[Wright Memorial Library] When Shielders Collide (Seven)

[Samantha Slate]

“I don’t know what I did to offend you,” Seven mumbled under his breath, his fingers stroking the wall in a languidly fluid way, “but I’m sorry. I’ve never met someone—well, that’s a lie.” Samantha's lip curled up in a smirk as he continued on, “I’ve never come across a shield like this, so out in the open. It’s strange to see.” His words caused the woman's smirk to fold itself downward into an offended frown, her eyes glittering a faint red mixed into the gray. How dare he! It wasn't as if she could have anticipated another who practiced her art to be in the library! Even as she thought these words however, Samantha realized that she could have anticipated it. There were so many mages in Zeltiva, and most came to the library on a daily basis. It was pure foolishness to think that one wouldn't see the invisible wall that had stretched over Samantha, protecting her from the eyes that could not see it, yet signalling to every Shielder in sight that she was nearby. Samantha's cheeks heated and, instead of letting her foolishly inferior feelings control her, she transmuted them into anger as best she could. Her eyes flared a dark red as she glared sullenly at Seven. He had no right to make a fool out of her like this! The man opened his mouth for a moment, but then closed it again and just walked off, leaving Samantha glaring daggers of fury at his back. The insufferable fool! If she'd been thinking clearly, the mage would have given that puffed-up, scrawny bastard a tongue-lashing he'd have had nightmares about for as long as he lived. In agitation, the woman snatched the Codex back off the bookcase and stalked off with it. She opened it to a random page and began reading something about the difference between gnosis, personal, and world magic. None of it really sunk in, however; she was too angry. Her thoughts were preoccupied with her self-induced fury for her to do much else. The book was merely there for show as she stormed around the library trying to calm herself down. A while later, half a bell by Samantha's estimation, the woman had calmed herself sufficiently and begun searching for a place to settle down and finish her study of the Codex. She only had so much daylight left, and she didn't feel like having to return the next day only to find that a dismally short passage of the book had been covered. Samantha weaved her way through the labyrinthine rows of books, absently marking down sections for her to visit later as she sought out a place to sit and do her reading. The book was a dead weight in her hands, held tightly against her bosom to keep her arms from tiring of the weight during her search. It was heavier than she'd like, and she was just about ready to sit back down in an aisle and continue on when she caught sight of a long table just a few feet away. The woman quickened her pace and reached it in moments; unfortunately, it already housed an occupant. At the end of the table, which had been obscured from her vision by the bookshelves that towered over the short woman, sat Seven. The scrawny man was perched like an owl in his chair, sitting in a childish position that Samantha vaguely remembered taking at times in her father's library. Around him sat innumerable books, stacked and piled around his seat like a the twigs and branches in a bird's next. A scholarly owl in his nest of knowledge, Samantha thought with a sudden laugh. Aware that she'd just given her position away, the woman stiffened up and locked her eyes onto Seven, hoping against hope that he hadn't noticed her. If he looked up at her, Samantha would say in her coldest voice, "Apologies for startling you."