Reshelving projects were not a duty, but an event. When it came to reshelving, there was a lot more to it than simply moving a full books around. There was moving a lot of books around. Add to that the fact that call numbers needed to reassigned, that stack maps needed to be updated, and the call number ranges upon each shelf needed to be reassigned, well, it was needless to say that it was a daunting task. It was a continuously, in-work project that everyone in the library participated in; yes, no one was safe from the dreaded reshelving process – except maybe the dean of the library. But that was an argument for another day.

On this particular, warm day, Booker B. Bookman was more than happy to be out among the stuffy shelves. The air-conditioning vents in his office were on the fritz, making his little peace a quiet a nipple-hardening -20 degrees. Booker liked it cold but even that was a little too much for him. Therefore it was the perfect time to throw himself into this project that would take him out into the far better, climate controlled atmosphere.

Given that this was going to be a somewhat…dirty project, Booker was dressed a bit more casually than he normally would be. Whenever he was working, the librarian preferred to dressed in his nice slacks, a button-up shirt of pastel hues, a vest, and one of his favorite bowties. But, considering that he had already made plans to be out in the stacks today, he chose something that was a bit more flexible and least likely to upset him with dirt smudges.

Today his attire consisted of a pair of dark blue jeans, his sneakers, one of his favorite superhero graphic tees depicting the emblem of Lieutenant U.S.A. and blue and white checkered over shirt that sat unbuttoned across his shoulders. His clothing was still very much his style, but they wouldn’t be as difficult to clean if they got too dirty thanks to the various amounts of dust, food wrappers, and other…things…which he would rather not get onto his clothing.

The best part, though, was that Booker wouldn’t be doing this by himself. The library pulled in a lot of interns and volunteers, many of which only worked out for a brief amount of time. However, there were those individuals who were so in tune with the library that they were a pleasure to have return again and again. One of those individuals, a young blonde by the name of Celeste, was one of those volunteers.

Admittedly, Booker loved to work with her. He was at least ten years her senior, but she had a passion for books that he rarely saw in this day and age. That was sad for him to notice, that people were not as into the library, or books in general, anymore, but to find a young person that was, well, it was like striking gold in a dark mine. What else could he do but continue to encourage her with amazing jobs that were in no way overly tedious and mind-numbing?

Standing out amid the bookshelves, Booker whistled as he placed his hands on his hips, staring at the tall shelf. The books that were so compacted they looked like they would burst forth from the shelves at the drop of a hat. Idly he scratched at the light, scruffiness that adorned his jaw and chin, his jade green eyes looking over the massive amount of work that lay ahead of him and the slave labor volunteer that stood next to him.

When he finally looked down to her, he gave her a bright and peppy smile as he handed her a feathered dusty. ”I’ve honestly seen worse. Scout’s honor.”

The New York Public Library had become sort of a home to Celeste over the past few weeks being in New York City. It was a refuge, a safe place from all the chaos going on in the world. It definitely helped that she had pretty much nothing else to do, either. She remembered the first time she went to a library in Regina. It was the Regina Public Library – Central and Children’s Branch. She was around 8 years old. She knew she checked out a few books that day, but she cant remember the books she brought home with her. It was a bit weird, but she loved the feel and smell of the books ever since then.

Volunteering at the library has pretty much been an everyday activity for Celeste since she arrived in NYC – especially considering all the job applications she’s put in through the libraries computers. The library is how she met Ms. Norma Bakersfield, the elderly woman she’s renting a room from. Granted, Celeste is pretty sure Ms. Norma was only letting her stay because Celeste would help her clean & would cook lunch or dinner. She was wearing a new, blue spring dress she had gotten a few days before with some tip money from the diner she had started working at a little bit ago. She was excited to finally be able to afford some extra stuff and settle into a routine. 

It was the perfect weather. The long walk to the library from her little room made her a little dehydrated, but she loved feeling the warmth of the sun as she strolled through the city to the library. She scolded herself quietly, though, she really needed to just start using the subway or buses. It was time for her to get her metro, bus pass and start taking advantage of what the city offers. But, at least she's getting her exercise during the day. 

She wrinkled her nose and stared at the tall bookshelf that looked like it was ready to explode with books. “We might need safety helmets,” she whispered, more to herself than to Booker.

>> ”I’ve honestly seen worse. Scout’s honor.”

She took the feathered dusty from Booker, with a quiet laugh, “I just really hope I don’t find any random gum stuck around the bookshelf this time around. Or in the books, too.” She even found a couple books with gum in them. She had bought a small hand sanitizer to carry with her. She paused for a moment, lost in thought. Celeste loved being in the library, even with mundane, every day tasks. She was grateful that the library let her stay and volunteer, especially considering how many fluctuate in and out.. The quietness, the peacefulness, it the calm, it all made the repetition worth it. After she had taken a deep breath, "Welp, let's get to it!"

>>”We might need safety helmets.”

He smirked. Looking at the towering shelf and all the books that seemed ready to burst from the seams, it certainly did look as if the entire shelf would explode with books, shrapnel, and dust. That was something that, surely, neither of them wanted at this point. Therefore, it seemed entirely plausible that safety helmets should be a requirement. He did have one in his office but that was only because he was a safety leader in case of massive emergencies. The rest of the staff didn’t look kindly to him for wearing it outside of an emergency – no matter how much he said he looked like that guy from the Lego Movie.

But, seeing as they didn’t have any safety helmets, it seemed that they were going to have to tackle this with a more devil may care attitude. They were going to be defy bodily harm and dangers, all in the name of ensuring that the library will go on! Their deaths shall be remembered in the halls of this hallowed institution for as long as deaths can be remembered for doing something honorable!

Or, at least that was what he would tell himself…and the young ward at his side. So, though he couldn’t offer her a safety helmet, he offered her a feather duster instead. Still just as a good, right?

>>”I just really hope I don’t find any random gum stuck around the bookshelf this time around. Or in the books, too.”

”Uh, don’t remind me of that day,” he grumbled as he picked up his own duster. ”I’m still trying to convince myself that that thing I found in the Ziploc was an old burrito and not…ugh! It was an old burrito. It was.”

He had to repeat that mantra to himself over and over again. he didn’t like to think about that incident because, really, it was rather disgusting to think about. Much like today he had been working on one project or another and, while removing books from the shelf, stumbled across a foul-smelling Ziploc that, to this day, he still wouldn’t allow himself to think about too hard about. It didn’t help that he had an eidetic memory and recalled every last detail about it, but, he could lie to himself like the dickens.

