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[Elsa Bellefonte]

"What do you mean the book I want is checked out?' asked Elsa, staring down the librarian hard. She kept scanning the trembling woman's brain, picking at information. It would technically be quicker than actually asking, though also a good deal more tiring. Elsa didn't want to completely exhaust herself before she got her hands on the book in question. Said librarian immediately thought of a young girl who had recently asked for the book. She was already talking about it, though Elsa was reading her moments before the woman spoke.

Elsa turned and looked as the librarian stammered a little more. The Bellefonte's eyes scanned the library, feeling that the girl would possibly still be there. People did like to read here, since it was quiet and all. There was also something about a library that made you want to stay and read and focus on such things. She knew more or less what the girl looked like thanks to the librarian, so it was just a matter of finding her. Ah, there, sitting alone at a table.

Elsa wasted no time, heading straight there, her stride purposeful. Soon she'd be standing in front of the girl, looking down at her. She already began gently skimming across the top of the girl's thoughts, light enough to pick up key words, but certainly not enough for any but the most astute person to notice. "Excuse me, but I was looking for that book," she said, pointing at it, "it's for a project, you see..." she furrowed her brow then, looking at the girl. "Aren't you a little young to be reading something that heavy?" asked Elsa, unable to stop from sounding both confused... and slightly impressed.

[Kara Singer]

Kara didn't respond right away. She waited until she was finished with the page she was reading, and turned to the next. She really hated when people assumed her intelligence was limited by her age. Without looking up, she retorted, "Isn't it a little rude to begin a conversation with a complete stranger when they are very obviously engrossed in a book that requires their complete focus and attention in order to comprehend the words they are reading?" She paused, and then looked up, closing the book and placing it in her lap, her finger still in between the pages to save her spot. "Clearly, you are aware of the intellectual level required to read this book. And as you pointed out, I am indeed young. So, I'm sure you can deduce that I may have to focus more than someone of a later age would."

She leaned back and returned to reading her book. "Or maybe I'm just smarter than my age makes me appear. Either way, you are being quite rude." She paused again, turning to the next page. She kept reading as she spoke.

"If you ask, I will gladly return the book so that you may in turn check it out for your own use. However, I hope you do not expect me to offer to do so on my own." She stopped and looked up from the book again. "Unlike the majority of the people here, Miss Bellefonte, I do not care who you are related to."

Kara may not have been here long, nor met her before, but you didn't have to be here long to learn whom the Bellefonte's were, or what they looked like. She didn't know much about her, just who she was, who she was related to, and what she looked like. Though, Kara was unsure of which sister she was speaking to. She had a feeling, though, that this girl wasn't the type who had to ask for things.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"Not quite as rude when I need the book in question," replied Elsa, keeping her voice short and clipped. Truthfully, she was used to people talking back to her by this point. It did surprise her to get quite this much spunk from someone. In point of fact... Kara sounded a lot like Elsa had at that age, right down to the "I'm smarter than I look and don't appreciate you talking down to me." So a part of Elsa was, of course, annoyed that the girl would talk back like that, but a much larger part was more impressed than anything.

Less so when she gave the part about not caring. That actually had Elsa barking a laugh. "You know, people actually say that a lot. It's not a very smart thing to say though, considering that the Bellefontes are arguably the most powerful family on the campus, and I could wield power. But I don't think that's really necessary right now, since you already said you're willing to be reasonable," Elsa moved to sit down, keeping her eyes on Kara, her powers skimming across the surface of the young girl's thoughts. "And since you're being so agreeable, I don't see why I couldn't wait a little while," she studied the girl. "Though I do have to wonder: what made you pick that book? It's not exactly something I'd have picked to read for fun, though it's better than some of the books they keep saying we should read."

Might as well see what made this girl tick, not to mention curious. Yes, people were willing to talk back, especially when Elsa was being her blunt self, and yes, they loved to pretend that the Bellefonte name didn't mean anything... actually: "And how did you know I was a Bellefonte? I don't believe I introduced myself," then again, Erika's picture was pretty much everywhere, and Elsa did look exactly like her.

