Back In Circulation

[Maxpphire]

He had smiled back when he noticed Sam smile when finding the results of the books, glad there is at least something on the subject, maybe he could learn a bit more how to keep his necklace in at least working order, despite his powers. Not like he had the need to heal others very often, nor did he get injured enough often for his more active powers to make an appearance, but anything he could do to prevent issues in the future, he would prep for it now.

He then noticed something about Sam's body language, seemed a bit off given the situation. Originally Sam seemed happy to help, but he ended up feeling Sam's gaze, it almost seemed as if maybe he had something on his face, or shirt. He could tell Sam was looking in that area after focusing a bit, as eyes aren't totally round, and seemed to until after his response. It almost looked and even sounded like Sam wanted something, and he took it more in a way that Sam wanted to say something, but didn't. He wasn't sure if Sam was trying to not be rude or what, but he wasn't sure if he should ask about it either.

"I'd appreciate that." He spoke with a smile as warm and gracious as his tone. Once Sam turned away to go for the two books in question, he hurried back to his station, wiping off around his mouth and chest when he was certain Sam wasn't looking. He hadn't eaten anything recently and was curious as to what caused such a stare. Once content that he had gotten whatever it was, off of him, he sat back down at the station, awaiting the books. While waiting he determined that he no longer needed the book he did already have, as the information he needed from it, he already grabbed from it. When Sam appeared with the two new books to look through and placed them down, Dreki held out the original book for Sam to grab.

"I'm done with this one," he mentioned, "might as well hand it to you while you're over here. Plus I'm not sure where the returned books spot is yet." He wasn't trying to have an excuse for Sam to touch him, mentally he just figured it would be easiest to hand Sam the book rather than point at it. Hell, pointing at the book would have seemed rude as shit to him, so this was the least rude and easier option altogether. He also honestly wasn't thinking about that and was more focused on the whole necklace thing.

[pinkroses]

Ichabod had had a busy night at the Academy, popping into a couple of classes to see how they were going (trying not to be noticed, so it was a fair appraisal of the class) and then if he was noticed, having a catch up with the lecturer to see how things were going. That had taken up more time than he'd intended in the end and after approving a couple of invoices, then spending an hour looking through websites of people searching for jobs (like that was the best way to find someone far more qualified for this job than he was...), Ichabod finally had time for what he'd actually wanted to do tonight.

Ichabod left his jacket in his office, but kept on the tie - he preferred wearing a suit at work since he knew he looked young and was young; centuries younger than some of the lecturers here, and he felt like it helped him get in a more professional, authoritative mindset.

The young vampire strolled through the entrance, pausing to examine the new gates. Despite not having met Sam yet, since Ben had wanted to take care of his hiring, Ichabod knew how much hard work he'd put into getting the library ready for this upgrade. You could chuck all sorts of technology at a place, but for somewhere like a library, it involved a lot of manual hours to prep and get the books ready. They would all have a code on them, and from his previous visits it had been obvious that Sam had done a lot more sorting than Ben's initial attempt.

Ichabod glanced around and didn't spot Sam or anyone else, but he could hear voices further back, so he had to be around somewhere. Ichabod didn't really want to disturb anyone if they were busy - but he did want to check out the gates properly and the only other option seemed to be to grab a restricted book and try to leave with it - but that would disturb them just as much if it worked properly!

So he meandered through the library, hopefully giving them time to get through their conversation, trying not to listen in.

When they did come into view, Ichabod hung back, recognising Dreki and guessing the brunette was Sam. He'd been in Dreki's class earlier as an observer and had slipped out without further interaction. He'd like to have a catch up with Dreki at some point, but that wasn't why he was here.

Ichabod quietly cleared his throat to make the two men aware of his presence, and when Sam glanced his way Ichabod tilted his head to the side with a raised eyebrow and a smile - a silent 'when you have a minute?' before moving to a nearby shelf to scope out their collection whilst he waited for Sam.

[Existentially Odd]

"No problem, I'll take care of that," Sam smiled at Dreki, looking at the crystal book being offered to him. There was a moment of hesitation where he lifted his hand but didn't reach out immediately because he was looking at Dreki's long, beautiful fingers and transfixed momentarily by thoroughly inappropriate thoughts about them. That was when a cleared throat caught his attention and he looked up in time to receive a decidedly come hither look.

