A/N: 26.07.24 - edited the chapter because I really hated it lmao.
Startled awake, and thoroughly drained from the previous day's travel, Jean's arm darted out to turn off the alarm. His limb dropped over his eyes with a sigh. He was accustomed to leaving the curtains open as he slept seeing as the sun didn't rise until later in the morning. This morning, on Paradis, the sun suspended itself high in the sky as though it were midmorning.
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.
It took a few tranquil moments for Jean to realise just how silent his surroundings were compared to the chaos that usually awoke him. The sounds of car engines revving and the idle chatter and footsteps of pedestrians floated through his window each and every morning. With his ear pressed to the mattress, Jean could hear his downstairs neighbours tending to their young children as though he were in the room. His chronically late and disorganised roommate often shuffled past his door multiple times to collect forgotten belongings before departing.
Instead, this morning brought the sound of the gentle breeze, his breathing, and his thoughts were the only things he could hear. Jean didn't realise how much he'd actually miss the noise after it was gone. The quiet surroundings felt dangerous. Others beginning their days before him put Jean into an almost competitive mood, as though he wanted to catch up to being a productive member of society like them.
The silence brought him back to the times he travelled as a student. No fixed plans to stick to, no urgency to accomplish anything important - simply savouring the freedom. Nostalgic, yes, but not helpful in the long term!
Stepping out of bed to finally get ready for the day, he gazed around the unfamiliar place to become reacquainted. He estimated it was a touch smaller than the apartment he and his roommate shared. Still comfortable, however, considering Jean would probably have no reason to leave apart from investigating Paradis when he wasn't working. Or until he made friends which will hopefully happen sooner rather than later.
He sat down at the tiny wooden kitchen table where he set up base the day before. It was the only place he could work, unless he wanted to stand at the just as tiny kitchen bench for the entire workday. His laptop, camera, and notepad that he'd jotted down with chicken scratch notes were left as they were the day before. The notes were random ideas that popped into Jean's head yesterday he aimed to revise the following day. Most of them were probably shit, but he'd entertain them. One look at his almost manic writing filled him with the urge to procrastinate even more. He could only imagine the list of tasks Hange and Levi had drawn up for him for the day, too...
Jean dropped his head between his hands, palms against his ears. God, he needed a cigarette so bad! Jean was glad he brought a few packets with him, thus saving himself the trip into town. Despite challenging himself to quit while he was in Paradis, It simply wasn't worth it when he had so much going on. One of the perks of working remotely was the ability to smoke before work without worrying about the stench following him for the whole day.
Stepping outside, breathing in the pristine Paradis air, Jean thought it would be a shame to taint the air quality with his smoking habits. He still would, anyway.
Arguably, his need for focus and clarity was more important than being concerned about the air. Besides, he was so far away from the rest of the town that it shouldn't matter. If the world didn't want him to smoke, then it shouldn't have a conveniently placed ashtray right where he needed it. He already felt better after breathing in and exhaling the thick smoke in a large cloud. It mingled and joined the air like old friends.
He gazed out into the distance. 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.
In the distance, the library caught his attention. Right...introducing himself to the librarian should be fairly high on his list of priorities. Cigarette first, then head to the library. He couldn't be on his best behaviour if his stress influenced his attitude. He'd be spending a decent amount of time there, after all, so he'd need to make a good impression before imposing himself! A quick change of clothes and fresh minty gum later, Jean ventured down the path to the library.
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 could 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. 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 in three quick, strong successions.
"The door's unlocked!" A voice called from inside. Jean's hand paused on the door handle. That person inside might assume the knock came from a resident, neighbour, or friend, and become startled seeing him there! Instead, Jean lingered and waited for further instruction. Overstepping boundaries or disturbing the person who was at least familiar with the library wouldn't have been the smartest thing to do!
The footsteps inside the library continued to roam. They didn't seem to be coming towards the door at all! In weighing his options, Jean decided that this person was either too trusting (a pattern Jean was steadily learning) or could not tear themselves away from their duties. So, entering the library would be the best course of action. Jean slowly opened the door with his scripted apology and explanation ready to smoothly roll off his tongue.
"You can come in, it's..." The person's voice voice, and the person's smile, trailed off to nothing as he froze midstep the second Jean entered the building. A young blonde man was halfway towards the door, ready to investigate what was taking the person outside so long to come in. The tall brunette stranger was definitely not who he expected to see, blue eyes flickering from head to toe. It was a quick, subtle, and slightly suspicious movement, but Jean understood the hesitance.
