Welcome to Gaia! ::

At least, in the library, nobody was hovering around, worrying at him, trying to get him to talk. Blue stretched up to reach another book, pulling it down from the shelf to get a good look at it. A lot of these books on ghost-hunting and mysticism were pure crap, and often it was hard to tell what was solid fact, what was theory, and what was hot air from the titles alone. The problem was compounded by the fact that a few of the more useful books were scattered into different subjects, in places where he'd never have thought to look for them. If he hadn't checked the catalogue, he wouldn't have guessed that there was a smattering of books about haunting locations and practical exorcism for builders in the architecture section, for example.

He picked up his pile of books again and made his way slowly towards the quiet back corner where a little group of chairs sat mostly undisturbed. He didn't feel much like encountering anyone, and usually there was nobody there. Balancing the stack took some concentration, and he watched mostly his feet. Research was a good distraction from the panicky round of thoughts that seemed to seep into his head whenever he didn't have much to think about, anyway.

There was someone else in his hiding spot. Blue paused at the greeting, about ready to turn and pretend that he'd just sort of been passing by and not meaning to stop, as stupid as that was. But she looked up, and he half-recognized her. She was like him, a Tale, and hadn't he seen - okay, that was headed right for the bad subject. "Hello," he said instead, softly.

"I'm not noisy," he assured her in return, and chose a chair not too nearby, tucking himself into it with his books. He could share the quiet. It wasn't like they were going to bother each other.

Mostly, the books did occupy his attention, but from time to time, Blue looked up, casting little flicking glances at Elena. He wasn't sure whether to feel relieved that he wasn't the only one who wanted away from everything, or grumpy about the unexpected company, or what. And a tiny wriggle of curiosity remained in him; he couldn't quite see what she was reading from this angle.

Blue had just about finished with his own book; the motion caught his attention, and he glanced over again. Psychics? Huh - was she interested for a personal reason, as he was in his stack of books, or just out of ordinary curiosity? He set down his book, hesitated for a moment, then leaned over to reach towards the one she had put down. He didn't pick it up immediately, instead casting an inquiring look at Elena for permission. If she didn't want him to stick his nose in, he'd quit.

Blue picked up the book and settled back into his own chair. His ears flicked up at the sudden little burst of annoyance. He recognized it as not his own feeling; it must be hers. He cut a short glance at her, and was startled to see a roil of flickering half-ghosts jittering in and out of existence around her. She had been a calm, blank slate when he sat down - or had he just not been looking right? The half-ghosts were only intermittently visible, these days.

He pulled his own mental walls tighter around himself, and the ghosts went away again. Not any of his business, not really. He tucked himself tighter into the chair and returned to the book in his hands.

"I don't mind," Blue said, just as softly. He pushed the stack of books towards her a little; she would find that most of them were on ghosts, hauntings, and exorcism, ranging from the practical to the wildly speculative.

The next time he glanced up, there was something different - her hair - were those constellations? Her midnight-dark hair had taken on the appearance of the night sky, spangled with stars. He blinked and forgot not to look, his ears swiveling forward with interest. Internally, he debated with himself. Should he ask? Curiosity won out. It did seem that it might be something she could control, since it hadn't been that way when he first sat down, and if it was voluntary, then she'd chosen to show it to him. "Is that Orion?" he asked a little hesitantly, eyes on the bright points of light.

A shy smile crept across Blue's face. He held thebook open in his lap, but watched Elena instead as she stood and turned. She did have constellations; he recognized some of them. "Cetus,", he said softly. "Cygnus, Draco, Sagittarius. Aquila." Of his brothers, only Reverie was really interested in the stars, and the kitsune had other things on his mind lately. It was kind of nice to have a chance to share his knowledge with someone, even if it was a passing encounter with a stranger.

"I know their stories, too, some of them," Blue offered, encouraged by her approval. "I like mythology. It's fascinating." Stories of all sorts interested him, and moreso when they stood just on the line between imagination and reality. He had evidence that at least some of the myths he knew had been true, in one way or another, in some world somewhere.

"I'm Blue," he answered. "Blue Sarihe." He bowed over the book, a little awkwardly because he was sitting, but it was the only proper thing to do when greeted with a curtsey.