Imaginarium:: First Floor ~ Interior

Upon first walking in, if you are the imaginative or creative sort the decor of the room will specially tailor itself to your imagination. "Holographic" persons or beings may roam the aisles. You will be prompted to take a manual if you so desire if you are a first-time visitor, to help you get your bearings. Sales specific to the week are also featured on the back few pages. If the spell did not take affect or if you dispersed it, the Imaginarium reveals to you what it truly is: a warm and inviting bookstore/library that has the feel of a sunroom at the front, and a mysterious library toward the back.

A few standard lecterns and comfortable chairs can be found here, as well as one of the interactive dragon lecterns. The user may choose the personality of the dragon lectern: Mushu or Falkor, although it is Mushu depicted in the stone sculpting.

The spiral staircase in the corner leads down to the basement, as well as up to the second story and Alan's loft.


Genres You Will Find Here:

Fiction - Adventure, Age-Specific (Children's and Teen), Classical, Comedy, Experimental fiction, Fantasy, Gothic, Historical, Horror, Mystery, New Age, Pulp Fiction, Religious fiction, Romance, Satire, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thrillers, Tragedy, Urban fiction, and Westerns.

Comic Books - Any muggle or magical comic you can imagine. Reprinted (legal) copies of the rarer ones are for sale, but the originals (for collectors) are kept in the basement.

New Arrivals Shelves - Anything from the hottest new releases to new arrivals specifically at the store. New Arrivals and Bargain books are found at the front of the store when you first walk in, and some more can be found near the check-out.

Bargain Shelves - Battered books that are not rare, ones that haven't been selling well, or reasonably-priced books Alan has acquired can be found here. These are mostly written by up-and-coming or obscure writers, yet are relatively old compared to the speed at which they are writing.

(Some) Education - A general mix of magical and muggle books used for the purpose of academics or other educational purposes. Text books, workbooks, answer books, test packets, and the like can be found here. These books are parallel to the spiral staircase, and the selection is limited due to space. However, there are more educational books on the second level.

Despite any evils or problems that could plague the Earth, on this particular day, it seemed all of that was forgotten. Or, at least, placed to the side. The sun was shining brightly, the breeze made the weather neither too hot nor too cold, making today a day to be remembered and enjoyed, which was exactly what Berlynn Stabler intended to do. Today, thankfully, was her off day and she had every intention of enjoying it to the fullest. Her hair, normally held up in ponytail of sorts was now free, embraced by the sun and caressed by the wind in it's copper glory. Her wardrobe was also simple, consisting of only simple black, torn jeans and her top was a simple black tank top that stopped slightly above her abdomen, revealing a dangling, silver navel piercing. Today was one of the few days where she didn't have to be "Auror Stabler". Today, she was simply Berlynn.

She made her way down Diagon Alley, armed only with a cherry lollipop in her hand that she occasionally brought to her lips, watching at the people passing by, greeting them occasionally, and smiling at the children. Like always in life, the witch didn't quite have a destination. She merely went wherever the wind took her.

She passed through various shops, stopping on occasion to steal a second glance at an item on display, but for the most part kept heading forward, simply relaxing to herself. After all, it would be quite a few more hours until Happy Hour at the nightclubs she normally frequented would occur. The witch stopped in her tracks, however, as a place of particular interest caught her eyes.

"Imaginarium..." she though out loud, her accent thickly permeating the syllables. Curious, she entered.

Wonder filled her as she entered the shop, her sapphire orbs eagerly taking in the decor. It lived up to it's name entirely, she thought, quite liking the theme and atmosphere.

"Hallo?" she inquired lightly, in German, glancing around the various angles of the shop.

Alan was meandering about the first floor of his shop, a large box of books trailing behind him with the help of a Hover Charm. Much like being a librarian, he was attempting to add more books to the shelves in their appropriate places. A few of his latest additions to the shop were non-fiction, but most of them belonged down here with the rest of the more fantasy-oriented works.

