Among the Stacks

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle pulled her bag back on her shoulder as it began to slip off. She turned down another long row of books, glancing at the titles as she went. Finding the section on Dragons, she paused. Her eyes roamed the titles above her head until she found one that might look promising. She stood on her toes, reaching, but her fingertips just grazed the bottom of the binding.

[Chase Firebrand]

Chase watched the girl for a minute before heading over to her. He'd just been returning a book he'd never admit to having borrowed for private reading, and she'd caught his eye. This was the in he needed. Chase moved up just behind the girl, then reached over her shoulder, easily grabbing the book she was reaching for. He slipped it off the shelf before turning to lean lightly against the shelves next to the girl. His lips were curved into a shadow of a smirk as he held out the book for her to take. "Dragons, hm?" he asked. "You like dangerous beasts?" Chase's smirk widened just a bit.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"Oh, thank you." Annabelle managed with a smile as her cheeks turned a rosey red. "I'm just reading up on some of their traits. I could never be a Dragon Tamer." She took the book from him, crossing her arms around the thick volume against her chest. Her instinsts were battling. At first appearance, he was good looking, and had offered his help to her. But something about his comment and smirk set her on her guard.

[Chase Firebrand]

Ravenclaw, he guessed. Maybe Hufflepuff. She seemed shy. He was partial to Ravenclaws, but it never hurt to expand. Chase grinned wickedly, his red-brown eyes gleaming. "Are you afraid of fire?" he asked, the words soaked with double-meaning, though his tone was cool and polite. He wondered if he could get her to blush again. It was cute.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

It took all of her willpower to ignore his innuendo. She hid herself away in her protective shell, refusing to show any emotion to him. A moment passed in silence before she instinctively began spouting off facts; her voice was somewhat frail as it quietly escaped her lips. "Fire in itself is nothing to fear. It is easily manipulated, controlled, useful, and even needed on a daily basis. It is the fuel that makes a fire dangerous." Her eyes were lowered toward the floor; she had a strong urge to flee, certain that she was making a fool of herself by staying.

[Chase Firebrand]

Chase's brows rose appreciatively with what sounded suspiciously like a withering set-down. Definitely Ravenclaw, he thought. "Without the fuel, fire would be nothing," he suggested. "It's only when you put them together that the sparks fly." Chase smiled innocently, though his eyes gleamed more red than brown at the turn of his thoughts.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"Yes. Exactly. Only a fool would fear something so essential to life." She relaxed a bit at his acceptance of her logical analysis. She couldn't be certain that he wasn't just stringing her along, but it appeared that he at least had some brains behind his masculine beauty. Although her tone had returned to normal, her gaze remained on the carpet. She didn't trust herself enough to look him in the face yet.

[Chase Firebrand]

Chase wondered if the innuendo had gone straight over her head, or if she was just clever enough to have avoided it. He suspected the latter. He also wished he could get her to stop staring at the floor. His boots weren't nearly as impressive as the rest of him. Egotistical. The barb just wouldn't leave him alone. Chase shrugged it off, though it took a bit of effort this time. "I don't bite," he promised, dipping his head a bit, as though he might get a glimpse of the girl from behind the curtain of her hair. He had half a mind to push it aside, but she'd probably jump half a foot if he tried to touch her.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle's head shot up at his comment. Merlin's Beard why do I have to be so transparent all the time? A blush crept over her cheekbones and dusked the ridge of her nose. "I'm sorry, It's just, I," Her voice trailed off, unsure of what she was trying to say. She cursed herself in her head for acting like such an idiot. She knew she was staring. Her eyes fixed on his and refused to extricate. Unlike most, she couldn't read him; his eyes were far too deep to display any one emotion.

((Let me know if this wouldn't be true about his eyes, I'm guessing by how you portray him.))

[Chase Firebrand]

((No, it's good, actually. He tends to hide emotion. His eyes only ever give away that he's feeling something strongly, not what that feeling is))

Chase could feel her response to him, and his lips curved into a grin. His eyes gleamed more red than brown for a moment before settling on a shade of brick. "Don't apologize, I come on strong," he admitted. It was half the fun. Everyone reacted differently. "What's your name, kitten?" Chase asked, his grin shifting to a mischievous smile.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna blinked, taking an involuntary step away from him as she broke eye contact. Her gaze drifted down to his school robes. Slytherin, figures. She wasn't sure what he was up to, the signals he kept throwing off varied so much from each other. Whatever he was playing at, she decided she didn't trust him. "It's Annabelle. And you are?"

[Chase Firebrand]

"Chase." Every once in a while, the irony of his name hit him, and it almost drew a chuckle from his lips. "Nice to meet you, Annabelle." He said her name like a caress, knowing how much at odds it was with the polite words he spoke. Chase extended his hand for a handshake, knowing the girl would have to loosen her death grip on the book to accept. Either that, or blow him off completely.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna shifted her grip on the heavy tomb, holding it in place with one arm while she gripped his hand firmly with the other. "Thanks again for the book." She said, assuming that this was the end of their conversation. She let out a breath as she shook his hand. Her father had taught her that a firm handshake made you appear strong. She wouldn’t show that she wanted to escape back to a corner of the library in a moment and blend in with her surroundings.

[Chase Firebrand]

Her hand clasped his firmly, and certainly with more confidence than she'd shown only a moment before. Chase's index finger swept for just a moment against the soft underside of her wrist, and he could feel the beat of her pulse. His eyes shone with a hint of scarlet. "Let me get that for you," he said, finally releasing Annabelle's hand. He plucked the book from her arm and tucked it under his own. "Were you looking for anything else?" he asked politely.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

She held out her hand for the book before responding, "Well I won't know until I read it now will I? I'm looking up the properties of dragon scales in potions, and if the effects vary depending of which part of the dragon the scales are from." When he didn't give it back to her she put her arm down slightly annoyed. "If you insist, I'm sitting over here." She turned down the isle towards the back of the library.