Library Buddies Can We Be

ThorneGirl · Sep 7, 2017

Crystal smiled faintly as she pulled out Quirky Powers from the book shelf. The book had bright cover, with pastel colors and weird decorations. In the very center was written in cursive fonts: Quirky Powers. It looked humorous, so Crystal decided to add it to the stack of books she had collected on the floor. The books were: Wuthering Heights, Winter Flakes, Daughter Of The Forest and The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones.

Crystal was out to enjoy the day, and where can she enjoy more than a library? She had left early in the morning, had a lovely breakfast at Downtown, roamed some shopping malls, and was now finally here. Crystal was quite fond of reading, and whenever she read some awesome book she loved, she'd write it down to remember to re-read it some other time (since she always forgets what she had done before, and also forgets her experiances with books or otherwise, and it gives her great joy again and again to read the same book).

She quickly moved to Other Genres section, which had a subsection of 'Feminism'. She narrowed her eyes as she searched the names of the books, all attractive and eye-catching. But at one she stopped, for she had written in her Noter (her notepad) that she had loved this book. Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zavin. It had a cool cover; bright yellow background with somewhat blurred animated image of a woman in front. She quickly grabbed this and added it to her pile of now five books.

Just then she noticed someone else was there, too; a woman with bushy light blonde hair and a humble appearance, clutching a book called The Handmaid's Tale as she searched for some other book.

Hey, Crystal thought. I've read this book, too. It was amazing.

Only a second later she realized that she had said it aloud, which had caused to grab the attention of the lady.

___________________

Cast:
1) Crystal Jackson, belongs to me.
2) Joan Linde, belongs to @Lalilulelo.
Plot:
Future close friends bumping in each other in library.

Lalilulelo · Sep 8, 2017

Joan liked reading fiction. She liked to pretend to be someone else that was braver than her, bolder than her and had their own set of struggles and challenges. She could leave behind her cursed form that she assumed at night when she ran through the words and pages at night. Now that she was growing up, her tastes matured, but she did indulge in the occasional young fiction novel if there was high praise for it.

Her English-speaking was impressive, but she was still not so good at writing and grammar at times. She almost had the accent of a native speaker, but she would slip up with her H's and certain French-loaned words. That was why she tried her best to learn English while reading novels. The senior makeup artist gave a list of recommendations, and one of them was the Handmaid's Tale. She found it in a separate section to the rest. In her arms, she also carried a book on dating aimed at women in their late 20s to early thirties, and a cookbook by a famed Turkish chef.

"Oh," Joan's voice was hushed in the library, as she turned to hear the small voice say praise on the book she just picked up. "This book? It was recommended to me. I liked The Blind Assassin, so now I'm looking at other Margaret Atwood books."

Joan smiled pleasantly.

"Are you a native English speaker? My name is Joan."

ThorneGirl · Sep 9, 2017

"I'm Crystal - and yes, I was born here in Manta Carlos, so my English is...okay, I guess." She returned the other woman's bright smile with one of her own. Crystal nodded at the Handmaid's Tale. "I quite like feminist books like this one. I've finished Handmaid's Tale a few days ago, so now I got this one-" she picked up Jane Young Jane "-that's on women, too."

Crystal bent down on her spine to gather the books she'd set on the floor. She picked them up one by one, putting them in her arms. Once done, she stood up straight, not before dusting invisible dust off her blue jacket and jeans.

"So, may I call you Ms.Joan, or Mrs.Joan, or what?" She said, wanting to keep a conversation going on with the woman.

[BCOLOR=#000000]@Lalilulelo[/BCOLOR]

Lalilulelo · Sep 9, 2017

"That is remarkable," Joan beamed. "Your reading tastes are very sophisticated for someone so young."

She hoped she didn't cause any offense, as Joan was really quite impressed by how much Crystal seemed to know about specific books. She had an on-off relationship with reading. Sometimes, her hobbies did not permit her to give enough attention to books, but perhaps that was her own fault.

"Please just call me Joan. I'm not yet married, and it's a point of embarrassment for me." Joan looked away for a moment awkwardly, but she tried her best to remain cheerful about it.

She hoped that Crystal would not mock her for stating such a fact so brashly, but perhaps with the material they have been reading, it was an open and safe space for her to discuss it out loud.

It was rare for her to be respected by anyone, and she wondered if Crystal wanted to call her by something that was suitable for Joan's older age.

