Inky Rain (Lilith/open)

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The sky was siphoning water down upon the city, fat drops smashed the well worn ground and created a muck almost too much to trudge through. With a sploosh his boots unstuck from the mud and he walked to the book shop's overhang, safe from the downpour. After scraping his boots off on the dry ground beneath him, he pulled on the door's brass knob and walked into the shop. The welcomed smell of must drafted to his nose and he briefly sniffed, smiling softly. This was his world, a building solely dedicated to books, shelves and shelves of endless stories, current facts and past histories. He surveyed the vaguely remembered store, only venturing  in perhaps once or twice before this moment, looking for something. 

His wet boots left their temporary mark upon the floor, glistening under the right lights and he collected the orange and yellow atmosphere of the candle lit shop upon his face, imprinted on the ivory flesh. The rain pelted the roof making a simple yet chaotic beat resound within these close quarters, lulling and pestering in one breath. He lovingly ran his fingertips across the bindings of a shelf of books, striding down an aisle and his longhair began to curl against the moisture, held in check by a lone hazel tie.  He wasn't looking for any working in particular, he wasn't there to buy even, nor was his purpose was to read(although he'd surely not leave without a novel or two ) he just needed work and needed someone to pay him for it. 

He kept on with this wandering act for sometime, blissfully undisturbed, his satchel knocking into his hip now and again. But amongst this elated state of just enjoying the book's presence and current home, he had a task and if he kept up with his bookwormish ways he'd never get out. So Dimitri scavenged the store once more over but this time searching for a person, not words. Confusingly he could not find the owner nor any sort of merchant and rather disappointingly he left, worried without a keeper someone who do horrid things like steal or burn the books but even still the fear could not keep him from his task, he had wasted much time here already.  

With a half hearted shrug he pushed on again into the rain, immediately doused in their unrelenting assault. Although Dimitri had grew up in this town , as an orphaned child, he never got to witness the "prettier" sides so much was unfamiliar.  He shouldered against the rain searching for another book store or something when he spotted it, the most elegant and grandest buildings he's come to pass so far; the library. Even though he had little hope he ran into the shelter and nearly passed out from the sights. Stories upon stories of books were housed here, you needed a floor to ceiling rolling ladder just to reach them all and the overwhelming colossality of it all nearly brought tears to his soft blue eyes. 
"Oh my word..."

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Lilith was at work, like any other day. Rushing from isle to isle, stacks of books rising and falling in her arms, as though she were on repeat. Pile after pile she sorted through the books, organizing them first by title, -alphabetically-, then by genre and section, bringing them to their destination. The piles never seemed to get any lighter, and Lilith never seemed to mind. She took short breaks now and then, picking up her book and heading to a secluded corner to continue where she'd left off before. Today was no different than any other day for Lilith.

She had decided to wear a lovely light blue dress, her sleeves reaching her wrists, and the skirt her ankles. It flowed beautifully against her figure, accenting all the right places without her knowing. Her platinum hair was down today, flowing around her like a silver cape, stopping below her knees. Her elven tipped ears stuck out between the thin strands of hair, like little reminders to the world of what she was. Though it was her eyes that made people wonder. A stunning shade of purple that could only be compared to that of a freshly bloomed lilac in spring, surrounded by the thickness of her eyelashes, giving them a wonderfully wide and innocent look to them.

Lilith was not the only one on duty today, but the others were busy helping various people. After all, the library was massive, there was quite a lot of ground to cover for only three people. Lilith had just decided to take another break, heading to the front desk right in front of the main entrance. From the corner of her eyes, she saw a man enter, but paid him no mind. If he needed something he would ask- they always did. Lilith grabbed her back and decided rather than to go find a space, to just sit here where it was convenient.

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The landscape of whited out amazement shifted over Dimitri's view and for a brief time all the world was bleached. The sounds were monotone, like every pang had simplified and stilled into one singular ringing note, all colours washing together to be monochrome, no difference of shade. He held in his mind the euphoria of the heavens and was blasted into nothingness from the perfection of this moment, from the utter brilliance of the room in which he had found himself in. Coming back to the true viewing of this time, Dimitri's gaping mouth found its way shut, the rose lipped circuit slipping back into a resting smile of quiet rapture.

