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Fic: The Cooperation of Neighbors (Multi-OC)
In 2007, I accidentally signed up for NaNoWriMo. Faced with coming up with an idea for 50,000 words, I ended up using the universe of an RP that I played in and stuffed a bunch of my previous Original Characters into it. This story is set in that storyline, and features some characters that some people might be familiar with.
The Cooperation of Neighbors
by Estirose
c 2009
Marie Brown carefully reshelved the books that had come back in. Not that a lot of books came back in; with the world dying, sometimes they lost books as well as people when borrowers got sick and died. And with each borrower lost, circulation was lost, too.
Naoko wanted her to do some book repairs. She wasn't sure why, as she didn't have the steadiest hands out there, but at least she wasn't sick. Plus, it would take her out of the public view.
Naoko's baby sister, Nezumi, was probably lurking out there someplace. Somehow, she'd gotten it through her mind that Marie was her girlfriend, and she should be spending time with her. She hoped that Nezumi would get tired of waiting and go away.
"Hey, Marie." Det Owens stepped around her cart, grinning. "How are things going?"
He was a teenager, black kid, a telepath. His adoptive parents were from some telepathic species that Marie could never remember the name of, but his father's green hair was at least very distinctive. At least Det had the manners not to dig; and if he was, at least he didn't tell her that he was digging.
"Mostly well," she said. "Visitors keep dropping. You?"
"Pretty good," he said. "We've got some more things to add to the map - Mom ran across a couple of folk that didn't even know this library was still operational."
That made her smile. Libraries were gathering places, places of knowledge. Public libraries were known as "The Peoples' University" for good reason - they provided education from cradle to grave. It was good to know that someone might come and join their little group. More people meant better chances of survival, after all.
The library was a safe place for her, and she loved it. Nezumi never came in; she didn't get along with Naoko, after all. Marie was surrounded by books that she had never read and might not get a chance to read ever again. And not only the books from this branch, but other books that had never been returned back to their home libraries from interlibrary loan and the Link+ system. She probably would be able to read all the books before she died, if she wanted to.
"New people are always good," a second voice came from around the stacks, and then Greer Lewis walked into view. The archivist had been helping the librarians out. "I myself headed down a few miles to the State Archives. Very interesting place. They even still have an archivist living there - practically in the archives. Though not in the archives - they're too cold to be there very long."
"I'm glad that everybody's working together for the greater good," Marie said. Most of them were. There were a couple of arguments here and there, and Nezumi was convinced that her fathers would go and rescue all of them and they didn't need to go through all the effort, but all in all, people were working together. People were cooperating.
And that was a gift that was priceless to Marie. To see people, working together, peaceful, was a dream come true. She didn't want to be a leader, but at least these people made it easier for her.
Smiling, she finished her shelving and tugged the cart back. She had books waiting for her to repair.
The Cooperation of Neighbors
by Estirose
c 2009
Marie Brown carefully reshelved the books that had come back in. Not that a lot of books came back in; with the world dying, sometimes they lost books as well as people when borrowers got sick and died. And with each borrower lost, circulation was lost, too.
Naoko wanted her to do some book repairs. She wasn't sure why, as she didn't have the steadiest hands out there, but at least she wasn't sick. Plus, it would take her out of the public view.
Naoko's baby sister, Nezumi, was probably lurking out there someplace. Somehow, she'd gotten it through her mind that Marie was her girlfriend, and she should be spending time with her. She hoped that Nezumi would get tired of waiting and go away.
"Hey, Marie." Det Owens stepped around her cart, grinning. "How are things going?"
He was a teenager, black kid, a telepath. His adoptive parents were from some telepathic species that Marie could never remember the name of, but his father's green hair was at least very distinctive. At least Det had the manners not to dig; and if he was, at least he didn't tell her that he was digging.
"Mostly well," she said. "Visitors keep dropping. You?"
"Pretty good," he said. "We've got some more things to add to the map - Mom ran across a couple of folk that didn't even know this library was still operational."
That made her smile. Libraries were gathering places, places of knowledge. Public libraries were known as "The Peoples' University" for good reason - they provided education from cradle to grave. It was good to know that someone might come and join their little group. More people meant better chances of survival, after all.
The library was a safe place for her, and she loved it. Nezumi never came in; she didn't get along with Naoko, after all. Marie was surrounded by books that she had never read and might not get a chance to read ever again. And not only the books from this branch, but other books that had never been returned back to their home libraries from interlibrary loan and the Link+ system. She probably would be able to read all the books before she died, if she wanted to.
"New people are always good," a second voice came from around the stacks, and then Greer Lewis walked into view. The archivist had been helping the librarians out. "I myself headed down a few miles to the State Archives. Very interesting place. They even still have an archivist living there - practically in the archives. Though not in the archives - they're too cold to be there very long."
"I'm glad that everybody's working together for the greater good," Marie said. Most of them were. There were a couple of arguments here and there, and Nezumi was convinced that her fathers would go and rescue all of them and they didn't need to go through all the effort, but all in all, people were working together. People were cooperating.
And that was a gift that was priceless to Marie. To see people, working together, peaceful, was a dream come true. She didn't want to be a leader, but at least these people made it easier for her.
Smiling, she finished her shelving and tugged the cart back. She had books waiting for her to repair.