Marksman Book Store

[Leena]

Like a Barnes & Noble, a little bit of everything, including nooks for you to enjoy a book and cup of coffee.

[Mallory]

Damien Echo sat down in one of the big, cushiony chairs provided in the store. It had been a long day of packing, flying, driving, unpacking, and wondering around. Too much for just one guy to handle, if anyone asked. He needed a little bit of time to relax, some free time where he could do whatever he wished for. An old looking book sat in his hands, bits of dusts covering the pages fell off while he turned it over, inspecting every inch of it. Who would have expecting a book that looks - and smells - so old in a store as new as this one? Incredible, really. He wasn't quite sure what the book was even about, yet he did know that it was fantasy, considering that's the section he pulled it out of. It was like a blind date, being set up with a work of literature you know nothing about and slowly falling in love as the time passes by. Damien shook his head, opening the hard-back as he flipped past the title pages, reaching the beginning of chapter one.
We try our hardest but everything fails.
"Oh, this sounds like an exciting book." He breathes out, rolling his eyes as he continued.
Whenever the sun does not shine, nor the moon accompanies the stars, we beg for God's mercy. As human beings and humans alone, we crave for some sort of light, for a hint of hope in the total darkness around us.
Another eye roll. Depressing, wasn't it? How a book could hook you in with a few simple sentences and leave you wanting more, but at the same time you wish to throw the damned thing in a fireplace? Literature was an amazing work of art, and even if it was as daft as this book seemed to be, he wasn't going to put it down out of boredom. No, he had plenty of time on his hands, so why even settle for something else?

[Leena]

Aria Sea Miller waved one last goodbye to her parents as they drove away. She wiped the tears from her pale cheeks, her mother had been a wreck about leaving her at college for the first time. Aria had been affected by her mothers emotions, her father had thankfully dragged her away to leave Aria alone. Just hours before they had unpacked her things in her dorm and set it up how she wanted it, on her side of the room at least. It was the tour of the campus and the goodbyes that had made the mood go south. Aria took a deep breath and ruffled a hand over her pixie cut, ebony colored, hair. It was time to move forward, lingering in the spot she was in would only make her mood sour. Aria wanted to be happy, so she needed a good distraction, like a new book perhaps. She turned and walked toward the bookstore that resided on campus. The doors were open and the store looked inviting. She went inside, it took a moment for her eyes to adjust, it was dimmer in the store than outside. Once her eyes were adjusted she took in the large book store, not many people were around, but school had yet to start so that wasn't very surprising. She inhaled deeply, the smell of books, it made her happy. She went in search of something new, her fingertips touched the spines of a few books. She pulled a book off a shelf that read Vampire Academy. Aria started reading the back when a movement caught her attention from the corner of her eye, she glanced toward the movement. A young man sat in an overstuffed chair, he looked very comfortable and was entranced in a book himself. Without meaning to she rose a brow, she was intrigued. In her hometown not many boys enjoyed books, they were too busy chasing girls and partying. Aria glanced back down at her book, it looked interesting, she made a decision and took herself and the book over towards the guy. She planned on sitting in a chair near him but she lost her footing and flee forward instead. Right into his lap, a feminine yelp escaped her lips before she could stop herself. She pushed herself up some and gazed up at the guy, "I'm sorry, kind of a klutz ."

[Mallory]

Damien couldn't even start to comprehend the amount of stupidity placed onto the pages before him. It was a decent book, he wasn't about to say different, it was just... odd. The beginning of the piece had caught his attention, forcing his mind to wish to read more, but as the pages flipped and the story continued, everything seemed distant, as if he didn't quite understand what was being said. A girl was introduced, and then her brother, then her brother's friend, as well as the friend's little sister and their dog. The introductions went quickly, yet as did the plot of the story. It turns out that the brother's friend was actually dating the main character, whereas the brother could speak to animals and formed a bond with the dog. It was all so different, so confusing that he didn't even wish to continue. He shut the book, closing his eyes to regain his thoughts. A deep breath in and a slow breath out. Damien's icy blue eyes flashed open when something - or rather someone - fell into his lap. A girl, roughing around his age, stared up at him in embarrassment, her green eyes mesmerizing as she spoke an apology. "It's fine," he breathed, shifting to help her up onto her feet. "I needed a distraction from that book, anyway."