Blinking once, twice, and then a third time,-the blonde eyelashes casting no shadow upon his ivory face-he brought his attention to the actual books themselves, hoping to scope out their individual meanings instead of getting snared into an overpowering collection. He began to become more shocked at the idea that he had no knowledge of this glorious library than the actual place itself, and was pondering this possibility and would have continued to if it were not for his roaming pastel eyes which had then just skimmed over her.

She was silver rain and purple showers; a funnel of porcelain, gossamer and plums. And he knew her features. She was older now, a woman instead of an elven teen , filled out and filled in, who was either still unaware of her stunning beauty or was aloof to it; humble in her graces. It had only been five years since he last saw her perfect face, five years that left her in the prime of youth and he trailing closely behind. He was all pimples and limbs then, a fumbling gazelle tucked into himself, but the years and puberty-finally!- had eventually smoothed him out into the lanky man he is today. True he still seems a tad stretched where his legs and arms are considered-and only being at 5’9 also a little squashed- but he could manage it now, no longer tumbling all over the place. Instead of the shoulder length ivory locks he used to sport, he instead had pristine long waving white hair that reached his hips, currently curling from dampness , and he wore a light grey dress jacket with silver embroidery and pearl cuff links and buttons, black slacks, and a white button up shirt. His leather traveler’s boots smacked off the floor as he abandoned the shelves and headed towards the table she was reading at.

Slowly he approached her, lilac eyes glued to the words before her, and he was brimming with a concoction of bitter and savory emotions. He held resentment towards her up and leaving him at the orphanage, held a nearly imploding sense of joy of seeing her face again, held anxiety that she wouldn’t recognize or like what she saw-or worse if she was even her to begin with, and he held a feeling he couldn’t define but it shuttered through him pleasantly. Not much on taking chances he simply waited in front of her, hoping she’d notice his silent frame and call out to him by name.

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Lilith sat at the front desk, her small slender frame almost looking odd against the large oak desk. Her book rested out in front of her, and she leaned on one elbow as she read, casually turning the pages. She'd only read one so far. In her mind, she made herself a deal; only five more pages, and she would return back to her work- unless, of course, someone asked for her help, or a coworker came up to her. It all depended on her surroundings, and oddly enough she was used to her.

She had fallen into the world of her book, as today she was reading the adventures of a young boy, learning his way of life, of dragons, armies, poor villages and evil kings. She was halfway through the book at this point, nearly to the climax. She could feel the excitement bubble in her stomach, as she always did as a good book built. The boy had just learned to do magic, with the helpful sarcasm of his older friend, -who she'd learned was also his father, such a convoluted plot some authors had. A small smile was building slowly on her face with every page turn. She was about to turn to the next- and final- page that she had promised herself, when movement not to far away from where she sat, caught her eyes. 

Lilith assumed it was a shy, costumer- those were common. It wasn't often they were shy by nature, but the library was such a large place, it would take days to find what one was looking for, unless they already knew - and approaching someone was always awkward. With a silent sigh, Lilith replaced her book mark, and gingerly closed the old leather bound book, and bend down to pick up her bag from the floor, sliding the book back in. Once that was finished, and her bag was safely under the desk, she rose her eyes completely, donning the customary "How may I help you" smile, looking as approachable as she could. However, when her eyes finally registered the man before her, she became quite confused. The smile faded as she slowly worked her way to stand in front of the desk, a few feet away from him now.

His face, it was so familiar, yet so very different. She could swear she knew that face, but from where? Her past was a slight blur of people now, and she mostly tried to push it from her mind, but was he relevant to that? Her eyes scanned over him, taking in his figure, his colour, his hair, and finally, his eyes. A blue she dare not forget, as they reminded her of her regrets, her promises, and her goodbye. Her mouth fell open slightly, and her pale hands raised to cover her mouth as he stood sheepishly before her. She didn't want to approach him yet- on the off chance she was completely wrong and would be making more of a fool of herself than beginning to cry as she was. But if she was right, then she had so much to say, so many questions, and so, so many apologies. She'd left him behind. He'd been there for her, through many of her darkest times, in the orphanage, against the people who mocked her, teased her, and when the time had come, she'd left him, with little to no explanation. He would no doubt want one now, and she could hardly blame him.

