Gemma
Human
Departed
Never be afraid to sit alone and think...
Posts: 46
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Post by Gemma on Sept 13, 2006 20:24:41 GMT
So close, and yet so far. Gemma squinted at the book in her hand, then craned her neck to glance at the shelf behind her. It would be so easy to just lean back and place the little novel back with the rest of its alphabetically correct books. Granted, she was a good three feet off the ground on a ladder that was less than sturdy. This ladder was also propped up against another shelf of books, and while the reach from one shelf to the other wasn't attrocious, the librarian would definitely have to reach.
No worries. After readjusting her specs, Gemma gripped the ladder tight with one hand and began to stretch back, book in her free hand. Just a weeee stretch...
"Ohhh no you don't, Gem."
And then Gemma was back on the ladder, fully, giving a short yelp when the structure wobbled briefly. "Ms. Franklin?"
The older woman grinned, creasing the crow's feet around her bright eyes. "I've seen The Mummy, child," she quipped. "And I am not going to be cleaning up after a similar disaster here."
Gemma blushed. "Oh..." Sheepishly, she shimmied down the ladder and set it up against the adjacent shelf. The wayward book was soon placed back with its compatriots and Gemma was safely on the ground again. "Anything else, Ms. Franklin?" she inquired.
"Yes. Go home, Gemma," Ms. Franklin order gently. "Did you even take a dinner break today?"
No response.
"...That's what I thought." The head librarian chuckled and carefully guided her young employee from the storage room. "You've got an early shift tomorrow, dear. Go home and rest. You're no good to me half dead."
"All right," Gemma chuckled. Pushing a finger along the bridge of her nose kept her glasses from sliding too far. "Have a good night, ma'am."
"Goodnight, dear."
Continued in: Staff Lounge
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Poppy
Human
Student/Librarian
I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier
Posts: 119
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Post by Poppy on Dec 21, 2007 16:28:46 GMT
POST TIMESKIP
It would be only too easy to get lost in the stacks, line after line of bookcases filled with books that for whatever reason weren’t out in the main rooms where the public could easily get at them. Either duplicates or books that were simply too unpopular, being placed in storage to make way for a book that would be checked out on a regular basis. They were still available when someone asked, but they had to be actually asked for and as Poppy headed deeper into the room, towards the lines of catalogued books that had been put away in this manner or the badly damaged ones waiting for repair, she couldn’t help but feel it was all terribly sad.
Poppy didn’t believe that books could have feelings, not really, but if they did, she would have thought the feelings around this collection was like a graveyard. Her finger brushed along a battered and decaying spine, print rubbed clean off so it was unmarked, giving no clue on the outside as to the identity of the book itself.
Behind her, closer to the door, were the books that had been returned and simply not sorted back into the proper rooms. Right now, Poppy felt that these older books needed a sorting. She had been meaning to do it for days now, as soon as she had a free hour or so, the head librarian dropping hints that someone needed to make a start on it, work out which books could be salvaged and which were completely beyond repair. There were plenty of hidden gems within them still, Poppy setting to work with gusto.
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Gemma
Human
Departed
Never be afraid to sit alone and think...
Posts: 46
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Post by Gemma on Dec 22, 2007 6:05:47 GMT
As was per usual, her shift had ended hours ago, but Gemma still insisted on sticking around. It wasn't as if there were any other pressing engagements that she was required to attend, so overtime was really the only option. Besides, it wasn't as if she despised her job.
"All right, Gem," she muttered to herself. Carefully, she craned her neck around the stack of books piled in her arms. "You can do this. Just a door, after all, and it's not like you're bogged down or anything..."
She attempted to balance the armload of literature on one arm, a brave venture, to be sure, and it seemed the method was a successful one. But the door to the back storage had always been a bit stubborn, and when Gemma went to push, it was just enough force to send her books tumbling.
"ARGH!"
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Poppy
Human
Student/Librarian
I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier
Posts: 119
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Post by Poppy on Dec 24, 2007 19:07:58 GMT
Her intentions had been good, as they always were. But somehow, in between thinking she needed to sort some of older books and then actually doing it she had managed to find some old classics that certainly didn’t belong in the back of storage, rotting away. Then again, if it was up to Poppy none of the books currently languishing away in the room would be there. They would all be out on the library floor for everyone to enjoy. She loved her job, loved looking after the books and when her studies allowed, Poppy always stayed for overtime – it was just hard to not get attached to every one when she thought about the time and effort the author had poured into creating it.
