"Hello?" Arialla stepped lightly between the Atheneum's shelves. She'd never seen so many books in her life -- there were perhaps half a dozen tomes in her entire village, back at home -- and she couldn't suppress the feeling that somewhere in this unbelievable repository of information had to be the key to her return home ... but she did her best to force that thought away. There was no going home; she was trying to accept that now.
And if there was no going home, then she needed to find something to do with herself in Caido. Hence her presence here -- returning to the concept of the Loreseekers. She knew that Jigano had left, and with Samuel living (or rather dying) in Torchline, she didn't know what had become of the guild. While she still wasn't sure whether she wanted to join -- not if Safrin disapproved -- she figured it wouldn't hurt to at least find out a little.
But the Atheneum seemed empty, almost abandoned. Arialla kept at it, squaring her shoulders and searching the building ... and finally locating a human form curled in an alcove. "Hello? Are you all right?"
She didn't recognize Samuel, not yet.
please don't take my sunshine away