But, traumatic events set aside, they still had a job to do. A rather massive and exhausting job. Thankfully, Celeste was not one to shy away from the work (a trait that Booker greatly admired).

>>”Welp, let's get to it!”

He grinned wide and nodded his head. ”That’s the spirit!”

As Celeste took up her duster and was the first to start cleaning around the edges of the shelves, he allowed her to take the low road while he, himself, took the high. With his own duster, Booker reached for the high shelves on the opposite end of the bookshelf. The last thing he wanted to do was accidentally drop some on top the young woman’s head. So Booker dusted, getting the shelves ready. He knew that this was only going to remove maybe a quarter of the ick that might be on the shelves. The dusters couldn’t reach behind the books and, he knew, once he started pulling them out, there would be mushroom clouds of dust attacking him from all angles. But…there was time to worry about that later.

With a glance over to Celeste, he checked her progress briefly before he turned back to his own work. It was going to be tedious, but he knew that conversation could go a long way to helping the time go by faster.

A smirk on his lips and he spoke up. ”This is the life, isn’t it?” He said with a light airiness to his voice. ”Who needs money, wealth, fame, or,” he coughed, inhaling some wayward dust. After a second to catch his breath, he continued. ”…functioning lungs?”

She grinned towards Booker, “At least this one will be a challenge! Who isn’t down for a good challenge? And even if we do get killed by books, seems like a pretty good way to go to me. We’ll be heroes of the library. Maybe they’ll even name a library or two after us for our dedication?” She grimaced, remembering the Ziploc bag. 

>> ”I’m still trying to convince myself that that thing I found in the Ziploc was an old burrito and not…ugh! It was an old burrito. It was.”

“Oh, that was even worse than the gum.” She over exaggerated a shudder, “It had to be an old burrito. And people are really gross.” It actually made her a bit angry/upset that people were so disrespectful. Putting guminto books and what is hopefully old burritos in Ziploc bags in the library. There was really no excuse for people to be doing that. There was plenty of trash cans throughout the library, outside of the library, really everywhere. Some of these books contain so much knowledge, creativity, and imagination. It is amazing how much the authors put into their books. It's sad to see people treat them like they're worthless.   

She was fairly concerned about the safety of the bookshelf. Celeste was a fairly nervous person naturally, though. They would most likely have enough time to dodge out of the way if something happened, anyways. She started using the feather duster at the edges of the shelves. Dragging the fairly large built up of dust out onto the duster, a lot of the dust went straight onto the ground. She crinkled her face up, holding her breath each time she pulled out the dust. Hopefully, she would avoid the worst of breathing in dust.  It looks like this section may not have been touched in a while, at least these areas of the bookshelf. 

Working along the bottom line of books, she gasped, carefully picking one of the books out of the bookshelf. She traced her hand over the title, smiling. “The Death and Life of Great American Cities. I’ve always loved this book, I had a copy back in Regina.” She placed the book off to the side for now – it didn’t belong in this section of the library anyways.  

>> ”This is the life, isn’t it? Who needs money, wealth, fame, or... Functioning lungs?”

She grinned and let out a quiet laugh at his comment, “It is the life," she exclaimed enthusiastically. "Lungs are overrated anyways.” Thinking for a moment, “It is a bit tedious and fairly boring but I wouldn’t want to spend my days doing really anything else. This library has, honestly, been my lifeline since I got here a while ago. Plus, it’s all about the greater good, right? If even one person finds one of these books and it inspires him or to do, well, whatever, then it’s worth all the tediousness and boringness... And potential lung diseases." Semi-jokingly, she grinned, "Please ignore the super mushiness in that statement. Was a bit more embarrassing than I was expecting,"  A large gush of dust flew into her face, making her cough and wave it away. She decided she would pick up some surgical masks for them to use when she has the time.

She started quietly singing Sleepless by Kate Havnevik between the pauses in conversation. She had the song stuck in her head for the past few days. Thankfully, she has a pretty good singing voice. When she was a freshman, she actually won her high schools’ talent contest by singing. The dirtiest of jobs can go by fast with good conversation and some music. 

Celeste was right. This was going to be a challenge but it was one that he knew that they were both more than capable of tackling. Booker loved this library, any library really, and had been enmeshed in the world ever since he was in grade school. He had respect for the institution and knew that he would force himself through fire and flames in order to make it an amazing place. Booker was just that dedicated to the organization, so much so that sometimes people wondered if he was too passionate about it. But to them, all he could say was that he wasn’t passionate enough.

On the other hand, young Celeste here really seemed to have a thing for the library too. She had an passion for it at such a young age that Booker could only chuckle in excitement. It was like looking at a young, female version of himself and, quite frankly, that was utterly awesome. Again, he was happy to see any youths actually getting into the field and Celeste had a bright future in it, if she ever wanted to pursue it professionally, that is.

Not that he would pressure her. Nope. He didn’t have pamphlets about library school at the ready at all.

The memory of the Ziploc-ed burrito set aside, they could finally move on with the work. The dusting was going to be the easiest part of this journey, but it was also going to be some of the most tedious work. Dust tended to collect in fine layers and, when disturbed, will kick up into clouds that can easily choke the life out of a fully grown man such as himself. But, both himself and Celeste seemed to be old pros at this as they skillfully turned their heads and averted their eyes as they cleaned. Still, the smell was rather off-putting.

That’s it. Next time he was definitely going to be ordering some surgical masks for the supply closet. Why they didn’t have them now, he had no idea. The archivists tended to hog those for their own work; annoying individuals that they were. But he wouldn’t dwell on that for too long.

His ears perked up when Celeste stopped to pluck a book out from the shelf, “The Death and Life of Great American Cities”. He nodded his head in an impressed manner, not only for her being a fan of the text, but for catching that it didn’t belong in this area of the book stacks. Kudos to her indeed!

”That sounds like a fun read,” he commented earnestly. ”One of my favorites, though, was, ‘The History and Social Influence of the Potato’,” he grinned. He totally wasn’t joking. ”Actually pretty interesting,” he kept his eyes on his shelf, dusting it and side stepping falling clumps. ”The potato is far more important than you’d initially think.”

More dusting, more falling clumps, more avoided chances to have a coughing fit. So far they both seemed to be doing rather well at this! Maybe they could get away without actually dying. It seemed like a novel idea but it just might work. Still, not wanting the conversation to dip, Booker turned and started to comment about just how amazing their job was when an invasion clout of dust swept in between his lips and immediately started to strangle him from the inside out. He coughed, he hacked, and he commented – who needed lungs anyways? That was his optimism talking, of course.

