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Sierra sits in the library, hunched over a sheaf of parchments at one end of the long oak table. The parchments seem to be covered with musical notations of some sort - the young girl studies these closely, her ridiculous bouncy red-brown ponytails bobbing up and down, side to side every time she moves her head. She bites her lip and looks up every now and again - what if the bandits came into the library? She shivers at the memory of the two men, standing in the pouring rain with glinting weapons held high.

Alister, the boy she had been talking to at the time, had been so brave. He had stood and spoken calmly to the men, refusing outright to give them any of his valuables. Meanwhile, Sierra's own knees had been shaking, and she had nearly wet herself from fear. She thought it was at once charming and stupid of Alister to have been so brave.

Alister... her ears burned as she thought of him warming her with his cloak, and the beautiful ball of fire he had controlled. Sierra had had a crush before, and she knew (though she tried to deny it, of course) that she had one now, on the shy alabaster-haired boy who could hold flames in his hands.

Clenching her hands together in her lap and closing her bright cerulean eyes briefly, she allowed herself three seconds to imagine his cute, shy smile - before she shook her head at herself sternly and went back to her studying.

Still, whenever an insect or a mouse stirred within the library - whenever the librarian coughed or thumbed through a book suddenly, Sierra would look up, a half-fearful, half-dreadful look on her features.

Her very first day in the town she had seen bandits; who knew what she would see on her second day?

Sierra turned back to her notes and fervently hoped that she wouldn't meet an orc next.

Alister walked around trollsbane during the night, clad in black, and thinking. He was wondering why he had no want to return to his home in Varshikar, but wanted to stay in Trollsbane. It was a weird feeling for him, Even Rhiannon didn't make him feel like this. Why did he take off his cloak and give it to her? Perhaps Athians training had made him more socialble? Or was it because he knew Sierra was scared. No..That wasn't it, he knew it was because he liked her. But why? He had locked these feelings away deep in his heart, away from everyone, but..he had smiled against his will. Perhaps..she had melted his cold heart.

He took out a book on advanced forms of magical fire, and began reading, but his mind could not stay focused. It kept flicking back and forth from what he read, to what she looked like. He walks into the library in his own little world of thought, not even noticing her there, and walks up and out to the balcony on the second floor..

Sierra hears soft footsteps and raises her head again, the ponytails swinging round. She glimpses a flash of silver-white.

Could it be...? It certainly looked like it was... Indecisive for only a moment, Sierra sweeps her papers into her bag and shoulders it, then climbs to the roof.

Sierra slows as she reaches the top of the stairs. She takes a quick intake of breath, her eyes lighting up, partly at the fire-dragon, partly at the boy. She takes only a few steps forward before calling out, softly - a little shyly:

"Alister?"

She takes another half-step forward, one ponytail over her shoulder, the other falling forward slightly. Over one shoulder her backpack hangs, some parchment peeking out of it. The top two buttons on her blue robe are open, revealing a light pink, high-necked blouse beneath. The gold chain of a necklace hangs over the blouse but is visible above the robe - it's a small, star-shaped pendant of an ice-blue stone.

Sierra's face is creamy-white except for two spots of high peach on the apples of her cheeks, and her cerulean eyes are dark night-blue beneath their sparkle.

Sierra smiles sweetly, her cheeks turning a little brighter.

"I was downstairs studying, and I thought I saw you walk by..."

She takes the other half of her previous step, and straightens her back. Both ponytails fall behind her shoulders, and she tilts her head a little, looking at him.

"Am I botheirng you? You looked busy.." her eyes scan the sky, looking for the dragon.

(continued ingame)