[Kara Singer]

There was a part of Kara that felt like she should just give the girl the book that she needed. But, why? While she wasn't exactly mean in the sense that she wouldn't give the girl the book because she had it at the time, she was stubborn. Because of this, it seemed unnatural that she had a feeling of generosity growing in her chest.

That's enough of that, she thought, attempting to force the feeling away and regain her normal composure.

Kara closed the book and laid it on the table in front of her. "You have a point. I do not know you, nor do I know what you are capable of. That being said, what's the worst you could do? Hurt me? Kill me? Get me in trouble here? Have me kicked out or transferred? To be completely honest with you, I'm not sure that any of those things really scare me. So, I'm not sure that it would matter if you were the most powerful being on earth. I'm still going to speak my mind. Unfortunately, that's just how I am."

She watched as the girl sat down across from her. "However, despite the fact that you still have not actually asked me, I suppose I can return the book. Seeing as how you need it for a current project, and I have all the time in the world to read it later." She paused. "Unless, you know, you are going to kill me or something. Then I would like to try to finish it first," she finished with a smirk.

She studied the girl, who seemed to be studying her in turn. "I'm not sure what your abilities are, but you seem to be observing me pretty intently. If you are trying to read me or something, I would greatly appreciate it if you would stop. I don't like my privacy being invaded."

"As far as why I chose this book in particular... It seemed challenging. And I enjoy a good challenge." Kara stopped and glanced around the library. "You would think that if they are asking you to do a report on a particular book, that they would carry more than one copy of it in the library."

Kara looked back at the girl, trying to see if she could figure out which sister she was. Though, having not really seen them often, nor meeting them before, she didn't see herself figuring that out. "Well, you don't have to be here long to know about your family, or to know your faces. There are pictures everywhere, and everyone talks. To be completely honest, while this is somewhat embarrassing to admit, I have no idea which Bellefonte sister you are."

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"There are plenty of things people can do to you here, especially if you freely speak your mind to everyone," Elsa replied evenly. "I can certainly understand wanting to do so, but you also have to be ready for the repercussions of it. Consider this: I could have the ability to send intense psionic pulses directly into your brain, enough to turn your brain into Jello. I wouldn't, because you're interesting, but you wouldn't necessarily know that."

Elsa leaned back, smiling, "and I didn't ask for the book because I figured I'd let you finish reading it first, then ask you for it. I could kill you, but in a library? I'd have a hell of a time hiding the body. Besides, I'd rather way and kill you slowly, feed you bits of glass and then dispose of your body in a furnace or something," Elsa shrugged, obviously meaning it as a bit of black humor. Something told her that the girl could appreciate it, considering how freely she was speaking her mind. Another part of Elsa was tempted to point out that the girl should possibly be more respectful, but that fearlessness, it was just so daunting and respectable. Kara even went so far as to point out that Elsa was studying her, which actually made Elsa laugh. "Why would I possibly stop doing that? You're interesting; if you stop being interesting, I'll be bored, and then I'll obviously have to resort to killing you for the book instead of waiting patiently and asking nicely."

The girl certainly enjoyed a challenge, bantering words with the smart Bellefonte like this. Elsa kind of wanted to sic her on Ellen and then record the exchange. Then again, knowing Ellen, she'd just hypnotize Kara and do whatever she wanted. Which would be a shame, with someone so observant. Family everywhere, pictures. "the family is everywhere, but you felt that you didn't need to respect the name? Interesting way of looking at things," she pointed out, hinting that it wasn't very smart. "But you're smart, so I'm sure you'll figure out which Bellefonte I am,' she kept skimming over the thoughts, thoroughly enjoying what she picked up. Maybe she should dig a little deeper, see what lay underneath there, really uncover some secrets. might help teach Kara some humility.

