Back In Circulation

[Existentially Odd]

Owen Harper stared at Samuel, a frown marring his youthful face. "I'm what?" he demanded, his tone brittle.

Samuel froze, realising belatedly that he'd spoken impulsively. Digital cackled in his ear, able to pick up the conversation through Sam's AirPods because their phone call was still active. He'd been helping Sam run a final check on the security gate system that had now been installed in the library at the Academy campus. The books weren't to be borrowed but they needed protecting and Sam wanted everyone in the vicinity to be alerted if someone tried to steal one. Until Sam had taken over as Head Librarian, campus security had been forced to post a guard at the library door to watch everyone come and go.

Now that every book had had a security strip applied and the system worked, Sam had teasingly told Owen - who was present for the final sign-off on the security system and to acknowledge that the active guard was no longer needed - that he was obsolete. Not the right word to use, as it turned out. Owen seemed highly offended.

"I-I j-just m-meant that you don't have to p-post guards here any more. Now," Sam stuttered, nerves getting the better of him as he inadvertently made an enemy of the Head of Campus Security. The Southern vampire stared at the young blond, dark blue eyes fixed worriedly on pale blue ones as he scrambled to think of a way out of this predicament. He'd meant it as a joke and had believed that, not only would Owen not care, but that he'd agree!

Apparently, Owen didn't. Sam watched the handsome blond nervously, pondering the ramifications of a workplace feud and exactly how he'd admit his faux-pas to Ichabod or (worse) Ben.

Quite suddenly, Owen relented - he laughed joyfully, his smile broad and playful. "Just kidding! Gotcha!" he declared triumphantly, pointing a finger gun at Sam, who laughed weakly in response.

"Sure," Sam said, his feigned laughter mostly relief, rather than genuine amusement. Owen thought it was funny to pretend he was upset about something inane just to rile people up?? He was obviously some sort of joker type. Sam filed that idea away for further examination later on. "Anyway, thanks for your time, y'all were great," Sam complimented.

Owen smiled like he was still impressed by his little joke - Sam really wished he hadn't fallen for it so gullibly but wasn't game to say any more - but didn't leave before the glass doors to the library slid open. Both vampires looked up as a tall, dark Irishman carrying a huge, impossibly heavy-looking box walked in, peering around it to see where he was going. He placed it on the counter Sam was standing behind with a weighty thud and beamed a smile at Sam, his face the image of relief.

"This - if you can believe it - is the last box. Finally!" Kerr declared enthusiastically, his Irish accent prominent. He'd been methodically retrieving book boxes from his beach house and taking them to The Luminary to go through them with Ben when they both had time (the dangerous ones were not to be on the shelves for public access). He'd brought them to the library as their contents were approved for general access. It had been a long process but Sam had been grateful for his help.

"Kerr!" Samuel cried out an acknowledgement at the same time Owen did. Kerr looked awkwardly from one to the other, smiling warily as he adjusted his jacket (it was snugly tailored on his powerful body and appeared to have shifted uncomfortably during his carrying mission). He was wearing dark blue jeans, a maroon polo shirt and the black suit coat that smartened his entire outfit up. It didn't match Sam's sleek grey suit for sophistication (Sam thought) but it was definitely nicer than Owen's all black uniform (Sam thought).

"Hi?" Kerr responded, head swivelling.

"I was just going to say thanks and tell you how much I appreciate your help with the books. You've been amazing," Samuel smiled, jumping in before Owen said anything else.

"My pleasure," Kerr demurred, turning to look at Own, who was leaning against the counter farther along. "You're Owen, aren't you?" he asked, stepping forward and holding his hand out. Samuel shut up and peered into the box, letting them talk. Digital was also quiet, possibly listening, possibly getting frisky with his hardware, Sam had learnt anything was possible.

Owen met Kerr halfway, a pretty smile on his lips as he shook the older vampire's hand enthusiastically. "Yeah. Sorry we didn't meet under better circumstances. How's Ben?"

Kerr looked serious as he waved away Owen's apology. "Couldn't be helped. He's doing pretty well. I've been meaning to talk to him about organising a get-together with you and your... husband. I've been wanting to meet him!"

