(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

[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."

[ladyfirestarter]

She grins. "After that I'm not sure who owes whom, but if you insist."

(Carefully holding the banister with one hand as she starts up the stairs. Carefully not looking down at her feet, or too far up.)

[thisfatefulhour]

"I do. Insist, I mean."

Once again, he stays next to her, in her peripheral vision.

"They're amazing kids."

[ladyfirestarter]

"I wish you could have met some of them before they were ... hell, I wish I could have met them before. Brilliant, gifted -- there are recordings of them, interview sessions from the Academy, and the contrast is ... it's painful to look at."

(Stepping carefully onto the top stair, both feet firmly under her before she lets go of the banister.)

"Or at least it was, back when they first got here. Now, it's ... their personalities are starting to reemerge, and there's hope that'll continue."

[thisfatefulhour]

He nods, and smiles slightly. "I'll say. Beth -- right? -- she's got attitude."

[ladyfirestarter]

Charlie nods, with a wry grin. "That doesn't seem to ever have left her. On her session recordings, she's almost perpetually angry."

[thisfatefulhour]

"Reminds me a little of my sister when we were younger," he says thoughtfully, opening the door to the hallway for Charlie.

[ladyfirestarter]

"You have a sister?"

The tone's mostly curious; it would take someone deeply perceptive to pick up on the wistfulness creeping around the edges.