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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
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 Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 7:07 pm
Elzo's favorite place in all of Destiny city had to be the book store. In fact, he was pretty sure he spent more time there then he did at his dorm. Sometimes, he wondered if the workers got mad at his ritual habit of taking a book, finding an unoccupied isle, and sitting down to read. Sure bought a book every so often, but, mostly, he'd just sit about and read.
And today was just like any other day in such a sense. His jacket lay forgotten to his side, and his face was obscured due to the fact he was quite literally sticking his nose in the book. Today's choice of literature? A spin off of the Classic Frankenstein. This version was written by one of Elzo's favored authors, and half way through, he had yet to even look up.
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Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 7:29 pm
Bri plucked a couple books from a nearby shelf and after examining each carefully placed them all back in their respective places. She snatched up another book. This one was more her style. It was a collection of black and white photography. She flipped through the book and satisfied left to go find the literature section. Her brother had asked her to pick up a book he needed for class and she had obliged, if only because he had given her a ride down here.
She navigated through the store easily, having visited it enough to know the layout. She was in auto-pilot mode, her thoughts elsewhere only vaguely noting the overhead signs labeling the genre of books. Then her quick pace completely halted as her left foot collided with something on the floor. At first, as she tried to steady herself, she thought it must have been a stack of books, but it was in fact a boy. The thick hard-covered photography book that she had been carefully balancing in one hand slid from her grip and narrowly missed hitting the boy. An inch more and it would have clipped his shoulder.
Bri stood in shock, like watching everything in slow motion. She managed to steady herself and not crush the boy. She quickly reached for her book, her face flushed. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking, I, ah, hope you aren’t hurt?” She stood awkwardly to the side, fixing the strap of her laptop bag that was digging into her shoulder.
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
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Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 8:09 pm
He didn't react when he felt someone step into him, it had happened before. So his nose remained buried. That is, until he heard a very lound 'thunk' next to him. Looking over, he noticed a rather large, (and no doubt heavy) photography book laying quite close to his person, spine bent and pages askew. "...." His face remained a bit impassive, not quite fully registering what had just occurred, at least until he heard some one address him from above.
She was pretty. She was cute. And she had that 'I'm helpless' vibe coming from her, (or so Elzo thought). And...maybe...Maybe she was single! "I'm perfectly fine miss. But, I think it's a bit of my own fault, after all, I was sitting a bit obscured in the isle. Mhmm..." Picking up the book and he stood, he noticed that the book's spine was indeed, now slightly bent. "You might need to pick up another copy of this. The spine broke. Pity too, it's a damn good book." he sighed and then inspected her a bit more closely. "...You don't look like much of a photographer. Are you just getting it for an art class?"
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Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 8:31 pm
Her face sunk even more, she had ruined the book. It was just her luck really. Bri would have bet a million bucks the bus would be late later too, just because it felt like that kind of day. Ah well, not much she can do now. The boy with the deep blue eyes kept calling her “miss” and Bri briefly wondered if he thought she was older, or maybe he was just really polite. She raised her eyebrows, the sides of her mouth turned down.
“First off, please don’t call me miss, Bri is fine. Second, what do I look like then, if not a photographer, which I do consider myself to be?” She wasn’t sure if she should be offended or if it was a good thing. Usually she has her old SLR camera around her neck on a thick embroidered strap, but she didn’t take it today because she was going to browse, grab a book or two, and then go straight home. Her small digital camera was tucked in a small gap between her bag and laptop though and slightly pushed out the fabric on the side.
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
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Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 11:41 pm
With out missing a beat, Elzo offered her the now bent book. "You look like a cute girl who's having a bad day." He gave her his best smile, (it was more of a dopey grin). "And that's hardly a good thing now is it? I bet you look a lot cuter when you smile." Internally, he was giddy. She hadn't run off or shooed him away yet! He briefly wondered if his joy showed on his face. "So Bri the cute photographer, are you seeking photography in the professional sense or in the hobby sense?" he suddenly remembered while she had given him her name, he had yet to give his."By they way, I'm Elzo, Elzo Xanis. Sorry I didn't say that sooner."
