Keeping in step with Mr Brighton, Erik forces himself to catch the eye of the alluring young lady as he draws closer to the small group of people. Upon closer inspection, Erik can't help but take notice of the girl's slim yet sporty build, her long, dark and thick mane of hair and those piercing evergreen eyes. Without a doubt, Erik's previous determination to stay clear of her was nothing short of an outrageous idea. Just as Mr Brighton and Erik make their presence known, the woman, and who Erik assumes are her work colleagues, suddenly stare up at him as if in disbelief.

"Evening everyone, I wanted to introduce you all to Mr Silverstein. As you are all aware, Mr Silverstein is this evenings keynote speaker and as it is a real privilege to have him here at our school, I ask that you make him feel most welcome." Mr Brighton warmly states.

One by one, each of the men and women standing around Erik extend their hand in greeting. He smiles politely and maintains interest when listening to them for the most part, until when he finally reaches the petite brunette standing on the far end of the circle of teachers. Before she can even attempt to offer her his hand in acknowledgment, Erik quickly dives in to present her with his own.

"Erik Silverstein, and you are?" He says while eyeing the woman closely.

"Rosaline Covault."

"And what grade of students do you teach Miss Covault?"

"Call me Rosaline please and I teach grade two students Mr Silverstein." She gently informs him with a timid smile.

Erik is surprised by the fact that someone as strikingly beautiful as Rosaline is evidently lacking confidence. Perhaps it's the influence of Erik himself that is making her so nervous, but Erik also believes that Rosaline's shy demeanour extends beyond his presence.

"And tell me Rosaline, what is your biggest challenge when teaching these students."

"Probably keeping them engaged for extended periods of time." She reluctantly admits.

"Nonsense, Miss Covault is much to modest." Mr Brighton interrupts beside Erik.

Erik shifts his gaze from Dallas to judge Rosaline's reaction, after hearing such positive praise from her superior. Although Rosaline blushes, Erik assumes this is because of a sense of embarrassment she may now be feeling as all eyes suddenly focus in on her.

"Is that so?" Erik genuinely inquires whilst trying his best to avoid wearing a smirky grin.

"Absolutely. Miss Covault is without a doubt our biggest asset in the early stages of education program, despite her own youthfulness." Adds one of the teachers standing amongst the group.

"They're exaggerating, I can assure you." Rosaline bashfully interjects.

"Well I wouldn't be opposed to sitting in on one of your classroom lessons to judge your excellence for myself, that is if you'll have me of course."

Erik tries to resist the smile that so desperately wants to be released, but out of respect for Rosaline he contains his humour in the hopes of not embarrassing her further. He observes Rosaline as she struggle for a few moments, clearly at a loss for words before Dallas so graciously comes to her defence.

"That sounds like quite the opportunity, wouldn't you say Miss Covault? I'm sure she wouldn't be able to say no to an offer quite like that if it arose in the future."

"I wouldn't extend an invitation like this to just anyone Mr Brighton, especially now that I know just how supremely devoted Rosaline is to her students." Erik clarifies while shooting Rosaline a knowing hint of a smile.

Watching Rosaline react to Erik's compliment in a sensitive sort of way did more things to him than he care to admit. It was one thing for Erik to be sexually attracted to a woman, but it was an entirely different thing to be attracted to a woman's mind. At the current moment, Erik was more than slightly shocked by how little time he had known Rosaline, yet had already begun to develop promising feelings towards her. She certainly wasn't his usual type, but Erik thought that was what initially attracted her to him. Paired with the reality that Rosaline appeared much younger than his own thirty-five years, yet how she seemed intelligent beyond her years, Erik was intrigued by her more than anything and for the moment, he was interested to find out if she shared any of that same interest with him.

"My apologies to cut this conversation short, but we really must all be heading towards the auditorium. This evenings formalities should be starting momentarily." Announces Mr Brighton moments later.

Just before turning to follow Dallas's lead, Erik pauses to acknowledge each of staff members he just met. He offers them each a grateful word, but reserves a single handshake for Rosaline, simply because he enjoyed the feeling of her soft palm enclosed around his own too much for his own good.

"It was a honour making your acquaintance tonight Rosaline, I hope I have the chance to speak with you at the conclusion of the evening." Suggests Erik with an optimistic look in his eyes.

Much to his dismay, Rosaline merely offers Erik a kind smile but does not provide an answer to his request. Walking away from the circle of teachers, Erik ponders whether he has severely misjudged the girl and perhaps his own admiration towards her. There is no denying that Rosaline is ravishing beyond compare, but perhaps her innocence should not be tampered with, particularly by someone as brawny and powerful as Erik.