We continue to sit by the pond for a while. The fish eventually calm down, and settle back to their normal behavior. Swimming around, chasing each other, doing weird, wiggly dances. It's... kind of mesmerizing. Like a screensaver, but alive.
"You know, they mate for life." Llywelyn says, suddenly. I glance over at him, and he's watching the fish with a soft expression. "They pick one partner, and they stick with them. Until one of them dies. And then the other one... usually doesn't last long. They get depressed, and stop eating, and just... fade away."
"Well that's depressing." I make a face at him. "Why tell me that?"
"Because if you're sad it's possible you'll go cry in bed instead of-"
I smack him on the shoulder. "I liked you. For five seconds."
He snorts and his collar lights up slightly. "I do not care about your affections. I care for peace and quiet."
"And bathing?"
"And bathing." He agrees.
I roll my eyes and return my gaze to the pond. "I guess... it's kind of romantic, though. In a morbid way. To love someone so much you can't live without them."
"Won't catch me doing that." He says, scoffing. "If my partner died, I'd find anothe--aah! Hand down! Down! Violent human!" His veins are glowing brightly, as he grabs my wrist and shoves my hand away.
"At least pretend you'll be romantic." I huff, pulling my hand free.
"I am plenty romantic. But my kind do not mate for life. We're not so prone to... obsession."
I raise a brow at him. "Then what's the point?"
"The point is the fun. The pleasure. The intimacy. The connection. The experience. Not... possessiveness. We share. We move on. We don't tie ourselves down." He shrugs. "It's more... healthy, I think."
I'm not sure I agree. I don't know if I could ever just...
The idea of Alistair one day finding someone...
I - but I should...
We'll never see each other again. I'll never see him. He'll never see me. No matter how much I might want to, even if we were those fish we-
"Wha-? Sar-Human, are you serious? Wh-why are my romantic plans upsetting you so?"
I blink, and realize I'm crying. I quickly wipe my eyes, and shake my head. "Nothing. I just... I'm fine." My voice cracks, and I curse.
"Here. Here." Llywelyn shifts next to me. "I was only joking. I didn't mean to upset you. Stop it." He makes a weird gesture with his hand, as if trying to pet me, and then immediately pulls his hand back.
"It's not you." I say, sniffling. "It's just... I miss someone."
He's quiet for a moment. "Oh. I see."
I don't elaborate. I don't want to talk about Alistair. Not with him. Not right now. I just want to... forget. Or at least, distract myself.
"Well, don't do that. It's unbecoming." He says, his tone soft. "You'll ruin your face."
"I'm not going to-"
"You're already puffy, now your eyes are red, too." He sighs. "Humans are so fragile."
"I am not-!" I turn to glare at him, but he's already standing up. He grabs the basket, and holds out his other hand to me.
"Come. Let's go do something else. Something more... cheerful."
I hesitate, and then take his hand. He pulls me up, and we start walking. "Llywelyn, I swear if this is a bath-" I warn.
"It's not a bath." He promises.
But he does take me back inside the manor. Through the halls, up the stairs, and to a door I haven't seen before. He opens it, and we step inside.
It's... a library.
A massive, beautiful library. The walls are covered in shelves, filled with books. There are tables and chairs, and a fireplace. There are even some strange plants growing in pots, giving the room a lush, green feel. And there are windows, showing the still-dark sky outside, and the stars.
"Wow." I breathe, looking around. "This is amazing."
He shuffles in place, the hand previously holding mine dropping mine in an instant and then quickly moving up to run through his hair. He's glowing quite brightly. "Women. Usually. Like books." He says, awkwardly. "This is one of the places they usually gather."
I turn to look at him, and he's not looking at me. He's looking at the ceiling, his expression... embarrassed? Nervous? I can't tell. But he's definitely not comfortable. "Women... like books?" I repeat, amused.
"Yes. Well. That's what. I've observed." He coughs, and then makes a face. "Not Mira." He adds, as an afterthought.
I laugh, and he glares at me. "What? It's cute."
"Do not call me cute." He growls, his veins pulsing brighter. "I am beyond such petty notions."
