Birthdays and Bookworms : Part 1

by **Lorelle** on November 4th, 2013, 6:15 am

Timestamp :: 14th of fall, 513 AV
Time of Day :: Sometime in the morning

Lorelle isn’t sure what she was expecting from this day. Rejection. Emotional pain. Feeling more broken and hopeless than ever before. Whatever she expected, it wasn’t this. Right upon showing up at her place of employment, Jack pulls her into the office. His voice is quick as he tells her that some mother has brought her daughter and her friends to the library and the children are starting to upset the patrons. The mother has apparently been telling them to be quiet and they do, for a few ticks before beginning to giggle and fill the place with noise again. It was torture in the form of voices. When Lorelle asks why don’t they just kick the people causing the problem out, Jack just gives her a very strange look before shaking his head. Lorelle isn’t sure what that is suppose to mean. Then Jack goes on to tell her that he wants her to keep them busy. To keep them quiet and to do anything necessary to accomplish this.

Lorelle looks at him, irritation flaming in her eyes. “Want my opinion? I would just ...” her voice trails off as Jack puts up a hand and cuts her off. He shakes his head. “No, I don’t want your opinion. I want you to do your job and this, for this moment in time, is your job,” he tells her. Lorelle clenches her jaw, wishing to snap back at him but not having anything worthy of the effort in mind. Jack nods. “Good, we are on the same page then. Now go, get them quiet...” he stops talking as Lorelle cuts him off with her own voice. “How? I don’t know how to keep children quiet? I am not good with kids. As you might have noticed, I don’t have any!” Jack rolls his eyes and crosses his arms before shrugging. “I don’t know, that is up to you to figure out. Now I have work to do, good luck. Oh, and happy birthday!” he turns and leaves to the next room after that.

Lorelle stands there, dumbfounded. Rage boils inside her as she tries to decide what to do. Go after him? Make him do it? No, that won’t work. “Jack! You, you ... Ugh!” she shouts in a loud whisper as she kicks the ground. She feels like throwing a fit like the very children she is being made to quiet down. Stomping around and acting unladylike sounds like a very bad but appealing idea right now. Her hands ball into fists as she lets the steam of heated anger roll through her. She just needs to get control over herself. Control. Control. Nope, not working. She hits the wall with her right fist as hard as she can which really isn't all that hard. Impact with the wall sounds like a muted thud, hopefully no one has heard it. She winces as she pulls her hand back, shaking it to try and stop the pain. “Not smart, not smart,” she murmurs to herself, biting back the pain. Hopefully it is just the pain of impact and she didn’t actually do anything to her hand. That will have to be learned about with time. Now it is time to go and do as Jack has instructed her. Sadly.

by **Lorelle** on November 4th, 2013, 6:22 am

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Five whispering, giggling, secret spilling ten to elven year olds. Great, just great. Lorelle presses herself against the wall of the office. It is safe here. No children, almost teens. Preteens really. A shiver runs through Lorelle’s back. Not her favorite age range. She really doesn’t like children at all. She has a hard enough time making and keeping friends her age. Let alone appealing to the younger generation enough to make them bend to her wants and desires of them being quiet. Why can’t they just be quiet on their own? They are old enough, technically, to know better. That is the sad truth though. Knowing and doing are two completely different things.

Lorelle takes a deep breath. She needs to get out there. Can’t have the patrons disturbed so long that they leave. That would be bad, very bad. Exhaling, she cracks the door open, peeking out. No, oh no. “I can’t do this!” she murmurs to herself, letting the door close and going back to the safety of her body being pressed against the wall. She closes her eyes. "Lorelle, come on Lorelle. They are just children! You can do this! What is the worse that can happen? They don’t like you? So what! They make more noise?" Lorelle nods. “Yes,” she murmurs to herself in reply to her train of thought. "So what? Suck it up and deal with the problem! Create peace and quiet, go, now!" Lorelle feels crippled. Children seem to be a strong weakness for her.

“I can’t, I can’t do this. I don’t know how!” she insists. It is a really good thing that there is no one else around her. They would probably think she is going crazy. She feels like she is going crazy. Talking to herself. "Who’s fault is that? Hm? Come on, you so know you can do this. This is you fighting with yourself you know." Lorelle hates herself for thinking that one up. She sighs before nodding. Time to stop acting crazy. Push through the barrier of nerves. Besides, they are just children right? What is the worst they can do? No, best not to think about that.

Lorelle sucks in another breath, cracking open the door once more. This time she doesn’t allow herself to close it and hide again. She steps forward, letting the door fall shut behind her. She exhales, keeping her breathing steady. She tries to keep her train of thought steady. Just thinking of breathing and the task at hand. Her steps take her to her desk first. She looks at the cluster of girls out of the corner of her eye as she slips off her scarf. She takes off her gloves next before unbuttoning and sliding her coat off her arms. Her hair falls in a mess over her shoulders. She really should cut it soon. It needs it. Lorelle then turns, leaving the hair out of her mind as she focuses on the preteens. Here goes nothing.

by **Lorelle** on November 4th, 2013, 6:34 am

This day was to mean many things to Lorelle. The day she was officially an Ice Maiden. No longer someone to be shown around to potential suitors. Someone considered to old for things such as marriage and a family. At least, that is what her mother always told her. She would probably never marry or have a child. Probably never do much more in the way of romance. Maybe that wasn’t true, but at this moment in time it isn’t looking hopefully. Not that she cares. She won the war. Stuck it out in her streak of rebellion against her mother and her mother’s wishes. Getting off topic though. What she hadn’t expected this day to mean was being scared out of her mind. Of preteens no less. What, what is wrong with her? Is it the fact of finally becoming this thing, this ice maiden, finally getting to her? Was it just the thoughts of when she was their age rising up in her? Or was it the fear of failure? Of not being able to do her job and get them quiet?

