Perusing PV Anatole Evans & Serena Towers Close

There was something about Snicket that forced him to read. After discussing with the makeshift Book Club Anatole had accidentally become leader of, they decided on the first book of the series to collectively read.

Anatole, as the supposed head, was one of the first to hunt down the unfortunate fable. It had taken him a bit, and a couple laps around the library (even to just locate the fiction section) to discover it, and after a rough hour of work around the majestic library, he had found it. The Bad Beginning.

Excited, Anatole shot into the air, landed back on his feet, and curled up right beside the wooden shelf to begin the novel. It would be his second time reading it, but it was a book worth re-reading as of yet.

His back pressing against the rows of fiction and wood, he opened the front cover, beaming as he re-read the title page. The pictures in the book were also stellar, so a book like this was almost impossible to avoid.

Midway through the first chapter, Anatole's head perked up, noting a pair of footsteps perusing the library. It seemed near lunchtime, so there shouldn't have been many here. Overwhelmed with anticipation for the rest of the first chapter, he went back to reading.

Anatole had just finished the third, quick chapter when he heard the pitter-pattering again. Clearly, someone was here, and he peered through the shelf and in between the books, seeing only slivers of black hair and a knitted inch of a green scarf. Normally, a sight like this would strike fear into the Gryffindor, remembering the already two unpleasant encounters with those of the Green and Silver. However, he did not consider that and returned to the book.

Around the fourth chapter, he hit him. Quite literally. The boy from before had walked right into Anatole, and he shut his book right on his fingers, startled with surprise. He let out a small, girlish scream, later controlling himself and remarking, "Oh! You scared me, agh." He turned his head to look up at the pale boy, mentally inquiring why he was here. "Do I, uh...need to move?"

The last thing Anatole was looking for was yet another conflict with a Slytherin. Narrowly, he tried to dodge any provocative statements, curious as if the other boy would bring some controversial quib into this accident.

Hopefully, this wouldn't be another bad beginning.

Sebastian sighed, as he rubbed his arm where the book and Gryffindor had impacted. The scream that sounded almost made Sebastian recoil in equal surprise, but it quickly ended followed by the other boy speaking quickly. The admission of being scared, followed by asking if he had to move, was mildly confusing, especially the latter.

"I heard that, yes," Sebastian said, silver-blue eyes narrowed, eyebrows furrowed. "And no, why would you have to move? This is a public place, there's ample room, we just filled the same space for a moment, unfortunately."

To say the encounter was anything but awkward was an understatement. The look of concern from the Gryffindor made Sebastian wonder just what he was actually thinking, and whether it was worth inquiring about... and after a moment, the Irish boy decided speaking to another student was prudent, especially one from a different House. Contacts, secrets, potential allies were all made through encounters, and Sebastian had simply been exploring, so he could make time for any of the former.

"Who are you?" Sebastian asked, one eyebrow now raised. "I've never seen you before now. I'm Sebastian Leeds, clearly from Slytherin House."

To accentuate his point, Sebastian motioned to the scarf and general attire. For a moment, the Irish boy looked over the boy from Gryffindor, assessing and taking notes. The book held in the other boy's hands - The Bad Beginning - seemed an odd choice to read, but then Sebastian couldn't claim to know much about it; all he knew was that not reading something directly associated with improving skills in magic and spells was likely a waste of time.

"Out of curiosity, do you always act like you are now, or is it because of me?"

Leaning against one of the bookcases, Serena sat with her legs crossed and a textbook in her hands. Her face was engrossed in the book. In truth, the Hufflepuff was not one that was known to be in the library or even studying for that matter. However, recent events had changed her. The campout had shown her how important it was to learn magic and be able to cast it. She had almost died that day. If she had not defeated the creature that kept attacking her, then it probably would have ended the job after she had been knocked out. Her only saving grace that day was the ability to cast magic. But it was not enough. If she had known more spells, perhaps she could have defeated the creature faster and saved her friends too.

Serena's face was stuck flicking through a book about healing magic. She was reading it so intensely that she had a frown on her face and could feel the tension in her head. In fact, it was giving her quite a bad headache. But that did not stop her. She continued to read the words off the page, flicking through the book as she absorbed the information on it. There was very little chance that she could successfully cast any healing spells. The ones she had read about seemed above her level. Perhaps a few years above her level. Serena had to try, however. 