"I could introduce you now, if you like?" Owen offered, straightening up off the counter and pointing around his arm at the library's exit.

"He's here now?" Kerr asked, pleasure obvious through his surprise.

"Yep. He has classes Mondays and Tuesdays. He'll be preparing now," Owen confirmed, looking at his watch.

Sam looked at the computer screen in front of him to confirm the time also. 8:56pm on a Monday night. Dreki's class was about to finish and Vincent's would begin in half an hour. Sam had been conflicted about hoping to see the blind angel-human since he'd started working here but he hadn't sought him out on the last three Mondays and Tuesdays and Dreki hadn't come into the library. Sam was still uncertain about whether he wanted to pursue anything with him so he'd just been leaving it up to fate to decide for him.

"That'd be great, thanks!" Kerr enthused, sparing a smile for Sam. "Let me know if you need anything else. Have a good night," he bade, tapping the huge box of books for reference before he walked to Owen's side.

"Thanks, Kerr, you're a lifesaver, bless your heart," Sam grinned before responding to Owen's, "Night, Sam!" with a tight smile, a wave and a, "Night!" of his own. They left the library together and Sam turned his attention to the voice in his ears. "Okay Digital, it's all good on this end, thanks for checking the alerts for me," he told the IT wizard warmly, wondering if he was still there. He was in the city, at The Luminary, but he had remote access to everything.

"No problem. Come and see me later? For sexy time," Digital explained unnecessarily.

There was just time enough for Sam to register a familiar quality of flirtation and yearning in the technician's voice - and to agree he'd come see him - before the phone call ended. Sam smiled to himself and shook his head as he put the pods in their case in his pocket. In the three weeks since he'd started working for Ben Samson, he and Digital had hooked up every few nights. It wasn't tender but it was convenient and highly satisfying sex. So far, he'd kept his emotions in check and Sam wondered secretly if that had something to do with Dreki and the way he'd left things. Or, rather, the way he'd ignored 'things' and just left Dreki all alone to fend for himself. There was a great deal of residual guilt over it.

Samuel moved the latest/last box of books onto the floor by his tall, hydraulic chair and pulled a stack out. He put them on the counter and sat at his main workstation, where he had a good view of the whole library. It was a warm and inviting space, with golden lighting, lots of large, broad desks with ornate stained glass lamps and cushioned seats. There were many heavy, comfortable leather and plush material sofas and armchairs clustered in discussion squares sporadically around the room. There were also long desks of high-speed computers, a water and coffee/tea station for thirsty mortals and walled off meeting/study rooms lining one wall. Most of the space was devoted to seating and study, though the stacks were becoming heavily populated now, thanks to his and his boss' dedication.

He'd found out where the rest of the Oligarchy's books were when he'd finally got the courage to ask Kerr. He hadn't been prepared for the answer he'd got. Kerr had showed him the portal and it was still difficult to believe, though the Oligarchy's and Kerr's stories made so much more sense, after he heard the tale of it.

Sam opened up his library management software - which connected to his database thanks to Digital's genius - preparing to accession the latest books. As he pulled them off the short stack on the counter, he examined them and placed a security strip in each one, familiarising himself with each book's contents and turning it over in his hands reverently. Some of them he became absorbed in, thumbing through the chapters with his head down and his attention captured. He was concentrating so hard, in fact, that he didn't notice there was someone standing on the other side of the counter until they made a noise to get his attention. He looked up, startled and smiling apologetically at whomever his visitor was.

[Maxpphire]

When his class had finished up, Dreki made his way to the Library. He was kind of annoyed with himself for not actually doing so earlier mostly out of his love for reading books and allowing his emotions about someone who seemed to not care about him at all get in the way of him visiting. He didn't even think he'd run into Sam even if he did go, which helped boost his confidence into going, but also tonight he felt particularly better than usual, and figured that even if he ran into Sam, it wouldn't matter so much. That he thought too much into things and really he just needed to take things less negatively and seriously. Learning how his emotions worked was difficult for him, but now that he had a better grasp on it all after some mild soul searching, he felt ok for once.