Lorelle isn’t sure. All she is sure about is the fact that she is walking over to their circle on the floor now. They seem to be getting louder and louder the closer she gets. She feels nervous. Her palms become sweaty as knots tighten in her stomach. She puts on a smile though, folding her hands behind her back. Best not show them her nerves. Doesn’t sound like to smart of an idea. They would probably just see it as weakness and prey upon it. Lorelle swallows hard before trying to convince herself that she is excited to do this. “Hi girls,” she greets, making a few of them turn to her before continuing on with their conversation. Lorelle sighs. Yep, brilliant start.

“I’m Lorelle, one of the clerks who works here. I was told to come over here and see what you were doing here,” she tries to explain, feeling very awkward doing so. One of the girl’s turns to her. The girl is a Vantha. Dark skin, black hair with vibrant green streaks painted throughout it. Her eyes are a multitude of different colors as she squints them at the clerk. “Who told you to do that? We are quite fine, just talking. Job done, now go back to whatever it is you old people do here,” the girl snaps. Lorelle bites her bottom lip. Well, that went well. She has now been called old, that is a new one. She looks around, trying desperately to find some help. None is offered from anyone around. The patrons look more focused on trying to read their books than anything else. Lorelle sighs before looking back to the girls, all are staring at her now.

“Well, what are you talking about?” she asks, trying to pick up the conversation. The same girl, must be the oldest and leader in this group of “friends”. “None of your business,” she says, being sure to stress her words with as much attitude as possible. Are preteens always like this? Lorelle is suddenly very happy she doesn’t have any younger siblings. That would have been torture. ”What am I thinking? I was one once. Shouldn’t be so hard to connect with ones who are now, right? I mean, it was only ten years ago, today.” Lorelle crouches down, looking at each of the girls. Each one is different than the next, but the one who has been talking is defiantly the most confident and boisterous of all of them. “What if I make it my business?” Lorelle asks the older girl. The girl stares at her before crossing her arms and shaking her head. “Nope, sorry, you can’t. To old.”

Ouch. That hurts. Lorelle feels like pouting now. Just what she needs on her birthday. To be called old and feel unwanted. She expects that from her mother, but complete strangers? Kids nonetheless? No way. “Oh yeah? and what makes you think I am so old?” she asks, her hands on her hips. This probably isn’t going to help as far as getting them quiet goes, but Lorelle can’t help it. She doesn’t enjoy being called “old”. She is only twenty! It isn’t like she is crippled and swaying in a rocking chair while waiting for Dira to come and take her soul to whatever comes next. She still had a lot of life ahead of her, right? “Just asking that, makes you old,” the oldest girl points out. Lorelle sighs before pursing her lips slightly in thought. Yes, well, the kid does have a point there. Well at least one thing was true. Against these almost teens, yes, maybe she was a little bit on the older side of things.

by **Lorelle** on November 4th, 2013, 6:43 am

“Alright fine, you win this round. Yes, in Vantha terms and against your age, I am old. Happy? Now, may I tell you the real reason I am here?” Lorelle asks, trying to get her tone back down to normal level after some looks from the patrons. She doesn’t need them thinking that she is stooping down the the preteens’ level. Even though, in a way, she is. The oldest kid shrugs. “Sure, tell away,” she says, her voice dropping to a very slow and drawn out tone. Her focus and interest has been turned to the floor now. Lorelle rolls her eyes before letting her hands drop from her hips as she sits cross legged on the floor. “You guys are being a bit loud for some of the others here. I was sent to try and quiet you down, but I don’t think that just asking you will do that. How about I try to tell you a story?” she asks suddenly, her eyes falling on a book and the idea popping into her head. She instantly regrets it though. She doesn’t know much about storytelling. Not having done much of it. “You all can even help me create it, sort of like a game. What do you say? It will work, as long as we all stay somewhat quiet unless you want to do it outside?”

The girls all look at each other. The oldest looks at Lorelle and motions for her to wait a moment before she gathers her friends in a sort of huddle. They all bend over, voicing their opinions of the idea in hushed whispers. It is a good couple chimes before they part from the huddle. They all look to Lorelle before turning their eyes to the oldest one. The oldest looks at Lorelle, her gaze steady with Lorelle’s one before she nods. “We have decided, that as a group, we will do it. As long as, I get to start the story,” she answers, a smirk that Lorelle would swear has evil intention hidden inside it resting upon her young lips. “And I get to make it be about whatever I want. Even you.” Lorelle bites the inside of her lip before nodding. She is here to keep them happy and quiet after all. No one said anything about her own feelings or comfort. “Alright, fine. Deal,” she agrees, trying to keep the reluctancy she has towards the idea out of her tone. The oldest child nods. “Deal,” she says firmly. Lorelle just nods. Lovely. Just Lovely. Exactly how she wanted to spend the day.

.: End :.

by **Ablation** on March 12th, 2014, 12:47 am

Lorelle :

Please don't be afraid to PM me with any questions ^-^ and please don't forget to remove your grading request from the list to keep My office spick and span.

Solo Birthdays and Bookworms : Part 1