Going Forward

Ksenia heard a growl coming from behind her as she stood facing the bookshelf, flicking through yet another history book. "If you do not want to stay here you can go outside, Cleo," she said dismissively to the leopard, not even looking up at her familiar. It didn't take long for the young Dlushatel to learn that the large cat demanded more of her attention in the winter month. When she spent weeks in this particular room during the summer holidays she wouldn't have seen head or tail of the leopard who preffered to hunt and watch the other 'predators' that moved around this Mansion outside its walls. The winter months however were too cold for the cat's liking so she stayed inside with her Mistress, usually in one library or another. Though there were some aspects of the libraries that the cat liked. Specifically the large warm fireplaces that Cleo could always curl up beside.

The leopard stayed still for about a minute, her non-existent lips curled back into a slight snarl over her teeth as Ksenia selected more books from the shelf, her back turned to the animal. The young witch, whose seventeenth birthday was just days away, has been distributing her time more accurately and practically in the past few months. Her formal education would be drawing to a close sooner rather than later and she no longer could afford to indulge herself into through research of whatever took her fancy at that particular moment. Realistic and timely goals had to be set.

That was why the Slushatel has found herself reasearching books on the history of Russian organised crime. She knew that the books would only offer her minimal information that she would require (even in the Sicarius library), but they were a good first source of information and that was exactly what she required right now.

Tucker needed to research on the past assassination in the wizarding world. He knew there were books like that in the most common library, put he needed darker books, more depths to what had happened to the people who did them. His feet took him into the mansions Library. He saw that he wasn't going to be alone.

He walked in and shut the door behind him, placing the book that he had borrowed on another subject back in its place near the back of the huge room. He turned around quickly, noticing the girl was in the section he needed to be in. He walked over, ruffleing his hair about as he got near.

"Need any help there, darhlin?" Tucker asked in politness to the girl.

"Me?" Ksenia couldn't help but ask as she turned around to see the source of the voice. Her eyebrow rose in amusement and the Slushatel had to stop herself from rolling her eyes as she looked at the boy who had addressed her. "Oh now, I am fine. Thank you," she said almost dismissively as her eyes went back to focus on the book she was holding. Getting distracted by a male who clearly was not looking for some intelligent conversation, but some flirting (at the very least) was not something that the young witch needed right now.

Her mind went back to the history for a few moments before her eyes focused on the boy once again. A slight frown creased her forehead as she looked at him. "I haven't seen you here before," she stated matter of factly. "Do you need any help?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him, her expression remaining cool.

"I can say that I haven't seen you here before either, mostly I have been in the training room." Tucker said to the girl with a small smile as he looked at the books spines as he looked. "Yes, I could do with some help. I'm looking for books on deep Earth Magic and past assassination in the wizarding world. Oh and on Elfin Magic. Seems I Haven't read everything on my creature status." Tucker said to the girl as he found one book.

"Scratch The history one," He muttered as he read the cover. He looked at the girl and tilted his head. "Hmm, I have seen you before at Durmstrang, I swear I must have a class with you. My name is Tucker Harris." He paused as his vision started to blur a bit.

He summond his small chalk bored and started to draw as a vision of the future or past decended on him. he drew her, her name and a picture of her past. "Well it's very nice to meet You Ksenia Sokol." Tucker paused as he wrote another name down under it. His eyebrow arched, but shrugged. "Ohhh, Your a prefect too, in slushatel. Born on January 4t very nice." Tucker muttered

Ksenia smiled politely as she listened to him state what he needed. That smile was part of the ever-present facade that allowed her to blend in and go unnoticed. "This is the history section," she stated, pointing to the shelf she was standing in front of. "And the magical creatures section is towards the back," the Slushatel waves her hand, not really caring that much whether those instructions were accurate.

"Oh?" she raised her eyebrow at him. "A pleasure to meet you than, Tucker Harris," she nodded her head slightly while her mind was already storing away her first impressions of the other student. Cocky and unobservant where the prominenet words in that impression.

The book in her hands slammed closed and her expression turned as cold as ice when she heard his next words. "Did they not tell you when you were invited to this Mansion to keep your long nose out of people's private business," she hissed at him.

Tucker immediatly but his hands up in peace, wipping his chalk bored clean. "I Apologise Ksenia. I can't help it, it just happenes. I can't stop my past or future visions." Tucker said quickly, not meaning at all to offened or look into the girls history. He shook his head as he felt a bit bad. He didn't want to make enemies.

Tucker sighed deeply and looked at the book, his eyes sadening as he avoided her ice cold gleard as he turned the books cover over to read the inside.

"Then learn to keep your mouth shut," Ksenia snapped at him, her eyes still narrowed slightly, before turning back towards the bookshelf to select another book. She needed to get as much information as she could while she was in this Mansion. One never knew what could happen in a day in this place let alone in a week.

"What are you doing here anyway?" she asked, her back still turned to him as she selected a book. He seemed so confident when she had seen him in class, yet here, his lack of knowledge in the matters of the trade of the Mafia was apparent. Or at least her particular specialty.

"Now look who's being noesy." Tucker muttered as he slammed his book shut, turning his head slighty at the girl. He ran a hand through his hair thinking at what he really should say next. Only Ashleen knew his story at why here was here, he has only known this girl really for a couple of minutes, he wasn't a person who trusted easily.

"Part time training assassin." Tucker knew that he looked less knowledgeable to her, he liked playing it down, alot. He smirked slightly and looked at the books in front of him, seeing if there was anymore he wanted in the history section.

"So why you here then?"

"Ah yes, there always seems to be a surplus of assassins here. Good for the Mafia," Ksenia said simply as she sat herself down at one of the tables, not taking her eyes off the book in her hands. Over the past two years the girl have met so many assassins in person that she had come to recognize, at least hazily, when one was standing right in front of her.

"Oh, I am just studying. It's a waste of precious resources not to read the books in here when you have access to them," the Slushatel said as she flicked a page.

"Yes, I find that everythime I'm here, I Always come to the Library. It's sometimes nice to take a break in combat training and study on certain subjects needed." Tucker said as he spotted another book and took it of the shelf. He flipped it over to read the back.

"So," He said as he read the back of the book. "You want to become a knowledgeable Guard then? or one of the Mafia's Accountents? Or something like that?" He asked as he moved from the History section to the law section, finding another book he needed as he tunred to the look at the girl.

"It's good to hear that the Mafia has some knowledgeable assassins," Ksenia said as she flicked a page of the book over. "Many of your profession prefer to spending time to better their physical skills." She didn't look up as she spoke, after all he had annoyed a part of her enough for her to not want to extend her full politeness towards him.

"Me?" she raised her head at his questions and couldn't help but smirk in amusement. "I am afraid I will not do much good as a guard. I am simply here for the knowledge," she said, spreading her arms around herself.