Too many friends were getting hurt in front of her face. She needed to learn how to tend to their wounds. Learning basic healing spells would be the best way to help solve some of the problems. Of course, she also needed to learn how to protect them in the first place. If she could avoid the injury, that would be far better than just healing it up.

Serena sighed as she went through the book. There did not seem to be anything of her caliber in it. Pushing up against the floor with her hand, Serena forced herself up onto her feet. She pushed the book back into its place on the bookcase opposite her - putting it back from the place she took it from, as she did not want to annoy the librarians by moving them around. There was probably some sort of order to this, after all. Scanning the shelf, she ran her fingers along the spines of the other books. 

She walked down the aisle, looking for another textbook that had a title that indicated it might be helpful to her. She wanted something specifically about healing magic, as she had already searched through her first year textbooks. In the silence of the library, something suddenly caught her attention. A small scream. Perhaps from a girl. Serena's attention was quickly drawn to that. Was someone hurt? It did not sound like it was something serious. The scream was small, not intense. But nonetheless, she was worried. Quickly exiting the aisle she was in, Serena turned the corner to see two boys in the row next to the one she had been seated in.

The Hufflepuff blinked, "Is everything okay here?" She asked them curiously, her worry lacing her voice. She continued to just blink blankly at the two of them. Where did that girly scream come from? Looking around, she did not see anyone else. Those two were the only ones nearby and it had definitely come from this direction. It was not loud enough to travel that far so she would have expected it to be someone here.

Looking back at them, she suddenly realised she recognised one of them. The Gryffindor boy. She had met him before. In fact, she had thrown a snowball in his face once before. She blinked for a moment, trying to recall his name. He had mentioned it the day they went to watch the Quidditch match together. Well not together, per se. More like, watched it and were next to each other. The match that got cancelled at a short notice, for some reason. Anatole. That was his name, right? Well, she thought it was something like that. "Hey, what's going on?" She asked him, greeting him finally. She looked between the two of them. The other boy was a Slytherin, by the looks of his robes but she did not recognise him.

”No, it’s just that…” Anatole shoved his lips into formations, hoping they would make some string of unpredictable language. It wasn’t working out, because, like the odd snake he certainly wasn’t, the phrase died out as he hung on an invisible “s”, drawing it out until he swallowed the sound in his mouth.

He placed his Snicket aside as he kept his eyes trained on the boy. Like everyone he came upon, the Slytherin asked who he was. Of course, Anatole replied how every normal boy would, with his name, and possibly every now and then, he could have gotten a wink of house or even a middle name. ”Well, hello there, Sebastian. I’m...Anatole. Gryffindor.” He tried to crack a disjointed smile, considering he was trying to maintain a happy attitude. ”Like...this? Like what?” He chuckled, having no idea what the boy was referring to. What sort of action? The nervousness?

A bolt of pain buzzed through his system as he pinched himself, distracting the nerves he once had. ”Yeah...I think I do? It’s just a bit strange, you know. I used to be good at meeting people before I got here, but---”

More footsteps from the next shelf over. Dignified, yet delicate. Surprisingly familiar. Whipping his head towards the sound, he noticed the inquiring Hufflepuff Prefect from the stands. If only he could remember her name. ”Oh hey there...uh...Sabrina?” No, that was the editor. ”Serena! Yes. Sorry about that, uh...hi, Serena. I...really think everything’s okay?” Anatole squinted slightly as he exchanged a slightly fearful glance with the Slytherin. ”It’d be better if he judged that, yeah…”

”I really should get back to reading.”

Sebastian listened to the Gryffindor, face emotionless, as he stammered and stuttered his way through an explanation and then introduction. Whether the other boy was simply socially awkward, or he genuinely had something against Sebastian, the latter wasn't able to say - if only because Anatole wasn't even able to say. Still, there was a small amount of amusement at how uncomfortable the student from Gryffindor was acting, as though he was afraid or very cautious, and it made Sebastian feel oddly smug...

"Yes, like now, the stammering and nervousness."

When Anatole finally got around to speaking in proper sentences, Sebastian inclined his head.

"So what happened?" Sebastian asked, somewhat curious. He couldn't understand how someone could change so completely, unless Anatole held stranger's opinions in higher regard to his own. "How could attending Hogwarts make you socially deficient? Is it bad interaction with others? Or something else?"

