Mountains of books | tag: anyone

After rereading her own books a thousand times, it was safe to say, Rapunzel was feeling a little excited about the new book store that had just opened a few streets away from the academy. She slightly skipped down the street and towards the book store, feeling glad that the braid, Meg had completed for her, was still intact. She opened the door, a little bell chiming as she entered. She gazed around in amazement at all the different genres of books and grinned widely. She rushed around, mostly hanging around the fiction area, since non-fiction didn't really hold her attention for that long. She sat on the ground with a pile of books near her feet, flipping through the pages to get a feel for the story before deciding which ones to borrow or purchase.

Vlad was rather intrigued by the new book store in town. He had been hoping to find something good to read. It was true that he could always read books from the library, but it wasn't the same as getting a book he could read at his leisure.

Lifting her head up once a cool breeze ran through, she spotted the Count wander in and smiled. "Hey!" She waved, wondering if he would see her sitting on the floor.

Vlad looked around at the sound of a familiar voice. He certainly heard Rapunzel, just wasn't sure where she was. When he saw her wave at him from her seat on the floor, he quickly moved towards her and sat in a chair next to her.
"Rapunzel. It's nice to see you again. I haven't seen you in a while." he said to her.

She smiled up at him and placed her book on her lap. "It's nice to see you too" she replied. It felt as if it had been ages since they had talked. "How're things?" she asked, shifting so that her legs were crossed, rather than her sitting on her legs.

"Well, I attended the Winter Wonderland ball. Sadly, it was rudely interrupted by hunters. But, I do have some good news. I will be getting married." Vlad answered, glad to talk to her.

"Oh..." her face fell at the mention of the Winter Wonderland Ball. She was originally wanting to go, but Jack hadn't said anything, or shown as far as she knew. "Yeah I heard about that" the corners of her mouth tugged down, "it must have been awful" she said. Her eyes then lit up once Vlad announced the good news, "really?!" she gasped, "that's wonderful! Congratulations!" she exclaimed happily, clapping her hands in excitement.

"Thank you. And yes, the ball was not quite the memorable night it should've been. But I did at least get to dance with someone important to me." Vlad admitted.

Rapunzel smiled, "that's great. I'm happy for you," she said sincerely. She clutched onto her book before it slipped off her lap and glanced back up at Vlad, "so, what brought you here?"

"I came here looking for a particular book. I could always check the library at school, but it's not the same as being able to read when you wish." Vlad answered.

"Oh okay" she mumbled and tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear. She observed Vlad briefly, seeing that he didn't seem as talkative as he usually was. She looked down at her book and fiddled with the corners of the cover.

"Is something bothering you, Rapunzel? Did you want to be alone?" Vlad asked, noticing her uneasiness. He started to wonder if she didn't want to talk to him.