(no subject)

[gabriel_tam]

This evening, for once, Gabriel Tam is not in his home office. He's sitting on the sofa in the comfortable upstairs den of the New Mayfair house, with a box of books on the low table before him and another on the floor nearby.

Currently he's paging through a copy of Carl Stephen's The Stars in their Courses: Constellations of Earth-that-Was and the Present Day.

It's been a long time since he's had reason to go through books like these.

Comments

[regan_tam]

The cushions behind him sink slightly under Regan's hands, as she leans against the back of the sofa to look over her husband's shoulder.

She's smiling slightly, but the sight of those diagrams and the childish hand of the annotations brings a surge of bittersweet nostalgia. River always did have the habit of adding marginalia to her own books, though she was careful with anyone else's. It's been years since Regan looked at these; first she had no reason to, and then she couldn't bear to.

[gabriel_tam]

"Nĭ hăo." Gabriel smiles, turning his head in order to press a kiss to her cheek before glancing back at the book in his hands.

"How was the committee dinner?"

[regan_tam]

"It went well," she answers, the pleasure of that clear in her voice. "The hall was full, and I had a lovely talk with Sandy Amritsar. Naguib Goldberg, too." Her smile crooks with wry amusement, there; Mr. Goldberg is a children's author and activist, and two of his books are in the stack before Gabriel.

"All the speeches were even interesting. I decided to call it balance for that Heritage Foundation disaster."

[gabriel_tam]

He winces sympathetically at the memory, for after the event which had started with two speakers conveying their regrets due to illness and only worsened from there, Regan had shared her frustrations at the Foundation's evident incompetence with her husband.

At length.

"Then I'm very glad." Gabriel flips another page, and then closes the book and sets it to one side on the table before turning to see her better.

"It's been quiet here, actually."

He sounds almost ruefully surprised; quiet evenings are extremely rare for the two of them, these days.

[regan_tam]

"Hĕnhăo." She sounds pleased, and a little surprised herself.

A small nod to the books on the table. "They finally came, I see."

[gabriel_tam]

"They did." Dryly, Gabriel adds, "It seems that the couriers employed by Andaman Shipping and Trading managed to send them to the apartment successfully enough -- and then right back to Osiris, as we were no longer in residence there at the time."

[regan_tam]

Regan's hand rises to the bridge of her nose, and then curls away in a gesture of eloquent self-restraint.

Delicately, "Ah."

There's one company to never employ for important packages again, then.

[gabriel_tam]

He nods in silent, shared agreement with her unspoken assessment.

"Hopefully Mary doesn't think I've forgotten about her." A flicker of shadow passes over his face as he hears his own words, and Gabriel looks hastily away, reaching for another book.

[regan_tam]

Regan looks down at the sofa for a moment, her own smile fading.

"I'm sure she won't think any such thing."

[gabriel_tam]

The volume he's picked up now is an annotated collection of the complete works of William Shakespeare. It's heavy, and Gabriel braces it on his knee as he turns to put a hand over Regan's in wordless comfort.

There's silence between them for a moment before he says quietly,

"You're probably right."

[regan_tam]

Another moment passes in silent understanding, and then Regan gives him a small smile, and glances down at the book on his knee.

"The classics, I see."

The Shakespeare was Simon's, and he spent hours with it: alone in the den or his room, or reading aloud to River, or taking turns once she was old enough to insist on it. Sometimes she talked him into acting out scenes.

[gabriel_tam]

"I thought she might like them. She was so very insulted at the quality of children's literature, you see."

Gabriel knows full well that they're both now remembering another young girl who had demanded -- even needed -- more challenging books than those that were thought appropriate for her age. It's for that reason that his next question is more than a little hesitant.

"I don't suppose you'd be interested in helping me sort through them?"

[regan_tam]

Regan's free hand settles over his, and presses it gently.

"If you'd like the help," she says, and her voice is light but there are layers in the warm and crooked smile she gives him.

[gabriel_tam]

"Very much."

Gabriel smiles back at her, and moves a little to one side so that she'll have room to sit beside him, unencumbered by books.