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Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 7:38 am
Wow, this kid was….jovial. Really, he was quick to answer, politely, ask questions, politely and even offer her what looked like genuine smile. Bri was a little overwhelmed, were people generally this nosey. His flattery had her cheeks reddening again. She wasn’t used to receiving complements mostly because she generally avoided people and she wasn’t sure if she liked them much. Bri reached for the book, plucking it from his offered hand.
He had her tongue tied, so she opted to not respond to any of his praise, “Oh I’m not sure what I’d like to do, but portraits are my favorite.” Her expression softened. “And doing travel photography would be exciting. But getting to your point, yes I think I would like to take it to the professional level.” She gave him a quick nod in response to his name.
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
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Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 8:58 pm
"Going to go pro huh? Bet you have a good SLR camera then. Or, are you more into the new digital stuff?" He had dabbled in photography briefly. After about a week of dealing with a darkroom, he had given up. "I tried it once and..well...I found I don't like the smell of chemicals. Point and shoots are much better for my purposes." Shrugging, Elzo grabbed his book from the floor. "Do you want me to help you find another copy? It's kind of my fault it got a bit scuffed in the first place." Looking around, he noticed that no nearby books were about photography. "I'd recommend a book on photography and Vietnam. Considering the impact it had on the world and the war, it's quite a fascinating subject." He smiled and moved towards the reference isle. "But, most themes of photography are."
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Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 8:17 am
She nodded, following behind him. “I like the darkroom. I’ve gotten much faster at everything now then when I first started. I used to be horrible at rolling my film and then it would develop wrong where the film touched together. You get used to the chemicals. Sorta” She shrugged. “I use digital for school and annoying family things.” She kept up with Elzo, walking to the side of him.
“It really was my fault, I was spacing out.” Bri was lucky this kid was good-natured; she could have really pissed someone off running into them like that and nearly dropping a book on their head. She listened to him intently, “Sounds good.” She’d never been into wars: games, movies, or books, but why not, it was photography right and probably very good.
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
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Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 8:02 pm
Elzo chucked, "Cool. One good thing is that you don't end up smelling like chemicals at the end of the day, so, It's pretty cool. It just wasn't my thing." With a shrug, he looked around for the correct isle, stopping briefly to sneer at the romance section. "And it wasn't your fault. I'm a bit of a space case...or so I'm told. I just get to into things you know? Block the rest out. It's gotten my into trouble before." Another shrug. "Here we goooooooooo." He kept the 'o' long as he looked up and down for the particular book her mentioned.
Looking up, he noticed it was out of general reach, thankfully, he could still grab the spine and pull it down.
"Hmm...It can get pretty graphic though, given the nature of the pictures. Maybe this book is better..." He pulled a new copy of Bri's earlier book. "It's kinda...nasty really." Shaking his head, he simply put the book down on an empty shelf space.
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Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2009 9:20 am
“Mmmm..I know how that goes. Of course often times I’m am purposely blocking out everything else.” She followed his eyes across the book shelf, stopping at one or two titles before returning her gaze to the book he had just pulled out by the bottom of the spine.
“I see.” Bri laughed. She wasn’t going to argue with him, if he thought it was a little too grotesque then she’d believe him. She stared at the book he just placed on the shelf and finally cradled it in one arm; she was not going to drop this one! She stared at the floor, not really sure what to say next, then decided she should be going. Of course having run into Elzo she forgot to pick up her brother’s book. “Actually, I have to go pick up a copy of Beowulf for someone. A…” She hesitated, glancing up to see his reaction, “would you like to walk with me there?” That sounded lame, she told herself. “I kinda collided with you and forgot what I was supposed to be doing.”
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
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Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2009 2:29 pm
Was she..hitting on him? Oh whatever gods were looking down on him, they must be smiling! (He knew he was at least.) So far, it didn't seem like she had a boyfriend, or, well...Elzo was quite sure it really wasn't intentional flirting. She did seem a bit lacking in...experience? Yeah. Experience.
