An Unconventional Meeting (Salem)

[Mychal Doherty]

Mychal loved the library at Hammel, it felt like much more than a library here. It had the usual things that a library had of course; books on shelves namely, but it also held a sense of something more, it felt almost magical to him. He didn't know why, that's just the feeling he got whenever he entered this place. The gigantic victorian looking library housing it's thousands upon thousands of books, each and every one designed to tell a different story, all with their own lessons to be taught. Both normal and meta authors alike lined these shelves, he could almost feel their voices speaking to him through those covers.

He wasn't here for any particular reason this day, he just felt like touring the library, and seeing what more it had to offer. Up until now he hadn't spent much time in this place, but he was rectifying that mistake now. Libraries have always been somewhat of a sacred place to Mychal over the years, and it was always the fantasy and science fictions sections that caught his eye most. The fantastical worlds that the authors created out of their imaginations never ceased to amaze him. Mychal could stay up for hours on end doing nothing more than reading, he had done that before; immersing himself in worlds where dragons roamed the lands, or voyages into space took perilous turns. He never could seem to get enough of the fictional tales these authors could dream up, and now it was even better, because he himself was in a sort of fictional world now. At least that was how he had viewed it until his own powers had activated. It had never felt completely real to him, meta-humans and the world that went along with them; he had seen them on tv, and heard of them, but had never personally came in contact with any meta-humans, so of course this world felt fake to him before.

He had been walking along a shelf in the fantasy section, and stopped when he noticed a familiar title. Mychal reached for and pulled the book from it's shelf, and then ran his fingers along the title "Heir of Stone". It was the third book in the Cloudmages trilogy, and was by far his favorite of the three. Taking the book with him he walked over to one of the comfy plush chairs in the lounge area. He sat down and opened the book to his absolute favorite part, and began to read it again for the fourth time.

The words still gave chills to him as he read them, this author truly was talented, how else could he get chills from reading something over a fourth time? 'Man that would be awesome if I could do that.' He thought after reading the familiar section, a crooked grin appearing on his face.

[Salem Hirch]

Even in his state of perpetual angry these days, Salem still enjoyed his books and the library. It was an escape still. Even if it was one that didn't really work anymore. The smell of a book would normal calm his wild mind, but not since Aiden passed. It was as if even his mind didn't really care what he did anymore, like it had almost been shut off. It had for awhile though. Salem had tried everything to bring it back online. Picking fights, getting in trouble, flirting like crazy...more than flirting. Nothing seemed to work.

In another fit of rage, he had ripped up his math homework and headed down to the library. Seeking solace in its walls of books. Most of the time he was alone in his kingdom of words, but today...someone had invaded.

Salem was hiding in a silent little corner of the Library, when he had heard the doors open. Quickly, he scurried to a deeper hiding spot, so as not to be seen. Oh, he could still see whomever was out there, but he was well hidden. He watched the boy stroll through the books and finally picked one up nearby. As he walked away, Salem came out from his hiding spot and followed. Something about him caught the illusion projector's attention. Was it the book? No. Was it, that the guy obviously liked to read? No. The answer was pretty simple really. The boy was cute.

That's how Salem's mind had been acting lately. If a guy was cute, flirt and hit on him. If they returned the flirting, see how far he could go with it. Silently, he watched the other male reading as he slowly inched closer. He had no idea what he was reading, but it didn't really matter at that moment, he just wanted to get closer. Then he was close enough to notice the grin on the other's face and hence seized his opportunity to speak. "Good book huh?" He spoke softly as he peered over the back of the couch at him. He wasn't directly behind him, but just off to the side. A little smirk on his own face.

[Mychal Doherty]

Just as was finishing reading his favorite section in the book, he got the feeling that someone was watching him and began approaching. However, he didn't lift his head from the book, he wanted to see what this person would do. During his time here so far at Hammel, he had learned that most people here were far from typical, especially with how they approached. So when the person, who turned out to be a boy, spoke and asked him a simple question about the book, he actually raised his eyebrows a little. 'Wow, going with the simple question method for introductions? Didn't see that one coming.' He thought to himself before answering the boys question a second later, though he didn't lift his head from the book yet while answering, "You could say that." He said with a chuckle. Still keeping his head down, and still grinning he said, "I think this section has to be one of my favorite pieces of literature I've ever read." His eyes shifted back to the beginning of the section yet again to read it once more, but then he decided he shouldn't push his luck much farther. He didn't know if they guy would take it as rude that he hadn't looked at him yet.

So, a second later he closed the book, lifted his head, and then looked at the newcomer that had spoken to him. Still holding a grin on his face he said, "The section is so filled with vengeance that you can practically feel the internal sigh of satisfaction the author held as he wrote it. As if, up until that point, he had been holding back." He looked away for a second, and then looked back at the boy and gave a mock shiver, "Ooh." He said and grinned, "Gives me chills every time."

While he had been speaking he had been carefully studying the boy. He was handsome, seemed to be good natured, friendly; however, there was something else to him. Maybe it was the smirk? Or maybe it was the almost reclusive way he approached Mychal, with watching eyes first. Whatever it was, he felt as if there was something a little off about him, something...unstable. "You ever read something like that?" He asked, all the while friendly smiling, "Something, that no matter how many times you read it, still feels like it's the first time you've ever even opened the cover?"

Maybe he was reading him too much, and not just enjoying the company. He hoped he wasn't becoming the scrutinizing type. The type that felt like everyone had an agenda, he didn't like those types, and he definitely didn't want to become one.