The words were blurry again.
Warrick shook his head. He had noticed that the text on the page would sometimes become blurry and intelligible, as if the translation spell in his badge was malfunctioning. It happened when he was tired. Maybe his own power was faltering. Earth's air felt heavy. Polluted and low on magical energy. It was draining sometimes. He looked around the library, it was the middle of the night. It was empty and dark, with only a few lamps illuminating the reading hall. The other readers were people Warrick knew well. Nocturnal creatures working for Calliope, night shift librarians, squires studying for an upcoming evaluation. People he had met a few times before, as he occupied the library during his sleepless nights. He had grown tired of staring at the ceiling while Ben snored pretty quickly and found a refuge in the Calliope grand archive. But tonight, he felt tired. He shrugged, deciding to take a quick nap. He folded his arms over the desk and rested his head on his hands. The book he was reading minutes ago was propped up to form a wall against the lamp's light. Just a bit of sleep. That's all he needed.
His thoughts drifted as he slowly sunk to sleep. And for a few minutes, he allowed himself to think about nothing else but her.
He thought about how she always turned whenever he would say he name. Emma. She would always turn. Offer you her undivided attention. He thought about her hair, and the little curls that pooled on her shoulders. How she would tuck strands behind her hear and look up to him when they spoke. And smiled. Only a little. She never smiled that much. He still loved that slight curve. He loved her grey eyes. He loved her voice.
He loved her. Far more then he cared to admit (out loud).
It wasn't time yet.
Half-asleep, he heard a voice. "Warrick?" He lifted his head. There she was. Leaning towards him, ponytail falling over her neck. Puzzled eyes.
"Huh. Emma? What time is it?" He asked.
"Six. Did you sleep here?" She replied.
"Yeah, I think I did." He rubbed his eyes "I wasn't expecting to sleep for so long but I guess I did."
"Maybe you should skip the training this morning. You look... really tired." She grabbed his coat and handed it to him.
"No, no, I'm fine, really." He slipped an arm in the coat and paused "Wait, you're in the library. You hate it here! Let's go."
He remembered how being surrounded by books sometimes made her dizzy and nauseated. He tried to collect his books quickly, dropping one of the tomes and spreading pages of notes on the floor and table.
"It's not so bad when it's empty." Emma answered. "I think it's when books are read that it affects me? Who knows." She picked up the book. "Sleep spells across the ages and Lands?"
"Yes..." he said nervously, grabbing the book from her hand and tucking it under his arm.
"For Ozma." Emma added. She leaned on the desk, and looked up to him.
"Yes."
Silence for a bit. Emma was leaning against the desk, folding a bookmark into smaller and smaller sections as Warrick assembled his notes. The sunlight was becoming brighter, shining in through the large windows. Growing whispers of people pouring into the library to begin their day. Usually they talked. It was so easy to talk. They would be meet near the dining hall. He'd sit with her and the others at breakfast. Elaine, Alice, and Ben, talking the loudest. Wendy drinking her tea. Jack laughing. Fred enjoying way too much bacon. Emma would never say much, as she usually did, but always smile, only a little. Because she was happy there. And she would turn to him, and he'd tell her about what he read that night.
Today the words seemed to stay stuck in his throat. Like there was nothing he could say that would be appropriate to break this heavy silence. She was thinking about something. Emma wasn't all that chatty, but she was rarely this quiet. It usually meant she was pondering something, trying to find the perfect solution. There was a problem. Why else would she come to find him? Why else would she leave her room without Elaine and come to the library He turned to her.
"Is... something bothering you? Can I help?" He asked, hopeful.
She looked up again. He put the pile of books down. Got closer. Her lips moved, parted slightly. She shook her head. "It's nothing" She pushed the books back into his arms and guided him forward. "Let's go, I'd like to reach breakfast before Fred eats... well, everything."
They exited the hall.
She had woken up early this morning, determined to see this through. But the closer she got to the library, the less she felt sure about her decision. She climbed the short staircase to the section where he usually worked and found him sleeping. He almost never slept. He was impossible to wake when he did. She leaned towards him and pushed the hair away from his face. Whenever she saw him sleep, he always looked so exhausted. Dark circles around his eyes. Emma crossed her arms and looked at him. She loved his hands, always busy, playing with little objects as he talked, scanning pages as he read. She loved his voice, even if it was a little hoarse and cavernous. She loved how he laughed, loudly, without restraint, whenever he was happy. She liked his leaf-green skin, and how his reddish hair framed his face. She loved how he said her name. Always with a little pause. Like it was the most important word in the world.
She thinks she loves him, more then she cared to say.
She wanted to tell him. Numerous times. Every time it came close she chickened out. It felt too real, too intimate. She was comfortable here, with her love at arm's length. But at the same time, she wanted something more. She grew frustrated by her own indecision and sighed.
She touched his shoulder, lightly. She almost leaned in to kiss his cheek.
It wasn't time yet.
"Warrick?"
He woke up. They spoke a bit. He gathered his notes nervously after he realized where they were. She had to admit the slight buzzing she heard emanating from the books was becoming bothersome. A book fell to the ground. She picked it up. "Sleep Spells across the Ages and Lands?"
"Yes..." he replied, taking the book from her.
"For Ozma." Emma added. And with that, what was left of her determination was gone.
She didn't feel like moving. She just felt like staying here, in this little moment, leaning onto the desk, folding a piece of paper in her hand, listening to the people arriving, feeling the warmth of the sunlight on her arm. She felt like sulking a bit, lamenting the loss of her courage. He turned to her.
"Is... something bothering you? Can I help?" He asked, hopeful. His eyes were so earnest. It almost slipped out. I love you. It would have been so easy to say it there.
"It's nothing" She pushed the books back into his arms and guided him forward. "Let's go, I'd like to reach breakfast before Fred eats... well, everything."
They exited the hall.