[Kara Singer]

"Well, if you were to do something like that, then I can only assume that I was somehow deserving of it. Though, it does sound rather unpleasant." It took everything within Kara not to cringe at the thought of that happening. As much as she tried to deny her fear of, well, any mutant really, the thought of her brain being turned to mush caused her fears to surface.

She tried to swallow them back down, but she wasn't sure if she could keep up her facade. The mention of how the girl might try to kill her helped lighten Kara's mood. She couldn't help but smirk as she heard the description. This girl had a dark sense of humor. She could appreciate that. Taking that into consideration, as well as the girls obvious intelligence, she had an idea of which sister she was speaking to.

Her fears were still there, brewing at the surface of her mind. If the girl was reading her, she was sure to see it. Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! She had been trying so hard to maintain her snarky personality and avoid revealing her weaknesses. Not just to this girl, but to everyone. She needed to calm down. Kara realized the girl had probably already read her thoughts and seen everything she had wished that she had not. She felt defeated, and scared - like the lonely child that she was.

"Really, though..." Kara started quietly, staring at her hands. She tried not to look at the girl. "I think that you should take the book. It might take me a little while to finish it. And you wouldn't want to miss the deadline on your project because you couldn't get your book from some little girl, would you... Elsa?" she finished, gaining enough confidence back that she was able to return to her normal spunky tone with the last sentence. She looked back up at Elsa, meeting her gaze.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"I probably would, yes," agreed Elsa, studying the girl carefully. Kara was using logic, thinking things through and attempting to come to safe conclusions. Elsa could read that the girl was starting to feel nervous, almost panicking a little. She did still have some confidence in which sister she spoke with, if what Elsa was cobbling together was accurate and made sense. It didn't work enough to help her with that moment of panic, which Elsa sat quietly for, knowing that silence could be just as powerful and scary as words, perhaps moreso, given this particular set of circumstances.

Then Kara offered the book, doing nearly meekly, though with an added bit of information that made Elsa laugh. "Stop worrying so much, Kara," said Elsa, nodding. "You're moving too quickly and backing down too fast. Stop and think: if I wanted the book, I could probably take it. If you know which sister I am, and you clearly do, then you know what my ability is, which means that you know to some degree what I'm capable of," though only to some degree, since Elsa was careful to make sure that her abilities weren't listed to their fullest extent anywhere, "so you know that if I wanted the book, I would've taken it."

Elsa paused for a moment, hesitating, wondering if she should directly address thoughts or not. Would it be reassuring or would it be frightening? And why did Elsa care about the answer to that question?

"This place can be lonely when you first get here. The trick is to remember that you're not really alone," she finally said, even managing a bit of a smile. There, she could be nice, when she wanted.

[Kara Singer]

Kara wasn't sure how to respond to Elsa's comment about her backing down too quickly. She had a point. But, she was quickly losing confidence; and her sassy exterior would soon become see-through and reveal the little girl that Kara knew she was.

She pulled the book back towards her, running her fingers down the spine of it. She stared at the front cover. Why did she have to pick this book? Had she picked any other book, she probably wouldn't have had this run-in with Elsa. Nothing would have changed. She wouldn't be remembering the fire. She wouldn't be thinking about Anthony. She wouldn't be scared. She would just be Kara. The Kara that she so often pretended she was. The bold, sarcastic girl who just didn't care about the rules and did and spoke however she wanted. The girl that she thought she had to be to survive.

Kara knew that Elsa was probably reading her thoughts as they spoke. She wasn't even going to try to hide them from her. She knew her attempts would be useless, she didn't have any type of psychic abilities, and Elsa was probably very strong.

Elsa's words seemed soft, almost kind. It threw Kara off. She wouldn't to retort with some kind of sarcastic remark, or just shrug it off. But, in truth, she really appreciated that Elsa seemed to be reaching out to her a bit.

