Alethea strode through the library door single-mindedly, shrugging the heavy pack off her shoulder as soon as she reached her usual table. Her hair, now almost shoulder-length, was tied back in a messy french braid, dotted with bits of leaf and twig. Her hunter green riding pants and leather boots were smudged with dirt, and her cream blouse was damp with sweat. If it were not for her impeccable posture and careful movements, it would have been impossible to believe that this was a lady of the court.
But the little lady had always been something of an oddity among her peers. With quick fingers she unlaced the pack and deposited its contents across the desk – a few jars with living insects inside, a suede-bound sketchbook that she immediately opened to a page of notes, a roll of writing implements, a few books with obscure titles. Wiping her forehead with the back of her hand, she bent to peer into one of the jars, and then turned to stride off into the stacks. A moment later she reappeared with three volumes under her arm, and was about to place them alongside her other belongings when she finally noticed Torram, a few tables away.
She jumped with a shout. “Oh! she gasped, with her hand over her heart. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there. The library is usually empty, this time of day.” Bending to pick up the encyclopedias she had dropped in her surprise, a little nervous laugh mingled with her short breaths. “Are you...new here? I don’t think I’ve seen you before...?” Her shy smile, matching the color in her cheeks, gave her whole face a pretty glow.
“I’m Alethea. I live here,” she offered, placing the books on the table.
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