[Prokopenko, glassy-eyed and lazy-grinned, turns to face the young man in line behind him. He is at a similar level of preparatory school undress - blazer missing, shirt rumpled, tie knotted with numb fingers.]
Boring? [His voice is lightly accented - something Slavic, maybe. He nods up toward the sign hanging above the stall.] "Rare," it says. [The boy giggles - then, sensing the other might reach, holds the book high above his head. Even if he doesn't reach, that's alright.]
No, I want to read it-- [He turns his back on the other boy, lowering the book and flipping open to - ah, yes. A lovely, handwritten inscription.]
"I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately."
rare item
[Prokopenko, glassy-eyed and lazy-grinned, turns to face the young man in line behind him. He is at a similar level of preparatory school undress - blazer missing, shirt rumpled, tie knotted with numb fingers.]
Boring? [His voice is lightly accented - something Slavic, maybe. He nods up toward the sign hanging above the stall.] "Rare," it says. [The boy giggles - then, sensing the other might reach, holds the book high above his head. Even if he doesn't reach, that's alright.]
No, I want to read it-- [He turns his back on the other boy, lowering the book and flipping open to - ah, yes. A lovely, handwritten inscription.]
"I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately."
Live deliberately...
[He ponders to himself. Hm.] What does it mean?