Tale as Old as Time (AJ)

[Gabriel White]

Gabriel was rather happy that Marvin had grown big enough to be on his own for a while, so he got more time to himself and he didn't have to be ambused by everyone who wanted to pet his adorable little puppy. He figured he's spend the day writing in the park, and that way he could both enjoy the nice weather and do something he loved.

He hadn't really expected to meet someone new today as it was pretty early and the area around him seemed pretty empty. And in all honesty, once he got outside he realized it was way too hot to get his work done. At least outside. So thus, he decided to head towards the library.

Luckily for Gabriel, the library had a working air conditioner, so he could easily sit down here and cool himself down while getting his writing done. So, he found himself a seat, sat down and placed his laptop on his lap. Rubbing his cheek he took a glance around. The library was rather empty except for a few people wandering around. His eyes stopped at a brown haired beauty.

She was a natural beauty, that one was obvious, but her face... It was unexpectedly adorable. The way her hair curled around her face and down her back, and the way her brown eyed was shaped... She was beautiful, no one could ever deny that. ''You know, if you're looking for a good read you should check the shelf over there.'', he said and nodded towards a shelf a few rows back from where she was standing. He offered her a warm smile and chuckled, surprised at how he always seemed to meet the beautiful ones.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

AJ scanned the shelves around her, looking for a new stack of books to bring back to her dorm. Academics kept her busy enough during the term, but summer left her with a lot of extra time. She'd already been at Hammel for a year and she felt as if she hadn't made any progress. She was still afraid to really socialize with people and she still kept herself ridiculously busy so she had excuses not to. She couldn't deny that she yearned for social interaction, even if she was shy, but she was so worried about her power and her lack of control over it, that she kept to herself.

She had only one book in her hands when a voice spoke and she turned her head slightly, her brown waves flipping over her shoulder. It was a guy sitting with a laptop and he'd given her a suggestion. She quickly turned away, trying to keep herself under control. She had no idea how this guy was feeling, but she didn't want to interfere with it.

"Uhm, thanks," she mumbled, before turning awkwardly in the direction of where he was pointing, although she wasn't entirely sure what row he was talking about. She'd do anything to strike up a conversation with somebody about books, but that held a lot of risks and so she sighed to herself.

[Gabriel White]

He had to smile at the awkward personality the girl had, it was rather cute in his opinion. And seeing as she walked the wrong way he had to laugh. He turned his gaze towards the screen of his laptop, coughed loudly enough for her to hear and held his hand up to point her in the right direction. He still had a smile on his lips and couldn't help but finding the entire situation incredible adorable.

''You're welcome.'', he said with his eyes still on the laptop. Third shelf, second row to the left.'' His best guess was that a) she was the shy type who didn't really get out of her shell all that much, or b) she absolutely didn't like being talked to by strangers and found him incredible creepy.

He hoped for the first one rather than the latter as he didn't really view himself as the creepy type, but if the girl didn't want to talk, or didn't feel comfortable doing so, he wasn't going to push. But even he had to admit that he was curious to why such a beautiful girl acted the way she did.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

AJ was all sorts of flustered as she tried to find where he'd pointed to, almost tripping over her own feet. She never used to be this nervous around anybody, but now she was around everybody. Her power had stripped her confidence away and she'd let it. She realized she was probably going the wrong direction and when she heard a cough, she hesitantly looked back over at the guy with a sheepish smile because he was just grinning at her, as if he was amused. "Yeah, sorry," she told him, doing better with the verbal communication. She started in the direction, before stopping. "What kind of books are over there?" What made it his favorite aisle? Obviously he was a library veteran if he had a favorite shelf. She wanted to kick herself for asking a question because she really didn't need to get herself into a conversation she couldn't get out of.

[Gabriel White]

He didn't lift his gaze, but he still had a smile on his lips as he chuckled. ''The old, good classics.'', he replied before shifting his position in his seat. ''You strike me as a classical type of reader.'' This was actually quite the compliment because not a lot of younger people liked or had even heard about the good old classics before. ''In case you're not, I must apologize. I tend to rub my own taste in books off on others, but I guess that's what I get for being an aspiring author.'' He didn't really know if she even wanted to know, but hey, at least he was trying. He kept his gaze on the laptop in case she actually was the shy type, and any kind of eye contact would probably make it worse.