He had walked past the counter and the people who stood there, not taking the time to pay attention to any of their voices as he made it over to one of the computers. He tries to look look around for a headphone jack, and when putting his earbuds in, to try and not disturb others, he realized he couldn't hear anything. Either they had no system on the computers for blind people, or it had to be manually turned on, of which he wasn't sure how. He was looking for a library catalog anyway just to find the visually impaired stuff, if the school even had any. He didn't exactly spread the word that he was blind, so he wasn't surprised when things weren't exactly set up for a blind man to use.

He removed his headphones, not terribly bothered. He was thinking on how to even bring this up with Ben or Kerr and even if they would implement things to make it easier for him to be self sufficient at work. He pretty much already was with teaching his class and grading papers, but not so much beyond that. He made his way to the front counter, as he would be waiting he turn to be helped. His face was rather neutral of a tone, he did seem slightly slimmer than maybe a couple of weeks ago but not as thin as he once was and still a healthy weight. It was clear he was still trying to take care of himself in better ways if you had met him before this job. His rather new necklace was worn on the outside of his clothes as it was too bulky to hide as he did with his parents wedding rings on a separate necklace hidden behind his shirt. The blue stone seemed to be a lighter color than Dreki's eyes, but it complimented them well.

He was in his usual clothing of a dress shirt, dress pants, and vest. His hair was in a simple low ponytail, but it's been a while since he had done anything fancy with it. He just hadn't felt much of an inspiration to do anything much with it. He noticed the person behind the counter was busy, and checked his phone for emails from students or anything of the sort when he felt his phone slip from his hands and fumbled it a little. It had hit the front counter and he snatched it back up from there. He quickly glanced over to notice the person behind the counter looked towards him. He was far enough away that he wouldn't have been able to tell it was Sam right off anyway, plus his eyes went back to his phone, holding it close to his face to make sure he didn't crack the glass anywhere by it hitting the counter.

"Sorry about that," he said while still examining his phone close to his face, using his hands also to feel for any cracks in the glass, "didn't mean to drop my phone, but while I have your attention, do you have a section for those who might be visually impaired?" He asked pretty casually, mostly because he didn't realize he was talking to Sam, but could also be taken in a way of which he might not have cared.

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel bit the inside of his lip. If he had a beating heart, he was pretty sure it would’ve kicked into high gear right about the time he saw Dreki. He looked good. Guilt swamped him anew because he’d been avoiding the pretty blond - not because he disliked him, but because he liked him too much... and he was trouble. Sometimes, troubled guys were worth the angst but Sam wasn’t ever a big fan of it. He liked things easy and the only thing easy about Dreki was... well.

He cleared his throat as he got off his seat and walked over to stand before the angel-human. He knew that even if his shape was no longer familiar, his voice would likely give him away.

“Hey Dreki. It’s Sam,” he introduced himself regardless, his voice subdued. Even to his own ears he sounded like he was talking to someone whose loved one had just died. “We have one workstation with a scanner that you can connect headphones to and it’ll read the book for you. The software can only handle English, though, and some of these books are in other languages. It’s a really eclectic selection. Perhaps it would be faster if I helped you? I know my way around well, by now, seeing as I set it all up.”

A weak smile lifted his mouth at the end. He was proud of the work he’d done in the library, not proud of how things had ended with Dreki. He wasn’t sure his help would be welcomed, because of it, so he didn’t make a move past the desk just yet.

[Maxpphire]

The cleared throat alone gave it away for Dreki, as the look on his face had gone from generally upbeat and light-hearted look to more of a serious neutral look. He had felt his heart both simultaneously drop into his stomach and attempt to beat out of hist chest. He didn't think he would run into Sam right off the bat, or let alone be asking him for help right away. At the same time he realized he wasn't sure if anyone else actually worked in the library except for Sam. It was one of those moments, where something was so obvious, but you weren't expecting the obvious. At the same time you didn't really know what you were expecting. Dreki felt like an idiot for not realizing this sooner, and put his phone back in his pocket.

