With his jaw now tightly clenched out of instinct, the witch stared blankly at the new item in his hand. He was thankful he had never taken off his gloves. Looking up again at the unfamiliar face, his eyes narrowed in tight. Why is it that he was so polite, despite Alistair giving off as much of an unwelcoming vibe as possible? Most took the hint and left him alone, and certainly didn’t give him a candle in return.

Augh, he was spending too much of the fleeting morning’s time dawdling with this person. So help him if there were people in the library…

And with that, Alistair gave a small nod of thanks (because who could be that rude to someone who was still currently bleeding?) and turned his back, hoping to find absolute silence in the building he was approaching. People just didn’t make sense. Some were overly polite, others the extreme opposite. One of the main reasons he went out of his way to avoid as much interaction as possible. His draining lack of empathy was tiring. There was some still left, but ugh. Alistair just needed a good book on something new.

What he didn’t realize was how late in the morning it already was, and how many mothers were flocking to rent beginner books for magic users. Two steps in could tell him this, and he had to abruptly stop and turn on his heel, dreading the possibility the new face could be out there. Even worse: a second being had arrived. This one felt familiar, as if it resembled the one previous. Standing together, they looked related, meaning they would probably talk.