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Claire Bennet (x_clairebear_x) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2009-10-10 21:51:00

Entry tags:

!closed, aziraphale, claire winchester

WHO: Claire Bennet and Aziraphale
WHAT: In search of a book for school.
WHEN: Mid-afternoon
WHERE: Aziraphale's bookstore
RATING: TBD
STATUS: In Progress

Claire didn't know what she had been thinking when she'd signed up for this class. Restoration and 18th Century English Literature was about as dry as the uncreative title suggested. The Professor was a bore, the students were nothing like the type she might normally talk to, and there were times when Claire honestly wondered how she managed to not fall asleep during one of the lectures.

Still, for having such issues with the class, Claire was doing fairly well in it. She had a solid B, and was hoping this latest essay she'd been assigned to write would pull it up to an A. Which was why she left work early to go in search of a book that no bookstore within a five mile radius of Colligo University had in stock. She was aiming for one of the lesser-known shops - maybe even something owned by someone who wasn't a local resident. It didn't hurt to spend money with the very people she was stuck here with, after all.

And it just so happened, she remembered on her way out of the video store, that there was a bookshop just up the street. She'd try there first, she decided, and headed in that direction. A few minutes later she was stepping inside the place, gazing around at the various books that caught her eye at first glance, and wondering if it might be possible to get an extension on her paper if she had to place the book she needed for the paper, on back-order.

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neversellsbooks
2009-10-12 10:22 pm UTC (link)

Aziraphale's bookshop was never overly busy, in part because there was a Barnes and Noble not far away, and in part because he wasn't particularly inclined to sell his books. He was more understanding with the displaced individuals, but he did what he could to discourage the residents of Colligo from making purchases.

He was flipping through an apocrypha, when the bell on the shop door signaled that someone had entered the shop. Looking up, he saw a vaguely familiar blonde girl and gave her a polite smile. "Hello," he said pleasantly. "Can I help you?"

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x_clairebear_x
2009-10-12 11:26 pm UTC (link)

Although Claire couldn't swear that she'd spoken before with the man who greeted her, he looked familiar enough that she felt safe in assuming he wasn't a local. So while she tried to be polite to everyone, her smile was a bit brighter as she met his gaze.

"Um, yeah. I was looking for a book..." Trailing off, realizing just how ridiculous that sounded, she shook her head and gave a soft laugh. "Well, obviously I'm looking for a book. While else would I be here, right?"

With a bit of a chagrined expression, she pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and glanced at the words scrawled across it. "I need 'Oroonoko, The Rover, and Other Works', by Aphra Behn." Frowning a bit, Claire glanced back to him. "And I probably just butchered that name, huh?"

What could she say? This course, while interesting at the onset, was quickly losing its appeal with every assignment given. Which sucked, really, because there were some good reads of that time. She just wasn't sure that the one she had to read now was going to be one of them.

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neversellsbooks
2009-10-15 11:33 pm UTC (link)

Aziraphale smiled at the girl. "I have been told this is a good place to find them," he said, then leaned forward, "though you would be surprised by the number of people who seem shocked that my bookshop sells books. It is really rather tragic." He laughed. "And I did have one poor soul come in, who felt the need to suggest that perhaps there should be places that would lend out books for a short period of time, to be returned at a later date...rather like your video rental establishment." He smiled. "I told him it was a rather brilliant suggestion...I just hadn't the heart to point out the existence of libraries."

She had, in fact, butchered the name horribly, to the point that it had taken Aziraphale a moment to figure out what she meant. He would never say that though. "Aphra Behn?" he asked, careful to pronounce the name normally. "I have her works here. She was a brilliant woman. Fascinating too...and a good Catholic. You don't find many of those who live quite such eventful lives. She would have made a rather good nun, had she chosen that path, but as it is, she was still a wonderful woman and an excellent conversationalist."

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x_clairebear_x
2009-10-16 12:45 am UTC (link)

Claire blinked, half expecting him to announce that he was joking. There couldn't possibly be someone so idiotic as to not realize they were describing a library. There just couldn't. Yet it was obvious there was, because he wasn't joking from what she could tell. She shook her head and gave a snort of amusement, but didn't say anything as he was already pronouncing the name of her chosen author correctly.

And then he kept talking, telling her things that... well, Claire wasn't positive, but she was pretty sure that stuff wasn't just common knowledge. Not to mention the last bit. In fact, he was speaking as if he'd actually been there and met the woman personally. Which considering this place, really wouldn't surprise her all that much.

So rather than gape, or even feel all that shocked, Claire instead gave him a smile. "You don't know how glad I am to hear you have that book," she stated first and foremost. That was the reason for her visit here, after all. "I've been to every bookstore at the school. Even the copies at the libraries were checked out. I was starting to think I was going to have to take a failing grade on the assignment."