"Yes... Thank you. I will keep that in mind," she said to her, looking up from the book, but not making eye contact.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Those were quite some interesting thoughts flitting through the girl's mind. Most girls did not think about fires and people that they had known once upon a time. Shame that the whole mutant thing made them grow up in a hurry. Elsa knew that all too well. In fact, for a moment there, she could see another sardonic young girl just entering the academy. Elsa had been there her whole life though, and she'd hardly call anything she went through traumatic, not unless she was being a drama queen, and that was simply out of character for the Bellefonte "princess."

"You can hide your thoughts from a psychic, though I'd probably hunt them down if I wanted," offered Elsa, nodding. "The trick is to start laying thoughts in false leads, attempt to think in circles or the like. Of course, the problem is that the moment I tell you to stop thinking about, say, a gorilla in a tutu, that's the first image that pops into your mind," she waved it aside. She did more or less the same with the return of her advice. They had already gotten quite emotional enough for Elsa, thank you very much.

"You're still rolling over, by the way," Elsa pointed out. "I really should just demand my book and walk away," though she said that last bit with more than a little bit of tease in her tone. She even raised her eyes a little challengingly. Just where was this young girl's limits?

[Kara Singer]

Kara was surprised at Elsa's bit of advice. "Yeah, thanks... I'll uh, keep that in mind." She laughed briefly to herself at the irony in her choice of words.

"Well, I doubt I'd be capable of stopping you, if you were to try to take the book. But, you did say I could keep it. That, and it is checked out in my name, so... Just how much does the Bellefonte name mean that they might overlook you stealing?" She asked, somewhat challenging her, but also honestly curious.

"Furthermore... What is a Bellefonte doing spending so much time in an exchange with someone as young and insignificant as me? Obviously I don't know you very well, so forgive me if I'm misjudging you, but it seems a bit out of character."

Kara knew that she might be pushing her limits. The Bellefonte family weren't to be messed with. That, and she was being a bit presumptuous. But Kara had a somewhat sick fascination with trying to push peoples buttons, just to see what they are. Eventually she would back off, and save the knowledge she collects for if she ever needed it. She didn't do that to everyone, though. Just the people who fit into a certain category... And Elsa, or at least who Kara thought Elsa was, was the perfect fit for that category.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa smirked as Kara pointed out that the book was hers. They'd definitely overlook her stealing. In point of fact, Elsa could make a very strong argument for how her taking a book from the library probably didn't really count for stealing. After all, her family owned the school, and therefore owned most of what the school owned. However, before Elsa could reply, Kara asked a much more interesting question, one that had Elsa raising her brows in surprise.

"Because you're interesting, obviously. You never know who is going to be important or influential, and you're already standing up to a Bellefonte, the one with brains and an attitude, no less," Elsa pointed out, meeting the girl's gaze head on. "And you're not getting anything I don't want you to get, so you should consider that as well. I'm always interested in seeing the newcomers."

This was actually true, which made it all the easier for Elsa to say with almost dismissive ease. After all, the new people were either new allies, new enemies, or new neutrals, and the sooner Elsa figured out where people stood, the sooner she knew how to use or dismiss them. Which was exactly what she was doing with Kara right now, though she hardly believed the girl noticed or, even more likely, cared.

[Kara Singer]

Kara smirked as the Bellefonte sister pointed out that she was standing up to her. She had a tendency to do that sort of thing. If she could appear fearless, people might back down and then she would have nothing to fear. Though, Kara didn't really see Elsa backing down anytime soon. But, she couldn't shake her habit. Plus, she liked a challenge.

She hugged the book to her chest and leaned back in her chair. She watched Elsa carefully, wonder what she should say next. She would have to craft her words wisely. "I like you, Elsa." What?! Kara tried not to show the alarm on her face, but knew Elsa could probably read it on her mind. She hadn't meant to say that. Although, she supposed it was true.

