It's a nice library, especially for such a small town, with plenty of everything, but a focus on science and poetry, a well-appointed children's' section, a nice selection of music and holovids, and comfy chairs offering varying amounts of privacy.
Right now, though, it's closing time; the announcements have been made, the final checkout rush handled, and now the librarian is making one last check before she locks up for the night.
He thinks about offering to help her but...
But he'd never cooked, it wasn't one of the chores they set him to, not even preparation, he'd just be in the way. (He worries, a little, that he's just justifying being lazy.)
He reaches out to press play, curling his legs back up to his chest.
She starts the potatoes baking, and then stays at the kitchen to begin putting together the bean filling that will go in the scooped-out potato halves for dinner; it keeps her busy until the potatoes are done and she can mash the scooped-out parts with milk and butter and a little bit of leftover caramelized onions. Again, she brings a big portion to Nova, reserving a smaller one for Pradnakt.
He does look between the two portions. And then looks up at Daisy. He remembers this from yesterday, but...
"I. Don't need this much?" he suggests quietly.
"It's fine if there's some left over. And it's fine that you're getting more than Pradnakt - this is as much as she wants, and you need more than that, so she wants you to have more."
He twists his fingers together awkwardly, it still doesn't feel right. But...
He takes his portion, still a little cautious. "Thank you," he says quietly.
"You're welcome." She drops the other meal off with Pradnakt and stops by the kitchen to get him a glass of milk; she gets just close enough to put it in arms' reach of him.
She gets a slightly wary look, but he doesn't actually flinch. He eats as ravenously as he has previously, but still can't actually finish the portion.
She saw how he was about getting to pick the beans. She tags along to quietly point out where everything goes.
Good, good.
"Pradnakt needs to go out for a few hours," she tells him, as he's putting away the final dish. "Will you be okay being here when she comes through? We can go out back for a few minutes instead."
He goes tense again, but shrugs. "I- whatever's-" he shrugs. "'Ll be fine." (He's not sure he will be, if he can avoid Pradnakt he can hopefully avoid upsetting her.)
"Nova," she says, gently, calling for his attention. "If it scares you, it won't be okay. Come on, let's go."
She takes him around back to the garden again, grabbing a cup before she goes; the sun is beginning to set in earnest now, and the air is beginning to cool and the entire garden is in the shadow of the house.
"Since we're out here, do you want to help me water the plants?"
"All right."
They have a spare watering can; she fills one half-full and the other all the way, and hands him the lighter one. "Tell me when you run out, and we can swap; I don't want you carrying more water than you have to."
He nods, fairly sure there's no real point in arguing. He'll set to work, definitely with some experience doing this.
She stays close, keeping an eye on him so that she can offer her half-empty watering can when his runs out - despite her instructions, she doesn't quite trust him not to go for the spigot himself.
It's not a large garden - a bit oversized for one person, but planted densely and efficiently - and the sun is still up when they finish. "I need to put the animals away; you can come with me, if you want, or go back in."
Well, she's definitely got at least some of his habits figured out, given that he does attempt to go for the spigot when his watering can is empty.
"I- I can help," he says quietly.
He hesitates for a second, before going and doing so. He's quick to gulp down a cup before hurrying back to Daisy.
And she leads him to the barn. It's small and simple: chicken coop on the left, with half a dozen hens already perched sleepily inside; hay-floored pen on the right suitable for a sheep or goat or pony; storage by the door holding bags of pelleted food; a wider doorway in the back wall leading out to a larger pen.
"I need to go back in the house for the goat's scraps; will you be okay here for a few minutes?"
He nods, looking around. He's always liked being around animals, he's never had to worry about how to act around them.
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