Luthiel walked quietly toward the front desk of the Great Library, her red eyes fixed on Nora as the librarian helped another patron check out a stack of books.
The librarian handed the patron their books with a warm smile and a polite nod. The moment the patron walked away and Nora's three eyes landed on Luthiel, the warmth dimmed.
"Oh. It's you." Nora adjusted her glasses with one hand. "What do you need?"
Luthiel didn't answer right away. Behind her crimson eyes, several voices were already arguing.
The one currently in control crossed her metaphorical arms and scowled.
Once we ask this lady what Bug checked out yesterday, we can figure out what he is hiding.
A brighter voice answered gently. I suppose. But I'm sure Mister Grub wasn't doing anything bad.
A third voice, flat and quiet, whispered its agreement with the second.
The first voice continued. Yeah, whatever. Once we figure it out we can decide what to do from there. Bug has been acting sketchy.
The monotone voice spoke next, calm and emotionless. Yes. Scribe has indeed been hiding things from us.
A pause.
The joyful voice tilted its metaphysical head with curiosity. Scribe? Why call Mister Grub that?
The monotone voice answered.
He continues to write in that notebook constantly. Is that not why we got him th—
The sharp voice cut through like a slap. CAN WE STAY ON TOPIC FOR FIVE SECONDS? Let's just ask about it and be done with it.
Luthiel physically flinched as the argument echoed through her mind.
She looked up at Nora, who had been staring at her the entire time with an expression that hovered somewhere between impatience and annoyance.
It was fine. Everyone looked at her that way.
Luthiel smiled.
"U-um, I was just wondering what Bug checked out yesterday."
Nora blinked.
"Bug?"
Luthiel hesitated.
"Mister Grub."
Understanding flashed across Nora's face, followed quickly by suspicion.
"And why do you need to know that?"
Inside, the sharp voice surged. Because it's none of your damn business, you multi-armed bitch.
Luthiel held the thought behind her teeth.
"Oh, well, I know he is really into research," she said instead, keeping her smile carefully in place. "I was just wondering if the books would interest me as well."
Nora sighed and folded two of her arms across her chest.
"Then just ask him yourself."
The red in Luthiel's eyes flared. Anger coiled behind her ribs and she felt her jaw tighten. The harsh voice in control started screaming.
SEE? SHE'S DOING IT ON PURPOSE.
But the monotone voice pressed down gently. Stay calm.
Luthiel exhaled through her nose.
"He's… so shy. He just won't tell me."
Nora scoffed and shook her head.
"Sorry, can't help you, honey. I'm not allowed to share other people's checkouts."
Luthiel's expression darkened. She knew the rule. She also knew it was selectively enforced. Nora had broken it before for several people in this village. Wives catching their husbands reading things they shouldn't have been. Friends checking up on friends. Nora had bent the rule a dozen times for a dozen faces.
Just not hers.
The bias was something Luthiel was used to. But it hurt all the same. It always did, no matter how many times she told herself it shouldn't. Even after all these years, the sideways glances and quiet exclusions still stung.
She shook her head slightly.
"I understand."
Her voice came out quieter than she intended. Then she felt her control slip.
The shift was seamless. Her hair dropped forward, bangs falling over her eyes as streaks of blue spread through the blonde. Her posture straightened. Her expression flattened into nothing.
Luthiel bowed politely to Nora and walked away without another word.
When she returned to the table, Orobas and Grub were deep in conversation. Orobas had several books open across the table and was pointing at illustrations with one clawed finger while speaking rapidly. Grub sat across from him, hunched over his notebook, charcoal moving in tight, cramped strokes. There was an intensity to him that fascinated her.
Luthiel sat down quietly and through her bangs, she watched him.
He was writing incredibly small. His letters were compressed into the margins and squeezed between older entries, every inch of the page used and reused until there was barely any white left. The remaining blank pages were thin. A few at most.
The notebook was almost full.
The weight of the gift tucked inside her dress shifted uncomfortably against her side. She adjusted it subtly without drawing attention. She had two objectives today.
The first was to get Grub to explain himself. To mention the Mgbaaka Maara of his own accord, or to slip up enough that she could piece together what he was hiding. Master Morrigan had told her about the bracelet. She knew what it was. She knew what it meant. And she had been waiting, patiently, for him to bring it up himself.
He hadn't.
The second objective was the gift. Inside her head, the voices stirred again.
The sharp one was still seething. DAMN THAT BITCH NORA. She didn't give us a single thing about what Bug checked out. Utterly useless.
The calm voice, the one currently in control, replied evenly. Yes. We now have no leads on what Scribe was researching.
The gentle one spoke up. Why don't we just ask Mister Grub ourselves?
The monotone voice considered it. He has been actively avoiding our questions. His face shows signs of deception. His claim about simply quenching his thirst for knowledge was not convincing.
The harsh one agreed immediately. Yep. I don't trust Bug one bit.
But perhaps he has a good reason, the gentle one pressed. I don't want to antagonize him. Not when we still have to give him the gift we brought.
The angry voice huffed. Well, I didn't agree to getting him a gift.
YES YOU DID. IT WAS ALL OF US.
Nah. Don't remember.
The flat voice cut through. Silence.
The other two went quiet.
We must meet all of our objectives today. Nora's refusal has forced our hand. We will need to ask Scribe directly. However, we should not spoil this outing. Master Morrigan holds hopes for him. I will hold trust in Scribe as well. If he is hiding something, it is best to uncover it in a way that does not alienate or antagonize him.
A huff came from the angry one. Hmph…Fine.
A warm laugh from the gentle one.
Luthiel, who had been sitting in perfect stillness the entire time, blinked behind her bangs.
"Luthiel."
Grub's voice pulled her back. She looked up. He was turned toward her, his charcoal paused between his fingers. There was something almost close to enthusiasm in his usually blank expression.
"You know that bird you were healing when I first saw you? It's called a Chirp Chirp. They're actually more interesting than I thought."
Luthiel said nothing for a moment. Her bangs hid whatever passed across her face. Grub seemed to notice the change in her appearance compared to when she had left to speak with Nora, but he said nothing about it. Orobas simply smiled from across the table.
"Yes," Luthiel replied. Nothing else.
Grub sighed. "I suppose you would already know that since you were looking after it and all."
A brief silence settled over the table. Grub glanced down at his notebook. The dwindling pages stared back at him. He needed to move soon. The longer he sat here, the less time he had to investigate what was beneath this building.
Luthiel turned to him. This was her chance. Her mouth opened.
"Hey, Scribe, what did you—"
Grub stood up.
"Hey, Orobas," he said, cutting across her completely. "You should probably go over what you've been teaching in class while Luthiel wasn't attending. Otherwise she won't understand today's lesson."
Orobas blinked, confused for a moment, then nodded slowly.
"I… suppose that's right, yes."
Grub smiled. It was a small, practical smile that meant nothing. "Well, in that case, let me go stretch my legs. It'll only be a little while. I'll come back around when I think you'll be done giving her the summary."
He closed his notebook, tucked it into his coat, and headed for the door. He gave Nora a short nod as he passed the front desk and stepped outside. The library doors closed behind him.
Orobas shrugged lightly and turned to Luthiel with a warm expression.
"Well then. Let's begin from the beginning, shall we?"
But Luthiel wasn't looking at him.
Her blue-streaked bangs hid her eyes as she stared at the doors Grub had disappeared through. Her hands rested flat on the table. Her expression remained blank.
He had dodged her question. Again.
Behind her bangs, her selves stirred once more.