir. May I assist you with anything?" he asked.

[mahogany_wand11]

James looked up and saw the man who had addressed him. He pondered for a moment and a sly grin spread across his face.

"Don't suppose you have a copy of 'Quidditch Through the Ages' lying around here anywhere?"

[an_ex_watcher]

Wesley didn't bat an eyelash.

"The lost warlock clan, the Hun'iech dimension set civilization, or the sport with broomsticks?"

[gr8muppetyodin]

Buffy had got Faith's message about Wesley. It had made her nervous for some reason she couldn't explain. She hadn't seen her ex-Watcher since she fired him, and there may have been the tiniest iota of guilt. She knew he'd been working with Angel, and if Angel trusted him, then so did she.

Didn't make it any easier to forget the impression Wesley had made all those years ago.

It's also why she shouldn't have been surprised to find him in the library. She'd been feeling oddly nostalgic for her high school years and went to the library to remember some of the less deadly of times. Things had been simple then. She hadn't been a general of an army of Slayers, not had there been any thoughts of cookie dough, or the ass clown, Twilight.

She moved up behind Wesley as quiet as a mouse, and smiled a little. "I wonder if you can help me. I'm looking for the concise history of guys who can wear leather pants and get away with it."

[an_ex_watcher]

Wesley started slightly, nearly dropping the large tome he was attempting to shelve on his foot, as he turned around. Of all the times to miss the electronic door beep.

"Buffy," he greeted softly as he recovered his calm, and tried for a hint of a smile. What had she asked? Something about leather pants? She was smiling, so it might have been a joke, but it never hurt to make sure. "I'm afraid I didn't hear you come in, sorry. How can I help you?"

He was assuming, of course, that she was here for a book. Or research information.

[gr8muppetyodin]

Buffy looked at him, her head tilting as her eyebrows went up. He did remember who she was, right? Books had never been her thing. Still, she gave Wesley a polite smile that might have said something 'I think you're crazy, but I'll play along'. "Hey, that's okay. Slayers can be stealthy sometimes. It helps with the whole sneaking up on poor, unsuspecting vamps. Ah, I don't know. Think maybe you could recommend a book to kill some boredom?"

[an_ex_watcher]

Or poor, unsuspecting ex-Watchers, Wesley thought dryly as he noticed her expression, and tried to deal with the question at hand. "Certainly. What sort of books do you like?" he asked, trying to come across as friendly and polite as opposed to all the various thoughts - from fear to guilt to nervousness and back - running simultaneously through his mind.