>>“It is the life,…Lungs are overrated anyways…It is a bit tedious and fairly boring but I wouldn’t want to spend my days doing really anything else. This library has, honestly, been my lifeline since I got here a while ago. Plus, it’s all about the greater good, right? If even one person finds one of these books and it inspires him or to do, well, whatever, then it’s worth all the tediousness and boringness... And potential lung diseases….Please ignore the super mushiness in that statement. Was a bit more embarrassing than I was expecting,

Booker continued to work but he listened to every word that Celeste had for him. He didn’t comment right away but he did feel his heart swell a little bit. So few young people ever really knew what a library was, let alone the importance that it carried with it. Knowing that there was someone who did really care for it and was taking time out of her own schedule to be here and do it for free was…enlightening. Clearly there was more hope for the future than he had originally thought.

Chuckling at her joke, Booker turned to face her again, really appreciated the youth and her passion for the library. He nodded his head in confirmation as he dusted another stubborn volume that seemed to be practically made of the stuff.

”Your secret is safe with me,” he said with a beaming smile. He would keep her secret but he still needed to reward her. Pizza! Pizza in the break room! That was definitely happening. But first, they had work – and there was a sudden song in the air. Turning, he eyed the young woman as she quietly sung to herself and he smirked. Waiting until the opportune time, Booker subtly began to sing in a low voice too, the same song that she sang. It was a good thing he had just as good a voice or it would prove to be rather embarrassing.

Not that that would have stopped him anyways…

Celeste was actually a bit surprised at how much dust had accumulated around the books. It looked like someone packed this area full of books then went into full retreat. She wondered how long it had been since someone actually checked out a book from this shelf. Whoever was the last person to put a book in this bookshelf sure was brave. Occasionally, she would see someone walk past the bookshelf, looking like they were completely lost. She debated on asking them if they needed anything, but realized she and Booker already had their work cut out for them.

She took a quick look at her watch. It turns out her and Booker were making pretty good time, considering how dusty this shelf was. She nodded to herself, impressed with how fast they were going through the bookshelf. One too large sweep in the back, and a huge dust cloud came out. The dust landed straight in her face, causing her to cough and wave her hand in front of her face.  A bit ironically, she dusted the dust off her dress. Probably not the best attire for working, but she always felt like she needed to be at least somewhat formally dressed in a library. She really wasn't even sure why, considering everyone else really only ever wore general clothes.  She even saw this one guy come in his gym clothes, literally decked in sweat. 

She nodded, it was a great book. Listening to Booker talk about the one of his favorite books, she let out a quiet laugh. "Well if you're being serious..." She took a quick look at him to see a grin on him, but nothing that indicated he was joking, "I'll admit, I don't know just about anything about potatoes except they are delicious. Oh... Well, that and the Irish Potato Famine - er, I think it's also called the Great Famine? I'm not really sure which. I'll have to check it out and read through it, though - maybe I'll find a new passion in the potato." 

>> ”Your secret is safe with me,”

Celeste had a big grin then, "Thank you, it's a top secret secret." As Celeste worked, she let her thoughts wonder. Celeste could tell Booker loved his job and the library. He was dedicated, passionate. He had been a pretty good friend to her since she began volunteering and working with him. She wondered what made him want to become a librarian and what had drawn him to this library. She thought about asking him about it, but decided it probably wouldn't be the greatest idea. In her personal experience, people have these types of passions due to some personal reason - family members, some bittersweet memory of someone or something. Sometimes questions like that can make someone uncomfortable.

When she heard Booker start singing along with her, her eyes lighted up. She didn't even realize how good of a singer he was at first. She was surprised he knew the song she was singing. Her friends in Regina didn't ever listen to the type of music she did. She did a quiet clap, her excitement building up. "You know this song," she asked with excitement. It was one of her favorite songs, "I found out about the singer, Kate Havnevik, thanks, to, um, well," she paused, giving a sheepish smile "binge watching Grey's Anatomy." A slightly embarrassing confession, considering she thought the show had took a turn for the worse the past few seasons. Finally processing his good voice, she quickly added in, "You have an amazing voice too! Librarian and singer, who would have connected the two," she said playfully. She remembered back at the library in Regina that sometimes they would have some people come in and play songs or have other fun activities. However, usually it was for the kids, not the adults. 

She had completed dusting the bottom few shelves. She paused and thought of another song to quiz him on. "Hmm, what about... Too Much is Never Enough by Florence + the Machine?" This is one of her favorite songs too. She couldn't sing it exactly the way Florence can but she was confident how she sang it. She sang it pretty darn good. "It's from the game Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy... XV I believe. I actually haven't had the chance to play the game yet, but the soundtrack is amazing." 

Booker chuckled a bit at Celeste’s realization that she didn’t know much about the noble and powerful history of the mighty potato. Sure, it made sense that she wouldn’t know much about it. The potato was a strange and mysterious thing, the likes of which were rarely discussed. It was through the potato alone that starvation had been staved off for many people, and that itself seemed to be enough to earn it a spot in the annals of history. Why shouldn’t a book be crafted in homage to this noble tuber?

At her comment about finding a new passion for the potato, he nodded his head encouragingly. ”You never know until you crack open the book and read it.” He grinned cheekily at her. ”Luckily we just happen to have two copies…” he held up two fingers signaling that two were, in fact, available. ”…I’ll set one aside for you.”

Normally such a comment was said with no intent of actually doing such a thing. However Celeste was the type that certainly could devour almost any book. That was rather endearing to know and, of course, he would make sure to feed that voracious beast known as literacy wherever he could find it.

Of course Celeste only further drove this point home when she began to talk about how much she actually loved the library. It was very mushy and, of course, she seemed slightly embarrassed by it. Booker chuckled at this and just nodded his head that she was fine. He would keep her not-so-secret secrets. After all, you don’t volunteer at a library near every day just for people to not assume that you’re a fan of it.

>>"Thank you, it's a top secret secret."

Hand to his lips, he turned the invisible lock and mimed tossing it over his shoulder. He had to admit that he had a surprisingly great rapport with the youngster. He hoped that she could achieve great things in her life as she already seemed to have the intelligence and the drive and passion. But there wasn’t a lot he knew about her life, mainly because he didn’t want to impose. He knew some things, of course, but he wasn’t going to pry her for information that she wasn’t willing to give freely.

So, instead, he sang.

When the song fell from her lips, Booker smirked, dusted, and found himself singing alongside her. The two made quite the unusual duo, singing just low enough to not draw too much attention from the passing patrons. They didn’t want to disturb them, after all, and for the most part it seemed as if they succeeded in not doing so. Still, while they managed to maintain themselves, it was clear that the both of them were impressed with the ability of the other.