Suits were commonly worn by the staff, which was Samuel's first clue that he wasn't looking at a student. The fact that he was being summoned with a smooth little eyebrow wiggle and an authoritative smile was his second that he wasn't even looking at one of the lecturers. This was his other boss, Ichabod Conners, a vampire he knew only in passing but had never been formally introduced to. He snapped out of his momentary trance and smiled back, nodding his acknowledgement a raising a finger to indicate he'd be there momentarily.

Samuel took the book off Dreki, ensuring he only touched cold, impartial paper. "Looks like the boss wants to see me but those two books should keep you busy for a while. I'll be around if you need me," he promised Dreki, having nodded at the books he'd left on the desk beside the mortal angel. With a light brush of his hand upon Dreki's shoulder, he took his leave and headed over towards the library's other vampiric inhabitant.

"Hi there," he drawled as he approached, hand extended for a shake. "Ichabod, right?" he queried, not feeling the need to introduce himself, since the other had silently requested his presence. He knew who Sam was, obviously.

[pinkroses]

Sam appeared at his side faster than Ichabod had expected him to - then he instantly felt a bit guilty in case he had interrupted something which should have been a longer discussion. He hid that feeling with a warm smile though, turning from the bookshelves to meet Sam's handshake.

"Yeah, that's right. Sam, isn't it?" Ichabod said, nodding when he received a positive response.

"Sorry to disturb you," he added, nodding towards where Dreki was working. "I just wanted to come say that you've done an amazing job here, this place looks completely different to a couple of weeks ago. It seems like every time I come here something's changed for the better, although I keep missing you," he said with a grin, reaching out a hand to lightly touch Sam's upper arm in a brief and respectful gesture. Ichabod didn't know a huge amount about the other vampire, but he'd been Ben's recommendation and project to get in, so Ichabod had trusted his brother's judgment. It seemed like Ben had been right on this occasion.

"And I was hoping for a run-through of our new security, if you've got time?" Ichabod asked hopefully.

[Maxpphire]

He was a little concerned about Sam's hesitant move for the book he no longer needed, not sure why off hand as to why Sam hesitated, but then he heard the clearing of a throat as Sam grabbed the book from him and looked over. He recongized the person as someone who had been in his class earlier, he assumed it was one of his students and was about to say something to was clear they wanted to talk to Sam. Dreki knew of Ichabod, but hadn't really spoken to him or interacted with him much if at all, and thus didn't realize this was him. When Sam spoke, he figured it was likely either Ben or Ichabod, but wasn't sure who it was off hand given his little amounts of interaction with either of them. He'd yet to pick up on what made them unique in his own form of eyesight.

"That they should. Hope it's a good talk." He said to Sam and got started with his research. He'd worry about why one of the bosses was in his class earlier later once he mentally had the space to wonder about it, for now, he needed to better understand his necklace.

[Existentially Odd]

"Th-thanks," Samuel stuttered, surprised enough by the compliment and the gentle touch on his arm that it affected his speech. He didn't blush physically but was suddenly left feeling awkward and intimidated in Ichabod's presence. It was a good thing he still had his jacket on and buttoned up; he needed the extra confidence provided by his professional attire to give him a boost. He swallowed and cleared his throat, running through a calming mantra in his mind so that he didn't continue messing up; stammering all over the place was not the way to make a good first impression.

"Absolutely, of course, anything you want," he gushed as he swept a hand towards the library counter and his office - situated beyond a half wall with large glass windows behind the counter - beginning to walk in that direction. He wasn't stuttering, sure, but mindlessly (and ostentatiously) agreeing to do anything Ichabod wanted was no better. He needed to think of something decent to say, and fast!

The distance between the book stacks and the counter suddenly seemed excruciatingly large. He filled it by worrying about whether he should stay out in the open with Ichabod or invite him back to the office for a bit more privacy. There was a computer terminal in both locations that he could use to demonstrate the efficiency of the security system he and Digital had designed but what would be best? Public or private? Would it be weird to settle behind his desk with his boss on a chair beside him, tucked up nice and close so he could see what was on the screen? He decided it would. Best to stand behind the one at the front counter, it was raised higher and they could stand side by side. Yes.

Now, to get there without an uncomfortable silence stretching out between them. "Most of the changes are thanks to Kerr - your sire," he informed and then winced at his own stupidity. Ichabod was very aware of who his sire was, what the hell was he saying?! "H-he brought all the books from the Oligarchy here so I could catalogue them. All the ones that aren't in his chest, anyway," he joked but his laugh sounded awkward even to his own ears and he cut it short. Was it inappropriate to make jokes about the portal Kerr had told him about? Since it had been the reason Ichabod thought his sire was dead... probably.

