Late Night Reading. [Open!]

[masondarque]

A somber shadow moved silently through one of the many halls Shifter Academy had to offer. It belong to that of Mason Darque, a new teacher here, but most definitely not the last. He had just finished moving all of his belongings into his dorm, which was no easy task. Especially when your doing it by yourself. He had sat there for a while, peering at all the boxes, and the mountain of paperwork he was to get through before his classes started in the following week. With a scotch in hand, he had just reclined onto his couch, wondering when all of it would be sorted. Not tonight. No, he had another idea in mind, one that sounded much better to taste.

And so, here he was, making his way to the grand library. One of his favorite places in any given area. He loved his books. To look at Mason, you would never pick it. But it is a true factor, and he would never deny it. He loved how they could take him away, even for a moment. He couldn't imagine life without them. Nothing beats curling up, scotch and book in hand, and escaping reality. On this particular night, he felt a slight urge for the odd romance.

It was late, and he doubted anyone would be around at this time. With his stomach warm from the alcohol, and a silly smile on his face, he wondered on, only stopping briefly to look at the various artwork that showered the walls. He noticed it was rather cold tonight, and found himself asking nobody in particular why he hadn't put a jumper on over his singlet. Sure his trackies were warm, but his arm hairs rippled in protest as a cool breeze swept down the hall. At last, Mason reached the large doors that stood between him and towers of books. Pausing, he held an ear close to it, listening for any signs of life. Being a Hawk shifter, his hearing was exceptional. With only the faint whirring sounds of left on computers, Mason entered the library quickly, letting the door shut behind him.

Green hawk-like eye's peered at the scene before them. Hundreds upon hundreds of books beckoned at him, reaching out for him to caress there velvety hides. He felt like a kid in a candy store. But what to read? Shuffling through aisle upon aisle, Mason found the section he was looking for. A thick finger traced over book spines, only to stop on one in particular. The bridges of Madison County.With a soft 'Hmn' of agreement, he pulled the book out to examine it closer. With a nod of his head, Mason knew it was the one for the night. It was one of his many favorites, albeit being just one of a couple romances. It was a best seller in it's time, and it was written so tastefully, Mason could read it over and over again. Flicking to the first page, Mason leaned against the shelf behind him, seeping in the first paragraph. He hadn't intended to get caught up in reading in the actual library, but an hour and a few chapters by, he could still be seen in there, however he now was sitting comfortably in one of the lounge chairs.

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[Rose Graham]

It was later, later than Rose should be out. But when did she care about time? It was worthless to bend down to time. Time was an imaginary mindset, nothing that could hurt or punish. The only reason people followed time was because there were actual people and things that could hurt and punish if their time was not followed. But for Rose? Though she couldn't control it, time was inferior to her.

The library was dark, well, not completely. The harsh overhead lights, burning brightly during the day, were dimmed, but the lights directly over the isles were still on. It almost gave the library a eerie feel. But as long as Rose could see, it didn't matter which light was on. Maybe it was the harsh vision of the wolf within her, but she could see as clear as if every light was on her. Rose was in the middle of an aisle near the back, hunched over a thick book. Many other books were scattered around her.

Rose was in a loose gray hoodie, her curled hair pulled back in a loose ponytail; she was still in her jeans from the day. Rose bit her lips as her eyes skimmed over a passage in a medical textbook. Her left shoulder throbbed, and she put her right hand over it absentmindedly. As she touched it, she winced, and a horrible flashback came into her mind. Dark, wild eyes, the quiet forest and being shoved against tree, tree after tree. Dragging herself out of the forest and going to her room, refusing to go to any authority. Sometimes she blessed the heavens she majored in medicine. That . . . was one of those times. She had been constantly healing it herself, but today there was something she couldn't figure out. A certain pain and a certain bleeding. A bruise that hadn't gone away. Nothing she remembered and nothing that she could find in her books. She hoped she could hold out until the next day to go to the library, but the pain had gotten worse, and so that was why she was in the library so late.

Scribbling furiously on a piece of paper, she was copying pieces of information she found. Then she stopped. The door had opened, and she could hear footsteps. Rose stopped cold, her pencil frozen mid-sentence. The walking continued, getting closer . . . and turned into another aisle. She wanted to breath a sigh of relief, but didn't dare. She didn't know how long she had been sitting there, tense and wondering. It was killer her shoulder, and she started to feel the cuts and bruises on her arms and legs more distinct. When she felt she was a little safe, she continued copying down the passage, but very cautiously. Rose wanted to continue searching, but she didn't want to make too much noise. As quietly as she could, she started putting the library books in a neat pile, pushing them against the shelf. Hey, she would come and put them back later. Gathering the books she had brought, she sat and listened again. It had been a long time, and she wondered if she had just missed the other person leaving.

