Charlie loved bookstores. She loved them with a fiery passion that rivaled the feelings Othello shared with Desdemona.

That's not to say that the relationship went both ways. Almost any time in history that she went into a bookstore, library, or something similar,...well, for her ego's sake, Charlie will never admit that she was never kicked out. But that's the best way to say it. She just couldn't help herself sometimes. When there was that much paper lying in heaps and piles all around her, she just had to...beautify them.

Besides, the Scarlet Letter looked much better when the pages were hot pink.

But recoloring books wasn't the only interest she had in them. She did enjoy reading, too. And she'd been running dangerously low on material. Which was exactly why she'd been wandering around New York in search of a bookstore that didn't hate her guts.

She'd been at it for the better part of an hour. And as if her impatience wasn't the worst of it, she was very poorly dressed for the weather. After all, when it's about 60 degrees and sunny, most people in their right minds don't go out with a sweatshirt over a tank-top. Charlie was starting to learn why.

Fixing her little black ponytail, she started walking down the same street she'd seen about fifteen minutes ago. This was so bloody frustrating...were there even any bookstores in this part of New York? It wasn't until she threw her head back, groaning in annoyance, that she saw a little alleyway on the other side of the street, one that she'd totally failed to see earlier.

Backers Books was one of the stores in that alleyway.

"And about time, too." As she started mumbling little spits and spats concerning the annoying twists of fate she'd been dealing with lately, she managed to j-walk the traffic laden street without breaking something. Or five somethings.

As discreetely as she could with the little bell at the door, she managed to slink into the bookstore and deep into the shelves in record time. She probably looked like a robber or something, but she didn't care. She was home, absorbed in a dusty, papery paradise. Charlie started browsing the shelves, grabbing at the first thing that looked vaguely interesting. She cracked open a thin little paperback that was apparently called Animorphs, before she started lazily, absent-mindedly tracing her finger down the page, leaving behind a little, curvy blue line.

Bliss.

Ashley looked into the alley, then back at the piece of paper in front of her. When she asked Sisko, the bartender at the place she usually played her guitar at whenever she could, where she could find a good present for Bentley, this wasn't what she had in mind. But then again, Sisko knew that Ashley never really had any cash on hand, and probably sent her to this place from that knowledge. He didn't know that Ashley was a thief and could probably steal whatever she wanted for the little ballerina, but Ashley didn't hold that against him.

Besides, maybe she would like a book, right?

'Backer's Books' looked interesting enough. And even though Ashley found out fairly quickly that she wasn't going to find anything that she wanted without asking for help, she did see that the place had that small, cozy feel to it that most huge bookstores or libraries had. How did she know this? Well, when you were homeless and wanted a place to stay during the day that had comfortable couches...no better place then the Library. Bookstores usually didn't ask questions either, not if you were pretending to read a book.

Which is what Ashley was doing right then.

Out of all her disabilities after having her memory wiped, not being able to read shamed her more deeply then anything else. She'd seen kids that were about five or six that were reading better then she could, and sometimes that part of her made her wanna cry. At the moment she felt that old shame creeping up on her, and she bit her bottom lip hard. Not only was it humiliating not being able to read, but since her speech was less than stellar, asking for help was just as hard for her...for her pride.

“Hn.” she grunted, scowling as she picked up a book about the Karma Sutra, though she didn't really know what she held. “Maybe...pick randomly? Get out quickly, then...”

She didn't bother to open the book. Whatever it was, Bentley would appreciate it, right?”

Charlie didn't notice the other girl in the store until her shelf-browsing brought her almost right to the redhead. Almost instantly, this other girl peaked her interest. Partly because she reminded the young papyrokinetic of her friend Stacey. Minus the giant headphones. And the general attitude. And pretty much everything else about her. Mostly, it was just the hair that struck her.

Charlie began to follow this other girl. Not stalk, just observe. She was more particularly interested in what this girl was getting. She didn't seem to be interested in the ack cover that much, like anyone who would actually be reading the book would. Then again, she didn't seem very interested in the front cover either. She just seemed to grab something, glance it over, then glance at something else.

She was either looking for one in particular, or was seeking a gift for someone.

In that case, her choice was terrible. Charlie saw the redhead grab a Karma Sutra book, mutter something that she couldn't hear, then start walking in the general direction of the counter.

