PM to join [Tlazotinya] A House That Tries to be Haunted

[Philomena]

Spring 8, 513 AV
Wright Library, Zeltiva University, Zeltiva
Just before closing time
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Minnie Lefting no longer glided amongst the shelves of the library as she once had, silent and at home. She shambled now. The swelling joints of the plague and the way her body had begun gnawing at its own muscles for food had left moving at a slow, clumsy pace. Each step was a complex interaction of walking stick, of clutching close her left hand in its wrapping of bandage, of the slow bending and unbending of her groaning knees.

She carried a satchel on her left shoulder, and it shook in time to the shivering of her fever-quivering back. People avoided her. The row she entered emptied quickly. The plague was past, now, mostly, Minnie was one of the last clinging remnants of it, but it was enough of a remnant that fear mixed with revulsion to keep her, largely, alone.

A librarian came behind her and spoke, more loudly than needed, the way one speaks to one with dementia.

"Dr. Lefting! We're about to close!"

Minnie stopped, half turned, "I'll be staying a few minutes late. You may talk to Mara, she will vouch... no... no Dr. Lefting, now..." she muttered to herself, "She's dead now, yes. Only we are left... only we are left."

"Can I find you something?"

"No, sir... no sir... no, we'll be as quick as we can."

She wandered on, turning, into the literature section. Translations. And then, she stopped, before a bank of Eypharian translations, gripping the shelf before her, gasping for breath, her eyes shut.

[Tlazotinya re Jahrid]

Tlazotinya sighed, she finally had some free time. After the scene on the docks the day before she had some information. Yet it had been useless, she had disposed of the Eypharian male as promised, now she was at a dead end. Missing her Mother's lectures and lessons she had been drawn to the University, she found herself in the library, the books were like long lost friends. Reminding her of the early years of her childhood. Dressed in her toga and the bright sash around her waist she wandered among the shelves. Running fingers along the binds of the books, closing her eyes as a small smile came to her lips. She wandered over to the Eypharian History and Translation section, wanting to become engrossed in lessons she had not had for some time, that was when dark eyes fell upon a woman. She appeared sickly to the Eypharian female, the way her breath heaved, and the strain in her body. Tlazotinya knew she was human, just by looking at her. But as she watched as saw others move away from her the Eypharian felt something of pity towards the woman, she knew what is was like. ''Excuse me? Miss are you alright?'' As Tlazotinya spoke her voice took on a gentle tone, yet at the same time it was polite and refined. She offered a gentle smile, silently kicking herself for being soft.

[Philomena]

Minnie gulped down her breath, and pushed back, to lean heavily against the book-shelf. Someone had spoken to her. There was a part of her mind that knew this, but her mind was clogged and sticky, now, unclear and muddied. It was late. Too late. She should have gone to bed.

//No, Minnie Lefting. You've too much work to do. Stand up.//

She pushed herself from the shelf, by will alone, and blinked, twice, dully, slowly. Her eyes peered down the row, trying to focus, failing. A blur of color. A voice she didn't recognize.

//Who is that? That isn't a librarian... I know all the librarians.//

Minnie rocked slightly, and stumbled, her balance forgetting itself, smashing the bandaged hand aginst the bookshelf, painfully. She yelped, loudly, then closed her eyes, focusing on the pain. The pain was clear, the pain was a known thing, it was something that could be seen and understood, and focused around.

//Deep breath. Deep breath. You're in the library, Minnie. You're trying to put your books away. There is a woman you do not know, asking if you are alright.//

She opened her eyes, slowly, then, and tried to focus - no. The fever had taken her eyesight too far - she could hardly read a book, now, without setting her nose close to the page. She smiled, a weak imitation of a bland smile.

"I'm fine. Sorry. Very fine. Only tired."

[Tlazotinya re Jahrid]

Tlazotinya's eyes narrowed, there was clearly something wrong with the other woman's health, she also knew how stubborn females could be. She let out a sigh, then stepping closer to the other she put one three hands on the woman. One on each of her shoulders, and another on her upper arm. All were to help steady her, now that the Eypharian was closer it was easy to see that age that had taken its toll on the female. ''Miss, don't lie. I can tell just by looking at you that you are not well. Allow me to assist you. Please.'' Thazotinya kept her voice light, yet neutral she allowed none of her emotions to bleed through, knowing it would be a bad idea in the long run. Why is she acting like this? I am only offering my assistance, I hope it doesn't go to waste...... She thought to herself, then an image if Mama came to mind and she couldn't help but smile. She then looked more closely over the woman, she was indeed ill. Her breath was labored, and her facial expressions were ones of strain and sheer exhaustion. She shook her head, this woman should be resting. Not moving about at such a late hour.

[Philomena]

More than the sight of her, in close quarters now, the striking thing is the smell. The bandaged arm, newly brusied against the shelves wafts a terrible, horrifying smell of putrefacted flesh and sour blood and astringents. and the place where the bandage struck soaks with thick, brownish-red liquid.

