The Bookfast Club

Ines was smiling.

Which was odd, because there really was no logical, obvious reason for her to be smiling. She hadn't received any particularly good news, the rainy spring weather was fairly miserable and it had been more than an hour since she had written in her journal.

It was probably her knees.

They felt oddly liberated by her newest red skirt. It's edge rested about two inches away from her knees. She didn't often were such frivolous garments- she was better suited to more modest clothing. But, apparently, it was important to indulge in the little things- like showing off her knees. Her blue gaze glanced down at them. They were nice knees.

Her lips slipping into a small smile, the girl wandered further into the book shop, hands fiddling with the edge of the scarlet material. Ines really had no idea where she was- she was far too busy being proud of her new skirt to notice.

But then she did notice, and the girl let out a meek little whimper. She was lost. In a book shop. When had she walked into a book shop?

She had insisted they'd come here for a very specific type of book that could not be found anywhere else. At least, that was the story she'd come up with to get out of his constant worrying about Miss Mad's house, not that Juliet had said that. He doubted anything even close to that would ever leave her lips. It was, however, what he was sure she was thinking, and why she'd made such quick work of leaving him to search the bookshelves. Not that he was complaining or anything. He did love books, and the worn tshirt he was wearing was blue today; one of his favorite colors. He couldn't complain.

He was going through a section of books 'to be reshelved' as the little shelf on the side said. He always seemed to gravitate toward these books anyway; they were the ones no one else seemed to want at first glance, and he had yet to find a terrible book there. He had piled the books into his arms and was in the process of reshelving them when he noticed a girl who looked rather lost. Blinking, he paused, shifting the books in his arms and cocking his head to the side.

"Are you alright?" He asked politely, Italian accent thick. "You look a bit lost, yeah? Looking for something?"

Ines' startled blue eyes blinked up at the stranger, and shook her head frantically.

"No- I'm," She mumbled, looking down at the floor, and suddenly more eager to find a way out of the store. He was a boy- and somehow, she always managed to make a fool of herself around them. It was a fact- a simple correlation that she had noticed a few days after she had enrolled into Durmstrang.

Ines shuffled backwards, tucking two locks of her hair behind her ears simultaneously.

"Not lost, just- books and Durmstrang and-" she stuttered about a response as she continued backwards, before almost tripping over her own feet and catching herself on a nearby shelf.

Zander's concern mounted, enough that he paused fully, looking over - and admittedly down on, seeing as he was at least a few feet taller than her - at the girl next to him. "Hey." He said, voice softening. "No need to be so jumpy. I am not going to hurt you, you know."

Warm brown eyes tracked her movements, worry making its way into his gaze. "Be care-" dropping his books, he was suddenly across the small space, wrapping one arm securely around her waist and using the other to brace himself against the same shelf to make sure she didn't face plant or brain herself on a shelf or something equally as terrible. "Careful." He finished, blinking down at her. "Are you alright?"

Standing and helping her to her feet, he hesitated briefly to make sure she was truly balanced before letting go of her again. His eyes swept her, making sure she was injury free. "You are not hurt, are you?" He said, Italian accent dragging his words slightly.

"Hey," Ines replied automatically, just on the tail of the word, not quite understanding its use in the given context. Her bright blue gaze grudgingly pulled itself away from her shoes, feeling obliged to comply to her own rule concerning speech- stand straight, feet apart, eye contact, fluent sentences.

She really ought to have practiced that rule a little more.

Unconsciously correcting her posture- her back arced ever so slightly and her chin raised marginally- she flashed a rehearsed smile at the stranger. "I'm sure you won't." Although Ines had little knowledge of the world outside her humble home in the outskirts of Berlin, she was fairly certain that potential attackers did not find their victims in book shops, in broad daylight. That would be illogical.

A weak squeal escaped her lips- not so much because of the fall, but more because of the arms that she had suddenly found herself in. "No." Ines replied clearly, startled eyes blinking back up at him. Something definitely did not feel normal- something feverish.