For his own troubles, Sebastian had little-to-no issues talking with people. In fact, he could be quite charming when he wanted to be, and was willing to strike up conversation with individuals. But, when it came to crowds, that's where the Irish boy had problems; and while it wasn't a fear or anxiety of crowds, per se, it was definitely because he wasn't used to them. Life at Leeds Manor had been small scale, very few people, and that had resulted in certain developments that Sebastian had come to accept as normal - the quiet, for one, and not having a sea of unknown people surrounding him...

"Oh, hello," Sebastian said suddenly, looking as another student arrived. Her expression and question clearly showed concern, likely due to the scream Anatole had given before. It had been very high-pitched. "I... don't see why it wouldn't be okay. Unless you're talking about the, uh, scream. You might want to ask him."

Sebastian listened to Anatole greet the new arrival, mentioning her name - Sabrina Serena - and raised an eyebrow when the other boy glanced toward him, offering something of a frightened expression and posing a question about the situation. For a moment Sebastian was confused, brows furrowing as he thought about it, but he soon realized exactly what was being implied.

"Ah, right," Sebastian muttered, as he crossed his arms over his robes. "Slytherin, and all that? Well, as far as I can tell, I don't think there's a problem. Just a case of accidental bumping into one another."

Looking to the female student, Sebastian observed her with silver-blue eyes, realizing he recognized her. Serena Towers, the Hufflepuff Prefect, if he wasn't mistaken. The only reason for the recognition being from the sorting ceremony, and having seen the various Prefects lead their respective students to dorms...

"You're Serena Towers?" Sebastian asked, as he looked between the pair. "I'm Sebastian Leeds. I remember you from earlier in the year, but we haven't met. Maybe you can clear something up for me? What's with all the jokes about Huffles and fire going on around the school?"

Sebastian could be very blunt.

The Slytherin boy questioned why it would not be okay as though he did not hear the scream. Yeah, they weren't loud enough to alert the whole room but this was still a library, after all. Any amount of noise easily travelled in such a quiet area. The vast aisle were almost made for the echoing noises. Screams made a different noise to the sound of book pages turning or the sound of quills against the parchment. It was noticeable and certainly drew attention. As he mentioned the scream, she followed his words to Anatole who had started to voice his opinion.

Serena pressed her lips together as she observed the Gryffindor's reactions. He looked almost... scared - and that was something that made her worried and far more cautious. Nodding as he suddenly remembered her name, "Yeah, it's Serena," She confirmed his second guess in a matter of fact tone before pausing to listen to him continue. She had met Anatole before and although that interaction was brief, he seemed to have a lot more confidence than he was portraying right now. Her eyes flickered between the two boys as he spoke. She turned to the Slytherin boy, waiting for his judgement on the matter after Anatole confirmed that everything was okay from his end. This was certainly not how she expected to spend her time today. But alas, the Hufflepuff within her made her want to make sure everything was okay after hearing the screams.

She couldn't help but roll her eyes at the stranger's words. His emphasis on the fact that he was from the snake house and the general assumption that he would be judged for it was perhaps precisely the reason that people did judge them for it. "No, not Slytherin and all that. More like the sound of someone screaming," She replied, deciding not to continue talking. She would have claimed it did look terrible that the boy who had screamed looked rather fearful right now, he was shuttering and clearly trying to leave. However, she did not want to make the matter worse by pointing that out. Nodding, she replied, "Well, if there's no problem then yes, perhaps we should all get back to reading," following on from the Gryffindor's suggestion. It sounded like a good one - especially if it helped alleviate some of the fear that the boy from the brave house was feeling. 

Before she could turn and leave, however, her own name hit her ears. The boy who introduced himself as one Sebastian Leeds had continued to talk. It was not a name she recognised by any means but then again, Serena was not really focused on thinking about it. She did not really care if she knew him or not right now. She was busy studying - for once - and had intended to simply get back to that. Small talk was not on the agenda for today. He had other plans, however. His straightforward nature quickly brought up the very incident that had lead to her being here, attempting to learn some vital spells that could save their lives.