But she was still silent. Ignoring the pain, she got up slowly, hugging her books to her chest. She hadn't worn shoes, her socks muffling any sound against the floor. Looking at the edge of the library, it was slightly dark. Biting her lip, she decided to weave through the lit aisles, eliminating the chance of tripping over stray chairs. The more she went through the library, the more confident she was that the other person had left. She went to the outskirts and made it far, but when she almost ran into a table, she decided to go back to the aisles. As she turned the corner to an aisle, she ran right into another person.

The shock pushed her back, making her drop her books and stumble onto a table. A gasp escaped her lips, but she soon covered it. Looking at the other person, she suddenly pegged him as a teacher. Oh, great.


[ooc: this one intrigued me, so I jumped on it (: ]

[masondarque]

Slight shuffling movements sounded in Mason's ears. He did not move however, his position still poised, his eyes still trained on the book. Someone was here in the library with him, his stance portrayed that he didn't know, but he did. Cocking his head to the left, he cracked his neck softly, he hadn't noticed how uncomfortable it had gotten from sitting so awkwardly for such a long time.

Thick fingers tapped on the front of the book he was holding, waiting for the silent wanderer to reveal themselves. With a twitch of his nose, he sensed confusion, and that was amplified as the footsteps went back and forth, obviously looking for an escape route. His senses also picked up that she was female, and quite a bit younger than himself. A student. One would question what she was doing here so late, after all, there should be some sort of time schedule. Especially for after hours. A small smile popped onto his features as the movements came closer, almost like unsuspecting prey toward its miserable end. However, this situation was far from such detail.

Quicker and quicker the female moved, and he was sure that she was just about to pop out of the darkness in front of him. To some degree, that statement was true. With a loud crack, the girl had collided with him. He was burly enough, and the impact had not affected him. However the young girl was not so lucky. She flew backward, coming to rest on a nearby table. Both their books had scattered about them in a muddling mess, forcing Mason to squat down and fix them up. He stared up at Rose, his green eye's gleaming with a hint of amusement.

"You alright, Miss?"

He asked her, softly. His voice was deep, yet coated in a thick calm that portrayed no threat, or anger in any way. Shoving his own book in his back pocket, the Teacher regained his standing position, placing her books beside her on the table. Her facial expression told him everything, she wasn't very pleased to see him. In a way, Mason understood why. Offering her a warm smile, Mason crossed his arms, with one hand caressing his chin. His clothing attire wasn't exactly the proper thing to wear in front of a student, his rippling biceps causing an almost intimidating display. His cheeks flourished with a little color in embarrassment, whilst he raised his brows at her in wait for a response.

[Rose Graham]

Rose should have known. She could never do anything potentially sneaky without disaster. Her whole left side testified of that point. Some would think that she would have learned by now, but she didn't. Tonight was always that night, the night she would be able to do it. But it wasn't. She would think it would be a next time, and then it wasn't. Life was a cursed cycle. If you don't know that, you're in for an interesting life.

It was obvious he knew she was in there the whole time. Stupid Rose. This should have been the first possibility. She should have just left when she first heard somebody. Run out and pass them with no greeting. That should have been done. Now he had a face to put to her actions, and she had a face to avoid. Whether that was good or bad was the question running through her mind. Actually, there was a lot of things running through her mind. But that was the prominent thought.

It was obvious that he didn't expect anybody, as she wasn't. He swept down and picked up her books so quickly she didn't have time to get off the table. As he set them down, she smelled alcohol on his breath. It shocked her. She couldn't find a reason, though. Rose hated alcohol herself, but it was worthless to hate people who drank. It was their choice. Her hands gripped the side of the table, her nails scratching the underside of the table.

After pegging him a teacher, she couldn't decide who he was. He must have been new. Rose didn't know all the teachers personally, but she did know most of the faces. Being here for five years, she should have know most faces. Whether or not she liked those faces was a whole different matter all together. A completely different matter.

When her wandering mind finally focused back, she realized she had been staring blankly at the guy. And she had been glaring at the guy no less. Not surprising, since that was the general look when she met somebody. The wolf inside of her didn't trust anybody until they proved themselves, protecting the pack as much as possible. And the pack right now was strictly her. But as long as it had something to protect, it did just that.