Ines exhaled unsteadily as she balanced herself, with the stranger's help, and checked herself over at his question. "No, I'm-" The Hrabrost cut off mid sentence, and her hand shot outwards to clutch a bundle of the scarlet red fabric of her skirt. "It ripped!"

"It ripped! My knees-" Ines began to ramble under her breath, the flurry of worried words rushing out of her mouth incomprehensible now.

"...hey." Zander answered with a blink, wondering briefly why they were still greeting each other. Maybe she'd hit her head when he wasn't looking? Concern flashed in his warm brown gaze, but he played along. "How are you?"

His gaze flickered over her as her posture changed, his own changing as well, revealing just how much taller he was than her. It was beginning to annoy him, how tall he was, towering over most his age. Blinking down at her, he offered a small smile, though he was still obviously both puzzled and concerned. "Your-"

His words were cut off by her panic, a brief flash of panic taking over him as well. Luckily for them both, he was experienced with thinking under both panic and extreme pain. "What about- it's okay! Alright I can- make it better hang on look!" Pulling the worn dark blue t-shirt over his head, he held it out to her, the grey wife beater he was wearing underneath rumpled now that he had displaced the layer atop it. "Put this on and it'll fall over your knees! See?" He nodded.

"Hi." Ines replied again, utterly confused by the boy in front of her. Hadn't he just greeted her? What on Earth was he doing? She was certain that she had already responded- "Good, thank you." The Hrabrost replied politely, peering up at him- the concern in his own eyes mirrored in her own. "How are you?"

Ines' fingers fumbled clumsily over the tear in the fabric of her skirt, her brow creased into a worried frown and her lips pulled into a slight pout. "It's new, I really did like it- didn't my knees look- and it's ripped and-"

She peered up at the boy again- Merlin, she really was short- and her worried features broke out into a grin at the blue shirt that was being dangled in front of her.

"Thank you!" Ines gushed, but froze before she was able to take it from him.

"I-shirt, you need it and- my knees, shirt." Ines stuttered about a response, practically gawking at the person in front of her. It was too much for her brain.

Why was it so bloody cold in there? Hadn't Russian's head of heating yet? Wasn't anyone else freezing? With close to three layers of clothing on, Juliet could still feel a bone clinging cold to her. Logic, of course, told her it was cause she was still sick, the pepper-up potion she had guzzled to convince Zander she was well enough to leave the house was wearing off.

But it seemed easier to blame the Russian's for poor heating. It certainly made her feel a little better.

Juliet hadn't been completely lying when she said she wanted a book, she did - only, there was a likely chance she could have found it closer to home. She just hadn't wanted to. Leaving Zander to his own devices she had gotten herself lost amongst the shelves, finding what she was looking for rather quickly and then moving on to just browsing. In fact, she was so lost in her browsing, she hadn't noticed her potion wearing off except for the ever increasing cold, nor did she notice the voices until they were right in front of her. Tilting her head to the side, she frowned as she recognized one, but the other....

Zander had found someone. A female someone. She didn't quite understand why the distinction felt so significant to her, but it did. Worrying her lip, she slowly slide a book out of the self in front of her on a hunch, and wasn't sure if she was glad or disappointed that it proved to be true. The shelf was one-sided, with the book, a rather large tomb, gone she could just see enough of the people in front of her to tell...

Zander's back was to her, but she could see enough of the girl's face - the girl's pretty face to tell... Tell what exactly? Blinking once, taking in the lack of sweater on one and the appearance of it on the other, she slowly slide the book back in place and took a step back. Balling her fist up in her sleeve, she bounced on her heels slightly, unsure what exactly she was experiencing. It wasn't exactly... angry, nor was she exactly sad. She just felt... odd. And not just because she could feel her current cold trying to overtake her body again.

There was nothing logical to found the directions her thoughts were going, no evidence, no reason. Yet as she looked at the other girl, confused wonder as she glanced at Zander, Juliet just couldn't help but feel...

Strangely, replaced.

"That's ridiculous." Zander said, blinking down at her. "Take it. I'm still wearing a shirt, see? It's perfectly fine." Before she could protest, he rolled the shirt so that the hem and collar were side by side and guided it over her head, pulling it down and to just above her knees. "There. All better." He said, nodding.