"O-oh," his tone of voice sounded soft and almost fragile, "oh, its uhhh, its you." It was clear that this took him by surprise and wasn't expecting this. He turned to face Sam after putting his phone away, and the very familiar curves to the face he had known in intimate ways caused him to almost just lose it. The look of hurt on his face only lasted for a second, but in this moment seconds felt like minutes to Dreki. He was not quite as ok as he thought he would be running into Sam again and nearly lost all his confidence into the beginnings of a panic attack. He closed his eyes furrowed his brow and shook his head. Almost as if he was telling himself no, but really he was just clearing his mind. An entirely neutral look took over his face.

"I would appreciate the help," his tone of voice was cold, but not a harsh cold. More professional and polite if anything, but it was clear he was just bottling or hiding his current emotions as he knew that would just make things more complicated than they needed to be right now. He also wasn't exactly making eye contact, if anything looking off to the side of Sam's face while speaking to him. "I can't really use a computer without software telling me where my cursor is and reading off the screen to me, not sure if the computers here have such programs and if they do I'm unsure of how to turn that on. Plus a quick rundown on the Scanner and that program itself would be very helpful if you could please teach me how to use it." He would wait for Sam to lead the way.

"If the program is in house and if you need translators to be able to do other languages, I can fluently speak German, French, Spanish, and Japanese. That last one might seem out of left field, but it helps me keep my thoughts to myself." He mentioned, not bothering with the fact that he was also trying to learn Arabic in his spare time partly because he was worried that Hofflan was catching onto his thought in Japanese. It wasn't exactly hidden knowledge that he was multi-lingual. After all one of the two classes he taught at the highschool he worked at was German, and his 3rd job was teaching foreigners how to speak English and in that case it made life easier if he could also speak their first languages which was mostly Spanish, then next was Arabic, then from there could be one of many African Languages, but they usually tend to know French on top of their first language. It was all listed on his resume. The only reason why he was offering to help was because this was his workplace as well. Any little thing he could do to make it a better place, he would offer to do.

"Also are there any plans to have more than one station set up like that? I would hate to hog it just to read." He spoke giving a sympathetic but very genuine smile, and a slightly warmer tone of voice. In a way he was wondering what he could do to get his hands on such a program as he could get a scanner at any electronic store, and it would allow him to be able to read more beyond just Braille or Audiobooks. To have such a world opened up to him was exciting to think about, and thus decided to focus his thoughts on that, rather than what had happened between him and Sam. It allowed his heart rate to slow down to a more normal speed, and him to feel ok again for the time being.

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel watched the kaleidoscope of emotions cross Dreki's face and felt every one of them with him. The mortal angel had a lot to say and Sam waited him out, fascinated by the attitude change in the middle. Had he caused all of that? That falter at the beginning, then the pain, followed by an aloofness that was nothing short of business-like? He was distracted by thinking about his own feelings in reaction; regret, guilt, longing, wistfulness.

But then Dreki mentioned multiple languages and keeping his thoughts to himself and it all came rushing back to Sam. The anxiety over being with someone in a no-win situation, a victim who might well put unwanted, dangerous attention on people around him and the claustrophobic feeling that had roused, causing Sam to panic. He'd been afraid of the backlash, of how Dreki's situation would affect his chances with Ben and then, once he had the job, of how it would reflect on him professionally. It was easier, in hindsight, to dismiss those concerns since nothing bad had come out of his relations with Dreki but they'd been very real at the time.

He walked around the counter while Dreki finished speaking, wondering if it would be appropriate to take his hand or not, to lead him to the one computer he and Digital had set up for alternate access. He did kind of miss that beautiful heat... He stuck his elbow out, anticipating Dreki might be too mad at him to touch him (and he didn't really need his help like that anyway, he'd been told many times before) and just ignore it anyway.

"Nah, the languages you'll find here are, like, Enochian, Demoniac, Djinn, Draconic, that sort of thing," he murmured, sorry that he was effectively shutting down Dreki's offer of translation but mundane Earth languages were nothing in this collection. Sam eventually hoped to develop the software to translate them one day, but that would take decades, if not centuries. "And there's only one workstation for alternate access. I was only thinking of you, there's no-one else enrolled or teaching that needs it. I had the program designed specifically for you," he admitted, proving that he hadn't forgotten Dreki.

