To the City -{Open}-

[Benjamin Gallagher]

It was such a shame that Easton's bookstore was rather lacking in many departments. Many a failed attempt at finding something he needed had made him wary of trying to go back. However, he had gone back that day and was sadly not dissapointed. Why were good books so hard to find in a small town. The last year that he had spent there should have taught him that he was going to find almost nothing he needed from any of the stores. The clothing store was one exception, however. He had never been into the more expensive attire and the selection was not that bad. Besides, he always felt awkward in a mall.

So, in an effort to find a real book, he made his way to Hartford. This place may be considered the big city around here, but having lived in places like New York and Paris, it seemed very small. The Borders that he was headed to, however, was actually very decent. His hopes had risen a smidge as he entered the store. His dark eyes scanned the area and he realized that there was a surprising lack of people in here. It didn't bother him, never having been one who had to go book shopping in groups. He caught the eye of a very young cashier and smiled at her. He resisted the urge to laugh when she just stared at him with an apathetic expression.

With no particular pace, Benjamin made his way through the rows, stopping every so often at a title he recognized. He knew he had come in search of a particular book, but this kind of store was one of his favorites. Naturally, taking his time was a must.

[Rebecca Boots]

Rebecca Boots was, in two words, a book lover. She had spent endless afternoons in her parent's offices devouring book after book while they worked. She can remember sitting with Alex and discussing English classics and trying to learn enough French to be able to read some of her mother's favorites. That was before moving to America and finding a life outside of school and her novel worlds. Still, she enjoyed lazy afternoons in bookstores with a warm cup of coffee.
One of the biggest downfalls Becca had found in taking her job at Hasting was that the nearest Barnes and Noble was in New Haven. That was simply too far to drive for an afternoon of perusing authors and interesting titles. The small Borders located in Easton was a saving grace compared to the home owned title-particular bookstores that were littered across Hartford. There was a Starbucks on the way to the store, so Becca would often get her java fix and then spend a day lost in numerous different worlds.
Today was exciting for Dr. Boots, as the Borders had taken her advice and started a pretty extensive crime and justice and true crime novel section. It was beyond amazing to see the number of books that would now be available for her students to use as references in her class. Currently she was looking through an old favorite, a book entitled Devil’s Knot, a story about the infamous West Memphis Three. Taking a small break to sigh happily and take a drag of her drug-in-a-cup Rebecca was surprised to see a familiar face walking through the normally deserted store. Benjamin Gallagher was what all the female students called “absolute sex on two legs.” Many would be surprised to think that female professors agreed, and Rebecca Boots definitely agreed.

[Benjamin Gallagher]

Sliding probably the fiftieth book that he had looked over back into place, Ben gave a sigh as he scanned the rows for the right section. He had come here with the intention of getting a book to help with his Journalism 111 class. He had looked it up online and it had seemed pretty relevent. Now where was that literature section?

He glanced up at the cafe that was on the top floor of the store and briefly thought of getting a nice cup of joe to help him concentrate. He wasn't one to drink coffee all the time and had never been one to get all fancy with it. Those Non-fat Mocha triple shot lattes were a bit on the strange side for him. He preffered just straight coffee. It was good and good for the soul. Yes, good for the soul.

He decided against it and continued his trek. Something caught his attention, hindering him again, and he noticed that it was a funny quotes book, and he could never pass up the opportunity to check out some of those. His sense of humor was too easily pleased, and so when he flipped through the contents, so anticipated laughs ensued. It wasn't his fault that he could laugh at some things that were obviously not that funny at all. It was just the way he was. Honestly, though, it made life much more entertaining. He would hate to be one of those people who had no sense of humor and were always serious. How boring would that sort of life be? He didn't want to find out.

Setting the book back down, he journeyed once again, wondering if he'd ever make it where he was headed. Alas, he saw a sight that made him veer of course yet again. As he had passed a row, he'd recognized someone standing in it. It was a fellow teaher at Hastings, Rebecca Boots. A grin made its way to his lips as he oh-so (not) subtly entered the aisle. He pretended to check the shelves as if he were interesting in what was on them before he "accidentally" bumped into her. "Oh, I'm sorry. Well, Ms. Boots, I didn't even see you there! How are you today?"