He looked down at her, much closer now than he remembered being before, and blinked from just above her. "...hi." He said again, his voice low. "Uh- you're welcome."

Ines shook her head, the movement precise and even- it was a simple gesture that she had trained herself to perform properly a long time ago. "Thank you for the kind offer, but I'm afraid-" The rehearsed words were abruptly interrupted by the garment being held over her, and she raised her arms obediently so that they fitted into the too-long sleeves. Ines immediately, out of habit, smoothed down the material- oddly enjoying the scent of it, too- and smiled at the length.

"It fits!" Ines beamed. "It fits as a dress." She corrected after a brief pause, tilting her head to the side.

"Thank you." Ines repeated politely, unbelievably grateful to the stranger before her. Her OCD would simply not have allowed her to survive in a ripped skirt in public.

"Hello," She murmured, a flush surging in her cheeks at their close proximity- and immediately taking a few (more careful than the last) steps backward.

Zander offered a smile, standing up straight again. "I am glad to have helped." Running his fingers through his hair, he glanced around himself, frowning down at the books he'd dropped to catch her before lowering himself to his knees. Stacking them carefully, he picked them up again, muscles rippling beneath skin at the extra weight.

"Did you need anything else?" He asked, looking over at her, unfamiliar with how pleased seeing a girl in his shirt made him feel. It didn't make any sense, really.

Ines stared blankly down at him as he bent down to retrieve his books from the floor, unwilling to help at the risk she would make a fool of herself again- and even if she was ready to help him, the girl was far too absorbed in her own thoughts. The single moment in which she had ripped her skirt, and then proceeded to borrow a stranger's shirt had indeed gotten her into a pickle. Of course, now that he had offered her a service, she was in his debt and inclined to help him when he needed it. She would have to return the shirt, perhaps with a small gift. Although Ines did not know him well enough to know what to buy.

Chewing on her lower lip as she tried to figure out a solution, Ines blinked up at him. "Your name, please." She nodded politely. The Hrabrost would have to know his name to be able to send him back the garment, along with whatever present she managed to deem suitable.

"Zander." He said with a hesitant smile. "My name is Zander. Zander Dawson." He furrowed his eyebrows slightly. "What's your name?" He canted his head slightly, eyes sweeping her. The sensation that came with her wearing his shirt was confusing - especially when it intensified if he imagined someone else in it - and his blush resurfaced, there but barely, darkening as the feeling intensified in his stomach.

Where was she anyway?

"Would you like to help me put these away?"

"Zander Dawson." Ines echoed, enjoying the fact that she thought that his name suited him. Could names suit people? She couldn't remember meeting someone and thinking that their name had been poorly allocated. "My name is Ines Abernathy," She smiled, visibly relaxing as she recited the familiar words. The Hrabrost had rehearsed her introduction to many times before, that it was almost impossible for anything to go wrong. She extended her hand towards him, ready to shake his own. "Lovely to meet you, Zander Dawson."

"The books?" Ines' blue eyes brightened, looking hungrily at the pile that he held, her lower lip caught by her teeth. "Yes, please." She nodded eagerly, moving towards him.

Taking her hand, he rose it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to the back. "Ever so pleased to meet you as well, Miss Ines Abernathy." His Italian accent thickened, and he grinned down at her, used to the way he introduced himself to others in Italia. Lowering her hand slightly, he let go, humming.

"Take some from the top of the pile, they're the lightest." Stooping down to let her pick some off the bottom, Zander offered a secretive smile. "I always do this when I come to book stores. The Employees are always so overworked, I might as well help them, you know?" He grinned again. "Besides, a love of books is a beautiful feature for a lady to have."

Juliet tried to ignore them, she really did. What did it matter if he was talking to another girl. He was allowed to have other friends, and even if he was interested in her as more than a friend that was okay too. It wasn't like she cared or had any chance of-

Chance of what?

Frowning, she shivered and walked away from the bookshelf, away from the two talking. Circling the store she tried to take her mind off of it, but the image of the two of them kept circling back to her mind amplified by her imagination and growing fever. A dull throbbing was pulsing behind her eye

Why was it so cold.