Her jaw clenched for a brief moment. What sort of insensitive boy was he? It was as though he had been living under a rock this whole time. Everyone knew about the night of the camp out. People commented about it or judged her for it. No one, however, needed it to be 'cleared' up for them. She observed him for a moment before nodding, "Yes I am," Serena confirmed her name again. It took a lot for her to hate or dislike someone, to be honest. But this boy certainly gave her a bad feeling. Jokes about Huffles and fire? There were no jokes about that. People were genuinely scared, people almost died and this boy was standing here comparing all of that to mere jokes. "There was a forest fire that ended up hospitalising several students," Serena replied calmly but equally as bluntly. Serena had nothing against him, yet. He had made no such comments. All he did was ask the question. Being curious was fine, as long as it didn't kill you in the end. For now, Serena remained polite. 

She avoided the details of the matter. He didn't need to know why the fire started or who started it. He did not need to know all of the terrible things that happened, "I guess there are a few inconsiderate b******s around that are making jokes about people almost dying," She continued in a tone that was perhaps too casual for the context. But she had heard this topic a lot, she had thought about it a lot and she had spoken about it far too much already. The fact that she almost died was something she could say far too casually for her liking. It was unusual to hear that word being spoken from Serena's mouth. She was incredibly kind and rather innocent. However, having an older brother paid off at times. He taught you rude words that could be used to describe the awful people who would consider making a joke about someone being burnt to death.

Serena had been unconscious during the fire. But when she woke up, she could smell the scent of burning flesh and hair. She saw people covered in severe burn marks that hurt her just to look at. They looked incredibly painful. She saw soot and blood everywhere... The night of the Camp Out was more than just the fire that started but the fire was the thing everyone noticed and remembered. No one would understand why that fire started, except those who were there. It had to be done. They would have died without that fire. The shadows, the spiders, everything was against them that night. They were lucky no one died... But they almost did. And whoever mocked that was nothing but dirt to her. She just hoped that Sebastian Leeds was not going to be on that list... He could join the list, along with her older brother who was certainly getting close to being hated forever. The funny thing about family, however, is that you kind of have to forgive them. At some point, she probably would give in to it... She was a forgiver by nature... It sucked. But that's a story for another time.

"Like now..." The stammering, stuttering. If Anatole was being honest, yes, it did happen to people like Leeds. He seemed like the poised, revered kind that was perfect with intimidation. Just looking at him and the green robes shot up another nerve of fear, but he wished he could do better. He wanted to be bold. And to do so, it would be best to muster out the truth.

"Well, I think it came out of isolation when I was younger? I was...uh... Muggle-born, you all call it? Right?" Anatole could tell something from the look in the boy's eyes and it made him stop. "That's pretty much my deal..."

Serena had been patiently listening, like the person he had supposed she would be in a situation like this. Thankfully, Anatole had nailed her name the second time around. That would be embarrassing. The fear still lingered, however. Serena was a big, bad Prefect.

At the mention of his childish scream, Anatole buried himself into a bit of a ball, almost forgetting all the psyching up he had done before. "Yeah, sorry about that...he just scared me. I thought no one would come." He gulped, nodding and agreeing with the Slytherin boy. "But there's nothing really wrong! Not at all!"Yes, the world inside his novel was much, much better than this. Thankfully, it already seemed like it was coming to a wonderful abrupt ending. Serena pivoted on her heel and was about to walk away.

Anatole peered up at Sebastian's face. He knew something else was to happen. There couldn't just be a story without a twist or a turn. And just like that, Sebastian's lips let loose. The words slithered out. Huffles and fire.

Anatole gulped. What was he talking about? Rosie had never said a word about any sort of thing with fire...a-and neither had Lucy. None of his Hufflepuff friends had told Anatole anything about fire!

Serena's face grew visibly mad. "There was a forest fire that ended up hospitalising several students," she commented through what looked like gritted teeth, but it seemed pleasant...as for now. Anatole could feel the earlier jubilance in the atmosphere plummeting by the moment. I guess there are a few inconsiderate b******s around that are making jokes about people almost dying!" Anatole gasped. She just said...that word! A Prefect just said that word. This school wasn't as innocent after all, was it? It was crazy, maybe even crazier than that one time he saw that bloody battle with Kaegen and Adam. Words meant a lot...but Anatole was confused and decided to play it smart and sit this one out.

All he had to hope is that he wasn't dragged into this war of words.

The Gryffindor stammered through his explanation, much to his merit being quite open about it, which caused Sebastian to simply observe him with cold eyes. It wasn't that the Pure-blood disliked Muggles, or Muggle-borns, so much that he was tired of the stigma of being presumed to dislike them; and even if the Leeds were a traditional family in that sense, it wasn't necessarily Sebastian's opinion, whether out of his own choice or spite.