Yes, he was very cool.

[Rebecca Boots]

The man had an amazing laugh. There was no doubt about it, it was a good laugh. The warm kind that felt like it was hugging you. Those were the kinds of things Rebecca noticed about people, their laughs and walks and body language. It came from her PhD thesis being in the psychology of crime and turnover rates. Carefully she looked over the edge of her book and saw his head bobbing along the aisle next to hers.

Now there was a dilemma. Should she walk around and try to "run into" him, or use her professional cool to say hello and move on. It was funny, kids thought you outgrew this battle and supposed fear as adults, but in reality it never left. If she was going to be really honest, Rebecca would say it actually only got worse after her divorce.

Shaking her head she took another sip of her coffee and turned the page in her book, looking over the grisly crime scene photos with ease. She would act cool and when he walked by she would "just notice" him and say hello. That would be the easiest way to enter in an unexpecting and comfortable conversation. Her plan was altered when he turned at the other end of her aisle and seemed to be in complete awe with a wide selection of crime books. Amusement showed in a small chuckle that turned into a "eep" as he bumped into her. Phsyically and unexpectedly bumped into her.

"It's alright Professor Gallagher, no harm done." Her accent was smooth as she straightened herself out and closed the book she had been looking at. "I am well, thank you for asking. I enjoy escaping the campus and doing something relaxing on my off afternoons. How are you? What brings you to the mass selection provided in small town chain bookstores?" The smile that graced Rebecca's face was warm and easy, her eyes subtly studying the subject before her.

[Benjamin Gallagher]

Ben couldn't say that he automatically noticed the way people walked. The first thing he noticed about a person was their eyes. He could tell if they were kind or shrewd, or sad or happy. It was just a gift that he had. It was mostly how he dictated what mood a person was in. He supposed he was also fairly good at reading a person's body language. The way they held themselves said a lot about them. He'd read on the subject in a book somewhere.

No, Ben wasn't really interested in law, which was rather shocking considering that the rest of his family made their livings with it. It had been a somewhat sore subject with them for a while. At first his parents had been irritated that he didn't want to study law, saying that it was "boring" for him. He did like to talk a lot, a trait that was running rampant all through his family, but he'd much rather put his words on paper. Or, as he recently found out, use them in lecture form.

Most of the time, Benjamin didn't agonize over whether he should talk to someone. He never had, though, even when he was a teen. If he wanted to confront someone, he usually just did. Sure, there was always the chance that he would put himself in an embarrassing situation, but he was quite good at recovering from something like that, so he was able to just head on in.

He fought the urge to grimace at the fomality in her voice. It was true that they weren't very close to each other since he had only just started teaching a year ago. He was familiar with pretty much the entire staff, but he wasn't exactly buddies with all of them. Some of the older ones resented his rebelious attitude. He was far from traditional and they didn't like that. He never minded it, though. It wasn't like he was going to try and change the way he was any time soon. He rather liked himself.

"Ah, I enjoy escaping the duties of teaching myself." He widened his smile, trying to show that he wanted the conversation to be comfortable. "This place has a plethora of books, which is quite relaxing in itself. And I was looking for a book to help in one of my classes." he glanced around at the various books. "But, I'm fairly sure that I'm in the wrong section for that." He gave a chuckle at that. His eyes rested on the book she was holding for a second before he looked back up at her. "Have you found anything worth while yet?"

[Rebecca Boots]

As soon as the words left her mouth in that tone of voice Rebecca internally cringed at the formality lacing her voice. It was an old habit that she had tried to break for years. The other professors at Hastings were always teasing her about it, about how she always entered a situation almost uptight and completely professional until someone reminded her to relax. The internal cringe manifested itself as an external sigh, and Becca made herself chill out. This was not a meeting or office, this was a public place and two co-workers were simply having a conversation.

