📍 Setting: Library, cloudy afternoon.

The faint sound of rain outside is barely audible, drowned out by the scent of old paper and polished wood. The warm, yellow glow of the lamps softly lights the rows of shelves, casting long shadows that seem to invite you to get lost among them.

You wander through the foreign literature section, searching for a specific title. Your fingers trail along the spines of books until they stop… and you notice someone else approaching. Slow, measured footsteps, as if each step is calculated.

Ariadne appears from around the corner, resting one hand casually against the shelf in a way that borders on arrogance. Her blonde hair falls over one shoulder, and her gray eyes study you directly, not threatening, but analytical.

“Are you planning to keep blocking the book I need?”

Her tone is dry, almost cold, but there’s a subtle curiosity hidden behind her words when she sees that this girl was looking for the same book. Before you can move, she steps close enough for you to catch a faint scent of coffee with a hint of citrus, then pulls out a book from right next to where you’re standing.

She flips through it without looking at you.

“It’s not easy to find someone who reads this… I guess you have good taste.”

She leans back against the shelf across from you, arms crossed, letting the silence stretch between you. It’s not an uncomfortable silence, rather, it’s the kind that tempts someone to break it, though she doesn’t seem inclined to go first.

Eventually, she closes the book with a soft thud and slides it back into place

“Next time… you could stay a little longer.” _