Who: Itachi Uchiha itachi & Elena Gilbert heartresistant What: Random Run-In When: Late November, Pre-finals! Where: UC Irvine Campus Rating/Warnings: Low/None Status: Closed/Completed Gdoc
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Classes for Itachi were over for the day, and he was off as well at the library. That, however, didn't stop him from dropping by on his way out to return one book and pick up another to read. In Itachi's opinion that was one of the best things about working in the library, being able to know when the new books were coming in and being able to put in a reserve on them first.
Itachi was a fast reader, so the books were typically back within a few days.
He left the library, and pulled his messenger bag around his hip to his front in order to stuff his book inside. There was a group of students passing by, talking loudly. They were talking loudly enough for Itachi to miss the fact that his keys dropped down onto the floor. He didn't stop, he just finished putting his book into his bag and zipped it up, oblivious that anything had happened.
On her way to the library, a place she’d been practically living in since reeling from Damon ending things for good with her, she was well-prepared to set up shop and spend the day studying and researching to keep the sour thoughts of her mind. Life had been dizzying lately, and she hadn’t even had dreams to help her better understand what they all meant.
Just outside the doors, Elena spied the keys fall to the ground. Rushing to sweep them up before someone inadvertently kicked them aside or some other ill fate, she set off to catch up with him. Reaching out to tap Itachi on the shoulder, she slowed to a stop so that the strap of her book bag could be be adjusted from the mad dash to catch up to him.
“Hey,” she called out. “I think these belong to you,” finished Elena while holding the keys out to him.
Itachi was going over what he was going to make himself for dinner as he made his way toward the exit. There weren't a lot of options as his fridge was quite bare. He was going to have to break down and go grocery shopping soon, but he'd yet to work up the energy to do that just yet. Maybe tomorrow after class, tonight it would likely be pasta with some sauce and a salad if the mix he'd bought a few days ago hadn't gone bad yet.
Itachi's head jerked to look back over his shoulder at the tap. His features were a little hard, but softened when he saw a young woman standing behind him holding his keys. "Oh," he turned to face her, "those are mine." He glanced down at his bag when it dawned on him that he likely dropped them while putting his book away. "Thank you." He took them from her, giving a small inclination of his head in her direction along with a soft smile.
That was an almost strikingly familiar expression. Damon hadn’t been the most inviting person when she’d first met him. The look caught her off guard, but Elena managed to recuperate rather quickly. He didn’t seem to be cross with her, after all. So, she maintained a steady enough smile as he reclaimed his keys.
“It’s no problem,” she assured. “Glad you didn’t get all the way home and find out they were missing.”
Shifting on her feet, Elena glanced around a moment before deciding to try and engage him. Offering him a hand to shake, she brightened the smile. “I’m Elena.”
Nodding, Itachi took care in putting them back into his bag. "It would have been very unfortunate." His parents actually had the spare keys to his apartment, so he would have to contact them and wait on them to get there so he could get into his apartment. Then there would be the hassle trying to find the keys. Itachi was grateful that the woman had seen him drop his keys.
Itachi took her hand in his, giving it a firm shake. "Nice to meet you, Elena. I'm Itachi." He released her hand, a soft smile still on his lips. He wasn't sure if he'd seen her around in the library or not. That wasn't anything out of the ordinary, however, since there were plenty of people that came in and out of the library. "Are you a student here, Elena?"
Glad to have made a tiny difference in someone’s day, Elena hoped it was a sign that the rest of hers would go well. Being a little superstitious couldn’t hurt, not in the county in which they lived. It was a miracle that they didn’t come alive at the drop of a hat at this juncture.
“Likewise,” she responded. Caroline would be proud of her, she suspected. Elena didn’t have the easiest time talking to people after her parents passed away, and particularly now that she was distraught over the way things ended with Damon. “Yeah, studying journalism. You?’
Itachi's head tilted to the side a degree while Elena told him what she was studying exactly, and then he nodded. "Yes, library science. I also work as a work study in the library." He gave a jerk of his chin in its direction, before turning his attention fully back to Elena.
"What year are you in?" Small talk was something that Itachi was trying to work on. His brother often poked fun at him for not being able to carry on full conversations with others because of it. Still, Itachi was trying to put forth some sort of effort here.
“Nice,” she said appreciatively. It sounded like an interesting field. She didn’t know a lot apart from what the name suggested, but it was something that warranted researching at some point! “Good experience, huh?”
Small talk was hard. It didn’t used to be for Elena, but after the loss of her parents, she’d retreated into herself. The once exuberant and energetic girl had become something of an introvert, but she was coming out of her shell slowly. So, this didn’t seem quite so daunting as it might have a year ago.
“I’m a junior,” she responded. “Which is… kind of hard to believe! What about you?”
Nodding, Itachi's lips curved up into a small smile, "It is. I do enjoy it." It wasn't as though the work was terribly challenging, but he did enjoy helping people find the research materials that they needed. Plus? He could read anything and everything that he wanted to.
That was definitely a big plus as far as he was concerned.
"The same, actually." He replied, shifting his weight slightly so he could move his bag up a little higher. "And it is hard to believe some days that we've made it this far when it feels like Freshman orientation was just yesterday." Some days Itachi could feel the years of study on his shoulders, but mostly time had flown by quicker than he ever thought possible. "Were you headed to the library?"
“Sure does,” Elena echoed with a laugh. She did not miss orientation at all, but it was nice to reminisce about the early days of university. Somehow it seemed like it had been a handful of years since then as opposed to a mere couple. She supposed getting deeper into a major made time stagnate, then finals rushed it down the drain.
“I was,” she responded, shifting the strap of her backpack on her shoulder. “Feels like I have a million papers to write, and right when that’s over with… hello finals. Sorry if I’m keeping you from something, it’s just nice to talk to someone. I feel kind of like a zombie!”
Itachi gave a small inclination of his head. He could understand that sentiment all too well to be honest. He had enough papers to write to last him through the next few weeks, and finals? Well, he'd be spending a lot of time working in the library helping others, and studying for his own.
"Yes, it won't be long until finals are upon us." He responded with a small smile still, "And no, you weren't keeping me from anything. I was just going home for lunch before spending the day reading. For pleasure." He added the last bit as an afterthought. Itachi could agree that it was nice to be able to talk to another person in a friendly manner and not on a professional level. Still, he felt as if he were keeping her from her own studies. "I," he paused for a moment before reaching into his bag to pull out a small notebook and pen. Hastily he wrote his number down before he could think better of it, and held it out to Elena. "If you ever need a break from studying, or from feeling like a zombie, feel free to text or call. If I don't answer, I'll be there at the library working." It was a simple offer, although he thought that it was the least he could do.
Finals were the worst. She was dreading them just a tiny bit. Talking was nice though, and it sounded like they might have something in common. Before she could ask him what he was reading, she noticed the hesitation on his face as he seemed to sort out something for himself. Looking at the produced paper in surprise, Elena took it with an appreciative smile.
"Really? Thanks, I'll remember that! I'll text you in a minute so you have my number. Go have fun reading though, I'll poke your brain about it later," she finished with a rising grin, the piece of paper clutched tightly in her hand. That had made her day, but now she had some studying to get to. "Talk to you soon!"