"I am pretty sure this is the wrong section. Unless of course you want the influence of journalism on crime. There are some very interesting cases concerning that, like the Zodiac and BTK killers." There was a light in Becca's eyes when she could talk about her passion. To some it was odd and terrifying that her passion was the criminals and horrible crimes they committed, but someone had to love these people. Society sure didn't. Her posture relaxed as she looked at the book in her hands, "Oh, this is an old favorite. I own a couple copies. This is a very interesting case though. You might of heard of it, it is a huge deal in American courts and media. The West Memphis Three from Arkansas, the boys accused of killing three children for satanic ritual?" Her shoulders shrugged slightly in a way that showed she was used to people not always knowing what she was talking about. She knew some of Ben's background - namely that he came from a family of big shot lawyers who tried big cases and constantly won. She also knew that this man had a real passion for what he was doing in his life and that he loved what he was doing, something else extraordinary since it was contrary to what his family would have wanted for him.

"Ah, listen to me prattle on about my criminals and cases. What book are you looking for? I might be able to help you locate it and save you from the rather bored workers here. They aren't much help." Becca slid the book she was holding back onto the shelf and grabbed her coffee cup all ready to go on a bookstore adventure.

[Benjamin Gallagher]

Ben had never been one to be overly uptight in any situation, really. He supposed it was just his nature, but most of the time, he was very relaxed and laid back. There were a few people who dissaproved of how informal he could be in certain instances. He could probably be accused of not adressing a teacher with the proper authority when he had been in high school. Even now, he would sometimes slip and call someone the nickname he had created for them and they didn't always appreciate it. He never really did understand why people had to be so serious all the time. It was much better to just have fun with life. It was definitely better on one's stress level.

Ben took her comment into consideration. It was true that there were some interesting things on the influence of Journalism on crime. He had read quite a few stories that were hard to believe. "Ah, the Zodiac. I've read up on that one." It was true that he did go somewhat into the world of Law and Order, mostly from the perspective of a writer. It was just the way he looked at the world. He gave a smile at the sudden light that he noticed in her eyes. Well, it seemed that she loved her work just about as much as he did. It was always a good thing when you loved what you did. It made it som much less painful.

His head cocked to the side as he tried to remember something dealing with the subject of satanic ritual. "I might have heard about it. It sounds vaguely familiar." The man tried to stay away from the more gruesome of tales that were in the media. He didn't need to be depressed every day of his life, and it seemed that the media had a knack for only publishing the bad. That was one thing that had always flustered him when he had worked for the Ney York Times. So much negative in the papers. It was no wonder the younger generation was getting so violent. It was all they ever heard about.

"No, that's quite alright." he shrugged it off. She hadn't been rambling on that much. And so he'd not had time to get bored. "Hmm, not sure if you've ever read this one. It's called 'The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect'." Yes, the title was quite long, but he could even tell just by the name of it that it would be quite helpful in one of his lectures. "Feel free to try and assist me, though." He had to say that he would much rather attempt to make conversation with Rebecca than with one of the workers. Especially the one who had looked as if she were verging on a catatonic state.

[Rebecca Boots]

[[OoC: Might I point out how opposite these two are?! It is pretty stinking amazing if you ask me. Yay for opposites!]]

"The Zodiac Killer was quite a thrill. Almost completely driven by the media and his attention gained by letters to the newspaper. It is amazing the things people will do for a bit of fame and attention." Her mind drifted for a moment to students who use similar antics, minus the killing, to gain approval and attention in class. "Even if the recognition is completely negative and borderline psycho." By now her coffee was chilled and edging on disgusting. It was common for Rebecca's brain to jump between topics, so sometimes what came out of her mouth didn't always relate. "You know, we could talk to the dean and discuss a joint class about crime and journalism. There are already classes in crime and media, but journalism has the largest impact by far."

Realizing she was slipping back into Formal-Workplace-Dr. Boots Becca took a second to shake her head. "The case was in 1993. It is still mentioned now and then because it challenges the policing and investigation procedure used in Arkansas, as well as the court processes. There was some very questionable evidence and laws used. I believe it is one of those cases that just don't die, there is always a good story in it somewhere." Passing a trashcan she dropped her now almost empty cup in and began to scan the aisle toppers. Violent media permeated the world now a days, and it was sad that her profession often was the kindling to the firestorm. Even more depressing was the number of children watching it day after day and thinking there was no other way to life. It was not common for people to look at Becca in disgust for her job and how she thrived on the stories and finding out the history and how violent it really was, but it was her life and work. Sometimes you had to lose a few people on the way.