He was climbing a ladder to place a copy of Alice in Wonderland on the shelf when he heard someone come in. Curious as to the newcomer's different-sounding accent, Alan spelled his ladder to slide over to the edge so he could see. Poking his head out of the aisle, Alan smiled at his guest. "Hey. Welcome to Imaginarium," he replied congenially. The wizard couldn't help but immediately notice the witch was quite attractive. However, the moment that thought crossed his mind, the box he'd been levitating crashed to the floor with a Godzilla-sized boom. 'Crap!' he mused with a wince.

"Sorry about that..." Alan muttered sheepishly as he descended the ladder. It was almost as if he had forgotten the box was there, for once off the ladder he immediately ran his foot into it. Walking off the accident, Alan approached Berlynn. His mode of dress was casual: a white tank top with an open blue plaid flannel shirt, light denim jeans and decidedly all-muggle sneakers. To identify that he was an employee rather than a customer, Alan also wore a lightweight sky blue vest. Much like the awning out front, the back of said vest bore the word 'Imaginarium' in dark purple lettering. His name tag, bearing the bold lettering of the name 'Alan Reed', was affixed to the front left flap of the vest.

"Anything I can do for you today, Miss?" he asked.

At the sound of a friendly, masculine voice, Berlynn glanced at the source of the cadence, a smile lit up the witch's face, though she jumped slightly at the sound of the crash. "It's fine, no worries." she said smiling genuinely. However, a sympathetic wince soon followed at the sound of the other wizard's foot ramming into the box. "Are you alright?" she asked, concerned as she met him halfway.

Given the closer proximity, Berlynn took the opportunity to survey the wizard's appearance. He was rather good looking, she thought as her sapphire orbs took him in. His mode of dress was also rather endearing, she thought. Normally in the stores she frequented, the clerks and owners would be confined in trapping uniforms. The wizard before her, however, seemed human with his everyday clothing, which is what Berlynn preferred to perceive all others around her. She never liked looking up or down at people (Unless of course there was a height issue. Then in that case, there wasn't much one could do, she supposed) but rather right in the eyes.

"Berlynn, please." she replied brightly. "No need for 'Miss' or whatever. Just Berlynn, if you will, sir."

She glanced around the store, still in awe of the building and all, the books it held. "I'm afraid I don't do much reading, to be honest, do I can't say exactly what in particular I would like..." she replied honestly, in a light-hearted tone. Berlynn wasn't much of a reader, but thought perhaps she ought to start. After all, knowledge was e greatest currency in the world. Not to mention she really did have to find a better way to kill time at the office than eating gummy bears and having her fellow colleagues sing along to all if her CDs. Some of their off-key singing was beginning to butcher her favorite songs, not to mention, "Jar of Dirt" wasn't exactly a great thing to have flashingly stuck in one's head while on Duty...

"Can you perhaps recommend something for me?" the witch asked with a playful tilt of her head slightly to the side.

Alan cringed a little, and flushed with embarrassment, when asked if he was alright. "Yeah... I'm fine. Happens all the time..." he muttered. "I really should enchant my shoes or buy steel-toes or something..." The wizard sort of wanted to give the box a retaliatory kick, but didn't dare given how the incident had come about. Knowing his luck he'd end up playing dominoes, with the bookshelves portraying said "dominoes" and creating an even bigger mess than a simple hurt foot.

The smile on the wizard's face increased further at her insistence regarding naming conventions. "Berlynn it is. And by all means: call me Alan," he replied. It was refreshing when a client did not feel the need for formalities. Alan's mission in creating the Imaginarium was to both provide an escape from the real world for a while as well as generate a casual atmosphere: the perfect little hideaway one could feasibly journey to and daydream awhile.

