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Tweak says, "Where IS Carmen Sandiego?"

Juliet St Laurent (not_so_tragic) wrote in expresslogs,
@ 2012-08-07 22:08:00

Entry tags:

!dice, juliet st. laurent, william herondale

Quiet Time
Characters: Juliet, open (or dice!)
When: Tuesday evening
Location: Library
Warnings/Rating: None anticipated
Summary: Juliet tries to find somewhere she can't see outside
Status: Open (or dice!), ongoing

Alex was busy in the infirmary doing something with supplies someone had brought in, and she didn't want to be in the way. She hadn't been approached to go back out, and she was glad for it. The nightmares hadn't been as bad last night, but they'd still been. Maybe she was more susceptible to them or something, but she was getting tired of it.

While Alex was being a good sport about it, and while she knew he understood, it was still weighing on her. She'd tried sleeping pills, but she didn't think that was going to be a long term solution. Eventually, she was going to have to talk to him about it. Again. It was going to dredge up all her sessions at the safe house, but there wasn't anything else to be done about it.

She just wished she knew what had triggered it. Besides the zombie adventure -- because that was too obvious.

With nothing else to really do, and disinclined to play her finding game, Juliet retreated to the library. She moved around the edge of the car, studying the spines of the books. Her head canted to one side as she perused them. She wasn't sure she really wanted to read, and she guessed if none of the title caught her eye, she'd retreat to the baggage car and see what was left as far as arts and crafts went. She knew there'd been some in there recently, and maybe making glitter pictures would prove therapeutic.

Pausing by the section of paperback books, reasoning she'd have better luck there, Juliet pulled one off the shelf and studied the picture on the front before flipping it over to read the description on the back. It looked like some cheesy, fluffy romance novel, and she figured that was right up her alley right now. She'd rather avoid things with zombies, aliens, and time-traveling trains.

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hatesducks
2012-08-10 12:14 pm UTC (link)

As much as Will didn’t want to admit that the scuffle with the zombies had unnerved him, that wasn’t to say it wasn’t on his mind. How easily he had gotten wrapped up in his bickering with Jace, and how easily they were ambushed was not something to be taken lightly. Will had his fill for one day, maybe a lifetime, with the zombies. He didn’t want to revel in the fact that as quickly as the attack had escalated, it could have been Jem who was injured, and Will was certain he couldn’t live with himself if he had allowed his own ego to take precedent over his parabatai.

In a desperate and stubborn attempt to not be caught unaware again, Will took a determined trip to the library car. He was sure after all the ramblings of films and movies that there was certainly some literature that had to deal with zombies or the walking dead. Will didn’t trust himself with the future technology first of all -- after his trouble with the devices -- but he found his solace being around books and the written word, and it seemed only appropriate that he would come here to ease his mind. Perhaps he would just find a comfortable book, something that he could quote a million times over. He just needed to stop thinking about the what if’s and could have been’s of the attack. It would drive him mad, even moreso than he already was.

When he entered the car, unfortunately someone was already in there. A brunette, cute. Will nodded in approval, thinking that perhaps maybe instead of a book he could flirt his way into forgetting. That was until he saw her pick up a romance novel. He knew that simply because he had looked at every book in the car before choosing which one to read first and remembered quite distinctly the romance novel covers, and knew to steer clear away.

He let out a very obvious sigh of disapproval. “It seems that fine minds are hard to come by these days when so many keep the company of a poor choice in literature.”

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not_so_tragic
2012-08-10 11:05 pm UTC (link)

Juliet glanced over to him, a somewhat bemused expression on her face. "Seems a little quick to assume that because I happen to be holding a book that's all I read," she countered quickly. Smart people read romances too, even if they were only guilty pleasures or however they were termed.

Either way, she shrugged her shoulders. It wasn't like she was asking him to read it or anything, and if he was the kind that judged at first glance anyway ...

Unless he was one of those people who thought he was being clever or funny with statements like that. She'd known a few like that. It didn't matter much to her, either way. She was just looking for something to do while Alex was busy.

She guessed she could be out making friends or seeing if anyone needed things found, but ... she really didn't want to venture off the train. So she was content to not volunteer herself for trips into zombie land.

Fixing her gaze on him, she studied him briefly. "So what kind of books should fine minds be devoting their attention to?"

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hatesducks
2012-08-11 03:22 pm UTC (link)

“It may not be all that you read but by having it in your hands, you invite people to assume there was a consideration for such reckless pieces of literature,” Will said, still giving her a disapproving look. He had heard enough people explain how romance novels were great pieces of work, that he shouldn’t be so quick to judge. However, Will was not one to indulge himself in romantic relationships, so finding solace in it written seemed even more preposterous. Although, he used to feign interest if that meant getting in good graces with ladies. But he stopped when, once, they asked him to quote something, and he couldn’t keep the disgusted look off his face. His ruse had been up.