Likewise, the blonde man wasn't the person Jean expected to encounter. Well, a fairly young guy in blue jeans and a simple white buttoned-up shirt betrayed his vision of the librarian. 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 nineteen or twenty 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 countenance brightened, eradicating the confusion originally plastered in his angled eyebrows. "Oh, hey, you're the journalist, right?"
Stunned, wondering why this random library worker knew of his existence, Jean nodded. "Uh…yeah. I'm Jean." He briefly considered a handshake, but would that be too formal?
Was this guy too young to understand the social connotations of a handshake? Regardless, his body instinctively stretched out his arm. Without missing a beat, the blonde stood in front of him to accept the handshake with a much firmer grip that took him by surprise! "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…" Jean half-expected him to summon the librarian, but he remained rooted in his spot. "Is the librarian here, though? Should I come back later?"
The blonde tilted his head as his once polite smile wavered in charm. "I am the librarian."
He couldn't stop himself from blurting out, "what? Really?"
"Yes. I have been for a few years."
"But you look way too young to own a library." Gut-wrenching, stomach twisting in knots staring at the librarian's delicate frown, Jean regretted not shutting his mouth and keeping his shock to himself! It was unclear if he took offence to Jean's belief, or maybe thought he was an idiot with a capricious mouth. He probably didn't anticipate having to justify himself or his career to a stranger at this early hour.
The blonde man didn't bother to wait for Jean to scramble to repair the conversation. "You think so?" His face broke into a small, curious smile.
Only then did Jean allow himself to relax. Only slightly. "...yes? I mean…I said that because the building looks so old, and so I just assumed someone older would've had it for a longer time, you know..." He couldn't help but curse Hange, who instilled in him a false sense of confidence for the ability to be personable and having 'a knack for phrasing awkward questions'.
"It's my grandpa's library. I took over after he passed away and I really haven't had the time to update the building's exterior," he explained. Luckily, the librarian's lack of offence implied this wouldn't bite him in the ass later down the track. Still, he'd be cringing at himself when he recalled this conversation for a long time! Gesturing to the desktop computers behind him, he added, "but the technology is updated to the most recent version of the software and run flawlessly. And the internet rarely has issues unless the weather is bad, which isn't often. So, you'll find that everything is pretty 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."
"The internet at the accommodation should be fine, too," he included, making a vague gesture towards the direction he would be staying. It dawned on Jean that most people would have a vague idea of where he would be staying. Unless there was concrete evidence of a cult or a cannibal tribe amoung the people of Paradis, Jean remained unconcerned. "Have you been here long enough to try it out?"
"I got here yesterday. There's nothing wrong with it. I have to use it for work, but considering it's better than the crappy connection back home, I'm happy."
The corners of his mouth elevated ever so slightly, a little amused, at his answer. "Great. I'm sure Erwin informed you, but if there's any issues, let me know and I'll do my best to fix it. Are you wanting to work here today?"
"Not today. Maybe next week?" He'd have to see what his managers workload was. The mere act of remembering his managers made his morale plummet like rocks in water. It was probably time to stop procrastinating and actually start tackling work. Before he could even think about leaving, Jean realised apart from knowing he was the librarian, he had no idea who this man was! "Uh...I don't think I caught your name."
"Oh! Sorry! I'm Armin."
"Armin," he repeated the first of many new names he'd have to learn. "Got it. What time do you usually open and close this place?"
"The doors are unlocked from about 6six in the morning, but most people don't come until after seven or eight." It made sense for Armin to be a morning person, considering how composed and friendly he was at such an early hour. Jean couldn't tell if his energy motivated or exhausted him! "And I usually lock up at five. If you let me know in advance, I'm happy to keep it open for longer."
"That's generous of you, but forcing you to change yours or anyone else's routine is the last thing I want. I'll work with your hours." He'd hate to cause resentment, even if he wasn't sticking around after the Paradis project concluded. No one could predict the future and who he might encounter again, so Jean wanted to keep things civil.
"Erwin wants me to be as accommodating as possible, so please, intrude as much as you need," he assured. "The offer's always there if you change your mind."
"Thanks, again..." Silence hung between them, both seemingly waiting to see if the other would continue the conversation or add something new. Jean figured he probably interrupted Armin in the middle of...whatever librarians do, so he took this as his cue to 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'.
Admittedly, he felt a sense of relief knowing the librarian was younger than anticipated. 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 friendly! His attitude may have stemmed from Erwin's external pressure, so the next few weeks would expose him. While he wasn't intending to make friends while being here, a reliable and friendly presence would certainly make the days easier.
Now, he really had to do some work...