learn to rebuild

MAEVE

Maeve was originally supposed to go to this library with Locke, but he still has training. He hasn't given Ronin his notice yet. No sense in doing so when they can't go anywhere just yet. Maeve wanders through the stacks, heels echoing against marble floors as she tries to find the section she needs. They have everything here. Books on herbs, medicine, and architecture. Which is what she's trying to find right now. Her fingers skim along the various spines of books as she reads each title in hopes of finding what she's looking for.

The Collegium is quiet outside of echoing footsteps and the familiar scratch of quill against parchment. A few voices murmur softly as pages rustle when turned. Maeve pauses, pursing her lips as she considers the title of a book, gently pulling it from the shelf and flipping it open.

A pretty face
Doesn't mean a pretty heart

PHOEBE

Let you go and the lonely in
To take my heart again

Phoebe had also found her way to the Collegium - though likely with a less directed purpose than most who came to meander the aisles of books. Such a wealth of knowledge had not existed in any of the regions she had visited thus far in Caido, nor had it been so easily accessible through much of her childhood in her world of origin. The sheer magnitude of the collection left her round eyes wide in awe, strolling aimlessly. How could anyone ever find what they were looking for in such a place, massive as it was? A whole lifetime could easily be spent in one section, let alone all that would remain untouched and unread!

But perhaps something to read would be nice. She had already reread the few books in her possession multiple times over after all. So the Nightingale began to peruse the shelves, stumbling onto a section about the gods. As she scanned the titles, curious what they might have to say about Frey given their 300 some-odd-year absence, a familiar echo of clacking heels hit her ear. Though it wasn't the sound itself per se that she subconsciously recognized. Rather it was the pattern in which it rang out. Curious, Phoebe made her way in the direction of the sound, her own steps muffled by soft leather soles.

"Maeve?" she said in surprise upon finding the source of the familiar gait.

MAEVE

Out of all the voices Maeve was expecting to hear, Phoebe's was definitely not on that list. The girl spun around quickly, almost dropping her book when she caught her elbow on one of the shelves, hissing out a curse as her whole arm started to tingle. The new Madame looked a little worse for wear. While majority of her cuts and bruises had healed, there was still one that bisected her brow and a smattering of scrapes on her hands. She let out a breath, raising a hand to press against her racing heart, "Fuck, Phoebe, you scared me." Maeve muttered, keeping her voice low in the quiet of the stacks, not wanting to disturb those who were studying here.

"I didn't know you left Torchline." Just like Phoebe likely didn't know that Maeve left either. Suddenly nerves swirled in her belly at the idea of having to admit to the other woman that the Halenani had fallen. That she hadn't prepared well enough to ensure the survival of it. Even with the extra support beams it hadn't been enough. Her bottom lip found its way between her teeth as she met the other woman's honeyed gaze. "The Halenani didn't make it... I'm sorry, Phoebe. I tried. I really did, but we lost a wall and the roof... It just all came down. I- I'm here healing and trying to research how to make it better. I'm going to rebuild it. I swear. They'll have a home again soon."

A pretty face
Doesn't mean a pretty heart