Wow. If there was an award for making a terrible first impression, he had to be in the running to win it.

[pinkroses]

"Great," Ichabod said, obviously pleased as Sam agreed to show him and he followed along. He was still enjoying his surroundings and the anticipation of learning how it all worked that he barely noticed the awkward silence.

"Yeah, that was the plan, but you sorted them all from the mess it was," Ichabod replied in a good-natured tone as Sam explained what had been happening with Kerr bringing the books from the Oligarchy. He stiffened up slightly as Sam mentioned the books 'in his chest'. That portal terrified Ichabod and he preferred to pretend it didn't exist - just a little slip, reaching in to put a book in, he could be gone for another month. Another five months. He felt sick just thinking about it. Maybe that was partly why he'd grasped this job with so much gusto, to avoid thinking about any of it.

"So, uh, yeah. All the books which should be here are. And you've catalogued them. Where did you even start with something like that?"

[Existentially Odd]

Since Samuel was so attuned to Ichabod and the impression he was making, he noticed the momentary stiffening upon his mention of Kerr's portal. Damnit. It had been a mistake. Resolving to stick to more neutral topics - like work - Sam squared his shoulders.

"Truth be told, I had a head start with the work I used to do at the Oligarchy's library. Digital recovered my database and a good portion of the books were already in there. He also helped me expand on the tagging process and then it was just a matter of deciding on a classification system and buckling down to be sure every book was entered. The classifying wasn't easy with a collection this eclectic, as I'm sure you can guess," he chuckled graciously.

They'd reached the counter by this time and he gestured for Ichabod to precede him into the workspace behind it, expecting he would head towards the computer closest. "That box of books is the last one left to input, Kerr just told me," he grinned, pointing at the large box on the floor by his computer. Hrmm, he'd forgotten it was there. "Do you want to stay out here or go into the office?" he asked Ichabod, wanting everything to go smoothly.

Dragging a huge box of books out of the way so they could stand in front of a computer wouldn't look too professional but if Ichabod chose this computer, that would make it okay, Sam thought. Gods, he was nervous.

[pinkroses]

"He's very handy," Ichabod said at the mention of Digital. Ichabod knew Ben and Kerr had him doing stuff for their app as well. "It's good you've been able to make good use of him," he added.

"Yeah, I can hardly imagine. I've been rooting through those books for years and I'm always being surprised by what's in there," Ichabod said with a laugh. Ben hated anyone else looking through the piles before he and Kerr got to them (in case there was anything dangerous), but Ichabod had found times he wasn't around to have a nose through and there had been some in Capital. Nothing had looked dangerous, but Ichabod had no idea how many they had found which they thought people shouldn't be able to access. That did kind of feel wrong.

"Oh, uh," Ichabod glanced at the box - it was probably in a good spot for being sorted, so it seemed like it would be an annoyance to shift it now, then put it back - although he could feel Sam was quite a bit older than him so he was probably stronger. But still, shifting it seemed pointless.

"Office seems a bit easier at the moment," he decided, knowing there would be plenty of room in there for the both of them. He let Sam lead the way into the office and picked the chair to the side of the computer so that Sam could 'steer'. He sat back initially whilst Sam got himself settled, but then as soon as Sam started to show him things Ichabod sat forwards, their knees brushing together as he shifted his chair closer.

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel's eyes widened silently at Ichabod's innocent statement that he was making use of Digital and he felt weirdly embarrassed when that translated directly to some vivid images of their antics in bed. Yeah, he was using the other vampire pretty damn regularly and thoroughly, alright. The giddy feeling of humiliation only intensified as they cosied up together behind the desk in his office. Ichabod was a good looking guy and Sam was suddenly very aware of that as their knees touched and he thought about sexy time with Digital.

Ichabod was more his type, with his well-filled-out business shirt, primly-knotted tie and hair that just begged to be tousled - to bring a bit of roguish naughtiness to that very together exterior. Digital was only his type in that he was enthusiastic and readily available, otherwise he was a loose unit with an astronomical potential for danger and undoing. He was a lot like Dreki in that way; feared for the downfall he might bring as much as he was admired for the fun and good feelings he aroused. Thinking about Dreki was also not going to help him so he shut those thoughts down, too and made sure he was mentally blocked. Ichabod was younger than him, sure, but he wasn't an idiot and Sam knew he had a tendency to get very undisciplined when he was emotional. He couldn't afford to do that right now, with his boss' leg up against his and his head filled with sexual thoughts.