He listened intently as Berlynn spoke, intrigued by the accent she held. Alan nodded, waiting for her to finish speaking. "It's never too early to start, and the Imaginarium has a little bit of everything," he remarked just as lightly. Berlynn's playful head-tilt and further question made the wizard grin. "I'd be glad to," Alan replied genuinely before turning thoughtful for a moment. He could introduce her to the lectern dubbed 'Mushu,' but he wasn't exactly busy and could certainly take some time out to discuss his love of books with Berlynn.

"What sort of things interest you, Berlynn?" he asked curiously. "Knowing a bit about what you like may make all the difference between a good book and a bad one. Not that I've ever come across a book I didn't like," Alan chuckled in an afterthought. The wizard gestured to the nearest armchair for her to sit in and waved his wand.

Although he hadn't uttered a single spell, several books that were amongst his usual recommended authors list flew into his arms: Eragon, Murder in the Place of Anubis, The Shining, a small compendium of works by Edgar Allen Poe, and Treasure Island came from the shelves of literature hailing from the Muggle World. Books from the magical world soon followed: the comic book The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle, novels The Red Glove, The Egg of Time, and Ravenwake... and finally (because Alan guessed Berlynn was German, as Berlin was in Germany and her accent sounded possibly German), a copy of a book detailing the history, accomplishments, and several first-person narratives from members of the Heidelberg Harriers Quidditch team. At least one book on Quidditch always made his recommended list, though Alan often provided a neutral text as opposed to one with a slant, unless he knew of the other person's taste in Quidditch teams. This time, however, he was willing to take the risk. The Harriers were the first team to come to mind when Alan thought about German Quidditch teams.

Sapphire orbs sparkled with slight amusement at the embarrassment  of the clerk, finding it endearing. "Steel-toes can come in handy," she contributed, having used the footwear as part of her Auror gear. Though, admittedly for other purposes that those that serves. "I personally like them since if anyone annoys you, all it takes is one sharp aim and problem is gone." she joked lightly, though partly serious, as the instance did occur once during a mission when a fellow colleague had been particularly bossy and irksome. 

"Very well. Lovely to meet you, Alan." she replied with a smile, glad he didn't seem the sort to stress over formalities. 

His question caught her off guard, in a way, as she wasn't quite sure of the answer herself. She had never been much of a reader as a child so prior experience wouldn't quite help. She pondered for a moment, picturing what would interest her the most and attempted to convey it. While the pause in conveying may have seemed to be due to a slight difficulty in conveying a thought in a language other than a Mother tongue, it was actually a difficulty in trying to convey a witch's escapist-like thoughts into a language anyone could understand. Sort of a fantasy meets reality, if you will.

"Well... This might sound a bit silly but, um, well... I'd personally like something more fantasy-based." she admitted, dropping her gaze. The witch wondered for a brief moment if Alan would think her a fool for wanting something more in the realm of fantasy, rather than reality, considering she was an adult rather than a child still unaware of the real world. 

"I spend a lot of my days at my job dealing with reality and all the little lovely glitches in it, so it'd be nice to, even if for just a moment, pretend all that doesn't exist," she added with a small smile and shrug, thinking of all the sights Aurors often had to get accustomed to.

Berlynn couldn't help but blink at the number of books that appeared before her. Some of them she had heard, but others were brand new and she looked to each, regarding them with genuine interest. A light cadence of laughter escaped her at the sight of a Quidditch book detailing firsthand accounts of her hometown's team players, impressed that the wizard before her was able to pinpoint not only her country, but also her town of origin.

"I'm very impressed," she smiled and nodded at him with regard and amazement. "You got 2/2 right. Both the country and city. Most people can't even get the country right." 

"Though, I have to admit, considering how badly the Harriers are doing this season, it's almost painful to be associated with them..." Berlynn added with a mock-sad face that was quickly replaced with a smile and another light shimmer of laughter as she examined  the Quidditch book with interest.

