James remained as quiet as he could. He had stared at his picture of Mary - but he hadn't realized that it was beginning to fade. He heard her voice echoing in his head, giggling in amusement at him. A slight noise of shifting and the chair creaking interrupted him. He looked up quickly, then relaxed when he realized it was simply Dante shifting in his sleep. It was amazing how the body acted when someone was in deep sleep. Sleep walking, talking, driving... such things definitely weren't unheard of. James knew he used to sleep walk and talk when he was a kid, but he was certain he outgrew the unconscious habit. But what about Dante? Did he do anything like that?

The blonde quickly remembered the reality surrounding him. For once, it wasn't immediate, forcing him into dangerous situations, but he knew it was out there, waiting. He knew there were monsters and puzzles - anything, waiting to attack, to make his life miserable. But, he found solace in a new fact that was placed upon him. He now had a bit of a greater purpose. He would help keep Dante safe, as long as they were working together on this. Dante had helped him greatly when his leg was in such bad condition, and they had tried to comfort each other in the dark when confronted by the Marked Man.

Mary... maybe this is like a second chance...

His very slight smile turned into a bit of a frown as he let his mind continue wandering, now focusing on his friend, who shifted once again in his sleep. James knew he automatically felt a sense of duty to protect Dante because the younger man seemed almost fragile. He seemed to be the type who tried to conceal all of his problems, to help others, but broke easily. James sighed, shifting in his seat as well, wondering what kind of person he came across as to Dante.

Dante's green eyes flickered open, their vibrancy clouded by sleep. He began to stretch, but promptly saved himself from rolling off of his bed of lined-up chairs. Slowly sitting up, he cautiously turned himself to a normal sitting position, rubbing his eyes and glancing up to see if James had noticed. The blonde man merely gave him a mysterious smile.

"Did I sleep long...?" he mumbled, trying to clear his throat. He still wanted to just find some bottled water.

"I don't know, but either way - you needed your sleep," James replied, speaking softly. He himself stood up and stretched a bit, then turned and pulled out his map. With his red pen, he circled the library, marking it as a safe house for the future. It was unlikely that he would forget that simple fact, but he still preferred to have it written down, just in case Pyramid Head hit him over the head again and he forgot everything or something.

"Where do we need to head to next?" Dante asked, joining James hunched at the table, gazing at the map as his hand felt the texture of the wooden table. It was still remarkable that the library wasn't at all affected by the sirens and the changes. It was also a large mystery to him.

"I was thinking... well, we need to get to the boat dock, so the Historical Society. I'm almost reluctant to leave the library, though."

Dante nodded in agreement.

"I'm entirely reluctant to. When should we leave? I was hoping to look around a little more. That box of stuff is pretty interesting," he told James, biting his lip softly in thought. The blonde man then mentioned that they could hang around here for a bit longer, much to the relief of Dante. He was genuinely interested in this library.

They took a bit of time to just sip some health drinks and relax, though not necessarily chat. Neither of the men felt it was the right place or atmosphere to do so. Dante then began to wander about the library once again, ignoring the slight, dull pounding sensation that was his headache. Probably from dehydration, he thought sarcastically to himself. He found himself attracted to the box again, going through its contents one last time.

"Dante...? Where are you...?" James began as he wandered around the library. It was eerily quiet and still, as if Dante had simply left. The man stopped when he found the raven-haired male sitting in front of the large box, all of its seemingly random items strewn around. Dante himself looked quite deep in thought, one leg drawn to his chest as his elbow rested on it. His vivid green eyes stared intensely into space. "Are you okay...?" James dared to ask, almost cringing as he interrupted Dante's flow of thought, who quickly looked up at him.

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine... I was just thinking..."

"About what?"

"What this box stands for. I am willing to bet that the Marked Man is the one who put all of this stuff in this box. He seems almost fascinated by humans. Their society, culture, individual actions, appearance, and even reasons for existence. You know? I think he was asking us all of those questions just to learn more, to learn whatever this library can't give him."

James sat down next to Dante, his face quite blank as he thought over what had just been told to him. It made sense, but he wondered how Dante was able to come up with this, since it was such a jump.

"Why would he be fascinated with humans? And how does Pyramid Head fit into all of this?"

Dante merely shrugged.

"I'm asking myself the same question. Maybe we'll find more clues when we're out looking for your wife," he replied, standing up and offering a hand to James.

In less than fifteen minutes, they had mustered up enough willpower to leave the library, vowing to return after visiting the Lakeside Hotel across the lake.

Sitting at the desk, staring blankly at the book, the Marked Man felt a familiar sense of irritation wash over him. He hadn't gotten all the answers he wanted, and he doubted that Dante and James would be willing for a second session. The monster stood, walking through several aisles of books, coming across a box. He paused for a moment - the lid was switched around. That meant that James and Dante had more than likely discovered it. Opening it, he noted that nothing had been taken, then stared at its contents for a little before returning back to the large table.

Pyramid Head's grating, low voice echoed in his mind, the same question bouncing around again and again.

What will you do, Invidia?

He hardly had the answer himself, to be honest. But he would continue trying.

Leaving the library, he was sure to close the door, and headed along the metal grating to the hospital, ignoring the nurses, mannequins, and straitjackets that tried to wander in his way. They knew better than to upset a power greater than them; he had to give them credit for that.

Entering the dark hospital, he began his usual trek to the third floor, pausing as he heard a strange noise from the staircase, probably echoing from the basement. No, he didn't want to know what Pyramid Head was doing.

The Marked Man knew that his mission could not and would not interrupt in his process of opening Dante's eyes. That was certain.