"S-so, uh, this is what the catalogue looks like in database form," he told Ichabod, wondering if his voice really was as high and strained as he thought it was and glancing furtively at his boss to see if he was giving him funny looks. "But you don't want to look at the code tree," he laughed, clicking away from the screen of tiered lines of green code and to one with a much more user-friendly interface. "Here's the catalogue of titles, and you can go to the search facility up here and search with as many queries as you like. I tried to tag each book with as many relevant ones as possible," he explained.

He was talking too fast, he could hear it, but he couldn't seem to stop. He was clicking through screens just as fast, aware that Ichabod had asked for a rundown of the security measures, not the entire system, but he somehow hadn't limited himself to that, either. What was he doing? Was he trying to keep Ichabod here longer? That didn't seem like a very wise decision, given his nervousness around his boss! The knee not touching Ichabod's started to jiggle as he clicked the mouse and demonstrated a few more features of the circulation program.

Realising he'd brought the crystals book Dreki had returned to him, Sam then latched onto it like a lifeline, knowing it was the key to a subject shift from the books to the security system. "Now, when I catalogued everything, I also stuck these security strips into each book," he explained, abandoning the mouse and keyboard and leaning close to Ichabod to show him the slim security strip adhering discreetly in against the spine of the book, where no-one would ever really notice it unless they were looking for it. His elbow rested on the arm of his chair, brushing against Ichabod's as he held the book out for inspection. A swoop of hair dropped into his eyes at that moment and he reached up with one hand to run his hands through it and brush the soft strands back into a more orderly arrangement.

When he settled down again, his hand back on the book, he realised just how close he was to Ichabod. Boy, his eyes were dark and enigmatic. It was really hard to tell what he was thinking, yet Sam was suddenly sure his boss was wondering why he was so awkward and it undermined his confidence - and speech patterns - anew. "The, uh, g-gates a-are on the same fr-frequency as the strips so if a-anyone tries to get a b-book out, I'll know. S-so will security, b-because I know B-Ben would want it that w-way, so the system sends out an alert - in addition to the loud beeping and flashing lights that are in the gates. It's a really loud alarm," he laughed breathily.

[pinkroses]

Ichabod focused on the screens Sam was showing him, watching him click around, almost too quickly for Ichabod to pick up on what he was doing. He hadn't asked to see those things, but it was interesting all the same so Ichabod didn't encourage him to skip past anything. He almost protested when Sam skipped past the catalogue tree, but he quickly realised he could come back any time to look into it. He could probably get Digital to give him access to his office or on his laptop.

Ichabod glanced at Sam's jiggling leg, but it didn't bother him too much. He did wonder why Sam seemed to be nervous though - maybe it was just that he was here with his boss, or maybe this was the first time he'd run through showing this to someone? He watched the older vampire as he reached for the book, studying the shape of his nose, the way his hair fell across his forehead.

When Sam's voice started to stutter Ichabod mentally reached out to Sam, trying to see if he could feel a hint of what was going on up there, or send some calming thoughts, but he was completely blocked off and Ichabod wasn't anywhere near experienced enough to try to get through it.

"I considered testing it when I saw your were busy, good thing I didn't. Otherwise I'd have Owen coming to tackle me to the ground," he said with a grin, lightly touching Sam's arm again. He hoped the stupid idea would reassure Sam, before Ichabod moved his hand to touch the spine of the book where the security strip was attached, testing how smooth it was. It was nice to hear a laugh again. Ichabod had spent so long sorting out all of this at the Academy, and before that Kerr was gone, laughter had become too rare in his life.

Wanting to distract himself from those thoughts, Ichabod started on questions.

"So that works for all books, not just the high-security ones? Say someone got permission to take one out, from me or Ben, can it be overwritten? You said you'll know if the alarm goes off - would that be an alert on the computer or is it connected to your phone or anything?"

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel blinked his surprise when he felt Ichabod touching his mind - right before he touched his arm again. He looked at the handsome younger vampire warily, freaking out slightly. He was tempted to lower his defences and find out what his boss wanted to relay mentally (though perhaps it was more of a polite greeting or a scan, rather than a message) but he didn't trust his own thoughts enough for that.

Come on in and see what I'm thinking! Here's me having sex with Digital. Ooh, and here's me having sex with Dreki - he's just outside if you really want to feed your imagination with it. Yep, I like sleeping with your employees and showing you how!

