Stephen
January 19, 2005 4:21 PM
Dude, there are like <i>books</i> here! by Stephen
It was the morning he was due to head home for christmas break, and Stephen had decided to go for one last adventure to keep him going until he got back. Although, he probably wouldn't need it. After all, in a few short days, he, Stephen, was going to be the proud new owner of his very own motorcycle!And Alan had promised that it would be brilliant.
Pushing open some doors that he hadn't gotten around to passing through until this point, Stephen peered around, then, noticing no one looking his way scuttled into the room and to the nearest wall which he pressed himself against and started to inch along.
Choosing someone at random, he continued through the library in this style, occasionally making rushes to bookshelves and then using them as cover. Reaching his chosen target, Stephen sat down next to them as unobtrusively as he could manage (therefore not very) and, after looking both ways in a very obvious fashion, cleared his throat.
"The condor flies west at noon," he said, in a clear voice.\n\n
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Stephen
Dude, there are like <i>books</i> here!
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Stephen
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Tarquin Reynolds, librarian
January 21, 2005 7:28 AM
Duh... It's a library... (And Tommy says 'Shh') by Tarquin Reynolds, librarian
Tarquin Reynolds felt oddly out of place in what should have been his native environment. He was a librarian, but he was the new librarian. He needed to get acclimatised, and had figured that now was a very good time to do so. Firstly, he had just arrived and it was the first thing he had to do, so - until he had done it - it seriously limited his productivity. Secondly, it was almost Christmas. No one would be studying now. He could get used to the layout without having to worry about any other parts of his duty.He wound in and out of the shelves, unaware that he was being followed, committing the library to memory. After some time, he felt he deserved a break, and pulled a book out for a little read. He was in the history section, which was the main reason he had decided it was time for a break.
He had barely got the cover open when he was interrupted.
'The condor flies at noon.'
To say he was surprised by this would be an understatement. He had watched enough Muggle spy movies with his grandfather to know what it meant, but it was rather out of context. He almost looked up sharlply on reflex, but caught himself just in time. That would ruin the effect.
"Tell red fox I will wait at the usual drop off point," he said softly, without removing his attention from his book.
His demeanour had not changed whilst he had said this. He had remained a cool, collected man in his late twenties, casually reading a book. After a moment had passed so that a grin would not spoil the drama, he allowed his steady blue gaze to shift up to the boy and he gave him a small smile. He still didn't introduce himself, lest the boy wanted to carry on with the charade. \n\n
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Tarquin Reynolds, librarian
Duh... It's a library... (And Tommy says 'Shh')
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Tarquin Reynolds, librarian
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Stephen
January 21, 2005 11:58 AM
Wow... that might explain it, you know... (why?) by Stephen
"Tell red fox I will wait at the usual drop off point."Stephen's eyes widened at the answer he recieved but he managed to repress his first urge - to jump up onto the table and shout out that he had uncovered a spy in the library - and instead, bobbed his head up and down a couple of times, continuing on. After all, stumbling across a spy wasn't an everyday experience, and this guy had to be a spy. After taking a good look at him, Stephen could say with certainty that he'd never seen him at the school before.
Turning the bob into a very serious nod, he leaned the seat he was sitting in back until he could reach the bookshlf behind him. Taking the first book he could get a hold on, he rocked his seat back into four-legged stability and placed the book on the table and slid it along to the spy, keeping up his pretence.
"With the Condor's regards," he said, giving the book a significant tap before letting go.
Stephen stood and with a nod made a great show of heading towards the door and the way out. As he left the spy's line of sight, however, he doubled back, and picking a nearby bookshelf peered around, determined to follow this spy...
...and see what he was up to.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Stephen
Wow... that might explain it, you know... (why?)
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Stephen
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Tarquin Reynolds
January 21, 2005 12:30 PM
Ya think? (and cos he saw I was writing in the library) by Tarquin Reynolds
Tarquin, somehow, managed to keep his face serious as the kid gave him one of the books from his own library (ok, he didn't own it, but he cared for it) with 'the Condor's regards' and slipped away.Once the kid had gone (slightly to Tarquin's disappointment, he had been enjoying himself) Tarquin picked up the book and leant back in his seat. He ran a hand through his dark hair, brushing it away from his face, and resting his goateed chin in his hand. The kid had picked an interesting looking book. He liked him all the more.
Picking up both his selection and his fellow spy's, he wound his way back among the shelves. He had a good memory for places, for which turns he'd taken, and easily found his way back to his office. One thing he was less good at was observation, especially when his mind was in with his book, and he failed to notice Stephen.
