2020-04-08 - The Library Dog

The library is a circular space that one can consider like a clock when placing the sections. One walks in at six o'clock. Halfway to the center of said circle is a large, also spherical, circulation desk behind which three people could easily work at once. Between the entry and the desk are various seating areas furnished in dated but comfortable chairs and sofas in '70s hues. From seven to eight o'clock are periodicals. From nine to eleven is the children's section which transitions to YA. Behind YA is a wall full of notoriously slow computers. The library has pretty good wi-fi, but the tax levy never seems to fund upgrades for those techno-dinosaurs. From there, pass the break room with a door reading 'Employees Only' at just past noon, and you'll be in the grand shelves of fiction, by genre and author. Circling back around to about four o'clock is the realm of dewey decimal and its secrets. Finally right there at five-thirty is a 'local' section with both books about Gray Harbor and the region, and books by authors who are or were from Gray Harbor. Tables are scattered between fiction and non-fiction. Just inside the doors are flyers for local community events, a pre-teen read-a-thon with games and activities, and something called Battle of the Books.

The time is 7:00 on a Wednesday evening. The Gray Harbor library isn't known for being a particularly traditional place. And the hubbub of young children's animated voices tonight is indicative of as much. Story time has just ended. Children -- in the company of their parents -- are enjoying juice and animal crackers and talking about everything from the stories they just heard to the relative powers of dinosaurs versus locomotives, which are softer: cats or rabbits, and the Thomas twins are debating if Miss Harper could kill a monster.

For her part, Harper is cleaning up after the stories, gathering up blankets that were spread on the floor, helping parents pick out books to check out for their children, and crouching to the floor to listen avidly to solemnly told, rambling stories from children now and again. "...and one time..."

There is an energy to the library on these evenings that warms the comfortable but faintly mildewy scented library. Each time they nearly best the scent, downtown floods again. Some regulars joke that they know there'll be another flood when the library smells more of books than their wet pages. Manning the circulation desk, a middle-aged woman -- Melinda -- watches everything with a faintly disgruntled expression. She checks out books for parents and other patrons as Harper slowly disperses the families that gathered.

Geoff arrives this evening wearing pair of worn grey jeans, a heavy metal tee for the band skeleton witch, which as the name would promise involves skulls, and a hoodie. In one hand he has a takeout bag and in the other a leash which happens to be attached to the collar of a young shiba inu pup. No sooner is he in the door then he is kneeling down to unfasten the pup and with a moderately loud voice that will cut above the quiet clamor of kids and parents he calls out "Not a squirrel." and unleashes the pup of war.

With a grin to the ever disgruntled Melinda he says "Oops, I'll got catch her." though not before taking a piece of cake in a to go container and setting it on the counter before her along with a plastic fork. Striding towards where he knows he'll find Harper (and where inevitably the pup will have found her first), he overhears the kids talking about if Harper could kill a monster and winks to them "Oh she could definitely kill a monster, Ms.Harper is fierce."

Having finished his shift, Rick makes his way into the library a bit slowly, unable to hold back a smile as he hears the sound of things happening. Shaking his head a bit lightly, he makes his way further into the library, nodding a bit as someone greets him as he pass them by.

From where she's crouched with one knee to the carpet in front of a little boy, listening, Harper's brown-eyed gaze snaps up at the announcement that whoever has arrived is not a squirrel. She starts laughing and lifts a hand to pat-pat Tommy's shoulder. "I think Erasmus is here." Tommy's eyes widen. "You mean the library dog?" Harper nods solemnly and, before she can push to her feet, a shiba inu puppy has found her, wagging furiously and play-bowing. A series of excited exclamations rolls through the children's section. Apparently the children are familiar with the concept of the library dog, but have yet to see her. Until now.

"Tommy, meet Erasmus. Erasmus," she looks to the dog and speaks to her as if she might respond in English. "-- this is Tommy." Tommy immediately holds his hands behind his back. Has there been a lesson on how we greet The Library Dog? Likely because none of the children are running toward her, Erasmus continues her happy greetings, sniffing here and there at children (much to their delight), avoiding the touch of any untrained adults to have the audacity to think they're going to pet her, and returning proudly to Geoff. She found Harper. Isn't she a good humanist? The twins look up at the bearded man who says Miss Harper can best monsters, their eyes wide. Men with beards know things. "What about a tiger?" one of them wants to know. This is crucial information.