Kara tried to figure out a way to recover. "The saying goes 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.' So, just how close do you want to be?" She asked, putting the book back down on the table. She raised herself to meet Elsa's gaze and leaned somewhat close to her face. It would have been an interesting sight to anyone watching. "Friend, or foe?" She finished, raising an eyebrow.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Well, that was a strange combination to hear. First the "I like you" said in that sort of out loud echo that Elsa got whenever someone whose thoughts she'd been skimming actually spoke. The girl had almost immediately followed that with a directed thought, which of course practically shouted into Elsa's mind: WHAT? She was tempted to repeat that, but Kara was attempting to recover.

enemies? Elsa chuckled. "You really think it's wise to make an enemy of a Bellefonte? I'm fairly certain we covered how your not caring that I'm one doesn't make much difference," Elsa stopped though, considering the girl. she'd raised herself up, was fairly close to her face and everything. This girl had moxie, even better, she had moxie and a working mind.

"What did you say your power was again?" asked Elsa, smirking. The question had two purposes, of course: to throw Kara off slightly and to recall information that Elsa was fairly certain she'd already gotten. True, Elsa could pry the information out of Kara's mind ,but why do that when she could just verbally ask and watch the fallout? So much more entertaining this way.

[Kara Singer]

Kara ignored the comment Elsa had made about making an enemy of someone in the Bellefonte family. She hadn't really asked to determine if they were enemies. But, more so to test the waters of friendship she didn't really know how someone would go about making friends with Elsa, considering the harshness of her attitude. She didn't seem like someone that you could just walk up to and say, "Hey, let's be friends." So, she figured her attempt was as good as any.

Honestly, Kara wasn't even really sure why she wanted to be friends with Elsa. She certainly was interesting, and she challenged Kara (which she liked), but was that really something to base any type of a relationship off of? Maybe. Still, Kara couldn't quite wrap her head around it. Perhaps it was that somewhere in the back of her mind she felt it would be smart to have some sort of connection to a Bellefonte. A strategy of sorts. The thought had crossed Kara's mind, but she didn't really think that was the most prominent reason. Whatever. Elsa knew what was going on in Kara's head, anyway.

She felt a bit deflated as Elsa brought up her powers. Elsa found one of her weak points and was applying pressure. She was tempted to slump back down into her chair and admit defeat. But, no. Kara couldn't give in to this. She didn't care if Elsa won this little... Whatever it was that was happening... She just cared about putting up a good fight and not giving in.

She felt her fingertips start to get cold. Crap! Kara mentally took a deep breath, and then straightened herself out so that she was no longer leaning over the table towards Elsa, but was standing at her full height. "I can manipulate ice." She said with as much pride as she could muster. Her fingertips continued to grow colder. "I'll admit, I can't control it very well... But, that's why I'm here. Once I have full control over my abilities, they may end up coming in handy sometime. Who knows?" She figured throwing in that little bit of honesty at the end would make her seem more believable and less shaken by Elsa's attack.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Interesting where Kara's thoughts went for a moment; more interesting that the girl almost immediately rallied. Elsa's eyes darted toward the fingers for a moment, barely looking before again looking at the girl. she'd risen out of her chair, standing to look. The information had Elsa leaning back slightly, attempting to look less on the attack, more simply amused by this display.

"You're young," she pointed out almost immediately, "so it would make sense that it'll take a while to get that under control. You don't have to worry about freezing anything around here," she gestured toward the fingertips. "We're more than a little prepared for that sort of thing. You probably already knew all that though... which is why you think my question is an attack."

Elsa smiled, shaking her head. "It's not. It's interesting that you seem to be picking up the personality trait," she looked away for a moment, sighing. "You know everyone who doesn't know about the Bellefonte mental gambit thinks that I'm a cyrokinetic of some kind? Think my personality's part of it. Sometimes I wish I could just blame it on it; might make it easier," she let that sit, wondering if Kara could read the potential offers there. The outward statement should be fairly obvious:

I understand, and I'm more like you than you think.