Rose blinked and went to run a hand through her hair, a constant habit of hers when she was stressed or just thinking, but realized her hair was in a ponytail. To not look weird, she ran a hand across her eyes instead. Rose was tired, Rose was cranky. "I'm fine," she said, none too kindly. She meant to get up, but her entire body throbbed, and so she decided that she would rather look like an idiot than be asked what was wrong and come up with a lie.

[masondarque]

Mason's brows lifted slightly higher as Rose pretty much spat her response at him. He wasn't aware teachers were so revolting. Kids these days. No respect for anyone else but themselves. It was quite sad really, and with a small shake of his head, Mason questioned whether he should just bid her a goodnight and leave her be. But with a single tap on his chin from a solitary finger, curiosity set in and he decided to stay.

"I'm alright, too. Thanks for asking."

He joked, offering an amused laugh to ease the tension he could smell falling off the young girl. Quite intriguing to look at, Mason wondered why Rose seemed so self conflicted. She had an air of confidence about her, but that was muffled by such confusion. She just stood there, hunched over, unwilling to move for whatever reason. Her expression seemed almost blank, but her eye's, told another story. She was searching. Searching for something, something so far out of her reach- it was a wonder why she was even looking. He had sensed her distaste when he drew close to her, and this was something Mason did not understand. Little did he know it was only because of the scotch that coated his tongue.

"Mason Darque." New teacher here, if you hadn't already guessed."

Another chuckle, and Mason extended his hand toward hers, proposing a proper greeting. However, after his chuckle trailed off, a nagging feeling submerged in his mind, he wasn't really comfortable sticking around anymore. Prying eye's could get the wrong impression of this chance meeting. It was very late, he was under the influence, and it may not end all too well. Stepping away from Rose before she could respond, he messed with some left out books on a desk nearby. His stance was now serious, the small smile on his face had disappeared, his brows now slightly furrowed.

"What are you doing out of your dorm at such a late hour, young lady?"

His tone had also, changed. It was still deep, but more firm. Talk about total personality switch. Perhaps he should have been this way in the first place, if this had happened any other time other than after hours, it would have been suitable to be a little more friendly. Walking further away yet, Mason went from aisle to aisle, putting the abandoned books back where they belonged. Finally he returned to Rose, pushing in the chair he had been sitting on. Green eye's peered at her again, themselves questioning, waiting yet again for an answer.

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[Rose Graham]

The pain was subsiding, and Rose's hands relaxed a little, not gripping the table so hard. She realized what an awkward position she was in, and in many ways. One, her position on the table was rather awkward, being half on and half off it. And, of course, the social situation she was in was extremely awkward. Walking out now would be pointless and rude. Rose was worried more about the pointless part than the rude, but both of them were a problem. She didn't enjoy his sarcasm, but she should've not minded it, considering the heavy load of sarcasm she carried herself.

Mason Darque. Definitely a new teacher. Rose had never heard the name until now. But she had been a little busy lately, so maybe she had heard it--just not registering it. Nothing was registering lately. What was wrong with Rose? This wasn't the Rose the wolf knew, and it was pacing anxiously, telling her to snap out of it and focus on the task at hand.

The task at hand. What was the task at hand? Get out without making a fool of herself, or just trying to get out, not caring about looking like an idiot? But the wolf never backed down from a fight. Granted, this wasn't a fight, but it was a verbal contest in her brain, and it was enough to intrigue the animal inside her. Rose gave in, and stayed.

His almost action confused Rose, the sudden change in direction was like her slight change when she went from hair to eyes. But there was something more to this one, like he wanted to be friendly, but something was stopping him. (He didn't even give her time to respond with her name before grabbing books and turning around, which she was a little happy about.) She shook her head, not wanting to try and figure something in the other person's actions this late at night. It could end horribly, as it had many times before. She wasn't in the mood.

The sudden seriousness was a hit to Rose. Leaning back a bit was the natural reaction, as if defensive. Did she do something wrong? Probably just being at the library at that time was something wrong. "What are you doing out of your dorm at such a late hour, young lady?" He was putting books on the shelf, walking further and further away. She only had seconds to make up a believable lie. The only one she could think of was a foolish and flimsy lie, but it needed to work. He was already back.

"I was gone from a class today, and if I don't get a paper to the teacher before class tomorrow, it will kill my grade," she said, harsh blue eyes meeting his green. Her face was set, nothing giving away the lie. Rose had years of practice. "I fell asleep this afternoon, and so I had to come in late to finish it up."