(no subject)

[ladyfirestarter]

The permanent door from Milliways opens onto a hallway that looks like it could be a teacher's area in a primary school. Drawings and photographs are tacked up on the walls; the doors leading off the hallway are painted a calm pale-rose color, and each has a nameplate on it. (The closest one reads IRENE TASSENBAUM. It's locked; Irene's out today.)

Charlie steps aside to let her guest through. "Welcome to Taos."

Comments

[walk_ins]

"It's why you came," she says, a little louder, looking intently at a point just over his right shoulder. "Listened to the wind."

[thisfatefulhour]

Watching her face, he smiles.

"When I finally gave up trying to walk against it."

[walk_ins]

"Inherently flawed metaphor," mutters Beth. "Variances in atmospheric pressure affected by planetary rotation. Little to no semantic content."

A beat, and she scowls up at him. "The Lord was not in the wind."

[thisfatefulhour]

(Lords of snow and rain and wind
Do you know the one you send?)

To Beth -- "Maybe sometimes. But that all depends on how you see it, doesn't it?"

[walk_ins]

"Does it call for tears or mirth?"

Zillah takes a step closer, one trailing hand still brushing the shelves.

[thisfatefulhour]

Charles looks up at her, and is silent for a long moment.

Then, very softly -- "Today is a day for mirth."

He stands up, a little stiff, and smiles at her. "Hi, Zillah."

[walk_ins]

She smiles at him, very small and very bright.

"Hi."

[thisfatefulhour]

Smiling back, he glances at Beth, then back to Zillah.

"Not the Old Man's daughter?"

[walk_ins]

The smile dims and fades. She looks down, and her hands twist together in front of her.

"No."

[thisfatefulhour]

"Hey."

He ducks his head, trying to catch her gaze again.

"That's okay. I came to meet Zillah" -- he looks at the others in turn -- "and Leon, and all the kids Charlie told me about."

Back to Zillah, gently -- "Not the Old Man's daughter."

[walk_ins]

"Somewhere I have never travelled --"

She stares at him, blue eyes intent with the need to communicate.

"Yes is a world," she says earnestly, "and in this world of yes live -- skilfully curled -- all worlds."

[thisfatefulhour]

He blinks, thinking; then his expression clears and he replies, "Gladly beyond any experience . . ."

[walk_ins]

Zillah's face lights up in sudden delighted recognition.
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses
"Strangers meet," she says, half-laughing.

[thisfatefulhour]

He grins.

"But all we did that day was mingle great and small footprints in summer dust."

This could rapidly get pretty obscure.

[ladyfirestarter]

(Watching this at a distance of a few yards, Charlie has to lift a hand to her mouth to hide a smile.)

[walk_ins]

Grinning back, with a touch of mischief, Zillah counters: "Like a long-legged fly upon the stream, his mind moves upon silence."

Blowing out an exasperated sigh, Beth ducks back under the table.

[thisfatefulhour]

Charles looks down at Beth and bursts out laughing, loud in the quiet of the library, and simply happy.

"Sorry," he says, then stage-whispers towards Zillah, "There is no Silence in the Earth."

[walk_ins]

Zillah's giggling too, by this time, one hand covering her mouth; it makes her look much younger than fourteen. Leon looks amused, and a little indulgent; Avi hasn't spoken a word since first approaching, but looks up with a sweet shy grin from where he's hunkered down on the rug.

"We should stop," Zillah whispers back, through her giggles. "Isn't considerate."

[thisfatefulhour]

"You're right," he murmurs. "Some other time."

With an apologetic grin towards Leon and Avi -- "When we're not in a library."

[ladyfirestarter]

Some other time; and so far this visit is going well enough that it's likely there will be other times.

Charlie watches over the next hour, saying little, as they tour this end of the complex -- the rest of the library, the gym, the pool area. The kids respond to Charles, some eagerly, some warily, but all positively. A few tag along with them each time they move on, until they're trailing a small crowd.

By the time they arrive back at the library, it's getting on towards time for Charles to head home.

[thisfatefulhour]

Charles says his goodbyes to the kids, finally, and turns to follow Charlie back towards the office buildings and the door back to Milliways.

He's silent for a minute or two after they're away from the group. When he does speak, he's quiet, almost subdued.

"Thank you."

[ladyfirestarter]

"I feel I should be thanking you," she says. "It looks to me like this was really good for them. They don't get to interact with people close to their own age, much, except each other."

[thisfatefulhour]

A smile. "I'm glad you invited me -- for them as well as myself."

[ladyfirestarter]

They reach the end of the underground corridor, and Charlie holds the door to the stairwell for him.

"Sometime again?"

[thisfatefulhour]

His smile widens.

"Yes, please."

He precedes her through the door and adds with a laugh, "Let me buy you a drink back at Milliways? I owe you something."