singillatim | ( if i don't get some shelter, gonna fade away )

[ After Levi told him where he could find books, he'd put it on his mental to-do list. It had been put on the back-burner, but he's found himself in that part of town, and he doesn't want to be in the fog, so. A small detour and he heads to the so-called library on somewhat of a whim.

He doesn't know much about Rorschach, thought it would be rude to go nosing around and looking at books when the man isn't there, but he's not sure on his schedule. Night patrols, he thinks, are when he's seen him around the most, so for all he knows, he could be sleeping right now seeing as it's mid-morning. He knocks first, because that's the polite thing to do, and when there's no answer he tries the door — he'd been told this might happen, still it feels rude just entering someone's abode. He opens it just enough to look inside, but can't see anyone immediately obvious, and calls out. ]

Uh, I'm looking for Rorschach?

[Since the library had once been a house, Rorschach had merely taken the small bed that had been there and moved it to the back room when he'd converted the place. He used it on days like this, when he hadn't gotten enough sleep and needed to catch up on a few hours' while still attending to his duties. The small number of Interlopers, relatively speaking, meant there was a lot of downtime even when it came to his job as unofficial caretaker of the place.

He awoke with a start when he heard an unfamiliar voice calling out for him by name. He put on his face, which of course had been lying next to the pillow, pulled on a sweatshirt over a few layers he already had on, and stumbled on out towards the front after shaking off the worst of his bleariness. Even then, he moved almost without sound, especially since he didn't have any shoes on.

When he saw Maccready there, he tilted his head a little forward, acknowledging him without saying anything in a silent version of 'Can I help you?']

[ Conversation isn't something he was expecting, but the small tilt of a head being the only indication of acknowledgment throws him a touch. Though, if Rorschach's schedule is anything like Maccready's, he can't really blame him for not wanting to participate in small talk. He hopes he hasn't disturbed the man, not over something as trivial as books.

Stepping inside properly, he's careful not to let the door shut loudly behind him, and clears his throat. His awkward demeanour is palpable, in part because of why he's here — he's not exactly an academic, definitely doesn't look it either. This little house isn't like those big library buildings at home, at least, with their pre-war secrets. He wouldn't have known it even functioned as such if he hadn't been told. ]

You have books, that you uh, you let people borrow? Like a library.

Exactly a library.

[He said in his usual deep, gravelly tone, though his body language did warm up just a little bit more, less closed-off than it had been moments before. Looked like he had a new patron this morning. That helped him shake off the last vestiges of sleep. Rorschach could sleep when he was dead. This was more important right now.]

Read the rules?

[Rorschach asked.]

[ That's something he's familiar with, people perking up when a topic they're interested in is mentioned, he's used to seeing it all the time at sketchy bars or from people who are listening in to conversations they probably shouldn't be. It's innocent enough here, though. ]

Oh— uh, [ he wasn't aware there were going to be rules to read. ] No, sorry… though, I know how libraries work, bringing books back after you're done with them and stuff.

[ Probably something about not damaging them, they're a limited resource, after all. Making new ones sounds like it would be a hassle at home, and he can't see it being any easier to do so here, either. ]

[Rorschach ticked off the three rules on his pale fingers, not having bothered to put his gloves back on just yet since he was still indoors.]

Borrow for two weeks. Keep them in good condition. Break either of those and you're banned for however long I think of.

[Or if he pissed Rorschach off but Maccready didn't seem like the type to do that deliberately. Sure, he was a bit of a hard ass about the books, but this was still a society and people needed to follow the rules or face the consequences.]

[ Rorschach's rules were about what he was expecting, they're reasonable, and Maccready has no arguments — after all, he's the one wanting to borrow the books here — so he tips his head in understanding. ]

Okay, yeah. That seems fair— [ he hesitates a little, before deeming his follow-up important enough to ask. ] What if, uh, you need more than two weeks? Is it okay to keep them longer?

