Belle, wearing a flannel shirt around his waist, follows Tahoma through the library as Tahoma speaks to him, "Better than hanging out in the back of the library is working part-time in the library basement, right?"
"What basement?"
"Or, is that creepy? We'll find out now!"
Tahoma flips a switch by a door, then opens it to a basement staircase, which is safely alit from the lightswitch.
"It doesn't look creepy. It's carpeted. And, wallpapered."
"It could still be creepy. Wait till we get down there. Let's go." Tahoma continues to lead on, heading downstairs.
In the basement, they come across the book & media return shoot behind a cart to place them on.
Tahoma looks around until he finds an elevator, "Why was I told to use the stairs?" He presses the elevator's up button.
The elevator opens to a drop into the pitch black below.
A 5' woman in powder blue glasses; and, a pink minidress with a white, cropped cardigan, who looks much like Ariana Grande comes over, and closes the elevator door. "I was supposed to put this up," she puts up an, "Out Of Order," sign. Her voice is soprano. "There. My job is complete. You're crazy if you think I can fix this."
They watch her walk away, every hip sway. She leaves into a laboratory.
Tahoma pushes the cart out of the way of the returned books, and media, "I guess we'll just carry these upstairs in numerous trips."
"But, if you fall, we are not at fault," the Ariana-looking woman calls out. "Try not to fall, if you at all can help it!"
They exchange looks.
Tahoma takes ahold of Belle's jaw, then strokes it with his index, his thumb rested on the right side of his chin, "You're growing facial hair."
"What am I watching?" The returned scientist asks. "Looks like P.D.A."
"Sorry, I just was noticing..."
"Some women have facial hair. Geeze! If I catch you teasing her, I am going to send you right back to a full-time student."
Tahoma blushes, "I'm not gonna tease him!"
He shuts his eyes, and lowers his head.
"Him!? Are you transitioning, or is he testing me?"
"I'm intersex. I prefer male pronouns."
"Oh. Okay, then. Carry on. Carry on. Pick up some things, and go upstairs. You're not paid to stand around feeling eachother's manly things. It's not that kind of job."
Thus, Tahoma and Belle grab some things, and head back upstairs.
"Why does our adult high school have a secret laboratory in the basement?" Tahoma asks a bearded, male librarian in a wheelchair. "You'd think it were a college."
"It's not a secret. We have classes down there." The librarian is baritone. "Why do I smell a feline?"
Tahoma looks at Belle, whom lowers his face.
"You have cats?"
"Yes, Sir. Two. And, my brother has one. And, my mother has one. There's four people, and four cats in my home."
"I think your furry friends might have left their fragrance on your shirt."
"What?"
"Urine! You smell like cat urine."
"What should I do?"
He rolls away behind a counter, then into a room behind it, and back to behind the counter, "What are you, a small?" He places a shirt on the counter, "Quickly! Buy this! Then, go change!"
Belle picks up the t-shirt, and holds it in front of herself, looking at the school mascot, a bobcat.
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