Poppy was so lost in her work-slash-reading that she completely failed to notice the attempts to open the door, not hearing any of the sounds. It was almost too easy to get distracted. She gave a shriek of her own at the yell, jumping slightly from her cross legged position, soft suede boots rubbing against her legs. For a moment she thought the noise had actually come from the books themselves before common sense kicked in and she moved, hurrying to the door of the room. “Gem, you okay?”
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Gemma
Human
Departed
Never be afraid to sit alone and think...
Posts: 46
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Post by Gemma on Dec 24, 2007 20:52:55 GMT
Poppy's voice grabbed her attention and she looked up from her throbbing toe. "Yeah, I'm fine," she sighed in a resigned fashion. "Just destroying all I touch, as usual."
It wasn't that Gemma was clumsy, per say, she just didn't have the best coordination. Nothing that couldn't be tended to, really, and it wasn't as if she had caused any major disasters. It was strange, really; one would think that a gymnast would have better balance/coordination, what-have-you. It was an anomaly, really.
"I swear, I should be kept in a plastic bubble."
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Poppy
Human
Student/Librarian
I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier
Posts: 119
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Post by Poppy on Dec 28, 2007 15:37:40 GMT
“Honestly, what are you like,” Poppy was smiling as she spoke, although her eyes rolled a little at the sight of Gemma and the books around her. This sort of thing happened a lot with Gemma but Poppy didn’t really mind, accepting it with good humour, although she wished just a little, that the incidents happened to other people as well. It didn’t seem fair to the other Librarian that every time someone stubbed their toe, tripped up or slipped down, it always seemed as though Gem was the one involved.
She bent down gracefully and started to gather up some of the books, sorting them back into the pile that Poppy could only guess at.
“Are you sure a plastic bubble is going to be enough?” she joked, voice light and friendly, right side of her mouth tugging upwards in a larger smile. “Knowing your luck, you’d just get it caught on something and then break it, maybe covering something in the plastic”
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Gemma
Human
Departed
Never be afraid to sit alone and think...
Posts: 46
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Post by Gemma on Dec 31, 2007 19:45:12 GMT
Gemma snorted; Poppy had a point. If their was a will or way to break something like those bio-bubbles, Gemma was quite sure that she would find it. Whatever the incident was, it would probably be huge and disasterous, ending in some kind of severe embarrasment or general chaos. The librarian was rather used to her clumsy manner, but it was still nothing short of humiliating.
"Yes, yes, and then there will be a lawsuit and god knows what else," she sighed, then laughed as she started to pick up, as well. "Honestly, I don't know why they hired me here."
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Poppy
Human
Student/Librarian
I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier
Posts: 119
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Post by Poppy on Jan 6, 2008 14:02:33 GMT
The mental image of not only Gemma in one of those bubble things but in one of them and still somehow being able to cause a huge ruckus and incident was amusing, partly because of the sheer improbability of it all. It made her wonder where you could find one of those bio-bubbles of doom and if it was even possible to purchase it – it was something that seemed worth spending the time online to find out one way or the other if she was ever by a computer, bored and actually remembered this train of thought.
Her smile was still friendly, now half directed at Gemma and half there because of her thoughts, images and ideas flashing past her as she carefully shuffled the books in her hands, arraigning them so they were in an even pile to make them easy to carry; no spines or corners sticking out at odd angles. “Because you’re good at what you do and you actually like books unlike a depressingly large amount of people nowadays?” Poppy offered.
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Gemma
Human
Departed
Never be afraid to sit alone and think...
Posts: 46
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Post by Gemma on Jan 13, 2008 20:55:06 GMT
Thankful that the cascade of literature hadn't caused any permanent damage -- save for her pride -- Gemma followed her companion's example, picking up the remaining books left on the ground and making a point to keep them evenly balanced. Accident-prone, maybe, but Gemma wouldn't make the same mistake twice. "You and I are a dying breed, Poppy," she sighed. "The bookworms."
She managed to open the door with no trouble, this time, and held it open with her hip, moving out of the way to allow Poppy to slip through first while she continued, "Everyone else wants their information <i>now</i>, lazy bums."
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Poppy
Human
Student/Librarian
I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier
Posts: 119
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Post by Poppy on Jan 19, 2008 18:10:10 GMT
“They say the meek shall inherit the Earth. And who knows, maybe we bookworms will experience a shift in popularity,” Poppy suggested, ever one to try and see if not the humour in this situation then at least a positive slant to the whole thing. The thought of people completely loosing interest in books forever and the way of the word becoming obsolete was a truly frightening one, Poppy hoping desperately that the opposite would happen instead.
She smiled as Gemma moved to let her pass, pausing half way through the door and looking down at the pile of books with a slightly sheepish expression. “So uh, where are we talking these?” Poppy was sure it was something she should be able to tell from the titles of the books alone but her brain was refusing to cooperate, instead bouncing along the idea of everyone reading again and everywhere and what sort of a world that would make.