Harper leans in for a hug from Tommy who then goes to find his mother to tell her the Erasmus liked him best. Did she see? Slowly but surely the crowd of parents and children filters out and into the spring evening. The lead librarian rises to her feet, her lanyard swaying with the motion. She shakes the hands of a few parents and thanks them for coming. A couple of teenaged volunteers come over wipe down the tables, return them, and to put away the juice and animal crackers, take the blankets away somewhere. "Thanks Ava, Betsy." Harper turns with a breath to greet Geoff and sees Rick first and greets the man. "Good evening. You're late for animal crackers and juice, but I could be convinced to read 'Moe Q. McGlutch, He Smoked Too Much' again for you if you'd like." No, she doesn't know Rick. That doesn't make the offer any less playful. At the circulation desk, Melinda furtively takes a bite of the cake Geoff delivered to her and then slides it away out of sight.

Geoff kneels down and offers Erasmus a treat, obviously finding Harper is a trick he is teaching and reinforcing. The pup content with her treat decides to stay near her humans, though it's clear she's incredibly interested in the goings on of the library around them. Approaching Harper, Geoff leans in to steal a kiss and tells her, I got off early and thought I'd bring you dinner." Catching sight of Rick he flashes the man a grin and dips his head, chiming in with "What did he smoke too much of? Juul pods?"

"I'll have to make sure to get off work a bit earlier next time, then," Rick replies, words kept a bit lightly, before he nods a bit at Geoff's question about what Moe Q. McGlutch smoked too much of. "That's the good question," he agrees, before he offers a smile to them both. "Quite nice to see all this activity here," he offers.

Harper leans into the kiss from Geoff with a warm smile. "He smoked everything Ellen Raskin could think of in the seventies. It was a startlingly complete array. But when you smoke, you attract hungry dragons. Which, I mean, is great if you want to keep company with dragons." She waves a hand demonstratively. "But no. There was no vaping. However, The Library Dog made her inaugural appearance. She might be a requirement on future story nights." Harper arches a brow at Geoff. Look what he's started. "So glad you let us know you weren't a squirrel. They're such mischievous creatures. Always stealing the books in self-help."

She looks back to Rick, including him with that warm smile. "Definitely do that," she replies. Get off work earlier. "But you'll have to be okay with being a human jungle gym. Adults in Story Time tend to get climbed upon. It's just how these things go." Harper offers Rick her hand. "I'm Harper. It's lovely to have community members in the library who aren't bothered by the energy and hum of the little ones." She holds out her hand expectantly.

Geoff digs a juul out of his pocket and regards it with distrust "I caught Jake vaping again in the shop....I told him I'd take it if I caught him, and I did." offering it out to Rick he asks "Want a juul, only slightly used." with a grin back to Harper he mentions "At the rate things are going I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up keeping company with a dragon." glancing down to Erasmus he asks "What do you think girl, think we can come for story times and official library dog duties?" Erasmus lets out a sneeze, prompting Geoff to look back to Harper "She's on board."

Rick chuckles. "Some days, I feel like all that is missing is a dragon or two," he offers, before he chuckles at the part about adults in Story Time getting climbed upon. "As long as it keeps them out of trouble, that's a small sacrifice," he replies, before shaking the offered hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Harper. I'm Rick." A brief look around, before he smiles, "I can see some people feeling bothered, but hopefully they get to find the magic of the books, right?"

Harper flickers a look at the device in Geoff's hand. "Not without me." No dragons unless the librarian is present. "I'm not willing to take up smoking, but I truly believe Smaug was just misunderstood." She bumps a pink-clad shoulder into the man's arm, sliding her attention down to the puppy at the consent-via-sneeze. "I have a vest for you, Raz. And the children were enamoured." She looks to Rick. "How could they not be?" Story Time. Puppy. There's no place for an argument here.

She draws back her hand after shaking his. "The pleasure is mine, Rick." The magic of books. "Words like that are dangerous here, Rick. Don't make me put you to work." She approves, apparently, and glances from the man she's facing to the man beside her. "Rick, this is Geoff. Geoff? Rick." She waves the hand that was shaking Rick's down at Erasmus who is watching the conversation avidly. "And that's Erasmus, The Library Dog." There's another ready smile from Harper at Rick's statement about dragons. "I don't think they're missing. They just have other places to be most of the time."