"If you still prefer to address me formally, Ms. Linde is fine."

ThorneGirl · Sep 10, 2017

"I'll just call you Joan, then..heh." Crystal replied somewhat cheerfully. The woman - Joan - looked nice and welcoming, quite friendly. Crystal couldn't imagine why Joan wasn't married yet - she seemed so nice. But Crystal had just met the beautiful woman, and she didn't had a right to judge anyone so soon whatsoever.

Crystal extended out a hand, meant to be shaken by Joan. "I'm a student from Starlight Academy. Joined a few weeks ago. Before that, I used to live with my dad in the Manta Carlos City's residental area. Homeschooled." She said it all quite fast. She wasn't very hideous when it comes to giving out private information - what's so secret about her life, anyway?

She craned her neck to look behind Joan, at the tables where they could sit and read, probably even talk more. Would Joan mind if Crystal asked her to sit with her? She didn't knew, so she chose to keep her mouth shut - for few more minutes only, perhaps, but still enough to be more of...familiar or something.

[BCOLOR=#000000]@Lalilulelo[/BCOLOR]

Lalilulelo · Sep 10, 2017

Joan shook Crystal's hand, warmly. She was still not quite used to this; shaking hands felt very cold and businesslike to her. She would have much preferred a hug or a kiss on the cheek, but she had to understand that most people would deem the gesture too intimate of a greeting.

"I moved to Manta Carlos three years ago. I decided to move here for a different pace of lifestyle from working in Paris and Berlin."

Joan's answer was decidedly curt and simplified to the best of her ability. It was only a little half-lie. Nobody was meant to know that Joan actually had powers, but they only activated at night. In stark contrast to Crystal, there was lot to be secretive about in her life.

"I am happy to talk more. I am going to sit at the table... I feel like getting a coffee," Joan said, carefree and languid in her sudden decision. She wondered if Crystal would indulge in a drink with her. It was nearing four o' clock, and it was time for a snack.

ThorneGirl · Sep 10, 2017

"Paris and Berlin? Cool. I lived here since forever, for all I know. So, you must have an apartment or house in residential area, right? My dad owns one, too, so..." She let the sentence trail off smoothly. Saying 'so we could meet up there sometime' felt too much of frank. And why would Joan want to trust Crystal yet, anyway?

She was about to go on and ask Joan if she'd like to sit together with her on the table, but Joan spoke up. It surprised her slightly that she wanted to sit down, too, and her voice was telling Crystal she'd like her to talk more with her. Crystal was quite fine with it, since the woman was interesting, and she just didn't felt too much in a mood for reading. She wanted to reserve reading for later.

"Mind if I join in?" She asked, politely. "I need some coffee, too." She glanced back at the entrance of library. Right beside it was a coffee machine and a small snack bar.

@Lalilulelo ((should I keep tagging you, or have you watched the thread? Don't wanna spam ya with notifications))

Lalilulelo · Sep 11, 2017

"If you ever get tired of your dad's apartment, you're welcome to come over to mine." Joan suggested cheerfully. "I'm usually unavailable during the evening, so if you want my company, it will have to be weekends during the day."

Joan got a cafe latte from the vending machine. She eyed the snacks, but decided that nothing was of too much interest to her. The coffee would be enough for the four o' clock pause.

"My apartment... Is a bit cluttered." It was an understatement. Despite keeping her apartment clean, Joan seemed to have a fear of empty wall space, and preferred to fill up the space with trinkets or objects that a Scandinavian minimalist would find inappropriate or superfluous. "Let me see if I have a photo of it..."

Joan browsed her phone. "Here's one."

It was taken in a good morning light. Her apartment was a small space, but it was not made aware in the photograph. It was indeed cluttered, in a rather charming and homely way. A potted plant hung from the ceiling, and the bookshelf was crammed with books from all categories. A rug covered the floor. The coffee table had fresh flowers in a low vase, and dried flowers sat on the windowsill, as though she admired them so much she refused to throw them out. Little trinkets lined the nook and crannies of her home, like humble spirits that had taken form and shelter there.

"I wonder how different your dad's apartment is from mine,"

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Library Buddies Can We Be

ThorneGirl

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Lalilulelo

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ThorneGirl

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Lalilulelo

Waifus of Liberty

ThorneGirl

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Lalilulelo

Waifus of Liberty

ThorneGirl

Offline Forever

Lalilulelo

Waifus of Liberty