"Whatever you say." I say, still smiling. I walk over to one of the shelves, and pull out a book at random. It's huge, and heavy, and bound in leather. The pages are thick and rough, and the writing is... not any alphabet I recognize. Of course.
I open it anyway, curious. The pages are filled with illustrations, and diagrams, and symbols. I can't read any of it, but it's still fascinating. I flip through the pages, and see pictures of planets, and stars, and ships, and creatures. It's like a sci-fi textbook, but real. And ancient.
"What's this one about?" I ask, holding it up.
"Hm? Oh." He walks over, rifling for something in his pocket. "Sounds like Constant hasn't fully taken hold. Sometimes advanced reading takes longer... here." He holds out a little thing that reminds me of...a pager? "Run it over the page and it'll translate it word by word. This is the history of this galaxy."
"Really?" I look at him, impressed.
"Yes. It's a bit outdated. But it's still interesting." He shrugs. "Girls like it."
I squint at him. "Girls do." I repeat.
He gives me a blank look. "Yes."
I shake my head, and take the pager thing from him. It fits in my hand, and it's warm to the touch. I place it on the page, and watch as the words shift, and change, and become English. It's... incredible.
"Thank you." I say, sincerely.
He waves a hand. "It's not like it's my invention. Just a simple tool. Anyone can use it."
I nod, and start reading. It's not easy. The writing is dense, and technical, and full of names and dates I don't know. Even in English, it requires a lot of knowledge I just don't have.
But...
I glance across the library.
There's at least four floors full of shelves. It's endless. And there are so many books I could learn from.
I want to.
"...Is there. A book about humans?" I ask, hesitantly.
He makes a face. "Possibly, but I wouldn't recommend it."
"Why not?" I frown.
"Because it's likely to be full of... inaccuracies." He sighs. "Humans are sub....well. They're. Not a priority for the Galaxy to learn about. I can't imagine it'll tell you anything you don't know."
"I suppose." But...
I'm still a little curious what they think.
Beyond the disgusting parts. Which... I suppose... he's right. That's not something I want to read through just for the possibly comedic bits.
"What about Akutwas?"
He stiffens. "Probably. Not. We're a reclusive species No point looking. I can tell you anything that'd be in the book, anyway." He turns away from me, looking a bit more distant.
"Okay." I say, quietly. I don't press the issue. I can tell he doesn't want to talk about it.
I scan the shelves, and then stop at one book that catches my eye. It's small, and thin, and the cover is a picture of... something. It looks like a flower, but it's not one I've ever seen. The petals are long and curved, and the colors are bright and vivid. It's beautiful.
I pull it out, and open it. It's not a book of words. It's a book of pictures. Paintings, drawings, sketches. Of flowers. Of plants. Of trees. Of landscapes. Of skies. Of sunsets and sunrises. Of moons and stars.
It's... stunning.
I flip through the pages, marveling at the art. Some of it is realistic, some of it is abstract. Some of it is colorful, some of it is monochrome. But it's all... amazing. It takes my breath away.
"Where did this come from?" I ask, my voice hushed.
"Hm?" Llywelyn looks over my shoulder, and then shrugs. "Some artist Master is fond of. I don't remember her name. She's long dead, anyway."
I shake my head, and continue looking through the book. I don't care who made it. I just... I love it. It's beautiful. It's... hopeful.
I reach the last page, and there's a painting of a field of flowers. They're the same kind as on the cover, but there are hundreds of them. Thousands. They cover the ground, and stretch to the horizon. And above them, the sky is a brilliant orange and pink, with a huge, glowing sun setting. It's... perfect.
I close the book, and hold it to my chest. I don't want to put it back. I want to keep it. I want to look at it again and again. I want to... I don't know. I just want it.
"Can I... borrow this?" I ask, turning to Llywelyn.
He raises a brow. "Borrow? It's not a library, Human. It's Master's collection. You are also part of his collection. Just don't damage it." He waves a hand.
I bite my lip. That's not... quite the same as borrowing, but... I guess it's fine. If he says I can have it, then I can have it.
"Thank you." I say, and he just shrugs.
"Don't mention it." He says, and then walks away, towards another shelf. "Now, if you're quite done drooling over pictures, we have actual work to do."