Charlie decided to play good samaritan, as this girl definitely didn't know what she was doing. She made her move to intercept and, stepping in front of the other girl, said, "Unless it's meant as a joke, I definitely wouldn't reccommend that one."

>>"Unless it's meant as a joke, I definitely wouldn't recommend that one."

Despite herself, Ashley couldn't help but jump when someone spoke to her. She gave a small yelp and turned, clutching the book to her front and huggling it as she eyed the stranger in front of her. She sounded a bit funny to Ashley, her accent thick and...pretty. Just like the rest of her. But then again, Ashley surmised she thought the female form itself was beautiful and attractive, so she had long ago tried to stop feeling guilty over ogling whenever a particular gorgeous specimen passed by.

It was still hard not to. But maybe she could call it a guilty pleasure whenever she did. Ashley sniffed, eying the woman apprehensively before looking down at the book she had chosen. It depicted...well, something that made Ashley open the book then hold it further from her as her face went red as a tomato before she slammed the book shut and held it close again, getting all shifty eyed as if seeing if anyone saw her looking.

“Ummm...” Ashley murmured a bit before slowly taking the book and setting it off on a random self like it was a poisons spider. “Maybe...not.

So that left Ashley in quite the pickle, whatever that meant (she'd heard Bentley say it and thought it sounded funny). Maybe Sisko was wrong. Maybe Bentley would like another present...but as much as Ashley racked her brain, she couldn't think of anything else to give the tiny dancer. She knew form the very beginning she wasn't very good at this whole relationship thing. If the anime she watched was any indication, she was suppose to get her something unique and different...how could a book provide that.

Ashley adopted a pose very reminiscent of Winne the Pooh as she thought hard about what she could do. It was then that she remembered the funny sounding girl that had warned her against the book and brightened up, smiling (her desperation in trying to find a present for Bentley over going her usual stoic, non-smiley self) as she looked at the dark haired woman and fixed her with a rather pathetic looking wibble.

“Ummm...help?” Ashley said, stuffing her hands in her pockets as she toed the ground a bit. “Present, you see. For...girlfriend. And, ummm...don't know. What to get, I mean.”

Okay, so she kicked her pride to the curb. Anything for Bentley, after all.

Charlie couldn't help but snicker slightly. Her reaction to the book she'd picked out made Charlie wonder if she even knew what it was when she picked it up. Was she just absent-minded, or some kind of color-blind, or something. She'd heard somewhere that people with red hair are more susceptible to certain genetic conditions. Maybe...?

After she put the book back, the red-head adopted the single most adorable face Charlie had seen in years. Not since she was "very politely asked" by a seven year old for a quarter so she could get gumballs had Charlie seen a face that adorable.

"Ummm...help? Present, you see. For...girlfriend. And, ummm...don't know. What to get, I mean."

Charlie giggled. then she started into a stifled chuckle, desperately trying to keep herself from breaking out into all-out laughter. Still giggling, she managed to get out a few sentences. "Well, with a face like that, it'd be pretty hard to turn you down." She held back another giggle, then held her hands palms-down in front of her, as if the laughter was a solid object that she was pressing down.

She brushed her hair back slightly, keeping the blue bangs out of her face, before she resumed talking. "So...if you want to give this girl something nice, you'll be needin' to know what she likes. I mean, does she cook? Does she travel? Does she...I dunno, make paper monkey feet or something like that?" She honestly had no idea. Those were about the only things that came to mind when she thought of books.

Somewhere in the back of her mind Ashley felt like she was being laughed at by this woman, but she was too preoccupied by getting this present right for Bentley that she pushed it away. Besides, being laughed at wasn't so bad. She could deal with it. And she did just save Ashley from giving Bentley a book about...well, whatever the hell that book was about. What in the world was The Crawling Mantis Position anyways?!

>>"So...if you want to give this girl something nice, you'll be needin' to know what she likes. I mean, does she cook? Does she travel? Does she...I dunno, make paper monkey feet or something like that?"

The brunette pursed her lips and twisted her mouth from side to side, thinking of the tings Bentley liked. Well, ballet was one of them right? Ashley nodded, her mind made up. She then stopped, thinking that giving her a book on ballet would probably be, you know...obvious. But they hadn't spent all that much time together, and right now they were...well, not spending all that[/]i much time together because of her ballet and Ashley's...toublemaking. But, going with what was safe was best for now, so Ashley nodded again to herself.