"Isolation can do wonders," Sebastian said simply, offering a shrug. "I learned a lot from books when I was alone in my bedroom, with barely any interruption. I don't see how that can result in what you're describing, unless you mean you've become a... a, what do the Muggles say, nerd?"

Granted, living in such an enclosed family dynamic had given Sebastian some reservations about large crowds, but that was something he aimed to overcome. For him, it mostly came down to the noise and constant movement from lots of sources. That, combined with his capacity for recalling events in astounding clarity, usually resulted in being very, very overwhelmed with sensory information... smaller gatherings were no issue, however, like the one now.

I have no idea what nerd means... but Anatole seems like it.

And when Serena began speaking, Sebastian listened. He remained passive, mildly surprised at how quickly she became agitated. His understanding was that Huffles were quite calm, friendly individuals; though, granted, he had asked about a topic that was insensitive. In some ways, Sebastian almost laughed at how opposite the two other students seemed, compared to their houses - it was almost like they needed to swap robes.

Serena was clearly getting more angered by the moment, which caused Sebastian to maintain his neutral expression. It wasn't that he was afraid, so much that his question might have been misconstrued and misunderstood - it had been a genuine question, as the boy had heard some jokes going around about Hufflepuffs being flammable, despite how serious whatever situation it related to was. After all, being from another house meant some details and information wasn't shared, and rumors were prone to filling in a lot of the gaps in those instances.

"Serena," Sebastian said when she had finished, his tone low, his silver-blue eyes staring. "I understand. Really. From what you've said, I can see how it could be a bad experience to have, and it's a shame those Huffles--Hufflepuffs-- were injured as a result of poor supervision or being unprepared."

Sebastian inclined his head, his hands going to his pockets as he continued. His face softened somewhat, showing some level of empathy for the girl, as he glanced to the quiet Anatole nearby...

"At the end of the day, people have very little respect for things that don't happen to them," He said, his voice continuing in a low tone. "Jokes are made about serious events almost immediately, it's part of the social machine. I'm not usually involved in groups, or very many people, but eventually rumors spread and it seems like stereotypes for houses do exist... even you can't deny that."

The Slytherin raised his eyebrows.

"I don't want to make it seem like I'm being mean while you're angry about those events," Sebastian said, eyes unflinching. "But I've seen people misplacing anger before, and I kind of think my question sparked a reaction in you meant for someone else? You did go from zero to dragon in a second there. But I agree, the ones making jokes about people dying are, and always will be, bastards... but I'm not one of them. I was just asking about some rumors I'd heard.

"I apologize for upsetting you, but I seriously think you need to talk to someone."

Sebastian wondered how Serena would react, whether she would brush it off or listen to the advice. And while the Slytherin didn't care either way, at least he had done his part to diffuse some of the situation, and divert her anger from him - or so he hoped. That said, there was still another card to play, one which Serena couldn't get mad at... and it was standing right beside Sebastian, quivering with a book in hand.

"You experienced a traumatic event... adults usually say talking helps. I'm willing to listen, and I'm sure Anatole is a great listener, too, right? Someone who wouldn't want another to be so angry inside, when talking to a stranger could help. And who knows, it could even lead to strong friendships later..."

Sebastian glanced toward the Gryffindor; who could say no to the short student, looking uneasy and scared, with his book...

"What do you say, Anatole? Reassure Serena, let's show some support?"

If anything, we should pause for a moment to feel bad for the Gryffindor boy standing between the Badger and the Snake. He seemed to be stunned into silence. His silence said a lot, though. His behaviour was the stark opposite of the other two - who seemed to be firing words at each other. In all truth, Serena was not usually like this. There was just something in the way the Slytherin had said it, that triggered something in her. He did not wait a moment before bringing such a sensitive topic up nor did he phrase it carefully. Jokes. That word was what got to her. Whoever would make a joke about such a thing deserved to burn in hell, no reference intended.

She wasn't angry at him though. If anything, she was outraged that someone would even consider making such jokes. People almost died. This was no laughing matter. She bared no hatred or angry towards Sebastian. Unfortunately, that statement was true before he continued to talk. His words seemed to have more of an impact on her than she would show him. Her face remained blank, masking how upset she truly was.