Rebecca was barely able to hold back a blanch and bite of lip to the long boring sounding title of the book. It sounded very dry. Cut and paste. Alas, perfect material for a textbook. "Is it an actual textbook or merely some text you want to use? I know the textbook section is in the back corner." She motioned as she tried to figure out where journalism books would be. "Otherwise it might be in creative writing? That is up near the coffee shop." Her eyes sifted to her new companion. Her deep brown eyes showed her contemplation at posing a possible question. There was a line between friendly information and being intrusive, and Ben did not strike her as a person to be offended by walking that line. "Ben, why journalism? What draws you to it?"

[Benjamin Gallagher]

[[Hah, yes. They are crazy opposite. It always makes it more interesting.]]

He almost laughed at how fascinated she seemed to be by it. "I'll say it was quite an interesting case. Somewhat..disturbing. Yet completely intriging. The human mind is quite an enigma." He was lost in thought for a few seconds, nowhere near this little bookstore. His last statement had been permanently etched into his brain through years of writing about tragedies or suicides, or even mass murder. It was just so strange what people would do, or why they would do those things.

He was pulled out of his reverie by her unexpected suggestion. For a split second a fire lit behind his eyes and was quickly gone. "You know, that doesn't sound like a bad idea. It would very educational on both ends. We might even learn a few things ourselves." He grinned at this. He knew that his students would learn a thing or two about that experience. But, it was rather amusing to think that the teachers would also be learning. Honestly, he was wondering just what the experience of joining their classes would be like.

Ben knew that his profession had some responsibility with the growing violence and anger of America. After all, the media was hardly ever looked at as a good thing anymore. So many people had tarnished the name with their disgraceful ways and slanderous writings. He had always tried to stay away from doing something like that. It was hard, though, to not make assumptions. When writing an article, people were oftentimes not too happy about talking to the press and it left much room to wonder why. Of course the first thing that a person would think of would be something bad or negative. It was the way of the world these days. It was safe to say that Rebecca was not the only one with dirty glances coming her way when someone knew what her profession was.

"No, not a textbook per se. More of a reference book, I would say. I haven't have a chance to read it through yet. But, I have a feeling I will be taking bits and pieces from it. Mostly to illustrate a point." His eyes also scanned the aisles. It would have been smart of him to look it up in this store's online site before coming here so he would know just where it was. Way to go, Ben.

His eyes shifted back to the woman to find an expression in them that he couldn't quite make out before she spoke. He had to admit that her question actually took him off guard. He almost stopped in surprise, but somehow managed to keep his pace. His face was blank for a few seconds as he contemplated how to answer. Finally a warm smile spread across his features. "Well, I suppose it's along the lines of what draws you to law. I've always been interested in the power of words. I'm sure you can understand the impact of a well-given speech. However, writing was much like a safe haven when I was younger. I could get the words out without actually having to speak them. I suppose I did inherit something from my lawyer family in that I am quite interested in what people do and what their motivations for their actions are. I just don't feel the need to defend or prosecute them. I just like the facts. Besides, I find that I'm actually quite good at it." His smile slowly changed into a smirk.

He wasn't sure if she had been expecting such a detailed or personal answer, but he'd figured that if he was going to answer the question, he may as well answer it truthfully. He waited for what her response would be with that smirk set firmly in place.

[Rebecca Boots]

If Rebecca was surprised by his deep and honest answer, and she wasn't sure if she was or if it was exactly what she expected from the warm being next to her, it didn't show in her expression. She simply took his answer in with a soft appreciative smile and nodded lightly. "I have read your works. I was always a big fan of your honest and fair writings with the Times." What she would not tell him was that her newspaper article collection, centering around crime articles she uses in her class, was comprised of many of his own works.