“She's ballerina.” Ashley finally responded, knowing she probably looked like a fool while sorting out her thoughts but not caring. “She's student...Julliard, I think. Maybe...book about that? Ballet?”

She didn't mention the part about not being able to read. Even thinking about revealing that to pretty woman in front of her made her blush madly. It was then that Ashley blinked rapidly, realizing she didn't know the woman's name.

“Rhythm.” she said suddenly, nodding. “My name. Yours?”

"She's a student...Juliard, I think. Maybe a book on that? Ballet?"

Charlie raised an eyebrow. Juliard? This girl had some high-class friends. Well, maybe not high-class, but definitely high-...aspiring? aspirational?

Was that even a word? Charlie made a mental note to check later.

"Rhythm. My name. Yours?"

Charlie paused. Rhythm? What kind of a name was Rhythm? A nickname, maybe? If it was her real name, Charlie would absolutely have to meet her parents. They were probably either hippies or rockstars...nah. If they were hippies, her name would be Harmony.

Charlie decided she should probably say something. "Interesting name. Wish I had one like it." She laughed, doing her best to lighten the mood, before offering her hand for a handshake. "I'm Charlie. Charlie Fletcher."

>>"Interesting name. Wish I had one like it. I'm Charlie. Charlie Fletcher."

“Pleasure.” Ashley nodded, looking at Charlie's outstretched hand and hesitating a bit before taking it. The pain was immediate, but faraway. She winced before smiling and letting go, stuffing her hands into her pockets. “Charlie...” she rolled the name off her tongue as if she were tasting it, and smiled, looking as if has tasted good. “Nice.”

Ashley hated to be out of her element, and relationships were about as far off as you could get for the ex-homeless thief. Thinking up gifts for someone was out there as well, and a book? Well, sticking Ashley into a library when she wasn't just gonna crash out on the couch was fixin' to make girl very nervous. Still, the idea was stuck and now she was determined to get Bentley this book.

“She's smart.” Ashley looked off into the distance, as if talking about Bentley would help Charlie understand. “Gentle. Like, ummm...soft. Yeah. She...takes care of me.” Ashley blinked, then scowled at herself for gushing like an idiot. “So, ummm...ideas?”

The brunette didn't like putting faith in anyone other then herself and maybe a few of her closest friends. Andrew she could trust, Bentley she could...not many others though. Ashley looked Charlie up and down, nodding. She looked trustworthy. Besides, you weren't gonna find to many creeps inside a library, were you?

How bad could she be?

A kind-hearted ballerina, who's friends with...Whatever word could describe Rhythm.

Maybe not unheard of, but still. Besides, she still had to think of something as a gift for this mystery person. She kept drawing up blanks, but she had to act confident. Like she actually knew what she was doing.

"Well, since she's a dancer, I guess a cookbook is out. Dancers are always trying to watch their figure." She chuckled slightly at her own joke, before walking sideways, dissappearing into the shelves of books. She scanned dozens of titles, brushing her finger along the tops of a row of books as she went, leaving behind a nice purple line.

She almost ignored Rhythm, totally lost in thought. She was barely even scanning the books. She was thinking about this stranger she'd just slightly befriended. Who was she? What was she doing hanging out with Juliard students? Where did the name Rhythm even come from? Why did she look so nervous, even clueless, around the bookstore?

Was she a mutant?

Not like that last one was a big deal. Charlie herself was a mutant, if one that lacked combat power. And she'd met one or two others in the years she'd spent here. But she never quite totally trusted mutants. After all, most packed more firepower in a finger than any gun. And if they didn't, they knew someone who did. Charlie cast a quick glance back at Rhythm before returning to the books. She looked normal enough. Mostly.

One of the books caught her eye. She turned her head on its side to get a better view. Then she giggled. Then she burst out laughing. She couldn't help it. This was a pretty funny book, or at least looked like it.

"Now this," she said, pulling the book out and showing it off to Rhythm, "would make a wonderful joke of a gift."

The book was entitled the Skinny bitch Cookbook.

