the library.

[jamie]

sliding ladders and the whole bit.

[ems]

charlie's large, boxy glasses were sliding down her petite nose as her eyes scanned the pages of a book she was reading, one she'd randomly snatched from duntmore's shelves. she always read in a hunched over position, teeth pulling at her lower lip in anticipation. pushing her spectacles back up to her gold-flecked hazel eyes, she sighed slightly, blinking in wonder as a cloud of thin dust stirred at the faint touch of her breath against the pages.

[jamie]

ansel wandered into the library at his usual time - he came here at least once everyday in search of a new book. he was a fast reader, and needed to keep himself entertained somehow in this hellhole. thank good this library had over a million books. as he entered, he could immediately feel the presence of another person; the library was usually empty, as most of the other visitors weren't intelligent enough to enjoy reading. he gnawed on the inside of his cheek as he wandered along one of the aisles of books, pausing when his gaze landed on a girl sitting in one of the armchairs, a book in her hands. ansel furrowed his eyebrows as he watched her for a moment, his arms behind his back. "hello." he said eventually.

[ems]

charlie became so startled at the sound of ansel's deep tone that she slammed the book she was reading shut, a small, scared squeak sounding from her parted lips. "oh, you scared me!" she breathed, quickly yanking her glasses from her eyes, not particularly desiring for such an attractive boy to see her looking like a typical high school nerd. "im so sorry, you must think im bare annoying by now."

[jamie]

ansel raised an eyebrow at her sudden actions, lifting his arms and crossing them over his chest. bare annoying? what does that even mean? he took a step closer to the girl, taking a seat in the armchair adjacent to hers. "you must be new." he muttered, snatching the book from her hands and reading the cover, brushing off a bit of the dust with his fingertips. 

[ems]

charlie raised a single eyebrow, a tiny, obviously forced smile taking place on her lips. "and what's that supposed to mean?" she inquired in her thick british accent, folding her arms over her small chest. "hey! do you take everything without permission?" she snapped, leaning over to try and snatch her book back, her tiny arms flailing restlessly. "give it back you git."

[jamie]

ansel only chuckled a tiny bit, holding the book away again as she reached for it. "you're new here, as in this is your first day?" he inquired, glancing towards her again before glancing down at the cover of the book. "it's hard not to notice new people around here, my dear. duntmore rarely has new visitors, but it seems this year it is far too crowded for my liking.." he spoke, reading the title with a little scowl before tossing the book back in her direction. "that looks like a pile of nonsense."

[ems]

charlie returned his scowl, catching the book in her hands as he tossed it. he was treating it as though it had no value, when in the reality it was all the rage. "it's not nonsense! is your head full of rubbish?" she retorted, opening it to block her view of his figure, not willing to look at such an ignorant ass, although gorgeous. "yes, i just arrived. how long have you been here?"

[jamie]

ansel sighed, glancing towards the window next to their chairs, gazing out onto the garden. "sixty years, give or take. i've lost track of time." he admitted, before returning his gaze to that of the young girl sitting before him. she was quite beautiful, he took note of that. but he couldn't see anything beyond that. "i've been here since this place was built, 1894. the owner is a good friend of mine."

[ems]

charlie stared him down for a moment before parting her lips in amusement, a light laugh escaping her. she clutched her stomach, hunching over as she continued to giggle. "that's such a bloody joke! do you really expect me to believe that?" she gasped, continuing to chortle before stopping immediately. "or are you serious? you look serious. oh." scrunching up her nose, she rested her book on the table. "what the hell have you been injecting yourself with?"

[jamie]

ansel furrowed his brows as she began to laugh, tilting his head as she hunched over. "do I look like a fool to you?" he spoke calmly in a heavy french accent, not once removing his gaze from her face. "my name is ansel del fontaine." he started, leaning a little closer to her. "what is yours, hm?"

[ems]

charlie paused, narrowing her eyes in his direction, meeting his with a certain intensity. "really? how odd it is that you share the name of a deceased french king?" she leaned back into her chair, resting her hands in her lap. "is this an act? do you take me for a fool? french accent, iconic name? what's really going on here?" parting her lips slightly, she fought a tiny frown. "charlie."

[jamie]

"charlie. that was my dog's name when i was a boy. sweet little dalmatian." ansel muttered wistfully, a nostalgic smile tugging at his lips for a split second before disappearing as quickly as it'd appeared. he leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. "mon amour, i am not acting as anyone but myself. i do not take you for a fool."

[ems]

"darling," a voice sounded from across the library, a young lady appearing in charlie's vision - her age. but she was dressed peculiarly, as though she was to attend a ball styled for an old royal court that evening. she even had an intricate crown placed perfectly on the top of her head. "who is this girl?" charlie felt a lump in her throat form; she felt strangely intimidated, as though she should bow. "im charlie," she said quickly. "it's good to meet you. i hope my husband isn't being too much of a bother."

[jamie]

"it's charlie's first day here." ansel said to mary with a short nod, reaching out and sliding his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to the chair he was sitting in. he turned to charlie again. "this is my wife, mary adelaide. but we're not married." he said with a little, humorless chuckle.