A lot more people bumping into lampposts for one.
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Gemma
Human
Departed
Never be afraid to sit alone and think...
Posts: 46
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Post by Gemma on Jan 22, 2008 22:38:57 GMT
Gemma chuckled quietly. She had no serious problem with being the bookworm that she was. Experience dictated that a lot of people who were considered to be 'in style' weren't exactly the most interesting types. Gemma prefered to surround herself with people who could hold a decent and intelligent conversation; people like Poppy, for example. Popularity wasn't something she actively seeked, given that it tended to mean being surrounded by loads of people; not something that she tended to enjoy.
"These suckers," the librarian said, indicating her stack of books and Poppy's. "Need to be packed up so we can ship them off to be repaired. The binding on most of them has begun to peel off -- I swear, we're sending books off every other day."
Off to one end of the storage room was a fair-sized table covered with various office supplies: pencils, packing tape, staplers and the like. Gemma set down her stack on this table and disappeared briefly into the supply closet just behind to table to snag a few collapsed cardboard boxes.
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Poppy
Human
Student/Librarian
I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier
Posts: 119
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Post by Poppy on Jan 25, 2008 20:02:46 GMT
“Poor books,” Poppy murmured, trailing along to the table along with Gemma. Now that she had taken the time to really look at the books it was clear to see that they all needed some TLC and fast. It was a wonder they didn’t turn to dust in people’s hands because the majority of visitors to the library did not treat the volumes with the dignity and respect that Poppy felt they commanded. Books were a treasure and although her sister often teased her about it, she couldn’t stand to see them being misused, even something as simple as folding back the corner of a page to act as a bookmark.
“Better we ship them off everyday so at least they come back in one piece than let the mobs completely destroy them,” Poppy replied, carefully easing her pile onto the table as well while Gemma fetched the cardboard boxes they would need to pack them up. “Maybe we should insert some kind of electro shock pad thing so when people rip the spines off they get a surprise?” Poppy was eyeing the piles as she spoke, noticing one from the collection that Gemma had collected up from the floor and the pale blue spine that was grimly hanging on for dear life.
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Gemma
Human
Departed
Never be afraid to sit alone and think...
Posts: 46
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Post by Gemma on Feb 4, 2008 3:45:43 GMT
The idea of an electro-shock book was an amusing out -- potentially effective, too. Gemma had often seen the patrons of the library behaving carelessly with the books, though she would never speak up; it wasn't in her nature. But, it did grate on her nerves. The idea of showing respect to public property should have been common sense, but clearly, common sense was not so common in the city. It didn't surprise her, really.
"If only," Gemma sighed, then laughed, carefully setting out the boxes and a large roll of styrofoam wrap. She took up one of the books closest to her and wrapped it carefully, wary of the damaged spine. "It would certainly save us a lot on shipping."
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Poppy
Human
Student/Librarian
I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier
Posts: 119
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Post by Poppy on Feb 17, 2008 20:25:12 GMT
“Just think of books that could go that…” Poppy sighed softly, a faint smile on her face as she carried on imaging the image of a book electro-shocking a patron it had found offensive and ill mannered. Of course the problem with such an invention like that would be Poppy would then feel tempted to use it for all sorts of other things, setting her little legion of book monsters on any one who had offended her or hurt her sister. A nameless woman would be at the top of that list.
Thinking of that day brought to mind the far more pleasant memory of Detective Rivera. Now that was someone who would be safe from her army of shocking books – unless of course, he didn’t like to read. But that sounded silly. “Police like reading don’t they? They’d treat books well?” Poppy asked suddenly, knowing it was a little bit of a u-turn from the current conversation but also knowing that Gemma would easily be able to guess the reasoning behind her question; for days after, she had done little else but speak of the dark haired officer.
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Gemma
Human
Departed
Never be afraid to sit alone and think...
Posts: 46
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Post by Gemma on Feb 27, 2008 18:36:21 GMT
Poppy's segue was, indeed, a bit bizarre at first. Gemma stopped what she was doing while one dark eyebrow arched over the frame of her glasses, inching slightly toward her hairline. "Police?" she repeated incredulously. "Well, I suppose. Depends on the person -- seeing as how most of the boys and blue have IQs below 100..."
...Wait a moment.
"Oh. Oh! Ohhh, police!" The dark-eyed librarian finally put two and two together and looked to Poppy with the barest hint of a grin. "I really couldn't say, Poppy. I mean, I've had little to no experience with the law, I'm afraid, especially not the dark-haired, blue-eyed variety..."
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