Alan smiled and laughed a little at Berlynn's half-jest regarding steel-toed shoes. He made a mental note not to annoy this particular witch. Not that he ever went out of his way to annoy anybody, but still. The wizard couldn't help but wonder at Berlynn's occupation with all of that having been said. Perhaps after talking for a while he could surmise something. At the moment, though, his current guess was something like a bouncer for one of the many nightlife establishments.

"Likewise," he replied warmly.

The clerk waited patiently for Berlynn to determine an interest. If she enjoyed cooking, he had some interesting cookbooks on the shelves. For an interest in travel, he had maps and travel guides and various books on many of the world's cultures. For almost any interest, Alan was almost positive he had at least one book that went with it. The answer that Alan received, however, was neither of those and intrigued him a great deal. To show it, a large smile split Alan's face nearly in two.

"It's not silly at all. You could say... I'm a bit of a fantasy junkie, too" he laughed. "And if an escape from the real world is what you're looking for, I guarantee you'll find it here. I personally like to think that the Imaginarium, like the imagination, knows no limits. There's a little bit of just about everything here." Alan decided to tweak his assumption on Berlynn's career to healer, lawyer, or customer service representative. Or, perhaps even an officer within wizarding law enforcement. Each of these occupations dealt with the 'little glitches' of life, as she had phrased it.

When the Quidditch book made it to the pile, and Berlynn began to laugh, Alan couldn't help but quietly join in as well even though he hadn't a clue what had sparked her amusement. Everything became clear seconds later though, and the sandy brown pair of eyebrows raised. "Really? To be honest, I had assumed you might be German but had no idea you were from Heidelberg," he replied sincerely. Alan nodded with light sports-fan sympathy to hear how poorly the Harriers were doing this season. It didn't last long before Alan was right back to smiling again.

Seeing that Berlynn was for the moment content to examine the Quidditch book first, Alan contemplated finding a wider selection of fantasy-specific tomes. "If you'll excuse me a minute, I'll see what else you might like? By all means take a look at these here while you're waiting," Alan said, taking a small side-step toward the fantasy section.

"If you need anything, feel free to give a shout, okay? Oh... and I wouldn't look down while skimming through that book on the Harriers if I were you," he added somewhat mysteriously before turning into the nearest aisle. The mind was a powerful thing, and the enchantment upon the Imaginarium to provide a unique experience and/or sense of decor to each individual's eyes served to prove that point.

At the smile upon Alan's face, a sense of relief washed over the witch  at the idea of not being thought of as ridiculous for her ideals and relaxed a bit more. "Perfect." she replied warmly. "Though, you should know, my boss has a bit of a loud and domineering presence. Hell, there've been times he has managed to break my most vivid daydreams. You have a lot to compete with..." she teasingly challenged.

She nodded at his statement, before adding clarification, "Heidelberg is where my family home is and where all my siblings were born, except me. I was born in Berlin, hence my name. Though, for the spelling change you can thank Hedda, my Mother, for that." she explained with lighthearted roll of her eyes. 

"Of course," Berlynn nodded as Alan stepped away. "And thank you. I really do appreciate you helping me." she added with a smile. An eyebrow arched, however, at the warning bestowed upon her by the wizard. Curiosity burned within the aqua colored orbs as they contemplated the words like an inquisitive child, determined to solve the puzzle within a box. While most may have heeded Alan's warning, or at least proceeded with caution, Berlynn did what was the most natural response to her: With the book now opened in her hands, she looked down anyway.

For a moment, it seemed as though nothing had happened, causing the witch to wonder if Alan was perhaps merely joking with her. Until she began hearing a piercing shrill... Looking up from the page, she jumped slightly upon realizing she was no longer amidst the store, but rather at the center of what appeared to be an ongoing Quidditch game. All around her were pillars full of people, laughing and cheering in a mash of German and Italian, as the opposing team was from Italy. The sky was illuminated by the mascots of the teams, as well as the colorful flurry of the team cheerleaders. Up above the witch, several hundred feet in the air were the two teams engaged in what appeared to be an intense match. 