She'd always wondered what and become of the kind hearted, awkward little boy she'd once know, and yet, here he stood before her, proving to her that he had been doing well, despite her fears otherwise. She'd always wanted greatness for him, a bright future- he deserved one. And, it was of course perfect, that she find him in the library. He was how she found her love of books after all. Oh goodness, she hoped this was him. 

Lilith took a very hesitant step towards him, lowering her arms from her face. Her eyes were narrowed slightly with worry that she was wrong, small tears still forming on her waterline. D-Dimitri...? Her voice would barely carry across the few feet to him, hardly making it above a whisper.

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Despite his nervousness a grin began to break like dawn across his face as he watched her become enthralled with the story before her. He had no inkling of what it was about but it must have been something grand to put such a sparkle in this librarian’s stunning eyes, assuming she read many of the books she was a caretaker to. It was her reaction that solidified in his heart she was Lilith and so he remained in silence, preferring to stay in this little bubble of perfect time, soaking in her and all her wonders and excitement. He wanted nothing but to remain in this moment for he knew that it could burst the instance she left the book behind and raised her eyes to his, and so he ate up all he could, watching her face light up with each turn of the page.

This time lasted seconds but he made it feel like hours, flipping through his memories for every tweak in her features, matching what he saw now with what he had seen for oh so many years before. He remembered holding her close numerous times as she trembled with tears, how awful some of the other kids at the orphanage were to her, those racist little bastards. Never one for confrontation-and being a tiny thing that was a good choice at the time, avoiding standing up to avoid beat downs- he never physically intervened, terrified himself that he’d once again be their hateful target but he did what he could for her. He comforted her when she couldn’t take the jeers anymore, made her laugh even if her heart was splintering, read her stories to transport them both to a far away and better place and watched her back as best he could, foiling some of the children’s worse pranks in anonymous ways. He wasn’t a coward exactly, just introverted and for a long while he had despised himself for that, wanting to do more for her but unable to; shy boys are nearly useless next to the might of a bully. He was always there in the aftermath though, ready to tend her wounds faithfully.

This wasn’t one sided however, he was as much as her friend as she was his and she looked out for him just the same. Until she left him in the dust, that is. He knew she had to go, that she was destined for greater things and could no longer suckle the slum’s merciless teat, but that didn’t make her sudden absence destroy him any less. The pain had been a vibrant scarlet but it dulled into a creamy pink in time, as time is wont to do, and before this moment it had been hardly remembered beyond a sudden itch of loneliness. Now the old anguish flared up again but swiftly it was snuffed out as he realized that what had happened had happened and he couldn’t change that now but he could accept her in his heart again if allowed such a treat. Of course he still craved an answer to all his questions, of course he deeply desired an explanation for her actions but that would have to wait for another time.

His eyes pricked at her sweet smile, glorious to him even with a hint of weariness in it, but then fear leaped up inside him as her face began to crumble at the sight of his own. She seemed worried, and a little desperate for something that he couldn’t quite figure out. Surely she couldn’t be so overwhelmed at the idea of him that it would cause her eyes to brim with water, but there she was, near to tears and almost quivering from shock or happiness or disappointment or who knows what, but she was altered from his presence all the same. Dimitri just needed to find out if this was a positive or negative reaction.

And then it happened. On her lips and with the smallest of breaths his named floated across the space between them and all at once the world was totally righted. She knew-or at least guessed- who he was and it felt wondrous to be remembered. He ducked his head and looked down at his shuffling feet only to peer up at her seconds later. With the tiniest grin he gave a single nod as an affirmation and in a much deeper voice than what she was to expect he replied with; “ Hi Lilith.” expressing his timidness through and through.

