Shatterstar & Topaz | New Job
Apr. 9th, 2024 11:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsTopaz decides to give Shatterstar a job, since he's doing the work anyways
Shatterstar knew the room he'd been taking VHSes from was some sort of library, but he figured that it was the sort of library rich people had- a room dedicated to books, not something more akin to an actual library. He certainly didn't expect to run into a librarian when he was bringing them back (the DVDs he had ripped were in a DVD at the bottom of the pile, names of the films written in careful sharpie). He made awkward eye contact with the woman who must be the librarian and held up his stack for her to see. "Um."
Topaz looked between the boy and the stack of movies, quickly scanning the titles to confirm that they were, in fact, the ones currently missing. "I was wondering where those went." She didn't sound annoyed - almost fondly exasperated, maybe, but not annoyed. "Thank you for bringing them back."
He put the movies and binder on the circulation desk. "I have taken the liberty to transfer them to DVD. The DVDs are in the binder." Shatterstar seemed awkward at this pronouncement, like he had been caught doing something he should have. Vaguely, he wondered if like Mr Gibney a librarian would try to make him read. "For the library." He added in clarification about the binder.
Not exactly what Topaz had been expecting. She picked up the tape on the top pile, tilting her head, then looked at the binder. "Why?" she asked curiously. "Obviously you're allowed and I'm not upset." She was well aware that her demeanor could come off as cold and she didn't want to upset the kid. "But this must have taken some time."
Shatterstar had started the project after the attack on District X. It gave him the opportunity to think. Repetitive action that wasn't connected to any sort of violence. And then he had come to like doing it. "VHS film can degrade," he explained. He hadn't noticed any coldness in Topaz's voice. "And it's easy to multitask while transferring the tapes. If you're going to watch the movies anyways it doesn't take much more time."
Topaz nodded slowly as he spoke, looking at the available videos on the shelves. Some of them had been here longer than her. "Were you going to keep doing it?"
"Are you going to stop me?" Shatterstar asked, seeing a challenge where there wasn't one.
"Not at all. Actually, I was going to offer you a job."
Shatterstar was stopped in his tracks in surprise, glancing to either side of him like there was maybe someone else in the room. "...Really?"
She smiled a little at his reaction. "You're doing something for the library, even if it's something you would have been doing otherwise. It's only fair you get paid for it."
Didn't you have to like books to work in a library? But Shatterstar wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth- getting paid for something he enjoyed doing was a good offer. And he has been doing it for the library anyway...
"...Okay," he responded, still stunned at the job offer. Then he realized he didn't even really know this woman, even if he had seen her in the library. "Do you need my name? Shatterstar." If she needed the legal name she could ask.
"I always forget about the introducing myself part," Topaz said as she jotted down his name. She could get any legal information she needed from his file or one of the other staff later. "I'm Topaz. It's nice to meet you."
"I look forward to working with you," he said professionally before turning to look at the other tapes on the dusty shelves. "I will take another batch. Unless you have a specific assignment for me...?"
Maybe he'd get dragged into other library duties. Well, as long as he didn't have to struggle through reading too much he did like organizing and sorting... It cleared his head. He could use a clear head after the VR experience.
"You can keep going with the videos. Have you been putting the new DVDs on the shelves in a certain way, or just going with the same order as the tapes? I'm happy to adapt the system as needed."
"Just in the binder," he said putting a hand on it. It was a black case with sleeves that held four DVDs per side. "I didn't order any cases for the DVDs." It had already been getting a bit expensive of a hobby even without cases. "I've been putting the tapes back as they were."
"All right." Topaz made a few more notes about buying cases and a label maker. "You can leave everything here if you want, I'll take care of getting it put away."
Shatterstar nodded, proud of the job he had gotten. "Yes ma'am. When should I report again?"
"Whenever you want. This is your project. Work on your timeline."
Shatterstar knew the room he'd been taking VHSes from was some sort of library, but he figured that it was the sort of library rich people had- a room dedicated to books, not something more akin to an actual library. He certainly didn't expect to run into a librarian when he was bringing them back (the DVDs he had ripped were in a DVD at the bottom of the pile, names of the films written in careful sharpie). He made awkward eye contact with the woman who must be the librarian and held up his stack for her to see. "Um."
Topaz looked between the boy and the stack of movies, quickly scanning the titles to confirm that they were, in fact, the ones currently missing. "I was wondering where those went." She didn't sound annoyed - almost fondly exasperated, maybe, but not annoyed. "Thank you for bringing them back."
He put the movies and binder on the circulation desk. "I have taken the liberty to transfer them to DVD. The DVDs are in the binder." Shatterstar seemed awkward at this pronouncement, like he had been caught doing something he should have. Vaguely, he wondered if like Mr Gibney a librarian would try to make him read. "For the library." He added in clarification about the binder.
Not exactly what Topaz had been expecting. She picked up the tape on the top pile, tilting her head, then looked at the binder. "Why?" she asked curiously. "Obviously you're allowed and I'm not upset." She was well aware that her demeanor could come off as cold and she didn't want to upset the kid. "But this must have taken some time."
Shatterstar had started the project after the attack on District X. It gave him the opportunity to think. Repetitive action that wasn't connected to any sort of violence. And then he had come to like doing it. "VHS film can degrade," he explained. He hadn't noticed any coldness in Topaz's voice. "And it's easy to multitask while transferring the tapes. If you're going to watch the movies anyways it doesn't take much more time."
Topaz nodded slowly as he spoke, looking at the available videos on the shelves. Some of them had been here longer than her. "Were you going to keep doing it?"
"Are you going to stop me?" Shatterstar asked, seeing a challenge where there wasn't one.
"Not at all. Actually, I was going to offer you a job."
Shatterstar was stopped in his tracks in surprise, glancing to either side of him like there was maybe someone else in the room. "...Really?"
She smiled a little at his reaction. "You're doing something for the library, even if it's something you would have been doing otherwise. It's only fair you get paid for it."
Didn't you have to like books to work in a library? But Shatterstar wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth- getting paid for something he enjoyed doing was a good offer. And he has been doing it for the library anyway...
"...Okay," he responded, still stunned at the job offer. Then he realized he didn't even really know this woman, even if he had seen her in the library. "Do you need my name? Shatterstar." If she needed the legal name she could ask.
"I always forget about the introducing myself part," Topaz said as she jotted down his name. She could get any legal information she needed from his file or one of the other staff later. "I'm Topaz. It's nice to meet you."
"I look forward to working with you," he said professionally before turning to look at the other tapes on the dusty shelves. "I will take another batch. Unless you have a specific assignment for me...?"
Maybe he'd get dragged into other library duties. Well, as long as he didn't have to struggle through reading too much he did like organizing and sorting... It cleared his head. He could use a clear head after the VR experience.
"You can keep going with the videos. Have you been putting the new DVDs on the shelves in a certain way, or just going with the same order as the tapes? I'm happy to adapt the system as needed."
"Just in the binder," he said putting a hand on it. It was a black case with sleeves that held four DVDs per side. "I didn't order any cases for the DVDs." It had already been getting a bit expensive of a hobby even without cases. "I've been putting the tapes back as they were."
"All right." Topaz made a few more notes about buying cases and a label maker. "You can leave everything here if you want, I'll take care of getting it put away."
Shatterstar nodded, proud of the job he had gotten. "Yes ma'am. When should I report again?"
"Whenever you want. This is your project. Work on your timeline."
