Chapter Text
Caelus, can you help me with something?
Sure, what’s up?
Can you come help me go through some old books? I want your opinion on some of them, as they seem to be from other planets.
Sure, I’ve got nothing to do today. I’ll be there in a few minutes.
Thank you. There was no way I was going through them myself.
Lingsha turned off her phone and got up from the couch, her speed slow and sluggish, as if she was disinclined to complete the task in front of her. Laid in front of the vidyadhara was a stupidly large pile of books, all of varying thickness, color, and probably contents. Lingsha wasn’t quite sure what was in most of them, as she never got around to reading them. Heck, she didn’t even know where most of them came from. When she purchased her home, the bookshelf came with it, so it was filled with old books that would’ve probably interested the previous owner, not her.
Her line of work meant she was always having to be somewhere or talk to someone, whether that be treating a patient or dealing with the other members of the Alchemy Commission. As such, she never got too much time to read a good book, let alone a lengthy novel.
Fortunately, she managed to get herself a day of rest. Well, rest isn't really an accurate term, mainly due to the mountain of pure paper sitting in front of her. She didn’t realize it would be this many books when she decided on going through them. But, hindsight is 20/20.
“I should probably get a headstart.” She sighed while picking up a book from a random pile. “A Deep Dive into the History of Shoe Making across the Cosmos?” She uttered to herself in disbelief as she put it into an unofficial “trash” pile. She figured that it would come in handy for a certain profession, but she didn’t think it would be condensed into a single book. Of course it wouldn’t be any use to her.
Next came the one beneath it: “Faster Than the Speed of Love” she said aloud.
…
“Trash pile.”
Just as she was about to grab the third, she heard a knock at the door. Her mood immediately improved at the noise, if only slightly. She moved past the couch, to the door, and opened it.
“Ah Caelus, you’ve arrived. You’re pretty punctual.” She complimented as she let him in.
“Thanks. Nice place you got here.” he replied.
Lingsha’s home was the definition of humble. There was an open kitchen to his right, a living room to his left, and two rooms at the back. He assumed they were her bedroom and study. The entire home had a strong aroma to it as well, something he noticed immediately upon opening the door. It was a nice smell that tickled his nose in all the right ways. The scent ran up his nose, making both his mind and body calm almost instantly.
Scanning the home again let him come face to face with the mountain that rested on the table in the living room. “So, these are the books you wanted my help going through? I imagine you dreaded going through them yourself.”
“Yes, that is correct.” She sighed as she joined him in front of the piles. “The owner I bought the house from left an entire bookshelf of books that I just…never got around to reading.” She explained. Caelus nodded before looking at the books again. A lot of the books were completely foreign to him, either in how bland they were, or in how alien some of the covers were. Thankfully, he recognized a few. Some were hardbacks from Jarillo-VI, others were extravagant novels from Penacony.
“Well, best get to it!” He exclaimed.
And so they did. Over the next few hours they worked through the mountain of books, making conversation as they went. From the most mundane and boring of history books, to the weirdest and wildest of fantasy novels, nothing was off limits among the piles. Lingsha was surprised that Caelus recognized a few of them, given that he had only been to a few planets compared to the total journey time of the Express. Though, she imagined that this allowed Caelus to indulge in the occasional book or too from the Express’s catalog
Caelus was also quite the conversation partner, something Lingsha greatly appreciated. He talked about his adventures in Penacony and the wild ride of dealing with the Order. He talked about the progression of Jarillo-VI and the overcoming of the blizzard. He even went on about Amphoreus, a place she found interested her the most. A land locked in cycle after cycle, repeating the same events over and over again, all to give form to a Lord Ravager. Something akin to Phantylia. Truly fascinating. And the way he told it with such enthusiasm brought a smile to her face, a little joy to lighten the load of the current tedious situation.
All in all, she could watch him talk for hours and never get bored.
~
After a few hours, they had finally finished going through the books. As expected, most of the books were ones she didn’t want to keep. Caelus huffed as he stood from the couch and admired their work.
“Thank you for the help. I’ll donate these unwanted books later today.” Lingsha said as she stood with him. The man turned to her and smiled before replying. “No problem.”
All of a sudden, her eyes widened as if shocked by something big. Her heart skipped a beat and her mouth opened slightly. She stood looking at him like a deer in headlights; completely still. Her body began to heat up, causing a small warmth to spread across her cheeks. Not enough to see unless you were looking for it, but still noticeable to Lingsha herself.
That smile…why did it affect her so much? She had seen many smiles before, but why did his smile affect her like this? Maybe it was the emotion behind it: genuine joy or happiness at a job well done. Maybe it was how it, and by proxy him, shined like a sun, illuminating whatever and whoever was around him.
She didn’t know. What she did know was that it was having an effect on her. An effect that made her whole body heat up, like a fire in her heart had been stoked.
Caelus’s voice brought her back to reality, knocking her out of her stupor. “Hey, are you okay?” He asked, his smile fading into a look of concern. Lingsha shook her head, trying to think of a response on the fly. “I-I’m alright, just a little tired. This just took longer than expected.” She deflected. Caelus decided to drop it, thankfully. “Well okay. If you’re feeling unwell, just tell me.”
She didn’t respond with words, only a nod, hoping he wouldn’t press her on it. He didn’t, and began walking to the door.
Lingsha reached out her arm, but pulled it back just before it would’ve reached him. Did she want him to stay, keep talking to her? Did she want to keep feeling like she was on fire?
But this was unlike her. She had to compose herself. She shook her head and tried to hide the pink in her cheeks. “T-Thank you for your help, Caelus.” She uttered, still coming back from the emotional surge. “No problem.” He said as he approached the threshold and left, closing the door behind him.
The moment the door closed with a click, Lingsha fell upon the couch. A sigh escaped her when she leaned forward. Why did she freeze up there? This wasn’t like her at all. She was known for being able to remain outwardly calm in any situation, regardless of how fuming she really was.
She put her face in her hands. Did she…like him more than just a friend?