It was relatively quiet in the library, the companionable silence only interrupted by the clacking of keys and the turning of yellowed pages. For once, he was out of the front desk, joining her in a relatively secluded table sandwiched in between the reference and non-fictional section of the small library.

She pauses in her reading, stuffing a bookmark in between the pages before her eyes flicker to his, a thin smile on her face. "... Say, do you have any music on that thing?"

He blinks, lowering the screen of his laptop while staring at her with an odd expression.

"It's connected to the internet." He said, as if it more or less explained everything. She blinks, before letting out a wince, covering her face with a book while he chuckles at her expense. "... So, what do you want me to play?"

"No insults this time?"

"Trying to be better." He replies in a sing-song manner, before turning towards her with a more genial smile, "It it working yet?"

"No."

The answer makes him scowl. "Then no playing music here."

"You're an ass."

"Hey, you insulted me first." He shot back, "Besides, this is government-issued. Or well, central library-issued, but it's more or less the same thing. They can look through what I'm doing here, and I'm not sure they'll be happy to find out that I'm playing songs over the internet while it's supposed to be work hours."

Stolen novel; please report.

She blinks. "You have a phone. Use it."

"How about you use your phone to play your own music?" He asked in return, "Or did you forget it to bring it with you again?"

"I don't forget everything that I have on me." She scowled, fishing her phone out of her pockets and jangling it at him. "See? Brought it with me safe and sound, so you don't need to bother me about it, dad."

"Pretty sure I'll split if I actually have to take care of someone like you." He muttered, yelping in pain a second later as she kicks him in the shin. "Alright, alright! That's uncalled for, I'm sorry."

"Good." She sniffs, crossing her arms on her chest before leaning away from him. "Don't do it again."

He opens his mouth to speak, intending to ask a question... only for him to shake his head and turn back to his laptop, putting it out of his mind a minute later. It wasn't his place to bring it up.

Maybe in the future, perhaps, but then again...

... His eyes glance around him, towards the near-deserted library. How long would it take before it would be quiet here once more?