Would it make things worse, telling the mortal he'd been in his thoughts? Hopefully he found it flattering. He waved his elbow for attention. "Do you want to tell me what you came in here for and we'll sit and go through it at the workstation or do you want to go for somewhere more comfortable?" he prompted, thinking of the plush lounges they had arranged in the cosy space. It all depended if Dreki wanted to make his visit about learning about a computer system or spending time snuggled up with Sam reading to him.

[Maxpphire]

He didn't take the elbow, not because he was angry, but because he enjoyed being able to be self sufficient, and he didn't really trust Sam like he once had, but he did kind of debate it just to feel close to him again. In a way he was trying to keep his distance, to prevent getting hurt again by the same person and he knew physically latching on would make things harder as well. Given that Sam had stopped responding to him, he didn't think that Sam would have given him any extra thought, but was proven wrong to hear that extra set up was done specifically because of him. His smile had faded, and he almost wanted to cry. Something he had simply dreamed of having since he was a kid, was brought into existence specifically because of him. He kept himself from crying, but he honestly wasn't sure if they would be happy tears are sad tears if he hadn't. He couldn't just focus on the fact that new possibilities of books to enjoy has been opened up to him without the focus heading back to Sam, after all Sam did that for him. His mood became less warm.

"I'm not really here for any particular book, I just wanted to see what was available for me to read and go from there. I'm open to suggestions since something I've only ever dreamed of was made possible with that program. I would actually like to maybe have it installed on my laptop if thats even possible." His tone went back to a shy and soft spoken. He was just unsure of what to do, he mostly just didn't want to feel this way again. He wondered if Sam would get mad is he brought in outside books to read through the program, which is partially why he wouldn't mind a personal device to have access to such a thing.

When Sam offered to either teach him the software or to go somewhere more comfortable, he picked up on that he would likely be read to by Sam, in a slightly more than just coworkers type of way, regardless if that means as friends or not. He honestly missed Sam, but he also enjoyed being able to do things on his own. He didn't want to be hurt again, but in a way he craved the companionship, more so than he had with anyone. His heart raced yet again, a sharp pain hit his stomach due to his anxiety waxing and waning over such an interaction. The look on his face was more of uncertainty than pain however. He noticed the elbow waving, grabbing his attention again. He went to reach out for it, then stopped himself and pulled his hand back.

"If," he started, he seemed to almost be having a hard time finding the right words, "if we go somewhere more comfortable, will you, still ignore me outside of work? If so, I'd rather just. I'd rather be self sufficient if thats the case." leaving the ball in Sam's court basically. Also in a way he was asking for a form of closure, hoping that his wording, coupled with Sam's actions, would lead to what their future held, if it was to be anything beyond just coworkers at all. Even if just friends, he didn't want to feel like he was worthless to someone he shouldn't be to.

[Existentially Odd]

All thoughts of texts and computers and leading Dreki left Samuel as those final words came from the mortal's mouth. Sam's elbow dropped and he shoved his hands into his pants pocket, his shoulders drooping beneath the weight of his guilt. Apparently they weren't just going to pretend all the sex and intimacy hadn't happened and move forward. Shame, that.

"I guess I owe you an apology for that. I was really busy setting this place up... but I was freaked out, too. I know you told me you got a necklace and all," he murmured, looking at what he assumed had to be the jewellery in question sitting atop the blond's chest, "but it just... came too late. I'm sorry I was a coward. I avoided you instead of telling you to your face that I was too worried about getting caught in the crosshairs to keep hanging out with you," he admitted, his tone contrite and subdued. "Sorry."

He didn't directly answer Dreki's question about their future relationship because he didn't know the answer to it, yet.

[Maxpphire]

He noticed Sam had stopped offering his elbow, he felt worse about that, he suddenly felt like he was just making everything worse again. A hatred of himself burned inside of his brain, while he slowly bit the sides of his tongue just to keep his own emotions in check. He tried to keep those thoughts out of his mind because he actually wasn't sure if he was making things worse or not, but his mind was trying ever so hard to jump on that train. Sam's apology felt nice, but all the other information just confirmed what he basically already knew.