He didn't want to pressure her into anything, neither a convorsation she didn't want or books she didn't want to read, but sometimes he couldn't help himself. He had a passion for books, and sharing it was part of his natural ''charm''.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

She couldn't help but smile slightly at his answer. The classics. She thought of her bookshelf in her dorm and then of how well he was able to read her. She raised an eyebrow at his perceptive nature. "No," she said a little too quickly. "I adore the classics." Adore. Maybe this is why she never really spoke to people. At one time she used to be able to speak to people without any problem and now it was a daily struggle to raise her hand and ask to use the bathroom from her seat in the back of a classroom. She felt embarrassed at her eagerness to finally talk to somebody, especially about such a topic. What was his favorite?

She turned about halfway, so she was sort of facing him, although he was looking intently at his laptop. She couldn't really be offended, because she wasn't exactly keen on giving eye contact either. "I'm in the middle of Jane Eyre...for the third time," she admitted, her eyes shifting to her white ballet flats that were slightly scuffed. He was even an aspiring author? She understood the urge to tell everyone about the books you loved all too well and this guy in particular was making it awfully hard to just pass up the conversation like she should be, even though she knew that her powers could affect him.

[Gabriel White]

He was glad he had guessed correctly and his smile grew even wider as she spoke. ''Then that's the shelf for you.'', he said with a hint of a chuckle to his tone. ''Adore.'', he repeated. ''Cute.'' He quickly changed the topic so she wouldn't get embaressed or run away, because he had finally found someone his own age who liked the same things he did, and he didn't want to ruin it.

''Ohhh, that's a good one.'', he admitted and grinned. ''I have a taste for the romantic ones, such as Pride and Prejudice.'' He rarely ever admitted to this because a lot of people didn't seem to take too lightly on a guy who liked those kind of book. But in all honesty, the book had far too little credit than what it deserved. ''Shakespeare in love is also a good one.'', he looked up briefly and sent her a goofy looking smile. ''Oh, and Anna Karenina. That one was amazing.''

''You interested in writing yourself, or are you more of a reader?'' He really hoped she liked to write, and if she did, he had to admit defeat and thank the God's for finally showing him the girl of his dreams. He chuckled at his own thoughts and how typical it was of him to get ahead of himself. ''I'm Gabriel by the way. It's a pleasure meeting you.'' He finally dared to look up completely now, hoping she wouldn't shy way. His face was lit up in a cheerful smile as he looked at her.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

"Apparently it is," AJ agreed, shifting the books in her hand to one hand and letting the other fall slack to her side, perhaps a sign of defeat. She could do this. She could carry on a conversation without revealing she was a freak who couldn't control her powers. Did he have a power? Too many questions were running through her head and they were so loud. A small smile hinted on her lips at his liking of Pride & Prejudice. It was kind of dorky that he admitted that and she liked that about him immediately. He was going on and on and continuing to bring her literature nerd out of her. "Tolstoy..." she mumbled, recognizing the title. She hoped to go to college to be an English major...if she survived Hammel. She tried not to get too lost in literature bliss because if she did, she wouldn't be able to concentrate on not letting her powers run wild.

She nodded at his question. "I mean, I write..." Her hand subconsciously went to her book bag slung over her shoulder where her journal was tucked inside. "Sort of..." It wasn't as if she let anybody read it. Then he looked up at her and she did all she could not to look away. She'd been told that she was doing okay in controlling her powers, but she wasn't so sure. "I'm AJ, nice to meet you too."

[Gabriel White]

Gabriel grinned as she mentioned that she also was a writer, even if she was shy about it or didn't do it for others than herself he had to admit it was admiring. He wondered if this was how he looked in other people's eyes? She had his full attention by now and he couldn't seem to get that foolish smile off his face. ''That's pretty cool.'' He understood how it felt being shy about what was writting in your own journal, he had also started out that way.

He stood up and walked over to the shelf he had tried pointing out before. ''If you look close enough you'll find treasures.'', he said with a chuckle and pointed out a few of the books he had mentioned before. He rubbed his neck and cocked his head slightly to the side. ''I got a lot of my inspiration from reading books like this. It's what made me want to write things I see and experience.'' And that was the truth. That's what he liked to write; His view of the world and the people in it.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

Pretty cool. Ha, maybe it wasn't so bad that he was just making simple conversation. AJ could handle that. But when he got up and walked over to her and the shelf he had mentioned, she moved slightly away from him, as if being near him would cause an explosion of some sort. Her eyes landed on the shelf and some of the books he was pointing out. Subconsciously, she reached out, running her fingers along the bindings of the books. "I think that's how it is lots of times. Most writers are readers first...you get inspired to create something...something as amazing as those you read did." She was inspired by reading and by...her life and experiences. For a shy girl like her earning the title of "slut" after two weeks of her power malfunctioning, it sure was interesting.

