Tides

Books are one of your favorite things ever to be created by humankind. They come in all sizes and types, all languages, with and without pictures. Some are far older than you could ever hope to be and some are still just a brainchild-- yet to grace paper but certainly a masterpiece in the making. Books allow you to escape into an entirely different world; to live thousands of lives within one lifespan.

These are the thoughts that flood your brain as you shelf book after book in the student bookshop. You remember touring Silas as a high school senior and walking among these shelves. The fact that Silas had a bookshop that did not just function as a store for school merch and textbooks certainly added to the allure of the school. In fact, the shop was much more, as it also existed as a used book shop where students could sell back any type of book. As a result, there are shelves of creased and wrinkled books that smelled of old paper. You're looking fondly at an older copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcer's Stone that someone donated yesterday when you hear your boss call out, "Laura?".

You shelf the book and peak your head around the corner to see what Paige wants and you're pleasantly surprised to see Carmilla leaning against the shop counter.

The sight of Carmilla immediately elevates your mood and before you can process what is happening, a smile spreads across your entire face. It'll take you a few hours before you realize that strangers you hardly know should not illicit such an automatic response from you.

"Oh! Hey there!" Your voice sounds upbeat and your heart reflects the sound in its rhythm. You dismiss your bodies unsolicited response, but you'd bet your tardis coffee mug that your cheeks are flushed pink.

She rewards you with a half smile and you both sort of state at each other for a few seconds before you stammer out, "So uhhhhh you needed me?"

Carmilla's lips quirk up to one side as she observes you before she finally says, "I need a book recommendation and I thought you might have one for me."

Your mind starts jumping from genre to genre and author to author. What kind of books might Carmilla like, you wonder for a few seconds before you remember that you can just ask her. When you do she shakes her head, "I'm looking for something new cupcake, just choose one you're partial to."

You begin to feel a little bit vulnerable as you lead her through the stacks of books. Reading has been one of your favorite past times since you were young, the activity you retreat to when you're lost in your own life. You've become best friends with characters whose lives seem so much larger than paper. Been more invested in fictional scenarios than those of your own life at times.

As you wander through the bookshelves toward the spot you know Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter is shelved, you hear Carmilla clear her throat and say, "I guess you should know that I've read most of the classics already. Pretty much every book written between the 1700s and the mid 1900s." So you immediately rectify your recommendation and swerve into the row you had been working in before Carmilla entered the shop. She follows you into the row and you reach up to pull out the copy of Harry Potter that you had just shelved.

Carmilla is closer to you than you had originally processed and you feel your breath catch in your throat. She seems to notice and shifts almost imperceptibly closer to you as she takes the book from your hands. She hasn't broken eye contact with you yet, but eventually after allowing her eyes to rake over your face, she flicks them down to the book in her hand. An eyebrow quirks as she reads the title. "Thanks cutie," she says as she turns on her heel and heads back to the front of the shop. She pays quickly and exchanges only a brisk "Thanks," with Paige before she glances back at you and walks out of the bookshop, Sorcerer's Stone in hand.

//

You're walking through the fitness center to meet up with Wilson Kirsch because he wanted to meet after his practice so you could help him with his British Literature paper. You glance over at the front desk to see if LaF is working and instead of fluffy red hair, you spot a pair of boots kicked up on the counter. Just past the boots you can make out the top edge of a book with a bright red Phoenix drawn across the cover.

You smile because you realize that Carmilla is actually reading the book you suggested instead of paying attention to her job.

"Hi there!" You say as you make your way over to her.

"Towels are on the edge of the desk. Leave your ID," Carmilla says in clipped tones without looking up from her book.

Carmilla intrigues you because she's all snarky comment and indifferent disposition but anyone who gets that lost in the world of Harry Potter (you know she must like it because she's already more than 3/4 of the way through the book and she only got it two days ago) can't be all that bad. When Carmilla still doesn't bother to look up at you, you reach across the counter and gently push her book down enough so that you can see her eyes.

"What the frilly hell is your probl-" Carmilla starts to spit out in a biting tone until she makes eye contact with you. Angry eyebrows and killer glare immediately give way to what you think might be a hint of a smile, "Careful there cupcake, disturbing your TA from her reading time could be a sure fire way to tank your lab grade."

You wonder if she's being serious for a second before you notice the subtle glint in her eyes that tells you she's amused, so you decide to test the waters. "I'm pretty sure that the TA in question is actually supposed to be working instead of reading, so technically the student in question wouldn't be disturbing her 'reading time'. Besides, I think my excellent book recommendations should earn me extra credit if nothing else."

"Hmmm," Carmilla hums as she studies you. She sits up and carefully folds the book jacket flap into the book to save her page and discards the book on the counter. She leans forward, resting her elbows on the counter and her chin on her hands-- you don't miss her low-cut top. "Alright Sundance, what can I do for you?"

This time it's you who raises your eyebrow at her, "Nothing, I just wanted to say hi.".

"Little Nerd! Hi!" Kirsch is jogging toward the two of you with wet hair and a towel around his neck. You wave your hello at him and marvel at his ability to constantly seem like an excited puppy. Kirsch comes to a stop when he gets to the counter and you watch, dumbfounded, as he proceeds to pull the damp towel from behind his neck, ball it up, and with a mischievous grin toss it straight into Carmilla's face.

A dull thwack sounds as the towel collides with Carmilla's face and lands, atop her head, half of it covering her face, the other half forcing her dark hair to curtain her eyes. You try, you honest to god try with all your might not to laugh, but in the end you bust out in giggles. Though, honestly, can you really be expected not to laugh when a broody girl who usually resembles a panther is sitting there like a kitten that was just forced to take a bath?

The shock slides off Carmilla's face seconds later and suddenly Kirsch is grabbing your arm and telling you to run. He's laughing loudly as Carmilla yells, "KIRSCH YOU IDIOT I WILL DESTROY YOU!!"

The image of Carmilla with a towel on her head still fresh in your mind as you jog away, you can't help but think that Carmilla might not be as foreboding as she originally seemed.