He found the front desk again, and went through the door behind it, which lead to a small office. He left the door open so he could see through to the desk in case anyone needed him, and listen out for any disruptions in the library. He began making himself a cup of tea, and settled down with Stephen's book choice. Perhaps there was an urgent message hidden in the pages from the Condor...\n\n
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Tarquin Reynolds
Ya think? (and cos he saw I was writing in the library)
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Stephen
January 21, 2005 1:55 PM
To bad Zack's not here... bet he'd love catching a spy by Stephen
This spy was tricky.He wove through the shelves, obviously trying to keep any 'tails' from following him, but Stephen stuck to the trail like a bear stuck to honey. Or something like that anyway. He ducked behind desks, slid along bookcases and crawled combat-style between one piece of cover and another as he followed the spy to the front of the Library. Then, making a last hunched over dash, he arrived at the front desk.
Carefully inching along until he could look around, he watched the spy, now hunkered down in the room he was obviously using as his base of operations. He had a cup and the two books with him, but - and Stephen thought this was very significant - he was reading the one that Stephen had claimed was from the Condor.
He had to be looking for a message!
And he hadn't looked surprised before... this must be the usual procedure.
Maybe he worked for the KGB! Or... the magical equivalent. He definitely had a 'russian spy' beard. Although his accent... was probably disguised. And Stephen had stumbled on their operation... and what if that book did have a message from this 'red fox' dude?
The cup was probably a clue. He knew from TV that russian spies drank vodka. But it looked more like a tea cup... maybe he was a magical russian spy working undercover for M16... or the magical equivalent of that... and he only sounded normal because he was pretending to be American... but was really russian - hence the vodka - pretending to be british - hence the tea cup - faking being American.
Stephen, moved off to the side, then ran to the wall. Following it, he made his way to the door, then crouching down, pulled out his wand in case he needed it and listened with all his might.
If the spy said something incriminating, he was going to be the one who heard. He was going to be the one who caught this spy.\n\n
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Stephen
To bad Zack's not here... bet he'd love catching a spy
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Stephen
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Tarquin, the spy
January 21, 2005 8:27 PM
Tommy = Scooby Doo by Tarquin, the spy
For quite some time, Tarquin - if that was his real name - was a rather boring subject to observe. He sipped his vodka-tea disguise, wincing at every sip for about half the cup before he gave up and dropped two sugar cubes into it. He knew it wasn't healthy, but tea just tasted nasty without it."Well... Unless there is some deep significance in the dining habits of the founders..." he said, still playing spies in his head and setting down the book, one on wizarding education, including several paragraphs on the school. It was a fascinating book, but the discomfort of the crick in his neck he was getting from leaning over it was beginning to outweigh the joys of reading. He stretched and looked around the office. It was plain, and functional, with large volume of library stock records lining the bare walls. There was a low coffee table in the middle, with a low, padded but not particularly luxurious chair either side. There were tea and coffee making facilities on a small cabinet. That was pretty much it. It needed the personal touch.
Fortunately, when moving in, he had left one box tucked under the table. A sort of instant office kit. He pulled it out and set a spider plant, its small pot resting on a red ceramic dish, on the centre of the table. He chucked a couple of cushions onto the chairs, but they were so poor to begin with... What his office really needed was a reading corner. With a nice comfortable bean bag. There was probably still one he'd had a child knocking around his parents house. He could ask them to send it over. He sung softly to himself as he went about his final task. It wasn't loud enough to penetrate the library. Just enough for him to hear. Well, and anyone who happened to be lurking in the doorway.
" I live in an apartment on the ninety-ninth floor of my block
And I sit at home looking out the window
Imagining the world has stopped," he sang softly, unaware that he was giving away an abundance of details about his 'true identity' as he unrolled a large, already blue tacked poster.
"Then in flies a guy who’s all dressed up like a union jack
And says, I’ve won five pounds if I have his kind of detergent pack," he continued, as he stuck the poster to the back end wall of his office, pulling it out to reveal a large cartoon mouth poking its tongue out and the words 'Rolling Stones'.
"Hey! You! Get off of my cloud!" he grinned, as he tried to arrange the cushions in such a way that one could sink into them... He wasn't sure he would have too much success with that task.
