RP: Jaunt by the bookstore

[elliot_winters]

Date: September 11, 2011
Characters: Elliot Winters, OPEN
Location: bookstore
Status: Public
Summary: Elliot does some shopping for his favorite people.
Completion: Incomplete

Comments

[elliot_winters]

Elliot had not precisely been ignoring what day it was, but he'd not been able to deal with it as much as everyone else. He'd lost real people in the war, the loss of his best friend a couple of years ago still had a gaping wound in his chest, and he just didn't need one more thing to deal with on top of everything else in these recent weeks. He was only human, and his resources for coping were only finite.

So the TV had stayed off the news and really, he'd not watched anything but movies for the last week when he did even that. He had several new models finished to show for his time, and many books gone through. He would call Nellie later tonight--he knew today would be rough on her, with her family and all. Perhaps it made him a poor soldier, but if there was a God then he hoped they'd forgive him for not acknowledging today right now.

He scanned the shelves... K... L... He stepped around the man with a murmured "Excuse me" to get to the M's and reach for Seanan McGuire's latest book for Fisher. He knew Fi was a big fan. He leaned down, his tags swinging forward, and grabbed the book, reaching up to squeeze his tags in a familiar gesture before tucking them safely down his shirt.

He smiled faintly as he looked at the very familiar McCaffrey books and idly wondered if Belle had brought her Dragonsinger trilogy with her or if he should buy it and add it to his shelves for her.

[drewcooper]

He had just pulled Magic's Pawn off the shelf when someone stepped around him with a murmured excuse, so he glanced up and nodded in acknowledgement. "No problem," he replied and turned the book over to read the back page like he always does.

A flash of something caught his eye and he looked to see dogtags swing free just before the man tucked them away again. He reached up to pat his own in a similar gesture - all this time out of active service and he still wore them. After twelve years of duty they were pretty much part of him and four years later he still wore them, he felt naked without the familiar feel against his chest.

He tucked the book under his arm and turned a little. "Stationed nearby?" he asked, never having been shy of initiating conversations with random strangers.

[elliot_winters]

Elliot's eyes flicked briefly to the side as the other man moved, aware as he usually was of his surroundings and the people. He might not have been on the ground in active danger most of the time, but his time in the service had only activated tendencies already there, along with the years he'd enjoyed martial arts. He noticed the familiar gesture--something that came along with most servicemen he knew, no matter what branch.

He smiled faintly and nodded. "Yeah--attached through what used to be Carswell Air Force Base," it was now the Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Carswell Field, and its Air Force attachment was small, "but I'm currently sitting a desk at one of the recruitment centers." For many reasons, though as soon as Charlene was done with her maternity leave, he'd be going to a new training program at the base, which with his experience made it a good position. He didn't look like the sort to normally ride a desk, not really.

"Captain Elliot Winters, US Air Force," he introduced himself, shifting the book to his left hand and offering his right for shaking. THe other man looked like he could have been in the service, Elliot wouldn't be surprised.

[drewcooper]

Drew smiled. "Not one to drive a desk?" he asked knowingly. The man had the look of someone not used to being behind a desk, even a recruiting office. He had thought he guy looked like a zoomie, but one can't always tell. Lean, always aware of what's going on around him. He gave a mental nod of approval - he's glad that there are still guys like that in the service.

"Lt. Andrew Cooper, US Army Signal Corps, retired," he replied, holding out his own hand in greeting. "But now its just Drew. Nice to meet you," he continued. He nodded at the book. "How's that author? Can't say I've read any of those and I'm always on the lookout for someone new." He waggled the book he had already selected. "I tend to return to my favorites time and again."

[elliot_winters]

Elliot shook his head. "That obvious? No, I'm generally a pilot. But needs must, and I suppose I needed a bit of a break." He hadn't been burned out on flying, but he had been close to burning out from deployment, which was more than half his own fault. The Air Force had only taken advantage of his choices.

"Good to meet you, Drew. Feel free to call me Elliot," he said. Being called Winters by anyone in this area would likely end up with mass confusion with all his siblings around. "Even if you were a grunt." His grin belied the words--friendly teasing between branches, for him. "Author is pretty good as far as I can tell. I've only read a couple of the books, but my brother is a huge fan. This is the newest one--it's for him." Hopefully he didn't have it already. Elliot counted on Fisher being so busy lately he hadn't had a chance yet.

"I've never read any Lackey, but she seems pretty popular. Recommend it, huh?"

[drewcooper]

"One can easily pick out a desk pilot," he grinned. "I think I had a desk somewhere on a base once. I never saw it," he added. Most of his paperwork was done hunched over food in the chow tent or on his bunk when he actually slept on it.

"Thanks, Elliot," he replied and just laughed at the grunt comment. He was used to it and it never seemed derogatory when it came from another serviceman. "I'm a groundpouder and proud of it," he replied. "Not all of us can be flyboys," he added with a grin of his own. He had thought of the airforce and being a pilot but with his less than perfect eyes he wrote it off and went for something that he knew he was good at instead. "Maybe I'll check it out then," he said, nodding at the book in Elliot's hand.

"Misty's my feel-good author, I fell in love with all of her characters and the stories she tells are interesting. A medieval setting, altriusm and magic horses that aren't horses? What's not to like?" he said with a smile.

[elliot_winters]

"Can't say a desk is for me, but it hasn't been the worst thing ever while I've been kicking the sand off my boots," Elliot said with a shrug. With such a long deployment, it had given him a chance to start acclimating, though he was starting to itch to go back up in his jets again.