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Lilith saw his head duck down, and pop back up with a small grin, confirming who he was. She could never forget that smile. By the time her name had floated from his lips, she had closed the distance between them, throwing her arms around his shoulders, burying her face in his neck. She held him tightly, taking him in- his scent, his building, the feel of his skin. So much had changed over the past five years. He'd grown, he'd changed, as had she. 

Finally, she pulled away from him, bringing her arms back down to her sides, embarrassed. There were few people here and there, on both floors, looking down at her outburst, and her skin flared up in response, the tips of her ears burning with colour. She averted her purple eyes, for a moment, pushing her hair behind her ear. 

What are you doing here...-No! Where have you been? She was aware that those questions could be turned and directed at her as well, and she fully intended to answer them, but she blurted it out without thinking. She'd missed him so much, and knew she had a lot of questions to answer for him, but in this moment, her face was lit up with joy at finally seeing him. She'd thought of him more recently, as Sima had asked questions of her past, but she never imagined he'd show up here.

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When she had tossed her arms around his lanky frame he fell back a step but lavished in the familiar feeling of her warm body against his, her scent flowing through his nasal cavities. He-with a ginger touch- stroked her glorious locks of hair, burying his own face into the top of her head, near to tears from this reunion. It was as if that time without her had vanished and left them back where they had said goodbye but without her departure, like she had stayed or he had followed her. Everything fit and became one again, his life seamless once those fractured bits of past had woven themselves into the present. He smiled deeply this time, wrapped up in her folds, so joyous to have his friend back.

When they broke away from one another, he was surprised to see a blush had coloured her face but after glancing around at the nearby gawkers a rose tint had begun to creep into his own. He hated when people stared. Couldn’t they just take in their surroundings and be content with that? No need to pry into other’s affairs, just be aware they’re happening and move on. Coming back from his annoyances he was swept up once more in the rapture of her eyes and her voice fell like wishing bells upon his ears.

“Oh I’ve been here and there, adventuring all over Teair as a wanderer. When you left I knew I couldn’t stay at the orphanage any longer so I picked up my feet and walked out the door. It was hard at first and I had to do some rotten things but it paid off in the end. I’ve made a living repairing books where I go, you’d be disgusted by how some treat their books! If the binding’s not cracked or pulled apart then the ink is fading or pages are sticky or falling out and people just let them get dank and moldy. It’s a shame, a real horrifying shame…” As he spoke his face contorted to outrage then pure fear that shot out of his eyes like cannons , his passion for novels was at a fanatic level.

“I’ve been abroad teaching as well as learning many things but I’ve worked out there for all I can for now; so I came back, to touch base with my roots and maybe find some paying wage here. And what of the grand Lilith and her tale? Where did you go off to and why are you here?” With kind and quizzical eyes he inquired this of her, weighing her words carefully, holding on to each infliction like he’d die without it all for the effort to find out who she’d become.

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She smiled as he spoke. Of course he'd found a way to work with books, without being tied to a single place- it was so like him. She took a step or so back, and leaned on the old wooden desk behind her, using the palms of her hands to support her weight against it. It was sturdy and thick, but she knew it was quite old as well, and she did not want to be the person who broke it. She kept her eyes on him while he spoke, for the most part- only straying to take in more of what he'd become. He was so tall now, and handsome. He'd filled out nicely compared to what she remembered, though she knew he was still quite thin, long legs and arms. His hair was much longer now, seeming to not had cut it since she left- neither had she. She remembered people teasing about how long her hair was, and in return they would joke, wondering who's hair would be longer in the future- who would dare cut theirs first. That was the reason that, though her's was a hassle, a pain to deal with- as pointed out by Sima- she'd refrained from cutting. She was also slightly fearful, that had she cut it, Dimitri would not recognize her, by chance they ran into one another, like today.

I know what you mean. You should see the piles of books in the back, waiting to be fixed. It's simply ridiculous how cruel people are to their books. Some of the conditions they're returned in- we should have a policy for such things. She sighed, shaking her head, sharing his anger 100%, but snapped out of it as quickly as he had.

