✟ @phenakistoscopes
4:00 PM, ground floor.
November had crept in with a slight chill, but the library and its overflowing knowledge always kept the place feeling oh so warm. Or maybe that was simply due to being situated so close to the heaters. Under a watchful eye, Xie Bi’an would take note of the colorful array of students both young and old. They’d come and they’d go, lending and returning, among studying and even lounging in the library. It was simply warm, tranquil, and welcoming; But perhaps the heaters helped with that.
Placing down a metallic, grey thermos and a smooth, Bi’an rose up from behind the desk with a closed book in hand. Walking out into the center, he aimed to return the book he took leisure upon back to where it had stayed. En route to the poetry section, there was just something that caught the man’s eye.
The slight noise of a book being cracked open only to be shut tight. There were many of them, all clumped up at one of the desks, and the source seemed to stem from a seemingly indecisive figure. There was a slight hum as he walked over to approach the young woman and her trove of books.
“Why, I couldn’t help but notice how… Lost you seem right now.” A light chuckle appears to escape.
“How can I help you?”
frustrated is putting her feelings lightly. the topics were familiar, but familiarity doesn’t mean much when the information itself just won’t stick. without realizing it, she had begun to acquire a pile of books she might try to check out, but maybe there’s something better, she should just keep looking for a bit--
rinse and repeat. the subject is something she enjoys, so it’s even more irritating that she can’t seem to make the information stick. each book she opens, each fact she tries to read, makes her a bit dizzier. if she was in a better mindset, she’d understand that she needed to calm down before she tries again, knowing frustration makes concentration difficult.
she’s not, though, so she continues her fruitless search, not really stopping to think about what might happen if someone were to spot her. for the most part, she was correct in assuming any other university student that would be in the library is either just as frazzled, or just plain doesn’t care.
but good things never last.
she jumped a little hearing a voice near her, not expecting to be spoken to. it was a bit intimidating needing to look up to speak to the man that, to her tunnel vision, appeared out of nowhere, but. well. she hoped it didn’t come off as much as her obvious irritation over the books.
“ i-- i’m just looking for... something easier to understand. i have-- there are things i need to catch up on in class, so i thought i’d look into them here, but... ” trailing off, she turned her gaze towards her hill of books, smiling a bit sheepishly. “ you can see how that went. ”