"I had a feeling that was the case. Thanks for the apology." He brought the necklace up to his mouth, and just held it there for a moment, pretty much activating it because he didn't want Hofflan to be involved with this conversation at all, not like he was being watched right now anyway but he didn't want to give him the chance for this. His tone went back to that professional and polite cold tone, but genuine in it's inflections. It was more Dreki was controlling his emotions rather than letting his mental state get the better of him.

"I should apologize as well. That panic attack I had at the end of our last meeting, try not to read too deeply into what I said. A lot of it actually isn't true, your concerns fed into my own concerns and paranoia of the situation and I just started to freak out. You didn't deserve that. I also feel like it probably didn't help that I kind of became attached to you rather quickly. Outside of the Facility, I really only have one friend right now I guess, and thats Drew. He seems to be very awkward in more emotional related situations, so when I met you and we got along really well at first and you weren't so awkward in such situations, I latched onto that. As a kid I didn't have too many opportunity for friends either as my actual dad sheltered me a lot as well, and what kid wants to go outside and play with their friends and bring their parents along? Either way my actions, while explainable, are inexcusable. I'm Sorry."

He actually felt a bit better mentally after apologizing and getting an apology from Sam. To him, it seemed like maybe a good first step in repairing things, if that was even possible. If not he hoped that it would help at least him getting over Sam, and maybe help Sam feel better about things as well, as he could tell from the body language that Sam gave, that he wasn't exactly happy with what happened either. He still cared a lot about Sam and even if they had to go their separate ways, he wanted Sam to be happy, and himself to be happy as well. Plus they would likely be seeing a bunch of eachother given how Dreki could now read any book he wanted and Sam just happened to work there, so the easier it would be to get used to seeing the other, regardless of the situation, the better.

"Lets start over shall we?" A small smile appeared on his face, part in due to feeling a bit better. He held out his left hand, as it was his dominate hand. He was mostly expecting a handshake more than anything. He originally didn't want to touch Sam, out of fear of making his own mental state worse, but felt like that wouldn't be the case right now. "If the offer to go somewhere more comfortable is on the table still, I wouldn't mind that. If not then teaching me the program is fine too. Still need help on choosing a book to start with." He kept his necklace activated, mostly for Sam's peace of mind, but it kept him a bit more relaxed too. He was still very much on edge, but the facility being one less thing to worry about right now, helped.

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel raised his eyebrows as Dreki also apologised. It didn't seem necessary to say he was sorry for having no real friends... he sort of lost the point when the mortal talked about taking his parents into the playground. It also didn't seem right that Dreki's panic attack supposedly fed Samuel's fear. He was pretty sure those were all his own. What he took from Dreki's words, in the end, was that Dreki had feelings for him and thought of him as more than a friend. Shit. It seemed he and the mortal had more in common than expected; that was usually his move.

He looked at Dreki's extended hand, debating. After a brief hesitation, he curled his fingers around Dreki's and said, "This way." He led the blind mortal across the room to the closest row of computers, stopping at the end one. He directed Dreki's fingers to the braille sign on top pf the monitor. "This one is connected to the accessibility computer. Sit here," he instructed, pulling the chair out for Dreki before diverting to the nearest bookcase. He scanned the shelf briefly and selected a text titled 'Mystical or Mundane: A Guide to Classifying Crystals' and took it back to where he'd left his companion, pulling up the seat beside him and leaning forward to physically guide Dreki through the process.

"The only problem is, it's not super fast but I got Digital to incorporate a hand held scanner into some existing optical character recognition software. Basically, the headphones are always plugged in - here they are, put them on - and it's equipped with voice output of screen contents to help you navigate. There's a shortcut on the desktop, you're listening for 'O.C.R. Program by Digital'," Sam explained. As he talked, he helped Dreki get the headphones on and navigate the mouse to the right program on the desktop.

"Once it's launched, you just need to pick up the scanner and your book, run it down the page like so... and it will start reading out what's on the page - as long as it's in English. The software came with a pretty comprehensive dictionary but it has a weird accent and strange way of pronouncing some words. Especially the demonic ones," he chuckled. He'd guided Dreki's hands into picking up the scanner - a broad-headed tool that looked like a squeegee but with a laser light coming out of the top instead of holding a rubber strip - and the book. He knew the software was currently translating the first page of the crystals text but believed Dreki would still be able to hear him over the woman's voice reading smoothly in his ears.

