fandomhigh | Library: Friday [21.09]

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library

Library: Friday [21.09]

Karal stumbled into the library, half-asleep and clutching a leather satchel, which was stuffed full of papers. What he should have been carrying, considering how bleary-eyed he was, was a large cup of coffee.

Unfortunately all he had were the papers, and possibly a pen or two.

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Karal took her hand, wrapping his fingers around hers. "Simple is good," he said. "But Altra is not here. He disappeared while I was in Valdemar and did not come back."

He kept his voice carefully neutral, hiding how much it bothered him.

"What?" Molly said in surprise. "Where would he have gone?"

"Maybe back to Karse, or to Solaris?" Or maybe he's gone, returned to Vkandis. He pushed that thought away. "I was speaking with him about the situation in Valdemar, and he went silent, like I've never seen him before, and then he leapt into the air and was gone."

"Has he ever disappeared like that before?"

"He is Altra -- he comes and goes as he pleases, but he has always come back to Fandom with me, and he was so strange..." Karal shook his head once, and gestured at the spare chair behind the counter. "He will be unhappy that he missed lunch."

Molly sat down, but was watching Karal for a reaction. "Are you worried?" she asked quietly.

"About Altra? No, he will be safe wherever he is." Karal sat down and leaned an elbow on the counter, fiddling with his Vkandis medal.

Molly continued to watch him carefully as she pulled out the sandwiches and fruit. "I don't ask a lot of questions because I don't want you to have to think about the problems in your world all the time, but you know you can talk to me about anything you are worried about, right?"

"You can always ask me questions, Molly," he told her. "And I am not trying to keep things from you, I promise."

"No, I know that," Molly said, giving him a reassuring grin. "I just meant that I'm willing to listen even if I don't ask about it. If there is anything you need to talk about."

"I will remember," he said. "And," he looked down at the food, reached for an apple and twisted at the stem, "I would be happier had Altra returned with me."

Molly decided she was going to have a word or two for Altra when he showed up again.

"He could have at least told you where he was going," she commented.

At that he smiled. "He is a cat."

"That is no excuse for being rude," Molly said defensively.

"It is not a question of rudeness. Altra serves a higher power, as do I. He is not answerable to me, but to Vkandis Sunlord and to himself." Which is where Karal's worry was coming from. "I still don't know why he was sent to me, not that I am not grateful for his presence." He rolled the apple between his hands, then added, "Most of the time."

And Molly finally saw what the worry was. She put her hand on Karal's arm. "I'm sure he'll come back soon," she told him.

"I hope so." Maybe he wouldn't; maybe Vkandis was unhappy with him, for not meeting his duty. "You should eat. You must be hungry, and it does look good."

Molly looked at the food and picked up her sandwich. "You need to eat too," she said. "You're the one who's been working a lot and not getting enough sleep."

He obediently nibbled at his apple. "I'm not very hungry."

Molly gave him a mildly stern look. "Sometimes we have to eat even when we aren't hungry so that we can keep our strength up."

He smiled. "I know. My tea from this morning did not agree with me," he explained, and kept nibbling on the apple.

"If I leave your sandwich here, do you promise to eat some if your stomach feels better?"

He looked at her for a long moment, then set his apple down and shifted forward, setting one foot on the rung of Molly's chair. Resting his palm against her cheek, he kissed her temple. "I promise," he said quietly, lips against her skin.

Molly smiled even though he couldn't see it and hung an arm around his neck. "I worry that you'll stick your nose in your papers and forget to eat," she said. "So, thank you."

"Florian was concerned that there was no one here to care what happened to me." He sat back, careful not to dislodge Molly's arm, and picked up his apple again, head bent, glancing up at her. "I explained that it was not the case."

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