\n\n
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Tarquin, the spy
Tommy = Scooby Doo
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Tarquin, the spy
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Stephen, hunter of spies and maniacs with knives
January 22, 2005 12:19 AM
I bet he's a spy too... dressing as Scooby-Doo... by Stephen, hunter of spies and maniacs with knives
There was an indecipherable mumble before Stephen saw the spy put down the book and then look around. Pulling back sharply to avoid being seen, he sat there with his back to the wall for several moments before he heard something..."I live in an apartment on the ninety-ninth floor of my block
And I sit at home looking out the window
Imagining the world has stopped,
Then in flies a guy who’s all dressed up like a union jack
And says, I’ve won five pounds if I have his kind of detergent pack
"Hey! You! Get off of my cloud!"
Was it a code? A message --- a secret method of corresponding with his superiors back in Russia? It was a low act, Stephen thought, singing coded reports.
Inching along again, he peered back around into the office, catching the spy doing something involving cushions that looked deeply suspicious.
It wasn't enough yet... he didn't have enough proof to act. But suspecting it wouldn't be much longer, he crouched lower, moved further into the doorway and raised his wand...\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Stephen, hunter of spies and maniacs with knives
I bet he's a spy too... dressing as Scooby-Doo...
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Stephen, hunter of spies and maniacs with knives
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</i>Tarquin Reynolds
January 22, 2005 10:50 AM
Wouldn't surprise me actually by </i>Tarquin Reynolds
Tarquin looked around his office, rather pleased with the results, although there was still a lot of blank wall space (and a distince lack of a reading corner, with bright primary coloured cushions). For a first offensive though, he had beat back a lot of the drabness. He would have to put some more posters up, but the rest were in with the rest of his luggage.He was about to sit back down to his book, when one of the two who had been observing his movements made his presence known. In this case, Tarquin had been aware of the watcher's presence. He had spotted Oscar poised proudly on a filing cabinet as soon as he had entered the office. The thin grey cat jumped lightly down walking over to rub round his master's legs.
However, Oscar's attention was soon caught by something in the doorway. He let out a hiss as he realised that someone had his wand pointed at his master's back. Tarquin turned, seeing his spy friend.
"Alright, Oscar, leave off. He's a friend," he warned his cat. Looking slightly offronted, Oscar trotted off to elegantly jump back onto the filing cabinet. He turned his back on Tarquin. Ungrateful man. "Erm... Can I help you?" the librarian asked politely, trying to hide his confusion as to why the kid was aiming a wand at him. And hiding in his doorway, in fact. \n\n
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</i>Tarquin Reynolds
Wouldn't surprise me actually
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</i>Tarquin Reynolds
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Stephen
January 23, 2005 5:42 AM
does anything surprise you? by Stephen
"Um."Stephen looked at the spy.
"Er."
He looked at the cat.
"Well..."
He looked down at his wand. He whiped it behind his back, and then looked back at the spy and grinned.
"No?" He tried, not sounding particularly convincing, even to his own ears. "Nah," he said, standing up properly, and then leaning against the doorframe casually. "I'm right."
He remained there, staring at the spy. Trying to think. He had been up to something, Stephen knew. And it had something to do with a song/coded message for the Russians. Or maybe the British. And that seat with all the cushions...
That was it! Whatever he had been using to send the message was on that seat, hidden under the cushions!
Waiting one more second - he had to keep the spy off-balance, off his guard - Stephen bounded across the room, throwing himself the last couple of yards to land next to the chair with a distinct oomph. It was a little like the corridor ride only a bit softer... probably something to do with the fact that he wasn't landing on the floor.
"Gotcha, spy," he proclaimed, searching through the cushions.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Stephen
does anything surprise you?
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Stephen
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Tarquin
January 23, 2005 12:42 PM
In general, yes. When related to Tommy, not a lot.... by Tarquin
"It's ok," Tarquin tried to reassure the boy as he stuttered evasively. The poor kid probably thought he was in trouble. Hiding in a doorway was hardly enough reason to put someone into detention... Jumping on office chairs like they were trampolines wasn't either in Tarquin's book. Not that these ones had enough give in that for them...He wasn't sure what he was expecting the reaction to this to be. So far he had not deemed this boy to be a 'normal' student, not that such a thing really existed, and not that it would be a good thing if he were, in Tarquin's eyes. But, however off beat a reaction he was expecting, he was certainly surprised by what he actually got.
He tried to think of some kind of protest to make against the kid going psycho on his cushions (honestly, what had they done to anger him?). Oscar was tensed on top of the filing cabinet, ready to leap in and savage the little brute the moment the command came (well, polite request along with apology for being told to 'leave off' - he was nobody's slave after all).
