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10 AM, Monday, finds Amber babysitting an algebra tome, scribbling notes into her spiral-bound. The young Texan firestarter looks tired, yet, bouyant. Close scruitiny might reveal tell-tale signs of canary feathers stuck in her whiskers. "Backed that Goddamn ace…", she chuckles to herself. "What an asshole."
Morning in the library on is the kind of place you can relax and find some breathing room. The summer light filters in through the tall windows, giving it the sort of radiant glow that makes for amazing photos. To many it's as important as morning services.
Such as Halgrim, who enters the library with his workbag and begins the hunt for a table. He's plainly dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and sandals, making the most of a day without other faculty and students. He hears Amber's voice, and after some glancing about manages to spy her. "Studying on a Sunday?" he asks once he's close enough that she'll hear him. "I hope your teachers appreciate the effort."
Morning?!? Mornings don't agree with her. The sour little perturbed face just creates a cat's bums expression with a twist of lips. Occasionally a groan comes from her as she does a slow-mo weave out of the way of an oncoming reader or curator with their cart. There was a notebook in one hand, the spiral bound wire hiding a pencil inside it. She'd been shambling her way towards the bakery and coffee. That brew that could kick her spine back into order and help her with that task when she hears Ambers's voice. "No way." she mutters, slowing her stride before finally deviating. Where did she hear that voice? Slower on the uptake than Halgrim, she begins to thread along shelves looking for the origins of that voice and waiting to see if she can hear the voice again.
"Hope so.", Amber repllies to Halgrim. chuckling softly. "Mathematics and I've been good friends.", she says, turning to address him properly. "How's you
"Hope so.", Amber repllies to Halgrim. chuckling softly. "Mathematics and I've been good friends.", she says, turning to address him properly. "How's things?
Halgrim shrugs; it's fair to say he looks like he could use about twice as much sleep as he's been getting. "Busy," he admits. "But the semester starts soon, and I apparently did well enough last year that they're giving me a bit more this time around. Inga goda garningar, ah…" He tilts his head, thinking. "Perhaps it's the same in English. No good deed goes unpunished."
There. There she is. The origins of a voice found. Eva lengthens her stride honing in on Amber like a wasp with a disturbed nest. Rolling around the sheleves she tucks a hand into her sweater pocket and she sets her signs on Amber only to slow when she sees she's got company. Eva should have been able to work that out, but her brains still asleep. The mouth was already open as she starts with "Trouble." then the brain catches up and snaps the mouth shut. The jaw still moving trying to get words out leaving her appearing like a bulldog with a bone caught in its gullet. With a quietly spat cough she loosens the unsaid words and changes the greeting too; "Morn'n." Something about the moment brightens. It has something to do with Halgrim looking how she's feeling about now.
"Yep, that happens.", Amber nods to Halgrim. "All too often.", she sighs, then smiles. "You'll do /just fine/, the students love you.", she grins. "Hear it enough. leastaways.", she winks.
Did Eva think she could enter without notice? She's /wrong/.
Amber tips her hat to the young lady and offers a "G'mornin'" in reply.
Halgrim glances at Eva, curious, and waits for Amber to say hello to her before adding, "Good morning." His accent is light and unmistakably Scandinavian. He raises an eyebrow at Amber and sighs. "Well I hope you're right about that. Until I'm at least an associate I can't afford many complaints. The University is sponsoring my visa, I have to keep them happy."
Eva has an ear for accents, they cause her to swivel her head about to fix a pair of very determined eyes intent on focusing on Halgrim. A faux hat tip is given back to Amber. "Yeah, not so sure about the good. But Morn'n. Definitly morn'n." she agrees. It is just too much work to hold on to the energy that had propelled her towards Amber to 'talk to her'. A little thrown by it all she just lets the gaze in its semifocused state to drift back to Amber. "Coffee? My shout? Pot should be hot by now. " she chin-ups tothe bakery area.
"Could do with some.", Amber nods amiably, shutting her book and packing her notes into the pockets of her jeans. "M'r Halgrim, care to join us?", she asks, rising.
"Mmm…well, maybe the day will improve," Halgrim says to Eva, sounding vaguely hopeful. He nods at Amber. "Certainly—I could do with something to wake me up properly before I dig in."
"Yeah." Eva begins and its only after she's gestured in the direction to head, and waited for one of you to lead that way that she mutters a 'Maybe' under her breath. A roll of shoulders leads her into a spinal stretch. "Are you one of the parents of one of her students?" Eva asks of Halgrim, pointing to Amber when she says 'her', you know just to help clarify who she was talking to.
"No, no, just a friend.", Amber replies, gathering her things and making towards an exit. "They sell food in your place? I'm a mite peckish.", she grins, walking airly out of the libraray.
"I'm a professor at Columbia," Halgrim clarifies as they walk. "But I know Amber through mututal friends." He glances from Amber to Eva and back, hoping Amber will recognize what he's wondering.
A last gesture is given to the in-Library bakery before she's watching Amber head that way. Halgrim gets his own questioning look, when Amber heads towards the out. A shrug later and she's following. Eva considers that, after some thinking she tries to recall how she introduced herself last time. Once she recalls, she says to Halgrim, "Hi. I'm Eve. I'm sure she'd have gotten around to it eventually. Seems I'm not the only one struggling to be a morning person this morning."
Halgrim gestures at himself, saying, "Halgrim Lindqvist." The bakery, with its smells of fresh bread and pastry and a sign warning dire consequences to anyone bringing food out of it and into the library proper, awaits. "Who *is* a morning person really," he says, and sighs. "Even when I was your age getting out of bed before nine AM was a constant trial."