"Beowulf? Do you know which type of copy? You've got the 'translated' version, which really is the version meant for kids and retards who are too lazy to read the whole thing. Then you've got the classic with footnotes, so you don't get totally confused. And then you could get the copy that's put into a storyline format. So..do you know what kind of copy he needs? heck, it could be a school edition." Blinking, he realized he had kind of gone off with his mouth again. Heck she probably already knew all this stuff! "Uh..well...um..." he tried to think of a recovery for his blunder. "I'll walk with you." Lamest. Recovery. Ever.
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Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2009 4:31 pm
Bri looked lost for a moment, only a moment though, and then she nodded, still a little flushed from her earlier lack of vocabulary or flare, and started walking. More like speed-walking, a bad habit of hers when she wanted to get away, which, really contradicted the request that Elzo accompany her. Her brother didn’t specify what copy of Beowulf he needed. Actually Bri was positive he probably didn’t even know which copy he needed himself. She sighed; he was just going to have to take whichever one she brings him.
“Of all the things my brother is, he isn’t that stupid. I mean really, do people actually need the translated one? It’s kinda sad they can’t appreciate the classic writing. I really don’t know which one he needs though. I’d call him but he’s probably at practice.” She seemed to be talking mostly to herself as they neared the section. Elzo was correct in his multi-versions assumption. She eyed the shelf wearily. “I’ll just get him the storyline one. He can return it later if it doesn’t work. He’ll probably use sparknotes for most of it anyways.”
Then silence ensued. Bri had all she needed and should get going. She turned to face the boy. “Well, it was very good meeting you…” Her words dropped off. She then turned her attention to her bag, and fished around inside until she pulled out a piece of used lined paper. Tearing an edge Bri scribbled down something. She offered the paper to the boy. “My number, and e-mail. Encase you’d, you know if you’re bored or something, would like to hang out.” The paper read in cat-scratch writing, “Briella Johnson” her number and then her e-mail, “shutterbug223@gogono.com." Bri wasn't sure what in the world she was doing, and was tempted to stuff the paper back into the her bag, but then she'd look even more stupid.
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
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Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2009 9:39 pm
"Yeah. The story format is pretty easy on it's own, but, I still say it's best to read it in it's original format, just so you get to know it that much better." He paused, eyes lingering on a comic book version of the story. He had to give them props for trying he guessed. But...comics did hold a bit more interest then a hundred year old epic with vague and obscure words.
And as the silence filled the air, he felt..a bit thrown. Elzo was...well he was shocked, to say the least. He hadn't even asked for her number, let alone her e-mail address! She didn't seem to be hitting on him at least, but, asking for a general sign of friendship. In a way, he was kinda happy. He didn't have many friends, and even less were intellectuals. Fumbling in his own pocket, he realized he had no pen or paper. "Um..do you want my info? I don't have a pen or paper handy is all." He smiled a bit weakly. It just wasn't something he carried around, (though, he really should).
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Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 10:51 am
“Ugghhh yeah.” She dug around her bag again, finding the same pencil as before and another scrap of paper, this time an old receipt for a soda at a local hot-dog stand, she offered them to the boy. “That’s all I’ve got but there is nothing on the back so it’ll work.”
Bri wasn’t entirely sure why she gave him her information. Maybe it was the way he eased through conversation. Where it took Bri a few moments to contemplate if what she wanted to say was worth saying, he seemed to just go at it. And he was very nice. She had almost killed him with her book after all and he just got up and offered to find her a new one. She would never had done that.
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
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Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:18 pm
After scribbling down his contact information, he offered her pen back along with the receipt. "I tent to ignore my cell, so, e-mail or IM is better. I also put down my dorm number if you really can't get my cell or IM. Just a word of warning. If you do call the dorms, make sure you tell them it's about like...a study group or something. Otherwise, the guys at the office will chew you out for 'wasting time'. They don't take kindly to girls calling the boys dorms you know?" He shrugged.
"Some stories are that even guy's moms get chewed out for calling. But yeah, anyway..." He waved his novel in hand. "If I don't pick up my cell, send me an IM." Looking at the register, he began to walk over. "See you around Bri!"
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