The Grand Library

All are welcome, ordinary and extraordinary, regular and irregular visitors. (We'll not have a template, just stroll in and describe yourself as you go. I'll have the starter prompt in a few moments.)

Bridgett Smith smiled as she flipped the sign on the front door to OPEN. She had just moved into the area and was thrilled to finally be opening up a library! She pushed a stray lock of dirty blonde hair behind her ear as she headed to the front counter. /I wonder who will come in first/ She thought.

( @Peter Duende Okay :D Come on in if/when you want)

(can I join?)

( @Qxeenscryche Absolutely! Come on in)

(It looks like an interesting RP. What kind of characters are allowed? Is it a more realistic setting or is there any kind of 'supernatural' stuff going on?)

(thx!)

(I'd like to hop in hereee)

(Anyone's allowed, it doesn't really matter. Bridgett, the librarian, is human herself, but she's cool with anything. And @Smol_Snake go for it, join us)

(Thanks u fren)
Jay walked into the library nervously. He felt a bit self conscious for being basically the only one there, but went to look at the books as he did every day anyways. He had been teaching himself to read here, and it was a means of escape from his parents for a short while.

Bridgett grinned as she saw Jay. She finished shelving a small stack of books then went over to say hello. "Hey, Jay! How are you doing today?"

"Er, h-hello, Bridgett. I'm… good." He lied, smiling weakly. He always hated lying; his parents lied all the time and he didn't want to be anything like them. But the seven year old boy was frequently told he was never to say anything about home.

Bridgett's grin softened. She couldn't tell if he was telling the truth, but she hoped he was. "That's good." She tilted her head, contemplating him.
"Hold on, I'll be right back!" She said before rushing through a door to grab some cookies from upstairs. He looked like he could use a warm chocolate chip cookie.

Jay watched her leave before picking up a random book from the shelf and trying to read its title. His heart was pounding from the lie, but he tried to put it out of his mind. B… no, P? What is this about? He flipped the book over, trying to figure out if the words were easier on the back. Nope…

(How did you make italics? I've been trying but it won't work for me! Awesome tho)
Bridgett glanced around her messy kitchen and spotted the plate of chocolate chip cookies she'd made earlier. She touched one with her fingertip. Still warm, perfect! She grabbed the plate and ran back downstairs.
"Want a cookie?" She asked cheerily as she found Jay again.

(Put little *s on either side)
"Cookie?" Jay cocked his head to the side, looking at the tray with a confused look on his face. "What's that?" The book lay loosely between his fingers, and he still couldn't figure out what it was called.

(thanks my dude)
Bridgett felt like someone had stabbed her in the heart as she watched the utter confusion in Jay's eyes at the thought of a cookie.
"It's a delicious little treat. Trust me, you'll like it. Here," She placed one in his small hand that wasn't occupied with a book and took one for herself, "Just take a bite and tell me what you think."
She smiled and took a bite of her own cookie, watching Jay curiously.

Jay hesitantly accepted the cookie. Is it safe? I think I can trust her… He gently set down the book before taking a bite of the cookie. I think it's good! Not poisoned at least, and doesn't smell like alcohol. The book had stood out to him earlier because of the colorful cover picture and intricate lettering that, little did he know, spelled out "Peter Pan."

Bridgett raised her eyebrows questioningly. "So, what do you think?"
She looked at him, then the cookie, then the book, and back to him. Peter Pan… Good choice.

"It's… it's good! What's it made of?" Jay looked down at the book. He wasn't able to read it, but he could at least identify the colors. The boy was wearing green, as was the shiny flying girl. The title was golden, and it was curly and fancy looking.

"It's got sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, salt, flour, and chocolate chips! I'm glad you like it!" Bridgett smiled widely at Jay.
He was definitely one of her favorite little boys that came in to the library. She pointed at the book he was holding. "That's a good book, don't you agree?"

That's a lot of things… "Er… I've never read it. What is it called?" He traced the letters with his finger, wondering what they meant. His long, messy, copper colored hair fell into his hazel eyes. It appeared to have never been trimmed, or very rarely. The length wasn't severe, closer to medium, but it was enough to be noticeable. He wore clothes that were obviously too large for him, and not in great shape either.

Bridgett squatted next to him to be more his height. "It's called Peter Pan. It's a lovely book."
She looked at Jay for a moment, watching him carefully trace each letter with his finger.
"Would you like me to read it to you?" She asked softly.

Does she know I can't read? Jay made eye contact with Bridgett, hesitating before nodding. "S-Sure. Um, what… what is it about?" He sat down at one of the tables, his legs dangling several inches from the ground.

She smiled and moved with him to the table as she opened up the book. "It's about a mischievous little boy, Peter, who lives in a place called Neverland so he never has to grow up and it's about his adventures with his friends, the Lost Boys, and a girl named Wendy and Tinkerbell. There's also the pirate, Captain Hook. I think you'll like it, what do you think?"

"Why doesn't he wanna grow up?" Jay asked, looking at the picture on the front page. "When I grow up, I can move out of the house." He felt the pages curiously. Interesting material… wonder why we haven't got any books at home?

Bridgett thought for a moment before responding."I think… I think he was a bit scared to grow up. I also think he doesn't want to worry about all the things that come with growing up. He'd rather stay young and carefree and play his days away. He doesn't want the responsibility, I suppose. I think he might even forget about responsibilities and things." She gave a soft laugh. "That's true. Moving out is a good plan. I got to move out of my parents house and now I live just up there!" She pointed at the ceiling. "I hope you like the place you move to as much as I like it here. Maybe more so!"

Jay was quiet for a while, thinking. Young… carefree… play his days away… I suppose that's apparently normal for children, isn't it? The bruises underneath his clothing stung as he thought about it. After a minute or so, he finally snapped out of it. "Yeah…. y-yeah, I hope so…" He flipped the page and stared blankly at the words which held no meaning for him. To him, they were simply black lines strewn across a paper.

(I'm gonna try to find an online Peter Pan real quick so she can read it accurately)
Bridgett looked at him almost sadly. She wished he talked more. He was a good kid. She brought her mind back to the present and looked at the page. "Ready to begin?"