"My apologies, both of y'all.", Amber says, stopping cold and pivoting to face both. "Eve, this is my friend Halgrim, as said, a professor at Columbia. Halgrim, this' Eve, a friend and survivor of more than a few scrapes."
"Who *is* a morning person really," Halgrim says, and sighs. "Even when I was your age getting out of bed before nine AM was a constant trial." He stops short as Amber does, offering his hand to Eve for a shake. "Pleasure to meet you." The bakery, with its smells of fresh bread and pastry and a sign warning dire consequences to anyone bringing food out of it and into the library proper, awaits.
"It's okay Trouble, we got it sorted." Eva assures as she swaps hands with her notebook, so she can shake Halgrim's. There is not much to say about the grip, light and fleeting and leaving very little impression. The hand isn't even particularly warm, but certainly not odd. "Ah, so one of those smart types. She has a lot of friends like that." the fact just left her a little ackward an she swings her arm to compensate for the fact. What to say next? She exhales looking for inspiration. "The bakery sure smells good." she offers up.
"It surely does.", Amber nods, leading the party in that direction. "Coffee n' some good bread? Fix what ails me.", she declares. Do you see the feathers around her mouth? Her whole demeanor says it. She's practically /sashaying/ as she takes her seat at the bakery.
"You flatter me to say so, Eve," Halgrim says, and steps into the bakery after them. He gives Amber an amused look. Once he's ordered his coffee (just drip for him), he says, "Either you actually *are* a morning person, or, you've had some kind of great success. Is it the kind you can share with us?"
"Yeah, I think she is looking like a morning person." Eva agrees. Just coffee for her. She counts out coins to pay in advance. The tip is there. She even managed a smile for the server in the vain hope it might be a bottomless cup and there'll be no spit in the refill. "As I can't imagine success giving that much of a sway in a sashay." She slides onto a seat and just spends some holy communune time smelling her coffee. The tasting can come later. For now, there are some memories to relive over that scent.
"It'all on me, miss.", Amber says, returning their checks to the server. "Black, black, /black/, coffee for me an' mayhap a bite a' pastry, please. Nothin' too sweet. Thankee, kindly, miss.", she smiles.
"I made a /killing/ at poker tonight, y'all!", she whispers excitedly. "Enough to cover all'a my debts."
Halgrim grimaces about Amber paying for his coffee, but doesn't dispute it when she explains why. "Well done," he says under his breath. "Does that mean you're done with it for now, or do you plan to continue…?"
Eva collects up her coins and thanks the server. The money disappears into a pocket. Plonking down the notepad and pencil reveals a topic on the paper. The Garland Family, 1842. "Congrats." the word sounds more puzzled that congratulatory. "Good question pops, I'm rooting for done with it. " she gives Amber a concerned look. "You're too loosey goosey with your money."
Amber starts to give a chechire cat grin, then /pauses/…"How's your brother, Eve?", she asks, starting to blush.
Halgrim blinks at Eva, then Amber. The conversation has just turned awkward. He's struggling to come up with anything to say, and trying to sort out a way to excuse himself, when he spies a colleague across the bakery. "Ah, if you'll excuse me, I need to speak to the Vice Provost and he's right there. Thank you for the coffee Amber, congratulations on your succes. It was good to meet you, Eve." And then he's off across the room to intercept a gray-haired man a handful of years his senior who's drinking tea and reading a book.
"And that sounded like a 'only done until next time to me'. " Eva mutters, but the sudden exit of Halgrim has her watching him until he's out of sight. "Yeah, my brother is doing good. Sticky school in a way I never could. He seems to have bounced back. Still way behind but I figure still being there is a win for now. That school you're at, I don't suppose they have any tutors that just like to help because its a good turn do they?"
"I can ask around.", Amber replies, sipping lustfully at her coffee. "Best bet's to find somebody local.", she muses. "I'll start lookin'.' she says, nodding. "What subjects' he needs help on?
Finally she sips. The coffee just bringing her to live, it reanimates her from slack and leaden to fluid and lazy with a halfsmile. "Thanks. Just the basics, reading, writing. He finds it hard to hold a pencil. I don't think he had much chance to develop dexterity when… he lived the life he lead. "
"Shee-it.", Amber sighs, taking a long slurp of her coffee and a nibble or two of bread. "Aw, fuggit.", she snerks, "Easy come, easy go.", she sighs, reaching into her pocket to pass a fold of paper over.
"Nah, you get those debts paid." Eva says simply, pushing the wad back towards you. "Just look me out someone wiht a soft spot for kids and getting them to learn. "
"We go halvesies on it.", Amber replies, tucking the check back into her jeans. "Tryin' t' think about others n' myself, ya know?", she shrugs, blushing a bit. "Professor says I been on my own too long. Startin' to think he's got a point.
"Like I said, too loosey goosey with your money." Eva says as she relents. "But halvies sounds good to me. Means a lot for me." She stretches her back, "I'm kind of use to alone, and now I come with a ready made family, I doubt that being alone is going to chagne any time soon. If you want some company, let me know."
"It's not the /alone/ thing, that don't bother me much.", Amber replies, pausing to munch hungrily at her bread. "It's the…./mindset/. You're on your own too long. y' start to forget you ain't the only one, if that makes any sense.", she shrugs. "It can make you powerfully selfish.."
There is some reflection of that. The expression to bitter and raw, before being full of regret. "I get that. Then the world tosses some change at you and you gotta roll with that punch. " she exhales and then tries to finish her coffee. "I should get going. This cash is going to help get some clothes on him and the heating back on. Thanks."
"Yer welcome.", Amber replies, nodding. "You need anythin', you know where t' find me.", she says.