[regan_tam]

Regan settles down next to him, and reaches for the next book in the stack. Of Oods and Bobbles, says the cover in white letters, by Mahmood Herrington; on the front is a cartoon of a tangle-haired man beaming unnervingly wide.

"I never did understand this one," she admits wryly, flipping through.

[gabriel_tam]

"Nor I," he agrees, after glancing at the cover. "There comes a point when theories become as wildly fantastical as stories, I think."

A pause.

"Although sometimes the stories make more sense." Gabriel shakes his head. "It's probably best to leave that one out. She's from the very start of the twentieth century, as I recall."

[regan_tam]

"Yes -- they were still working out the basics of subatomic structure then, weren't they?"

It still amazes her, sometimes, to discuss this sort of thing matter-of-factly. Amazes her that it is matter-of-fact.

"Which pile is which?"

[gabriel_tam]

He sets the Shakespeare down on one and nods toward it.

"Those are the ones I was thinking of for Mary."

It's a much smaller pile than the other, at present. Wryly, he adds,

"At least to start. Do you think she'd like some of El Ayaoui's mipian? The serial nature of the stories might intrigue her, especially with the multiple viewpoints-- but I'm not sure about digital paper."

[regan_tam]

Regan adds Of Oods and Bobbles to the rejected stack, and considers the question while she picks up the next.

"Has she seen it before?"

[gabriel_tam]

"Kaylee gave her a book that she said had moving pictures in it, so I'd presume so."

Gabriel shrugs.

"It wouldn't be a good idea for her to have at home, but I suppose she's already faced that problem -- given the nature of the bar."

[regan_tam]

Regan nods.

"You might make sure, all the same. But in that case a mipian should be fine."

[gabriel_tam]

"She said she liked fairy stories, you see." Gabriel's smile is a little wistful now. "But for adults, now, obviously."

[regan_tam]

"Of course."

If she's remembering another little girl who loved stories, and her big brother who did too...

Well.

She turns her attention back to the stack of books, and so they continue. Most of the books are rejected for one reason or another -- this one's too scientifically advanced, that one's bilingual -- but slowly the pile of acceptable material grows.

[gabriel_tam]

Eventually they've narrowed the set to about ten books that have been deemed appropriate, and rather a lot more that are stacked haphazardly back in boxes.

"There." Gabriel sits back, considering the pile. "I'll take her just a few for a start, I think; and I can pick up some of the mipian tomorrow."

A pause.

"What's your schedule like over the next few days?"

[regan_tam]

Regan blinks, mildly surprised by the question.

"Well... Tomorrow's full. There's the Fund meeting in the morning, and then Polly's luncheon and the multi-charity auction, and the symphony's benefit concert at night. The next few days are lighter, though. What were you thinking?"

[gabriel_tam]

"Just that it's been a while since the both of us were able to spend an evening at the bar," he says mildly.

"And considering recent events..." Gabriel shrugs, and lets his words trail off there.

"Anyway, I thought we might have dinner there sometime soon?" He smiles, adding, "After all, there's excellent cuisine to be had."

[regan_tam]

And company, too. She doesn't need to say that; they both know what the bar's main draw is for them.

Instead, she smiles back. "That sounds like a lovely idea."

"Thursday, perhaps? Or Sunday?"

[gabriel_tam]

"Let's say Sunday," he answers. "Thursday there's that reception at the Hamilton-Libeskind center, and I'm not sure how long it will run."

Gabriel smiles at her.

"Although it should be quite a celebration, from everything I've heard. If you have that evening free, perhaps you'd come with me?"

[regan_tam]

"That's when they're unveiling the Kimiko Kent exhibition, isn't it? I'd like that -- Anita was telling me about it, and it sounded fascinating even without the reception."

[gabriel_tam]

"It is, and it's very highly anticipated, as I understand; it's supposed to be a blend of the ancient past with the most modern."

He takes her hand and gives a quick kiss to her fingers, leaving his own linked with hers as he confirms,

"Thursday it is, then, and Sunday as well."