Her accent was lighter, almost musical with the tone that she answered him with. "If you want to know a secret, I hate the law. I couldn't be a lawyer if my life depended on it. I love the crimes and criminals and the why. I always want to figure out the story behind the crime and find out how the person came to be this supposed horrible being. It is almost like I become the criminal and need to know what drives them. Thier story needs to be told and understood again. Often the criminal is the forgotten victim in today's society." Lightly Becca bit down on her lip, the way she did when she was trying to stop herself from getting on a soap box at an inappropiate time.

Now her eyes glanced between bookshelves and her new found almost friendly companion. "I think the class is a really good idea. We would need to make a proposal and an example of the ciriculum, but I am sure we could talk the dean into it. I am good with statistics, and I know you are wonderful with words." The smile was a flash of warmth and honesty and the carefully placed factual compliment. "Where do you think your book will be, hm?"

[Benjamin Gallagher]

He looked away from the woman and his smirk widened, but it wasn't directed at himself. He wasn't surprised at her lack of a response to his answer. She did seem like the type who would keep something like that to herself. He was the exact opposite in this aspect. It went to show how such vastly different people could still get along. He figured he could get along with just about anyone as long as they were able to keep up with his sometimes odd behavior. Or at least able to pretend they were keeping up. He respected them for trying. Even if he did laugh at them secretly.

His gaze went back to Rebecca as she confessed that she'd enjoyed his writings. "Thankyou." he said in a genuine voice. He always liked it when someone was a fan of his work. It made it that much better when he turned out a successful piece. Sure, he loved to be proud of an article he did. But it was better to not be proud alone. When someone else liked it, it was ten times better.

"Oh really now?" He'd assumed that she was one of those who wanted to be a lawyer. Maybe he had been around his family too long. Too many years of drilling how great being a lawyer was into his head. "Maybe you should be teaching Criminology." He gave a small laugh at this. "Just don't acutally become a criminal. That would be bad." He could see where she was coming from with this, though. Some criminals saw no wrong in what they did. They were sometimes just as hurt as their victim. As he had said before, the human mind was an enigma. Not a single one worked the same way.

As she spoke again, he could almost hear the gears grinding in her brain. This made his smirk widen. He figured she didn't know how amusing she was to him. It was probably better that way. She may find his sense of humor to be somewhat strange. Another laugh escaped his lips. "I have a feeling that our combined efforts would leave the Dean positively reeling." He figured that if they were both determined enough, he wouldn't know what hit him by the time the proposal was over.

"Well, if I'm not mistaken, there's actually a journalism section. He scanned the titles again and finally found it under Media. "Ah hah!" he exclaimed. Leading her down the aisle, his eyes scaned the books for the familiar title.

[Rebecca Boots]

Rebecca almost outright laughed at the quick second long flash of shock on his face after her "secret" confession. "Don't look so surprised darling, not every single person involved in criminal justice desires to be a lawyer." The use of pet names was something Rebecca was notorious for, something that showed her ease and affection once she was comfortable with a person. "My parents would love if I followed my brother into law and helped him with his practice, but I am much happier as a researcher and teacher." Her shoulders shrugged at his teaching suggestion though, "I have talked to the Dean about it, but they think with me being the head of Law and Legal Studies I shouldn't take on intro and beginning classes. The professor who teaches it is good though, he knows his stuff."

Now Becca did laugh, "No, I don't think being a criminal would be beneficial. Although I would have a good chance of outsmarting the system." Her laugh tapered off into a simple smile for him at the compliment to both of their skills. "The Dean won't even see what is coming."

Ben had an uncanny resemblance to an excited child as he lead her down the rows of books. It was rare that she approach book searches with this much enthusiasm since she was more likely to be calm, collected, and subdued as she meticulously looked through sections. It was much easier for people to loose her when she hit one of her silent streaks or was sidetracked by an interesting looking title. It was an interesting experience being lead by someone with such open passion and obviously bluntness oozing from his pores though, and it was starting to rub off on Rebecca. "Ah ha!" She point as she bent over and picked out a rather thick looking book. "Is this the one?"