He didn't say anything about the fact he'd chosen to keep their interaction professional rather than intimate but he was sure Dreki would get the hint. Sam hoped he wouldn't be too hurt or make a big deal out of it.

[Maxpphire]

Dreki was surprised when Sam grabbed his hand to guide him. He wasn't expecting that but didn't mind it, he just let Sam to take the lead. He payed close attention to every bit of info Sam, even going as far as to moving the headset off of one of his ears to hear him better. It was very clear he didn't mind keeping things professional, and it made sense to him given all that happened.

"I can't wait to hear that sometime," he chuckled back in the way of the demonic languages sounding weird, "probably makes it easy for me to tell if the book is English or not by running it through then." He smiled, in part finding it funny, and also just excited to use the program. He let Sam guide him even if he didn't really need that much guidance, but wasn't going to push Sam away even further than he felt he already had. They needed to be civil at the very least, after all they were co-workers. He didn't want Sam to start disliking him for a multitude of reasons, but being at work and using the library were up there. When Sam finished teaching him how to use it, he looked up to Sam's face and smiled.

"Again, thank you for this," he started, "it was, a childhood dream of mine to have something like this. Being able to read properly was one of the bigger things I was excited for, for when I got sight. When I realized that wasn't going to happen, I thought back to such a dream. The fact that you managed to pull this off, means a lot more to be than I can describe." His dinner and words were genuine, when done he had deactivated his necklace by bringing it back up to his face again before setting it back down on his chest.

"I'll try not to bother you at work unless I'm having a hard time finding something, if you need me, I'm not hard to find." He then mentioned, figuring that would be best for now. He was vague on purpose, mostly meeting work given Sam took him to text him about the scanner, even though they had little reason to interact in that way, but wouldn't be opposed to it not being work related either. He began to take his laptop out of his bag so he could at least make notes while he listed to the voice reading off the book. He did that work every book he read regardless of the content, and had done so since he was 7. It gave him something to do beyond read, but to better comprehend it all too. He would put on ear bud in while covering it with the headset as he began to work through that book.

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel beamed when Dreki thanked him for providing a service he'd always dreamt of having. He hadn't intended to have that much impact on Dreki's life but knowing that he had suffused his chest with pleasure. It faded fairly quickly when Dreki talked about not bothering Sam at work but being easy to find. It sounded like a dismissal.

"Okay then. No problem. I'll leave you to it," he said somewhat awkwardly. He frowned, wondering if Dreki was even interested in the book he chose at random but supposed he'd have asked if he wanted anything different. He seemed most interested in trying out the equipment for the time being. "You know where I am, if you need anything, also," he grinned as he stood and went back to the box of books he had waiting for him behind the counter.

[Maxpphire]

He smiled, he could tell that Sam seemed really happy in regards to the program but sounded a little awkward when he spoke at first. Dreki wondered what caused that because he didn't see his wording as a dismissal, as much as he was concerned about being a bother. When Sam took it to a more professional level, Dreki did as well, as it would seem constantly bothering someone at their job would likely be a bad idea. Plus he was making plans mentally to visit this place more often, even on the day's he doesn't work in this building. However when the frown turned back into a smile, he relaxed a bit more.

"Of course. I plan on making most of having access to such a program, you'll probably see me here on nights I don't even teach in this building." He grinned back, excited to get back to this gemstone book. He wondered if it had any info about the gem he had choose. After some time of reading alone, and making notes, he did come across what he was told his was, an aqua aura quartz, and read a bit about it. He heard about what witches generally used it for and it made sense as to why he had it, but another part caught his attention, where it mentioned that it did have some ability to be enhanced by Angelic Powers and even absorb them. This caught his attention, both and concern and curiosity. He wanted to know more in depth, he remembered Astrid mentioning something about being careful with it if he did use his powers but didn't quite push further in regards to that. After reactivatin the necklace, he made his way back up to the counter with book in hand, noticing Sam work behind the counter.

