[Wednseday, August 25, 2004.] [It's the passing period between seventh and eighth... uh... periods! Yeah! The halls are crowded, as usual.] [Mini Start.] * Luke is slowly walking down the hall. He's carrying an attaché case in his left hand, and he's using his right hand to balance an unmarked brown cardboard box, about the size of a VCR box, on his right shoulder. The pose looks slightly precarious. (7th and 8th? Oh dear. How far's the run from AP History to Art?) (History should be upstairs. You had to go downstairs to get your stuff, then you need to go back up to class. You get it.) * Krista doesn't have to run, then. Hooray! She does, however, need to briefly stop at her locker. Art requires things, after all. Neat things. She grabs them and heads for art! And probably towards Luke. Bustle bustle. * Luke carefully makes his way through the milling students. (... Be on time or help out the teacher. Be on time or help out the teacher...) [Luke smoothly makes his way by a small crowd of students just to have a running, dodging student of MADNESS crash straight into him. The student and Luke both end up on the ground.] * Luke stumbles, dropping the attaché case from his hand even as the box tumbles from his shoulder, hitting the ground and bursting open to spill books all over the floor. They're old, leather bound volumes, by and large, lacking dust jackets. One has VAMPYR on the cover, in large friendly letters. Another falls open, pages facing up, a woodcut illustration of a horrible horned creature adorning a page opposite text in Latin. (... Oh holy fucking Jesus. *crosses self*) * Luke instantly lunges for the attaché case, grabbing its handle. (Krista position check?) (For purposes of o_o, I'd assume I'm close?) (Yes.) [The student climbs to her feet. She's a younger one, though tallish, with hazel eyes and medium-length black hair with dyed red tips. Her skin has a healthy tan, and she's wearing the ever popular t-shirt and jean shorts combo. She has a backpack! And she looks moderately horrified. "Oh my god, I am so sorry! Are you okay?"] * Krista lets out a small gasp as Luke gets barreled into and sees things go for the ground. She slows and says, "Oh no..." and trails off with wide eyes as she looks at the books. Especially the open one. And its demonyness. And its Latin. Although the one with VAMPYR also can't help draw her attention, 'cause it's friendly. "Don't worry about it," Luke says, flashing a quick smile as he reaches out for the nearest book. ["Uh, I totally need to get to class." She waffles, but either way, she's not helping anything. "Oh man..."] [The other students just part around the small group, hurrying on their way to class.] * Luke sets the book in the box. "Go on. You don't want to miss class. I can handle things here. Carrying boxes down halls may be beyond my skills, but I can manage book gathering if I really try." He waves her toward her destination. ["Uh. Um. Okay. Sorry!" And she runs off to class, going a *little* slower this time.] * Luke picks up one of the few things that looks to have been published anytime in the last century, a monograph by a Mr. Wyndham Pryce on translating extinct languages. [Krista recognizes the girl as the same one who was playing a card game at the table nearby earlier today, during her lunch period.] * Luke sets it on top of a thick volume whose title cannot be reproduced here, as it uses an alphabet of indeterminate origin. * Krista glances at the girl briefly but her attention seems more on the books and she puts her hand to her mouth. "Oh God..." * Luke glances up at her. "Ugly, isn't he? Can you believe that people used to think things like this were real?" He flashes a grin. * Luke slams that particular book shut. * Krista manages to tear her eyes from the book to Luke, now that it's closed. "Y-yes." Beat. "Horrifying..." "Folklore's fascinating, but a lot of it's pretty damn creepy stuff." * Krista nods hesitantly, "V-very detailed imagination..." "Ever read the original versions of some faerie tales? Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White? They're worse than a slasher movie." * Luke slides across the floor a bit to reach another book, dragging the box and attache case with him. * Krista nods and her eyes flick to the VAMPYR book. "V-Vampire." She looks back to Luke. Still a bit wide eyed. "Very ornate..." "Would you like to look at it? You might find the text a bit dry." * Luke grabs Wayes Uff Thee Witche And Her Crafte just before some passing student would have stepped on it. * Krista looks back to it again. "I-I... ah, that is, I..." trails off, then says dumbly as she crouches to get closer and look at it. "What is it about?" [The stream of students is thinning out.] "Vampires." Luke collects a black book with a silver clasp holding it shut and no title or other marking, and drops it into the box. * Luke doesn't seem bothered that Krista isn't helping him. * Krista nods a little and puts her hand on the book gingerly. "Vampires, of course..." her hand trembles slightly, then she opens it slowly while saying, "I-it is a strange name for a book. I don't think I've heard of it..." * Krista crosses herself with her free hand. Oh dear. * Luke glances over at Krista. "It hasn't been published for a long time and there weren't a lot of them made." He raises an eyebrow at her crossing herself. (I figure he'd be more surprised that she's opening it. @_@) (She'd already opened it when he looked over.) (I know. ^^;) "If you're interested in vampires, you should try Dracula, though it's a bit slow paced. Or 'Salem's Lot. Stephen King started out pretty decent as a writer." * Luke picks up a book which lacks a title but has a cover engraving of a dragon. * Luke's VAMPYR book looks handwritten, in a tight cursive script. The language is English, but an archaic form, written in faded ink on browning paper. There are hand drawn illustrations of vampires wearing clothes of the middle ages. * Krista shakes her head and while looking at the first pages, says, still wide- eyed, "I-I'm not interested in vampires. Or Stephen King." She grips something that's hanging from her neck, through her blouse. "Y-you weren't kidding when you said it was old." (Aww, Krista. Lying is a sin.) "No, I wasn't." Luke shakes his head. "Please be careful with it." "It's even older than I am." ( But not as old as Katherine! Zing!) (Ba-dum ching.) (She's not interested in vampires! She's just, uh... er... well, damn. *mental confession note*) (She's not interested in "that way" in vampires.) (Well, yes. @_@) (It's more than Buffy can say.) (I'm not Buffy, Dawn, or Cordy.) (Nina?) (Nina's not a real character, and a werewolf besides, but sure, throw her in there. *cough*) [The tardy bell rings!] (She likes vampires because their stuffing tastes good.) "You need to get to class. May I have my book back, please?" Luke, still on the ground, holds out his free right hand to Krista. He's holding the case handle in his left. * Krista is sparked from her reverie by the cruel cruel bell of reality and Luke's question, and hurridly closes the book and hands it shakily to Luke. "Of course--I'm sorry." Beat. "I need to go." * Luke takes the book. "Thanks." He puts it in the cardboard box, on top of A Spotter's Guide to Demons in the American Midwest, Revised Edition. (Standard Book of American Demons? The expibrachened version?) (Expibrachened?) (Huh?) (The one without the Brachen in it!) (No Doyle.) (It was a bad Monty Python ref.) * Krista stands the second it's out of her hands and says in a halting manner, "E-excuse me, Mr. Mendel." She takes a few steps back before turning... Luke could probably get in one last line to her before she FLEES MADLY. * Luke just watches her go, then finishes collecting his books. He looks around a few times to make sure he hasn't missed any, then picks up the box again and continues on his way. * Krista flees madly! To her art class. Her near-perfect attendance, ruined ALREADY. ;_; [The first of many for Krista Larson.] [Mini End.]