Then she paused, before asking in what was a surprisingly casual tone considering the subject, "So, you knew her personally, then? Aphra Behn, I mean." This time, Claire made sure she pronounced the woman's name correctly.

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neversellsbooks
2009-10-21 02:39 am UTC (link)

Aziraphale, while more adept at human interactions than Castiel, wasn't one for joking or sarcasm. The former wasn't his forte, and the latter often went over his head, so he usually didn't bother. He walked over to one of the shelves, pulling the book from it. He didn't even need to think about it, he just knew instinctively where each book was in the store.

"It's really no trouble," he said with a smile, "it is what my shop is here for, after all. If you can't find it in another bookstore, in all likelihood, it's here. Just...please don't come in looking for the book with the vampires who sparkle. I don't carry it." His expression made his distaste for modern fiction clear. "I miss the days when Dracula was the go to vampire novel." He shrugged. "It's strange," he said, smiling. "I'm still getting used to actually selling books. Crowley used to say that I only opened a bookshop in order to keep a lot of books around to read."

He shrugged. "I was on Earth for six millennia," he explained. "I met quite a few people over the years. Aphra was one that I became acquainted with."

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x_clairebear_x
2009-10-21 11:32 am UTC (link)

Claire wasn't sure if he was joking about that particular book series or if he was being serious. His tone certainly suggested serious but there was something about the dry way it was stated that couldn't help but make her grin. "Don't worry. After being in this place, I think I'd have a hard time reading too much that's supposedly 'fiction' anyway without feeling like some kind of voyeur," she responded. She might have commented on what he'd said about not wanting to sell books - and the comment certainly did register - but then he provided just how long he'd been on Earth and Claire couldn't help but focus on that instead.

"Six millennia?" she echoed, eyes widening a bit and jaw all but dropping. "You've been around for six thousand years?" A contemplative look filled Claire's features as she studied Aziraphale for a long moment.

He certainly didn't look like he'd been around that long. Nor did he act like someone who was trying to somehow blend in and pretend he hadn't been around that long. Which told her that it likely wasn't due to some ability similar to her own that was responsible, but something else entirely.

Still, she didn't want to just start guessing at the reason. She might guess wrong and insult him, plus make an idiot out of herself. So instead Claire went back to what he'd said before that.

"You know," she commented in an obvious change of conversation while eying the book she'd come in to buy. Her gaze flickered back to his, expression somewhat hesitant as she posed her idea.

"If you want, I could just borrow the book and bring it back when I'm done with my assignment? Like a library."

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neversellsbooks
2009-10-22 07:09 pm UTC (link)

"I found a book that exists about myself," Aziraphale said. "It was actually quite entertaining, and rather spot on, if I do say so." He smiled. "It's really not all that different than Agnes's prophetic works...only told in retrospect, I suppose." He shrugged. "If you ever need something to read, you might like it. I certainly enjoyed it."

"I've been on Earth for six thousand years," he clarified. "I existed for a time before that. Oh, right...I never did say. My name is Aziraphale. I'm an angel of the Lord." Not something he had made obvious back home, but there was no harm here, with Castiel and Hanael and the Metatron around, not to mention his Father's presence.

He smiled warmly at Claire's suggestion and laughed. "Well," he said, "I would hardly complain. I don't imagine it is a book that you would want to keep for your own personal use. Aphra's works are something of an acquired taste, or so I'm told."

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x_clairebear_x
2009-10-23 12:40 am UTC (link)

Claire didn't want anyone able to read about her life. It seemed invasive to her, first off, not to mention downright embarrassing at times. She had similar feelings to the possibility of her life being featured on a TV show - like Dean's was - or in a movie - like Priestly's. There were simply some things that she would prefer to be kept private. Or at the very least not have random strangers viewing for entertainment.

She didn't say any of that, though. Simply replied, "Honestly, I'm not sure I'd read the, um, book about you. Not that it's probably not interesting, but like I told my roommate when he asked if I wanted to watch the show about him. It's really none of my business."

Then she paused, blinking when he blurted out a few seconds later that he was an angel of the Lord. Well. That... explained the time he'd spent on Earth. And now that he said it, she could see a slight similarity between him and Castiel. Granted it was obvious that Aziraphale was much more at ease living amongst humans than the other angel she'd met, but even he had a certain air about him that she hadn't been able to quite place until just now.

"It's nice to meet you, Aziraphale. I'm Claire Bennet." She paused, frowning slightly even as she smiled. "Although I guess you'd already know that." With a bemused shake of her head, she glanced at the book briefly. "And yeah, this doesn't look like something I'd normally read, just for fun."

She smiled at him. "So I'll just bring it back when I'm finished. Do you want some money, as a deposit or something?" She wasn't quite sure how to do this. Yes, a library didn't charge, but this was a bookstore. She didn't mind paying for her purchase and getting a refund once she'd gotten the information she needed.

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