The thing about Librarians (and their Guardians. And their Caretakers) is that there is no such thing as a day off. Not really. It is unlike any other job, because it doesn't start at nine and end at five, it isn't something they can just walk away from. Magic is everywhere. Every continent, every country, it can always be found, and there will always be those who want to use it for harm and mayhem.
Now, having more than one Librarian to help, that is certainly useful. But that doesn't mean they don't ever get tired, that they never come home after putting some supernatural monster back in its cage or snatching a powerful artifact from wrongdoers and wish to be normal again, just for five minutes.
Well, their normal has being going on for the past fifteen minutes, and Eve is seriously contemplating setting a timer. It might be a new record.
The Clipping Book rests on its stand, pages silent and still, blank of any new threat.
She is organizing her desk for the nth time because apparently, according to Jenkins and the oh-so-helpful Menerva, it is set to Flynn's preferences. Meaning a total disaster area.
Karys isn't being much help either, lying in the enclave beneath the desk and gnawing happily on the heavy rawbone that Stone gave them for her birthday (Santa is real, still not quite over that one yet) and grinning up at her in his canine way, tail thumping. He knows that as soon as she has it the way she likes, she'll turn her back, and it'll reset to Flynn-mode.
She doesn't call him out on it, because she knows that Karys has taken to sniffing and nuzzling the plush cushion that Flynn kept on his desk for Loquis to curl up on.
As she's straightening out the haphazardly stacked books, her three charges are taking advantage of this brief lull in activity as well.
Stone is sitting at the table with books stacked up around him, one or two open for reference as he types away on his laptop, writing either an article or a paper. Addy sits on a chair beside him, peering over his shoulder to correct his grammar because she can strip split infinitives out of his work like nobody else.
It seems like work to her, but its fun to him, oddly enough. But then again, Eve supposes that if your job involves rescuing Santa and fighting a Minotaur and keeping peace between dragons, writing a perfectly normal paper on architecture might be fun. Not to mention, she knows that he's like a kid in a candy shop when it comes to art. And architecture is just art we live in, of course.
Cassandra is sitting in a chair across from them, watching Eureka on her tablet because she enjoys 'recreational mathematics,' as she likes to call it. Math always gave Eve a headache and Karys would moan that his brain cells were dying when they were in school. Asten isn't with her; he'll be wandering the stacks looking for something to read later. Beneath the table, she has both bare feet propped up in Stone's lap.
They aren't dating. She knows because they both promised her so, and she trusts them enough to tell the truth. Eve doesn't know just what they are, but she knows that Stone will do anything for Cassandra, and Cassandra won't let anything happen to Stone. She imagines that its because they are so alike in their different ways, opposing sides of the same coin. Their dæmons haven't changed since Stone and Addy rescued Asten from the Serpent Brotherhood, and that says more to Eve than anything else.
Jones is reading the security manual for the Library. According to him, its the first thing he does for any building, but Karys suspects that its because Menerva and Jenkins chased the thief out of his research lab after they caught Zhu trying to sneak the key to the Back Door when Jones was making small-talk. Eve is surprised that the Library even has a security manual (but it doesn't have an instruction book for Librarians. Huh.) but if it keeps Jones out of Jenkins' hair, she'll keep quiet.
Zhu is still nursing aching ears after having one of them nearly nipped off by a highly irate owl.
Eve sits down at her perfectly organized desk, and Karys lopes out from underneath it to rest his muzzle across her thigh. She rests a hand on his head, rubbing behind his ears as she looks between her charges and smiles at the sudden and unexpected knowledge that they belong here, just as much as Flynn and Loquis do, that they are a team and a family, even if they do put the 'fun' in dysfunctional. They haven't felt this much at home since...well, since ever. Moving from military base to military base doesn't provide much opportunity for any one place to become home.
She leans her head against the chair's back and sighs, eyes drifting closed for just a moment, carefully freezing this memory in her mind's eye and storing it away so she can take it out and look at it later, like a cherished mental photograph. The only thing that might make it more perfect would be if Flynn was there with her, with his habit of speaking in whole paragraphs, and Loquis bouncing around like a rubber ball on crack until Karys can catch her and lick her into submission because she's ticklish and his tongue is so rough it tickles awfully.
But he isn't, and neither is she, and Eve brushes aside the little twinge of longing for the moment to simply relish the simple, peaceful quiet of right now, scratching behind Karys' ears until his tail thumps on the floor double-time.
The Clipping Book shivers on its stand, pages fluttering eagerly for their attention.
Eve lets out a sigh and Karys laughs softly.
Jenkins appears like a suited ghost with the key to the Back Door, Menerva muttering, "Thank God," under her breath.
Cassandra giggles and pokes Stone with one foot as she turns off the tablet and reaches for her shoes; Asten emerges from the stacks to perch on her shoulder like the world's strangest cat.
Stone checks his watch and makes a face as Addy curses softly. He reaches in his pockets for his wallet, then scowls angrily, shouting at Jones that he had money in his wallet before.
Jones smirks, patting his own pocket smugly as Zhu grins with all her sharp white teeth and cackles in glee.
Eve draws on her jacket and looks in the Clipping Book for information. As Jenkins opens the Back Door for them, she risks a glance back over her shoulder and sees that the desk is once again Flynn's personal disaster area and heaves another sigh, shaking her head, albeit fondly, and Karys coughs out a little barking laugh.
She knew she should've set a timer.
Jacob Stone – Adrasteia, called "Addy," Siberian lynx
Cassandra Cillian – Asten, common genet
Ezekiel Jones – Zhu, red fox
Col. Eve Baird – Karys, Siberian husky/grey wolf hybrid
Jenkins/Galahad – Menerva, snowy owl