Me? Well, after I left, I stayed in the forest for a short time, not having money for a house yet. But after a while, I came across and old abandoned cabin on the outskirts of the Second District, and kind of just claimed it. Which was wonderful, but I am really not cut out for living in the forest. One can only find so many fruits and vegetables to live on in the forest before running into beasts. She laughed. But soon after that, I found this place, and they hired me on the spot- something about my passion for books- I don't know how they could tell, I was a stuttering mess; I think they just wanted me to shut up, but thankfully, I've been here ever since. 4 1/2 years now. So really, I never left, not to far. I went to visit once, almost a year later, but found you'd already left- can't say I'm surprised. She shook her head, remembering the times they'd spoken of running off, finding a new life, as most orphans did.

And... On a happier note... I'm not living alone anymore. Recently -quite recently- I came across this man, and though the full story is for another time, with less ears around us, he's now living with me. She glanced to one of the near by shelves, catching one of her coworkers listening it.

"We all know you're engaged Lilith! So stop hiding it! He had a ring for Gods sake!" Lilith turned beat red, glaring at the woman.

I am not! He was playing a joke, that is all! She was flushed, and looked back over to Dimitri. That is also a long story, and before you ask, no, I'm really not engaged. I love him, but it's far to soon for that. She said she loved him so boldly she stunned herself, surprised that she'd been able to say such words aloud, to someone other than Sima himself. She was so used to being shy and quite around everyone, except Sima. She'd nearly forgotten the other exception to her solitude and silence- Dimitri.

But that's me... Not much has changed really. She ducked her head, shimmering locks of hair falling around her face, framing it.

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Why did people doubt in destiny, in serendipity and tick them off as lone coincidences? Couldn’t they see that life was a fluid web that although shape shifted to fit the unpredictability of such an existence, it had a distinct pattern and destination that none could alter? We are meant for something-an unknowable thing even when in it- and whatever powers that were and are care take and ensure no one strays from their intended path; ceaselessly in pursuit of one’s own ultimate somethings. Like the much valued platonic counterpart to Dimitri, Lilith, they were meant to have each other, made to be apart of one another’s lives despite what occurred.

If it wasn’t for her tender soul he would have been nothing but crumbs to toss at the passerby sparrows; snuffed out and stamped upon to beat his morality, his sweetness and his life essence until it burst outward leaving a hard ugly husk behind. She had fluttered into his darkest times on eagle’s wings, blacking out the injustices and elevating himself on the airs of freedom, sweeping him away from tainted thoughts and hateful actions in her purity. Nothing could distort the image of her-she had been his angel and as she had literally saved his life in numerous situations, as some form of countermeasure, he had given his own over to her. It wasn’t that he then only operated by the cool crystalline sheets of her flesh, nor by the glamorous moon rays of her hair, or not even by the way her dainty feet of grace and poise kissed the dirt beneath them with every step, no he didn’t become a slave to his world’s pinnacle; he simply was in reverence of it, in awe of her. He had become devoted to her and with every action held her in mind but knew never to overstep his protectiveness or his kind passion for her; she had a brain and a heart of her own that he had no control over- which only made him love her more.

And so with all this displayed, again it is asked; how could anyone disregard the pull of fate and blare out to all that it’s nothing but falsities? Even in such a wide expanse that this planet contained, through time and past near flings with death and all other sorts of obstacles they had come full circle, finding each other once more. //What if I had gotten a job at that store instead? Sure I would have ventured to the library in due time but who’s to say I’d be there for her shift? Or that I would have seen her? I came when I did and she was here too because it needed to be so. \\

As Dimitri swung along the rungs of his thoughts he was also absorbing each syllable that dripped from her petal mouth, entranced by the light trickle of her voice and was captivated by her story. It gave him a tickle in the base of his throat and his fingers twitched with the need to write, one hand gripping the strap of his satchel until it was white knuckled. He could finally add the true telling of what had happened to her in his Books as to discredit the possibilities of all the possibilities he had written and imagined for her. // Beautiful, strong female lead, a voyage to the unknown, learning the hum and crackle of the wilderness to end up with a prince! It has the makings of a great tale...although I’ll have to check the prince out if he wants to be king...\\ A worried grumble passed over his face; she had lived so much and grown into deeper things and he had missed it all, too caught up in his own adventures to bear witness. This was disquieting but he vowed to patch up past grievances and absent moments in the times to come.