Geoff extends his free arm about Harper's shoulders and gives her a squeeze "Pretty sure human morality doesn't apply to dragons. There he was just sleeping and minding his own business and some hairy little dude steals from him. Then he sets about and just wants his stuff back but the mortals are pains about it...Then he's murdered." Geoff shakes his head "It's a tragedy."

"She's going to be so cute in her little vest. Have you read to them the book yet or are you saving it for her first official story time?" Geoff asks of Harper before turning a grin towards Rick "It's great to meet you man."

Rick smiles, "Nice to meet you too," he offers to Geoff, before he looks to Erasmus as well. "And you, Erasmus." There's a little pause, before he asks, "So, what does a library dog do?" Another brief smile, as he looks between the others, nodding at the talk of the dragons. "Interesting creatures, dragons."

Geoff slides his arm around Harper and the librarian settles there against the man in the Skeleton Witch tee shirt. In the heels she's wearing, she's about an inch shorter than he is."You've got it. Minding his own business. It's been awhile since I read Tolkien. Maybe a book club is in order." Harper sighs as she considers Smaug's fate. "I really feel the need to drink in his honor." A tragedy. "But you brought dinner." A smile is offered up at Geoff. "My hero."

The dog. "She's cute without the vest. With the vest I'm pretty sure she'll be a particular sort of transcendent. Maybe she'll gift us with another dimension, a prophecy, or some basic universal truths." Harper shakes her head slowly about the reading of The Book. "I was saving it for her first Story Time. But there may have been some preliminary conversations about her impending arrival." As evidenced by Tommy's and the other children's good behavior. Harper may be brainwashing the children of Gray Harbor, one Story Time at a time.

What does a library dog do? "Really the question is what doesn't a library dog do, when you think about it. But Erasmus will help with Story Time for a start. She might eventually make book recommendations and offer basic philosophical triage. You know. The usual." Another, genuine smile is offered to Rick. "Is there anything I can help you find?"

"Really a library dog has just as many or more responsibilities then a librarian." Geoff informs seriously and nods his head "She'll have her work cut out for her." Erasmus has taken to sitting in front of the couple, eying up Rick as if unsure what exactly to make of him. With a laugh Geoff says "I'm sure that once she has her little vest and is officially on the clock we'll get all sort of epiphanies and revelations. She'll put time cube to shame."

Nodding a bit as he hears what's said, Rick smiles. "I don't know what I'm looking for yet," he admits. "I just thought it was a good time to..." Trailing off as his cellphone starts ringing. "Sorry about that, I should really answer it..." Starting to move out to where he can answer, just in case it's one of those important conversations.

Whatever Harper may have offered Rick in response to the beginning of his quest is put on pause as he receives his call. She leaves the man his privacy and turns toward Geoff. "Melinda's got the wheel. That food smells delicious, and I'm famished, Skeleton Witch."

Geoff offer Harper his hand "Want to drive home and have dinner? Or maybe you can show me the elusive dungeon beneath the library where you keep all the banned copies of books and connect to the vatican."

Harper smiles up into Geoff's green eyes. "There are arguments both ways. On the one hand: food now and you getting acquainted with my lair. It's not a dungeon." Her brown eyes sparkle, then she continues with an uptipping of her brows, "On the other hand: home, rain on the roof, and book club." Without looking down she says with the utmost sincerity, "Raz wants to go home."

Geoff brings his hand up and brushes his fingertips against Harper's cheek "Let's go home then, your lair can wait for another day when I'm not toting a puppy around." Kneeling down he reattaches the leash to Erasmus' collar, prompting a small whine from her but she doesn't fight it, no she can show it's not needed by not attempting to run into the street. "Shall we get going babe?"

Harper simply stands there for a few moments after fingertips tease across her skin, searching for something in Geoff's gaze, his expression. "It can. It's a patient lair. Almost worthy of a dragon." She trails her fingertips across the back of Geoff's shoulders while he crouches down to leash the pup. "Let me grab my purse and we can be on our way." A few words are exchanged with Melinda at the circulation desk, and Harper is quelling a grin as she meets Geoff and Erasmus halfway to the door. Under her breath she murmurs, "You brought her chocolate cake. She loves chocolate cake." They push through the doors into the rainy evening and head home, led by a shiba inu puppy named after a fifteenth century humanist.