"Holy ****..." Berlynn breathed out in wonder, utterly at awe at this brilliant display of magic. Such thought and execution must have been so complex and taken ages to place such a charm as the one inside the shop. To say the witch was amazed and impressed would be understatements indeed.

As the witch continued to stare at the scenery, utterly awestruck, she failed to realize the surrounding action of the game, particularly the bludger that, by the point of realization, was literally no more than 3 feet away from her face causing her to jump in surprise. The jump of fright lead to a loss of balance, ultimately sending her to fall unto the floor, thus breaking the enchantment. When Berlynn opened her eyes once more, she found herself in the book shop again. 

Panting slightly from the adrenaline that still coursed through her from her adventure, she took a moment for a breather, keeping herself half propped up on her elbows from her position on the floor. "Wow..." she breathed out with the awestruck smile still upon her face. "That was amazing, to say the least." she uttered, still a bit breathlessly as her eyes sought Alan's form once again from the corner of the shop she had previously seen him disappear to. 
 

“I’ll certainly try my best,” Alan replied in kind, with light laughter just underneath. Enlightenment dawned on his face at Berlynn’s clarifications. A chuckle escaped him at the witch’s rolling of eyes. “Well, regardless of how the spelling goes, for what it’s worth I think it’s a good name,” he commented sincerely.

“No problem. Always glad to inspire potential readers,” he smiled, the expression only getting wider at the eyebrow tweak she gave him at his cryptic suggestion. With those words of caution said, Alan wondered if she would take him literally or test and see if he were ‘pulling her leg’. Either way the enchantment would surely work and gain her attention one way or another...

Alan listened intently as he ducked into the fantasy section and began selecting a few random works from the shelves. He had just laid fingers upon a book entitled Azura’s Box when he heard Berlynn murmur her amazement. A slight chuckle left his lips, wondering precisely what it was she was seeing. Sure, he could cast a spell and see for himself, but in a way that would be sort of like an invasion of privacy. Instead of interrupting Alan kept silent, continuing to pluck various fantasy texts from the shelves. He jumped when he heard Berlynn crash to the floor.

Grabbing up one last book, Alan strode out of the aisle and into the corridor to make sure his newest guest was alright. Hazel eyes searched frantically for her, and it wasn’t long before he spotted her. She seemed to be alright, thank Merlin. He had just barely caught her comment of ”That was amazing, to say the least.”

“Almost as good as the IMAX was, huh?” Alan snickered, approaching with yet another stack of books some nine tomes thick. He even made sure to carry them spines-out so that the titles could easily be read at a glance: a very old looking book called The Worm Ouroboros, the classic Lord of the Rings by Tolkien, The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis, and The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams had come from the muggle section and were on the bottom. On the top, however, were more wizarding titles: the aforementioned Azura’s Box, Legion of Nightfall, Hex Libris, SerpentSong Saga: Obadhai’s Revenge, Lycus Bloodworth and the Coven of Westlake, and a rather strange book whose title looked to be ‘MirrorssrorriM’, but upon closer look was simply titled Mirrors.

“Are you alright, Berlynn?” Alan asked, concern lining his features as he stooped to offer her a hand up. The books had been charmed not to slide, fall, or otherwise tumble from his grip.

Berlynn dropped her gaze at the sincere comment, blushing lightly. Despite working amongst a field that was generally composed and dominated of other wizards, very rarely was the witch complimented on anything. Sure, she got comments but those were more along the lines of catcalls, not at all ones at were sincere or heartfelt, which made her appreciate the gesture, and the wizard even more. It added more meaning for today's role of being Berlynn the Fraulein rather than Auror Stabler.

Upon her position on the floor, she took the moment to glance at the other crevices of the shop wondering what other mysteries exsted and secrets this shop contained. Her imagination had begun to drift off, conjuring images when the sound of Alan's voice broke her reverie.

