And despite his hesitations, he didn’t like the quiet. Not for weeks and months on end. The Library should be warm and cozy, not lonely and haunted. It deserved better. She deserved better. He stood with a groan and a squeak from the chair, stretching his arms high over his head. He could...He could make another circuit of the wings. It’d been a long while since he’d last collected market data. His model probably needed a boost. If nothing else, it’d been too long since he did a check for any dreamers.
Nodding to himself, Owl stepped forward, and-
And stopped, ears pricked.
Silence.
It dragged on and on, setting the hair on the back of his neck to standing. He narrowed his eyes, his fingers brushing against the wooden wall. Maybe it was nothing. But he was sure he’d-
“Owl!” The call was low, nearly-inaudible, but he recognized the voice. A grin split across his face.
Owl’s steps were a little more brisk as he hurried out of the office, closing it up tight behind him.
Leon. It’d been- It’d been so long. Too long. Owl took the stairs three at a time, dropping from the balcony in a rush of leather and cloth. Leon was back. Alexandria had finally- She’d let him in.
Because Owl had unlocked the door? His mood darkened a fraction, his good cheer tempered. She’d let Leon in before when the Library was closed. She could do it. But, then...she’d chosen not to, up until now.
His grin faltered, twisting. But he shook his head, forcing himself onward and through the door of the study. Not today. Not now. Worry about it later. For now...find them.
It wasn’t difficult. With every step, Leon’s periodic calls grew louder and louder. The bastard had lungs, Owl had to admit. He sped through the halls, right on the verge of breaking into a run. He wouldn’t run, of course. He wasn’t desperate.
But he did breathe a sigh of relief as he turned one final corner into a wing and saw three figures wandering the halls ahead.
Any other trip, Owl would have played their usual game and tried to sneak up on Leon. This time, with months of fear and labor between them, he didn’t bother.
James turned first at the sound of boots against the floor tiles. His shoulders tensed, coming up—and just as quickly, he relaxed as Owl came into sight. “Oh.”
Leon and Maya spun moments later, eyes wide. Maya slumped forward just as quickly, pressing a hand to her chest. “Jesus Christ,” Owl heard her mutter. “You’re so quiet.”
“Owl!” Leon said. His eyes lit up. “Hey. Wow. So, uh...hi.”
“Hey,” Owl said, raising a hand in a pathetic wave. “Cool. You guys.” Suddenly, face-to-face with the moment he’d been waiting for, he realized he had no idea how to approach this. What should he say? What should he do? Sorry, it’s been a while because the whole place almost burned down and the semi-conscious building seemed to hold letting you back in as a reward for my cooperation?
It sounded crazy even to him, and far too much to unpack just like that. Especially when Leon was right there in front of him, beaming from ear to ear.
James, on the other hand, didn’t look so happy. “So, what the hell was all that about?”
“W-What?” Leon said, stopping a few steps away and spinning. Owl drooped. “James, I thought we agreed to-”
“It’s cold, shutting your friends out,” James said, still scowling. Owl eyed him over Leon’s shoulder, letting his eyes sweep over the man’s face. The scowl was a front, he knew—but underneath it lay some actual, all-too-real bitterness. Hurt? “You said you’d help. I came this close to flunking a final.”
Maya kicked him. “Stop that,” Owl heard her hiss. “It’s not all about you.”
“Yeah, but-”
“You good?” Leon asked, bringing the other two up short. He was still smiling, but something in the expression had faded. “Only...no one’s heard anything for so long. We thought…well, we were worried.”
“It’s okay,” Owl said. “I’m okay. Alex is okay. Um…” Damn it, stop repeating yourself. “There was just...A lot happened. Sorry.”
“With-”
“With the last guests that were inside,” Owl said quietly. Behind Leon, he saw James and Maya stop their bickering, half-turning toward him. “Alexandria was...injured.”
“She’s a building,” James said. “A library. How the hell do you injure a library?”
“But...those were guildmembers, weren’t they?” Leon said. His good humor faded by the second, replaced by a severity that looked out-of-place on him. “So...are you saying they-”
“It’s been a lot,” Owl mumbled, dropping his gaze to the floor. “I just...yeah. Alex closed up for a while while she...got better.”
“From her injuries,” James said, his brow furrowed. Maya kicked him again. He turned away with a sniff.
“Jesus Christ, James,” Leon mumbled, shooting him a sidelong glare.
James rolled his eyes. “I’m just saying.”
Owl clasped his hands together in front of him. One thumb rubbed against his palm, pushing and stroking away the tension that seethed beneath his skin. “It’s...complicated,” he said at last. “Let’s...I’ll tell you about it. While we walk?” He needed to move, to take action. Even if that action was just meaningless pacing.
To his relief, the others nodded. “Gotta see these injuries we’re hearing so much about,” James said under his breath as he turned. “But maybe after that, you can-”
This time, Maya’s kick wasn’t so soft. “No one cares about your damn final, James,” Owl heard her hiss.
James turned away with a snort, a grin starting to dance at the edges of his lips. Owl chuckled too, shaking his head. The man just couldn’t be satisfied unless he was pushing buttons, could he?
But there was noise in the Library again. There were voices. There was