Hey, if dancers were always watching their figure, they might as well cook like they were, too.

And that thought sent Charlie right into hysterics.

>>"Well, since she's a dancer, I guess a cookbook is out. Dancers are always trying to watch their figure."

Well, she really couldn’t say much about that. Bentley really did watch her figure. The only time Ashley had seen the girl eat anything remotely unhealthy was that pizza.

Ashley watched as the woman sauntered away, doing something very strange to the books. Okay...so she was a mutant? Or something else? Maybe it was all just an illusion. Ashley rubbed her eyes and looked at the purple line thingy Charlie was leaving behind. No...still there. She reached out and was about to touch it but held back. Okay, that would be stupid. Who knew what those purple lines were? For all Ashley knew they could be...poison! Or...something.

Ashley decided to go for the leap and settle on the fact that Charlie might be a mutant. Well...okay. Whatever. It wasn't like Charlie was hurting her, and in fact was doing the exact opposite...she thought. Charlie looked like she was lost in her own little world, and she had a rather cute expression on her face as she soared through the books. Ashley let her lip twitch into an almost smile as she watched Charlie pick up a book.

>>"Now this...would make a wonderful joke of a gift."

Joke gift? Ashley knitted her eyebrows as she took the book from Charlie (who was laughing hysterically) and glanced on the cover. From what Ashley could observe, it had something to do with food. But didn't Charlie just say that dancers watched their figures? Ashley knew that much from observing her girlfriend eat rabbit food all the damn time. Why would she need a book like this.

Ashley, remembering Charlie and the purple lines, held the book like it was a poisonous snake as she took it from Charlie. She set it aside and shook her head. “No...jokes bad. Need...romantic gift. Something she likes. And why're books purple? You're mutant too?”

A romantic gift...? That complicated things a little. Charlie tilted her head a little sideways, finger on her mouth. Romantic gift? About the only thing that came to mind were romance novels or something...

Charlie was completely interrupted by Rhythms next barrage of questions.

"And why're the books purple? You a mutant too?"

Well, that was it. Charlie was ousted. Out-foxed by this oddly-named person who seemed to, no matter what, completely fail to understand what was on the book covers. Charlie had thought that had been pretty funny. Then again, maybe better for a friend. Charlie was starting to seriously consider getting that book for Stace. After all, Stacey sure did fit the description.

She snapped back into focus, then responded to Rhythm's question. Her hand managed to start rubbing the back of her neck, the way it always did when she got nervous. "Yeah. turns out I'm a papyrokinetic. Funny how that works, ain't it?" That was about when she realized what Rhythm had actually said. "Wait...too?" She cocked one eyebrow, rorating her head slightly, as if trying to see Rhythm from this new angle. "Are...you a mutant?"

>>"Yeah. turns out I'm a papyrokinetic. Funny how that works, ain't it? Wait...too? Are...you a mutant?"

Ashley eyed Charlie with a raised eyebrow and pointed at her headphones. “Music. Makes me strong. Fast.”

She went right back to looking at the books, trying to keep an eye out for an interesting cover or...something. Plus, explaining her power was harder. Sure, the old point and describe usually worked, but there was more to it then that, and it was far to much (too hard) for her to explain, especially with her limited vocabulary and social stupidity.

And what the hell was a papyrokinetic anyway?

Well, she didn't want to ask, since she was risking sounding dumb more and more by the second. Being in a library was bad enough, but once people started to bust out the big words, Ashley was outta there. So maybe Charlie could help, with her cute face and fancy words, but Ashley didn't really feel like being ridiculed. It wouldn't be long before Charlie was asking why she talked all funny and would guess she couldn't read.

So, off she went, hoping Charlie might just forget she existed. She turned her head back to where she dropped that Karma Sutra book. Maybe...maybe that wouldn’t be so bad? Bentley was always dressing her up in tight clothing and having Ashley show off her body more...maybe this would be something the tiny dancer would be into?

"Music. Music makes me strong. Fast."

Charlie couldn't stop thinking how cool that'd be. Music making you stronger...interesting. The fact would probably never come up again, but she tucked the fact away deep into a mental drawer in case it did.

She kind of came back out of her head, and realized that Rhythm was gone. She did a quick 360, and came to the other realization that she hadn't actually left, just was off shelf-browsing. Charlie sighed, and began to follow suit.