[Leena]

Aria felt terrible about landing in his lap, how inappropriate! Her parents would have been all over her about watching where she was going, and Gabe would be laughing at her endlessly. Fortunately for her the parental units were headed back down south, and Gabe was at his frat house. He mentioned something about a book and being distracted, then went to help her onto her feet. Aria stood and did her best to not let her cheeks pinken too much, though it might have been too late for all that. "Was your book that terrible?" She asked him with interest, wondering what book he had been reading before she went and fell into his lap, literally. The book she had been holding was on the floor, she stooped down and picked it up, she held it carefully in her hands as she stood back up and looked up at the guy with a hint of curiosity in her eyes. "I'm Aria by the way," She smiled in a kind way, not sure if she was being normal or not. She hadn't really had much of a go at being normal, her life had always been anything but normal. Her life was full of pain and adventures when the time allowed it, or rather the cancer allowed it. Aria blinked, and focused back on the boy in front of her, no need to be dwelling on things of the past. She was here for her future, to live in the moment and to put the past behind her for a while.

[Mallory]

(Ughhh... I'm so sorry this is pretty short but I was RUSHED. Also, Adam Lambert & Fall Out Boy are coming to TX and OMGSH I AM FANGIRLING)

Damien's eyes followed the girl as she adjusted herself, asking him a question before bending over to pick up the book she had previously dropped. Was his book terrible? Not necessarily, but in his opinion, yes. "Some would say that when a couple breaks up, the chaos is beautiful, whereas others would say it's the worst thing known to man." He leaned over, sliding the book onto the table before him and falling back into the chair. Damien tilted his head upward, watching the expressions on her face change as the seconds ticked by. "In other words, I believe that whatever satanic chant the author used to create that chaos known as a book, the results were anything but a beautiful piece of artwork." A small half-smile flickered against his lips before he stood up. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Aria." He looked down at the girl with bright eyes. "I'm Damien."

[Leena]

Aria looked down at the book that he had been holding previously, he slid it onto the table like it was something he wanted to burn or tear up. Really must not have been that good of a book, she looked at him once again when he introduced himself. Before the introduction he had been rambling on about something but she hadn't really been paying attention when she looked into his eyes, she blushed slightly, making her cheeks go from a light pink to bright pink. "Nice to meet you Damien," She said politely, Damien, Damien, Damien, Damien. She repeated the name in her head, memorizing it, letting it overtake her thoughts, putting the name with his face in her mind. He was her first official acquaintance since walking onto campus, that had to count for something, right? She sat in the chair opposite of him and placed her book in her lap, her hands stayed on it. "So what kind of books do you like?" She asked him, her eyes lingering on his. Her brother would tell her she was being rude so she quickly glanced away, it wasn't polite to stare. Or so he told her, she thought it was polite to make eye contact when speaking to someone, but then she ended up staring at them even after she was finished speaking.

[Mallory]

Damien watched as Aria sat down across from him, the book she had dropped just moments ago sitting pressed against her legs with her hands draped daintily over the cover. His eyes lingered for a moment, something he probably shouldn't have let happened, but he sat down quickly,adverting his eyes from her lap and regaining his sight onto her face. "Mostly fictional," he responded, running a hand through his hair. "Poetry, fantasy... Anything, really. I tend to stay clear of nonfiction unless it's autobiographies." It had been years since he last talked to someone like this, as if a conversation on literature was meant to save the world from complete and total destruction. Damien blinked, shaking away the thoughts in his mind and looking at the dark-haired girl before him. "What about you? Any special genre you're interested in?" There wasn't an exact reason, yet something about this girl drew him in. Maybe it was her personality, or how her cheeks lit up bright pink whenever her mind took her astray. Whatever it was, he wanted more, even if that meant he was going to have to work all year to get it.