A confused look blanketed the witch's face for a moment at the mention of IMAX as she hadn't heard of it before. the confusion cleared though as she deducted it must be one of the muggle gear and the smile returned once more. "Well, I can't really be sure since I haven't had much experience with the IMAX before, but judging by what I saw, I'm sure nothing, magical nor muggle, could top that." she replied sincerely.

The look of concern upon Alan's caused another slight flush of color upon the witch's face. How she cursed her pale skin! How refreshing it was to be treated with such chivalry from a wizard. It seemed like ages since she was treated so gently by a male. During missions and such, the most inquiring she got regarding her well-being from her male colleagues was "You still alive, Stabler?". Sure, she had dated on occasion, but generally those wizards saw only the macho Auror mask and assumed she could take care of herself. Of course, Berlynn was more than capable of doing so, but just because she worked in a wizard's world didn't mean she wanted to be treated as one. After all, first and foremost above 'Auror', Berlynn was still a Fraulein and wanted to be seen and treated as one, rather than a gruff wizard like her male colleagues.

The smile upon the witch's face grew slightly as she took the offered hand, pulling herself up, though the slight splash of color was still noticeable. "Oh yeah, no worries. It wasn't the first time I've crashed to the floor and likely won't be the last," she replied in her light, teasing voice with a shrug.

Noticing the books the wizard had selected, Berlynn glanced at them with curiosity. "Wow..." she uttered, not remembering ever reading that many books before, in her life. "They all look great. Any particular ones of these you'd recommend reading first? I'm not really sure if my boss would appreciate my showing up to work carrying all of these." she laugh lightly. She could just imagine the scowl that would illuminate her superiors face should she show up at the Minister's side during Liara's press conference with her entire attention fixated upon the pile of books. Pompeii 2 would likely be an accurate description of what would blossom out of his fury.
 

"Well, I can't really be sure since I haven't had much experience with the IMAX before, but judging by what I saw, I'm sure nothing, magical nor muggle, could top that."

Alan chuckled, though at the back of his mind couldn't help but be a little embarrassed to have confused Berlynn at mentioning IMAX. He assumed she must be half- or pure-blood, although one of the few that had a better disposition towards muggles and those magical sorts born from them. "Glad to hear it!" he replied with a grin and a laugh. "Trust me: IMAX comes close. If you ever want to go see a movie at one of the IMAX theaters... I have a buddy that could get some discounted tickets." Alan was tempted to ask her outright if she'd like to go with him to the movies next time an interesting film came out. Maybe once the right opportunity surfaced he would... or he could just get tickets and surprise her the next time she happened to stop by the store. Assuming, of course, that there would be a next time.

The book-keeper noticed his guest had quite a decent grip as he helped her to her feet. He didn't notice too much in the change of her complexion, and even if he had Alan would not have said anything. "Well, even still, I'm glad you're alright," he replied with a light but somewhat serious tone that was not solely motivated by possible injury lawsuits. Alan couldn't help but wonder if the statement were true and if it was due to her occupation, means of recreation, or perhaps if she was simply accident prone like himself?

Alan could not resist the laugh that escaped him when Berlynn mentioned her supervisor being unimpressed with a pile of books being carted to and fro by the witch. "There are quite a few..." he admitted somewhat sheepishly, taking a moment to glance at all of the titles. "I personally liked Lord of the Rings and Hex Libris... but I honestly think you might like either Eragon, Azura's Box, or even Mirrors to start out with. They're all excellent, too," Alan answered, summoning the books to arrange themselves into piles.

"Although... Eragon is a Muggle work, just so you know..." he remarked off-handedly, testing the waters on where Berlynn stood on the current political matter. The clerk had had some rather picky customers in before demanding books written only by magical authors, not muggle ones. One such customer even asked if he knew the bloodstatus of the magical writers that composed the work.