At the intrusion of what he assumed to be her coworkers-whilst on the subject of her debated engagement-, he gave a cracked grin. Before they were all the other had known and he wasn’t sure on how to handle the boyfriend factor, even still he saw that she held some great love for this stranger man-it simmered in her eyes and flavoured her voice and he had known she’d given her heart away before even announcing it; it glowed all around her if you were to pay attention, a lingering perfume of sweet things and life’s light. If he could make her this happy then he could try his best to be happy for them both too.

As her lips came to a final close he paused before responding and scratched the back of his head, too aware of all the listening ears now and began to turn a flush vermilion himself. He shifted his weight to the other foot and then spoke a little softer;

“ I’m-I’m really at a loss of words here, not that I’m shocked to hear of how well you’ve been doing of course, just that you’re so much to take in. I’ll have to talk to you about those poor books soon but really, anyways, I cannot fathom how incredible it is to see you and know without a strand of fear that you’re thriving and living life! Oh and Lil’ , I beg to differ on the whole “not-really-changed” bit; you seem so much more...free now. It suits you well.” He tried to meet her eyes as he produced each word but years of conditioning had made them dart like fleas on speed to the floor, the ceiling, anything but her face, which was a shame for oh had he pined for it so! Clearing his throat he tried the whole looking at her directly thing again and succeeded quite well for himself.

" Ahh but now I feel I was a smidgen cheap onto my own happenings and what have you-but if you don’t mind we can pour over the catch ups in a quieter place later sometime? I mean if you would like, if you’re not busy you know, I mean if you were to ever have, you know, free time or whatnot, that is if you’d give up your free time to talk to me anyways but then I guess it wouldn’t really be free time, it’d be me time, and oh that sounds so dreadfully selfish now, um. ” Dimitri bit his lip to halt the tumbling of phrases, more embarrassed at his incessant chatter than anything he had blushed over today. He went to open his mouth a few more times but nothing but whispers of squeals came through his vocal chords, shyness cutting off any chance for eloquent speech and nearly any tie to speaking at all. Dimitri knew his anxieties would melt away when she was the only one around but for the moment he was so overloaded that he was a stuttering then silent goof.

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She could tell he was nervous- that had been something they'd often shared in the past, and that didn't change now. She was just used to the library. But his words stunned her, made her think about herself more. She was more free? She noticed how he had to work to look at her, and she wondered why. She may not have changed over the past five years, but he seemed to, even if just slightly. Lilith removed her hands from the desk, and crossed them in front of her, after tucking the hair back once more. A terrible burden, her hair.

There's nothing to worry about, stories take time to be told... now who did I hear that from...? She smiled. But that sounds like a wonderful idea. In fact... my shift ends in about half an hour... I'm sure you'd love to wander the library more - I know half an hour really isn't long enough - but perhaps you'd like to come home with me, to talk more? I'd love to have you. She smiled more, her cheeks pink, but not from blush. There were a thousand questions for both of them, and in turn, a thousand answers. Stories to be told, and heard, new memories to be made. She couldn't wait- being reunited with him, had been one of the best things she could have imagined.

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With a face full of glee Dimitri fervently nodded at her words, “I would love for that as well, I’ve been hoping for this moment for a long while now.” Suddenly he no longer struggled to look upon her face; he had slipped out of his current habits into his elder ones, having the confidence or familiarity again to meet her gaze without a hitch. It was knowledge enough to sooth him that in mere moments they would be folded into a world of their own to recount past memories and share updates to fill in all the blanks of their wonderings.


With a small bow he left her to her work for the remainder of her shift, upholding professionalism despite his eagerness to absorb her sole attention. He then began to explore the gloriously monstrous library, picking through the shelves as to get a sense of a sliver of their inventory. He also enjoyed their content for brief spurts, collecting a few novels to take out as he stopped to read a few pages out of a myriad of books from time to time.