Booker stopped, smirked and turned to Celeste as she stopped dusting long enough to turn to him.

>>"You know this song...I found out about the singer, Kate Havnevik, thanks, to, um, well…binge watching Grey's Anatomy…You have an amazing voice too! Librarian and singer, who would have connected the two,""

He laughed. ”Yeah, yeah, all us librarians are supposed to be old women with rat’s nest hair buns, and coke bottle thick glasses.” It was such a stereotype but it was one that he had heard more often than not. So he just laughed heartily. ”But I’m glad I could surprise you. You should hear my play my ukulele. I do a mean rendition of Train’s ‘Soul Sister’.” He smiled proudly. ”And yes, I love that song. Between you and me, that’s where I heard it too.”

Booker was a notorious binge watcher. Binge had been his favorite streaming platform because it was so easy to get lost in show after show after show. And sometimes its recommendations were so spot on that he could scarcely believe it. Really he knew that he had a problem but it wasn’t one he was willing to do anything about – yet.

>> "Hmm, what about... Too Much is Never Enough by Florence + the Machine? It's from the game Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy... XV I believe. I actually haven't had the chance to play the game yet, but the soundtrack is amazing."

His smile broadened as he nodded his head. ”Um, yeah!” he said just a tad bit too loud. His voice echoed a bit but he straightened up and pressed his finger to his lips, shushing the perpetrator that totally wasn’t him. Once his voice some echoing he turned back to Celeste. ”I’m getting ready to do a run through of that game on my ViewTube channel, Pixel Rainbow. You should subscribe. My sister and I put some great gaming videos on there.”

>> ”You never know until you crack open the book and read it. Luckily we just happen to have two copies… I’ll set one aside for you."

She nodded, probably a little too excited. "Alright, can't wait to read through it and learn about the greatness of the potato." Celeste didn't think she'd go home with a book about the history of the potato, but looks like she is. She was actually a little excited to start reading it - if Booker recommended it, it had to have a lot of information and had to be a pretty good book. She daydreamed a little about what she'd read, a mighty potato saving countries from the brink of starvation. Her thoughts wandered to where she had originally learned about the Great Famine. Maybe during elementary school? An important event in history due to the severity of the situation, but mostly irrelevant now, at least in her life. 

She paused, thinking for a moment, "You know, I'm pretty sure I read an article a few months ago about potatoes being able to grow on Mars. Something about the soil having some type of nutrient or being like the best possible match, you know, in the soil... Stuff?" She started mumbling a little bit, her attention focused on trying to remember the article. "If you're interested, I can find the link. Probably. It may be the future of humans. You might appreciate it a bit," she shot a big grin to him. She realized that Booker was probably her closest friend now, besides Ms. Norma. It was a bit strange, considering she barely knew anything personal about him. She hadn't talked to anyone from Canada.

She kept on dusting the dirty books. It looked like they might be getting close to finishing the dusting portion of this task. Her alarm on her watch went off, which spooked her a little bit. Looking at her wrist, she turned it off and went over to her purse. She had it laying  on the floor, leaned against the bookshelf about midway. She grabbed a small bottle of water and her anti-nausea medication. She paused, and realized that she wasn't nauseated. Weird. She is suppose to take the medication every 4-6 hours, and her watch is timed to go off every 6 hours. Usually, she takes it about every 5 hours since that is when she usually start feeling the symptoms again. She was surprised she wasn't, but hey, she wouldn't complain. She was visibly puzzled although slightly relieved. To be on the safe side, she decided to take the medication anyways. Maybe it was just a weird day. The nausea may hit her harder later in the day. Prevention is key! 

>> Yeah, yeah, all us librarians are supposed to be old women with rat’s nest hair buns, and coke bottle thick glasses. But I’m glad I could surprise you. You should hear my play my ukulele. I do a mean rendition of Train’s ‘Soul Sister’. And yes, I love that song. Between you and me, that’s where I heard it too."

She stuck her tongue out at him playfully, "You know that's not what I meant! But I mean, come on, you know the little old lady librarians are adorable!" Not a lot of people could sing as well as they both did. She had seen enough of Canada's Got Talent to know that was true. Usually, though, people excelled in something - instruments, grades, programming, anyways. People were just different. 

"Oh, you play the Ukulele? You're totally going to have to show it and play a song for me one day! Soul Sister is a great song. I've never actually heard someone play the Ukulele before. Um, or I guess I didn't know if they did or not, actually." She wasn't even sure what a Ukulele sounded like, so she really had no idea what it might sound like. She knew about them, what they looked like, but not much else.  

Binge watching shows use to be a hobby, if you can call it that, in her free time. She watched up to season 7 of Grey's Anatomy in one weekend. Once she left Canada, though, she had no TV or device that could play any shows on. She had only taken herself, her clothes, and essentials. It dawned on her that she is completely behind on almost all the shows she used to watch, which prompted a small frown.

>>  ”Um, yeah! I’m getting ready to do a run through of that game on my ViewTube channel, Pixel Rainbow. You should subscribe. My sister and I put some great gaming videos on there.”

She laughed quietly after Booker made a little too loud yeah and gave him a playful scowl at him trying to shush someone. "You're going to get us in trouble," she joked, with a beaming grin on her face. She nodded, "I'll definitely subscribe! Let me write the name down so when I have a chance to get on ViewTube again I'll remember." She actually had no idea when she might be on ViewTube again, though. She didn't have a computer, at least not yet. And she wasn't going to use the library's computer to watch videos on ViewTube. Hopefully he wouldn't be checking in a couple weeks and see that no one named "CCpoweredatomWard" hadn't subscribed to him and his sisters channel. 

Potatoes were still a topic on Celeste’s mind. That made the librarian chuckle and grin all the more, to know that she was actually really engaged in the thought and trying to figure it out. He liked to make people think, to get them to really take a look at the strange and wonderful nuances of the world. It was really a magical place, even when something as innocent as a potato could mean the difference between life and death. That was something that made him proud to be a librarian, because he could look at the wonder that filled people’s eyes at the most unknown facts.

He was sure that Celeste was going to learn a lot from the book. As he promised, he would make sure that she didn’t leave today without having one of the copies checked out to her. If it would do anyone any good, it was this volunteer here. So, with a mental note added to make sure to grab the book before the day was done, Booker continued worked.

When she made the comment about not making the connection between singer and librarian, Booker couldn’t help but poke a little fun at her. The stereotype of a librarian being some old biddy was something that Booker dealt with on a daily basis. Most people who spoke to him in the library always assumed that he was either security or just some other patron. It was almost as bad as trying to convince others that his name was Booker B. Bookman.

