Books and Books (Nathaniel/Algernon/Kaleb)

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb fidgeted nervously, uncomfortable with the waiting process. Earlier in the week he had visited the library with Nathaniel, and it had been both delightful and nerve-wracking to spend so much time with someone else. Not long after he had gotten another call from the older student, and an offer to show him a little bookstore in town.

He had arrived way too early at their designated meeting place, the bus stop at the front of the school, and spent only a fraction of that time reading the book he had brought with him. More time was spent glancing around, hoping to catch sight of Nathaniel's approach rather than being caught off guard.

kuropeco

Nailed it

iloveyouDIE

 

[kuropeco]

After spending an afternoon with Kaleb, Nathaniel had come to the important decision that he should be shown Algernon's bookstore.

The decision was made for a variety of reasons, part of which had to do with an attempt at breaking past Kaleb's inherent shyness, part of which had to do with a mutual love of books, and most of which had to do with the fact that the bookstore was one of Nathaniel's favorite places and Algernon an excellent man to meet in the first place.

Kaleb was already there when Nathaniel came towards him, a cup of coffee held in a to-go cup in one hand. A smile was given to the other, Nathaniel beaming at him.

"Hey," he said, lifting a hand in greeting. "I'm glad you found the place okay. You doin' all right?"

Nathaniel gestured to the bus stop. "Come on, we'll grab the next one."

grey dragon

I'LL QUOTE ANGE WHEN WE GET THERE

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb gave his own relieved, lopsided smile in return. It was still early, they were both early, but the waiting part was thankfully over. The first time he had met up with Nathaniel he had a myriad of concerns, like being stood up on a joke, or brought somewhere that was definitely not the library, all of them the worries of a habitual loner rather than a reflection of Nathaniel's personality when they first met. This time it had been more mundane things, like whether he was at the right bus stop, or if he had gotten the time right.

"Yeah," he said, letting the response stand in for both the comment and the question. "Is it too far to walk? We don't have to take the bus if you don't want to," Kaleb added afterwards. Even though he was unaware of Nathaniel's financial situation, he had been quick to pick up on their mutual preference for walking rather than taking public transit.

kuropeco

kk!

 

[kuropeco]

Anyone who looked at them might have guessed that they were brothers; Nathaniel was taller and a little more limber, but Kaleb had blond hair, freckles and a tanned, outdoor look that matched almost simultaneously with Nathaniel's.

Minus the nighttime glowing parts.

"It's not that far," said Nathaniel now, gesturing. "It's only two blocks this way, come on."

He began to lead them down the road, taking a sip of coffee as he went.

"Did your classes go well?"

grey dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

"Yes!" Kaleb chirped, his expression brightening. He hadn't known what courses in college would be like, but his worries had been set at ease a mere week into classes. "It turns out we won't get to the second half of the Biology textbook until next semester's course, so I've read a bit far... But some of the independent study projects look like they are going to be pretty interesting."

As he walked, Kaleb clutched the strap on his bag with both hands. It felt a bit awkward to be out without a book on him, but they were going to a book store after all. Surely he could survive that long.

"What about your second year stuff? Have you done any reading for your courses yet?" He asked in return, the conversation coming along easier than it had during their first two encounters.

kuropeco

 

[kuropeco]

"I think it's okay to read farther," said Nathaniel, who had a habit of reading farther as a general rule - though this was mostly due to the fact that he wanted to stay ahead of things instead of get dragged behind. "What sort of independent study things?"

He nodded his head, leading them across a street and then down another one, Nathaniel glancing first left, and then right to make sure there was nothing coming towards them.

"I read about thirty pages of my Western Lit textbook last night, but I'm not sure my mind comprehended it all," he said, the drawl making his words slip and slide together, a flash of a smile on his face as he glanced at Kaleb. "I wasn't really payin' much attention, I'll admit."

grey dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

"I haven't decided exactly what I want to do yet, since they are still a few weeks off, but one is in psychology, and the other is environmental biology," Kaleb replied, also glancing left and right. He was still following Nathaniel's lead for the most part, but also filing the street names away in his memory for the next time he wanted to visit the bookstore.

He gave Nathaniel a briefly curious look once his feet were back on the sidewalk. "Western Literature? Like English?" Kaleb asked. He had taken the required english courses in high school, but stories and essays had never held his attention quite like the sciences.

kuropeco

 

[kuropeco]

"Psychology is a great subject," said Nathaniel, taking a sip of his coffee. "I like it a lot better than philosophy, I think my brain likes to melt when I think of philosophy. Environmental Biology, now that's even better, though."