[Leena]

Aria perked up when he said fantasy, well at least they had that in common. She hadn't really read much up on poetry. Sure she had learned about Poe and Emily and a few others but she hadn't really ever taken an interest in it. Maybe Damien would point her to some interesting poems sometime. She bit her bottom lip for a moment before answering him, "I love Fantasy best to be honest. The imagination, worlds, and creatures created in that genre are just amazing. I already have an overactive imagination, or so I'm told, so fantasy is always my first choice. Second would probably be historical fiction, I like reading about characters set in the past, especially Steam Punk. Have you read the Mortal Instruments or The Infernal Devices?" She perked up quite a bit when she mentioned the two series, she was a sucker for Cassandra Clare. There were others she appreciated as well, her hands tightened around the book in her excitement, she didn't notice that her nails were sort of digging into her bare legs. She was in shorts and a thin, cotton top.

[Mallory]

Green eyes lit up when the word 'fantasy' rang out into the open air. A subject that the girl before him must have been interested in, considering how words sprang from her lips within a series of seconds. Damien kept his own eyes soft - or as soft as their piercing color allowed him - and his mouth in a slight curve as he watched her speak. Fantasy, historical fiction... Everything she was interested in was fairly normal when it came to a girl her age. Of course, the age level might have been aimed for a little younger, yet she wasn't too far above. Aria continued to speak, her sentences long and sharp, her eyes widening moderately to show her excitement. "I must admit that I've read them, but I will not admit whether tears were cast down upon my cheeks from the death of a character or two." He cracked a smile, one that was genuine and unable to hide. How was it even possible that all of this was happening? One plane flight later and he was sitting in a bookstore, hundreds of miles away from home speaking to a girl that knows nothing about him other than the fact he enjoys reading. Odd how many different people were willing to approach you, how during one moment in your life a couple of burnouts are pleading for you to stay while during another point a girl that looks like she's never done anything exciting in her whole life clings onto a conversation about characters in a fictional world. Damien took a deep breath in, letting his gaze fall down the girl one last time before standing and walking just a few steps past her. "You wanna go get some coffee or something? Tea?"

[Leena]

Aria's sea-green eyes lit up when he admitted to indeed reading them, that was definitely a plus. She covered her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing aloud when he talking about tears and characters dying. She'd cried quite a few times during the times of reading those books, she'd read them a few times all the way through already. A new book had just come out, but she wasn't going to mention that in case he had read it already, she didn't want to know any of the spoilers. She watched as he got up and was seemingly walking away, she let her hand drop to her side and was wondering what she had done wrong when he asked if she would like to grab coffee or tea. She smiled and stood up, she went to stand next to him, "I'd love to." She said in a soft voice, she wasn't sure who this boy was really, but she did know she wanted to get to know him better. She wanted late nights spent in front of big, open windows, on a quilt with books laid out, and warm conversations about them. Whoa there, she was letting her imagination run away again, Aria tried to keep her thoughts in the present, in reality and followed Damien to get a few drinks.

[Mallory]

Damien smiled ever so slightly when Aria agreed to tagging along, her voice soft and supple as he began to walk again. Coffee. Tea. Those were normal things to invite another to, right? He hoped so, considering how he wasn't quite sure what the "normal" activities were anymore. With his last girlfriend, they would just run around town, talking about anything and nothing at the same time until the sky went black. Clementine, his long-time ex lover, was someone he could relax around, someone he could spill out every ounce of information about him and not feel judged. Of course, she didn't feel the same way, putting them both in the places they were today. Damien pushed the door to the bookstore open, stepping to the side to hold it open for Aria. His stepfather taught him things growing up, and not all of them stuck like glue in his mind, but proper etiquette was one he still remembers. "So what're you here for? The college, I mean." A spark of interest ran through his mind. What was she here for? An English major would be no surprise, but what if she was something else? A nurse? Teacher? Lawyer? Maybe she was studying the fine arts, praying to whatever she believed in that she would some day become famous. He looked down at the short-haired girl, quirking a brow as he waited for a response.