"That sounds lovely. I've personally never been to anything of that nature, but it sounds like fun, though I wouldn't know what to do or say if I were ever in one of the Muggle theaters." she replied with a short laugh. While her family held no real bias towards blood status, there wasn't exactly a fondness for muggle objects so Berlynn had little to no experience with such. Vaguely, she wondered if perhaps Alan would consider going with her on that field trip of sorts, for those were the sorts of events Berlynn felt were best experienced when one wasn't alone. Merlin knew she spent enough time lonely and all by herself as it was...

"Really, don't worry Alan. I promise the next time we see each other will not be in court with a lawsuit." she teased lightly, fixing her flame colored hair that had become slightly askew from her crash. The witch was certainly coming back to the shop once the book she would select was read and, judging from the excellent reviews Alan gave them all, enjoyed. Personally though, the witch hoped she would see the wizard before then.

Berlynn looked at the titles of the books mentioned, nodding at each one. "Alright, I'll take your word for it. Eragon it is." she decided, smiling brightly. It certainly looked intriguing, judging by the sapphire dragon that blanketed the cover. The witch hadn't even noticed that, unlike with wizard-written novels the cover's design stood still, motionless until Alan mentioned it.

A look of confusion crossed the witch's face at the wizard's rather off-handed remark, wondering how that statement came to play. In a moment though, the Auror's reasoning she had gotten, quite literally, smacked into her head in her training years to put two and two together: judging by Alan's knowledge of IMAX as well as his recent comment, the wizard, Berlynn deduced, was probably half-blood or Muggleborn.

Not at all concerned with the blood status of others, Berlynn continued to smile, replying with the same playfulness instead of the serious nature the comment may have turned their conversation into and asked with a teasingly arched eyebrow "Is that your not so subtle way of trying to sell me a muggle dictionary so that I may understand terms such as 'television' and 'gell-phones' that would be found in the book?" she asked in a tone of mock suspicion.

Alan felt his smile widen, if such a thing were possible, and to her laugh he added one of his own. “It is fun. Maybe, erm...” the wizard hesitated. He just met the woman. Dare he at least ask if she would be interested in going with him? Although he had been on a few dates before, Alan wasn’t quite sure what to do in this case. She could just be being polite. “Would you like to go with me to the theater? There’s a new film coming out soon that I’ve been looking forward to. You might like it, or we could pick something totally different.” The wizard shrugged to suggest he didn’t mind either scenario.

He chuckled a little in response to her tease about not handing him a lawsuit over the fall, despite the addition of a light pink tinge to the outer edges of his ears. Alan watched her adjust her hair and admired the copper coloring. He was truly more interested in Berlynn’s wellbeing than the threat of a lawsuit despite a bad experience from the not-too-distant past.

“Excellent!” he answered, grinning broadly. Just to keep things fairly orderly Alan placed the extraneous books aside from the one Berlynn had declared. The wizard would replace them back on the shelves after a while. “I’ve never actually gotten a chance to see a live dragon yet, but I’ve read a lot of books about them. The author did a great job with it for not being a dragon-breeder himself.”

Alan wasn’t certain what to make of her sudden confusion. Although, he couldn’t deny that the facial expressions that crossed the witch’s face that he’d seen thus far were... well, Alan couldn’t really think of the appropriate adjective at the moment but he liked what he saw. ‘Cute’ didn’t quite do Berlynn justice, but it was the only word that came to mind. A great relief washed over the wizard as she continued to not appear flustered over something that was, in his opinion, quite trivial. He blinked in surprise at her response, confused for a moment, and then laughed. “No, no, not at all,” Alan answered, still quite amused. “Let’s just say there are some very picky people in this world that thought I should ‘give people fair warning’ about such things.

“Would you be interested in a membership card? There’s a small fee but the card allows you to borrow books, much like a library, and earn discounts on future purchases,” he explained. After a moment’s pause he cheekily added, “Dictionaries, included.”