exsiliumlogs | that perfect tranquillity of life ( OPEN )

Date & Time: April 10, late afternoon & evening
Location: The library
Characters: Leo Baskerville & YOU.
Summary: There's some weird guy sitting on the floor, come trip over him or be weirded out at him because hey, there are perfectly fine seats in the library!!
Warnings: idek

[ When Leo isn't busy with the extra training the Initiative forces him to do and the community service at the orphanage, he can be found reading in the library. Reading books now isn't the same as it was before. He can't quite enjoy it like he used to, but it's the only way of coping he knows and so he keeps on reading. Not knowing what else to do, it's easy to fall back on old habits. Old habits die hard after all and his only escape from reality had always been books.

The Initiative library isn't nearly as grand as the one in Lutwidge Academy or even the Nightray family library, but it's plenty spacious and there's a lot of chairs to sit in, at a table or otherwise. However, Leo sits on the floor. Also out of force of habit. The library at his orphanage had been quite small with not much room for any chairs at all, but no one ever came there and that's why Leo loved it and willingly resorted to sitting on the floor. It's become so normal to him that he has actually come to prefer sitting on the floor when he's reading, no matter how comfortable a chair or bed is. That hasn't changed here either.

He's found a nice beanbag though, but rather than sit on it, he leans back against it. The beanbag is big enough to hide him out of sight and he's placed it near some bookshelves so he has new books within reach. Unfortunately this also means he's made himself an obstacle for the unwitting and he's too caught up in his current reading to realize it. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Seeing how flustered he gets is at least a little satisfying, but it doesn't make Leo any less annoyed.

He keeps it at that wordless warning (for now) as he's sure Jericho must have gotten the hint and glances back to his book.

You better be quiet about your book perusing now, little man!! ]

[it's...easier to wait it out, Jericho thinks. maybe not the right thing to do, letting bad feelings fester, but he's not sure trying to do anything but that will only make things worse!

he retreats, meandering to a vacant study table, propping his elbows against it to support his head in his hands, frowning deeply at the sketchbook he's set on the table.

it can't be that long of a wait, right?]

[ Oh Jericho, if only you knew.

Actually, he'll find out soon enough. Leo has spend entire nights in the library before and it doesn't help that he hardly sleeps. He takes naps when he dozes off while reading and they're short enough naps that can be had in the library without people really noticing for the most part.

So in the end it doesn't matter how long Jericho waits, Leo will still be there, half-curled against the beanbag reading a book from the small stack next to him.]

[oh, boy.

Jericho spends a portion of the time scritching and scratching away at a page in his sketchbook: a bit of a chair, some attempt at a stack of books in his line of sight...even a loose, lumpy circle that was going to be the beanbag, but given up pretty quickly.

sigh.

soon his head's against the page, hand half-dangling over the edge as he drops out to sleep.

his pencil slips out of his fingers, bounces, and rolls toward the beanbag.]

[ And said pencil comes to a stop against the heel of Leo's shoe, causing him to look up after glancing down at it and— Oh.

He was still here too.

Leo's eyes narrow and he has half a mind to pick the pencil up and throw it at the kid's head, but he doubts his aim is that good and so he settles for: ]

Hey. [ It's not said loudly (they're in a library after all) but hopefully it's enough to wake him. ]

[hope in vain, sir: Jericho is out. at least he's got not much sound going for him by way of snoring, but yeah.

yeah.]

[ Augh he's going to have to get up, isn't he?

While he can still be bothered, Leo does exactly that after picking up the pencil so he can move over to the table and . . . well, it's not exactly slam down, but he's putting the pencil down with a flat hand so there's an audible sound and he does it with enough force it can be felt through the table.

Come on, wake up to the sight of the face of displeasure. ]

[YAH.

Jericho starts, eyes snapping open as he sits up, pretty dazed and...well.

...

why...is he standing there, looking so unhappy...? Jericho's expression gets a little queasy, eyes wincing. what did he do now?]

You've dropped something.

[ He lifts his hand to reveal the pencil and, as it starts rolling towards Jericho, he abruptly turns to move back to his comfy spot by the beanbag.

Please to be keeping your shit with you now, okay thanks.]

[before he can get away, though, Jericho's hand reaches out to snatch a pinch of sleeve to stop him. wait!

he almost completely missed his chance, there! of course, he looks extremely sorry to have done just that, but, wait. the other hand lifts with that stopping gesture just as he lets go, quickly snatching up the pencil mid-roll and writing as quick as he can. it's a bit crooked on the page and smashed up where it gets too close to the edge, but it's legible, right?

he slides it to the edge of the table, turned Leo's way:]

wait can i gett o the book shelf you're sitting in front of first ?

[ Having his sleeve snatched is unexpected enough that Leo does actually stop and look back without immediately yanking his arm away. He watches on with a frown as Jericho scribbles something down, suspicions about the kid's apparent inability to speak definitely confirmed once and for all. He leans over to read it when it's slid his way and it takes a bit of squinting to make out, but he gets it.

It also comes with the realization that the boy had fallen asleep here while most likely waiting for him to leave and . . . Leo's not entirely sure whether to be amused or exasperated, but he settles on rolling his eyes either way. ]

You could have just asked right away.

[ But okay, he's stepping aside and making a sweeping gesture for Jericho to go on ahead and grab whatever he needs. ]

[flushed bright red, embarrassed, Jericho just ducks his head and gets up to quickly move toward the shelf, scanning the spines stacked along as intently as he can to fight the title he's been looking for...

he passes it twice before finding it again, quickly pulling the big photobook out. panoramas, mountains...things the Earth doesn't have in such stock anymore.

breathless, he turns around, clutching the book to himself, and nodding to Leo before hustling back to his table, where his things were. stacking, piling them up.]

[ Leo moves back to his beanbag and stays beside it and out of the way while he waits for Jericho to grab what he wants. He's about to sit down after returning the nod very curtly and Jericho has hustled past, but suddenly he pauses to turn back to him instead. ]

What's your name? [ So he'll know who to avoid or something. ]

[huh?

Jericho looks over his shoulder, blinking.

hey, you know...neither of them actually knows the other's name, isn't that right? weird. but then...there hadn't been a whole lot of good opportunity for that...

he hesitates, then picks up his notebook and flips through pages, closer to the front. he's already got it written down...

erh...he winces at the eyes a little before handing it over.]

Hello :)
I'm Jericho

[the...the smiley face seems nice in most situations, really.]

[ He takes the notebook and reads what's written there before . . . pausing with a frown. The smiley face doesn't make much sense to him, because hey pseudo-Victorian and even though Oz had explained them to him, they're still a little beyond him. It's especially weird to see on paper and so it gets an extra squint.

But after a moment of scrutinizing, he hands the notebook back. He briefly debates just leaving it at that, but he manages enough common courtesy in the end. ]

Leo. [ Somewhat anyway. ]

[wow, that was a...painful few seconds of scrutiny. Jericho takes the notebook back, slowly drawing it to himself, drumming fingers of one hand against its back.

his eyebrows lift at the name, not expecting that. Jericho nods quickly – oh, alright! – and even manages a twitchy, timid smile.]

[ Leo manages a stiff but courteous nod in return before . . . looking back to his book.

There's some stuff he's curious about, like what the hell had happened during their first encounter, but right now he's not in the mood to deal with any more awkwardness. Honestly, they've had their share for the day. So he leaves it at that. At least he knows the kid's name now. That's enough. ]

that perfect tranquillity of life ( OPEN )

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