//Why is she being so insistent?//

Seh felt the three hands on her and frowned a moment. That was strange. And those hands, those small warm hands on her shoulders... she shuddered, just slightly, and opened her eyes, wider, focusing. A foreigner? An Eypharian. That must be it. She could see her now, somewhat. A balanced face, dark eyes, colorful clothes.

//Why should she care about me?//

"You are... you... your hands." she pulls back, weakly, not enough strength to pull away unless the woman lets her, "You must let me go, you must... its the plague. You must let me go, or i will make you sick, let go, please..."

She struggles with the frail remainder of strength. Her face screw up haggard and desperate, and... lonely? Yes. A buried, tired loneliness.

[Tlazotinya re Jahrid]

As she heard the woman speak of the plague she frowned, yet added another hand. The forth went to her other arm, she she had a set of hands on her shoulders and another steadying her by holding onto her upper arms. She tried to offer a soft smile. ''I will be fine, we must get you resting. You look as if you are about to fall over.....'' She scolded the older woman, as if a mother scolding her child. She then tightened her grip a fraction when she attempted to pull away, yet still kept it gentle. She ignored the stench of the putrid blood that wafted from the wound, seeming used to similar things. She was no physician but even in her untrained experience she had an understanding that the wound was infected and needed to be taken care of immediately before it worsened. She saw the loneliness in the woman's eyes, it made her heart clench. This woman had been through hell, and by the Fates, she had survived. Mostly. The Eypharian clenched her teeth, and then tried to draw in a steady breath, it was easy for her to see that this woman was miserable. Reminding Tlazotinya of her past and the hardships she had faced she wanted to help this woman.

[Philomena]

Hands, hands, hands all over her shoulders, her arms. Minnie's ragged breath quickened. The woman had her. Soft hands holding her, enclosing her, entrapping her.

//Run. Run, run. Run, you'll hurt her, you'll kill her. Run away.//

She struggled more violently now, her brow drawing back in fear.

//Run. Run. Pull harder.//

"I'm fine... I'm fine... i don't need to rest, resting is how you get better. Let me go! I'm not getting better! ITs too late, I have so much to do... so much... please, please..."

She pulled against the hands, but it would be hard to judge the effort by the strength of her movements - there is very little. Instead, the sweat beads that start to form on her brow, and the way her chest begins to rise and fall on her increasingly skeletal body speak to the effort. Her voice rises slowly in pitch, getting higher, more frightened and less mature.

[Tlazotinya re Jahrid]

Tlazotinya was becoming irritated at this woman's stubbornness, she clenched her teeth and spoke voice deadly calm.''At this rate, you won't have time to do anything. You. Need. To. Rest.'' With each word spoken, she gave a slight shake of the woman, her hands holding firm, the warm callused hands against her bare shoulders and upper arms. ''You understand, right? If you keep going at the rate you are now, you will be dead within a week, maybe less.'' She ground out even more, her voice was like ice. it was flat, cold, and even dead in some areas. Her dark eyes held a dangerous calculating look. A look that you never wanted pointed at yourself, for if it was. You were in for a long, and eventful time of interrogation and questioning on her part. That was until the Eypharian became bored or made the interest of her curiosity crack under her constant bombardment of questions.

[Philomena]

As the womaon shook her, Minnie's face changed. The quiet inversion of it melted, the emotion drained, and she closed and opened her eyes, leaving a blank, bland expression, that curled slowly into a bitter, mirthless smile. This woman, this... woman shook her? She dared tell her about the value of time? Young, pretty and healthy, what petching right did she have!

"According to the doctors, actually, last they estimated it, I have, hrm... eight days. Though such measurements are by nature inexact. I estimate that if I dunny do naught in 'at time, I'll last the whole time. But then there ain' naught to do for myself, nae more."

Her accent appears, grows thick, and sharp and coldly, bitterly angry, but to reserved to be furious.

"You would take me home, and have me rest. Why? For me? To give me a damn day more o' this? PEtch it. Qalaya calls. My Lanie, she calls. My children, they call, my books, they call. If Mere Dira is coming for me, I'll be telling 'er I dun' s'much as I could, right to the last. So much as I could..."

[Tlazotinya re Jahrid]

The Eypharian female saw the change in the older woman, causing her to smile.; Finally she was seeing the fight that was still in the woman, she allowed her hands to fall away, although she kept one still on her shoulder in case she would fall over.''You seem to dislike the thought of dying, as it appears she have too much to do, and too little time to do it......Perhaps I can help you until you pass from this world, I have nothing as of yet to do. Other then finding my parent's killer.....Perhaps we can help each other. I am Tlazotinya re Jahrid, a pleasure for what it is worth.'' The female sighed, then leaned against the shelves, her hands going to the wrap she wore around her hair. Adjusting it slightly, she then looked over to where the woman stood beside her. Her dark eyes were still filled with that cold calculating look, but a bit of mirthless humor had bled into the dark depths. Making them shine like burning coal. She offered a slight smile, then reached behind her to grab a book, it was heavy and leather bound. Appearing to be many years old. ''I haven't seen this book since my childhood, and to think they had it here......Do you know what this book is about?'' She asked the woman, although her eyes were now completely trained at the book in her hands, she used two to hold it open and another two to carefully leaf through the fragile and aged pages.