It wasn't that long until Charlie realized that Backer didn't separate books by category. Not even by fiction or nonfiction, just one solid mess of books mostly arranged by author. Charlie was somewhere in the G's. She was looking for two things. The first was a romance novel. Rhythm had said it was supposed to be a romantic gift. Charlie didn't know too much about romance, considering her last relationship lasted about a month. She definitely didn't know much about romance novels either, but she figured she'd help. This Rhythm girl seemed nice enough. Shy, a little strange, but...nice.

The second was, of course, a dictionary. She wanted to look up that word from earlier. Aspirational...

Something came to Charlie's mind, and she decided it'd be better to ask, rather than just find out the hard way.

"So, Rhythm," she called out. "I've been noticing that you're not always totally comprehensive of what's on the cover. I've been thinking about it, and I just have to ask." Maybe not the best phrasing of that question, but still.

She went on. " I'm curious. Are you, like, dislexic or something? Color-blind, maybe?"

>>" I'm curious. Are you, like, dyslexic or something? Color-blind, maybe?"

Ashley heard the question, but didn't answer. Sure, she knew a question like what Charlie had asked would come up concerning Ashley's lack of comfort around the books she was surrounded with, but she really didn't know how to answer said question. She didn't even know what dyslexic meant!! Feeling truly stupid, Ashley picked up that book and held it close, trying to prevent Charlie from seeing. So what if she was a little curious about it? She could be, right? There wasn't anything wrong with that!!

“I...don't know.” Ashley responded, not looking at the girl with the funny accent. “Just...”

She didn't finish the sentence, scowling (and slightly growling) at her own lack of ability to speak properly. This disability had been coming up more and more lately and she hated every second of it. She could fight with the best of them, and with her power was pretty damn hard to put down. But try to engage her in a conversation and Ashley floundered like a fish out of water, and the worst part was that she didn't know what to do about it.

So she didn't say anything at all.

She didn't mean to clam up. Charlie seemed like a nice girl, and her accent made her appealing to Ashley in a way that she couldn't rightly explain. But silence was a default mode for Ashley, and she did it well enough. She thought of a time before she ever had to open her mouth for anything, and slightly missed it. Then again, she didn't have Bentley back then, so maybe it wasn't so good after all. She'd rather endure having to talk then go back to when she wasn't cared for.

Another growl sent Ashley skittering towards the checkout counter. A purchase of a perverted book would be much better then enduring another moment feeling as stupid and ignorant in this place. After this, Ashley was pretty sure she'd avoid bookstores on principal alone.

Though she did take one, long glance at Charlie. Hey, eye candy was eye candy. Offhandedly, the brunette wished she had a cool accent too. Then maybe people wouldn't look at her like she was an idiot when she spoke.

Charlie had always had a really good sense of hearing. Not many people even noticed it, mostly because she was listening to music so loud it made her ears ring. That usually doesn't help with hearing. But sometimes, at times like these, it came as a blessing. Charlie could point to Rhythm blindfolded as she made her way to the checkout counter. But she stopped somewhere else first...

The evidence pointed to one simple fact: Rhythm had made a decision.

Charlie, too, was on the verge of leaving. A quick look at her cellphone reminded her that she had three hours awaiting her when she got home, and she was running low on free time. She, too, started to make her way to the checkout counter, but not before taking a quick detour to the Skinny Bitch Cookbook. She giggled a little at the thought of giving that to Stace. And realizing that Stace would probably smack her, then worship the book. Because that was just Stace.

Ironically, she found a dictionary sitting right next to it. She decided to get them both.

When she made it to the checkout counter, she saw that Rhythm had decided on the Karma Sutra book. She chuckled slightly at the thought of this other girl giving that book as a gift. Then decided to shoot out some advice to her.

"Well, if you really wanna get that one, then that's your choice. But you may want to get something else as a backup. Maybe, like, a teddy bear, or some flowers, or something? I'd be happy to loan you money for it if you need some."

Charlie had no real idea why she was getting so helpful toward this other girl. Sure, she was pretty, but if Charlie was being nice just for that, then a lot more people in New York City would be getting helped. She didn't know the reason, but she was starting to think Rhythm should be taking advantage of it.