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When the quake finally stopped, Lioe was cautious and slow in coming out from under his desk at the book shop. Wide eyes scanned around warily, taking in the damage. Thankfully, it didn't seem to be too terrible within the shop. A couple of the shelves had tipped over and most of the books were on the floor.

He sighed and wrinkled his nose. This was going to be a tedious clean up. If the inside of the store was like this though...

Against his preferences, he went to the entrance to poke his head outside. People were scurrying back and forth to take stock of the damage and help anyone who was in need. Reluctant to put in too much work, he found himself turning to retreat back into the shop. He had his own mess to deal with!

Lioe remembered to take a moment and check himself before setting to work. Thankfully, the desk he'd taken refuge under was sturdy enough that he'd come out unharmed. There was nothing left but to just.. get started. Ugh. The sight of the mess was going to make him twitch.

When someone called out, he winced and nearly dove for the desk again. Someone had seen him and probably wanted him to help outside with the heavy lifting.... Wait. That voice was familiar. No way! He set the book pile down and peeked around one of the bookcases still standing before daring to emerge fully. "Aerexa. Are you okay?"

Lioe peered closer, checking that a little bruising really was all Aerexa was suffering from. She did seem to be in one piece. Though, would she even notice if it was anything less than a simple scrape?

"Yeah, I'm good." He looked around the building and then pointed at the desk. "Was able to.. take shelter.. under the desk." Yes, 'take shelter.' Much better than 'hide.' Not by much, but something about Aerexa made him want to measure a little more than his usual habits. "It's old, but built like a rock. Would take more than that shelf falling on it to break it." It was actually impressive how sturdy the building was. All in all, it had fared well for going through a quake. Speaking of which though.. He sighed heavily and glanced around with a frown. "The place looks worse than it is. Just gonna be a lot of reorganizing."

Wait, she'd been headed there? "If there was a specific book you were looking for, it might take a while for me to find. What did you need?"

Well, that was a change. However smart it had been, he knew a few people who would make a point of laughing at him for hiding out as opposed to being 'manly' and standing out in the open... like an idiot, in his opinion. A small, appreciative smile lifted Lioe's face, and he nodded back to the Vandrea. Practicality over pride.

"I should get you in touch with my brother, maybe," he mused as he headed for the section where he knew those books would be. "He actually works on those himself. Both he and my mother do." He glanced back at Aerexa and smirked with amusement. She and his mother would probably get along well.

The offer to help brought up another smile. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd appreciate the help. Do you think your home is okay though?" He paused a moment, smile turning grateful. "I'm glad you're okay." Then he ducked his head and squatted down to lift the tipped over shelf. ..Or, at least he tried to. He'd never had to lift one of the shelves before, and they were heavier than expected. Good thing he hadn't gotten stuck under one of those!

A whole village that she could count on. What was that like? For his part, he'd never put much faith into the group mindset. His family was chaotic enough without adding a whole town to his considerations. Besides; as much as he was living in Belrea, he still felt himself to be a bit out of place. "Yeah. One brother and two sisters, actually." He could mention the two half-sisters and the nephews and nieces... buuuut there was enough going on right then.

Lioe did his best to control his end of the shelving, depending on the other's visibly superior strength to most of the work.. "Just a bit over this way," he directed, scooting the shelf slowly into place. Once that was in place, he let out a soft sigh and turned to head for another shelf that had tipped over. Thankfully, the grand majority were still standing in place.

He'd bent to reach for the next shelf, but found himself looking back up with surprise to meet Aerexa's gaze briefly. With her assistance, the shelf rose swiftly.. and promptly knocked against his chin. With a grunt of surprise, he straightened up and rubbed at the sore spot while his cheeks turned red with embarrassment. "You mean like that tackleball game we saw?" He swiftly moved on through the awkward distraction and nudged a couple books out of the way of the shelf with his foot to finish pulling it upright.

He hid behind the cover of the shelf for a moment. It was an unexpected proposition.. but also surprisingly pleasant to think of. With a small smile, he headed for the next shelf. "I don't really play it myself, so I don't know how much help I'd actually be. I can tell you as much about it as I can though." He squatted down to clear the floor next to the last of the fallen shelving to make room. "I bet you'll pick it up in no time."

Lioe's mind was already skipping ahead to where he knew there were a few books on the rules and regulations of tackleball. He wouldn't be of much use helping with the physical activity of it, he was going to make darned sure that he would be accurate with the rules and theories! "Well, I'm going to be sure that your lesson is as perfect as possible," he said, tossing a grin her way. "It's the least I can do in return for all the help here." His smile softened a little, a slight question in his words coming. "And.. for a friend." For him, it was a bold sentiment to make, but.. if she wasn't opposed to the idea, he found himself willing to count her as one.