Still, that didn’t change the fact that he was a great singer and, not only that, but he had a musical talent with the ukulele. That was a fact that she didn’t know about him that actually seemed to cause the spark of interest to fill her eyes.

>> "Oh, you play the Ukulele? You're totally going to have to show it and play a song for me one day! Soul Sister is a great song. I've never actually heard someone play the Ukulele before. Um, or I guess I didn't know if they did or not, actually."

She didn’t know whether or not someone actually played a ukulele before. Oh that was just a crime against nature! It was such an underrated instrument and one of his absolute favorites. Most people just assumed that it was better suited for luaus or could only played on a beach in Hawaii. But it had such a unique sound that Booker had absolutely fallen in love with it. That was why had such a passion for it.

”Haha, maybe next time I’ll bring it in,” he said with a grin. ”I’ve been promising to give Old Ms. Bats a performance as a belated birthday present.”

Ms. Bats, yes that was her real name, was an older curmudgeon who worked in the library as only a part-time librarian and full-time grouch. She rarely said nice things to people but Booker had, surprisingly, been one of those lucky individuals. He promised day that he would play her a song and, dammit, he kept his word.

At the mention of the video game song that she was singing, Booker got further excited. He absolutely loved video games. While he didn’t get the fame that his sister had in the world of gaming, Booker was happy to get to do what he absolutely loved. Pixel Jungle was his and his sister’s baby, but with her own channel to manage, the majority of the time he was running things. Seeing as he had a full time job, videos weren’t as consist as something professionally run like Nessa’s (or even Rebecca’s), but it was still a passion project for him.

Therefore, at the mention of it, the librarian got overly excited. His voice raised and was prompted shushed by none other than himself. After all, if he didn’t keep himself in check, who was going to?

>> "You're going to get us in trouble…I'll definitely subscribe! Let me write the name down so when I have a chance to get on ViewTube again I'll remember."

”Perfect!” he smiled proudly. ”Just type in Pixel Jungle into the search engine and the first links you get back will probably by my videos.” he grinned. ”Oh if you want a good place to start, and laugh, watch the challenge maps that my sister made for me in ‘Average Giuseppe Maker’!” he started to chuckle. ”One of my absolute favorites. I think I disowned my sister several times for some of those. Especially the last one.” He visibly shuddered. ”That was a long night.”

Celeste still had the potatoes on her mind for a little bit, even after the topic of conversation switched. Mainly, though, it was about what she was going to cook for dinner when she got home. If she gets home on time, she should have just enough time to get it finished before her shift at the diner starts. She had started craving potatoes ever since they started talking about it. Maybe Potatoes Au Gratin, she hasn't made that in a while. No one can ever go wrong with potatoes and cheese, after all. There would probably be enough to bring some when she comes in tomorrow, so she made a mental note to go by the grocery store on her way home to get the ingredients. She knew Ms. Norma would love it, she always loved her cooking. 

>> ”Haha, maybe next time I’ll bring it in. I’ve been promising to give Old Ms. Bats a performance as a belated birthday present.” 

She nodded, excited. "I would love to watch the performance," she exclaimed enthusiastically.  It would be great to finally know what one sounded like, especially someone who had talent with the instrument. She wondered where the Ukulele originated from. Hawaii? Or southeastern Asia? Oh well, the origins aren't too important anyways. The important part was the player performing with the instrument. 

"Oh, Ms. Bats." She had heard of her through some of the other workers in the library. Celeste hadn't personally met her yet and from what she's heard, she kinda would prefer it to stay that way. She glanced around her, making sure she wasn't around. She leaned over to Booker, "Some other people say she is all grumpy and mean." She was clearly skeptical that Ms. Bats was actually as grumpy and mean as some people in the library made out. If someone started some mean rumors about her, who wouldn't be a bit grumpy? "I've never actually met her, but people kinda say mean things about her." It sounded like Ms. Bat and Booker had a good relationship, though. Although, that could be a bit of an assumption. 

>> ”Just type in Pixel Jungle into the search engine and the first links you get back will probably by my videos. Oh if you want a good place to start, and laugh, watch the challenge maps that my sister made for me in ‘Average Giuseppe Maker’! One of my absolute favorites. I think I disowned my sister several times for some of those. Especially the last one

She grinned, his excitement for video games and his ViewTube channel was contagious. She enjoyed video games, especially ones with intense stories. Plus, the ones that that involved drama, romance, betrayal, were the best to her. Mass Effect was one of her favorite series because of that. She loved feeling the emotion, feeling like she was living the main character. She never really watched ViewTube videos of people playing video games, so it would be interesting to see what that is all about.

"That'll be the first video I look up then! Sounds like she gave you a run for your money! I would be too embarrassed." She laughed, making sure she wasn't too loud. She paused, taking a glance over to him, deciding to open up a little bit,"It might be a while before I can actually subscribe or watch them, though. I only have one of those ancient flip phones right now and no computer. But once I get one, it'll be one of the first things I do!"

She let a big grin out, "So... Favorite book, besides the great and powerful potato, AND favorite video game? Oh, and you can only pick one of each." She had a big grin. She hated those type of questions but they always made her think. She loved so many books and had a few favorite games. It was always hard for her to narrow her favorites down (especially her favorite books), so she wondered what Booker might say.  

Booker smirked a little at Celeste’s thoughts about Ms. Bats. It was true, the old woman was definitely not the most cuddly person in the world. It was a tragedy, to be sure. Booker felt that too much time was wasted on such things. Being a grumpy curmudgeon all the time was way too exhausting for anyone to be able to maintain twenty-four seven. However, if anyone was able to do it, it was probably Ms. Bats. But Booker was glad to prove that theory wrong because, out of everyone, she managed to at least give him a smile. That was all the librarian needed to re-establish his faith in humanity.

But that didn’t mean that he was going to send Celeste marching off to her death by trying to interact with the other librarian. After a chuckle, he did give her a look of confirmation. ”Yeeeah. She has a thing about people under the age of twenty…” he smirked. ”So it’s probably safest for you to continue to avoid her. But, who knows, maybe she’ll take a liking to you before you know it.”

What a cruel fate.

With their conversation moving onto something that was far more pleasant, Booker delved into the world of video games. To know that Celeste was into them too just expanded their topics of conversation at least twenty-fold! Of course he couldn’t help but subtly drop mention of Pixel Rainbow into conversation, something that he was particularly proud of. Though that hated level design of his sister’s was something that still gave him nightmares, he was glad that it could provide entertainment for people who needed a good laugh.