He mentioned the two of the things that she questioned. The Hufflepuffs were injured as 'a result of poor supervision or being unprepared'. Serena related to this sentence more than she would admit. For the past few months, the Hufflepuff questioned her role in the school. She doubted herself, whether she was suitable to even be a witch in Hogwarts, let alone the Prefect of Hufflepuff. As Prefect, it was her duty to protect her housemates. She had failed. But she was a first year like everyone else present. There was nothing she could have done. And yet, she continuously blamed herself. She was under prepared. For magic, for Hogwarts and to be Prefect. Countless times, Serena found herself standing right outside her Head of House's office, ready to knock the door and tell him that she quit. That he ought to find a more suitable student to be Prefect - because it clearly was not her. Sebastian made her feel like she was right. This stranger made her doubt herself, reaffirming her belief that she truly was a failure.

He took her silence as a sign to continue talking it seemed. That was a mistake. Serena blankly stared at him, hiding the sadness she could feel inside her. She wasn't angry at him. She was angry at herself for being the failure he had confirmed she was.She was angry at the 'social machine' that would make such awful jokes. 

What annoyed her about his words, however, was that he assumed she was misplacing her anger. The assumption and judgement was what annoyed her. Her tone of voice had been calm and casual. Her face had been blank and devoid of any anger. The only evidence of her irritation was the fact that she swore. But Serena swore casually and when she was happy too. Perhaps not in front of a random stranger but her close friends would have heard her swear. Rolling her eyes, "No. My anger hasn't been misplaced. Not at all. It was aimed at the people who would make such jokes. They deserve far worse than my anger but let's settle for that now, shall we?" Serena replied calmly. It was evident in her voice that she thought very little of someone who would make such a foul joke. She was disgusted by the thought of students mocking their fellow students, their friends who almost died. 

This was not aimed at Sebastian, it was aimed at the people who made these jokes to him. "I never once said you were one of them; that was an assumption you made on your part." Serena continued, speaking honestly before pausing and then continuing to talk as an afterthought, "Though, now that you mention it... It perhaps should be placed on you. It was you that bluntly brought up such a sensitive topic, no?" She questioned him. Perhaps it was this Leeds boy that ought to learn how to be more sensitive when talking to someone who went through something traumatic, rather than anger management for Serena. 

"If you're after the details or 'the gossip', try that shelf over there," The Hufflepuff calmly pointed to the shelves near the entrance. There, all of the old house newspapers and magazines were displayed. She was sure he would be able to find an issue that she knew mentioned some of the gory details of the camp out. She was certain he would find it because it was a paper that she had edited just prior to the event itself. As she ended up in the hospital when the newspaper went live, the Hufflepuffs that were fortunate enough to not be at the camp out finished the issue and added some details of the camp out onto it.

Looking at Sebastian, she watched him engage with Anatole. Almost as though he was forcing the Gryffindor to stay and talk. Serena sighed softly, "Anatole, it's fine, you don't have to stay. I'm sorry if I scared you - but I'm fine, don't worry," Serena reassured the boy, placing a smile on her previously blank face as she looked at him and spoke to him in a far more gentle tone of voice - one suitable to use in front of a boy that looked so scared. [size=12.6px] "I'm sorry for my language,"[/size][size=12.6px] She continued, remembering that not everyone was as crude as she was. She had her older brother to thank for that one but not everyone was used to this potty mouth behaviour. The Gryffindor certainly looked a lot more innocent than she was![/size][size=12.6px] [/size]Looking back at Sebastian, she addressed the Slytherin again, "Let's leave Anatole out of this, shall we?" She asked him, not wanting to drag Anatole into this... interaction, for the lack of a better word. It wasn't exactly an argument or a fight, after all. It was merely an unpleasant interaction that gave Serena a bad feeling.

Was she in the mood to talk to this random stranger about her deepest feelings? No, not really. Something about his demeanour was kind of annoying. He was blunt, judgemental and more importantly, he was trying to make her decisions for her or tell her what to do. That was kind of annoying. He left a bad feeling in her. She wasn't sure why but she wasn't sure she could trust such a person with all of true feelings and thoughts in the first meeting. Perhaps it was all a misunderstanding but his directness made her hesitate to trust him straight off the bat, like she would with anyone else. Besides, it did not bode well that Anatole still looked very scared of him - and perhaps now Serena too.