"You should. Author has a real way with worlds and stuff." He needed to read the rest of them, but he'd figured he would borrow them from his brother before investing in them himself. Since he'd moved in with Derrick, though, Elliot didn't have a key or a feeling that he could just invite himself over.

"Sounds very interesting," he said. "I've always loved high fantasy, myself. I've been trying to catch up on my favorite authors and all this other stuff since I've been back. Starting to branch out to new stuff as well."

[drewcooper]

Drew smiled. "I didn't think I could drive a desk, but I got used to it, being all corporate and stuff now." He still sometimes wanted to go and buy a gun to put the stupid people in his office out of his misery. Then he got over it and just yelled at them instead.

Drew nodded. "I'll get the first one and see what its like," he said, half-turning to the bookshelf to pick out one of the books so he could check the book listings in the front. He saw the last one on the shelf, pulled it out and quickly read the back page to get the gist of the story. "Looks interesting enough," he allowed, "I'll have a read tonight."

"High fantasy is the best," he agreed. "I've taken to buying audiobooks and listening to them in the car on my way to and from work. At least I get some of my 'reading' done then."

[elliot_winters]

"It's not as bad as I thought it might be, but nothing is like flying," Elliot said with a shrug. Though he had pondered more than once what it might be like at NASA or at some private company with research and development. But for now, he was happy with his job. "I at least have coworkers I really like."

He grinned. It was always cool to get someone interested in a book you liked, even if it were inadvertant. "I hope you enjoy it," he said genuinely.

"I have a few on my Ipod, but nothing terribly recent. Listened them to death overseas along with all my music." But he was slowly restocking, though he was concerned he was goign to have to get a newer model Ipod now. His old one was acting like maybe he'd worn it out over the last deployment, but he really didn't want to spend the money on it right now. At least at home he could just turn on the computer and play what he wanted. "What are some of your favorites?" he asked curiously.

[drewcooper]

Drew nodded. "I can imagine that," he said. Elliot's quip about coworkers made him chuckle. "I guess I should profess I sometimes wish I still carried an assault rifle so I can put some people out of my misery? At least I have a door on my office that can lock and email is easy enough to ignore. I guess I just need to get used to my new colleagues."

Drew smiled. "I got into audiobooks while on deployment myself and kept it going since driving is sometimes like being overseas still." He thought a moment. "I have all of Anne McCaffrey's Dragons of Pern series, some of Misty's books, a few self-published writers that wrote and read their own stuff - Nathan Lowell, Scott Sigler and some others. An eclectic collection to say the least. And you? Anybody in particular that's a firm favorite?"

[elliot_winters]

Elliot chuckled. "I can sympathize, I suppose, but I'm lucky. My boss welcomed me not only into the office but into her life, and after more than two years overseas, I must now admit I needed that." Charlene was too kind and definitely not the type of 'boss' he was used to, but he was grateful for her. "She's going to give birth any day, poor woman has had to suffer all summer."

Elliot nodded. "Pern is an old favorite," he said. Many fond memories for him--oh, especially after his mother died, how he had wished dragons were real. He'd started reading them young, and he had wanted it so badly. "I have a fondness for Jim Butcher."

[drewcooper]

Drew sighed wistfully. "Lucky you. I guess I just need to get to know the people, maybe cake on my birthday this week will make them like me more," he said with a musing look in his eyes. "Pregnant in this summer heat? Dang, the poor woman must be completely wrung out by now." Annette had bitched about the Montana winters being so horrible while she was pregnant, but summer had to be worse to endure.

"Elliot, you have become my newest best friend," he said with a smile. "Have you read Ghost Story yet?" he asked. It was on his list of things to read, he just haven't had the time to do it. Something else to put on his must read list. "And please tell me you like the Codex Alera?"

[elliot_winters]

"Happy early birthday," Elliot wished him. He nodded and grimaced faintly in sympathy. "Very pregnant, at that. If they hadn't sworn there was only one baby, I would have sworn she was carrying twins... but don't tell anyone I said that," he said with a smile. It wasn't a criticism, actually--he thought CHarlene was good looking even huge with her baby, even though she wasn't a type he was attracted to. It was just she looked so uncomfortable. "We're actually still waiting for her to have it, she's been put on bedrest and they're talking of inducing in the next two weeks."

Poor Charlene. She was so ready to get it over with, she had admitted the other day.

"Not yet, actually. It's on the list. I've been rather busy. And I love the Codex Alera books. I mean, it's Roman soldiers with magic powers? How can I not love it, especially given my profession." He grinned, happy to have someone to enthuse to over a favorite.

[drewcooper]

"Thanks," Drew replied with a smile. "I hear ya, my mother claims she was bigger with my older sister than she was with me and my twin but I'm not so sure about that." He nodded. "Bed rest is probably the best thing," he said.

"Its on my ever-growing list of things to read as well," he said. Elliot's description made him grin. "Amen to that. I read somewhere that he wrote the books on a dare that he couldn't take two bad ideas and turn it into a story. How true it is I don't know, but it apparently was the Lost Roman Legion and Pokemon. I'd say it was enough of a challenge for him to make it into a bestselling series."

[elliot_winters]

Elliot's eyebrows rose. "On a dare? With Pokemon?" He blinked, trying to make sense of that. "I... guess I can see that," he realized, "but I never would have pegged it as Pokemon. He did that very well." In fact, it made the series even more impressive from that point of view. "But wow... Pokemon. Fry my brain, why don't ya."

[drewcooper]

Drew just laughed. "That was pretty much my own reaction when I read about it." He glanced down at his watch. "Listen, Elliot, it was really nice to meet you but I need to get going." He nodded to the books. "Enjoy them, I know I'm going to."