The professor's shop was just ahead, Nathaniel catching sight of the familiar awning, and he caught Kaleb's eye, smiling.

"Yeah, I thought I'd take one extra class just to help boost my GPA a little, it's interestin' enough but sometimes I feel like I shoulda taken a different class instead."

grey dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb nodded enthusiastically. "It's really interesting knowing that people act according to certain patterns that can be understood and predicted, even if the behaviour itself seems beyond comprehension. In that way, humans are like anything else that's spent time on the earth, a product of our past challenges."

He tilted his head slightly in consideration, still clutching the strap of his messenger bag with both hands. "Sometimes it's interesting though, to see how philosophy and sciences interact. In the past there were many lines of philosophical thinking that led to fields of science being defined and pursued. I might prefer that to literature, I think..."

Kaleb was so caught up in those thoughts that he might have walked right past the store.

kuropeco

 

[kuropeco]

"Humans are fascinatin' in their own right," said Nathaniel truthfully. "I can't pretend to know everythin' about them, but that's the fun part, right? Learnin' what we can about them based on different functions of the brain and stuff like that."

Kaleb had passed right past the store, and Nathaniel, who had stopped, reached out and snagged the strap of his bag, tugging him back without too much hassle.

"We're here," he said cheerily, gesturing at the store. "Come on, it's great."

Nathaniel pushed open the door and gestured his friend inside, peering around Bibliophile.

"Mr. Mercer? You here?"

grey dragon

iloveyoudie

 

[iloveyouDIE]

Algie was working, though he was in the back shelves stocking things. The store was looking much more organized than usual and the usual smattering of college students dotted the front window sitting area with lap tops and headphones and tablets.

The store was an old adapted house full of organized bookshelves and a distinct lack of major technology aside from the free wi-fi. It was full of original molding, natural light and hard wood. The owner kept it to a certain standard, a certain level of peace, that you just didn't get in other places.

The Professor emerged from the back shelves in a darker jacket than his usual tweed, but the same impeccable layered wardrobe.

"Nathaniel," He smiled, "Good to see you."

grey dragon

kuropeco

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb was nodding before being tugged back and sideways. How had he missed it? Beyond the students at the front window, everything just radiated 'precious old bookstore'. There had never been anything quite like this in the city, and Kaleb was used to the clean uniformity of corporate stores with websites and online ordering and bonus point programs and nonsense that attempted to grab customers by the collar and drag them in to spend money.

This was like a calm book oasis...

Kaleb looked around with open wonderment and speechless awe. Nathaniel seemed very familiar with the place, and apparently also the gentleman who tended it, but the freckled teen could find no words.

iloveyouDIE

kuropeco

 

[kuropeco]

Algernon was in the back, standing half dowsed in shadows from the looming shelves crammed with books. Nathaniel smiled at him, still half dragging Kaleb by the strap of his messenger bag, trotting down towards the older man.

"Afternoon, professor," he said cheerfully. "I've brought a friend to meet you."

He tugged Kaleb closer, patting his shoulder.

"This is Kaleb. Kaleb, this is Algernon Mercer, the proprietor of Bibliophile and also my favorite author," said Nathaniel, gesturing from one to the other.

iloveyoudie

grey dragon

 

[iloveyouDIE]

"Favorite," Algernon chuckled slightly and rubbed a hand across his chin before giving Nathaniel a wink, "really."

Besides the slightly nicer blazer and vest, he looked exactly like his book jacket photo. He was the sort of man who dressed up when he left the house, dressed properly, and looked to be a near stereotype of elbow-patch professors.

"Kaleb," Alg offered a hand a smile (his touch was uncannily very warm and comforting), kindly green eyes behind his glasses, "A pleasure. I hope you enjoy the store."

Though by the looks of him, he was already.

kuropeco

grey dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

"Nice to meet you," Kaleb said, his eyes big and shiny, and his voice tiny and timid. The name of the author didn't ring any bells, most of his readings were far too deep into the sciences. He had probably not picked up a work of fiction even once outside high school English classes, nor was he much for TV, so it was easy to be unaware of the man's celebrity status. Kaleb's admiration was entirely due to the obvious quality of the shop and the peaceful atmosphere it cultivated.

"It's a beautiful store," he added, although by this point his expression probably said it all. It was more welcoming than the college library, or even the giant box stores he knew of in the city complete with miniature cafe and reading spaces in an attempt to coerce even more purchases. This shop didn't have that 'mass produced' feeling.

iloveyouDIE

kuropeco