Although with this girl asking about what types of books she should be reading, Will was certainly not above giving his opinion on them. He approached the library shelves, next to the girl, and gestured briefly to the book she was holding. “Firstly, you must put that rubbish down or the appropriate literature will shy away from you,” Will said, his fingers already ghosting over the spines of the books on the shelf. There was something about when he did this, that he stopped being so forceful a tense with his movements, and softened. His parabatai and books, the two things that could make him be somewhat approachable amidst his usually aggravating behavior.

His perusing stopped over some of his favorites: Dickens for one, though he knew from Jem’s dislike for the author meant that it was an acquired taste. He lifted a small book of poems from the shelf, and held it out to her. He had read this one already, but it was all it took for him to remember it by heart. Eidetic memory might have been one of his only useful traits when holding conversations with others.

“Lord Byron. Highly underappreciated, as well as Marlow. And if you insist on reading romance..” Will eyed her book again, still not understanding why anyone would read romance novels, then back to her. “At least read something of quality.”

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not_so_tragic
2012-08-11 03:56 pm UTC (link)

"Fair enough," she agreed evenly. She wasn't inclined to pick fights, and while she was comfortable with light back and forths, she wasn't interested in engaging in a debate about her taste in books, or attempting to explain or justify herself. Besides, it wasn't like his opinion was going to really affect her day-to-day life on the train.

Unless he started stalking her with books. Then it might. But she figured he'd have better things to do than that.

With a slight smile that she did try to stifle, Juliet slid the book back onto the shelf. Still, she now had a mental image of Shakespeare cringing away from Fabio, and the harder she tried not to think about it, the more amusing the image became. Lifting a hand, she covered her mouth and faked a cough to try to hide the giggle -- and she was pretty sure it didn't work that well.

Unless he called her on it though, she wasn't going to try to explain. She couldn't really help her thoughts, though she made a note to share this one with Alex later. He'd appreciate it.

"I'm not much for poems," she admitted after she'd cleared her throat and lowered her hand. "Just not my format. And honestly, I was just looking for a little bit of trashy fluff so I could have something else in my brain besides zombie nightmares." She lifted her shoulders in a little shrug before she regarded him.

Still, she did accept the book; she could always just put it back later if a chance didn't come up before she left the area.

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hatesducks
2012-08-14 01:49 am UTC (link)

Of course, Will noticed her laugh. It was a poor attempt really, and even if his naturally observant Shadowhunter abilities didn’t always teach him to keep an eye out on everything, this girl did a poor job of hiding it. Anyone could have seen it. It was either at his comment or some image it procured, either way, he simply gave her an odd look -- because who comes down the giggles, randomly? -- and went back to talking away. Will was never shy about admitting being pleased by the sound of his own voice.

“No to poetry.” Will repeated, sounding less than surprised by her answer. Poetry was an acquired taste. He found few who were prone to hover toward it -- Will just simply had his favorites, and somewhat willing subject to his opinion were often hard to come by. Although, she did take the book. Maybe that was something.

His attention was back at the shelves again. He took a few steps away from her to scan a few more spines of the books, finding another at her suggestion of the ‘zombie-less’ variety.

“The Awakening. Kate Chopin,” Will said offering up the book to her. “I found it to be quite.. of the trashy fluff you may be looking for. Married woman falls in love with a young man..” He gestured in a circle, indicating the typical romantic tropes and left it to her imagination what he was getting at. “I recently read it on the train since it was not.. readily available for me before.” Will found that statement to be a bit awkward. He had to read it here since it hadn’t been published from where he came. The fact that he was in the future still caught him up from time to time.

“And there are no zombies,” Will added.

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not_so_tragic
2012-08-14 02:16 am UTC (link)

"Yeah?" Juliet regarded the second book he offered with some curiosity. She wondered if it was actually romance novel level fluff, or classical level fluff, but maybe she'd give it a shot anyway. If it turned out to be horrible, she could read parts of it out loud to Alex.

If nothing else, it would serve as a distraction from the nightmares until she decided what she actually wanted to do about it. Pills, potions, therapy ... none of it sounded particularly appealing. She just wanted them to go away, ridiculous as it was to think they just would vanish.

"Good," she added when he assured her there were no zombies. "I like my romantic fluff zombie free." She could have gone on with a speculative line of conversation that she would have found amusing, but he wasn't exactly coming off as the sort of guy who'd appreciate her particular brand of humor.

"So how long have you been on the train?" She asked. "Or ... are you not the sort for small talk and I should just wander off and leave you to your books?" A grin tugged at her lips, and honestly she'd be fine either way -- but she wouldn't mind a little company.

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