During that particular recording, Booker couldn’t count the number of times that he wished his sister were dead and vehemently cried to god to smote her for her transgressions against his person! Oh…but he was over it now…mostly…

>> "That'll be the first video I look up then! Sounds like she gave you a run for your money! I would be too embarrassed…It might be a while before I can actually subscribe or watch them, though. I only have one of those ancient flip phones right now and no computer. But once I get one, it'll be one of the first things I do!"

Booker stopped as he smiled at the young woman. This was probably one of the first instances where he actually knew something more than just surface about her. So, she didn’t have a current smart phone of a computer. That…was interesting. He didn’t comment, though, as it wasn’t his place, but still, in this day and age, something like that was pretty rare. Hrm…

The librarian merely smirked and nodded his head. ”I’ll keep a look out in the comment section,” he said sweetly. ”And it better be a nice comment and not you just trolling.” He pointed at her, giving her a look for warning before he grinned, winked, and went back to his work.

As he dusted off the last of the shelf (together they made surprisingly good time), Booker sighed in satisfaction as he let Celeste finish off her assigned area. He stepped back a few steps, grabbing a couple of rolling book carts which he brought to the forefront. They were going to have to start removing books from the shelf, ensure they were in order, and start making room for the rest of books so that the pressure was off.

Bringing the cart backs, one a deep shade of green and the other bright lemon yellow, he titled his head when Celeste suddenly spoke up.

>> "So... Favorite book, besides the great and powerful potato, AND favorite video game? Oh, and you can only pick one of each."

His hand placed over his heart, his step faltered as he shook his head in compete indignation. ”Wow…could you be more cruel?” he asked. ”I mean…that’s like asking me to choose between my children, of which I have none.” He stopped, placed his hands on his hips and chewed on his bottom lip in thought. It took a few moments (as he was clearly struggling with choices) before he finally lifted his gaze to her. ”Well, that is an utterly unfair question but, since you asked, at this moment, and trust me if you ask me again later, the answer will change…” he looked away in thought before he snapped his fingers and straightened up. ”Favorite book is ‘Pride and Prejuidice’ by Jane Austen and favorite video game is ‘Fallout 4’.” Clearly Booker was a fan of epic storytelling, a fact that could be derived from his choices. But, since she opened this door, he was going to take full advantage of it. ”You? And no weaseling out of it! I answered…you answer.” He crouched down and started to remove books from the end of the very bottom shelf, the logical place to start relieving the pressure.

Celeste smirked at Booker's response about Ms. Bats. That's a shame. Celeste let out a little sigh, but her mind was made up. "I definitely won't be searching her out but if I meet her, I'll kill her with kindness... Doesn't sound like she would like me, I mean, if even you are confirming it."

While she didn't believe being entirely nice to Ms. Bats would even work with helping her like her, optimism!  Granted, she probably wouldn't even acknowledge Celeste and even if she did, it wouldn't be too polite. They have never worked together and plenty of volunteers come in and out of the library. She did wonder why she didn't like people under 20, however. Well, there was plenty of people under 20 that Celeste didn't like either. 

A light bulb moment went off in her head as her mind drifted back to their singing talent for a moment. "Oh, I forgot to mention, the diner I work for has Saturday night events, where they bring in local singers, bands, all that fun stuff," she paused, trying to remember the schedule and line up. "I believe this Saturday is folk... And next Saturday is Alternative. I'd have to check the schedulefor the rest. I have to work during those events, but I'll be able to get you a free meal if you wanted to come to one sometime."

She hated that job, but it paid her bills. She wasn't cut out for customer service type jobs like that.  Beggars can't be choosers though, she reaffirmed to herself. On the plus side, she was on pretty good terms with pretty much everyone else that worked there. She enjoyed working with most of them. She smirked, figuring she should give him ample warning in case he did decide to check it out one day. "Well... The manager, Ms. Johnson, will probably try to flirt with you before she lets me give it to you for free. So that may be a little uncomfortable but if you can grind through it, it is pretty tasty food. I mean, considering most diner foods." 

>> ”I’ll keep a look out in the comment section. And it better be a nice comment and not you just trolling.”

She laughed with a big grin, "No guarantees! Either way, you'll know it's me!" She used to get into fights with people all the time, especially on social media with more politically sensitive matters. After Booker had brought the carts, she quickly chimed in, "Ooh, I claim the green one!" 

>> "Wow…could you be more cruel?... I mean…that’s like asking me to choose between my children, of which I have none. Well, that is an utterly unfair question but, since you asked, at this moment, and trust me if you ask me again later, the answer will change… Favorite book is ‘Pride and Prejuidice’ by Jane Austen and favorite video game is ‘Fallout 4.'"

She grinned, "What do you mean no kids?! There's no baby Booker's running around in daycare, playing in books? Either way, most parents totally have a favorite child so..." She stuck her tongue out at Booker playfully. She nodded at his answers, "Both good choices! Pride and Prejudice is an amazing book. Fallout 4 is the bees knees too. I modded it so much when I had a computer." She thought back to all the mods she had installed, from clothing, new guns, to settlements, "My favorite part was creating new characters and having them romance the various players, like Piper and Paladin Danse. I'd create these elaborate backstories for them, so it'd make sense for them to romance whichever character I picked." 

>> You? And no weaseling out of it! I answered…you answer."

She had started removing books on the opposite end of the bottom shelf. She hadn't really thought about which might be the best place to start, she just dived straight into it. She noted a few books that belonged in other sections of the library and organized the other books on the green cart. The library should just pressure wash this shelf down after her and Booker get finished sorting the books out. It was so dirty. There was still loads of dust still on the books, in between them, in the pages, etc despite their best efforts. 

She had actually used the time he thought about the question to figure out how she would answer, so she answered after only a few seconds. "Favorite book? Hmm, My Sisters Keeper. Favorite video game... Mass Effect 3, of course, with all the DLC. Especially the party at the citadel one, I can't remember it's name." She grinned, "Mine will probably change in a day or two too."

Booker smirked at Celeste’s mention of being able to conquer Ms. Bat with kindness. Then again, he assumed that stranger things had happened in the past and wouldn’t have put it past the abilities of this young woman. Still, that was something that he would pay money to see, Celeste taming the wild and grumpy Ms. Bat. The thought made him chuckle a bit more as he turned back to his work.

But, Celeste was fairly determined to hear him sing. Apparently she worked at a diner that had improv nights of sorts! That immediately made Booker stand to attention, his eyes wide a bit in excitement. Oh the many was humble in nearly all areas of his life, but when it came to singing and the ukulele, well, he was a bit of a ham. He couldn’t help it. He liked to entertain and to put a smile on people’s faces. That alone made him a hell of an entertainer when the granted the opportunity.