Yeah, that wouldn't go well. It also didn't help that the more Ichabod was nice to him, the more Sam looked at him as an enticement. Those lips were delectably kissable, his manner sweet and polite but he was so, so dignified. It was alluring. He laughed appreciatively at the image of Owen tackling Ichabod to the ground, liking Ichabod's sense of humour. It was gentle, which the young vampire struck Sam as.

"Oh, all the books can be taken out," Sam assured Ichabod, swivelling towards him and now laying his hand on his boss'. "This strip is magnetic and - do you see that machine out there on the end of the counter?" he queried, straightening up to peer out through the glass top half of his office wall and lift his hand to point to the small dog-sized platform-like machine in question. He realised, as he did, that it wasn't easily visible from where they were sitting because the counter was long and the machine was at the end. He didn't intend using it, so it was tucked away.

"Well, anyway, it's out there," he chuckled with a dismissive wave, lowering himself and turning back to grin at Ichabod instead. "The system is designed with a circulation desk facility. I can check any book out by scanning its barcode - they're all entered, even though the books likely won't go anywhere - and then you swipe it across that machine, which de-magnetises the security strip and allows it to pass through the security gates. I swipe it back in the opposite way when the book comes back, resetting it. If the books are taken without swiping them, it registers on the Academy network. We set it up that way so the security team is alerted at the same time as the alarms sound. You really might have been tackled by Owen," he grinned, amusement dancing in his dark blue eyes as he regarded his handsome employer.

"I didn't think about linking it to my phone. I figured I'd always be here with the library open, if it happened. On the spot."

[pinkroses]

Ichabod was a little surprised when he felt Sam's on his own, but he tried not to let it show, focusing instead on what he was being told.

He'd worked in a library before, so he knew exactly how a check out system worked, but Ichabod was quite enjoying having someone explain something to him. It was quite relaxing, being explained something in a different way. To be honest, since the books weren't supposed to be taken out, Ichabod hadn't realised there would be a facility to do so. But there were always exceptions so it was good forward thinking. It would be nice if Ben mentioned all of his plans to him though.

"So it's exactly like a normal library, just with a stricter librarian?" Ichabod said with a grin, imagining Sam telling people they couldn't take out the books from behind his desk.

"God, if you're going to be here all the time the library is open, Ben's got you on the wrong kind of contract. You can't be here during the day for one thing," Ichabod said - although if someone stole something during the day then Sam wouldn't be able to stop them anyway, phone alert or not.

"So when do you get to have a break, if you're supposed to be here all the time?" Ichabod asked, although as he said it he realised that what's he'd just described, being here most of his waking hours, was his own life. It was exhausting and he didn't wish it on anyone else.

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel smirked as Ichabod teased him about being strict, laughing despite himself. He thought Sam looked strict? He found that surprisingly complimentary and was suffused with a feeling of pride.

"It was my understanding that you wrote my contract for Ben and he just gave it to me to sign. Maybe it's you that you need to have a word with," he teased back, raising his eyebrows and giving Ichabod a playful, pointed look. "I'm supposed to find staff for support - and to be here during the day, I guess - but at this stage it's just closed. Once I finish that last box of books, I might have a break, but not yet. I'm happy to be here every night anyway. This place is awesome. And who needs a life?" he grinned happily.

"Hey, while I've got you here, how many students would want to access the library during the day? All the classes are at night, right?" Sam enquired.

[pinkroses]

"Mm," Ichabod murmured as Sam said he'd written the contract and Ben had just handed it over. Ichabod definitely wouldn't have written that someone needed to be here so much, but he'd dealt with so many different contracts recently he couldn't remember the details or if something might have been misunderstood.

When Sam explained he was supposed to be hiring support staff Ichabod nodded, understanding the situation better. No wonder he was here all hours if he was doing the work of several people. He caught the teasing look from Sam and smiled at it, enjoying the cute look the librarian was giving him. God, was that against some sort of rules? Thinking members of your staff were cute? No, probably not... acting on it, that would be different. He was allowed to think he was cute, that was just an opinion.

"Well I'm going to have to check up on you then, after that, to make sure you are taking that break and hiring your extra people," Ichabod said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, the classes are at night, but most mortal libraries have 24 hour libraries, so why should we be different? Not all the students are nocturnal, so those who aren't  might want to come here during the day to study. The guess the majority will be coming in at night, around classes, but I want it to be welcoming any time. During the day it would just need a skeleton staff, like, one person just to be here to look after it," Ichabod explained.