with @hivepath, for seth shawky. — stop following me!
"not following!" the archaeologist exclaims in return, his palms facing the figure before him. an apologetic grimace consumes his expression, brows knotted behind the rim of his glasses. though he doesn't know them, shawky can easily detect the glint of fear in their blue eyes. he means them no harm, and makes that crystal clear by backing away. "i'm not following you! we just... we just happen to be traveling in the same direction. that's all. i'm on an adventure, you know. had to come here to find some books on a very important subject." shawky keeps his voice low in the library, unwilling to draw further attention to them at the back of the buildings. at least the shelves hide them from any curious eyes (for now). "are you looking for a book, too?" maybe changing the subject will help ease their worry. "or are you a regular at this library, and might have a better understanding of where each section resides? it's big. i'm pretty lost. maybe that's why it looked like i was following you."
