The adrenaline rush was revitalizing, awakening every single cell in the Konti's body as they neared the aisle and caught sight of the three fallen books. She usually was fast asleep around this time of night, and no amount of rustling and shuffling could ever wake her. But here, in the dimness of the library, and the excitement that radiated from the heavy atmosphere and from her companions, she felt completely and utterly awake. Montaine fell back as they approached the scene while Wrenmae picked up speed and overtook her. She watched intently as the brunette leaned down and picked the book up, her body falling still in front of the glassblower who stood right behind her. He was so close, so very close, and despite Wrenmae's presence, she couldn't help but blush at their proximity. She was quite a bit infatuated with the sailor, after all, but he thankfully has yet to notice. Hopefully he never will.
She peeked over Wrenmae's shoulder and eyed the book, momentarily admiring the golden, rimmed spine and the wrinkled brown leather that spread across the yellowing pages. She read the title out loud just as the brunette did silently. "The circumnavigation of Mizahar," she shrugged the words out as if they hardly meant anything, and then proceeded to pick up the two other books. Lifting her shoulders, she squinted at the pair of books that she'd piled up in her arms, gently reaching out to open each one. "Historical figures, and..." she trailed off, biting her lip as she exchanged the book's positions and read the other one, "historical voyages of Mizahar?"
She clutched the heavy books to her chest and turned to the others, her jaw slackened and her mouth just about ready to speak, when a noise broke through their moment of eerie silence. It sounded like a tidal wave, or a violent splash of water, coupled with the sound of solid objects slapping together. Feeling brave, she quickly sprinted out of the aisle and examined the room, only to find the noise concentrated somewhere farther off into the library, in a place practically swimming in complete darkness. She gulped, glancing to the others to usher them to view the scene. "What's that sound?" she asked softly, her voice practically inaudible, and ironically, sounded as if it were drowning in the thundering noise. Glancing to Montaine, she furrowed her brows and urged him to tell them. He was the resident, he was the one who'd lived in Zeltiva the longest, so he would be able to recognize the sound, wouldn't he?
She faltered, when she realized that it was only the second time the glassblowing sailor had stepped into the library. The first, was when she'd bumped into him a few days ago, and had taught him to read. He didn't frequent the University, so the chances that he would know where slim. "Sounds like, sounds like..." she trailed off, unable to pinpoint the noise at all. Splashing water, yes, the sound of solid objects slapping, yes, but what could that be, the sound that occurs in a pier? It didn't make any sense, as there were no piers or docks close enough for them to hear. And, if there were, they would've heard it before they even came it, wouldn't they?
She tried her best to ignore the darkness in front of them, the origin of the peculiar noise. Wisps of black seemed to grow and reach out to them, their ebony tendrils twisting and turning in a disgusting, eerie fashion that sent shivers down her spine. It was all a figment of her imagination, however, wasn't it? Shadows couldn't move, shadows didn't move, they're not meant to, right? She glanced at the book in Wrenmae's hands, and then at the pair she held between her arms. "So, these seem to have a connection, don't they?" she mused casually, though her fright and uncertainty spilled out of her trembling tone. She revealed nothing until she'd tightened her grip on the spines of the books, her clammy hands causing the tomes to shake in time with her rapidly beating heart.
"I suppose we should check this out, there must be a reason why these were the ones that fell," she said, quickly returning to the aisle and laying the pair of books on the empty table that stood against the window. She tried her best to avoid making eye contact with the other two men, fearing her eyes would betray her and show them how she'd lost a fraction of her bravery. Opening the books up, she wondered for a moment what she should be looking for. "A link, we've got to find a link," she said, tapping her chin and voicing her thoughts, hoping that the other two had followed her to the tables, "historical figure, historical voyages? Perhaps a certain historical figure made a certain historical voyage?" Giggling to herself as she plucked up more courage and confidence, she glanced towards Wrenmae and brought out her palm to take the book in his hands. "That involved circumnavigating Mizahar?"
It was when she'd said the mouthful of a word, that it hit her quite suddenly. The Wright Memorial Library was dedicated to someone, somebody whose name had escaped her at that particular moment. She bit her tongue and struggled, looking back to the time when she'd met the librarian and she'd given her an introduction to the place. The woman, that Wright woman, she'd circumnavigated Mizahar, hadn't she? She was certainly historical. "Do you know who this library was built in honor of?" she bit her lip as she spoke, widening her eyes as she faced the pair.