As Jean reached over to turn off his alarm, he was surprised by just how silent his surroundings were.
Sounds of cars, of people walking to and from work, of his downstairs neighbours tending to their young children, and of his chronically late roommate scrambling to get ready for work floated through his bedroom window each and every morning. It was something he grew accustomed to living in an apartment. Jean didn't realise how much he'd actually miss it when he was in a situation where the noise wasn't available.
Instead, this morning brought the sound of the gentle breeze, his breathing, and his thoughts were the only things he could hear. He couldn't work out if he liked the silence or not! It did not put him in much of a hurry to get out of bed and get started with his morning. God, he prayed he didn't start to adore the quiet mornings because he'd become completely intolerant once he returned home. He'd deal with that if or when it happened...
Jean decided to introduce himself to the librarian and get familiar with the library, seeing as he'd probably be spending a lot of time there. Plus, it would be beneficial to have somewhat of a rapport with him before needing something or occupying the place for himself! He recalled Erwin referring to the librarian as 'he', so Jean assumed they were male. Probably old, too, judging by the state of the building. If he was lucky, he might be able to get some information about the people his own age Erwin mentioned. Though...Jean had never had anybody accurately guess his age before so it was a crapshoot.
Still fatigued from the previous day's journey, Jean attempted to make himself a little bit presentable before visiting the library. He slept well and hard despite being in a new place. It was admittedly pretty cosy. He usually left the blinds open while he slept as the sun tended to come up later on in the day in the city. But, it was already bright outside.
And he had a nice view from the accommodation, too. He gazed out into the distance while sliding the door shut behind him. He spied the pier and the dock ready to welcome the incoming ferry. There were a few circulation trips during the day, as well as singular two-way trips to various islands, including the mainland only an hour away by ferry. Jean remembered reading that there was a university on the mainland that most of the graduating students would attend. He wondered if the lack of tourism had something to do with the rise of interest in the mainland. It was probably a lot more interesting and fast-paced compared to Paradis.
Jean didn't notice much activity in the town on his way to the library. He wasn't really in the mood to go exploring any time soon, so investigating that part of the island would have to wait.
He stopped at the door to listen for any activity inside - he wasn't about to be that creep that peered through windows! He heard footsteps that sounded purposeful like someone was working or setting up the space. Probably the librarian...hopefully. Jean channelled the feedback he'd been given the day before and raised his fist to knock on the door three times.
"It's open!" A voice called from inside. Jean froze, knowing that the person inside assumed the knock came from a resident. Going inside as a stranger wouldn't be the best thing to do, right? Lingering, not wanting to overstep boundaries or disturb the person inside, Jean waited. After a few moments, he slowly opened the door to find a young blonde man already halfway towards the door. Jean probably took too long coming inside, so he'd come to investigate.
He definitely did not expect to see Jean, eyes flickering from head to toe with the inability to place him in his mind. Likewise, the blonde man was not who Jean assumed he'd see. Was he a library worker? Or an assistant of some sort? Was a library assistant even a thing? Who actually worked in a library apart from a librarian? Jean estimated he was probably around 19 or 20 years old, particularly because of his short height and youthful face.
Seeing the hesitance in his furrowed brow, unsure of Jean's presence, Jean quickly took charge of the situation. "Morning. Sorry, I wasn't sure if I was allowed to come in, seeing as it's my first time here..."
His face suddenly lit up after a few short seconds of confusion. "Oh, hey, you're the journalist, right?" Jean was relieved to see his blue eyes soften. He understood that reaction, of course he did, and he should get used to being looked at like that. But it was still a little hurtful...
Jean did as he usually did and blamed the adverse reactions on his natural scowl. He couldn't help that!
"Uh…yeah. I'm Jean," he introduced. Would a handshake be too formal? Was this guy too young to get the social connotations of a handshake? His body automatically reached his hand out anyway. Without missing a beat, the blonde came closer and accepted his hand with a much firmer grip than he was expecting! Admittedly, the gesture fired Jean up a little and made him squeeze his hand a little tighter before releasing. "Erwin mentioned that if I needed internet, or help with repairs, I should come to see the librarian. I wanted to introduce myself before I needed anything, though. Figured it would be rude not to."
"That's decent of you. It's nice to meet you."
"Uh, you, too…is the librarian here, though? Should I come back later?"
The blonde looked bemused. "I am the librarian."
"What? Really?"
"Yes. I have been for a few years."
"But you look way too young to own a library," Jean pointed out before catching himself. It wasn't obvious whether he took offence or not. The blonde man didn't say anything and continued to stare, waiting for Jean's attempt at repairing the conversation. "I mean…the building looks so old, and so I just assumed someone older would've had it for a longer time, you know..."
"It's my grandpa's library. I took over after he passed away and haven't really had the time to update the building's exterior," he explained. Jean nodded politely, hoping the cringe he felt wasn't evident in his expression. Hange was a fucking liar; he does not ask awkward questions in an appropriate manner! Luckily, the guy didn't seem to take much offence, if any. Gesturing to the desktops behind him, he added, "but these are updated to the most recent version of the software and work perfectly. And the internet rarely has issues unless the weather is bad. So, everything is reliable here."
It was true. Despite its rough exterior, the interior exuded a modern vibe, thanks to the abundance of technology and an extensive library of books. It appeared well-maintained. "Ah, great."
"Have you been here long?"
"I got here yesterday."
"Have you used the internet at your accommodation yet?"
"Yeah, works just fine."
"I'm glad. I'm sure Erwin told you, but if there's any problems, let me know and I'll do my best to fix it. I'm sure you've got some work to do, so I'll let you do that. If you need anything, let me know," he turned to walk away.
Jean halted him. "Um, what's your name?"
"Oh! Sorry." He faced him once more with a smile. "I'm Armin."
"What time do you usually open and close, Armin?"
"I open between 6 and 7 in the morning." Ah, a morning person, which explained why he was fairly put together at such an early hour - compared to Jean, anyway. Jean couldn't tell whether Armin's organisation motivated or exhausted him. "I usually lock up the place at five pm, but I'm happy to keep it open for later if you let me know in advance."
"That's really generous of you, but I don't want to intrude. I'll work with your hours." The last thing he wanted was to disrupt people's routines and cause resentment. He wouldn't be around to see the aftermath, but still...
"Erwin wants me to be as accommodating as possible, so please, intrude as much as you need," he assured, his unwavering affability making Jean feel a little bad for his less-than-favourable introduction. He was still finding his footing in a new place and as the sole physical representation of his company, which made him fairly nervous about wanting to do a good job representing Paradis as best as he could. "The offer's always there if you change your mind."
"Again, thanks..." Silence hung between them, both seemingly waiting for the other to continue the conversation. Jean figured he probably interrupted Armin doing...whatever librarians do, so he knew he should leave. "Well, uh, I'll leave you alone now. It was good to meet you."
"Mm, you, too."
Jean made sure to close the door as gently as possible, sighing to release the tension he felt, and headed back 'home'.
Internally, he was relieved the librarian turned out to be someone relatively young. He didn't have anything against older people, but he felt better encroaching on the space of someone younger versus someone older...as weird as that sounded. It helped that Armin seemed pretty friendly! It might have been Erwin's influence, so Jean would be able to determine that over the upcoming weeks. While he wasn't intending to make friends while being here, particularly Armin who seemed a little closed off behind his friendly exterior, having someone friendly around would make his life easier.