[ He's not… well, he's not the speediest of readers. There's an awkward shuffle of his feet, and he doesn't quite meet where he imagines Rorschach's eyeline to be. He's by no means illiterate, he gets by just fine, but if anything is long or particularly complicated… Well, it might take him longer to get through, and the idea of having a deadline for when he's supposed to be done doesn't fill him with optimism. ]

[Rorschach walked over to the desk by the front door where there was a standard spiralbound notebook there open, with a few pages already filled up. There, each book that had been borrowed was written down with a return date in mind, all in various handwriting. He tapped the latest page.]

Just put down the book again with new due date.

[Unless it was something that people were absolutely desperate to read, the problem of which he hadn't encountered yet, Rorschach figured this system was as good as any to keep track of what people were holding onto and who he would have to pay a visit to if they failed to remember to return the books on time.]

[ Maccready glances through the names and dates, he can't see too many duplicates, but then he's not entirely sure anyone other than the man running the place is really going to be paying too much attention to who is reading what. He figures if someone else wants to read it, they'll just have to wait. ]

Makes sense, [ he turns his attention back to Rorschach, posture relaxing a bit. ] I'm looking for something on history, I guess. American, ideally, though I know we're in Canada so something more general would be fine. There's just, well, there are a lot of differences between here and where I'm from, so…

[ Needless to say, there are things that catch him off his guard. If he can read up on things, that would at least do half the work for him. ]

[Rorschach gestured for Maccready to follow him over to where the non-fiction section was at. It wasn't nearly as big as the other sections. Most people preferred fiction to reality, so that was the most of what he'd been able to gather. Still, there was enough of a spread that Maccready would likely be able to find some of what he'd been looking for.

He riffled through the shelves for a moment before found a few he thought that the man could start with and handed them over.]

Can look through the rest. Just don't mess up organization.

[Though Rorschach wasn't as nearly violently protective about that as he was over the books themselves. If they got messed up, he'd just put them back in order. It would just be a new task for him to work on.]

[ Maccready follows the man, careful not to bump into or otherwise disrupt anything. As he walks, he glances to some of the other books that are stored, tries to glean anything he can from their titles. Maybe he can look into some of the literature at some point, but for right now he has his priorities. ]

Of course… Uh, thank you, by the way. I… probably wouldn't have known where to start, honestly. [ He scratches at his jaw, idly. ] Knowing that this world is so different to the one I came from, y'know.

[ While he speaks, he's looking at the cover of one of the books Rorschach set out for him. The binding has an image of a flag printed onto the front with red and white stripes, a blue rectangle in the corner with too many stars to count. While similar to the worn flags he's seen at home, it's a pretty glaring reminder of just how different things actually are. It's almost uncomfortable to think about. ]

Hurm. Yes. Told me you came from the future.

[He remembered that from when he first met him in the woods. Rorschach shifted around the books he'd put into Maccready's hands and then put one on top. It looked like any typical high schooler's history book. He figured for anyone wanting to learn about what this world was like, that was the strongest start he could give him.]

This one. Start here.

Yeah… I'm not so sure that it's the future any more. At least, not in the sense that the history is the same. [ He skims the first few pages of the book — honestly, all things considered, high school level is probably the best bet for Maccready anyway, with no real formal education to his name whatsoever. ] It's just… everything here is so different; especially the technology, even if it isn't working.

[ Not for a second does he think he's alone in this experience, but it doesn't make it any easier; there are others here who seem to be doing just fine, and he wonders if it's because they're from here, or a world close enough. It's weirdly alienating. Still, he gets the sense Rorschach isn't here for casual conversation, and gives a little shake of his head. ]

That probably sounds really stupid, sorry.

[Rorschach shook his head, not in a manner that was to suggest it sounded stupid, merely that he had nothing to say upon the subject himself. It was amazing what people said around someone who wasn't warranted to talking much himself. They just filled up the silence with whatever came into their own minds.

The idea that people might have been coming from different worlds was something he wasn't sure was the truth. As far as he'd seen thus far, most people came from the same type of Earth he did, plus or minus a few factors (vampires for one sprang to mind). To think that might not all be one coherent timeline wasn't something he was certain he wanted to poke too much at.]

( if i don't get some shelter, gonna fade away )

early april — for roschach

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