It was almost closing time - not quite, but almost. Customers were being informed that there were fifteen minutes left, and in the further reaches of the bookstore, lights in empty corners were turned off. The third floor was entirely dark, and the second floor only half-lit. It was in one of the remaining lit spaces that Violet was tucked. She was sitting on the floor behind an empty armchair, a small stack of dog-eared books at her side and one in her lap.
Her feet were tucked up beneath her, poking out from under her baked-dust-purple skirt. Perched on her nose was a pair of cheap-looking reading glasses, and her hair with its everpresent violet streak was knotted up in a bun that had been neat and tidy several hours ago, but now hung in messy strands over her neck.

...It was odd, but she looked like she belonged in this store as much as the books and bookshelves and accompanying dust did.

Cyris quite resembled her in that his books covered an entire corner of the shop. However, they'd shut off the lights in the corner he had been hiding so he'd been forced to stack up his books and notes and get up.

Cryris didn't mean to step on her books, he'd probably feel more apologetic for that then for dropping all of his books ontop of her stack and her as a result of his boot sliding across the cover of the book. He'd been marching towards the counter to check out a few of the dozen books he held and unable to see in the dimness as well as distracted by a spook, whispering bible verses in his ears, he'd turned the wrong way and bumped the wall, then found her book.

Cyris found himself leaning against the wall for balance, fingers aching and of the ten books and stack of notes he'd had, only one book was left in his hand.

"I'm so sorry," he rushed to say, pushing hair from his eyes and dropping down to his knees to start gathering books and attempting to seperate his from her's by the titles on the spines. "You aren't hurt are you? I'm so ..." Sorry.

All of his books were labeled with names like Thanatos and Death Instincts - The Freudian concept or Gods of all ages.

Meeting a god does tend to derive an unhealthy interest in young Cyris.

Violet let out a small "Ack!" at finding books suddenly raining down on her. She made to cover her head, but the books had all fallen by then and there wasn't any point to it. Cautiously, she let her ams drop.

"Uh,... no, I'm fine..."
She reached up to nudge her reading glasses, dislodged by a stray book, back into place.
"I,... it's okay."

Violet got to her knees, leaning on one hand and trying to sort books with the other. Rather than only taking out hers from the mess, she frowned and picked up one of Cyris' selections. Gods of all ages?

Now curious, she picked up another.
Hmmm...
A faint smile lit her face.

"Looks like you and I've been browsing the same section."
Almost all of Violet's books were mythology. Specifically, mythology concerning gods. Beginning in Roman mythos, ending in a worn old tome that looked somewhat medieval, written in monastic calligraphy.
The books that weren't about myths were about gambling - there were one or two ragged paperback manuals about how to cheat at poker, one about winning at slot machines, and a few others.

He flipped over one cover, still apologizing, and couldn't recall if he had taken this book from the shelf. It had to do with Gods so he probably had. That is, until she said what she did. He leaned back on his heals, his arms drapped over his knees and reading the spine of one book. Then another.

"It seems so." He sounded vaguely amused. He picked up another and, sure this one was his and that one was hers, set them in two different piles, frowning because he was second guessing how sure he was.

"Have an interest in Mythology?" Eyebrow lifted as he picked up another book and he sounded amused once more. "And gambling?"

"Hmmm,... yes, I guess you could say that..." Even if myths are supposed to be fiction..

She set Cyris's books in his pile, and began helping him sort the rest.

"Heh. It's not gambling if you know what you're doing," Violet grinned, indicating a paperback titled 'Secrets of Top Cardsharps'. "But those are mostly for reference, anyway."
Picking up another of his books, she held it up so he could see it, and raised an eyebrow.
"And you? What's all this... death stuff?"

He smiled. "A cheat book?"

He continued to stack books. Between the two of them, they could have opened their own bookstore, I'm sure.

I'm a necromancer.

There was a dead guy talking to me just two seconds ago.

I met Death. Capital D and all. Thanatos.

Jesus. The thought caught his breath every time.

"Call it a sudden inspiration." He smiled weakly, then a little brighter. "And you? What exactly has mythology and Gambling got in common? I don't see the connection."

"Well,...actually, you'd be surprised how often they coincide. There must be a dozen stories about humans playing dice or knucklebones against a god or a devil. Granted, half the time the humans lose. The half that don't are either 'pure of heart', or else they cheat."

She gave a wicked grin.

"Of course, according to the myths, gods cheat, too."
Violet shook her head, shoving another stack of books together.
"So you'd have to be a really great cheater to expect to get away with it."

Not that she has any plans of that sort,... no, none at all. Really!
...Ha.

He grinned.

"And you're studying for a game with a god, I presume?" It was meant as a joke, seriously. He stacked the last two books on top of eachother and ran his thumb across the spine, reading it. "Anyone who'd play dice with a god has to be fu ... crazy."

What do you gamble against a god? Free will? I mean, it's the only thing they don't own or control of humanity already.

She rolls her eyes.
"Oh, yeah. Of course I am. I'm just that stupid."
...
The funny thing about this was that her tone was sarcastic, but in fact she was completely serious. Except about the 'stupid' part... but then again, you do have to be either stpid or crazy (or desperate) to even think of challenging a god.

Yes and fortunatly, Cyris isn't that desperate.

He smiled meakly. "Well I wouldn't say that." He'd say you were crazy. But in the end it all sort of works out like that doesn't it. Whether your stupid or crazy you're still playing games with Gods.

"Do you gamble?" Curiosity you know. She's reading cheat books but does she even play?