fandomhigh | Library, Wednesday

Sholeh was doing her best to maintain a calm facade for the patrons of the library. No one was going to benefit from a panicky library aide. No, she needed to be composed, collected, and helpful. The library was where people came to figure out solutions, not see a ninny hiding under her desk with her pinafore over her head.

So Sholeh set to work, straightening the research tables and tidying the books. The ones that had been deemed useless were put away, the ones that had seemed useful were set to the side, and another armload were brought down for people to look through for clues. She taped a few sheets of paper to the circulation desk for people to make notes that everyone could read. It was all well and good for someone to have the answer written down somewhere, but it wouldn't do anyone else any good if it wasn't disseminated properly.

The flying creature that was roosting on the bookcase squawked at her several times, but a few dark glares from Evan had it quieting down. He'd been sticking to her closer than her own shadow for the past several days and with all the sharp-toothed creatures lumbering about, Sholeh couldn't quite say she minded.

And--rats! Now her nose was bleeding again. There really was no rest for the weary.

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That morning (http://fandomhighdorms.livejournal.com/2339865.html) had left Elizabeth... unsettled. She had rushed on to the library as fast as her feet could carry her afterwards.

There were no more flowers in her hair. Just a quiet girl, pouring quietly through her books.

A plate of cheese and crackers was slid in front of Elizabeth at some point in the morning. Sholeh stood just off to the side, a shyly welcoming smile on her face.

Elizabeth looked up with dull surprise. "Oh," she said, sitting up, trying to achieve some measure of perk. "Thank you. I haven't had breakfast today."

"You're welcome," Sholeh said, her smile losing a bit of its shyness. "I figured everyone who showed up today might want to stay, so I brought snacks and things. Can't have our researchers fainting right before they find a clue, can we?"

"That wouldn't do us a grand favor in our search for knowledge," Elizabeth acknowledged with a little laugh. "I'm sorry I haven't greeted you before, when you're taking such great care of me. I'm Elizabeth."

"I'm Sholeh," she responded, extending a hand to shake. "And no worries. You looked like you were preoccupied when you sat down. With everything that's going on, I certainly didn't take it personally."

Besides, she wasn't going to blame anyone for not wanting to approach Sholeh with Evan lurking about, eyes bright red and face set in stone.

"If you'd like, I brought fruits and veggies, too. All healthy snacks to keep us sharp."

Elizabeth's smile, though weary, broadened. "I would very much like that, Sholeh," she said. "I've been getting by on cookies and hotdogs and... well, I'm not sure it's that good for me, truth be told."

After a brief retreat to the circulation desk, Sholeh returned with a paper plate full of cucumber slices, baby carrots, and grapes, with a little cup of ranch dressing in the center.

"That will help," she said with a nod. "No keeling over from malnutrition today, please. I only took one semester of First Aid. I'd have no idea what to do."

Elizabeth let out a soft laugh. "It's okay," she said, "I've read plenty of books on the subject. But thank you. This is a beautiful spread."

It was the first time she'd sounded chipper in at least two days.

Now she had Sholeh beaming at her. "There's plenty more, so let me know if you get hungry," she said, gathering up a few books of her own to take back to the circulation desk. "Truly, it's no bother and I can always get more. The cafeteria's not far and they usually have plenty."

Elizabeth picked up a slice of cucumber and took a few dainty bites from it. It tasted far too good for her to accurately put into words. "I wasn't sure if I was allowed to take from it," she admitted. "I'm not a student of this place. I didn't even know they'd ever build a school here."

"You've been here before?" Sholeh asked, trying to figure out when she might have come from. There were others on the island who had shown up from various points, but all of the ones she'd spoken to had known about the school. "From a different time, I mean?"

"When I came here... there were Romans," Elizabeth said. "I'd wound up somewhere far back in time... thousands of years before I'd even been born."

She took another cucumber slice.

"Thank goodness you're all right," Jeff said to her by way of greeting. "Yesterday, you were kind of a little... comatose."

"It's been a long couple of weeks," Elizabeth said wryly, dropping her head down next to the crackers she'd gotten from Sholeh. "Sorry about that."

"Okay, but there's 'worn out', and then there's 'completely unresponsive'. You sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine," Elizabeth replied. "Really. Honestly. It's sweet of you to worry, but I was fine yesterday, too, just tired."

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, a drop of blood hit the table in front of her. "Except for the damned nosebleeds. But I'm used to those."

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