Libraries can't be loud

She didn't exactly know why she was there, but there she was. Grace sighed almost inaudibly as she scanned through a book about overcoming obstacles; feel-good self-help literature that someone must've forgotten to throw away. The quiet library allowed her to gather her thoughts, and she hoped that there was something in these books that could help her overcome her inability to talk without losing her composure. She had been reading the book for about twenty minutes at that point, not even noticing that 'after hours' had passed, but she still didn't feel very confident. The tips just seemed obvious, yet she couldn't do it. Her eyes were glued to the pages, to where she wasn't aware of anyone around her. At least, not until someone bumped into her.

Dropping the book, Grace let out a cry of surprise, then quickly clasped her hands across her mouth. It was a library, after all. Looking down, she noticed the boy that had bumped into her. "O-oh! I-I-I'm s-s-sorry," she stammered out, biting her lip nervously. She wasn't ready to socialize yet. She hadn't even read a useful piece of information in the book! "I-I-I didn't see you." Well duh.

OOC: I love you thank you for role-playing with me I—

The sudden plummet left him stunned for several seconds. He grasped onto his consciousness and glanced up at his "attacker". He was prepared for a brash brush off, but, it was a girl much to his surprise. One that didn't seem used to bumping into people often.

He stood up and brushed off his pants. His haven wasn't much of a silent paradise anymore.

The girl quickly apologized, her flustered aptitude drawing guilt into the atmosphere. "No...It's fine." He said lifting his hands up almost in surrender. Her self-consciousness was over powering. At least she wasn't angry, even if he was currently experiencing the opposite extreme.

She stuttered out another reply, pointing out that she hadn't seen him. It was true that he was distracted, and she had a book in hand, but he was at least 3 inches taller then her.

The Russian inwardly cringed. His height complex still poked his ribs at the worst of moments. "It's my fault..." He mumbled still trying to grasp onto any kind of composure. He should have grunted in reply. Then he could have walked away. A cold shiver ran down his spine.

He had to talk to someone alone. Great.

OoC: I do my best~

She had to talk to someone alone. Great.

Grace hadn't exactly been off to a riveting start when it came to talking with people, and she still hadn't found a rhythm to it, exactly. So now she was staring up at a guy who must've been three or four inches taller than her, and he didn't exactly look happy. Gulping nervously, she took a step back, then looked down at her fallen book, then back up at him. Help. "I-I was... just reading," she muttered lamely, dropping down to the ground in order to grab her book and bring it back up. Her knees grazed the carpet in protest from her quick descent, and when she stood back up and remembered exactly what she had been reading, she flushed in embarrassment and dropped the book to her side, trying to obscure the cover against her hip while clutching tightly at it.

"I'm sorry." She repeated this again, as if repetition would increase her contriteness. He really didn't look happy... It was like she was frozen there in sheer embarrassment, clutching the book like a lifeline. She wasn't looking down at it anymore, but her nervousness was causing her powers to react, and it caused the book to start becoming shrouded in a dark casing.

Grace gave a tiny nod when the boy mentioned her powers, though she didn't know how he knew… at least until she looked down. Her eyes widened in surprise at the shadowed book. She hadn't done that! Or at least she hadn't meant to. Her focus was now off of the male and on concentrating enough to dispel the shadows. She only barely heard him talking about trees and magic, which confused her greatly. Trees? Magic? Were her powers magic? There couldn't possibly be trees in here.

It wasn't working. She couldn't get her powers to stop working unevenly. Her limited concentration was further broken when she saw his hand reaching for the book. Instinctively, she yanked her arm out of the way, but he ended up stopping and asking her if he could see the book. Why did he want to see? Did he want to laugh at her? The little-controlled darkness had begun snaking up her arm before she finally decided that it would seem suspicious if she was hiding her reading material, so she slowly and shakily handed over the book to his open hand. When it was now under new ownership, the shadows dissipated, leaving both book and arm in their natural states. Still, Grace was shaking like a leaf, only barely keeping eye contact with the taller male as her face started to grow red.

OOC: I am so sorry, I dropped my phone in the toilet.

OoC: It's cool, it's cool xD You're super awesome, don't worry~

"I, uh... y-yeah. H-how did..." She left the question hanging in the air, half finished. She was starting to feel unnerved by his sometimes-unfocused yet intense stare, like he was trying to look right through her. It must've been obvious she was new, but... She took the book back from him, eyes widening as he said something in a foreign tongue back at her. What did he say? Did they speak in tongues at the school? Oh, thank you...

It continued to unnerve Grace how much it seemed like this boy was studying her, like a piece of prey, or a test subject. Was he planning on hurting her? After seeing the injuries on Kayla, she couldn't deny that it was a possibility. It certainly didn't help her already-tried nerves, causing her to begin shaking so badly she dropped the book once more. Why is he looking at me like that? Oh my god, he's going to kill me! Can I scream? I don't think anyone's here. Oh god oh god oh god. It was in her head now, and it was rooted in there hard, unable to be removed by logic. "S-sports? Wh-wh-wh-what sports.. g-game...?" Apparently they played sports here. She had no idea. Of course, that wasn't really on her mind at the present time. He looked annoyed, with his furrowed eyebrows and piercing gaze. Why did everyone look so angry here? Please don't kill me. That was probably supposed to be said out loud, but she ended up staying silent instead, looking up with a terrified, deer-in-the-headlights expression. Please don't kill me.

OOC: Sorry for the wait, and for apologizing so much ( ◞﹏◟ )

Any composure she may have had was completely wilted under his intense gaze, and with her hands free, she grasped the sleeves of her jacket with shaking hands, wishing that his eyes would leave hers. Her eyes weren't completely unfocused, and she took an automatic step back when she saw his hand wave in front of her face. She was scared, but she was aware, and her own gaze came back into pure focus once he crouched down to grab her fallen book. It made her feel incredibly uncomfortable how his eyes never left her even when moving.

Though she was watching him the whole time, she yelped in surprised when he stood back up and offered her the discarded tome. Almost jumping completely out of her socks, she slowly and reluctantly reached forward and took the book from him, clutching it tightly to avoid dropping it once more. "N-n-no, th-there's n-nothing… w-w-w-w-w-wrong!" She was a bit louder than she meant to be, and she felt as if she'd collapse right then and there beneath his never-ending stare. Once he broke eye contact for an extended period, she shoved the book back in its original place on the shelf before returning to a state of scared silence. The fear of looking back at him forced her inability to maintain eye contact back up, and she was content to just stare firmly at her shoes.

OOC: I apologize for my absence, a lot has happened lately. And just a quick question, how might one regain an active status? Sorry to bother after all this time. I'm sure it must be a surprise.