When she came upon the two of them again, it was in fact an accident. Juliet had not been watching where she was turning, and in fact turned into the row the two of them were hiding in. Something in her jumped, clenched and then fell at the friendly gesture of his lips on her hand.

Had he ever done that for her? Did it even matter?

Clutching the book she had found to her chest as if it could shield her from the irrational feelings growing about her, she put a smile on her face and approached the two, "I leave you alone for less than an hour, and you've managed to make a mess."

She surprised herself by being able to sound so light hearted as she looked at Zander. The odd almost painful feeling came back to her though as she turned to the girl again. She was prettier up close.

"You're really pretty, you know that?" the comment, as genuine as anything the girl ever said, came out of her mouth without a really thought, "I'm Juliet by the way. I'd shake your hand but I fear I caught a cold. Wouldn't want to spread the germs would I?" As if mentioning it again brought the symptoms on, another tiny shiver went through her, and she hugged her book tighter to her.

Ines flushed her now signature tomato shade of red, trying desperately to ignore the swirl of butterflies in the pit of her stomach. She would simply have to learn to be around the opposite gender. It would be such a hassle to have to avoid the other half of the population for the rest of her life, and in fact, the girl liked to consider herself quite a people's person, in most cases. She mirrored his grin with her own- or, somethingv more akin to a polite smile.

Nodding very seriously at the instruction, Ines slid almost half of the books from the pile into her own arms, her eyes drinking them in greedily. The book on top had been ornately decorated- intricate vines framed the front cover, which had caught the Hrabrost's keen eye.

Her gaze snapped upwards to his as he continued, hugging the books to her chest as she shifted her attention. "That's a very kind thing to do." Ines smiled, suddenly feeling a great sense of affection towards this boy. He was nice. She nodded fervently in agreement, "Beautiful." She echoed.

Ines turned around to frown at the stranger, puzzled by the sudden interruption. Of course, it had only taken her a matter of moments to understand that the girl was acquainted with Zander.

"Oh, thank you." She blinked out of her daydream, and beamed at Juliet. She felt entirely more at ease in a conversation with a girl. Ines regarded her silently for a moment, trying to get a good reading on the other. The Hrabrost felt that all compliments should be sincere, or else they would simply be a waste of good words. "You're very pretty, too." She concluded with a decisive nod.

Ines managed a small laugh. "Ines." She replied.

Zander flushed slightly, a small smile growing on his face as he looked over and found Juliet. "There you are!" He exclaimed happily. "I thought you had gotten lost or disappeared or something." He took a step toward her, juggling the now-lighter pile of books to one hand as he reached over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "How do you feel, Julie? Better?" His tattoo rippled slightly above his muscles as he frowned down at her. "We're almost done. Ines is going to help me put the books away."

Grinning between the two of them, Zander pulled away from Juliet, holding his books between his arms. "You're both beautiful." Zander said, nodding. "Come on, these books have places, and each of them deserve to be there." Kissing Juliet on the forehead, he frowned at her. "If you're up to it, that is. Perhaps you should just rest for a bit?"

Ducking her head she grinned slightly, but still shook her head as she looked back up, "Thank you. Though not as pretty as you." It was her nature to deny compliments. Though in this case she really did believe what she was saying. The other girl had a sort of grace, or femininity that Juliet knew she'd never be able to pull it off. "And you're skirt looks very nice. Even if it did get a little ripped." She hesitated a moment before grinning slightly, "I could fix it for you, if you'd like? I some how managed to learn how to sew things back together."

"Here I am," she repeated with a slight grin as she leaned into his hold, resting her head against his shoulder for half a moment, eyes drifting closed for half a moment before she was straightening and grinning again. Anyone's worry always made her need to make it unreasonable. "I feel fine. Great even." She nodded her head, flushing with pleasure at the kiss before forcing herself to bound for the books, setting her own carefully aside.

"I can manage to put some books away," she grinned again, though she couldn't quite get the tired look out of her eyes. Juliet wasn't going to give into it. "It's hardly tiring work."