[Gabriel White]

He nodded in agreement, happy that it seemed like she had opened up a little and felt slightly more comfortable, but he figured he shouldn't push her too far so he pretended he didn't take notice to her moving away. ''Yeah, you're absolutely right. I couldn't agree more.'', he said with another nod and chuckled. She was pretty smart this shy girl.

Everyone had a story, as much had Gabriel learned through life, and even if something didn't seem as big to others, it could mean the world to some. He was really curious as to exactly what had made this intelligent and bright girl so shy, but he was probably better off now dwelling on it. ''Do you write publicly, or is it more a private kind of work?''

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

"I guess that's why I love reading so much, because...it makes me want to write. They go hand in hand for me," AJ said with a shrug, her hand still running along the binding of the books before she plucked one from the shelf, a title he had mentioned and put it on top of her small stack of books she'd started to collect. "It's more...private. I mean, I guess I could share it with the right people, but it's just a bunch of...random writings."

She started many things, most of them were journal entries of her own, but they might as well be a novel. Nothing like a teenage girl complaining about her not so normal life. "What do you write?" she asked, taking a chance.

[Gabriel White]

Yeah, he could agree with what she said without hesitation, and it amazed him how similar they were. It was nice, meeting someone who understood completely where he was coming from and even shared the same passion as himself. It was intruging and it made him want to talk to her even more. And really, he wasn't much of a lustful person, so she wouldn't have to be afraid her powers would cause a reaction like that. If her powers even would cause anything, it'd just make him more eager to talk about books and find her even more facinating than what he already did. ''Yeah, I can relate.'', he said with a sigh. He too had started out writing in private and it had taken him quite some time before he was ready to share some of his work.

He ran his fingertips over the shelves and shook his head. ''Well, it started out as small chapters of what was happening in my life. My own thoughts and feelings. Then it expanded into being about the world around me, what I saw and who I met. The way people acted and why they acted the way they did. Like, how I saw it at least.'' He was rambling and figured it'd be easier to just show her. He walked over to his backpack and pulled out a small, brown book. He opened it and handed it to her. ''HERE, it's easier if I just show you.'', he chuckled.

[Amanda Joy "AJ" Lane]

To AJ's surprise, she actually found herself relaxing with him and easing into the conversation. She liked to think she could read him well enough to know that he was just eager and passionate about reading right now and any effects her power could have would only heighten that. While she felt uncomfortable with her power affecting people in any way at all, it wasn't a negative effect that would hurt her or him, so she found herself letting go a bit, despite the fact that she really didn't know him all that well.

"I think it's just something about...the fact that they're my words...you know? I mean, I'm not speaking them, but they're there, on paper...for everyone to see. It exposes you, you know? Writing is so...intimate." Her own use of the word made her slightly cringe inside, as it was something she was so uncomfortable with. Writing was raw and real and her words were there, naked, for everyone to judge. "Maybe my comparison...is a bit...odd," she said suddenly, her cheeks reddening.

She listened to him speak and nodded and when he handed over his book, she took it gingerly in her hands, balancing her stack of books in the other to read it. It felt so personal, him handing over his own notebook and she wondered how he could do such a thing, but her eyes landed on the page nonetheless and she read carefully, learning who he was through the words. "So, you moved here....to do your own thing? To make your own life?"

[Gabriel White]

''No, no. It's not odd at all. Believe me, I get it.'' He really did. Just a year ago he had been in her exact position. He had been so insecure about his writing and deathly afraid to feel exposed like this. Now though? He didn't care. If people didn't like his writing he'd respect that. Each to their own, right? ''But sometimes it's good to get it out there, it's kind of a relief. Just the feeling of not having to hide anymore...'', he said and smiled. He didn't want to push her, she had to move at her own pace, both with her shyness and her writing.

Gabriel's face lit up into a huge grin and he nodded. ''Yeah. Pretty much. And believe me, it's been amazing.'' He let a chuckle slip out of his lips and ran his hand through his curly hair. He enjoyed the way the conversation was going, and he was happy to have found someone with the same love and passion for books and letters as he had. ''So, what about you? What's your story? I don't mean to pry or anything, and I'll totally understand if you don't want to answer the question.'', he assured her with a soft smile.