”Wow, that sounds amazing,” Booker confirmed. ”I may have to take you up on that offer. Besides, it affords me a chance to pester you at your work,” he grinned toothily. ”See how you like it when the shoe is on the other foot, my friend!”

He was joking, of course. He adorned the young woman’s company because it was so rare to work with someone who was as into books as he was. He saw her as another type of younger sister, one whom was actually interested in the library and didn’t argue with him on the benefits of digital-only libraries (that heathen). Besides, who was he to disappoint a potential future fan? And a free meal to boot!

>>"Well... The manager, Ms. Johnson, will probably try to flirt with you before she lets me give it to you for free. So that may be a little uncomfortable but if you can grind through it, it is pretty tasty food. I mean, considering most diner foods." [

He sighed and put on a brave face. ”Well, it wouldn’t be the worst thing I’ve done for free food,” he said mysteriously. He then gave her a sly smile as he shook his head. ”I’m kidding. But, I have been flirted with before so I’m sure that I’ll be okay.”

Booker slowly returned, pushing carts when Celeste ambushed him with the most impossible question. What was his favorite book and his favorite video game? Truly it was one of the most impossible questions to try and answer. Seriously, who can answer something like that? Booker had so many favorites that ran across so many different genres and sub-genres that it couldn’t have been a more unfair question. And yet, there he was, posed with it, and him struggling to find an answer. Of course his faux-annoyance at being asked such a thing rang clear and loud in his voice.

>> "What do you mean no kids?! There's no baby Booker's running around in daycare, playing in books? Either way, most parents totally have a favorite child so...”

She stuck her tongue out at him. He smirked but he didn’t respond to that comment in the least. He knew it was true, only too well. His own parents played favorites between himself and his sister, @supernes. It was the reason that she had suffered so much and Booker threw himself into the task of protecting her. In his view, parents should never choose one child over the other, especially when they never did anything wrong. But now wasn’t the time to dig up memories of the past. Instead he just pushed on with his answer.

It was tame enough. They were two of the most popular items in their respective medias so, therefore, it would stand to reason that they were some of his favorites. Of course Booker had so many favorites that if asked the same question tomorrow, the answer could encompass items that were far less mainstream and delegated to only the most truest of fans. But that wasn’t knowledge he needed to drop right away.

>>”Both good choices! Pride and Prejudice is an amazing book. Fallout 4 is the bees knees too. I modded it so much when I had a computer…My favorite part was creating new characters and having them romance the various players, like Piper and Paladin Danse. I'd create these elaborate backstories for them, so it'd make sense for them to romance whichever character I picked."

He stopped. He looked at her hard. And then he started to chuckle as he repeated…”Bee’s knees?” He couldn’t help but laugh at that more than ancient bit of slang she dropped on him. What else could he do but shake his head and zero in on it? ”Wow. Okay Lucille Ball. Next thing I know you’ll be asking me to Jitter Bug.” Hew grinned a bit wider but kneeled down and continued to pull books from the shelf. ”But, yes, the NPCs are some of my favorites about that game. Though I was partial to Nick Valentine. I dunno, I just love the throwback to the old, hardboiled detectives.”

He snorted and pulled more books out and setting them onto his yellow cart. Celeste was doing the same on the opposite end of the shelf. However, despite whatever work she was doing, he wasn’t going to let her get away without answering the question herself. She needed to name her favorites now…

>> "Favorite book? Hmm, My Sisters Keeper. Favorite video game... Mass Effect 3, of course, with all the DLC. Especially the party at the citadel one, I can't remember it's name…Mine will probably change in a day or two too."

He tilted his head curiously. ”Huh. I don’t think I’ve read ‘My Sister’s Keeper’, yes, but I does keep coming up on my Suggested Reading list.” A heavy, dusty tome was plopped onto the cart with a resounding ring. ”Oooo, Mass Effect 3! Personally I still love the first one best, but they were all pretty amazing. I love games with choices,” he chuckled. He then laughed. ”I always end up playing a good guy, thought. Even in a video game I fill bad for hurting innocent people.”

Celeste kept working as they chatted, occasionally checking their time and making guesses in her mind that they would be finished with this specific assignment. Booker seemed like he would be a good boss or a good friend. They clearly cared about similar things and their passions were similar. Maybe somehow her and Booker were long lost siblings! Her mind drifted to some of the other individuals she's met in the library besides Booker and Norma. A few college students, an elderly couple. None of them seemed to interested in talking, which was fine. It was the library, after all.

>> ”I may have to take you up on that offer. Besides, it affords me a chance to pester you at your work. See how you like it when the shoe is on the other foot, my friend!”

She grinned, "Well, those nights are pretty fun! Not nearly as fun as this, but fun. We wouldn't really talk too much, though. I'm just a waitress, so I'd bring you something to drink and your food but I'd be busy with everyone else." Her eyes darted to him, with a smile, "Unless you're one of those kind of customers that are all mean, demanding, you know." 

She rarely actually talked to any of the performers. Maybe it was because she was so busy those nights or maybe they just didn't care to pay her much attention. Sometimes they'd ask for a beer, or some water. She would grab it for them and serve it with a sweet smile. Celeste was pretty sure it was illegal since she's only 18, but that's what the boss says to do. Whatever they ask for, get it to them. It made the diner a ton of money. Lots of hipsters started showing up after they started the practice a few years ago. Simply put, it brought in a ton of revenue for the diner that normal Saturdays never could. It made sense Ms. Johnson would want to cater to every whim and desire of the artists. 

>> ”Well, it wouldn’t be the worst thing I’ve done for free food. ”I’m kidding. But, I have been flirted with before so I’m sure that I’ll be okay.”

She laughed, "Wellllllllll, I mean, you gotta do whatcha gotta do. There is zero judgement here." She put her hands up in a surrendering kind of way. "On a serious note, yeah, you should be fine. It's just... Weird, watching her do it." Her face showed some discomfort, "It's just weird. But, I mean, she is a pretty woman for someone who's 60 and smokes 2-3 packs of cigarettes a day." And maybe has the first stages of liver failure, she thought to herself. She shrugged, clearly showing some judgement to her boss there. She never understood why people treated their bodies so badly.

Her cheeks flushed a little red, feeling a bit of guilt. She realized after she had made the comment about parents favorites that he didn't take it too well. She felt like she could feel the tension in the air for a moment after he ignored the comment. Either he was the favorite and his siblings got the bad end of the deal or one of his siblings was the favorite and he got the bad end of the deal.