"Hey Sam, when you have a minute, I have a category of books I want to look into." He had left his stuff at the station, knowing it was safe there. His tone a mixture of curiosity, concern, and excitement. "Maybe a couple of categories, depends on what you have really."

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel paused as Dreki approached the counter, looking up from the book he'd become absorbed in and blinking owlishly as he re-entered the here and now enough to focus on what Dreki was saying. "Oh, sure," he drawled, placing his book face down on the counter, open so that he could pick it up again when he was done looking up Dreki's requests. "What are you looking for?" he enquired, moving the mouse to wake up his computer (which had locked once he started reading).

[Maxpphire]

"Anything on gemstones and how they react to other creatures. If you don't have anything that specific then any book that references Gemstones or Angels would be preferred." He spoke with a sense of urgency in his voice. A mix of concern and as if he just found something worth trailing was also peppered in. He wore a similar expression on his face as well. He didn't think Astrid left anything out on purpose, but also wondered if she simply didn't know what he had just found out. It gave him even more of a reason to make sure he never wears the necklace when visiting the facility, because after what happened the time before last, and even a bit of what happened last time, he might end up ruining the protection it gave himself and that worried him.

[Existentially Odd]

"Gemstones... and angels," Samuel muttered as he typed the keywords in. He'd thought, at the beginning of the library project, that he might be able to keep track of all the books using a regular classification system (such as the Dewey Decimal or Library of Congress) with just a few tweaks. He'd swiftly found such systems to be inadequate when considering the varied collection of books he'd inherited from the Oligarchy.

He'd done a great deal of research before finally cobbling together a combination of existing classification systems while using what the contents of the Academy Library's specific collection dictated was necessary. In addition, he'd personally skimmed each book and created multiple tags for each, to create a more robust database for searches. He was planning to thoroughly read and comprehensively tag each book at a later date - especially since the database was accessible to everyone via the catalogue computers - but he hadn't wanted to delay the setup with such a goal. A preliminary skim-and-tag was all he was going on for now.

With a few key taps and mouse clicks, Samuel had a respectable list of possibilities for Dreki to read. Considering the hours left in the night and the speed of the computer scanning, he deduced that he was best to limit his offerings to the top two matches for now. He also took a photo of the screen with his phone to save time locating the rest. Dreki had said he'd likely be in frequently to take advantage of the accessibility program to read for him and Sam believed him; it was in his best interests to be ready to service the mortal angel by having his search list readily available.

"There are... nine books that suit your criteria," he told Dreki, smiling across the counter because he believed the blond would be able to read his expression well enough. He'd proved himself highly skilled at reading Sam's body language on both the occasions they'd spent the night together... damn. That wasn't helpful or constructive to think about at work, especially since it made him recall vividly those nights and look at Dreki's body more intently than he had a right to. They were tasty memories, though.

"Uh... I thought I'd get the top two for now. I'll bring them over to you at the computer, if you like. I don't think you'll get through them quickly but, if you do, I'll get more," he promised. His gaze lingered on Dreki's mouth while he waited for him to acknowledge what he'd said, thinking about what a bad idea it would be to kiss him. Very bad. Once he had a response, he moved away, out from behind the counter and into the rows of shelves.

He found the second book - 'Heavenly Hosts On Earth', which was a comprehensive collection of information on the different types of angels and their features, written by a particularly knowledgeable demon - first and then moved to the next row over to pluck 'Pellucid Stones of the Lesser Planes' out of its place on the shelf. Earth was considered to be one of the lesser planes, ungoverned by excessive magic and inhabited by largely non-magical beings. Sam had noted there were several chapters regarding the interaction between the natural agents of magic found in the plane (crystals, minerals and gemstones) and the beings found on Earth, so he hoped that would have what Dreki was looking for. He already had one of the better matches in his hand so hopefully this book could add to it.

With the two books stacked, Sam headed back to deliver them to Dreki. He was now more focussed on putting them on the desk and not indulging in a glancing touch of the mortal's hands than on what the books were about. It would do neither of them any good to stir... anything up.