'Gotcha spy!'
Much as he would have loved to keep up the game he now realised the boy was still playing, the response, the whole situation, was just so unexpected that he couldn't help it. The quiet of the library was disturbed by a loud laugh. Trying to straighten his features a little (with only minimal success, he was still smiling) he replied.
"Yes... You have uncovered my evil scheme to..." he paused, trying to think what it was he had been doing. "Do be sure to let me know what it was I was doing, once you figure it out, won't you?" he grinned. "I'm sure Red Fox will find the information invaluable," he added. \n\n
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Tarquin
In general, yes. When related to Tommy, not a lot....
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Tarquin
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Stephen
January 24, 2005 6:49 AM
*grins widely* <i>I</i> surprised you! by Stephen
Was he laughing? It certainly didn't sound like a spy laugh. Spies were supposed to make more of a 'mwhahahaha' kind of laugh... or one of those quietish breathy chuckles... or a sniggery type of laugh. But this laugh wasn't any of those."Yes... You have uncovered my evil scheme to... Do be sure to let me know what it was I was doing, once you figure it out, won't you? I'm sure Red Fox will find the information invaluable.
Stephen slowed down in his search, rather puzzled.
Really, as a spy, he should have at least made an effort to thwart Stephen in finding out about his master plan. Feeling decidedly let down, he tossed one last pillow aside - no, there wasn't anything hidden under that one either - and turned.
"Dang it dude - you're not a spy? Who the heck are you then? I never saw you 'round the school before. And I've seen everything!" he boasted, with only a very little exaggeration.
If it wasn't for the fact that he would soon - Stephen checked his watch and stood up with a start - was about to head for home for the holidays, he was nearly ready to consider this day a complete loss. He'd wandered into this unknown part of the school for an adventure then had found out about a secret infiltration by the Russians pretending to be British, pretending to be American... only to find out that it wasn't so.
He sighed heavily.
But then Stephen wasn't really the type of boy to take these things to heart for long. His brown eyes took in another searching glance of the room - somehow still hoping to spot something - and were drawn by the cat. Or was it...
"Is that really a cat? he asked. "Only the Care of Magical Creatures Professor - Professor Jinx, that's a weird name isn't it? - she had a cat, except it wasn't a cat. It was something else. A Sneezle, I think. Something like that anyhow. It made a really cool hat - Ty has a photo... I should ask her for a copy. I bet it's a cool photo," he said, his voice lowering in decibles for a moment to enter a stage whisper while he , "'cause I'm in it, you know."
He picked up a couple of the discarded cushions and returned the to the chair before taking the seat again and looking at the false-spy expectantly.
"Well?" he urged an answer. "Is it?"\n\n
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Stephen
*grins widely* <i>I</i> surprised you!
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Stephen
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Tarquin
January 25, 2005 4:26 PM
Yup.... by Tarquin
"No... I'm afraid not," said Tarquin, rather sadly. It would have been rather fun to be a spy, he supposed. He liked being a librarian but... Perhaps being a mild mannered librarian could have been is cover story. That way he could have had the best of both worlds. He was secretly rather proud that the boy had really thought he was an actual spy!"I'm a librarian," he added, in the same lack lustre tone. He thought it was a cool, exciting job, but he'd got the impression from his own school days that this was not always the case. "And I'm new," he added, wondering briefly how well the boy would respond to the slogan 'a book is for life, not just for Christmas.' Probably by calling him a geek. He wanted desperately to prove he could be fun, because he could (or at least he thought so) and if kids thought the librarian was cool, they might think the library was cool. It could become the hip place to be! 'The library! The coolest place to be seen.... But not heard!' He could make his own poster with that one on (all his other slogans came from the sort of posters educational boards sent out to try and make libraries bright and exciting).
"And I'm afraid Oscar's just a regular cat, not a kneazle," he said, the slender grey turning away with a disgusted air at being called 'just a cat'. His kind had been worshipped in Ancient Egypt, and he knew full well that his master had read about it.
"I didn't mean to disappoint you. It just seemed like a fun game to play along with," he confessed, hoping the fact he wasn't all 'rules are good, fun is bad' would earn him some Brownie points. He didn't want be a boring old adult. It wasn't any fun at all!
OOC - damn it... I really wish I'd thought of that slogan when I was doing my Media coursework last year! The first one I mean... It was a Christmas campaign for a bookshop! \n\n
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Tarquin
Yup....
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Tarquin
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