She knew how it felt to be the least favorite child. She could understand, and relate, if the comment upset him. Her parents practically had a whole new child just to replace her after they found out she was a mutant. She had tried numerous ways to make it up to her parents. She got amazing grades, practiced her singing, was a total bookworm. However, her parents drew the line at being a mutant. Nothing she ever did would change their mind. When she left Canada, she had left them a note and her flip phone number for them to check in on her. Just in case. They never did. It'd been a few months since then and she'd heard nothing from them. She had decided she should just get a new number, that way she could fully let go of them. She just didn't have the heart to do it yet.

She didn't know, well, anything personal about him though. She didn't know his story or why he would be upset by it, so she couldn't really say much. She debated if she should apologize or just ignore it, so she decided to whisper "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to touch a nerve." She wasn't sure if he would hear it, but either way, so be it. She hated making other people feel bad and even worse hated conflict.

>>  ”Wow. Okay Lucille Ball. Next thing I know you’ll be asking me to Jitter Bug. But, yes, the NPCs are some of my favorites about that game. Though I was partial to Nick Valentine. I dunno, I just love the throwback to the old, hardboiled detectives.”

She did a little curtsy, "Hey, don't judge my words! It's a cute word or expression or whatever you call it." She laughed a little bit, "I don't dance but you never know. Maybe I'll put a request in when you're performing at the diner." She nodded her agreement regarding Valentine. He was a very interesting Detective and the story line with him was pretty good. Definitely a throwback, as Booker called it. 

>> "Huh. I don’t think I’ve read ‘My Sister’s Keeper’, yes, but I does keep coming up on my Suggested Reading list. Ooo, Mass Effect 3! Personally I still love the first one best, but they were all pretty amazing. I love games with choices. I always end up playing a good guy, thought. Even in a video game I fill bad for hurting innocent people.”

She nodded, "Well, when you do read it, be sure to have a bunch of tissues around you. It's so freaking sad." She cried like a huge baby the first time she read it. It took her days to recover emotionally after reading it. "But, do not watch the movie. It's crap and they completely changed everything," she grumbled. 

She nodded, "I like decision based games a lot too. I always try to be the hero too, saving everyone from everything. Like, I hate all of the endings for Mass Effect honestly because each one had a negative. Or was kinda weird." 

Booker chuckled, almost too loudly, but he stopped himself. ”I am the meanest of customers,” he cackled evilly. ”I only tip the four-and-a-half percent, as opposed to the normal five.”

So. So Evil.

Booker paused. He recoiled. The image that Celeste was painting of the woman who would be flirting with him in order to get his free meal seemed less and less appealed. While Booker wasn’t one to judge, one of the things that he wholeheartedly disliked was smoking. Ugh! It was such a disgusting habit. So many thought it was some great thing, but it just wasn’t for him. It wasn’t like overly fatty food that had been purposefully discounted because it was cheap to make. And it certainly wasn’t alcohol which surprisingly had its own benefits, but just happened to be a terrible substance with no benefit other than some false sense of rebellion.

He visibly shuddered at the idea of the chain smoker hitting on him and Booker cringed a little. Again, he normally wasn’t one to judge but that was just something where his feelings were clearly visible on the matter. His eyes drifted back to Celeste who was probably trying to keep herself from falling over laughing at his expense. So, he sighed and shook again.

”Uhhh, well, who am I to deny a hard earned establishment the money that they are owed?” He smirked and shrugged. ”It’s what makes the world go ‘round, after all!”

Booker was quick to change topics after that, thankful for the opportunity as he buried himself in grabbing more and more dusty volumes from the bottom shelf. As he did so, he sighed as he pulled out a the sticky remains of a “Sugar Daddy” from between a pair of books. Another grumble and he flicked the candy into a grocery bag that he had attached to his cart specifically for trash. Ugh! At least it didn’t stain the book covers but they were going to have to use quite a bit of Goo Gone in order to remove the rest of the sticky residue.

However, as the two of them continued to work, an off-hand comment made by Celeste, meant only as a joke of course, immediately brought a rather solemn look to Booker’s eyes. He still smiled when looked at, but it was subdued down, chained and weighed by the heavy thoughts of sadness and experience. Booker’s eyes grew distant as he thought back to his own parents, to their treatment of Nessa, and the fact that he had to jump in and save her from the world. It was a tragedy, to say the least, and one that the librarian didn’t like to be reminded of.

His reaction must have been fairly evident as Celeste too grew pretty quiet. His head dipped down, looking over the spines of the books as he tried to keep working, tried to shoo those thoughts away. But it was the soft, whispering voice of his volunteer who drew his attention.

>> "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to touch a nerve."

The corner of his lips upturned in reaction to her softly spoke apology. With a sigh, he pulled out another pair of books and set them aside. Dusting his hands off on his jeans he just mumbled back (in the same pitch she used so he knew she would hear). ”We’re cool…”

And that was the end of that. He needed to push past the invasive thoughts and onto a subject matter that was more entertaining and, yes, simply better to speak of: video games and books.

Celeste proved to be more and more interesting. He couldn’t help but drop a comment about her use of “Bee’s Knees” because, really, who uses that vernacular anymore? It was just one of those slang phrases that went out with the rise of a new generation. It was just one of those things that you simply didn’t hear anymore. Of course, Celeste, teasingly defended her use of it.

>> "Hey, don't judge my words! It's a cute word or expression or whatever you call it. I don't dance but you never know. Maybe I'll put a request in when you're performing at the diner."

Booker laughed heartily. ”Hah! I can hardly ask that you,” he grinned. ”You said it yourself…you’ll be working.”

At the mention of her favorite book, Booker had to admit that it was not one that he had read yet. It wasn’t a requirement to read every damn book that ever came out just to be a librarian, but he did his damnedest! At least he knew of which book she was speaking of because the title did oddly ring a bell.

>> "Well, when you do read it, be sure to have a bunch of tissues around you. It's so freaking sad…But, do not watch the movie. It's crap and they completely changed everything,"

A scoff on his lips and he set down the last few volumes on his cart from the bottom shelf. ”Duly noted.”

>>"I like decision based games a lot too. I always try to be the hero too, saving everyone from everything. Like, I hate all of the endings for Mass Effect honestly because each one had a negative. Or was kinda weird."

”Just like real life, eh?” He smirked. ”There’s rarely a positive without a negative. But that’s just the nature of things,” he said as he grabbed another handful of books from the shelf second to the bottom and plopped them onto the bottom rack of his cart. ”Balance. That’s the key to everything. Sometimes you need a bit a negative to truly appreciate the positives.”