[Leena]

Aria walked out into the sunshine, her eyes took a moment to adjust to the much brighter light. She turned to look at Damien, he had asked her what she was there for, what she was majoring in. She smiled slightly and started walking toward the café that was on campus, "Well it took me a while to figure it out, but I decided on teaching Kindergarted in 3rd world countries.. not the normal career I know but that's what I want."
She nibbled on her bottom lip, a bad habit, then quit as soon as she realized she was doing it. "So what are you here for?" She asked in return, wanting to know more about Damien. Would he be there for something that would peak her interests? Or it would be something she knew nothing about? If it was something she was blank about, then would he fill her in on the field he was interested in? So many questions running through her head, so many things she didn't know about this boy.

[Mallory]

Damien looked down at Aria as she spoke about the career she wished to have later in life, how she wanted to work with children that don't have as many opportunities as they do everywhere else. Her dream job definitely topped his, making the path he was choosing seem inferior. The cobblestone street his feet once walked across turned into asphalt and concrete, steering the two young people onto the sidewalk that lead them toward the upcoming cafe. Damien nodded, though, non-verbally agreeing with her life choices. "That's a lot to take on," he breathed out, quirking his eyebrow just slightly. "I could see it, though. Plus those kids need education, and if you'd be willing to give them that, then go on ahead." When he was asked about what he was planning to go for, he had to take a moment before he responded. The degree he wanted was easy enough to say, but what if she asked why? Or what he wanted to do with the degree? Oh well... if she asked, she asked. There wasn't a reason he should be hiding anything from someone if it wasn't that big of a deal. "English degree. Not really sure what I want to do with it, could go a lot of different directions." Damien dug his hands deep into his pockets, trying to think of what to say to change the conversation. Nothing came to mind, but the silence wasn't uncomfortable. No, it was actually rather pleasant. Odd, wasn't it? How just a few months ago he felt as if his world was falling apart, that nothing was going right, but at this moment it all felt better? As long as something was going good, everything bad was on hold, which was completely okay with him. "Are you from here? Like were you raised in New York?" if he was going to try and keep a conversation going, why not ask where she's from?

[Leena]

Aria only shrugged when he talked about how she should go ahead with her plan, he made it sound so bold and noble, and she was just trying to do something simple to make a footprint in the world. She was just doing what she felt was right, giving back. She walked next to him, close, but not too close, like two old friends just taking a stroll together. She waited patiently as he considered her question, and thought about how to answer her. His answer brought a smile to her face, she looked up at him briefly as she wondered how to respond. "English huh? That's a good field... you could do so many things..." She could name off five careers right then and there that he could choose if he wanted to, including being a writer. She thought that English definitely suited him, she and he walked in silence for a few minutes. She waited patiently to see if he would start the conversation up again, and he did. He asked where she was from. "Actually no, I was born in North Carolina... I lived most of my life-" She almost said in St Judes hospital, but she didn't think that it was time to bring that up yet. "In Memphis, Tennessee though. My parents bought a house there after I was two years old, its gorgeous in Tennessee, they bought a house on the outskirts of Memphis and the mountains there are gorgeous." She smiled at the memory of home, well of her second home. St Judes had really been a huge part of her life, and it was located in Memphis. She walked a few minutes more with him, "So are you from here? If not, where did you grow up?" She asked in return, a content expression on her face as they made their way closer to the café.

[Mallory]

Damien shrugged when she said that he could do so many things within the English field. He still didn't know exactly what he wanted to do, but he had plenty of time to figure it out. Maybe he would just sit on the degree for a while, not do anything with it for a few years. It was a terrible idea, but if it was something he had to do, then by all means.... Aria had began to talk about where she was from, describing the scenery and the likes. She had a glint in her eye when she thought about home, something that she obviously liked and missed. Him, on the other hand, didn't miss his hometown. Enough tragedy had occurred on those streets, and he wasn't thrilled to think about the past very much. The girl beside him had asked if he was from here and he just shook his head. "I'm from Cali; San Francisco to be exact. It's not much of anything except for apartment complexes and earthquakes." Damien smirked, and then shook his head lightly. "How'd you find this place?" he asked, turning to look at Aria. Everyone had a different story, and he wanted to know hers.