You're in my world now, not your world (Tanner.)

There was nothing particularly noteworthy about this trip to the library for Tanner: after all, he spent an awful lot of time in this building, as he was passionate about his studies and longed to do well in every class. He had always been the intellectual type: he studied hard, got good grades, and tried his best to participate in class (which was hard for a shy boy like Tanner). This intellectualism and academic success came at the expense of other facets of his life, most notably the more social aspects. True, he was starting to make more friends, but he was still an introvert who was much more comfortable by himself than with others. Because of all this, the library was the perfect place for a kid like him: he could have his solitude and a quiet place to study, as well.

But apparently, the fates had something a little bit different in mind for the blonde this time.

He was walking down one of the aisles between the study tables, eyes wandering the room in an attempt to find an empty table. It was fairly crowded that day - he supposed midterms were coming up, as that was always when every other Hammel student decided that the library was the place to be (which had the adverse effect of making him not want to be there, as it became fairly unproductive when there were so many other people there) - and it wasn't likely that he was going to find a table to himself. He supposed that it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to have to share a table. Actually, this time last month he would have just turned around and left to go back to his own room. But a few weeks ago, he had decided to sit down next to a girl already at one of the tables, and they became fast friends. So maybe sharing a table wasn't the worst thing in the world?

It was during this thought process that Tanner tripped over Odion, who was crouched down to pick up his cards, and went crashing down to the floor.

Trying his best to ignore all of the snickering - and there was a lot of it - he shifted to a sitting position from his rather unceremonious position on the floor, and gazed, horrified, at the other boy. "Uh... sorry," was all he could muster. This was absolutely humiliating; he should have just gone home when he had the chance.

This was absolutely humiliating. There he was, on the floor, his books strewn about, with several other kids laughing at his clumsiness. He could have just melted into the floor then and there. For a moment, this boy - whom he did not recognize - looked like he was about to punch Tanner in the face. The blonde probably would have just taken it, gotten up, and ducked out of the library as quickly as possible. But no, suddenly the other's demeanor seemed to change, and he went ahead and picked up Tanner's books for him. Well, that was nice, but the boy - who was breathing shallowly, eyes widened in terror - could not manage to calm himself down, even as he reached out with shaky hands to take his books. "Thanks," he said simply, having no clue as to how else to respond to the boy's threat. After taking a moment to gather his thoughts and what was left of his dignity, he stood, dusting off his shorts, and headed as quickly as possible away from that area.

For a while, he roamed among the stacks, looking for a place to sit down and get his studying done. There was nowhere to be found - the place was packed. It was like everybody received some invitation or something. Moving back towards the seating area, he walked around some of the tables with as little awkwardness as he could manage; again, there was no luck, as all of the tables were full. This was terrible; he didn't want to go study in his room, he liked the library. Eventually he found an empty seat over by the corner and, beaming with pride, walked right up to it and sat down.

Right across from the boy he'd just tripped over.

"Oh, um... heh," he mumbled as he let his backpack slide off his shoulder. "Is... is this seat taken?" Of course, he was already sitting in it, but...

Tanner wasn't expecting any sort of positive reaction, but he certainly wasn't expecting what he got, either. He figured the other would just give a perfunctory nod of his head or something and let him sit there without another word. It wasn't like he was obligated to say anything at all. The boy's words, not to mention what he took as a glare, practically sent chills up the blonde's spine. "Uh, thanks..." he said awkwardly, having no idea how to respond to such a comment. It wasn't like he intentionally tripped over the redhead. What, did he crave the attention that came with making a completely and utter fool of himself in front of everyone currently at the library? Quite the contrary, the very idea horrified him. He wouldn't wish such a face upon his worst of enemies, let alone himself.

But then suddenly this kid was thanking him. Was he bipolar or something? Tanner had heard of such things, but never had he met anyone who could change his attitude so quickly and casually. Maybe that was his power... The blonde simply shrugged, but then decided that this boy was probably going out on a limb (and perhaps reluctantly) trying to start a conversation with him, so he replied verbally at length. "I seem to attract attention wherever I go," he replied with an awkward sort of half-smile. "Do you... like playing with cards? A silly question - of course he did, seeing as how he was clearly playing with them now - but he figured perhaps it was, too, a conversation starter, albeit a subpar one. "I'm Tanner, by the way." Maybe that was better.