InsaneJournal

Who: Anna of Arendelle and Itachi Uchiha
When: May
Where: UCI Library
What: Random Encounter
Rating/Warnings: Low/None
Status: Complete



Anna wasn’t a girl who was used to thinking a lot. But today it felt like she had a lot of things to think about. Not just in her schooling, but also in her personal life. It’d been a long time since she’d had things to think about in her personal life. Caroline had recently moved out, Stefan had nearly died, she’d swapped bodies with a dude who had claws for hands and she’d been out on a date that she hadn’t realized was a date until part-way through. Oh, and she had a crush on, like, every boy she met. There was a lot.

The girl was holding a Thai Iced Tea in her hand as she entered the library. And she was so deep in thought, she didn’t realize she’d just brought food into the library.

Itachi's eyes were squeezed shut as he sat behind the main desk in the library. The librarian that normally took up post there was out to lunch, and he'd taken her place for the hour she was going to be gone. He reopened his eyes, the screen before him blurring in and out of focus.

It passed a few moments later, and Itachi felt suddenly tired. He glanced up, catching sight of a red head coming through the doors with a drink in her hand. "Miss?" He stood as he spoke, his tone low but loud enough for her to hear, "There's no food or drinks allowed in the library, but I can keep it up here for you if you'd like."

Anna jumped a little at the sound of the voice, and turned. She didn’t realize that she was holding a drink, and glanced down at her hand as if surprised by the revelation. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize.” She took a couple of steps backward toward the doorway, holding the offending beverage at arm’s length. “Maybe I can just… hang out here for a minute and finish it here?” She asked, turning her attention to the guy behind the counter. “I’d hate to set it down and have like, all the condensation dribbble all over your desk. You know?”

Itachi gave her a soft smile, and small nod of his head. "You're alright. You aren't the first person to do it, and I'm certain you won't be the last." He watched her curiously as she backed up toward the door, trying hard not to smile too much. He found that these days he was smiling more often than not, despite his eyes hurting him and his body aching in ways that weren't good. Itachi worried that his dreams were starting to affect him in the waking world, and from what he'd read on the network it was entirely possible. If that was the case, he had no idea how much longer he'd actually have his sight without the use of his Sharingan. "That's fine, and yes, that is appreciated since the librarian might get upset if there were water rings on her desk."

“Okay.” Anna said, then sipped. The plastic cup was nearly full of iced tea. She hadn’t thought about that part. If she sipped like normal, she’d be there for several minutes waiting to finish--and if she sipped fast, she might give herself a cold-induced headache! Not exactly the way she’d most want to start a study session. So she frowned, and scooted over so she could lean against the counter. Her backpack was heavy! Then she sipped again.

“I would hate to upset the librarian,” she added, almost sheepishly. Then she turned to him and smiled. “Have you been working here long? This seems like a great place to work, actually. I really do love books. Not that libraries do everything with books now-a-days, because I love all the things the library does online, too!” ...she was babbling. She forced herself to stop by taking another sip.

Itachi lifted a shoulder, "I personally think she needs to relax a little, but what do I know?" A small smile graced his lips again. He listened to her speak, head tilted slightly to the side. "I've been here for nearly three years. I started during the first semester of my freshman year." Itachi enjoyed the library immensely, and wouldn't dream of having another job. Besides, it gave him plenty of experience to put onto his resume when he finally graduated.

"That's true enough, a lot of people do reading on tablets just for convenience sake." For that matter a lot of people bought their textbooks online for e-readers since it was cheaper than purchasing an actual textbook. Itachi couldn't blame them for that either. "Is there anything in particular I can help you find in here today, or are you just here to study?"

“So, you’re a Junior, then?” Anna asked, coming up for air. She could feel the start of a cold headache prickling at the backs of her eyes, so she had to stop drinking the iced tea for a moment. Besides, that much sugar and caffeine in so few sips would probably make her heart explode. Totally worth it.

“I’m just here to study. I’ve got a bunch of books,” Anna said, turning a little so he could see the massive pack on her back. “I mean, I should look into the tablet thing, since my backpack probably weighs as much as I do.” Sheepishly, she smiled, then turned back to her drink again. It was nearly finished, so she downed the rest in one go, and winced, anticipating a cold headache. Thankfully, none came. She smiled and moved to toss the cup in the trash.

Itachi gave a small nod of his head, "I am. I keep telling myself one more year and then finals will be finished with." He chuckled softly, knowing full and well that things would likely become more hectic after he finished getting his degree. Itachi was fine with that though, as long as he could stay closeish to his family, and his friends here he would be just fine.

"I see that." He canted his head to the side, eyes roaming over the massive backpack she was sporting. "You might want to. It'll put a lot less strain onto your back." Although Itachi wasn't one to talk. He hadn't made the conversion to tablet yet although he did have a few exceptions when it came to some of his classes. That, however, was only because the book was cheaper to purchase. "But I do understand. I've only purchased a few textbooks for my e-reader. I find that it's easier on my eyes to read an actual textbook though." Of course, nothing was really easy on Itachi's eyes these days, but they were easier to read and if he had to do some reading in one of his other courses where he had an e-textbook he would get his tablet to read aloud to him.

“I keep thinking that I want to pick up another major.” Anna said, giving him a bright smile. “But I figure that’d take forever. I really don’t want to be in college forever. Four or five years is probably enough for me, I think.” Though, the way Anna was going she’d have enough credits to graduate in three. She was taking a ridiculous amount of classes. After tossing the cup into the trash Anna dusted her hand on her jeans, then lifted it to wrap around the strap of her backpack. It was super full of books, and super heavy.

“It’s hard to switch over. I like paper! Though, portability and lightweight might win out in the end.” Anna mused. “And I like being able to… I don’t know, flip around in the book, too. Back and forth between chapters without losing my place. You know?”

Chuckling, Itachi gave a small nod of his head, "I don't blame you." While he enjoyed learning, he didn't particularly want to be in college forever himself either. He was, however, considering getting his Master's although he was still undecided. "I'm still toying with the idea of getting my Master's myself. We'll see though." Eventually he would figure it out, right now he was just trying to survive his dreams.

"I understand. Although it is easier to highlight in a e-reader, and search certain terms." There were pros and cons to everything though. Itachi figured though that within the next few years that most schools would switch over to e-textbooks completely. "Though I understand. There's something about the smell of a book, and the feel of it. So I don't think I'll be making the full conversion myself any time soon, but it's nice to have some options." At least there were some out there now, and he was thankful that they were living in the age of technology. "I won't keep you any longer from your studies. Good luck on your finals." He gave a small nod of his head towards her, a small smile on his face again.

“That’s a good point! It’s certainly easier to search for things. Control F!” She grinned brightly at the guy behind the counter, then gave a little nod. “I should get to it, and I’ll let you get back to work!” She beamed brightly over at him, then shrugged her bag a little further up onto her back. “Nice talking with you!” Were Anna’s last words to him before she disappeared into the library.